Pulpotomy, which belongs to vital pulp therapy, has become a strategy for managing pulpitis in recent decades. This minimally invasive treatment reflects the recognition of preserving healthy dental pulp and optimizing long-term patient-centered outcomes. Pulpotomy is categorized into partial pulpotomy (PP), the removal of a partial segment of the coronal pulp tissue, and full pulpotomy (FP), the removal of whole coronal pulp, which is followed by applying the biomaterials onto the remaining pulp tissue and ultimately restoring the tooth. Procedural decisions for the amount of pulp tissue removal or retention depend on the diagnostic of pulp vitality, the overall treatment plan, the patient's general health status, and pulp inflammation reassessment during operation. This statement represents the consensus of an expert committee convened by the Society of Cariology and Endodontics, Chinese Stomatological Association. It addresses the current evidence to support the application of pulpotomy as a potential alternative to root canal treatment (RCT) on mature permanent teeth with pulpitis from a biological basis, the development of capping biomaterial, and the diagnostic considerations to evidence-based medicine. This expert statement intends to provide a clinical protocol of pulpotomy, which facilitates practitioners in choosing the optimal procedure and increasing their confidence in this rapidly evolving field.
Humans ; Calcium Compounds/therapeutic use* ; Consensus ; Dental Pulp ; Dentition, Permanent ; Oxides/therapeutic use* ; Pulpitis/therapy* ; Pulpotomy/standards*

Intentional tooth replantation (ITR) is an advanced treatment modality and the procedure of last resort for preserving teeth with inaccessible endodontic or resorptive lesions. ITR is defined as the deliberate extraction of a tooth; evaluation of the root surface, endodontic manipulation, and repair; and placement of the tooth back into its original socket. Case reports, case series, cohort studies, and randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the efficacy of ITR in the retention of natural teeth that are untreatable or difficult to manage with root canal treatment or endodontic microsurgery. However, variations in clinical protocols for ITR exist due to the empirical nature of the original protocols and rapid advancements in the field of oral biology and dental materials. This heterogeneity in protocols may cause confusion among dental practitioners; therefore, guidelines and considerations for ITR should be explicated. This expert consensus discusses the biological foundation of ITR, the available clinical protocols and current status of ITR in treating teeth with refractory apical periodontitis or anatomical aberration, and the main complications of this treatment, aiming to refine the clinical management of ITR in accordance with the progress of basic research and clinical studies; the findings suggest that ITR may become a more consistent evidence-based option in dental treatment.
Humans ; Tooth Replantation/methods* ; Consensus ; Periapical Periodontitis/surgery*

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a significant complication of sepsis, characterized by high morbidity, mortality, and poor prognosis. Neutrophils, as critical intrinsic immune cells in the lung, play a fundamental role in the development and progression of ALI. During ALI, neutrophils generate neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), and excessive NETs can intensify inflammatory injury. Research indicates that Taohe Chengqi decoction (THCQD) can ameliorate sepsis-induced lung inflammation and modulate immune function. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms by which THCQD improves ALI and its relationship with NETs in sepsis patients, seeking to provide novel perspectives and interventions for clinical treatment. The findings demonstrate that THCQD enhanced survival rates and reduced lung injury in the cecum ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced ALI mouse model. Furthermore, THCQD diminished neutrophil and macrophage infiltration, inflammatory responses, and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). Notably, subsequent experiments confirmed that THCQD inhibits NET formation both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, THCQD significantly decreased the expression of peptidyl arginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) protein, and molecular docking predicted that certain active compounds in THCQD could bind tightly to PAD4. PAD4 overexpression partially reversed THCQD's inhibitory effects on PAD4. These findings strongly indicate that THCQD mitigates CLP-induced ALI by inhibiting PAD4-mediated NETs.
Extracellular Traps/immunology* ; Acute Lung Injury/immunology* ; Animals ; Sepsis/immunology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Mice ; Neutrophils/immunology* ; Male ; Protein-Arginine Deiminase Type 4/genetics* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Humans ; Disease Models, Animal ; Cytokines/metabolism*

Objective To investigate the effect of spinal cord electrical stimulation on diabetic peripheral neuropathy.Methods A total of 120 patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy were randomly assigned to three groups,with 40 cases in each group.Group A was treated with pregabalin.Group B received radiofrequency therapy of lumbar sympathetic ganglion.Group C was treated with spinal cord electrical stimulation.The treatment course was six months.Pain,EMG parameters,hemorheology indexes,quality of life,sleep quality,and HbA1c were compared among groups.Results Group C had higher therapeutic effective rate than groups A and B(P<0.05)after 6 months of treatment.After 1 week,3 months,6 months and 12 months of treatment,the visual analogue scale(VAS)scores and HbA1c levels of group C were lower than those of groups A and B(P<0.05).After 6 months of treatment,the motor nerve and sensory nerve conduction velocities of the median nerve and peroneal nerve in group C were higher than those in groups A and B(P<0.05).After 6 months of treatment,the whole blood viscosity and capillary plasma viscosity of group C were lower than those of groups A and B(P<0.05).After 6 months of treatment,the 36-item short form health survey(SF-36)score of group C was higher than that of groups A and B,and the Pittsburgh sleep quality Index(PSQI)score of group C was lower than that of groups A and B(P<0.05).The incidence of adverse reactions in group C was lower than that in groups A and B(P<0.05).Conclusion Compared with drugs and lumbar sympathetic ganglion radiofrequency therapy,spinal cord electrical stimulation has a better efficacy in the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy.It can continuously relieve neuropathic pain,increase the velocity of motor and sensory nerve conduction,improve the hemorheology,HbA1c levels,quality of life and sleep quality,and has high safety and significant clinical value.

Objective To assess the exposure levels of heavy metals,including lead,arsenic,mercury,and cadmium,in the local population in Sichuan and Chongqing,China,to compare and analyze the differences in reference intervals(RIs)obtained from direct and indirect sampling methods,and to explore the interchangeability and limitations of these two sampling methods.Methods RIs were obtained by the direct sampling method and the indirect sampling method.In the direct sample method,the levels of blood arsenic,urinary cadmium,urinary mercury,and blood lead levels of 5562 healthy participants aged 22-50 years in Sichuan and Chongqing,China were measured by atomic absorption spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.Using the human biomonitoring(HBM)data,we established RIs for the population by a nonparametric method.On the other hand,in the indirect sampling method,RIs were established via a nonparametric method based on data from the laboratory information system(LIS)of a local hospital after stratifying healthy individuals using a Gaussian mixture model(GMM).Comparative analysis of the RIs derived from the two sampling methods were then conducted.Results The RI for blood arsenic was 0.11-1.3 μmol/L.The RI for urinary cadmium was 0.51-2.80 μmol/mol creatine for adults aged 22 to under 43 years and 0.66-2.96 μmol/mol creatine for adults aged 43-50 years.The RI for urinary mercury was 0.12-1.10 μmol/mol creatine.The RI for blood lead was 14.00-47.00 pg/L for adults aged 22 to under 41 year,16.00-53.38 pg/L for males aged 41-50 year,and 15.00-51.02 pg/L for females aged 41-50 year.Most of the RIs established by the direct sampling method had a narrower range compared to those established by the indirect sampling method,and the RIs established by both sampling methods were partially biased.Conclusions The RIs for blood arsenic,urine cadmium,urine mercury,and blood lead in healthy individuals aged 22-50 years in Sichuan and Chongqing,China were established using both direct and indirect sampling methods,which contributes to a better understanding of environmental exposure to metals in the general population and provides a reference for metal poisoning.For data from the same lab,the GMM-based indirect sampling method demonstrated relatively consistent performance in establishing RIs compared with the direct sampling method.

Cardiac surgery patients often present with multiple comorbidities,the risk of periop-erative complications and the complexity of postoperative rehabilitation have significantly increased,posing higher demands on comprehensive perioperative management.Preoperative exercise pre-reha-bilitation,as a multidisciplinary collaborative intervention strategy,has been demonstrated to signifi-cantly improve the clinical prognosis of patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery by enhancing their cardiopulmonary function,muscle strength,and overall physiological functional reserve,thereby in-creasing the body's tolerance to surgical stress.Although phase-specific research achievements have been made domestically and internationally in the field of exercise pre-rehabilitation,its standardized implementation and clinical translation on a global scale still face numerous obstacles,necessitating systematic review and in-depth exploration.Therefore,this study aimed to conduct a systematic re-view of the intervention protocols,clinical efficacy,safety,and feasibility of preoperative exercise pre-rehabilitation in patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery,with the goal of providing theoretical evidence and practical references for optimizing perioperative management pathways and promoting the implementation of enhanced recovery after surgery concepts.

ObjectiveTo explore the distribution characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome elements of macroangiopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） and the key elements of occurrence， development and progression of disease. MethodsA multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted to enroll 445 T2DM patients from five hospitals， and according to the presence or absence of macroangiopathy， the patients were divided into a T2DM group （120 cases） and a diabetic macroangiopathy （DM） group （325 cases）. Patients in DM group were divided into grade Ⅰ， Ⅱ， Ⅲ and Ⅳ according to the peripheral vascular color Doppler ultrasound results and the vascular anomalies classification standard. The general data including gender， age， duration of T2DM and body mass index （BMI） were collected， and the data of four examinations were obtained for syndrome differentiation. According to the diagnostic criteria of TCM syndrome elements， the patients can be divided into 9 patterns including qi deficiency， blood deficiency， yin deficiency， yang deficiency， qi stagnation， blood stasis， excess heat， and excess cold. The general data and distribution of TCM syndrome elements were compared between the two groups. The distribution of TCM syndrome elements in different vascular anomalies grades in the DM group was analyzed. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the influence of various TCM syndrome elements on the occurrence of macroangiopathy in T2DM. ResultsThere was no significant difference in gender and BMI between groups （P＞0.05）. The age and duration of diabetes in the DM group were older and longer than those in the T2DM group （P＜0.01）. With the increase of age and prolonged course of disease， the severity of diabetic macroangiopathy increases gradually （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. There was no significant difference in BMI and course of disease among the different TCM syndrome elements （P＞0.05）. The average age of patients with blood stasis syndrome was the oldest （P＜0.05）. There was significant difference in gender distribution between the excess heat syndrome and yin deficiency syndrome （P＜0.05）. A total of 240 TCM syndrome elements were extracted from the T2DM group， while 731 TCM syndrome elements extracted from the DM group. The top two high-frequency syndrome elements in the two groups were qi deficiency and yin deficiency， with a frequency of larger than 50%. The distribution of phlegm-damp syndrome and blood-stasis syndrome were significantly higher in the DM group than in the T2DM group （P＜0.01）. There were significant differences in the distribution of qi deficiency syndrome， yin deficiency syndrome， phlegm-damp syndrome， blood stasis syndrome， and excess heat syndrome among different grades of vascular anomalies （P＜0.01）； qi deficiency and yin deficiency were both high-frequency TCM syndrome elements in patients at grades 0 to Ⅲ； phlegm-damp syndrome increased in frequency with the progression of the disease from grades 0 to Ⅳ， and the frequency of blood stasis syndrome showed an overall upward trend. The frequency of phlegm-dampness syndrome increased from grades 0 to Ⅳ with the progression of the disease， and the frequency of blood stasis syndrome showed an overall upward trend. Logistic regression analysis showed that phlegm-damp syndrome and blood stasis syndrome were important TCM syndrome elements related to the vascular anomalies degree of macrovascular disease in T2DM （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. ConclusionQi deficiency and yin deficiency are the basic TCM syndrome elements throughout the whole process of T2DM and diabetic macrovascular disease. Phlegm-damp and blood stasis are related to the degree of vascular anomalies in diabetic macrovascular disease and are the key TCM syndrome elements in the progression of macroangiopathy in T2DM.

OBJECTIVE To explore the pharmacodynamic related substances and mechanism of Weining San(WNS) against gastric ulcer(GU) according to fingerprint and network pharmacology. METHODS Twelve batches of WNS fingerprints were established by HPLC, and methodological investigation was carried out. Combined with reference substances, characteristic peaks were identified, pharmacodynamic related substances were screened, and network pharmacological analysis was carried out. Using TCMIP and Swiss Target Prediction database to retrieve component targets; Using OMIM, GeneCards and Drugbank databases to retrieve GU disease targets, taking the intersection targets of components and diseases, using String database to construct protein-protein interaction network diagram, and analyzing topological parameters; Using Cytoscape 3.8.2 software to construct "component-disease-target" network diagram; GO and KEGG enrichment analysis of intersection targets were carried out by Metascape website. Then the alcoholic GU mouse model was established by intragastric administration of absolute ethanol to verify the results of network pharmacology prediction. RESUITS　The precision, stability and repeatability of HPLC fingerprint method were good. By comparison and comprehensive analysis of control substances, notoginsenoside R1, ginsenoside Rg1, militarine, ginsenoside Rb1, schisandrin, schisandrol B, deoxyschizandrin and schisantherin A were identified as pharmacodynamic related substances in WNS, which may play their role by regulating core targets such as AKT1, IL-6, STAT3, TNF, IL1B and key signal pathways such as PI3K-Akt and JAK-STAT. The gastric ulcer index, ulcer inhibition rate and HE staining showed that WNS could improve gastric mucosal injury in GU mice. The results of ELISA, WST-1 and TBA showed that WNS could decrease the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β and MDA, and increase the levels of SOD and PGE2, suggesting that the anti-GU effect of WNS was related to the inhibition of inflammatory reaction and oxidative stress mechanism, which further verified the prediction of network pharmacology. CONCLUSION This study combines fingerprint analysis, network pharmacology, and animal experimental validation to explore the pharmacodynamic related substances and mechanisms of WNS anti-GU efficacy, providing reference for quality control and clinical research of WNS.

Objective:To compare Al 18F-1, 4, 7-trizacyclononane-1, 4, 7-triacetic acid (NOTA)-fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI)-04 PET/CT with 18F-FDG PET/CT in the evaluation of patients with initial gastric cancer. Methods:Twenty patients (13 males, 7 females, age: 27-77 years) with histologically proven gastric cancer were recruited prospectively between March 2021 and July 2022 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. Each patient underwent both 18F-FDG and Al 18F-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT within one week. SUV max, tumor background ratio (TBR) and positive detection rate of the two methods were compared (Wilcoxon signed rank sum test, McNemar χ2 test). Results:Al 18F-NOTA-FAPI-04 showed higher SUV max and TBR than those of 18F-FDG in primary tumors (10.2(8.0, 13.7) vs 5.2(3.3, 7.7), z=-3.47, P=0.001; 7.6(5.6, 10.3) vs 2.4(1.8, 3.0), z=-3.85, P<0.001). For the detection of primary gastric cancer, the positive detection rate of Al 18F-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT showed the trend of being higher than that of 18F-FDG PET/CT (95%(19/20) and 75%(15/20); χ2=2.25, P=0.125). For assessing lymph node metastasis, the detection rate of Al 18F-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT was higher than that of 18F-FDG PET/CT (78.9%(101/128) vs 64.8%(83/128); χ2=13.47, P<0.001). The SUV max and TBR of Al 18F-NOTA-FAPI-04 in lymph node were higher than those of 18F-FDG (5.3(3.5, 9.2) vs 2.8(1.8, 4.7), z=-7.31, P<0.001; 4.6(2.6, 6.5) vs 1.7(1.0, 3.0), z=-8.44, P<0.001). For the detection of peritoneal carcinomatosis, Al 18F-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT showed higher peritoneal cancer index (PCI), SUV max, and TBR compared to 18F-FDG PET/CT (PCI: 12.0(3.0, 29.8) vs 5.5(0.5, 17.5), z=-2.22, P=0.026; SUV max: 8.2(4.4, 12.5) vs 2.7(1.9, 4.0); z=-2.52, P=0.012; TBR: 5.1(2.9, 13.3) vs 1.1(0.9, 2.0); z=-2.52, P=0.012). Conclusion:Al 18F-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT outperforms 18F-FDG PET/CT in primary and metastatic lesions of gastric cancer and might be a potential novel modality for imaging patients with gastric cancer.