ObjectiveTo investigate the correlation between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio （NLR）， platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio （PLR）， systemic immune-inflammation index （SII） and the severity of intrauterine adhesions （IUA）. MethodsThe retrospective study included 380 patients who underwent transcervical resection of adhesions （TCRA） from December 2019 to March 2025. Based on the American Fertility Society （AFS） classification， patients were divided into mild （n=61）， moderate （n=225）， and severe （n=94） groups. NLR， PLR， and SII were calculated from preoperative blood tests. Statistical analyses included Kruskal-Wallis test and ordinal Logistic regression. ResultsNLR， PLR， and SII were significantly higher in the severe IUA group compared to the mild group （P<0.05）， with SII showing the strongest predictive ability （OR=1.004， P=0.001）. The number of intrauterine procedures was an independent risk factor （OR=1.27/level， P=0.016）. The predictive model ［Logit（P）=-0.676+0.241×operation times+0.004×SII］ effectively identified severe IUA cases. ConclusionInflammatory markers （particularly SII） are correlated with IUA severity and may serve as non-invasive tools for clinical assessment.

ObjectiveTaking Aurantii Fructus Immaturus juice（AFI）-processed Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma（AMR） as an example， this study aims to systematically compare the volatile and non-volatile components of AMR and its processed products， investigate the key differential components， evaluate their anti-inflammatory activities， and elucidate the synergistic mechanism of processing. MethodsThe chemical compositions of volatile and non-volatile components in AMR and AFI-processed AMR were systematically characterized using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（GC-MS） and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS）， with relative mass fractions and response values determined separately. Volatile components were identified through searches in the National Institute of Standards and Technology（NIST）17 database， comparison with retention index（RI） and fragmentation pattern matching. Non-volatile components were identified by searching Waters Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCM） spectral library， in conjunction with PubChem and MassBank， characteristic fragmentation patterns and response values were also used to support identification. Differential components were screened using principal component analysis（PCA）， orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA）， with variable importance in the projection（VIP） value >1. Components with high log₂fold change（FC） among major differential groups were selected as those exhibiting significant changes before and after processing. The anti-inflammatory activity of the differential compounds was evaluated by assessing their effects on nitric oxide（NO） production in a lipopolysaccharide（LPS）-induced RAW264.7 macrophage model. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） was used to detect the effects of the differential components on tumor necrosis factor（TNF）-α， interleukin（IL）-1β， IL-6， and monocyte chemotactic protein（MCP）-1 levels， and immunofluorescence（IF） was employed to assess their effects on nuclear transcription factor（NF）-κB p65 translocation， thereby elucidating the underlying molecular mechanisms. ResultsA total of 36 compounds were identified in the volatile components of AMR and AFI-processed AMR， among which， sesquiterpenes and monoterpenes were significantly increased after processing. In the non-volatile components， 36 compounds were identified， and the main differential components were flavonoids， sesquiterpenoids， and triterpenoids. Flavonoids were the primary differential components distinguishing AMR from its processed products， representing compounds directly introduced during processing. Five compounds， including atractylenolide Ⅲ， tangeritin， nobiletin， hesperidin and narirutin， were selected as representatives of three classes based on their most prominent differential expression among different compound types for subsequent anti-inflammatory activity studies. The results showed that 100 μmol·L^-1 tangerine and narirutin could significantly inhibit LPS-induced NO production（P<0.01） in a concentration-dependent manner. Tangeritin was able to significantly inhibit the levels of TNF-α and MCP-1 secreted by RAW264.7（P<0.05）， while narirutin significantly inhibited the levels of TNF-α， IL-1β， MCP-1 and IL-6（P<0.01）. IF revealed that both tangeritin and narirutin significantly blocked the translocation of NF-κB p65 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. ConclusionAFI-processed AMR significantly alters the chemical composition profile of AMR， and the newly introduced flavonoid components during processing may be key to its enhanced anti-inflammatory effects.

ObjectiveTo investigate the current situation of mutual recognition for ethical review outcomes in multicenter clinical research across 10 contracting medical institutions in Guangdong Province， analyze existing issues and propose improvement recommendations， thereby promoting the standardized management of mutual recognition for ethical review outcomes in medical institutions. MethodsData from 381 multicenter clinical studies conducted in these 10 medical institutions from January 24 to October 31， 2024， were collected. Text visualization was performed using Python and the WordCloud library， and statistical analyses were conducted with SPSS 25.0. ResultsOf the 381 studies investigated， industry-sponsored clinical trials （ISTs） accounted for 51.71%， while investigator-initiated clinical trials （IITs） constituted 48.29%. The proportions of ethical committees serving as primary reviewers and collaborative reviewers were 33.33% and 66.67%， respectively. The confirmation methods of mutual recognition outcomes were primarily expedited reviews （50.66%） and meeting reviews （49.34%）， and no cases of “direct confirmation” were found. The Chi-square test revealed statistically significant differences in review confirmation methods based on project type （χ²=14.851， P<0.001） and ethics committee role （χ²= 69.435， P<0.001）. The frequency distribution trend of the contingency table showed that IST projects and primary ethics committees preferred to employ meeting review （58.88% and 79.53% respectively， both higher than the average level of 49.34%）， while IIT projects and the collaborative ethics committees more frequently utilized expedited review （60.87% and 65.75% respectively， both higher than the average level of 50.66%）. ConclusionThe confirmation methods of mutual recognition for ethical review outcomes in multicenter clinical research are significantly associated with the role of the ethics committee and the type of project. It is recommended to improve management systems， enhance information construction and personnel training， as well as clarify mutual recognition responsibilities and strengthen supervision. This aims to ensure review quality while improving mutual recognition efficiency， thereby safeguarding the rights and interests of research participants.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of salt processing of Psoraleae Fructus （PF） through modern analytical techniques and biotechnology， focusing on its effects related to hepatotoxicity and anti-osteoporosis activity. MethodsThe zebrafish model was utilized to evaluate the impact of PF and salt-processed Psoraleae Fructus （SPF） on the hepatotoxicity （using 134.17 ， 178.89， 268.34 mg·L^-1 as low， medium， and high dose groups of PF， 135.04， 180.06， 270.08 mg·L^-1 as low， medium， and high dose groups of SPF， respectively） and anti-osteoporotic activity （using 33.54 ， 67.08 and 134.17 mg·L^-1 as low， medium， and high dose groups of PF， 33.76， 67.52， 135.04 mg·L^-1 as low， medium， and high dose groups of SPF， respectively）， which was using alizarin red skull staining of zebrafish as an indicator of different batches of PF. The specific dosage of a batch of PF was taken as an example. Then ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS） analysis was employed to identify the chemical composition of PF before and after salt processing， and PCA， OPLS-DA， and independent sample t-test were used to elucidating the compositional changes associated with the effects of salt processing on hepatotoxicity and anti-osteoporosis activity. ResultsUnder specific conditions， PF induced notable hepatotoxicity in zebrafish while simultaneously demonstrating protective effect against prednisolone-induced osteoporosis. In comparison to PF， SPF showed alleviated hepatotoxicity while retaining significant anti-osteoporosis activity. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS analysis revealed that after salt processing， the overall chemical composition of PF showed a downward trend， with 69 components showing a decrease in content， represented by psoralen， and 13 components showing an increase， represented by 4′-O-methyl psoralen B. Further multivariate statistical analysis revealed 11 key differential components before and after salt processing of PF， including psoralen and bakuchiol. ConclusionSalt processing effectively diminishes hepatotoxicity without impairing therapeutic efficacy against osteoporosis of PF， which may be related to the compositional changes before and after salt processing of PF and provides key evidence to reveal the scientific significance of salt processing of PF.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to explore the in vitro anti-psoriasis activity and potential mechanism of Kangfuxin liquid （KFX liquid）， providing experimental evidence for the anti-psoriasis effect of KFX liquid. MethodsFirstly， the uninduced human immortalized keratinocyte cells （HaCaT cells） were divided into seven groups， namely the control group and KFX liquid groups with different doses （5， 10， 20， 40， 80， 160 g·L^-1）. After being treated with different concentrations of KFX liquid， the effect of KFX liquid on the normal cell proliferation was detected by using the cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） method. Secondly， the uninduced HaCaT cells were divided into six groups， namely the control group and recombinant human interleukin-7A （rh-IL-7A） groups with different doses （5， 10， 50， 100， 120 g·L^-1）. After being treated with different concentrations of recombinant human interleukin-17A （rh IL-17A） liquid， the effect of rh IL-17A on cell proliferation was detected. The optimal induction concentration was screened. Then， normal HaCaT cells were divided into a control group and KFX liquid groups with different doses （5， 10， 20， 40， 80， 160 g·L^-1）. Except for the control group， the other groups established psoriasis cell models with the optimal induction concentration of rh IL-17A. After being treated with different concentrations of KFX liquid， the effects of KFX liquid on the psoriasis-like HaCaT cell proliferation were investigated. Finally， the uninduced HaCaT cells were divided into six groups， namely the control group， rh IL-17A group， methotrexate （MTX） group， and KFX liquid groups with different doses （20， 40， 80 g·L^-1）. Except for the control group， the other groups used the optimal induction concentration of rh IL-17A to establish psoriasis cell models. After being treated with different drugs， the cell migration levels were detected through scratch assays， and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the relative mRNA expression levels of Ki-67 antigen （Ki67）， S100 calcium-binding protein A7 （S100A7）， S100 calcium-binding protein A8 （S100A8）， and S100 calcium-binding protein A9 （S100A9）， thereby comprehensively evaluating the in vitro anti-psoriasis activity of KFX liquid. By detecting the relative mRNA expression levels of interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and chemokine-20 （CXCL-20） inflammatory-related factors in psoriasis-like HaCaT cells and the protein expression levels of Janus kinase 3 （JAK3）， phosphorylated Janus kinase 3 （p-JAK3）， signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3）， and phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （p-STAT3）， the mechanism was explored. ResultsCompared with that of control group， when treated with 80 g·L^-1 KFX liquid for 72 h （P<0.05） and at different times with 160 g·L^-1 KFX liquid， the HaCaT cell proliferation activity was significantly affected （P<0.01）， while the other concentrations of KFX liquid had no significant differences in cell morphology and cell proliferation activity at different times， indicating that the KFX liquid is relatively safe for HaCaT cells and has no obvious toxic side effects. Compared with that of control group， when treated with different concentrations of rh IL-17A for 24 h， the HaCaT cell proliferation activity was significantly enhanced， and the cell activity was the strongest when the concentration was 100 μg·L^-1 （P<0.05）， with a density close to 100% and intact cell morphology， indicating that 100 μg·L^-1 is the optimal concentration for inducing HaCaT cell proliferation. The results of the KFX liquid treatment on rh IL-17A-induced psoriasis-like cells show that the KFX liquid not only effectively inhibits the rh IL-17A-induced psoriasis-like HaCaT cell proliferation activity （P<0.01）， but also significantly reduces the migration ability of rh IL-17A-induced psoriasis-like HaCaT cells （P<0.01）， and the relative mRNA expression levels of Ki67， S100A7， S100A8， and S100A9 （P<0.01）. Moreover， the KFX liquid can significantly reduce the relative mRNA expression levels of IL-1β， IL-6， and CXCL-20 in rh IL-17A-induced psoriasis-like cells （P<0.01）， and significantly inhibit the phosphorylation levels of JAK3 and STAT3 proteins （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionThe KFX liquid has no obvious toxicity to uninduced HaCaT cells. It can inhibit rh IL-17A-induced psoriasis-like HaCaT cell proliferation， reduce the cell migration ability， and has good in vitro anti-psoriasis activity. Its action mechanism may be related to downregulating the expression levels of inflammation-related cytokines in the JAK3/STAT3 signaling pathway and inhibiting the phosphorylation levels of JAK3 and STAT3 proteins.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to explore the in vitro anti-psoriasis activity and potential mechanism of Kangfuxin liquid （KFX liquid）， providing experimental evidence for the anti-psoriasis effect of KFX liquid. MethodsFirstly， the uninduced human immortalized keratinocyte cells （HaCaT cells） were divided into seven groups， namely the control group and KFX liquid groups with different doses （5， 10， 20， 40， 80， 160 g·L^-1）. After being treated with different concentrations of KFX liquid， the effect of KFX liquid on the normal cell proliferation was detected by using the cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） method. Secondly， the uninduced HaCaT cells were divided into six groups， namely the control group and recombinant human interleukin-7A （rh-IL-7A） groups with different doses （5， 10， 50， 100， 120 g·L^-1）. After being treated with different concentrations of recombinant human interleukin-17A （rh IL-17A） liquid， the effect of rh IL-17A on cell proliferation was detected. The optimal induction concentration was screened. Then， normal HaCaT cells were divided into a control group and KFX liquid groups with different doses （5， 10， 20， 40， 80， 160 g·L^-1）. Except for the control group， the other groups established psoriasis cell models with the optimal induction concentration of rh IL-17A. After being treated with different concentrations of KFX liquid， the effects of KFX liquid on the psoriasis-like HaCaT cell proliferation were investigated. Finally， the uninduced HaCaT cells were divided into six groups， namely the control group， rh IL-17A group， methotrexate （MTX） group， and KFX liquid groups with different doses （20， 40， 80 g·L^-1）. Except for the control group， the other groups used the optimal induction concentration of rh IL-17A to establish psoriasis cell models. After being treated with different drugs， the cell migration levels were detected through scratch assays， and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the relative mRNA expression levels of Ki-67 antigen （Ki67）， S100 calcium-binding protein A7 （S100A7）， S100 calcium-binding protein A8 （S100A8）， and S100 calcium-binding protein A9 （S100A9）， thereby comprehensively evaluating the in vitro anti-psoriasis activity of KFX liquid. By detecting the relative mRNA expression levels of interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and chemokine-20 （CXCL-20） inflammatory-related factors in psoriasis-like HaCaT cells and the protein expression levels of Janus kinase 3 （JAK3）， phosphorylated Janus kinase 3 （p-JAK3）， signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3）， and phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （p-STAT3）， the mechanism was explored. ResultsCompared with that of control group， when treated with 80 g·L^-1 KFX liquid for 72 h （P<0.05） and at different times with 160 g·L^-1 KFX liquid， the HaCaT cell proliferation activity was significantly affected （P<0.01）， while the other concentrations of KFX liquid had no significant differences in cell morphology and cell proliferation activity at different times， indicating that the KFX liquid is relatively safe for HaCaT cells and has no obvious toxic side effects. Compared with that of control group， when treated with different concentrations of rh IL-17A for 24 h， the HaCaT cell proliferation activity was significantly enhanced， and the cell activity was the strongest when the concentration was 100 μg·L^-1 （P<0.05）， with a density close to 100% and intact cell morphology， indicating that 100 μg·L^-1 is the optimal concentration for inducing HaCaT cell proliferation. The results of the KFX liquid treatment on rh IL-17A-induced psoriasis-like cells show that the KFX liquid not only effectively inhibits the rh IL-17A-induced psoriasis-like HaCaT cell proliferation activity （P<0.01）， but also significantly reduces the migration ability of rh IL-17A-induced psoriasis-like HaCaT cells （P<0.01）， and the relative mRNA expression levels of Ki67， S100A7， S100A8， and S100A9 （P<0.01）. Moreover， the KFX liquid can significantly reduce the relative mRNA expression levels of IL-1β， IL-6， and CXCL-20 in rh IL-17A-induced psoriasis-like cells （P<0.01）， and significantly inhibit the phosphorylation levels of JAK3 and STAT3 proteins （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionThe KFX liquid has no obvious toxicity to uninduced HaCaT cells. It can inhibit rh IL-17A-induced psoriasis-like HaCaT cell proliferation， reduce the cell migration ability， and has good in vitro anti-psoriasis activity. Its action mechanism may be related to downregulating the expression levels of inflammation-related cytokines in the JAK3/STAT3 signaling pathway and inhibiting the phosphorylation levels of JAK3 and STAT3 proteins.

OBJECTIVE: Comorbid pain and depression are common but remain difficult to treat. Electroacupuncture (EA) can effectively improve symptoms of depression and relieve pain, but its neural mechanism remains unclear. Therefore, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to detect cerebral changes after initiating a mouse pain model via constriction of the infraorbital nerve (CION) and then treating these animals with EA. METHODS: Forty male C57BL/6J mice were divided into 4 groups: control, CION model, EA, and sham acupuncture (without needle insertion). EA was performed on the acupoints Baihui (GV20) and Zusanli (ST36) for 20 min, once a day for 10 consecutive days. The mechanical withdrawal threshold was tested 3 days after the surgery and every 3 days after the intervention. The depressive behavior was evaluated with the tail suspension test, open-field test, elevated plus maze (EPM), sucrose preference test, and marble burying test. The rs-fMRI was used to detect the cerebral changes of the functional connectivity (FC) in the mice following EA treatment. RESULTS: Compared with the CION group, the mechanical withdrawal threshold increased in the EA group at the end of the intervention (P < 0.05); the immobility time in tail suspension test decreased (P < 0.05); and the times of the open arm entry and the open arm time in the EPM increased (both P < 0.001). There was no difference in the sucrose preference or marble burying tests (both P > 0.05). The fMRI results showed that EA treatment downregulated the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations and regional homogeneity values, while these indicators were elevated in brain regions including the amygdala, hippocampus and cerebral cortex in the CION model for comorbid pain and depression. Selecting the amygdala as the seed region, we found that the FC was higher in the CION group than in the control group. Meanwhile, EA treatment was able to decrease the FC between the amygdala and other brain regions including the caudate putamen, thalamus, and parts of the cerebral cortex. CONCLUSION EA can downregulate the abnormal activation of neurons in the amygdala and improve its FC with other brain regions, thus exerting analgesic and antidepressant effects. Please cite this article as: Yin X, Zeng XL, Lin JJ, Xu WQ, Cui KY, Guo XT, Li W, Xu SF. Brain functional changes following electroacupuncture in a mouse model of comorbid pain and depression: a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(2): 159-168.
Animals ; Electroacupuncture ; Male ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Depression/diagnostic imaging* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Brain/diagnostic imaging* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice ; Pain/diagnostic imaging* ; Acupuncture Points

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture therapy provides a complementary and alternative approach to treating major depressive disorder (MDD), but its efficacy and safety have still not been comprehensively assessed. Recently published systematic reviews remain confusing and inconclusive. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review evaluated the efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy alone or combined with antidepressants for adult patients with mild and moderate MDD. SEARCH STRATEGY: Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, Wanfang Database, Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched from their inceptions to March 2025. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials that compared acupuncture therapy with antidepressants, or acupuncture therapy plus antidepressants with acupuncture therapy or antidepressants for adult patients with mild and moderate MDD were included. DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS: Five reviewers independently extracted data from original literature using a standardized form, and the data were verified by two reviewers to ensure accuracy. Statistical meta-analyses, publication bias analyses, and subgroup analyses were performed by using Review Manager 5.3 software. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach was used to assess the certainty of the evidence. RESULTS: A total of 60 eligible studies including 4675 participants were included. Low-certainty evidence showed that compared with antidepressants, acupuncture therapy (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [-0.87, -0.27]; I² = 86%; P = 0.006) or acupuncture therapy plus antidepressants (SMD = -1.00; 95% CI = [-1.18, -0.81]; I² = 77%; P < 0.00001) may reduce the severity of depression at the end of treatment. Low-certainty evidence indicated that compared with acupuncture therapy alone, acupuncture therapy plus antidepressants slightly reduced the severity of depression at the end of treatment (SMD = -0.38; 95% CI = [-0.61, -0.14]; I² = 18%; P = 0.002). Similar results were also found for acupuncture's relief of insomnia. The reported adverse effects of acupuncture therapy were mild and transient. For most of the subgroup analyses, acupuncture type, scale type, and the course of treatment did not show a significant relative effect. CONCLUSION Acupuncture therapy may provide antidepressant effects and relieve insomnia with mild adverse effects for adult patients with mild and moderate MDD. But the certainty of evidence was very low. More high-quality, well designed, large-scale studies with long-term follow-up are needed in the future. Please cite this article as: Kuang HJ, Yang HS, Feng YX, Tang H, Fan Q, Xu YQ, Cui S, Musil R, Luxenburger H, Zhang YX, Zhao H, Zhang YQ. Efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapies for adult patients with mild and moderate major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):471-491.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Depressive Disorder, Major/therapy* ; Adult ; Antidepressive Agents/therapeutic use* ; Treatment Outcome ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality based on the 10-year population-based multicenter prospective study. METHODS: A general population-based multicenter prospective study was conducted at four sites in rural China between 2013 and 2023. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic spline analyses were used to assess the association between BMI and mortality. Stratified analyses were performed based on the individual characteristics of the participants. RESULTS: Overall, 19,107 participants with a sum of 163,095 person-years were included and 1,910 participants died. The underweight (< 18.5 kg/m ²) presented an increase in all-cause mortality (adjusted hazards ratio [ aHR] = 2.00, 95% confidence interval [ CI]: 1.66-2.41), while overweight (≥ 24.0 to < 28.0 kg/m ²) and obesity (≥ 28.0 kg/m ²) presented a decrease with an aHR of 0.61 (95% CI: 0.52-0.73) and 0.51 (95% CI: 0.37-0.70), respectively. Overweight ( aHR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.67-0.86) and mild obesity ( aHR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.59-0.87) had a positive impact on mortality in people older than 60 years. All-cause mortality decreased rapidly until reaching a BMI of 25.7 kg/m ² ( aHR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.98) and increased slightly above that value, indicating a U-shaped association. The beneficial impact of being overweight on mortality was robust in most subgroups and sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION This study provides additional evidence that overweight and mild obesity may be inversely related to the risk of death in individuals older than 60 years. Therefore, it is essential to consider age differences when formulating health and weight management strategies.
Humans ; Body Mass Index ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Aged ; Follow-Up Studies ; Adult ; Mortality ; Cause of Death ; Obesity/mortality* ; Overweight/mortality*