ObjectiveTo screen for the patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD） among the physical examination population， to observe the characteristics of MAFLD patients， and to compare the differences in lifestyle between the MAFLD population and the non-MAFLD population. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 6 206 individuals who underwent physical examination in a physical examination institution in Beijing from December 2015 to December 2019， and according to the new diagnostic criteria for MAFLD， the examination population was divided into MAFLD group and non-MAFLD group. Based on body mass index （BMI）， the MAFLD group was further divided into lean MAFLD group （BMI<24 kg/m²） and non-lean MAFLD group （BMI ≥24 kg/m²）. Related data were compared between groups， including demographic indicators， education level， work pressure， physical measurement indicators， and lifestyles such as sleep， diet， and exercise. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups， the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups， and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. ResultsOf all individuals in this study， 1 926 （31.1%） had MAFLD and 4 280 （68.9%） did not have MAFLD. Compared with the non-MAFLD group， the MAFLD group had significantly higher age （Z=-14.459， P<0.001）， proportion of male patients （χ²=72.004， P<0.001）， work pressure （χ²=7.744， P=0.005）， body weight （Z=-43.508， P<0.001）， BMI （Z=-47.621， P<0.001）， waist circumference （Z=-48.515， P<0.001）， hip circumference （Z=-42.121， P<0.001）， and waist-hip ratio （Z=-43.535， P<0.001）， as well as a significantly lower education level （χ²=33.583， P<0.001）. In terms of behavior， the MAFLD group had a significantly shorter sleep time （χ²=5.820， P=0.016） and a significantly faster eating speed （χ²=74.476， P<0.001）. In terms of diet， the patients in the MAFLD group consumed more high-sodium， high-sugar， and high-calorie diets （χ²=42.667， P<0.001） and low-fiber diet （χ²=4.367， P=0.008）. In terms of exercise， the MAFLD group had a significantly higher proportion of patients without exercise habits （χ²=10.278， P=0.001）. Further analysis showed that there were 202 individuals （10.5%） in the lean MAFLD group and 1 724 （89.5%） in the non-lean MAFLD group. Compared with the non-lean MAFLD group， the lean MAFLD group had significantly higher age （Z=3.368， P=0.001） and education level （χ²=9.647， P=0.002） and significantly lower proportion of male patients （χ²=27.664， P<0.001）， body weight （Z=-18.483， P<0.001）， BMI （Z=-23.286， P<0.001）， waist circumference （Z=-18.565， P<0.001）， and hip circumference （Z=-18.097， P<0.001）， and in terms of behavior， the non-lean MAFLD group had a significantly faster eating speed （χ²=4.549， P=0.033）. ConclusionThere is a relatively high prevalence rate of MAFLD among the physical examination population in Beijing， with a higher number of people with unhealthy lifestyles compared with the non-MAFLD population.

ObjectiveTo investigate the diagnostic accuracy and grading capability of ultrasound-derived fat fraction （UDFF）， controlled attenuation parameter （CAP）， and hepatic/renal ratio （HRR） in assessing hepatic steatosis in metabolic associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD） with magnetic resonance imaging-proton density fat fraction （MRI-PDFF） as the gold standard. MethodsA total of 150 patients with MAFLD who attended The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2023 to December 2024 were enrolled， and 148 healthy volunteers were recruited. All subjects underwent MRI-PDFF， UDFF， CAP， and HRR examinations. Hepatic steatosis was graded based on MRI-PDFF （S0：148 cases； S1：92 cases； S2：21 cases； S3：37 cases）， and the MAFLD patients with different grades of hepatic steatosis were compared in terms of UDFF， CAP， HRR， and clinical features. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups and the Tukey HSD test was used for further comparision between two groups； the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups， and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for further comparison between two groups； the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between UDFF， CAP， HRR， and MRI-PDFF in different grades of MAFLD； the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve was used to investigate the efficacy of UDFF， CAP， and HRR in the diagnosis of different degrees of hepatic steatosis in MAFLD； the Bland-Altman difference plot was used to analyze the consistency between UDFF and MRI-PDFF in different degrees of hepatic steatosis in MAFLD. ResultsUDFF measurement gradually increased with the increase in the grade of fatty liver （H=201.52，P0.001）. The Spearman correlation analysis showed that there was a strong correlation between any two indicators of UDFF， CAP， HRR， and MRI-PDFF in S1， S2， and S3 MAFLD （all P0.001）， with the strongest correlation between UDFF and MRI-PDFF （r_s1=0.884，r_s2=0.962，r_s3=0.929， all P0.001）. The ROC curve analysis showed that UDFF had a larger area under the ROC curve （AUC） than CAP and HRR in the graded diagnosis of S1 and S3 （all P0.05）， while in the diagnosis of S2 MAFLD， UDFF had a significantly larger AUC than HRR （P0.05） and a similar AUC to CAP （P0.05）. The Bland-Altman difference plot showed good consistency between UDFF and MRI-PDFF in different degrees of hepatic steatosis in MAFLD. ConclusionCompared with CAP and HRR， UDFF can accurately measure liver fat content and has good efficacy in identifying varying degrees of hepatic steatosis in MAFLD.

Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury （HIRI） is an inevitable major complication during surgical procedures such as liver transplantation and partial hepatectomy， and its prevention and treatment are hotspots and difficulties in clinical practice. This article reviews the mechanism of injury caused by energy metabolism disorders during liver ischemia-reperfusion and related treatment strategies and summarizes the current advances in metabolism-related therapies， in order to provide new ideas for further clarifying the onset mechanism of HIRI and exploring effective clinical prevention and treatment strategies for HIRI.

OBJECTIVE: To screen the optimal regimen of acupuncture and moxibustion for obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS), so as to provide the evidences for clinical decision-making. METHODS: From 7 databases in Chinese and English i.e. the Full-Text Database of China Journal Network (CNKI), Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform (Wanfang), VIP Information Chinese Journal Service Platform (VIP), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (SinoMed), PubMed, Web of Science (WOS) and Cochrane Library, randomized controlled trial (RCT) articals of OSAHS treated with acupuncture and moxibustion were searched. The quality of evidence was evaluated with the modified Jadad scale, the evaluation index was established and the optimal regimen of acupuncture and moxibustion for OSAHS was screened by multi-index decision analysis. RESULTS: A total of 10 RCTs were included, and the filiform needling therapy was optimal in treatment of OSAHS. The acupoints included Lianquan (CV23), Danzhong (CV17), Zhongwan (CV12), and bilateral Kongzui (LU6), Pishu (BL20), Fenglong (ST40), Zusanli (ST36), Yinlingquan (SP9) and Zhaohai (KI6). Zusanli (ST36) received the reinforcing method, Pishu (BL20) and Fenglong (ST40) were stimulated with the reducing technique, and the rest acupoints with the uniform reinforcing-reducing. Each acupoint was manually manipulated once every 10 min during the needle retention for 30 min. Acupuncture was delivered once a day, 5 times a week and for consecutive 4 weeks. Among the included literature, the severity of disease was not reported in detail, the filiform needling was the dominant intervention, the local acupoints such as Lianquan (CV23) and Panglianquan (Extra) were mainly selected. The apnea-hypopnea index and the minimum oxygen saturation were taken as the evaluation indexes, and the effect was evaluated in reference to the generally accepted standards. The attention to safety evaluation was insufficient, the report on methodology was not adequate and the quality was low. CONCLUSION Filiform needling is the dominant therapy of acupuncture and moxibustion for OSAHS, and the local acupoints are considered specially. But the quality of clinical research should be improved.
Humans ; Moxibustion ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive/therapy* ; Acupuncture Points ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

The expert consensus on the clinical treatment of herpes zoster with fire needling was developed, and the commonly used fire needling treatment scheme verified by clinical research was selected to form a standardized diagnosis and treatment scheme for acute herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), so as to answer the core problems in clinical application. The consensus focuses on patients with herpes zoster, and forms recommendations for 9 key clinical issues, covering simple fire needling and TCM comprehensive therapy based on fire needling, including fire needling combined with cupping, fire needling combined with Chinese herb, fire needling combined with cupping and Chinese herb, fire needling combined with filiform needling, fire needling combined with moxibustion, and provides specific recommendations and operational guidelines for various therapies.
Humans ; Herpes Zoster/therapy* ; Acupuncture Therapy/instrumentation* ; Consensus ; Clinical Protocols

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the efficacy of Ag₂Se nanoparticles for eliminating intracellular Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) in esophageal cancer and examine the effect of P. gingivalis clearance on progression of esophageal cancer. METHODS: Ag₂Se nanoparticles were synthesized via a chemical synthesis method. The effects of Ag₂Se nanoparticles on P. gingivalis viability and colony-forming ability were assessed using fluorescence staining and colony formation assays. In a mouse model bearing subcutaneous murine esophageal cancer cell allograft with P. gingivalis infection, the effect of treatment with Ag₂Se nanoparticles on the abundance of P. gingivalis in the tumor tissues was quantified using RNAscope in situ hybridization and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and the changes in tumor volume were monitored. The biosafety of Ag₂Se nanoparticles was assessed by examining liver and kidney functions and pathological changes in the major organs of the mice. RESULTS: Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the synthesized Ag₂Se nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed spherical particles with a diameter around 50 nm. In vitro experiments demonstrated that exposure to Ag₂Se nanoparticles significantly reduced the viability and clonal proliferation capacity of P. gingivalis in a dose-dependent manner. In the tumor-bearing mice, treatment with Ag₂Se nanoparticles significantly reduced the abundance of P. gingivalis in tumor tissues and suppressed tumor cell proliferation. No significant damages to the liver and kidney functions or the major organs were observed in Ag₂Se nanoparticle-treated mice, demonstrating good biocompatibility of Ag₂Se nanoparticles. CONCLUSIONS Ag₂Se nanoparticles exhibit significant bactericidal and inhibitory effects against P. gingivalis, and can effectively eliminate intracellular P. gingivalis to suppress the growth of esophageal cancer allograft in mice, suggesting the potential of Ag₂Se nanoparticles in the treatment of esophageal cancer.
Animals ; Porphyromonas gingivalis/drug effects* ; Mice ; Esophageal Neoplasms/pathology* ; Nanoparticles ; Metal Nanoparticles ; Bacteroidaceae Infections ; Cell Line, Tumor

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect and mechanism of Hyssopus cuspidatus Boriss. extract (HCE) in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic asthma. METHODS: Components identification of HCE was conducted using ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry. Mice were sensitized with OVA to establish asthmatic model, and dexamethasone was used as positive control. Respiratory reactivity, white cells counting in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and peripheral blood, cytokine level measurement in serum and lung tissue, and histologic examination were performed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of HCE on asthma. Network pharmacology approach was used for mechanism prediction. Western blotting and untargeted lipidomics method were applied for mechanism validation. RESULTS: Fifty-two compounds were identified in HCE, predominantly terpenoids and flavonoids. HCE markedly reduced airway resistance, the eosinophil infiltration in lung tissues, and the levels of immunoglobulin E, interleukin-4, interleukin-5, and interleukin-13. Network pharmacology analysis suggested phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3K), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 Mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) may be key proteins of HCE in the treatment of allergic asthma. Western blot results indicated that the levels of phosphorylated PI3K, JNK, and P38 were downregulated in HCE-treated group. Moreover, HCE significantly upregulated the levels of ceramide and sphingomyelin and downregulated the level of phosphatidylcholine. CONCLUSION HCE inhibited allergic asthma via PI3K/JNK/P38 signaling pathway and lipid homeostasis regulation.

Objective To investigate the effects and mechanisms of silica dust on the apoptosis of alveolar epithelial cell (AEC) through in vitro and animal experiments. Methods i) In vitro experiment. A549 cells were stimulated with 100 mg/L silica suspension for 0, 12, 24 and 48 hours. The cell apoptosis rate was detected by flow cytometry. ii) Animal experiment. Specific pathogen-free male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into control, 14-day, 28-day, and 56-day groups, with five mice in each group. The mice in the control group were sacrificed at 56 days after being treated with 40.0 μL 0.9% sodium chloride solution, and the mice in the last three groups were sacrificed at 14, 28 and 56 days after being treated with 40.0 μL silica suspension with a mass concentration of 125 g/L via tracheal exposure method. The lung tissues of mice were collected to measure lung organ coefficients. Masson staining was used to detect the degree of pulmonary fibrosis, and Ashcroft scores were evaluated. The apoptosis of AEC in mice was observed by TUNEL immunofluorescence assay. iii) The mRNA relative expression of apoptosis-related genes in A549 cells and mouse lung tissue was detected using reverse transcription and real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results i) In vitro experiment. The apoptosis rate of A549 cells increased with longer silica exposure (all P<0.05). The relative expression of B cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) mRNA in A549 cells in 24 h group and 48 h group decreased (both P<0.05), and the relative expression of BCL-2 associated X protein (BAX) mRNA increased (both P<0.05), compared with 0 h group. The mRNA relative expression of caspase (CASP) -3 and CASP-9 in A549 cells increased with longer silica exposure (all P<0.05). ii) Animal experiment. The lung organ coefficients and Ashcroft score in mice progressively increased (all P<0.05), the degree of pulmonary fibrosis was gradually aggravated, and TUNEL positive cells in lung tissue were gradually increased, while Bax, Casp-3 and Casp-9 mRNA relative expression increased with longer silica exposure (all P<0.05). Conclusion Silica dust may cause pulmonary fibrosis by inducing apoptosis of AEC, with a time-dependent effect. The mechanism may be related to the effect of silica dust on mitochondrial apoptosis through Bcl-2/Bax/Caspase-3 signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo explore the construction and evaluation methods of a rat model of acute myocardial infarction（AMI） with Qi and Yin deficiency syndrome established by sleep deprivation combined with coronary artery ligation. MethodsThirty-six SD rats were randomly divided into a normal group（n=6）， a myocardial infarction group（model A group， n=10）， an acute sleep deprivation+myocardial infarction group（model B group， n=10）， and a chronic sleep deprivation+myocardial infarction group（model C group， n=10） according to body weight. Rats in the normal group were not treated， rats in the model A group underwent only ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery， rats in the model B group were sleep deprived for 96 h and then underwent ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery， and rats in the model C group were sleep deprived for an additional 48 h each week with a 24 h rest period as one cycle for three weeks on the basis of the model B group. After coronary artery ligation in the model C group， the first week was defined as the starting point of the first sleep deprivation cycle， and indexes were tested weekly for rats in each group for 3 weeks. Electrocardiogram was used to determine the ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery in rats， and small animal echocardiography was used to evaluate the cardiac function. The levels of serum creatine kinase（CK）， creatine kinase isoenzyme（CK-MB）， lactate dehydrogenase（LDH）， cardiac troponin T（cTnT）， interleukin-18（IL-18）， and tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α） were detected by biochemical assays， and hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was used to evaluate the pathological changes of myocardial tissue in rats. The syndrome indicators of Qi and Yin deficiency were evaluated by general state and body weight， grip strength， facial temperature， paw temperature， rectal temperature， salivary flow rate， open field test， tongue color［red（R）， green（G）， and blue（B）］ values， pulse amplitude changes， and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） for the detection of expression levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate（cAMP）， cyclic guanosine monophosphate（cGMP）， rat serum corticotropin-releasing factor（CRF）， adrenocorticotropic hormone（ACTH）， triiodothyronine（T3）， tetraiodothyronine（T4）， and corticosterone（CORT） in serum. ResultsIn terms of disease indicators， compared with the normal group， the ST segment of the electrocardiogram in each model group was significantly elevated， the echocardiographic parameters were decreased， the contents of myocardial enzymes and inflammatory factors were increased（P<0.01）， and the myocardial tissue in the infarcted area was significantly damaged. In terms of syndrome indicators， compared with the normal group， the body weight of rats in the model B and C groups decreased at each time point， the grip strength of each model group decreased， the total distance traveled and the number of entries into the center in the open field test decreased， the immobility time increased， the facial and rectal temperatures of rats in the model B and C groups increased， the salivary flow rate of each model group decreased， the tongue color was bright red or light， the tongue body was dry or smooth like a mirror， lacking of moisture sensation， the R， G and B values of the tongue surface increased， the pulse amplitude changes decreased， and the contents of T3 and T4 increased， while the expressions of cAMP， CRF， ACTH and CORT in the model B and C groups increased（P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionContinuous sleep deprivation for 96 h in a multi-platform method combined with coronary artery ligation can construct a rat model of AMI with Qi and Yin deficiency syndrome， and the syndrome manifestations can be maintained for 3 weeks.