ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of hypoxia-treated mesenchymal stem cell （MSCs） exosomes （Exo） and their loading with curcumin on microglial inflammatory responses， and to explore the enhancing effect of hypoxia treatment on the function of MSCs Exo. MethodsThe supernatants of human umbilical cord （hUC）-MSCs cultured under normal and hypoxic conditions were collected， and Exo were isolated using ultracentrifugation. After identification by transmission electron microscopy and Western blot， curcumin was loaded using the co-incubation method. The lipopolysaccharide （LPS）-induced microglial inflammation model was treated with dimethyl sulfoxide （DMSO）， curcumin， normoxia Exo， hypoxia Exo， normoxic Exo loaded with curcumin， and hypoxic Exo loaded with curcumin， respectively. The expression of the M1-type marker inducible nitric oxide synthase （iNOS） in BV2 cells was detected by immunofluorescence （IF）. Western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） were used to measure the expression and secretion levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and IL-6 in the cells and their culture supernatants. ResultsNormoxia Exo， hypoxia Exo， normoxic Exo loaded with curcumin， and hypoxic Exo loaded with curcumin exhibited a "saucer-like" shape with a diameter ranging from 30~150 nm， and the expression of exosomal markers CD9， CD81， and TSG101 were positive. After treating the BV2 cell inflammation model， IF results showed that， compared with the normoxia Exo group， treatment with hypoxic Exo significantly reduced the expression of iNOS. Moreover， when compared with the curcumin group and the normoxic Exo loaded with curcumin group， the expression level of iNOS significantly decreased after treatment with hypoxic Exo loaded with curcumin. The results of Western blot and ELISA indicated that， in comparison with the normoxia Exo group， treatment with hypoxic Exo significantly reduced the expression and secretion of the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-6. Additionally， when compared with the curcumin group and the normoxic Exo loaded with curcumin group， both the expression and secretion of TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-6 significantly decreased after treatment with hypoxic Exo loaded with curcumin. ConclusionHypoxia preconditioning can enhance the ability of hUC-MSCs-Exo in the inhibition of microglial polarization and inflammatory factors’ secretion. Additionally， using Hypoxia-MSCs-Exo as a drug-delivery carrier of curcumin can improve its solubility and stability， facilitating its absorption by cells and exerting the therapeutic effect of combination therapy.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanisms by which the combination of berberine （BBR） and baicalin （BAI） ameliorates type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） due to internal accumulation of dampness-heat from the perspectives of gut microbiota and metabolomics. MethodsAntibiotics were used to induce pseudo-sterile mice. Thirty pseudo-sterile mice were randomized into a normal fecal microbiota transplantation group （n=10） and a T2DM （syndrome of internal accumulation of dampness-heat） fecal microbiota transplantation group （n=20）. The mice were then administrated with suspensions of fecal microbiota from healthy volunteers and a patient with T2DM due to internal accumulation of dampness-heat by gavage， respectively. Each mouse received 200 µL suspension every other day for a total of 15 times to reshape the gut microbiota. The T2DM model mice were then assigned into a model group （n=8） and a BBR-BAI group （n=11）. BBR was administrated at a dose of 200 mg·kg^-1， and BAI was administrated in a ratio of BBR-BAI 10∶1 based on preliminary research findings. The administration lasted for 8 consecutive weeks. Fasting blood glucose （FBG）， glycated hemoglobin （HbA1c）， insulin （INS）， triglycerides （TG）， total cholesterol （CHOL）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， and alanine aminotransferase （ALT） levels were measured to evaluate the effects of the BBR-BAI combination on glucose and lipid metabolism and liver function in T2DM mice. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was employed to observe pathological changes in the colon tissue. The expression of claudin-1， zonula occludens-1 （ZO-1）， and occludin in the colon tissue was determined by Western blot. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR） was employed to assess the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and interleukin-6 （IL-6） in the colon tissue. The fecal microbiota composition and differential metabolites were analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-TOF-MS）， respectively. ResultsThe BBR-BAI combination lowered the FBG， HbA1c， and INS levels （P<0.05， P<0.01） and alleviated insulin resistance （P<0.01） in T2DM mice. Additionally， BBR-BAI elevated the levels of ZO-1， occludin， and claudin-1 （P<0.05， P<0.01） and down-regulated the expression levels of TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-6 in the colon （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The results of 16S rRNA sequencing showed that BBR-BAI increased the relative abundance of Ligilactobacillus， Phascolarctobacterium， and Akkermansia （P<0.05）， while significantly decreasing the relative abundance of Alistipes， Odoribacter， and Colidextribacter （P<0.05）. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS identified 28 differential metabolites， which were primarily involved in arachidonic acid metabolism and α-linolenic acid metabolism. ConclusionBBR-BAI can ameliorate T2DM due to internal accumulation of dampness-heat by modulating the relative abundance of various bacterial genera in the gut microbiota and the expression of fecal metabolites.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of action of Wendantang on ApoE^-/- hyperlipidemic mice using non-targeted metabolomics technology. MethodsMale C57BL/6J mice served as the normal control group （n=6）， and they were fed with regular chow， while male ApoE^-/- mice constituted the high-fat group （n=30）， and they were fed with a 60% high-fat diet. After 11 weeks of model establishment， the mice in the high-fat group were randomly divided into the model group， simvastatin group （3.3 mg·kg^-1）， and high-dose， medium-dose， and low-dose groups of Wendantang （26， 13， 6.5 g·kg^-1， respectively， in terms of crude drug amount）， with six mice in each group. The normal control group and the model group were gavaged with an equivalent volume of normal saline， and all groups continued to be fed their respective diets， receiving daily medication for 10 weeks with weekly body weight measurements. Serum levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglycerides （TG）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， free fatty acids （NEFA）， blood glucose （GLU）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， and aspartate aminotransferase （AST） were detected in the mice. Pathological changes in liver tissue were observed using hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS） was employed for metabolomic analysis of mouse liver tissue. ResultsCompared to the normal control group， the model group exhibited significantly increased body weight， blood lipid levels， and liver function （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with disordered liver tissue structure， swollen hepatocytes， and accompanying vacuolar fatty degeneration and inflammatory cell infiltration. Compared to the model group， the simvastatin group and Wendantang groups showed significantly reduced body weight， TG， NEFA， GLU， ALT， and AST levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with a significant increase in HDL-C levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）， demonstrating a dose-dependent effect. The lesion of the liver tissue section was obviously improved after administration， tending towards a normal liver tissue morphology. Analysis of liver metabolites revealed 86 differential metabolites between the normal control group and the model group， with the high-dose group of Wendantang able to regulate 56 of these metabolites. Twenty-two differential metabolites associated with hyperlipidemia were identified， mainly including chenodeoxycholic acid， hyocholic acid， taurine， glycocholic acid， dihydroceramide， hydroxy sphingomyelin C14∶1， arachidonic acid， and linoleic acid， enriching 22 metabolic pathways， with 4 being the most significant （P<0.05）， namely primary bile acid biosynthesis， sphingolipid metabolism， unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis， and linoleic acid metabolism pathways. ConclusionWendantang can improve blood lipid levels and liver function in ApoE^-/- hyperlipidemic mice， which may be related to the regulation of primary bile acid biosynthesis， sphingolipid metabolism， unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis， and linoleic acid metabolism pathways.

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents continues to rise, becoming one of the most serious global public health issues of the 21st century. Given the differing growth and development environments between urban and rural children, associated risk factors also vary. This study aims to explore the distribution characteristics and influencing factors of overweight and obesity among urban and rural primary and secondary school students in Hunan Province, providing scientific evidence for targeted interventions. METHODS: A stratified, randomized cluster sampling method was used to select participants. A total of 197 084 students from primary and secondary schools across 14 prefectures in Hunan Province underwent physical examinations and questionnaire surveys. Population and spatial distribution characteristics of overweight and obesity were analyzed. Spatial distribution maps and spatial autocorrelation analyses were conducted using ArcGIS. Multivariate Logistic regression was used to identify influencing factors for overweight and obesity. RESULTS: The overall overweight and obesity rates among students in Hunan Province were 14.7% and 10.9%, respectively. Both rates were higher in urban areas than in rural counties (16.0% vs 13.9% for overweight; 12.1% vs 10.2% for obesity). Among both urban and rural students, boys had higher rates of overweight and obesity than girls. Higher-grade students had a higher overweight rate but a lower obesity rate than lower-grade students. In urban areas, the overweight and obesity rates of Han Chinese primary and secondary school students are lower than those of ethnic minority students (both P<0.05). In rural areas, the obesity rate of Han primary and secondary school students is lower than that of ethnic students (P<0.05). Across cities and prefectures, urban overweight and obesity rates ranged from 14.7% to 18.7% and 8.4% to 20.6% respectively, while rural rates ranged from 10.9% to 17.2% and 6.6% to 13.7% respectively. Spatial autocorrelation analysis revealed high-value clusters of overweight/obesity in urban areas of Changde and Zhangjiajie, and in rural areas of Loudi, Huaihua, and Shaoyang. Multivariate Logistic regression showed that gender, school stage, ethnicity, frequency of fresh vegetable intake, and sleep duration were associated with overweight and/or obesity in both urban and rural students. In urban students, frequency of fried food and fresh fruit intake, breakfast habits, physical activity on weekdays and holidays, and screen time on computers were also significant. In rural students, TV viewing time and sedentary duration were additional relevant factors. CONCLUSIONS The situation of overweight and obesity among primary and secondary school students in Hunan Province remains concerning. Greater attention should be paid to regions with high-value clusters of overweight/obesity, and targeted interventions should be developed based on urban-rural differences in influencing factors.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Adolescent ; Male ; Female ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Child ; Overweight/epidemiology* ; Students/statistics & numerical data* ; Urban Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Risk Factors ; Prevalence ; Obesity/epidemiology* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Pediatric Obesity/epidemiology* ; Schools

OBJECTIVES: The detection rate of scoliosis among school-aged children has been rising annually, varying by region, and has become a major public health concern affecting both physical and mental health. Its onset is multifactorial, and early screening combined with targeted interventions can alter disease progression. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of scoliosis among primary and secondary school students in Hunan Province, providing scientific evidence for targeted prevention strategies. METHODS: A stratified, randomized cluster sampling method was used to select 281 401 students from 14 prefecture-level cities in Hunan Province for scoliosis screening, physical examination, and questionnaire survey. The chi-square test was used for group comparisons, and trend chi-square test analyzed differences in screening positive rate by age. A multilevel regression model was applied to identify influencing factors, and ArcGIS was used to visualize spatial distribution patterns of scoliosis. RESULTS: The overall screening positive rate for scoliosis among Hunan students was 1.61%. Urban areas had a significantly higher rate than rural counties (2.81% vs 0.98%; P<0.01). The rate was equal between boys and girls (1.61% each). Underweight students had a higher rate than those with normal weight, overweight, or obesity (P<0.01). Stratified by age, urban students aged 6-18 years consistently showed higher positive rates than rural peers (P<0.001). No significant gender differences were observed at most ages (all P>0.05), except at age 11, where the females had a higher rate (1.28% vs 1.02%; P=0.048). After age 11, underweight students exhibited significantly higher positive rates than those with normal or higher BMI(all P<0.05). Across all groups, urban/rural, male/female, underweight/normal/overweight/obese, the scoliosis rate increased with age. By region, the screening positive rate ranged from 0.38% to 3.36%, with the top three being Chenzhou (3.36%), Xiangtan (2.78%), and Hengyang (2.71%), while the lowest was Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (0.38%). Multilevel regression analysis revealed that age (OR=1.160, 95% CI 1.135 to 1.186) and urban residence (OR=2.497, 95% CI 1.946 to 3.205) were positively associated with scoliosis risk (both P<0.01). Conversely, female gender (OR=0.931, 95% CI 0.874 to 0.993), normal nutritional status (OR=0.751, 95% CI 0.671 to 0.840), overweight (OR=0.513, 95% CI 0.447 to 0.590), obesity (OR=0.418, 95% CI 0.358 to 0.489), and engaging in ≥ 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity 2 to 4 days (OR=0.928, 95% CI 0.865 to 0.996) or 5 to 7 days per week (OR=0.912, 95% CI 0.833 to 0.998) were negatively associated with scoliosis risk (all P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of scoliosis among primary and secondary school students in Hunan Province is relatively high and is significantly associated with age, gender, urban-rural status, nutritional condition, and physical activity frequency. Targeted interventions and enhanced monitoring in high-risk regions and populations are essential to prevent and control scoliosis.
Humans ; Scoliosis/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Adolescent ; China/epidemiology* ; Prevalence ; Child ; Students/statistics & numerical data* ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Urban Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Risk Factors ; Thinness/epidemiology*

Objective To analyze the effect of Xiaozhi Decoction in the treatment of hyperlipidemiain different classification of physical constitution in TCM.Methods We screened 206 patients with Hyperlipidemia in our hospital and had been treated with drugs during May 2020 to March 2023.Totally 103 patients in the TCM group were treated with Xiaozhi Decoction,103 patients in the western medicine group were treated with atorvastatin.Selected total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)and liver transaminase before and after a period of treatment.The non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(non-HDL-C)will be calculated,too.Results In the Phlegm-Dampness constitution,TC,TG,LDL-C and non-HDL-C decreased significantly all in the TCM group(P<0.05);TC,TG and non-HDL-C decreased significantly all in the western medicine group(P<0.05).The TCM group is superior to the western medicine group in TC,LDL-C,non-HDL-C(P<0.05).In the Qi-Deficiency constitution,TC,TG,LDL-C and non-HDL-C decreased significantly all in the TCM group(P<0.05);TC,LDL-C and non-HDL-C decreased significantly all in the western medicine group(P<0.05).The TCM group is superior to the western medicine group in non-HDL-C(P<0.05).In the Blood-Stasis constitution,TC,TG,LDL-C and non-HDL-C decreased significantly all in the western medicine group only(P<0.05).The western medicine group is superior to the TCM group in TC,LDL-C,non-HDL-C(P<0.05).In the Yin-Yang Harmony constitution,TC and non-HDL-C decreased significantly both in the TCM group(P<0.05).TC,LDL-C and non-HDL-C decreased significantly all in the western medicine group(P<0.05).The western medicine group is superior to the TCM group in TC,LDL-C,non-HDL-C(P<0.05).Conclusion Xiaozhi Decoction is superior to the the atorvastatin in the treatment of hyperlipidemia for the Phlegm-Dampness constitution and Qi-deficiency constitution groups.But it is not superior to the atorvastatin in the treatment of hyperlipidemia for the Blood-Stasis constitution and Yin-Yang Harmony constitution groups.

Objectives To explore the trend characteristics of foodborne diseases in Jinan City and apply the seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average model (SARIMA) for prediction. Methods The incidence data of foodborne diseases from two active monitoring sentinel hospitals in Jinan City from 2014 to 2020 were collected to establish a time series. The SARIMA model was used to fit the incidence situation. The numbers of cases in 2021 were compared with the predicted values to validate the model and evaluate the predictive effect. Results The SARIMA (2, 0, 1) (0, 1, 1)₁₂ model was established and fitted the time series of food borne diseases in Jinan well, with AIC=687.22. Using Ljung Box function, P=0.499 was obtained, indicating that the residual error belonged to the white noise series. The data in 2021 was used to test the model extrapolation effect, and the actual values fell within the 95% confidence interval of the predicted value. The model prediction effect was relatively ideal. Conclusion SARIMA (2, 0, 1) (0, 1, 1)₁₂ model can better fit the temporal change of foodborne diseases, and therefore can be used to fit and predict the monthly incidence of foodborne diseases.

Objective To analyze the registered clinical trials of headache treated by TCM;To discuss the current research status;To provide reference for the optimization of subsequent clinical trial research plans.Methods All clinical trials of headache treated by TCM were retrieved from the ChiCTR and the ClinicalTrials.The retrieval time was from the database establishment to May 22,2023.The general characteristics,study types,intervention measures and outcome indicators of the trials were analyzed respectively.Results A total of 104 registered studies were included,with the number of registered studies increasing since 2004 and reaching a peak in 2020,involving 25 provincial administrative regions or countries and 69 clinical trial institutions;the funding sources were mainly scientific research funds of universities,national finance and local finance.The research type was mainly intervention research;the designing scheme was mainly randomized parallel control study;the high frequency random method was simple random method;45 registered studies used blind methods.Exploratory studies/pre-trials were the most commonly used in the phases of clinical researches.Most of the registered studies were single-center clinical trials with a total sample size of 9 648 patients.The main interventions were acupuncture and oral Chinese medicines.The high frequency outcome indicators included life quality of score,headache attack frequency,headache attack days and headache severity,etc.There were some problems in outcome indicators,such as non-standard,lack of TCM characteristic advantages,and insufficient patient participation.Conclusion The number of registered studies of headache treated by TCM has increased by year,but there are some problems in design elements,such as random method,blind method,number of research centers,sample size and the setting of outcome indicator.

Objective To explore the factors influencing the image quality of thyroid CT and the application value of optimization schemes in reducing streak artifacts in thyroid CT examinations.Methods A retrospective review of the data of 141 patients who underwent thyroid enhanced CT examinations was conducted to analyze the factors affecting image quality.After determining the influencing factors,a self-controlled study was conducted on 48 patients who underwent thyroid CT examinations to analyze the feasibility of the optimization scheme.Results The patients'body mass index(BMI),neck circumference,pharynx-jaw angle,and pharynx-jaw angle-to-neck circumference ratio showed statistically significant differences in their impact on image quality(P<0.05).Compared to the conventional scheme,the optimization scheme showed significantly higher subjective and objective image evaluations.The optimization scheme also significantly improved the diagnostic performance of the images,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in radiation dose between the two positions(P>0.05).Conclusion The optimization scheme can effectively reduce streak artifacts in thyroid CT examinations.

ObjectiveTo explore the common syndrome elements of cerebral ischemic stroke （CIS） complicated with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome （OSAHS）， reveal the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes of the disease， clarify the syndrome differentiation and syndrome types， provide evidence for clinical syndrome differentiation， and provide reference for establishing the TCM syndrome type standards of CIS complicated with OSAHS. MethodThe clinical information form of CIS complicated with OSAHS formulated by the research group was used for syndrome survey， and the four-examination information of 300 patients with CIS complicated with OSAHS was collected. The four-examination information of patients was analyzed by latent structure method and comprehensive cluster analysis， and the common syndrome elements of CIS complicated with OSAHS were extracted by combining the TCM basic theory and clinical experience. On this basis， the characteristics of TCM syndromes and the syndrome types in line with reality were summarized. ResultThe top five syndrome elements in patients with CIS and OSAHS are sleep snoring， open mouth breathing， physical obesity， night awakening and dizziness. The top five tongue and pulse manifestations are enlarged tongue， slippery pulse， slippery coating， thick and white coating and purple tongue. The disease locations are the lung， spleen， stomach， kidney， liver and brain. The nature of disease includes deficiency， depression， blood stasis， phlegm， dampness and fire. The clinical syndrome types include the syndrome of stagnation of phlegm and dampness， syndrome of phlegm-dampness blocking the mind， syndrome of spleen deficiency with dampness， syndrome of Yin deficiency leading to fire hyperactivity， syndrome of Qi depression blocking collaterals， syndrome of liver depression and blood stasis， syndrome of Qi deficiency with dampness， and syndrome of Yang deficiency induced water retention. ConclusionIn addition to the common phlegm-， dampness- and blood stasis-related syndromes in patients with CIS and OSAHS， there are also depression- and deficiency-related syndromes. The main etiology and pathogenesis is the disturbance of Qi movement. In clinical practice， attention should be paid to the specific situation of individual patients to differentiate between deficiency and excess， and the treatment should be performed by the method of soothing and reinforcing， or unblocking and clearing， or both.