ObjectiveTo observe the effect of Shenshu Fujian decoction on platelet-derived growth factor （PDGF）/naked cuticle homolog 2 （NKD2） /Wnt signaling pathway in rats with chronic renal failure （CRF）. MethodsSixty male SD rats were randomly divided into normal group， model group， Niaoduqing group （5 g·kg^-1）， low-dose Shenshu Fujian decoction group （5.5 g·kg^-1）， medium-dose Shenshu Fujian decoction group （11 g·kg^-1）， and high-dose Shenshu Fujian decoction group （22 g·kg^-1）， with 10 rats in each group. A CRF rat model was established by feeding a 0.5% adenine diet for 21 days. After successful modeling， intragastric administration was given once daily for 28 consecutive days. After treatment， the renal morphology of rats was observed. Serum creatinine （SCr） and blood urea nitrogen （BUN） levels were detected. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and Masson staining were used to detect renal histopathological changes， and collagen volume fraction （CVF） was calculated. Serum levels of inflammatory markers interleukin （IL）-1β and IL-6 were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The expressions of fibronectin 1 （FN1）， type Ⅰ collagen （ColⅠ）， α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA）， platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β （PDGFR-β）， NKD2， dishevelled protein 2 （DVL2） and β-catenin in renal tissue were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showed significant renal pathological changes， a markedly increased kidney weight/body weight ratio （P<0.01）， significantly elevated CVF （P<0.01）， and notably increased serum levels of SCr， BUN， IL-1β， and IL-6 （P<0.01）. Expression levels of FN1， ColⅠ， α-SMA， PDGFR-β， NKD2， DVL2， and β-catenin in renal tissue were also significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all treatment groups showed significantly decreased kidney weight/body weight ratios and CVF （P<0.01）， as well as markedly decreased serum SCr， BUN， IL-1β， and IL-6 levels. Protein expression levels of FN1， ColⅠ， α-SMA， PDGFR-β， NKD2， DVL2， and β-catenin in renal tissue were decreased， with more pronounced effects observed in the Niaoduqing， medium-dose， and high-dose Shenshu Fujian decoction groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionShenshu Fujian decoction improves renal function， reduces inflammation， and reverses renal fibrosis in CRF rats， possibly by downregulating the expression of PDGF/NKD2/Wnt signaling pathway-related proteins.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of acupoint thread-embedding for overweight and obese young adults with phlegm-dampness constitution. METHODS: A total of 66 young adults with overweight and obesity of phlegm-dampness constitution were randomly divided into an observation group (33 cases, 2 cases dropped out, 1 case was discontinued) and a control group (33 cases, 3 cases dropped out). Health education guidance was adopted in the control group. On the basis of the intervention in the control group, acupoint thread-embedding was applied in the observation group, two groups of acupoints were used alternately, i.e. bilateral Tianshu (ST25), Daheng (SP15), Daimai (GB26), Shuidao (ST28), Huaroumen (ST24), Fenglong (ST40) and bilateral Feishu (BL13), Geshu (BL17), Weiwanxiashu (EX-B3), Pishu (BL20), Shenshu (BL23), Dachangshu (BL25), once a week. Treatment of 8 weeks was required in the two groups. Before treatment, after 4 weeks and 8 weeks of treatment, the body weight, body fat rate, waist circumference and hip circumference were measured, and the body mass index (BMI) was calculated in the two groups; before and after treatment, the phlegm-dampness constitution score and the heart rate variability (HRV) related indexes (total power [TP], low frequency [LF], high frequency [HF], LF/HF, standard deviation of the normal to normal inter beat intervals [SDNN], root mean square of the successive differences [RMSSD], percentage of normal RR intervals with duration [PNN50]) were observed, and the clinical efficacy and constitution improvement rate were compared in the two groups. Six months after the treatment completion, the body weight of patients with effective clinical efficacy was observed, and the body weight rebound rate was compared in the two groups. RESULTS: After 4 weeks of treatment, the body weight, BMI, body fat rate, waist circumference and hip circumference were decreased compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05); after 8 weeks of treatment, the body weight, BMI, body fat rate, waist circumference and hip circumference were decreased compared with those before treatment and after 4 weeks of treatment in the observation group (P<0.05), and the body weight was decreased compared with that before treatment in the control group (P<0.05). After 8 weeks of treatment, the body weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference and phlegm-dampness constitution score in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The differences in the body weight, BMI, body fat rate, waist circumference and hip circumference between before treatment and after 4 weeks of treatment, as well as after 4 weeks of treatment and after 8 weeks of treatment in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the TP, LF, HF, SDNN and RMSSD in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the total effective rate was 90.0% (27/30) in the observation group, which was higher than 46.7% (14/30) in the control group (P<0.05); the improvement rate of phlegm-dampness constitution was 90.0% (27/30) in the observation group, which was higher than 50.0% (15/30) in the control group (P<0.05). Six months after treatment completion, the weight rebound rate was 37.0% (10/27) in the observation group, which was lower than 71.4% (10/14) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Acupoint thread-embedding can effectively reduce the body weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference and improve the phlegm-dampness constitution in overweight and obese young adults with phlegm-dampness constitution, regulate autonomic nerve disorders and improve vagus nerve activity, and has a certain long-term effect.
Humans ; Acupuncture Points ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; Obesity/physiopathology* ; Young Adult ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Overweight/physiopathology* ; Treatment Outcome ; Adolescent

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

Objective To explore the correlation between serum levels of retinol-binding protein(RBP)and β2-microglobulin(β2-MG)levels with the disease and disease outcome in patients with septic shock.Methods A total of 120 patients with sepsis admitted to Qinzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from November 2020 to November 2022 were selected as research objects,and divided into sepsis group(76 cases)and septic shock group(44 cases)according to the severity of the disease.A total of 96 healthy subjects were selected as control group.According to the 28-day disease outcome of sepsis shock group,10 patients died(worsening group)and 34 patients survived(outcome group).Serum RBP and β2-MG levels were detected by immunoturbidimetry within 24 h after admission.Serum RBP and β2-MG levels were compared among all groups.Receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC)was used to evaluate the predictive value of serum RBP and β2-MG on the disease outcome of patients with septic shock.Multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the related factors affecting the disease outcome of patients with septic shock.Results WBC count,procalcitonin,C reactive protein level,acute physiology and chronic health status score system Ⅱ score,se-quential organ failure assessment(SOFA)score in sepsis shock group were higher than those in sepsis group and control group,and platelet count was lower than those in sepsis group and control group,the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Serum RBP and β2-MG levels in sepsis shock group were higher than those in sepsis group and control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).The levels of serum RBP and β2-MG in the worsening group were higher than those in the outcome group,and the differ-ence was statistically significant(P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of ser-um RBP and β2-MG combined to evaluate the outcome of septic shock disease was 0.910(95％CI:0.865-0.955).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that serum RBP,β2-MG,C reactive protein and SO-FA score were all risk factors affecting the disease outcome of septic shock patients(P＜0.05).Conclusion The serum levels of RBP and β2-MG in patients with septic shock are increased,and the changes of both levels are related to the disease outcome.The combined application has a better predictive value for the disease outcome in patients with septic shock.

Objective To explore the application effect of traditional Chinese medicine rolling egg therapy in the treatment of infantile diarrhea.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of children with diarrhea in Dongguan People's Hospital from April 2022 to April 2024.According to the treatment methods,they were divided into the control group and the combination group.The control group was treated with western medicine,while the combination group was combined with traditional Chinese medicine rolling egg therapy on the basis of the control group.7 d was a course of treatment,and a total of 2 courses of treatment was conducted.The clinical efficacy was evaluated,and the durations of clinical symptom changes after treatment were compared.The intestinal flora,immune function[immunoglobulin (Ig) A,IgG,IgM]and inflammatory factors[interleukin (IL)-6,IL-17,tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α]were observed before and after treatment.The treatment safety was analyzed,and the recurrence within 6 months of follow-up was counted.Results A total of 180 patients were included in the study,with 106 in the control group and 74 in the combination group.The total effective rate of the combination group was higher than that of the control group (P<0.05).After treatment,the time to stop diarrhea,reduce fever and change stool properties to normal in the combination group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05);the number of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli in both groups was higher than that before treatment,and the number of combination group was higher than that of the control group (P<0.05);the number of Enterococcus faecalis and the levels of TNF-α,IL-6 and IL-17 were lower than those before treatment in both groups,and these in the combination group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05);the levels of IgA,IgG and IgM were higher than those before treatment in the combination group (P<0.05),and the IgA level was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05).At 6 months,the recurrence rate of the combination group was lower than that of the control group (P<0.05).Conclusion Traditional Chinese medicine rolling egg therapy combined with western medicine is effective in the treatment of children with diarrhea,and its mechanism may be related to the improvement of immune function,inflammatory response and intestinal flora.

Objective To screen the quality evaluation indicators of Bushen Huoxue Prescription(BHP)in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy(DR)by network pharmacology and molecular docking technology,and to establish content determination of active components in BHP by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry(UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS).Methods Network pharmacology was used to screen the disease-related targets and key components,followed by molecular docking to further verify the interaction between them and confirm the active ingredients in BHP as the quality evaluation indicators.A UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS method for the content determination of the active ingredients in BHP was established.A ZORBAX SB-C18 column(2.1 mm×50 mm,1.8 μm)was used,and methanol(A)-0.1％formic acid solution(B)was used as mobile phase.Gradient elution was performed in multiple reaction monitor mode.The flow rate was 0.3 mL·min-1 and the injection volume was 1 μL.Results Network pharmacology and molecular docking revealed five core targets and 12 BHP-related components(verbascoside,echinacoside,isoacteoside,tanshinone ⅡA,cryptotanshinone,dihydrotanshinone I,ginsenoside Re,Rd and Rb1,puerarin,daidzin,biochanin A)for the treatment of DR.There was a strong binding affinity between them(binding energy≤-5.0 kcal·mol-1).The established quantitative method demonstrated each component presented a good linearity within the specified range(r>0.999 5).The average recovery was in the range of 97.57％～101.48％.The contents of 12 components in eight batches of BHP samples were 0.027 9％～0.050 6％,0.006 4％～0.022 0％,0.017 1％～0.041 5％,0.009 2％～0.015 4％,0.012 6％～0.020 5％,0.004 4％～0.007 6％,0.334％～0.643％,0.238％～0.530％,0.353％～0.693％,3.411％～6.048％,1.023％～1.352％,0.000 8％～0.001 8％,respectively.Conclusion Based on network pharmacology,molecular docking and UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS,a method for rapid screening and determination of 12 active components of BHP in the prevention and treatment of DR was established.This study provided a reference for comprehensive assessment of the quality and effectiveness of BHP.

AIM:This study aims to examine the ependymin-related protein 1(EPDR1)expression in various tissues from wild-type C57BL/6 mice and type 2 diabetes(db/db)mice.The impact of EPDR1 on lipid accumulation in al-pha mouse liver 12(AML12)hepatocytes was also investigated.METHODS:Western blot was used to detect EPDR1 protein expression in the heart,liver,spleen,lung,kidney,gastrocnemius,brown adipose and brain tissues of C57BL/6 mice.Western blot and immunohistochemical(IHC)staining were also used to compare EPDR1 protein expression in the liver,gastrocnemius muscle,heart and kidney tissues of db/db and C57BL/6 mice.To develop an AML12 cell lipid deposi-tion model,palmitic acid(PA)+oleic acid(OA)was used,and the cells were transfected with adenovirus overexpressing EPDR1 or treated with exogenous recombinant EPDR1 protein(rEPDR1).ELISA was conducted to determine intracellu-lar triglyceride(TG)content,and oil red O staining was employed to assess the effect of EPDR1 on lipid accumulation in AML12 cells.RESULTS:Western blot and IHC staining results revealed that EPDR1 was widely expressed in various tis-sues of wild-type mice,with the liver exhibiting the highest protein expression level.However,EPDR1 expression was down-regulated in the liver,gastrocnemius muscle,heart and kidney tissues in diabetic db/db mice compared with wild-type mice.Oil red O staining revealed that overexpression of EPDR1 in AML12 liver cells or rEPDR1 treatment led to re-duced lipid accumulation.Furthermore,the TG content significantly decreased compared with the model group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:EPDR1 is expressed in various tissues of wild-type mice,but showed diminished expression in the liver tissues of diabetic mice.Nevertheless,enhancing the expression of EPDR1 can aid in reducing lipid accumula-tion in hepatocytes.These findings provide an experimental foundation for further exploration of the role of EPDR1 in the development of fatty liver in diabetic liver tissue.

OBJECTIVES: Clinical research plays a vital role in disease research and population health. The public is the main source of clinical research volunteers. Understanding the public's cognition of clinical research plays a decisive role in the development of clinical research. This study aims to understand the Chinese public's cognition for clinical research and the influencing factors. METHODS: The questionnaire based on Chinese-translated Public Awareness of Research for Therapeutic Advancements through Knowledge and Empowerment (PARTAKE) was used to investigate the public's cognition for clinical research. RESULTS: Of the 2 513 valid respondents, 91.84% had heard of "clinical research", 91.76% of the respondents believed that clinical research was beneficial to society, 65.90% were willing to participate in clinical research, 87.50% believed that confidentiality was a very important thing, 73.70% believed that their personal information had been protected when participating in clinical research, and, 46.40% did not know whether volunteers participating in clinical research could receive adequate compensation. Educational levels, employment status, and annual income impacted in public perceptions of willingness to participate in clinical research, especially in privacy protection, informed consent, whether clinical research is intended for society, compensation for clinical research, and safety of clinical research (all P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS The Chinese public's cognition level for clinical research is acceptable, but there is still a lot of room for improvement in privacy protection, informed consent, and compensation. By designing a reasonable knowledge training program for clinical research and using the multimedia, improving access to the relevant knowledge, more public will know about clinical research recruitment information, which is of great significance for the development of clinical research in China.
Humans ; China ; East Asian People ; Educational Status ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Public Opinion ; Knowledge ; Biomedical Research

Objective To explore the effects of Kaixin Jieyu Pill(KJP)on peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha(PPARα),serum and hippocampal tissue fibroblast growth factor 21(FGF21)and hippocampal tissue fibroblast growth factor receptor 1(FGFR1)in rats with depression model.Methods A rat chronic stress model was prepared using the chronic unpredictable mild stimulus method(CUMS)to observe behavioral changes in depression.Hippocampal FGF21,FGFR1 and liver PPARα protein and mRNA expression levels were measured in hippocampal tissues by western blot and real-time fluorescence quantification(RT-qPCT).Results The expression levels of PPARα,FGF21 and FGFR1's protein and their mRNA were dramatically decreased in the CUMS model rats compared with the normal group(P<0.001).KJP could modify the depressive-like behaviors of rats(P<0.001),upregulate the protein expression level of PPARα,FGF21,and FGFR1(P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.01);markedly modify the mRNA expression levels of PPARα,FGF21,and FGFR1(P<0.001,P<0.01,P<0.01).Conclusion PPARα/FGF21/FGFR1 pathway may participate in the pathogenesis of depression;upregulation of PPARα/FGF21/FGFR1 pathway may be related to the antidepressant mechanism of KJP.

Objective To evaluate the dynamic efficacy of Invigorating Qi and Dissipating Depression Herbs in the treatment of depressive disorders and its effect on recurrence rate and suicidal thoughts.Methods The prospective cohort study was used to divide the patients into three cohorts according to the different exposure factors(treatment regimens):Western medicine group,integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine group,and Invigorating Qi and Dissipating Depression Herbs group,and followed up for 2 years,and the treatment effects of each cohort at half a year,one year,one and a half years,and two years were observed respectively,and the evaluation indicators were Montgomery Depression Scale(MADRS),Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA)and Social Deficit Screening Scale(SDSS)reduction rates,and endpoint events(relapse,suicidal ideation)incidence;By comparing the efficacy and endpoint event rate of the three cohorts,the effect of Invigorating Qi and Dissipating Depression Herbs on improving depressive disorders was evaluated.Results A total of 409 patients(67 in the Western medicine group,131 in the integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine group,and 211 cases in the Invigorating Qi and Dissipating Depression Herbs group)were enrolled,and the rate of score reduction after treatment with MADRS,HAMA and SDSS increased compared with the pre-treatment treatment with the extension of the drug taking time.The difference between the MADRS and SDSS reduction rates in the Invigorating Qi and Dissipating Depression Herbs group on taking the drug for half a year and the SDSS reduction rate on one year of taking the drug were statistically significant compared with the Western medicine group,and there was no significant difference compared with the integrated Chinese and Western medicine group.On one and a half years and two years of medication,the integrated Chinese and Western medicine group had more advantages in MADRS reduction rate than the Invigorating Qi and Dissipating Depression Herbs group.The recurrence rates of depression in the three groups within 2 years were 20.9％,30.5％and 36.0％,and the difference was not statistically significant,and the length of taking medication was used as a protective factor by logistic regression analysis.The incidence rates of suicidal thoughts were 44.8％,19.1％and 17.5％,and the differences were statistically significant,and the exposure factors and income level were the protective factors by logistic regression analysis.Conclusion Invigorating Qi and Dissipating Depression Herbs can significantly improve the depressive state of patients,promote the recovery of social function,reduce the occurrence of long-term suicidal ideation,and appropriately extend the time of taking medicine can increase the long-term efficacy and reduce recurrence.