OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy of acupuncture with yin-yang regulation method versus local acupuncture in treating chronic low back pain (CLBP) in elderly patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH), and to evaluate the changes in the multifidus muscle before and after treatment using musculoskeletal ultrasound. METHODS: A total of 128 elderly patients with CLBP due to LDH were randomly assigned to an observation group (64 cases, 2 cases dropped out) and a control group (64 cases, 2 cases dropped out). The control group received local acupuncture at bilateral L₃-L₅ Jiaji points (EX-B2), Shenshu (BL23), Dachangshu (BL25), Weizhong (BL40), Yaoyangguan (GV3), and ashi points. The observation group received acupuncture with yin-yang regulation method, which included an abdominal protocol with Baihui (GV20), Zhongwan (CV12), Qihai (CV6), Guanyuan (CV4), bilateral Tianshu (ST25), and Dahe (KI12), etc., and a lumbar protocol with Baihui (GV20), Dazhui (GV14), Jizhong (GV6), Yaoyangguan (GV3), and ashi points, etc., alternated bilaterally. Both groups were treated once every other day, three times per week, for a total of 12 sessions. The visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Oswestry disability index (ODI) score, and the indexs of musculoskeletal ultrasound multifidus muscle (resting and functional thickness and Young's modulus values) were observed before and after treatment, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated in the two groups. RESULTS: After 1 and 4 weeks of treatment, both groups showed lower VAS scores compared to baseline (P<0.05), the VAS scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.001). ODI scores in both groups were decreased after 1 and 4 weeks of treatment compared to baseline (P<0.05), with a further reduction at 4 weeks of treatment compared to 1 week of treatment (P<0.05); the observation group showed lower ODI score than the control group after 1 week of treatment (P<0.001). After treatment, both groups demonstrated increased resting and functional multifidus muscle thickness bilaterally compared to baseline (P<0.01), with an increased right-side thickness change rate (P<0.01), though no significant difference was observed between groups (P>0.05). Compared to baseline, after treatment, the observation group exhibited decreased Young's modulus values for bilateral resting and functional multifidus muscle (P<0.01), while the control group showed reductions only in bilateral resting and right-side functional Young's modulus values (P<0.01). After treatment, the bilateral functional Young's modulus values in the observation group were lower than that in the control group (P<0.05), and the bilateral resting and functional changes in Young's modulus values were greater in the observation group than those in the control group (P<0.01). The overall effective rate was 93.5% (58/62) in the observation group, which was higher than 79.0% (49/62) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Acupuncture with yin-yang regulation method effectively alleviates pain, improves functional disability, increases multifidus muscle thickness, and reduces Young's modulus values in elderly patients with CLBP due to LDH, which has superior therapeutic effect compared to local acupuncture.
Humans ; Low Back Pain/physiopathology* ; Male ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Female ; Aged ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement/physiopathology* ; Middle Aged ; Yin-Yang ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Acupuncture Points ; Treatment Outcome

Based on the theory of "three regions and sanjiao" in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the acupuncture-moxibustion differentiation and treatment system is explored and constructed for spasm syndrome, so as to provide a clearer guiding framework for TCM treatment of spasm syndrome. This disorder is caused essentially by the invasion of pathogenic wind, and located in brain marrow. The key regions of illness cover five zang organs and five tissues, and the core pathogenesis is associated with wind disturbance in brain marrow. In differentiation, spasm syndrome refers to overall transmission (from the upper to the lower) and local transmission (from exterior to interior). This disorder can be classified into sanjiao spasm (heart-lung spasm of the upper jiao, liver-spleen spasm of the middle jiao, and liver-kidney spasm of the lower jiao) and three-region spasm (skin-vessel spasm of the upper region, tendon-muscle spasm of the middle region, and tendon-bone spasm of the lower region). Based on "three regions and sanjiao" theory of acupuncture and moxibustion, 7 "expelling-wind" points can be selected in terms of the etiology of this disease. Baihui (GV20)-toward-Taiyang (EX-HN5) needling is applied to regulate the brain marrow, focusing on the core location of illness; and regarding the key location of illness, the combination of back-shu and front-mu points and that of jing-well and xing-spring points are adopted to regulate five zang organs. The five needling techniques (half needling, leopard-spot needling, joint needling, Hegu needling and shu needling) are used to regulate five tissues.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Spasm/diagnosis* ; Moxibustion ; Acupuncture Points ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Diagnosis, Differential

Cochlear nerve deficiency（CND） is a rare inner ear malformation characterized by a hypoplastic or absent cochlear nerve, resulting in variable hearing loss or total deafness, depending on the quantity of nerve fibers present. About 18% of congenital hearing loss are associated with CND. It is a disease of uncertain cause. The outcome of auditory implant in CND patients varies widely. This article will discuss the related issues of CND.
Humans ; Cochlear Nerve/abnormalities* ; Cochlear Implants ; Child ; Cochlear Implantation/methods* ; Deafness ; Hearing Loss

Enamel demineralization, the formation of white spot lesions, is a common issue in clinical orthodontic treatment. The appearance of white spot lesions not only affects the texture and health of dental hard tissues but also impacts the health and aesthetics of teeth after orthodontic treatment. The prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of white spot lesions that occur throughout the orthodontic treatment process involve multiple dental specialties. This expert consensus will focus on providing guiding opinions on the management and prevention of white spot lesions during orthodontic treatment, advocating for proactive prevention, early detection, timely treatment, scientific follow-up, and multidisciplinary management of white spot lesions throughout the orthodontic process, thereby maintaining the dental health of patients during orthodontic treatment.
Humans ; Consensus ; Dental Caries/etiology* ; Dental Enamel/pathology* ; Tooth Demineralization/etiology* ; Tooth Remineralization

The prevalence of Class III malocclusion varies among different countries and regions. The populations from Southeast Asian countries (Chinese and Malaysian) showed the highest prevalence rate of 15.8%, which can seriously affect oral function, facial appearance, and mental health. As anterior crossbite tends to worsen with growth, early orthodontic treatment can harness growth potential to normalize maxillofacial development or reduce skeletal malformation severity, thereby reducing the difficulty and shortening the treatment cycle of later-stage treatment. This is beneficial for the physical and mental growth of children. Therefore, early orthodontic treatment for Class III malocclusion is particularly important. Determining the optimal timing for early orthodontic treatment requires a comprehensive assessment of clinical manifestations, dental age, and skeletal age, and can lead to better results with less effort. Currently, standardized treatment guidelines for early orthodontic treatment of Class III malocclusion are lacking. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the etiology, clinical manifestations, classification, and early orthodontic techniques for Class III malocclusion, along with systematic discussions on selecting early treatment plans. The purpose of this expert consensus is to standardize clinical practices and improve the treatment outcomes of Class III malocclusion through early orthodontic treatment.
Humans ; Malocclusion, Angle Class III/classification* ; Orthodontics, Corrective/methods* ; Consensus ; Child

Scavenger receptor class B, member 2 (SCARB2) is linked to Gaucher disease and Parkinson's disease. Deficiency in the SCARB2 gene causes progressive myoclonus epilepsy (PME), a rare group of inherited neurodegenerative diseases characterized by myoclonus. We found that Scarb2 deficiency in mice leads to age-dependent dietary lipid malabsorption, accompanied with vitamin E deficiency. Our investigation revealed that Scarb2 deficiency is associated with gut dysbiosis and an altered bile acid pool, leading to hyperactivation of FXR in intestine. Hyperactivation of FXR impairs epithelium renewal and lipid absorption. Patients with SCARB2 mutations have a severe reduction in their vitamin E levels and cannot absorb dietary vitamin E. Finally, inhibiting FXR or supplementing vitamin E ameliorates the neuromotor impairment and neuropathy in Scarb2 knockout mice. These data indicate that gastrointestinal dysfunction is associated with SCARB2 deficiency-related neurodegeneration, and SCARB2-associated neurodegeneration can be improved by addressing the nutrition deficits and gastrointestinal issues.
Animals ; Mice ; Dysbiosis/metabolism* ; Mice, Knockout ; Humans ; Lysosomal Membrane Proteins/genetics* ; Receptors, Scavenger/genetics* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Myoclonic Epilepsies, Progressive/genetics* ; Vitamin E Deficiency/complications* ; Neurodegenerative Diseases/genetics* ; Bile Acids and Salts/metabolism* ; Male ; Lipid Metabolism ; Intestinal Mucosa/pathology*

Microglial surveillance plays an essential role in clearing misfolded proteins such as amyloid-beta, tau, and α-synuclein aggregates in neurodegenerative diseases. However, due to the complex structure and ambiguous pathogenic species of the misfolded proteins, a universal approach to remove the misfolded proteins remains unavailable. Here, we found that a polyphenol, α-mangostin, reprogrammed metabolism in the disease-associated microglia through shifting glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation, which holistically rejuvenated microglial surveillance capacity to enhance microglial phagocytosis and autophagy-mediated degradation of multiple misfolded proteins. Nanoformulation of α-mangostin efficiently delivered α-mangostin to microglia, relieved the reactive status and rejuvenated the misfolded-proteins clearance capacity of microglia, which thus impressively relieved the neuropathological changes in both Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease model mice. These findings provide direct evidences for the concept of rejuvenating microglial surveillance of multiple misfolded proteins through metabolic reprogramming, and demonstrate nanoformulated α-mangostin as a potential and universal therapy against neurodegenerative diseases.

Objective:To study the prevalence and distribution of adult thyroid diseases in urban and rural areas of Hebei Province.Methods:A multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method was used to select Renqiu City and Licun Town, Luquan City of Hebei Province as the urban and rural survey sites, respectively. Questionnaire survey, physical examination and thyroid B ultrasound examination were conducted on local permanent residents (≥ 5 years of residencies) over 18 years old. The fasting venous blood sample was collected to determine the serum thyroid function indicaters.Results:A total of 2 650 adults were surveyed, including 1 393 urban residents and 1 257 rural residents (1 357 males and 1 293 females). A total of 435 patients with thyroid diseases were diagnosed, the detection rate was 16.42%. There were seven thyroid diseases, including subclinical hypothyroidism (60.92%, 265/435), Hashimoto's thyroiditis (34.02%, 148/435), hypothyroidism (4.83%, 21/435), simple goiter (3.22%, 14/435), hyperthyroidism (2.53%, 11/435), subclinical hyperthyroidism (2.53%, 11/435), and thyroid cancer (1.84%, 8/435). The detection rates of thyroid diseases in urban and rural areas were 21.18% (295/1 393) and 11.14% (140/1 257), respectively. The detection rates of thyroid diseases in males and females were 11.42% (155/1 357) and 21.66% (280/1 293), respectively. The detection rates of thyroid diseases in 18-< 30, 30-< 40, 40-< 50, 50-< 60 and ≥60 years old were 13.46% (91/676), 14.81% (81/547), 15.42% (89/577), 20.94% (85/406) and 20.05% (89/444), respectively. There were statistically significant differences between different areas, gender and age groups (χ 2 = 48.54, 50.53, 14.68, P < 0.05). Conclusions:The detection rate of subclinical hypothyroidism in adults in urban and rural areas of Hebei Province is relatively high, followed by Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Attention should be paid to the screening, evaluation, and intervention of thyroid function among urban female populations.

Background/Aims: The incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is rising in Asia recently. The study aimed to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the current status of drug therapy and monitoring for IBD in Asia. Methods: A questionnaire investigation on drug therapy and monitoring for IBD was conducted right before the 6th Annual Meeting of Asian Organization for Crohn’s & Colitis. Questionnaires were provided to Asian physicians to fill out via emails between March and May 2018. Results: In total, responses of 166 physicians from 129 medical centers were included for analysis. Among the surveyed regions, the most average number of IBD specialist gastroenterologists and nurses was 4.8 per center in Taiwan and 2.5 per center in Mainland China, respectively. 5-Aminosalicylic acid/sulfasalazine (99.4%) was the most preferred first-line choice for mild-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC), meanwhile corticosteroid (83.7%) was widely applied for severe UC. The first-line medication for Crohn’s disease (CD) markedly varied as corticosteroid (68.1%) was the most favored in Mainland China, Japan, and South Korea, followed by infliximab (52.4%) and azathioprine (47.0%). Step-up strategy was preferred in mild-moderate UC (96.4%), while 51.8% of the physicians selected top-down treatment for CD. Only 25.9% and 17.5% of the physicians could test blood concentration of infliximab and antibody to infliximab in their hospitals, respectively. Conclusions The current status of drug therapy and monitoring for IBD in Asia possesses commonalities as well as differences. Asian recommendations, IBD specialist teams and practice of therapeutic drug monitoring are required to improve IBD management in Asia.

Background: Some of the active perianal fistulizing Crohn's disease (CD) patients achieving remission with infliximab (IFX) therapy would develop relapse of perianal fistula within weeks to years after discontinuation of IFX therapy. Aims: To assess the outcomes of patients with perianal fistulizing CD after discontinuation of IFX therapy and the risk factors for relapse of perianal fistula. Methods: The clinical data of patients with perianal fistulizing CD who received IFX therapy at Shanghai Renji Hospital between June 2013 and May 2019 and stopped IFX therapy after achieving complete or partial radiological remission were collected retrospectively and analyzed. Demographic data, clinical and imaging characteristics, as well as data of IFX treatment and relapse of perianal fistula were extracted. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to calculate the cumulative probabilities of perianal and luminal relapse, while Cox proportional hazards model was applied to identify the risk factors for relapse. Results: A total of 56 perianal fistulizing CD patients who had been treated with IFX and stopped IFX therapy were included. Of them 26 achieved complete radiological remission and 30 achieved partial radiological remission. The median follow-up time was 20.5 months. Twenty-one patients (37.5%) had relapse of perianal fistula. The cumulative probabilities of perianal relapse were 29.0%, 33.7% and 42.8% at 12, 24 and 60 months after IFX discontinuation, respectively; and the cumulative probabilities of luminal relapse were 21.7%, 31.2% and 56.4% at 12, 24 and 60 months after IFX discontinuation, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that non-stricturing and non-penetrating type (HR=9.711, 95% CI: 1.210-77.939, P=0.032) and involvement of rectum (HR=3.034, 95% CI: 1.119-8.231, P=0.029) were independent risk factors for relapse of perianal fistula, while the frequency of using of IFX therapy was a protective factor (HR=0.885, 95% CI: 0.792-0.990, P=0.032). Conclusions: There is a high risk of relapse of perianal fistulizing CD after discontinuation of IFX therapy. Non-stricturing and non-penetrating type and rectal involvement are risk factors for relapse of perianal fistula, and increasing the frequencies of using IFX therapy is crucial for the maintenance of remission.