Objective: To investigate the potential efficacy and safety of Lutai Danshen Baishao granules (LDBG) for treating female melasma associated with kidney deficiency and blood stasis patterns. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted at the Third Central Hospital of Tianjin, China from March to December 2023. A total of 110 female patients with melasma linked to kidney deficiency and blood stasis were enrolled and treated with either LDBG or a placebo twice daily for 60 days. Efficacy was assessed through measures such as the total melasma area, reduced melasma area, reduction rate of melasma area, melasma color score, Melasma Area and Severity Index (MASI) score, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptom score scale. Safety assessments included routine blood and biochemical tests. Results: Participants in both groups were aged 52–63 years, with no significant differences. After the 2-month intervention, the total melasma area decreased in both groups; however, a greater reduction was observed in the test group [462.50 mm2 (12.81%) vs. 100.00 mm2 (3.11%), P < .001]. Moreover, LDBG treatment significantly reduced the MASI and melasma color scores in the test group (P < .05). The total TCM symptom evaluation score significantly decreased (test group: 6.00 vs. placebo group: 7.00, P = .001), with significant relief in symptoms such as improvement in dark lips, nails, and waist soreness in the test group, compared with that in the placebo group (P < .05). Within-group comparisons revealed that TCM syndrome was significantly alleviated in the test group (P < .05). Conclusion LDBG intervention shows promising effectiveness in reducing female melasma and alleviating TCM syndromes.

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of treatment for osteoarthritis of the first carpometacarpal joint.Methods From June 2019 to June 2022,15 patients with osteoarthritis of the first carpometacarpal joint underwent a combined procedure of trapezium excision,first carpometacarpal joint arthroplasty,ligament reconstruction,and tendon interposition.Surgical efficacy was assessed using X-rays,thumb joint range of motion,grip strength,pinch strength,and pain rating(VAS).Results 9 months postoperative follow-up revealed significant pain reduction,increased thumb range of motion,enhanced grip and pinch strength,with an overall surgical excellence rate of 86.7％.Conclusion Trapeziecotomy arthroplasty with ligament reconstruction and tendon tamponade demonstrates significant efficacy in treating osteoarthritis of the first carpometacarpal joint,effectively alleviating pain,improving thumb mobility,and enhancing hand strength.The method is simple and effective.

Objective To propose a method for classifying small bowel capsule endoscopy images by combining the Swin Transformer network with an improved Adapt-RandAugment data augmentation approach,aiming to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of small bowel lesion classification and recognition.Methods An Adapt-RandAugment data augmentation approach was formulated based on the RandAugment data enhancement sub-strategy and the principles of no feature loss and no distortion when enhancing small bowel capsule endoscopy images.In the publicly available Kvasir-Capsule dataset of small bowel capsule endoscopic images,the Adapt-RandAugment data augmentation approach was trained based on the Swin Transformer network,and the convolutional neural networks ResNet152 and DenseNet161 were used as the benchmarks to validate the combined Swin Transformer network and Adapt-RandAugment data augmentation approach for small bowel capsule endoscopy image classification.Results The proposed algorithm gained advantages over ResNet152 and DenseNet161 networks in the indicators,which had the macro average precision(MAC-PRE),macro average recall(MAC-REC),macro average F1 score(MAC-Fi-S)being 0.383 2,0.314 8 and 0.290 5 respectively,the micro average precision(MIC-PRE),micro average recall(MIC-REC)and micro average F1 score(MIC-Fi-S)all being 0.755 3,and the Matthews correlation coe-fficient(MCC)being 0.452 3.Conclusion The proposed small bowel capsule endoscopy image classification method based on Swin Transformer network and Adapt-RandAugment data augmentation approach behaves well in classified recognition efficiency and accuracy.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(6):9-16]

Non-communicable diseases(NCDs),including cardiovascular diseases,cancer,metabolic diseases,and skeletal diseases,pose significant challenges to public health worldwide.The complex pathogenesis of these diseases is closely linked to oxidative stress and inflammatory damage.Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2),a critical transcription factor,plays an important role in regulating antioxidant and anti-inflammatory responses to protect the cells from oxidative damage and inflammation-mediated injury.Therefore,Nrf2-targeting therapies hold promise for preventing and treating NCDs.Quercetin(Que)is a widely available flavonoid that has significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.It modulates the Nrf2 signaling pathway to ameliorate oxidative stress and inflammation.Que modulates mitochondrial function,apoptosis,autophagy,and cell damage biomarkers to regulate oxidative stress and inflammation,highlighting its efficacy as a therapeutic agent against NCDs.Here,we discussed,for the first time,the close association between NCD pathogenesis and the Nrf2 signaling pathway,involved in neurodegenerative diseases(NDDs),cardiovascular disease,cancers,organ damage,and bone damage.Furthermore,we reviewed the availability,pharmacokinetics,pharmaceutics,and therapeutic applica-tions of Que in treating NCDs.In addition,we focused on the challenges and prospects for its clinical use.Que represents a promising candidate for the treatment of NCDs due to its Nrf2-targeting properties.

In this study,a method for detecting heavy metal ions using potentiometric sensor and voltammetric sensor was proposed.By exploiting the complementary advantages of potentiometric and voltammetric electrochemical sensor,the traditional electrochemical electrode without special material preparation and modification could be used for the wide range and accurate detection of heavy metal ions in actual water samples.During detection,the concentration of target ion was measured by a potentiometric electrochemical sensor to determine the concentration range.The amperometric electrochemical sensor was then used for calibration and accurate measurement in the appropriate concentration range.Taking copper ion(Cu2+)as an example,the prepared Cu2+water sample and the actual water sample were tested.First,the copper ion selective electrode was used to determine the concentration range of Cu2+in the sample.Then,based on the gold electrode in different concentration range(0.86-100 μg/L and 100-300 μg/L)using two different optimization parameter settings to calibrate the electrochemical sensor and measure,the test results had a good correlation with those by professional water quality testing institutions.The recoveries ranged from 86.7%to 103.0%.The experimental results showed that the combination of potential sensor and current sensor could improve the accuracy of detection of heavy metal ions in water samples by electrochemical sensor.

OBJECTIVE To systematically evaluate the therapeutic effect of acupuncture on geriatric insomnia.METHODS Randomized controlled trials(RCTs)on acupuncture in the treatment of senile insomnia were searched in CNKI,VIP,Wanfang,China Biomedical Database,PubMed,Web of science,Embase and Cochrane Library databases from inception dates to June 24,2024.Litera-ture was screened and data were extracted based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria.The literature quality was evaluated according to the risk of bias table recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration Handbook 5.1.0,and the outcome indicators were graded using the GRADE system for the quality of evidence.RevMan5.4 software was used to evaluate the quality of the included literature,and Sta-ta18.0 software was used to conduct Meta-analysis on the included literature.RESULTS A total of 18 studies involving 1399 pa-tients were included.Meta-analysis showed that:compared with the simple western medicine treatment,acupuncture in the treatment of senile insomnia patients could improve the clinical effective rate[RR=1.18,95%CI(1.13,1.24),P<0.001],reduce the total PSQI score[MD=-1.10,95%CI(-1.25,-0.96),P<0.001],daytime dysfunction[MD=-1.38,95%CI(-1.59,-1.16),P<0.001],sleep latency[MD=-0.66,95%CI(-0.86,-0.47),P<0.001],sleep duration[MD=-0.45,95%CI(-0.64,-0.25),P<0.001],sleep efficiency[MD=-0.69,95%CI(-0.89,-0.49),P<0.001],sleep disorder[MD=-1.24,95%CI(-1.47,-1.01),P<0.001],sleep quality[MD=-0.84,95%CI(-1.05,-0.64),P<0.001].GRADE classification showed that the clinical efficacy was advanced evidence;the adverse reactions were intermediate evidence;the total score of PSQI,daytime dysfunction,sleep latency,sleep efficien-cy,sleep quality and sleep disorder were low evidence;sleep time was extremely low evidence.CONCLUSION Acupuncture inter-vention in senile insomnia patients is superior to the control group in clinical efficiency and various PSQI scores.Acupuncture interven-tion is worthy of further promotion and use in clinical practice as the complementary and alternative therapy for the conventional western medication treatment of senile insomnia.However,the evidence levels of some outcome indicators are relatively low,and more high-quality RCTs with large sample sizes are still needed to increase the strength of evidence.

Objective To study the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of Ski protein overexpression on writing in mice induced by acetic acid.Methods Eight-week-old male ICR mice were administered 0.7%acetic acid solution(0.1 mL/10 g)to induce a writhing reaction.The mice were divided into sham,acetic acid,acetic acid+ibuprofen,acetic acid+ad-EGFP,acetic acid+ad-ski-1,acetic acid+ad-ski-2,and acetic acid+sulfasalazine groups(n=10 mice per group).The time to the first appearance of twisting and the number of twists within 15 min were recorded.Small intestine tissues were removed to identify the effect of adenovirus transfection and to detect protein expression levels of pro-inflammatory factors and pain biomarkers and protein expression of nuclear factor(NF)-κB p65 and its binding with Ski protein.Results Ski protein was successfully overexpressed in small intestine after intraperitoneal injection of Ad-ski adenovirus.Overexpressed Ski protein delayed the start and decreased the frequency of writhing,comparable to ibuprofen(P＞0.05).Groups in which ski protein was overexpressed showed significantly inhibited protein expression of pro-inflammatory factors and pain biomarkers compared with the acetic acid group(P＜0.05).Moreover,NF-κB p65 formed complexes with Ski.Conclusions Overexpression of Ski protein has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects on acetic acid-induced inflammatory pain by inhibiting the expression of inflammatory factors and pain biomarkers,via regulation of the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Osteosarcoma （OS） is the most common primary malignant bone tumor originating from mesenchymal stem cells， which features high degree of malignancy， strong invasiveness， easy early metastasis， and high recurrence rate. The clinical manifestations of OS are pain， local mass， limited movement， and pathological fracture. OS mainly occurs in children， adolescents， and the elderly， seriously threatening physical and mental health of patients， as well as their quality of life. The currently available therapies for OS are surgery， chemoradiotherapy， and the combination of the two. Although the therapeutic effect has been improved， tumor recurrence and metastasis and multidrug resistance still occur. Thus， the therapeutic effect is not satisfactory， especially in improving the overall survival rate of patients with metastatic OS. As a result， clinicians and researchers have been making efforts to find an effective therapy. In recent years， the mechanism of curcumin （CUR） against OS has attracted wide attention. CUR， a pigment extracted from the rhizomes or tubers of many plants， such as Curcuma longa， C. rcenyujin， and C. phaeocaulis， has a variety of pharmacological effects. Scholars have found that CUR has the effects of inhibiting proliferation， inducing apoptosis， and reversing multidrug resistance （MDR） of tumor cells， but also it has poor water solubility and low bioavailability， which limit the clinical application. This paper mainly discusses the mechanism of CUR against OS， the existing problems， new treatment methods， and future research directions， which is expected to provide new ideas for scientific researchers and provide a reference for the development and utilization of CUR in the future.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common geriatric motor system diseases in the clinical practice. Aging, whose hallmark is cellular senescence, is an important factor leading to the occurrence and development of OA, but its exact role in the pathological development of OA is not completely clear. Studies have proved that targeting senescence can effectively treat aging-related diseases. In this study, the heterozygous mouse model of Cdkn2a-e (Luc-2A-tdTomato-2a-CreerT2-Wpre-PA)1 was established by the CRISPR/ Cas9 technique. The expression of Cdkn2a (p16, p16INK4a), a classical marker of senescence, can be traced in vivo in mice. We then utilized anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) to induce OA in Cdkn2a mice, and we hope to verify the relationship between aging and the occurrence and development of OA and visualize aging changes during OA development through the mice model. In this study, 10-12 weeks old Cdkn2a mice were randomly divided into no surgery control group, sham operation group and ACLT group. OA model was constructed in mice by ACLT operation. After surgery for 4 weeks, animals were collected for fluorescence imaging detection in vivo, which showed that local fluorescence expression of Cdkn2a increased in knee joints of mice in the ACLT group four weeks after surgery (P < 0. 05) . The Safranin O-Fast Green Staining of mouse knee tissue sections showed degeneration of the knee cartilage in the ACLT group at 4 weeks after surgery (P < 0. 05) . Immunohistochemical staining of Cdkn2a was performed on the knee tissue of mice. Compared with the other two groups, Cdkn2a staining on the cartilage surface of the knee tissue of mice in the ACLT group was deeper. The results showed that the OA model induced by surgery showed local aging, which further verified the relationship between aging and OA. At the same time, the Cdkn2a tracer mouse model can reflect the aging progress of mice in vivo, with combination of imaging examinations, so that the occurrence and progress of the relationship between aging and OA can be observed in real time. This heterozygous mouse model of Cdkn2a-e(Luc-2A-tdTomato-2a-CreerT2-Wpre-PA) 1 is not only useful for mechanism research of aging and OA diseases, but also beneficial for finding more potential therapy targets to OA and aging.

The present study evaluates different processing and drying methods and investigates their effects on the chemical components in Paeoniae Radix Alba via content determination. The fresh medicinal materials of Paeoniae Radix Alba collected from Bozhou of Anhui province were processed(boiled and peeled) and dried(hot air-dried, infrared-dried, and microwave-dried) at different temperatures(40, 50, 60 and 70 ℃), and the 11 components(monoterpene glycosides, polyphenols, tannin, and benzoic acid) in Paeoniae Radix Alba were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-TQ-MS). Then the compounds in processed and dried samples were analyzed by partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLS-DA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA), and the contribution rates of differential components were evaluated by variable important in projection(VIP). The results indicated that the samples obtained by different processing and drying methods could be distinguished. Albiflorin, gallic acid, 1,2,3,4,6-pentakis-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose, and benzoic acid were the common differential components in boiled Paeoniae Radix Alba. Benzoic acid was the common differential component in peeled Paeoniae Radix Alba. Gallic acid was the common differential component in Paeoniae Radix Alba dried by different methods. The samples could not be distinguished after drying at different temperatures due to the lack of common differential components. This study is expected to provide a reference for the selection of processing and drying methods and the optimization of processing parameters.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Paeonia ; Plant Extracts ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry