Objective: To analyze the trends in incidence and mortality of prostate cancer in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, so as to provide insights into the prevention and control of prostate cancer. Methods: Data of the incidence and mortality of prostate cancer in Ningbo City from 2011 to 2023 were collected through Ningbo Chronic Disease Collaborative Management System. The incidence and mortality of prostate cancer were calculated and standardized by the data from the sixth national population census in 2010 and the Segi's world standard population in 1960. The trends in incidence and mortality of prostate cancer were evaluated using average annual percent change (AAPC). Results: A total of 15 411 cases of prostate cancer were reported in Ningbo City from 2011 to 2023, and the crude incidence, Chinese-standardized incidence and world-standardized incidence were 39.62/105, 22.18/105 and 16.49/105, respectively, showing upward trends (AAPC=14.782%, 10.390% and 10.608%, all P<0.05). The Chinese-standardized incidence of prostate cancer was higher in urban areas than in rural areas, and both showed upward trends (25.14/105 vs. 19.44/105; AAPC=9.057% and 14.272%, both P<0.05). The crude incidence of prostate cancer in the groups aged 50-<60 years, 60-<70 years, 70-<80 years and ≥80 years showed upward trends (AAPC=11.657%, 14.031%, 10.734% and 5.300%, all P<0.05). A total of 3 739 deaths were reported, and the crude mortality, Chinese-standardized mortality and world-standardized mortality were 9.66/105, 5.23/105 and 3.71/105, respectively, showing upward trends (AAPC=8.458%, 3.620% and 3.602%, all P<0.05). The Chinese-standardized mortality of prostate cancer was higher in urban areas than in rural areas, and both showed upward trends (5.35/105 vs. 5.13/105; AAPC=3.183% and 3.962%, both P<0.05). The crude mortality of prostate cancer the groups ageds ≥80 years showed an upward trend (AAPC=7.482%, P<0.05). Conclusions From 2011 to 2023, the incidence and mortality of prostate cancer in Ningbo City showed upward trends. Special attention should be paid to urban residents, and prostate cancer screening should be strengthened among males aged 50 years and older.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill (STDP) in treating stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome by exercise duration and metabolic equivalents. METHODS: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial enrolled stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome from 22 hospitals. They were randomized 1:1 to STDP (35 mg/pill, 6 pills per day) or placebo for 56 days. The primary outcome was the exercise duration and metabolic equivalents (METs) assessed by the standard Bruce exercise treadmill test after 56 days of treatment. The secondary outcomes included the total angina symptom score, Chinese medicine (CM) symptom scores, Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) scores, changes in ST-T on electrocardiogram and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: This trial enrolled 309 patients, including 155 and 154 in the STDP and placebo groups, respectively. STDP significantly prolonged exercise duration with an increase of 51.0 s, compared to a decrease of 12.0 s with placebo (change rate: -11.1% vs. 3.2%, P<0.01). The increase in METs was significantly greater in the STDP group than in the placebo group (change: -0.4 vs. 0.0, change rate: -5.0% vs. 0.0%, P<0.01). The improvement of total angina symptom scores (25.0% vs. 0.0%), CM symptom scores (38.7% vs. 11.8%), reduction of nitroglycerin consumption (100.0% vs. 11.3%), and all domains of SAQ, were significantly greater with STDP than placebo (all P<0.01). The changes in Q-T intervals at 28 and 56 days from baseline were similar between the two groups (both P>0.05). Twenty-five participants (16.3%) with STDP and 16 (10.5%) with placebo experienced AEs (P=0.131), with no serious AEs observed. CONCLUSION STDP could improve exercise tolerance in patients with stable angina and phlegm-heat and blood stasis syndrome, with a favorable safety profile. (Registration No. ChiCTR-IPR-15006020).
Humans ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Angina, Stable/physiopathology* ; Aged ; Syndrome ; Treatment Outcome ; Placebos ; Tablets

Plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEVs), describe a group of nanoparticles released by plants. These particles are characterized by a lipid bilayer structure containing various proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and unique metabolites. Although the study on PDEVs is relatively new, having only been around for ten years, they have shown promising development prospects in both basic research and clinical transformation areas. Evidence suggests that PDEVs have excellent application prospects in regulating inflammation and treating tumors. Their distinctive, vesicle-mimicking architecture and stellar biocompatibility render them prime candidates for ferrying various anti-cancer agents, including RNA, proteins, and conventional chemotherapy drugs. Increasingly, studies have shown that PDEVs can be engineered as an innovative platform for combination cancer immunotherapy. Consequently, this paper provides an extensive summary of current developments in engineering methods and strategies for PDEVs in cancer treatment and combined cancer immune therapeutics. The essential characteristics of PDEVs, including the biogenesis process and components, as well as their anti-tumor activity and mechanism, are summarized. Finally, the in vivo safety of PDEVs as delivery vectors and the challenges of scale-up production and clinical transformation are discussed.

OBJECTIVE: Varied acupoint selections represent a potential cause of the uncertainty surrounding the efficacy of acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis (OA). Skin temperature, a guiding factor for acupoint selection, may help to address this issue. This study explored thermal sensitization of acupoints used for the treatment of knee OA. METHODS: This cross-sectional case-control study enrolled cases aged 45-75 years with symptomatic knee OA and age- and gender-matched non-knee OA controls in a 1:1 ratio. All participants underwent infrared thermographic imaging. The primary outcome was the relative skin temperature of acupoint (STA), and the secondary outcome was the absolute STA of 11 acupoints. The Z test was used to compare the relative and absolute STAs between the groups. Principal component analysis was used to extract the common factors (CFs, acupoint cluster) in the STAs. A general linear model was used to identify factors affecting the STA in the knee OA cases. For the group comparisons of relative STA, P < 0.0045 (adjusted for 11 acupoints through Bonferroni correction) was considered to indicate statistical significance. For other analyses, P < 0.05 was used as the threshold for statistical significance. RESULTS: The analysis included 308 participants, consisting of 151 cases (mean age: [64.58 ± 6.67] years; male: 25.83%; mean body mass index: [25.70 ± 3.16] kg/m²) and 157 controls (mean age: [63.37 ± 5.96] years; male: 26.11%; mean body mass index: [24.47 ± 2.84] kg/m²). The relative STAs of ST34 (P = 0.0001), EX-LE2 (P < 0.0001), EX-LE5 (P = 0.0006), SP10 (P < 0.0001), BL40 (P = 0.0012) and GB39 (P = 0.0037) were higher in the knee OA group. No difference was found in the STAs of ST35, ST36, SP9, GB33 and GB34. Four CFs were identified for relative STA in both groups. The acupoints within each CF were consistent between the groups. The mean values of the relative STAs across each CF were higher in the knee OA group. In the knee OA cases, no factors were observed to affect the relative STA, while age and gender were found to affect the absolute STA. CONCLUSION Among patients with knee OA, thermal sensitization occurs in the acupoints of the lower extremity, exhibiting localized and regional thermal consistencies. The thermally sensitized acupoints that we identified in this study, ST34, SP10, EX-LE2, EX-LE5, GB39 and BL40, may be good choices for the acupuncture treatment of knee OA. Please cite this article as: Tu JF, Wang XZ, Yan SY, Wang YR, Yang JW, Shi GX, Zhang WZ, Jing LN, Yang LS, Liu DH, Wang LQ, Mi BH. Thermal sensitization of acupoints in patients with knee osteoarthritis: A cross-sectional case-control study. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(3): 289-296.
Humans ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/physiopathology* ; Male ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Acupuncture Points ; Case-Control Studies ; Aged ; Skin Temperature ; Acupuncture Therapy

Five meroterpenoids, rhodonoids K-M (1-2), daurichromene E (3), and grifolins A-B (4-5), together with seven known compounds (6-12), were isolated from Rhododendron anthopogonoides. The chemical structures of these compounds were elucidated through comprehensive analysis of high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS), ultraviolet (UV), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data. Their absolute configurations were determined by comparing experimental electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra with computed values. Notably, compounds 1 and 3 demonstrated significant inhibitory effects on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in RAW264.7 cells. These compounds markedly suppressed the mRNA expressions of inflammatory factors, including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) while also down-regulating the protein expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2).
Mice ; Rhododendron/chemistry* ; Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/isolation & purification* ; RAW 264.7 Cells ; Terpenes/isolation & purification* ; Molecular Structure ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/immunology* ; Cyclooxygenase 2/immunology* ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II/immunology* ; Macrophages/immunology* ; Interleukin-6/immunology* ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Interleukin-1beta/immunology*

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the impact of glycemic control and diabetes duration on subsequent myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with both coronary heart disease (CHD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 33,238 patients with both CHD and T2D in Shenzhen, China. Patients were categorized into 6 groups based on baseline fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels and diabetes duration (from the date of diabetes diagnosis to the baseline date) to examine their combined effects on subsequent MI. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used, with further stratification by age, sex, and comorbidities to assess potential interactions. RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 2.4 years, 2,110 patients experienced MI. Compared to those with optimal glycemic control (FPG < 6.1 mmol/L) and shorter diabetes duration (< 10 years), the fully-adjusted hazard ratio ( HR) (95% Confidence Interval [95% CI]) for those with a diabetes duration of ≥ 10 years and FPG > 8.0 mmol/L was 1.93 (95% CI: 1.59, 2.36). The combined effects of FPG and diabetes duration on MI were largely similar across different age, sex, and comorbidity groups, although the excess risk of MI associated with long-term diabetes appeared to be more pronounced among those with atrial fibrillation. CONCLUSION Our study indicates that glycemic control and diabetes duration significant influence the subsequent occurrence of MI in patients with both CHD and T2D. Tailored management strategies emphasizing strict glycemic control may be particularly beneficial for patients with longer diabetes duration and atrial fibrillation.
Humans ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/blood* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Coronary Disease/complications* ; Myocardial Infarction/etiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; China/epidemiology* ; Glycemic Control ; Blood Glucose ; Adult ; Risk Factors ; Time Factors

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) poses a significant risk of neural damage during pregnancy. As the most prevalent intrauterine infectious agent in low- and middle-income countries, HCMV disrupts the development of neural stem cells, leading to fetal malformations and abnormal structural and physiological functions in the fetal brain. This review summarizes the current understanding of how HCMV infection dysregulates the Wnt signaling pathway to induce fetal malformations and discusses current management strategies.
Humans ; Cytomegalovirus Infections/virology* ; Wnt Signaling Pathway ; Pregnancy ; Female ; Cytomegalovirus/physiology* ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/virology* ; Congenital Abnormalities/virology* ; Animals

Objective To investigate the protective effects of paeonol(PAE)on autophagy in human neuroblastoma cells(SH-SY5Y)induced by overexpression of α-synuclein(α-Syn),and to explore its related mechanism.Methods SH-SY5Y cells served as control group,while those induced with A53T-α-Syn mutation were used as model group.Additional groups included PAE(150 μg/ml)group,3-MA(1 mmol/L)group,and PAE(150 μg/ml)+3-MA(1 mmol/L)group.Cell viability was assessed using CCK-8 method,cell morphology was observed under an optical microscope,and protein expressions of α-Syn,LC3-Ⅱ,p62,Beclin-1,phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase(p-JNK),and p-Bcl-2 were determined by Western blotting.Results Compared with control group,model control exhibited decreased cell survival(P＜0.01),increased α-Syn expression(P＜0.001),reduced expression of autophagy-related proteins LC3-Ⅱ and Beclin-1(P＜0.01,P＜0.05),elevated autophagy substrate protein p62(P＜0.05),and decreased expression of autophagy pathway-related proteins p-JNK and Bcl-2(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Compared with model group,PAE group showed increased cell survival(P＜0.01),decreased α-Syn and p62 protein expression(P＜0.01,P＜0.05),and increased expression of LC3-Ⅱ,Beclin-1,p-JNK and Bcl-2(P＜0.05).Compared with PAE group,3-MA+PAE group demonstrated increased α-Syn expression(P＜0.05).Conclusions PAE could attenuate the injury of SH-SY5Y cells induced by A53T-α-Syn and eliminate over-expressed α-Syn by activating autophagy pathway,which may be associated with the upregulation of JNK/Bcl-2 mediated autophagy pathway.

Objective To explore the relationship between dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging(DCE-MRI)and clinical pathological features of invasive breast cancer and lymphovascular invasion(LVI).Methods Imaging and clinical pathological data were retrospectively collected from 508 patients with invasive breast cancer who underwent breast DCE-MRI at the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2019 to August 2021.Patients were divided into the LVI-positive(LVI+)group(n=79)and LVI-negative(LVI-)group(n=429)based on postoperative pathological results.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify risk factors for LVI.Results Compared with LVI-group,LVI+group had a higher proportion of patients aged<45 years(44.3%vs.27.0%,P=0.002),non-mass-like enhancement(NME)(31.7%vs.17.7%,P=0.004),Ki-67 expression rate(40.0%vs.30.0%,P<0.001),high Ki-67 expression(94.9%vs.78.1%,P=0.001),Luminal B subtype(76.0%vs.60.1%,P=0.008),and positive axillary lymph nodes rate(72.2%vs.31.5%,P<0.001),while the proportion of Luminal A subtype was lower(2.5%vs.21.5%,P<0.001).Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that age≥45 years(OR=0.468,95%CI 0.280-0.783,P=0.004)was an independent protective factor for LVI,while NME(OR=1.987,95%CI 1.126-3.444,P=0.016)was an independent risk factor.Compared with Luminal A subtype,patients with Luminal B subtype(OR=10.482,95%CI 3.164-64.923,P=0.001),HER-2 overexpression subtype(OR=11.571,95%CI 2.755-79.341,P=0.003)and triple-negative subtypes(OR=8.433,95%CI 1.985-57.908,P=0.009)had a higher risk of LVI.Conclusions Age≥45 years is an independent protective factor for LVI,while NME is an independent risk factor.Among molecular subtypes,patients with Luminal B,HER-2 overexpression and triple-negative subtypes have a higher risk of LVI compared with the Luminal A subtype.

Objective To explore the validity and feasibility of the left transthoracic and esophageal hiatal approach for Siewert type Ⅱ adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction under a single position.Methods The clinical data of 64 patients with Siewert type Ⅱ AEG(single position transthoracic approach group)treated with the left transthoracic and esophageal hiatal approach under a single position and 56 patients with the laparoscopic transesophageal slit approach(transabdominal approach group)in the Department of Thoracic Surgery,Huaihe Hospital of Henan University,from January 2017 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed.The clinical and pathological data,perioperative indicators(operation time,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative first ambulation time,postoperative first peristalsis time,postoperative drainage volume at 3 d,incidence of postoperative complications,postoperative hospital stay),postoperative complications(positive surgical margin,proximal esophageal resection margin,tumor diameter,total number of dissected lymph nodes,positive lymph node dissection rate,postoperative histopathology,and TNM staging of tumor pathology),and survival indicators(tumor recurrence and metastasis rate and survival at 1 month,3 months,6 months,1 year,3 years,5 years after surgery)were compared between the two groups.Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the postoperative survival rate of the two groups.Univariate analysis using χ2 test was employed to analyze factors influencing 5-year postoperative survival rate in Siewert type Ⅱ AEG patients.Results No significant difference was observed in clinical and pathological data,such as gender,age,American Society of Anesthesiologists(ASA)grade,tumor differentiation,pTNM stage,and tumor diameter between the two groups(P>0.05).No significant differences were noted in intraoperative blood loss,incidence of postoperative complications,and survival rates at 1 month,3 months,6 months,1 year,and 3 years after surgery between the two groups(P>0.05).The single position transthoracic approach group exhibited a higher postoperative drainage volume at 3 d compared to the transabdominal approach group(P<0.001),a shorter surgical time(P<0.001),a longer time to first mobilization,first intestinal peristalsis,and hospital stay after surgery(P<0.01),a longer proximal esophageal margin(P<0.001),a higher total number of lymph node dissections(P<0.001),and a higher positive lymph node dissection rate(P<0.05)than the transabdominal approach group.The 5-year recurrence-free survival rate of the single position transthoracic approach group was higher than that of the transabdominal approach group,with a statistically significant difference(P=0.013).The Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed no statistically significant difference in the 5-year overall survival rate between the two groups of patients after surgery(P=0.456).The results of univariate analysis indicated that there are significant relationships between tumor differentiation degree,pTNM stage,tumor diameter,and lymph node positivity rate with the 5-year postoperative survival rate in Siewert type Ⅱ AEG patients(P<0.05).Conclusion Siewert type Ⅱ AEG patients can be treated with the left transthoracic and esophageal hiatal approach under a single position,achieving the same effect as laparoscopic transesophageal slit approach,and it can be actively promoted as a complementary choice of operation in the clinic.