Objective: To investigate the distribution of pupil diameter and its association with myopia in school age children, providing ideas into the mechanisms of the role of pupil diameter in the onset and development of myopia. Methods: Adopting a combination of stratified cluster random sampling and convenience sampling method, 3 839 children from six schools in Shandong Province were included in September 2021. Pupil diameters distribution was analyzed by age, sex, and myopic status. Pearson correlation analysis was used to assess the relationship between pupil diameter and cycloplegic spherical equivalent (SE), as well as axial length (AL) and other variables. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to match myopic and non myopic children at a 1∶1 ratio based on age and sex. A generalized linear model (GLM) was constructed with pupil diameter as the dependent variable to identify independent factors influencing pupil size and its association with myopia. Results: The mean pupil diameter of school age children was (5.77±0.80)mm. Pupil diameter exhibited a significant increasing trend with age ( F =49.34， P trend ＜ 0.01). Myopic children had a significantly larger mean pupil diameter [(6.10±0.73)mm] compared to non myopic children [(5.62±0.79)mm] with a statistically significant difference( t=18.10, P <0.01). Multivariable GLM analysis, adjusted for age, amplitude of accommodation, and uncorrected visual acuity, revealed a negative correlation between pupil diameter and cycloplegic SE (before PSM: β =-0.089, after PSM: β =-0.063, both P ＜0.01). Conclusions Myopic school age children exhibite larger pupil diameters than their non myopic counterparts. Pupil diameter may serve as a potential indicator for monitoring myopia development in school age children.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with common pathophysiological processes, such as inflammation and fibrosis, in both the heart and the kidney. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms that drive these processes are not yet fully understood. Therefore, this study focused on the molecular mechanism of heart and kidney injury in CKD. METHODS: We generated an microRNA (miR)-26a knockout (KO) mouse model to investigate the role of miR-26a in angiotensin (Ang)-II-induced cardiac and renal injury. We performed Ang-II modeling in wild type (WT) mice and miR-26a KO mice, with six mice in each group. In addition, Ang-II-treated AC16 cells and HK2 cells were used as in vitro models of cardiac and renal injury in the context of CKD. Histological staining, immunohistochemistry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and Western blotting were applied to study the regulation of miR-26a on Ang-II-induced cardiac and renal injury. Immunofluorescence reporter assays were used to detect downstream genes of miR-26a, and immunoprecipitation was employed to identify the interacting protein of LIM and senescent cell antigen-like domain 1 (LIMS1). We also used an adeno-associated virus (AAV) to supplement LIMS1 and explored the specific regulatory mechanism of miR-26a on Ang-II-induced cardiac and renal injury. Dunnett's multiple comparison and t -test were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Compared with the control mice, miR-26a expression was significantly downregulated in both the kidney and the heart after Ang-II infusion. Our study identified LIMS1 as a novel target gene of miR-26a in both heart and kidney tissues. Downregulation of miR-26a activated the LIMS1/integrin-linked kinase (ILK) signaling pathway in the heart and kidney, which represents a common molecular mechanism underlying inflammation and fibrosis in heart and kidney tissues during CKD. Furthermore, knockout of miR-26a worsened inflammation and fibrosis in the heart and kidney by inhibiting the LIMS1/ILK signaling pathway; on the contrary, supplementation with exogenous miR-26a reversed all these changes. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that miR-26a could be a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of cardiorenal injury in CKD. This is attributed to its ability to regulate the LIMS1/ILK signaling pathway, which represents a common molecular mechanism in both heart and kidney tissues.
Animals ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Angiotensin II/toxicity* ; Mice ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/chemically induced* ; Mice, Knockout ; Disease Models, Animal ; Male ; Signal Transduction/genetics* ; LIM Domain Proteins/genetics* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Cell Line ; Humans

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical effect of minimally invasive technique in the treatment of moderate and severe gluteal muscle contracture. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 85 patients (170 sides) with bilateral gluteal muscle contracture admitted from January 2016 to December 2019. All patients were treated with minimally invasive release of tendon knife. There were 32 males and 53 females, ranging in age from 15 to 37 years old, with an average age of (22.3±6.3) years old. Operation time, intraoperative blood loss, incision length, first postoperative ambulation time, complication rate, recurrence rate, and Harris hip score (HHS) were analyzed and evaluated. RESULTS: The average follow-up time was (16.2±4.6) months, ranging from 12 to 30 months. The operation time ranged from 7 to 15 min, with an average of (10.2±3.1) min. Intraoperative blood loss ranged from 2 to 20 ml, with an average of (8.4±2.2) ml. The incision length ranged from 0.6 to 2.0 cm, with an average of (0.8±0.3) cm. The time to postoperative ambulation ranged from 12 to 28 h, with an average of (20.0±3.2) h. All patients achieved primary wound healing without sciatic nerve injury or recurrence. HHS hip function scores ranged from 90 to 98, with an average score of (96.2±1.4). Complications included intraoperative tendon blade tip fracture in two cases (removed under fluoroscopic guidance) and subcutaneous hematoma in three cases-two resolved with compression and one with open evacuation.. Twenty-nine patients exhibited transient swaying gait postoperatively, of which 24 patients returned to normal after 4 weeks and 5 patients returned to normal after 6 weeks. CONCLUSION Minimally invasive tendon blade release is a safe and effective technique for treating gluteal muscle contracture, offering minimal trauma, rapid recovery, and excellent cosmetic and functional outcomes. However, it exhibits a low risk of blade tip fracture and sciatic nerve injury, warranting experienced surgical handling.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures/methods* ; Adolescent ; Retrospective Studies ; Buttocks/surgery* ; Young Adult ; Contracture/surgery* ; Tendons/surgery* ; Muscle, Skeletal/surgery*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of shockwave therapy, acupuncture, hyperthermia, biofeedback therapy, electrical nerve stimulation, magnetotherapy and ultrasound therapy in the treatment of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome(CP/CPPS), and to provide evidence-based support for clinical decision-making. METHODS: Two researchers independently searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP and Chinese Biomedical Literature databases for randomized controlled trials(RCTs) on the effects of different interventions on CP/CPPS from the establishment of the databases to August 2024. We evaluated the quality of the included literature and extracted the relevant data according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, followed by network meta-analysis using Revman 5.3, R 4.33 and Stata17 software. RESULTS: A total of 25 RCTs involving 1 794 cases were included. The results of network meta-analysis showed that electrical nerve stimulation, shockwave therapy, biofeedback therapy, magnetotherapy, ultrasound therapy and acupuncture were significantly superior to conventional medication and placebo in the total NIH-CPSI scores(P< 0.05), and so were electrical nerve stimulation and shockwave therapy to acupuncture and hyperthermia(P< 0.05), magnetic therapy to hyperthermia, and ultrasound therapy to placebo(P< 0.05). Shockwave therapy, biofeedback therapy, electrical nerve stimulation, magnetotherapy and ultrasound therapy achieved remarkably better clinical efficacy than conventional medication and placebo in the treatment of CP/CPPS, and so did shockwave therapy than electrical nerve stimulation, hyperthermia, ultrasonic therapy, magnetotherapy and acupuncture. CONCLUSION For the treatment of CP/CPPS, electrical nerve stimulation is advantageous over the other interventions in improving total NIH-CPSI scores, and shockwave therapy is advantageous in relieving pain symptoms and clinical efficacy. This conclusion, however, needs to be further verified by more high-quality clinical studies.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Biofeedback, Psychology ; Chronic Disease ; Electric Stimulation Therapy ; Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy ; Magnetic Field Therapy ; Pelvic Pain/therapy* ; Prostatitis/therapy* ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Ultrasonic Therapy

Objective To systematically review the efficacy and safety of dapagliflozin combined with sacubitril valsartan in the treatment of heart failure after acute myocardial infarction.Methods PubMed,Embase,Web of Science,Cochrane Library,CNKI,WanFang Data and VIP databases were electronically searched to collect randomized controlled trials(RCTs)on dapagliflozin combined with sacubitril valsartan(combination treatment group)vs.sacubitril valsartan(monotherapy group)for the treatment of heart failure after acute myocardial infarction from inception to June 18,2024.Two reviewers independently screened the literature,extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies.Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software.Results A total of 11 RCTs involving 1 060 patients were included.Meta-analysis results showed that compared with the monotherapy group,the efficiency of clinical treatment(OR=5.08,95％CI 2.81 to 9.16,P＜0.001),left ventricular ejection fraction(MD=5.02,95％CI 4.08 to 5.95,P＜0.001),6-minute walking distance(MD=56.45,95％CI 32.83 to 80.07,P＜0.001)significantly increased in the combination treatment group,and the levels of N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide precursor(MD=-249.28,95％CI-414.78 to-83.78,P=0.003)and the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events(OR=0.24,95％CI 0.15 to 0.41,P＜0.001)significantly decreased in the combination treatment group.However,there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of reducing the incidence of adverse effects(OR=0.66,95％CI 0.31 to 1.38,P=0.27).Conclusion Current evidence shows that the use of the combination of dapagliflozin and sacubitril valsartan for heart failure after acute myocardial infarction is more effective clinically and does not increase the incidence of adverse drug reactions compared with the treatment of sacubitril valsartan alone.Due to the limited quality and quantity of the included studies,more high-quality studies are needed to verify the above conclusion.

Objective:To conduct a retrospective study on the treatment outcomes of patients who underwent artificial temporomandibular joint (TMJ) replacement surgery and to evaluate the effectiveness of artificial TMJ treatment.Methods:This study selected 62 patients who received standard Biomet artificial TMJ treatment at Department of Orthognathic and TMJ Surgery, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University from May 2010 to September 2023 as the study subjects. Among them, there were 15 male patients and 47 female patients. The average age was 33.5 years old(ranging from 18 to 67 years). This study statistically analyzed postoperative indicators, including maximum mouth opening, forward jaw movement, lateral movement, postoperative pain scores, and patient satisfaction.Results:This study included a total of 62 patients with 99 TMJ joints. No infections occurred postoperatively. The average follow-up period was 33.7 months (ranging from 7 to 170 months). At 6 months postoperatively, the mean mouth opening was (36.1±6.2) mm, lateral movement was (2.1±0.9) mm, and forward jaw movement was (1.0±0.9) mm. The pain visual analog scale score at 6 months postoperatively was (2.8±0.6), and patient satisfaction with the surgery was (8.8±1.1). Spiral CT scans conducted after surgery showed no joint dislocation or migration, and the artificial joint remained stable during the follow-up period.Conclusions:Artificial TMJ replacement is a valuable method for effectively restoring TMJ structure and essential functions related to mouth opening and chewing. It is worthy of promotion as a reconstructive approach for the temporomandibular joint

Objective Combination immunotherapy strategies targeting OX40,a co-stimulatory molecule that can enhance antitumor immunity by modulating the proliferation,differentiation,and effector function of tumor-infiltrating T cells,have attracted much attention for their excellent therapeutic effects.In this study,we aimed to evaluate the antitumor efficacy of combined anti-OX40 and hepatitis B core virus-like particles(HBc VLPs)therapy using a mouse colon cancer model. Methods Humanized B-hOX40 mice were injected subcutaneously with MC38 colon tumor cells and treated with HBc VLPs+anti-hOX40 antibody.Tumor growth was monitored.Flow cytometric analysis was performed to evaluate the populations of T cell subsets in the tumors. Results The combination of anti-OX40 with HBc VLPs resulted in a significant delay in tumor growth,suggesting that a potent antitumor immunity was induced by the combination therapy.Further studies revealed that HBc VLPs+anti-OX40 treatment induced a significant increase in effector T cells(Teffs)and a significant decrease in regulatory T cells(Tregs)in the tumor microenvironment(TME),which accounted for the synergistic antitumor effect of anti-OX40 in combination with HBc VLPs. Conclusion Combination therapy of anti-hOX40 and HBc VLPs provides synergistic antitumor activity in colon cancer-bearing mice,which may represent a potential design strategy for cancer immunotherapy.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on intestinal flora in the rats with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) based on 16S rDNA technique. METHODS: Ten rats were randomized from 58 SPF-grade male SD rats to be the blank group. The remained 48 rats were prepared to be IBS-D models by the modified method of acetic acid enema combined with binding tail-clip stress. Forty successfully-modeled rats were randomly divided into a model group, an acupuncture group, a moxibustion group and a western medication group, with 10 rats in each one. In the acupuncture group, the needle was inserted at bilateral "Zusanli" (ST 36) and remained for 15 min in each rat. In the moxibustion group, the suspending moxibustion was delivered at bilateral "Zusanli" (ST 36) for 15 min. The rats in the western medication group were given pinaverium bromide suspension (10 mL/kg) by intragastric administration. The above interventions were performed once daily for consecutive 14 days. The body mass and the score of fecal trait were compared before and after modeling, as well as after intervention in each group. Fecal water content, diarrhea index and colon transit time (CTT) were measured after modeling and intervention in the rats of each group separately. After intervention, the colonic morphology of rats in each group was observed, and using 16S rDNA technique, the intestinal flora was detected. RESULTS: After modeling, compared with the blank group, the body mass and CTT were reduced (P<0.01); fecal trait scores, fecal water contents and diarrhea index increased (P<0.01) in the other 4 groups. After intervention, the body mass and CTT of the rats decreased (P<0.01), and fecal trait score, fecal water content and diarrhea index increased (P<0.01) in the model group compared with those in the blank group. In the acupuncture group, the moxibustion group and the western medication group, when compared with the model group, the body mass and CTT were elevated (P<0.01), while fecal trait scores, fecal water contents and diarrhea index declined (P<0.01). Compared with the western medication group, fecal water content decreased in the acupuncture group and the moxibustion group (P<0.05), while CTT increased in the acupuncture group (P<0.01), the body mass increased and fecal trait score was dropped in the moxibustion group (P<0.05). The colonic mucosa structure was clear and complete, and there was no obvious inflammatory cell infiltration in the blank group. The mild interstitial edema of intestinal mucosa was presented with the infiltration of few inflammatory cells in the model group. There was the infiltration of few inflammatory cells in the mucosa of the acupuncture group, the moxibustion group and the western medication group. Compared with the blank group, the indexes of Richness, Chao1, ACE and Shannon decreased in the model group (P<0.05). Indexes of Richness, Chao1 and ACE increased in the acupuncture group and the moxibustion group (P<0.05), and the Richness index in the western medication group increased (P<0.05) when compared with those in the model group. The relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Prevotella increased (P<0.05), and that of Firmicutes and Muribaculaceae decreased (P<0.05) in the model group compared with those in the blank group. When compared with the model group, the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Prevotella was reduced (P<0.05), while that of Firmicutes and Muribaculaceae increased (P<0.05) in the acupuncture group, the moxibustion group and the western medication group; and that of Actinobacteria and Bifidobacterium increased in the acupuncture group and the moxibustion group (P<0.05). Compared with the blank group, the relative abundance of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis was elevated (P<0.05), and that of folate biosynthesis, lipoic acid metabolism, zeatin biosynthesis, ubiquinone and other terpenoid quinone biosynthesis decreased (P<0.05) in the model group. The relative abundance of LPS biosynthesis was dropped (P<0.05), and that of folate biosynthesis, lipoic acid metabolism, zeatin biosynthesis, ubiquinone and other terpenoid quinone biosynthesis increased (P<0.05) in the acupuncture group, the moxibustion group and the western medication group compared with those of the model group. CONCLUSIONS Either acupuncture or moxibustion can relieve the symptoms of IBS-D and protect intestinal mucosa, which may be associated with regulating the structure of intestinal flora and promoting nutrient metabolism and biosynthesis.
Rats ; Male ; Animals ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome/therapy* ; Moxibustion/methods* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Thioctic Acid ; Ubiquinone ; Zeatin ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Diarrhea/therapy* ; Terpenes ; Water ; Folic Acid ; Acupuncture Points

Objective To observe the electromyography characteristics of children's handwriting with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD),and explore its electrophysiological mechanism,so as to provide an objective basis for developing non-pharmacological treatment for such children.Methods Between September 2021 and April 2022,29 ADHD children were recruited from an ordinary public primary school and the psychiatric clinic of a class-3 grade-A hospital in Beijing.Among them,25 were boys and 4 were girls,with an average age of 8.21±1.78 years.Meanwhile,23 male and 5 fe-male healthy counterparts were selected with the age gap no more than 6 months.The Delsys wireless surface EMG system was used to collect the electromyographic signals of the abductor pollicis breve,the first dorsal interosseous muscle,the flexor radial carpi motor and the extensor finger muscles dur-ing their writing tasks such as tracing trajectories,writing Arabic numerals 0-9,26 small and capital English letters,Chinese characters one to ten and"Yong".The percentage of the averaged electromyog-raphy(AEMG)of a muscle in the sum value of all measured muscles,and the coefficient of differ-ence were selected to evaluate the muscle contribution rate and the consistency of exertion,respective-ly.Moreover,the independent sample t-test was employed to compare the two different groups with the significance set at α=0.05.Results There was a significant difference in the muscle contribution of abductor pollicis breve and first dorsal interosseous muscles when writing Arabic numerals and that of abductor pollicis breve muscles when writing Chinese characters between ADHD children(27.29%,25.58%and 27.53%)and their healthy counterparts(42.87%,19.96%and 37.13%)(P<0.05).Most muscle differentiation coefficients of ADHD children were higher than 100%,with that of the domi-nant hand radial wrist flexor muscle reaching 270%in the trajectory tracing task.Conclusion Accord-ing to the characteristics of EMG signals,school-age ADHD children show an immature writing pat-tern,including poor stability of writing-related muscles,insufficient control of small finger muscle groups,poor control of hand coordination,and insufficient muscle inhibition of non-dominant hand.It is recommended to conduct the electromyoelectric assessment of handwriting movements in ADHD chil-dren,so as to carry out targeted intervention at an early stage.