1.Cage design-centric glider approach to full-endoscopic lumbar fusion: optimizing nerve root protection in facet-sparing and facet-resecting techniques
Yu-Chia HSU ; Hao-Chun CHUANG ; Yuan-Fu LIU ; Chao-Jui CHANG ; Yu-Meng HSIAO ; Yi-Hung HUANG ; Keng-Chang LIU ; Chien-Min CHEN ; Hyeun-Sung KIM ; Cheng-Li LIN
Asian Spine Journal 2026;20(2):343-353
Endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) offers substantial advantages in the management of degenerative spinal diseases, including accelerated postoperative recovery. However, its technical complexity and steep learning curve pose risks for nerve root injury. Optimizing nerve root protection in full-endoscopic facet-sparing TLIF (FE fs-TLIF) and full-endoscopic facet-resecting TLIF (FE fr-TLIF) is essential for enhancing surgical safety. This study aimed to improve the nerve root protection in FE fs-TLIF and FE fr-TLIF by optimizing cage glider selection and insertion techniques based on the specific cage shape—banana-shaped or bullet-shaped. The goal was to ensure safe cage positioning and mitigate nerve root injury during discectomy, endplate preparation, and cage insertion. These strategies were validated through cadaveric simulations and clinical implementation. In FE fr-TLIF utilizing bullet-shaped (straight) cages, one-tip and two-tip cage gliders effectively protected the traversing nerve root by facilitating medial cage entry, thereby minimizing irritation of the exiting nerve root. Conversely, in FE fr-TLIF with banana-shaped cages, the lateral tilt of the cage holder during implantation required the use of a two-tip cage glider to protect the traversing and exiting nerve roots, thereby mitigating the potential risk of nerve irritation. In FE fs-TLIF, a one-tip cage glider is preferred for safeguarding the exiting nerve root, while the traversing root is inherently protected by the medial wall of the facet joint. The use of a two-tip cage glider in FE fs-TLIF can cause injury to the nerve root during glider insertion. In addition to the selection of cage gliders, improper cage insertion steps can also contribute to postoperative neurapraxia. The appropriate selection of cage gliders with corresponding insertion techniques is critical for nerve root protection in endoscopic TLIF. Tailoring these choices to the specific approach (FE fs-TLIF or FE fr-TLIF) and cage type (banana or bullet) enhances surgical safety and clinical outcomes.
2.The first record of Anopheles messeae (Diptera: Culicidae) parasitized by water mites in China
Xue-ru CHEN ; Wen-zhen YAO ; Yu-hao LI ; Gui-chang LI ; Tao MENG ; Qun-ling FENG ; Xin-hui LIU ; Li-hong QIAO ; Xiang-ting WU ; Xue-feng ZHANG ; Cheng-lin LI ; Xue-cheng DONG ; Da-wei WANG ; Xiao-yan SI ; Yu-hong GUO
Acta Parasitologica et Medica Entomologica Sinica 2026;33(1):53-57
Objective This study reports on the obligatory parasitism of water mites Arrenurus sp. on Anopheles messeae at the Manzhouli Port, Inner Mongolia, China. Methods Duing July 2024, a survey on the mosquito diversity was conducted at the Manzhouli Port. Captured mosquitoes and their ectoparasites were identified to species level. Results A total of 1840 adult mosquitoes were collected, representing species from three genera: Culex(Cx. modestus, Cx. pipiens pallens), Aedes(Ae. dorsalis, Ae. flavidorsalis, Ae. flavescens), and Anopheles (An. messeae). Among all the mosqutioes specimens,3 out of 150 captured An. messeae were found to carry ectoparasitic mites, with number of 2,4,27 mites separately. Morphological and molecular identification reached the same result as water mites(Hydrachnidiae, Hydracrina). COI gene sequence showed 94% similarity with the closest species Arrenurus truncatellus. Conlusions Literature review suggests water mites are host-specific parasitism of mosquito species and herein with the first record of Arrenurus sp. parasiting on An. Messeae in the most high-latitude region globally.
3.Aerobic Exercise and MOTS-c Ameliorate Hepatic Oxidative Stress and Metabolic Disorder in Type 2 Diabetes via The NRF2/PPARγ Axis
Fei-Long CHEN ; Zhi-Yu LI ; Tu-Tu WANG ; Yu FU ; Lei LÜ ; Cheng-Yuan XING ; Shun-Chang LI
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(8):2071-2090
ObjectiveType 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) often causes severe hepatic metabolic complications, dominated by metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). Persistent hepatic steatosis and oxidative stress further trigger steatohepatitis and progressive liver damage, increasing the mortality risk of diabetic patients. Aerobic exercise effectively improves hepatic lipid metabolism and antioxidant capacity, but poor patient adherence restricts its long-term clinical application. Mitochondrial-derived mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA type-c (MOTS-c) is a key peptide regulating insulin sensitivity and hepatic redox homeostasis. This study aimed to explore the protective mechanism of MOTS-c against T2DM-related liver injury and its combined beneficial effect with aerobic exercise via the NRF2/PPARγ signaling axis. This study aimed to investigate whether MOTS-c cooperates with aerobic exercise to alleviate T2DM-associated hepatic oxidative stress and metabolic dysfunction by activating the NRF2/PPARγ axis, and to clarify the molecular and transcriptomic characteristics of their combined intervention. MethodsStable MOTS-c overexpression and knockdown HepG2 cell lines were constructed using lentiviral transfection. An oleic acid-induced cellular lipid accumulation model and NRF2-knockout cell model were applied to verify the NRF2-dependent mechanism ofMOTS-c. Intracellular lipid deposition, triglyceride levels, antioxidant enzyme activities, and the expression of NRF2/PPARγ pathway-related genes and proteins were detected. In vivo, a T2DM rat model with obvious hepatic steatosis was established via a high-fat and high-sucrose diet combined with streptozotocin injection. Model rats received aerobic exercise, MOTS-c intraperitoneal injection, or combined intervention. We detected systemic glycolipid metabolic indicators, hepatic histopathological changes, and the expression of core proteins in the hepatic NRF2/PPARγ axis. Hepatic transcriptomic sequencing was performed to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and enrich key pathways co-regulated by MOTS-c and aerobic exercise. ResultsCellular results showed that MOTS-c overexpression significantly reduced oleic acid-induced lipid deposition, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, and upregulated NRF2 and PPARγ expression. Conversely, MOTS-c knockdown aggravated hepatic lipid accumulation and oxidative damage and inhibited NRF2/PPARγ pathway activation. NRF2 knockout completely eliminated the protective effects of MOTS-c on lipid metabolism and redox balance, confirming its NRF2-dependent regulatory mechanism. In T2DM rats, both MOTS-c supplementation and aerobic exercise effectively improved insulin resistance, corrected glycolipid metabolic disorders, and alleviated hepatic steatosis, while consistently activating the hepatic NRF2/PPARγ axis. Compared with single intervention, the combined treatment showed a better improvement trend in hepatic metabolic and oxidative injury, without definitive synergistic effects. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that the co-regulated DEGs of MOTS-c and aerobic exercise were primarily enriched in lipid metabolism and PPAR signaling pathways, with multiple antioxidant and lipid-regulating genes significantly modulated by combined intervention. ConclusionMOTS-c exhibits obvious exercise-mimetic hepatoprotective effects in T2DM. It activates the hepatic NRF2/PPARγ axis to strengthen antioxidant defense, stabilize lipid metabolism, and relieve T2DM-associated hepatic steatosis and oxidative damage. Furthermore, MOTS-c produces additive beneficial effects with aerobic exercise, showing a superior intervention trend on diabetic liver dysfunction. This study identifies the NRF2/PPARγ axis as the core mechanism of MOTS-c-regulated hepatic protection, elucidates the transcriptomic basis of combined intervention, and provides a reliable theoretical basis and potential therapeutic target for clinical intervention in T2DM-complicated MAFLD.
4.Effects of dietary supplements on patients with osteoarthritis: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.
Chang-Shun CHEN ; Lei WEN ; Fei YANG ; Yong-Cheng DENG ; Jian-Hua JI ; Rong-Jin CHEN ; Zhong CHEN ; Ge CHEN ; Jin-Yi GU
Journal of Integrative Medicine 2025;23(4):357-369
BACKGROUND:
A growing body of research is exploring the role of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory dietary supplements in the treatment of osteoarthritis, highlighting an increasing emphasis on non-pharmacological interventions. Although more patients are turning to supplements to manage osteoarthritis, their actual effectiveness remains uncertain.
OBJECTIVE:
This study aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the available evidence concerning the efficacy of various dietary supplements in osteoarthritis treatment.
SEARCH STRATEGY:
We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science for studies on the use of various dietary supplements in the treatment of osteoarthritis from the creation of each database until Jan 20, 2025.
INCLUSION CRITERIA:
(1) Research object: osteoarthritis. (2) Intervention measures: patients in the treatment group received dietary supplements, while the control group received placebos. (3) Research type: randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS:
Two researchers independently examined the literature and retrieved data based on predefined criteria. The information gathered included the first author, year of publication, sample size, participant demographics, length of the follow-up period, intervention and control measures, and inclusion indications. RCTs comparing dietary supplements to placebo with the pain and function subscales of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) among patients with osteoarthritis were included. The optimal dietary supplement was identified based on the total ranking by summing the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) of these two scores. Furthermore, the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to confirm the quality of the evidence.
RESULTS:
Overall, 23 studies covering 21 dietary supplements and involving 2455 participants met the inclusion criteria. In the WOMAC pain score, the SUCRA of passion fruit peel extract was 91% (mean difference [MD]: -9.2; 95% confidence interval [CI]: [-16.0, -2.3]), followed by methylsulfonylmethane (89%), undenatured type II collagen (87%), collagen (84%), and Lanconone (82%). The SUCRA (99%) of passion fruit peel extract (MD: -41.0; 95% CI: [-66.0, -16.0]) ranked first in terms of the WOMAC function score, followed by Lanconone (95%), collagen (86%), ParActin (84%), and Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (83%). The top three total rankings are passion fruit peel extract (95.0%), Lanconone (88.5%), and collagen (85.0%). However, the GRADE revealed low evidence quality.
CONCLUSION
Passion fruit peel extract was the best supplement for improving WOMAC pain and function scores in patients with osteoarthritis, followed by Lanconone and collagen. However, further large-scale, well designed RCTs are required to substantiate these promising findings. Please cite this article as: Chen CS, Wen L, Yang F, Deng YC, Ji JH, Chen RJ, Chen Z, Chen G, Gu JY. Effects of dietary supplements on patients with osteoarthritis: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(4): 357-369.
Humans
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Dietary Supplements
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Osteoarthritis/drug therapy*
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Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
5.HIV Pretreatment Drug Resistance and Transmission Clusters among Newly Diagnosed Patients in the China-Myanmar Border Region, 2020-2023.
Huan LIU ; Yue Cheng YANG ; Xing DUAN ; Yi Chen JIN ; Yan Fen CAO ; Yi FENG ; Chang CAI ; He He ZHAO ; Hou Lin TANG
Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2025;38(7):840-847
OBJECTIVE:
This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of HIV pretreatment drug resistance (PDR) and the transmission clusters associated with PDR-related mutations in newly diagnosed, treatment-naive patients between 2020 and 2023 in Dehong prefecture, Yunnan province, China.
METHODS:
Demographic information and plasma samples were collected from study participants. PDR was assessed using the Stanford HIV Drug Resistance Database. The Tamura-Nei 93 model within HIV-TRACE was employed to compute pairwise matches with a genetic distance of 0.015 substitutions per site.
RESULTS:
Among 948 treatment-naive individuals with eligible sequences, 36 HIV subtypes were identified, with unique recombinant forms (URFs) being the most prevalent (18.8%, 178/948). The overall prevalence of PDR was 12.4% (118/948), and resistance to non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), and protease inhibitors (PIs) was 10.7%, 1.3%, and 1.6%, respectively. A total of 91 clusters were identified, among which eight showed evidence of PDR strain transmission. The largest PDR-associated cluster consisted of six CRF01_AE drug-resistant strains carrying K103N and V179T mutations; five of these individuals had initial CD4+ cell counts < 200 cells/μL.
CONCLUSION
The distribution of HIV subtypes in Dehong is diverse and complex. PDR was moderately prevalent (12.4%) between 2020 and 2023. Evidence of transmission of CRF01_AE strains carrying K103N and V179T mutations was found. Routine surveillance of PDR and the strengthening of control measures are essential to limit the spread of drug-resistance HIV strains.
Humans
;
HIV Infections/virology*
;
China/epidemiology*
;
Drug Resistance, Viral
;
Male
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Adult
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Female
;
Middle Aged
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HIV-1/genetics*
;
Anti-HIV Agents/therapeutic use*
;
Myanmar/epidemiology*
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Young Adult
;
Prevalence
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Adolescent
;
Mutation
6.Expert Consensus on the Ethical Requirements for Generative AI-Assisted Academic Writing
You-Quan BU ; Yong-Fu CAO ; Zeng-Yi CHANG ; Hong-Yu CHEN ; Xiao-Wei CHEN ; Yuan-Yuan CHEN ; Zhu-Cheng CHEN ; Rui DENG ; Jie DING ; Zhong-Kai FAN ; Guo-Quan GAO ; Xu GAO ; Lan HU ; Xiao-Qing HU ; Hong-Ti JIA ; Ying KONG ; En-Min LI ; Ling LI ; Yu-Hua LI ; Jun-Rong LIU ; Zhi-Qiang LIU ; Ya-Ping LUO ; Xue-Mei LV ; Yan-Xi PEI ; Xiao-Zhong PENG ; Qi-Qun TANG ; You WAN ; Yong WANG ; Ming-Xu WANG ; Xian WANG ; Guang-Kuan XIE ; Jun XIE ; Xiao-Hua YAN ; Mei YIN ; Zhong-Shan YU ; Chun-Yan ZHOU ; Rui-Fang ZHU
Chinese Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2025;41(6):826-832
With the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence(GAI)technologies,their widespread application in academic research and writing is continuously expanding the boundaries of sci-entific inquiry.However,this trend has also raised a series of ethical and regulatory challenges,inclu-ding issues related to authorship,content authenticity,citation accuracy,and accountability.In light of the growing involvement of AI in generating academic content,establishing an open,controllable,and trustworthy ethical governance framework has become a key task for safeguarding research integrity and maintaining trust within the academic community.This expert consensus outlines ethical requirements across key stages of AI-assisted academic writing-including topic selection,data management,citation practices,and authorship attribution.It aims to clarify the boundaries and ethical obligations surrounding AI use in academic writing,ensuring that technological tools enhance efficiency without compromising in-tegrity.The goal is to provide guidance and institutional support for building a responsible and sustainable research ecosystem.
7.Problems and suggestions for minor purchasing of medical equipment
Xian-ju YUAN ; Fei-ba CHANG ; Yong CHEN ; Cheng-qun MA ; Jia TAN ; Xi GUO ; Jin-chuan HAN
Chinese Medical Equipment Journal 2025;46(8):91-95
The minor purchasing process and mode of some hospital were introduced,and the implementation of the hospital's minor purchasing projects in the past year was analyzed.The causes for high failure rate of purchasing were pointed out including long interval between project creation and procurement,unreasonable demand presentation,insufficient demand demonstration and lack of active participation of suppliers.Some suggestions were put forward such as timely adjustment of demands,strengthening of demand demonstration,improvement of supplier motivation and enhancement of procurement process management,which were of great significance for increasing the success rate of minor purchasing of the hospital.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(8):91-95]
8.Involvement of sympathetic nerve in the regulation of disuse atrophy of skeletal muscles: a preliminary study
Dongliang CHENG ; Mingming ZHANG ; Jiang LIU ; Junmin SHEN ; Zhongqi WANG ; Xinyu SUN ; Duanyang WANG ; Feifan CHANG ; Haobo ZHANG ; Pincong FU ; Ming CHEN ; Yi LI ; Pengbin YIN ; Licheng ZHANG ; Peifu TANG
Chinese Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma 2025;27(3):242-249
Objective:To investigate the changes in sympathetic nerve activity after lower limb immobilization and the role of sympathetic nerve in regulating disuse atrophy of skeletal muscles.Methods:The experiment was divided into the following 3 parts: ① Twelve 8-week-old male C57 mice were randomly divided into a blank control group and a hind limb fixation group ( n=6). The blank control group received no intervention while the hind limb fixation group received splint fixation of the hind limbs for 2 weeks before the musculoskeletal multi-dimensional characterization was completed at the behavioral, pathological and molecular levels. ② Thirty-six 8-week-old male C57 mice were selected and randomly divided into a control group and 5 hind limb fixation groups (for 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14 days) ( n=6). The control group was fed normally until 14 days without any intervention while the 5 hind limb fixation groups were sampled after fixation for 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14 days, respectively. The level of norepinephrine in the serum and the expression level of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), a marker of sympathetic nerve activity in the paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus (PVN), were detected to observe the plasticity of sympathetic nerve activity. ③ Eighteen 8-week-old male C57 mice were selected and randomly divided into a blank control group, a hind limb fixation group and a hind limb fixation plus medication group ( n=6). The blank control group received no intervention while the 2 fixation groups were injected with phosphate buffer (PBS) and propranolol hydrochloride solution for 2 consecutive weeks, respectively. The parameters related to the skeletal muscles were compared between the 3 groups. Results:① Compared with the control group, the mass and function of skeletal muscles in the hind limb fixation group were statistically significantly decreased ( P<0.05). ② The levels of serum norepinephrine [(3.27±1.03) ng/mL, (9.21±1.05) ng/mL, (6.36±0.88) ng/mL, (3.84±1.00) ng/mL, and (3.91±0.75) ng/mL] and the PVN TH levels (42.00%±5.38%, 61.67%±5.57%, 55.82%±3.11%, 50.90%±2.53%, and 39.17%±9.07%) in the 5 hind limb fixation groups (for 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14 days) were significantly higher than those in the control group [(1.81±0.72)] ng/mL and 23.33%±5.50%] ( P<0.05). ③ The wet weight of the gastrocnemius muscle [(93.50±4.32) mg] and the cross-section area of the tibial anterior muscle [(1,180.00±95.09) μm 2] in the hind limb fixation plus medication group were increased significantly compared with those in the hind limb fixation group [(80.83±9.99) mg and (907.80±121.00) μm 2] ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Overactivation of the sympathetic nervous system occurs in the mice model of skeletal muscle disuse atrophy after hind limb fixation. Inhibition of sympathetic nerve activity may reduce the severity of skeletal muscle atrophy at the lower limbs.
9.Bioinformatics analysis of genes associated with poor prognosis in colorectal cancer
Li-jie WANG ; Si CHEN ; Cheng CHANG ; Kai-yue GAO ; Hai-jia ZHANG
Journal of Regional Anatomy and Operative Surgery 2025;34(11):955-959
Objective To screen genes associated with poor prognosis of colorectal cancer(CRC)through bioinformatics analysis.Methods The gene expression profiles of GSE74602,GSE110223,GSE113513 and GSE141174 were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database,including samples from 65 CRC tissues and 65 normal tissues.Differentially expressed genes(DEGs)between CRC tissues and normal tissues were screened out by GEO2R tool and Venn software,and the consistent genes were extracted from DEGs by Venn software.A protein-protein interaction(PPI)network was constructed by the STRING database to identify key genes,which were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier Plotter and GEPIA.Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis was conducted on the 13 selected genes.Results There were 171 DEGs obtained from the four datasets,including 148 up-regulated genes and 23 down-regulated genes.Up-regulated DEGs were enriched in the redox processes,bicarbonate transport,digestion,ion trans-membrane transport,and one-carbon metabolism;and down-regulated DEGs were enriched in the positive regulation of cell proliferation.The survival curve analysis showed that 30 of the 87 genes were significantly associated with poor survival prognosis.GEPIA showed that 13 of the 30 genes were highly expressed in CRC tissues compared to normal tissues,among which MYC and FGFR3 markedly enriched in the CRC pathway.Conclusion This study identifies that MYC and FGFR3 are significantly up-regulated in CRC and closely associated with poor prognosis,suggesting that they may serve as potential prognostic markers and therapeutic targets for CRC patients.
10.Predicting Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer Using Urine Metabolomics via Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry
Chung-Hsin CHEN ; Hsiang-Po HUANG ; Kai-Hsiung CHANG ; Ming-Shyue LEE ; Cheng-Fan LEE ; Chih-Yu LIN ; Yuan Chi LIN ; William J. HUANG ; Chun-Hou LIAO ; Chih-Chin YU ; Shiu-Dong CHUNG ; Yao-Chou TSAI ; Chia-Chang WU ; Chen-Hsun HO ; Pei-Wen HSIAO ; Yeong-Shiau PU ;
The World Journal of Men's Health 2025;43(2):376-386
Purpose:
Biomarkers predicting clinically significant prostate cancer (sPC) before biopsy are currently lacking. This study aimed to develop a non-invasive urine test to predict sPC in at-risk men using urinary metabolomic profiles.
Materials and Methods:
Urine samples from 934 at-risk subjects and 268 treatment-naïve PC patients were subjected to liquid chromatography/mass spectrophotometry (LC-MS)-based metabolomics profiling using both C18 and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) column analyses. Four models were constructed (training cohort [n=647]) and validated (validation cohort [n=344]) for different purposes. Model I differentiates PC from benign cases. Models II, III, and a Gleason score model (model GS) predict sPC that is defined as National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)-categorized favorable-intermediate risk group or higher (Model II), unfavorable-intermediate risk group or higher (Model III), and GS ≥7 PC (model GS), respectively. The metabolomic panels and predicting models were constructed using logistic regression and Akaike information criterion.
Results:
The best metabolomic panels from the HILIC column include 25, 27, 28 and 26 metabolites in Models I, II, III, and GS, respectively, with area under the curve (AUC) values ranging between 0.82 and 0.91 in the training cohort and between 0.77 and 0.86 in the validation cohort. The combination of the metabolomic panels and five baseline clinical factors that include serum prostate-specific antigen, age, family history of PC, previously negative biopsy, and abnormal digital rectal examination results significantly increased AUCs (range 0.88–0.91). At 90% sensitivity (validation cohort), 33%, 34%, 41%, and 36% of unnecessary biopsies were avoided in Models I, II, III, and GS, respectively. The above results were successfully validated using LC-MS with the C18 column.
Conclusions
Urinary metabolomic profiles with baseline clinical factors may accurately predict sPC in men with elevated risk before biopsy.


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