PURPOSE: This study aims to identify the prevalence and risk factors of military training-related abdominal injuries and help plan and conduct training properly. METHODS: This questionnaire survey study was conducted from October 2021 to May 2022 among military personnel from 6 military units and 8 military medical centers and participants' medical records were consulted to identify the training-related abdominal injuries. All the military personnel who ever participated in military training were included. Those who refused to participate in this study or provided an incomplete questionnaire were excluded. The questionnaire collected demographic information, type of abdominal injury, frequency, training subjects, triggers, treatment, and training disturbance. Chi-square test and t-test were used to compare baseline information. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to explore the risk factors associated with military training-related abdominal injuries. RESULTS: A total of 3058 participants were involved in this study, among which 1797 (58.8%) had suffered training-related abdominal injuries (the mean age was 24.3 years and the service time was 5.6 years), while 1261 (41.2%) had no training-related abdominal injuries (the mean age was 23.1 years and the service time was 4.3 years). There were 546 injured patients (30.4%) suspended the training and 84 (4.6%) needed to be referred to higher-level hospitals. The most common triggers included inadequate warm-up, fatigue, and intense training. The training subjects with the most abdominal injuries were long-distance running (589, 32.8%). Civil servants had the highest rate of abdominal trauma (17.1%). Age ≥ 25 years, military service ≥ 3 years, poor sleep status, and previous abdominal history were independent risk factors for training-related abdominal injury. CONCLUSION More than half of the military personnel have suffered military training-related abdominal injuries. Inadequate warm-up, fatigue, and high training intensity are the most common inducing factors. Scientific and proper training should be conducted according to the factors causing abdominal injuries.
Humans ; Military Personnel ; Risk Factors ; Prevalence ; Male ; Abdominal Injuries/etiology* ; Female ; Adult ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) acts as a damage-associated molecular pattern to activate the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling in macrophages, promoting tissue inflammation. However, its role in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains unclear. Macrophage-specific Sting1 knockout mice were used to validate STING's pathological role in AMI. Cardiac and liver mtDNA were used to activate macrophages in co-culture systems with cardiomyocytes to assess fibrosis and hypertrophy. Panaxatriol saponin (PTS) was tested for its ability to block mtDNA-driven macrophage activation and subsequent cardiomyocyte damage. STING-PTS binding ability was analyzed. AMI rats received PTS to evaluate its effects on myocardial inflammation and ventricular remodeling. In vivo, macrophage-specific Sting1 knockout reduced myocardial inflammation and injury after AMI. In vitro, mtDNA-activated macrophages induced cardiomyocyte fibrosis and hypertrophy through STING signaling. PTS suppressed mtDNA-driven macrophage activation by directly binding STING, thereby blocking inflammatory cascades. In AMI rats, PTS treatment attenuated acute inflammation and reversed ventricular remodeling. These findings establish the mtDNA-STING axis in macrophages as a critical driver of post-AMI inflammation and identify pharmacological STING inhibition with PTS as a promising therapeutic strategy. The study bridges genetic validation with translational applications, highlighting macrophage STING as a novel target for ischemic heart disease management.

As a chronic metabolic disease,type 2 diabetes poses a significant threat to human health with increasing incidence.An increasing number of studies confirm that the pathogenesis of diabetes is closely related with alterations in multiple cellular signaling pathways.Although numerous studies have reported that traditional Chinese medicine compounds prevent diabetes by modulating cell signaling pathways,asystematic review of the mechanism of action of traditional Chinese medicine compounds in modulating cell signaling pathways is still lacking.Therefore,this paper summarizes the research of type 2 diabetes prevention and treatment,which was found mainly related to the signaling pathways such as PI3K/AKT,AMPK,MAPK,NF-κB,PPAR,TGF-β.This family of signaling pathways can treat type 2 diabetes by inhibiting pancreatic islet cell apoptosis,protecting pancreatic β-cell function,ameliorating insulin resistance,inhibiting hepatic gluconeogenesis,promoting glycogen synthesis,attenuating inflammation,and resisting oxidative stress.At the same time,we analyze the problems in current research and the future development trend,in order to provide a scientific theoretical basis for the drug development and clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine compound in the prevention and treatment of diabetes.

Objective:To analyze the short-term clinical efficacy and safety of arsenic trioxide (ATO) combined with a modified N7 induction regimen in the treatment of children with high-risk neuroblastoma (NB).Methods:This study was a prospective, single-arm, multicenter phase Ⅱ clinical study. Sixty-seven high-risk NB children from eight units of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Wuhan Children′s Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Hainan General Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Kunming Children′s Hospital, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Guangdong Provincial Agricultural Reclamation Center Hospital were enrolled from January 2019 to August 2023 and were treated with ATO combined with a modified N7 induction regimen. The efficacy and adverse effects at the end of induction chemotherapy were assessed and analyzed, and the differences in the clinical characteristics were further compared between the treatment-responsive and treatment-unresponsive groups by using the Fisher′s exact test.Results:Among 67 high-risk NB children, there were 40 males (60%) and 27 females (40%), with the age of disease onset of 3.5 (2.6, 4.8) years. Primary NB sites were mostly in retroperitoneum (including adrenal gland) (56/67, 84%) and the common metastases sites at initial diagnosis were distant lymph node in 25 cases (37%),bone in 48 cases (72%),bone marrow in 56 cases (84%) and intracalvarium in 3 cases (4%). MYCN gene amplification were detected in 28 cases (42%). At the end of induction, 33 cases (49%) achieved complete remission, 29 cases (43%) achieved partial remission, 1 case (1%) with stable disease, and 4 cases (6%) were assessed as progressive disease (PD). The objective remission rate was 93% (62/67) and the disease control rate was 94% (63/67). The percentage of central system metastases at the initial diagnosis was higher in the treatment-unresponsive group than in the treatment-responsive group (2/5 vs. 2% (1/62), P=0.013), whereas the difference in MYCN gene amplification was not statistically significant between two groups (3/5 vs.40% (25/62), P=0.786). Grade Ⅲ or higher adverse reactions during the induction chemotherapy period were myelosuppression occurred in 60 cases (90%), gastrointestinal symptoms occurred in 33 cases (49%), infections occurred in 20 cases (30%), hepatotoxicity occurred in 4 cases (6%), and cardiovascular toxicity occurred in 1 case (2%). There were no chemotherapy-related deaths. Conclusion:ATO combined with N7-modified induction regimen had a superiority in efficacy and safety, which deserved further promotion in clinical practice.

Pharmacokinetics of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)is a discipline that adopts pharmacokinetic research methods and techniques under the guidance of TCM theories to elucidate the dynamic changes in the absorption,distribution,metabolism and excretion of active ingredients,active sites,single-flavour Chinese medicinal and compounded formulas of TCM in vivo.However,the sources and components of TCM are complex,and the pharmacodynamic substances and mechanisms of action of the majority of TCM are not yet clear,so the pharmacokinetic study of TCM is later than that of chemical medicines,and is far more complex than that of chemical medicines,and its development also confronts with challenges.The pharmacokinetic study of TCM originated in the 1950s and has experienced more than 70 years of development from the initial in vivo study of a single active ingredient,to the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study of active ingredients,to the pharmacokinetic study of compound and multi-component of Chinese medicine.In recent years,with the help of advanced extraction,separation and analysis technologies,gene-editing animals and cell models,multi-omics technologies,protein purification and structure analysis technologies,and artificial intelligence,etc.,the pharmacokinetics of TCM has been substantially applied in revealing and elucidating the pharmacodynamic substances and mechanisms of action of Chinese medicines,research and development of new drugs of TCM,scientific and technological upgrading of large varieties of Chinese patent medicines,as well as guiding the rational use of medicines in clinics.Pharmacokinetic studies of TCM have made remarkable breakthroughs and significant development in theory,methodology,technology and application.In this paper,the history of the development of pharmacokinetics of TCM and the progress of cutting-edge research was reviewed,with the aim of providing ideas and references for the pharmacokinetics of TCM and related research.

Objective To analyze the high risk factors of obstetric brachial plexus palsy(OBPP),and to explore how to evaluate the relationship between fault medical behavior and OBPP in the process of medical damage forensic identification.Methods A retrospective analysis was carried out on 25 cases of medical damage liability disputes related to OBPP from 2017 to 2021 in Beijing Fayuan Judicial Science Evidence Appraisal Center.The shortcomings of hospitals in birth weight assessment,delivery mode selection,labor process observation and shoulder dystocia management,and the causal relation-ship between them and the damage consequences of the children were summarized.Results Fault medi-cal behavior was assessed as the primary cause in 2 cases,equal cause in 10 cases,secondary cause in 8 cases,minor cause in 1 case,no causal relationship in 1 case,and unclear causal force in 3 cases.Conclusion In the process of forensic identification of OBPP,whether medical behaviors fulfill diagno-sis and treatment obligations should be objectively analyzed from the aspects of prenatal evaluation,de-livery mode notification,standardized use of oxytocin,standard operation of shoulder dystocia,etc.Meanwhile,it is necessary to fully consider the objective risk of different risk factors and the diffi-culty of injury prevention,and comprehensively evaluate the causal force of fault medical behavior in the damage consequences.

Objective: To explore the balance of peripheral blood T helper 17 cells/regulatory T cell (Th17/Treg) ratio and the polarization ratio of M1 and M2 macrophages in lower extremity arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO). Methods: A rat model of lower extremity ASO was established, and blood samples from patients with lower extremity ASO before and after surgery were obtained. ELISA was used to detect interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-10, and IL-17. Real-time RCR and Western blot analyses were used to detect Foxp3, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-17 expression. Moreover, flow cytometry was applied to detect the Th17/Treg ratio and M1/M2 ratio. Results: Compared with the control group, the iliac artery wall of ASO rats showed significant hyperplasia, and the concentrations of cholesterol and triglyceride were significantly increased (P<0.01), indicating the successful establishment of ASO. Moreover, the levels of IL-6 and IL-17 in ASO rats were pronouncedly increased (P<0.05), while the IL-10 level was significantly decreased (P<0.05). In addition to increased IL-6 and IL-17 levels, the mRNA and protein levels of Foxp3 and IL-10 in ASO rats were significantly decreased compared with the control group. The Th17/Treg and M1/M2 ratios in the ASO group were markedly increased (P<0.05). These alternations were also observed in ASO patients. After endovascular surgery (such as percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and arterial stenting), all these changes were significantly improved (P<0.05). Conclusions: The Th17/Treg and M1/M2 ratios were significantly increased in ASO, and surgery can effectively improve the balance of Th17/Treg, and reduce the ratio of M1/M2, and the expression of inflammatory factors.

Objective To evaluate the direct economic burden caused by surgical site infection(SSI)in patients with orthopaedic trauma under the payment management of disease diagnosis-related groups(DRG).Methods Clinical data of patients with orthopaedic trauma in a tertiary first-class hospital from May 1,2022 to May 30,2023 were surveyed retrospectively.Patients were grouped based on whether SSI occurred.Differences in average length of hospital stay,average hospitalization expense,and other indicators between SSI patients and non-SSI patients in the same DRG subgroup were compared,and the direct economic burden caused by SSI was analyzed.Results A total of 435 patients who paid according to the DRG payment management were included in the study.Twenty-two pa-tients had SSI,with an SSI incidence of 5.06％.Both the average length of hospital stay and average hospitalization expense of patients in the SSI group were higher than those in the non-SSI group,with statistically significant differ-ences(P＜0.05).The DRG subgroups of SSI patients were mainly four groups:IF45,IF15,IJ13,and ZC13.Among them,the average length of hospital stay of SSI patients in the IF45,IF15,and ZC13 groups increased sig-nificantly(P＜0.05),and the average hospitalization expense of SSI patients in the IJ13 group increased significantly(P＜0.05).Conclusion Under the DRG payment management,the direct economic burden of orthopaedic trauma patients with SSI increases significantly.It is necessary to periodically evaluate and identify high-risk DRG subgroup patients,so as to adopt precise infection control interventions and reduce SSI incidence.