Objective:To investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of Duhuo Jisheng Decoction on type Ⅱ collagen emulsion induced arthritis (CIA) model rats from the perspective of M1/M2 macrophage balance mediated development of rheumatoid arthritis.Methods:SD rats were divided into a normal group of 8 and a model group of 32. The CIA model was established using collagen antibody induction method for modeling. The successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into model group, methotrexate group, and Duhuo Jisheng Decoction medium- and high-dosage groups using a random number table method, with 8 rats in each group. Duhuo Jisheng Decoction medium- and high-dosage groups were orally administered with Duhuo Jisheng Decoction at dosages of 13.5 and 27.0 g/kg, once a day; methotrexate group received oral administration of 2.0 mg/kg methotrexate twice a week; normal group and model group were given equal volumes of physiological saline by gavage once a day for 28 consecutive days. The general condition of each group of rats was observed, the degree of swelling in the right knee joint was measured, and the arthritis index was scored; HE was used to observe pathological changes in synovial tissue; immunofluorescence was used to detect the expressions of markers CD86 and CD206 in synovial macrophages; Real time PCR was used to detect the mRNA levels of IL-6, TNF-α, IL-10, and TGF-β in synovial tissue.Results:Duhuo Jisheng Decoction could significantly improve the mental state of the rats and reduced the swelling of the knee joints and the arthritis index ( P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the cartilage structure in the knees of rats in the Duhuo Jisheng Decoction group was more intact and clearer. The expression level of the M1 macrophage marker CD86 significantly decreased, and the expression level of the M2 macrophage marker CD206 significantly increased; the mRNA expressions of IL-6 and TNF-α in the knee joint synovial tissue were significantly reduced ( P<0.05), while IL-10 and TGF-β levels significantly increased ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Duhuo Jisheng Decoction may promote macrophage polarization towards M2 type, thereby achieving M1/M2 macrophage balance, alleviating inflammatory response in rheumatoid arthritis rats, and exerting therapeutic effects on rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of combination therapy of wheat-grained sized cone moxibustion and point-to-point needle insertion with medical ozone penetrating injection for allergic rhinitis (AR) and its effect on inflammation-related indexes. METHODS: Thirty-one patients with persistent AR were enrolled. The patients received medical ozone injection at bilateral Yingxiang (LI20)-to-Shangyingxiang (EX-HN8), and wheat-grained sized cone moxibustion at Dazhui (GV14), twice a week (with a 3-day interval) for 4 consecutive weeks. The total nasal symptoms score (TNSS), total non-nasal symptom score (TNNSS), rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire (RQLQ), and rhinitis control assessment test (RCAT) scores were evaluated before treatment, after treatment, and at the 8-week follow-up. Levels of eosinophil (EOS) count, immunoglobulin E (IgE), interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, and IL-17 were measured before and after treatment. Clinical efficacy was evaluated after treatment, and the recurrence rate was assessed at follow-up. RESULTS: Compared with those before treatment, the TNSS, TNNSS, and RQLQ scores were decreased (P<0.05), while the RCAT score was increased (P<0.05) after treatment and at follow-up. There were no statistically significant differences in above indexes between the post-treatment and follow-up (P>0.05). After treatment, the whole blood EOS count and serum levels of IgE, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-17 were decreased compared with those before treatment (P<0.05). After treatment, 17 cases were markedly effective, 12 cases were effective, and 2 cases were ineffective, resulting in a total effective rate of 93.5%. At follow-up, 2 cases relapsed, and the recurrence rate was 6.9%. CONCLUSION Combination therapy of wheat-grained sized cone moxibustion and point-to-point needle insertion with medical ozone injection can improve AR symptoms, reduce the recurrence rate, and enhance the quality of life. The mechanism may be associated with the regulation of immune-related indexes.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Moxibustion ; Adult ; Ozone/administration & dosage* ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; Acupuncture Points ; Adolescent ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Treatment Outcome ; Immunoglobulin E/blood* ; Rhinitis, Allergic/immunology* ; Interleukin-4/immunology*

Objective To investigate the signal abnormality of conus medullaris in patients with overactive bladder(OAB)and un-deractive bladder(UAB)by MRI diffusion tensor imaging(DTI). Methods From May,2021 to April,2023,23 patients with lower urinary tract dysfunction without trauma and supraspi-nal lesions were enrolled(case group).All patients underwent imaging urodynamics and pelvic floor electromy-ography.Based on the bladder contraction during the filling phase of urodynamics,the patients were divided into UAB group and OAB group.Eight healthy subjects were included as the control group.All participants under-went T10 to L5 spinal segment MRI scans and DTI scans.The position of conus medullaris was determined by comparing the DTI sequences with the MRI scans.The fractional anisotropy(FA),apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC),and relative anisotropy(RA)of the conus medullaris intermediate segment were compared. Results Twelve cases were in UAB group,and eleven in OAB goup.Abnormalities were found in the pelvic floor elec-tromyography in the case group.There was significant difference in sacral reflex arc nerve conduction testing be-tween UAB and OAB groups(P = 0.036).Compared with the control group,ADC increased(t = 2.185,P = 0.037)in the case group;FA decreased(t = 3.439,P = 0.005)and ADC increased(t = 4.582,P<0.001)in UAB group. Conclusion DTI is helpful to find the potential lesion of spinal cord in patients with lower urinary tract dysfunction.FA and ADC are valuable indicators for the diagnosis of conus medullaris injury.

Objective:To investigate the iodine nutritional level of residents in iodine adequate areas in Henan Province, and provide basis for making policy of targeted guidance and rational iodine supplementation.Methods:In the 156 counties of Henan Province in 2020, one township was selected from each location (east, west, south, north and middle) in each county; one school was selected from each township; 40 children aged 8-10 years in the school and 20 pregnant women in the township were selected to collect their urine and salt samples to test urine and salt iodine levels. One third of the counties were selected to examine the thyroid gland of children. Individuals lived in villages with water iodine between 40 and 100 μg/L were included in the study.Results:In iodine adequate areas, a total of 2 097 salt samples were collected from children and tested, the consumption rate of qualified iodized salt was 93.6% (1 962/2 097). A total of 2 096 urine samples were collected from children and tested, and the median urinary iodine was 288.0 μg/L. The goiter rate of children was 0.7% (5/723). A total of 1 068 salt samples from pregnant women were tested, and the consumption rate of qualified iodized salt was 93.0% (993/1 068). A total of 1 068 urine samples from pregnant women were tested, with a median urinary iodine 232.7 μg/L. Stratified by water iodine (40-59, 60-79, 80-100 μg/L), the median urinary iodine of children was 273.8, 288.6, and 305.9 μg/L, respectively, statistically significantly different between groups ( H = 15.79, P < 0.001); the goiter rate of children was ≤2%, and the difference between groups was statistically significant (χ 2 = 7.31, P = 0.026); but the median urinary iodine of pregnant women was not significantly different ( H = 1.82, P = 0.402). Under different water iodine conditions, there was no significant difference in urinary iodine levels in children and pregnant women between the high salt iodine concentration group (≥21 mg/kg) and the low salt iodine concentration group (< 21 mg/kg, P > 0.05). Conclusions:The iodine nutrition level of children in iodine adequate areas in Henan Province is relatively high, and the iodine nutrition of pregnant women is appropriate. The goiter rate of children is at a relatively low level. Continuous surveillance should be conducted to comprehensively evaluate the iodine nutrition level. Various measures will be taken by regions and populations.

Meiotic initiation is a critical step in gametogenesis. Recently, some genes required for meiotic initiation have been identified. However, meiosis-initiating factors and the underlying mechanisms are far from being fully understood. We have established a long-term culture system of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) and an in vitro model of meiotic initiation using mouse SSCs. Our previous study revealed that the RNA-binding protein RBFOX2 may regulate meiotic initiation, but the role and the mechanism need to be further elucidated. In this study, we constructed RBFOX2 knockdown SSC lines by using lentivirus-mediated gene delivery method, and found that the knockdown SSCs underwent normal self-renewal, mitosis and differentiation. However, they were unable to initiate meiosis when treated with retinoic acid, and they underwent apoptosis. These results indicate that RBFOX2 plays an essential role in meiotic initiation of spermatogonia. This work provides new clues for understanding the functions of RNA-binding proteins in meiotic initiation.
Mice ; Male ; Animals ; Spermatogonia/metabolism* ; Meiosis/genetics* ; Cell Differentiation ; Tretinoin/pharmacology* ; Mitosis ; Testis/metabolism*

BACKGROUND: LY01005 (Goserelin acetate sustained-release microsphere injection) is a modified gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist injected monthly. This phase III trial study aimed to evaluated the efficacy and safety of LY01005 in Chinese patients with prostate cancer. METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled, open-label, non-inferiority trial across 49 sites in China. This study included 290 patients with prostate cancer who received either LY01005 or goserelin implants every 28 days for three injections. The primary efficacy endpoints were the percentage of patients with testosterone suppression ≤50 ng/dL at day 29 and the cumulative probability of testosterone ≤50 ng/dL from day 29 to 85. Non-inferiority was prespecified at a margin of -10%. Secondary endpoints included significant castration (≤20 ng/dL), testosterone surge within 72 h following repeated dosing, and changes in luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and prostate specific antigen levels. RESULTS: On day 29, in the LY01005 and goserelin implant groups, testosterone concentrations fell below medical-castration levels in 99.3% (142/143) and 100% (140/140) of patients, respectively, with a difference of -0.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], -3.9% to 2.0%) between the two groups. The cumulative probabilities of maintaining castration from days 29 to 85 were 99.3% and 97.8%, respectively, with a between-group difference of 1.5% (95% CI, -1.3% to 4.4%). Both results met the criterion for non-inferiority. Secondary endpoints were similar between groups. Both treatments were well-tolerated. LY01005 was associated with fewer injection-site reactions than the goserelin implant (0% vs . 1.4% [2/145]). CONCLUSION: LY01005 is as effective as goserelin implants in reducing testosterone to castration levels, with a similar safety profile. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04563936.
Humans ; Male ; Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal/therapeutic use* ; East Asian People ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone/agonists* ; Goserelin/therapeutic use* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatic Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Testosterone

Epilepsy is a neurological disease with disordered brain network connectivity. It is important to analyze the brain network mechanism of epileptic seizure from the perspective of directed functional connectivity. In this paper, causal brain networks were constructed for different sub-bands of epileptic electroencephalogram (EEG) signals in interictal, preictal and ictal phases by directional transfer function method, and the information transmission pathway and dynamic change process of brain network under different conditions were analyzed. Finally, the dynamic changes of characteristic attributes of brain networks with different rhythms were analyzed. The results show that the topology of brain network changes from stochastic network to rule network during the three stage and the node connections of the whole brain network show a trend of gradual decline. The number of pathway connections between internal nodes of frontal, temporal and occipital regions increase. There are a lot of hub nodes with information outflow in the lesion region. The global efficiency in ictal stage of α, β and γ waves are significantly higher than in the interictal and the preictal stage. The clustering coefficients in preictal stage are higher than in the ictal stage and the clustering coefficients in ictal stage are higher than in the interictal stage. The clustering coefficients of frontal, temporal and parietal lobes are significantly increased. The results of this study indicate that the topological structure and characteristic properties of epileptic causal brain network can reflect the dynamic process of epileptic seizures. In the future, this study has important research value in the localization of epileptic focus and prediction of epileptic seizure.
Humans ; Epilepsy ; Brain ; Seizures ; Electroencephalography ; Occipital Lobe

Objective:To investigate the long term outcome of artificial urinary sphincter implantation for patients with stress urinary incontinence.Methods:The data of 46 patients who underwent artificial urethral sphincter implantation in China Rehabilitation Research Center from April 2002 to April 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.The patients’ age ranged from 19-80 years old (median 45.6 years). There were 45 males and 1 female. The history of illness was 8 months to 33 years. The patients category were urethral injuries associated urinary incontinence ( n=24), neurogenic urinary incontinence ( n=9) and post-prostatectomy incontinence ( n=13). Preoperative daily pad usage was 3.5±1.0. The impact of incontinence on the quality of life (QOL)measured by the visual analogue scale (VAS)was 7.1±1.2. All 46 patients underwent artificial urethral sphincter implantation, of which 20 patients were treated with anticholinergic drugs (5 cases) or urinary tract related surgery (urethral stenosis incision in 2 cases, sphincterectomy in 3 cases, urethral dilation in 5 cases, urethral calculus lithotripsy in 1 case, and augmentation cystoplasty in 4 cases) before artificial urethral sphincter implantation. Of the 45 male patients, 25 patients had the transperineal approach and 20 had the trans-scrotal approach. The female case had a trans-retropubic approach. Different cuffs size was used based on individual circumference of bulbar urethra (45 male cases: 4.5cm in 16 cases, 4.0cm in 29 cases; one female case: 8.0cm). Long-term surgical efficacy was evaluated. Assessments included postoperative urinary continence (socially continent: one pad per day or less; complete dry: wearing no pads), artificial urinary sphincter status and complications. The influences of patients of different etiologies, surgical approaches and cuff size on surgical results were compared. Results:The mean follow-up time was 7.1 years ranged from 6 months to 19 years. At the latest visit, 32 patients (69.6%) maintained the primary functional artificial urinary sphincter. Three patients (6.5%) had artificial urinary sphincter revisions and maintained continence with the new device. 11 patients (23.9%) removed the artificial urinary sphincter because of post-complications. Thirty-five patients were socially continent, of which 16 patients were totally dry, leading to the overall social continent rate as 76.1%(35/46). There was a significant reduction in pad usage to 1.2±0.6 diapers per day ( P<0.001). The impact of incontinence on the QOL measured by the VAS dropped to 2.6±1.9 ( P<0.001). The complication rate was 32.6%(15/46), including infections ( n=4), erosions ( n=5), mechanical failure ( n=3), dysurie ( n=2) and urethral atrophy ( n=1). There were no significant differences in social continent rate between patients with different etiologies[75.0%(18/24)vs. 66.7%(6/9) vs. 84.6%(11/13)], perioperative complications [37.5%(9/24)vs. 33.3%(3/9) vs. 23.1%(3/13)] and device re-intervention rate[37.5%(9/24) vs. 33.3%(3/9)vs. 15.4%(2/13)]. There were no statistically significant differences in postoperative complete dry rate [32%(8/25)vs. 40%(8/20), P=0.76] and postoperative device failure free rate [60%(15/25)vs. 80%(16/20), P=0.20] between trans-perineal group and trans-scrotal group. There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative social continent rate between 4.5cm cuff and 4.0 cuff[75%(12/16) vs. 65.5%(19/29), P=0.74]. Conclusions:Artificial urethral sphincter implantation is an effective treatment for stress urinary incontinence due to intrinsic sphincter deficiency. There was no difference in the continent rate and complication rate between patients of different etiologies, different surgical approaches and cuff size selection.

Objective To analyze the epidemic characteristics of the first local outbreak of dengue fever in Huangzhou District, Huanggang City, Hubei Province in August 2019, to evaluate the treatment effect of the epidemic situation, and to provide reference for the prevention and control of dengue fever in the future. Methods Retrospective investigation was carried out according to the case definition. The serum IgM, IgG, NS1 antigen, and dengue virus nucleic acid of the patients were detected. The density of mosquito larvae was monitored by Breteau index and the density of adults was monitored by a double mosquito net method. Results A total of 50 cases were detected from the first case on June 21 to the last case on September 11. No severe cases or deaths occurred. The main clinical manifestations were fever (94.00%), weakness (78.00%), headache (48.00%), muscle and joint pain (37.00%), and skin rashes (26.00%). The epidemic peak was from August 20 to September 1. The cases were distributed in two villages adjacent to one street (Yuwang Street) (49 cases in Weijialiangting Village and 1 case in Fanjiawan Village). Among the patients, 23 were male and 27 were female. The male to female ratio was 0.85:1. The age of onset was mainly 50 years and above, accounting for 89.1%. The occupational distribution was dominated by farmers and housework and unemployed, each accounting for 26.10%, followed by workers at 13.00%. The epidemic family aggregation was obvious. Eight cases were positive for dengue virus nucleic acid and the genotype was DENV-1. From the discovery of the outbreak to the end of the emergency response, the living environment of villagers of all towns (streets) in Huangzhou District had been significantly improved, and BI of key streets dropped below 5. Conclusion This was a local outbreak caused by an imported case. Insufficient medical personnel for the diagnosis and identification, poor environmental sanitation, and high mosquito density were the main reasons for the outbreak of dengue fever. The focus of prevention and control is the early detection and standardized management of infection sources, the cleaning of mosquito breeding environment and the rapid killing of adult mosquitoes.