Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute infectious respiratory disease that has been prevalent since December 2019. Chinese medicine (CM) has demonstrated its unique advantages in the fight against COVID-19 in the areas of disease prevention, improvement of clinical symptoms, and control of disease progression. This review summarized the relevant material components of CM in the treatment of COVID-19 by searching the relevant literature and reports on CM in the treatment of COVID-19 and combining with the physiological and pathological characteristics of the novel coronavirus. On the basis of sorting out experimental methods in vivo and in vitro, the mechanism of herb action was further clarified in terms of inhibiting virus invasion and replication and improving related complications. The aim of the article is to explore the strengths and characteristics of CM in the treatment of COVID-19, and to provide a basis for the research and scientific, standardized treatment of COVID-19 with CM.
Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; COVID-19 Drug Treatment ; SARS-CoV-2/drug effects* ; COVID-19/therapy* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Antiviral Agents/pharmacology* ; Animals

Vascular damage plays a significant role in the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying the induction of neuronal injury by vascular damage remain unclear. The present study aimed to examine the impact of fibrinogen (Fg) on tau pathology. The results showed that Fg deposits in the brains of tau P301S transgenic mice interact with tau, enhancing the cytotoxicity of pathological tau aggregates and promoting tau phosphorylation and aggregation. Notably, Fg-modified tau fibrils caused enhanced neuronal apoptosis and synaptic damage compared to unmodified fibrils. Furthermore, intrahippocampal injection of Fg-modified tau fibrils worsened the tau pathology, neuroinflammation, synaptic damage, neuronal apoptosis, and cognitive dysfunction in tau P301S mice compared to controls. The present study provides compelling evidence linking Fg and tau, thereby connecting cerebrovascular damage to tau pathology in AD. Consequently, inhibiting Fg-mediated tau pathology could potentially impede the progression of AD.
Animals ; tau Proteins/metabolism* ; Alzheimer Disease/metabolism* ; Fibrinogen/metabolism* ; Mice, Transgenic ; Mice ; Disease Models, Animal ; Memory Disorders/metabolism* ; Male ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Brain/metabolism* ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Protein Aggregation, Pathological/metabolism* ; Apoptosis ; Phosphorylation

OBJECTIVE: Acupuncture therapies are known for their effectiveness in treating a variety of gastric diseases, although the mechanisms underlying these effects are not fully understood. This study tested the effectiveness of electroacupuncture (EA) at acupoints Zhongwan (RN12) and Weishu (BL21) for managing gastric motility disorder (GMD) and investigated the underlying mechanisms involved. METHODS: A GMD model was used to evaluate the impact of EA on various aspects of gastric function including the amplitude of gastric motility, electrogastrogram, food intake, and the rate of gastric emptying. Immunofluorescence techniques were used to explore the activation of spinal neurons by EA, specifically examining the presence of cholera toxin B subunit (CTB)-positive neurons and fibers emanating from acupoints RN12 and BL21. The stimulation of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic neurons in the spinal dorsal horn, the inhibition of sympathetic preganglionic neurons in the spinal lateral horn, and their collective effects on the activity of sympathetic nerves were examined. RESULTS: EA at RN12 and BL21 significantly improved gastric motility compromised by GMD. Notably, EA activated spinal neurons, with CTB-positive neurons and fibers from RN12 and BL21 being detectable in both the dorsal root ganglia and the spinal dorsal horn. Further analysis revealed that EA at these acupoints not only stimulated GABAergic neurons in the spinal dorsal horn but also suppressed sympathetic preganglionic neurons in the spinal lateral horn, effectively reducing excessive activity of sympathetic nerves triggered by GMD. CONCLUSION EA treatment at RN12 and BL21 effectively enhances gastric motility in a GMD model. The therapeutic efficacy of this approach is attributed to the activation of spinal neurons and the modulation of the spinal GABAergic-sympathetic pathway, providing a neurobiological foundation for the role of acupuncture in treating gastric disorders. Please cite this article as: Zhang MT, Liang YF, Dai Q, Gao HR, Wang H, Chen L, Huang S, Wang XY, Shen GM. A spinal neural circuit for electroacupuncture that regulates gastric functional disorders. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(1): 56-65.
Electroacupuncture ; Animals ; Male ; Acupuncture Points ; Stomach Diseases/physiopathology* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Gastrointestinal Motility ; Rats ; Gastric Emptying ; Neurons ; Spinal Cord ; Stomach/physiopathology*

ObjectiveTo investigate and explore the characteristics and influencing factors of glucose metabolism in children with β-thalassemia major （β-TM） after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation （allo-HSCT）. MethodsThe follow-up data of 41 patients with β-TM who underwent HSCT at Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Department of Children's Medical Center of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital， Sun Yat-sen University were retrospectively analyzed. Their glucose metabolism characteristics were evaluated through laboratory tests and the related influencing factors were analyzed. ResultsIn the study， 41.46% （17/41） of patients developed abnormal glucose homeostasis after HSCT. Among them， 82.35% （14/17） characterized by insulin resistance， but no cases of diabetes mellitus were found. The results of insulin releasing test and oral glucose tolerance test（OGTT） showed that 45.00% （9/20） of patients had abnormal insulin releasing curve and 40.0% （8/20） had delayed serum glucose peak. The average age of HSCT in abnormal glucose homeostasis group was significantly older than that in the normal glucose homeostasis group ［（8.8±3.9） years old vs （6.0±3.1） years old， P=0.015］. ConclusionsPatients with β-TM after HSCT may develop abnormal glucose homeostasis， consists largely of insulin resistance. The elder age of HSCT （≥7 years old） is a risk factor for abnormal glucose homeostasis in β-TM patients after HSCT. It is recommended to regularly monitor glucose metabolism indicators in β-TM children after HSCT， especially in elderly transplant recipients.

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of endothelin-1(ET-1)on atrial fibrosis in Atrial fibrillation(AF)rats.Methods Fourteen adult male SD rats were randomly divided into normal control(NC)group and Atrial fibrillation(AF)group.The rat model of Atrial fibrillation was established by injecting 0.1 ml/100g CaCl2-Ach mixture into the tail vein once a day for one week.The control group was injected with the same dose of normal saline.An electrocardiogram of normal or atrial fibrillation was recorded on the first day and the eighth day in each group,and echocardiography was used to monitor atrial size and cardiac function.The fibrosis of atrial was observed using Masson and HE staining.The expression of endothelin-1(ET-1),collagen-I(Col-I),transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β)and the store operated calcium channel(SOCC)protein Orai1,stromal in-teraction molecule 1(STIM1)in atrial tissue were detected by Western blot.HL-1 cells were cultured and treated with gradient concentration of ET-1 for 24 hours.Western blot was used to observe changes in the expression of TGF-β,Orai1 and STIM1 proteins in ET-1/SOCC/TGF-β signaling pathway of HL-1 cells.Small interfering RNA(siRNA)transfection method was used to knock down the expression of Orai1 in HL-1 cells,then the cells were treated with appropriate concentrations of ET-1 for 24 hours,and the expression of TGF-β protein in HL-1 cells was detected by Western blot.Results Compared with the control group,echocardiography showed a significant in-crease in left atrial diameter(LAD)of the heart in atrial fibrillation rats(P<0.05).The HE and Masson staining results showed significant fibrosis in the myocardial tissue of AF group rats(P<0.05),and the Western blot re-sults indicated the expression of ET-1,Orai1,STIM1,TGF-β and COL-Ⅰ in the myocardial tissue of AF group significantly increased compared to the NC group(P<0.05).After ET-1 treatment of HL-1 cells,the protein ex-pression of Orai1,STIM1and TGF-β increased(P<0.05),while knocking down Orai1 in HL-1 cells,ET-1 treat-ment no longer caused the expression of TGF-β a significant upregulation.Conclusion AF caused by atrial fibril-lation results in a significant increase in ET-1 expression in atrial tissue,and ET-1/SOCC/TGF-β signal pathway promotes atrial fibrillation and fibrosis.

Objective To investigate the effect of vecuronium bromide on the malignant biological behavior of gastric cancer cells and its molecular mechanism.Methods Gastric cancer cells HGC-27 were divided into control group,experimental-L,-M,-H groups,si-NC group,si-FGD5-AS1 group,pcDNA-FGD5-AS1 group,pcDNA group,experimental-H+pcDNA group,experimental-H+pcDNA-FGD5-AS1 group.The control group was cultured conventionally;experimental-L,-M,-H groups were treated with 5,10 and 20μmol·mL-1 vecuronium bromide,respectively;si-FGD5-AS1 group and the si-NC group were transfected with lncRNA FGD5-AS1 interference expression vector and negative control plasmid,respectively;pcDNA-FGD5-AS1 group and pcDNA group were transfected with lncRNA FGD5-AS1 overexpression vector and negative control plasmid,respectively;lncRNA FGD5-AS1 overexpression vector and negative control plasmid were transfected into HGC-27 cells in the experimental-H+pcDNA-FGD5-AS1 group and experimental-H+pcDNA group,and then treated with 20 μmuol·mL-1 vecuronium bromide.Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT),flow cytometry and real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR)were applied to dectect cell viability,apoptosis and lncRNA FGD5-AS1 expression.Results The cell activity of control group,experimental-L,-M,-H groups,si-NC group,si-FGD5-AS1 group,pcDNA group,PCDNA-FGD5-AS1 group,experimental-H+pcDNA group and experimental-H+PCDNA-FGD5-AS1 group were 1.31±0.07,0.58±0.03,1.31±0.06,0.51±0.03,1.29±0.08,1.68±0.15,0.59±0.03 and 1.16±0.06;the apoptosis rates were(6.49±0.44)％,(23.52±0.98)％,(6.42±0.44)％,(26.75±0.97)％,(6.72±0.38)％,(2.56±0.19)％,(23.56±1.04)％and(11.65±0.47)％;the expression levels of lncRNA FGD5-AS1 were 1.00±0.05,0.37±0.02,0.99±0.05,0.21±0.02,1.00±0.03,2.98±0.12,0.38±0.02 and 0.87±0.05,respectively.The above indexes were compared with the control group and experimental-H group,those in the si-FGD5-AS1 group were compared with the si-NC group,those in the pcDNA-FGD5-AS1 group were compared with the pcDNA group,and those in the experimental-H+pcDNA-FGD5-AS1 group were compared with the experimental-H+pcDNA group,the differences were statistically significant(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Vecuronium bromide may inhibit the proliferation of HGC-27 cells and promote cell apoptosis by down-regulating lncRNA FGD5-AS1.

Renal fibrosis is a common pathological manifestation of all chronic kidney diseases.Ferroptosis is closely related to the pathogenesis of renal fibrosis and can influence the onset of renal fibrosis,and it is the most critical step in the development of renal fibrosis.The paper describes the relationship between ferroptosis and renal fibrosis,discusses the research progress of ferroptosis on renal fibrosis,and further summarizes,analyzes,and describes the effective and highly targeted natural active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines against ferroptosis,and concludes that the reversal of renal fibrosis is achieved through the regulation of the key targets of ferroptosis,with a view to providing a broad new direction for its prospects in the field of renal fibrotic disease prevention and treatment;and to provide a scientific guide for clinical treatment and basis for clinical treatment.

Objective To evaluate the molluscicidal effect and cost of spraying molluscicides with drones against Oncomelania hupensis snails in marshland and lake areas, so as to provide new insights into field snail control in China. Methods A marshland and lake setting measuring approximately 12 000 m² was selected in Wanzhi District, Wuhu City on June 2023 as the test field, and assigned to four groups, of 3 000 m² in each group. Environmental cleaning was not conducted in groups A or B, which were given 5% niclosamide ethanolamine salt granules sprayed with knapsack-type sprayers and drones at a dose of 40 g/m², and environmental cleaning was conducted in groups C and D, which were given 5% niclosamide ethanolamine salt granules sprayed with drones and knapsack-type sprayers at a dose of 40 g/m², respectively. O. hupensis snails were surveyed before chemical treatment and 1, 3, 5, 7, 14 days post-treatment. The uniformity of chemicals was determined on the day of treatment, and the snail mortality, corrected snail mortality and density of living snails were calculated and compared among groups. The cost of molluscicides, labor fees of environmental cleaning and chemical treatment and cost of equipment were calculated, and the cost for a 1% reduction in the mean density of living snails was calculated 14 days post-treatment. Results The mean densities of living snails and mortality rates of snails were 1.82 to 2.85 snails/0.1 m² and 1.41% to 2.94% in groups A, B, C and D before chemical treatment, and the mortality and corrected mortality of snails were 55.75%, 49.32%, 85.94% and 87.50%, and 55.00%, 48.47%, 85.70% and 87.29% in groups A, B, C and D 14 days post-treatment. There was a significant difference in the mortality of snails among the four groups 14 days post-treatment (χ² = 38.735, P < 0.005), and there was a higher snail mortality in Group D than in Group A (χ² = 16.876, P < 0.005), and higher in Group C than in Group B (χ² = 20.508, P < 0.005). The density of living snails reduced by 55.00%, 43.94%, 90.43% and 87.14% 14 days post-treatment relative to pre-treatment in groups A, B, C and D, respectively. The test for uniformity of chemicals showed that the mean dose of molluscicides were 57.34, 55.21, 40.19 g/m² and 32.37 g/m² in groups A, B, C and D, respectively, and the minimal standard deviation (7.07) and coefficient of variation (0.18) of mean doses were seen in Group C. The costs for chemical treatment were 0.33 Yuan in groups A and B and 1.53 Yuan in groups C and D, respectively. The costs for a 1% reduction in the mean density of living snails were 17.82, 22.47, 50.73 Yuan and 52.56 Yuan in groups A, B, C, and D 14 days post-treatment, respectively. Conclusions The molluscicidal effect and cost of spraying 5% niclosamide ethanolamine salt granules with drones are comparable to manual spraying, and chemical treatment with drones are high in uniformity of molluscicides, time- and labor-saving, and feasible for applications in complex environments, which deserves widespread applications in the field of snail control.

Objective:To investigate the value of implantable cardiac monitor (ICM) in the diagnosis and treatment of patients over 60 years old with unexplained syncope.Methods:This was a multi-center, prospective cohort study. Between June 2018 and April 2021, patients over the age of 60 with unexplained syncope at Beijing Hospital, Fuwai Hospital, Beijing Anzhen Hospital and Puren Hospital were enrolled. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on their decision to receive ICM implantation (implantation group and conventional follow-up group). The endpoint was the recurrence of syncope and cardiogenic syncope as determined by positive cardiac arrhythmia events recorded at the ICM or diagnosed during routine follow-up. Kaplan‐Meier survival analysis was used to compare the differences of cumulative diagnostic rate between the 2 groups. A multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to determine independent predictors of diagnosis of cardiogenic syncope in patients with unexplained syncope.Results:A total of 198 patients with unexplained syncope, aged (72.9±8.25) years, were followed for 558.0 (296.0,877.0) d, including 98 males (49.5%). There were 100 (50.5%) patients in the implantation group and 98 (49.5%) in the conventional follow-up group. Compared with conventional follow-up group, patients in the implantation group were older, more likely to have comorbidities, had a higher proportion of first degree atrioventricular block indicated by baseline electrocardiogram, and had a lower body mass index (all P<0.05). During the follow-up period, positive cardiac arrhythmia events were recorded in 58 (58.0%) patients in the ICM group. The diagnosis rate (42.0% (42/100) vs. 4.1% (4/98), P<0.001) and the intervention rate (37.0% (37/100) vs. 2.0% (2/98), P<0.001) of cardiogenic syncope in the implantation group were higher than those in the conventional follow-up group (all P<0.001). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the cumulative diagnostic rate of cardiogenic syncope was significantly higher in the implantation group than in the traditional follow-up group ( HR=11.66, 95% CI 6.49-20.98, log-rank P<0.001). Multivariate analysis indicated that ICM implantation, previous atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus or first degree atrioventricular block in baseline electrocardiogram were independent predictors for cardiogenic syncope (all P<0.05). Conclusions:ICM implantation improves the diagnosis and intervention rates in patients with unexplained syncope, and increases diagnostic efficiency in patients with unexplained syncope.

Objective We systematically analyze the changes in the count and function of platelet at the early sepsis based on clinical study and single cell sequencing.Methods Clinical data of sepsis patients at the early stage were collected and had been compared between different prognostic groups in the prospective case-control study.The independent risk factors of death were analyzed by logistic regression,and the predictive efficacy of clini-cal indicators was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.The healthy volunteers and sepsis patients were recruited.Clinical researchers collected peripheral venous blood samples for sorting cell samples to carry out single-cell RNA sequencing(sc-RNA seq).Through bioinformatics techniques,we analyzed the changes in platelet count,the significantly differential-expressed genes and its enriched functional signaling pathways in the early stages of sepsis.Results(1)A total of 224 patients were enrolled,with a 90 day survival rate of 70.5%.Compared with the survival group,the count of platelet and MAP in the death group at the early stage of sepsis were significantly lower,but the plasma lactate content and SOFA score were significantly higher.(2)Based on single cell sequencing technology,cells are annotated as six groups.The proportion of innate immune cells(neutrophils,monocytes,and dendritic cells)was significantly increased in the early stage of sepsis compared to the healthy volun-teers(2.15∶1),while platelets significantly decreased(0.31∶1).(3)Through bioinformatics technology,CD41/CD42a/CD61 was identified as platelet specific molecules,with significantly increased expression levels in sepsis.Three molecules can distinguish platelets together.(4)771 genes were significantly upregulated and 1101 genes were significantly downregulated in platelets of patients with sepsis,including core molecules involved in physiological functions such as cell adhesion,chemotaxis,and immune response.Functional analysis suggests that differentially expressed genes are enriched in coagulation,immune functions and cell death,participating in oxidative phosphory-lation,leukocyte chemotaxis,iron death,and NOD like receptor signaling pathways.Conclusion Reduced platelet count is associated with poor prognosis in the early stage of sepsis.The specific high expression molecules CD41/CD42a/CD61 that are significantly upregulated in platelets can serve as biomarkers for platelets.Platelets not only mediate cell adhesion and coagulation cascade,but also participate in functional changes such as immune cell chemotaxis,inflammatory response,and the pathological death of inflammatory cells.