Objective: To investigate the objective characteristics of tongue manifestation in different stages of damp-heat syndrome in diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Methods: A cross-sectional study enrolled 134 patients with DKD G3-5 stages who met the diagnostic criteria for damp-heat syndrome in DKD. The patients were treated at Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, from May 2023 to January 2024. The patients were divided into three groups: DKD G3, DKD G4, and DKD G5 stage, with 53, 33, and 48 patients in each group, respectively. Clinical general data (gender, age, and body mass index) and damp-heat syndrome scores were collected from the patients. The YZAI-02 traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) AI Tongue Image Acquisition Device was used to capture tongue images from these patients. The accompanying AI Open Platform for TCM Tongue Diagnosis of the device was used to analyze and extract tongue manifestation features, including objective data on tongue color, tongue quality, coating color, and coating texture. Clinical data and objective tongue manifestation characteristics were compared among patients with DKD G3-5 based on their DKD damp-heat syndrome status. Results: No statistically significant difference in gender or body mass index was observed among the three patient groups. The DKD G3 stage group had the highest age (P<0.05). The DKD G3 stage group had a lower score for symptoms of poor appetite and anorexia(P<0.05) than the DKD G5 group. No statistically significant difference was observed in damp-heat syndrome scores among the three groups. Compared with the DKD G5 stage group, the DKD G3 stage group showed a decreased proportion of pale color at the tip and edges of the tongue (P<0.05). The DKD G4 stage group exhibited an increased proportion of crimson at the root of the tongue, a decreased proportion of thick white tongue coating at the root, a decreased proportion of pale color at the tip and edges of the tongue, an increased hue value (indicating color tone) of the tongue color in the middle, an increased brightness value (indicating color lightness) of the tongue coating color in the middle, and an increased thickness of the tongue coating (P<0.05). No statistically significant difference was observed in other tongue color proportions, color chroma values, body characteristics, coating color proportions, coating color chroma values, and coating texture characteristics among the three groups. Conclusion Tongue features differ in different stages of DKD damp-heat syndrome in multiple dimensions, enabling the inference that during the DKD G5 stage, the degree of qi and blood deficiency in the kidneys, heart, lungs, liver, gallbladder, spleen, and stomach is prominent. Dampness is more likely to accumulate in the lower jiao, particularly in the kidneys, whereas heat evil in the spleen and stomach is the most severe. These insights provide novel ideas for the clinical treatment of DKD.

Objective To investigate the changes in eosinophil counts and the activation of microglial cells in the brain tissues of mice at different stages of Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection, and to examine the role of microglia in regulating the progression of angiostrongyliasis and unravel the possible molecular mechanisms. Methods Fifty BALB/c mice were randomly divided into the control group and the 7-d, 14-d, 21-day and 25-d infection groups, of 10 mice in each group. All mice in infection groups were infected with 30 stage III A. cantonensis larvae by gavage, and animals in the control group was given an equal amount of physiological saline. Five mice were collected from each of infection groups on days 7, 14, 21 d and 25 d post-infection, and 5 mice were collected from the control group on the day of oral gavage. The general and focal functional impairment was scored using the Clark scoring method to assess the degree of mouse neurological impairment. Five mice from each of infection groups were sacrificed on days 7, 14, 21 d and 25 d post-infection, and 5 mice from the control group were sacrificed on the day of oral gavage. Mouse brain tissues were sampled, and the pathological changes of brain tissues were dynamically observed using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. Immunofluorescence staining with eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) and ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba1) was used to assess the degree of eosinophil infiltration and the counts of microglial cells in mouse brain tissues in each group, and the morphological parameters of microglial cells (skeleton analysis and fractal analysis) were quantified by using Image J software to determine the morphological changes of microglial cells. In addition, the expression of M1 microglia markers Fcγ receptor III (Fcgr3), Fcγ receptor IIb (Fcgr2b) and CD86 antigen (Cd86), M2 microglia markers Arginase 1 (Arg1), macrophage mannose receptor C-type 1 (Mrc1), chitinase-like 3 (Chil3), and phagocytosis genes myeloid cell triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (Trem2), CD68 antigen (Cd68), and apolipoprotein E (Apoe) was quantified using real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) assay in the mouse cerebral cortex of mice post-infection. Results A large number of A. cantonensis larvae were seen on the mouse meninges surface post-infection, and many neuronal nuclei were crumpled and deeply stained, with a large number of bleeding points in the meninges. The median Clark scores of mouse general functional impairment were 0 (interquartile range, 0), 0 (interquartile range, 0.5), 6 (interquartile range, 1.0), 14 (interquartile range, 8.5) points and 20 (interquartile range, 9.0) points in the control group and the 7-d, 14-d, 21-d and 25-d groups, respectively (H = 22.45, P < 0.01), and the median Clark scores of mouse focal functional impairment were 0 (interquartile range, 0), 2 (interquartile range, 2.5), 7 (interquartile range, 3.0), 18 (interquartile range, 5.0) points and 25 (interquartile range, 6.5) points in the control group and the 7-d, 14-d, 21-d and 25-d groups, respectively (H = 22.72, P < 0.01). The mean scores of mice general and focal functional impairment were all higher in the infection groups than in the control group (all P values < 0.05). Immunofluorescence staining showed a significant difference in the eosinophil counts in mouse brain tissues among the five groups (F = 40.05, P < 0.000 1), and the eosinophil counts were significantly higher in mouse brain tissues in the 14-d (3.08 ± 0.78) and 21-d infection groups (5.97 ± 1.37) than in the control group (1.00 ± 0.28) (both P values < 0.05). Semi-quantitative analysis of microglia immunofluorescence showed a significant difference in the counts of microglial cells among the five groups (F = 17.66, P < 0.000 1), and higher Iba1 levels were detected in mouse brain tissues in 14-d (5.75 ± 1.28), 21-d (6.23 ± 1.89) and 25-d infection groups (3.70 ± 1.30) than in the control group (1.00 ± 0.30) (all P values < 0.05). Skeleton and fractal analyses showed that the branch length [(162.04 ± 34.10) μm vs. (395.37 ± 64.11) μm; t = 5.566, P < 0.05] and fractal dimension of microglial cells (1.30 ± 0.01 vs. 1.41 ± 0.03; t = 5.266, P < 0.05) were reduced in mouse brain tissues in the 21-d infection group relative to the control group. In addition, there were significant differences among the 5 groups in terms of M1 and M2 microglia markers Fcgr3 (F = 48.34, P < 0.05), Fcgr2b (F = 55.46, P < 0.05), Cd86 (F = 24.44, P < 0.05), Arg1 (F = 31.18, P < 0.05), Mrc1 (F = 15.42, P < 0.05) and Chil3 (F = 24.41, P < 0.05), as well as phagocytosis markers Trem2 (F = 21.19, P < 0.05), Cd68 (F = 43.95, P < 0.05) and Apoe (F = 7.12, P < 0.05) in mice brain tissues. Conclusions A. cantonensis infections may induce severe pathological injuries in mouse brain tissues that are characterized by massive eosinophil infiltration and persistent activation of microglia cells, thereby resulting in progressive deterioration of neurological functions.

BACKGROUND: The available evidence regarding the benefits of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on patients receiving dialysis with coronary artery disease (CAD) is limited and inconsistent. This study aimed to evaluate the association between PCI and clinical outcomes as compared with medical therapy alone in patients undergoing dialysis with CAD in China. METHODS: This multicenter, retrospective study was conducted in 30 tertiary medical centers across 12 provinces in China from January 2015 to June 2021 to include patients on dialysis with CAD. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as a composite of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and non-fatal stroke. Secondary outcomes included all-cause death, the individual components of MACE, and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium criteria types 2, 3, or 5 bleeding. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the association between PCI and outcomes. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) and propensity score matching (PSM) were performed to account for potential between-group differences. RESULTS: Of the 1146 patients on dialysis with significant CAD, 821 (71.6%) underwent PCI. After a median follow-up of 23.0 months, PCI was associated with a 43.0% significantly lower risk for MACE (33.9% [ n  = 278] vs . 43.7% [ n  = 142]; adjusted hazards ratio 0.57, 95% confidence interval 0.45-0.71), along with a slightly increased risk for bleeding outcomes that did not reach statistical significance (11.1% vs . 8.3%; adjusted hazards ratio 1.31, 95% confidence interval, 0.82-2.11). Furthermore, PCI was associated with a significant reduction in all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities. Subgroup analysis did not modify the association of PCI with patient outcomes. These primary findings were consistent across IPTW, PSM, and competing risk analyses. CONCLUSION This study indicated that PCI in patients on dialysis with CAD was significantly associated with lower MACE and mortality when comparing with those with medical therapy alone, albeit with a slightly increased risk for bleeding events that did not reach statistical significance.
Humans ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Coronary Artery Disease/drug therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Renal Dialysis/methods* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; China ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Treatment Outcome

Jiuwei Xifeng Granules have become a Chinese patent medicine in the market. Because the formula contains Os Draconis, a top-level protected fossil of ancient organisms, the formula was to be improved by replacing Os Draconis with Ostreae Concha. To evaluate whether the improved formula has the same effectiveness and safety as the original formula, a randomized, double-blind, parallel-controlled, equivalence clinical trial was conducted. This study enrolled 288 tic disorder(TD) of children and assigned them into two groups in 1∶1. The treatment group and control group took the modified formula and original formula, respectively. The treatment lasted for 6 weeks, and follow-up visits were conducted at weeks 2, 4, and 6. The primary efficacy endpoint was the difference in Yale global tic severity scale(YGTSS)-total tic severity(TTS) score from baseline after 6 weeks of treatment. The results showed that after 6 weeks of treatment, the declines in YGTSS-TSS score showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. The difference in YGTSS-TSS score(treatment group-control group) and the 95%CI of the full analysis set(FAS) were-0.17[-1.42, 1.08] and those of per-protocol set(PPS) were 0.29[-0.97, 1.56], which were within the equivalence boundary [-3, 3]. The equivalence test was therefore concluded. The two groups showed no significant differences in the secondary efficacy endpoints of effective rate for TD, total score and factor scores of YGTSS, clinical global impressions-severity(CGI-S) score, traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) response rate, or symptom disappearance rate, and thus a complete evidence chain with the primary outcome was formed. A total of 6 adverse reactions were reported, including 4(2.82%) cases in the treatment group and 2(1.41%) cases in the control group, which showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. No serious suspected unexpected adverse reactions were reported, and no laboratory test results indicated serious clinically significant abnormalities. The results support the replacement of Os Draconis by Ostreae Concha in the original formula, and the efficacy and safety of the modified formula are consistent with those of the original formula.
Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Tic Disorders/drug therapy* ; Treatment Outcome

Cardiac arrest (CA) is a critical condition in the field of cardiovascular medicine. Despite successful resuscitation, patients continue to have a high mortality rate, largely due to post CA syndrome (PCAS). However, the injury and pathophysiological mechanisms underlying PCAS remain unclear. Experimental animal models are valuable tools for exploring the etiology, pathogenesis, and potential interventions for CA and PCAS. Current CA animal models include electrical induction of ventricular fibrillation (VF), myocardial infarction, high potassium, asphyxia, and hemorrhagic shock. Although these models do not fully replicate the complexity of clinical CA, the mechanistic insights they provide remain highly relevant, including post-CA brain injury (PCABI), post-CA myocardial dysfunction (PAMD), systemic ischaemia/reperfusion injury (IRI), and the persistent precipitating pathology. Summarizing the methods of establishing CA models, the challenges encountered in the modeling process, and the mechanisms of PCAS can provide a foundation for developing standardized CA modeling protocols.
Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Post-Cardiac Arrest Syndrome/physiopathology* ; Heart Arrest/physiopathology* ; Humans ; Ventricular Fibrillation/complications*

OBJECTIVE: To explore and quantify the association of hot night exposure during the sperm development period (0-90 lag days) with semen quality. METHODS: A total of 6,640 male sperm donors from 6 human sperm banks in China during 2014-2020 were recruited in this multicenter study. Two indices (i.e., hot night excess [HNE] and hot night duration [HND]) were used to estimate the heat intensity and duration during nighttime. Linear mixed models were used to examine the association between hot nights and semen quality parameters. RESULTS: The exposure-response relationship revealed that HNE and HND during 0-90 days before semen collection had a significantly inverse association with sperm motility. Specifically, a 1 °C increase in HNE was associated with decreased sperm progressive motility of 0.0090 (95% confidence interval [ CI]: -0.0147, -0.0033) and decreased total motility of 0.0094 (95% CI: -0.0160, -0.0029). HND was significantly associated with reduced sperm progressive motility and total motility of 0.0021 (95% CI: -0.0040, -0.0003) and 0.0023 (95% CI: -0.0043, -0.0002), respectively. Consistent results were observed at different temperature thresholds on hot nights. CONCLUSION Our findings highlight the need to mitigate nocturnal heat exposure during spermatogenesis to maintain optimal semen quality.
Humans ; Male ; Semen Analysis ; Adult ; Sperm Motility ; Hot Temperature/adverse effects* ; China ; Middle Aged ; Spermatozoa/physiology* ; Young Adult

Oral diseases concern almost every individual and are a serious health risk to the popula-tion.The restorative treatment of tooth and jaw defects is an important means to achieve oral function and support the appearance of the contour.Based on the principle of"learning from the nature",Deng Xu-liang's group of Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology has proposed a new concept of"microstructural biomimetic design and tissue adaptation of tooth/jaw materials"to address the worldwide problems of difficulty in treating dentine hypersensitivity,poor prognosis of restoration of tooth defects,and vertical bone augmentation of alveolar bone after tooth loss.The group has broken through the bottle-neck of multi-stage biomimetic technology from the design of microscopic features to the enhancement of macroscopic effects,and invented key technologies such as crystalline/amorphous multi-level assembly,ion-transportation blocking,and multi-physical properties of the micro-environment reconstruction,etc.The group also pioneered the cationic-hydrogel desensitizer,digital stump and core integrated restora-tions,and developed new crown and bridge restorative materials,gradient functionalisation guided tissue regeneration membrane,and electrically responsive alveolar bone augmentation restorative membranes,etc.These products have established new clinical strategies for tooth/jaw defect repair and achieved inno-vative results.In conclusion,the research results of our group have strongly supported the theoretical im-provement of stomatology,developed the technical system of oral hard tissue restoration,innovated the clinical treatment strategy,and led the progress of the stomatology industry.

Objective To make an epidemiological investigation on traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)dampness syndrome manifestations in the population at risk of cerebrovascular diseases in Guangdong area.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted to analyze the clinical data related to the risk of cerebrovascular diseases in 330 Guangdong permanent residents.The diagnosis of dampness syndrome,quantitative scoring of dampness syndrome and rating of the risk of stroke were performed for the investigation of the distribution pattern of dampness syndrome and its influencing factors.Results(1)A total of 306(92.73%)study subjects were diagnosed as dampness syndrome.The percentage of dampness syndrome in the risk group was 93.82%(258/275),which was slightly higher than that of the healthy group(48/55,87.27%),but the difference was not statistically significant(χ2 = 2.91,P = 0.112).The quantitative score of dampness syndrome in the risk group was higher than that of the healthy group,and the difference was statistically significance(Z =-2.24,P = 0.025).(2)Among the study subjects at risk of cerebrovascular disease,evaluation time(χ2 = 26.11,P = 0.001),stroke risk grading(χ2= 8.85,P = 0.031),and history of stroke or transient ischemic attack(TIA)(χ2 = 9.28,P = 0.015)were the factors influencing the grading of dampness syndrome in the population at risk of cerebrovascular disease.Conclusion Dampness syndrome is the common TCM syndrome in the population of Guangdong area.The manifestations of dampness syndrome are more obvious in the population with risk factors of cerebrovascular disease,especially in the population at high risk of stroke,and in the population with a history of stroke or TIA.The assessment and intervention of dampness syndrome should be taken into account for future project of stroke prevention in Guangdong.

Drug therapy is a common method to cure diseases and relieve symptoms.The value of patient-reported outcome(PRO)in evaluating the effect of drug therapy has been increasingly paid attention.The PRO scale is a standardized questionnaire,which can scientifically evaluate the experiences and subjective effects of drug use from a patient-centered perspective,and help patients and clinicians make more reasonable medication decisions.By reviewing and sorting out relevant global literature,this paper found that the content of the PRO scales relevant to drug therapy focused on five fields:"medication satisfaction""medication adherence""drug treatment burden""medication-related quality of life"and"adverse drug reactions".This paper described the basic information,measurement characteristics and application of common scales in recent years respectively,and summarized and analyzed the problems and enlightenment of scale development,aiming to provide theoretical reference for the selection,application and development of PRO scales.

ObjectiveTo analyze and determine the differential components of freeze-dried and sun-dried Panacis Quinquefolii Radix（PQR）， and to compare the differences in their pro-angiogenic activities. MethodFingerprints of freeze-dried and sun-dried PQR were established based on ultra performance liquid chromatography（UPLC）， and chemometrics methods such as principal component analysis（PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） were combined to determine the differential saponin composition of the two decoction pieces， and six representative saponins were selected and their contents in freeze-dried and sun-dried PQR were determined by UPLC. Transgenic zebrafish line Tg（fli1a∶EGFP） embryos fertilized for 24 h were selected， and different doses of 70% methanol extracts of freeze-dried and sun-dried PQR（10， 30 mg·L^-1） were used to intervene in normal zebrafish and in a zebrafish model of intersegmental vascular（ISV） injury induced by vascular endothelial growth factor（VEGF） receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor Ⅱ（PTK787）， then the development of subintestinal vein（SIV） and ISV of zebrafish was observed， SIV diameter， mean number of crossings and mean number of germinations were determined， and the ISV vascular index was calculated， in order to compare the pro-angiogenic activities of the two decoction pieces. ResultThe similarity of the fingerprints of freeze-dried and sun-dried PQR decoction pieces was>0.950， and 17 common peaks were identified， of which 6 common peaks were designated as peak 6（ginsenoside Rg₁）， peak 7（ginsenoside Re）， peak 8（ginsenoside Rb₁）， peak 11（ginsenoside Rc）， peak 13（ginsenoside Rb₂）， and peak 16（ginsenoside Rd）， respectively. A total of 11 differential saponin components were screened by PCA and OPLS-DA， indicating that there were some differences in the contents of the components in the two decoction pieces. The results of determination showed that the contents of ginsenosides Rg₁， Re， Rb₁ and Rb₂ in freeze-dried PQR were higher than those in sun-dried PQR， while the contents of ginsenosides Rc and Rd were lower than those in sun-dried PQR（P<0.05， P<0.01）. In the study of the pro-angiogenic effect on normal zebrafish embryos， compared with the blank group， and the SIV vessel diameter， mean germination rate and mean crossover rate were significantly higher in the high-dose groups of freeze-dried and sun-dried PQR（P<0.01）， and the vessel diameter， mean numbers of crossings and germinations in the freeze-dried PQR group were higher than those of the sun-dried PQR group（P<0.05）. In the study of the pro-angiogenic effect on zebrafish embryos with ISV injury， the development of ISV in the model group was significantly inhibited when compared with the blank group， compared with the model group， different dose groups of freeze-dried and sun-dried PQR could promote the growth and sprouting of ISV， and the number of normal blood vessels in the freeze-dried PQR group was significantly higher than that in the sun-dried PQR group at the same dosage（P<0.05）. ConclusionFreeze-drying can effectively avoid the loss and secondary transformation of ginsenosides in PQR， and its angiogenic activity is better than that of sun-dried PQR， which can provide a reference for the production and development of high-quality PQR decoction pieces.