ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanisms by which Renshentang treats atherosclerosis （AS） in mice， focusing on the regulation of endothelial inflammatory responses mediated by transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 1 （TRPV1）. MethodsAn AS model was established in apolipoprotein E knockout （ApoE^-/-） mice fed a high-fat diet. The mice were randomly divided into a simvastatin group （0.02 g·kg^-1·d^-1） and low-， medium-， and high-dose Renshentang groups （1.77， 3.54， 7.08 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， with 12 mice in each group. ApoE^-/- mice were fed a high-fat diet and treated simultaneously. C57BL/6J mice fed a normal diet served as the normal group （n=9）. After continuous administration for 12 weeks， mice were anesthetized and the aortas were collected. Oil Red O staining was used to observe lipid plaque formation in the aorta. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was performed to examine pathological changes in the aortic root. Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the levels of pro-inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， as well as the expression of TRPV1， phosphorylated phosphoinositide 3-kinase （p-PI3K）， and phosphorylated protein kinase B （p-Akt） in the aortic root. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect endothelial nitric oxide synthase （eNOS） mRNA expression in the aorta， and Western blot was used to detect TRPV1 protein expression. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showed a significant increase in aortic plaque formation （P<0.01） and significantly elevated levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in the aortic root （P<0.01）. The expression levels of TRPV1， p-PI3K， and p-Akt were decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and eNOS mRNA expression was reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all Renshentang groups significantly reduced aortic plaque formation （P<0.01）， significantly decreased TNF-α and IL-1β levels （P<0.01）， and markedly increased the expression levels of TRPV1， p-PI3K， p-Akt， and eNOS mRNA （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionRenshentang may inhibit endothelial inflammation and suppress the formation of AS by increasing TRPV1 protein expression and up-regulating the PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway， which may be one of the molecular mechanisms underlying its therapeutic effect against AS.

ObjectiveTo delineate imaging findings using an imaging platform and investigate the correlation between MRI characteristics of spinal cord atrophy and clinical diagnosis in children with spinal cord injury (SCI). MethodsImaging data of 150 children with SCI admitted to Beijing Bo'ai Hospital, China Rehabilitation Research Center, from January, 2002 to March, 2024 were collected and imported into the imaging platform. The anteroposterior and transverse diameters of the middle part of the spinal cord at the cross-section with the most severe atrophy were measured, and the relevant indicators of the previous normal spinal cord segment were measured as controls; the radiomic features were extracted. Clinical data of the children including gender, age, cause of injury, sensory level, motor level, spinal cord injury level, injury severity and disease course were collected. ResultsSpinal cord atrophy was identified in 81 cases (54%), among which 78 cases (96%) were American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade A and 3 cases (4%) were AIS grade C. The upper boundary of the spinal cord atrophy site strongly correlated with the injury level, motor level and sensory level (r > 0.8, P < 0.001). ConclusionMore than half of children with SCI may develop secondary spinal cord atrophy, the vast majority of whom suffer from complete spinal cord injury; the upper boundary of spinal cord atrophy is correlated with the injury level.

Objective: To analyze the impact of maternal metal exposure during early pregnancy on the physical development of offspring at 1 and 3 years of age, so as to provide scientific evidence for reducing the adverse effects of heavy metals on their health. Methods: From 2024 to 2018, a total of 1 588 mother child pairs from the Jiangsu Birth Cohort (JBC) were included in this study. Multiple linear regression models, generalized estimating equations (GEE), and weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression models were used to assess the associations between 24 urinary metal mass concentrations (adjusted for specific gravity, SG) during early pregnancy and offspring growth outcomes, including length/height for age Z score(HAZ), weight for age Z score(WAZ), weight for length/height Z score(WHZ), and head circumference for age Z score(HCAZ) at 1 and 3 years of age. Results: After adjusting for confounders, GEE analysis revealed that each natural log unit increase in maternal urinary concentrations of vanadium, tin, cerium, lead, and uranium during early pregnancy was associated with an average reduction in HCAZ by 14.29%, 4.82%, 2.62 %, 5.04 %, and 8.33%, respectively, at 1 and 3 years of age (FDR- P <0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that increased urinary vanadium concentration was associated with reduced HAZ at 1 year of age, while increased urinary concentrations of vanadium, chromium, tin, antimony, and uranium were associated with reduced HCAZ at 1 year of age (FDR- P <0.05). In the WQS regression model, each unit increase in the WQS index was associated with a 22.64% reduction in HCAZ at 1 year of age, with tin (22.2%) contributing the highest weight, followed by uranium (16.2%), lead (11.5%), vanadium (10.0%), arsenic (6.5%), and chromium (5.0%). Conclusions Prenatal exposure to specific metals and their mixtures may significantly impact the physical development of offspring at 1 and 3 years of age, particularly head circumference. These findings highlight the need to enhance monitoring of maternal metal exposure during early pregnancy to reduce the potential health risks posed by environmental metal pollution to infants and young children.

ObjectiveTo explore the medication patterns of Professor Zhang Farong in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） and the clinical efficacy of his core prescription. MethodsClinical case records of T2DM treated by Professor Zhang Farong were collected to establish a prescription database. Frequency statistics， visual analysis， and factor analysis were employed to investigate the characteristics and principle of the prescriptions， and a core prescription was derived. A randomized controlled trial was conducted， enrolling 60 T2DM patients with the dampness-heat syndrome. The patients were allocated into an observation group （core prescription + metformin） and a control group （metformin alone）， with both groups undergoing a 12-week treatment course. Changes in TCM symptom scores， glucose metabolism indicators ［fasting plasma glucose （FPG）， 2-hour postprandial blood glucose （2 hPG）， and glycated hemoglobin （HbA1c）］， pancreatic function indicators ［fasting C-peptide （FCP）， 2-hour postprandial C-peptide （2 hCP）， and area under the C-peptide curve （AUCcp）］， and lipid profiles were measured before and after treatment. The adverse reactions were observed and recorded. ResultsA core prescription named modified Gegen Qinlian Decoction was formulated， comprising Puerariae Lobatae Radix， Coptidis Rhizoma， Scutellariae Radix， Astragali Radix， Lycii Cortex， Mori Cortex， Jineijin Endothelium Corneum Gigeriae Galli， Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata， Atractylodis Rhizoma， Polygonati Rhizoma， and Pogostemonis Herba. The clinical trial results showed that both groups had significantly decreased FPG， 2 hPG， and HbA1c （P0.05）， and the observation group outperformed the control group in recovering the level of HbA1c （P0.05）. After treatment， both groups had declined TCM symptoms scores （P0.05）， and the declines in the observation group were larger than those in the control group （P0.05）. After treatment， the TC and LDL-C levels declined in the observation group （P 0.05）， while the lipid levels showed a decreasing trend with no statistically significant difference in the control group. After treatment， both groups showed increases in FCP and AUCcp （P0.05）， and the 2 hCP in both groups presented a recovering trend with no statistically significant difference. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups. ConclusionModified Gegen Qinlian Decoction embodies Professor Zhang Farong's academic philosophy of treating consumptive thirst by tonifying the spleen and kidney， replenishing Qi and Yin， clearing deficiency and heat， unblocking stasis in collaterals， and addressing both deficiency and stasis. The combination of the core prescription with metformin alleviates clinical symptoms in T2DM patients with the dampness-heat syndrome， demonstrating potential effects in restoring pancreatic islet function， regulating blood glucose， and improving lipid profiles. It serves as a therapeutic option for T2DM in the patients with the dampness-heat syndrome under syndrome differentiation， meriting broader clinical application.

ObjectiveTo explore the current situation and influencing factors of humanistic care experience among patients visiting traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） outpatient clinics in China， and to provide a basis for optimizing TCM-characterized services in both TCM and Western medicine hospitals. MethodsA multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted using convenience sampling to select 35 hospitals across 13 provinces in China （including 3 TCM hospitals and 32 TCM outpatient clinics in general hospitals）. A total of 3，430 patients were surveyed using the general information questionnaire and the Outpatient Humanistic Care Experience Questionnaire， with data collected via Questionnaire Star. Univariate analysis and multiple linear regression were employed to examine the impacts of patient characteristics， visit characteristics， hospital type （TCM hospital/general hospital）， and geographic region （eastern/central/western） on humanistic care experience. ResultsThe total score of humanistic care experience was 194 （188， 233）. Univariate analysis showed that gender， educational level， current residence， per capita monthly household income， location attribute of medical institutions， number of previous visits to this hospital， payment method of medical expenses， previous hospitalization history in this hospital， frequency of outpatient visits within the past 12 months， self-rated disease severity， familiarity with the outpatient procedures， implementation of the follow-up service provided by the hospital， satisfaction with follow-up services， the grade of the hospital visited， geographical region of the hospital visited， and the department visited had an impact on the humanistic care experience during outpatient visits （P<0.05）. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that educational level （β=0.609， P=0.011）， self-rated disease severity （β=-0.646， P=0.047）， familiarity with outpatient procedures （β=4.784， P<0.001）， satisfaction with follow-up services （β=6.365， P<0.001）， and the grade of the hospital visited （β=-5.487， P<0.001） affected the humanistic care experience in outpatient medical treatment， explaining 24.4% of the total variation. ConclusionHumanistic care experience in TCM outpatient clinics is influenced by multiple factors. It is recommended to optimize the medical treatment process， strengthen doctor-patient communication training， and establish a precise follow-up mechanism， with a focus on improving care perceptions among patients with lower education levels and those attending primary-level hospitals， to refine the TCM-characterized service system.

The expert consensus on the clinical treatment of herpes zoster with fire needling was developed, and the commonly used fire needling treatment scheme verified by clinical research was selected to form a standardized diagnosis and treatment scheme for acute herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), so as to answer the core problems in clinical application. The consensus focuses on patients with herpes zoster, and forms recommendations for 9 key clinical issues, covering simple fire needling and TCM comprehensive therapy based on fire needling, including fire needling combined with cupping, fire needling combined with Chinese herb, fire needling combined with cupping and Chinese herb, fire needling combined with filiform needling, fire needling combined with moxibustion, and provides specific recommendations and operational guidelines for various therapies.
Humans ; Herpes Zoster/therapy* ; Acupuncture Therapy/instrumentation* ; Consensus ; Clinical Protocols

BACKGROUND: Spicy food consumption has been reported to be inversely associated with mortality from multiple diseases. However, the effect of spicy food intake on the incidence of vascular diseases in the Chinese population remains unclear. This study was conducted to explore this association. METHODS: This study was performed using the large-scale China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) prospective cohort of 486,335 participants. The primary outcomes were vascular disease, ischemic heart disease (IHD), major coronary events (MCEs), cerebrovascular disease, stroke, and non-stroke cerebrovascular disease. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to assess the association between spicy food consumption and incident vascular diseases. Subgroup analysis was also performed to evaluate the heterogeneity of the association between spicy food consumption and the risk of vascular disease stratified by several basic characteristics. In addition, the joint effects of spicy food consumption and the healthy lifestyle score on the risk of vascular disease were also evaluated, and sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the reliability of the association results. RESULTS: During a median follow-up time of 12.1 years, a total of 136,125 patients with vascular disease, 46,689 patients with IHD, 10,097 patients with MCEs, 80,114 patients with cerebrovascular disease, 56,726 patients with stroke, and 40,098 patients with non-stroke cerebrovascular disease were identified. Participants who consumed spicy food 1-2 days/week (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.95, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = [0.93, 0.97], P <0.001), 3-5 days/week (HR = 0.96, 95% CI = [0.94, 0.99], P = 0.003), and 6-7 days/week (HR = 0.97, 95% CI = [0.95, 0.99], P = 0.002) had a significantly lower risk of vascular disease than those who consumed spicy food less than once a week ( Ptrend <0.001), especially in those who were younger and living in rural areas. Notably, the disease-based subgroup analysis indicated that the inverse associations remained in IHD ( Ptrend = 0.011) and MCEs ( Ptrend = 0.002) risk. Intriguingly, there was an interaction effect between spicy food consumption and the healthy lifestyle score on the risk of IHD ( Pinteraction = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS Our findings support an inverse association between spicy food consumption and vascular disease in the Chinese population, which may provide additional dietary guidance for the prevention of vascular diseases.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Prospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Vascular Diseases/etiology* ; Risk Factors ; China/epidemiology* ; Adult ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Cerebrovascular Disorders/epidemiology* ; East Asian People

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common degenerative disease of the nervous system. Studies have found that the 40 Hz pulsed magnetic field has the effect of improving cognitive ability in AD, but the mechanism of action is not clear. In this study, APP/PS1 double transgenic AD model mice were used as the research object, the water maze was used to group dementia, and 40 Hz/10 mT pulsed magnetic field stimulation was applied to AD model mice with different degrees of dementia. The behavioral indicators, mitochondrial samples of hippocampal CA1 region and electrocardiogram signals were collected from each group, and the effects of 40 Hz pulsed magnetic field on mouse behavior, mitochondrial kinetic indexes and heart rate variability (HRV) parameters were analyzed. The results showed that compared with the AD group, the loss of mitochondrial crest structure was alleviated and the mitochondrial dynamics related indexes were significantly improved in the AD + stimulated group ( P < 0.001), sympathetic nerve excitation and parasympathetic nerve inhibition were improved, and the spatial cognitive memory ability of mice was significantly improved ( P < 0.05). The preliminary results of this study show that 40 Hz pulsed magnetic field stimulation can improve the mitochondrial structure and mitochondrial kinetic homeostasis imbalance of AD mice, and significantly improve the autonomic neuromodulation ability and spatial cognition ability of AD mice, which lays a foundation for further exploring the mechanism of ultra-low frequency magnetic field in delaying the course of AD disease and realizing personalized neurofeedback therapy for AD.
Animals ; Heart Rate/physiology* ; Mice ; Alzheimer Disease/therapy* ; Mice, Transgenic ; Mitochondrial Dynamics/radiation effects* ; Magnetic Field Therapy/methods* ; Magnetic Fields ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mitochondria ; Male ; Maze Learning ; Cognition ; Dementia/therapy*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of different endotracheal tube cuff pressure management modes on cuff sealing and the pressure exerted on the tracheal wall. METHODS: A prospective self-controlled study was conducted. Eleven patients undergoing endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation with an automatic airway management system (AGs) admitted to the Second Medical Centre of the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital from October 1, 2020, to April 1, 2022, were enrolled as the study subjects. Within 24 hours after the establishment of artificial airway and mechanical ventilation, four cuff pressure management modes were randomly applied to each patient for 24 hours in sequence: automatic cuff pressure management mode [modeI: the safe range of cuff pressure was set at 20-35 cmH₂O (1 cmH₂O≈0.098 kPa), and the CO₂ pressure above the endotracheal tube cuff was automatically detected by AGs every 5 minutes to determine the cuff sealing status, and the cuff pressure was automatically adjusted], constant cuff pressure (25 cmH₂O) management mode (mode II: the cuff pressure was monitored by AGs through a pressure sensor, and the cuff pressure was maintained at 25 cmH₂O via a pressure pump), constant cuff pressure (30 cmH₂O) management mode (mode III: the cuff pressure was monitored by AGs through a pressure sensor, and the cuff pressure was maintained at 30 cmH₂O via a pressure pump), and manual cuff pressure management mode (mode IV: the cuff pressure was manually measured by nurses every 6-8 hours using a cuff pressure gauge to keep the cuff pressure at 25-30 cmH₂O after inflation). The CO₂ pressure above the endotracheal tube cuff (at 60-minute intervals) and the cuff pressure changes (at 50-ms intervals) were recorded to compare the differences in number of cuff leaks [no leak was defined as CO₂ pressure = 0, small leak as 0 < CO₂ pressure < 2 mmHg (1 mmHg≈0.133 kPa), and large leak as CO₂ pressure ≥ 2 mmHg] and cuff pressure among modesI-IV. RESULTS: A total of 24 CO₂ pressure measurements were taken per patient across the four modes, resulting in a total of 264 detections for each mode. Regarding the cuff leak, the total number of leak and large leak in modeIwas significantly lower than that in modes II-IV [total leak: 30 cases (11.36%) vs. 81 cases (30.68%), 70 cases (26.52%), 103 cases (39.02%); large leak: 15 cases (5.68%) vs. 50 cases (18.94%), 48 cases (18.18%), 66 cases (25.00%), all P < 0.05]. There was no significant difference in the number of cuff leak between modes II and III, and mode IV had the most severe cuff leak. In terms of cuff pressure, since mode IV required blocking the cuff tube from the AGs tube and the AGs cuff pressure management module did not actually work, real-time monitoring of cuff pressure was not possible. Therefore, cuff pressure changes were only analyzed in modes I-III. Each of the 11 patients underwent 24-hour cuff pressure monitoring under modes I-III, with 19 008 000 monitoring times for each mode. The cuff pressure in mode I was between that in modes II and III [cmH₂O: 27.09 (26.10, 28.14) vs. 26.60 (25.92, 27.47), 31.01 (30.33, 31.88), both P < 0.01]. Moreover, the number of extreme values of cuff pressure > 50 cmH₂O in mode I was significantly lower than that in modes II and III [19 900 cases (0.105%) vs. 22 297 cases (0.117%), 27 618 cases (0.145%), both P < 0.05]. CONCLUSION Dynamically monitoring the CO₂ pressure above the cuff to guide the adjustment of endotracheal tube cuff pressure can achieve better cuff sealing with a relatively lower cuff pressure load.
Humans ; Intubation, Intratracheal/instrumentation* ; Pressure ; Prospective Studies ; Respiration, Artificial ; Male ; Airway Management/methods* ; Female ; Middle Aged

Ovarian cancer poses a significant threat to women's health, necessitating effective therapeutic strategies. Emd-D, an emodin derivative, demonstrates enhanced pharmaceutical properties and bioavailability. In this study, Cell Counting Kit 8 (CCK8) assays and Ki-67 staining revealed dose-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation by Emd-D. Migration and invasion experiments confirmed its inhibitory effects on OVHM cells, while flow cytometry analysis demonstrated Emd-D-induced apoptosis. Mechanistic investigations elucidated that Emd-D functions as an inhibitor by directly binding to the glycolysis-related enzyme PFKFB4. This was corroborated by alterations in intracellular lactate and pyruvate levels, as well as glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) and hexokinase 2 (HK2) expression. PFKFB4 overexpression experiments further supported the dependence of Emd-D on PFKFB4-mediated glycolysis and SRC3/mTORC1 pathway-associated apoptosis. In vivo experiments exhibited reduced xenograft tumor sizes upon Emd-D treatment, accompanied by suppressed glycolysis and increased expression of Bax/Bcl-2 apoptotic proteins within the tumors. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate Emd-D's potential as an anti-ovarian cancer agent through inhibition of the PFKFB4-dependent glycolysis pathway and induction of apoptosis. These results provide a foundation for further exploration of Emd-D as a promising drug candidate for ovarian cancer treatment.
Female ; Humans ; Ovarian Neoplasms/physiopathology* ; Phosphofructokinase-2/genetics* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Glycolysis/drug effects* ; Animals ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Mice ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Emodin/administration & dosage* ; Mice, Nude ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Hexokinase/metabolism* ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays