OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of bone acupuncture in improving pain and function in degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS) and compare it with Jiaji acupuncture. METHODS: From January to December 2023, 80 DLSS patients were treated with acupuncture and divided into bone acupuncture and Jiaji acupuncture groups. Among them, 40 patients in the bone acupuncture group included 15 males and 25 females, with a mean age of (60.60±6.98) years old;anthor 40 patients in the Jiaji acupuncture group included 16 males and 24 females, with a mean age of (61.48±9.55) years old. The Roland Morris disability questionnaire(RMDQ), walking distance, visual analogue scale(VAS), and the MOS item short from health survey(SF-36) of two groups at baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks post-treatment were compared. RESULTS: Eighty patients were followed up for 3 to 5 months with an average of (3.62±0.59) months. There was no significant differences in general data and the scores before treatment between two groups(P>0.05). The RMDQ scores in both groups decreased significantly at 2, 4 and 12 weeks after treatment compared with before treatment(P<0.05), at each time point after treatment, the decrease was more significant in the bone acupuncture group than in the Jiaji acupuncture group(P<0.05). The VAS of waist and leg in both groups was significantly lower at 2, 4 and 12 weeks after treatment that before treatment(P<0.05). At all time points after treatment, the waist VAS in the bone acupuncture group was reduced more significant than in the Jiaji acupuncture group(P<0.05);there was no significant difference in leg VAS at 2 and 12 weeks after treatment between two groups(P>0.05), the improvement was more significant in the bone acupuncture group in the 4 weeks after treatment than in the Jiaji acupuncture group. The SF-36 scores in both groups were significantly higher at 2, 4, and 12 weeks after treatment than before treatment(P<0.05);the SF-36 score raised more significant in the bone acupuncture group than in the Jiaji acupunture group(P<0.05). No significant difference in the walking distance between two groups at 2 weeks after treatment(P>0.05);the walking distance in the bone acupuncture group was significantly higher than that in the Jiaji acupuncture group at 4 and 12 weeks after treatment(P<0.05). CONCLUSION Bone-penetrating acupuncture moderately improves functional impairment, pain, and quality of life in patients with DLSS, showing better efficacy than Jiaji acupuncture.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Spinal Stenosis/physiopathology* ; Aged ; Lumbar Vertebrae/physiopathology* ; Pain Management

Objective:To explore the application of COVID-19-specific IgG antibody in identifying epidemic Omicron BA.5 strain infection.Method:Omicron BF.7/BA.5 naturally infected population, healthy population vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine, and Omicron BF.7/BA.5 breakthrough cases were enrolled into this study. The serum WT-S-IgG and BA.5-S-IgG were detected by indirect ELISA, and the serum-specific IgG antibody levels of different populations were compared. The application value of the two antibody titers and the ratio of the two antibodies in identifying Omicron BA.5 epidemic strain infection were explored by the ROC curve, aiming to provide technical support for pathogen diagnosis.Results:The antibody titers of WT-S-IgG and BA.5-S-IgG in the breakthrough cases were higher than those in the naturally infected population and the healthy population ( P<0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) of WT-S-IgG and BA.5-S-IgG in identifying epidemic Omicron BA.5 strain infection was 0.947 and 0.961, respectively. The AUC of BA.5-S-IgG and WT-S-IgG antibody titer ratio was 0.873. When the antibody titer ratio was 0.855, the sensitivity and specificity were 80.00% and 90.00%, respectively. According to the interval since the last infection, the AUC of the ratio of BA.5-S-IgG to WT-S-IgG antibody titer to identify the infection of epidemic strains less than 30 days and more than 30 days was 0.887 and 0.863, respectively, and the sensitivity and specificity were both above 80%. Conclusion:Both BA.5-S-IgG and WT-S-IgG, as well as the combination of these two antibodies, are of high value in the identification of epidemic strains.

Objective:To explore the application of COVID-19-specific IgG antibody in identifying epidemic Omicron BA.5 strain infection.Method:Omicron BF.7/BA.5 naturally infected population, healthy population vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine, and Omicron BF.7/BA.5 breakthrough cases were enrolled into this study. The serum WT-S-IgG and BA.5-S-IgG were detected by indirect ELISA, and the serum-specific IgG antibody levels of different populations were compared. The application value of the two antibody titers and the ratio of the two antibodies in identifying Omicron BA.5 epidemic strain infection were explored by the ROC curve, aiming to provide technical support for pathogen diagnosis.Results:The antibody titers of WT-S-IgG and BA.5-S-IgG in the breakthrough cases were higher than those in the naturally infected population and the healthy population ( P<0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) of WT-S-IgG and BA.5-S-IgG in identifying epidemic Omicron BA.5 strain infection was 0.947 and 0.961, respectively. The AUC of BA.5-S-IgG and WT-S-IgG antibody titer ratio was 0.873. When the antibody titer ratio was 0.855, the sensitivity and specificity were 80.00% and 90.00%, respectively. According to the interval since the last infection, the AUC of the ratio of BA.5-S-IgG to WT-S-IgG antibody titer to identify the infection of epidemic strains less than 30 days and more than 30 days was 0.887 and 0.863, respectively, and the sensitivity and specificity were both above 80%. Conclusion:Both BA.5-S-IgG and WT-S-IgG, as well as the combination of these two antibodies, are of high value in the identification of epidemic strains.

The tissue distribution of Qingfei Paidu Decoction was studied by HPLC-MS/MS in vivo. Hypersil GOLD C_(18) column(2.1 mm×50 mm, 1.9 μm) was used for gradient elution with acetonitrile as the mobile phase A and 0.1% formic acid solution as the mobile phase B. High-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in both positive and negative ion scanning mode and multiple response monitoring(MRM) mode was employed to analyze the behaviors of the active components of Qingfei Paidu Decoction in diffe-rent tissues. The results showed that 19, 9, 17, 14, 22, 19, 24, and 2 compounds were detected in plasma, heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, large intestine, and brain, respectively. The compounds belonged to 8 groups, covering 14 herbs in the prescription. After administration with Qingfei Paidu Decoction, the compounds were rapidly distributed in various tissues, especially in the lung, liver, large intestine, and kidney. The majority of the compounds displayed secondary distribution. This study comprehensively analyzed the distribution rules of the main active components in Qingfei Paidu Decoction and provided a basis for the clinical application.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Tissue Distribution ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal

This study compared the effects of Curcuma longa before and after processing with vinegar on the rat model of dysmenorrhea with the syndrome of liver depression and Qi stagnation to reveal the mechanism of vinegar processing in improving the role of C. longa in soothing liver and relieving pain. The rat model of dysmenorrhea with the syndrome of liver depression and Qi stagnation was established according to the Preparation of the Animal Model of Dysmenorrhea(Draft) and the chronic unpredictable stress me-thod. The changes in the body weight, organ indexes, writhing latency, writhing score, and serum levels of six liver function indicators, sex hormones, pain factors, and blood rheological indicators were measured to evaluate the efficacy of C. longa processed with vinegar or not in treating dysmenorrhea in the rats with syndrome of liver depression and qi stagnation. Compared with the model group, the C. longa group(processed with vinegar or not) showed slow weight loss, increase in writhing latency, and decrease in writhing response(P<0.05). The inhibition rates on writhing in raw C. longa, vinegar-processed C. longa, and positive groups were 33.780%, 64.611%, and 62.466%, respectively. The significantly higher inhibition rate of the vinegar processing group indicated that vinegar-processed C. longa demonstrated more significant therapeutic effect. The vinegar-processed C. longa group showed lower levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT), alkaline phosphatase(ALP), aspartate aminotransferase(AST), direct bilirubin(DBIL), and total bilirubin(TBIL) and higher level of albumin(ALB)(P<0.05), which indicated that vinegar processing enhanced the therapeutic effect of C. longa on liver injury. The serum levels of estradiol(E_2) and oxytocin(OT) were lower in the vinegar-processed C. longa group(P<0.05), indicating that the vinegar-processed C. longa could regulate the sex hormone levels, reduce the activity of uterine smooth muscle and contraction of uterus, and alleviate the symptoms of dysmenorrhea in rats. Moreover, the vinegar-processed C. longa group showed lower interleukin-6(IL-6) and arginine vasopressin(AVP) levels and higher beta-endorphin(β-EP) level(P<0.05), which indicated that vinegar-processed C. longa regulated the levels of pain factors to exert the pain-relieving effect. Drug intervention decreased the whole blood viscosity low-cut, medium-cut and high-cut values, plasma viscosity, whole blood reduction viscosity low-cut and high-cut values, erythrocyte cumulative pressure, and equation K value of erythrocyte sedimentation rate(P<0.05), and the vinegar-processed C. longa group outperformed other groups. This result indicated that vinegar processing enhanced the function of C. longa in improving the local blood rheology. C. longa processed with vinegar can enter the liver to relieve the da-mage to the heart, liver, kidney, and uterus, repair the liver function, and recover the sex hormone levels and immune function by regulating the levels of sex hormones and pain factors and improving the blood rheology. It activates the pain-relieving mechanism to relieve the pain, protect the liver, and fight inflammation, which is consistent with the theory that vinegar processing facilitates C. longa entering the liver to sooth liver and relieve pain.

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was employed to analyze the chemical components in Curcuma longa tuberous roots(HSYJ), C. longa tuberous roots processed with vinegar(CHSYJ), and rat serum after the administration. The active components of HSYJ and CHSYJ absorbed in serum were identified based on the secondary spectrum of database and literature. The targets of primary dysmenorrhea was screened out from database. The protein-protein interaction network analysis, gene ontology(GO) functional annotation, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed for the common targets shared by the drug active components in serum and primary dysmenorrhea, and the component-target-pathway network was constructed. AutoDock was used to conduct molecular docking between the core components and targets. A total of 44 chemical components were identified from HSYJ and CHSYJ, including 18 absorbed in serum. On the basis of network pharmacology, we identified 8 core components(including procurcumenol, isobutyl p-hydroxybenzoate, ferulic acid, and zedoarondiol) and 10 core targets \[including interleukin-6(IL-6), estrogen receptor 1(ESR1), and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2(PTGS2)\]. The core targets were mainly distributed in the heart, liver, uterus, and smooth muscle. The molecular docking results showed that the core components were well bound to the core targets, indicating that HSYJ and CHSYJ may exert therapeutic effect on primary dysmenorrhea via estrogen, ovarian steroidogenesis, tumor necrosis factor(TNF), hypoxia-inducible factor-1(HIF-1), IL-17 and other signaling pathways. This study clarifies the HSYJ and CHSYJ components absorbed in serum, as well as the corresponding mechanism, providing a reference for further elucidating the therapeutic material basis and clinical application of HSYJ and CHSYJ.
Female ; Humans ; Animals ; Rats ; Acetic Acid ; Curcuma ; Dysmenorrhea ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Cyclooxygenase 2

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of Xianglian Pills(XLP) on lipid metabolism in obese mice and explore the underlying mechanism based on network pharmacology and intestinal flora. Firstly, network pharmacology was used to predict the possible effect of XLP on obesity. Secondly, an obese mouse model induced by a high-fat diet was established to observe changes in mouse body weight, adiposity index, liver and adipose tissue pathology. Lipid profiles, liver and kidney function markers, insulin content, and the expression of recombinant uncoupling protein 1(UCP-1) and PR structural domain protein 16(PRDM16) were measured. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing technology was used to analyze the changes in the intestinal flora. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis showed that XLP mainly played a role in improving obesity by regulating lipolysis, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and insulin resistance. The results of animal experiments showed that XLP significantly reduced body weight, adiposity, blood lipid levels, and serum insulin levels in obese mice, while enhancing the expression of UCP-1 and PRDM16 in adipose tissue without causing damage to the liver or kidneys. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing results showed that XLP decreased the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes(F/B) ratio at the phylum level, increased the relative abundance of Akkermansia and Bacteroides at the family and genus levels, and reduced the abundance of Allobaculum. Therefore, XLP can effectively improve lipid metabolism disorders in high-fat diet-induced obese mice, and the mechanism is related to the improvement of brown adipose function, the browning of white fat, the accelerated lipid metabolism, and the improvement of intestinal flora. However, its effect on promoting the conversion of white adipose to brown adipose still needs to be further studied.
Mice ; Animals ; Mice, Obese ; Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Network Pharmacology ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/complications* ; Obesity/genetics* ; Body Weight ; Lipids ; Insulin ; Transcription Factors ; Dyslipidemias/genetics* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal

【Objective】 To learn the production efficient of platelet components among prefecture-level blood stations in China, to provide supporting data for those blood stations to optimize the production mode of platelet components and continuously improve production efficiency and supply capacity. 【Methods】 The data from 2017 to 2020 was obtained from 24 prefecture-level blood stations who were the members of the practice comparison network for blood institutes in China. The collection units of apheresis platelets, the number of dual-collections of apheresis platelets and plasma, the average apheresis units of one platelet apheresis procedure, the discarded rate of apheresis platelets, the amount of expired apheresis platelets and the amount of apheresis platelets issued were collected. For concentrated platelets, the prepared amount of platelet concentrates and the amount of expired platelet concentrates were collected; both the quantity of qualified and issued concentrated platelets were submitted for statistical analysis.The total output and efficiency of platelet components were calculated based on the collected data. 【Results】 The average annual growth rate of apheresis platelets collection in 24 prefecture-level blood stations was 12.23%, accounting for 99.80% of the total platelet output; the average collection unit of one platelets apheresis procedure was 1.75; from 2019 to 2020, only 5 blood stations performed dual-collection of platelet and plasma during one apheresis procedure; the discarded rate of apheresis platelets was 0.28%, of which 0.007% was due to expiration. A total of 1 621.2 therapeutic units of concentrated platelets were prepared, and 13.03% of them was discarded due to the expiration. The production efficiency of platelet components was 97.56%, of which the production efficiency of apheresis platelets was 97.61% and the production efficiency of concentrated platelets was 74.43%. 【Conclusion】 There are large regional differences in the supply capacity of platelet components in prefecture-level blood stations. Apheresis platelets are the main resource of platelet components product, and the collection capacity is increasing over the years with the characteristics of high production efficiency and low expiration scrapping rate. However, the preparation of concentrated platelets are still limited with relatively low production and high expiration discarded rate.

Aim To explore the roles of miRNA-132 and its related proteins(Mecp2, CREB)in the mechanism of methamphetamine(MA)-induced neurotoxicity and dependence.Methods The rats were intraperitioneally injected(ip)with MA(10 mg·kg-1·d-1)to establish methamphetamine dependence model with different dependent time courses of 1 week, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks respectively.The miRNA-132 and Mecp2 mRNA were detected by RT-qPCR, and the Mecp2, p-Mecp2, CREB and p-CREB proteins were detected by Western blot in the tissues of frontal cortex and hippocampus.Results In the frontal cortex, the miRNA-132 and Mecp2 mRNA were up-regulated in MA-dependent groups(P<0.05 and P<0.01), while the Mecp2 protein were down-regulated(P<0.01).MA could promote the phosphorylation of Mecp2 protein in the frontal cortex(P<0.01).In hippocampus, the miRNA-132 was down-regulated in the MA-dependent groups, but Mecp2 mRNA was up-regulated(P<0.05).Mecp2 protein increased in MA-dependent 1 week group(P<0.05), and then recovered with the prolonged time of MA dependence, then decreased in MA-dependent 4 weeks groups(P<0.05)in hippocampus.The phosphorylation level of Mecp2 was significantly decreased in the 1 week group(P<0.01), and then increased in the 2 weeks group(P<0.01)in hippocampus.Conclusions MA could induce an abnormal expression of miRNA-132 in the frontal cortex and hippocampus, and miRNA-132 might inhibit the translation of Mecp2 mRNA and induce the decrease expression of Mecp2 protein in the frontal cortex.But in hippocampus, miRNA-132 does not show the correlation with the Mecp2 expression trend of the frontal cortex.And miRNA-132 regulation does not depend on the expression of Mecp2 in hippocampus.

Objective: To summarize the management and short-term outcomes of neonates delivered by mothers infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. Methods: A retrospective study was performed on 158 neonates born to mothers infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant admitted to the isolation ward of Children's Hospital of Fudan University from March 15^th, 2022 to May 30^th, 2022. The postnatal infection control measures for these neonates, and their clinical characteristics and short-term outcomes were analyzed. They were divided into maternal symptomatic group and maternal asymptomatic group according to whether their mothers had SARS-CoV-2 symptoms. The clinical outcomes were compared between the 2 groups using Rank sum test and Chi-square test. Results: All neonates were under strict infection control measures at birth and after birth. Of the 158 neonates, 75 (47.5%) were male. The gestational age was (38⁺³±1⁺³) weeks and the birth weight was (3 201±463)g. Of the neonates included, ten were preterm (6.3%) and the minimum gestational age was 30⁺¹ weeks. Six neonates (3.8%) had respiratory difficulty and 4 of them were premature and required mechanical ventilation. All 158 neonates were tested negative for SARS-COV-2 nucleic acid by daily nasal swabs for the first 7 days. A total of 156 mothers (2 cases of twin pregnancy) infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, the time from confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection to delivery was 7 (3, 12) days. Among them, 88 cases (56.4%) showed clinical symptoms, but none needed intensive care treatment. The peripheral white blood cell count of the neonates in maternal symptomatic group was significantly higher than that in maternal symptomatic group (23.0 (18.7, 28.0) × 10⁹ vs. 19.6 (15.4, 36.6) × 10⁹/L, Z=2.44, P<0.05). Conclusions: Neonates of mothers infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant during third trimester have benign short-term outcomes, without intrauterine infection through vertical transmission. Strict infection control measures at birth and after birth can effectively protect these neonates from SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Pregnancy ; COVID-19 ; Mothers ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/prevention & control* ; Retrospective Studies ; SARS-CoV-2