This study aims to explore the scientific connotation of sinking Rehmanniae Radix has the best quality and compare the quality between floating and sinking fresh Rehmanniae Radix samples. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole electrostatic field Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS) was employed to detect the chemical components in floating and sinking fresh Rehmanniae Radix samples. The fingerprint of fresh Rehmanniae Radix was established by high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC), and four index components were determined simultaneously. The cluster analysis, principal component analysis(PCA), and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) were conducted to compare the quality of floating and sinking fresh Rehmanniae Radix samples. An evaporative light-scattering detector was used to compare the content of five sugars. The extract yield and drying rate were determined, and the quality connotation of sinking Rehmanniae Radix has the best quality was explained by multiple indicators. A total of 41 components were preliminarily identified from fresh Rehmanniae Radix by UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS, including 7 iridoid glycosides, 9 phenylethanol glycosides, 6 amino acids, 4 sugars, 3 phenolic acids, 5 nucleosides, 3 organic acids, 1 ionone, 1 furan, 1 coumarin, and 1 phenylpropanoid. The results showed that the main chemical components were consistent between floating and sinking fresh Rehmanniae Radix. Nine common peaks were identified in the fingerprints of 15 batches of floating and sinking fresh Rehmanniae Radix samples, and the similarity of fingerprints was greater than 0.9. The cluster analysis, PCA, and OPLS-DA classified floating and sinking fresh Rehmanniae Radix sasmples into two categories, indicating differences in the quality between them. The total content of catalpol, rehmannioside D, ajugol, and verbascoside in sinking fresh Rehmanniae Radix samples was higher than that in floating samples of the same batch and specification, and the main differential component was catalpol. The total content of fructose, glucose, sucrose, raffinose, and stachyose in sinking fresh Rehmanniae Radix samples was higher than that in floating samples of the same batch and specification, and the main differential component was stachyose. The extract yield and drying rate of the sinking samples were higher than those of floating samples. This study preliminarily showed that floating and sinking fresh Rehmanniae Radix samples had the same components but great differences in the content of medicinal substance basis. The total content of four glycosides and five sugars, extract yield, and drying rate of sinking fresh Rehmanniae Radix samples is higher than that of floating samples of the same batch and specification. These findings, to a certain extent, explains the scientificity of sinking Rehmanniae Radix has the best quality recorded in ancient books and provide a reference for the quality control and clinical application of fresh Rehmanniae Radix.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Rehmannia/chemistry* ; Chemometrics ; Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Quality Control ; Principal Component Analysis ; Plant Extracts

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect and safety of Lu'e Biyan Formula (LBF) combined with loratadine in the treatment of moderate to severe allergic rhinitis (AR) patients with Fei (Lung)-qi deficiency-coldness (FQDC) syndrome. METHODS: From September 2023 to December 2024, moderate to severe AR patients with FQDC syndrome were recruited from the Outpatient Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for Pulmonary Diseases Part 1, China-Japan Friendship Hospital. Participants were randomly assigned to a test group and a control group by using a random number table at a ratio of 1:1. Both groups received oral loratadine tablets (10 mg, once daily) for 2 weeks. In addition, the test group received oral LBF (30 mL, twice daily), and the control group received a placebo of LBF. Changes in the Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS), Total Non-nasal Symptom Score (TNNSS), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ), and Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome scores before and after treatment were compared between groups. Moreover, the total effective rates and disease recurrence rates were compared. Adverse events (AEs) during the study period were also recorded. RESULTS: Totally 109 participants were recruited, and the full analysis set included 105 cases, 54 in the test group and 51 in the control group. Compared with the pre-treatment values, the scores of sneezing, runny nose, nasal obstruction, nasal itching, TNSS, TNNSS, VAS, RQLQ, and CM syndrome were significantly reduced in both groups at 1 and 2 weeks post-treatment and 12 weeks post-drug withdrawal (P<0.01). After treatment, the aforementioned scores in the test group were all markedly lower than those in the control group (P<0.01). Moreover, the total effective rate in the test group was higher than that in the control group (98.15% vs. 70.59%, P<0.01). After 12 weeks of drug withdrawal, there was no significant difference in the recurrence rate between groups (13.21% vs. 22.22%, P>0.05). No obvious AEs were observed in either group following treatment. CONCLUSIONS The combination of LBF with loratadine can effectively alleviate the symptoms of moderate to severe AR patients with FQDC syndrome, thereby improving their quality of life. This therapy demonstrated both precise effect and high safety. (Trial registration No. ITMCTR2025000589).
Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Male ; Rhinitis, Allergic/drug therapy* ; Female ; Adult ; Double-Blind Method ; Quality of Life ; Qi ; Middle Aged ; Loratadine/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Syndrome ; Lung/drug effects* ; Young Adult ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND: The use of inserted sham acupuncture as a placebo in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is controversial, because it may produce specific effects that cause an underestimation of the effect of acupuncture treatment. OBJECTIVE: This systematic survey investigates the magnitude of insert-specific effects of sham acupuncture and whether they affect the estimation of acupuncture treatment effects. SEARCH STRATEGY: PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched to identify acupuncture RCTs from their inception until December 2022. INCLUSION CRITERIA: RCTs that evaluated the effects of acupuncture compared to sham acupuncture and no treatment. DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS: The total effect measured for an acupuncture treatment group in RCTs were divided into three components, including the natural history and/or regression to the mean effect (controlled for no-treatment group), the placebo effect, and the specific effect of acupuncture. The first two constituted the contextual effect of acupuncture, which is mimicked by a sham acupuncture treatment group. The proportion of acupuncture total effect size was considered to be 1. The proportion of natural history and/or regression to the mean effect (PNE) and proportional contextual effect (PCE) of included RCTs were pooled using meta-analyses with a random-effect model. The proportion of acupuncture placebo effect was the difference between PCE and PNE in RCTs with non-inserted sham acupuncture. The proportion of insert-specific effect of sham acupuncture (PIES) was obtained by subtracting the proportion of acupuncture placebo effect and PNE from PCE in RCTs with inserted sham acupuncture. The impact of PIES on the estimation of acupuncture's treatment effect was evaluated by quantifying the percentage of RCTs that the effect of outcome changed from no statistical difference to statistical difference after removing PIES in the included studies, and the impact of PIES was externally validated in other acupuncture RCTs with an inserted sham acupuncture group that were not used to calculate PIES. RESULTS: This analysis included 32 studies with 5492 patients. The overall PNE was 0.335 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.255-0.415) and the PCE of acupuncture was 0.639 (95% CI, 0.567-0.710) of acupuncture's total effect. The proportional contribution of the placebo effect to acupuncture's total effect was 0.191, and the PIES was 0.189. When we modeled the exclusion of the insert-specific effect of sham acupuncture, the acupuncture treatment effect changed from no difference to a significant difference in 45.45% of the included RCTs, and in 40.91% of the external validated RCTs. CONCLUSION The insert-specific effect of sham acupuncture in RCTs represents 18.90% of acupuncture's total effect and significantly affects the evaluation of the acupuncture treatment effect. More than 40% of RCTs that used inserted sham acupuncture would draw different conclusions if the PIES had been controlled for. Considering the impact of the insert-specific effect of sham acupuncture, caution should be taken when using inserted sham acupuncture placebos in RCTs. Please cite this article as: Luo XC, Liu JL, Yao MH, Chen YM, Fan AY, Liang FR, Zhao JP, Zhao L, Zhou X, Zhong XY, Yang JH, Li B, Zhang Y, Sun X, Li L. Specific effect of inserted sham acupuncture and its impact on the estimation of acupuncture treatment effect in randomized controlled trials: A systematic survey. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(6):630-640.
Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Humans ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Placebo Effect ; Placebos ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: Lipid oxidation is involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and may be contribute to the development of Ischemic stroke (IS). However, the lipid profiles associated with IS have been poorly studied. We conducted a pilot study to identify potential IS-related lipid molecules and pathways using lipidomic profiling. METHODS: Serum lipidomic profiling was performed using LC-MS in 20 patients with IS and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Univariate and multivariate analyses were simultaneously performed to identify the differential lipids. Multiple testing was controlled for using a false discovery rate (FDR) approach. Enrichment analysis was performed using MetaboAnalyst software. RESULTS: Based on the 294 lipids assayed, principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) models were used to distinguish patients with IS from healthy controls. Fifty-six differential lipids were identified with an FDR-adjusted P less than 0.05 and variable influences in projection (VIP) greater than 1.0. These lipids were significantly enriched in glycerophospholipid metabolism (FDR-adjusted P = 0.009, impact score = 0.216). CONCLUSIONS Serum lipid profiles differed significantly between patients with IS and healthy controls. Thus, glycerophospholipid metabolism may be involved in the development of IS. These results provide initial evidence that lipid molecules and their related metabolites may serve as new biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for IS.
Humans ; Pilot Projects ; Lipidomics ; Male ; Female ; Biomarkers/blood* ; Middle Aged ; Ischemic Stroke/blood* ; Aged ; China ; Lipids/blood* ; Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; East Asian People

Programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) is an important immunosuppressive molecule, which inhibits the function of T cells and other immune cells by binding to the receptor programmed cell death-1. The PD-L1 expression disorder plays an important role in the occurrence, development, and treatment of sepsis or other inflammatory diseases, and has become an important target for the treatment of these diseases. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a kind of pluripotent stem cells with multiple differentiation potential. In recent years, MSCs have been found to have a strong immunosuppressive ability and are used to treat various inflammatory insults caused by hyperimmune diseases. Moreover, PD-L1 is deeply involved in the immunosuppressive events of MSCs and plays an important role in the treatment of various diseases. In this review, we will summarize the main regulatory mechanism of PD-L1 expression, and discuss various biological functions of PD-L1 in the immune regulation of MSCs.

ObjectiveTo investigate the prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome （PCOS） among female college students at a university in Fuzhou City， Jiangxi Province， and to facilitate early detection and intervention of PCOS. MethodsUsing a stratified sampling method， a total of 450 female freshmen were randomly selected for PCOS screening. A self-designed questionnaire was used for data collection， covering menstrual status， high androgen signs， lifestyle， dietary habits， and awareness of PCOS. Sample t test and χ² test were used to compare the basic information and dietary habits between PCOS and non-PCOS cases. The correlation between various indicators and the prevalence of PCOS was analyzed by a logistic regression model. ResultsA total of 12 PCOS cases were identified， with a prevalence rate of 2.99%. PCOS cases exhibited statistically significant differences compared to non-PCOS cases in terms of waist-to-hip ratio， waist circumference， abdominal obesity， the proportion of overweight or obese individuals， and a preference for sweet food （all P<0.05）. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed a significant correlation between preference for sweet food and the occurrence of PCOS （OR=4.858， 95%CI=1.199‒19.675，P=0.027）， as well as a significant correlation with PCOS accompanied by abdominal obesity （OR=7.083， 95%CI=0.773‒64.937， P=0.048）. Among the female college students surveyed， 37.90% had never heard of PCOS， 51.62% were only familiar with the name of the disease， and 10.47% had attempted to search for PCOS-related information. ConclusionThe prevalence of PCOS among female college students should not be overlooked and unhealthy dietary habits may be a crucial factor contributing to the occurrence of PCOS during this period. Early screening for PCOS during puberty is crucial.

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.

Objective:To explore the clinical manifestations and genetic basis for a Chinese pedigree affected with atypical Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1 A (CMT1A).Methods:A patient admitted to the Department of Neurology, Xijing Hospital Affiliated to Air Force Medical University in June 2022 was selected as the study subject. Clinical data of the patient was collected, and 17 family members from four generations of this pedigree were traced based on pes arcuatus and atypical clinical symptoms. Neuroultrasound and genetic testing were carried out on available family members. Whole exome sequencing and multiple ligation-dependent probe amplification assay were carried out for the proband and some of the affected members of the pedigree.Results:The proband, a 15-year-old male, had presented with paroxystic limb pain with weakness, accompanied by pes cavus and hypertrophy of gastrocnemius muscles, without stork leg sign caused by muscles atrophy in the distal lower extremities. MRI has revealed no sign of fat infiltration in the muscles of both legs. Nerve conduction examination had indicated damages of the sensory and motor nerves of the limbs, mainly with demyelinating changes. Seven members of the pedigree had pes arcuatus, including 5 presenting with paroxysmal neuropathic pain and myasthenia in the limbs, whilst 2 were without any clinical symptoms. Neurosonography of the proband, his brother, father and aunt showed thickened peripheral nerves of the extremities with unclear bundle structure. Genetic analysis revealed a large repeat encompassing exons 1 to 5 of the PMP22 gene and flanking regions (chr17: 15133768_15502298) in some of the affected members, which was predicted to be pathogenic. Conclusion:The duplication of PMP22 gene was considered to be pathogenic for this CMT1A pedigree.

Objective To investigate the dynamic expression with the time change of N6-methyladenosine(m6A)methylation-related factors in the repair process of skeletal muscle injury and its mechanism in the inflammatory response of macrophage in the injure process.Methods In vivo mice models of BaCl2 injury in the gastrocnemius were established.Four mice per group in the control group and injury group.Gastrocnemius tissues were harvested at day 1,3,5,7,and 9 after injury for experiments.Primary gastrocnemius muscle tissue cells,muscle satellite cells,muscle cells,and cell line C2C12 cells were treated with dexamethasone(DEX,50 μmol/L)to mimic injury.Lipopolysaccharide(LPS,100 μg/L)induced RAW264.7 cell lines to mimic the inflammatory response after skeletal muscle injury,and STM2457(30 μmol/L)was added to inhibit the effect of methyltransferase 3(Mettl3)before LPS treatment.The expression of m6A methylation-related factors(Writers,Erasers,Readers)and inflammation factors were detected by Real-time PCR and Western blotting.Results The muscle fibers were dissolved and then gradually repaired with the extension of injury time,the number of monocytes/macrophages increased first and then decreased,and the Pax7 mRNA level increased first and then decreased with the change of injury time.Compared with the control group,the mRNA and protein levels of m6A methylation-related factors in gastrocnemius did not change significantly on the injury-1 day.However,they were significantly increased on the injury-3 days compared with the control group(P＜0.05),and then obviously decreased on the injury-5 days group compared with the injury-3 days group(P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,they were no significant differences on the injury-7 days group and-9 days group.In vitro DEX decreased the mRNA levels of m6A methyltransferase factors in primary muscle satellite cells and C2C12 cells and increased the mRNA expression level of methylation-recognition enzyme factors(P＜0.05).The mRNA levels of m6A methylation-related factors increased significantly in skeletal muscle tissue cells and myocytes after DEX treatment(P＜0.05).After LPS treatment,the mRNA and protein expression levels of m6A methylation-related factors and the mRNA expression levels of inflammatory factors interleukin(IL)-6 and IL-1β in macrophages increased significantly(P＜0.05),while the levels of IL-6 and IL-1β mRNA in macrophages decreased significantly when the Mettl3 was inhibited(P＜0.05).Conclusion m6A methylation-related factors primarily is activated in the damaged muscle cells and inflammation response of macrophages.Inhibition of m6A methyltransferase can reduce the inflammatory response of macrophages.

Objective To develop a low-oxygen mixed gas generator to make up for the deficiencies of low-pressure chambers and load-resistant hypoxia trainers during pilot hypoxia tolerance testing.Methods The device prepared the low-oxygen gas with the principle of gas separation,which was composed of a Sunsource OLF1100D-220AF air compressor,a SMC IDG75SAM4-03 filter,a buffer tank,an AIR Products PA3010 integrated assembly,a control box,sensors and regulators.The sensors included the pressure sensor,flow sensor,concentration sensor and dew point temperature sensor,and the control box consisted of a main control board,a power supply module,a transmission module,a communication module,a display and a housing.The embedded control software of the device was developed with KEIL 5 and C++.Results The device developed prepared the low-oxygen gas with the volume fraction being 4％to 18％and the maximum error of volume fraction being 0.05％,and the main components of the prepared gas met the technical requirements of medical oxygen as stipulated in GB 8982-2009 Oxygen supplies for medicine and aircraft breathing.Conclusion The low-oxygen gas prepared by the device has its volume fraction precisely controlled and can be used for hypoxia tolerance testing and acclimation training for pilots.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(7):24-28]