Aim To study the correlation between es-trogen metabolism function of intestinal flora and liver fibrosis disease phenotype and differential intestinal bacteria by fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT).Methods C57BL/6J male mice were divided into normal group(Control-M),liver fibrosis Model group(Model),FMT-1 group(normal mice fecal microbiota transplantation from liver fibrosis mice),and FMT-2 group(liver fibrosis mice fecal microbiota transplanta-tion from female mice).The model group was induced by high fat and high glucose combined with low dose of CCl4 for 16 weeks.In the FMT group,the bacteria were destroyed by mixed antibacterial solution and then the corresponding fecal microbiota solution was given.The model group was established in the FMT-2 group and the model group at the same time.Liver function(ALT,AST)was detected by biochemical methods;liver inflammation(IL-1α,IL-6)was detected by ELISA;liver pathology was detected by HE and Mas-son methods;the expressions of α-SMA,collagen Ⅰ,estrogen receptor ERα,ERβ and GPER were detected by Western blot;estrogen metabolic enzymes β-glucu-ronidase and β-glucosidase in intestinal flora were de-tected by double antibody sandwich assay;gut microbi-ota was detected by 16S rDNA method;the correlation between estrogen metabolic enzymes,estrogen receptors and disease phenotypes and disease-related differential bacteria was analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis.Results Liver function,inflammation and fibrosis in-dices were significantly higher in the model group than those in the control-M group and significantly lower in the FMT-2 group than in the model group;estrogen metabolic enzymes of the intestinal flora significantly increased in the model group compared to the control-M group and significantly decreased in the FMT-2 group compared to the model group;the model group showed a significant increase in ERβ and GPER and a significant decrease in ERα compared to the control-M group,while the FMT-2 group showed a significant de-crease in ERβ and GPER and a significant increase in ERα compared to the model group;the FMT-2 group increased the enterobacterial abundance and diversity reduced by modelling;estrogen metabolic enzymes,es-trogen receptor ERβ and GPER were all positively cor-related with the disease phenotype,while the opposite was true for ERα;estrogen metabolic enzymes were positively correlated with Allobaculum,Ruminococcus and Alistipes,and negatively correlated with Akkerman-sia,Lactobacillus and Prevotella.Conclusions Fecal microbiota transplantation in female mice can alleviate liver fibrosis in male mice,which is related to the im-provement of estrogen metabolism of intestinal flora.

Background The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is a vast area with a wide array of ecological environments, resulting in considerable regional variations in air pollution characteristics. Current research is limited by a scarcity of systematic, region-wide studies and risk assessments. Objective To assess the health risks associated with inhalation exposure to nine heavy metal and metalloid elements in atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) for the population of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Methods From the 10th to the 16th of each month throughout 2023, atmospheric PM_2.5 samples were collected at designated monitoring sites in 12 leagues (cities) across the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to analyze the characteristics and trends in concentration. The health risk assessment model developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency was employed to evaluate both the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks associated with the heavy metal elements beryllium (Be), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), hydrargyrum (Hg), plumbum (Pb), manganese (Mn), and nickel (Ni) and the metalloid elements stibium (Sb) and arsenic (As). Results In 2023, a total of 1206 valid PM_2.5 samples were analyzed from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The annual average PM_2.5 concentrations in Inner Mongolia, as well as in the cities of Ordos, Wuhai, and the Alxa League, all exceeded the national limit of 35 μg·m⁻³. The PM_2.5 concentrations across the leagues (cities) exhibited a clear seasonal variation, peaking in winter, followed by spring, and reaching a minimum in summer and autumn. The median PM_2.5 concentration in Ordos throughout the year was higher than that in the other leagues (cities) of the region. Concerning health risks, the non-carcinogenic risks associated with the 9 elements detected in each league (city) were all below 1, indicating acceptable levels. However, the non-carcinogenic risk values for Mn, Cr, and As were relatively high; specifically, Ordos City displayed the highest non-carcinogenic risk values for Mn (7.74×10⁻¹) and Cr (2.97×10⁻²), while Chifeng City recorded the highest value for As (2.34×10⁻³). The carcinogenic risk values for As, Cd, Cr, and Ni fell within the range of 1×10⁻⁹ to 1×10⁻⁵, representing an acceptable level. The health risks varied with age, and the elderly residents faced the highest non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks. Conclusion While the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks from heavy metals and metalloids within atmospheric PM_2.5 in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region are generally within acceptable limits, the potential risks that Mn, As, and Cr pose to the health of elderly people warrants particular attention, and Ordos and Chifeng cities exhibit notably higher health risks among other areas. It is recommended that regular, long-term monitoring be conducted, taking into account the specific conditions at monitoring sites across each league (city), and that targeted air quality management strategies be implemented to protect public health.

BACKGROUND: Death burden of stroke is severe with over one-third rural residents in China, but there is still a lack of specific national and high-quality reports on the urban-rural differences in stroke burden, especially for subtypes. We aimed to update the understanding of urban-rural differences in stroke deaths. METHODS: This is a descriptive observational study. Data from the national mortality surveillance system, which covers 323.8 million with 605 disease surveillance points (DSPs) across all 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China. All deaths from stroke as the underlying cause from 2015 to 2020 according to DSPs. Crude mortality rate and age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) were estimated through DSPs. Average annual percentage change was used to explain the change in mortality rate. RESULTS: From 2015 to 2020, the majority of deaths from all stroke subtypes occurred in rural areas. There were significant differences between the changes of urban and rural ASMRs. On the whole, the changes in urban areas were evidently better, and the ASMR differences were basically expanding. Stroke ASMR in urban China decreased by 15.5%. The rural ASMR of ischemic stroke increased by 12.9%. The rural and urban ASMRs of intracerebral hemorrhage decreased by 24.9% and 27.4%, and those of subarachnoid hemorrhage decreased by 29.5% and 40.4%, respectively. The highest ASMRs of all stroke subtypes and the increasing trend of ischemic stroke ASMR make rural males the focus of stroke management. CONCLUSIONS The death burden of stroke varies greatly between urban and rural China. Rural residents face unique challenges.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Stroke/mortality* ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Male ; Female ; Urban Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Adult

Stroke is a critical health issue in China, and carotid artery stenosis and plaque play key roles in its prevalence. Despite the acknowledged significance of this condition, detailed information regarding the prevalence of carotid artery stenosis and plaque across the Chinese population has been scarce. This study analyzed data from the China Stroke High-risk Population Screening and Intervention Program for 2020-2021, focusing on 194 878 Chinese adults aged 40 years and above. It assessed the prevalence of carotid artery stenosis and plaque and identified their associated risk factors. Results revealed a standardized prevalence of 0.40% for carotid artery stenosis and 36.27% for carotid plaque. Notably, the highest rates of stenosis were observed in north and south China at 0.61%, while southwestern China exhibited the highest plaque prevalence at 43.17%. Key risk factors included older age, male gender, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, smoking, and atrial fibrillation. This study highlights significant geographical and demographic disparities in the prevalence of these conditions, underlining the urgent need for targeted interventions and policy reforms. These measures are essential for reducing the incidence of stroke and improving patient outcomes, addressing this significant health challenge in China.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Prevalence ; Middle Aged ; Carotid Stenosis/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors ; Aged ; Adult ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic/epidemiology* ; Stroke/epidemiology* ; Aged, 80 and over

The Healthy China 2030 Plan set the goal of reducing premature deaths from diabetes by 30% by 2030. However, there has been a lack of assessment of premature mortality for diabetes since the action plan was issued. This study used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, calculated the premature deaths for diabetes by sex, provinces, and subtypes from 1990 to 2021. We explored the temporal trend of premature mortality using the average annual percent change (AAPC) for different sexes, provinces, and subtypes from 1990 to 2021. Furthermore, we predicted premature mortality for diabetes through 2030 for China and its provinces according to the average annual change rate from 2010 to 2021. There was a first slow upward trend in premature mortality for diabetes from 0.5% in 1990 to 0.6% in 2004, and then a decline until 2021 with premature mortality of 0.4%. By 2030, only Fujian (30.3%) will achieve the desired level of reduction, with only seven provinces meeting the target for females and none for males. There is a large range in the degree of decline between inland and coastal regions, showing obvious geographic differences, and there should be a focus on balancing medical resources.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Female ; Male ; Mortality, Premature/trends* ; Diabetes Mellitus/mortality* ; Goals ; Middle Aged ; Adult

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:To investigate the protective effect and mechanism of 4-octyl itaconate(4-OI)on vascular endothelial function in diabetic mice,since endothelial dysfunction is the key and initial factor for vascular complications in diabetes.Methods:The db/db mice were used to establish a mouse model of diabetes,and high glucose(HG)-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs)were used to establish a cell model of diabetes.After 4-OI treatment,HE staining,Masson staining,and reticular fiber staining were used to observe pathological changes of the thoracic aorta in the control group,the model group,and the intervention group;Western blot was used to measure the expression of α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA),a marker for endothelial fibrosis;immuno-fluorescence assay was used to measure the expression levels of Bcl-2-associated X protein(BAX)and B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2)in the thoracic aorta of mice in the control group,the model group,and the intervention group;immunoblotting was used to observe the effect of 4-OI intervention on the expression of BAX,Bcl-2,and the proteins associated with the cytochrome C(CytC)/cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase(caspase)pathway in HG-induced HUVECs.Results:The results showed that 4-OI could significantly improve vascular endothelial dysfunction in db/db diabetic mice.Compared with the model group,the intervention group had a significant increase in the expression of Bcl-2(0.73±0.07 vs.0.52±0.04,F=49.380,P=0.009)and a significant reduction in the expression of BAX(1.41±0.14 vs.1.89±0.12,F=37.270,P=0.008)after 4-OI treatment.In the cell model of HUVECs induced by HG,compared with the high glucose group,the intervention group had a sig-nificant increase in the expression of Bcl-2(1.22±0.04 vs.0.81±0.09,F=75.410,P<0.001)and a significant reduction in the expres-sion of BAX(0.83±0.04 vs.1.12±0.04,F=268.100,P<0.001)after 4-OI treatment,as well as significant reductions in the expres-sion of CytC(0.61±0.03 vs.1.01±0.03,F=234.000,P<0.001),caspase-9(0.62±0.03 vs.1.04±0.04,F=164.300,P<0.001),and caspase-3(0.92±0.06 vs.1.74±0.04,F=424.100,P<0.001).Conclusion:In conclusion,4-OI inhibits vascular endothelial cell apoptosis in diabetic mice by affecting the expression of the CytC/Caspase pathway factors,thereby improving vascular endothelial dys-function in diabetes.

Microalgae can achieve sustainable CO2 fixation and biomass conversion,making them a green path for carbon capture and conversion.Monitoring extracellular carbonic anhydrase(CA)activity in microalgae is crucial for regulating carbon conversion efficiency.In this study,double-stranded DNA was designed as a capture probe to bind H+,which was produced by CA-catalyzed CO2 hydration.This interaction induced conformational changes in the DNA probe,enhancing fluorescence signals and thereby establishing a recognition and signal transduction mechanism for CA catalytic product.This approach enabled a novel method for measuring CA activity.The response of probe to H+was investigated using ultraviolet visible(UV-Vis)spectroscopy,circular dichroism sepctroscopy,and fluorescence spectroscopy.The experimental results indicated that the fluorescence intensity of the probe increased progressively with rising H+concentration.Using this probe,CA activity detection could be completed within 29 min,with a detection range of 0.35-17500 U/mL and a detection limit of 0.15 U/mL.Compared to traditional methods,this approach offered a lower detection limit and was suitable for analyzing and detecting extracellular CA activity in actual algal samples.

Lentiviral vectors(LVs)are key gene delivery tools for integrating target genes into the host genome,but they may also pose risks of insertional mutagenesis.The vector copy number(VCN)in cells is critical for determining the safety of gene modification.However,the reliability and accuracy of its quantification process are influenced by multiple factors.Developing cell reference materials with specific vector copy numbers represents a viable approach to enhance the reliability and consistency of measurement results,enabling quality control of the quantification process and traceability of outcomes.However,the preparation of such reference materials faces challenges in cell sample design,preparation protocols,and advanced quantification techniques.In this study,T lymphocyte cell line Jurkat-based reference materials with LV gene copy numbers of 1 and 2 copy/cell were developed.A high-precision duplex digital polymerase chain reaction(dPCR)method was established to quantify the LV gene and endogenous genes simultaneously.Additionally,the results of dPCR were cross-validated through next-generation sequencing and flow cytometric analysis.Ultimately,confocal microscopy characterization results showed that the developed cell reference materials had intact morphology.The quantification result of VCN-1 was(1.07±0.11)copy/cell,and that of VCN-2 was(2.09±0.21)copy/cell.These cell reference materials demonstrated compliance with stability and homogeneity requirements,and could be applied for quality control throughout the VCN measurement workflow and metrological traceability,improving the accuracy,comparability,and validity of copy number measurements.

Objective:To explore the mechanism of Danxing Zhishuang Prescription in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) by combining network pharmacology with animal models.Methods:TCMSP, BATMAN database, Genecards, and OMIM databases were retrieved to obtain the active components and action targets of Danxing Zhishuang Prescription. Venny 2.1.0 was used to intersect drug targets and PD related genes, and a protein interaction network of the intersection targets was constructed using the STRING 12.0 platform. Topology analysis was performed using Cytoscape 3.10.0 software to identify the key targets of Danxing Zhishuang Prescription on PD; GO functional and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis was performed on key targets using the WeChat platform, and molecular docking was validated through AutoDockTools 1.5.7. Using a random number table method, mice were divided into a blank control group, a model group, and a Danxing Zhishuang Prescription group, with 20 mice in each group; except for the blank group, all other groups of mice were orally administered fisetin to prepare PD models; Danxing Zhishuang Prescription group was orally administered with concentrated Danxing Zhishuang Prescription at a dosage of 10.5 g/kg, while the blank group and model group were orally administered with 0.2 ml of physiological saline for 21 days; Western blot was used to detect the expressions of Akt1, Bcl-2, Bax, and α-Syn proteins.Results:359 intersection targets, 69 core targets, and 185 active components were obtained the treatment of PD with Danxing Zhishuang Prescription. The main active components included quercetin, kaempferol, phenylalanine, etc., and the key targets were AKT1, TP53, TNF, ESR1, etc. KEGG analysis revealed several key signaling pathways, such as AGE-RAGE, PI3K-Akt, fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis signaling pathways. The validation experiment results showed that compared with the model group, the expression of Bcl-2 protein was up-regulated ( P<0.01), and the expressions of Bax, Akt1, and α-Syn proteins were down-regulated in the Danxing Zhishuang Prescription group ( P<0.01). Conclusions:Danxing Zhishuang Prescription has the advantages of multi target and multi pathway treatment for PD. Its mechanism may be related to down-regulating the expressions of Bax, Akt1, and α-Syn proteins, improving brain blood supply, regulating neurotransmitter balance, inhibiting oxidative stress response, and promoting nerve regeneration.