OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

Tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), are a series of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by pathological accumulation of the microtubule-associated protein tau. Since the abnormal modification and deposition of tau in nerve cells are crucial for tauopathy etiology, methods for reducing tau levels, such as promoting tau degradation, may become effective strategies for disease treatment. Herein, we identified that sorafenib significantly reduced total tau and phosphorylated tau levels through screening FDA-approved drugs. We showed that sorafenib treatment attenuated cognitive deficits and tau pathologies in PS19 tauopathy model mice. Mechanistically, we found that sorafenib inhibited multiple kinases involved in tau phosphorylation and promoted autophagy. Importantly, we further demonstrated that sorafenib also promoted the expression of the E3 ubiquitin ligase FBXW7, which could bind tau and mediate tau degradation through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Finally, we showed that FBXW7 expression decreased in the brains of AD patients and tauopathy model mice, and that overexpression of FBXW7 in the hippocampus attenuated cognitive deficits and tau pathologies in PS19 mice. These results suggest that sorafenib may be a promising treatment option for tauopathies by promoting tau degradation and reducing tau phosphorylation, and that targeting FBXW7 could also serve as an alternative therapeutic strategy for tauopathies.

OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional study assessed the methodological quality of systematic reviews (SRs) of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) published in Chinese between Jan 2021 and Sep 2022. METHODS: Chinese language CHM SRs were identified through literature searches across 3 international and 4 Chinese databases. Methodological quality was appraised using A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews 2. Logistic regressions were used to explore associations between bibliographical characteristics and quality. RESULTS: Analyses of methodological quality found that among the 213 sampled SRs, 69.5% were of critically low quality, 30.5% were of low quality, and none achieved high or moderate quality. Common shortcomings included the failure to identify the studies excluded from the analysis, failure to disclose funding sources, and limited evaluation of the potential impact of bias on conclusions. Logistic regressions revealed that SRs led by corresponding authors affiliated with universities or academic institutions tended to be of lower quality than SRs led by authors affiliated with hospitals or clinical facilities. CONCLUSION Recent Chinese language CHM SRs exhibited limited methodological quality, making them unlikely to support the development of clinical practice guidelines. Urgent initiatives are needed to enhance training for researchers, peer-reviewers and editors involved in the preparation and publication of SRs. Adoption of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses reporting guidelines in Chinese language journals is crucial to improve the relevance of SRs for Chinese medicine development. Addressing deficiencies in methodology and reporting is essential for promoting evidence-based practices and informed clinical decisions in Chinese medicine. Please cite this article as: Jiang Y, Zhong CC, Wang BH, Xu SS, Ho FF, Kwong MH, Ho L, Zhou JHS, Lam KC, Liu JP, Zhang BT, Chung VCH. Methodological quality of systematic reviews on orally administered Chinese herbal medicine published in Chinese between 2021 and 2022: A cross-sectional study. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):492-501.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Systematic Reviews as Topic/standards* ; Humans ; China ; Administration, Oral ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

BACKGROUND:The nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway plays an important role in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis.In recent years,increasing studies have shown that terpenoid herbal monomer compounds can inhibit the activity of bone resorbing cells and promote the differentiation of bone forming cells via the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway,thus reducing bone resorption and increasing bone formation,which has certain preventive and therapeutic effects on osteoporosis. OBJECTIVE:By analyzing and summarizing the domestic and international literature,to investigate the relationship between nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway and osteoporosis in depth,elucidate the mechanism of terpenoid monomer compounds in regulating the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway to prevent osteoporosis,and systematically summarize the terpenoid monomer compounds targeting to regulate the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway to prevent osteoporosis. METHODS:According to the proposed inclusion and exclusion criteria,two researchers searched for relevant articles published from database inception to December 2022 in CNKI and PubMed using the search terms"NF-κB,osteoporosis,osteoblasts,osteoclasts,angiogenesis,traditional Chinese medicine,terpenoid"in Chinese and English,respectively.A third researcher summarized and organized the literature and 75 articles were finally included for a systematic review. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway mediates the onset and progression of osteoporosis by regulating the differentiation and proliferation of osteoblasts and osteoclasts,as well as angiogenesis.Activation of the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway negatively regulates the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts.Activation of the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway enhances osteoclast activity and inhibits osteoblast growth,thereby inhibiting compensatory bone production to maintain bone homeostasis.However,over-activation of the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway can lead to osteoporosis.The nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway is involved in the"angiogenesis-osteogenesis"coupling by upregulating the expression levels of cytokines such as angiopoietin-1,platelet-derived growth factor BB and vascular endothelial growth factor,which promote the growth of blood vessels in bone.The terpenoid herbal monomer compounds are used in the field of tissue engineering to promote the proliferation and differentiation of bone cells,thereby promoting the growth and repair of bone tissue.Terpenoid herbal monomer compounds can prevent and treat osteoporosis by inhibiting the degradation of nuclear factor-κB inhibitor,blocking nuclear factor-κB/p65 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation,thereby weakening the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway,promoting osteoblast differentiation and inhibiting osteoclast formation.Currently,research on the regulation of nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway by monomeric compounds of terpenoids to prevent osteoporosis is mainly based on in vitro cellular experiments and animal models,and there is a lack of research on the complex physiological and pathological processes in humans.In the future,more clinical trials and studies are needed to further clarify the mechanism of action and efficacy of the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway involved in the intervention of osteoporosis.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of arthroscopic double-row double-pulley technique in the treatment of Ideberg type IA scapular glenoid fracture.Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 16 patients with Ideberg type IA scapular glenoid fracture admitted to Jiading Branch of Shanghai General Hospital from January 2018 to December 2021, including 10 males and 6 females, aged 25-65 years [(42.9±5.1)years]. The patients were treated with arthroscope-assisted reduction and double-row double-pulley technique. The operation time was recorded. Three-dimensional reconstruction of the shoulder joint with CT was performed to assess fracture displacement and healing. Modified University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) score and Constant-Murley score were used to evaluate shoulder function and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score was used to evaluate pain before surgery, at 3, 6, 12 months after surgery and at the last follow-up. The complications were observed.Results:All the patients were followed up for 12-36 months [(20.3±4.4)months]. The operation time was 60-90 minutes [(74.7±8.9)minutes]. Three-dimensional construction of the shoulder joint with CT performed at 3 months after surgery showed that there was no fracture re-displacement and all the patients had bone union. The modified UCLA score, Constant-Murley score and VAS score at 3 months after surgery were (30.4±0.4)points, (84.3±1.4)points and 2.0(1.3, 3.0)points, respectively, which were significantly improved compared with those before surgery [(21.1±0.5)points, (56.4±1.3)points and 5.0(5.0, 6.0)points respectively] ( P<0.05). The modified UCLA score, Constant-Murley score and VAS score at 6 months after surgery were (33.1±0.4)points, (91.0±0.5)points and 1.0(1.0, 2.0)]points respectively, which were significantly improved compared with those at 3 months after surgery ( P<0.05). The modified UCLA score, Constant-Murley score and VAS score at 12 months after surgery were (33.5±0.3)points, (92.6±0.6)points and 1.0(0.3, 1.8)points respectively, showing no significant differences from those at 6 months after surgery ( P>0.05). The modified UCLA score, Constant-Murley score and VAS score at the last follow-up were (33.8±0.8)points, (93.7±1.8)points and 1.0(0.0, 1.0)points respectively, with no significant differences from those at 12 months after surgery ( P>0.05). There were no complications such as wound infection, neurovascular injury or shoulder stiffness after surgery. Conclusion:Arthroscopic double-row double-pulley technique for the treatment of Ideberg type IA scapular glenoid fracture has a short operation time, a high fracture healing rate, good shoulder function recovery, and pain relief, with no common complications.

Objective To investigate the application value of the MHSeqTyper47 kit in kinship identification.Methods Multiplexed amplification and library preparation were performed for DNA samples from 113 related individuals by using the MHSeqTyper47 kit.The libraries were sequenced on a MiSeq FGx sequencer,and the data were analyzed using MHTyper for microhaplotype genotyping.The kinship indexes were calculated to evaluate the application efficiency of this kit in kinship identification and compared with those of the GlobalFilerTM kit.Results For the MHSeqTyper47 kit,the CPI values in trio identification were 1.43× 1011～6.15×1018.The CPI values in duo identification were 1.02× 105～1.53× 1013.The CFSI values in full sibling identification were 7.73×101～2.59×1016.Trios,duos and full siblings could be completely distinguished from unrelated pairs.The combined efficiency of these two kits in 2nd-degree kinship identification was 0.466 2.Conclusion The application value of MHSeqTyper47 kit is relatively higher in the identification of lst-degree kinships.If jointly used with the GlobalFilerrM kit,2nd-degree kinship identification could be achieved in some cases.

Objective To clarify the high-touch surface in oral diagnosis and treatment procedures,provide basis and guidance for cleaning and disinfection.Methods The direct observation method was used to investigate the tou-ch time and frequency of environmental surfaces in 7 outpatient departments of a tertiary stomatology hospitals in Beijing.The average touch frequency,95％confidence interval and cumulative touch rate were calculated.Results In oral diagnosis and treatment procedures,the average touch frequency of the environmental surface was 26.75 times per procedure,with the highest in endodontics(46.25 times per procedure)and the lowest in the oral mucosal specialty(10.19 times per procedure).The high-touch surface consisted of the shadowless lamp handle,manipula-tion panel and handle on dental unit(doctor's side),computer keyboard and mouse,handle and line front end of three way syringe,as well as dental high speed handpiece and line front end,with average touch frequencies of 3.99,3.85,2.65,1.86,and 1.40 times per procedure.The high-touch surface in all stomatology specialties in-cluded the manipulation panel and handle on dental unit(doctor's side),75％of specialties included computer key-board and mouse,and the shadowless lamp handle has the highest touch frequency in 50％of specialties.The ave-rage touch frequency of the environmental surface was highest(113.50 times per procedure)during crown prepara-tion procedure,and the lowest(8.50 times per procedure)during the orthodontic consultations.Conclusion The high-touch surface of different dental specialties and different diagnosis and treatment procedures are different.Me-dical institutions should take corresponding cleaning,disinfection and management measures according to the actual situation of high-touch surface in stomatology departments,so as to effectively improve the quality of environmental cleaning and disinfection.

Objective To analyze the pathogenic characteristics and drug sensitivity of candidaemia,and construct a short-term mortality risk prediction scoring model.Methods The clinical data of patients with candidaemia admitted to the 909 Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force from January 2011 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed,and the composition of pathogen composition,drug sensitivity test results and incidence of hospitalized patients were analyzed.324 cases of candidaemia were randomly divided into modeling group(190 cases)and validation group(134 cases),and the risk factors were screened by binary logistic regression.According to the odds ratio(OR)score,the 30 day mortality risk prediction scoring model was constructed,and the predictive performance of the model was verified both in modeling and validation groups.Results 356 strains of Candida including 126 strains of C.albicans(35.39%),79 strains of C.tropicalis(22.19%),74 strains of C.parapsilosis(20.79%),48 strains of C.glabrata(13.48%),14 strains of C.guilliermondii(3.93%),8 strains of C.krusei(2.25%),and 7 strains of other Candida(1.97%)were detected in 336 patients with candidemia.The incidence of candidaemia among hospitalized patients increased from 0.20 ‰ in 2011 to 0.48 ‰ in 2020.The resistance rate of candida to amphotericin B was significantly lower than that of fluconazole,voriconazole and itraconazole(P＜0.05).Among the 324 cases included in the model,95 patients died in 30 days after diagnosis,and the mortality rate was 29.32%.The proportion of males,fever,and parenteral nutrition in modeling group was significantly higher than that in validation group(P＜0.05),while the proportion of chronic lung disease and surgical history within one month were lower than those in validation group(P＜0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that chronic renal failure,mechanical ventilation,severe neutropenia,failure to receive anti-fungal treatment within 72 hours,and APACHE Ⅱ≥20 were risk factors for short-term death of candidaemia,the OR values were 3.179,1.970,2.979,2.080,and 2.399,and the risk scores were 6,4,6,4,and 5,respectively.The area under the curve(AUC)of the risk scoring model for modeling group was 0.792(95%CI 0.721-0.862),and the result of Hosmer-Lemeshow(H-L)test was P=0.305;The AUC of validation group was 0.796(95%CI 0.735-0.898),and the H-L test result was P=0.329.A risk score≤8 indicated a low risk group for short-term mortality,a score of 9-15 indicated a medium risk group,and a score≥16 indicated a high risk group.Conclusions The incidence of candidemia in hospitalized patients is increasing and the mortality is high.The risk prediction score model can effectively predict the short-term prognosis and facilitate the early identification of the prognosis.

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of rabies-exposed population in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province from 2014 to 2023, so as to provide insights into the prevention and control of rabies. Methods: Data of rabies-exposed population in Wenzhou City from 2014 to 2023 were collected through Wenzhou Rabies-Exposed Population Summary Sheet reported by dog injury clinics. The species of animals causing injuries, exposure time, exposure grade, exposure site, and post-exposure treatment were descriptively analyzed. Results: Totally 709 900 patients were admitted to dog injury clinics in Wenzhou City from 2014 to 2023, and the exposure rate showed an increasing trend (Z=7.238, P<0.001), with an average annual exposure rate of 750.75/105. The number of cases with exposure to rabies peaked in July (79 230 cases, 11.16%) and August (78 570 cases, 11.07%). Dogs were predominant animals causing injuries (448 900 cases, 63.23%), and the exposure rate showed a downward trend (Z=-5.921, P<0.001); cats were the second (175 142 cases, 24.67%), and the exposure rate showed an upward trend (Z=23.314, P<0.001). The upper (379 695 cases, 53.49%) and lower limbs (287 521 cases, 40.50%) were the main exposure sites. There were 21 034 cases (2.96%) exposed to head and face, and the exposure rate of head and face showed an upward trend (Z=3.549, P<0.001). Grade II exposure was the most common (403 881 cases, 56.89%), and the exposure rate showed an upward trend (Z=8.769, P<0.001). The proportion of using human rabies immune globulin was 23.13% in Grade III exposed population, showing a downward trend (Z=-12.848, P<0.001). Conclusions The exposure rate of rabies in Wenzhou City showed an upward trend from 2014 to 2023, with July and August as the peak months of exposure. Injuries mainly caused by dogs, while the exposure rate of cat bites showed an upward trend. The proportion of using human rabies immune globulin needs to be improved.

With the rapid society development and broad recognition of "Healthy China", the demands for good life and health are increasing. Accordingly, the concept of "food and medicine homologous" have been attractive. The concept of "food and medicine homologous" has a long history in China, and is an essence of various ideas in traditional Chinese medicine, such as diet therapy, medicated diet, regimen and preventive treatment of disease, representing an important field in health science. Many studies have found that the active ingredients of "food and medicine homologous" substances are multiple types, multiple mechanisms and multiple targets, exerting their biological effects after oral administration and chemical or metabolic transformation. In this review, the chemical basis and biological principles of various "food and medicine homologous" substances were summarized as compounds, biological macromolecules and intestinal flora. By focusing on the intestinal flora, we discussed the detailed biological principles of several classic "food and medicine homologous" substances. The scientific significance of "food and medicine homologous" concept were also discussed. This review explores the concept of "food and medicine homologous" from the perspective of modern medicine, in order to provide insights for future drug development and human health.