ObjectiveThis study aims to explore the effects of Huangqin Qingre Chubi capsules-containing serum on the expression of CircRNA_0001543/nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-κB） in co-cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells （PBMCs） and human fibroblast-like synoviocytes （FLSs） from patients with ankylosing spondylitis （AS）. MethodsVenous blood was collected from patients with AS to isolate PBMCs. FLSs were co-cultured with AS patients' PBMCs， and FLSs were harvested after co-culture for subsequent experiments. The normal control group consisted of normal FLSs， while the model group comprised co-cultured AS PBMCs and FLSs to simulate AS pathology. The Huangqin Qingre Chubi capsules group involved adding Huangqin Qingre Chubi capsules-containing serum to the co-cultured cells（6.48 g·kg^-1）. To investigate the effect of HQC-containing serum on the viability of co-cultured cells， and the experiment was divided into the following groups based on the dilution concentration： blank group， 10% HQC group， 20% HQC group， and 30% HQC group.To study the influence of the optimal concentration of HQC-containing serum on cytokine and pathway indicators in each group， the experiment was divided into three groups： normal group， model group， and optimal concentration HQC-containing serum group.For the validation of the transfection efficiency of the CircRNA_0001543 interference plasmid， the experiment was divided into the following groups： blank group， si-NC group （with transfection reagent）， si-circ_0001543-1 group （with transfection reagent and interference plasmid No. 1 targeting circ_0001543）， si-circ_0001543-2 group （with transfection reagent and interference plasmid No. 2 targeting circ_0001543）， and si-circ_0001543-3 group （with transfection reagent and interference plasmid No. 3 targeting circ_0001543）.For the validation of the transfection efficiency of the CircRNA_0001543 overexpression plasmid， the experiment was divided into the following groups： blank group， OE-NC group （with transfection reagent）， and OE-circ_0001543 group （with transfection reagent and overexpression plasmid targeting circ_0001543）.To study the effects of CircRNA_0001543 interference/overexpression on cytokine and pathway indicators in each group， the experiment was divided into the following groups： si-NC group， si-CircRNA_0001543 group， OE-NC group， and OE-CircRNA_0001543 group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect levels of interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， IL-10， IL-37， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was utilized to measure the expression of CircRNA_0001543， IκBα， and NF-κB p65. ResultsAfter 48 hours， 30% Huangqin Qingre Chubi Capsules-containing serum significantly inhibited the proliferation of co-cultured PBMCs and FLSs， which was determined to be the optimal experimental drug-containing serum concentration. Compared with those in the normal group， the expressions of NF-κB p65 mRNA， IκBα mRNA， IL-1β， and TNF-α in the model group were significantly increased （P<0.01）， while the expressions of CircRNA_0001543 mRNA， IL-10， and IL-37 were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with those in the model group， the expressions of NF-κB p65 mRNA， IκBα mRNA， IL-1β， and TNF-α in the Huangqin Qingre Chubi Capsules-containing serum group were significantly decreased （P<0.05）， and the expressions of CircRNA_0001543 mRNA， IL-10， and IL-37 were significantly increased （P<0.05）， with the most prominent changes in the 30% drug-containing serum group （P<0.01）. Compared with that in the si-NC group， the expression of CircRNA_0001543 was significantly reduced in the si-CircRNA_0001543 group （P<0.01）. Compared with that in the OE-NC group， the expression of CircRNA_0001543 was significantly increased in the OE-CircRNA_0001543 group （P<0.01）， indicating that the si-CircRNA_0001543 and OE-CircRNA_0001543 plasmids were successfully transfected. Based on the optimal drug-containing serum of Huangqin Qingre Chubi Capsules， si-CircRNA_0001543 transfection led to significantly increased expressions of NF-κB p65 mRNA， IκBα mRNA， IL-1β， and TNF-α and decreased the expressions of IL-10 and IL-37 （P<0.01）. In contrast， OE-CircRNA_0001543 transfection significantly decreased the expressions of NF-κB p65 mRNA， IκBα mRNA， IL-1β， and TNF-α （P<0.01） and increased the expressions of IL-10 and IL-37 （P<0.01）. ConclusionHuangqin Qingre Chubi capsules-containing serum can improve immune inflammation in AS by increasing the expression of CircRNA_0001543， regulating the NF-κB pathway， suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokines， and enhancing anti-inflammatory cytokine expression.

BACKGROUND: There is a gap in understanding the effects of different acupoints and treatment methods (acupuncture and moxibustion) on microcirculatory changes in the lumbar region. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the thermal effects of acupuncture at Weizhong (BL40), with acupuncture at Chize (LU5) and moxibustion at both acupoints as control interventions. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTIONS: In this randomized controlled trial, 140 healthy participants were equally divided into four groups: acupuncture at BL40 (Acu-BL40), acupuncture at LU5 (Acu-LU5), moxibustion at BL40 (Mox-BL40) and moxibustion at LU5 (Mox-LU5). Participants underwent a 30-minute session of their assigned treatment. Infrared thermal imaging was used to collect temperature data on the areas of interest for analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary measure was the change in average temperature of the observed area after the intervention. The secondary measures included periodic temperature changes every 5 min and the temperature changes of the Governor Vessel and Bladder Meridian in the observed area after the intervention. RESULTS: Significant interactions were observed between treatments and acupoints affecting temperature (P < 0.001). The Acu-BL40 group showed a notably higher increase in mean temperature after 30 min compared to the Acu-LU5 and Mox-BL40 groups, with increases of 0.29 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.17 to 0.41) and 0.24 (95% CI = 0.08 to 0.41) °C, respectively. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture at BL40 acupoint can significantly increase the mean temperature in the observed area, highlighting the specific thermal effect of acupuncture compared to moxibustion in the lumbar area. This suggests a potential therapeutic benefit of acupuncture at BL40 for managing lumbar conditions. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05665426). Please cite this article as: Zheng SY, Wang XY, Lin LN, Liu S, Huang XX, Liu YY, Yu XS, Pan W, Fang JQ, Liang Y. Lumbar temperature change after acupuncture or moxibustion at Weizhong (BL40) or Chize (LU5) in healthy adults: A randomized controlled trial. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(2): 145-151.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Young Adult ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Body Temperature ; Healthy Volunteers ; Lumbosacral Region/physiology* ; Moxibustion ; Adolescent

OBJECTIVE: To reveal the effects and potential mechanisms by which synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A) influences the distribution of amyloid precursor protein (APP) in the trans-Golgi network (TGN), endolysosomal system, and cell membranes and to reveal the effects of SV2A on APP amyloid degradation. METHODS: Colocalization analysis of APP with specific tagged proteins in the TGN, ensolysosomal system, and cell membrane was performed to explore the effects of SV2A on the intracellular transport of APP. APP, β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) expressions, and APP cleavage products levels were investigated to observe the effects of SV2A on APP amyloidogenic processing. RESULTS: APP localization was reduced in the TGN, early endosomes, late endosomes, and lysosomes, whereas it was increased in the recycling endosomes and cell membrane of SV2A-overexpressed neurons. Moreover, Arl5b (ADP-ribosylation factor 5b), a protein responsible for transporting APP from the TGN to early endosomes, was upregulated by SV2A. SV2A overexpression also decreased APP transport from the cell membrane to early endosomes by downregulating APP endocytosis. In addition, products of APP amyloid degradation, including sAPPβ, Aβ _1-42, and Aβ _1-40, were decreased in SV2A-overexpressed cells. CONCLUSION These results demonstrated that SV2A promotes APP transport from the TGN to early endosomes by upregulating Arl5b and promoting APP transport from early endosomes to recycling endosomes-cell membrane pathway, which slows APP amyloid degradation.
Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor/genetics* ; Membrane Glycoproteins/genetics* ; Animals ; Protein Transport ; Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics* ; Humans ; Mice ; Endosomes/metabolism* ; trans-Golgi Network/metabolism*

Objective: To establish a method for determining the content of bear bile powder in Longze Xiongdan capsules with taursodeoxycholic acid（TUDCA） and taurchenodeoxycholic acid（TCDCA） as indexes.
Methods: HPLC series evaporation photodetector was adopted on Chrom Core AQ C₁₈ column(4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm), with the mobile phase comprising of acetonitrile ( A ) and 5 mmol·L^-1 ammonium acetate solution (B) in a gradient elution (0-40 min, 25%A; 40-50 min, 25%A→29%A; 50-80 min, 29%A; 80-100 min, 29%A→40%A) at the flow rate of 1.0 mL·min^-1. The column temperature was 30 ℃. The ELSD was used, of which the drift tube temperature was 110 ℃ and the flow rate of carrier gas（N₂） was 2.5 L·min^-1.
Results: In the ranges of 1.069-9.57 μg and 0.740 46-7.404 64 μg, logarithms of the injected amount of TUDCA and TCDCA presented good linear relationships with logarithms of the peak area, respectively. The RSDs of precision, repeatability and stability tests were all lower than 2.0%. At three concentration levels the recoveries of TUDCA and TCDCA were 95.2%-97.7% and 91.9%-95.9%, respectively. Samples of 42 batches showed that the contents of TUDCA and TCDCA were 0.18-0.43 and 0.10-0.44 mg·granule^-1, respectively.
Conclusion: This method can be used for the quality control of bear bile powder in Longze Xiongdan capsules, thus provides a scientific basis for improving its quality standard.

ObjectiveTo investigate the application of endoscopy in obtaining the great saphenous vein （GSV） during coronary artery bypass grafting （CABG） and explore the learning curve， with a particular focus on common challenges encountered during the learning process and their impact on early clinical outcomes. MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data from 83 patients who underwent off-pump CABG with endoscopic GSV harvesting at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from July 2013 to April 2014. Patients were categorized into four groups based on the chronological order of their hospitalization： Group A （novice group， n=20）， Group B （proficient group， n=20）， Group C （progressive group， n=20）， and Group D （mature group， n=23）. Differences in perioperative and midterm follow-up outcomes among the groups were analyzed to determine the learning curve period. ResultsThe study population had a mean age of （60.22±8.06） years and a mean body weight of （69.77±11.66） kg. Comorbidities included hypertension （24 cases）， diabetes （26 cases）， and subacute cerebral infarction （14 cases）. The novice group exhibited significantly shorter GSV length-to-harvest time ratio relative to the other three groups （P<0.001） and a significantly higher incidence of main vein damage （P=0.006）. However， there was no statistically significant difference in graft patency at the 1-year follow-up. ConclusionThorough and reliable technical training in endoscopic GSV harvesting is essential to minimize vascular injury caused by novice operators. Approximately 20 cases of hands-on experience and a careful self-analysis of procedural challenges are likely required to achieve proficiency in GSV harvesting.

Three carboline fluorescent probes F1-F3 were designed and synthesized, based on lead compound JYJ-19, an antifungal compound discovered previously by our group. The antifungal activity in vitro results showed that compound F1 had moderate antifungal activity (MIC₈₀ = 32 μg·mL^-1). The stokes shift of F1 is 70 nm. The fluorescent probe F1 has good optical properties and can be used for fluorescence imaging research. Subcellular localization experiments results showed that F1 was enriched in the mitochondria of fungal cells. The detection of intracellular reactive oxygen species levels shows that JYJ-19 enhances intracellular reactive oxygen species levels. The above results indicated that carboline compounds could exert antifungal effects by acting on fungal mitochondria.

Objective To investigate the value of magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)T2-mapping in evaluating the activity of Graves ophthalmopathy(GO).Methods A total of 64 patients with GO in the Department of Endocrinology,the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from July 2019 to January 2021 were collected.Simple random grouping was performed by computer,with 49 cases as observation subjects,and 15 patients for diagnostic test.According to clinical activity score(CAS),49 GO patients were divided into active group(CAS≥3 points,48 eyes)and inactive group(CAS<3 points,50 eyes).Normal control group(NC group)included 31 patients(62 eyes).All subjects underwent 3.0T orbital MRI T2-mapping.Measuring the T2 relaxation time(T2RT)of superior rectus,inferior rectus,medial rectus,and lateral rectus on five layers behind the eyeball on T2-mapping coronal images,and select the maximum value of T2RT in the five layers for each extraocular muscle to represent the T2RT of this extraocular muscle.Finally,select the maximum T2RT values of the four extraocular muscles,expressed as extraocular muscle maximum T2RT.Compare the differences of the above 5 indicators(superior rectus T2RT,inferior rectus T2RT,medial rectus T2RT,lateral rectus T2RT,extraocular muscle maximum T2RT)between active group,inactive group and NC group.ROC curve was used to analyze the diagnostic value of the above 5 indicators for GO activity assessment,and the diagnostic threshold was obtained.Then,another 15 GO patients were performed for diagnostic tests evaluation to determine the indicators of high diagnostic efficacy and the threshold of diagnostic activity.Results The T2RT of all extraocular muscles in active group were significantly higher than those in inactive group and NC group,the difference was statistically significant(P<0.001).The threshold value of the five indicators were obtained by ROC curve analysis.The maximum T2RT cut-off values of superior rectus muscle,inferior rectus muscle,medial rectus muscle,lateral rectus muscle and extraocular muscles for judging activity were 80.200 ms,97.045 ms,94.355 ms,85.750 ms and 101.385 ms respectively.Another 15 GO patients were performed for diagnostic tests,the indexes with relatively high sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value and negative predictive value were inferior rectus T2RT and extraocular muscle maximum T2RT,the cut-off values of GO activity were 97.045 ms and 101.385 ms,respectively;the sensitivity were 91.7％and 93.8％,respectively;the specificity all were 80.0％.Conclusions MRI T2-mapping sequence has a good value in assessment of GO activity.The inferior rectus T2RT and extraocular muscle maximum T2RT can be choosed to evaluate the activity of GO.

Objective:To report the results of national surveillance on the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profile of clinical Gram-negative bacteria isolates from bloodstream infections in China in 2022.Methods:The clinical isolates of Gram-negative bacteria from blood cultures in member hospitals of national bloodstream infection Bacterial Resistant Investigation Collaborative System（BRICS）were collected during January 2022 to December 2022. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted by agar dilution or broth dilution methods recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute（CLSI）. WHONET 5.6 and SPSS 25.0 software were used to analyze the data.Results:During the study period，9 035 strains of Gram-negative bacteria were collected from 51 hospitals，of which 7 895（87.4%）were Enterobacteriaceae and 1 140（12.6%）were non-fermenting bacteria. The top 5 bacterial species were Escherichia coli（ n=4 510，49.9%）， Klebsiella pneumoniae（ n=2 340，25.9%）， Pseudomonas aeruginosa（ n=534，5.9%）， Acinetobacter baumannii complex（ n=405，4.5%）and Enterobacter cloacae（ n=327，3.6%）. The ESBLs-producing rates in Escherichia coli， Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus spp. were 47.1%（2 095/4 452），21.0%（427/2 033）and 41.1%（58/141），respectively. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli（CREC）and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae（CRKP）were 1.3%（58/4 510）and 13.1%（307/2 340）；62.1%（36/58）and 9.8%（30/307）of CREC and CRKP were resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam combination，respectively. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii（CRAB）complex was 59.5%（241/405），while less than 5% of Acinetobacter baumannii complex was resistant to tigecycline and polymyxin B. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa（CRPA）was 18.4%（98/534）. There were differences in the composition ratio of Gram-negative bacteria in bloodstream infections and the prevalence of main Gram-negative bacteria resistance among different regions，with statistically significant differences in the prevalence of CRKP and CRPA（ χ2=20.489 and 20.252， P<0.001）. The prevalence of CREC，CRKP，CRPA，CRAB，ESBLs-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were higher in provinicial hospitals than those in municipal hospitals（ χ2=11.953，81.183，10.404，5.915，12.415 and 6.459， P<0.01 or <0.05），while the prevalence of CRPA was higher in economically developed regions（per capita GDP ≥ 92 059 Yuan）than that in economically less-developed regions（per capita GDP <92 059 Yuan）（ χ2=6.240， P=0.012）. Conclusions:The proportion of Gram-negative bacteria in bloodstream infections shows an increasing trend，and Escherichia coli is ranked in the top，while the trend of CRKP decreases continuously with time. Decreasing trends are noted in ESBLs-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Low prevalence of carbapenem resistance in Escherichia coli and high prevalence in CRAB complex have been observed. The composition ratio and antibacterial spectrum of bloodstream infections in different regions of China are slightly different，and the proportion of main drug resistant bacteria in provincial hospitals is higher than those in municipal hospitals.

Objective To investigate the mechanism that mediates the inhibitory effect of Xinfeng Capsule(XFC)on interleukin(IL)-1β-induced impairment of chondrocytes.Methods XFC-medicated serum was collected from SD rats with XFC gavage,and its optimal concentration for chondrocyte treatment was determined using Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and flow cytometry.Dual luciferase reporter analysis was performed to analyze the targeting relationship between miR-502-5p and TRAF2.In cultured human chondrocytes induced with IL-1β,the effects of transfection with miR-502-5p inhibitor and XFC-medicated serum,alone or in combination,on expression levels of IL-1β,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),IL-4,and IL-10 were examined with ELISA,and the changes in the expressions of collagen type Ⅱ alpha 1(COL2A1),matrix metalloproteinase 13(MMP13),adisintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 5(ADAMTS5),and miR-502-5p/TRAF2/NF-κB axis gene expression were detected using RT-qPCR,Western blotting,and immunofluorescence assay.Results In cultured human chondrocytes,treatment with IL-1β significantly decreased the cell viability,increased cell apoptosis rate,lowered miR-502-5p,IL-4,IL-10,and COL2A1 expressions,and enhanced IL-1β,TNF-α,ADAMTS5,MMP13,TRAF2,and NF-κB p65 expressions(P<0.05),and these changes were significantly improved by treatment with XFC-medicated serum at the optimal concentration of 20％(P<0.05).Transfection of the chondrocytes with miR-502-5p inhibitor resulted in elevated expressions of IL-1β,TNF-α,ADAMTS5,MMP13,TRAF2,and NF-κB p65 and lowered expressions of miR-502-5p,IL-4,IL-10,and COL2A1,and XFC-medicated serum obviously reversed the effects of miR-502-5p inhibitor.Conclusion XFC can inhibit IL-1β-induced inflammatory response and ECM degradation in cultured human chondrocytes possibly by regulating the miR-502-5p/TRAF2/NF-κB axis.

Objective To investigate the mechanism that mediates the inhibitory effect of Xinfeng Capsule(XFC)on interleukin(IL)-1β-induced impairment of chondrocytes.Methods XFC-medicated serum was collected from SD rats with XFC gavage,and its optimal concentration for chondrocyte treatment was determined using Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and flow cytometry.Dual luciferase reporter analysis was performed to analyze the targeting relationship between miR-502-5p and TRAF2.In cultured human chondrocytes induced with IL-1β,the effects of transfection with miR-502-5p inhibitor and XFC-medicated serum,alone or in combination,on expression levels of IL-1β,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),IL-4,and IL-10 were examined with ELISA,and the changes in the expressions of collagen type Ⅱ alpha 1(COL2A1),matrix metalloproteinase 13(MMP13),adisintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 5(ADAMTS5),and miR-502-5p/TRAF2/NF-κB axis gene expression were detected using RT-qPCR,Western blotting,and immunofluorescence assay.Results In cultured human chondrocytes,treatment with IL-1β significantly decreased the cell viability,increased cell apoptosis rate,lowered miR-502-5p,IL-4,IL-10,and COL2A1 expressions,and enhanced IL-1β,TNF-α,ADAMTS5,MMP13,TRAF2,and NF-κB p65 expressions(P<0.05),and these changes were significantly improved by treatment with XFC-medicated serum at the optimal concentration of 20％(P<0.05).Transfection of the chondrocytes with miR-502-5p inhibitor resulted in elevated expressions of IL-1β,TNF-α,ADAMTS5,MMP13,TRAF2,and NF-κB p65 and lowered expressions of miR-502-5p,IL-4,IL-10,and COL2A1,and XFC-medicated serum obviously reversed the effects of miR-502-5p inhibitor.Conclusion XFC can inhibit IL-1β-induced inflammatory response and ECM degradation in cultured human chondrocytes possibly by regulating the miR-502-5p/TRAF2/NF-κB axis.