Objective:To investigate the therapeutic effect and potential mechanism of Nepetoidin B on rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods:DBA/1 mice were divided into four groups using the random number method, namely the control group, model group, methotrexate group, and Nepetoidin B group. The collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model was prepared. Mice were treated from day 21th to day 60th. Arthritis symptoms were evaluated every three days during treatment. At the end of treatment, pathological changes of joint tissue were observed through HE staining. Serum IL-17, IL-6, MDA, and NO levels were measured using ELISA and biochemical colorimetric assays. The Nrf2/HO1 pathway in joint tissues was detected using western blot. A group of CIA mice was treated with Nepetoidin B, followed by an Nrf2 inhibitor to validate the mechanism. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare between multiple groups with homogeneity of variance, pairwise comparison using LSD- t test. Results:The study found that mice treated with methotrexate and Nepetoidin B exhibited a significant reduction in arthritis scores(CIA+Meth group 5.2±1.3, CIA+NepB group 6.8±1.2 vs. CIA group 11.0±1.7, t=6.69, P=0.004; t=5.00, P=0.009), and joint histopathology compared to the CIA mice(CIA+Meth group 1.5±1.0, CIA+NepB group 2.2±0.8 vs. CIA group 4.0±0.9, t=4.44, P<0.001; t=3.84, P=0.005). Additionally, there was a significant decrease in serum IL-17[CIA+Meth group(257±69)ng/ml, CIA+NepB group (279±103)ng/ml vs. CIA group(414±71)ng/ml, t=3.86, P=0.006; t=2.63, P=0.020], IL-6[CIA+Meth group(32±6)ng/ml, CIA+NepB group (44±5)ng/ml vs. CIA group(56±11)ng/ml, t=4.69, P<0.001; t=2.48, P=0.040) ,MDA [CIA+Meth group(22±4)μmol/L, CIA+NepB group(22±8)μmol/L vs. CIA group(34±11)μmol/L, t=2.77, P=0.038; t=2.29, P=0.049]and NO[ CIA+Meth group(37±12)μmol/L, CIA+NepB group(37±11)μmol/L vs. CIA group(56±12)μmol/L, t=2.71, P=0.040; t=2.90, P=0.035] levels, and a significant elevation in the Nrf2( 0.263±0.021, 0.273±0.022 vs. 0.221±0.034, t=3.18, P=0.044; t=2.70, P=0.049)/HO1 (0.524±0.021, 0.501±0.014 vs. 0.453±0.033, t=3.95, P=0.006; t=3.41, P=0.032) pathway in methotrexate and Nepetoidin B treated group. It was also observed that Nrf2 inhibitors could counteract the treatment effects of Nepetoidin B on arthritis (1.8±0.8 vs. 3.2±0.8, t=3.07, P=0.024). Conclusion:Nepetoidin B has the ability to inhibit oxidative stress by activating the Nrf2/HO1 pathway, which alleviates collagen-induced arthritis in mice.

Objective:To investigate the therapeutic effect and potential mechanism of Nepetoidin B on rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods:DBA/1 mice were divided into four groups using the random number method, namely the control group, model group, methotrexate group, and Nepetoidin B group. The collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model was prepared. Mice were treated from day 21th to day 60th. Arthritis symptoms were evaluated every three days during treatment. At the end of treatment, pathological changes of joint tissue were observed through HE staining. Serum IL-17, IL-6, MDA, and NO levels were measured using ELISA and biochemical colorimetric assays. The Nrf2/HO1 pathway in joint tissues was detected using western blot. A group of CIA mice was treated with Nepetoidin B, followed by an Nrf2 inhibitor to validate the mechanism. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare between multiple groups with homogeneity of variance, pairwise comparison using LSD- t test. Results:The study found that mice treated with methotrexate and Nepetoidin B exhibited a significant reduction in arthritis scores(CIA+Meth group 5.2±1.3, CIA+NepB group 6.8±1.2 vs. CIA group 11.0±1.7, t=6.69, P=0.004; t=5.00, P=0.009), and joint histopathology compared to the CIA mice(CIA+Meth group 1.5±1.0, CIA+NepB group 2.2±0.8 vs. CIA group 4.0±0.9, t=4.44, P<0.001; t=3.84, P=0.005). Additionally, there was a significant decrease in serum IL-17[CIA+Meth group(257±69)ng/ml, CIA+NepB group (279±103)ng/ml vs. CIA group(414±71)ng/ml, t=3.86, P=0.006; t=2.63, P=0.020], IL-6[CIA+Meth group(32±6)ng/ml, CIA+NepB group (44±5)ng/ml vs. CIA group(56±11)ng/ml, t=4.69, P<0.001; t=2.48, P=0.040) ,MDA [CIA+Meth group(22±4)μmol/L, CIA+NepB group(22±8)μmol/L vs. CIA group(34±11)μmol/L, t=2.77, P=0.038; t=2.29, P=0.049]and NO[ CIA+Meth group(37±12)μmol/L, CIA+NepB group(37±11)μmol/L vs. CIA group(56±12)μmol/L, t=2.71, P=0.040; t=2.90, P=0.035] levels, and a significant elevation in the Nrf2( 0.263±0.021, 0.273±0.022 vs. 0.221±0.034, t=3.18, P=0.044; t=2.70, P=0.049)/HO1 (0.524±0.021, 0.501±0.014 vs. 0.453±0.033, t=3.95, P=0.006; t=3.41, P=0.032) pathway in methotrexate and Nepetoidin B treated group. It was also observed that Nrf2 inhibitors could counteract the treatment effects of Nepetoidin B on arthritis (1.8±0.8 vs. 3.2±0.8, t=3.07, P=0.024). Conclusion:Nepetoidin B has the ability to inhibit oxidative stress by activating the Nrf2/HO1 pathway, which alleviates collagen-induced arthritis in mice.

Objective:To investigate the diagnosis of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry(DXA)for osteoporosis(OP)of postmenopausal patients with rheumatoid arthritis(RA)in Qinghai region and the risk factors of them.Methods:A total of 200 postmenopausal female RA patients who admitted to Qinghai Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from May 2022 to April 2023 were selected.All patients were tested for bone mineral density(BMD)after admission,and lumbar spines L1-L4,whole lumbar,large trochanter,Ward's triangle area,whole body and whole forearm were measured by DXA.According to the results of BMD test,patients whose BMD T values of all body parts-2.5 SD were less or equal to-2.5 were included in the OP group(121 cases),and patients whose BMD T value of all body parts were larger than-2.5 SD were included in the non-OP group(79 cases).The BMD T value of different body parts between two groups of RA patients were compared and analyzed.The area under curve(AUC)of receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the diagnostic efficiency of BMD T value for OP.The logistic regression method was adopted to analyze the risk factors that postmenopausal RA patients of Qinghai region occurred OP.Results:The BMD T values of L1,L2,L3,L4,whole lumbar,large trochanter,Ward's triangular area,whole body and whole forearm of OP group were obviously lower than those of the non-OP group.In analysis of ROC curve,the sensitivities of BMD T values of L1,L2,L3,L4,whole lumbar,large trochanter,Ward's triangle area,whole body and forearm were respectively 96.20%,95.22%,90.16%,96.03%,92.01%,89.36%,99.26%,90.02% and 96.03% in diagnosing OP,and the specificities of them were respectively 81.00%,82.19%,85.22%,83.06%,83.06%,90.22%,80.06%,86.23%,83.09%,and the AUC values of them were respectively 0.908,0.905,0.896,0.906,0.903,0.879,0.918,0.901 and 0.906.The results of the logistic-regression analysis showed that advanced age,long disease course,rheumatic activity scores of 28 joints,erythrocyte sedimentation rate and Calcium supplementation were the risk factors of occurring OP in postmenopausal RA patients in Qinghai region.Conclusion:The DXA method that detects BMD of RA patients who occur OP can be used as gold standard to assess OP,and there are many risk factors that affect the occurrence of OP in postmenopausal RA patients of Qinghai region.The clinical work should combine with relative factors to formulate reasonable measure so as to reduce the incidence of OP.

Objective To explore the residual level of FPMs in indoor dust samples in Shenzhen from 2020 and 2021, and to analyze its temporal distribution characteristics. Methods In the present study, indoor dust samples (n=193) from residential buildings in Shenzhen. were collected to analyze the temporal variation characteristics of FPMs. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was applied to determine the concentrations of FP and its four major metabolites (fipronil-sulfone, fipronil-sulfide, fipronil-desulfinyl, and fipronil-amide; abbreviated as FP-SFO, FP-SFI, FP-DES, and FP-AM) in the samples. The sum of the concentrations of FP and its four metabolites was represented as additive mass concentration (ΣFPMs). Additionaly, Wilcoxon test was performed to determine the temporal distribution differences of FPMs’ concentrations. Results From 2020 to 2021, the concentration of ΣFPMs for the in door dust samples in Shenzhen ranged from 0.51 to 4 415 ng/g (median: 18.8ng/g). FP, FP-SFO AND FP-SFI were the major target analytes in the sample with detection rates of 90.60%，86.20% and 75.40%, respectively. The detection rates of other metabolites were low (≤ 44.3%). Analysis of the temporal variation trend of FPMs’ concentrations showed that there was no significant difference in the levels of ΣFPMs between warm season（spring and summer）and cold season（autumn and winter）in the indoor dust samples from 2020 to 2021(2.38 vs 2.84ng/g , P > 0.05). However , the concentrations of FP-SFI and ΣFPMs in the indoor dust samples collected from 2021 showed an significantly increasing trend compared with 2020（1.02 vs 1.89 , 17.80vs. 20.10 ng/g , P < 0.05). Conclusion From 2020 to 2021 , the detection level of FPMs in indoor dust in Shenzhen is relatively high and shows an upward trend , with no obvious seasonal difference. However, whether the residual level of FPMs in indoor dust poses a risk to human health needs further study.

In recent years, the artificial intelligence machine learning and deep learning technology have made leap progress. Using clinical decision support system for auxiliary diagnosis and treatment is the inevitable developing trend of wisdom medical. Clinicians tend to ignore the interpretability of models while pursuing its high accuracy, which leads to the lack of trust of users and hamper the application of clinical decision support system. From the perspective of explainable artificial intelligence, the authors make some preliminary exploration on the construction of clinical decision support system in the field of liver disease. While pursuing high accuracy of the model, the data governance techniques, intrinsic interpretability models, post-hoc visualization of complex models, design of human-computer interactions, providing knowledge map based on clinical guidelines and data sources are used to endow the system with interpretability.

Objective:To investigate the value of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) determination for estimating the sperm retrieval rate (SRR) of microdissection testicular sperm extraction (micro-TESE) in non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) patients.Methods:This was a retrospective case-control study. Totally 502 NOA patients treated with micro-TESE in Reproductive Medicine Research Centre, the Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University from September 2014 to May 2022 were involved in the investigation. Patients were divided into different groups according to their surgery outcome and seminiferous tubules appearance. Age, testis volume, serum AMH, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone level were compared between the different groups. According to the cause of NOA, they were divided into orchitis group (idiopathic or parotid), AZFc gene deletion group, cryptorchidism descending fixation group, Klinefelter's syndrome (KS) group and idiopathic NOA group. The differences of SRR and AMH level in NOA patients with different etiologies were compared.Results:Testicular sperms were successfully retrieved in 270 cases (SRR=53.8%). There were no statistical differences in age, testicular volume, FSH and testosterone levels between the patients who succeeded or failed to obtain sperm (all P>0.05). The patients who obtained sperms had lower serum AMH level than those without sperm [0.81(0.16, 3.26) μg/L vs. 1.37(0.21, 4.84) μg/L, P<0.001]. Patients with orchitis or AZFc deletion, cryptorchidism, KS, idiopathic azoospermia have different AMH levels [(0.15(0.01,0.41) μg/L, 5.71(3.57,8.26) μg/L, 2.29(1.36,3.81) μg/L, 0.15(0.05,0.39) μg/L, 2.46(0.75,5.49) μg/L, P<0.001]. Idiopathic azoospermia patients who obtained sperms also had lower testosterone and AMH levels but higher age than those without sperm [(35.2±8.9) years vs. (32.5±5.5) years, P=0.010; (3.1±1.4) μg/L vs. (3.7±2.1) μg/L, P=0.029; 1.63(0.35,3.84) μg/L vs. 3.00(1.20,6.68) μg/L, P=0.001]. There were no statistical differences in testicular volume and FSH level between the two groups (all P>0.05). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that cut-off of serum AMH for successful sperm retrieval of idiopathic azoospermia patients was determined to be 2.96, with a sensitivity of 0.710 and specificity of 0.523, area under the curve (AUC) was 0.649. In the cases presenting heterogeneous seminiferous tubules during micro-TESE had lower AMH level and higher SRR than those presenting homogeneous seminiferous tubules [0.55(0.12, 2.05) μg/L vs. 2.99(0.76, 6.11) μg/L, P<0.001; 75.9% (236/311) vs. 17.8% (34/191), P<0.001]. Conclusion:NOA patients with low AMH level would have more opportunity to present heterogeneous seminiferous tubules when micro-TESE was performed and had higher SRR, especially in the idiopathic NOA cases.

Objective:To investigate the value of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) determination for estimating the sperm retrieval rate (SRR) of microdissection testicular sperm extraction (micro-TESE) in non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) patients.Methods:This was a retrospective case-control study. Totally 502 NOA patients treated with micro-TESE in Reproductive Medicine Research Centre, the Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University from September 2014 to May 2022 were involved in the investigation. Patients were divided into different groups according to their surgery outcome and seminiferous tubules appearance. Age, testis volume, serum AMH, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone level were compared between the different groups. According to the cause of NOA, they were divided into orchitis group (idiopathic or parotid), AZFc gene deletion group, cryptorchidism descending fixation group, Klinefelter's syndrome (KS) group and idiopathic NOA group. The differences of SRR and AMH level in NOA patients with different etiologies were compared.Results:Testicular sperms were successfully retrieved in 270 cases (SRR=53.8%). There were no statistical differences in age, testicular volume, FSH and testosterone levels between the patients who succeeded or failed to obtain sperm (all P>0.05). The patients who obtained sperms had lower serum AMH level than those without sperm [0.81(0.16, 3.26) μg/L vs. 1.37(0.21, 4.84) μg/L, P<0.001]. Patients with orchitis or AZFc deletion, cryptorchidism, KS, idiopathic azoospermia have different AMH levels [(0.15(0.01,0.41) μg/L, 5.71(3.57,8.26) μg/L, 2.29(1.36,3.81) μg/L, 0.15(0.05,0.39) μg/L, 2.46(0.75,5.49) μg/L, P<0.001]. Idiopathic azoospermia patients who obtained sperms also had lower testosterone and AMH levels but higher age than those without sperm [(35.2±8.9) years vs. (32.5±5.5) years, P=0.010; (3.1±1.4) μg/L vs. (3.7±2.1) μg/L, P=0.029; 1.63(0.35,3.84) μg/L vs. 3.00(1.20,6.68) μg/L, P=0.001]. There were no statistical differences in testicular volume and FSH level between the two groups (all P>0.05). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that cut-off of serum AMH for successful sperm retrieval of idiopathic azoospermia patients was determined to be 2.96, with a sensitivity of 0.710 and specificity of 0.523, area under the curve (AUC) was 0.649. In the cases presenting heterogeneous seminiferous tubules during micro-TESE had lower AMH level and higher SRR than those presenting homogeneous seminiferous tubules [0.55(0.12, 2.05) μg/L vs. 2.99(0.76, 6.11) μg/L, P<0.001; 75.9% (236/311) vs. 17.8% (34/191), P<0.001]. Conclusion:NOA patients with low AMH level would have more opportunity to present heterogeneous seminiferous tubules when micro-TESE was performed and had higher SRR, especially in the idiopathic NOA cases.

Objective:To study the correlation between non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and functional ankle instability (FAI) in young patients.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted of the 102 patients with non-contact ACL injury[61 males and 41 females, with an age of (31.9±6.1) years and a Tegner activity score of (6.1±1.9) points] who had been treated at Department of Orthopedics, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital from January 2017 to March 2020 (injury group). Another 102 citizens without ACL injury from Guangzhou [56 males and 46 females, with an age of (30.3±7.2) years and a Tegner activity score of (6.0±2.1) points] were recruited as a control group. The Cumberland ankle instability tool (CAIT) and the Ankle Joint Functional Assessment Tool (AJFAT) were used to assess whether the subjects had self-conscious FAI or not. A correlation analysis was conducted using the data collected.Results:The 2 groups were comparable because there were no significant differences between them in general data ( P>0.05). By the CAIT score, the incidence of FAI in the injury group [52.9% (54/102)] was significantly higher than that in the control group [32.4% (33/102)] ( P<0.05); by the AJFAT score, the incidence of FAI in the injury group [59.8% (61/102) ] was significantly higher than that in the control group [39.2% (40/102)] ( P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that diagnoses of FAI by CAIT and by AJFAT were respectively correlated with ACL injury ( r=-0.159, P=0.023; r=-0.215, P=0.002). Conclusions:The incidence of FAI may be high in patients with ACL injury and there is a correlation between FAI and ACL injury.

OBJECTIVETo compare the differences in the clinical therapeutic effects on reflux esophagitis among the combined therapy ofdecoction (the decoction for resolving the turbid, detoxification and reducing the pathologic upwardin short) and acupuncture, omeprazole and Chinese herbal medicine.

METHODSNinety patients were randomized into 3 groups, 4 cases of them were dropped off. Finally, there were 29 cases in the combined therapy group with acupuncture and the decoction, 29 cases in the western medication group and 28 cases in the Chinese herbal medicine group in the statistical analysis. In the combined therapy group with acupuncture and the decoction, the decoction was prescribed recurrence rate. The therapeutic effects are better than the simple application of either Chinese herbal medicine or omeprazole. for oral administration. Additionally, acupuncture was applied to Neiguan (PC 6), Zusanli (ST 36), Zhongwan (CV 12), Ganshu (BL 18), Danshu (BL 19) and Taichong (LR 3). The decoction was applied one dose a day and acupuncture was once a day. In the western medication group, omeprazole capsules, 20 mg were prescribed for oral administration, twice a day. In the Chinese herbal medicine group, the decoction was simply applied. The treatment was 8 weeks in the 3 groups and the follow-up visit was 6 months. The score of reflux disorder questionnaire (RDQ) and the changes in esophageal mucosa under gastroscope were observed before and after treatment; the clinical therapeutic effects and recurrence rate were evaluated in the 3 groups.

RESULTSIn 4 and 8 weeks of treatment, RDQ scores in the 3 groups were all reduced as compared with those before treatment (all<0.05). In 4 weeks of treatment, RDQ score in the combined therapy group with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine was lower than that in the western medication group (<0.05). In 8 weeks of treatment, RDQ score in the combined therapy group with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine was lower than those in the western medication group and the Chinese herbal medicine group (both<0.05). In follow-up visit for 6 months, the recurrence rate in the combined therapy group with acupuncture and the decoction was lower than those in the other two groups (both<0.05). In 8 weeks of treatment, the total effective rate for clinical symptoms and that observed under gastroscope in the combined therapy group with acupuncture and the decoction were all better than those in the western medication group and the Chinese herbal medicine group (all<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe combined therapy ofdecoction and acupuncture achieve the definite therapeutic effects on reflux esophagitis, relieve the symptoms, protect gastric mucosa and reduce the.