[Objective] : To systematically evaluate the overall efficacy of external application of traditional Chinese medicine (EA-TCM) in combination with oral three-step analgesic ladder therapy for patients suffering from cancer-induced bone pain (CIBP). [Methods] : We conducted a literature search of randomized controlled trials on the combination of EA-TCM and three-step analgesic ladder therapy for CIBP across ten databases and two registration systems. It included four Chinese databases [Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (SinoMed), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, and China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP) ], six English databases (Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and OpenGrey), and two registration systems (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry and ClinicalTrials.gov). The timeframe for the literature search extended from the inception of each database to December 31, 2023. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan (v5.4.1), and the outcome indicators (pain relief rate, analgesic duration, quality of life, pain intensity, breakthrough pain frequency, and adverse reactions) were graded using GRADE profiler (v3.6). [Results] : According to the established inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 43 studies was deemed eligible, involving 3 142 participants with CIBP. The results of meta-analysis showed that compared with oral three-step analgesic ladder therapy alone, the combined therapy of EA-TCM and three-step analgesic ladder has a significant improvement in pain relief rate [risk ratio (RR) = 1.32, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.24 to 1.41, P < 0.000 01], analgesic duration [mean difference (MD) = 1.33, 95% CI: 0.97 to 1.69, P < 0.000 01], and quality of life (MD = 5.66, 95% CI: 4.88 to 6.44, P < 0.000 01). Furthermore, the combined therapy significantly reduced pain intensity (MD = – 1.00, 95% CI: – 1.19 to – 0.80, P < 0.000 01), breakthrough pain frequency (MD = – 0.43, 95% CI: – 0.51 to – 0.36, P < 0.000 01), and adverse reactions (RR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.53 to 0.68, P < 0.000 01) in CIBP patients. Based on the GRADE assessment, the level of evidence varied from low to moderate. [Conclusion] EA-TCM combined with the three-step analgesic ladder therapy can effectively alleviate pain symptoms in patients with CIBP and improve their quality of life. Additionally, the EA-TCM can effectively reduce the incidence of adverse reactions associated with three-step analgesic therapy.

By reviewing the historical materia medica， medical books and modern literature， this paper has systematically sorted out and verified the name， origin， quality and other aspects of Ophicalcitum. After herbal textual research， it is shown that before the Qing dynasty， the mineral medicine was mostly recorded in the name of Huarushi， but now it is called Huaruishi， and there is another mixed name Baiyunshi. The light white spots described in the historical materia medica are consistent with the characteristics of marble with sparkling star-like luster， combined with the color like sulfur， color are green， black spots and other serpentine features， it is deduced that it is serpentine marble， consistent with the present-day Ophicalcitum， and Ophicalcitum in the Song dynasty has a high content of serpentine. The main producing areas are Henan， Shaanxi， Shanxi and Sichuan， Jiangsu， Zhejiang， Hebei and other places are also available. Successive generations of materia medica on the quality evaluation of Ophicalcitum is less， the modern to neat and firm in the texture， sandwiched with yellow-green mottled for the best. Ophicalcitum is acidic， astringent and neutral in nature， belonging to the liver meridian， with the efficacy of treatment of gold sores and blood flow， internal leakage of cataracts， dropping afterbirth， now describing its efficacy as removing blood stasis and stopping bleeding. In ancient times， the earliest processing method was burning， followed by calcination by sulphur， calcination， quenching with vinegar and other methods. In modern times， it has been simplified to open calcination， processing with vinegar and the addition of water quenching. The gravimetric method and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid titration were used to detect the contents of CO₃^2- and CaCO₃ in Ophicalcitum， respectively， and it was found that the gap in CaCO₃ content among commercially available products was wide， and the content of CaCO₃ in sample S13 and sample S18 was the same， but their compositions were different， and according to the contents of CO₃^2- and CaCO₃， the dolomite and calcite contents could be calculated， of which the higher the calcite content the more obvious the sparkling star-like luster. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction（XRD） were used to detect the physical phase composition of the powder of the samples， and Raman spectroscopy was used for the rapid non-destructive testing of the striped part， which showed that Ophicalcitum was mainly composed of dolomite， calcite， serpentine， olivine and pyroxene， with serpentine dominanting the striped part. In summary， the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia stipulates that the content of CaCO₃ in Ophicalcitum is not less than 40%， which is difficult to control its quality， and it is suggested to increase the detection of CO₃^2- content. This study can provide a scientific basis for the traceability of Ophicalcitum and better guide the clinical medication and rational utilization of resources.

Bone metastasis-caused pain （BMP） is a common complication of cancer， and the incidence has been on the rise with the increase in the overall prevalence of cancer， threatening the survival and quality of life of patients. BMP is a kind of special pain with the characteristics of inflammatory pain and neuropathic pain， but is different from the two. Therefore， its pathogenesis is very complicated， and it is of great significance to understand the pathogenesis. The currently available studies mainly focused on osteoclast activation， changes in the bone microenvironment， glial cell activation， spinal cord neuron activation， and miRNA dysregulation. Modern therapies include the three-step analgesics， bisphosphonates， palliative radiotherapy， and interventional therapy for bone metastases， which show definite efficacy in short term. However， the long-term effect is unsatisfactory due to the adverse reactions， addiction， and drug resistance. Studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has definite curative effect on BMP， which is safe， enhances efficacy， reduces toxicity， and boosts immunity. Moreover， it exerts the effect through multiple components， multiple targets， and multiple pathways. As a result， it has unique advantages in the prevention and treatment of BMP and has become a research focus. This paper summarizes the research on the pathogenesis of BMP， the intervention of TCM （compound Chinese medicine prescriptions， Chinese medicinals， and monomers from Chinese medicinals）， and the mechanisms of TCM， such as inhibiting osteoclast activation， glial cell activation， and spinal cord neuron activation， regulating pain mediators and abnormal expression of microRNA， and anti-tumor， which is expected to further clarify the pathogenesis of BMP and provide ideas and methods for the effective prevention and treatment of BMP with TCM.

Since the emergence of CRISPR/Cas9, gene editing technologies have attracted increasing attention, in particular type II systems, in which nucleases consist of only a single protein. The effectors include type II Cas9, type V Cas12 and type VI Cas13, which allow precise genomic DNA or RNA editing. Catalytically inactive CRISPR/Cas9 can also be used as a platform to recruit effectors such as transcription factors, epigenetic factors, and/or base modification enzymes to target gene loci. On the other hand, optogenetics offers spatial, temporal, and reversible control of biological processes. CRISPR and optogenetics can enable precise gene editing in vitro and in vivo at the spatiotemporal level, which has a broad applicability in biology and medicine. This article has provided a review for the research advance in photoactivatable CRISPR systems, with details for the design and application of such tools and a discussion over the limitations of the current methods, which may shed light on this emerging field.
CRISPR-Cas Systems ; DNA ; Gene Editing ; Humans ; Technology

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a well-tolerated, safe and noninvasive physical brain stimulation method, which has been widely used in the treatment of some common mental disorders and neurological diseases and has achieved certain clinical effects. It is necessary to develop expert consensus on clinical treatment to improve the use norms in related fields. According to the clinical research published before August 2021 and the method of evidence-based medicine, we published an expert consensus on tDCS in the treatment of depressive disorders, schizophrenia, substance use-related disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep disorders, pain, Parkinson′s disease, stroke, and epilepsy. The consensus also introduced the safety and efficacy of the clinical use of tDCS, and standardized the treatment process and operation technology, aiming to provide guidance for the clinical application of tDCS and promote the standardized development of this treatment technology in the future.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a well-tolerated, safe and noninvasive physical brain stimulation method, which has been widely used in the treatment of some common mental disorders and neurological diseases and has achieved certain clinical effects. It is necessary to develop expert consensus on clinical treatment to improve the use norms in related fields. According to the clinical research published before August 2021 and the method of evidence-based medicine, we published an expert consensus on tDCS in the treatment of depressive disorders, schizophrenia, substance use-related disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep disorders, pain, Parkinson′s disease, stroke, and epilepsy. The consensus also introduced the safety and efficacy of the clinical use of tDCS, and standardized the treatment process and operation technology, aiming to provide guidance for the clinical application of tDCS and promote the standardized development of this treatment technology in the future.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the postoperative complications of microscopic and conventional Palomo varicocelectomy in the treatment of varicocele in army personnel.

METHODSA total of 260 army personnel with varicocele were randomized to receive microscopic varicocelectomy (group A, n=130) and conventional Palomo varicocelectomy (group B, n=130). The postoperative recurrence and complications (scrotal edema, testicular pain and testicular atrophy) were compared between the two groups.

RESULTSAfter 1 year of follow-up, the recurrence rates in groups A and B were statistically comparable (5.3% vs 3.8%, P>0.05). The incidences of testicular atrophy and scrotal edema were significantly lower in group A than in group B (0.7% vs 3.1%, P<0.05; 3.1% vs 14.6%, P<0.05), and the rate of testicular pain relief was significantly higher in group A (90.7% vs 67.7%, P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONMicroscopic varicocelectomy can be a good choice in the treatment of varicocele in army personnel.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Groin ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Microsurgery ; adverse effects ; methods ; Postoperative Complications ; Treatment Outcome ; Urogenital Surgical Procedures ; adverse effects ; Varicocele ; surgery ; Young Adult

This article was aimed to study the absorption of sinomenine in Caulis Sinome nii by different types of macroporous resin. The transfer rate of sinomenine was used as detection index. The screening was made on the technological process of absorption and purification of sinomenine by macroporous resin. The results showed that the macroporous resin AL-3 was selected with the best absorptive capacity under pH2, while the macroporous resin X-5 was selected with the best absorptive capacity under pH6. It was concluded that the selection of macroporous resin should comprehensively consider the properties of target compounds, and indexes such as aperture, specific surface area, and polarity of macroporous resin.

Objective To evaluate acellular tissue matrix mesh in inguinal hernioplasty in young male patients.Methods Clinical outcome and sexual function were evaluated on 12 young male inguinal hernia patients undergoing inguinal hernioplasty by ACTM mesh.Results The mean operation time was 62 minutes.Postoperative analgesics were needed for an average of 1.45 days (range,0 -4 days).The average postoperative hospital stay was 3.9 days,and patients were able to return to normal activity,after a mean 11.8 days.All patients were followed-up for a mean duration of 9.54 months(range,6 - 16 months).Two patients complained pain one month after surgery and the pain disappeared later without any medical treatment.There was no hernia recurrence and foreign body feelings,nor sexual and reproductive problems.Conclusions The ACTM mesh is a safe and effective material for inguinal hernioplasty,especially in young male patients.

Applying FPGA technology in the emulator design becomes more and more popular. This paper describes the hardware and firmware design for SHIC HR6P series emulator based on FPGA structure and technical characteristics, which provides an emulator design method with high integration, high reliability, low cost and easy portability.
Equipment Design ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; instrumentation ; Software Design