Osteoporosis is a prevalent skeletal condition characterized by reduced bone mass and strength, leading to increased fragility. Buqi-Tongluo (BQTL) decoction, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, has yet to be fully evaluated for its potential in treating bone diseases such as osteoporosis. To investigate the mechanism by which BQTL decoction inhibits osteoclast differentiation in vitro and validate these findings through in vivo experiments. We employed MTS assays to assess the potential proliferative or toxic effects of BQTL on bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) at various concentrations. TRAcP experiments were conducted to examine BQTL's impact on osteoclast differentiation. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses were utilized to evaluate the relative expression levels of osteoclast-specific genes and proteins under BQTL stimulation. Finally, in vivo experiments were performed using an osteoporosis model to further validate the in vitro findings. This study revealed that BQTL suppressed receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis and osteoclast resorption activity in vitro in a dose-dependent manner without observable cytotoxicity. The inhibitory effects of BQTL on osteoclast formation and function were attributed to the downregulation of NFATc1 and c-fos activity, primarily through attenuation of the MAPK, NF-κB, and Calcineurin signaling pathways. BQTL's inhibitory capacity was further examined in vivo using an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model, demonstrating a strong protective effect against bone loss. BQTL may serve as an effective therapeutic TCM for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and the alleviation of bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency and related conditions.
Animals ; NFATC Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Ovariectomy ; Osteoclasts/metabolism* ; Female ; Osteogenesis/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; NF-kappa B/genetics* ; Osteoporosis/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Bone Resorption/genetics* ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Humans ; RANK Ligand/metabolism* ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics* ; Transcription Factors

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of microneedle radiofrequency in the treatment of moderate acne vulgaris.Methods:From August 2018 to August 2020, 393 patients (192 males and 201 females, aged 15-38 years) with moderate acne were enrolled in the Department of Dermatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College and Shantou Chaonan Minsheng Hospital, including 201 patients in experimental group and 192 patients in control group. In the experimental group, microneedle radiofrequency therapy was used once every 2 weeks for 3 times in total. The control group adopted the fire needle, once every 2 weeks, a total of 3 times. The efficacy of both groups was evaluated at week 8.Results:A total of 378 patients were actually completed: 196 patients in the experimental group, and 182 patients in the control group. At the eighth week of follow-up, the total effective rate was 81.12% in the experimental group and 70.43% in the control group. The efficacy of the two groups was statistically different (χ 2=4.42, P<0.05). Conclusions:The efficacy of microneedle radiofrequency therapy in the treatment of moderate acne vulgaris is better than that of fire needle, with good tolerance, short recovery period, few adverse reactions and high compliance, which has clinical promotion value.

Objective    To explore whether surgery combined with adjuvant chemotherapy can bring survival benefits to patients with cervical and upper thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods    The clinical data of patients with cervical and upper thoracic ESCC who underwent R0 resection and neck anastomosis in our department from 2006 to 2010 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients received neoadjuvant therapy or adjuvant radiotherapy were excluded. The adjuvant chemotherapy group was given a combination of taxanes and platinum based chemotherapy after surgery; the surgery alone group did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the survival difference between the adjuvant chemotherapy group and the surgery alone group. Results    A total of 181 patients were enrolled, including 141 (77.9%) males and 40 (22.1%) females, with an average age of 61.0±8.2 years (80 patients aged≤61 years, 101 patients aged>61 years). There were 70 (38.7%) patients of cervical ESCC, and 111 (61.3%) patients of upper thoracic ESCC. Eighty-seven (48.1%) patients underwent postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, and 94 (51.9%) patients underwent surgery alone, and the basic clinical characteristics were well balanced between the two groups (P>0.05). The median survival time of patients in the adjuvant chemotherapy group and the surgery alone group was 31.93 months and 26.07 months, and the 5-year survival rate was 35.0% and 32.0%, respectively (P=0.227). There was no statistical difference in median survival time between the cervical ESCC and upper thoracic ESCC group (31.83 months vs. 29.76 months, P=0.763). For cervical ESCC patients, the median survival time was 45.07 months in the adjuvant chemotherapy group and 14.70 months in the surgery alone group (P=0.074). Further analysis showed that the median survival time of lymph node negative group was 32.53 months, and the lymph node positive group was 24.57 months (P=0.356). The median survival time was 30.43 months in the lymph-node positive group with adjuvant chemotherapy and 17.77 months in the lymph-node positive group with surgery alone. The survival curve showed a trend of difference, but the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.557). Conclusion    There is no statistical difference in the long-term survival of cervical and upper thoracic ESCC patients after R0 resection. Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy may have survival benefits for patients with cervical ESCC and upper ESCC with postoperative positive lymph nodes, but the differences are not statistically significant in this setting.

Objective:To examine treatment outcomes of breast phyllodes tumors and the prognosis factors of local recurrence.Methods:This retrospective cohort study included 276 patients who underwent surgical resection at Breast Center, Peking University People′s Hospital from January 2011 to December 2019. Tumor subtype and histopathological features were determined from pathology reports, and the deadline of follow-up was September 30 th, 2020. All 276 patients underwent open surgery, including 17 patients of mastectomy, and 259 patients of lumpectomy. The enrolled patients were all female, with age of (41.5±11.3) years (rang: 11 to 76 years), and tumor diameter of 35(28) mm ( M( Q R)). The Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test were used for survival analysis. The multivariate analysis was implemented using the Cox proportional hazard model. Results:According the pathologic test, there were 191 patients of benign phyllodes tumor, 67 patients of borderline tumor and 18 patients of malignant tumor. There were 249 patients with a follow-up of more than 6 months, and 14.1% (35/249) had local recurrence. The time-to-recurrence was (28.6±22.2) months (range: 2 to 96 months), (29.1±18.1) months (range: 2 to 80 months), (32.1±30.1) months (range: 5 to 96 months) and (12.0±6.9) months (range: 8 to 20 months) for benign, borderline and malignant phyllodes tumors. Tumor diameter (≥100 mm vs.<50 mm, HR=3.968, 95%CI: 1.550 to 10.158, P=0.004) and malignant heterologous element (yes vs. no, HR=26.933, 95%CI: 3.105 to 233.600, P=0.003) were prognosis factors of local recurrence. One death from malignant phyllodes occurred after distant metastasis. The 3-year disease-free survival rates of benign, borderline and malignant phyllodes tumor were 88.2%, 81.7% and 81.4% ( P=0.300). Conclusion:Phyllodes tumors have a considerable local recurrence rate, which may be associated with tumor diameter and malignant heterologous element.

Objective:To examine treatment outcomes of breast phyllodes tumors and the prognosis factors of local recurrence.Methods:This retrospective cohort study included 276 patients who underwent surgical resection at Breast Center, Peking University People′s Hospital from January 2011 to December 2019. Tumor subtype and histopathological features were determined from pathology reports, and the deadline of follow-up was September 30 th, 2020. All 276 patients underwent open surgery, including 17 patients of mastectomy, and 259 patients of lumpectomy. The enrolled patients were all female, with age of (41.5±11.3) years (rang: 11 to 76 years), and tumor diameter of 35(28) mm ( M( Q R)). The Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test were used for survival analysis. The multivariate analysis was implemented using the Cox proportional hazard model. Results:According the pathologic test, there were 191 patients of benign phyllodes tumor, 67 patients of borderline tumor and 18 patients of malignant tumor. There were 249 patients with a follow-up of more than 6 months, and 14.1% (35/249) had local recurrence. The time-to-recurrence was (28.6±22.2) months (range: 2 to 96 months), (29.1±18.1) months (range: 2 to 80 months), (32.1±30.1) months (range: 5 to 96 months) and (12.0±6.9) months (range: 8 to 20 months) for benign, borderline and malignant phyllodes tumors. Tumor diameter (≥100 mm vs.<50 mm, HR=3.968, 95%CI: 1.550 to 10.158, P=0.004) and malignant heterologous element (yes vs. no, HR=26.933, 95%CI: 3.105 to 233.600, P=0.003) were prognosis factors of local recurrence. One death from malignant phyllodes occurred after distant metastasis. The 3-year disease-free survival rates of benign, borderline and malignant phyllodes tumor were 88.2%, 81.7% and 81.4% ( P=0.300). Conclusion:Phyllodes tumors have a considerable local recurrence rate, which may be associated with tumor diameter and malignant heterologous element.

With the improvement of living standard, the incidence rate of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is gradually increasing year by year and its age of onset tends to become younger, but its pathogenesis remains unclear. Macrophages are important cells involved in the pathogenesis of NAFLD and have attracted great attention. This article elaborates on the origin and classification of liver macrophages, the role of macrophages in liver inflammation and related activation mechanism, and the drugs targeting macrophages, in order to provide a reference for the clinical treatment of NAFLD.

Objective:To explore the risk factors, clinical features, endoscopic characteristics and the efficacy of antiviral therapy in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients complicated with cytomegaloviremia (CMV) and Epstein-Barr (EB) viremia.Methods:From April 1, 2014 to January 31, 2019, at The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, a total of 320 UC patients hospitalized at the Department of Gastroenterology were enrolled. According to the pathogens, the patients were divided into four groups: complicated with CMV and EB viremia group ( n=35), only complicated with CMV viremia group ( n=33), only complicated with EB viremia group ( n=52) and without CMV and EB viremia group ( n=200). Clinical features and the efficacy of antiviral therapy of the patients were retrospectively analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of UC complicated with CMV and EB viremia. Kruskal-Wallis H test, Chi-square test and Fisher exact test were used for statistical analysis. Results:The proportion of patients of age>60 years old (42.86%, 15/35), the rate of glucocorticoid use (51.43%, 18/35) within three months before onset and the inefficacy rate of glucocorticoid treatment (22.86%, 8/35) of UC complicated with CMV and EB viremia group were all higher than those of UC without CMV and EB viremia group (14.00%, 28/200; 24.50%, 49/200; 1.00%, 2/200), and the differences were statistically significant ( χ2=17.062, 10.598 and 29.769; all P<0.01). However, there were no statistically significant differences between UC complicated with CMV and EB viremia group and UC without CMV and EB viremia group in gender, and treatment of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA), azathioprine and infliximab within three months before onset (all P>0.05). The proportion of patients with fever (54.29%, 19/35), abdominal pain (91.43%, 32/35), hematochezia (94.29%, 33/35), weight loss (28.57%, 10/35), severe disease activity (94.29%, 33/35), total colon involvement (91.43%, 32/35), serum albumin less than 30 g/L (71.43%, 25/35) and hemoglobin less than 100 g/L (48.57%, 17/35) of UC complicated with CMV and EB viremia group were all higher than those of UC without CMV and EB viremia group (13.50%, 27/200; 43.00%, 86/200; 44.00%, 88/200; 13.50%, 27/200; 38.00%, 76/200; 65.00%, 130/200; 18.00%, 36/200 and 18.50%, 37/200), and the differences were statistically significant ( χ2=31.475, 27.945, 32.930, 5.100 and 40.194, Fisher exact test, χ2=44.242 and 15.220, all P<0.01). However, there were no statistically significantl differences in clinical classification and disease course (all P>0.05). The incidence rates of deep ulcer (45.71%, 16/35), irregular ulcer (42.86%, 15/35) and longitudinal ulcer (8.53%, 3/35) under endoscopy of UC complicated with CMV and EB viremia group were significantly higher than those of UC without CMV and EB viremia group (1.50%, 3/200; 3.50%, 7/200 and 1.00%, 2/200), and the differences were statistically significant ( χ2=72.521 and 49.837, Fisher exact test, all P<0.01). The incidence rates of deep ulcer and irregular ulcer under endoscopy of UC complicated with CMV and EB viremia group were higher than those of UC only complicated with EB viremia group (15.38%, 8/52 and 11.54%, 6/52), and the differences were statistically significant ( χ2=9.663 and 11.206, P=0.002 and 0.001). The results of Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that severe disease activity, serum albumin level less than 30 g/L, and deep ulcer and irregular ulcer under endoscopy were risk factors of UC patients complicated with CMV and EB viremia (odds ratio=48.519, 44.352, 53.432 and 39.989, 95% confidence interval 9.057 to 587.669, 4.499 to 437.245, 3.302 to 864.670 and 3.418 to 467.910, all P<0.05). The improvement rate of antiviral therapy in UC complicated with CMV and EB viremia group (73.53%, 25/34) was significantly lower than those of UC only complicated with CMV group (96.88%, 31/32) and UC only complicated EB viremia group (95.65%, 44/46), and the differences were statistically significant ( χ2=6.989 and 6.310, P=0.008 and 0.012). Conclusions:UC patients with severe disease activity, serum albumin level less than 30 g/L, and deep ulcer and irregular ulcer under endoscopy are more likely to develop CMV and EB viremia. The more severe the disease, the worse the treatment response, so it is necessary to strengthen the screening to CMV and EB virus infection in UC patients.

Objective: To analyze the clinical features and risk factors of ulcerative colitis (UC)complicated with Epstein-Barr(EB)-viremia and the effect of antiviral therapy on the remission of the symptoms. Methods: From April 2014 to January 2018, data of 239 UC patients hospitalized at the Department of Gastroenterology of Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University were collected. The patients were divided into EB-viremia group (trial group, n=43) and non-EB-viremia group (control group, n=196) according to EB virus-DNA detection. The general condition, clinical characteristics and therapeutic efficacy of the two groups were compared. The risk factors and the effect of antiviral therapy on the remission of symptoms of UC complicated with EB-viremia were analyzed. Chi-square test and logistic analysis were used for statistical analysis. Results: There were no significant differences in gender, age, clinical type, lesion range, the proportion of patients treated with 5-aminosalicylic acid or corticosteroids, the percentage of patients with diarrhea and bloody stool, the proportion of patients with spontaneous bleeding, platy ulcer and longitudinal ulcer under colonoscopy, the course of disease or Mayo score between the trial group and control group (all P>0.05). The proportions of patients with smoking history and severe disease, treatment with azathioprine and 6-mertocapurine (6-MP), treatrnent with infliximab, symptoms of fever or abdominal pain and deep and large ulcer under colonoscopy in the trial group were all higher than those in the control group, and the differences were all statistically significant (χ²=5.304, 6.608, 6.718, 6.939, 8.783, 4.493 and 5.425, all P<0.05). The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that smoking history and treatment with azathioprine and 6-MP were risk factors of UC complicated with EB-viremia (OR=2.801 and 9.343, 95%CI 1.170 to 6.703 and 1.749 to 49.922, P=0.021 and 0.009). The improvement rates of the trial group and control group were 79.1%(34/43) and 95.4%(187/196), respectively. There was a significant difference in the improvement rate between the two groups (χ²=10.551, P=0.001). In the trial group, 12 patients (27.9%) received ganciclovir treatment, fonr patients (9.3%) had foscarnet sodium treatment, 21 patients (48.8%) were treated with the combination of these two medications and six cases (14.0%) did not received any antiviral treatment. After three weeks, the improvement cases of the above regimens were 8, 4, 16 and 6, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in the improvement rate of patients with and without antiviral treatment, further more, no difference was found in the improvement rate of patients with different antiviral treatments (all P>0.05). Conclusions Smoking history and purine treatment are risk factors of UC complicated with EB-viremia.

Objective: To explore the risk factors of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection or reactivation in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients. Methods: We performed a search at the databases of Pubmed, Cochrane, Embase, CNKI, Wanfang, SinoMede and VIP up to March 2017. A search strategy was constructed by using a combination of the following words: "inflammatory bowel disease or IBD" or "ulcerative colitis or UC" and "cytomegalovirus or CMV" . Literature was screened according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and statistics was analyzed using RevMan 5.3 software provided by Cochrane collaboration network and analyzed using Stata 12.0 software to evaluate publication bias. Results: After searching and screening, we included 18 case-control studies finally. Meta-analysis showed that the risk of CMV infection or reactivation in severe UC was 1.45 times that in mild to moderate UC and the risk in whole colon was 1.54 times that of patients with left colon and rectum with the pooled OR values as 1.45 (1.02-2.05) and 1.54 (1.05-2.27). The risk of CMV infection in middle-aged patients with UC was higher than that in young patients with the pooled MD values of 4.60(2.13-7.07). The therapies with glucocorticoid and immunosuppressive agents such as azathioprine, cyclosporine and methotrexate were high risk factors of CMV infection or reactivation in UC patients, with the pooled OR values as 3.87 (2.70-5.53) and 2.07 (1.29-3.32), but the duration of UC, treatment with 5-Amino salicylic acid/salazosulfapyridine (5-ASA/SASP) and infliximab had no statistically significant correlation with the CMV infection or reactivation in UC patients, with the pooled OR values as -1.20 (-2.64-0.24), 0.94 (0.61-1.42) and 1.50 (0.65-3.44). Conclusions In patients with severe UC, whole colon lesions and the therapy with glucocorticoid and immunosuppressive agents were the risk factors of CMV infection or reactivation. The risk of CMV infection or reactivation in middle-aged patients was higher than that in young patients.