ObjectiveTo investigate the association of physical activity and balance ability with disability, and to further examine the mediating role of balance ability in the relationship between physical activity and disability. MethodsBased on data from 2021 to 2023 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycle, a multivariable Logistic regression model was constructed to evaluate the independent association of physical activity and balance ability with disability, with covariates adjusted in four steps. An interaction model was further developed to assess the multiplicative interaction between physical activity and balance ability. Mediation analysis was performed using the Baron and Kenny three-step approach to examine the mediating role of balance ability, and the proportion of the mediation effect was calculated. The significance of the mediation effect was assessed using the Delta method, and robustness was verified through the Bootstrap method with a fixed random seed. Multiple sensitivity analyses were conducted to ensure the stability of the results. ResultsA total of 3 902 participants were included, with a prevalence of disability of 17.7%. Multivariable regression analysis showed that, after adjusting for all covariates, both light-intensity physical activity (LIPA) (OR = 0.489, 95%CI 0.380 to 0.629, P < 0.001) and high-intensity physical activity (HIPA) (OR = 0.493, 95%CI 0.371 to 0.656, P < 0.001) were significantly associated with a reduced risk of disability, whereas impaired balance ability was significantly associated with an increased risk (OR = 1.579, 95%CI 1.266 to 1.970, P < 0.001). The interaction effect analysis showed that the interaction between physical activity and balance ability were not significant (P > 0.05), however, the main effect of LIPA remained robust (β = -0.597, SE = 0.221, OR = 0.550, P = 0.007), while impaired balance ability was significantly associated with an increased risk of disability (β = 0.577, SE = 0.231, OR = 1.780, P = 0.012). The mediation analysis further indicated that balance ability played a robust mediating role in the association between LIPA and disability, with a mediation proportion of 21.1%. The indirect effect (a × b) was statistically significant (P < 0.001), and the 95% confidence intervals derived from the bootstrap method did not include zero. ConclusionPhysical activity and balance ability are significantly associated with disability, and balance ability may mediate the relationship between physical activity and disability, highlighting its potential value in disability risk assessment and intervention strategies.

BACKGROUND:Flap transplantation technique is a commonly used surgical procedure for the treatment of severe tissue defects,but postoperative flap necrosis is easily triggered by ischemia-reperfusion injury.Therefore,it is still an important research topic to improve the survival rate of transplanted flaps. OBJECTIVE:To review the pathogenesis and latest treatment progress of flap ischemia-reperfusion injury. METHODS:CNKI,WanFang Database and PubMed database were searched for relevant literature published from 2014 to 2024.The search terms used were"flap,ischemia-reperfusion injury,inflammatory response,oxidative stress,Ca2+overload,apoptosis,mesenchymal stem cells,platelet-rich plasma,signaling pathways,shock wave,pretreatment"in Chinese and English.After elimination of irrelevant literature,poor quality and obsolete literature,77 documents were finally included for review. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Flap ischemia/reperfusion injury may be related to pathological factors such as inflammatory response,oxidative stress response,Ca2+overload,and apoptosis,which can cause apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells,vascular damage and microcirculation disorders in the flap,and eventually lead to flap necrosis.Studies have found that mesenchymal stem cell transplantation,platelet-rich plasma,signaling pathway modulators,shock waves,and pretreatment can alleviate flap ischemia/reperfusion injuries from different aspects and to varying degrees,and reduce the necrosis rate and necrosis area of the grafted flap.Although there are many therapeutic methods for skin flap ischemia/reperfusion injury,a unified and effective therapeutic method has not yet been developed in the clinic,and the advantages and disadvantages of various therapeutic methods have not yet been compared.Most of the studies remain in the stage of animal experiments,rarely involving clinical observations.Therefore,a lot of research is required in the future to gradually move from animal experiments to the clinic in order to better serve the clinic.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical effectiveness and safety of Xiaozhong Zhitong Mixture （消肿止痛合剂） combined with antibiotic bone cement in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer （DFU） with damp-heat obstructing syndrome. MethodsA total of 72 DFU patients with damp-heat obstructing syndrome were randomly assigned to treatment group （36 cases） and the control group （36 cases）. Both groups received standard treatment and topical antibiotic bone cement for ulcer wounds， while the treatment group received oral Xiaozhong Zhitong Mixture （50 ml per time， three times daily） in additionally. Both groups underwent daily wound dressing changes for 21 consecutive days. Ulcer healing rate， serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha （TNF-α）， interleukin-1 beta （IL-1β）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， superoxide dismutase （SOD）， C-reactive protein （CRP）， and white blood cell （WBC） count were observed before and after treatment， and visual analog scale （VAS） scores for wound pain， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores， and the DFU Healing Scale （DMIST scale） were also compared. Liver and kidney function were evaluated before and after treatment， and adverse events such as allergic reactions， worsening ulcer pain were recorded. ResultsTotally 35 patients in the treatment group and 33 in the control group were included in the final analysis. The ulcer healing rate in the treatment group was （87.93±9.34）%， significantly higher than （81.82±12.02）% in the control group （P = 0.035）. Compared to pre-treatment levels， both groups showed significant reductions in serum CRP， WBC， MDA， IL-1β， and TNF-α levels， with an increase in SOD level （P＜0.05）. TCM syndrome scores， VAS， and DMIST scores also significantly decreased in both groups （P＜0.05）， with greater improvements in the treatment group （P＜0.05）. No significant adverse reactions were observed in either group during treatment. ConclusionXiaozhong Zhitong Mixture combined with antibiotic bone cement has significant advantages in promoting DFU healing， reducing inflammatory response， and alleviating oxidative stress in DFU patients with damp-heat obstructing syndrome， with good safety for DFU patients with damp-heat obstructing syndrome.

Osteogenesis imperfecta（OI）is a hereditary connective tissue disease，and roughly 85% of the patients are caused by heterozygous mutations in COL1A1 and COL1A2，the coding genes of type Ⅰcollagen. Primary symptomatic manifestations of OI are low bone mass，frequent fractures and skeletal deformity，and other symptoms include blue sclera，dentinogenesis imperfecta，hyperlaxity of joint and ligaments，short stature and hearing impairment. Some patients may have muscle weakness，obesity and other symptoms，and the systemic low-grade inflammation and changes in bone microenvironment caused by obesity may have more negative effects on OI bones. The occurrence of obesity in OI patients may be related to energy metabolism abnormalities caused by multiple factors such as reduced activity，abnormal muscle fat metabolism，and diverse genotypes. Currently，there is a lack of large sample data on the incidence of obesity，and exploring the mechanism of skeletal-muscle interaction and energy metabolism regulation is of great significance for OI related obesity prevention and treatment.

Diabetic ulcer （DU） wound is one of the chronic and serious complications of diabetes characterized by prolonged wound healing， and it is more common in foot and lower extremity ulcers. DU has brought great economic and psychological pressure to patients and seriously affected the quality of life of patients because of its great difficulty in treatment， long treatment process， and high morbidity and mortality. Therefore， how to help the rapid healing of DU wounds， reduce the disability rate and mortality rate， protect limb function， and improve the quality of life is an important topic and hot spot in the field of medical research. The pathogenesis of DU is complex， mainly including microcirculation disorder， peripheral neuropathy， inflammation and infection， and excessive apoptosis of cells， involving physiological processes such as wound inflammation， granulation tissue hyperplasia and re-epithelialization. A large number of previous studies have found that Chinese medicine can regulate phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt）， Wnt/β-catenin， nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB）， Notch， nuclear factor E₂-related factor 2 （Nrf2）， transforming growth factor-β （TGF-β）/Smad， and other signaling pathways， regulate abnormal glucose metabolism， improve microcirculation， inhibit inflammation and oxidative stress， regulate cell proliferation and excessive apoptosis， and promote wound tissue growth to promote the rapid healing of DU wounds under the guidance of treatment based on traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome differentiation and internal and external treatment. Therefore， this paper reviewed Chinese medicinal monomers or Chinese medicinal compounds in recent years in regulating the above signaling pathways and the expression of key protein molecules and promoting the rapid healing of DU wounds， aiming to provide ideas and a theoretical basis for the in-depth study and clinical application of Chinese medicine in promoting the healing of DU wounds.

BACKGROUND:Mesenchymal stem cells have great potential in the treatment of ischemia-reperfusion injury of skin flaps.However,their defects and the decline of their role in the treatment of ischemia-reperfusion injury of skin flaps restrict their wide application. OBJECTIVE:To review the strategies for improving the treatment of ischemia-reperfusion injury of skin flaps with mesenchymal stem cells,and provide a reference for its further theoretical research and clinical application. METHODS:Relevant documents included in CNKI,WanFang and PubMed were searched.The Chinese and English search terms were"mesenchymal stem cell,ischemia-reperfusion adjustment of skin flap,mesenchymal stem cells,stem cells,skin flap,ischemia-reperfusion injury,pretreatment,gene modification,biomaterial packaging,joint application".The relevant documents since 2007 were retrieved,and the documents with little relationship between the research content and the article theme,poor quality and outdated content were eliminated through reading the article,and finally 75 documents were included for summary. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Mesenchymal stem cells can inhibit inflammatory reactions,resist oxidative stress and induce angiogenesis,which has great potential in the treatment of skin flap ischemia-reperfusion injury.(2)Although mesenchymal stem cells have shown great potential in the treatment of skin flap ischemia-reperfusion injury,their shortcomings in treatment have limited their widespread clinical application.Through pre-treatment(cytokines,hypoxia,drugs,and other pre-treatment mesenchymal stem cells),gene-modified mesenchymal stem cells,biomaterial encapsulation of mesenchymal stem cells,as well as the combined use of mesenchymal stem cells and other drugs or therapeutic methods,can not only overcome the shortcomings of mesenchymal stem cells in treatment,but also improve their therapeutic effectiveness in skin flap ischemia-reperfusion injury.(3)Therefore,further improving the effectiveness of mesenchymal stem cells in treating skin flap ischemia-reperfusion injury and exploring its therapeutic potential are of great significance for the research of mesenchymal stem cells and the treatment of skin flap ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Objective: To explore the effect of different concentrations of relaxin-2(RLN-2) on the proliferation and migration abilities of human immortalized keratinocytes(HaCaT cells). Methods: Methods HaCaT cells were cultured in media with different concentrations of RLN-2, and the cells were cultured in media without RLN-2 as the control group.The effect on cell proliferation was assessed by using the CCK-8 reagent, the cell migration ability was evaluated throughin vitrocell scratch assay, the cell cycle was examined by flow cytometry, and the expression levels of cell cycle proteins Cyclin B1 and Cyclin A2 were detected by Western blot. Results: After being cultured for 24 hours under RLN-2 concentration ranging from 10～100 ng/ml, HaCaT cells showed progressively increased proliferation and migration capabilities compared to the control group, with elevated expression levels of cell cycle proteins Cyclin B1 and Cyclin A2 and an increased proportion of cells in S and G2/M phases, peaking at 100 ng/ml. However, HaCaT cells cultured with 200 ng/ml of RLN-2 exhibited reduced proliferation and migration capabilities, decreased expression levels of Cyclin B1 and Cyclin A2, and a lower proportion of cells in S and G2/M phases compared to the 100 ng/ml group. Conclusion RLN-2 can enhance the migration ability of HaCaT cells within an appropriate concentration range and may also promote cell proliferation by increasing the expression of related cell cycle proteins and the proportion of cells in S and G2/M phases.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) combined with lower cervical fracture is often categorized into unstable fracture, with a high incidence of neurological injury and a high rate of disability and morbidity. As factors such as shoulder occlusion may affect the accuracy of X-ray imaging diagnosis, it is often easily misdiagnosed at the primary diagnosis. Non-operative treatment has complications such as bone nonunion and the possibility of secondary neurological damage, while the timing, access and choice of surgical treatment are still controversial. Currently, there are no clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of AS combined with lower cervical fracture with or without dislocation. To this end, the Spinal Trauma Group of Orthopedics Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized experts to formulate Clinical guidelines for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis combined with lower cervical fracture in adults ( version 2024) in accordance with the principles of evidence-based medicine, scientificity and practicality, in which 11 recommendations were put forward in terms of the diagnosis, imaging evaluation, typing and treatment, etc, to provide guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of AS combined with lower cervical fracture.

Objective:To investigate the effects of botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) and magnesium sulfate on the survival rate of random-pattern skin flaps (RSF) with different length-to-width ratios.Methods:Using a random number table method, 45 SD rats were divided into three groups: the saline group (Group A), the BTX-A group (Group B), and the magnesium sulfate group (Group C), with 15 rats in each group. Each group was further subdivided into three subgroups based on different length-to-width ratios of RSF (1∶1, 2∶1, 3∶1), with 5 rats in each subgroup. The preparation of the RSF involved using the midline of the rat’s back as the axis and the level 1 cm below the iliac crest line as the base, extending towards the head. The skin tissue was incised to the dorsal fascia layer, separating the subcutaneous tissue at the superficial layer of the deep fascia, while severing the blood vessels and their branches on both sides and at the base. After hemostasis, the flap was sutured in place. Immediately after surgery, 0.2 ml of saline, BTX-A (25 U/ml), or magnesium sulfate solution (50 mg/ml) was injected into the proximal, middle, and distal ends of the flap. On the seventh day post-surgery, the gross appearance of the flap was assessed, and the survival rate was calculated. The surviving flap tissue underwent hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining to evaluate microvascular density (MVD) and the degree of vasodilation (including vessel outer diameter, inner diameter, and wall thickness). Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism 9.0.1 software, with data expressed as Mean ± SD. One-way ANOVA was used for multiple group comparisons, and Tukey’s test was used for pairwise comparisons.Results:On the seventh day post-surgery, flaps with a length-to-width ratio of 1∶1 healed well in all subgroups. In the case of flaps with a 2∶1 ratio, Group A exhibited partial necrosis at the distal end, characterized by blackened, non-elastic scabs and exudate. Groups B and C generally healed well. For flaps with a 3∶1 ratio, Group A exhibited extensive necrosis at both the middle and distal ends, with similar blackened, non-elastic scabs, non-bleeding cut sections, and exudate. Groups B and C showed only partial blackening at the distal end, with most areas healing effectively. The survival rates of flaps with a 1∶1 ratio did not show significant differences among the three groups ( P>0.05). Compared to Group A, Groups B and C had significantly higher survival rates for flaps with 2∶1 and 3∶1 ratios ( P<0.01), with no significant difference between Groups B and C ( P>0.05). HE staining indicated that as the length-to-width ratios increased, tissue edema and inflammatory cell infiltration also increased in all groups. Groups B and C had significantly reduced inflammatory changes compared to Group A, with a greater number of newly formed microvessels observed. Quantitative analysis revealed that MVD in Groups B and C was significantly higher than in Group A, regardless of the flap ratio ( P<0.05), with no significant difference between Groups B and C ( P>0.05). Vasodilation analysis showed that the outer diameter and wall thickness of vessels in Groups B and C were significantly greater than those in Group A ( P<0.05), with no significant difference between Groups B and C ( P>0.05). Immunohistochemical staining revealed that VEGF expression levels in Groups B and C were higher than in Group A, regardless of the flap ratio ( P<0.01). In flaps with a 1∶1 ratio, VEGF expression was higher in Group C than in Group B ( P<0.05), with no significant difference between the two groups for other flap ratios ( P>0.05). Conclusion:In RSF with length-to-width ratios of 2∶1 and 3∶1, subcutaneous injections of BTX-A or magnesium sulfate after replantation can promote the expansion and formation of blood vessels in the flap, increase the expression of VEGF, and improve the survival rate of the RSF.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and treatment mode changes of chronic pancreatitis (CP).Methods:The retrospective and descriptive study was conducted. The clinical data of 805 patients with CP who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University from January 2013 to December 2022 were collected. There were 575 males and 230 females, aged 52(range, 10-87)years. Observation indicators: (1)demographic characteristics; (2)distribution of admission departments, hospitalization and treatment status. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and measurement data with skewed distri-bution were represented as M(range). Count data were expressed as absolute numbers and percentages. The chi-square goodness-of-fit test was used for consistent between expected frequency and empirical distribution. Results:(1)Demographic characteristics. Of the 805 patients, there were 435 cases and 370 cases diagnosed as CP according to the primary and secondary diagnostic criteria, respec-tively, and the age of initial presentation of 805 patients was 52(range, 10-87)years. Among male and female patients, there was 1 and 0 case in the age group of 0-10 years, there were 16 and 14 cases in 11-20 years, 45 and 26 cases in 21-30 years, 82 and 30 cases in 31-40 years, 122 and 39 cases in 41-50 years, 157 and 51 cases in 51-60 years, 119 and 46 cases in 61-70 years, 31 and 21 cases in 71-80 years, 2 and 3 cases in 81-90 years, respectively. Patients aged 0-14, 15-34, 35-64, and ≥65 years were 0, 6, 28, and 9 for 2013, 1, 21, 34, and 10 for 2014, 1, 8, 38, and 7 for 2015, 0, 7, 52, and 10 for 2016, 0, 11, 35 and 9 for 2017, 1, 15, 72 and 23 for 2018, 0, 9, 55 and 11 for 2019, 2, 19, 58 and 16 for 2020, 0,20, 79 and 18 for 2021, 0, 25, 73 and 22 for 2022, respectively. Of the 805 patients, cases from Shaanxi Province, Gansu Province and other regions were 702, 48 and 55, respectively. There are 802 Han and 3 Hui patients, respectively, and the married, unmarried, divorced, and widowed patients were 732, 64, 7, and 2, respectively. Cases with blood type information was 682, with the distribution of blood types as 26.10%(178/682) of type A, 34.46%(235/682)of type B, 9.97%(68/682) of type AB, 29.47%(201/682)of type O, showing no significant difference compared to the distribu-tion of blood types in population of Shaanxi Province in 2022 (28.43% of type A, 30.50% of type B, 9.83% of type AB, and 30.50% of type O) ( χ2=0.50, P>0.05). (2)Distribution of departments, hospita-lization, and treatment. Of the 805 patients, cases admitted to the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Department of Gastroenterology and other departments (Department of Geriatric Surgery, Infectious Diseases and General Surgery) were 594, 121 and 90, respectively. Cases of the number of hospitalizations in the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Department of Gastroenterology and other departments were 771, 121 and 94, respectively. One patient might have been admitted for multiple times. The duration of hospital of stay of 805 patients was 11(rang, 1-67)days. The duration of hospital stay of patients admitted to the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Department of Gastroenterology and other departments were 16(range, 2-48)days, 11(range, 5-19)days and 24(range, 12-35)days for 2013, 18(range, 2-63)days, 10(range, 3-29)days and 14(range, 7-30)days for 2014, 9(range, 1-35)days, 11(range, 2-16)days and 10(range, 5-33)days for 2015, 10(range, 1-55)days, 9(range, 4-16)days and 16(range, 4-27)days for 2016, 9(range, 2-38)days, 10(range, 4-20)days and 11(range, 5-27)days for 2017, 12(range, 3-46)days, 11(range, 2-26)days and 13(range, 7-27)days for 2018, 11(range, 1-33)days, 9(range, 3-23)days and 14(range, 4-17)days for 2019, 11(range, 1-67)days, 7(range, 1-23)days, and 16(range, 4-27)days for 2020, 10(range, 1-35)days, 8(range, 1-32)days and 14(range, 1-29)days for 2021, 9(range, 1-42)days, 12(range, 3-17)days and 11(range, 1-22)days for 2022. Of the 805 patients, cases receiving treatment as surgical treatment, pancreas extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (P-ESWL), endoscopic treatment and other treatments were 258, 117, 194 and 236, respectively. A total of 260 surgeries were performed on 258 patients receiving surgical treatment, and there were 236 cases receiving surgical treatment as the first choice, and 22 cases undergoing surgery after failed of other treatments. The surgical procedures included pancreaticoduodenectomy in 79 cases, distal pancreatectomy (with or without splenectomy, Peustow procedure) in 35 cases, partial pancreatectomy with pancreatic duct incision and stone removal and pancreaticojejunostomy in 77 cases, simple pancreatic duct incision and pancreaticojejunostomy in 58 cases, internal drainage for pancreatic pseudocysts in 4 cases, and drainage for removal of pancreatic necrotic tissue in 7 cases. There were 58 patients with post-operative complications, including 9 cases of bleeding, 19 cases of infection, 2 cases of gastric paresis, 21 cases pancreatic fistula, and 7 cases of intestinal leakage. Cases with postoperative complications were recovered and discharged after symptomatic treatment. Of the 117 patients receiving P-ESWL, the times of treatment per patient was 1.3±0.7, and a total of 154 times of P-ESWL were performed. There were 89 patients receiving one time of P-ESWL, and 28 patients receiving ≥2 times of P-ESWL. Of the 194 patients receiving endoscopic treatment, the times of treatment per patient was 1.2±0.6, and a total of 238 times of endoscopic treatment were performed. There were 103 cases receiving stent placement, 43 cases receiving nasopancreatic/nasobiliary drainage, 7 cases receiving pancreatic duct balloon dilation, 71 cases receiving pancreatic stone removal, and 58 cases receiving duodenal papilla sphincterotomy. There were 168 patients receiving one time of endoscopic treatment, and 26 patients receiving ≥2 times of endoscopic treatment.There was no postoperative complica-tions reported. Conclusions:The proportion of males in CP patients is relatively high, and the proportion gradually increases with age of 51-60 years. There is no significant difference in the distribution of blood types among CP patients and the population of Shaanxi Province. The proportion of minimally invasive treatment (extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and endoscopic therapy) in CP treatment is on the rise, and the duration of hospital stay for patients is on the decline.