OBJECTIVE: To analyze the rules of moxibustion for low back pain by ZHOU Meisheng by using data mining and knowledge graph technology. METHODS: Taking the medical cases of moxibustion for low back pain from ZHOU Meisheng's legacy manuscripts and existing works as the research objects, information on disease types, symptoms, tongue manifestations, pulse conditions, syndrome patterns, moxibustion methods and acupoints were collected. Frequency statistics and community analysis were conducted by the ancient and modern medical record cloud platform V 2.3.7, cluster analysis of high-frequency acupoints was performed by SPSS26.0, association rule analysis of high-frequency acupoints was performed by SPSS Modeler 18.0, and the generated linked data were imported into Cytoscape 3.9.1 for complex network analysis. Knowledge graph of moxibustion for low back pain by ZHOU Meisheng was constructed based on the results of data mining. The data storage and display of knowledge graph were realized through the Neo4j 3.5.25 graph database, and the Cypher query language was used for knowledge graph retrieval and discovery. RESULTS: A total of 219 medical cases were collected, involving 14 disease types, 85 related clinical symptoms, 5 related TCM syndrome types, and 6 moxibustion methods. The acupoints were mostly attributed to the governor vessel, the bladder meridian of foot-taiyang, non-meridian and non-acupoint areas. The core prescription of acupoints derived from complex network analysis included tender points, Shenshu (BL23), Jinsuo (GV8), Yinjiao (CV7), Yaoyangguan (GV3), Yanglingquan (GB34), which were largely coincides with high-frequency acupoints. Cluster analysis obtained 4 cluster combinations. Community analysis yielded 6 communities, each corresponding to different acupoints.The constructed knowledge graph contained 187 nodes and 696 relationships, by retrieving clinical elements related to low back pain, the disease-moxibustion association graph, disease-acupoint association graph, accompanying symptom-acupoint association graph and syndrome type-matching point association graph were obtained. CONCLUSION When treating low back pain with moxibustion, ZHOU Meisheng adopts the principle of promoting circulation, distinguishing diseases to determine the treatment, selecting acupoints according to the diseases, and matching points according to the symptoms.And taking tender points, Shenshu (BL23), Jinsuo (GV8), Yinjiao (CV7), Yaoyangguan (GV3), Yanglingquan (GB34) as core acupoints, combined with tenderness point selection, acupoint selection based on meridian and zangfu syndrome differentiation, "sunshine area" acupoint selection, yin-yang acupoint matching. Additionally, he skillfully employs special points, such as Zhongzhu (KI15) and ear tips, pays attention to the reform of moxibustion tools, and innovates the moxibustion techniques, using distinctive moxibustion tools and methods to treat low back pain.
Moxibustion/methods* ; Humans ; Data Mining ; Low Back Pain/history* ; Acupuncture Points ; History, Ancient ; Female ; China ; Male ; Adult ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) by using zero-profile anchored cage (ZAC) in treatment of consecutive three-level cervical spondylosis, by comparing with plate-cage construct (PCC). METHODS: A clinical data of 65 patients with cervical spondylosis admitted between January 2020 and December 2022 and met the selection criteria was retrospectively analyzed. During consecutive three-level ACDF, 35 patients were fixed with ZAC (ZAC group) and 30 patients with PCC (PCC group). There was no significant difference in baseline data between the two groups ( P>0.05), including gender, age, body mass index, surgical segment, preoperative Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, Neck Disability Index (NDI), visual analogue scale (VAS) score, prevertebral soft tissue thickness (PSTT), cervical lordosis, and surgical segmental angle. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, hospital stay, clinical indicators (JOA score, NDI, VAS score), and radiological indicators (cervical lordosis, surgical segmental angle, implant subsidence, surgical segment fusion, and adjacent segment degeneration), and the postoperative complications [swelling of the neck (PSTT), dysphagia] were recorded and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Patients in both groups were followed up 24-39 months. There was no significant difference in follow-up duration between the two groups ( P>0.05). The operation time and intraoperative blood loss were lower in ZAC group than in PCC group, and the length of hospital stay was longer, but there was no significant difference ( P>0.05). At each time point after operation, both groups showed significant improvements in JOA score, VAS score, and NDI compared with preoperative scores ( P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the two groups at each time point after operation ( P>0.05). Both groups showed an increase in PSTT at 3 days and 3, 6 months after operation compared to preoperative levels ( P<0.05), but returned to preoperative levels at last follow-up ( P>0.05). The PSTT at 3 days and 3 months after operation were significantly lower in ZAC group than in PCC group ( P<0.05), and there was no significant difference between the two groups at 6 months and at last follow-up ( P>0.05). The incidences of dysphagia at 3 days and 3 months were significantly lower in ZAC group than in PCC group ( P<0.05), while no significant difference was observed at 6 months and last follow-up between the two groups ( P>0.05). There was no postoperative complication in both groups including hoarseness, esophageal injury, cough, or hematoma. Both groups showed improvement in cervical lordosis and surgical segmental angle compared to preoperative levels, with a trend of loss during follow-up. The cervical lordosis loss and surgical segmental angle loss were significantly more in the ZAC group than in PCC group ( P<0.05). The incidence of implante subsidence was significantly higher in ZAC group than in PCC group ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the ZAC group and PCC group in the incidences of surgical segment fusion and adjacent segment degeneration ( P>0.05). CONCLUSION In consecutive three-level ACDF, both ZAC and PCC can achieve satisfactory effectiveness. The former can reduce the incidence of postoperative dysphagia, while the latter can better maintain cervical curvature and reduce the incidence of implant subsidence.
Humans ; Spondylosis/surgery* ; Cervical Vertebrae/surgery* ; Spinal Fusion/instrumentation* ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Diskectomy/instrumentation* ; Bone Plates ; Treatment Outcome ; Adult ; Aged ; Internal Fixators ; Operative Time ; Length of Stay

Objective:This study aimed to compare the effects of cochlear implantation（CI） on vestibular function in patients with large vestibular aqueduct syndrome（LVAS） and in patients with extremely severe deafness with normal inner ear structure. Methods:A total of 28 LVAS patients and 28 patients with normal inner ear structure who suffered from extremely severe deafness were selected. The parameters of caloric tests, bone conduction evoked cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials（cVEMP）, bone conduction evoked ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials（oVEMP） and video head impulse tests（v-HIT） were compared between the two groups before and after CI. The data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 software. Results:There was no significant difference in the results of the preoperative caloric test, v-HIT, and oVEMP（P1, N1） between the LVAS group and the control group（P>0.05）. Compared to the control group, the LVAS group exhibited a shorter cVEMP P1[（13.41±0.71）ms vs （16.28±0.89）ms, P<0.000 1], shorter N1[（19.83±0.54）ms vs （28.18±1.56）ms, P<0.000 1], higher amplitude[（123.60±83.80）μV vs （73.92±79.85）μV, P=0.049 4] and higher oVEMP amplitude[（16.60±13.87）μV vs （9.96±10.47）μV, P=0.028 5] before CI. The abnormal rate of caloric test increased in both groups after CI（25.00% vs 57.14%, P=0.028 8, 32.14% vs 82.14%, P=0.000 3, respectively）. There was no significant difference in the v-HIT parameters in both groups before and after the operation. As for the LVAS group, there was no statistically significant difference in cVEMP and oVEMP induction rates before and after operation. In the control group, there was a decrease in cVEMP induction rate（96.42% vs 64.28%, P=0.005 2） and oVEMP induction rate（96.42% vs 57.14%, P=0.000 9） after CI. LVAS group showed a shorter cVEMP P1[（13.41±0.71）ms vs （10.30±0.60）ms, P<0.000 1]; shorter cVEMP N1[（19.86±0.53）ms vs （18.97±1.33）ms, P=0.004 7]; decreased amplitude[（124.50±84.86）μV vs （64.35±61.57）μV, P=0.001 0] and shorter oVEMP amplitude[（15.92±13.03）μV vs （9.16±9.20）μV, P=0.009 9] after CI. The oVEMP N1 in the control group was longer than that before operation[（11.73 ± 0.91）ms vs （13.35 ± 2.60）ms, P=0.019 6], whereas there was no significant difference in other VEMP parameters after CI. Conclusion:Before CI, there was no significant difference in the results of the caloric test and v-HIT between the LVAS group and the control group, but the LVAS group exhibited increased sensitivity to acoustic stimulation-induced myogenic potentials. After CI, the function of the semicircular canal was impaired in both groups in the low-frequency area, and remained largely unaffected in the high-frequency area. Additionally, the function of the otolith in the LVAS group was less affected than that in the control group after CI, which may be related to the fact that the enlarged vestibular aqueduct of the LVAS patients acted as the third window of the inner ear.
Humans ; Vestibular Aqueduct/physiopathology* ; Cochlear Implantation ; Male ; Female ; Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials ; Deafness/physiopathology* ; Child ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Young Adult ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/physiopathology* ; Vestibular Function Tests

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the role of activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) in atherosclerotic plaques for regulating inflammatory responses during atherosclerosis (AS) progression. METHODS: Human coronary artery specimens from autopsy cases were examined for ATF3 protein expression and localization using immunofluorescence staining and Western blotting. Apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE^-/-) mouse models of AS induced by high-fat diet (HFD) feeding for 12 weeks were subjected to tail vein injection of adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) to knock down ATF3 expression. After an additional 5 weeks of HFD feeding, the mice were euthanized for analyzing structural changes of the aortic plaques, and the expression levels of ATF3, inflammatory factors (CD45, CD68, IL-1β, and TNF-α), and NF-κB pathway proteins (P-IKKα/β and P-NF-κB p65) were detected. In the cell experiment, THP-1-derived foam cells were transfected with an ATF3-overexpressing plasmid or an ATF3-specific siRNA to validate the relationship between ATF3 and NF‑κB signaling. RESULTS: In human atherosclerotic plaques, ATF3 expression was significantly elevated and partially co-localized with CD68. ATF3 knockout in ApoE^-/- mice significantly increased aortic plaque volume, upregulated the inflammatory factors, enhanced phosphorylation of the NF‑κB pathway proteins, and increased the expressions of VCAM1, MMP9, and MMP2 in the plaques. In THP-1-derived foam cells, ATF3 silencing caused activation of the NF‑κB pathway, while ATF3 overexpression suppressed the activity of the NF-κB pathway. CONCLUSIONS AS promotes ATF3 expression, and ATF3 deficiency exacerbates AS progression by enhancing plaque inflammation via activating the NF-κB pathway, suggesting the potential of ATF3 as a therapeutic target for AS.
Animals ; Activating Transcription Factor 3/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Humans ; Mice ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic/metabolism* ; Inflammation/metabolism* ; Apolipoproteins E ; Atherosclerosis/metabolism* ; Diet, High-Fat

OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety and topical efficacy of prim-O-glucosylcimifugin (POG) and investigate the molecular mechanisms of its therapeutic effects in atopic dermatitis (AD). METHODS: The effects of POG on human keratinocyte cell viability and its anti-inflammatory properties were evaluated using cell counting kit-8 assay and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Subsequently, the impact of POG on the differentiation of cluster of differentiation (CD) 4⁺ T cell subsets, including T-helper type (Th) 1, Th2, Th17, and regulatory T (Treg), was examined through in vitro experiments. Network pharmacology analysis was used to elucidate POG's therapeutic mechanisms. Furthermore, the therapeutic potential of topically applied POG was further evaluated in a calcipotriol-induced mouse model of AD. The protein and transcript levels of inflammatory markers, including cytokines, lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase (Lck) mRNA, and LCK phosphorylation (p-LCK), were quantified using immunohistochemistry, RT-qPCR, and Western blot analysis. RESULTS: POG was able to suppress cell proliferation and downregulate the transcription of interleukin 4 (Il4) and Il13 mRNA. In vitro experiments indicated that POG significantly inhibited the differentiation of Th2 cells, whereas it exerted negligible influence on the differentiation of Th1, Th17 and Treg cells. Network pharmacology identified LCK as a key therapeutic target of POG. Moreover, the topical application of POG effectively alleviated skin lesions in the calcipotriol-induced AD mouse models without causing pathological changes in the liver, kidney or spleen tissues. POG significantly reduced the levels of Il4, Il5, Il13, and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (Tslp) mRNA in the AD mice. Concurrently, POG enhanced the expression of p-LCK protein and Lck mRNA. CONCLUSION Our research revealed that POG inhibits Th2 cell differentiation by promoting p-LCK protein expression and hence effectively alleviates AD-related skin inflammation. Please cite this article as: Zhao H, Ma X, Wang H, Ding XJ, Kuai L, Song JK, Zhang Z, Yang D, Gao CJ, Li B, Zhou M. Prim-O-glucosylcimifugin mitigates atopic dermatitis by inhibiting Th2 differentiation through LCK phosphorylation modulation. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(3): 309-319.
Dermatitis, Atopic/drug therapy* ; Animals ; Humans ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Phosphorylation/drug effects* ; Mice ; Th2 Cells/drug effects* ; Keratinocytes/drug effects* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Calcitriol/analogs & derivatives*

Objective To explore the clinical significance of nucleolar antinuclear antibodies(ANA)in re-lated diseases.Methods This study was a retrospective study.Clinical samples of 71780 patients who visited the hospital from January 2017 to May 2022 were collected.Indirect immunofluorescence was used to detect ANA in clinical samples.Statistical analysis was conducted on the positivity rate of nucleolar ANA in clinical patients,as well as the relevant clinical information and laboratory characteristics of patients with autoimmune diseases(AID)with nucleolar ANA positivity.Results Among 71780 patients who underwent routine ANA testing,16778 were positive for ANA,with a positive rate of 23.37％.Among them,there were 1 708 cases of nucleolar type,accounting for 2.38％of all routine ANA tests,and the proportion of ANA positive cases was 10.18％.There was a statistically significant difference in the positive rate of nucleolar ANA between patients of different genders in the＞20-＜50 year old group and the ≥ 50 year old group(P＜0.05),while there was no statistically significant difference in the positive rate of nucleolar ANA between patients of different genders in the &le; 20 year old group(P＞0.05).There was a statistically significant difference in the positivity rate of nucleolar ANA among women of different age groups(P＜0.05),among them,the highest positive rate of nucleolar ANA was found in women aged between 20 and 50 years old.There was no statistically significant difference in the positive rate of nucleolar ANA among males of different age groups(P＞0.05).The positivi-ty rate of ANA was the highest among patients in the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology(70.35％),but nucleolar ANA positivity was mainly seen in departments such as Reproductive Medicine Cen-ter(12.90％),Respiratory Medicine(12.40％),and Neurology(11.29％),and the difference in positivity rates between departments was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Out of 1 708 nucleolar ANA positive indi-viduals,420 underwent ANA titers,including 34 AID patients and 386 non AID patients.There was no statis-tically significant difference in nucleolus positive titers between non AID patients and AID patients(P＞0.05).Conclusion The nucleolus type is a common fluorescence pattern in ANA positive individuals,and there are gender and age differences in ANA positive individuals.The positive rate and titer of nucleolar ANA vary among different AID diseases.Combined with other immune function indicators,and it is helpful for early differential diagnosis of AID.

Hypomyelinating leukodystrophies (HLDs) are a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by decreased myelination in the central nervous system, with diverse clinical manifestations like psychomotor retardation and dyskinesia.Some HLDs patients have epilepsy, microcephaly and other clinical manifestations.At present, there is no specific treatment of HLDs, and the prognosis is usually poor.At present, with the wide application of gene screening in clinical practice, many pathogenic genes related to HLDs have been found.It is particularly important to clarify the pathogenesis and clinical phenotypic changes of HLDs.

ObjectiveIn recent years, the negative impact of microgravity on astronauts’ nervous systems has received widespread attention. The repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) technology has shown significant positive effects in the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders. The potential benefits of combined frequency stimulation (CFS) which combines different frequency stimulation patterns in ameliorating neurological dysfunctions induced by the microgravity environment, still require in-depth investigation. Exploring the therapeutic effects and electrophysiological mechanisms of CFS in improving various neurological disorders caused by microgravity holds significant importance for neuroscience and the clinical application of magnetic stimulation. MethodsThis study employed 40 C57BL/6 mice, randomly divided into 5 groups: sham group, hindlimb unloading (HU) group, 10 Hz group, 20 Hz group, and combined frequency stimulation (10 Hz+20 Hz, CFS) group. Mice in all groups except the sham group received 14 d of simulated microgravity conditions along with 14 d of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. The effects of CFS on negative emotions and spatial cognitive abilities were assessed through sucrose preference tests and water maze experiments. Finally, patch-clamp techniques were used to record action potentials, resting membrane potentials, and ion channel dynamics of granule neurons in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) region. ResultsCompared to the single-frequency stimulation group, behavioral results indicated that the combined frequency stimulation (10 Hz+20 Hz) significantly improved cognitive impairments and negative emotions in simulated microgravity mice. Electrophysiological experiments revealed a decrease in excitability of granule neurons in the hippocampal DG region after HU manipulation, whereas the combined frequency stimulation notably enhanced neuronal excitability and improved the dynamic characteristics of voltage-gated Na⁺ and K⁺ channels. ConclusionThe repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation with combined frequencies (10 Hz+20 Hz) effectively ameliorates cognitive impairments and negative emotions in simulated microgravity mice. This improvement is likely attributed to the influence of combined frequency stimulation on neuronal excitability and the dynamic characteristics of Na⁺ and K⁺ channels. Consequently, this study holds the promise to provide a theoretical basis for alleviating cognitive and emotional disorders induced by microgravity environments.

Ischemic stroke is an acute cerebro-vascular disease with high disability and mortality,is the most common cause of death in China.De-spite years of research,there are still no biomark-ers for stroke,and the molecular mechanisms re-main largely unknown.In the past decade,single-cell sequencing technology,as a rapidly developing emerging technology,can conduct high-throughput sequencing of multiple omics including genome,transcriptome,epigenome and proteome at the level of a single cell,providing a new way to discov-er biomarkers and analyze pathological mecha-nisms.In this paper,the progress of single-cell multi-omics sequencing technology and its applica-tion in the discovery of biomarkers,pathological mechanisms and drug development of ischemic stroke are introduced in detail,in order to provide valuable reference for precision medicine of isch-emic stroke.

Objective:To explore the application value and damage control of minimally inva-sive techniques in the treatment of acute incarcerated inguinal hernias in the elderly.Methods:In this study,62 elderly patients with acute incarcerated inguinal hernias admitted to the department of emergency surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from June 2018 to June 2023 were selected as the research subjects.After obtaining informed consent from the pa-tient's family for both treatment modalities,they were randomly divided into open surgery group and laparoscopic surgery group.Differences in clinical efficacy,perioperative indicators,post-operative complications,and prognostic follow-up of the two groups of patients were observed.Seven cases of elderly patients aged above 80 had many underlying diseases and poor tolerance during surgery.After treatment of lesions in the hernia contents,only damage control surgery for hernia sac high ligation was performed.Results:In comparison to patients treated with laparo-scopic surgery,there were statistically significant differences(P＜0.05)in the open surgery group in clinical efficacy(efficacy,ineffectiveness,and overall effectiveness),perioperative indicators(length of stay,recovery time of digestive tract function,and VAS pain score),post-operative complica-tions,and prognostic follow-up(local mass,chronic pain,and ratio of second-stage hernia sur-gery).Seven patients treated according to injury control strategies all recovered and discharged from hospital after surgery.Conclusion:Emergency laparoscopic surgery for detecting incarcer-ated inguinal hernias in the elderly is safe and feasible.At the same time,it is essential to correctly assess the patient's vital signs during surgery.If necessary,surgery should be simplified to provide opportunities for follow-up treatment.