Olfactory receptors (ORs) form the largest superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Traditionally recognized for their role in the nasal olfactory epithelium, where they mediate the sense of smell, accumulating evidence has firmly established their ectopic expression in non-olfactory tissues, including the intestine, lungs, and kidneys. The intestine, as the primary site for nutrient digestion and absorption, harbors a highly complex chemical environment. To adapt to this environment, the gut employs a sophisticated network of “chemosensors” to monitor luminal contents and maintain homeostasis. Among these sensors, intestinal ORs have emerged as crucial functional components, serving as a molecular bridge that connects environmental chemical signals—such as food-derived odorants—to specific physiological responses. This discovery has significantly deepened our understanding of how dietary flavors and compounds influence intestinal physiology at the molecular level. This review systematically summarizes the expression profiles, ligand classification, and biological functions of ORs within the gastrointestinal tract. Studies indicate that intestinal ORs exhibit distinct spatial distribution patterns across different gut segments and display cell-type specificity, particularly within enterocytes and enteroendocrine cells. These receptors function as versatile sensors capable of recognizing a wide variety of ligands, including exogenous dietary components, gut microbiota metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids, and endogenous small molecules like azelaic acid. Upon activation by specific ligands, intestinal ORs trigger intracellular signaling cascades, primarily involving the AC-cAMP-PKA pathway or calcium influx channels. A major focus of this review is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which these receptors regulate the secretion of gut hormones. Activation of specific ORs in enteroendocrine cells has been shown to stimulate the release of hormones such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), peptide YY (PYY), and serotonin (5-HT), thereby modulating systemic energy metabolism, glucose homeostasis, and gastrointestinal motility. Furthermore, the review addresses the critical roles of ORs in immune regulation and pathology. Evidence suggests that specific ORs contribute to the maintenance of intestinal immune homeostasis and may offer protection against inflammation. Beyond their involvement in inflammatory responses, ORs such as Olfr78 have been shown to regulate the differentiation and function of intestinal endocrine cells. Similarly, Olfr544 has been demonstrated to alleviate intestinal inflammation by remodeling the gut microbiome and metabolome. These findings collectively suggest that specific ORs hold promise as therapeutic targets for mitigating intestinal inflammation and maintaining gut homeostasis. Additionally, the review explores the emerging role of ORs in cancer. Although OR expression is often downregulated in tumor tissues compared to normal mucosa, activation of specific ORs by certain ligands can inhibit tumor cell proliferation and migration and induce apoptosis via pathways such as MEK/ERK and p38 MAPK. Conversely, other receptors, such as OR7C1, may serve as biomarkers for cancer-initiating cells. In conclusion, intestinal ORs represent a vital component of the gut’s sensory network. The review also discusses the translational potential of these findings. By elucidating the precise pairing relationships between dietary components and specific ORs, novel therapeutic strategies could be developed. Intestinal ORs may thus emerge as promising targets for nutritional and pharmacological interventions in metabolic diseases, inflammatory bowel diseases, and malignancies.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical effectiveness and safety of Qingfei Shenshi Decoction （清肺渗湿汤） combined with western medicine for patients with bronchial asthma of heat wheezing syndrome， and to explore its potential mechanism of action. MethodsEighty-six participants with bronchial asthma of heat wheezing syndrome were randomly divided into treatment group and control group， each group with 43 participants. The control group received conventional western medicine， and the treatment group was additionally administered Qingfei Shenshi Decoction orally on the basis of the control group， 1 dose per day. Both groups were treated for 14 days. The primary outcome measure was clinical effectiveness； secondary outcome measures included traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome score， asthma control test （ACT） score， pulmonary function indices such as forced expiratory volume in 1 second （FEV₁）， forced vital capacity （FVC）， peak expiratory flow （PEF）， serum inflammatory factor levels including interleukin-4 （IL-4）， tumour necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein （hs-CRP）， and immune function indices including CD3⁺， CD4⁺， CD8⁺， CD4⁺/CD8⁺. All outcome measures were evaluated before and after treatment. Vital signs were monitored， and electrocardiography， blood routine， urine routine， liver function， and renal function tests were performed before and after treatment. Adverse events and reactions during the study were recorded. ResultsA total of 80 patients completed the trial with 40 in each group. The total clinical effective rate of the treatment group was 97.5% （39/40）， which was significantly higher than that of the control group （85.0%， 34/40， P＜0.05）. After treatment， both groups showed decreased TCM syndrome scores， IL-4， TNF-α， hs-CRP， and CD8⁺ levels， as well as increased ACT scores， CD3⁺， CD4⁺， CD4⁺/CD8⁺， FEV₁， FVC， and PEF levels （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Moreover， the improvements in these indices were more significant in the treatment group than in the control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. No significant abnormalities in safety indicators were observed in either group， and no adverse events or reactions occurred. ConclusionQingfei Shenshi Decoction combined with conventional western medicine for patients with bronchial asthma of heat wheezing syndrome can effectively improve the clinical symptoms， pulmonary function， and clinical effectiveness， with good safety. Its mechanism may be related to reducing inflammatory factor levels and regulating T lymphocyte subsets to improve immune function.

ObjectiveTo observe the effect and therapeutic effect of Kaixuan Jiedu core prescription （KXJD） on skin homing of Th17 cells in the mouse model of imiquimod （IMQ） combined with restraint stress-induced psoriasis-like skin damage， and to explore its potential mechanism from the perspective of neuro-immune axis. MethodsThirty male C57BL/6J mice were randomly allocated into five groups （n=6）： Control， model （IMQ）， restraint stress model （IMQ+RS）， KXJD， and methotrexate （MTX）. The mouse model of psoriasis-like skin damage was established by 5% IMQ combined with restraint stress. At the same time of modeling， each treatment group was treated with corresponding doses of drugs， and the control， IMQ， and IMQ+RS groups were treated with the same amount of normal saline by gavage once a day for 5 days. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the pathological changes in the skin tissue and Baker scoring was performed. Serum levels of interleukin-1β （IL-1β） and angiopoietin-2 （Ang-2） were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 （MMP-9）， tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 （TIMP-1）， C-C motif chemokine ligand 20 （CCL20）， and C-C motif chemokine receptor 6 （CCR6） in the skin tissue were determined. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） was employed to determine the protein expression of cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen （CLA）， integrin α_E （CD103）， cytokeratin 10 （CK10）， and nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-κB） in the skin. Immunofluorescence double staining （DIF） was adopted to detect the expression and co-localization of vascular endothelial cadherin （VE-cadherin） and platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule （CD31）， CCR6， CD103， substance P （SP）， calcitonin gene-related peptide （CGRP）， and protein gene product 9.5 （PGP9.5） in the skin tissue. Real-time PCR was employed to quantify the mRNA levels of IL-10， IL-17A， and IL-23. ResultsCompared with the control group， the IMQ group and IMQ+RS group showed significant inflammatory cell infiltration， abnormal proliferation of epidermal cells， keratinization and other pathological changes in the skin tissue， and a significant increase in Baker score， elevated levels of IL-1β and Ang-2 in the serum and MMP-9， CCL20 and CCR6 in the skin lesions， upregulated expression of CLA， CD103， CK10， NF-κB， IL-17A mRNA， and IL-23 mRNA in the skin lesions， and downregulated expression of TIMP-1 and IL-10 mRNA. In addition， the fluorescence intensities of VE-cadherin and CD31 co-localization， CCR6 and CD103 co-localization， SP and PGP9.5 co-localization， and CGRP and PGP9.5 co-localization were increased （P<0.05）. Compared with the IMQ group， the above indicators in the IMQ+RS group were further aggravated. Compared with the IMQ group， the above indicators in the IMQ+RS group were further aggravated. Compared with the IMQ+RS group， KXJD and MTX significantly alleviated the pathological damage of skin lesions， significantly decreased the Baker score， lowered the levels of IL-1β and Ang-2 in the serum and MMP-9， CCL20 and CCR6 in skin lesions， downregulated the expression of CLA， CD103， CK10， NF-κB， IL-17A mRNA and IL-23 mRNA in skin lesions， and upregulated the expression of TIMP-1 and IL-10 mRNA. Furthermore， KXJD and MTX reduced the fluorescence intensities of VE-cadherin and CD31 co-localization， CCR6 and CD103 co-localization， CGRP and PGP9.5 co-localization， and SP and PGP9.5 co-localization （P<0.05）. ConclusionKXJD can significantly ameliorate the psoriasis-like skin damage induced by IMQ combined with restraint stress in mice by regulating the neural-immune axis and inhibiting the skin homing of Th17 cells.

ObjectiveTo establish the mouse models of psoriasis-like lesions induced by continuous cold exposure or intermittent cold exposure combined with imiquimod （IMQ）， and to evaluate the interventional effects of Kaixuan Jiedu core prescription （KXJD） on the two models. MethodsMale C57BL/6J mice were selected and classified into two experimental batches. The first batch of 36 mice was randomized into a room temperature group， a continuous cold exposure （10 ℃/24 h） group， and an intermittent cold exposure （10 ℃/6 h） group. Each group was further divided into a normal subgroup and a model subgroup （topical application of IMQ to induce skin lesions）， with 6 mice in each subgroup， for modeling and evaluation. The second batch of 54 mice， with 6 in each group， were subjected to the same temperature grouping with an additional KXJD （30.42 g·kg^-1， continuous gavage for 5 days） group. Comprehensive evaluation of model characteristics and KXJD efficacy was conducted through Psoriasis Area and Severity Index （PASI） scoring， skin temperature measurement by infrared thermography， histopathological observation by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， detection of vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） and platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 （CD31） by immunohistochemistry， detection of Claudin-1 and Occludin by immunofluorescence assay， determination of serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interleukin （IL）-10 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）， and quantification of mRNA levels of IL-17A， IL-23， IL-6， and chemokine ligand 20 （CCL20） in skin lesions by quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. ResultsModel mice in all temperature groups exhibited typical psoriasis-like skin lesions. Compared with the normal groups， the model groups showed increased PASI scores， decreased skin temperatures （P<0.05）， obvious epidermal thickening， parakeratosis， and dermal inflammatory cell infiltration， as well as elevated mRNA levels of IL-17A， IL-23， IL-6， and CCL20 （P<0.05）. Cold exposure further aggravated psoriasis. The total PASI score of the intermittent cold exposure model group was higher than that of the room temperature model group （P<0.05）. The serum IL-10 did not show a compensatory elevation， and the blood vessels presented a characteristic of elevated CD31 expression （P<0.05） without a synchronous increase in VEGF. The continuous cold exposure model group exhibited more significant dermal capillary tortuosity and dilation， with the highest mRNA levels of IL-17A， IL-23， IL-6， and CCL20 among all groups. Compared with the respective model groups， KXJD intervention alleviated skin lesions， reduced epidermal thickness and inflammatory cell infiltration， and increased skin temperature， with the temperature increase being particularly significant in the intermittent cold exposure+KXJD group （P<0.05）. Furthermore， KXJD down-regulated the expression of VEGF and CD31， restored the expression of Claudin-1 and Occludin， decreased the mRNA levels of IL-17A and IL-23 （P<0.05）， and reduced the serum TNF-α level. ConclusionThis study successfully established compound psoriasis-like mouse models induced by cold exposure combined with IMQ. It confirms that cold aggravates the severity of psoriasis by exacerbating the closure of Xuanfu （sweat pores）， microcirculation disorders， and immune imbalance. Moreover， different cold exposure patterns have distinct mechanism differences. Continuous cold exposure focuses on enhancing the inflammatory response via the IL-23/IL-17 axis and angiogenesis， simulating chronic aggravation under a long-term cold environment. Intermittent cold exposure tends to impair immune regulation and induce microvascular endothelial stress， corresponding to acute exacerbations caused by sudden temperature drops. KXJD can effectively alleviate psoriasis-like skin lesions under cold conditions by unblocking Xuanfu， regulating vasomotor function， and correcting abnormal immune-inflammatory responses.

ObjectiveTo investigate the ameliorative effects of Kaixuan Jiedu core prescription （KXJD） on skin lesions in psoriasis-like mouse models under cold environment exposure， and to analyze its influences on transient receptor potential （TRP） channels and related neuroimmune regulatory factors. MethodsThirty-six C57BL/6J mice were randomized into 6 groups， with 6 mice in each group. Two feeding conditions were set： Normal temperature and cold ［simulating a cold environment at （10±0.5） ℃， for 6 h daily］. Mice were induced to develop psoriasis-like lesions by applying imiquimod externally. The model mice were allocated into model groups and KXJD （30.42 g·kg^-1， continuous gavage for 5 days） groups. Normal mice were used as the control group. Specifically， mice were allocated into normal temperature， normal temperature model， normal temperature+KXJD， cold exposure control， cold exposure model， and cold exposure+KXJD groups. The pathological changes in skin lesions were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. The expression of cluster of differentiation （CD） 3⁺ T lymphocytes， CD11c⁺ dendritic cells （DCs）， phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase （p-ERK）， and substance P （SP） were detected by immunofluorescence assay. The protein level of transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 8 （TRPM8） in the skin tissue was determined by Western blot. The expression of TRPM8， transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 （TRPV1）， transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily A member 1 （TRPA1）， and transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 2 （TRPV2） at the protein and mRNA levels was determined by immunohistochemistry and Real-time PCR， respectively. The levels of calcitonin gene-related peptide （CGRP） and neuropeptide Y （NPY） in the serum were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes （DEGs） and TRP pathway network construction were conducted based on the GEO database. The co-expression of TRPM8 and CGRP in the skin lesions was verified by immunofluorescence double labeling. ResultsBoth the normal temperature and cold exposure model groups showed typical psoriasis-like skin lesions. Compared with the normal temperature and cold exposure control groups， the model groups had excessive epidermal keratinization， thickened spinous layer， and inflammatory infiltration in the dermis， with increased pathological scores （P<0.05）， increased infiltration of CD3⁺ and CD11c⁺ cells and expression of p-ERK and SP， upregulated mRNA levels of TRPM8， TRPA1， and TRPV2， downregulated mRNA level of TRPV1 （P<0.05）， and reduced content of CGRP and increased content of NPY in the serum. Compared with the normal temperature and cold exposure model groups， KXJD reduced the pathological manifestations and pathological scores of psoriasis-like skin lesions （P<0.05）， and inhibited the infiltration of CD3⁺ and CD11c⁺ cells and the expression of p-ERK and SP. Gene enrichment analysis suggested that the DEGs of psoriasis were significantly enriched in the interleukin （IL）-17 signaling pathway and TRP channel inflammatory regulation. Compared with the normal temperature and cold exposure model groups， KXJD reversed the abnormal mRNA levels of genes related to the TRP channel subfamilies （P<0.05）， increased the CGRP level， and decreased the NPY level. Immunofluorescence double labeling further confirmed that compared with the model groups， KXJD down-regulated the co-expression of TRPM8 and CGRP in the skin lesions. ConclusionKXJD may ameliorate psoriasis-like skin lesions by downregulating the overexpressed cold-sensitive receptor TRPM8 in skin lesions and correcting the disorder of neuropeptide （such as SP and CGRP） release mediated by it， thereby inhibiting the IL-23/helper T cell 17 （Th17） core inflammatory pathway， suppressing the infiltration of inflammatory cells and the activation of the ERK signaling pathway， and regulating the Xuanfu （sweat pore）-TRPM8-neuroimmune response axis.

ObjectiveTo investigate the ameliorative effects and mechanisms of Kaixuan Jiedu core prescription （KXJD） on neuroimmunological inflammation in imiquimod （IMQ）-induced psoriasis-like mice. MethodsA total of 24 C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into four groups （n=6）： Normal， model， KXJD， and tropomyosin receptor kinase A （TrkA） inhibitor GW441756 groups. The mice in the model， KXJD， and GW441756 groups were topically treated with 5% IMQ cream （62.5 mg·d^-1） on the back to induce psoriasis-like inflammation. The KXJD group received KXJD by gavage （30.42 g·kg^-1）， the GW441756 group received intraperitoneal injection of GW441756 （10 mg·kg^-1）， and the normal and model groups received an equal volume of normal saline by gavage， with continuous intervention for 5 days. The severity of skin lesions was evaluated using the psoriasis area and severity index （PASI）. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to measure epidermal thickness and observe pathological changes in the lesioned skin. Immunohistochemistry was employed to detect the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen （Ki67） and interleukin-17A （IL-17A） in the lesioned skin. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to quantify the levels of interleukin-23 （IL-23） and calcitonin gene-related peptide （CGRP） in the lesioned tissues. Western blot was used to detect the expression of TrkA and phosphorylated TrkA （p-TrkA）. Immunofluorescence assay was performed to detect the expression of TrkA receptor， protein gene product 9.5 （PGP9.5）， cluster of differentiation 11c （CD11c）， and CGRP in the lesions. Flow cytometry was used to detect the activation of splenic dendritic cells （DCs）. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group exhibited typical psoriasis-like inflammation， characterized by erythema， infiltration and scaling， with histopathological findings of epidermal hyperkeratosis and acanthosis. The model group showed significantly increased expression of Ki67， IL-17A， IL-23 and p-TrkA （P<0.05， P<0.01）， increased fluorescence intensity of CD11c， and significantly decreased CGRP expression （P<0.05）. The splenic DC activation was significantly enhanced， as indicated by the increased mean fluorescence intensity （MFI） of CD86 （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， both the KXJD and GW441756 groups showed amelioration of the psoriasis-like skin inflammation， with significantly down-regulated expression of IL-17A， IL-23 and p-TrkA （P<0.05， P<0.01）， significantly up-regulated expression of CGRP （P<0.01）， reduced CD11c⁺ DC infiltration， and restored splenic DC activation balance （down-regulated CD86 MFI and up-regulated CD80 and CD40 MFI）. Furthermore， the inhibitory effect of KXJD on Ki67 was significantly superior to that of the GW441756 group （P<0.01）. ConclusionKXJD may alleviate IMQ-induced psoriasis-like inflammation in mice by targeting and inhibiting TrkA receptor phosphorylation， regulating CGRP expression in the lesions， and ameliorating aberrant activation of dendritic cells， while also significantly inhibiting keratinocyte proliferation.

ObjectiveTo evaluate whether the use of intrapartum ultrasound （IPUS） to monitor the labor process， as alternative method of traditional vaginal examination （VE）， could reduce the incidence of postpartum complications associated with vaginal delivery. MethodsA total of 360 primiparas who underwent cervical dilation balloon induction of labor （IOL） and achieved successful vaginal delivery after childbirth at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between January 2022 and December 2023， were included in the retrospective study with half assessed for labor progress using IPUS （n=180） and the other half using VE （n=180）. The differences in the relevant indicators of the labor process and the complications of vaginal delivery were compared between the two groups of pregnant women. ResultsThere was no significant difference in the duration of membrane rupture， the first stage of labor and the second stage of labor between the two groups. However， the number of VE in the IPUS group was significantly lower ［nulliparous： 4 （3-4） vs. 6 （5-8）， P＜0.001； multiparous： 2 （2-3） vs. 4 （3-5）， P＜0.001］. The IPUS group experienced a lower incidence of postpartum fever compared to the VE group ［1.67%（3/180） vs. 7.22%（13/180）， P=0.006］， while other complications of vaginal delivery， such as fever during labor， postpartum hemorrhage （PPH）， laceration， poor wound healing and uroschesis， were not significantly different （all P ＞ 0.05）. The logistic regression analysis confirmed that the use of IPUS served as a protective factor for postpartum fever with an OR of 0.06 ［95% CI （0.01， 0.36）； P=0.002］， while the duration of membrane rupture was a risk factor ［OR： 1.12； 95% CI （1.03， 1.22）； P = 0.011］. ConclusionsIPUS， as an alternative to traditional VE， does not affect the progress of labor. However， it can significantly reduce the frequency of VE and the incidence of postpartum fever， thereby facilitating the rapid recovery of postpartum women， which makes it clinically valuable for application.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of paeoniflorin （PF） on neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment in the rat model of Alzheimer's disease （AD） and to clarify whether its mechanism is associated with regulation of the Janus kinase 2 （JAK2）/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3） signaling pathway. MethodsGlycosides related to AD-associated neuroinflammation were screened through bibliometric analysis， and the potential targets of PF were predicted through network pharmacology and molecular docking. A rat model of AD was established by intraperitoneal injection of D-galactose （100 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）. Rats were assigned into a control group， a model group， a PF （200 mg·kg^-1） group， and a donepezil （0.5 mg·kg^-1·d^-1） group， and drugs were administered by gavage for 21 days. The learning and memory abilities were evaluated by the Morris water maze （MWM）. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and Nissl staining were performed to observe hippocampal neuronal morphology. The mRNA levels of inflammatory factors were determined by Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）， and the protein levels of molecules in the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway were determined by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the control group， the model group showed prolonged escape latency and decreased platform crossings and time spent in the target quadrant （P<0.05， P<0.01）， accompanied by increased expression of interleukin-1β （IL-1β） and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， as well as elevated ratios of phosphorylated （p）-JAK2/JAK2 and p-STAT3/STAT3 （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the PF group and donepezil group exhibited shortened escape latency and increased platform crossings and time spent in the target quadrant （P<0.05， P<0.01）， decreased expression levels of IL-1β and TNF-α， upregulated mRNA levels of interleukin-4 （IL-4） and interleukin-10 （IL-10）， and reduced ratios of p-JAK2/JAK2 and p-STAT3/STAT3 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionPaeoniflorin can alleviate cognitive impairment and neuroinflammation in the rat model of AD by inhibiting the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.

AIM To evaluate the quality of Tibetan medicine"Sangdi"based on HPLC fingerprints combined with chemometrics.METHODS The analysis was performed on a 30 ℃ thermostatic Welch Ultimate AQ-C18 column(250 mm × 4.6 mm,5 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of acetonitrile-0.2％phosphoric acid flowing at 1 mL/min in a gradient elution manner,and the detection wavelength was set at 245 nm,after which cluster analysis,principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis were performed,the contents of gentiopicroside,sweroside,mangiferin,isoorientin,8-hydroxy-1,3,5-trimethoxyxanthone(R2)and 1,8-dihydroxy-3,7-dimethoxyxanthone(R3)were determined.RESULTS There were 18 common peaks in the fingerprints for 15 batches of samples with the similarities of more than 0.90.Six constituents showed good linear relationships within their own ranges(R 2 ≥ 0.999 2),whose average recoveries were 96.93％-103.58％with the RSDs of 0.82％-2.9％.Various batches of samples were clustered into 2 categories,4 principal components demonstrated the accumulative variance contribution rate of 86.404％,mangiferin,gentiopicroside and isoorientin were taken as quality difference markers.CONCLUSION This stable,reliable and reproducibe method can provide a reference for the comprehensive quality evaluation of"Sangdi".

Objective:To study the correlation between osteoporosis and the joint of small articular process of lumbar vertebra,and the correlation between bone mineral density(BMD)and various parameters of small joint based on quantitative computed tomography(QCT),so as to provide scientific basis for formulating clinically treatment strategies.Methods:This study included 63 patients who admitted to orthopedics of The Second Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from December 2023 to March 2024 due to waist discomfort and lower limb pain.According to BMD standard of CT examination for lumbar vertebra,these patients were divided into normal BMD group(31 cases),osteopenia group(21 cases)and osteoporosis group(11 cases).All patients underwent CT scan on lumbar vertebra.The mode with body membrane were adopted to measure BMD,the area of left and right articular process,CT value,height after the scan was completed.Whether existed osteophytes,endplate inflammation and intervertebral disc herniation in each group were checked.Univariate Analysis of Variance(ANOVA)was employed to assess the differences among different BMD groups in age,gender,area of articular process,CT value and height.The Pathria grading system was adopted to assess the degeneration degree of intervertebral joint,and the Fisher's exact test was used to analyze the differences in degeneration scores of articular process among three groups.At the same time,the pairwise comparison between groups also was conducted.Spearman's rank correlation analysis was conducted to explore the correlation between BMD and the degeneration degree of intervertebral joint.Results:The BMD value of normal BMD group was(165.14±30.11)mg/cm3,and that of osteopenia group was(98.98±10.14)mg/cm3,and that of osteoporosis group was(58.62±18.73)mg/cm3.There was a statistically significant difference in BMD value among three groups(F=103.121,P＜0.001),and there was a statistically significant difference in BMD value between normal BMD group and osteopenia group as the result of pairwise comparison between groups(t=10.018,P＜0.001).There was statistically significant difference in BMD value between normal BMD group and osteoporosis group(t=12.989,P＜0.001),and there was statistically significant difference in BMD value between osteopenia group and osteoporosis group(t=4.641,P＜0.001).The areas of left and right upper articular process of normal BMD group were less than that of other two groups,and the differences of CT value and height of left and right upper articular process among three groups were significant(F=27.350,24.458,P＜0.05),respectively.The CT value of normal BMD group was higher than that of other two groups,and CT values of right upper articular process of osteopenia group was significantly lower than that of osteoporosis group,and the difference was statistical significance(t=2.191,P＜0.05).The heights of left and right upper articular processes of normal BMD group were lower than those of osteoporosis group,and the height of right upper articular process was lower than that of osteopenia group(t=2.331,-2.798,-2.618,P＜0.05).There was a negative correlation between osteoporosis degree and the degeneration of articular process joints(r=-0.745,P＜0.001).With the decreasing of BMD value,the degeneration of articular process joint gradually aggravated,and the ratios of osteophytes,endplate inflammation and intervertebral discs increased.Conclusion:There is a certain correlation between the osteoporosis and the degeneration of articular process joints of lumbar intervertebral disc.The ratios of osteophytes,endplate inflammation and intervertebral disc herniation increase,and both the area and height of the left and right articular process increase when the reduction of bone mass reaches to a serious degree.