Objective: To study the efficacy of photosensitizer 8- methoxsalen (8-MOP) combined with ultraviolet radiation A (UVA) in inducing ferroptosis in mouse melanoma B16 cells, and to assess the resultant changes in immunogenicity, and their impact on subsequent immune activation after treatment. Methods: 1) Mouse melanoma B16 cells were cultured and treated with 8-MOP (100 ng/mL) and UVA (4 J/cm ), and then cultured in a constant temperature incubator (37℃, 5%CO ) for 24 hours after irradiation. 2) CCK8 (cell proliferation and toxicity) detection kit was used to detect the death rate of tumor cells. 3) LPO (lipid peroxide) and GSH (glutathione) detection kits were used to detect the degree of oxidative damage of tumor cells; Changes of Fe , mitochondrial membrane potential (JC-1) and BODIPY 581/591 C11 (lipid peroxidation detection kit) in tumor cells were detected by confocal microscope. Western blotting (WB) was performed to detect GPX4, SLC7A11 and NCOA4 to confirm ferroptosis. 4) The expression of HMGB1 (high mobility group protein 1), ATP and CRT (calreticulin) in the supernatant of tumor cell culture was detected by ELISA kit to evaluate the immunogenicity of tumor cells. 5) 1×10 B16 cells were injected subcutaneously into the skin of the back and neck of mice at a dose of 100 μL to construct a mouse melanoma model. Spleen mononuclear cells of tumor-bearing mice were extracted and immediately co-cultured with irradiated tumor cells for 48 h. Changes of dendritic cell (DC) maturity were detected by MHC-II, CD11c, CD80 and CD83 flow cytometry. Results: After UVAP, the survival rate of B16 cells decreased significantly (61.39±6.823 vs 84.81±7.026 vs 100.0±3.996, P<0.000 1, P<0.01). UVAP effectively induced ferroptosis in B16 cells, characterized by increased LPO and C11-bodipy lipid peroxidation, GSH depletion, Fe accumulation, mitochondrial membrane depolarization, decreased GPX4 and SLC7A11 protein expression, and increased NCOA4 expression, all in line with the trend of ferroptosis. UVAP also enhanced tumor cell immunogenicity, evidenced by elevated release of ATP, CRT, and HMGB1. The immunogenicity of B16 cells increased, the expressions of ATP, CRT and HMGB1 increased, and the DC maturity increased (CD80: 31.92±4.071 vs 19.77±3.177; CD83: 21.40±4.787 vs 12.19±1.487, P<0.001, P<0.01). Conclusion: The combined action of 8-MOP and UVA can induce ferroptosis in B16 tumor cells, enhance the immunogenicity of tumor cells, release more tumor antigens, promote the maturation of DC, present antigens better, thereby facilitating subsequent immune activation.

The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is crucial for regulating blood pressure and maintaining fluid balance, while clock genes are essential for sustaining biological rhythms and regulating metabolism. There exists a complex interplay between RAAS and clock genes that may significantly contribute to the development of various cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Although current literature has identified correlations between these two systems, the specific mechanisms of their interaction remain unclear. Moreover, the interaction patterns under different physiological and pathological conditions need further investigation. This review summarizes the synergistic roles of the RAAS and clock genes in cardiovascular diseases, explores their molecular mechanisms and pathophysiological connections, discusses the application of chronotherapy, and highlights potential future research directions, aiming to provide novel insights for the prevention and treatment of related diseases.
Humans ; Renin-Angiotensin System/genetics* ; Cardiovascular Diseases/genetics* ; CLOCK Proteins/physiology* ; Animals

Testicular histology based on testicular biopsy is an important factor for determining appropriate testicular sperm extraction surgery and predicting sperm retrieval outcomes in patients with azoospermia. Therefore, we developed a deep learning (DL) model to establish the associations between testicular grayscale ultrasound images and testicular histology. We retrospectively included two-dimensional testicular grayscale ultrasound from patients with azoospermia (353 men with 4357 images between July 2017 and December 2021 in The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China) to develop a DL model. We obtained testicular histology during conventional testicular sperm extraction. Our DL model was trained based on ultrasound images or fusion data (ultrasound images fused with the corresponding testicular volume) to distinguish spermatozoa presence in pathology (SPP) and spermatozoa absence in pathology (SAP) and to classify maturation arrest (MA) and Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS) in patients with SAP. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were used to analyze model performance. DL based on images achieved an AUC of 0.922 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.908-0.935), a sensitivity of 80.9%, a specificity of 84.6%, and an accuracy of 83.5% in predicting SPP (including normal spermatogenesis and hypospermatogenesis) and SAP (including MA and SCOS). In the identification of SCOS and MA, DL on fusion data yielded better diagnostic performance with an AUC of 0.979 (95% CI: 0.969-0.989), a sensitivity of 89.7%, a specificity of 97.1%, and an accuracy of 92.1%. Our study provides a noninvasive method to predict testicular histology for patients with azoospermia, which would avoid unnecessary testicular biopsy.
Humans ; Male ; Azoospermia/diagnostic imaging* ; Deep Learning ; Testis/pathology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult ; Ultrasonography/methods* ; Sperm Retrieval ; Sertoli Cell-Only Syndrome/diagnostic imaging*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill (STDP) in treating stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome by exercise duration and metabolic equivalents. METHODS: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial enrolled stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome from 22 hospitals. They were randomized 1:1 to STDP (35 mg/pill, 6 pills per day) or placebo for 56 days. The primary outcome was the exercise duration and metabolic equivalents (METs) assessed by the standard Bruce exercise treadmill test after 56 days of treatment. The secondary outcomes included the total angina symptom score, Chinese medicine (CM) symptom scores, Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) scores, changes in ST-T on electrocardiogram and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: This trial enrolled 309 patients, including 155 and 154 in the STDP and placebo groups, respectively. STDP significantly prolonged exercise duration with an increase of 51.0 s, compared to a decrease of 12.0 s with placebo (change rate: -11.1% vs. 3.2%, P<0.01). The increase in METs was significantly greater in the STDP group than in the placebo group (change: -0.4 vs. 0.0, change rate: -5.0% vs. 0.0%, P<0.01). The improvement of total angina symptom scores (25.0% vs. 0.0%), CM symptom scores (38.7% vs. 11.8%), reduction of nitroglycerin consumption (100.0% vs. 11.3%), and all domains of SAQ, were significantly greater with STDP than placebo (all P<0.01). The changes in Q-T intervals at 28 and 56 days from baseline were similar between the two groups (both P>0.05). Twenty-five participants (16.3%) with STDP and 16 (10.5%) with placebo experienced AEs (P=0.131), with no serious AEs observed. CONCLUSION STDP could improve exercise tolerance in patients with stable angina and phlegm-heat and blood stasis syndrome, with a favorable safety profile. (Registration No. ChiCTR-IPR-15006020).
Humans ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Angina, Stable/physiopathology* ; Aged ; Syndrome ; Treatment Outcome ; Placebos ; Tablets

Neuropathic pain, a debilitating condition caused by dysfunction of the somatosensory nervous system, remains difficult to treat due to limited understanding of its molecular mechanisms. Bioinformatics analysis identified cerebellin 2 (CBLN2) as highly enriched in human and murine proprioceptive and nociceptive neurons. We found that CBLN2 expression is persistently upregulated in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) following spinal nerve ligation (SNL) in mice. In addition, transcription factor SOX11 binds to 12 cis-regulatory elements within the Cbln2 promoter to enhance its transcription. SNL also induced SOX11 upregulation, with SOX11 and CBLN2 co-localized in nociceptive neurons. The siRNA-mediated knockdown of Sox11 or Cbln2 attenuated SNL-induced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. High-throughput sequencing of DRG following intrathecal injection of CBLN2 revealed widespread gene expression changes, including upregulation of numerous NF-κB downstream targets. Consistently, CBLN2 activated NF-κB signaling, and inhibition with pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate reduced CBLN2-induced pain hypersensitivity, proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines production, and neuronal hyperexcitability. Together, these findings identified the SOX11/CBLN2/NF-κB axis as a critical mediator of neuropathic pain and a promising target for therapeutic intervention.
Animals ; Neuralgia/metabolism* ; Ganglia, Spinal/metabolism* ; Up-Regulation ; Mice ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; SOXC Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Male ; Neuroinflammatory Diseases/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics* ; Hyperalgesia/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; Spinal Nerves

OBJECTIVE: Comorbid pain and depression are common but remain difficult to treat. Electroacupuncture (EA) can effectively improve symptoms of depression and relieve pain, but its neural mechanism remains unclear. Therefore, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to detect cerebral changes after initiating a mouse pain model via constriction of the infraorbital nerve (CION) and then treating these animals with EA. METHODS: Forty male C57BL/6J mice were divided into 4 groups: control, CION model, EA, and sham acupuncture (without needle insertion). EA was performed on the acupoints Baihui (GV20) and Zusanli (ST36) for 20 min, once a day for 10 consecutive days. The mechanical withdrawal threshold was tested 3 days after the surgery and every 3 days after the intervention. The depressive behavior was evaluated with the tail suspension test, open-field test, elevated plus maze (EPM), sucrose preference test, and marble burying test. The rs-fMRI was used to detect the cerebral changes of the functional connectivity (FC) in the mice following EA treatment. RESULTS: Compared with the CION group, the mechanical withdrawal threshold increased in the EA group at the end of the intervention (P < 0.05); the immobility time in tail suspension test decreased (P < 0.05); and the times of the open arm entry and the open arm time in the EPM increased (both P < 0.001). There was no difference in the sucrose preference or marble burying tests (both P > 0.05). The fMRI results showed that EA treatment downregulated the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations and regional homogeneity values, while these indicators were elevated in brain regions including the amygdala, hippocampus and cerebral cortex in the CION model for comorbid pain and depression. Selecting the amygdala as the seed region, we found that the FC was higher in the CION group than in the control group. Meanwhile, EA treatment was able to decrease the FC between the amygdala and other brain regions including the caudate putamen, thalamus, and parts of the cerebral cortex. CONCLUSION EA can downregulate the abnormal activation of neurons in the amygdala and improve its FC with other brain regions, thus exerting analgesic and antidepressant effects. Please cite this article as: Yin X, Zeng XL, Lin JJ, Xu WQ, Cui KY, Guo XT, Li W, Xu SF. Brain functional changes following electroacupuncture in a mouse model of comorbid pain and depression: a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(2): 159-168.
Animals ; Electroacupuncture ; Male ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Depression/diagnostic imaging* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Brain/diagnostic imaging* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice ; Pain/diagnostic imaging* ; Acupuncture Points

OBJECTIVE: To explore and quantify the association of hot night exposure during the sperm development period (0-90 lag days) with semen quality. METHODS: A total of 6,640 male sperm donors from 6 human sperm banks in China during 2014-2020 were recruited in this multicenter study. Two indices (i.e., hot night excess [HNE] and hot night duration [HND]) were used to estimate the heat intensity and duration during nighttime. Linear mixed models were used to examine the association between hot nights and semen quality parameters. RESULTS: The exposure-response relationship revealed that HNE and HND during 0-90 days before semen collection had a significantly inverse association with sperm motility. Specifically, a 1 °C increase in HNE was associated with decreased sperm progressive motility of 0.0090 (95% confidence interval [ CI]: -0.0147, -0.0033) and decreased total motility of 0.0094 (95% CI: -0.0160, -0.0029). HND was significantly associated with reduced sperm progressive motility and total motility of 0.0021 (95% CI: -0.0040, -0.0003) and 0.0023 (95% CI: -0.0043, -0.0002), respectively. Consistent results were observed at different temperature thresholds on hot nights. CONCLUSION Our findings highlight the need to mitigate nocturnal heat exposure during spermatogenesis to maintain optimal semen quality.
Humans ; Male ; Semen Analysis ; Adult ; Sperm Motility ; Hot Temperature/adverse effects* ; China ; Middle Aged ; Spermatozoa/physiology* ; Young Adult

Objective To investigate the correlation between traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome elements and risk factors in children with IgA vasculitis(IgAV,also known as Henoch-Sch?nlein purpura).Methods The medical records of 131 children with IgAV were retrospectively analyzed.And then the distribution of their TCM syndrome elements was investigated,and the correlation of TCM syndrome elements with the gender,age,clinical symptoms,as well as risk factors such as mosquito bite,pathogen infection,and allergic rhinitis was analyzed.Results(1)Among the 131 children with IgAV,the diseases-location syndrome elements of IgAV involved lung in 97 cases(74.05%),spleen in 61 cases(46.56%),kidney in 54 cases(41.22%),liver in 17 cases(12.98%),and heart in 11 cases(8.40%);the disease-nature syndrome elements of IgAV involved blood stasis in 131 cases(100.00%),wind-damp in 125 cases(95.42%),wind-heat in 90 cases(68.70%),damp-heat in 72 cases(54.96%),blood heat in 49 cases(37.40%),qi deficiency in 19 cases(14.50%),and yin deficiency in three cases(2.29%).(2)There were 69 cases(52.67%)of females and 62 cases(47.33%)of males among the IgAV children,with females outnumbering males.The age group of IgAV children was predominated by five to six years old,and 10 cases(7.63%)were younger than four years old,18 cases(13.74%)were four years old,39 cases(29.77%)were five years old,34 cases(25.95%)were six years old,17 cases(12.98%)were seven years old,and 13 cases(9.92%)were older than seven years old.The disease-nature syndrome elements such as blood stasis,wind-damp,wind-heat,and damp-heat were frequently seen in the age group of five to seven years old,yin deficiency was frequently seen in the age group older than seven years,and blood stasis was seen in all age groups.(3)The results of logistic regression analysis of the correlation between TCM syndrome elements and risk factors in IgAV patients showed that allergic rhinitis was positively correlated with blood stasis[OR=2.236,95%CI(1.049-4.007)],damp-heat[OR=2.183,95%CI(1.554-3.671)]and wind-damp[OR=1.202,95%CI(1.050-2.409)];pathogen infection was positively correlated with blood stasis[OR=3.199,95%CI(1.457-4.101)]and damp-heat[OR=1.119,95%CI(1.072-2.009)];mosquito bite was positively correlated with blood stasis[OR=4.533,95%CI(1.029-9.022)]and damp-heat[OR=2.257,95%CI(1.081-13.207)];the gender was positively correlated with blood stasis[OR=1.352,95%CI(1.271-3.018)]and wind-damp[OR=1.149,95%CI(1.071-3.102)].The differences were all statistically significant(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Conclusion IgAV usually involves the lungs and is also related to the five zang organs.Its pathogenesis is characterized by excess in superficiality such as blood stasis and wind-damp-heat in the early stage,and is predominated by deficiency in origin such as qi deficiency and yin deficiency in the later stage.For the children with IgAV,mosquito bite,pathogen infection and allergic rhinitis are more likely to induce blood stasis and wind-damp-heat;TCM syndrome elements such as wind-heat,damp-heat,blood heat,and qi deficiency are frequently seen in the males,while TCM syndrome elements such as blood stasis,wind-damp,and yin deficiency are frequently seen in the females.

Objective:To compare the short-term effect and adverse reaction of venetoclax(VEN)combined with azacitidine(AZA)versus"7+3"regimen in newly diagnosed elder patients with acute myeloid leukemia(AML).Methods:From January 2021 to January 2022,the clinical data of seventy-nine newly diagnosed elder patients with AML at the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University and the Shanxi Bethune Hospital were retrospectively analyzed,including VEN+AZA group(41 cases)and"7+3"group(38 cases).The propensity score matching(PSM)method was used to balance confounding factors,then response,overall survival(OS),progression-free survival(PFS)and adverse reactions between the two groups were compared.Results:The ORR of VEN+AZA group and"7+3"group was 68％and 84％,respectively,and the CRc was 64％and 72％,respectively,the differents were not statistically significant(P＞0.05).In the VEN+AZA group,there were 5 non-remission(NR)patients,4 with chromosome 7 abnormality(7q-/-7),and 1 with ETV6 gene mutation.Median followed-up time between the two groups was 8 months and 12 months,respectively,and the 6-months OS was 84％vs 92％(P=0.389),while 6-months PFS was 84％vs 92％(P=0.258).The main hematological adverse reactions in two groups were stage Ⅲ-Ⅳmyelosuppression,and the incidence rate was not statistically different(P＞0.05).The median time of neutrophil recovery in two groups was 27(11-70)d,25(14-61)d(P=0.161),and platelet recovery was 27(11-75)d,25(16-50)d(P=0.270),respectively.The infection rate of VEN+AZA group was lower than that of"7+3"group(56％vs 88％,P=0.012).The rate of lung infections of two groups was 36％and 64％,respectively,the difference was statistically significant(P=0.048).Conclusion:The short-term effect of VEN+AZA group and"7+3"regimens in eldrly AML patients are similar,but the VEN+AZA regimen had a lower incidence of infection.The presence of chromosome 7 abnormality(7q-/-7)may be a poor prognostic factor for elderly AML patients treated with VEN+AZA.

Objective:To report the results of national surveillance on the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profile of clinical Gram-negative bacteria isolates from bloodstream infections in China in 2022.Methods:The clinical isolates of Gram-negative bacteria from blood cultures in member hospitals of national bloodstream infection Bacterial Resistant Investigation Collaborative System（BRICS）were collected during January 2022 to December 2022. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted by agar dilution or broth dilution methods recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute（CLSI）. WHONET 5.6 and SPSS 25.0 software were used to analyze the data.Results:During the study period，9 035 strains of Gram-negative bacteria were collected from 51 hospitals，of which 7 895（87.4%）were Enterobacteriaceae and 1 140（12.6%）were non-fermenting bacteria. The top 5 bacterial species were Escherichia coli（ n=4 510，49.9%）， Klebsiella pneumoniae（ n=2 340，25.9%）， Pseudomonas aeruginosa（ n=534，5.9%）， Acinetobacter baumannii complex（ n=405，4.5%）and Enterobacter cloacae（ n=327，3.6%）. The ESBLs-producing rates in Escherichia coli， Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus spp. were 47.1%（2 095/4 452），21.0%（427/2 033）and 41.1%（58/141），respectively. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli（CREC）and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae（CRKP）were 1.3%（58/4 510）and 13.1%（307/2 340）；62.1%（36/58）and 9.8%（30/307）of CREC and CRKP were resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam combination，respectively. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii（CRAB）complex was 59.5%（241/405），while less than 5% of Acinetobacter baumannii complex was resistant to tigecycline and polymyxin B. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa（CRPA）was 18.4%（98/534）. There were differences in the composition ratio of Gram-negative bacteria in bloodstream infections and the prevalence of main Gram-negative bacteria resistance among different regions，with statistically significant differences in the prevalence of CRKP and CRPA（ χ2=20.489 and 20.252， P<0.001）. The prevalence of CREC，CRKP，CRPA，CRAB，ESBLs-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were higher in provinicial hospitals than those in municipal hospitals（ χ2=11.953，81.183，10.404，5.915，12.415 and 6.459， P<0.01 or <0.05），while the prevalence of CRPA was higher in economically developed regions（per capita GDP ≥ 92 059 Yuan）than that in economically less-developed regions（per capita GDP <92 059 Yuan）（ χ2=6.240， P=0.012）. Conclusions:The proportion of Gram-negative bacteria in bloodstream infections shows an increasing trend，and Escherichia coli is ranked in the top，while the trend of CRKP decreases continuously with time. Decreasing trends are noted in ESBLs-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Low prevalence of carbapenem resistance in Escherichia coli and high prevalence in CRAB complex have been observed. The composition ratio and antibacterial spectrum of bloodstream infections in different regions of China are slightly different，and the proportion of main drug resistant bacteria in provincial hospitals is higher than those in municipal hospitals.