The early angiopathy of systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a key hub connecting inflammation and fibrosis. The animal models that simulate the pathological characteristics of SSc are of great significance to study the etiology, pathogenesis and treatment of SSc with vascular involvement. This review of the characteristics of different animal models of SSc with vascular involvement provides a reference for relevant researchers to select appropriate models in the process of exploring the pathogenesis of SSc with vascular involvement.

Objective:To investigate the effects of moxibustion,filiform needle acupuncture,and electroacupuncture on synovial hypoxia and expression of synovial fibrosis markers[transforming growth factor(TGF)-β and collagen alpha-1(Ⅰ)chain(COL1A1)]in knee osteoarthritis(KOA)rats.Methods:Fifty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a normal group,a model group,a moxibustion group,an acupuncture group,and an electroacupuncture group,with 10 rats in each group.Except for the normal group,rats in the other four groups were injected with sodium iodoacetate into the right knee joint cavity to establish KOA models.The right Futu(ST32)and Zusanli(ST36)were selected in the moxibustion,acupuncture,and electroacupuncture groups to perform the mild moxibustion with moxa sticks,filiform needle acupuncture,or electroacupuncture,respectively.Each intervention lasted 15 min,once every other day,and continued for 4 weeks,with a total of 14 interventions.The Lequesne score was used to evaluate the degree of knee dysfunction before and after intervention,and the rat's right knee joint diameter was measured to evaluate the degree of knee swelling.Morphological changes of the right knee joint synovial tissue were observed using hematoxylin-eosin staining.Hypoxia probe immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the degree of synovial hypoxia in rats.Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression levels of hypoxia-inducible factor(HIF)-1α,TGF-β,and COL1A1 in the synovial tissue of the right knee joints.Results:Before intervention,the Lequesne score and the right knee joint diameter in the other four groups increased significantly compared to the normal group(P<0.01).After intervention,the Lequesne score and the right knee joint diameter increased significantly in the model group compared to the normal group(P<0.01)together with worsened cartilage deformation and osteophytes,inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrosis in synovial tissue,and hypoxia degree,and the expression levels of HIF-1α,TGF-β,and COL1A1 proteins in the knee joint synovial tissue of rats increased(P<0.01).The Lequesne score and the right knee joint diameter decreased significantly(P<0.01 or P<0.05),the cartilage morphology was normal without obvious osteophytes,and the hypoxia degree reduced in the three intervention groups compared to the model group.Among them,the moxibustion group had the most notable improvement in hypoxia,synovial tissue fibrosis,angiogenesis,and inflammatory cell infiltration.The expression levels of HIF-1α,TGF-β,and COL1A1 proteins decreased in the moxibustion and electroacupuncture groups(P<0.01),and the expression levels of HIF-1α and TGF-β proteins were decreased in the acupuncture group(P<0.01).Conclusion:Moxibustion,filiform needle acupuncture,and electroacupuncture improve knee joint function and reduce knee joint swelling in KOA rats.The mechanism may be to improve synovial fibrosis of the knee joint by regulating HIF-1α;moxibustion has the best effect on improving hypoxia among the three interventions,but the effect of filiform needle acupuncture on COL1A1 is not significant.

Objective:To compare the effects of manual acupuncture(MA),electroacupuncture(EA),and moxibustion on knee joint cartilage morphology,serum inflammatory factors interleukin(IL)-6 and IL-10,matrix metalloproteinase 13(MMP13),and intestinal flora composition in knee osteoarthritis(KOA)model rats.Methods:Forty male specific-pathogen-free Sprague-Dawley rats aged seven weeks were randomly divided into a normal group(n=8)and a KOA modeling group(n=32).The KOA model was established using sodium iodoacetate induction.The KOA modeling rats were further randomly divided into a model group,an MA group,an EA group,and a moxibustion group,with 8 rats in each group.In the MA,EA,and moxibustion groups,interventions targeting the right Futu(ST32)and Zusanli(ST36)were performed for 15 min,once every other day,for 14 sessions.The normal and model groups were bundled on the self-made fixation frame for 15 min.The rat knee joint diameter was measured on the 8th day of adaptive feeding,after successful modeling,and after the 14th intervention.Lequesne behavioral scoring was performed after successful modeling and after the 14th intervention.After the 14th intervention,hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining and Masson staining were performed with the cartilage sections of the right knee joint.The pathomorphological changes of the rat joint cartilage were observed and quantified by Mankin's score.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the rat serum levels of IL-6,IL-10,and MMP13.Additionally,16S rDNA sequencing was used to detect the composition of rat fecal flora.Results:Compared to the normal group,the right knee joint diameter and the Lequesne score were significantly increased in the model group(P<0.01).Compared to the model group,the right knee joint diameter and the Lequesne score of rats in the MA,EA,and moxibustion groups were significantly reduced(P<0.01),with no significant differences among the three intervention groups(P>0.05).HE staining and Masson staining revealed disordered cartilage structure in the model group,which was improved following interventions in the MA group,EA group,and moxibustion group.Mankin's score was significantly higher in the model group versus the normal group(P<0.05)while significantly lower in the MA,EA,and moxibustion groups versus the model group(P<0.05).Serum analysis showed elevated IL-6 and MMP13 levels and reduced IL-10 level in the model group versus the normal group(P<0.05).Compared to the model group,the serum IL-6 level was significantly reduced(P<0.05),and the IL-10 level was significantly increased(P<0.05)in the MA,EA,and moxibustion groups,but without statistical differences among the three intervention groups(P>0.05);moreover,the MMP13 level in the moxibustion group was significantly lower than that in the model group(P<0.05).The alpha diversity analysis of intestinal flora showed no statistical difference in the number of operational taxonomic units(OTUs)and alpha diversity index among groups(P>0.05).Intestinal flora beta diversity analysis revealed significant differences among groups(P<0.05).Intestinal flora composition analysis showed significantly increased relative abundance of Lactobacillus(P<0.05)and significantly decreased relative abundance of Eubacterium_coprostanoligenes(P<0.05)in the model group compared to the normal group;compared to the model group,the relative abundances of Firmicutes,Lactobacillus,and Romboutsia in the MA,EA,and moxibustion groups were significantly reduced(P<0.05);the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136 in the MA group increased significantly(P<0.05);Bacteroidetes and Ruminococcaceaae_UGC-005 increased significantly in the moxibustion group(P<0.05).Conclusion:MA,EA,and moxibustion effectively reduced knee joint swelling,improved cartilage tissue morphology,optimized intestinal flora composition,down-regulated expression levels of serum pro-inflammatory factors IL-6 and MMP13,and increased expression level of anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 in KOA rats.Among them,moxibustion exhibited the most obvious regulatory effect on inflammatory factors.

Objective:To investigate the effects of moxibustion,filiform needle acupuncture,and electroacupuncture on synovial hypoxia and expression of synovial fibrosis markers[transforming growth factor(TGF)-β and collagen alpha-1(Ⅰ)chain(COL1A1)]in knee osteoarthritis(KOA)rats.Methods:Fifty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a normal group,a model group,a moxibustion group,an acupuncture group,and an electroacupuncture group,with 10 rats in each group.Except for the normal group,rats in the other four groups were injected with sodium iodoacetate into the right knee joint cavity to establish KOA models.The right Futu(ST32)and Zusanli(ST36)were selected in the moxibustion,acupuncture,and electroacupuncture groups to perform the mild moxibustion with moxa sticks,filiform needle acupuncture,or electroacupuncture,respectively.Each intervention lasted 15 min,once every other day,and continued for 4 weeks,with a total of 14 interventions.The Lequesne score was used to evaluate the degree of knee dysfunction before and after intervention,and the rat's right knee joint diameter was measured to evaluate the degree of knee swelling.Morphological changes of the right knee joint synovial tissue were observed using hematoxylin-eosin staining.Hypoxia probe immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the degree of synovial hypoxia in rats.Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression levels of hypoxia-inducible factor(HIF)-1α,TGF-β,and COL1A1 in the synovial tissue of the right knee joints.Results:Before intervention,the Lequesne score and the right knee joint diameter in the other four groups increased significantly compared to the normal group(P<0.01).After intervention,the Lequesne score and the right knee joint diameter increased significantly in the model group compared to the normal group(P<0.01)together with worsened cartilage deformation and osteophytes,inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrosis in synovial tissue,and hypoxia degree,and the expression levels of HIF-1α,TGF-β,and COL1A1 proteins in the knee joint synovial tissue of rats increased(P<0.01).The Lequesne score and the right knee joint diameter decreased significantly(P<0.01 or P<0.05),the cartilage morphology was normal without obvious osteophytes,and the hypoxia degree reduced in the three intervention groups compared to the model group.Among them,the moxibustion group had the most notable improvement in hypoxia,synovial tissue fibrosis,angiogenesis,and inflammatory cell infiltration.The expression levels of HIF-1α,TGF-β,and COL1A1 proteins decreased in the moxibustion and electroacupuncture groups(P<0.01),and the expression levels of HIF-1α and TGF-β proteins were decreased in the acupuncture group(P<0.01).Conclusion:Moxibustion,filiform needle acupuncture,and electroacupuncture improve knee joint function and reduce knee joint swelling in KOA rats.The mechanism may be to improve synovial fibrosis of the knee joint by regulating HIF-1α;moxibustion has the best effect on improving hypoxia among the three interventions,but the effect of filiform needle acupuncture on COL1A1 is not significant.

Objective:To compare the effects of manual acupuncture(MA),electroacupuncture(EA),and moxibustion on knee joint cartilage morphology,serum inflammatory factors interleukin(IL)-6 and IL-10,matrix metalloproteinase 13(MMP13),and intestinal flora composition in knee osteoarthritis(KOA)model rats.Methods:Forty male specific-pathogen-free Sprague-Dawley rats aged seven weeks were randomly divided into a normal group(n=8)and a KOA modeling group(n=32).The KOA model was established using sodium iodoacetate induction.The KOA modeling rats were further randomly divided into a model group,an MA group,an EA group,and a moxibustion group,with 8 rats in each group.In the MA,EA,and moxibustion groups,interventions targeting the right Futu(ST32)and Zusanli(ST36)were performed for 15 min,once every other day,for 14 sessions.The normal and model groups were bundled on the self-made fixation frame for 15 min.The rat knee joint diameter was measured on the 8th day of adaptive feeding,after successful modeling,and after the 14th intervention.Lequesne behavioral scoring was performed after successful modeling and after the 14th intervention.After the 14th intervention,hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining and Masson staining were performed with the cartilage sections of the right knee joint.The pathomorphological changes of the rat joint cartilage were observed and quantified by Mankin's score.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the rat serum levels of IL-6,IL-10,and MMP13.Additionally,16S rDNA sequencing was used to detect the composition of rat fecal flora.Results:Compared to the normal group,the right knee joint diameter and the Lequesne score were significantly increased in the model group(P<0.01).Compared to the model group,the right knee joint diameter and the Lequesne score of rats in the MA,EA,and moxibustion groups were significantly reduced(P<0.01),with no significant differences among the three intervention groups(P>0.05).HE staining and Masson staining revealed disordered cartilage structure in the model group,which was improved following interventions in the MA group,EA group,and moxibustion group.Mankin's score was significantly higher in the model group versus the normal group(P<0.05)while significantly lower in the MA,EA,and moxibustion groups versus the model group(P<0.05).Serum analysis showed elevated IL-6 and MMP13 levels and reduced IL-10 level in the model group versus the normal group(P<0.05).Compared to the model group,the serum IL-6 level was significantly reduced(P<0.05),and the IL-10 level was significantly increased(P<0.05)in the MA,EA,and moxibustion groups,but without statistical differences among the three intervention groups(P>0.05);moreover,the MMP13 level in the moxibustion group was significantly lower than that in the model group(P<0.05).The alpha diversity analysis of intestinal flora showed no statistical difference in the number of operational taxonomic units(OTUs)and alpha diversity index among groups(P>0.05).Intestinal flora beta diversity analysis revealed significant differences among groups(P<0.05).Intestinal flora composition analysis showed significantly increased relative abundance of Lactobacillus(P<0.05)and significantly decreased relative abundance of Eubacterium_coprostanoligenes(P<0.05)in the model group compared to the normal group;compared to the model group,the relative abundances of Firmicutes,Lactobacillus,and Romboutsia in the MA,EA,and moxibustion groups were significantly reduced(P<0.05);the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136 in the MA group increased significantly(P<0.05);Bacteroidetes and Ruminococcaceaae_UGC-005 increased significantly in the moxibustion group(P<0.05).Conclusion:MA,EA,and moxibustion effectively reduced knee joint swelling,improved cartilage tissue morphology,optimized intestinal flora composition,down-regulated expression levels of serum pro-inflammatory factors IL-6 and MMP13,and increased expression level of anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 in KOA rats.Among them,moxibustion exhibited the most obvious regulatory effect on inflammatory factors.

Atopic dermatitis （AD） is a chronic， recurrent， inflammatory， and pruritus skin disease caused by multiple internal and external factors， ranking first in the global burden of skin diseases. Due to the adverse reactions and high costs of conventional treatments and biologics， the development of natural products has attracted much attention. The nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB） signaling pathway is a key pathway for inhibiting inflammation and modulating immunity. This paper summarizes the pharmacological effects and molecular mechanisms of natural products such as flavonoids， alkaloids， phenols， terpenoids， coumarins， glycosides， and anthraquinones via NF-κB signaling pathway， aiming to provide guidance for the development of natural products. Basic studies have shown that natural products have high safety and efficacy. Oral or topical administration of natural products can regulate the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）， mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK）， nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 （Nrf2）， high mobility group box 1 protein （HMGB1）/receptor for advanced glycation endproducts （RAGE）， and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3） signaling pathways to exert anti-inflammatory， anti-allergy， antioxidant activities， thus reversing the pathological changes of AD. However， it is worth noting that the clinical application of natural products is still insufficient， and more rigorous clinical trials are still needed to verify their effects. The basic experiments and clinical evidence prove that natural products may play a role in alleviating AD， which provide a basis for evaluating the functioning mechanism of natural active substances and enrich the candidates for the development of potential drugs.

Objective: To provide the mechanism-based pharmacotherapy of the Huatan Qushi formula (HTQS formula), for the health management and treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods: A rat model of NAFLD was employed to examine the efficacy and safety of the HTQS formula. In vivo active components and potential mechanisms of the HTQS formula were identified using UPLC‒MS/MS combined with network pharmacology. The influence of the HTQS formula on the dominating proteins in PI3K/Akt pathway was validated in vivo using western blot. Finally, 16S rRNA sequencing of the gut microbiome was conducted followed by targeted metabolomics detecting fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and bile acids to determine the impact of the HTQS formula on gut microbiota. Results: The HTQS formula reduced weight gain and hepatic steatosis in NAFLD rats and decreased serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides, blood glucose, and insulin resistance (IR) without causing liver or kidney injury. We detected 28 components using UPLC‒MS/MS and identified 439 shared targets between NAFLD and the HTQS formula. Primarily, we focused on the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway based on protein‒protein interaction network analysis. We validated that the HTQS formula inhibited liver steatosis and inflammation by increasing the phosphorylation levels of PI3K, AKT, P27, GSK3β in the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that the HTQS formula reduced the abundance of the genus Family_XIII_AD3011_group, which was positively correlated with IR and taurodeoxycholic acid. In addition, Lachnospiraceae_UCG_010 inversely correlated with TC and five bile acids, which could be essential to the therapeutic effect of the HTQS formula against NAFLD. Conclusions The HTQS formula proved to be an effective pharmacotherapy for NAFLD without causing liver or kidney injury. Multiple potent components of the HTQS formula could alleviate liver steatosis and lipid metabolism disorder by modulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and restoring gut microbiota composition.

Objective To monitor the susceptibility of clinical isolates to antimicrobial agents in healthcare facilities in major regions of China in 2023.Methods Clinical isolates collected from 73 hospitals across China were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using a unified protocol based on disc diffusion method or automated testing systems.Results were interpreted using the 2023 Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) breakpoints.Results A total of 445199 clinical isolates were collected in 2023,of which 29.0％ were gram-positive and 71.0％ were gram-negative.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains in Staphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermidis and other coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species (excluding Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Staphylococcus schleiferi) (MRSA,MRSE and MRCNS) was 29.6％,81.9％ and 78.5％,respectively.Methicillin-resistant strains showed significantly higher resistance rates to most antimicrobial agents than methicillin-susceptible strains (MSSA,MSSE and MSCNS).Overall,92.9％ of MRSA strains were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and 91.4％ of MRSE strains were susceptible to rifampicin.No vancomycin-resistant strains were found.Enterococcus faecalis had significantly lower resistance rates to most antimicrobial agents tested than Enterococcus faecium.A few vancomycin-resistant strains were identified in both E.faecalis and E.faecium.The prevalence of penicillin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae was 93.1％ in the isolates from children and and 95.9％ in the isolates from adults.The resistance rate to carbapenems was lower than 15.0％ for most Enterobacterales species except for Klebsiella,22.5％ and 23.6％ of which were resistant to imipenem and meropenem,respectively .Most Enterobacterales isolates were highly susceptible to tigecycline,colistin and polymyxin B,with resistance rates ranging from 0.6％ to 10.0％.The resistance rate to imipenem and meropenem was 21.9％ and 17.4％ for Pseudomonas aeruginosa,respectively,and 67.5％ and 68.1％ for Acinetobacter baumannii,respectively.Conclusions Increasing resistance to the commonly used antimicrobial agents is still observed in clinical bacterial isolates.However,the prevalence of important crabapenem-resistant organisms such as crabapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa,and A.baumannii showed a slightly decreasing trend.This finding suggests that strengthening bacterial resistance surveillance and multidisciplinary linkage are important for preventing the occurrence and development of bacterial resistance.

Objective To monitor the susceptibility of clinical isolates to antimicrobial agents in healthcare facilities in major regions of China in 2023.Methods Clinical isolates collected from 73 hospitals across China were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using a unified protocol based on disc diffusion method or automated testing systems.Results were interpreted using the 2023 Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) breakpoints.Results A total of 445199 clinical isolates were collected in 2023,of which 29.0％ were gram-positive and 71.0％ were gram-negative.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains in Staphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermidis and other coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species (excluding Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Staphylococcus schleiferi) (MRSA,MRSE and MRCNS) was 29.6％,81.9％ and 78.5％,respectively.Methicillin-resistant strains showed significantly higher resistance rates to most antimicrobial agents than methicillin-susceptible strains (MSSA,MSSE and MSCNS).Overall,92.9％ of MRSA strains were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and 91.4％ of MRSE strains were susceptible to rifampicin.No vancomycin-resistant strains were found.Enterococcus faecalis had significantly lower resistance rates to most antimicrobial agents tested than Enterococcus faecium.A few vancomycin-resistant strains were identified in both E.faecalis and E.faecium.The prevalence of penicillin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae was 93.1％ in the isolates from children and and 95.9％ in the isolates from adults.The resistance rate to carbapenems was lower than 15.0％ for most Enterobacterales species except for Klebsiella,22.5％ and 23.6％ of which were resistant to imipenem and meropenem,respectively .Most Enterobacterales isolates were highly susceptible to tigecycline,colistin and polymyxin B,with resistance rates ranging from 0.6％ to 10.0％.The resistance rate to imipenem and meropenem was 21.9％ and 17.4％ for Pseudomonas aeruginosa,respectively,and 67.5％ and 68.1％ for Acinetobacter baumannii,respectively.Conclusions Increasing resistance to the commonly used antimicrobial agents is still observed in clinical bacterial isolates.However,the prevalence of important crabapenem-resistant organisms such as crabapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa,and A.baumannii showed a slightly decreasing trend.This finding suggests that strengthening bacterial resistance surveillance and multidisciplinary linkage are important for preventing the occurrence and development of bacterial resistance.

Objective:We evaluated frailty in elderly hospitalized patients with atrial fibrillation and analyzed the relevance, consistency, and diagnostic power of different frailty tools.Methods:From September 2018 to April 2019, a total of 197 elderly patients with atrial fibrillation aged ≥ 65 years in Beijing Hospital, Chinese PLA General Hospital, and Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital were prospectively enrolled.Five frailty tools, including the clinical frailty scale(CFS), FRAIL scale(FRAIL), Fried frailty phenotype(Fried), Edmonton frail scale(EFS), and comprehensive geriatric assessment-frailty index(CGA-FI), were used for frailty assessment.Results:A total of 197 hospitalized elderly patients with atrial fibrillation were enrolled, with an average age of(77.5±7.1)years old(57.4% male). The prevalence of frailty, according to the five frailty tools, were 25.4%(FRAIL), 27.9%(EFS), 34.5%(Fried), 40.6%(CFS), and 42.6%(CGA-FI), respectively.CFS had a good correlation(correlation coefficient 0.80)and and consistency(Kappa value 0.71, 95% CI 0.61~0.81)with CGA-FI.The combined frailty index was used as the gold standard for frailty diagnosis.The results showed that CFS and CGA-FI had high diagnostic sensitivity(95.9 % and 98.0 %, respectively)and specificity(77.7 % and 75.7 %, respectively). Conclusions:Frailty is common in elderly hospitalized patients with atrial fibrillation, showing multidimensional features, and physical weakness is not prominet.CFS and CGA-FI are recommended for the assessment of frailty in patients with atrial fibrillation, which had good correlation and consistency.