Childhood simple obesity has become a significant public health issue in China. Modern medicine primarily relies on lifestyle interventions and often suffers from poor long-term compliance， while pharmacological options are limited and associated with potential adverse effects. Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCM） has a long history in the prevention and management of this condition， demonstrating eight distinct advantages， including systematic theoretical foundation， diversified therapeutic approaches， definite therapeutic efficacy， high safety profile， good patient compliance， comprehensive intervention strategies， emphasis on prevention， and stepwise treatment protocols. Additionally， TCM is characterized by six distinctive features： the use of natural medicinal substances， non-invasive external therapies， integration of medicinal dietetics， simple exercise regimens， precise syndrome differentiation， and diverse dosage forms. By combining internal and external treatments， TCM facilitates individualized regimen adjustment and holistic regulation， demonstrating remarkable effects in improving obesity-related metabolic indicators， regulating constitutional imbalance， and promoting healthy behaviors. However， challenges remain， such as inconsistent operational standards， insufficient high-quality clinical evidence， and a gap between basic research and clinical application. Future efforts should focus on accelerating the standardization of TCM diagnosis and treatment， conducting multicenter randomized controlled trials， and fostering interdisciplinary integration， so as to enhance the scientific validity and international recognition of TCM in the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity.

OBJECTIVE To study the effects of peripheral blood-derived exosomes （Exo） intervened by Naozhenning （NZN） on injury of neuron cells HT22 induced by microglia BV-2 cells. METHODS Wistar rats were selected to prepare peripheral blood- derived Exo intervened by NZN （66.83 g/kg）， referred to as NZN-Exo； peripheral blood-derived Exo intervened by normal saline and piracetam （PLXT， 1.62 g/kg） were prepared using the same method， denoted as KB-Exo and PLXT-Exo respectively， and all Exo were subsequently identified. Meanwhile， BV-2 cells were stimulated with 1 μg/mL lipopolysaccharide （LPS） to prepare LPS- stimulated supernatant， and non-LPS-stimulated supernatant was prepared following the same protocol. HT22 cells were divided into four groups: KB-Exo group （treated with non-LPS-stimulated supernatant+KB-Exo）， model group （treated with LPS-stimulated supernatant+KB-Exo）， PLXT-Exo group （treated with LPS-stimulated supernatant+PLXT-Exo）， and NZN-Exo group （treated with LPS-stimulated supernatant+NZN-Exo）， with the concentration of the corresponding Exo in all groups being 50 μg/mL. After 24 hours of culture， the proliferation of HT22 cells was detected by the CCK-8 assay and EdU assay； the apoptosis of HT22 cells was detected； the microstructure of HT22 cells was observed； the contents of interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， IL-10， nuclear factor-κB （NF- κB）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in HT22 cells were measured， as well as the expression levels of TNF-α， NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3 （NLRP3）， Caspase-1， B-cell lymphoma-2（ Bcl-2）， and Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）. RESULTS KB-Exo， PLXT-Exo and NZN-Exo were successfully prepared， and all Exo exhibited typical cup-shaped contours and membrane-enclosed characteristics. Compared with KB-Exo group， model group showed significantly decreased cell proliferation rates （detected by CCK-8 and EdU）， intracellular IL-10 levels， and Bcl-2 protein expression levels （P＜0.05）； while the cell apoptosis rate， intracellular levels of IL-1β， TNF-α， and NF-κB， as well as the expression levels of NLRP3， TNF-α， Caspase-1， and Bax proteins were significantly increased （P＜0.05）. Additionally， in the model group， the cells showed volume swelling， incomplete cell membrane， nucleolar rupture， significant swelling and deformation of mitochondria， and severe vacuolization. Compared with model group， the above quantitative indicators in the PLXT-Exo group and NZN-Exo group were significantly reversed （P＜0.05）， with large and round cell nuclei， intact nuclear membranes， and reduced mitochondrial vacuolization. CONCLUSIONS Peripheral blood-derived Exo intervened by naozhenning can alleviate the injury of neuronal cells HT22 by inhibiting inflammatory responses and cell apoptosis.

In recent years, the roles of mitochondrial RNA and its associated human diseases have been reported to increase significantly. Treatments based on mtRNA metabolic processes and nuclear gene mutations are thus discussed. The mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation process is affected by mtRNA metabolism, including mtRNA production, maturation, stabilization, and degradation, which leads to a variety of inherited human mitochondrial diseases. Moreover, mitochondrial diseases are caused by mitochondrial messenger RNA, mitochondrial transfer RNA, and mitochondrial ribosomal RNA gene mutations. This review presents the molecular mechanisms of human mtRNA metabolism and pathological mutations in mtRNA metabolism-related nuclear-encoded/nonencoded genes and mitochondrial DNA mutations to highlight the importance of mitochondrial RNA-related diseases and treatments.
Humans ; Mitochondrial Diseases/therapy* ; RNA, Mitochondrial ; RNA/genetics* ; Mitochondria/genetics* ; Mutation/genetics* ; RNA, Transfer/genetics* ; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics*

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between methylation levels of tumor suppressing subtransferable candidate 1 (TSSC1) and melanophilin (MLPH) genes in peripheral blood and coronary heart disease (CHD) in Chinese population. METHODS: This case-control study was conducted in 86 CHD patients and 95 healthy individuals, whose methylation levels of TSSC1 and MLPH genes in peripheral blood were determined using mass spectrometry. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the methylation levels in different subgroups. The correlation of TSSC1 and MLPH gene methylation levels with age and gender were evaluated using Spearman correlation coefficient and contingency coefficient, respectively. RESULTS: Compared with the healthy individuals, the CHD patients showed a significant correlation between MLPH hypermethylation and myocardial infarction (MI) (MLPH_CpG_2.7: P=0.045; MLPH_CpG_3/cg06639874: P=0.049; MLPH_CpG_5: P=0.019), and this correlation was even stronger in individuals below 65 years of age (MLPH_CpG_2.7: P=0.014; MLPH_CpG_4: P=0.001) and in male subjects (MLPH_CpG_2.7: P=0.004; MLPH_CpG_3/cg06639874: P=0.044). The methylation level of TSSC1 gene in peripheral blood was not found to correlate with CHD or its subtypes. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest a correlation of MLPH hypermethylation in peripheral blood with CHD and MI in Chinese population, especially in individuals below 65 years and in male individuals.
Humans ; DNA Methylation ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Aged ; Coronary Disease/blood* ; Adult ; CpG Islands

Multimorbidity has become a widely recognized public health problem worldwide. Identifying multimorbidity patterns can improve not only the efficiency of healthcare resource utilization but also patients' prognosis. This article summarizes three common approaches for the identification of multimorbidity patterns: association analysis methods (including association rule mining and network analysis), classification methods (including cluster analysis, latent class analysis, and latent transition analysis), and dimensionality reduction and feature extraction methods (including principal component analysis, factor analysis, and multiple correspondence analysis), introduces the application of these methods using data from the UK Biobank to identify multimorbidity patterns and discusses and compares the results of case analysis to provide reference for the selection of appropriate methods for multimorbidity pattern research.

Objective:To evaluate the role of ferroptosis in reduction of intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) by sodium butyrate pretreatment in mice.Methods:Thirty SPF healthy male C57BL/6 mice, aged 6-8 weeks, weighing 20-23 g, were divided into 5 groups ( n=6 each) using a random number table method: sham operation group (S group), intestinal IRI group (IR group), intestinal IRI + sodium butyrate pretreatment group (IN group), intestinal IRI + sodium butyrate pretreatment+ FER-1 group (INF group), and intestinal IRI + sodium butyrate pretreatment + Erastin group (INE group). The intestinal IRI model was established by occluding the superior mesenteric artery for 45 min followed by reperfusion for 30 min in S group. In IN, INF and INE groups, sodium butyrate was administered by gavage at a dose of 500 mg/kg daily at 1 week before developing the model, while the equal volume of normal saline was given by gavage in the other two groups. The ferroptosis inhibitor FER-1 5 mg/kg and ferroptosis agonist Erastin 30 mg/kg were intraperitoneally injected at 1 h prior to ischemia in INF and INE groups. Mice were sacrificed after anesthesia at the end of reperfusion to obtain small intestinal tissues for examination of the pathological changes (using light microscopy) which were scored according to Chiu and for determination of the contents of Fe 2+, malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and glutathione disulfide(GSSG) (by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11), and ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1) (by Western blot). The ratio of GSH to GSSG was calculated. Results:Compared to S group, Chiu′s scores and contents of MDA and Fe 2+ were significantly increased, the expression of GSH, GPX4, FTH1 and SLC7A11 was down-regulated, and the GSH/GSSG ratio was decreased in IR group ( P<0.001). Compared to IR group, Chiu′s scores and contents of MDA and Fe 2+ were significantly decreased, the expression of GSH, GPX4, FTH1 and SLC7A11 was up-regulated, and the GSH/GSSG ratio was increased in IN and INF groups ( P<0.001). Compared to IN group, Chiu′s scores and contents of MDA and Fe 2+ were significantly increased, the expression of GSH, GPX4, FTH1 and SLC7A11 was down-regulated, and the GSH/GSSG ratio was decreased in INE group ( P<0.001). Conclusions:Ferroptosis is involved in sodium butyrate pretreatment-induced reduction of intestinal I/RI in mice.

Objective:To summarize the current application status of sarcopenia screening tools among community-dwelling older adults and explore the suitability of various tools in different contexts.Methods:A comprehensive search was conducted in China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, VIP, China Biology Medicine disc, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Embase for literature related to sarcopenia screening tools, from database inception to November 30, 2024. Two researchers independently screened the literature and extracted relevant data.Results:A total of 19 articles were included, covering seven screening tools: the Sarcopenia-Five (SARC-F) questionnaire, Sarcopenia combined with Calf Circumference (SARC-CALF), Sarcopenia-Five combined with Elderly and Body Mass Index Information (SARC-F+EBM), Calf Circumference, Ishii score, Mini Sarcopenia Risk Assessment-5 (MSRA-5), and the finger-ring test.Conclusions:Research on sarcopenia screening tools for the elderly population in China is still in its early stages, primarily focusing on the localization of tools developed abroad. Future research should further develop, optimize, and validate screening tools tailored to the characteristics of the Chinese elderly population to support the prevention and management of sarcopenia.

Objective:To summarize the current application status of sarcopenia screening tools among community-dwelling older adults and explore the suitability of various tools in different contexts.Methods:A comprehensive search was conducted in China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, VIP, China Biology Medicine disc, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Embase for literature related to sarcopenia screening tools, from database inception to November 30, 2024. Two researchers independently screened the literature and extracted relevant data.Results:A total of 19 articles were included, covering seven screening tools: the Sarcopenia-Five (SARC-F) questionnaire, Sarcopenia combined with Calf Circumference (SARC-CALF), Sarcopenia-Five combined with Elderly and Body Mass Index Information (SARC-F+EBM), Calf Circumference, Ishii score, Mini Sarcopenia Risk Assessment-5 (MSRA-5), and the finger-ring test.Conclusions:Research on sarcopenia screening tools for the elderly population in China is still in its early stages, primarily focusing on the localization of tools developed abroad. Future research should further develop, optimize, and validate screening tools tailored to the characteristics of the Chinese elderly population to support the prevention and management of sarcopenia.

Multimorbidity has become a widely recognized public health problem worldwide. Identifying multimorbidity patterns can improve not only the efficiency of healthcare resource utilization but also patients' prognosis. This article summarizes three common approaches for the identification of multimorbidity patterns: association analysis methods (including association rule mining and network analysis), classification methods (including cluster analysis, latent class analysis, and latent transition analysis), and dimensionality reduction and feature extraction methods (including principal component analysis, factor analysis, and multiple correspondence analysis), introduces the application of these methods using data from the UK Biobank to identify multimorbidity patterns and discusses and compares the results of case analysis to provide reference for the selection of appropriate methods for multimorbidity pattern research.

Objective:To evaluate the role of ferroptosis in reduction of intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) by sodium butyrate pretreatment in mice.Methods:Thirty SPF healthy male C57BL/6 mice, aged 6-8 weeks, weighing 20-23 g, were divided into 5 groups ( n=6 each) using a random number table method: sham operation group (S group), intestinal IRI group (IR group), intestinal IRI + sodium butyrate pretreatment group (IN group), intestinal IRI + sodium butyrate pretreatment+ FER-1 group (INF group), and intestinal IRI + sodium butyrate pretreatment + Erastin group (INE group). The intestinal IRI model was established by occluding the superior mesenteric artery for 45 min followed by reperfusion for 30 min in S group. In IN, INF and INE groups, sodium butyrate was administered by gavage at a dose of 500 mg/kg daily at 1 week before developing the model, while the equal volume of normal saline was given by gavage in the other two groups. The ferroptosis inhibitor FER-1 5 mg/kg and ferroptosis agonist Erastin 30 mg/kg were intraperitoneally injected at 1 h prior to ischemia in INF and INE groups. Mice were sacrificed after anesthesia at the end of reperfusion to obtain small intestinal tissues for examination of the pathological changes (using light microscopy) which were scored according to Chiu and for determination of the contents of Fe 2+, malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and glutathione disulfide(GSSG) (by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11), and ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1) (by Western blot). The ratio of GSH to GSSG was calculated. Results:Compared to S group, Chiu′s scores and contents of MDA and Fe 2+ were significantly increased, the expression of GSH, GPX4, FTH1 and SLC7A11 was down-regulated, and the GSH/GSSG ratio was decreased in IR group ( P<0.001). Compared to IR group, Chiu′s scores and contents of MDA and Fe 2+ were significantly decreased, the expression of GSH, GPX4, FTH1 and SLC7A11 was up-regulated, and the GSH/GSSG ratio was increased in IN and INF groups ( P<0.001). Compared to IN group, Chiu′s scores and contents of MDA and Fe 2+ were significantly increased, the expression of GSH, GPX4, FTH1 and SLC7A11 was down-regulated, and the GSH/GSSG ratio was decreased in INE group ( P<0.001). Conclusions:Ferroptosis is involved in sodium butyrate pretreatment-induced reduction of intestinal I/RI in mice.