Objective To investigate the causal relationship between metabolic syndrome and breast cancer by using a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach. Methods Genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics for metabolic syndrome and breast cancer were acquired from the Integrative Epidemiology Unit GWAS database and the GWAS Catalog, with populations encompassing the United States and East Asia. A bidirectional causal design was employed: a forward analysis with metabolic syndrome as the exposure and breast cancer as the outcome, followed by a reverse analysis wherein their roles were interchanged. The inverse-variance weighting (IVW) method was primarily used for effect estimation, supplemented by MR-Egger regression, the weighted median method, the simple mode method, and the weighted mode method. Instrument variable strength was screened using the F-statistic (F>10). Robustness of the results was assessed through heterogeneity tests, horizontal pleiotropy tests, forest plots, and leave-one-out sensitivity analyses. Results The IVW analysis indicated no significant causal relationship between metabolic syndrome and breast cancer (OR=1.00, 95%CI: 0.97-1.03), P>0.05). Sensitivity analyses yielded consistent results, suggesting the good robustness of the study findings. Conclusion This study found no evidence to support a causal relationship, either positive or negative, between metabolic syndrome and breast cancer.

Epimedium sagittatum is a perennial herb of Berberidaceae. Its leaves have a long history of medicinal use in China. This plant is widely used as a Chinese traditional medicine，with the main functions of tonifying kidney Yang，strengthening bones and muscles，and dispelling wind and dampness. It can be used for treating kidney Yang deficiency，impotence，spermatorrhea，flaccidity of bones and muscles，rheumatic arthralgia，numbness，and spasms. The chemical constituents of this plant include flavonoids，polysaccharides，lignans，and alkaloids. Flavonoids are the main active ingredients. These compounds show a wide range of biological activities，including cartilage repair，anti-aging，anti-fatigue，cough-relieving，blood glucose-lowering，and anti-tumor effects. Modern pharmacological research has shown that E. sagittatum has definite pharmacological effects on the reproductive system，respiratory system，nervous system，cardiovascular system，skeletal system，etc. It has remarkable effects of helping pregnancy，resisting osteoporosis，controlling diabetes，improving immunity，and inhibiting tumor. Under the background of advocating one health and Chinese medicine，E. sagittatum is widely used in health care products，serving as the main raw material of various products. It has great market potential and is a Chinese medicinal herb with great clinical application and research value. This paper reviews the main chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of E. sagittatum based on domestic and foreign reports， providing a theoretical basis for further study on E. sagittatum and its safe clinical application.

Epimedium sagittatum is a perennial herb of Berberidaceae. Its leaves have a long history of medicinal use in China. This plant is widely used as a Chinese traditional medicine，with the main functions of tonifying kidney Yang，strengthening bones and muscles，and dispelling wind and dampness. It can be used for treating kidney Yang deficiency，impotence，spermatorrhea，flaccidity of bones and muscles，rheumatic arthralgia，numbness，and spasms. The chemical constituents of this plant include flavonoids，polysaccharides，lignans，and alkaloids. Flavonoids are the main active ingredients. These compounds show a wide range of biological activities，including cartilage repair，anti-aging，anti-fatigue，cough-relieving，blood glucose-lowering，and anti-tumor effects. Modern pharmacological research has shown that E. sagittatum has definite pharmacological effects on the reproductive system，respiratory system，nervous system，cardiovascular system，skeletal system，etc. It has remarkable effects of helping pregnancy，resisting osteoporosis，controlling diabetes，improving immunity，and inhibiting tumor. Under the background of advocating one health and Chinese medicine，E. sagittatum is widely used in health care products，serving as the main raw material of various products. It has great market potential and is a Chinese medicinal herb with great clinical application and research value. This paper reviews the main chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of E. sagittatum based on domestic and foreign reports， providing a theoretical basis for further study on E. sagittatum and its safe clinical application.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of Tiaoshu Anshen (regulating the hinge and calming the mind) acupuncture on sleep quality and serum levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) in patients with chronic insomnia. METHODS: A total of 58 patients with chronic insomnia were randomly divided into an acupuncture group and a medication group, 29 cases in each group. Tiaoshu Anshen acupuncture was applied at Baihui (GV20) and bilateral Shenmen (HT7), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Benshen (GB13) in the acupuncture group, once a day, 1-day interval was taken after 6 consecutive days of treatment. Estazolam tablet was given orally before bed in the medication group, 1 mg each time. The 4-week treatment was required in both groups. Before and after treatment, the sleep quality was assessed by Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and polysomnography (PSG), the serum levels of 5-HT and DA were detected by ELISA. RESULTS: After treatment, the item scores and total scores of PSQI were decreased compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05); in the acupuncture group, the scores of sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep disorders and total score of PSQI were lower than those in the medication group (P<0.05). After treatment, the total sleep time (TST) was prolonged (P<0.05), the sleep latency (SL) and wake after sleep onset (WASO) were shortened (P<0.05), the sleep efficiency (SE%), percentage of non-rapid eye movement stage 3 (N3%), percentage of rapid eye movement stage (REM%) and serum levels of 5-HT were increased (P<0.05) compared with those before treatment; the percentage of non-rapid eye movement stage 1 (N1%), percentage of non-rapid eye movement stage 2 (N2%) and serum levels of DA were decreased (P<0.05) compared with those before treatment in the two groups. After treatment, in the acupuncture group, TST was longer, while SL and WASO were shorter than those in the medication group (P<0.05), SE%, N3%, REM% and serum level of 5-HT were higher, while N1%, N2% and serum level of DA were lower than those in the medication group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Tiaoshu Anshen acupuncture may improve the sleep quality by regulating the serum neurotransmitter levels i.e. 5-HT and DA in patients with chronic insomnia.
Humans ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/physiopathology* ; Male ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Serotonin/blood* ; Sleep Quality ; Acupuncture Points ; Dopamine/blood* ; Aged ; Neurotransmitter Agents/blood* ; Young Adult

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, which increases the incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC). In the pathophysiology of IBD, ubiquitination/deubiquitination plays a critical regulatory function. Josephin domain containing 2 (JOSD2), a deubiquitinating enzyme, controls cell proliferation and carcinogenesis. However, its role in IBD remains unknown. Colitis mice model developed by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) or colon tissues from individuals with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease showed a significant upregulation of JOSD2 expression in the macrophages. JOSD2 deficiency exacerbated the phenotypes of DSS-induced colitis by enhancing colon inflammation. DSS-challenged mice with myeloid-specific JOSD2 deletion developed severe colitis after bone marrow transplantation. Mechanistically, JOSD2 binds to the C-terminal of inosine-5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase 2 (IMPDH2) and preferentially cleaves K63-linked polyubiquitin chains at the K134 site, suppressing IMPDH2 activity and preventing activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and inflammation in macrophages. It was also shown that JOSD2 knockout significantly exacerbated increased azoxymethane (AOM)/DSS-induced CRC, and AAV6-mediated JOSD2 overexpression in macrophages prevented the development of colitis in mice. These outcomes reveal a novel role for JOSD2 in colitis through deubiquitinating IMPDH2, suggesting that targeting JOSD2 is a potential strategy for treating IBD.

This article introduces Professor Zhou Peng's clinical experience in treating generalized anxiety disorder(GAD)using spirit-regulating and root-strengthening integrated acupuncture.Based on the pathological characteristics of GAD,Professor Zhou Peng summarizes its pathogenesis as"disharmony of qi,blood,yin,and yang,"pointing out that"deficiency"is the essence of its onset,with spleen and kidney deficiency being the root cause.He advocates treating GAD from the perspective of"deficiency and decline,"focusing on strengthening the spleen and kidneys,consolidating the root,and nourishing the source,while also regulating the mind.The integrated acupuncture therapy includes needling,refined moxibustion,and intradermal needle embedding.Needling is used to harmonize qi and blood,refined moxibustion to regulate and supplement yin and yang to consolidate the root,and intradermal needle embedding to regulate the mind and consolidate the therapeutic effects of acupuncture.Starting from improving patients'compliance with treatment and ensuring sustained therapeutic effects,Professor Zhou emphasizes that acupuncture manipulation should be fast,gentle,and soft,with needle insertion resembling a swift crane touching the waves and needle manipulation like a deer drinking from a clear spring.He places great importance on patients'sensations and aims to holistically regulate the body's qi,blood,yin,and yang,restoring the balance of body and mind,thereby effectively treating generalized anxiety disorder.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells （BMSCs） co-cultured with bone marrow-derived M2 macrophages （M2-BMDMs）， named as BMSC^M2， on a rat model of liver cirrhosis induced by carbon tetrachloride （CCl₄）/2-acetaminofluorene （2-AAF）. MethodsRat BMDMs were isolated and polarized into M2 phenotype， and rat BMSCs were isolated and co-cultured with M2-BMDMs at the third generation to obtain BMSC^M2. The rats were given subcutaneous injection of CCl₄ for 6 weeks to establish a model of liver cirrhosis， and then they were randomly divided into model group （M group）， BMSC group， and BMSC^M2 group， with 6 rats in each group. A normal group （N group） with 6 rats was also established. Since week 7， the model rats were given 2-AAF by gavage in addition to the subcutaneous injection of CCl₄. Samples were collected at the end of week 10 to observe liver function， liver histopathology， and hydroxyproline （Hyp） content in liver tissue， as well as changes in the markers for hepatic stellate cells， hepatic progenitor cells， cholangiocytes， and hepatocytes. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups， and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsCompared with the N group， the M group had significant increases in the activities of serum alanine aminotransferase （ALT） and aspartate aminotransferase （AST） （P<0.01）； compared with the M group， the BMSC and BMSC^M2 groups had significant reductions in ALT and AST （P<0.01）， and the BMSC^M2 group had significantly better activities than the BMSC group （P<0.05）. Compared with the N group， the M group had significant increases in Hyp content and the mRNA and protein expression levels of alpha-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA） in the liver （P<0.01）； compared with the M group， the BMSC and BMSC^M2 groups had significant reductions in Hyp content and the expression of α-SMA （P<0.05）， and the BMSC^M2 group had a significantly lower level of α-SMA than the BMSC group （P<0.01）. Compared with the N group， the M group had significant increases in the mRNA expression levels of the hepatic progenitor cell markers EpCam and Sox9 and the cholangiocyte markers CK7 and CK19 （P<0.01） and significant reductions in the expression levels of the hepatocyte markers HNF-4α and Alb （P<0.01）； compared with the M group， the BMSC and BMSC^M2 groups had significant reductions in the mRNA expression levels of EpCam， Sox9， CK7， and CK19 （P<0.05） and significant increases in the mRNA expression levels of HNF-4α and Alb （P<0.05）， and compared with the BMSC group， the BMSC^M2 group had significant reductions in the mRNA expression levels of EpCam and CK19 （P<0.05） and significant increase in the expression level of HNF-4α （P<0.05）. ConclusionM2-BMDMs can enhance the therapeutic effect of BMSCs on CCl₄/2-AAF-induced liver cirrhosis in rats， which provides new ideas for further improving the therapeutic effect of BMSCs on liver cirrhosis.

Objective To explore the relationship between serum soluble semaphorin 4D(sSema4D),CXC chemokine ligand 12(CXCL12)levels and left ventricular diastolic function in young and middle-aged patients with essential hypertension.Methods A total of 148 young and middle-aged patients with essential hyperten-sion admitted to a hospital from November 2020 to November 2022 were selected as the study subjects,and were grouped into left ventricular diastolic dysfunction group(n=41)and normal left ventricular diastolic function group(n=107)according to their left ventricular diastolic function.The serum levels of sSema4D and CXCL12 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Pearson correlation analysis was applied to analyze the correlation between the serum levels of sSema4D and CXCL12 and the left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVEDD),left ventricular end-systolic diameter(LVESD),left ventricular septal thickness(IVST),left ventricular end-diastolic posterior wall thickness(LVPWT),left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),E peak/A peak(E/A)and maximum velocity of tricuspid regurgitation(TRVmax).The predictive value of ser-um sSema4D and CXCL12 levels in left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in young and middle-aged patients with essential hypertension was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results There were significant differences in diastolic blood pressure and gender between the left ventricular diastolic dys-function group and the left ventricular diastolic function normal group(P＜0.05).Compared with the normal left ventricular diastolic function group,serum levels of sSema4D,CXCL12 in the left ventricular diastolic dys-function group were obviously increased,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Compared with normal left ventricular diastolic function group,IVST and LVPWT in the left ventricular diastolic dys-function group were significantly increased,and E/A was significantly decreased,with statistical significance(P＜0.05).Pearson correlation analysis showed that serum sSema4D and CXCL12 levels were positively cor-related with LVEDD,IVST and LVPWT(P＜0.05),and negatively correlated with E/A(P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve(AUC)of serum sSema4D and CXCL12 combined in pre-dicting left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in young and middle-aged patients with essential hypertension was 0.894(95％CI:0.833-0.939),which was significantly greater than that of sSema4D alone in predicting left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in young and middle-aged patients with essential hypertension(Z=3.142,P=0.002)and CXCL12 alone predicted the AUC of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in young and middle-aged patients with essential hypertension(Z=3.268,P=0.001).Conclusion Serum sSema4D and CXCL12 levels are associated with left ventricular diastolic function in young and middle-aged patients with essential hypertension.

The use of suture to pull the lingual gingival flap in mandibular posterior dental implant surgery may damage the contralateral mouth corner of the surgical area.This study explored the effectiveness of sterile wound dressing in preventing the friction injury by suture in oral implant surgery.A total of 506 patients were included,the sterile wound dressing was used in the test group(n=363)but not in the control group(n=143).The postoperative situation of the patients was analyzed,validated and received holistic care after implant surgery.The results suggest that the use of sterile wound dressing can shorten the operation time,prevent suture friction of mouth corer,simplify post-operative care and improve patient satisfaction for posterior dental implant surgery.

Transient receptor potential vanilloid-1(TRPV1) channel is a non-selective ligand-gated cationic channel with multiple activation mechanisms in the transient receptor potential subfamily. In recent years, a large number of studies have found that TRPV1 plays an important role in the field of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and atherosclerosis. With the in-depth study of traditional Chinese medicine, it has been found that Chinese medicine monomers and their active components can activate or inhibit TRPV1 channels, which has certain potential in the study of cardiovascular diseases. In this paper, the role of TRPV1 channel in cardiovascular diseases and the research progress of traditional Chinese medicine prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases based on TRPV1 channel are reviewed, in order to provide new ideas for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular system diseases.