OBJECTIVE: To explore the early efficacy and safety of hip arthroscopy in the treatment of patients with borderline developmental dysplasia of the hip(BDDH). METHODS: A total of 111 patients diagnosed with BDDH from January 2020 to December 2022 were selected and divided into two groups according to the surgical method. Among them, 63 patients who underwent arthroscopy were assigned to the arthroscopy group, including 22 males and 41 females with an average age of (35.67±6.83) years;48 patients who underwent periacetabular osteotomy were assigned to the PAO group, including 18 males and 30 females with an average age of (36.85±7.10) years. The operation time, hospital stay, blood loss, rehabilitation time, complication rate, and reoperation rate were recorded in both groups. Imaging indicators of the two groups were measured and recorded. The modified Harris hip score (mHHS), nonarthritic hip score (NAHS), and hip outcome score-activity of daily living scale (HOS-ADL) were used to evaluate hip function and quality of life before and after surgery. RESULTS: All patients were followed up for 12 months. The operation time (90.43±9.85) min, hospital stay(4.32±0.56) days, rehabilitation time (15.22±2.15) weeks, blood loss (25.69±6.57) ml, and number of complications (15 cases) in the arthroscopy group were all lower than those in the PAO group (117.25±15.83) min, (5.81±0.92) days, (21.10±3.74) weeks, (358.52±126.73) ml, 30 cases, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). At the last follow-up after treatment, the lateral center edge angle (LCEA) (19.82±1.90)° and anterior center edge angle (ACEA) (20.01±1.85)° in the arthroscopy group decreased compared with those before treatment (21.43±2.10)°, (21.54±2.05)°, while in the PAO group, the LCEA (33.03±3.45)° and ACEA (33.48±4.22)° at the last follow-up after treatment increased compared with those before treatment, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). The T?nnis angle in the arthroscopy group after treatment (11.05±1.83)° increased compared with that before treatment, while in the PAO group, the T?nnis angle at the last follow-up after treatment (2.98±0.75)° decreased compared with that before treatment, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). In the arthroscopy group, the extrusion index (30.68±2.85) and T?nnis grade after treatment increased compared with those before treatment, while the α angle after treatment (38.79±4.27)° significantly decreased compared with that before treatment, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05);in the PAO group, the extrusion index (15.03±2.18) and α angle (53.58±6.02)° after treatment significantly decreased compared with those before treatment, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). The mHHS score at the last follow-up after treatment in the arthroscopy group (86.41±7.33) was higher than that in the PAO group (81.02±6.49), with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). At 6 months after treatment, the NAHS (69.83±6.53) and HOS-ADL scores (78.84±7.39) in the arthroscopy group were higher than those in the PAO group (64.10±6.02), (75.31±7.01), with statistically significant differences (P<0.01);at the last follow-up after treatment, the NAHS (87.63±7.60) and HOS-ADL scores (88.94±8.11) in the arthroscopy group were higher than those in the PAO group (81.63±7.03), (83.63±7.92), with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Compared with PAO, hip arthroscopy shows better early to mid-term clinical efficacy in the treatment of BDDH patients. However, PAO has more advantages in improving acetabular imaging indicators of BDDH patients, while hip arthroscopy only improves the α angle of patients. Meanwhile, hip arthroscopy causes less trauma to patients, reduces blood loss, and is more conducive to the subsequent recovery of patients.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Arthroscopy/methods* ; Adult ; Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip/physiopathology* ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Guilu Taohong Formula on semen quality in varicocele (VC) models of rats, and to explore its possible mechanism. METHODS: Forty-eight male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups (sham group, model group, Guilu Taohong Formula group and L-carnitine group). After the establishment of models, the rats were treated with intragastric administration for eight consecutive weeks. The general condition of the rats was observed. After the gavage, the testicular and epididymal indices were calculated. Semen quality was assessed using an automatic semen analyzer. Apoptosis of testicular cells was assessed by TUNEL staining. And the expression levels of B-cell lymphocytoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) and cysteine aspartate protease-3 (caspase-3) in testicular tissue were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: Compared with the sham group, testicular index, epididymal index, sperm concentration, the percentage of progressive motility of sperm (PR%) and the expression level of Bcl-2 decreased in model group(P<0.01). An increased apoptosis rate of spermatogenic cells and the expression levels of Bax and caspase-3 proteins were observed in model group as well(P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the testicular index, epididymal index, sperm concentration, PR% and the expression level of Bcl-2 in Guilu Taohong Formula group increased significantly (P<0.05, P<0.01). A decreased apoptosis rate of spermatogenic cells and the expression levels of Bax and caspase-3 proteins were detected in Guilu Taohong Formula group as well(P<0.01). Similarly, the L-carnitine group showed increased testicular index, epididymal index, sperm concentration, PR% and the expression level of Bcl-2 protein (P<0.05, P<0.01), where showed decreased apoptosis rate of spermatogenic cells and the expression levels of Bax and caspase-3 proteins compared with model group (P<0.01, P<0.05). CONCLUSION Guilu Taohong Formula improves semen quality in VC model rats and reduces the apoptosis rate of spermatogenic cells in testicular tissue, which may be related to the promotion of Bcl-2 protein expression and the inhibition of Bax and caspase-3 protein expression levels.
Male ; Animals ; Varicocele/drug therapy* ; Rats ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Semen Analysis ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein/metabolism* ; Caspase 3/metabolism* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Spermatozoa/drug effects* ; Testis/drug effects*

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have shown that insomnia is closely related to erectile dysfunction（ED）. However, the causal relationship between them is still unclear. Mendelian randomization (MR) provides a new method for studying the relationship between the two, and the theory of heart-kidney interaction in TCM provides a new idea for exploring the causal relationship between them. METHODS: Based on the statistical data collected by genome-wide association studies (GWAS), the causal relationship between insomnia and ED was discussed by MR. Inverse variance weighted (IVW) is the main analysis method, and weighted median (WME), simple mode (SM), weighted mode (WM) and MR Egger method were the supplementary analysis to evaluate the causal effect. MR-Egger intercept test, Cochran Q test and leave-one-out method were used in sensitivity analysis to verify the reliability of MR results. RESULTS: Thirty-nine SNPs significantly related to insomnia were finally included for MR analysis. The results of IVW method in MR analysis showed that insomnia had a significant causal relationship with the increased risk of ED (OR = 3.111，95% CI= 1.566－6.181，P=1.193×10－3). The results obtained by MR-Egger method, WME method, WM method and SM method were consistent with IVW method in the direction of effect. The sensitivity results suggested that the results of this study were robust. CONCLUSION Our study reveals the causal relationship between insomnia and ED, which provides a new basis for future clinical practice and prevention and treatment of ED.
Causality ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/genetics* ; Erectile Dysfunction/genetics* ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Humans ; Male ; Heart/physiology* ; Kidney/physiology* ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Data Interpretation, Statistical

Patients suffering from nerve injury often experience exacerbated pain responses and complain of memory deficits. The dorsal hippocampus (dHPC), a well-defined region responsible for learning and memory, displays maladaptive plasticity upon injury, which is assumed to underlie pain hypersensitivity and cognitive deficits. However, much attention has thus far been paid to intracellular mechanisms of plasticity rather than extracellular alterations that might trigger and facilitate intracellular changes. Emerging evidence has shown that nerve injury alters the microarchitecture of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and decreases ECM rigidity in the dHPC. Despite this, it remains elusive which element of the ECM in the dHPC is affected and how it contributes to neuropathic pain and comorbid cognitive deficits. Laminin, a key element of the ECM, consists of α-, β-, and γ-chains and has been implicated in several pathophysiological processes. Here, we showed that peripheral nerve injury downregulates laminin β1 (LAMB1) in the dHPC. Silencing of hippocampal LAMB1 exacerbates pain sensitivity and induces cognitive dysfunction. Further mechanistic analysis revealed that loss of hippocampal LAMB1 causes dysregulated Src/NR2A signaling cascades via interaction with integrin β1, leading to decreased Ca²⁺ levels in pyramidal neurons, which in turn orchestrates structural and functional plasticity and eventually results in exaggerated pain responses and cognitive deficits. In this study, we shed new light on the functional capability of hippocampal ECM LAMB1 in the modulation of neuropathic pain and comorbid cognitive deficits, and reveal a mechanism that conveys extracellular alterations to intracellular plasticity. Moreover, we identified hippocampal LAMB1/integrin β1 signaling as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of neuropathic pain and related memory loss.
Animals ; Laminin/genetics* ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Neuralgia/metabolism* ; Cognitive Dysfunction/etiology* ; Male ; Peripheral Nerve Injuries/metabolism* ; Extracellular Matrix/metabolism* ; Integrin beta1/metabolism* ; Pyramidal Cells/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the specific mechanisms by which electroacupuncture (EA) alleviates anxiety and fear behaviors associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), focusing on the role of lipocalin-2 (Lcn2). METHODS: The PTSD mouse model was subjected to single prolonged stress and shock (SPS&S), and the animals received 15 min sessions of EA at Shenmen acupoint (HT7). Behavioral tests were used to investigate the effects of EA at HT7 on anxiety and fear. Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to quantify Lcn2 and inflammatory cytokine levels in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Additionally, the activity of PFC neurons was evaluated by immunofluorescence and in vivo electrophysiology. RESULTS: Mice subjected to SPS&S presented increased anxiety- and fear-like behaviors. Lcn2 expression in the PFC was significantly upregulated following SPS&S, leading to increased expression of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 and suppression of PFC neuronal activity. However, EA at HT7 inhibited Lcn2 release, reducing neuroinflammation and hypoexcitability in the PFC. Lcn2 overexpression mitigated the effects of EA at HT7, resulting in anxiety- and fear-like behaviors. CONCLUSION EA at HT7 can ameliorate PTSD-associated anxiety and fear, and its mechanism of action appears to involve the inhibition of Lcn2-mediated neural activity and inflammation in the PFC. Please cite this article as: Yang YD, Zhong W, Chen M, Tang QC, Li Y, Yao LL, et al. Electroacupuncture alleviates behaviors associated with posttraumatic stress disorder by modulating lipocalin-2-mediated neuroinflammation and neuronal activity in the prefrontal cortex. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):537-547.
Electroacupuncture ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/metabolism* ; Animals ; Lipocalin-2/metabolism* ; Prefrontal Cortex/physiopathology* ; Male ; Mice ; Neurons/physiology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Fear ; Behavior, Animal ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neuroinflammatory Diseases/metabolism* ; Anxiety/therapy* ; Acupuncture Points

Objective To campare biomechanical effects of different postural compression techniques on three-dimensional model of lumbar disc herniation(LDH)by finite element analysis.Methods Lumbar CT image of a 48-year-old female patient with LDH(heighted 163 cm,weighted 53 kg)was collected.Mimics 20.0,Geomagic Studio,Solidwords and other software were used to establish three-dimensional finite element model of LDH on L4,5 segments.Compression techniques under horizon-tal position,30° forward bending and 10° backward extension were simulated respectively.After applying the pressure,the ef-fects of compression techniques under different positions on stress,strain and displacement of various tissues of intervertebral disc and nerve root were observed.Results L4,5 segment finite element model was successfully established,and the model was validated.When compression manipulation was performed on the horizontal position,30° flexion and 10° extension,the annular stress were 0.732,5.929,1.286 MPa,the nucleus pulposus stress were 0.190,1.527,0.295 MPa,and the annular strain were 0.097,0.922 and 0.424,the strain sizes of nucleus pulposus were 0.153,1.222 and 0.282,respectively.The overall displace-ment distance of intervertebral disc on Y direction were-3.707,-18.990,-4.171 mm,and displacement distance of nerve root on Y direction were+7.836,+5.341,+3.859 mm,respectively.The relative displacement distances of nerve root and interverte-bral disc on Y direction were 11.543,24.331 and 8.030 mm,respectively.Conclusion Compression manipulation could make herniated intervertebral disc produce contraction and retraction trend,by increasing the distance between herniated interverte-bral disc and nerve root,to reduce symptoms of nerve compression,to achieve purpose of treatment for patients with LDH,in which the compression manipulation is more effective when the forward flexion is 30°.

Background/Aims: Despite the high efficacy of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), approximately 1–3% of hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients fail to achieve a sustained virological response. We conducted a nationwide study to investigate risk factors associated with DAA treatment failure. Machine-learning algorithms have been applied to discriminate subjects who may fail to respond to DAA therapy. Methods: We analyzed the Taiwan HCV Registry Program database to explore predictors of DAA failure in HCV patients. Fifty-five host and virological features were assessed using multivariate logistic regression, decision tree, random forest, eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and artificial neural network. The primary outcome was undetectable HCV RNA at 12 weeks after the end of treatment. Results: The training (n=23,955) and validation (n=10,346) datasets had similar baseline demographics, with an overall DAA failure rate of 1.6% (n=538). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, poor DAA adherence, and higher hemoglobin A1c were significantly associated with virological failure. XGBoost outperformed the other algorithms and logistic regression models, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 1.000 in the training dataset and 0.803 in the validation dataset. The top five predictors of treatment failure were HCV RNA, body mass index, α-fetoprotein, platelets, and FIB-4 index. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the XGBoost model (cutoff value=0.5) were 99.5%, 69.7%, 99.9%, 97.4%, and 99.5%, respectively, for the entire dataset. Conclusions Machine learning algorithms effectively provide risk stratification for DAA failure and additional information on the factors associated with DAA failure.

This study was aimed at creating an engineered strain of Bacillus subtilis for efficient expression of biologically active type 2 toxin B(TcdB2)derived from a highly virulent strain of Clostridium difficile.The TcdB2 gene was cloned from ST1/RT027 strain genome DNA,incorporated into the PHT01 vector,and then transformed into B.subtilis strain WB800N for prokaryotic expression.Cell toxicity assays revealed that the recombinant TcdB2 exhibited cytotoxic effects in various cells.The engineered B.subtilis strain effectively expressed biologically active TcdB2,thus providing a basis for further exploration of the pathogenic mechanisms of highly virulent strains of C.difficile and establishing a foundation for potential vaccine can-didate targets.

Objective To carry out rigid-body inverse dynamics modelling and analysis of a self-designed 6RSS parallel bio-inspired masticatory robot.Methods Firstly,the functions of kinematic variables including translational/rotational velocities and accelerations were derived for rigid-body inverse dynamics modelling.Secondly,the rigid-body inverse dynamics model was established with the Newton-Euler's law.Finally,the chewing motion trajectories of the oral health volunteers were tracked and numerical calculations were carried out in the case where the robot was subjected to a chewing reaction force.Results Numerical calculations showed that the driving torque and the constraint force of the robot peaked when the chewing reaction force was at its maximum.Conclusion The external force has a large impact on the inverse dynamics of the robot,and theoretical references are provided for the motion control and optimal design of the robot.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(3):16-22]

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between the shape of the lateral wall and the early failure of internal fixation in the fracture of the femoral trochanteric region(FFT). METHODS: Total 295 patients with femoral trochanteric fracture underwent internal fixation from January 2015 to January 2020 were selected. The patients were divided into two groups according to whether there was early internal fixation failure after surgery, 19 patients in the failure group and 276 patients in the normal group. Gender, affected side, age, AO classification, body mass index(BMI), preoperative hemoglobin, X-ray measurement of lower lateral wall thickness, preoperative internal diseases, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative tip apex distance(TAD), postoperative neck shaft angle, operation time and other data were compared between two groups. The shape of the lateral wall was compared between two groups, and the correlation between the shape of the lateral wall and the early internal fixation failure of femoral trochanteric fracture was analyzed. RESULTS: All patients were followed up for more than 1 year. There was no significant difference between two groups in terms of intraoperative blood loss, operation time, postoperative TAD, and postoperative neck shaft angle(P>0.05). At the latest follow-up, the visual anaglue scale (VAS) of the failure group was higher than that of the normal group(P<0.01), and the Harris score of the failure group was lower than that of normal group(P<0.05). The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve between shape of lateral wall and failure of early internal fixation of femoral trochanteric fracture was drawn. The critical value of the midpoint lateral wall thickness was 16.5 mm, and the area under the ROC curve was 0.845;The critical value of average sidewall thickness was 16.5 mm, and the area under ROC curve was 0.838;The critical value of the axial area of the sidewall was 7.5 mm, and the area under the ROC curve was 0.826. CONCLUSION The shape of the lateral femoral wall measured by CT could be used as a predictive factor for the early failure of internal fixation of femoral trochanteric fractures. For patients at risk, more reasonable surgical plans and postoperative preventive measures should be developed.
Humans ; Treatment Outcome ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary ; Bone Nails ; Retrospective Studies ; Hip Fractures/surgery* ; Fracture Fixation, Internal