BACKGROUND: Acupuncture therapy provides a complementary and alternative approach to treating major depressive disorder (MDD), but its efficacy and safety have still not been comprehensively assessed. Recently published systematic reviews remain confusing and inconclusive. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review evaluated the efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy alone or combined with antidepressants for adult patients with mild and moderate MDD. SEARCH STRATEGY: Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, Wanfang Database, Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched from their inceptions to March 2025. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials that compared acupuncture therapy with antidepressants, or acupuncture therapy plus antidepressants with acupuncture therapy or antidepressants for adult patients with mild and moderate MDD were included. DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS: Five reviewers independently extracted data from original literature using a standardized form, and the data were verified by two reviewers to ensure accuracy. Statistical meta-analyses, publication bias analyses, and subgroup analyses were performed by using Review Manager 5.3 software. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach was used to assess the certainty of the evidence. RESULTS: A total of 60 eligible studies including 4675 participants were included. Low-certainty evidence showed that compared with antidepressants, acupuncture therapy (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [-0.87, -0.27]; I² = 86%; P = 0.006) or acupuncture therapy plus antidepressants (SMD = -1.00; 95% CI = [-1.18, -0.81]; I² = 77%; P < 0.00001) may reduce the severity of depression at the end of treatment. Low-certainty evidence indicated that compared with acupuncture therapy alone, acupuncture therapy plus antidepressants slightly reduced the severity of depression at the end of treatment (SMD = -0.38; 95% CI = [-0.61, -0.14]; I² = 18%; P = 0.002). Similar results were also found for acupuncture's relief of insomnia. The reported adverse effects of acupuncture therapy were mild and transient. For most of the subgroup analyses, acupuncture type, scale type, and the course of treatment did not show a significant relative effect. CONCLUSION Acupuncture therapy may provide antidepressant effects and relieve insomnia with mild adverse effects for adult patients with mild and moderate MDD. But the certainty of evidence was very low. More high-quality, well designed, large-scale studies with long-term follow-up are needed in the future. Please cite this article as: Kuang HJ, Yang HS, Feng YX, Tang H, Fan Q, Xu YQ, Cui S, Musil R, Luxenburger H, Zhang YX, Zhao H, Zhang YQ. Efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapies for adult patients with mild and moderate major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):471-491.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Depressive Disorder, Major/therapy* ; Adult ; Antidepressive Agents/therapeutic use* ; Treatment Outcome ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

Heatstroke,especially in high-temperature and high-humidity environments,is a life-threatening acute heat-injury disease that seriously endangers human health.Timely and effective on-site treatment is crucial for patients'survival and prognosis.Early recognition,rapid assessment,and on-site cooling are the core of pre-hospital treatment of heatstroke.Currently,there is a lack of standardized application procedures for pre-hospital emergency care of heatstroke.Therefore,the"Expert Consensus on Pre-hospital Emergency Management of Heatstroke(2024 edition)"was initiated by the Expert Group on Heatstroke Prevention of the People's Liberation Army and developed in collaboration with experts from local pre-hospital emergency care,emergency departments,and intensive care units.This consensus focuses on heatstroke prevention,on-site and ambulance-based treatment,and early emergency room interventions,and puts forward 10 evidence-based recommendations,aiming to provide a reference for scientific and standardized pre-hospital emergency care of heatstroke.

Objective:To investigate the essential determinants that are critical to initiating the assembly of outer membrane proteins by replacing the POTRA domains of the translocator protein FhaC and the insertase protein TtOmp85 of the Omp85 family. Methods:FhaC, TtOmp85 proteins and their recombinant chimeric proteins after replacing the POTRA domain were obtained by overexpression and purification in vitro. An in vitro reconstitution system was used to investigate the effects of the different domains on the transport efficiency of the substrate outer membrane protein FhaB and the membrane insertion efficiency of OmpA. Results:Replacing the POTRA domain of FhaC with that of TtOmp85 led to the loss of the transport function of FhaB. During the membrane insertion process of OmpA, the FhaC mutant containing the POTRA of TtOmp85 protein acquired the ability to assemble OmpA. Conclusion:The compositional differences in the POTRA domain of Omp85 family proteins determine their abilities to recognize their substrate proteins.

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension is characterised by the persistent obstruction of the proximal pulmonary arteries by organized thrombi and peripheral microvascular disease,which can lead to right-sided heart failure and mortality.Pulmonary endarterectomy enables complete removal of visible obstructive elements within the pulmonary arteries and is recommended for operable patients.Nevertheless,over 40%of patients are precluded from pulmonary endarterectomy because of factors such as surgically inaccessible lesions,compromised general health status,or concurrent comorbidities or still with residual pulmonary hypertension after pulmonary endarterectomy.For inoperable patients or those with residual pulmonary hypertension after pulmonary endarterectomy,balloon pulmonary angioplasty is an effective therapeutic option,which could significantly improve the hemodynamic,exercise tolerance and outcome of the patients.With the emerging accumulation of clinical experience and evidence,2022 European Society of Cardiology/European Respiratory Society guidelines of pulmonary hypertension recommend balloon pulmonary angioplasty as an alternative therapeutic option for these patients.However,different types of lesions may have their own lesion characteristics,the strategy and device of balloon pulmonary angioplasty should thus be individually considered for different lesions,in fact,the success rate of treatment and the incidence rate of complications are varied significantly.Therefore,the aim of this review is to comprehensively summarize the existing studies on balloon pulmonary angioplasty treatment strategies for different types of lesions and the management of complications to provide guidance and reference for clinicians.

mRNA therapy is an emerging treatment that has become a frontier and hot topic in the field of biomedicine.To explore the trend in the development of mRNA therapy,this paper conducts an analysis from the perspectives of papers and patents,examining multiple dimensions including development trend,research areas,and high-value research.The study reveals the following findings:Global research in mRNA therapy is growing rapidly.Basic research mainly focuses on oncology,chemistry-multidisciplinary,biochemistry and molecular biology,while applied research centers on mRNA concerning genetic engineering,isolation,synthesis,purification,and the development of medicines.High-value research mainly centers on topics such as mRNA delivery,composition,manufacture,modification,and the development of various mRNA-based therapies.

Aim To study the therapeutic effect of al-licin on senna-induced diarrhea in mice and to explore the underlying mechanism.Methods Forty-eight C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into six groups:control,model,loperamide positive control group(2 mg·kg-1),allicin low-dose group(6 mg·kg-1),allicin medium-dose group(12 mg·kg-1)and allicin high-dose group(18 mg·kg-1).Except for the con-trol group,the diarrhea model was induced in the other groups by intragastric administration of senna leaf ex-tract.After drug administration,several diarrhea indi-ces were measured:the rate of loose stools,diarrhea index,accumulated frequency of loose stools at differ-ent time points within 5 hours,and small intestine pro-pelling rate.Serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were de-tected by ELISA.Serum NO content was determined u-sing the Griess method.The activities of SOD and CAT,as well as MDA content in the ileum and colon,were measured.The pathological changes and the ex-pression of mRNA related to intestinal barrier proteins in the ileum and colon were evaluated using HE stai-ning and RT-qPCR.Results Allicin improved diar-rhea symptoms in mice induced by senna leaf.It re-duced the rate of loose stools,diarrhea index,cumula-tive number of loose stools in five hours,and the intes-tinal propulsion rate.Allicin also protected the intesti-nal mucosa,decreased serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels,and lowered MDA content in the intestines.It in-creased serum NO levels and enhanced SOD and CAT activities in the intestines.Additionally,allicin upreg-ulated the mRNA expression of AQP1,AQP4,and ZO-1 in intestinal tissues.Conclusions Allicin has a significant therapeutic effect on senna-induced diarrhea in mice.The underlying molecular mechanisms may involve anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects,in-creased NO content,and upregulation of mRNA ex-pression of aquaporins and tight-junction proteins.

Glycogen storage disease type Ⅱ,also known as Pompe disease,is an autosomal recessive metabolic myopathy with pulmonary hypertension as a rare complication.We reported a case of pulmonary hypertension in adult with late-onset glycogen storage disease type Ⅱ.Her arterial blood gas results indicated type Ⅱ respiratory failure,lung function indicated severe restricted ventilation dysfunction,sleep monitoring indicated severe sleep apnea hypopnea,severe nocturnal hypoxemia,echocardiography-derived systolic pulmonary pressure was 62 mmHg(1 mmHg=0.133 kPa),electromyography indicated myogenic lesion,and whole exon sequencing indicated GAA gene mutation.Supportive therapy and enzyme replacement therapy are applied in this patient.

Objectives:To observe the effectiveness and safety of recombinant human brain natriuretic peptide(rhBNP)for the treatment of patients with right heart failure caused by pulmonary arterial hypertension(PAH).Methods:A total of 421 patients with right heart failure caused by PAH who were hospitalized in Fuwai Hospital from January 2019 to June 2024 were retrospectively included in this study.All patients were treated with rhBNP on top of conventional therapy.24 h urine volume,body weight,liver and renal function index,electrolyte,uric acid,red blood cell distribution width(RBCDW),cardiac function,blood pressure and heart rate before and after the treatment of rhBNP were compared.Clinical symptoms,signs and the occurrence of adverse events during treatment were also observed.Results:Compared with baseline,after treatment with rhBNP,the 24 h urine volume increased.The levels of body weight,transaminase,total bilirubin,direct bilirubin,uric acid,RBCDW,systolic blood pressure,heart rate,and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide significantly decreased(all P<0.05).There were no statistically significant differences in the levels of serum creatinine,and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion to pulmonary artery systolic pressure ratio(both P>0.05).Dyspnea and lower limbs edema were improved in 75.2%cases(227/302)and 66.9%cases(281/420)respectively.The incidence of adverse events and severe adverse events during rhBNP treatment were 1.2%(5/421)and 0.5%(2/421)respectively.Conclusions:Adding rhBNP on top of standard medication can effectively increase 24 h urine volume,reduce body weight,improve some prognostic indicators,improve the clinical symptoms and signs of heart failure without negatively affecting the renal function in right heart failure patients caused by PAH.Blood pressure should be closely monitored during the treatment process.

Objective:To investigate the essential determinants that are critical to initiating the assembly of outer membrane proteins by replacing the POTRA domains of the translocator protein FhaC and the insertase protein TtOmp85 of the Omp85 family. Methods:FhaC, TtOmp85 proteins and their recombinant chimeric proteins after replacing the POTRA domain were obtained by overexpression and purification in vitro. An in vitro reconstitution system was used to investigate the effects of the different domains on the transport efficiency of the substrate outer membrane protein FhaB and the membrane insertion efficiency of OmpA. Results:Replacing the POTRA domain of FhaC with that of TtOmp85 led to the loss of the transport function of FhaB. During the membrane insertion process of OmpA, the FhaC mutant containing the POTRA of TtOmp85 protein acquired the ability to assemble OmpA. Conclusion:The compositional differences in the POTRA domain of Omp85 family proteins determine their abilities to recognize their substrate proteins.