Objective​ To evaluate the clinical characteristics and influencing factors of fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis （RA）， with the aim of providing guidance for clinical treatment. Methods​ Based on the multicenter real-world cohort of the China Registry of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Rheumatism （CERTAIN） platform， patients with RA enrolled from 2019 to 2025 were included. Demographic data， disease assessment indicators， laboratory indices， and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome patterns were collected to analyze the TCM syndromes and clinical characteristics of RA patients with fatigue. Spearman correlation analysis and logistic regression analysis were used to identify factors associated with fatigue in RA. Results​ A total of 3 021 patients with RA were included， among whom 2 007 （66.43%） had fatigue. Compared with the non-fatigue group， the fatigue group was older and had a longer disease duration， with significantly higher scores for the 28-joint Disease Activity Score （DAS28）， swollen joint count （SJC）， tender joint count （TJC）， Health Assessment Questionnaire （HAQ）， pain visual analog scale （VAS）， and patient global assessment （PGA） （P<0.01）. Among TCM syndromes， fatigue was more common in patients with dampness-heat obstruction， cold-dampness obstruction， and liver-kidney deficiency syndromes （P<0.05）. Multivariate analysis revealed that morning stiffness duration exhibited a stepwise association with fatigue， while poor appetite， insomnia with frequent dreaming， restlessness， high HAQ scores， and high pain VAS scores were identified as risk factors. ConclusionFatigue is a prominent symptom in patients with RA and is more common among those with dampness-heat obstruction， cold-dampness obstruction， and liver-kidney deficiency syndromes. It is closely associated with disease activity， pain， functional limitation， sleep， and emotional status.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of Qingre Huoxue prescription combined with methotrexate （MTX） and folic acid （FA） on homocysteine （Hcy） levels and disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis （RA） complicated by hyperhomocysteinemia （HHcy）. MethodsOn the basis of a multicenter real-world cohort from the China Registry of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Rheumatism （CERTAIN） platform，408 patients with RA complicated by HHcy were selected and included in this study. Treatment with Qingre Huoxue prescription was used as the exposure factor. According to whether Qingre Huoxue prescription was combined with MTX and FA，patients were assigned into an exposure group of 281 cases and a control group of 127 cases. Follow-ups were conducted every three months，with the primary outcome indicator being the achievement rate of target Hcy level. A generalized estimating equation model was adopted to analyze the dynamic changes in Hcy level under different medication regimens. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to evaluate the cumulative achievement rate of target Hcy level in the two groups，and Cox regression analysis was conducted to explore the predictive factors affecting the achievement rate of target Hcy level. Changes in erythrocyte sedimentation rate （ESR），C-reactive protein （CRP），28-joint disease activity score （DAS 28），and Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index （HAQ-DI） scores before and after the first combined treatment with Qingre Huoxue prescription were compared between the two groups. ResultsThe Hcy level in the exposure group showed a gradual decreasing trend over time，while the decrease in Hcy level was not significant in the control group. At the 12-month follow-up，the achievement rate of target Hcy level in the exposure group （124/281，44.13%） was higher than that in the control group （23/127，18.11%，P<0.01）. Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that treatment with Qingre Huoxue prescription ［hazard ratio（HR）=3.013，95% confidence interval （CI） 2.188-4.149， P<0.001］， absence of comorbidities （HR=2.035， 95%CI 1.352-3.061， P<0.001）， and baseline Hcy <15 μmol·L^-1 （HR=1.810， 95%CI 1.390-2.357， P<0.001） were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of achieving target Hcy levels within 6 months. In contrast， higher PGA scores were associated with a reduced likelihood of achieving target Hcy levels （HR=0.991， 95% CI 0.986-0.997， P=0.003）. After treatment，the exposure group demonstrated reductions in ESR，CRP，and DAS 28 scores （P<0.05） and had lower ESR，CRP and DAS 28 scores than the control group （P<0.05）. ConclusionEven after taking FA supplements，some RA patients undergoing MTX treatment still have high Hcy levels. When being used in conjunction with MTX and FA，Qingre Huoxue prescription can effectively lower the Hcy level and disease activity in RA patients with HHcy，outperforming Western treatment alone.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of Qingre Huoxue prescription combined with methotrexate （MTX） and folic acid （FA） on homocysteine （Hcy） levels and disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis （RA） complicated by hyperhomocysteinemia （HHcy）. MethodsOn the basis of a multicenter real-world cohort from the China Registry of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Rheumatism （CERTAIN） platform，408 patients with RA complicated by HHcy were selected and included in this study. Treatment with Qingre Huoxue prescription was used as the exposure factor. According to whether Qingre Huoxue prescription was combined with MTX and FA，patients were assigned into an exposure group of 281 cases and a control group of 127 cases. Follow-ups were conducted every three months，with the primary outcome indicator being the achievement rate of target Hcy level. A generalized estimating equation model was adopted to analyze the dynamic changes in Hcy level under different medication regimens. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to evaluate the cumulative achievement rate of target Hcy level in the two groups，and Cox regression analysis was conducted to explore the predictive factors affecting the achievement rate of target Hcy level. Changes in erythrocyte sedimentation rate （ESR），C-reactive protein （CRP），28-joint disease activity score （DAS 28），and Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index （HAQ-DI） scores before and after the first combined treatment with Qingre Huoxue prescription were compared between the two groups. ResultsThe Hcy level in the exposure group showed a gradual decreasing trend over time，while the decrease in Hcy level was not significant in the control group. At the 12-month follow-up，the achievement rate of target Hcy level in the exposure group （124/281，44.13%） was higher than that in the control group （23/127，18.11%，P<0.01）. Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that treatment with Qingre Huoxue prescription ［hazard ratio（HR）=3.013，95% confidence interval （CI） 2.188-4.149， P<0.001］， absence of comorbidities （HR=2.035， 95%CI 1.352-3.061， P<0.001）， and baseline Hcy <15 μmol·L^-1 （HR=1.810， 95%CI 1.390-2.357， P<0.001） were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of achieving target Hcy levels within 6 months. In contrast， higher PGA scores were associated with a reduced likelihood of achieving target Hcy levels （HR=0.991， 95% CI 0.986-0.997， P=0.003）. After treatment，the exposure group demonstrated reductions in ESR，CRP，and DAS 28 scores （P<0.05） and had lower ESR，CRP and DAS 28 scores than the control group （P<0.05）. ConclusionEven after taking FA supplements，some RA patients undergoing MTX treatment still have high Hcy levels. When being used in conjunction with MTX and FA，Qingre Huoxue prescription can effectively lower the Hcy level and disease activity in RA patients with HHcy，outperforming Western treatment alone.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

ObjectiveTo explore the correlation between the occurrence of cardiovascular events in rheumatoid arthritis（RA） and traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） syndrome. MethodsThe cross-sectional study selected 6713 RA patients from 122 centres nationwide， in which general information such as name， gender， age， height， body weight， and course of disease were collected by completing a questionnaire； patients were classified into eight types of syndrome according to the information of their four examinations，i.e. wind-dampness obstruction syndrome， cold-dampness obstruction syndrome， dampness-heat obstruction syndrome， phlegm-stasis obstruction syndrome， stasis-blood obstructing collateral syndrome， qi-blood deficiency syndrome， liver-kidney insufficiency syndrome， and qi-yin deficiency syndrome. According to the occurrence of cardiovascular events， they were divided into the occurrence group and the non-occurrence group， and the condition assessment data and laboratory examination indexes were recorded. The test of difference between groups was used to analyse the possible risk factors for the occurrence of RA cardiovascular events， and binary logistic regression was used to analyse the correlation between TCM syndromes and RA cardiovascular events. ResultsA total of 6713 RA patients were included， including 256 cases in occurrence group and 6457 in non-occurrence group. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in terms of height， gender， insomnia， appetite， white blood cell（WBC）， hemoglobin（HGB）， platelets（PLT）， rheumatoid factor（RF）， anti-cyclic peptide containing citrulline（CCP）， alanine aminotransferase（ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase（AST）， γ-glutamyl transpeptidase（GGT）， urea creatinine（CREA）， and glucose（GLU）（P＞0.05）. The TCM syndromes between groups showed significant statistic differences（P＜0.05）. Patients in occurrence group had longer disease duration， heavier body weight， and older age； more severe conditions such as disease activity（DAS-28）， number of painful joints（TJC）， number of swollen joints（SJC）， health questionnaire scores（HAQ）， visual analog scores（VAS）， restlessness， and fatigue； higher blood sedimentation rate（ESR）， low-density lipoprotein（LDL-C）， triglyceride（TG）， total cholesterol（TC）， D-Dimer， and lower high-density lipoprotein（HDL-C）（P＜0.05）. The distribution of syndrome types showed that dampness-heat obstruction syndrome accounted for the largest proportion of patients in both groups and was higher in RA cardiovascular events. Logistic regression analysis showed that the occurrence of RA cardiovascular events was strongly associated with dampness-heat obstruction syndrome［OR=5.937， 95%CI （4.434， 7.949）， P＜0.001］. ConclusionThe occurrence of RA cardiovascular events were associated with TCM syndromes， and the probability of cardiovascular events in the RA patients with dampness-heat obstruction syndrome was 5.937 times higher than patients with other TCM syndromes.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of combining traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), specifically Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), with Western medicine (WM), compared to WM alone to treat breast cancer endocrine therapy-related osteoporosis (BCET-OP) by meta-analysis. Methods: Thirty-eight randomized controlled trials involving 2170 participants were analyzed. Eight databases were searched for articles published between inception and December 2023. Quality assessment was performed using the Risk of Bias 2 tool. Results: Significant increases were observed in the TCM-WM group in lumbar vertebrae bone mineral density (BMD) (P < .001, mean difference (MD) = 0.07, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.06 to 0.08), lumbar vertebrae T-score (P = .0005, MD = 0.21, 95%CI: 0.09 to 0.33) and collum femoris BMD (P = .01, MD = 0.10, 95%CI: 0.02 to 0.19). No significant difference was observed between the groups in the collum femoris T-score and estradiol levels. Bone gla-protein levels were significantly increased in the TCM-WM group (P = .0002, MD = 0.52, 95%CI: 0.25 to 0.79). Beta-CrossLaps decreased significantly in the TCM-WM group (P = .0008, MD = −0.10, 95%CI: −0.16 to −0.04). No significant difference was observed between the TCM-WM and WM groups in alkaline phosphatase, in procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide, and in the Kupperman index. The visual analog score (VAS) was decreased in the TCM-WM group compared to the WM group (P < .001, MD = −1.40, 95%CI: −1.94 to −0.87). No significant difference in adverse events was observed between the two groups. Conclusion Combining CHM with WM in patients with BCET-OP significantly improved BMD, T-score, and certain bone turnover markers and reduced the VAS score, indicating potential benefits for bone health and related pain. Adverse event analysis revealed no differences between the groups, supporting the feasibility of the combination therapy. However, further research, particularly in diverse populations, is required.

Objective:To explore therapeutic effect of sacubitril valsartan sodium combined with Wenxin granule in the treatment of hypertension complicated with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation(AF)and its effect on cardiac electro-physiological structure.Methods:A total of 116 patients with hypertension and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation treated in our hospital from Oct 2021 to Nov 2022 were consecutively selected.According to random number table,they were divided into Wenxin granule group(received Wenxin granule treatment based on routine antihypertensive ther-apy)and combined treatment group(received sacubitril valsartan sodium combined Wenxin granule therapy based on routine antihypertensive therapy)with 58 cases in each group,and both groups were consecutively treated for six months.Clinical symptom score,AF burden,P wave duration,P wave dispersion,left atrial diameter(LAD),left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVEDd)and left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)were compared between two groups before and after treatment.Results:After treatment,compared with Wenxin granule group,there were significant reductions in clinical symptom score[(1.66±0.69)scores vs.(1.40±0.53)scores],AF burden[4.43(1.65)％vs.1.62(3.50)％],P wave duration[(112.17±6.46)ms vs.(109.29±8.59)ms],P wave dispersion[(32.47±8.11)ms vs.(29.02±7.49)ms]and LAD[(34.83±3.41)mm vs.(33.40±3.74)mm]in combined treatment group(P＜0.05 or＜0.01).There were no significant difference in LVEDd and LVEF between two groups,P＞0.05 both.Conclusion:Sacubitril valsartan sodium combined with Wenxin granule can significantly im-prove clinical symptoms and atrial fibrillation burden,reduce the susceptibility to atrial fibrillation,and inhibit atrial electrical remodeling and structural remodeling in patients with hypertension complicated with paroxysmal atrial fi-brillation.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of aucubin(AU) on injury of nucleus pulposus cells and extracellular matrix(ECM) degradation and its mechanism. The nucleus pulposus cell injury model was established by interleukin-1β(IL-1β) and treated with AU or phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K) inhibitor LY294002. CCK-8 experiment was conducted to test cell proliferation. EdU staining method was employed to detect cell injury. Flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis. Western blot was used to detect protein levels of cleaved-caspase-3, B-cell lymphoma(Bcl-2), Bcl-2 associated X protein(Bax), type Ⅱ collagen(collagen Ⅱ), aggregation proteoglycans(aggrecan), PI3K, and mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR). qPCR was used to detect the rRNA level of 5S, 18S, and 28S. Ethynyluridine was used to label nascent RNA. The results showed that IL-1β could significantly cause injury of nucleus pulposus cells and increase the apoptosis rate of nucleus pulposus cells and the expression of apoptosis protein cleaved-caspase-3 and Bax. At the same time, IL-1β down-regulated the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and collagen Ⅱ and aggrecan, the main components of ECM. On this basis, AU intervention could improve the injury of nucleus pulposus cells, reduce the apoptosis of nucleus pulposus cells and the expression of cleaved-caspase-3 and Bax, and increase the expression of Bcl-2, collagen Ⅱ, and aggrecan. Compared with IL-1β, AU could up-regulate the phosphorylation level of PI3K and mTOR, and LY294002 could reverse the injury of nucleus pulposus cells and improve ECM degradation induced by AU. In addition, AU also could save lowered rRNA levels of 5S, 18S, and 28S induced by IL-1β and improve RNA synthesis. PI3K inhibitor LY294002 intervention could reduce the promoting effect of AU on ribosome biogenesis. The above results suggest that AU can improve the injury of nucleus pulposus cells and ECM degradation, and its mechanism of action is related to its activation of the PI3K/mTOR pathway to promote ribosome biogenesis.
Nucleus Pulposus/cytology* ; Extracellular Matrix/drug effects* ; Animals ; Iridoid Glucosides/pharmacology* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Interleukin-1beta/metabolism* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics* ; Rats ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Humans ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Caspase 3/genetics* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/genetics*

The purpose of this study was to identify the tick species native to Xindi Township,Yumin County,Xinjiang,China.Preliminary morphological identification of parasitic ticks collected from animals in the area was conducted with an ultra-depth of field three-dimensional VHX 600 digital stereo microscope.Total DNA of the ticks was extracted,amplified by PCR based on the COI and ITS2 gene loci,and the posi-tive PCR products were sequenced.The sequence were a-ligned with reference sequences from the NCBI database were aligned with the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool.A genet-ic phylogenetic tree was generated with the neighbor-joining method of MEGA 7.0 software to determine the evolutionary biological characteristics of ticks.Morphological identification showed that the ticks collected from Xindi Township of Yu-min County were consistent with the characteristics of Hya-lomma asiaticum.An evolutionary tree based on the COI and ITS2 gene sequences showed that the ticks collected in this study were clustered with known H.asiaticum sequences.The PCR products of COI and ITS2 were sequenced and compared,which confirmed that the collected tick species were H.asiaticum,in agreement with the morphological and molecular biological results.These findings help to clarify the distribution of ticks in Xindi Township of Xinjiang,and provide basic data for the analysis of tick genetic and evolutionary characteristics,as reference for surveillance and control of ticks in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a nomogram for predicting outcomes of patients with gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms (G-NENs). METHODS: We retrospectively collected the clinical data from 490 patients with the diagnosis of G-NEN at our medical center from 2000 to 2021. Log-rank test was used to analyze the overall survival (OS) of the patients. The independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of G-NEN were identified by Cox regression analysis to construct the prognostic nomogram, whose performance was evaluated using the C-index, receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve, area under the ROC curve (AUC), calibration curve, DCA, and AUDC. RESULTS: Among the 490 G-NEN patients (mean age of 58.6±10.92 years, including 346 male and 144 female patients), 130 (26.5%) had NET G1, 54 (11.0%) had NET G2, 206 (42.0%) had NEC, and 100 (20.5%) had MiNEN. None of the patients had NET G3. The numbers of patients in stage Ⅰ-Ⅳ were 222 (45.3%), 75 (15.3%), 130 (26.5%), and 63 (12.9%), respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses identified age, pathological grade, tumor location, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and F-NLR as independent risk factors affecting the survival of the patients (P < 0.05). The C-index of the prognostic nomogram was 0.829 (95% CI: 0.800-0.858), and its AUC for predicting 1-, 3- and 5-year OS were 0.883, 0.895 and 0.944, respectively. The calibration curve confirmed a good consistency between the model prediction results and the actual observations. For predicting 1-year, 3-year and 5-year OS, the TNM staging system and the nomogram had AUC of 0.033 vs 0.0218, 0.191 vs 0.148, and 0.248 vs 0.197, respectively, suggesting higher net benefit and better clinical utility of the nomogram. CONCLUSION The prognostic nomogram established in this study has good predictive performance and clinical value to facilitate prognostic evaluation of individual patients with G-NEN.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Nomograms ; Retrospective Studies ; Prognosis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology*