BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is still challenging to prevent or treat. Enhanced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and increased pyroptosis in chondrocytes may be responsible for cartilage degeneration. This study aims to investigate the effect of ER stress on chondrocyte pyroptosis and the upstream regulatory mechanisms, which have rarely been reported. METHODS: The expression of the histone methyltransferase enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), microRNA-142-3p (miR-142-3p), and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) and the levels of ER stress, pyroptosis, and metabolic markers in normal and OA chondrocytes were investigated by western blotting, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry, fluorescence in situ hybridization, fluorescein amidite-tyrosine-valine-alanine-aspartic acid-fluoromethyl ketone (FAM-YVAD-FMK)/Hoechst 33342/propidium iodide (PI) staining, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assays, and cell viability assessments. The effects of EZH2, miR-142-3p, and HMGB1 on ER stress and pyroptosis and the hierarchical regulatory relationship between them were analyzed by chromatin immunoprecipitation, luciferase reporters, gain/loss-of-function assays, and rescue assays in interleukin (IL)-1β-induced OA chondrocytes. The mechanistic contribution of EZH2, miR-142-3p, and HMGB1 to chondrocyte ER stress and pyroptosis and therapeutic prospects were validated radiologically, histologically, and immunohistochemically in surgically induced OA rats. RESULTS: Increased EZH2 and HMGB1, decreased miR-142-3p, enhanced ER stress, and activated pyroptosis in chondrocytes were associated with OA occurrence and progression. EZH2 and HMGB1 exacerbated and miR-142-3p alleviated ER stress and pyroptosis in OA chondrocytes. EZH2 transcriptionally silenced miR-142-3p via H3K27 trimethylation, and miR-142-3p posttranscriptionally silenced HMGB1 by targeting the 3'-UTR of the HMGB1 gene. Moreover, ER stress mediated the effects of EZH2, miR-142-3p, and HMGB1 on chondrocyte pyroptosis. In vivo experiments mechanistically validated the hierarchical regulatory relationship between EZH2, miR-142-3p, and HMGB1 and their effects on chondrocyte ER stress and pyroptosis. CONCLUSIONS A novel EZH2/miR-142-3p/HMGB1 axis mediates chondrocyte pyroptosis and cartilage degeneration by regulating ER stress in OA, contributing novel mechanistic insights into OA pathogenesis and providing potential targets for future therapeutic research.
Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein/genetics* ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/pathology* ; Chondrocytes/metabolism* ; Pyroptosis/physiology* ; HMGB1 Protein/genetics* ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress/genetics* ; Humans ; Animals ; Rats ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Middle Aged

Stroke is a critical health issue in China, and carotid artery stenosis and plaque play key roles in its prevalence. Despite the acknowledged significance of this condition, detailed information regarding the prevalence of carotid artery stenosis and plaque across the Chinese population has been scarce. This study analyzed data from the China Stroke High-risk Population Screening and Intervention Program for 2020-2021, focusing on 194 878 Chinese adults aged 40 years and above. It assessed the prevalence of carotid artery stenosis and plaque and identified their associated risk factors. Results revealed a standardized prevalence of 0.40% for carotid artery stenosis and 36.27% for carotid plaque. Notably, the highest rates of stenosis were observed in north and south China at 0.61%, while southwestern China exhibited the highest plaque prevalence at 43.17%. Key risk factors included older age, male gender, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, smoking, and atrial fibrillation. This study highlights significant geographical and demographic disparities in the prevalence of these conditions, underlining the urgent need for targeted interventions and policy reforms. These measures are essential for reducing the incidence of stroke and improving patient outcomes, addressing this significant health challenge in China.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Prevalence ; Middle Aged ; Carotid Stenosis/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors ; Aged ; Adult ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic/epidemiology* ; Stroke/epidemiology* ; Aged, 80 and over

Purpose/Significance To explore the construction pathway of an intelligent automation model tailored for primary health-care institutions,aiming to address the issue of repetitive reporting.Method/Process Through methods such as on-site investigations and expert consultations,a field study is conducted in primary healthcare institutions in Dongcheng District,Beijing.Utilizing information resource planning methods and data integration and mapping technologies,the business interactions and information flow within these in-stitutions are analyzed to investigate the construction pathway of an automated reporting model.Result/Conclusion The business flow and data flow are mapped out by the modeling process,a repository of relevant reporting indicators is organized,and a multi-source data au-tomatic mapping model and rules are developed.The study provides a feasible reference pathway for realizing intelligent reporting in pri-mary healthcare institutions.

Purpose/Significance To strengthen the construction of intelligent primary health information systems,and to provide ref-erences for improving the level of primary health services.Method/Process The paper systematically summarizes the current construction of primary health information systems at home and abroad,focuses on analyzing the current technical architectures and intelligent applica-tions of the existing systems,and puts forward improvement suggestions for the shortcomings in the construction mode,data connectivity and intelligent application.Result/Conclusion Countermeasures such as strengthening top-level design,promoting multi-source heter-ogeneous data fusion and strengthening intelligent applications are proposed to provide references for the construction of intelligent primary health information systems.

The theory of yin and yang is the modest differentiation thought of the traditional Chinese medicine under the guidance of overall dialectics,and the dynamic changes of yin and yang profit and loss can reflect the life activities of the human body.In the early literature research and clinical practice,the author's team found that the"yang deficiency and yin stagnation"is the key pathogen of colorectal cancer,the yang qi is insufficient,and the metabolites of the yin such as phlegm,wetness and stasis are lost in gasification and accumulate to form a"yin tumor",which is stagnant in the intestine and forms colorectal cancer.Yang Qi is the process of normal cell metabolism to produce energy,Yang Qi is insufficient,the"yin knot"of the thing in the body polymerizes into tumors,The imbalance of yin and yang can cause changes in energy or substance metabolism in the body,and glutamine is one of the amino acid which is the largest consumption of tumor cells,and its metabolic process not only provides a material basis for tumor cell growth,but also creates an acidic microenvironment of hypoxia to promote the proliferation and growth of tumor cells.This paper discusses the characteristics of glutamine metabolism of colorectal cancer cells in detail,aiming to explain the occurrence of colorectal cancer from the pathogenesis of"yang deficiency yin knot",and to explain the scientific theory of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of coloral cancer with the principle of Wenyang Tongxia,aiming to provide new ideas and methods for the comprehensive treatment of CRC.

ObjectiveTo observe the effect of Huanglian Jiedutang on the inflammatory injury in the mouse model of acute gouty arthritis （AGA） and to explore the mechanism of Huanglian Jiedutang in treating AGA. MethodForty male C57BL/6J mice were randomized into blank， model， colchicine （0.83 mg·kg^-1）， and Huanglian Jiedutang （5 g·kg^-1） groups. The mouse model of AGA was established by injecting monosodium urate （MSU） crystals into the ankle joint. The swelling degree of the right ankle joint of each mouse was measured every day for 7 days， and the pathological changes of the ankle joint were detected by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining after 7 days. The other 40 C57BL/6J mice were grouped as above. After 18 hours of modeling， the right ankle joint was collected， and real-time polymerase chain reaction was employed to measure the mRNA levels of interleukin （IL）-1β， tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-α， IL-6， NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3）， apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD （ASC）， and Caspase-1. The expression levels of IL-1β， TNF-α， and IL-6 were measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of NLRP3 inflammasome， Toll-like receptor 4 （TLR4）， and nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB）. ResultCompared with the blank group， the model group showed swelling right ankle joint （P<0.01）， obvious foreign body granuloma in the ankle joint with inflammatory cell infiltration. After the treatment with Huanglian Jiedutang， the ankle joint swelling was relieved （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the size of foreign body granuloma was reduced. Compared with the blank group， the model group showed up-regulated mRNA levels of IL-1β， TNF-α， and IL-6 in the ankle joint tissue （P<0.01）， up-regulated mRNA levels of NLRP3 and Caspase-1 in the NLRP3 inflammasome （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and up-regulated protein levels of NLRP3， Caspase-1， TLR4， and NF-κB （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Huanglian Jiedutang down-regulated the mRNA levels of IL-1β， TNF-α， IL-6， NLRP3， and Caspase-1 （P<0.05， P<0.01） and the protein levels of IL-1β， TNF-α， IL-6， NLRP3， Caspase-1， TLR4， and NF-κB （P<0.05 or P<0.01）. ConclusionInjecting MSU crystal resulted in local inflammatory injury of the joints in the mouse model of AGA. The treatment with Huanglian Jiedutang may alleviate the inflammatory injury by regulating the NLRP3 inflammasome and TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo re-evaluate the systematic reviews/Meta-analyses （SRs/MAs） of tonic traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） injections against cerebral ischemic stroke （CIS） and provide evidence support for clinical practice and decision-making. MethodTCM injections of different varieties were obtained after searching the three major drug catalogues. Seven Chinese and English databases were searched from database inception to March 13，2022，for the relevant SRs/MAs. The methodological quality，risk of bias，reporting quality，and quality of evidence were assessed by Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews-2 （AMSTAR-2），the Risk of Bias in Systematic Review （ROBIS），the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses 2020 （PRISMA 2020），and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment，Development，and Evaluation （GRADE）. In addition，the literature overlap matrix was established to calculate the corrected covered area （CCA） and evaluate the rate of overlaps of the original literature. ResultFive types of TCM injections and 18 SRs/MAs were included. AMSTAR 2 evaluation showed that the methodological quality of 18 SRs/MAs was extremely low，and 14 SRs/MAs had a high risk of bias assessed by ROBIS. The quality evaluation results reported by the PRISMA 2020 showed that the scores of the studies included ranged from 19.5 to 28.5，with 10 being of medium quality and eight of low quality. The evaluation with the GRADE system demonstrated that one outcome was moderate-quality evidence，15 outcomes were low-quality evidence，and 41 outcomes were very low-quality evidence. The CCA of the included SRs/MAs was 0.263，indicating a low rate of overlaps of the original literature. ConclusionTonic TCM injections are effective and safe in the treatment of CIS，but this conclusion should be treated with caution because of the low quality of methodology，reports，and evidence in published SRs/MAs. It is recommended to improve the study design，obtain clinical evidence of higher quality，and conduct systematic evaluations in strict accordance with procedures to standardize the reporting of research results.

Objective:To investigate the prevalence of the decline of intrinsic capacity(IC)and to explore the effect of intrinsic capacity decline on falls and hospital readmission during 1 year follow-up.Methods:A total of 311 elderly patients treated in Geriatrics Department of Zhejiang Hospital were enrolled.General information and intrinsic ability data, including cognitive(simple mental state inventory), motor(Tinetti-Balance Scale and 4 m test), vitality(grip strength and mini-nutrition assessment table), perception(self-rated vision or hearing impairment), and psychosocial(Geriatric depression scale), were collected at admission.Falls and hospital readmission within 1 year after discharge were followed up.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship of baseline intrinsic ability at admission with falls and hospital readmission during 1-year follow-up.Results:Of 311 elderly hospitalized patients, 282(90.7%)had intrinsic capacity decline.During 1 year follow-up, 38 elderly patients(12.2%)had falls and 69 elderly patients(22.2%)were hospital readmitted.After adjusting for confounding factors such as age, gender, education level, comorbidities, multiple medications, fear of falling, and assistive tool use and so on, Logistic regression analysis showed that decreased balance ability was a risk factor for falls within 1 year in elderly patients( OR=3.515, 95% CI: 1.089-11.346, P=0.036), and slow walking speed was a risk factor for one-year hospital readmission( OR=2.426, 95% CI: 1.181-4.983, P=0.016). Conclusions:Decreased motor capacity is closely associated with falls and hospital readmission within 1 year in older patients.Great attention should be paid to the assessment and intervention of motor ability in elderly patients.

Objective:To explore the effect of distal veins on the survival of a dorsal four-territory perforator flap in rats.Methods:A total of 32 SD rats were randomly divided into the control group and the experimental group, with 16 rats in each group. The multi-territory perforator flap including the bilateral iliolumbar and bilateral posterior intercostal angiosomes was cut from the back of each rat, with the size of 6 cm×7 cm. The right iliolumbar artery and vein were preserved in the control group, while the right iliolumbar artery and the right posterior intercostal vein were preserved in the experimental group. In both groups, incisions were made between the right iliolumbar angiosome and the right posterior intercostal angiosome. Finally, the flap was sutured back to their orthotopic site. At 6 hours and 1, 3, 5, 7 days after surgery, the blood perfusion at the bilateral iliolumbar and the left posterior intercostal vascular territories were measured. On the seventh day after surgery, the percentage of the survived area of the flaps were evaluated, arteriography was performed to observe the dilation of arteries within the flap, the intraluminal diameter of the choke artery in the choke 2 area was measured using hematoxylin and eosin staining, and the relative expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) was detected by Western blotting. SPSS 28.0 was used for statistical analysis, and measurement data were presented as Mean±SD. Independent sample t-test was used to compare data across two groups. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:(1) At 6 hours and 1, 3, 5, 7 days after surgery, the experimental group displayed higher blood perfusion than the control group at the bilateral iliolumbar and the left posterior intercostal vascular territories (all P<0.01). (2) On the 7th day after surgery, the artery dilation of the experimental group was more obvious than that of the control group; the percentage of the survived flap area in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group [(87.6±3.2)% vs. (65.3±3.0)%, P<0.01]; the intraluminal diameter of the choke artery was greater in the experimental group than that in the control group[(49.3±3.1) μm vs. (35.1±2.3) μm, P<0.01]; and the relative expression of eNOS in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group (0.87±0.07 vs. 0.50±0.05, P<0.01). Conclusion:The distal vein (right posterior intercostal vein) of dorsal four-territory perforator flap of SD rats directly guided the pedicle artery blood supply to promote the expression of eNOS, dilated the arteries in each zone of the flap, increased the blood supply to the distal artery of the flap, and ultimately enhanced the flap survival area.

Objective:To explore the effect of distal veins on the survival of a dorsal four-territory perforator flap in rats.Methods:A total of 32 SD rats were randomly divided into the control group and the experimental group, with 16 rats in each group. The multi-territory perforator flap including the bilateral iliolumbar and bilateral posterior intercostal angiosomes was cut from the back of each rat, with the size of 6 cm×7 cm. The right iliolumbar artery and vein were preserved in the control group, while the right iliolumbar artery and the right posterior intercostal vein were preserved in the experimental group. In both groups, incisions were made between the right iliolumbar angiosome and the right posterior intercostal angiosome. Finally, the flap was sutured back to their orthotopic site. At 6 hours and 1, 3, 5, 7 days after surgery, the blood perfusion at the bilateral iliolumbar and the left posterior intercostal vascular territories were measured. On the seventh day after surgery, the percentage of the survived area of the flaps were evaluated, arteriography was performed to observe the dilation of arteries within the flap, the intraluminal diameter of the choke artery in the choke 2 area was measured using hematoxylin and eosin staining, and the relative expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) was detected by Western blotting. SPSS 28.0 was used for statistical analysis, and measurement data were presented as Mean±SD. Independent sample t-test was used to compare data across two groups. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:(1) At 6 hours and 1, 3, 5, 7 days after surgery, the experimental group displayed higher blood perfusion than the control group at the bilateral iliolumbar and the left posterior intercostal vascular territories (all P<0.01). (2) On the 7th day after surgery, the artery dilation of the experimental group was more obvious than that of the control group; the percentage of the survived flap area in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group [(87.6±3.2)% vs. (65.3±3.0)%, P<0.01]; the intraluminal diameter of the choke artery was greater in the experimental group than that in the control group[(49.3±3.1) μm vs. (35.1±2.3) μm, P<0.01]; and the relative expression of eNOS in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group (0.87±0.07 vs. 0.50±0.05, P<0.01). Conclusion:The distal vein (right posterior intercostal vein) of dorsal four-territory perforator flap of SD rats directly guided the pedicle artery blood supply to promote the expression of eNOS, dilated the arteries in each zone of the flap, increased the blood supply to the distal artery of the flap, and ultimately enhanced the flap survival area.