ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of salt processing of Psoraleae Fructus （PF） through modern analytical techniques and biotechnology， focusing on its effects related to hepatotoxicity and anti-osteoporosis activity. MethodsThe zebrafish model was utilized to evaluate the impact of PF and salt-processed Psoraleae Fructus （SPF） on the hepatotoxicity （using 134.17 ， 178.89， 268.34 mg·L^-1 as low， medium， and high dose groups of PF， 135.04， 180.06， 270.08 mg·L^-1 as low， medium， and high dose groups of SPF， respectively） and anti-osteoporotic activity （using 33.54 ， 67.08 and 134.17 mg·L^-1 as low， medium， and high dose groups of PF， 33.76， 67.52， 135.04 mg·L^-1 as low， medium， and high dose groups of SPF， respectively）， which was using alizarin red skull staining of zebrafish as an indicator of different batches of PF. The specific dosage of a batch of PF was taken as an example. Then ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS） analysis was employed to identify the chemical composition of PF before and after salt processing， and PCA， OPLS-DA， and independent sample t-test were used to elucidating the compositional changes associated with the effects of salt processing on hepatotoxicity and anti-osteoporosis activity. ResultsUnder specific conditions， PF induced notable hepatotoxicity in zebrafish while simultaneously demonstrating protective effect against prednisolone-induced osteoporosis. In comparison to PF， SPF showed alleviated hepatotoxicity while retaining significant anti-osteoporosis activity. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS analysis revealed that after salt processing， the overall chemical composition of PF showed a downward trend， with 69 components showing a decrease in content， represented by psoralen， and 13 components showing an increase， represented by 4′-O-methyl psoralen B. Further multivariate statistical analysis revealed 11 key differential components before and after salt processing of PF， including psoralen and bakuchiol. ConclusionSalt processing effectively diminishes hepatotoxicity without impairing therapeutic efficacy against osteoporosis of PF， which may be related to the compositional changes before and after salt processing of PF and provides key evidence to reveal the scientific significance of salt processing of PF.

Renal Fanconi syndrome (FS) is a rare renal manifestation of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). This study aims to analyze the clinical and prognostic characteristics of patients with pSS-associated renal FS (pSS-FS) and provide insights for clinical management.

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

Phages, as obligate bacterial and archaeal parasites, constitute a virus group of paramount ecological significance due to their exceptional abundance and genetic diversity. These biological entities serve as critical regulators in Earth's ecosystems, driving biogeochemical cycles, energy fluxes, and ecosystem services across terrestrial and marine environments. Within soil microbiomes, phages function as microbial "dark matter," maintaining the soil-plant system balance through precise modulation of the microbial community structure and functional dynamics. Despite the growing research interests in soil phages in recent years, the proportion of such studies in environmental virology remains disproportionately low, which is primarily attributed to researchers' limited familiarity with the research methodologies for phage microecology, incomplete technical frameworks, and inherent challenges posed by soil environmental complexity. To address these challenges, this review synthesizes cutting-edge methodologies for soil phage investigation from four aspects: (1) tangential flow filtration (TFF)-based phage enrichment strategies; (2) integrated quantification approaches combining double-layer agar plating, epifluorescence microscopy, and flow cytometry; (3) multi-omics analytical pipelines leveraging metagenomics and viromics datasets; and (4) computational frameworks merging machine learning algorithms with eco-evolutionary theory for deciphering phage-host interaction networks. Through comparative analysis of methodological principles, technical merits, and application scopes, we establish a comprehensive workflow for soil phage research. Future research in this field should prioritize: (1) construction of soil phage resource libraries, (2) exploration of RNA phages based on transcriptomes, (3) functional characterization of unknown genes, and (4) deep integration and interaction validation of multi-omics data. This systematic methodological synthesis provides critical technical references for addressing fundamental challenges in characterizing soil phages regarding the community structure, functional potential, and interaction mechanisms with hosts.
Bacteriophages/physiology* ; Soil Microbiology ; Ecosystem ; Microbiota ; Metagenomics/methods*

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) injection into the external urethral sphincter in combination with sacral neuromodulation (SNM) for the treatment of idiopathic non-obstructive urinary retention (INOUR). Methods A total of 57 INOUR patients treated in our hospital during May 2022 and May 2024 were enrolled. Patients were divided into the BTX (n=30) and combined groups (n=27) according to whether they chose SNM after BTX-A injection. The baseline, postoperative 1-month and 6-month consecutive 3-day voiding diaries, quality of life score (QoL), and post-void residual (PVR), preoperative and postoperative 1-month urodynamic results, and postoperative complications were recorded and compared between the two groups. Results One month after surgery, the average number of voiding frequency per day and PVR were lower in both groups than those before surgery (P<0.05), while the average daily urine volume and maximum flow rate (MFR) were higher (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the maximum detrusor pressure during micturition in both groups before and after surgery (P>0.05). One month after surgery, the average number of voiding frequency per day, average daily urine volume, PVR, QoL, MFR, bladder compliance (BC), and maximum cystometric capacity (MCC) were better in the combined group than in the BTX group (P<0.05), and the efficiency was higher in the combined group (88.9% vs.63.3%, P<0.05). Six months after surgery, the efficacy of the BTX group returned to the baseline level with no statistically significant difference, whereas the efficacy of the combined group was stable (not different from the postoperative 1-month indicators, but better than the baseline level). During the follow-up, there was no difference in the incidence of complications between the BTX group and combined group [43.3% (13/30) vs. 48.1% (13/27), P>0.05]. Conclusion BTX-A injection into the external urethral sphincter combined with SNM improves the short-term outcomes of INOUR patients and maintains the efficacy 6 months postoperatively, which is a safe and reliable treatment option.

Background and Purpose:Previous studies have investigated the prognostic significance of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue composition and distribution in colorectal cancer patients,yet most have not differentiated between rectal and colon cancer patient cohorts.This study aimed to explore the relationship between body composition and long-term prognosis,and to develop a postoperative predictive model.Methods:Clinical data of rectal cancer patients who underwent surgical treatment at Qingdao University Affiliated Hospital from January 2018 to December 2021 were retrospectively collected.Inclusion criteria:①Age＞18 years;② Preoperative colonoscopy and pathological diagnosis of colorectal cancer;③ Complete surgical resection;④Abdominal computed tomography(CT)scan 1 month before surgery.Exclusion criteria:① Clinical data is missing;② Multiple metastases of tumors;③ Tumor T stage 0 or carcinoma in situ;④ Severe artifacts lead to poor quality CT imaging,making it difficult to distinguish between fat and muscle;⑤ Inability to obtain follow-up results.This study has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University(approval number:QYFYWZLL30313),and informed consent has been waived in the ethical approval process.The skeletal muscle index(SMI)and subcutaneous adipose tissue index(SATI)were calculated by dividing the areas of skeletal muscle and subcutaneous fat observed on CT scans by the square of the patient's height.Univariate and multivariate COX regression analyses were conducted to identify risk factors influencing recurrence-free survival(RFS)and overall survival(OS)in rectal cancer patients.Based on the results of the multivariate analysis,a nomogram prediction model was developed,its predictive power and accuracy were assessed using the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve,calibration plots and decision curve analysis(DCA),and internal validation was conducted.Results:A total of 696 patients were included in this study,with 96(13.8%)patients experiencing postoperative recurrence and 89(12.8%)patients dying.Multivariate COX regression analysis showed that SMI,SATI,tumor T stage and N stage were independent factors affecting the postoperative RFS and OS of patients.Nomogram prediction models for RFS and OS in rectal cancer patients were constructed based on the above independent predictors.The area under ROC curve(AUC)for 3-,4-and 5-year RFS was 0.862,0.846 and 0.824,respectively;the AUC for 3-,4-and 5-year OS was 0.886,0.898 and 0.875,respectively.The models were evaluated using calibration curves and decision curves,and internal validation was performed,which showed that the prediction accuracy of the models was good.Conclusion:CT body composition is an independent predictor of RFS and OS in rectal cancer patients,and the nomogram model developed based on these factors demonstrates good predictive value for patient prognosis.

Objective:To summarize the clinicopathologic characteristics of malignant hypertension (MHT) patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) and application of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitor (RAASi).Methods:It was a retrospective cohort study. The adult patients with MHT and AKI admitted to Peking University First Hospital from January 1, 2012 to July 14, 2022. The patients were categorized into RAASi group and non-RAASi group based on RAASi administration from AKI onset to discharge. The clinicopathological data between the two groups were compared, and application of RAASi was analyzed.Results:A total of 179 patients were enrolled with age of 31 (26, 37) years and 148 males (82.7%). Ninety-five patients (53.1%) received dialysis treatment. The common causes of MHT were essential hypertension (125 patients, 69.8%), renal hypertension (39 patients, 21.8%) and endocrine hypertension (7 patients, 3.9%). AKI severity distribution showed 41 patients (22.9%) in stage 1, 1 patient (0.5%) in stage 2 and 137 patients (76.5%) in stage 3. Among MHT patients, 94 patients (52.5%) had been treated with RAASi before AKI, and 13 patients (7.3%) discontinued RAASi after AKI. Among 85 patients (47.5%) without receiving RAASi treatment before AKI, 68 new patients (38.0%) received RAASi treatment after AKI, and 40 patients (22.3%) were treated with the support of dialysis. Compared with non-RAASI group ( n=30), proportions of chronic kidney disease ( χ2=6.324, P=0.012) and post-AKI hyperkalemia ( χ2=4.048, P=0.044) in RAASi group ( n=149) were lower, and the proportion of dialysis treatment ( χ2=5.638, P=0.018), admission diastolic blood pressure ( Z=-3.609, P<0.001) and maximum diastolic blood pressure during hospitalization ( Z=-1.978, P=0.048) were higher. There were no statistically significant differences in the rates of target blood pressure control and renal function recovery between the two groups during hospitalization (all P>0.05). During hospitalization, 64 patients received renal biopsies, of which 50 patients (78.1%) had typical MHT vascular lesions such as "onion skin" in renal arterioles. Twenty-seven patients (42.2%) were complicated with glomerular diseases, and IgA nephropathy was the most common type (85.2%, 23/27). The proportions of glomerular ischemia and sclerosis, endothelial cell proliferation and acute renal tubular injury in RAASi group ( n=54) were lower than those in non-RAASi group ( n=10), and proportions of thrombosis and "onion skin" change were higher than those in RAASi group ( n=10), but the differences were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). Renal function recovery occurred in 47 patients (26.3%) by discharge. Among 95 dialysis patients, 26 patients (27.4%) achieved dialysis independence at discharge. Conclusions:MHT patients with AKI exhibit severe renal pathology and short-term poor prognosis. RAASi is primarily prescribed to those with relatively better kidney function or those receiving dialysis support.

Objective:To investigate the serum sodium level and its fluctuation in patients with hospitalized acquired acute kidney injury (AKI) and explore their impacts on in-hospital mortality.Methods:It was a single-center retrospective study. The adult patients developing hospital-acquired AKI and receiving at least twice serum sodium tests admitted to Peking University First Hospital from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2020 were included. Dysnatremia included hyponatremia (< 135 mmol/L) and hypernatremia (>145 mmol/L). The patients were divided into hyponatremia group, normal serum sodium group and hypernatremia group, and the differences of clinical data among the three groups were compared. The fluctuation of serum sodium level was evaluated by coefficient of variation. A restricted cubic spline was applied to investigate the association between serum sodium level at AKI onset and mortality. Poisson regression analysis was used to explore the mortality risk of dysnatremia at AKI onset, dysnatremia at admission, and coefficient of variation of serum sodium, respectively.Results:Among the enrolled 1 475 AKI patients, the age was 66.0 (55.0, 78.0) years, and 850 patients (57.6%) were males. The estimated glomerular filtration rate was 77.3 (50.4, 97.6) ml·min -1·(1.73 m 2) -1. The time from admission to AKI onset was 8 (4, 15) days. The incidence of hyponatremia and hypernatremia at admission were 19.6% (289/1 475) and 2.6% (39/1 475), respectively, while the incidence at AKI onset was 24.0% (354/1 475) and 12.7% (188/1 475), respectively. There was statistically significant difference in terms of age, the initial classification distribution of AKI, serum sodium at admission, serum sodium at the occurrence of AKI, the lowest serum sodium at hospitalization, the highest serum sodium at hospitalization, the coefficient of variation of serum sodium, and the proportions of heart failure, stroke, disseminated intravascular coagulation, sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, shock, prerenal causes, circle diuretics and aldosterone antagonists among hyponatremia group, normal serum sodium group and hypernatremia group (all P<0.05). The restricted cubic spline analysis showed a "U"-shaped correlation between serum sodium level at AKI onset and in-hospital mortality. Poisson regression analysis showed that after adjusting for age, gender, number of chronic comorbidities, initial classification of AKI, basal estimated glomerular filtration rate and number of acute disease state, with normal serum sodium as the reference, hyponatremia ( RR=1.56, 95% CI 1.14-2.13) and hypernatremia ( RR=1.71, 95% CI 1.23-2.39) at AKI onset were correlated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality. Hyponatremia at admission was correlated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality ( RR=2.13, 95% CI 1.62-2.79), while there was no statistically significant association between hypernatremia and in-hospital mortality ( RR=1.22, 95% CI 0.62-2.44). After further adjusting serum sodium levels at admission and at the occurrence of AKI, the coefficient of variation of serum sodium level was still correlated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality ( RR=1.23, 95% CI 1.14-1.33). Conclusions:Dysnatremia is common in patients with hospital-acquired AKI. The serum sodium level at AKI onset is correlated with in-hospital death in a "U" shape. Dysnatremia and serum sodium fluctuation are associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality.

Objective:To explore the risk factors of fungal infection in patients with upper urinary tract calculi after surgery and construct a risk prediction nomograph model.Methods:The clinical data of 2 329 patients who had undergone upper urinary calculus surgery in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2019 to December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the presence or absence of fungal infection within 3 months after surgery, the patients were divided into fungal infection group (n=97) and non-fungal infection group (n=2 232). Univariate logistic regression analysis and LASSO regression were used to screen the potential influencing factors. The enrolled patients were randomly divided into a training set (n=1 630) and a validation set (n=699) at a ratio of 7∶3. Based on the training set, multivariate logistic stepwise regression was used to screen independent risk factors and to construct a nomogram. Based on the validation set, ROC curve, calibration curve and decision curve were drawn to evaluate the model's differentiation, accuracy and clinical applicability.Results:Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that female gender, age, diabetes mellitus, history of malignant tumor, long-term bedridden disease, long-term use of immunosuppressants, hemoglobin on admission, serum creatinine, uric acid, white blood cell count on admission, neutrophil count on admission, degree of hydronephrosis, preoperative indwelling ureteral stent, duration of surgery, postoperative fever within 48 hours, white blood cell count, neutrophil count, CRP, urinary catheter indwelling time, length of hospital stay, use of carbapenem antibiotics, the duration of antibiotic use and the duration of postoperative ureteral stent indwelling were related to fungal infection. screening after upper urinary calculi surgery ( P<0.05). Univariate logistic regression results were screened after LASSO regression. Multivariate logistic stepwise regression analysis for the training set showed that age ( OR=1.041, 95% CI 1.017-1.066, P=0.001), diabetes( OR=3.138, 95% CI 1.517-6.492, P=0.002), long-term bed-rest ( OR=10.627, 95% CI 3.671-30.767, P<0.001), history of malignant tumor( OR=11.934, 95% CI 5.473-26.022, P<0.001), white blood cell count on admission( OR=1.276, 95% CI 1.134-1.436, P<0.001), postoperative fever within 48 hours ( OR=3.940, 95% CI 1.956-7.937, P<0.001), use of carbapenem antibiotics( OR=5.826, 95% CI 2.783-12.196, P<0.001), length of hospital stay( OR=1.201, 95% CI 1.131-1.277, P<0.001), and postoperative retention time of ureteral stent( OR=1.205, 95% CI 1.104-1.315, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for fungal infection after upper urinary calculi surgery.The nomogram model was constructed based on independent risk factors. The results of ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of the nomogram model in the prediction validation set was 0.955(95% CI 0.926-0.984). The calibration curve of the model was well fitted to the ideal curve. The results of decision curve analysis proved that the net benefit rate of the prediction model within the threshold range was higher than the two extreme lines when the threshold probability was <86%, indicating that the model was of good clinical applicability. Conclusions:Age, diabetes, history of malignant tumor, long-term bed-rest disease, white blood cell count on admission, postoperative fever within 48 hours, use of carbapenem antibiotics, length of hospital stay, and postoperative retention time of ureteral stent are independent risk factors for fungal infection in patients with upper urinary calculi after surgery. The model constructed in this study has good predictive ability and clinical applicability for the risk of fungal infection in patients with upper urinary calculi after surgery.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of a domestically developed robotic surgical system based on fiber-optic dedicated line communication in cross-regional urological telesurgery.Methods:This was multicenter，single-arm，retrospective case series study. The data of patients who underwent urological telesurgeries using the telesurgical system between January 2023 and December 2024 were analyzed. The cohort included 59 patients from seven hospitals across China. Among the patients，47 were male（79.7%）and 12 were female（20.3%），with a median age of 63.0（56.0，68.0）years and a body mass index of（24.7 ± 3.0）kg/m 2. Surgical procedures included 32 radical prostatectomies，24 partial nephrectomies，one radical nephrectomy，one adrenalectomy，and one ureteral reconstruction. The perioperative indicators，pathological results and postoperative complications were analyzed. The network monitoring data were collected，and the perioperative data of patients，remote system monitoring data and costs were compared between the two communication modes of optical transport network（OTN）and cloud-connect network（CCN）. Results:All 59 remote surgeries were successfully completed，with a mean operative time of（138.0 ± 54.0）minutes，median intraoperative blood loss of 50.0（30.0，100.0）ml and a postoperative hospital stay of 5.0（4.0，6.0）days. No cases required reoperation，Clavien-Dindo grade ≥3 complications，or readmission. The geographical distance between the primary and remote surgical sites ranged from 450 to 2 800 km. Network monitoring revealed increased bidirectional latency with distance increasing：the shortest latency time（Hefei-Hangzhou，450 km）was（16.59 ± 0.80）ms，while the longest（Harbin-Hangzhou，2 200 km）latency time was（53.31 ± 0.31）ms. Average frame loss per procedure was 0?1.27 frames. The results of subgroup analysis comparing OTN and CCN communication modes showed no significant differences in operative time［（130.7 ± 70.5）minutes vs.（142.1 ± 42.9）minutes， P = 0.442］，postoperative hospitalization［6.0（4.0，8.0）d vs. 5.0（4.0，6.0）d， P = 0.581］，or readmission rates（0 vs. 0）. However，CCN demonstrated significant cost advantages with 500 RMB per operation vs. 3 000 RMB per operation for OTN. Conclusions:Urological telesurgery using fiber-optic communication is feasible. The CCN mode，with its cost-effectiveness，excellent usability，and multi-point interconnection flexibility，is currently the preferred communication model for telesurgical applications.