Nonunion of osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVF), predominantly affecting the elderly, can lead to intractable pain, vertebral collapse, progressive kyphotic deformity, and neurological impairment, significantly compromising patients′ quality of life. There exists considerable debate on diagnosis and management of OVF, encompassing key issues such as clinical diagnosis and staging criteria for nonunion, surgical indications and procedure selection, and postoperative rehabilitation planning. Currently, there lacks standardized clinical guideline and expert consensus on the diagnosis and management of OVF nonunion in China. To address this gap, Minimally Invasive Surgery Group of Chinese Orthopedic Association, Osteoporosis Committee of Chinese Association of Orthopedic Surgeons, Prevention and Rehabilitation Committee for Osteoporosis of Chinese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine and Minimally Invasive Orthopedic Surgery Branch of China Association for Geriatric Care jointly organized domestic experts in spinal surgery, endocrinology, and rehabilitation to formulate the Clinical guideline for the diagnosis and treatment for nonunion of osteoporotic vertebral fractures ( version 2025), based on existing literature and clinical experience and adhering to principles of scientific rigor and practicality. The guideline provided 13 evidence-based recommendations encompassing diagnosis and treatment of OVF nonunion, aiming to standardize its clinical management.

Nonunion of osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVF), predominantly affecting the elderly, can lead to intractable pain, vertebral collapse, progressive kyphotic deformity, and neurological impairment, significantly compromising patients′ quality of life. There exists considerable debate on diagnosis and management of OVF, encompassing key issues such as clinical diagnosis and staging criteria for nonunion, surgical indications and procedure selection, and postoperative rehabilitation planning. Currently, there lacks standardized clinical guideline and expert consensus on the diagnosis and management of OVF nonunion in China. To address this gap, Minimally Invasive Surgery Group of Chinese Orthopedic Association, Osteoporosis Committee of Chinese Association of Orthopedic Surgeons, Prevention and Rehabilitation Committee for Osteoporosis of Chinese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine and Minimally Invasive Orthopedic Surgery Branch of China Association for Geriatric Care jointly organized domestic experts in spinal surgery, endocrinology, and rehabilitation to formulate the Clinical guideline for the diagnosis and treatment for nonunion of osteoporotic vertebral fractures ( version 2025), based on existing literature and clinical experience and adhering to principles of scientific rigor and practicality. The guideline provided 13 evidence-based recommendations encompassing diagnosis and treatment of OVF nonunion, aiming to standardize its clinical management.

Acupuncture-moxibustion is remarkably effective on encephalopathy, but its mechanism is unclear. With the continuous development of imaging technology, the in vivo brain imaging technology has been used increasingly in life science research and it also becomes a more effective tool for the basic research of acupuncture-moxibustion in treatment of encephalopathy. The paper summarizes the application of its technology in the basic research of acupuncture-moxibustion for encephalopathy and the characteristics of imaging, as well as the advantages and shortcomings. It is anticipated that the references may be provided for the basic research of acupuncture-moxibustion in treatment of encephalopathy and be conductive to the modernization of acupuncture-moxibustion.
Humans ; Moxibustion ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture ; Brain Diseases/therapy* ; Neuroimaging

COVID-19 has been prevalent for three years. The virulence of SARS-CoV-2 is weaken as it mutates continuously. However, elderly patients, especially those with underlying diseases, are still at high risk of developing severe infections. With the continuous study of the molecular structure and pathogenic mechanism of SARS-CoV-2, antiviral drugs for COVID-19 have been successively marketed, and these anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs can effectively reduce the severe rate and mortality of elderly patients. This article reviews the mechanism, clinical medication regimens, drug interactions and adverse reactions of five small molecule antiviral drugs currently approved for marketing in China, so as to provide advice for the clinical rational use of anti-SARS-CoV-2 in the elderly.

Objective: To compare the prognosis of mildly or severely symptomatic patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (OHCM) who underwent alcohol septal ablation (ASA). Methods: This retrospective study cohort consisted of patients with OHCM who received ASA treatment in Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University from March 2001 to August 2021. These patients were divided into mildly and severely symptomatic groups according to the severity of clinical symptoms. Long-term follow-up was conducted, and the following data were collected: duration of follow-up, postoperatire treatment, New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, arrhythmia events and pacemaker implantation, echocardiographic parameters, and cause of death. Overall survival and survival free from OHCM-related death were observed, and the improvement of clinical symptoms and resting left ventricular outflow tract gradient (LVOTG) and the incidence of new-onset atrial fibrillation were evaluated. The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to determine and compare the cumulative survival rates of the different groups. Cox regression analysis models were used to determine predictors of clinical events. Results: A total of 189 OHCM patients were included in this study, including 68 in the mildly symptomatic group and 121 in the severely symptomatic group. The median follow-up of the study was 6.0 (2.7, 10.6) years. There was no statistical difference in overall survival between the mildly symptomatic group (5-year and 10-year overall survival were 97.0% and 94.4%, respectively) and the severely symptomatic group (5-year and 10-year overall survival were 94.2% and 83.9%, respectively, P=0.405); there was also no statistical difference in survival free from OHCM-related death between the mildly symptomatic group (5-year and 10-year survival free from HCM-related death were 97.0% and 94.4%, respectively) and the severely symptomatic group (5-year and 10-year survival free from HCM-related death were 95.2% and 92.6%, respectively, P=0.846). In the mildly symptomatic group, NYHA classification was improved after ASA (P<0.001), among which 37 patients (54.4%) were in NYHA class Ⅰ, and the resting left ventricular outflow tract gradient (LVOTG) decreased from 67.6 (42.7, 90.1) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) to 24.4 (11.7, 35.6) mmHg (P<0.001). In severely symptomatic group, NYHA classification was also improved post ASA (P<0.001), among which 96 patients (79.3%) improved by at least one NYHA classification, and the resting LVOTG decreased from 69.6 (38.4, 96.1) mmHg to 19.0 (10.6, 39.8) mmHg (P<0.001). The incidence of new-onset atrial fibrillation was similar between the mildly and severely symptomatic groups (10.2% vs. 13.3%, P=0.565). Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that age was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality in OHCM patients post ASA (HR=1.068, 95%CI 1.002-1.139, P=0.042). Conclusions: Among patients with OHCM treated with ASA, overall survival and survival free from HCM-related death were similar between mildly symptomatic group and severely symptomatic group. ASA therapy can effectively relieve resting LVOTG and improve clinical symptoms in mildly or severely symptomatic patients with OHCM. Age was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality in OHCM patients post ASA.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Heart Septum/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic/surgery*

Osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) can lead to lower back pain and may be even accompanied by scoliosis, neurological dysfunction and other complications, which will affect the daily activities and life quality of patients. Vertebral augmentation is an effective treatment method for OVCF, but it cannot correct unbalance of bone metabolism or improve the osteoporotic status, causing complications like lower back pain, limited spinal activities and vertebral refracture. The post-operative systematic and standardized rehabilitation treatments can improve curative effect and therapeutic efficacy of anti-osteoporosis, reduce risk of vertebral refracture, increase patient compliance and improve quality of life. Since there still lack relevant clinical treatment guidelines for postoperative rehabilitation treatments following vertebral augmentation for OVCF, the current treatments are varied with uneven therapeutic effect. In order to standardize the postoperative rehabilitation treatment, the Spine Trauma Group of the Orthopedic Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized relevant experts to refer to relevant literature and develop the "Guideline for postoperative rehabilitation treatment following vertebral augmentation for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (2022 version)" based on the clinical guidelines published by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) as well as on the principles of scientificity, practicality and advancement. The guideline provided evidence-based recommendations on 10 important issues related to postoperative rehabilitation treatments of OVCF.

Objective: To observe the therapeutic effects of alcohol septal ablation (ASA) in mildly symptomatic patients (NYHA class Ⅱ) with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy(HOCM). Methods: This retrospective study included 150 mildly symptomatic patients with HOCM hospitalized in Beijing Anzhen Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University from March 2001 to December 2017, consisting of medical therapy group (n=102) and ASA group (n=48). Baseline clinical data were collected, patients were followed up to a mean of 6.0 (3.5, 8.1) years. Overall and HCM-related mortality events (including chronic heart failure, atrial fibrillation related stroke, sudden cardiac death) were observed in the two groups. Moreover, the improvement of NYHA function classification and left ventricular outflow tract gradient (LVOTG) were also evaluated. Survival analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meier method. Results: Age of this cohort was (52.9±14.5)years, 92 cases(61.3%) were male. In the follow-up, LVOTG was reduced from (85.8±35.4)mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) to (27.7±19.8)mmHg (P<0.001) in the ASA group, and from (66.3±35.0)mmHg to (56.5±27.7)mmHg in medical therapy group(P<0.01). At the last clinical follow-up, there were 32 patients (66.7%) whose LVOTG were<30 mmHg, septal thickness decreased from (20.3±3.8)mm to (16.1±3.4)mm (P<0.001), NYHA classification was also remarkably improved (P<0.001). New-onset atrial fibrillation tended to be lower in the ASA group compared to medical therapy group (9.3%(4/43) vs. 20.8%(20/96),P=0.096). Eleven patients (10.8%) in the medical therapy group and 2 patients (4.2%) in the ASA group died during the follow-up. One patient received pacemaker during the peri-procedural period, 1 patient was implanted with two-chamber pacemaker due to Ⅲ° atrioventricular block at 10 years after operation in the ASA group. Survival free of all-cause mortality of ASA group at 5 and 10 years was 97.9% and 97.9%, respectively, which was comparable to the medical therapy group (P=0.231). Survival free of HCM-related mortality was similar between the two groups (P=0.397). Conclusions: Compared with medical therapy in mildly symptomatic patients with HOCM, long-term survival rate is similar after ASA. Meanwhile, ASA can remarkably reduce LVOTG and improve the clinical status of the patients. Therefore, ASA may be used as an alternative therapy for mildly symptomatic HOCM patients.
Atrial Fibrillation/drug therapy* ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic/therapy* ; Ethanol/therapeutic use* ; Heart Septum/surgery* ; Humans ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

Head ; Humans ; Skull Base ; Solitary Fibrous Tumors/surgery* ; Virtual Reality

In China， about 100 million people currently have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD）. At the same time， COPD is a multisystem disease， not only affecting the function of musculoskeletal， cardiovascular， kidney and immune systems in patients， but also causing intestinal dysfunction as its extrapulmonary manifestations. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， after COPD is formed， deficiency， phlegm stasis and toxicity were accumulated in the lungs， which leads to dysfunction of lung in dispersing and descending， and eventually causes ascending and descending disorder of Qi activities， disorder of fluid supply and distribution， and stagnation of blood stasis. The viscera disease would affect the bowels， and the large intestine is thus affected. Modern medical discovers that， the lungs and intestines have common origins and similar physiological structures， in pathological circumstances， their common mucosal immune system may lead to similar immune factors and inflammatory manifestations in the lungs and intestines. At the same time， the studies have confirmed that there is also a close relationship between intestinal flora and lung， that is "lung-gut axis". These theories partially illustrate the mechanism of COPD in inducing intestinal injury. The specific manifestations of COPD intestinal dysfunction， ① Flora disorder， with increased abundance of intestinal gram-negative bacilli， and inhibited reproduction of Bifidobacterium， Lactobacillus and short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria. ② Intestinal barrier damage： characterized by the destruction of intestinal epithelium tight connectivity， increased intestinal permeability， and thinning of the mucus layer. ③ Intestinal motility disorder： mostly manifested as weight loss and malnutrition. At present， for the intestinal dysfunction in COPD patients， most of the relevant discussions and targeted treatment methods in TCM are scattered and unsystematic. Guided by the idea of treating different diseases with the same treatment， we summarized the etiology and pathogenesis of COPD intestinal dysfunction by learning from the experience of TCM in treating intestinal flora disorders and inflammatory bowel disease， and proposed preliminary formulation with Tiaoqi Qushi，Tongfu Tongluo as its basic treatment principles in this paper， hoping to provide new ideas for the treatment of COPD.

Objective:To investigate the effect of empagliflozin on diabetic kidney disease in db/db mice and the potential mechanisms.Methods:db/db mice were randomly divided into db/db group and Empa group. C57BL/6J mice were used as normal control group. We measured the level of serum biochemistry and inflammatory cytokines. Pathological changes of kidney were observed by pathological staining. The protein expression levels of NLRP3, cleaved caspase-1 and GSDMD were detected.Results:Compared with db/db group, the level of fasting blood glucose, blood lipids, serum biochemistry, and urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio in Empa group were significantly decreased ( P<0.05). HE staining and Masson staining showed that empagliflozin could significantly improve glomerular pyknosis and renal interstitial fibrosis in db/db mice. Meanwhile, the expressions of NLRP3, cleaved caspase-1, and GSDMD protein were down-regulated ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Empagliflozin improves kidney damage in diabetic model mice, and the possible mechanism is to inhibit the cell pyroptosis signal pathway of NLRP3/caspase-1/GSDMD.