Objective To investigate the species composition, distribution, density, and pathogen-carrying status of host-seeking ticks in urban environments of Jiangsu Province, and to provide a scientific basis for the prevention and control of tick-borne diseases in urban settings. Methods From April to September 2023, a survey on host-seeking ticks was conducted in three types of habitats (city parks, residential areas, and street greenbelts) across 54 counties (cities, districts) of 13 prefecture-level cities in Jiangsu Province by using the flagging method. RStudio 4.4.3 (Windows version) was employed to perform chi-square test analysis on the species composition of ticks across different months, and Friedman test (for multiple paired samples) was applied to analyze monthly changes in the average tick density index among different habitats. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to detect pathogens in the captured ticks. Results A total of 863 host-seeking ticks were captured from 54 habitats in 24 counties (cities, districts) of 11 prefecture-level cities (Nanjing, Wuxi, Changzhou, Suzhou, Nantong, Huai'an, Yancheng, Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, Taizhou, and Suqian) in Jiangsu Province, whereas no ticks were captured in Xuzhou and Lianyungang. The collected ticks belonged to three species, with Haemaphysalis longicornis being the dominant species (accounting for 82.62%), followed by Haemaphysalis flava and Hae. phasiana. The average density index of ticks in positive habitats was 3.20 ticks/ (flag·100 m). In terms of tick density among prefecture-level cities, Wuxi had the highest density[13.55 ticks/(flag·100 m)], whereas Nanjing and Taizhou had the lowest[both,0.20 ticks/(flag·100 m)]. With respect to the types of positive habitats,46 positive city parks,7 positive residential areas, and 1 positive street greenbelt were found, with the average tick density index being 3.46, 1.86, and 3.60 ticks/flag · 100 m, respectively. No statistically significant differences were observed in the monthly variations in the average tick density index among different habitats (P＞0.05). Pathogen detection showed no Bandavirus dabieense, Rickettsia, or Borrelia burgdorferi in the collected ticks. Conclusions Host-seeking ticks have established populations in urban environments across most prefecture-level cities in Jiangsu Province, with Hae. longicornis identified as the dominant species. City parks serve as the primary breeding habitats for these ticks. Strengthening tick surveillance and control measures in densely populated and frequently visited areas, such as city parks and residential neighborhoods, is crucial for the effective prevention and control of urban tick-borne diseases.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of hospital-associated infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms(MDROs)among the burn wound patients so as to provide bases for taking tar-geted control measures.METHODS A systematic search was conducted in the worldwide database for nosocomial outbreaks,PubMed and CNKI databases so as to summarize and analyze the data regarding to outbreaks of MDROs hospital-associated infections among burn wound patients.RESULTS A total of 61 incidents of MDROs hospital-associated infections outbreaks among the burn wound patients were included,involving 2 293 patients from 21 countries and regions,50(81.97％)of which were reported for the infection sites or colonization sites in-volving burn wound,12(19.67％)involving the respiratory tract,10(16.39％)involving the bloodstream infec-tions.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(28 incidents,45.90％)was dominant among the pathogens causing the infections,followed by multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii(17 incidents,27.87％)and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aureus(9 incidents,14.75％).52 incidents(82.25％)of outbreaks were reported the contact as the major transmission mode.The suspected sources of the outbreaks included the patients(37 incidents,28.46％),health care workers(30 incidents,23.08％),ward environments(28 incidents,21.54％),medical equipments(19 incidents,30.56％),drainage systems(6 incidents,4.62％).The major pre-vention and control measures included environmental cleaning and disinfection,screening of colonization in patients and health care workers,isolation of patients with infections and hand hygiene;8 incidents were taken the measure of closing the ward.CONCLUSIONS The outbreaks of MDROs infections in the burn wound patients are mostly associated with the high frequently contact environments,medical equipments and hand hygiene of health care workers.In view of the peculiarities of the burn wound patients,it is feasible to take the targeted measures based on the summarized prevention and control combinations for MDROs so as to prevent the outbreak of hospital-asso-ciated infections.

Objective To investigate the changes of diameter of the main trunk of the extracranial segment of the facial nerve,local hemodynamics and facial muscle thickness in patients with peripheral facial palsy(PFP)at acute stage by high frequency ultrasound(HFUS).Methods Sixty patients with acute PFP were enrolled as the PFP group,and 30 healthy people were selected as the control group.The following facial param-eters were scanned and recorded using HFUS:diameter of the main trunk of the extracranial segment of the facial nerve(FN-d),facial artery diameter(FA-d),facial artery systolic velocity(FA-Vs),facial artery diastolic velocity(FA-Vd),facial artery resistance index(FA-RI),frontalis muscle thickness(FM-t),depressor anguli oris muscle thickness(DAO-t),and depressor labii inferioris muscle thickness(DLI-t).The feasibility of facial param-eters in the diagnosis of acute-phase peripheral facial palsy(PFP)was evaluated,with intra-group and inter-group variability comparisons performed.Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationship between acute-phase facial parameters and House-Brackmann(H-B)scale scores in PFP patients.Results(1)The H-B score of the PFP group was significantly lower than that of the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(2)The reliability of repeated measurements of facial parameters by different testers is good(ICC＞0.75).(3)The FN-d and FA-RI values on the affected side of PFP group were higher than those on the healthy side and control group,and FA-Vs,FA-Vd,DAO-t and DLI-t values were lower than those on the healthy side and control group,with statistical significance(P＜0.05).(4)The FN-d and FA-RI values of the affected side in the PFP group were negatively correlated with the H-S scale score(r=-0.847,P＜0.05;r=-0.863,P＜0.05);FA Vs,FA Vd,DAO-t,DLI-t are positively correlated with H-S scale scores(r=0.808,P＜0.05;r=0.757,P＜0.05;r=0.836,P＜0.05;r=0.694,P＜0.05).Conclusions HFUS can effectively detect the characteristic changes such as the increase in the diameter of the extrcranial facial nerve trunk,local microcircula-tion disturbance and facial muscle atrophy in patients with PFP in the acute stage,and the increase and decrease of FN-d,FA Vs,FA Vd,FA-RI,DAO-t,and DLI-t can accurately reflect the improvement or progress of PFP,which has important guiding significance for clinical disease monitoring and efficacy evaluation.

Objective To systematically evaluate the research progress of risk prediction models for periprosthetic joint infection(PJI)after total joint arthroplasty(TJA),analyze the limitations of current researches,and propose optimized suggestions.Methods Chinese and English databases such as PubMed,Embase,Web of Science,Co-chrane Library,SinoMed,Wanfang Database,VIP Database,and CNKI were retrieved systematically.The re-trieved period was from the establishment of each database to August 31,2024.Two researchers independently screened literatures and extracted data according to the CHARMS checklist,and the risk of bias in the included studies was evaluated by the PROBAST tool.Results A total of 14 studies were included in this study,involving 17 prediction models.The most common predictors included history of diabetes mellitus,obesity(body mass index[BMI]≥30 kg/m2),advanced age(≥65 years old),history of traumatic fracture,and prolonged operation time(≥2 hours).All of the included studies had high risks of bias,mainly study subject selection bias(such as single-center sample)and statistical analysis bias(such as unadjusted confounding factors).Conclusion Most of the cur-rently published risk prediction models for PJA after TJA have good predictive performance,however,there are sig-nificant limitations in the research design,especially in the insufficient control of bias risk.Future research needs to focus on improving methodological design,including adoption of prospective multi-center studies,definition of standardized predictive variables,and sufficient adjustment of confounding factors.

Objective:To investigate the potential diagnostic value of peripheral blood soluble programmed cell death protein 1 (sPD-1) and soluble programmed cell death protein ligand 1 (sPD-L1) in acute rejection (AR) following liver transplantation using a rat model.Methods:A rat liver transplantation AR model was established, with the AR group (Lewis→BN) set as the experimental group (n=6) and the non-AR group (BN→BN) as the control group (n=6). Peripheral blood sPD-1 and sPD-L1 concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) at 1 day before transplantation and at 1, 3, and 7 days postoperatively. On postoperative day 7, the expression levels of PD-1 and PD-L1 in liver tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Independent samples t-test and repeated measures ANOVA were used to compare the results between the two groups. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationship between sPD-1, sPD-L1, the sPD-1/sPD-L1 ratio, and the rejection activity index.Results:On postoperative day 7, the experimental group exhibited significantly higher peripheral sPD-1 levels (218.59±36.88 vs. 164.95±15.82 ng/L) and a higher sPD-1/sPD-L1 ratio (0.44±0.12 vs. 0.36±0.07), but lower sPD-L1 levels (379.56±73.41 vs. 423.64±96.55 ng/L) compared to the control group (all P<0.05). Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between sPD-1 levels and the rejection activity index ( r=0.680, P<0.05), as well as between the sPD-1/sPD-L1 ratio and the rejection activity index ( r=0.795, P<0.01), while no correlation was observed between sPD-L1 levels and the rejection activity index. IHC demonstrated positive PD-1 and PD-L1 expression in the liver tissues of the experimental group, whereas the control group showed negative expression. Conclusion:Peripheral blood sPD-1 levels and the sPD-1/sPD-L1 ratio are significantly associated with AR after liver transplantation in rats, suggesting their potential as biomarkers for diagnosing AR in liver transplant recipients.

OBJECTIVE: Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) is a common complication of prolonged glucocorticoid therapy. Chlorogenic acid (CGA), a polyphenol with antioxidant properties that is extracted from traditional Chinese medicines such as Eucommiae Cortex, has potential anti-osteoporotic activity. This study aimed to investigate the possible effects of CGA on GIOP in mice and murine long bone osteocyte Y4 (MLO-Y4) cells and explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. METHODS: The protective effects of CGA were initially evaluated in the GIOP mouse model induced by dexamethasone (Dex). The micro-computed tomography, hematoxylin-eosin staining, silver nitrate staining, and serum detection were used to assess the efficacy of CGA for improving bone formation in vivo. Then, network pharmacology analysis was used to predict the potential targets and molecular mechanisms underlying the therapeutic efficacy of CGA against GIOP. After that, 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate staining, flow cytometry, real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and Western blotting were used to verify the mechanisms of CGA against GIOP in vitro. RESULTS: Animal experiments showed that CGA treatment effectively attenuated Dex-induced decreases in bone mass and strength and improved disrupted osteocyte morphology in mice. The protein-protein interaction analysis highlighted erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase (ERBB2), which is also known as human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), caspase-3, kinase insert domain receptor, matrix metallopeptidase 9, matrix metallopeptidase 2, proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase Src, and epidermal growth factor receptor as core targets. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis revealed several significantly enriched pathways (P < 0.05), including the ERBB, phosphoinositide 3 kinase-AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT), and mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase (mTOR) pathways. Cellular experiments verified that CGA enhanced bone formation and promoted autophagy while inhibiting apoptosis in MLO-Y4 cells exposed to Dex, which was associated with the upregulated expression of HER2 and activation of the HER2/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. CONCLUSION CGA exerted anti-osteoporotic effects against GIOP, partially through targeting osteocytes and modulating the HER2/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Please cite this article as: Xie AN, Zhang SZY, Zhang Y, Cao JL, Wang CL, Wang LB, Wu HJ, Zhang J, Dai WW. Chlorogenic acid mitigates glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis via modulation of HER2/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(6):670-682.
Animals ; Chlorogenic Acid/therapeutic use* ; Osteoporosis/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism* ; Mice ; Glucocorticoids/adverse effects* ; Receptor, ErbB-2/metabolism* ; Proto-Oncogene Mas ; Dexamethasone/adverse effects* ; Osteocytes/drug effects* ; Osteogenesis/drug effects* ; Male ; Cell Line ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Humans

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a well-accepted therapy for atopic dermatitis (AD). However, there are currently no evidence-based guidelines integrating TCM and Western medicine for the treatment of AD, limiting the clinical application of such combined approaches. Therefore, the China Association of Chinese Medicine initiated the development of the current guideline, focusing on key issues related to the use of TCM in the treatment of AD. This guideline was developed in accordance with the principles of the guideline formulation manual published by the World Health Organization. A comprehensive review of the literature on the combined use of TCM and Western medicine to treat AD was conducted. The findings were extensively discussed by experts in dermatology and pharmacy with expertise in both TCM and Western medicine. This guideline comprises 23 recommendations across seven major areas, including TCM syndrome differentiation and classification of AD, principles and application scenarios of TCM combined with Western medicine for treating AD, outcome indicators for evaluating clinical efficacy of AD treatment, integration of TCM pattern classification and Western medicine across disease stages, daily management of AD, the use of internal TCM therapies and proprietary Chinese medicines, and TCM external treatments. Please cite this article as: Du XR, Wu MY, Tao MC, Lin Y, Gu CY, Wu MF, Cao Y, Chen DC, Li W, Wang HW, Wang Y, Wang Y, Lu HZ, Liu X, Su XF, Li FL. Clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of atopic dermatitis with integrative traditional Chinese and Western medicine. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(6):641-653.
Dermatitis, Atopic/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Integrative Medicine ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Practice Guidelines as Topic

OBJECTIVE: To investigate chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection's effect on gestational liver function, pregnancy and delivery complications, and neonatal development. METHODS: A total of 157 HCV antibody-positive (anti-HCV[+]) and HCV RNA(+) patients (Group C) and 121 anti-HCV(+) and HCV RNA(-) patients (Group B) were included as study participants, while 142 anti-HCV(-) and HCV RNA(-) patients (Group A) were the control group. Data on biochemical indices during pregnancy, pregnancy complications, delivery-related information, and neonatal complications were also collected. RESULTS: Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) rates in Group C during early, middle, and late pregnancy were 59.87%, 43.95%, and 42.04%, respectively-significantly higher than Groups B (26.45%, 15.70%, 10.74%) and A (23.94%, 19.01%, 6.34%) ( P < 0.05). Median ALT levels in Group C were significantly higher than in Groups A and B at all pregnancy stages ( P < 0.05). No significant differences were found in neonatal malformation rates across groups ( P > 0.05). However, neonatal jaundice incidence was significantly greater in Group C (75.16%) compared to Groups A (42.25%) and B (57.02%) ( χ ² = 33.552, P < 0.001). HCV RNA positivity during pregnancy was an independent risk factor for neonatal jaundice ( OR = 2.111, 95% CI 1.242-3.588, P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS Chronic HCV infection can affect the liver function of pregnant women, but does not increase the pregnancy or delivery complication risks. HCV RNA(+) is an independent risk factor for neonatal jaundice.
Humans ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Adult ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Infant, Newborn ; Viremia/virology* ; Hepatitis C ; Hepacivirus/physiology* ; Hepatitis C, Chronic/virology* ; Young Adult ; Alanine Transaminase/blood*

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality based on the 10-year population-based multicenter prospective study. METHODS: A general population-based multicenter prospective study was conducted at four sites in rural China between 2013 and 2023. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic spline analyses were used to assess the association between BMI and mortality. Stratified analyses were performed based on the individual characteristics of the participants. RESULTS: Overall, 19,107 participants with a sum of 163,095 person-years were included and 1,910 participants died. The underweight (< 18.5 kg/m ²) presented an increase in all-cause mortality (adjusted hazards ratio [ aHR] = 2.00, 95% confidence interval [ CI]: 1.66-2.41), while overweight (≥ 24.0 to < 28.0 kg/m ²) and obesity (≥ 28.0 kg/m ²) presented a decrease with an aHR of 0.61 (95% CI: 0.52-0.73) and 0.51 (95% CI: 0.37-0.70), respectively. Overweight ( aHR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.67-0.86) and mild obesity ( aHR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.59-0.87) had a positive impact on mortality in people older than 60 years. All-cause mortality decreased rapidly until reaching a BMI of 25.7 kg/m ² ( aHR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.98) and increased slightly above that value, indicating a U-shaped association. The beneficial impact of being overweight on mortality was robust in most subgroups and sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION This study provides additional evidence that overweight and mild obesity may be inversely related to the risk of death in individuals older than 60 years. Therefore, it is essential to consider age differences when formulating health and weight management strategies.
Humans ; Body Mass Index ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Aged ; Follow-Up Studies ; Adult ; Mortality ; Cause of Death ; Obesity/mortality* ; Overweight/mortality*