Blood from a case of group B epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis identified in February 2024 in Ganzhou City,Jiangxi Province,and throat swabs from close contacts were collected for isolation and culture.The isolates were subjected to serogrouping,drug sensitivity testing,and whole genome sequencing and analysis,to provide a basis for epidemiological inves-tigation and clinical drug use.One strain of Neisseria meningitidis was isolated from the blood of the case and denoted group B.The MLST type was ST-7962,with no clonal group attribution.The phylogenetic tree showed that it was genetically close to the 1977 Shanghai carrier isolate(id-52231).Drug sensitivity results indicated that the strain was sensitive to 8 drugs:azithro-mycin,cefotaxime,minocycline,ceftriaxone,chloramphenicol,meropenem,rifampicin,and benzylpenicillin;resistant to cot-rimoxazole,levofloxacin,and ciprofloxacin;and showed an intermediate response to penicillin.This report describes the first case of ST-7962 group B meningoencephalitis found in Jiangxi Province.Monitoring of Neisseria meningitidis carriage,drug re-sistance,and molecular characteristics of strains in the healthy population in this region should be strengthened,to provide la-boratory support for the clinical use of medications,traceability,and control of the pathogen underlying meningoencephalitis infection.

Objective To investigate the association of endometrial thickness(EMT)with obstetric and neonatal outcomes of monoparous pregnancy in fresh cleavage embryos transfer.Methods A total of 1 845 patients of monoparous pregnancy after fresh cleavage embryos transfer cycles from Jan 2016 to Mar 2022 at Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital,Tongji Universtiy were analyzed retrospectively.Patients were categorized into three groups by EMT on transferation day:≤8 mm(group A),8-14 mm(group B)and≥14 mm(group C).The primary outcomes were preterm birth(PTB),birth weight and birth weight z-score,small-for-gestation age,large-for-gestation age,very low birth weight,low birth weight and macrosomia.The second outcomes were pregnancy and perinatal complications.The relationship between EMT and adverse neonatal outcomes was estimated by Logistic regression analysis.Results The rate of ectopic pregnancy was increased significantly in group A.No significant differences were found among the three groups in gestation age,birth weight,birth weight z-score,PTB,small for gestation age,large for gestation age,low birth weight,very low birth weight and macrosomia.Compared with group B,the odds of adverse neonatal outcomes did not show significant differences before and after adjustment in both group A and group C by Logistic regression analysis.Conclusion Thinner EMT in fresh cleavage embryos transfer is associated with higher rate of ectopic pregnancy,while it is not independently associated with adverse perinatal outcomes.

Objective To summarize the magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)features of spinal adnexal tuberculosis in order to improve its early diagnosis.Methods Totally 21 spinal adnexal tuberculosis patients confirmed at some hospital from January 2019 to October 2023 had their clinical data and MRI images analyzed retrospectively to determine the basic clinical characteristics and MRI features.Results Of the 21 patients,8 ones had sudden lower extremity weakness and pyramidal tract signs,and the remaining 13 ones had no significant symptoms of neurologic deficit.The lesion involvement ranged from C4 to L5 vertebrae,with the involvement of lumbar segments in 13 cases,thoracic segments in 6 cases and cervical segments in 2 cases.There were 15 cases that had tuberculosis involving in only a single spinal adnexa and peripheral soft tissue,4 cases in 2 vertebrae and 2 cases in 3 vertebrae.There were 9 cases involving in pedicles,8 cases in vertebral plates and some cases involving in sphenoid process,transverse process or facet joints.The MRI features of spinal adnexal tuberculosis included the tuberculosis-infected bone showing slightly low signals on T1WI while slightly high signals on T2WI,edge enhancement by enhanced scan and edema and abscess of paravertebral soft tissue and intra-and extradural tuberculous abscess displayed clearly by the fat suppression and diffusion weighted imaging sequences of T2WI.Conclusion MRI effectively detects the abnormal signs of bone and soft tissue of spinal adnexal tuberculosis.The MRI findings of spinal adnexal tuberculosis are of characteristics,and MRI can be used as the first choice for imaging examination and differential diagnosis to realize early detection of spinal adnexal tuberculosis.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(1):55-59]

Objective:To perform RHD gene detection on a blood sample with serological weak D phenotype.Methods:A specimen received by the People's Hospital of Zhijin County was serologically identified by the microcolumn gel method and saline method.RHD gene detection was conducted by the PCR-SSP method,and the full sequence determination of the 10 exons amplified was performed.The sequencing results were compared with the ISBT database to determine the genotype.Bioinformatics tool was used to predict the functional damage of mutant proteins,and Alphafold-3 was used for tertiary structural modeling of wild-type and mutant RhD proteins,and the structures of the two proteins were compared and analyzed to explore the reasons why mutations lead to weak serological manifestations.Results:The patient's genotype was identified as RHD*DV.5/RHD*01N.01 heterozygote,with the complete deletion of RHD genes on one chromosome,unable to express the D antigen.On the other chromosome,a G＞A mutation occurred at the 697th base of the 5th exon,resulting in a partial D phenotype.This mutation causes internal hydrogen bond changes at the 233 position of RhD protein,resulting in a change in the conformation of the protein,affecting binding to the corresponding antibody.Conclusion:The patient is a heterozygous mutant individual with RHD*DV.5/RHD*01N.01,exhibiting a partial D phenotype serologically.This variation is extremely rare and has been scarcely reported globally.

Blood from a case of group B epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis identified in February 2024 in Ganzhou City,Jiangxi Province,and throat swabs from close contacts were collected for isolation and culture.The isolates were subjected to serogrouping,drug sensitivity testing,and whole genome sequencing and analysis,to provide a basis for epidemiological inves-tigation and clinical drug use.One strain of Neisseria meningitidis was isolated from the blood of the case and denoted group B.The MLST type was ST-7962,with no clonal group attribution.The phylogenetic tree showed that it was genetically close to the 1977 Shanghai carrier isolate(id-52231).Drug sensitivity results indicated that the strain was sensitive to 8 drugs:azithro-mycin,cefotaxime,minocycline,ceftriaxone,chloramphenicol,meropenem,rifampicin,and benzylpenicillin;resistant to cot-rimoxazole,levofloxacin,and ciprofloxacin;and showed an intermediate response to penicillin.This report describes the first case of ST-7962 group B meningoencephalitis found in Jiangxi Province.Monitoring of Neisseria meningitidis carriage,drug re-sistance,and molecular characteristics of strains in the healthy population in this region should be strengthened,to provide la-boratory support for the clinical use of medications,traceability,and control of the pathogen underlying meningoencephalitis infection.

Objective To investigate whether PKCβ inhibitor can alleviate RIRI by regulating macrophage phenotype.Methods Rats in the renal ischemia-reperfusion injury(RIRI)model group underwent right nephrec-tomy followed by a 60-minute clamping of the left renal pedicle.In the experimental group(Inhibitor+RIRI),PKCβ inhibitors were administered orally one day prior to surgery.All rats were euthanized 24 hours post-surgery for the collection of blood and left kidney samples.Renal function,tissue morphology,and the expression levels of renal tubular injury marker KIM-1,renal papilla injury marker RPA-1,macrophage subtype markers,and inflammatory factors were evaluated.Results PKCβ inhibitors alleviated renal ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.PAS staining revealed marked tubular damage in kidney sections from the RIRI group,whereas kidney inflammatory cell infiltra-tion and renal tubular injury scores were significantly reduced in the Inhibitor+RIRI group following PKCβ inhibitor treatment(all P<0.05).The expression levels of Cr,BUN,KIM-1,and RPA-1 were markedly elevated in the RIRI group compared to the Sham and Inhibitor+RIRI groups(all P<0.05).After PKCβ inhibitor intervention,the expression levels of Cr,BUN,KIM-1,and RPA-1 were significantly decreased in the Inhibitor+RIRI group relative to the RIRI group(all P<0.05).Protein expression levels of iNOS,IL-2,and CD197 in the kidney tissue of the RIRI group were significantly higher than those in the Sham and Inhibitor+RIRI groups(all P<0.05).Compared with the RIRI group,the protein expression levels of iNOS,IL-12,and CD197 were significantly reduced in the Inhibitor+RIRI group following PKC β inhibitor intervention(all P<0.05).Additionally,the protein expression levels of Dectin-1,ARG-1,and CD163 were significantly higher in the Inhibitor+RIRI group than in the RIRI and Sham groups after PKCβ inhibitor intervention(all P<0.05).Conclusions PKCβ inhibitors can mitigate renal dysfunction,renal tubular injury,and the expression of injury markers in the renal tubules and renal papilla follow-ing ischemia-reperfusion.Additionally,PKCβ inhibitors play a role in modulating macrophage subtypes by reducing M1 macrophages and promoting polarization to M2,which leads to a decrease in pro-inflammatory factors and an increase in anti-inflammatory factors,ultimately facilitating kidney repair.

Objective To investigate whether PKCβ inhibitor can alleviate RIRI by regulating macrophage phenotype.Methods Rats in the renal ischemia-reperfusion injury(RIRI)model group underwent right nephrec-tomy followed by a 60-minute clamping of the left renal pedicle.In the experimental group(Inhibitor+RIRI),PKCβ inhibitors were administered orally one day prior to surgery.All rats were euthanized 24 hours post-surgery for the collection of blood and left kidney samples.Renal function,tissue morphology,and the expression levels of renal tubular injury marker KIM-1,renal papilla injury marker RPA-1,macrophage subtype markers,and inflammatory factors were evaluated.Results PKCβ inhibitors alleviated renal ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.PAS staining revealed marked tubular damage in kidney sections from the RIRI group,whereas kidney inflammatory cell infiltra-tion and renal tubular injury scores were significantly reduced in the Inhibitor+RIRI group following PKCβ inhibitor treatment(all P<0.05).The expression levels of Cr,BUN,KIM-1,and RPA-1 were markedly elevated in the RIRI group compared to the Sham and Inhibitor+RIRI groups(all P<0.05).After PKCβ inhibitor intervention,the expression levels of Cr,BUN,KIM-1,and RPA-1 were significantly decreased in the Inhibitor+RIRI group relative to the RIRI group(all P<0.05).Protein expression levels of iNOS,IL-2,and CD197 in the kidney tissue of the RIRI group were significantly higher than those in the Sham and Inhibitor+RIRI groups(all P<0.05).Compared with the RIRI group,the protein expression levels of iNOS,IL-12,and CD197 were significantly reduced in the Inhibitor+RIRI group following PKC β inhibitor intervention(all P<0.05).Additionally,the protein expression levels of Dectin-1,ARG-1,and CD163 were significantly higher in the Inhibitor+RIRI group than in the RIRI and Sham groups after PKCβ inhibitor intervention(all P<0.05).Conclusions PKCβ inhibitors can mitigate renal dysfunction,renal tubular injury,and the expression of injury markers in the renal tubules and renal papilla follow-ing ischemia-reperfusion.Additionally,PKCβ inhibitors play a role in modulating macrophage subtypes by reducing M1 macrophages and promoting polarization to M2,which leads to a decrease in pro-inflammatory factors and an increase in anti-inflammatory factors,ultimately facilitating kidney repair.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the early clinical efficacy of a three-stage external treatment with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the treatment of talar bone contusion caused by acute ankle sprain. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on 360 patients with primary lateral ankle sprain admitted from September 2021 to July 2024. Patients with talar bone contusion were selected based on MRI examination, and 73 cases were finally included. According to different treatment methods, they were divided into the observation group and the control group. The observation group consisted of 35 cases, including 16 males and 19 females, aged 24 to 37 years old with an average of (30.34±2.68) years old, and received the three-stage external TCM treatment combined with the "POLICE" protocol. The control group included 38 cases, including 18 males and 20 females, aged 24 to 35 years old with an average of (29.87±2.57) years old, and was treated with the "POLICE" protocol alone. The volume of bone marrow edema (BME) area shown by MRI before treatment and 6 weeks after treatment was measured using 3D Slicer software, and the BME improvement rate was calculated. The "Figure of 8" measurement method was used to assess ankle swelling before treatment and at 1 and 3 weeks after treatment. The visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to evaluate ankle pain before treatment and at 1 and 6 weeks after treatment. At 6 weeks after treatment, the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score and Karlsson ankle function score system were used to evaluate the improvement of ankle function. RESULTS: A total of 73 patients with talar bone contusion caused by ankle sprain completed the 6-week follow-up. At 6 weeks after treatment, the BME improvement rate in the observation group was (39.18±0.06)%, which was higher than (26.75±0.03)% in the control group, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). After 1 week of treatment, the VAS score in the observation group was (2.89±0.72) points, lower than (3.37±0.79) points in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The ankle swelling degree in the observation group was (50.20±3.19) cm, lower than (52.00±3.60) cm in the control group, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). After 3 weeks of treatment, there was no statistically significant difference in ankle swelling between the two groups. At 6 weeks after treatment, there was no statistically significant difference in VAS scores between the two groups. At 6 weeks after treatment, the AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score and Karlsson score in the observation group were (87.43±4.18) and (82.77±5.93) points, respectively, which were higher than (82.92±4.87) and (76.45±6.85) points in the control group, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). According to the AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score, 8 cases were excellent and 27 cases were good in the observation group;2 cases were excellent, 33 cases were good, and 3 cases were fair in the control group. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (χ²=7.089, P=0.029). CONCLUSION The three-stage external TCM treatment combined with the "POLICE" protocol has a significant early clinical efficacy. It can significantly reduce ankle pain and swelling in patients with bone contusion caused by acute lateral ankle sprain, promote the absorption of bone marrow edema, and accelerate the recovery of ankle function.
Ankle Injuries/drug therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Talus/injuries* ; Retrospective Studies ; Administration, Cutaneous ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Young Adult ; Adult ; Contusions/etiology* ; Visual Analog Scale ; Musculoskeletal Pain/etiology* ; Recovery of Function/drug effects* ; Treatment Outcome ; Follow-Up Studies

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), as a treasure of the Chinese nation, plays a significant role in maintaining public health. In 2019, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council proposed for the first time the establishment of a TCM registration and evaluation evidence system that integrates TCM theory, "personal experience" and clinical trials (referred to as the "Three-in-One" System) to promote the inheritance and innovation of TCM. Subsequently, the National Medical Products Administration issued several guiding principles to advance the improvement and implementation of this system. Owing to the complexity of its implementation, there are still differing understandings within the TCM industry regarding the positioning of the "Three-in-One" Registration and Evaluation Evidence System, as well as the connotation and value orientation of the "personal experience." To address this, Academician WANG Qi, President of the TCM Association, China International Exchange and Promotion Association for Medical and Healthcare and TCM master, led a group of academicians, TCM masters, TCM pharmacology experts and clinical TCM experts to convene a "Seminar on Promoting the Implementation of the ′Three-in-One′ Registration and Evaluation Evidence System for Chinese Medicinals." Through extensive discussions, an expert consensus was formed, clarifying the different roles of the TCM theory, "personal experience" and clinical trials within the system. It was further emphasized that the "personal experience" is the core of this system, and its data should be derived from clinical practice scenarios. In the future, the improvement of this system will require collaborative efforts across multiple fields to promote the high-quality development of the Chinese medicinal industry.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the antidepression mechanisms of Xiaoyaosan (XYS), a classic Chinese prescription, from the perspective of energy metabolism in the brain and intestinal tissues. METHODS: Chronic unpredictable mild stress model-a classic depression rat model-was established. Effects of XYS on behaviors and gastrointestinal motility of depressed rats were investigated. Effects of XYS on energetic charge (EC), adenosine triphosphate-related enzymes, and key enzymes of energy metabolism in both hippocampus and jejunum tissues of depressed rats were investigated using high-performance liquid chromatography, biochemical analysis, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Spearman correlation analysis was conducted to construct a correlation network of "behavior-brain energy metabolism-intestinal energy metabolism" of depression. RESULTS: XYS significantly reduced the abnormal behaviors that observed in depressed rats and increased the EC and the activity of Na⁺-K⁺-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) and Ca²⁺-Mg²⁺-ATPase in hippocampus and jejunum tissues of depressed rats. XYS restored the key energetic pathways that had been interrupted by depression, including glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation. Furthermore, XYS exhibited antidepressive effects in terms of regulating energy metabolism in tissues of both brain and intestine. CONCLUSION XYS significantly corrected the disturbances in EC and energy metabolism-related enzymes of both brain and intestinal tissues, alleviating both core and concomitant symptoms of depression. The current findings underscore the role of energy metabolism in the antidepressive activity of XYS, providing a fresh perspective on depression, and novel research strategies for revealing the mechanism of actions of traditional Chinese medicines on multi-site and multi-symptom diseases. Please cite this article as: Xiao MT, Wang SY, Wu XL, Zhao ZY, Wang HM, Liu HM, Qin XM, Liu XJ. Antidepressant mechanism of Xiaoyaosan: A perspective from energy metabolism of the brain and intestine. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(6):706-720.
Animals ; Energy Metabolism/drug effects* ; Antidepressive Agents/therapeutic use* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Brain/drug effects* ; Male ; Depression/metabolism* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Intestines/drug effects* ; Hippocampus/drug effects*