The study explores the traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） diagnostic and treatment approach to coronary microvascular disease （CMVD） from the perspective of "disharmony of blood collaterals and dysfunction of qi transformation". It is proposed that the core pathogenesis of CMVD lies in these two mechanisms. From an integrative medicine perspective， different CMVD types are analyzed based on their specific pathogenesis. Through clinical practice， four targeted treatment methods， i.e. warming， unblocking， tonifying， and activating， are formulated. CMVD caused by atherosclerosis is primarily associated with myocardial ischemia， myocardial infarction， and coronary revascularization， with corresponding pathological mechanisms of latent pathogenic obstruction， toxic accumulation in the collaterals， and deficiency with collateral stasis. The disease progression exhibits characteristics of correlation， staging， and transformation. Accordingly， treatment principles include warming to assist qi transformation， unblocking obstruction and dispelling turbidity， activating to disperse toxic stasis and invigorate collaterals， and tonifying to eliminate stasis and nourish collaterals. For CMVD unrelated to atherosclerosis， attention should be paid to the underlying disease， analyzing the main syndromes of blood and collateral disharmony. An approach combining disease-syndrome differentiation with blood and collateral regulation is emphasized for precise treatment.

OBJECTIVE To explore the potential mechanism of ketamine-induced cognitive impairment in mice based on metabolomics. METHODS Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into control group and ketamine group （25 mg/kg）， with 12 mice in each group. Each group of mice was intraperitoneally injected with normal saline or corresponding drugs， 4 times a day， for 10 consecutive days. On the last 2 days of drug administration， the cognitive behavior was evaluated by Y maze and novel object recognition test， and the histopathological changes in the prefrontal cortex （PFC） were observed. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry technology was used to analyze the changes of metabolites in PFC， screen for differential metabolites， and perform pathway enrichment analysis. RESULTS Compared with the control group， the morphology of PFC neurons in the ketamine group of mice was inconsistent. There were cavities around the nucleus， and the number of deeply stained cells increased. The mean optical density value of the Nissl staining positive area was significantly reduced， and the alternation rate and discrimination index were significantly reduced （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. In the PFC tissue samples of mice of the two groups， there were a total of 114 differential metabolites， including 73 up-regulated and 41 down-regulated metabolites， including glutamine， succinic acid， ketoglutarate， and choline， etc. The differential metabolites mentioned above were mainly enriched in metabolism of alanine， aspartate and glutamate， metabolism of arginine and proline， γ aminobutyric acid synapses， pyrimidine metabolism， cholinergic synapses pathways， etc. CONCLUSIONS Ketamine can induce cognitive impairment in mice. Its neurotoxicity is related to abnormal synaptic transmission and energy metabolism， and neuroimmune regulation disorders.

Objective: To examine the association between inflammatory cytokines and arrhythmias using two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) approach, so as to provide the basis for the prevention and treatment of arrhythmias. Methods: Data of 91 types of inflammatory cytokines were collected from a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and data of 7 types of arrhythmia were collected from GWAS database of susceptibility genes. A forward MR analysis was performed using the inverse variance weighted method with inflammatory cytokines as exposure and arrhythmias as the outcome, and a reverse MR analysis was performed with arrhythmias as exposure and inflammatory cytokines as the outcome. The positive and negative direction of association was evaluated using MR Steiger test. The sensitivity analysis were assessed using the Cochran's Q test, MR-PRESSO test and MR-Egger regression. Results: Forward MR analysis results showed that fractalkine (OR=1.231), fibroblast growth factor 5 (OR=1.105) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related activation cytokine (OR=0.848) were statistically associated with ventricular arrhythmias (all P<0.05). CD40L receptor (OR=0.970), fibroblast growth factor 5 (OR=1.071), FMS-related tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (OR=0.958), and monocyte chemotactic protein-2 (OR=1.020) were statistically associated with atrial fibrillation (all P<0.05). TNF-related activation cytokine (OR=1.125) was statistically associated with paroxysmal tachycardia (P<0.05). Interleukin-15 receptor subunit α (OR=1.001) was statistically associated with bradycardia (P<0.05). C-C motif chemokine ligand 28 (OR=1.974) and interleukin-7 (OR=1.738) were statistically associated with right bundle branch block (both P<0.05). TNF superfamily member 14 (OR=0.784) was statistically associated with left bundle branch block (P<0.05). CXC motif chemokine ligand 11 (OR=1.277), interleukin-12B (OR=1.127), matrix metalloproteinase-1 (OR=1.333), stem cell factor (OR=0.874), and TNF-β (OR=1.152) were statistically associated with atrioventricular block (all P<0.05). Cochran's Q test detected no heterogeneity, and neither the MR-Egger regression nor the MR-PRESSO test revealed horizontal pleiotropy of instrumental variables (all P>0.05). Reverse MR analysis showed no association between gut microbiota and constipation (all P>0.05). Conclusion Among the 91 types of inflammatory cytokines, 12 types were associated with increased risk of arrhythmias and 5 types were associated with decreased risk of arrhythmias.

Objective:To investigate the value of CT radiomic model based on analysis of primary gastric cancer and the adipose tissue outside the gastric wall beside cancer in differentiating stage T1-2 from stage T3-4 gastric cancer.Methods:This study was a case-control study. Totally 465 patients with gastric cancer treated in Affiliated People′s Hospital of Jiangsu University from December 2011 to December 2019 were retrospectively collected. According to postoperative pathology, they were divided into 2 groups, one with 150 cases of T1-2 tumors and another with 315 cases of T3-4 tumors. The cases were divided into a training set (326 cases) and a test set (139 cases) by stratified sampling method at 7∶3. There were 104 cases of T1-2 stage and 222 cases of T3-4 stage in the training set, 46 cases of T1-2 stage and 93 cases of T3-4 stage in the test set. The axial CT images in the venous phase during one week before surgery were selected to delineate the region of interest (ROI) at the primary lesion and the extramural gastric adipose tissue adjacent to the cancer areas. The radiomic features of the ROIs were extracted by Pyradiomics software. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator was used to screen features related to T stage to establish the radiomic models of primary gastric cancer and the adipose tissue outside the gastric wall beside cancer. Independent sample t test or χ2 test were used to compare the differences in clinical features between T1-2 and T3-4 patients in the training set, and the features with statistical significance were combined to establish a clinical model. Two radiomic signatures and clinical features were combined to construct a clinical-radiomics model and generate a nomogram. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the efficacy of each model in differentiating stage T1-2 from stage T3-4 gastric cancer. The calibration curve was used to evaluate the consistency between the T stage predicted by the nomogram and the actual T stage of gastric cancer. And the decision curve analysis was used to evaluate the clinical net benefit of treatment guided by the nomogram and by the clinical model. Results:There were significant differences in CT-T stage and CT-N stage between T1-2 and T3-4 patients in the training set ( χ2=10.59, 15.92, P=0.014, 0.001) and the clinical model was established. After screening and dimensionality reduction, the 5 features from primary gastric cancer and the 6 features from the adipose tissue outside the gastric wall beside cancer established the radiomic models respectively. In the training set and the test set, the AUC values of the primary gastric cancer radiomic model were 0.864 (95% CI 0.820-0.908) and 0.836 (95% CI 0.762-0.910), and the adipose tissue outside the gastric wall beside cancer radiomic model were 0.782 (95% CI 0.731-0.833) and 0.784 (95% CI 0.702-0.866). The AUC values of the clinical model were 0.761 (95% CI 0.705-0.817) and 0.758 (95% CI 0.671-0.845), and the nomogram were 0.876 (95% CI 0.835-0.917) and 0.851 (95% CI 0.781-0.921). The calibration curve reflected that there was a high consistency between the T stage predicted by the nomogram and the actual T stage in the training set ( χ2=1.70, P=0.989). And the decision curve showed that at the risk threshold 0.01-0.74, a higher clinical net benefit could be obtained by using a nomogram to guide treatment. Conclusions:The CT radiomics features of primary gastric cancer lesions and the adipose tissue outside the gastric wall beside cancer can effectively distinguish T1-2 from T3-4 gastric cancer, and the combination of CT radiomic features and clinical features can further improve the prediction accuracy.

Based on the clinical thinking of combining diseases and patterns， we combined disease identification， pattern differentiation， and constitution identification， and put forward the theory of identifying and treating critical hypertension， which is "examining the symptoms first， identifying the constitutions as reference， and combining the diseases and patterns". Firstly， the starting point of identifying the disease is to examine the symptoms， and those with precise diagnosis and strong specificity will be diagnosed with the disease， while those with relatively broad diagnosis and fuzzy characteristics will be emphasised on identifying constitutions and differentiating patterns. Focusing on the impact of constitution identification on disease identification and pattern differentiation， constitution identification could be the basis when no symptoms to identify， and based on the theory of "constitution-disease correlation" and "constitution-pattern correlation" to improve the understanding of borderline hypertension from the group and individual level， which helps to identify and predict the development of the diseases and patterns； if the symptoms are complicated and difficult to identify， it is necessary to take syndrome as the outline， use the syndrome to unify the disease， and then refer to the constitution to legislate and prescribe medications. This paper summarizes the traditional Chinese medicine clinical differentiation and treatment strategy of borderline hypertension clear and easy to grasp， with a view to provide a feasible and efficient reference for prevention and treatment of borderline hypertension with traditional Chinese medicine.

Objective:To discuss the effect of exosome(Exo)microRNA-761(miR-761)on the epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)process of the osteosarcoma(OS)cells by regulating tumor-associated macrophage(TAM)polarization,and to clarify its related mechanism.Methods:The miR-761 plasmid and negative control(miR-NC)plasmid were transfected into the HEK293 cells,and the non-transfected cells were regarded as control group.The transfection efficiency was detected using real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)method.The Exo containing miR-761 was isolated,and the morphology of Exo was observed by transmission electron microscope.The concentration and size distribution of Exo samples were detected by nanoparticle analyzer,and the expression of Exo surface marker protein was detected by Western blotting method.The human monocyte leukemia THP-1 cells were stimulated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate(PMA)to become the M0 macrophages,which were then treated with Exo containing miR-761 and co-cultured with the OS MG63 cells to establish the co-culture system.The experiment was divided into M0 group,TAM group,miR-761 NC group,and miR-761 Exo group.The M0 macrophages were collected from various groups,and the positive rates of M1 macrophage marker CD86 and M2 macrophage marker CD206 in various groups were detected by flow cytometry;the protein expression levels of M1 macrophage secreted factors interleukin-1β(IL-1β)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and M2 macrophage secreted factors interleukin-10(IL-10)and transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1)in various groups were detected by Western blotting method.The M0 macrophages were treated with Exo containing miR-761 and co-cultured with MG63 cells to establish the co-culture system.The experiment was divided into control group,TAM group,miR-NC Exo+TAM group,and miR-761 Exo+TAM group.The MG63 cells in various groups were collected,and the fluorescence intensities of E-cadherin and Vimentin in the MG63 cells in various groups were observed by immunofluorescence staining;the expression levels of E-cadherin,Vimentin,and EMT regulation-related transcription factors Twist1,Snail,and Slug proteins in the cells in various groups were detected by Western blotting method;the numbers of invasion and migration cells in various groups were detected by Transwell chamber assay.Results:The HEK293 cells containing miR-761 were successfully obtained by transfection experiments,and the Exo was isolated.Compared with M0 group,the positive rate of CD86 of the macrophages in TAM group was decreased(P＜0.05),while the positive rate of CD206 was increased(P＜0.05),the expression levels of IL-1β and TNF-α proteins were decreased(P＜0.05),while the expression levels of IL-10 and TGF-β1 proteins were increased(P＜0.05).Compared with TAM group,the positive rate of CD86 of the macrophages in miR-761 Exo group was increased(P＜0.05),while the positive rate of CD206 was decreased(P＜0.05),the expression levels of IL-1β and TNF-α proteins were increased(P＜0.05),while the expression levels of IL-10 and TGF-β1 proteins were decreased(P＜0.05).Compared with control group,the fluorescence intensity of E-cadherin in the MG63 cells in TAM group was decreased,while the fluorescence intensity of Vimentin was increased,the expression level of E-cadherin protein was decreased(P＜0.05),while the expression levels of Vimentin,Twist1,Snail,and Slug proteins were increased(P＜0.05),and the numbers of invasion and migration cells were increased(P＜0.05).Compared with TAM group,the fluorescence intensity of E-cadherin in the MG63 cells in miR-761 Exo+TAM group was increased,while the fluorescence intensity of Vimentin was decreased,the expression level of E-cadherin protein was increased(P＜0.05),while the expression levels of Vimentin,Twist1,Snail,and Slug proteins were decreased(P＜0.05),and the numbers of invasion and migration cells were decreased(P＜0.05).Conclusion:The exo-delivered miR-761 can inhibit the EMT process of the OS cells,thereby inhibiting the cell migration and cell invasion;its mechanism may be related to regulating TAM polarization.

Objective To investigate the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome types and elements in liver cirrhosis patients with dysplastic nodules (DN), and to provide a basis for exploring the connotation and pattern of TCM syndrome types of DN in liver cirrhosis. Methods A total of 138 patients who attended The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine from March 2013 to January 2021 and were diagnosed with liver cirrhosis and DN were enrolled. General data such as age of onset and sex were collected, as well as the data on etiology, TCM syndrome types, and Child-Pugh class for liver function, and the distribution characteristics of TCM syndrome types and elements were summarized. The chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. Results The liver and the spleen were the main syndrome elements of disease location in liver cirrhosis patients with DN, accounting for 97.83% and 94.93%, respectively, followed by the kidney (23.91%); Qi deficiency and Qi stagnation were the main syndrome elements reflecting the nature of disease, accounting for 73.91% and 58.70%, respectively, followed by dampness (34.78%). The main TCM syndrome types included stagnation of liver Qi and spleen deficiency, damp-heat internal excess syndrome, blood stasis and toxin accumulation syndrome, and water-dampness retention syndrome, among which stagnation of liver Qi and spleen deficiency was more common and accounted for 58.70% ( P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in TCM syndrome types between the patients with different sexes, ages, and etiologies (all P > 0.05). There was a significant difference in Child-Pugh class between the liver cirrhosis DN patients with different TCM syndrome types ( χ 2 =34.320, P < 0.05), and Child-Pugh class A was more common in the patients with stagnation of liver Qi and spleen deficiency (59.8%), while Child-Pugh class C was more common in the patients with damp-heat internal excess syndrome (39.1%). Conclusion This article summarizes the distribution characteristics of common TCM syndrome types and elements of DN in liver cirrhosis, which provides a reference for the syndrome differentiation-based TCM treatment of DN in liver cirrhosis.

This study aimed to introduce a minimally invasive technique for maxillary sinus floor elevation using the lateral approach (lSFE) and to determine the factors that influence the stability of the grafted area in the sinus cavity. Thirty patients (30 implants) treated with lSFE using minimally invasive techniques from 2015 to 2019 were included in the study. Five aspects of the implant (central, mesial, distal, buccal, and palatal bone heights [BHs]) were measured using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) before implant surgery, immediately after surgery (T0), 6 months after surgery (T1), and at the last follow-up visit (T2). Patients' characteristics were collected. A small bone window (height, (4.40 ± 0.74) mm; length, (6.26 ± 1.03) mm) was prepared. No implant failed during the follow-up period (3.67 ± 1.75) years. Three of the 30 implants exhibited perforations. Changes in BH of the five aspects of implants showed strong correlations with each other and BH decreased dramatically before second-stage surgery. Residual bone height (RBH) did not significantly influence BH changes, whereas smoking status and type of bone graft materials were the potentially influential factors. During the approximate three-year observation period, lSFE with a minimally invasive technique demonstrated high implant survival rate and limited bone reduction in grafted area. In conclusion, lSFE using minimally invasive techniques was a viable treatment option. Patients who were nonsmokers and whose sinus cavity was filled with deproteinized bovine bone mineral (DBBM) had significantly limited bone resorption in grafted area.
Humans ; Animals ; Cattle ; Maxillary Sinus/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Sinus Floor Augmentation ; Bone Resorption ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography

Pheretima,also called"earthworms",is a well-known animal-derived traditional Chinese medicine that is extensively used in over 50 Chinese patent medicines(CPMs)in Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edi-tion).However,its zoological origin is unclear,both in the herbal market and CPMs.In this study,a strategy for integrating in-house annotated protein databases constructed from close evolutionary relationship-sourced RNA sequencing data from public archival resources and various sequencing al-gorithms(restricted search,open search,and de novo)was developed to characterize the phenotype of natural peptides of three major commercial species of Pheretima,including Pheretima aspergillum(PA),Pheretima vulgaris(PV),and Metaphire magna(MM).We identified 10,477 natural peptides in the PA,7,451 in PV,and 5,896 in MM samples.Five specific signature peptides were screened and then validated using synthetic peptides;these demonstrated robust specificity for the authentication of PA,PV,and MM.Finally,all marker peptides were successfully applied to identify the zoological origins of Brain Heart capsules and Xiaohuoluo pills,revealing the inconsistent Pheretima species used in these CPMs.In conclusion,our integrated strategy could be used for the in-depth characterization of natural peptides of other animal-derived traditional Chinese medicines,especially non-model species with poorly annotated protein databases.

Objective:To clarify the clinical efficacy of first-line oral antiviral drugs tenofovir alafenamide (TAF), tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), and entecavir (ETV) in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and their safety profiles with lipid, bone, and kidney metabolism.Methods:458 CHB cases diagnosed and treated at the Department of Hepatology of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine of the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University from February 2010 to November 2022 were selected. TAF (175 cases), TDF (124 cases), and ETV (159 cases) were used as therapies. At 24 and 48 weeks, the virology, biochemical response, changes in liver stiffness measurement (LSM), and bone, kidney, and blood lipid metabolism safety profiles were compared and analyzed.Results:After 24 and 48 weeks of TAF, TDF, and ETV therapy, HBV DNA load decreased by 3.28, 2.69, and 3.14 log10 IU/ml and 3.28, 2.83, and 3.65 log10 IU/ml, respectively, compared with the baseline, and the differences between the three groups were statistically significant, P < 0.001. The complete virological response rates were 73.95%, 66.09%, 67.19%, and 82.22%, 72.48%, and 70.49%, respectively. The incidence rates of low-level viremia were 16.67%, 21.70%, and 23.08%, while poor response rates were 1.11%, 3.67%, and 4.10%. ALT normalization rates were 64.00%, 63.89%, 67.96%, and 85.33%, 80.56%, 78.64%, respectively, and there was no statistically significant difference among the groups. LSM was significantly improved in patients treated with TAF for 48 weeks, P = 0.022. Serum phosphorus level gradually decreased with the prolongation of TDF treatment. The TAF treatment group had a good safety profile for kidney, bone, and phosphorus metabolism, with no dyslipidemia or related occurrences of risk. Conclusion:There are some differences in the therapeutic effects of first-line anti-HBV drugs. TAF has the lowest incidence of low-level viremia after 48 weeks of treatment and has a good safety profile in kidney, bone, and blood lipid metabolism.