This study aims to explore the mechanism of lung and gut protection by Tanreqing Capsules on the mice infected with influenza virus based on "the lung-gut axis". A total of 110 C57BL/6J mice were randomized into control group, model group, oseltamivir group, and low-and high-dose Tanreqing Capsules groups. Ten mice in each group underwent body weight protection experiments, and the remaining 12 mice underwent experiments for mechanism exploration. Mice were infected with influenza virus A/Puerto Rico/08/1934(PR8) via nasal inhalation for the modeling. The lung tissue was collected on day 3 after gavage, and the lung tissue, colon tissue, and feces were collected on day 7 after gavage for subsequent testing. The results showed that Tanreqing Capsules alleviated the body weight reduction and increased the survival rate caused by PR8 infection. Compared with model group, Tanreqing Capsules can alleviate the lung injury by reducing the lung index, alleviating inflammation and edema in the lung tissue, down-regulating viral gene expression at the late stage of infection, reducing the percentage of neutrophils, and increasing the percentage of T cells. Tanreqing Capsules relieved the gut injury by restoring the colon length, increasing intestinal lumen mucin secretion, alleviating intestinal inflammation, and reducing goblet cell destruction. The gut microbiota analysis showed that Tanreqing Capsules increased species diversity compared with model group. At the phylum level, Tanreqing Capsules significantly increased the abundance of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, while reducing the abundance of Bacteroidota and Proteobacteria to maintain gut microbiota balance. At the genus level, Tanreqing Capsules significantly increased the abundance of unclassified＿f＿Lachnospiraceae while reducing the abundance of Bacteroides, Eubacterium, and Phocaeicola to maintain gut microbiota balance. In conclusion, Tanreqing Capsules can alleviate mouse lung and gut injury caused by influenza virus infection and restore the balance of gut microbiota. Treating influenza from the lung and gut can provide new ideas for clinical practice.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Mice ; Lung/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Capsules ; Orthomyxoviridae Infections/virology* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Male ; Humans ; Female ; Influenza A virus/physiology* ; Influenza, Human/virology*

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC), the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, is characterized by high mortality and recurrence rates. Common treatments include hepatectomy, liver transplantation, ablation therapy, interventional therapy, radiotherapy, systemic therapy, and traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). While exhibiting specific advantages, these approaches are associated with varying degrees of adverse effects. To alleviate patients' suffering and burdens, it is crucial to explore additional treatments and elucidate the pathogenesis of HCC, laying a foundation for the development of new TCM-based drugs. With emerging research on gut microbiota, it has been revealed that microbiota plays a vital role in the development of HCC by influencing intestinal barrier function, microbial metabolites, and immune regulation. TCM, with its multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics, has been increasingly recognized as a vital therapeutic treatment for HCC, particularly in patients at intermediate or advanced stages, by prolonging survival and improving quality of life. Recent global studies demonstrate that TCM exerts anti-HCC effects by modulating gut microbiota, restoring intestinal barrier function, regulating microbial composition and its metabolites, suppressing inflammation, and enhancing immune responses, thereby inhibiting the malignant phenotype of HCC. This review aims to elucidate the mechanisms by which gut microbiota contributes to the development and progression of HCC and highlight the regulatory effects of TCM, addressing the current gap in systematic understanding of the "TCM-gut microbiota-HCC" axis. The findings provide theoretical support for integrating TCM with western medicine in HCC treatment and promote the transition from basic research to precision clinical therapy through microbiota-targeted drug development and TCM-based interventions.
Humans ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/microbiology* ; Liver Neoplasms/microbiology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Animals ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

OBJECTIVE: To explore the application value and clinical effect of 3D printing combined with customized bone plate in the treatment of acetabular fracture. METHODS: From June 2020 to June 2022, 11 patients with acetabular fractures underwent preoperative planning using 3D printing technology and were treated with customized bone plates including 8 males and 3 females, aged 25 to 66 years old. The fractures were classified according to Letournel-Judet:4 posterior wall fractures, 2 T-type fractures, 2 transverse posterior wall fractures, 2 double column fractures, and 1 anterior column with posterior semi-transverse fractures. The operative time, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative fluoroscopy times, postoperative drainage volume, postoperative fracture healing time, and hip function score were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: The operation time of 11 patients was 80 to 150 min, intraoperative blood volume was 150 to 700 ml, fluoroscopy frequency was 2 to 6, postoperative drainage flow was 60 to 195 ml, and the fracture healing time was 2.5 to 6.0 months. Fracture reduction was evaluated according to Matta score:anatomical reduction in 3 cases and satisfactory reduction in 8 cases. Eleven patients were followed up for 7 to 18 months. The hip Merle d'Aubigne function scores were excellent in 6 cases, good in 3 cases, fair in 1 case and poor in 1 case. Incision fat liquefaction occurred in 1 case and obturator nerve traction in 1 case. CONCLUSION The application of 3D printing technology combined with customized bone plates in the treatment of acetabular fracture is effective. In addition, the printed model can provide the operator with the results of the three-dimensional shape of the fracture, which is convenient for surgical reduction and effectively improves the efficiency of surgery.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Acetabulum/surgery* ; Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Adult ; Aged ; Bone Plates ; Fractures, Bone/surgery* ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/methods*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy of moxibustion (Mox) combined with low-dose tadalafil (TAD) in the treatment of diabetes mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction (DMED) with the syndrome of Qi deficiency and blood stasis. METHODS: According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, we selected 90 patients with DMED for this trial and equally randomized them into a Mox, a TAD, and a Mox combined with TAD (Mox+TAD) group to be treated by mild Mox applied to the acupoints Zusanli, Sanyinjiao and Yinlingquan qd alt, oral medication with low-dose TAD at 5 mg per dose qd, and combination of the above two therapies, respectively, all for 4 weeks. We obtained from the patients their IIEF-5 scores, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptoms scores, Erectile Hardness Scale (EHS) scores, corpus cavernosal hemodynamic indexes, and the peak systolic velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocity (EDV) and resistance index (RI) of the corpus cavernosal arteries before and after treatment, and compared them among the three groups. RESULTS: The total effectiveness rate was significantly higher in the Mox+TAD (90.0%) than in the Mox (46.7%) and TAD groups (60.0%) (P< 0.05). Compared with the baseline, the IIEF-5 and EHS scores were increased, while the TCM symptoms scores decreased in all the three groups after treatment, more significantly in the Mox+TAD group than in the other two (P< 0.05). And the PSV and RI were remarkably increased, while the EDV decreased (P< 0.05) in all the three groups (P< 0.05) after treatment, with PSV even higher in the Mox+TAD than in the Mox and TAD groups (P< 0.05). CONCLUSION Moxibustion combined with tadalafil has a definite efficacy and safety for the treatment of DMED, which can effectively improve the erectile function of the patients by increasing penile blood supply, benefiting qi and activating blood circulation.
Humans ; Male ; Tadalafil ; Erectile Dysfunction/etiology* ; Moxibustion ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Adult ; Carbolines/administration & dosage* ; Diabetes Complications/therapy* ; Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Combined Modality Therapy

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill (STDP) in treating stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome by exercise duration and metabolic equivalents. METHODS: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial enrolled stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome from 22 hospitals. They were randomized 1:1 to STDP (35 mg/pill, 6 pills per day) or placebo for 56 days. The primary outcome was the exercise duration and metabolic equivalents (METs) assessed by the standard Bruce exercise treadmill test after 56 days of treatment. The secondary outcomes included the total angina symptom score, Chinese medicine (CM) symptom scores, Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) scores, changes in ST-T on electrocardiogram and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: This trial enrolled 309 patients, including 155 and 154 in the STDP and placebo groups, respectively. STDP significantly prolonged exercise duration with an increase of 51.0 s, compared to a decrease of 12.0 s with placebo (change rate: -11.1% vs. 3.2%, P<0.01). The increase in METs was significantly greater in the STDP group than in the placebo group (change: -0.4 vs. 0.0, change rate: -5.0% vs. 0.0%, P<0.01). The improvement of total angina symptom scores (25.0% vs. 0.0%), CM symptom scores (38.7% vs. 11.8%), reduction of nitroglycerin consumption (100.0% vs. 11.3%), and all domains of SAQ, were significantly greater with STDP than placebo (all P<0.01). The changes in Q-T intervals at 28 and 56 days from baseline were similar between the two groups (both P>0.05). Twenty-five participants (16.3%) with STDP and 16 (10.5%) with placebo experienced AEs (P=0.131), with no serious AEs observed. CONCLUSION STDP could improve exercise tolerance in patients with stable angina and phlegm-heat and blood stasis syndrome, with a favorable safety profile. (Registration No. ChiCTR-IPR-15006020).
Humans ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Angina, Stable/physiopathology* ; Aged ; Syndrome ; Treatment Outcome ; Placebos ; Tablets

Combined with elastic network model (ENM), the perturbation response scanning (PRS) has emerged as a robust technique for pinpointing allosteric interactions within proteins. Here, we proposed the PRS analysis of drug-target networks (DTNs), which could provide a promising avenue in network medicine. We demonstrated the utility of the method by introducing a deep learning and network perturbation-based framework, for drug repurposing of multiple sclerosis (MS). First, the MS comorbidity network was constructed by performing a random walk with restart algorithm based on shared genes between MS and other diseases as seed nodes. Then, based on topological analysis and functional annotation, the neurotransmission module was identified as the "therapeutic module" of MS. Further, perturbation scores of drugs on the module were calculated by constructing the DTN and introducing the PRS analysis, giving a list of repurposable drugs for MS. Mechanism of action analysis both at pathway and structural levels screened dihydroergocristine as a candidate drug of MS by targeting a serotonin receptor of serotonin 2B receptor (HTR2B). Finally, we established a cuprizone-induced chronic mouse model to evaluate the alteration of HTR2B in mouse brain regions and observed that HTR2B was significantly reduced in the cuprizone-induced mouse cortex. These findings proved that the network perturbation modeling is a promising avenue for drug repurposing of MS. As a useful systematic method, our approach can also be used to discover the new molecular mechanism and provide effective candidate drugs for other complex diseases.

OBJECTIVE: To assess health equity in the Yangtze River region to improve understanding of the correlation between hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) and socioeconomic factors. METHODS: From 2014-2016, data on HFMD incidence, population statistics, economic indicators, and meteorology from 26 cities along the Yangtze River were analyzed. A multi-city random-effects meta-analysis was performed to study the relationship between temperature and HFMD transmission, and health equity was assessed with respect to socio-economic impact. RESULTS: Over the study period, 919,458 HFMD cases were reported, with Shanghai (162,303) having the highest incidence and Tongling (5,513) having the lowest. Males were more commonly affected (male-to-female ratio, 1.49:1). The exposure-response relationship had an M-shaped curve, with two HFMD peaks occurring at 4 °C and 26 °C. The relative risk had two peaks at 1.30 °C (1.834, 95% CI: 1.204-2.794) and 31.4 °C (1.143, 95% CI: 0.901-1.451), forming an M shape, with the first peak higher than the second. The most significant impact of temperature on HFMD was observed between -2 °C and 18.1 °C. The concentration index (0.2463) indicated moderate concentration differences, whereas the Theil index (0.0418) showed low inequality in distribution. CONCLUSION The incidence of HFMD varied across cities, particularly with changes in temperature. Economically prosperous areas showed higher risks, indicating disparities. Targeted interventions in these areas are crucial for mitigating the risk of HFMD.
Female ; Humans ; Male ; China/epidemiology* ; Cities/epidemiology* ; Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease/transmission* ; Incidence ; Risk Factors ; Temperature

Background::Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and diameter, stiffness, and wave reflections, are independent and important clinical biomarkers and risk predictors for cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of the present study was to establish nationwide reference values of carotid properties for healthy Chinese adults and to explore potential clinical determinants.Methods::A total of 3053 healthy Han Chinese adults (1922 women) aged 18-79 years were enrolled at 28 collaborating tertiary centers throughout China between April 2021 and July 2022. The real-time tracking of common carotid artery walls was achieved by the radio frequency (RF) ultrasound system. The IMT, diameter, compliance coefficient, β stiffness, local pulse wave velocity (PWV), local systolic blood pressure, augmented pressure (AP), and augmentation index (AIx) were then automatically measured and reported. Data were stratified by age groups and sex. The relationships between age and carotid property parameters were analyzed by Jonckheere-Terpstra test and simple linear regressions. The major clinical determinants of carotid properties were identified by Pearson’s correlation, multiple linear regression, and analyses of covariance.Results::All the parameters of carotid properties demonstrated significantly age-related trajectories. Women showed thinner IMT, smaller carotid diameter, larger AP, and AIx than men. The β stiffness and PWV were significantly higher in men than women before forties, but the differences reversed after that. The increase rate of carotid IMT (5.5 μm/year in women and 5.8 μm/year in men) and diameter (0.03 mm/year in both men and women) were similar between men and women. For the stiffness and wave reflections, women showed significantly larger age-related variations than men as demonstrated by steeper regression slopes (all P for age by sex interaction <0.05). The blood pressures, body mass index (BMI), and triglyceride levels were identified as major clinical determinants of carotid properties with adjustment of age and sex. Conclusions::The age- and sex-specific reference values of carotid properties measured by RF ultrasound for healthy Chinese adults were established. The blood pressures, BMI, and triglyceride levels should be considered for clinical application of corresponding reference values.

Objective:To investigate the concern about pollen broadcasting in Chinese population from multiple dimensions and to understand the information about allergic rhinitis (AR) in China by analyzing related factors.Methods:From March 1 to September 30, 2022, a large-scale multi-center cross-sectional survey was conducted based on the Questionnaire Star platform in 21 Chinese hospitals. A total of 7 056 subjects from 7 regions in China: Northeast, North, East, Central, South, Southwest, and Northwest China were included. Basic characteristics (including social demographic characteristics and disease characteristics of AR patients), concern about pollen broadcasting, the willingness of pollen-induced AR (PiAR) patients to receive pollen broadcasting, and the treatment satisfaction rate of AR patients were collected. The chi-square test, multivariate linear regression model, and Logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the concern about pollen broadcasting in the Chinese population and related factors from multiple dimensions.Results:Among 7 056 subjects, 23.02% were concerned about pollen broadcasting. Among 3 176 self-reported AR and 1 019 PiAR patients, 25.60% and 39.16% were concerned about pollen broadcasting, respectively, which was higher than that of non-AR or non-PiAR subjects ( χ2 value was 21.74 and 175.11, respectively, both P<0.001). Among AR patients, the proportion of spring and autumn allergen-positive patients concerned about pollen broadcasting was higher than that in perennial allergen-positive patients ( χ2 value was 20.90 and 19.51, respectively, both P<0.001). The proportion of AR patients with asthma, sinusitis, allergic conjunctivitis, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases was higher than those without complications ( χ2 value was 50.83, 21.97, 56.78, 7.62, respectively, all P<0.05). The proportion of AR patients in North China who could find pollen broadcasting locally was 31.01%, significantly higher than those in other regions (all P<0.05). Multivariate linear regression model analysis showed that among PiAR patients, those with higher per capita household income and higher AR disease cognition levels had been concerned about pollen broadcasting in the past, and those complicated with allergic conjunctivitis had stronger intention to receive pollen broadcasting (B value was 0.24, 0.13, 0.66, 0.47, respectively, all P<0.05). The higher the disease cognition level of PiAR patients, the stronger their willingness to actively participate in treatment ( R2=0.72, P<0.001). Only 18.89% of AR patients felt satisfied with the treatment effect. Logistic regression analysis showed that in AR patients, the treatment satisfaction rate was significantly higher among those concerned about pollen broadcasting compared to those who were not ( OR=1.83, P<0.001). Conclusions:Currently, the dissemination of pollen broadcasting in China is hindered by various factors such as disease cognition level. The treatment satisfaction among AR patients remains unsatisfactory.