Objective:This study aims to explore the characteristics of body temperature(BT)of the elderly population in China and the relationship with health status.Methods:This is a cross-sectional study.The data were derived from the China Health and Nutrition Study(CHNS)in 2015.A total of 4 176 elderly people over 60 years old were enrolled for analysis(1968 males, and 2208 females). The participants were divided into three groups according to their BT values: hypothermia group(BT<36.5℃), moderate BT group(36.5℃≤BT<37.0℃), and hyperthermia group(37.0℃≤BT<37.5℃). The differences in health status among each group were compared based on the disease conditions(four-week prevalence rate)in the past four weeks.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the relationships between BT and the four-week prevalence rate.Results:Among the elderly population included in the analysis, the average age was 68.4 ± 6.9 years(ranging from 60 to 99 years). The average BT of the elderly was 36.40 ± 0.37℃(males: 36.42 ± 0.37℃; females: 36.38 ± 0.37℃).3 348 study subjects were aged between 60-74 years old, while 828 study subjects were aged between75-99 years old.The older the age, the lower the body temperature.Of the participants, 2 212(53.0%)elderly people belonged to the hypothermia group, 1 656(39.6%)belonged to the moderate BT group, and 308(7.4%)belonged to the hyperthemia group.Among 4 176 elderly people, a total of 1368 had suffered from disease in the past four weeks(31.3%)The four-week prevalence rates of each group were as follows: the hypothermia group(33.1%), the moderate BT group(29.8%); hyperthemia group(26.6%)( χ2=8.403, P=0.015). Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that for every 1℃ increases in BT among the elderly, the four-week prevalence rate decreased by 22%( OR=0.78, 95% CI=0.65-0.94, P=0.01). Conclusions:The BT of the elderly is generally lower than the current standard, and the lower the BT, the higher the four-week prevalence rate.Raising the BT of the elderly may help them improve their physical condition.

Objective: To identify core acupoint patterns and elucidate the molecular mechanisms of acupuncture for primary depressive disorder (PDD) through data mining and network analysis. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Embase, Ovid Technologies (OVID), Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (VIP), Wanfang Data, and SinoMed Database from database foundation to January 31, 2025, for clinical studies on acupuncture treatment of PDD. Descriptive statistics, high-frequency acupoint analysis, degree and betweenness centrality evaluation, and core acupoint prescription mining identified predominant therapeutic combinations for PDD. Network acupuncture was used to predict therapeutic target for the core acupoint prescription. Subsequent protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and molecular complex detection (MCODE) analyses were conducted to identify the key targets and functional modules. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses explored the underlying biological mechanisms of the core acupoint prescription in treating PDD. Results: A total of 57 acupoint prescriptions underwent systematic analysis. The core therapeutic combinations comprised Baihui (GV20), Yintang (GV29), Neiguan (PC6), Hegu (LI4), and Shenmen (HT7). Network acupuncture analysis identified 88 potential therapeutic targets (79 overlapping with PDD), while PPI network analysis revealed central regulatory nodes, including interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), IL-10, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10), mitogen-activated protein kinase 3 (MAPK3), and nitric oxide synthase 1 (NOS1). MCODE-based modular analysis further elucidated three functionally coherent clusters: inflammation-homeostasis (score = 6.571), plasticity-neurotransmission (score = 3.143), and oxidative stress (score = 3.000). GO and KEGG analyses demonstrated significant enrichment of the MAPK, phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt), and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 signaling pathways. These mechanistic insights suggested that the antidepressant effects mediated through mechanisms of neuroinflammatory regulation, neuroplasticity restoration, and immune-oxidative stress homeostasis. Conclusion This study reveals that acupuncture alleviates depression through a multi-level mechanism, primarily involving the neuroinflammation suppression, neuroplasticity enhancement, and oxidative stress regulation. These findings systematically clarify the underlying mechanisms of acupuncture’s antidepressant effects and identify novel therapeutic targets for further mechanistic research.

Objective:This study aims to explore the characteristics of body temperature(BT)of the elderly population in China and the relationship with health status.Methods:This is a cross-sectional study.The data were derived from the China Health and Nutrition Study(CHNS)in 2015.A total of 4 176 elderly people over 60 years old were enrolled for analysis(1968 males, and 2208 females). The participants were divided into three groups according to their BT values: hypothermia group(BT<36.5℃), moderate BT group(36.5℃≤BT<37.0℃), and hyperthermia group(37.0℃≤BT<37.5℃). The differences in health status among each group were compared based on the disease conditions(four-week prevalence rate)in the past four weeks.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the relationships between BT and the four-week prevalence rate.Results:Among the elderly population included in the analysis, the average age was 68.4 ± 6.9 years(ranging from 60 to 99 years). The average BT of the elderly was 36.40 ± 0.37℃(males: 36.42 ± 0.37℃; females: 36.38 ± 0.37℃).3 348 study subjects were aged between 60-74 years old, while 828 study subjects were aged between75-99 years old.The older the age, the lower the body temperature.Of the participants, 2 212(53.0%)elderly people belonged to the hypothermia group, 1 656(39.6%)belonged to the moderate BT group, and 308(7.4%)belonged to the hyperthemia group.Among 4 176 elderly people, a total of 1368 had suffered from disease in the past four weeks(31.3%)The four-week prevalence rates of each group were as follows: the hypothermia group(33.1%), the moderate BT group(29.8%); hyperthemia group(26.6%)( χ2=8.403, P=0.015). Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that for every 1℃ increases in BT among the elderly, the four-week prevalence rate decreased by 22%( OR=0.78, 95% CI=0.65-0.94, P=0.01). Conclusions:The BT of the elderly is generally lower than the current standard, and the lower the BT, the higher the four-week prevalence rate.Raising the BT of the elderly may help them improve their physical condition.