ObjectiveTo examine the influences of Shenfu injection on the endogenous metabolic byproducts in the myocardium of the rat model exhibiting chronic heart failure， thus deciphering the therapeutic mechanism of the Qi-reinforcing and Yang-warming method. MethodsSD rats were randomly allocated into a control group and a modeling group. Chronic heart failure with heart-Yang deficiency syndrome in rats was modeled by multi-point subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol， and the rats were fed for 14 days after modeling. The successfully modeled rats were randomized into model， Shenfu injection （6.0 mL·kg^-1）， and trimetazidine （10 mg·kg^-1） groups and treated with corresponding agents for 15 days. The control group and the model group were injected with equal doses of normal saline， and the samples were collected after the intervention was completed. Cardiac color ultrasound was performed. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe histopathological morphology， and the serum level of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide （NT-proBNP） was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The mitochondrial morphological and structural changes of cardiomyocytes were observed by transmission electron microscopy， and the metabolic profiling was carried out by ultra high performance liquid chromatography-quantitative exactive-mass spectrometry （UHPLC-QE-MS）. Differential metabolites were screened and identified by orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis （OPLS-DA） and other methods， and then the MetaboAnalyst database was used for further screening. The relevant biological pathways were obtained through pathway enrichment analysis. The receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve was established to evaluate the diagnostic value of each potential biomarker for myocardial injury and the evaluation value for drug efficacy. ResultsThe results of color ultrasound showed that Shenfu Injection improved the cardiac function indexes of model rats （P<0.05）. The results of HE staining showed that Shenfu injection effectively alleviated the pathological phenomena such as myocardial tissue structure disorder and inflammatory cell infiltration in model rats. The results of ELISA showed that Shenfu injection effectively regulated the serum NT-proBNP level in the model rats. Transmission electron microscopy （TEM） showed that Shenfu injection effectively restored the mitochondrial morphological structure. The results of metabolomics showed that the metabolic phenotypes of myocardial samples presented markedly differences between groups. Nine differential metabolites could be significantly reversed in the Shenfu injection group， involving three metabolic pathways： pyruvate metabolism， histidine metabolism， and citric acid cycle （TCA cycle）. The results of ROC analysis showed that the area under the curve （AUC） values of all metabolites were between 0.75 and 1.0， indicating that the differential metabolites had high diagnostic accuracy for myocardial injury， and the changes in their expression levels could be used as potential markers for efficacy evaluation. ConclusionShenfu injection significantly alleviated the damage of cardiac function， myocardium， and mitochondrial structure in the rat model of chronic heart failure with heart-Yang deficiency syndrome by ameliorating energy metabolism remodeling. Reinforcing Qi and warming Yang is a key method for treating chronic heart failure with heart-Yang deficiency syndrome.

Perimenopausal women are more susceptible to fire pathogen disturbances,often resulting in the restlessness of the mind owing to the deficiency and decline of the thoroughfare and conception vessels,as well as the insufficiency of the essence and blood of the viscera.CHENG Zhongling's theory of thief and child fire in Medical Insights proposes that thief fire primarily arises from exogenous pathogen invasion and improper diet,leading to syndromes such as food retention in the stomach or phlegm-fire stagnation.In contrast,child fire is generated endogenously,often owing to liver and kidney deficiency,resulting in an imbalance of water and fire and liver dysfunction,leading to excessive fire transformation.This theory provides a novel perspective for understanding the pathogenesis of perimenopausal insomnia.An in-depth exploration of the role of thief fire and child fire in perimenopausal insomnia is presented,along with a detailed discussion of corresponding treatment strategies.For the invasion of thief fire,therapeutic approaches include ascending and dispersing stagnant fire,clearing and moistening to remove interior heat,purging the heat accumulation to unblock the bowels,and subduing the fire and nourishing yin to eliminate depression.When child fire disturbs the spirit,treatment methods involve smoothing and relieving the liver qi to clear the stagnant heat,nourishing the true yin to restrain the yang,warming and nurturing the primordial qi and harmonizing the nutrient and defensive qi,and guiding and reducing the deficient heat to remove the floating fire.Clinical practice necessitates precise identification of thief and child fire,thorough investigation of exogenous pathogens and internal damage,and careful differentiation between deficiency and excess,as well as the superficial and internal aspects.Strict adherence to the treatment principle of"nourishing the child fire can drive out the thief fire,but driving out the thief fire should not harm the child fire"ensures a balanced approach.By harmonizing the yin and yang of the viscera and allowing the mind to be at ease,this strategy effectively alleviates perimenopausal insomnia.The application of these principles provides a practical and feasible theoretical foundation and practical guidance for the treatment of perimenopausal insomnia using traditional Chinese medicine.

Primary liver cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer-related deaths in China,with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)accounting for 75%-85%.Approximately 70%of HCC patients are in the advanced stage at the time of diagnosis and miss the opportunity for radical surgery,leading to a poor prognosis.Yttrium-90 microsphere selective internal radiation therapy(90Y-SIRT),an emerging therapeutic modality,delivers radioactive microspheres via the hepatic artery to target tumors and uses beta radiation for localized tumor ablation.Compared to conventional transarterial chemoembolization and pharmacotherapy,90Y-SIRT shows the advan-tages of significant clinical benefits,good safety profiles,and broad applicability across diverse patient populations.This article re-views the advances in the application of 90Y-SIRT in HCC treatment.

Objective To investigate the current status of acceptance of disability(AOD)among young and middle-aged spinal cord injury patients and analyze the factors influencing it,in order to provide a basis for nursing managers to develop targeted interventions.Methods From February to July 2024,a convenience sample of 330 young and middle-aged spinal cord injury patients who were hospitalized in 3 tertiary-level hospitals in Henan Province was selected.The survey was conducted using a general information questionnaire,the Brief Adaptation to Disability Scale-Revised,Perceived Social Support Scale,Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 item,Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire,Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire.Results A total of 322 patients were included in the final analysis,yielding a valid response rate of 97.58％.The AOD score for young and middle-aged spinal cord injury patients was(25.99±6.68).Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that gender,education level,type of paralysis,injury duration,pain intensity,social support,psychological resilience,disease perception,and coping styles(confrontation and submission)were influencing factors of AOD(P＜0.05).Conclusion AOD among young and middle-aged spinal cord injury patients is at a moderate level.Healthcare professionals should pay particular attention to male patients,those with low literacy,quadriplegia,shorter injury durations,high pain intensity,low social support,weak psychological resilience,strong disease perception,and yielding coping styles.Timely interventions are recommended to enhance AOD,strengthen rehabilitation outcomes,and improve prognosis.

Objective:To explore the effect of vitamin D supplement on chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) through a cohort study and provide evidence for optimizing vitamin D supplement strategies in AS management.Methods:Based on the large-scale prospective cohort of the UK Biobank, a total of 1 497 middle-aged and older patients diagnosed with AS were included. Patients were categorized into three groups according to their baseline vitamin supplements usage: non-vitamin supplement group ( n=978), vitamin D supplement group ( n=65), and other vitamin supplements group ( n=454). The occurrence of CMP was obtained by baseline pain survey and follow-up data from 2019—2020 and 2022—2023. A generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) was used to analyze the association between vitamin D supplement and CMP occurrence, with odds ratio ( OR) and its 95% confidence intervals ( CI) calculated. To verify robustness of the study findings, propensity score matching was employed to match participants in the vitamin D supplementation group with those in the non-vitamin supplement group and the other vitamin supplements group for sensitivity analysis. Results:After adjusting for confounding factors such as demographic characteristics, lifestyle, and co-morbidities, GLMM analysis did not find significant association between vitamin D supplement and the risk of CMP occurrence in AS patients [ OR(95% CI)=0.85(0.48, 1.48), P=0.555]. However, GLMM analysis indicated that male AS patients had a lower likelihood of developing CMP compared to female patients [ OR(95% CI)=0.69(0.56, 0.86), P<0.001]. Additionally, current smoking [ OR(95% CI)=1.46(1.06, 2.03), P=0.022] and poorer overall health status-categorized as general [ OR(95% CI)=2.32(1.85, 2.90)] or poor [ OR(95% CI)=2.31(1.68, 3.18), P<0.001] were associated with an increased risk of CMP occurrence. In the sensitivity analysis, no significant association was observed between vitamin D supplement and CMP. Conclusion:Vitamin D supplement does not reduce the risk of CMP occurrence in middle-aged and old AS patients. However, female, smoking, and poor overall health status are identified as risk factors for CMP in AS patients. Future research should focus on large-scale real-world studies, particularly in younger AS populations, to further investigate the relationship between vitamin D supplement and CMP, thereby providing more targeted intervention strategies.

Objective:To analyze the association of sedentary time and physical activity with the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in non-smoking women aged 40 years and above in Songjiang District, Shanghai.Methods:Based on a natural population-based cohort in Songjiang, a total of 18 707 non-smoking women who were aged 40 years and above and without COPD at baseline survey were enrolled in the study. Cox proportional risk regression model was used to analyze the associations of the duration of sedentary behavior, physical activity with the risk for COPD at baseline survey, and the hazard ratio ( HR) of risk for COPD and its 95% CI were calculated. Stratified analyses were performed based on age, BMI, history of respiratory diseases and so on. Sensitivity analyses were conducted by excluding the cases diagnosed with COPD within one year after the baseline survey. Results:As of March 31, 2024, a total of 691 new COPD cases had been recorded after a median follow-up time of 6.96 years with an incidence density of 53.22 per 10 000 person-years. After adjusting for relevant confounders, in the tertile subgroups of sedentary time, the risk for COPD reduced by 17% in the short sedentary time group compared with the long sedentary time group ( HR=0.83,95% CI:0.70-0.99). Compared with the low physical activity level and long sedentary time group, the risk for COPD reduced by 24% in the high physical activity level and short sedentary time group ( HR=0.76, 95% CI: 0.61-0.95) and by 23% in the low physical activity level and short sedentary time group ( HR=0.77, 95% CI: 0.60-0.97). Compared with the non-physical exercise and long sedentary time group, the risk for COPD reduced by 28% in the non-physical exercise and short sedentary time group ( HR=0.72, 95% CI: 0.60-0.87). These associations remained when the cases diagnosed with COPD within one year of the baseline survey were excluded. Conclusions:Increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary time have beneficial effects to prevent COPD in non-smoking women, and reducing sedentary time alone may also reduce the risk for COPD if increasing physical exercise or other physical activity is not possible.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the effects of exogenous trigger (hCG/GnRHa) versus endogenous LH surge in natural cycle IVF/ICSI (NC-IVF/ICSI) for patients with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 1,118 NC-IVF/ICSI cycles from two reproductive centers between 2013 and 2024. Propensity score matching (PSM) and multivariate logistic regression were used to adjust for confounding factors. The trigger-day hormone threshold was determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Outcome measures included oocyte retrieval rate, 2PN fertilization rate, clinical available embryo rate, high-quality embryo rate, fresh cycle clinical pregnancy rate (CPR), and live birth rate (LBR). RESULTS: After adjusting for confounders via PSM and logistic regression, the exogenous trigger group demonstrated significantly better outcomes across all the evaluated parameters (oocyte retrieval rate, 2PN fertilization rate, transferable embryo rate, high-quality embryo rate, fresh cycle CPR, and LBR) than the endogenous LH surge group (P<0.05). Age-stratified analysis revealed that for the entire cohort, exogenous triggering significantly increased the number of transferable embryos and high-quality embryos (P<0.001). In the 35-39 years old subgroup, exogenous triggering showed significant advantages in oocyte yield, high-quality embryo rate, CPR, and LBR (P<0.05) and resulted in the most pronounced improvement in LBR (OR=6.25, 95% CI: 1.34-29.23). ROC analysis established a decision-day LH threshold of 19.055 mIU/mL (AUC=0.945, specificity=93.3%) for precise stratification of the clinical pathways. CONCLUSIONS For DOR patients undergoing NC-IVF/ICSI, exogenous triggering comprehensively improves the treatment outcomes, particularly providing significant live birth benefits for women aged 35-40 years. An individualized protocol incorporating the LH threshold (19.055 mIU/mL) effectively enhances embryonic developmental potential and live birth rates.
Humans ; Female ; Ovarian Reserve ; Pregnancy ; Propensity Score ; Retrospective Studies ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic ; Chorionic Gonadotropin ; Pregnancy Rate ; Logistic Models ; Ovulation Induction/methods* ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone ; Adult ; Oocyte Retrieval

Astragali Radix (AR), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has demonstrated therapeutic efficacy against various diseases, including cardiovascular conditions, over centuries of use. While doxorubicin serves as an effective chemotherapeutic agent against multiple cancers, its clinical application remains constrained by significant cardiotoxicity. Research has indicated that AR exhibits protective properties against doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy (DIC); however, the specific bioactive components and underlying mechanisms responsible for this therapeutic effect remain incompletely understood. This investigation seeks to identify the protective bioactive components in AR against DIC and elucidate their mechanisms of action. Through network medicine analysis, astragaloside IV (AsIV) and formononetin (FMT) were identified as potential cardioprotective agents from 129 AR components. In vitro experiments using H9c2 rat cardiomyocytes revealed that the AsIV-FMT combination (AFC) effectively reduced doxorubicin-induced cell death in a dose-dependent manner, with optimal efficacy at a 1∶2 ratio. In vivo, AFC enhanced survival rates and improved cardiac function in both acute and chronic DIC mouse models. Additionally, AFC demonstrated cardiac protection while maintaining doxorubicin's anti-cancer efficacy in a breast cancer mouse model. Lipidomic and metabolomics analyses revealed that AFC normalized doxorubicin-induced lipid profile alterations, particularly by reducing fatty acid accumulation. Gene knockdown studies and inhibitor experiments in H9c2 cells demonstrated that AsIV and FMT upregulated peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) and PPARα, respectively, two key proteins involved in fatty acid metabolism. This research establishes AFC as a promising therapeutic approach for DIC, highlighting the significance of multi-target therapies derived from natural herbals in contemporary medicine.
Animals ; Doxorubicin/adverse effects* ; Saponins/administration & dosage* ; Isoflavones/pharmacology* ; Rats ; Cardiomyopathies/prevention & control* ; Mice ; Fatty Acids/metabolism* ; Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism* ; Triterpenes/administration & dosage* ; Male ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Humans ; Cardiotonic Agents/administration & dosage* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Cell Line ; Astragalus Plant/chemistry* ; Astragalus propinquus