OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture at "four pharyngeal points" on simple vocal tics with liver hyperactivity disturbed wind in children. METHODS: Sixty children with simple vocal tics of liver hyperactivity disturbed wind were randomly divided into an observation group (30 cases, 1 case dropped out) and a control group (30 cases). The control group was given Changma Xifeng tablets orally, 3 times a day, while the observation group was treated with acupuncture at "four pharyngeal points" on the basis of the treatment in the control group, 15-20 min a time, once daily for 7 days, with a 3-day break. Both groups were treated for 3 months. The TCM syndrome score and Yale global tic severity scale (YGTSS) score of the two groups were observed before treatment and after 1, 2, 3 months of treatment, the disappearance time of simple vocal tics was recorded, and the therapeutic efficacy was evaluated after treatment. RESULTS: After 1, 2, 3 months of treatment, the TCM syndrome scores and YGTSS scores of the two groups were decreased compared with those before treatment (P<0.01, P<0.05), and the scores of the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05, P<0.01). The disappearance time of simple vocal tics in the observation group was earlier than that in the control group (P<0.05). The effective rate of the observation group was 93.1% (27/29), which was higher than 73.3% (22/30) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Acupuncture at "four pharyngeal points" could improve symptoms in children with simple vocal tics of liver hyperactivity disturbed wind, and shorten the disappearance time of simple vocal tics.
Humans ; Male ; Acupuncture Points ; Female ; Child ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Child, Preschool ; Liver/drug effects* ; Tics/drug therapy* ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVES: To investigate pharmacologically active components of Yiqi Zishen Formula (YZF) and their mechanisms for alleviating airway inflammation in mice with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry was employed to characterize the chemical components in YZF and YZF-medicated rat serum. A compound-disease target network was constructed based on serum components of YZF to screen the key pathways and targets using enrichment analysis. A mouse model of cigarette smoke-induced COPD was used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of YZF and validate the expression of key proteins in network pharmacology-enriched pathways. Fifty male C57BL/6J mice were randomized equally into control group, COPD model group, high- and low-dose YZF treatment groups, and N-acetylcysteine treatment group. Pulmonary function of the mice was assessed using whole-body plethysmography, and lung histopathology, alveolar structure, and airway remodeling were analyzed using HE staining. The levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF‑α in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were determined with ELISA, and pulmonary expressions of PI3K, Akt, phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt), p65, and phosphorylated p65 (p-p65) were detected using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: We identified a total of 156 chemical components (including 26 flavonoids or flavonoid glycosides, 27 alkaloids, and 11 saponins) in YZF and 43 prototype components in medicated rat serum. Network pharmacology revealed 704 YZF-related targets and 1199 COPD-associated targets. Integrated analysis suggested that the anti-COPD effects of YZF were associated with the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. In mouse models of COPD, YZF treatment significantly increased mean alveolar number and peak expiratory flow (P<0.05), reduced mean linear intercept, bronchial wall thickness, lung coefficient, and BALF cytokine levels, and suppressed the expressions of PI3K, Akt, p-Akt, p65, and p-p65 in the lung tissues. CONCLUSIONS YZF alleviates COPD symptoms and airway inflammation in mice possibly by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/NF‑κB pathway through its multiple components that interact with multiple targets.
Animals ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Male ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Inflammation/drug therapy* ; Rats

The ambiguity of etiology makes temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA) "difficult-to-treat". Emerging evidence underscores the therapeutic promise of exosomes in osteoarthritis management. Nonetheless, challenges such as low yields and insignificant efficacy of current exosome therapies necessitate significant advances. Addressing lower strontium (Sr) levels in arthritic synovial microenvironment, we studied the effect of Sr element on exosomes and miRNA selectively loading in synovial mesenchymal stem cells (SMSCs). Here, we developed an optimized system that boosts the yield of SMSC-derived exosomes (SMSC-EXOs) and improves their miRNA profiles with an elevated proportion of beneficial miRNAs, while reducing harmful ones by pretreating SMSCs with Sr. Compared to untreated SMSC-EXOs, Sr-pretreated SMSC-derived exosomes (Sr-SMSC-EXOs) demonstrated superior therapeutic efficacy by mitigating chondrocyte ferroptosis and reducing osteoclast-mediated joint pain in TMJOA. Our results illustrate Alix's crucial role in Sr-triggered miRNA loading, identifying miR-143-3p as a key anti-TMJOA exosomal component. Interestingly, this system is specifically oriented towards synovium-derived stem cells. The insight into trace element-driven, site-specific miRNA selectively loading in SMSC-EXOs proposes a promising therapeutic enhancement strategy for TMJOA.
MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/drug effects* ; Osteoarthritis/drug therapy* ; Exosomes/drug effects* ; Strontium/pharmacology* ; Synovial Membrane/cytology* ; Humans ; Animals ; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders/therapy* ; Temporomandibular Joint

Objective:To explore the characteristic of dynamic function network connectivity (dFNC) of resting brain networks in internet gaming disorder (IGD) adolescents.Methods:Forty-four adolescent IGD subjects (IGD group, male/female: 38/6) and fifty healthy controls (HC group, male/female: 40/10) were collected, and the subjects completed demographic questionnaires, Young internet addiction scale(YIAS), Chinese adolescents' maladaptive cognitions scale(CAMAS), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) tests. The fMRI data were preprocessed on the Matlab platform, and the preprocessed data was divided into 64 components for group level independent component analysis.The dynamic functional connectivity of obtained 18 effective independent components was analyzed by sliding time window technique, and the difference of dynamic functional connectivity of brain triple network between the IGD group and HC group was compared using SPSS 22.0 software.Results:Four repeated dFNC states were identified through cluster analysis.Each state indicated that different functional networks had different connection strengths.State 3, the most frequent state, had been indicated that the whole brain network of the subject was in a state of weak functional connectivity.The second frequent state was state 1, which indicated enhanced functional connectivity within the subject's central executive network (CEN).State 2 had been indicated enhanced functional connectivity within the subject's salience network (SN).State 4 had been indicated generally enhanced functional connectivity in the subjects' brain networks, and this state was the least frequent.The results of non-parametric permutation test on the time attribute showed that compared with the HC group, the IGD group had a longer time score (IGD group: 0.24±0.19, HC group: 0.13±0.15, t=1.19, P<0.05, non-parametric substitution test) for state 1 with strong connectivity within the CEN, which was positively correlated with the YIAS score and game time ( r=0.418, P=0.003; r=0.515, P=0.004).Compared with HC group, the functional connectivity of ICD group between the internal insula of the SN and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex was enhanced ( P<0.05, FDR corrected), while the average residence time in weakly connected state 3 was longer ( Z=2.09, P<0.05, nonparametric substitution test). Conclusions:The difference in dynamic functional connectivity of the triple network in the brain of IGD adolescents under resting state is mainly manifested by strong connections in CEN, functional connections between insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex in SN is enhanced, and weakening of overall functional connections, which may play an important role in the pathological mechanism of IGD.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the main causes of irreversible vision loss in the elderly worldwide.Its main pathological features are the degeneration of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and the irreversible damage or loss of photoreceptor cells.Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a class of heterogeneous nanovesicles with lipid bilayer membranes, including exosomes, microvesicles and apoptotic bodies, which exert biological effects by transmitting molecules such as RNA and protein.In this review, RPE-derived extracellular vesicles (RPE-EVs) are involved in the regulation of oxidative stress, inflammation, and neovascularization in AMD.RPE-EVs derived Apaf1, HDAC6, miR-494-3p, miR-138-5p, miR-21, miR-543 and miR-302a-3p can be used as candidate molecular targets for the diagnosis and treatment of AMD, but their mechanisms of action have not been elucidated.Due to the unique advantages of high biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, low toxicity, targeting, stability, and specificity of RPE-EVs, it is necessary to further study the role of RPE-EVs in the pathogenesis of AMD, and focus on the role of RPE-EVs in the diagnosis and treatment of AMD, so as to realize the clinical transformation of RPE-EVs, and open up new ways for the diagnosis and treatment of AMD.

Objective:To investigate the correlation of retinal blood vessel density with blood pressure and retinal thickness in the macular region of glaucoma.Methods:A retrospective study. From March 2019 to March 2022, 100 glaucoma patients of 100 eyes (glaucoma group) and 100 healthy people of 100 eyes (control group) diagnosed in Department of Ophthalmology of Luoyang First People's Hospital were included in the study. The patients in the glaucoma group were subdivided into the early, intermediate, and late groups based on the average visual field defect value, which were 38, 32, and 30 cases, respectively. Optical coherence tomography angiography was used to scan the macular area of the examined eyes in a 3 mm × 3 mm area. The software automatically divided the retina within 3 mm of the macular central concavity into 2 concentric circles centered on the macular central concavity, which were the central concave area with a diameter of 1 mm and the paracentral concave area with a diameter of 1-3 mm. The blood flow density and retinal thickness of the superficial retinal capillary plexus in the nasal, temporal, inferior, and superior quadrants of the retina within 3 mm of the macula were measured. Blood pressure was measured at the brachial artery using an electronic sphygmomanometer. Comparisons between two groups were made by independent samples t test, and comparisons between multiple groups were made by one-way analysis of variance. Correlations between retinal blood flow density and blood pressure and retinal thickness were analyzed by Spearman's correlation analysis. Results:The retinal blood vessel density in the central fovea, parafoveal, inferior, and superior macular areas in the glaucoma group were lower than that in the control group, and with the aggravation of the disease, the retinal blood vessel density in the central fovea, parafoveal, inferior and superior macular areas gradually decreased; the retinal thicknesses in the foveal, parafoveal, inferior, and superior macular areas in the glaucoma group were lower than those in the control group, and with the aggravation of the disease, the retinal thicknesses in the foveal, parafoveal, inferior, and superior macular areas gradually decreased, the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were higher in the glaucoma group than in the control group, and they increased gradually as the disease worsened ( P<0.05). Spearman's correlation analyses showed that in glaucoma patients, the density of retinal blood vessels in the macular central plexus, paracentral plexus, and inferior and superior retinas was positively correlated with retinal thickness in the corresponding areas and negatively correlated with blood pressure ( P<0.05). Conclusion:The density of retinal blood vessels in the macular central plexus, paracentral plexus, and inferior and superior retinas are positively correlated with retinal thickness in the corresponding areas and negatively correlated with blood pressure.

Objective:To construct and validate a risk prediction model for major complications 30 days after surgery in the elderly patients with hip fracture.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 276 elderly patients with hip fracture who had been admitted to Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, The Hospital Affiliated to Chengde Medical University from June 2019 to December 2021. There were 96 males and 180 females with an age of (74.5±9.3) years, and 139 femoral neck fractures and 137 intertrochanteric fractures. The outcome of this study was whether major complications occurred within 30 days after surgery. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified the risk factors for major complications in the elderly patients with hip fracture within 30 days after surgery. The forward step-by-step method and likelihood ratio test were used to screen the best prediction model. A nomogram was constructed to display the model. The stability and effectiveness of the model were evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test, clinical decision curve and clinical impact curve analysis.Results:Logistic regression analysis showed that decreased preoperative hemoglobin ( P< 0.05), time from admission to surgery >72 hours ( OR=3.001, 95% CI: 1.564 to 5.758, P<0.001), control of nutritional status (CONUT) score >4 points ( OR=3.394, 95% CI: 1.724 to 6.680, P<0.001), and age-adjusted modified frailty index (aamFI) >2 points ( OR=2.875, 95% CI: 1.548 to 5.339, P= 0.001), increased operation time ( OR=1.016, 95% CI: 1.006 to 1.025, P=0.001), and surgical bleeding >60 mL ( OR=2.373, 95% CI: 1.016 to 5.540, P=0.046) were independent risk factors for major complications within 30 days after surgery in the elderly patients with hip fracture. The area under the ROC curve in the logistic risk prediction model was 0.846 (95% CI: 0.799 to 0.889), and the results of Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test showed ( χ2=8.080, P=0.426). The clinical decision curve and clinical impact curve showed that the prediction model was accurate and effective. Conclusion:Based on the patients' preoperative hemoglobin, time from admission to surgery, control of nutritional status score, age-adjusted modified frailty index, operation time and surgical blood loss, this study has constructed successfully a risk prediction model for complications 30 days after surgery in the elderly patients with hip fracture which enables medical staff to predict the occurrence of major postoperative complications.

Objective: To investigate craniofacial differences in individuals with hypodontia and explore the relationship between craniofacial features and the number of congenitally missing teeth. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 261 Chinese patients (males, 124; females, 137; age, 7–24 years), divided into four groups (without hypodontia: no teeth missing, mild: one or two missing teeth, moderate: three to five missing teeth, severe: six or more missing teeth) according to the number of congenitally missing teeth. Differences in cephalometric measurements among the groups were analyzed. Further, multivariate linear regression and smooth curve fitting were performed to evaluate the relationship between the number of congenitally missing teeth and the cephalometric measurements. Results: In patients with hypodontia, SNA, NA-AP, FH-NA, ANB, Wits, ANS-Me/N-Me, GoGn-SN, UL-EP, and LL-EP significantly decreased, while Pog-NB, AB-NP, N-ANS, and S-Go/N-Me significantly increased. In multivariate linear regression analysis, SNB, Pog-NB, and S-Go/N-Me were positively related to the number of congenitally missing teeth. In contrast, NA-AP, FH-NA, ANB, Wits, N-Me, ANS-Me, ANS-Me/N-Me, GoGn-SN, SGn-FH (Y-axis), UL-EP, and LL-EP were negatively related, with absolute values of regression coefficients ranging from 0.147 to 0.357. Further, NA-AP, Pog-NB, S-Go/N-Me, and GoGn-SN showed the same tendency in both sexes, whereas UL-EP and LL-EP were different. Conclusions Compared with controls, patients with hypodontia tend toward a Class III skeletal relationship, reduced lower anterior face height, flatter mandibular plane, and more retrusive lips. The number of congenitally missing teeth had a greater effect on certain characteristics of craniofacial morphology in males than in females.

Objective:To analyze the influencing factors for depression in primary school children aged 9-10 years in Jiangsu Province, and to construct a risk prediction model.Methods:A retrospective study.A total of 1 162 primary school children aged 9-10 years from 3 primary schools in 3 regions of Jiangsu Province were recruited.Their demographic data were collected, and they were surveyed by the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and the Family Environment Scale (FES). Children were divided into control group (1 059 cases) and depression group (103 cases) based on the depression scores obtained from the DASS-21 scale.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors for depression in primary school students aged 9-10 and construct a risk prediction model. Results:There were significant differences in the economic development region, physical activities, academic performance, student cadres, parents′ education level, frequency of parental quarrels, SDQ and FES dimension scores between control group and depression group (all P<0.05). Among them, economic development areas (Northern Jiangsu and Southern Jiangsu), student cadres, father′s education level (elementary school and below) and intimacy of the FES scale were protective factors for depression in elementary school children; while emotional symptoms, peer problems and the total difficulty score in the SDQ scale, and the conflict in the FES scale were the risk factors for depression in elementary school children.The prediction model was created based on the influencing factors: Logit ( P)=-1.390×economic development area (Northern Jiangsu) -1.508×economic development area (Southern Jiangsu) -1.248×student cadres -2.206×father′s education level (primary school and below) -1.145×father′s education level (junior high school)+ 3.316×emotional symptoms in the SDQ+ 0.979×peer problems in the SDQ+ 2.520×total difficulty score in the SDQ -1.697×cohesion in the FES + 0.760×conflict in the FES -0.678.The area under the curve of receiver operating characteristic was 0.931, with the sensitivity and specificity of 85.42% and 91.83%, respectively. Conclusions:The regional level of economic development, class or school cadres, father′s education level, peer problems, total difficulty score, cohesion and conflict in the family are influencing factors for depression among primary school children aged 9-10 years in Jiangsu Province.The created prediction model can effectively assess the depressive risk factors in this population, which is conductive to achieve the early recognition and intervention of depression in them.

AIM:This study aims to investigate the histopathological and ultrastructural alterations in the lung tissues of rats induced by a single intratracheal administration of bleomycin,with the objective of establishing a reliable model for future applications.METHODS:Six to eight-week-old SD rats were randomly allocated into two groups:the control group and the model group(n=12).Pulmonary fibrosis was induced in the rat models by a single intratracheal in-stillation of bleomycin(3 mg/kg),while an equivalent volume of saline was administered to the control group.The rats were executed on the 42nd day.Twelve rats remained in the control group,while nine rats remained in the model group.Lung tissue imaging was conducted using CT scans.Lung function tests were performed to assess changes in forced vital capacity(FVC)and dynamic lung compliance(Cdyn).Lung stiffness was determined through Young's modulus testing using a rheometer.The pathological structure of lung tissues was examined using both HE and Masson staining methods.Additionally,transmission electron microscopy was employed to evaluate collagen deposition in lung tissues,alveolar type Ⅱ epithelial cells,macrophages,and ultrastructural changes of the respiratory membrane.RESULTS:CT scans revealed honeycomb patterns in the lungs of model rats,along with partial bronchiectasis/bronchiectasis.In comparison to the con-trol group,the model group exhibited significantly lower FVC and Cdyn values,while lung stiffness were increased.HE and Masson staining demonstrated that rats in the model group exhibited alveolar structure destruction,alveolar septum thickening,inflammatory cell infiltration,and collagen deposition in alveolar septum.Transmission electron microscopy revealed several abnormalities in the model group:increased collagen fibers in the alveolar septa,misalignment of micro-villi in alveolar type Ⅱ epithelial cells,wrinkled nuclei with increased heterochromatin,swollen cytoplasmic mitochon-dria,fractured or haphazardly structured mitochondrion cristaes,and a significant decrease in their number(P＜0.05).Furthermore,lamellar bodies were vacuolated and reduced in number(P＜0.05),and dilated endoplasmic reticulums with degranulation were observed.There was an increase in alveolar macrophages and interstitial macrophages(P＜0.01).The respiratory membrane displayed structural disruptions and an increase in thickness(P＜0.01).CONCLUSION:Bleomycin induces decreased lung compliance,alveolar epithelial injury,alveolar septum thickening,collagen deposi-tion,and an increase in interstitial macrophages,ultimately resulting in pulmonary fibrosis in rats.