OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential mechanism by which electroacupuncture (EA) induces macrophage polarization to promote muscle satellite cell proliferation and differentiation, accelerating the repair of acute skeletal muscle injury. METHODS: Forty-two SPF-grade SD rats were randomly divided into three groups: a blank group (n=6), a model group (n=18), and an EA group (n=18). The model and EA groups established acute blunt contusion model of the right gastrocnemius muscle using a self-made striking device. From day 1 after modeling, rats in the EA group received EA at "Chengshan" (BL57) and "Yanglingquan" (GB34) on the right side, using disperse-dense wave with a frequency of 2 Hz/100 Hz and a current of approximately 2 mA. The EA treatment was administered once daily for 30 minutes for 3, 7, or 14 days based on the designated sampling time points. Gait analysis was performed using the Cat Walk XT^TM system. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to observe the morphological changes in the gastrocnemius muscle. Masson staining was applied to evaluate collagen fiber content. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in muscle satellite cells. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess the expression levels of CD68 and CD206, markers of macrophages. Serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β) and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10, IL-13) were detected using ELISA. RESULTS: Compared with the blank group, the model group showed a significant reduction in average movement speed on days 3 and 7 after modeling (P<0.05), and a decrease in the right hind limb stride length on day 3 (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the EA group showed increased average movement speed and right hind limb stride length on day 7 (P<0.05). In the blank group, the gastrocnemius muscle on the right side showed uniform and consistent inter-fiber spacing, with neatly and regularly arranged muscle cells. In contrast, the model group exhibited enlarged inter-fiber spacing, edema, and significant infiltration of red blood cells and inflammatory cells, with progressively increasing fibrosis over time. By day 14 after modeling, the EA group showed a return to baseline levels of inflammatory cell infiltration, and the degree of fibrosis was significantly lower than that observed in the model group. Compared with the blank group, the ratio of collagen fibers in the gastrocnemius muscle of the model group increased significantly on days 3, 7, and 14 after modeling (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the EA group exhibited a lower collagen fiber ratio on days 3, 7, and 14 (P<0.05). Compared with the blank group, PCNA positive expression in the gastrocnemius muscle of the model group was significantly increased on days 3, 7, and 14 after modeling (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the EA group exhibited significantly higher PCNA positive expression on days 3 and 7 (P<0.05). Compared with the blank group, the model group showed a significant increase in CD68-positive macrophage expression in the gastrocnemius muscle on day 3 after modeling (P<0.05), while CD206-positive macrophage expression increased on days 3, 7, and 14 (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, CD68 expression was significantly lower in the EA group on day 3 (P<0.05), whereas CD206 expression was significantly higher on days 3 and 7 (P<0.05), peaking on day 7 with CD206 expression. Compared with the blank group, serum TNF-α levels were significantly elevated in the model group on days 3 and 7 after modeling (P<0.05), while serum IL-1β levels were increased on days 3, 7, and 14 (P<0.05). Serum IL-10 and IL-13 levels were significantly higher on day 7 after modeling (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the EA group exhibited lower serum TNF-α level on day 3 (P<0.05) and reduced serum IL-1β levels on days 3 and 7 (P<0.05), while serum IL-10 and IL-13 levels were significantly increased on day 7 (P<0.05). CONCLUSION EA could promote the repair of acute blunt contusion-induced gastrocnemius muscle injury by regulating the proliferation and differentiation of muscle satellite cells. This process is closely related to macrophage polarization.
Animals ; Electroacupuncture ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Macrophages/immunology* ; Muscle, Skeletal/immunology* ; Male ; Humans ; Female ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/immunology* ; Cell Proliferation

Objective To assess the clinical utility of single-molecule real-time technology(SMRT)in identifying triplicated α-globin genes and compound variant alleles.Methods A total of 36 samples with tripli-cated α-globin genes were collected.Among them,28 samples were confirmed by PCR flow-through hybridiza-tion and 8 samples were confirmed by Next Generation Sequencing(NGS).These 36 samples included tripli-cated α-globin genes compound variants with cis or trans arrangements unknown,such as αααanti4 2 compoundαcsα(2 cases),αααanti4.2 compound-α3.7(10 cases),and HKαα/--SEA pending confirmation(2 cases),SMRT technology was employed to detect thalassemia gene variants.Additionally,a pedigree with the genotype ofαααanti4.2 compound-α3.7 variant was recruited,including the proband(Ⅱ-1),its father(Ⅰ-1),and mother(Ⅰ-2).PCR flow-through hybridization and SMRT were employed to detect thalassemia gene variants.Results SMRT detected 35 out of 36 samples with triplicated α-globin genes,and 1 sample with quadrupllcated α-globin genes(ααααanti4.2).Among the 2 αααanti4 2 compound αCSα variant samples,both αααanti42 and αCSα were arranged in trans,with a genotype of αααanti4.2/αCSα.Among the 10 αααanti4.2 compound-α3.7 variant samples,9 samples hadαααanti4.2 and-α3.7 in a cis arrangement,with a genotype of HKαα/αα,and 1 sample had αααannti4.2 and-α3.7 in a trans arrangement,with a genotype of αααanti4.2/-α3.7.Compared with PCR flow-through hybridization,SMRT detected one case of a large segment deletion in the β-globin gene and two unknown variants,which led to an increase in the positive detection rate of approximately 10.71％(3/28).The pedigree analysis showed that the proband(Ⅱ-1)inherited αααanti4.2 and-α3.7 variants from his mother(Ⅰ-2),with a genotype of HKαα/αα,con-sistent with the SMRT detection results.Conclusion SMRT can accurately detect triplicated or quadrupllcat-ed α-globin genes,and compound variant alleles.It offers high accuracy,enables one-step identification of cis or trans arrangements,and provides comprehensive coverage of thalassemia gene variations,demonstrating its significant clinical value.

Objective To preliminarily analyze the genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase(G6PD)in blood donors and recipients in Dongguan region,as well as the impact of these characteristics on the efficacy of blood transfusion therapy.Methods A total of 351 pairs of blood sam-ples from donors and recipients were collected from the Tenth Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical Uni-versity/Dongguan People's Hospital between May and November in 2023.These samples were tested for G6PD genotype,G6PD enzyme activity,erythrocyte osmotic fragility,and blood routine parameters.Addition-ally,hemoglobin levels before and after blood transfusion were collected from recipients for statistical analy-sis.Results The carrier rates of G6PD mutant genes among donors and recipients in Dongguan region were 6.84％and 5.83％,respectively.Six mutation sites were identified,with c.1388G＞A,c.1376G＞T,and c.95A＞G accounting for 84.09％of all mutations.A negative correlation was observed between G6PD activi-ty and blood storage duration in wild-type donors.The G6PD activity significantly decreased when blood from healthy donors was transfused into recipients through standard procedures.Recipients carrying c.1388G＞A,c.1376G＞T,c.95A＞G,c.871G＞A,c.1024C＞T mutation sites showed no statistically significant difference in hemoglobin increment after receiving blood from donors carrying c.1388G＞A,c.1376G＞T,c.95A＞G,c.871G＞A,c.1376G＞T/c.1360C＞T,or c.1388G＞A/c.95A＞G mutation sites.In the internal medicine re-strictive transfusion group,recipients who received blood with enzyme activity≥1300 U/L demonstrated a significantly greater increase in hemoglobin levels compared to those transfused with blood with enzyme activ-ity＜1 300 U/L(P=0.042).Conclusion The carrier rates of G6PD mutant genes among donors and recipi-ents in Dongguan region are both above 5.00％,indicating a relatively high carriage rate.The three primary mutation sites,c.1388G＞A,c.1376G＞T,and c.95A＞G,account for over 80.00％of all mutations.No ad-verse effects on treatment efficacy are observed in recipients carrying G6PD mutant genes after receiving blood from donors with G6PD mutant genes.However,in restrictive transfusion practices within internal medicine,recipients receiving blood with low G6PD enzyme activity demonstrate a reduced hemoglobin increase per unit compared to those receiving blood with normal G6PD enzyme activity.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is rare in children and adolescents, but the prognosis is relatively good. More and more studies focus on the growth and development, as well as the quality of life of patients after treatment. Certain progress has been made in the research of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in children and adolescents, covering multiple aspects such as etiology, clinical characteristics, treatment regimens and prognosis. The factors causing nasopharyngeal carcinoma include viral infection, genetic susceptibility and environmental factors, etc. The main treatment methods are radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy and surgery. In addition, traditional Chinese medicine has also shown its unique efficacy and potential in the adjuvant therapy of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, providing more treatment options for patients. Further exploration of the factors influencing the occurrence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in children and adolescents, and analysis of the effects and applications of different treatment methods, can provide new perspectives and references for future research.

Objective:To explore the funding status and research hotspots of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) for projects in the field of TCM for the prevention and treatment of heart failure.Methods:The research projects of TCM in the prevention and treatment of heart failure funded were retrieved from NSFC Big Data Knowledge Management Service Platform from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2023. Excel 2022 software was used to analyze the data of the number of funded projects, the amount of funding, the supporting units and the regions. VOSviewer 1.6.20 software was used to analyze the co-occurrence of keywords with frequency≥3.Results:A total of 202 research projects were funded with a total funding amount of 89.8 million RMB, and the number and amount of projects showed a fluctuating upward trend. The funding categories were mainly general programs and youth science foundation projects. There were 42 supporting units involved, and TCM universities and colleges were the main recipients of funding. Regional distribution was uneven, mainly in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong and other regions. There were 17 secondary discipline codes involved, and the discipline categories were concentrated in Internal Medicine of TCM (H3108), Clinical Basis of Integrative Medicine (H3302) and Cardiovascular Pharmacology of Chinese Medicine (H3209). Therapeutic modalities covered compounding, monomers, proprietary Chinese medicines, and drug pairs, and research hotspots included aspects of myocardial energy metabolism remodeling, mitochondrial autophagy, macrophage polarization, endoplasmic reticulum stress, calcium homeostasis, ferroptosis, exosomes, micro-RNAs, and so on.Conclusion:NSFC has provided strong support to the research in the field of TCM for heart failure. In the future, the supporting units should pay attention to the interdisciplinary integration and development to promote the vigorous development of TCM.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of inducing macrophage polarization induced by acupoint effect of electroacupuncture to promote the repair of acute skeletal muscle injury.Methods 45 SD rats were randomly divided into blank group,model group,electroacupuncture group(EA group),sodium chrominate group (DSCG group) and electroacupuncture+sodium chrominate group (hereinafter referred to as EA+DSCG group),with 9 rats in each group. The rats in the EA group and the EA+DSCG group were subjected to EA intervention at the right "Chengshan" (BL57) and "Yanglingquan"(GB34),with a frequency of 2 Hz/100 Hz. The gait changes of rats were recorded by animal gait analyzer. The morphological changes of the right gastrocnemius were observed by HE staining. The changes of mast cell aggregation and degranulation in local skin muscles of "chengshan" point were observed by toluidine blue staining. The expressions of Pax7,MyoD and skin mast cells and 5-HT in the right gastrocnemius were detected by immunofluorescence method. The positive expressions of CD68 and CD206 in right gastrocnemius macrophage was observed by immunohistochemical staining.Results Compared with blank group,the wiggle time of the right hind leg in model group and DSCG group increased,stride length decreased,HE staining showed inflammatory cell infiltration,myocyte enlargement,degeneration and necrosis. The degranulation rate of local skin mast cells in "Chengshan" (BL57) area increased,and the expressions of mast cell tryptase,5-HT,Pax7,MyoD,CD68 and CD206 increased (P<0.05). Compared with model group,the wiggle time of the right hind leg in EA group and EA+DSCG group decreased,stride length increased,HE staining showed that inflammatory cell infiltration was reduced,muscle cells were uniform in size and arranged neatly. Mast cell degranulation rate increased significantly in EA group,and the expressions of mast cell tryptase,5-HT,Pax7,MyoD and CD206 increased (P<0.05),while CD68 expression decreased (P<0.05). Compared with EA+DSCG group,the degranulation rate of mast cells and the expressions of mast cell tryptase,5-HT,Pax7,MyoD and CD206 increased (P<0.05),while CD68 expression decreased in EA group (P<0.05). Conclusion EA "Chengshan" (BL57) and "Yanglingquan" (GB34) can stimulate acupuncture points to locally induce mast cell degranulation,promote the polarization of macrophages,and then activate muscle satellite cells to play the regulatory process of repairing skeletal muscle injury.

Objective:To establish and validate reference intervals of serum vitamin K for healthy children in China.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2020 to May 2023, involving 807 healthy children aged 0 to 14 years, selected by stratified random sampling based on the population distribution of children in eastern, central, western, and northeastern China. Sample collection was carried out in 16 hospitals across 12 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities. Basic information of the children was collected using a standardized self-design questionnaire. Serum levels of vitamin K 1 and vitamin K 2 (menaquinone-4 (MK-4), menaquinone-7 (MK-7)) were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The reference intervals was established by direct approach. The children were divided into different groups by age. Inter-group comparisons were conducted using the Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test, and the reference intervals ( P2.5- P97.5) were determined using non-parametric methods. Screening 40 healthy children for small sample validation based on age groups within the reference range(25 from eastern, 10 from central, and 5 from western regions). Results:The age of the 807 children was 5.00 (2.00, 9.81) years, and 495 (61.3%) were males and 312 (38.7%) females. Reference intervals were established for 795 children, of whom 303 children were aged 1 month to 3 years and 492 were aged 4 to 14 years. The reference intervals for serum vitamin K 1 were 0.09-4.54 μg/L for children aged 1 month to 3 years, and 0.10-1.73 μg/L for 4-14 years. For MK-7, the intervals were 0.07-1.42 μg/L for 1 month to 3 years and 0.19-2.03 μg/L for 4-14 years. The reference intervals for MK-4 in children aged 1 month to 14 years were 0-0.42 μg/L. The measured values of serum vitamin K 1, MK-4, and MK-7 in the validation samples did not exceed the reference limit in more than 2 samples. Conclusion:Reference intervals for vitamin K 1, MK-4, and MK-7 in healthy children aged 1 month to 14 years have been established and validated, and can be used to assess vitamin K nutritional status in children.

Objective To investigate the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profiles of the common pathogens isolated from urine from 2015 to 2021 in the CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program.Methods The bacterial strains were isolated from urine and identified routinely in 51 hospitals across China in the CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program from 2015 to 2021.Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by Kirby-Bauer method,automatic microbiological analysis system and E-test according to the unified protocol.Results A total of 261 893 nonduplicate strains were isolated from urine specimen from 2015 to 2021,of which gram-positive bacteria accounted for 23.8％(62 219/261 893),and gram-negative bacteria 76.2％(199 674/261 893).The most common species were E.coli(46.7％),E.faecium(10.4％),K.pneumoniae(9.8％),E.faecalis(8.7％),P.mirabilis(3.5％),P.aeruginosa(3.4％),SS.agalactiae(2.6％),and E.cloacae(2.1％).The strains were more frequently isolated from inpatients versus outpatients and emergency patients,from females versus males,and from adults versus children.The prevalence of ESBLs-producing strains in E.coli,K.pneumoniae and P.mirabilis was 53.2％,52.8％and 37.0％,respectively.The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant strains in E.coli,K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa and A.baumannii was 1.7％,18.5％,16.4％,and 40.3％,respectively.Lower than 10％of the E.faecalis isolates were resistant to ampicillin,nitrofurantoin,linezolid,vancomycin,teicoplanin and fosfomycin.More than 90％of the E.faecium isolates were ressitant to ampicillin,levofloxacin and erythromycin.The percentage of strains resistant to vancomycin,linezolid or teicoplanin was＜2％.The E.coli,K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa and A.baumannii strains isolated from ICU inpatients showed significantly higher resistance rates than the corresponding strains isolated from outpatients and non-ICU inpatients.Conclusions E.coli,Enterococcus and K.pneumoniae are the most common pathogens in urinary tract infection.The bacterial species and antimicrobial resistance of urinary isolates vary with different populations.More attention should be paid to antimicrobial resistance surveillance and reduce the irrational use of antimicrobial agents.

Objective To understand the distribution and changing resistance profiles of clinical isolates of Enterococcus in hospitals across China from 2015 to 2021.Methods Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted for the clinical isolates of Enterococcus according to the unified protocol of CHINET program by automated systems,Kirby-Bauer method,or E-test strip.The results were interpreted according to the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)breakpoints in 2021.WHONET 5.6 software was used for statistical analysis.Results A total of 124 565 strains of Enterococcus were isolated during the 7-year period,mainly including Enterococcus faecalis(50.7％)and Enterococcus faecalis(41.5％).The strains were mainly isolated from urinary tract specimens(46.9％±2.6％),and primarily from the patients in the department of internal medicine,surgery and ICU.E.faecium and E.faecalis strains showed low level resistance rate to vancomycin,teicoplanin and linezolid(≤3.6％).The prevalence of vancomycin-resistant E.faecalis and E.faecium was 0.1％and 1.3％,respectively.The prevalence of linezolid-resistant E.faecalis increased from 0.7％in 2015 to 3.4％in 2021,while the prevalence of linezolid-resistant E.faecium was 0.3％.Conclusions The clinical isolates of Enterococcus were still highly susceptible to vancomycin,teicoplanin,and linezolid,evidenced by a low resistance rate.However,the prevalence of linezolid-resistant E.faecalis was increasing during the 7-year period.It is necessary to strengthen antimicrobial resistance surveillance to effectively identify the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and curb the spread of resistant pathogens.

Objective To examine the changing antimicrobial resistance profile of Enterobacter spp.isolates in 53 hospitals across China from 2015 t0 2021.Methods The clinical isolates of Enterobacter spp.were collected from 53 hospitals across China during 2015-2021 and tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using Kirby-Bauer method or automated testing systems according to the CHINET unified protocol.The results were interpreted according to the breakpoints issued by the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)in 2021(M100 31st edition)and analyzed with WHONET 5.6 software.Results A total of 37 966 Enterobacter strains were isolated from 2015 to 2021.The proportion of Enterobacter isolates among all clinical isolates showed a fluctuating trend over the 7-year period,overall 2.5％in all clinical isolates amd 5.7％in Enterobacterale strains.The most frequently isolated Enterobacter species was Enterobacter cloacae,accounting for 93.7％(35 571/37 966).The strains were mainly isolated from respiratory specimens(44.4±4.6)％,followed by secretions/pus(16.4±2.3)％and urine(16.0±0.9)％.The strains from respiratory samples decreased slightly,while those from sterile body fluids increased over the 7-year period.The Enterobacter strains were mainly isolated from inpatients(92.9％),and only(7.1±0.8)％of the strains were isolated from outpatients and emergency patients.The patients in surgical wards contributed the highest number of isolates(24.4±2.9)％compared to the inpatients in any other departement.Overall,≤ 7.9％of the E.cloacae strains were resistant to amikacin,tigecycline,polymyxin B,imipenem or meropenem,while ≤5.6％of the Enterobacter asburiae strains were resistant to these antimicrobial agents.E.asburiae showed higher resistance rate to polymyxin B than E.cloacae(19.7％vs 3.9％).Overall,≤8.1％of the Enterobacter gergoviae strains were resistant to tigecycline,amikacin,meropenem,or imipenem,while 10.5％of these strains were resistant to polycolistin B.The overall prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacter was 10.0％over the 7-year period,but showing an upward trend.The resistance profiles of Enterobacter isolates varied with the department from which they were isolated and whether the patient is an adult or a child.The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant E.cloacae was the highest in the E.cloacae isolates from ICU patients.Conclusions The results of the CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program indicate that the proportion of Enterobacter strains in all clinical isolates fluctuates slightly over the 7-year period from 2015 to 2021.The Enterobacter strains showed increasing resistance to multiple antimicrobial drugs,especially carbapenems over the 7-year period.