ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism by which Tangbikang granules improve diabetic peripheral neuropathy based on ferroptosis mediated by the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase/nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 （AMPK/Nrf2） signaling pathway. MethodsA diabetes model was established using spontaneous male Zucker diabetic fatty （ZDF） rats. After successful modeling， the rats were divided into a normal group， a model group， high-， medium-， and low-dose Tangbikang granules groups， and a metformin hydrochloride group. The high-， medium-， and low-dose Tangbikang granules groups were administered by gavage at doses of 2.5， 1.25， 0.625 g·kg^-1， respectively. The metformin hydrochloride group received 0.135 g·kg^-1 by gavage， while the remaining groups received an equal volume of deionized water. Administration continued for 12 weeks. Blood glucose levels were measured after administration， and at 4， 8， 12 weeks. Following the 12-week intervention， the thermal pain threshold and the sciatic nerve conduction velocity （SNCV） were measured. The levels of malondialdehyde （MDA）， superoxide dismutase （SOD）， and adenosine triphosphate （ATP） in the sciatic nerve were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Morphological changes in the sciatic nerve were observed using hematoxylin and eosin （HE） staining， and the ultrastructural changes were examined using transmission electron microscopy. The levels of glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPx4） were detected using immunofluorescence （IF） assay. The protein expression levels of p-AMPK， Nrf2， GPx4， and acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 （ACSL4） were detected using Western blot. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group had significantly higher blood glucose levels after administration and at weeks 4， 8 and 12 （P<0.01）. The thermal pain threshold was significantly prolonged （P<0.01）， and the SNCV was significantly slowed down （P<0.01）. The SOD and ATP levels significantly decreased （P<0.01）， while the MDA levels significantly increased （P<0.01）. Pathologically， the sciatic nerve fibers in the model group showed a dispersed structure， disordered and sparse arrangement， axonal atrophy， irregular myelin sheath halo， increased and swollen Schwann cell nuclei， obvious endoneurial fibrosis， and collagen hyperplasia. Immunofluorescence assay revealed fragmented red fluorescence and significantly reduced expression of GPx4 （P<0.01）. Western blot analysis showed significantly decreased protein expression levels of p-AMPK， Nrf2， and GPx4 （P<0.01）， and significantly increased expression of ACSL4 （P<0.01） in the model group. Compared with the model group， fasting blood glucose level decreased significantly in the high-dose Tangbikang granules group at weeks 4 and 12 （P<0.05）. The thermal pain threshold was significantly shortened in the high- and medium-dose Tangbikang granules groups （P<0.01）. The SNCV was significantly accelerated in the high- and medium-dose Tangbikang granules groups （P<0.01）. The SOD levels were significantly elevated in the high-dose Tangbikang granules group （P<0.01）. The MDA levels significantly decreased in all Tangbikang granules groups （P<0.01）. Both the metformin hydrochloride group and the high-dose Tangbikang granules group exhibited relatively orderly and densely arranged sciatic nerve fibers with more regular myelin sheath halos. The GPx4 expression significantly increased in both the metformin hydrochloride group and all Tangbikang granules groups （P<0.01）. The protein expression levels of p-AMPK， Nrf2， and GPx4 were significantly increased （P<0.01）， while ACSL4 protein expression significantly decreased （P<0.01）. ConclusionTangbikang granules may improve peripheral neuropathy by suppressing ferroptosis through the regulation of the AMPK/Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Puerariae Lobatae Radix and Puerariae Thomsonii Radix are the dried roots of Pueraria lobata and Pueraria thomsonii of the Leguminosae family， respectively. Since their separate inclusion in the 2005 edition of Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China， the two herbs have been individually recorded. Although they share the same functions and indications， the required content of puerarin differs by a factor of up to eightfold between them. The current quality standard relies solely on a single indicator， puerarin， which fails to reflect the correlation between chemical constituents and core therapeutic effects. This has resulted in prominent issues of mixed use in clinical practice and production， thereby constraining the high-quality development of the industry. Modern research has demonstrated that Puerariae Lobatae Radix contains a comprehensive range and higher content of isoflavonoid constituents， while Puerariae Thomsonii Radix is rich in starch and polysaccharides. Puerariae Lobatae Radix exhibits stronger effects in antipyresis， cardiovascular and cerebrovascular protection， and central analgesia， while Puerariae Thomsonii Radix demonstrates greater advantages in anti-inflammation， hypoglycemia， and peripheral analgesia. Based on this， the chemical material bases of Puerariae Lobatae Radix and Puerariae Thomsonii Radix at both the macromolecule and micromolecule levels were systematically reviewed and compared. The pharmacodynamic material bases and mechanisms of action underlying their three core therapeutic effects， namely "relieving exterior syndrome and clearing heat"， "promoting fluid production to quench thirst"， and "dredging channels and activating collaterals"， were summarized. The most highly correlated common metabolic pathway shared by both herbs for these three therapeutic effects is the arachidonic acid metabolic pathway， and their common core target is prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 （PTGS2）. This review provided clinical application recommendations based on the therapeutic differences between the two herbs， elucidated the scientific connotation of their "same origin but different effects"， and， grounded in the quality marker （Q-Marker）， proposed the concept of efficacy-related Q-Marker based on "substance-efficacy-syndrome" association， as well as a novel strategy for efficacy-oriented quality evaluation. Preliminary screening of quality markers associated with different therapeutic effects was also conducted. This study aims to provide critical scientific evidence for the precise clinical application of Puerariae Lobatae Radix and Puerariae Thomsonii Radix， the improvement of quality standards， and the high-quality development of the industry.

Objective Differentially expressed genes in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) were subjected to bioinformatic and Mendelian randomization analyses to elucidate their prognostic significance in OSCC. Methods The TCGA database and dataset GSE138206 were used to screen the common differential genes of OSCC, and their relationship was analyzed by using Mendelian randomization. The prognostic value of differential genes was further analyzed by Cox risk regression. The biological function of genes with high prognostic value was further evaluated by single gene differential analysis. Results A total of 147 common differential genes were screened from the two databases. Results of two-sample Mendelian randomization showed that GREM2 was associated with the increased risk of OSCC. In addition, SH3BGRL2 was associated with a decreased risk of OSCC, and DKK1, CCL11, and HOXC6 were considered as independent prognostic markers of OSCC. The predicted results of DKK1 were consistent with the actual results. KEGG enrichment analysis indicated the potential involvement of DKK1 in arachidonic acid and linoleic acid metabolism. Furthermore, DKK1 showed positive correlations with Tgd and Th2 cells, while displaying negative associations with PDC, Cytotoxic cells, Mast cells, CD8 T cells, TFH cells, B cells, T cells, and Th17 cells. Conclusion GREM2 is associated with an increased risk of OSCC. DKK1 is highly expressed in OSCC and associated with poor prognosis, which may be involved in regulating the metabolism of arachidonic acid and linoleic acid and immune cell invasion in OSCC.

This study investigated the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of medical ozone on sepsis- associated kidney injury (S-AKI) induced by lipopolysaccharide in mice. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, renal histopathological evaluation, detection of renal function biochemical indicators, immunofluorescence staining, and Western blot analysis, the effects of intraperitoneal injection of ozone on inflammation, coagulation, and renal tissue in mice were systematically detected.The results demonstrated that ozone treatment significantly reduced circulating levels of the specific markers (citrullinated histone H3 and myeloperoxidase-DNA complexes) from neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in S-AKI mice, with a suppression on inflammatory and tissue factor expression in renal tissue. Furthermore, ozone effectively improved microcirculation dysfunction, reduced tubular damage and interstitial inflammatory infiltration, thereby alleviating pathological changes of kidneys of S-AKI mice. Mechanistic studies revealed that ozone enhances phagocytic clearance of tissue factor-rich microparticles (TF-MPs) by activating the 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) / scavenger receptor (SR)-A1 signaling pathway in macrophages. In Sr-a1-/- mice, renoprotective effect of ozone was completely abolished, confirming the critical role of SR-A1 in this mechanism. In summary, this study demonstrates that medical ozone promotes macrophage clearance of TF-NETs complexes through the AMPK/SR-A1 signaling axis, exerting dual protective effects on mice through anti-inflammatory action and microcirculation improvement, which provides novel intervention targets and therapeutic strategies for S-AKI treatment.

Objective:To explore the value of a scoring system based on preoperative abdominal computed tomography (CT) for predicting the difficulty of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 105 patients diagnosed with gallstones or cholecystitis who underwent LC at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2021 and February 2022. Based on surgical video reviews, patients were divided into the easy group ( n=58) and the difficult group ( n=47) according to the intraoperative Parkland Grading Scale (PGS), with PGS grades 1-2 assigned to the easy group, and PGS grades 3-5 assigned to the difficult group. The normally distributed measurement data were expressed as mean±standard deviation ( ± s), and compared using independent samples t-test; the non-normally distributed measurement data were expressed as median (interquartile range) [ M ( Q1, Q3)], and compared using the rank-sum test. The count data were expressed as the number of cases and percentage, and compared using the Chi-square test or Fisher exact probability method. Univariate analysis and cut-off value determination: for continuous CT variables, univariate Logistic regression and stepwise regression analyses (with surgical difficulty grouping as the dependent variable) were performed to identify the optimal combination of predictive variables and establish a scoring system. For each significantly associated continuous variable or important CT image feature from a clinical perspective, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate its predictive performance for difficult surgery. The area under the curve (AUC) was calculated, and the optimal cut-off value was determined using the Youden index to maximize the sum of sensitivity and specificity. The categorical CT image features were scored according to their original groups. The Kappa consistency test was used to assess the strength of agreement between the preoperative abdominal CT score (grouped by the optimal cut-off) and PGS grades (easy/difficult). Decision curve analysis (DCA) was employed to validate the predictive performance of the model. Results:Stepwise Logistic regression identified seven key imaging features as the optimal predictive variables for constructing the preoperative abdominal CT scoring system: maximum gallbladder cross-sectional diameter, maximum gallbladder cross-sectional width, gallbladder wall thickness, common bile duct diameter, pericholecystic fat stranding, periductal fat stranding, and impacted cystic duct stones. Each case was scored after assigning scores based on the optimal cut-off values. The total score of the preoperative abdominal CT scoring system was ≥3 points predicted difficult LC with an AUC of 0.745 (95% CI: 0.650-0.839), sensitivity of 66.0%, and specificity of 75.9%. DCA confirmed the model′s reliable predictive performance, and the preoperative abdominal CT scoring system showed good agreement with PGS grades ( Kappa value was 0.420, P<0.001). Conclusions:The preoperative abdominal CT scoring system based on pericholecystic imaging features can effectively predict the difficulty of LC with good discriminative ability. It provides a quantitative tool for preoperative assessment, surgical scheduling, and ambulatory surgery management.

Objective:To investigate the effects and mechanism of Jianpi Yangzheng Xiaozheng Prescription in lung pre-metastatic niche formation of gastric cancer by regulating the content of programmed death receptor ligand 1 (PD-L1) in gastric cancer exosomes.Methods:Totally 30 615 mice were divided into normal group, model group, Jianpi Yangzheng Xiaozheng Prescription low- and high-dosage groups, and exosome inhibitor group according to random number table method, with 6 mice in each group. The mouse model of lung pre-metastatic niche formation of gastric cancer was established by tail vein injection of MFC cells. After 12 days of administration, the lung metastasis under the intervention of Jianpi Yangzheng Xiaozheng Prescription was evaluated by observing the infiltration of tumor into lung tissue, weighing lung weight and hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining of lung tissue. Mouse serum exosomes were extracted by ExoQuick kit and identified by transmission electron microscopy and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). The content of PD-L1 in serum exosomes and the expression levels of serum transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Immunofluorescence was used to detect the phenotype of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) and tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) and the expression of PD-L1 in MDSC and TAM.Results:Compared with the model group, after the intervention of Jianpi Yangzheng Xiaozheng Prescription, the lung metastases of mice were reduced ( P<0.05), and the weight of metastatic tumors decreased ( P<0.05). PD-L1 in serum exosomes and the proportion of MDSC and M2 TAM in lung tissue microenvironment decreased, as well as the expression of PD-L1 on MDSC and TAM decreased ( P<0.05). The serum levels of IL-10 and IL-6 significantly decreased ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Jianpi Yangzheng Xiaozheng Prescription can reduce the proportion of MDSC and M2 TAM and the expression level of PD-L1 in the microenvironment of lung tissue before metastasis by inhibiting the transmission of gastric cancer exosome PD-L1 to MDSC and TAM, and reduce the contents of inflammatory factorsIL-10 and IL-6, so as to play a role in improving the microenvironment before lung metastasis of gastric cancer.

Objective To explore the clinical efficacy of superselective arterial embolization in children with Parkes-Weber syndrome(PWS),and the prevention and treatment of postoperative complications.Methods Nine patients with PWS diagnosed by clinical and imaging examinations were selected.Under general anesthesia,the catheter was cannulated to all levels of branch arteries and lesion sites using the Seldinger technique.Absorbent gelatin sponge particle(or lipiodol)was selected according to the angiographic situation,and then target vessel embolization was performed.Patients with venous malformations were treated with local sclerotherapy at the same time.The patients were followed up for 1 month,3 months,6 months and 1 year after the operation to observe the clinical efficacy and complication.Results All 9 patients were successfully treated with interventional therapy.Arteriography showed that micro arteriovenous fistula existed at the distal end of multiple branch arteries,and the arteriovenous fistula had been closed after embolization.Review after 1 month of interventional therapy,the color spot of the affected limb became lighter,the temperature decreased,the leg circumference decreased,and the pain was relieved of all 9 cases.Three patients had skin deep color 2-3 days after the operation,so they were given hirudoid local smear,3 times/day,local warm water wet compress,raised limb position,local massage and other methods,and the local skin color gradually recovered after 1 week;On the 15th day after the operation,2 patients suffered from ischemic necrosis at the embolic site,skin color deepened,and tenderness.They were locally disinfected with hirudoid,aurantium peptide,normal saline,and iodophor.The skin broke and scabbed more than 1 month after the operation,the skin ulcer improved and new granulation tissue grew up 1.5 months after the operation;One case had no obvious reduction of the lesion 1 month after the operation,so the second intervention was performed.Conclusion Superselective arterial embolization is effective in the treatment of PWS in children,but the prevention of complications should be paid attention to and complications should be timely treated.

Objective:A systematic evaluation of the real experiences and needs of carers of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), provide a reference point for developing individualized support strategies.Methods:Computerized searches were conducted for qualitative studies on the experience of caregivers of children with ADHD in Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, PsycINFO, Cinahl, Cochrane Library, China Knowledge Network (CKN), Wipro database, Wanfang database, and China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM). The search timeframe was from the construction of the database to July 2024, and the quality of the included literature was evaluated according to the JBI Center for Evidence-Based Health Care Quality Assessment Criteria for Qualitative Research, and the results were integrated using Meta-integration methods.Results:The final inclusion of 15 papers distilled 64 themes into 10 categories, resulting in 3 integrative outcomes: caregiving experiences affect carers in many ways; carers face multiple challenges in coping with illness; positively commissioned and benefited from growth with multiple sources of support.Conclusions:Healthcare professionals should increase the importance and support of carers of children with ADHD, develop specialised guidance strategies to reduce the burden of care, and reinforce positive emotions to assist with positive coping.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between individual arsenic exposure and hypertension of Tibetan residents in Nyingchi City, Tibet Autonomous Region (referred to as Tibet).Methods:From June to August 2023, Tibetan residents aged 18 to 78 years who had resided in Bomi County and Chayu County of Nyingchi City, Tibet for at least 10 years were selected as the study subjects by cluster sampling. Questionnaire survey, physical examination, and biochemical index testing were conducted on the study subjects. Meanwhile, hair samples were collected to determine the arsenic content. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of hypertension.Results:A total of 447 Tibetan residents were included, with a hair arsenic content of (1.24 ± 0.02) mg/kg, including 155 hypertensive patients (34.68%). There were statistically significant differences in age, blood oxygen saturation, neck circumference, waist hip ratio, hemoglobin, hair arsenic, blood glucose, uric acid, and smoking status between the hypertension and normal blood pressure groups ( P < 0.05). The results of binary logistic regression analysis showed that age ( OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.03 - 1.07), uric acid ( OR = 1.00, 95% CI: 1.00 - 1.01), hair arsenic ( OR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.07 - 2.84), and smoking ( OR = 2.22, 95% CI: 1.05 - 4.69) were risk factors for hypertension. Conclusion:The hair arsenic content is a risk factor for hypertension of Tibetan residents in Nyingchi City, Tibet.

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