OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of acupuncture therapy on dysphagia in patients with Parkinson's disease. METHODS: This randomized controlled study lasted 42 days and included 112 patients with Parkinson's disease and dysphagia. Participants were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups (56 cases each group) using the completely randomized design, all under routine treatment. The experimental group was given acupuncture therapy. The primary outcome was Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS). The secondary outcomes were (1) Standardized Swallowing Assessment (SSA), and (2) nutritional status including body mass index (BMI), serum albumin, prealbumin, and hemoglobin. Adverse events were recorded as safety indicators. RESULTS: One participant quitted the study midway. There were no significant differences in baseline assessment (P>0.05). After treatment, both groups showed significant improvement in PAS, SSA and nutritional status except for BMI of the control group. There were significant differences between the two groups in the PAS for both paste and liquid, SSA (25.18±8.25 vs. 20.84±6.92), BMI (19.97±3.34 kg/m²vs. 21.26 ±2.38 kg/m²), serum albumin (35.16 ±5.29 g/L vs. 37.24 ±3.98 g/L), prealbumin (248.33 ±27.72 mg/L vs. 261.39 ±22.10 mg/L), hemoglobin (119.09±12.53 g/L vs. 126.67±13.97 g/L) (P<0.05). There were no severe adverse events during the study. CONCLUSION: The combination of routine treatment and acupuncture therapy can better improve dysphagia and nutritional status in patients with Parkinson's disease, than routine treatment solely. (registration No. CLINICALTRIAL gov NCT06199323).
Humans ; Parkinson Disease/therapy* ; Deglutition Disorders/physiopathology* ; Acupuncture Therapy/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Nutritional Status ; Body Mass Index

Cemental tear is a rare and indetectable condition unless obvious clinical signs present with the involvement of surrounding periodontal and periapical tissues. Due to its clinical manifestations similar to common dental issues, such as vertical root fracture, primary endodontic diseases, and periodontal diseases, as well as the low awareness of cemental tear for clinicians, misdiagnosis often occurs. The critical principle for cemental tear treatment is to remove torn fragments, and overlooking fragments leads to futile therapy, which could deteriorate the conditions of the affected teeth. Therefore, accurate diagnosis and subsequent appropriate interventions are vital for managing cemental tear. Novel diagnostic tools, including cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), microscopes, and enamel matrix derivatives, have improved early detection and management, enhancing tooth retention. The implementation of standardized diagnostic criteria and treatment protocols, combined with improved clinical awareness among dental professionals, serves to mitigate risks of diagnostic errors and suboptimal therapeutic interventions. This expert consensus reviewed the epidemiology, pathogenesis, potential predisposing factors, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of cemental tear, aiming to provide a clinical guideline and facilitate clinicians to have a better understanding of cemental tear.
Humans ; Dental Cementum/injuries* ; Consensus ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Tooth Fractures/therapy*

AIM To explore the effects of Dahuang Lingxian Recipe on Th1/Th2 cell immune imbalance in a rat model of cholestatic liver fibrosis(CLF).METHODS 20 SD rats were randomly divided into the normal group,the model group,the ursodeoxycholic acid group(0.063 g/kg)and the Dahuang Lingxian Recipe group(4.8 g/kg),with 5 rats in each group.Except for those of the normal group,the rats of all other groups had open surgery of common bile duct ligation,followed by the gavage of corresponding drug two days later,and the procurement of the samples after gavage in the third week.The rats had their degree of liver fibrosis observed by HE and Masson stainings;their levels of serum total bile acid(TBA),alkaline phosphatase(AKP),γ-glutamyltransferase(γ-GT),alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST)and total bilirubin(TBil)measured by the kit;their hepatic percentage of TGF-β1,p-Smad2 and p-Smad3 positive cells detected by immunofluorescence and immunohistochemical staining;their.hepatic expressions of TGF-β1,Smad4,NF-κB p65,Collagen Ⅰ and Collagen Ⅲ protein and mRNA detected by Western blot and RT-qPCR;their levels of helper T cell 1(Th1)and helper T cell 2(Th2)in peripheral blood detected by flow cytometry,and their ratio of Th1/Th2 calculated as well.RESULTS Compared with the model group,the groups intervened with either ursodeoxycholic acid or Dahuang Lingxian Recipe displayed well-ordered liver cells,hepatic lobules and hepatic cords;a small amount of fatty degeneration;significantly reduced connective hyperplasia of hepatic fibers;significantly narrowed fibrous cords;a small amount of blue fibrous septa;greatly improved pathological injuries including inflammatory infiltration of central vein and portal area;decreased levels of serum TBA,TBil,AKP,γ-GT,ALT and AST(P＜0.05);decreased hepatic expressions of TGF-β1,p-Smad2 and p-Smad3(P＜0.05);decreased hepatic expressions of TGF-β1,Smad4,NF-κB p65,Collagen Ⅰ and Collagen Ⅲ protein and mRNA(P＜0.05);and increased counts of Th1 cells in peripheral blood,decreased counts of Th2 cells,resultsing increased Th1/Th2 ratio(P＜0.05).And an even better effect was observed in the Dahuang Lingxian Recipe group.CONCLUSION Dahuang Lingxian Recipe can reduce or reverse CLF by inhibiting hepatic stellate cell activation through maintaining Th1/Th2 cell immune balance via the NF-κB/TGF-β1 signaling pathway.

With the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence(GAI)technologies,their widespread application in academic research and writing is continuously expanding the boundaries of sci-entific inquiry.However,this trend has also raised a series of ethical and regulatory challenges,inclu-ding issues related to authorship,content authenticity,citation accuracy,and accountability.In light of the growing involvement of AI in generating academic content,establishing an open,controllable,and trustworthy ethical governance framework has become a key task for safeguarding research integrity and maintaining trust within the academic community.This expert consensus outlines ethical requirements across key stages of AI-assisted academic writing-including topic selection,data management,citation practices,and authorship attribution.It aims to clarify the boundaries and ethical obligations surrounding AI use in academic writing,ensuring that technological tools enhance efficiency without compromising in-tegrity.The goal is to provide guidance and institutional support for building a responsible and sustainable research ecosystem.

Recently, male reproductive health has attracted extensive attention, with the adverse effects of circadian disruption on male fertility gradually gaining recognition. However, the mechanism by which circadian disruption leads to damage to male reproductive system remains unclear. In this review, we first summarized the dual regulatory roles of circadian clock genes on the male reproductive system: (1) circadian regulation of testosterone synthesis via the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular (HPT) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axes; (2) non-circadian regulation of spermatogenesis. Next, we further listed the possible mechanisms by which circadian disruption impairs male fertility, including interference with the oscillatory function of the reproductive system, i.e., synchronization of the HPT axis, crosstalk between the HPT axis and the HPA axis, as well as direct damage to germ cells by disturbing the non-oscillatory function of the reproductive system. Future research using spatiotemporal omics, epigenomic assays, and neural circuit mapping in studying the male reproductive system may provide new clues to systematically unravel the mechanisms by which circadian disruption affects male reproductive system through circadian clock genes.
Male ; Humans ; Animals ; Circadian Clocks/physiology* ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System/physiology* ; Circadian Rhythm/genetics* ; Spermatogenesis/physiology* ; Pituitary-Adrenal System/physiology* ; Testis/physiology* ; Testosterone/biosynthesis* ; CLOCK Proteins ; Infertility, Male/physiopathology*

The chemical constituents of the petroleum ether extract derived from the 90% ethanol extract of Elephantopus scaber were investigated. By silica gel column chromatography, C_(18), MCI column chromatography and semi-preparative high performance liquid chromatography, ten compounds were isolated. Their structures were identified as 3β-hydroxy-6β,7β-epoxytaraxeran-14-ene(1), 3β-hydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid(2), D-friedoolean-14-ene-3β,7α-diol(3), 3β-hydroxy-11α-methoxyolean-12-ene(4), 3β-hydroxyolean-11,13(18)-diene(5), 11α-hydroxy-β-amyrin(6), betulinic acid(7), 3β-hydroxy-30-norlupan-20-one(8), 6-acetonylchelerythrine(9), and 4',5'-dehydrodiodictyonema A(10) by analysis of the 1D NMR, 2D NMR, MS, and IR spectral data. Among them, compound 1 was a new triterpene and other compounds except compounds 2 and 7 were isolated from this plant for the first time.
Triterpenes/isolation & purification* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification* ; Molecular Structure ; Asteraceae/chemistry* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Objective To investigate the relationship between the expression of platelet autophagy related factors and peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer.Methods The data of 360 patients with gastric cancer who underwent surgery in Hunan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2021 to May 2023 were reviewed.Patients were divided into non-peritoneal metastasis group(n=322)and peritoneal metastasis group(n=38)according to whether peritoneal metastasis occurred or not.The following information was collected:patient's personal information(i.e.age,sex,body mass index)and tumor characteristics(i.e.location,size,pathological type,histopathological differentiation,lymphatic infiltration).Platelets were collected from all subjects,and the levels of autophagy-associated protein 7(ATG7),benzalkonium chloride 1(BECN1),microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3(LC3)and sequestosome 1(p62)were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Results Among the 360 patients included,peritoneal metastasis was detected in 38 cases.Compared with the non-peritoneal metastasis group,the peritoneal metastasis group exhibited decreased BMI(P<0.05),while the tumor size,non-ulcerative tumor,number of lymph node metastasis,infiltration depth,number of cases of lymphatic invasion,platelet count,platelet LC3-Ⅱ level,platelet ATG7 level and CEA level were increased(P<0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that BMI(OR=1.094),lymphatic invasion(OR=2.658),and LC3-Ⅱ(OR=3.793)and ATG7(OR=2.010)were independent influencing factors for peritoneal metastasis in patients with gastric cancer(P<0.05).LC3-Ⅱ>2.59ng/ml had the highest ability to predict peritoneal metastasis in patients with gastric cancer(AUC=0.932),followed by ATG7(AUC=0.916).Conclusions Elevated levels of platelet LC3-Ⅱ and ATG7 are independently related to peritoneal metastasis in patients with gastric cancer,and can be used to predict the occurrence of peritoneal metastasis,which is helpful to guide individualized treatment.

Objective To investigate the genetic differences among different populations based on 13 autosomal STR loci in CODIS core.Methods Data of 13 autosomal STR loci(CSF1PO,FGA,THO1,TPOX,vWA,D3S1358,D5S818,D7S820,D8S1179,D13S317,D16S539,D18S51,D21S11)were collected from 95 populations in scientific journals between 1999 and 2021,soursed from the PubMed database,which had been published.Allele frequencies of loci were sorted out and forensic genetic parameters including gene differentiation coefficient(Gst),total heterozygosity(Ht),subpopula-tion heterozygosity(Hs)values,and Nei's DA genetic distance were calculated.Principal component analysis,phylogenetic tree,and multidimensional scale analysis were conducted to assess population ge-netic structure.Results A total of 265 alleles were detected at the 13 STR loci in these 95 popula-tions.The mean values of Gst,Ht,and Hs were 0.023 247,0.797 915 and 0.779 365.Population genetic analyses reflected significant differences among populations from Asia,Africa and Europe.In Asian populations,there was a certain degree of distinction between mainland and island populations;the Han population showed a certain degree of distinction with surrounding populations in mainland;while within the Han population,there were two distinct clusters formed by the northern Han and the south-ern Han.Conclusion The 13 autosomal STR loci in CODIS core demonstrate potential value for popu-lation identification across different groups,and may be used for the differentiation of ethnic groups,among different continental populations.

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of dexmedetomidine(Dex)pretreated pericytes(Dex-PCs)on acute lung injury(ALI)in septic mice.Methods Mouse model of sepsis-ALI was established with intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)at a dose of 10 mg/kg.A total of 96 C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into sham operation(Sham)group,ALI group,PC treatment group and Dex-PCs treatment group.The mice of the PCs and Dex-PCs groups received a tail venous injection of 5×105 PC cells,respectively,whereas those of the Sham and ALI groups received equal volume of normal saline.Flow cytometry,immunofluorescence assay,whole-body volume tracing system and ELISA were used to observe the changes in the colonization of PCs,pulmonary vascular permeability,lung function,serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels,as well as the survival rate and survival time of mice at 72 h after LPS stimulation.After PCs and Dex-PCs were exposed to 10 μg/mL LPS,the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species(ROS)was measured.Results Compared with the Sham group,the ALI group had increased permeability of pulmonary vascular endothelial cells,extensive extravasation of Evans blue,severely destructed of lung tissue structure and massive inflammatory cell infiltration,higher lung wet/dry weight ratio,elevated serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels,and declined lung function,and no mice survived for 72 h after modeling(P＜0.05).Both PC cell treatment effectively alleviated the pulmonary vascular endothelial leakage,reduced Evans blue content per unit tissue,improved lung pathological structure,lung function and inflammatory responses,and significantly improved the survival rates in the PC group and the Dex-PC group(P＜0.05).What's more,the therapeutic effect of Dex-PC cells was significantly better than that of the PC cells(P＜0.05).LPS stimulation induced ROS accumulation greatly in PCs,but no such effect was observed in the PCs after Dex pretreatment(P＜0.05).Conclusion Dex pretreatment significantly enhances PCs'protective effect on pulmonary vascular endothelial barrier functions in septic mice,which may be due to its enhancing anti-oxidative capacity of PCs.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of two different approaches:direct anterior approach(DAA)and posterolateral approach(PLA)in total hip arthroplasty(THA).Methods:This study adopted a retrospective cohort study design,included to analyse 128 cases of THA patients who were received in our hospital from January 2021 to January 2024.Patients were divided into PLA group(n=61)and DAA group(n=67)according to different approach methods.Perioperative indicators,Harris hip joint function score,anteversion and abduction angles of acetabular prosthesis and incidence of complications were compared between the two groups.Results:Compared with PLA group,DAA group had longer surgical time,less intraoperative blood loss,shorter surgical incision length and shorter postoperative hospital stay(P＜0.05).Compared with the PLA group at 1 month(T2)to 6 months(T4)after surgery,DAA group had higher Harris hip joint function score(P＜0.05).Conclusion:Compared with PLA,DDA is used in THA,although the surgery time is longer,it can achieve a similar recovery effect in anteversion and abduction angles,which helps to shorten the surgical incision length and postoperative hospital stay,reduce intraoperative blood loss and achieve better hip joint function recovery.