Objective This study aims to observe the impact of warm moxibustion on menstrual pain in college students with primary dysmenorrhea and explore its potential mechanism.Methods College students with primary dysmenorrhea were recruited and treated with warm moxibustion at Shenque acupoint for three consecutive menstrual cycles.Healthy subjects were also recruited for comparison.Pain scale,uterine artery hemodynamics,and related inflammatory factors were assessed before and after treatment.Results ①The results of scale study showed that the severity and duration of dysmenorrhea were gradually alleviated with the prolongation of treatment time through the analysis of variance of repeated measurements of the total scores of McGill pain inquiry scale and CMSS dysmenorrhea symptom scale before and after 3 treatments.The results of variance analysis and pairwise comparison of repeated measurements of PRI,VAS and PPI of McGill pain inquiry scale before and after 3 times treatment in warm moxibustion group also showed that each index decreased gradually with the prolongation of treatment time.The comparison of the scores of each item of CMSS scale showed that the severity and duration of low back before treatment were significantly different from those in the healthy group(P<0.001),but the difference was weakened after the third treatment.The severity of vomiting,the duration of vomiting,the severity of diarrhea and the duration of diarrhea were significantly different from those in the healthy group before treatment(P<0.001),but they were still higher than those in the healthy group after the third treatment.but the difference was not statistically significant.②Prior to treatment,PD college students exhibited significantly higher S/D and PI values on both sides compared to healthy subjects,with a statistically significant difference observed for PI on the left side(P<0.001).Following treatment,all aforementioned indexes decreased significantly,particularly PI on the left side which showed a significant difference from pre-treatment levels(P<0.001).③Before treatment,the levels of serum IL-1β,TNF-α,and CRP in PD college students were significantly higher compared to those in the healthy group.The difference in IL-1β level was statistically significant(P<0.001).After treatment,there was a noticeable decrease in the levels of IL-1β,TNF-α,and CRP.Specifically,IL-1β showed a significant reduction(P<0.01),and this time the comparison with the healthy group did not reveal any significant difference in IL-1β levels.Conclusion The application of warm moxibustion at the Shenque acupoint demonstrates a significant improvement in both the dysmenorrhea pain rating index and severity among college students with primary dysmenorrhea,while also alleviating the severity and duration of associated symptoms.These positive effects may be attributed to warm moxibustion's ability to enhance uterine microcirculation in individuals with primary dysmenorrhea,and ameliorating inflammatory conditions.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the distribution and drug resistance of pathogens isolated from the ureteral calculi patients with postoperative urinary sepsis(US)and analyze the values of serum human heart-type fatty acid binding protein(H-FABP),soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells(sTREM-1),Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)and high mobility group protein B1(HMGB1)in diagnosis of US.METHODS Totally 230 ureteral calculi patients with postoperative US and 237 ureteral calculi patients without postoperative US who were treated in Kunshan Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine from Jun.2021 to Dec.2023 were en-rolled in the study and were assigned as the US group and the non-US group,respectively.The distribution of pathogens isolated from the ureteral calculi patients with postoperative US and the drug resistance rates of the ma-jor species of pathogens were statistically analyzed.The levels of serum H-FABP,sTREM-1,TLR4 and HMGB1 were compared between the US group and the non-US group.The values of the four indexes in diagnosis of post-operative US in the ureteral calculi patients were analyzed.RESULTS Among the pathogens isolated from the ure-teral calculi patients with postoperative US,gram-negative bacteria accounted for 70.16％,and gram-positive bac-teria accounted for 27.35％.Escherichia coli,Serratia marcescens,Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faeca-lis were the major species of pathogens and were resistant to most of the antibiotics.There were significant differ-ence in the levels of serum H-FABP,sTREM-1,TLR4 and HMGB1 between the US group and the non-US group(P＜0.05),and the index with the greatest difference was H-FABP[(29.83±4.97)ng/ml vs.(23.76±4.62)ng/ml].The area under the curve(AUC)of the joint detection of the four indexes was higher than that of the single detection in diagnosis of postoperative US in the ureteral calculi patients(P＜0.05).CONCLUSIONS There are differences in the drug resistance rates among the major species of pathogens isolated from the ureteral calculi patients with postoperative US.The US may lead to the rise of the levels of serum H-FABP,sTREM-1,TLR4 and HMGB1 of the patients with ureteral calculi.The joint detection of the four indexes can effectively im-prove the diagnosis of postoperative US in the ureteral calculi patients.

Objective This study aims to observe the impact of warm moxibustion on menstrual pain in college students with primary dysmenorrhea and explore its potential mechanism.Methods College students with primary dysmenorrhea were recruited and treated with warm moxibustion at Shenque acupoint for three consecutive menstrual cycles.Healthy subjects were also recruited for comparison.Pain scale,uterine artery hemodynamics,and related inflammatory factors were assessed before and after treatment.Results ①The results of scale study showed that the severity and duration of dysmenorrhea were gradually alleviated with the prolongation of treatment time through the analysis of variance of repeated measurements of the total scores of McGill pain inquiry scale and CMSS dysmenorrhea symptom scale before and after 3 treatments.The results of variance analysis and pairwise comparison of repeated measurements of PRI,VAS and PPI of McGill pain inquiry scale before and after 3 times treatment in warm moxibustion group also showed that each index decreased gradually with the prolongation of treatment time.The comparison of the scores of each item of CMSS scale showed that the severity and duration of low back before treatment were significantly different from those in the healthy group(P<0.001),but the difference was weakened after the third treatment.The severity of vomiting,the duration of vomiting,the severity of diarrhea and the duration of diarrhea were significantly different from those in the healthy group before treatment(P<0.001),but they were still higher than those in the healthy group after the third treatment.but the difference was not statistically significant.②Prior to treatment,PD college students exhibited significantly higher S/D and PI values on both sides compared to healthy subjects,with a statistically significant difference observed for PI on the left side(P<0.001).Following treatment,all aforementioned indexes decreased significantly,particularly PI on the left side which showed a significant difference from pre-treatment levels(P<0.001).③Before treatment,the levels of serum IL-1β,TNF-α,and CRP in PD college students were significantly higher compared to those in the healthy group.The difference in IL-1β level was statistically significant(P<0.001).After treatment,there was a noticeable decrease in the levels of IL-1β,TNF-α,and CRP.Specifically,IL-1β showed a significant reduction(P<0.01),and this time the comparison with the healthy group did not reveal any significant difference in IL-1β levels.Conclusion The application of warm moxibustion at the Shenque acupoint demonstrates a significant improvement in both the dysmenorrhea pain rating index and severity among college students with primary dysmenorrhea,while also alleviating the severity and duration of associated symptoms.These positive effects may be attributed to warm moxibustion's ability to enhance uterine microcirculation in individuals with primary dysmenorrhea,and ameliorating inflammatory conditions.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the distribution and drug resistance of pathogens isolated from the ureteral calculi patients with postoperative urinary sepsis(US)and analyze the values of serum human heart-type fatty acid binding protein(H-FABP),soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells(sTREM-1),Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)and high mobility group protein B1(HMGB1)in diagnosis of US.METHODS Totally 230 ureteral calculi patients with postoperative US and 237 ureteral calculi patients without postoperative US who were treated in Kunshan Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine from Jun.2021 to Dec.2023 were en-rolled in the study and were assigned as the US group and the non-US group,respectively.The distribution of pathogens isolated from the ureteral calculi patients with postoperative US and the drug resistance rates of the ma-jor species of pathogens were statistically analyzed.The levels of serum H-FABP,sTREM-1,TLR4 and HMGB1 were compared between the US group and the non-US group.The values of the four indexes in diagnosis of post-operative US in the ureteral calculi patients were analyzed.RESULTS Among the pathogens isolated from the ure-teral calculi patients with postoperative US,gram-negative bacteria accounted for 70.16％,and gram-positive bac-teria accounted for 27.35％.Escherichia coli,Serratia marcescens,Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faeca-lis were the major species of pathogens and were resistant to most of the antibiotics.There were significant differ-ence in the levels of serum H-FABP,sTREM-1,TLR4 and HMGB1 between the US group and the non-US group(P＜0.05),and the index with the greatest difference was H-FABP[(29.83±4.97)ng/ml vs.(23.76±4.62)ng/ml].The area under the curve(AUC)of the joint detection of the four indexes was higher than that of the single detection in diagnosis of postoperative US in the ureteral calculi patients(P＜0.05).CONCLUSIONS There are differences in the drug resistance rates among the major species of pathogens isolated from the ureteral calculi patients with postoperative US.The US may lead to the rise of the levels of serum H-FABP,sTREM-1,TLR4 and HMGB1 of the patients with ureteral calculi.The joint detection of the four indexes can effectively im-prove the diagnosis of postoperative US in the ureteral calculi patients.

Attributed to the miniaturized body size and active mobility, micro- and nanomotors (MNMs) have demonstrated tremendous potential for medical applications. However, from bench to bedside, massive efforts are needed to address critical issues, such as cost-effective fabrication, on-demand integration of multiple functions, biocompatibility, biodegradability, controlled propulsion and in vivo navigation. Herein, we summarize the advances of biomedical MNMs reported in the past two decades, with particular emphasis on the design, fabrication, propulsion, navigation, and the abilities of biological barriers penetration, biosensing, diagnosis, minimally invasive surgery and targeted cargo delivery. Future perspectives and challenges are discussed as well. This review can lay the foundation for the future direction of medical MNMs, pushing one step forward on the road to achieving practical theranostics using MNMs.

Objective:To investigate the effect of autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) on uric acid (UA)-induced apoptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells.Methods:(1) Totally 24 SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group, treatment with 3-MA group, hyperuricemic nephropathy (HN) group, and HN+3-MA group, with 6 rats in each group. According to the body weight of the rats, adenine (100 mg/kg) and potassium oxonate (1 500 mg/kg) were mixed with distilled water to make a suspension, and the rats were given intragastrically once daily for consecutive 21 days to establish HN rat model. The control group and the 3-MA treatment group were fed an equivalent amount of distilled water. At the same time, the 3-MA treatment group and the HN+3-MA group were intraperitoneally injected with 3-MA (15 mg/kg), and the control group and HN group were intraperitoneally injected with an equal volume of saline once daily for 21 consecutive days. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling assay (TUNEL) was used to observe renal cell apoptosis. Western blotting was used to detect the expression levels of cleaved caspase-3 and Bax, and immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the expression and localization of cleaved caspase-3 in renal tissue. (2) Human renal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2) were stimulated with UA (800 μmol/L), and cells were administrated with different concentrations of 3-MA or Beclin-1 small interfering RNA (siRNA). The apoptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells was detected by Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining.Results:Compared with the normal rats, the apoptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells in the HN group was significantly increased ( P<0.01), and the expression levels of cleaved caspase-3 and Bax were significantly up-regulated (both P<0.05). Compared with the HN group, the apoptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells in the HN+3-MA group was significantly decreased ( P<0.01). In addition, high level of uric acid could significantly increase the levels of apoptosis associated proteins in HK-2 cells (all P<0.05), and using different concentrations of 3-MA or transfecting with Beclin-1 siRNA could significantly reduce the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and Bax (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Autophagy plays an important role in uric acid-induced apoptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells. Inhibiting the excessive activation of autophagy may be a new strategy to prevent the progression of HN.

Objective:To investigate the role and mechanism of (histone deacetylase 6, HDAC6) in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of renal tubular epithelial cells and the activation of renal interstitial fibroblasts.Methods:Human renal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2) and rat renal interstitial fibroblast (NRK-49F) were cultured in vitro, and divided into 4 groups: control group, Tubastatin A (TA) group (treated with 10 μmol/L HDAC6 inhibitor TA for 36 h), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) group (10 ng/ml TGF-β1 for 36 h), and TGF-β1+TA group (treated with 10 ng/ml TGF-β1 and 10 μmol/L TA for 36 h). The expression levels of fibronectin, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen I, E-cadherin, HDAC6, acetyl histone H3, histone H3, acetyl α-tubulin, α-tubulin, TGF-β receptor (TGF-βR) 1, p-Smad3, Smad3, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and p-EGFR in HK-2 and NRK-49F cell samples were detected by Western blotting, and quantitative analysis was performed according to gray level. Results:(1) In HK-2 cells stimulated by TGF-β1, TA decreased the expression of fibronectin, α-SMA, collagen I, and increased the expression of epithelial cell marker E-cadherin. Meanwhile, TA decreased the expression of HDAC6 and increased the expression levels of acetyl histone H3 and acetyl α-tubulin (all P<0.05). (2) Compared with the TGF-β1 group, the expressions of TGF-βR1, p-Smad3, CTGF and p-EGFR in TGF-β1+TA group were decreased (all P<0.05), while the total protein levels of Smad3 and EGFR were not significantly different (both P>0.05). (3) In NRK-49F cells stimulated by TGF-β1, TA decreased the expressions of fibronectin, α-SMA, collagen I, TGF-βR1 and p-Smad3 (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Blockade of HDAC6 by TA may inhibit the EMT of renal tubular epithelial cells and the activation of renal interstitial fibroblasts via regulating multiple signaling pathways including TGF-β/Smad3, CTGF and EGFR.

Objective:To explore a new training mode for nursing professionals suitable for the 1+X certificate system, and realize the training goal of "one specialty and multi-ability" compound technical nursing talents.Methods:To take the "1+ X" certificate standard as the basis for the construction of nursing specialty, to reconstruct the talent training program of integration of graduation certificate and certificate. To take the content of "1+X" certificate as the basis for the construction of professional courses, construct the core curriculum system of integration of curriculum and certificate. To build a "new double-qualified" teaching staff and constructing of new double-qualified teachers and accelerate the development of quality resources.Results:The talent training mode of integration of graduation certificate and certificate under the 1+X certificate system was constructed. The curriculum structure has been optimized. The teachers′ability of teaching, training and examination was improved.Conclusions:The new mode of training nursing professionals under the 1+X certificate system meets 1 degree education and X vocational training of nursing students and achieve a "1" and "X" seamless convergence. It provides innovative ideas for the promotion and implementation of 1+X certificate system pilot work in the field of nursing education nationwide.

Age-associated changes in immune cells have been linked to an increased risk for infection. However, a global and detailed characterization of the changes that human circulating immune cells undergo with age is lacking. Here, we combined scRNA-seq, mass cytometry and scATAC-seq to compare immune cell types in peripheral blood collected from young and old subjects and patients with COVID-19. We found that the immune cell landscape was reprogrammed with age and was characterized by T cell polarization from naive and memory cells to effector, cytotoxic, exhausted and regulatory cells, along with increased late natural killer cells, age-associated B cells, inflammatory monocytes and age-associated dendritic cells. In addition, the expression of genes, which were implicated in coronavirus susceptibility, was upregulated in a cell subtype-specific manner with age. Notably, COVID-19 promoted age-induced immune cell polarization and gene expression related to inflammation and cellular senescence. Therefore, these findings suggest that a dysregulated immune system and increased gene expression associated with SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility may at least partially account for COVID-19 vulnerability in the elderly.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aging ; genetics ; immunology ; Betacoronavirus ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; metabolism ; Cell Lineage ; Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly ; Coronavirus Infections ; immunology ; Cytokine Release Syndrome ; etiology ; immunology ; Cytokines ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Disease Susceptibility ; Flow Cytometry ; methods ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ; Gene Rearrangement ; Humans ; Immune System ; cytology ; growth & development ; immunology ; Immunocompetence ; genetics ; Inflammation ; genetics ; immunology ; Mass Spectrometry ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; immunology ; Sequence Analysis, RNA ; Single-Cell Analysis ; Transcriptome ; Young Adult

Genome reannotation aims for complete and accurate characterization of gene models and thus is of critical significance for in-depth exploration of gene function. Although the availability of massive RNA-seq data provides great opportunities for gene model refinement, few efforts have been made to adopt these precious data in rice genome reannotation. Here we reannotate the rice (Oryza sativa L. ssp. japonica) genome based on integration of large-scale RNA-seq data and release a new annotation system IC4R-2.0. In general, IC4R-2.0 significantly improves the completeness of gene structure, identifies a number of novel genes, and integrates a variety of functional annota-tions. Furthermore, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) are system-atically characterized in the rice genome. Performance evaluation shows that compared to previous annotation systems, IC4R-2.0 achieves higher integrity and quality, primarily attributable to mas-sive RNA-seq data applied in genome annotation. Consequently, we incorporate the improvedannotations into the Information Commons for Rice (IC4R), a database integrating multiple omics data of rice, and accordingly update IC4R by providing more user-friendly web interfaces and implementing a series of practical online tools. Together, the updated IC4R, which is equipped with the improved annotations, bears great promise for comparative and functional genomic studies in rice and other monocotyledonous species. The IC4R-2.0 annotation system and related resources are freely accessible at http://ic4r.org/.