The ethnic medicine for external use is an important dosage form in the external treatment methods of ethnic medicine.China has made significant progress in related research and applications.However,the regulations and guidelines for clinical research on external medicine are limited,and the related technologies and quality standards are not yet well-established in China.This article summarized the specific issues during the implementation of clinical research on ethnic medicine of external use:the research design failing to reflect the value and unique characteristics of these medicine;the big difficulty in the recruitment of participants,leading to delays in progress;inconsistent implementation of interventions;and the quality of research data needing to be improved,etc.Combining the authors'experience in project implementation management,this article proposed solutions to improve research quality and progress,including incorporating experts from various fields including ethnic medicine and research centers;refining participant recruitment strategies;analyzing factors affecting progress and optimizing the implementation process;and strengthening overall management and establishing a competitive enrollment mechanism.The article also shared a case study of the Tibetan medicine Qingpeng Ointment for the treatment of acute gouty arthritis,aiming to provide a reference for the clinical research on ethnic medicine of external use.

Body weight abnormalities, including overweight, obesity, and underweight, have become a dual public health challenge in Chinese adults: overweight and obesity lead to a variety of chronic complications, while underweight increases the risks of malnutrition, sarcopenia, and organ dysfunction. To systematically address these issues, multidisciplinary experts in endocrinology, sports science, nutrition, and psychiatry from various regions have held multiple weight management seminars. Based on the latest epidemiological data and clinical evidence, they expanded the guideline to include assessment and intervention strategies for underweight, in addition to the core content of obesity management. This guideline outlines the etiological mechanisms, evaluation methods, and multidimensional management strategies for overweight and obesity, covering key areas such as diagnosis and assessment, medical nutrition therapy, exercise prescription, pharmacological intervention, and psychological support. It is intended to provide a scientific and standardized approach to weight management across the adult population, aiming to curb the rising prevalence of obesity, mitigate complications associated with abnormal body weight, and improve nutritional status and overall quality of life.

Objective:To examine the role of intestinal macrophages and the mechanism by which they produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) in abdominal pain induced by food antigens in mice with visceral hypersensitivity.Methods:Mouse models of visceral hypersensitivity were established by subjecting animals to acute cold restraint stress (ACRS) or acetic acid enema (AAE). Visceral sensitivity was evaluated using food antigen ovalbumin (OVA)-induced responses and rectal reflex measurements following ROS scavenging. The activity of intestinal macrophages was assessed using flow cytometry. In vitro enzyme immunoassays and in vivo imaging techniques were employed to quantify ROS levels. Furthermore, the influence of OVA on ROS levels following intestinal macrophage depletion was investigated. Cell culture experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of OVA on intestinal macrophage function and ROS production.Results:The two visceral hypersensitivity mouse models exhibited a significantly lower pain threshold compared to the control group. OVA-induced visceral hypersensitivity mice demonstrated enhanced visceral motor responses (VMRs), with an increase in abdominal ROS levels (ACRS vs. control: 62.00±7.68 vs. 19.80±2.39, P<0.001; AAE vs. control: 461.80±17.25 vs. 19.80±2.39, P<0.001). When ROS were cleared from the abdominal cavity of mice, VMRs were restored to normal levels (AAE vs. AAE+ROS: 83.50±8.72 vs. 71.66±2.67, P=0.010). In this mouse model, intestinal macrophages could be classified into CD45 Med and CD45 High subtypes based on the level of CD45 expression. In the AAE group, the expression of CD45 Med macrophages in the intestinal tract decreased (AAE vs. control: 0.121±0.026 vs. 0.194±0.021, P=0.007), whereas the expression of CD45 High macrophages increased (AAE vs. control: 0.249±0.087 vs. 0.018±0.003, P=0.027). Compared with the control group, the expression of CD11b in both types of macrophages increased significantly (CD45 Med vs. control: 39 547.00±4 422.59 vs. 4 055.67±506.05, P<0.05; CD45 High vs. control: 18 960.00±1 197.84 vs. 3 147.50±286.38, P=0.008), while the expression of F4/80 decreased (CD45 Med vs. control: 6 141.67±750.06 vs. 10 544.33±974.92, P=0.008; CD45 High vs. control: 1 291.50±119.50 vs. 4 007.50±327.39, P<0.001). These findings suggest that the activity of intestinal macrophages in visceral hypersensitivity mice is altered following OVA induction. By injecting different populations of macrophages into the peritoneal cavity of mice, it was found that compared to the AAE group, the injection of CD45 High macrophages significantly increased the VMR in mice (AAE vs. AAE CD45 High: 83.50±8.72 vs. 114.38±7.15, P<0.001), and aggravated the severity of diarrhea significantly. In vitro experiments revealed that food antigens could directly induce ROS production in macrophages. Compared with the control group, both the ACRS and AAE groups of mice exhibited significant diarrhea symptoms. In contrast, the severity of diarrhea in the Macrophages exhaust+ACRS and Macrophages exhaust+AAE groups was substantially reduced, with a significantly shortened recovery period. Additionally, compared with the AAE group, the degree of diarrhea in the AAE+ROSS group was alleviated. Conclusions:Food antigens may act on intestinal macrophages, inducing abdominal pain and diarrhea in visceral hypersensitive mice via the ROS pathway. CD45 High macrophages may play a pivotal role in this process.

Objective To identify the enhancer profile marked by histone H3K27ac modification in high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia(HGIN)in order to reveal the novel regulatory mechanism of HGIN pathogensis.Methods Gastric tissue samples were collected from Department of Gastroenterology of Army Medical Center of PLA between June 2022 and June 2023,including 14 normal gastric tissues(Nor group),31 HGIN tissues(HGIN group)and 17 gastric cancer tissues(GC group).Cleavage under targets and tagmentation(CUT&Tag)technique was employed to capture enhancer regions modified by histone H3K27ac.Multi-omics analysis was performed to identify HGIN-specific active enhancers and their potentially regulated genes.Immunohistochemical profiling was performed to assess differential expression of the gene of interest across clinically stratified specimens,combined with CRISPR-dCas9-mediated ablation of active enhancers to monitor the gene of interest transcriptional dynamics and validate enhancer-mediated regulatory mechanisms.Results Epigenomic sequencing obtained the data with excellent quality,and indicated that obvious remodeling was observed in H3K27ac enhancers in HGIN and GC groups(P<0.05),though no significant difference in the genome-wide distribution of H3K27ac modification among the 3 groups.Combining transcriptome data revealed that enhancer remodeling may up-regulate the expression of the proliferation-related target gene,CD24,in the HGIN tissue;while,inhibiting enhancer activity can notably reduce CD24 expression level(P<0.05).Immunohistochemical assay displayed a positive correlation between the expression levels of CD24 and Ki-67(P<0.001).Conclusion The remodeling of H3K27ac enhancer represents a significant epigenetic feature of the transformation from normal condition to HGIN.Remodeling of H3K27ac enhancer up-regulates CD24,which may facilitate the abnormal proliferation of gastric epithelial cells.

ObjectiveTo investigate the possible mechanism by which Zhiqiao Gancao Decoction （枳壳甘草汤， ZGD） delays intervertebral disc degeneration （IDD） based on the Hippo-yes-associated protein （YAP）/transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif （TAZ） signaling pathway. MethodsA total of 50 SD rats were randomly divided into sham surgery group， model group， low-dose ZGD group， high-dose ZGD group， and high-dose ZGD + inhibitor group， with 10 rats in each group. In the sham surgery group， the rats were pierced in the skin and muscle at the Co6/7/8 segments of the tail with a 21G needle （depth approximately 2 mm） without damaging the intervertebral disc. In the other groups， rats were injected with a 21G needle at the Co6/7/8 segments of the tail to establish an IDD model by piercing the tail intervertebral disc 5 mm. One week after modeling， rats in the low-dose and high-dose ZGD groups were given 6.24 and 12.24 g/（kg·d） of the decoction via gastric gavage， respectively. The high-dose ZGD + inhibitor group was given 12.24 g/（kg·d） of the decoction and an intraperitoneal injection of YAP/TAZ inhibitor Verteporfin 10 mg/kg. The sham surgery and model groups were given 5 ml/（kg·d） of normal saline via gavage. The gavage was given once a day， and the intraperitoneal injection was given every other day. After 4 weeks of continuous intervention， the pathological changes of the tail intervertebral discs were observed using HE staining， Oil Red O-Green staining， and Toluidine Blue staining. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of aggrecan and MMP3 in the nucleus pulposus. TUNEL fluorescence staining was performed to detect apoptosis in the nucleus pulposus， and the apoptosis rate was calculated. Western blot was used to detect the Hippo-YAP/TAZ signaling pathway， including YAP， phosphorylated YAP （p-YAP）， phosphorylated MST1/2 （p-MST1/2）， phosphorylated TAZ （p-TAZ） and apoptosis-related proteins， such as Cleaved Caspase 3， P53， Bcl-2 and Bax. ResultsCompared with sham surgery group， the rats in the model group showed significant degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc. The levels of aggrecan， Bcl-2， and YAP proteins in the nucleus pulposus decreased， while the levels of p-MST1/2， p-YAP， p-TAZ， P53， Bax， Cleaved Caspase 3， MMP3 proteins， and the apoptosis rate increased （P < 0.01）. Compared with the model group， the drug intervention groups showed partial recovery in intervertebral disc degeneration. The levels of aggrecan， Bcl-2， and YAP proteins increased， while the levels of p-MST1/2， p-YAP， p-TAZ， P53， Bax， Cleaved Caspase 3， MMP3 proteins， and the apoptosis rate decreased （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. The high-dose ZGD group showed more significant recovery in intervertebral disc degeneration compared to the low-dose ZGD group， with a decrease in the levels of p-MST1/2， p-YAP， p-TAZ， P53， Bax， Cleaved Caspase 3， MMP3 proteins， and apoptosis rate， and an increase in the levels of aggrecan， Bcl-2， and YAP proteins （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with the high-dose ZGD group， the high-dose ZGD + inhibitor group showed a reduced recovery in intervertebral disc degeneration， with an increase in the levels of p-MST1/2， p-YAP， p-TAZ， P53， Bax， Cleaved Caspase 3， MMP3 proteins， and apoptosis rate， and a decrease in the levels of aggrecan， Bcl-2， and YAP proteins （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. ConclusionZGD may delay intervertebral disc degeneration by inhibiting the phosphorylation of YAP in the nucleus pulposus， maintaining the function of the Hippo-YAP/TAZ signaling pathway， and reducing apoptosis of nucleus pulposus cells.

Objective:To investigate the effects of percutaneous nerve electrical stimulation (TENS) combined with exercise therapy on lower limb microcirculation, lower limb muscle strength, and motor function in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA).Methods:Sixty patients with KOA who received treatment at Zhejiang Rongjun Hospital from January 2022 to December 2023 were included in this study. The patients were randomly divided into a control group ( n = 30) and an observation group ( n = 30) using the random number table method. The control group received exercise therapy, while the observation group received TENS and exercise therapy. Both groups were treated for 2 weeks. The efficacy was compared between the two groups. Additionally, pain levels, lower limb microcirculation, lower limb muscle strength, and motor function were compared between the two groups both before and after treatment. Results:The total effective rate in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group [93.33% (28/30) vs. 73.33% (22/30), χ2 = 4.32, P < 0.05]. After treatment, Visual Analog Scale score and microcirculatory blood perfusion volume in the observation group were (2.03 ± 0.41) and (7.98 ± 1.24) mL/min, respectively, both of which were significantly lower than those in the control group [(3.78 ± 0.59), (9.23 ± 1.36) mL/min, t = 13.34, 3.72, both P < 0.05]. The proportion of patients achieving Lovett grades of 4-5 in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group [83.33% (25/30) vs. 60.00% (18/30), Z = 1.99, P < 0.05]. After treatment, the Hospital for Special Surgery knee score in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group [(78.98 ± 5.65) vs. (67.87 ± 6.26), t = 7.21, P < 0.05]. Conclusions:TENS combined with exercise therapy has a good efficacy in the treatment of KOA. The combined therapy can improve lower limb microcirculation, lower limb muscle strength, and motor function.

Objective:To investigate the effects of percutaneous nerve electrical stimulation (TENS) combined with exercise therapy on lower limb microcirculation, lower limb muscle strength, and motor function in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA).Methods:Sixty patients with KOA who received treatment at Zhejiang Rongjun Hospital from January 2022 to December 2023 were included in this study. The patients were randomly divided into a control group ( n = 30) and an observation group ( n = 30) using the random number table method. The control group received exercise therapy, while the observation group received TENS and exercise therapy. Both groups were treated for 2 weeks. The efficacy was compared between the two groups. Additionally, pain levels, lower limb microcirculation, lower limb muscle strength, and motor function were compared between the two groups both before and after treatment. Results:The total effective rate in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group [93.33% (28/30) vs. 73.33% (22/30), χ2 = 4.32, P < 0.05]. After treatment, Visual Analog Scale score and microcirculatory blood perfusion volume in the observation group were (2.03 ± 0.41) and (7.98 ± 1.24) mL/min, respectively, both of which were significantly lower than those in the control group [(3.78 ± 0.59), (9.23 ± 1.36) mL/min, t = 13.34, 3.72, both P < 0.05]. The proportion of patients achieving Lovett grades of 4-5 in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group [83.33% (25/30) vs. 60.00% (18/30), Z = 1.99, P < 0.05]. After treatment, the Hospital for Special Surgery knee score in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group [(78.98 ± 5.65) vs. (67.87 ± 6.26), t = 7.21, P < 0.05]. Conclusions:TENS combined with exercise therapy has a good efficacy in the treatment of KOA. The combined therapy can improve lower limb microcirculation, lower limb muscle strength, and motor function.

The ethnic medicine for external use is an important dosage form in the external treatment methods of ethnic medicine.China has made significant progress in related research and applications.However,the regulations and guidelines for clinical research on external medicine are limited,and the related technologies and quality standards are not yet well-established in China.This article summarized the specific issues during the implementation of clinical research on ethnic medicine of external use:the research design failing to reflect the value and unique characteristics of these medicine;the big difficulty in the recruitment of participants,leading to delays in progress;inconsistent implementation of interventions;and the quality of research data needing to be improved,etc.Combining the authors'experience in project implementation management,this article proposed solutions to improve research quality and progress,including incorporating experts from various fields including ethnic medicine and research centers;refining participant recruitment strategies;analyzing factors affecting progress and optimizing the implementation process;and strengthening overall management and establishing a competitive enrollment mechanism.The article also shared a case study of the Tibetan medicine Qingpeng Ointment for the treatment of acute gouty arthritis,aiming to provide a reference for the clinical research on ethnic medicine of external use.

Body weight abnormalities, including overweight, obesity, and underweight, have become a dual public health challenge in Chinese adults: overweight and obesity lead to a variety of chronic complications, while underweight increases the risks of malnutrition, sarcopenia, and organ dysfunction. To systematically address these issues, multidisciplinary experts in endocrinology, sports science, nutrition, and psychiatry from various regions have held multiple weight management seminars. Based on the latest epidemiological data and clinical evidence, they expanded the guideline to include assessment and intervention strategies for underweight, in addition to the core content of obesity management. This guideline outlines the etiological mechanisms, evaluation methods, and multidimensional management strategies for overweight and obesity, covering key areas such as diagnosis and assessment, medical nutrition therapy, exercise prescription, pharmacological intervention, and psychological support. It is intended to provide a scientific and standardized approach to weight management across the adult population, aiming to curb the rising prevalence of obesity, mitigate complications associated with abnormal body weight, and improve nutritional status and overall quality of life.

Objective:To examine the role of intestinal macrophages and the mechanism by which they produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) in abdominal pain induced by food antigens in mice with visceral hypersensitivity.Methods:Mouse models of visceral hypersensitivity were established by subjecting animals to acute cold restraint stress (ACRS) or acetic acid enema (AAE). Visceral sensitivity was evaluated using food antigen ovalbumin (OVA)-induced responses and rectal reflex measurements following ROS scavenging. The activity of intestinal macrophages was assessed using flow cytometry. In vitro enzyme immunoassays and in vivo imaging techniques were employed to quantify ROS levels. Furthermore, the influence of OVA on ROS levels following intestinal macrophage depletion was investigated. Cell culture experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of OVA on intestinal macrophage function and ROS production.Results:The two visceral hypersensitivity mouse models exhibited a significantly lower pain threshold compared to the control group. OVA-induced visceral hypersensitivity mice demonstrated enhanced visceral motor responses (VMRs), with an increase in abdominal ROS levels (ACRS vs. control: 62.00±7.68 vs. 19.80±2.39, P<0.001; AAE vs. control: 461.80±17.25 vs. 19.80±2.39, P<0.001). When ROS were cleared from the abdominal cavity of mice, VMRs were restored to normal levels (AAE vs. AAE+ROS: 83.50±8.72 vs. 71.66±2.67, P=0.010). In this mouse model, intestinal macrophages could be classified into CD45 Med and CD45 High subtypes based on the level of CD45 expression. In the AAE group, the expression of CD45 Med macrophages in the intestinal tract decreased (AAE vs. control: 0.121±0.026 vs. 0.194±0.021, P=0.007), whereas the expression of CD45 High macrophages increased (AAE vs. control: 0.249±0.087 vs. 0.018±0.003, P=0.027). Compared with the control group, the expression of CD11b in both types of macrophages increased significantly (CD45 Med vs. control: 39 547.00±4 422.59 vs. 4 055.67±506.05, P<0.05; CD45 High vs. control: 18 960.00±1 197.84 vs. 3 147.50±286.38, P=0.008), while the expression of F4/80 decreased (CD45 Med vs. control: 6 141.67±750.06 vs. 10 544.33±974.92, P=0.008; CD45 High vs. control: 1 291.50±119.50 vs. 4 007.50±327.39, P<0.001). These findings suggest that the activity of intestinal macrophages in visceral hypersensitivity mice is altered following OVA induction. By injecting different populations of macrophages into the peritoneal cavity of mice, it was found that compared to the AAE group, the injection of CD45 High macrophages significantly increased the VMR in mice (AAE vs. AAE CD45 High: 83.50±8.72 vs. 114.38±7.15, P<0.001), and aggravated the severity of diarrhea significantly. In vitro experiments revealed that food antigens could directly induce ROS production in macrophages. Compared with the control group, both the ACRS and AAE groups of mice exhibited significant diarrhea symptoms. In contrast, the severity of diarrhea in the Macrophages exhaust+ACRS and Macrophages exhaust+AAE groups was substantially reduced, with a significantly shortened recovery period. Additionally, compared with the AAE group, the degree of diarrhea in the AAE+ROSS group was alleviated. Conclusions:Food antigens may act on intestinal macrophages, inducing abdominal pain and diarrhea in visceral hypersensitive mice via the ROS pathway. CD45 High macrophages may play a pivotal role in this process.