Background: Surgeons face challenges in selecting cost-effective and biologically active agents for rotator cuff healing, given the numerous commercial products available, such as polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) and atelocollagen (ATC). However, the precise efficacy of PDRN and ATC in rotator cuff healing remains debatable, and there is currently a lack of studies directly comparing the effects of the 2 agents on repaired cuff tendons. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of PDRN and ATC on bone-to-tendon interface (BTI) healing using a chronic rotator cuff tear (RCT) model in rabbits. Methods: Forty-eight rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups. To create chronic RCT models, transected tendons were left untreated for 6 weeks, and then were repaired in a transosseous manner with PDRN and ATC injection into the repair site according to group allocation (group A: saline, group B: PDRN, group C: ATC; n = 16 per group). Genetic and immunofluorescence analyses were performed at 4 weeks after surgery. Furthermore, genetic, histologic, and biomechanical analyses were performed at 12 weeks after surgery. Results: At 4 weeks after surgery, ATC-injected shoulders showed the highest mRNA expression levels of collagen type I alpha 1 and aggrecan compared to the other 2 groups (p < 0.001 and p = 0.002, respectively). Meanwhile, there was more preliminary fibrocartilaginous matrix formation in the ATC-injected group. At 12 weeks after surgery, ATC-injected shoulders demonstrated better collagen fiber continuity and orientation, denser collagen fibers, a more mature bone-to-tendon junction, and greater fibrocartilage layer formation compared to the other 2 groups (all p < 0.001). Furthermore, ATC-injected shoulders also demonstrated a significantly higher load-to-failure value (40.4 ± 4.5 N/kg) than the remaining groups (group A, 26.7 ± 3.0 N/kg; group B, 32.8 ± 4.2 N/kg; p < 0.001). Conclusions ATC demonstrated superior efficacy in promoting BTI healing following surgical repair in a chronic RCT model of rabbits.

Objective:Trigeminal neuralgia(TN)is a severe chronic neuropathic pain that mainly affects the distribution area of the trigeminal nerve with limited treating efficacy.There are numerous treatments for TN,but currently the main clinical approach is to suppress pain by carbamazepine(CBZ).Brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF)is closely related to chronic pain.This study aims to determine the effects of CBZ treatment on BDNF expression in both the trigeminal ganglion(TG)and serum of TN via a chronic constriction injury of the infraorbital nerve(ION-CCI)rat model. Methods:The ION-CCI models were established in male Sprague-Dawley rats and were randomly divided into a sham group,a TN group,a TN+low-dose CBZ treatment group(TN+20 mg/kg CBZ group),a TN+medium-dose CBZ treatment group(TN+40 mg/kg CBZ group),and a TN+high-dose CBZ treatment group(TN+80 mg/kg CBZ group).The mechanical pain threshold in each group of rats was measured regularly before and after surgery.The expressions of BDNF and tyrosine kinase receptor B(TrkB)mRNA in TGs of rats in different groups were determined by real-time PCR,and the expression of BDNF protein on neurons in TGs was observed by immunofluorescence.Western Blotting was used to detect the protein expression of BDNF,TrkB,extracellular regulated protein kinases(ERK),and phospho-extracellular regulated protein kinases(p-ERK)in TGs of rats in different groups.The expression of BDNF in the serum of rats in different groups was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Results:The results of mechanical pain sensitivity showed that there was no significant difference in the mechanical pain threshold in the right facial sensory area of the experimental rats in each group before surgery(all P>0.05).From the 3rd day after operation,the mechanical pain threshold of rats in the TN group was significantly lower than that in the sham group(all P<0.01),and the mechanical pain threshold of rats in the TN+80 mg/kg CBZ group,the TN+40 mg/kg CBZ group,and the TN+20 CBZ mg/kg group was higher than that in the TN group(all P<0.05).The BDNF and TrkB mRNA and protein expressions in TGs of rats in the TN group were higher than those in the sham group(all P<0.05),and those in the TN+80 mg/kg CBZ group,the TN+40 mg/kg CBZ group,and the TN+20 mg/kg CBZ group were lower than the TN group(all P<0.05).The p-ERK levels in TG of rats in the TN+80 mg/kg CBZ group,the TN+40 mg/kg CBZ group,and the TN+20 mg/kg CBZ group were significantly decreased compared with the TN group(all P<0.05).The BDNF and neuron-specific nuclear protein(NeuN)were mainly co-expressed in neuron of TGs in the TN group and they were significantly higher than those in the sham group(all P<0.05).The co-labeled expressions of BDNF and NeuN in TGs of the TN+ 80 mg/kg CBZ group,the TN+40 mg/kg CBZ group,and the TN+20 mg/kg CBZ group were lower than those in the TN group(all P<0.05).The results of ELISA showed that the level of BDNF in the serum of the TN group was significantly higher than that in the sham group(P<0.05).The levels of BDNF in the TN+80 mg/kg CBZ group,the TN+40 mg/kg CBZ group,and the TN+20 mg/kg CBZ group were lower than those in the TN group(all P<0.05).Spearman correlation analysis showed that the BDNF level in serum was negatively correlated with mechanical pain threshold(r=-0.650,P<0.01). Conclusion:CBZ treatment can inhibit the expression of BDNF and TrkB in the TGs of TN rats,reduce the level of BDNF in serum of TN rats and the phosphorylation of ERK signaling pathway,so as to inhibit TN.The serum level of BDNF can be considered as an indicator for the diagnosis and prognosis of TN.

The concept of ethnic medicine is divided into a broad sense and a narrow sense. The broad concept refers to the traditional medicine of the Chinese nation, and the narrow concept refers to the traditional medicine of Chinese ethnic minorities. The external medicine is one of the main forms of ethnic medicine, and it is also the important content of ethnic medicine for external use, which is widely used in clinical practice. As the theory of ethnic medicine is unique, the application methods have certain characteristics, which are the key technical parts of clinical practice. However, the existing traditional Chinese medicine consensus formulation me-thods cannot meet the needs of the consensus formulation of the external ethnic medicine. Therefore, the methods suitable for expert consensus on external ethnic medicine are required. This article took Expert opinion on clinical application of Baimai Ointment as an exa-mple, and explorde a reasonable, effective, multi-dimensional, and multi-stage method to formulate expert consensus on the external ethnic medicine. In this research, three-dimensional sources of information, including ancient classics, clinical research evidence, and expert application experiences, were systematically and scientifically collected. After organization and analysis, the information was formed into comprehensive evidence. In a formal consensus meeting, part of the recommendations reached consensus. As to the issues that did not reach agreement, in-depth interviews were used to explore the reasons for the differences and resolve the disagreements. Finally, unanimous recommendations were reached. There are common problems during the formulation process of Expert opinion on clinical application of Baimai Ointment. This study is expected to provide references for the formulation of expert consensus on other external ethnic medicine.
Humans ; Biological Products ; Consensus ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal

OBJECTIVE: To overview the methodological quality, report quality and evidence quality of the systematic review (SR) of acupuncture for vascular cognitive impairment ( VCI ). METHODS: The SRs regarding acupuncture for VCI were searched in PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMbase, CNKI, SinoMed, Wanfang and VIP databases. The retrieval period was from the establishment of the database to September 24, 2020. The report quality, methodological quality and evidence quality of the included SRs were evaluated by PRISMA statement, the AMSTAR 2 tool and the GRADE system. RESULTS: A total of 22 SRs were included, including 102 outcome indexes. The methodological quality was generally low, with low scores on items 2, 5, 7, 10, 14, 15 and 16. The report quality was good, with scores ranging from 19 points to 24.5 points. The problems of report quality were mainly reflected in the aspects of structural abstract, program and registration, other analysis and funding sources. The level of outcome indexes of SRs was mostly low or very low, and the main leading factor was limitation, followed by inconsistency and inaccuracy. CONCLUSION Acupuncture for VCI is supported by low quality evidence of evidence-based medicine, but the methodological quality and evidence body quality of relevant SRs are poor, and the standardization is needed to be improved.
Acupuncture Therapy ; Cognitive Dysfunction/therapy* ; Databases, Factual ; Humans ; Research Report ; Systematic Reviews as Topic

The existing problems in the outcomes of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture for vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) during recent five years are analyzed and suggestions are proposed. The RCTs of acupuncture for VCI were selected in PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Library, Clinical Trials, CNKI database, Wanfang database, VIP database, SinoMed database and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR) from January 1, 2015 to September 14, 2020. The outcomes were extracted and analyzed. As a result, 21 RCTs were included and the outcomes used were divided into 9 categories: clinical symptom/sign indexes, quality of life indexes, neuroimaging indexes, neuroelectrophysiology indexes, blood biochemical indexes, hemorheology indexes, TCM syndrome score indexes, clinical efficacy indexes, and safety indexes. Among them, the top three of the most used outcomes were clinical symptoms/signs indexes (21, 100.0%), clinical efficacy indexes (14, 66.7%) and quality of life indexes (12, 57.1%). In the RCTs of acupuncture for VCI, attention should be paid to distinguish the primary outcomes and secondary outcomes, adopt objective and standardized efficacy evaluation, and give consideration to report the outcomes of safety, health economic and TCM characteristic indexes.
Acupuncture Therapy ; Cognitive Dysfunction/therapy* ; Humans ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Treatment Outcome

Objective: To analyze the distribution of endophytic fungi in Scrophularia ningpoensis from different habitats. Methods: The endophytic fungi in S. ningpoensis from six localities (Pan’an of Zhejiang Province, Ankang of Shaanxi Province, Wuxue of Hubei Province, Shaodong of Hunan Province, Dazhou of Sichuan Province, and Bozhou of Anhui Province) were isolated, identified, and analyzed according to the morphology and ITS sequences. Results: A total of 3 052 strains of endophytic fungi were isolated from S. ningpoensis in six localities. A total of 84 fungal taxa were identified according to the morphology and ITS sequences, these strains were belong to 25 genera. Thereinto Diaporthe, Fusarium, Nigrospora, Alternaria, Phoma, Corynespora, Epicoccum, and Cladosporium were common genera to S. ningpoensis from six localities, but the dominant genus was different: Fusarium was the dominant genus from Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, and Shaanxi; Alternaria was the dominant genus from Sichuan; Diaporthe was the dominant genus from Zhejiang. According to the similarity coefficient, the composition of the endophytic fungi was distinctly different between six localities. The Shannon-wiener diversity index and Simpson index of endophytic fungi in S. ningpoensis from Zhejiang were found higher than others. The diversity of endophytic fungi in S. ningpoensis from Sichuan was lower than others. Conclusion: Systematic studying the diversity and community structure of endophytic fungi in S. ningpoensis and clarifying their distribution regularity in plant tissues can offer basic data and scientific basis for their development and utilization.

Objective To explore the association between unhealthy diets and depression in early pregnancy. Methods 7 976 women in early pregnancy were recruited and analyzed in this study from the Chinese Pregnant Women Cohort Study (CPWCS) from July 25th, 2017 to July 24th, 2018. Differences of baseline characteristics between the two groups were conducted by a chi-square test. The qualitative food frequency questionnaire and the edinburgh postnatal depression scale were used to assess depression status and food intake frequency during the first trimester respectively. Log-binomial regression was used to analyze the relationship between unhealthy diets and depression in early pregnancy. Prevalence ratio (PR) and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated. Results Eating regularly (PR=0.45, 95% CI:0.38-0.54，P<0.001) and eating breakfast frequently (PR=0.80, 95% CI:0.72-0.90, P<0.001) were related to the low incidence of depression while frequent consumption of fried food (PR=1.25, 95% CI:1.03-1.53, P=0.027), Western-style fast food (PR=1.36, 95% CI:1.06-1.74, P=0.015) and puffed food (PR=1.37, 95% CI:1.11-1.70, P=0.003) as well as drinking sugar-sweetened beverage (PR=1.37, 95% CI:1.17-1.61, P<0.001),wine (PR=1.60, 95% CI:1.26-2.01, P<0.001) and liqueur (PR=1.26, 95% CI:1.00-1.59, P=0.047) were linked with the high incidence of depression. Conclusions There might be an association between unhealthy diets and depression in early pregnancy. Pregnant women should take the initiative to better understand what are healthy diets and reduce the frequency of unhealthy diets consumption to decrease the incidence of depression during pregnancy.

The endophytic fungi from root,main stem,branch and leaf of Scrophularia ningpoensis were isolated from Zhejiang,whether these strains could yield harpagide or harpagoside were tested by HPLC and LC-MS. According to the morphological characteristic and the similarity of the nucleotide sequence of internal transcribed spacer( ITS) between r DNAs,the strains producing harpagide or harpagoside were identified. The results showed that 210 strains were isolated from the samples,which were classified into 9 orders,13 families and 17 genera by morphological study. Harpagide was detected in endogenous fungi ZJ17 and harpagoside was detected in endogenous fungi ZJ25 by HPLC coupled with LC-MS. ZJ17 was identified as Alternaria alternate and ZJ25 was identified as A.gaisen by its morphology and authenticated by ITS( ITS4 and ITS5 regions and the intervening 5. 8 S rDNA region).
China ; DNA, Fungal ; genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer ; genetics ; Endophytes ; classification ; metabolism ; Fungi ; classification ; metabolism ; Glycosides ; biosynthesis ; Iridoid Glycosides ; metabolism ; Pyrans ; metabolism ; Scrophularia ; microbiology

The purpose of this experiment is to observe the effects of Tongbi capsule on joint lesions in rabbit with rheumatoid arthritis induced by ovalbumin and explore the mechanism in order to provide reference for clinical application of Tongbi capsule. Rheumatoid arthritis in rabbits was induced by subcutaneous injection of emulsions of ovalbumin and Freund's complete adjuvant and intra articular injection of ovalbumin. After successful modeling, 30 New Zealand rabbits with arthritis were randomly divided into model control group, the high, medium and low dose groups of Tongbi capsule (90, 45, 22.5 mg·kg⁻¹) and prednisone group (5 mg·kg⁻¹). Another six normal rabbits were used as normal control group. After 24 hours of modeling, the rabbits in Tongbi capsule groups received intragastric (i.g.) administrations of Tongbi capsule at 90, 45, 22.5 mg·kg⁻¹·d⁻¹, and the rabbits of prednisone group received i.g. administrations of prednisone at 5 mg·kg⁻¹·d⁻¹ for 2 weeks. The rabbits in normal and model groups received the same volume of distilled water at the same time. The swelling degree of rabbit knee joint and local skin temperature were observed daily. After two weeks of administration, pathological changes of rabbit knee joint were examined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); the morphological changes of articular cartilage and synovial membrane were observed by microscope; and the contents of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in serum were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).The results showed that 24 h after modeling, the knee joints of the rabbits were swollen, with red or dark redlocal skin, and fever, elevated local skin temperature and increased diameters of knee joints. Two weeks after modeling, the swelling of rabbit knee joints was obvious in model group; the joint cavities were filled with purulent fluid; joint synovial membranes were obviously thickened, and even joint cavities were fibrotic and cartilage surfaces showed slight defect; the surface of articular cartilage was obvious fibrosis; synovial epithelial cell proliferation was obvious and accompanied by extensive inflammatory cell infiltration; the levels of IL-1 and TNF-α were significantly higher as compared with those seen in model rabbits (<0.05, <0.01). After 1 and 2 weeks of administration, knee joint diameters and local skin temperatures were smaller or lower than thosein model group (<0.05, <0.01); The lesions of joint cartilage and synovial of all rabbits in each group were less than those in model group; IL-1 and TNF-α levels in serum were also lower than those in model group (<0.05, <0.01). The results reveal that high and medium doses of Tongbi capsule can suppress rheumatoid arthritis induced by ovalbumin in rabbits, reduce joint swelling, inhibit synovial epithelial and fiber hyperplasia and inflammatory cell infiltration, and alleviate articular cartilage damage. The mechanism may be associated with decreasing IL-1 and TNF-α levels in serum.

Objective To investigate the efficacy of relaparoscopic common bile duct exploration in choledocholithiasis.Methods 50 patients who underwent LC/OC/LCBDE/OCBDE for biliary surgery with choledocholithiasis were randomized into two groups:Group A (n ＝25) laparoscopic approach and Group B (n =25) open approach.The operation time,hospital stay,cost of hospitalization and postoperative complications were compared.Results There was no significant difference in the operation time,liver functional index,postoperative bile leakage rate and cost of hospitalization between the two groups.The postoperative hospital stay in group A was shorter than that in group B (7.1 ± 1.5 vs 12.4 ±4.3 days,P ＜0.05),as was the volume of intraoperative blood loss (58.3 ± 24.2 ml vs 108.6 ± 35.7 ml,P ＜ 0.05),recovery of gastrointestinal function (26.3 ±3.6 vs 58.2 ±6.3 hours,P ＜0.05),postoperative analgesia (7/25 vs 17/25,P＜0.05) and wound infection rate (1/25 vs 6/25,P＜0.05).Conclusions Relaparoscopic commonbile duct exploration for recurrent choledocholithiasis appeared to be a safe,feasible,and efficacious procedure when carried out by expert laparoscopic surgeons.The procedure is worth promoting.