OBJECTIVE: To explore prevalence, incidence and possible factors of immediate herniated discs after posterior cervical expansive open-door laminoplasty (EODL). METHODS: Totally 29 patients with cervical spinal stenosis and intervertebral disc herniation who underwent EODL from October 2020 to December 2021 were collected, including 24 males and 5 females, aged from 43 to 81 years old with an average of (61.3±9.0) years old;the courses of disease ranged from 1 to 120 months with an average of (36.4±37.0) months. Three or more intervertebral discs on C₃-C₇ were observed. The clinical efficacy was evaluated according to Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score before operation, 3 days and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after operation, respectively. The changes of herniated disc before and after operation were measured by multipoint area method and two-dimensional distance method, and incidence and percentage of herniated disc regression were further calculated. Cervical imaging parameters such as Cobb angle (C₃-C₇), intervertebral angle, T₁ slope (T₁S), spinal canal sagittal diameter, K-line angle, dural sac sagittal diameter were measured and compared before and after operation. Pearson correlation was used to analyze correlation between cervical sagittal imaging parameters and disc herniation changes before and after operation. RESULTS: All patients obtained grade A wound healing, and 14 of them were followed up for 3(1.00, 5.25) months. There were no immediate or long-term postoperative complications. Totally 101 herniated intervertebral discs were measured, of which 79 regression numbers were obtained by area measurement. The number of intervertebral disc regressions by distance measurement was 77. There was no statistically significant difference in Cobb angle, intervertebral angle, T₁S and K-line angle of C₃-C₇ (P>0.05), however, there were statistically significant differences in sagittal diameter of spinal canal, sagittal diameter of dural sac, and JOA score before and after operation(P<0.05). The regression ratio of disc herniation ranged from 5% to 50%, and regression ratio of disc herniation was greater than 25% in 45.57%(36/79). Disc herniation in C_4,5 was positively correlated with sagittal plane diameter in C₅(r=0.423, P=0.028). There was a negative correlation between changes of C_3,4 and C_3,4 intervertebral angle (r=-0.450, P=0.041). The improvement rate of cervical JOA score immediately after operation was (59.54±15.07) %, and postoperative follow-up improved to (76.57±14.66) %. CONCLUSION Herniated disc regression immediately after EODL is a common occurrence, and EODL should be selected as far as possible under the premise of satisfying surgical indications. The regression of disc herniation is positively correlated with spinal canal sagittal diameter, and spinal canal should be enlarged as far as possible in the appropriate scope during EODL, so as to create more opportunities and conditions for disc regression and achieve better clinical results.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement/diagnostic imaging* ; Spinal Stenosis/diagnostic imaging* ; Laminoplasty/methods* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Cervical Vertebrae/diagnostic imaging* ; Adult ; Aged, 80 and over ; Intervertebral Disc/surgery*

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture therapy provides a complementary and alternative approach to treating major depressive disorder (MDD), but its efficacy and safety have still not been comprehensively assessed. Recently published systematic reviews remain confusing and inconclusive. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review evaluated the efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy alone or combined with antidepressants for adult patients with mild and moderate MDD. SEARCH STRATEGY: Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, Wanfang Database, Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched from their inceptions to March 2025. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials that compared acupuncture therapy with antidepressants, or acupuncture therapy plus antidepressants with acupuncture therapy or antidepressants for adult patients with mild and moderate MDD were included. DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS: Five reviewers independently extracted data from original literature using a standardized form, and the data were verified by two reviewers to ensure accuracy. Statistical meta-analyses, publication bias analyses, and subgroup analyses were performed by using Review Manager 5.3 software. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach was used to assess the certainty of the evidence. RESULTS: A total of 60 eligible studies including 4675 participants were included. Low-certainty evidence showed that compared with antidepressants, acupuncture therapy (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [-0.87, -0.27]; I² = 86%; P = 0.006) or acupuncture therapy plus antidepressants (SMD = -1.00; 95% CI = [-1.18, -0.81]; I² = 77%; P < 0.00001) may reduce the severity of depression at the end of treatment. Low-certainty evidence indicated that compared with acupuncture therapy alone, acupuncture therapy plus antidepressants slightly reduced the severity of depression at the end of treatment (SMD = -0.38; 95% CI = [-0.61, -0.14]; I² = 18%; P = 0.002). Similar results were also found for acupuncture's relief of insomnia. The reported adverse effects of acupuncture therapy were mild and transient. For most of the subgroup analyses, acupuncture type, scale type, and the course of treatment did not show a significant relative effect. CONCLUSION Acupuncture therapy may provide antidepressant effects and relieve insomnia with mild adverse effects for adult patients with mild and moderate MDD. But the certainty of evidence was very low. More high-quality, well designed, large-scale studies with long-term follow-up are needed in the future. Please cite this article as: Kuang HJ, Yang HS, Feng YX, Tang H, Fan Q, Xu YQ, Cui S, Musil R, Luxenburger H, Zhang YX, Zhao H, Zhang YQ. Efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapies for adult patients with mild and moderate major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):471-491.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Depressive Disorder, Major/therapy* ; Adult ; Antidepressive Agents/therapeutic use* ; Treatment Outcome ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality based on the 10-year population-based multicenter prospective study. METHODS: A general population-based multicenter prospective study was conducted at four sites in rural China between 2013 and 2023. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic spline analyses were used to assess the association between BMI and mortality. Stratified analyses were performed based on the individual characteristics of the participants. RESULTS: Overall, 19,107 participants with a sum of 163,095 person-years were included and 1,910 participants died. The underweight (< 18.5 kg/m ²) presented an increase in all-cause mortality (adjusted hazards ratio [ aHR] = 2.00, 95% confidence interval [ CI]: 1.66-2.41), while overweight (≥ 24.0 to < 28.0 kg/m ²) and obesity (≥ 28.0 kg/m ²) presented a decrease with an aHR of 0.61 (95% CI: 0.52-0.73) and 0.51 (95% CI: 0.37-0.70), respectively. Overweight ( aHR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.67-0.86) and mild obesity ( aHR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.59-0.87) had a positive impact on mortality in people older than 60 years. All-cause mortality decreased rapidly until reaching a BMI of 25.7 kg/m ² ( aHR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.98) and increased slightly above that value, indicating a U-shaped association. The beneficial impact of being overweight on mortality was robust in most subgroups and sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION This study provides additional evidence that overweight and mild obesity may be inversely related to the risk of death in individuals older than 60 years. Therefore, it is essential to consider age differences when formulating health and weight management strategies.
Humans ; Body Mass Index ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Aged ; Follow-Up Studies ; Adult ; Mortality ; Cause of Death ; Obesity/mortality* ; Overweight/mortality*

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of osteopontin(OPN)in hepatoma cell migration through galectin-3 binding protein(LGALS3BP).Methods Human hepatoma cell lines SMMC-7721,SMMC-P(stably transfected with empty eukaryotic expression vectors),and SMMC-OPN(stably transfected with the OPN gene)were cultured.mRNA expression levels of OPN and LGALS3BP were measured by RT-qPCR.Western blot assays were used to analyze the relative protein expression of OPN and LGALS3BP and PI3K/AKT pathway.Wound healing assays were performed to explore the cell migration ability.After transfection with LGALS3BP-targeting small interfering RNA(si-LGALS3BP)or negative control small RNA(si-NC)into SMMC-OPN cells,cell migration and relative expression of PI3K/AKT pathway-related proteins were assessed.Results Compared with SMMC-7721 and SMMC-P,the migratory ability of SMMC-OPN cells was significantly reinforced,and expression of LGALS3BP was obviously upregulated at both mRNA and protein levels.Moreover,relative expression of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-AKT/AKT proteins was significantly increased.Wound healing assays showed that the si-LGALS3BP obviously suppressed the migratory ability of SMMC-OPN cells.Furthermore,relative expression of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-AKT/AKT proteins in SMMC-OPN cells was significantly decreased after transfection of si-LGALS3BP.Conclusions OPN activates the PI3K/AKT pathway by upregulating LGALS3BP expression to promote hepatoma cell migration.

AIM To investigate the effects of total Astragalus saponins on the improvement of sarcopenia in a rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).METHODS The rats were divided into the normal group for a normal feeding and the model group for the feeding of high-sugar and high-fat diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of STZ to establish a T2DM model.The successful model rats were randomly divided into the model group,the metformin group(0.2 g/kg)and the total Astragalus saponins group(80 mg/kg),and given corresponding doses of drugs by gavage.After 12 weeks administration,the rats had their FBG,postprandial blood glucose(PG2h)and wet weight of skeletal muscle measured;their serum levels of INS,C-peptide(C-P),IGF-1,TNF-α and IL-1β detected by ELISA;their morphological changes of skeletal muscle observed by HE staining;their protein expressions of PI3K,p-Akt,mTOR,S6K1,FoxO1 and Murf1 in skeletal muscle detected by Western blot;and their mRNA expressions of Pi3k,Akt and mtor in skeletal muscle detected by RT-qPCR method.RESULTS Compared with the model group,the total Astragalus saponins group displayed decreased levels of FBG,PG2h,OGTT-AUC,HOMA-IR,TNF-α and IL-1β(P＜0.01);increased levels of INS,C-P,IGF-1 and wet weight of skeletal muscle(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);improved skeletal muscle atrophy and increased protein expressions of PI3K,p-Akt,mTOR and S6K1 in skeletal muscle(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);decreased protein expressions of FoxO1 and Murf1(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);and increased mRNA expressions of Pi3k,Akt and mtor(P＜0.01).CONCLUSION The improvement effects of total Astragalus saponins on sarcopenia in T2DM rats may be associated with the regulation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR and PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 pathways.

Aim To explore the improvement effect of Bazi Bushen capsule on thymic degeneration in SAMP6 mice and the possible mechanism.Methods Twenty 12 week old male SAMP6 mice were randomly divided into the model group(SAMP6)and the Bazi Busheng capsule treatment group(SAMP6+BZBS).Ten SAMR1 mice were assigned to a homologous control group(SAMR1).The SAMP6+BZBS group was oral-ly administered Bazi Bushen capsule suspension(2.8 g·kg-1)daily,while the other two groups were orally administered an equal amount of distilled water.After nine weeks of administration,the morphology of the thymus in each group was observed and the thymus in-dex was calculated;HE staining was used to observe the structural changes of thymus tissue;SA-β-gal stai-ning was used to detect thymic aging;flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of thymic CD3+T cells in each group;Western blot was used to detect the levels of p16,Bax,Bcl-2,and cleaved caspase-3 proteins in thymus;immunofluorescence was applied to detect the proportion of cortical thymic epithelial cells in each group;ELISA was employed to detect IL-7 lev-els in thymus.Results Compared with the SAMP6 group,the thymic index of the SAMP6+BZBS group significantly increased(P＜0.05);the disordered thy-mic structure was significantly improved;the positive proportion of SA-β-gal staining significantly decreased(P＜0.01);the proportion of CD3+T cells apparently increased(P＜0.05);the level of p16 protein signifi-cantly decreased(P＜0.05);the level of Bcl-2 pro-tein significantly increased(P＜0.05),while the lev-el of cleaved caspase-3 protein markedly decreased(P＜0.05);the proportion of cortical thymic epithelial cells evidently increased;the level of IL-7 significantly increased(P＜0.01).Conclusions Bazi Bushen capsule can delay thymic degeneration,inhibit cell ap-optosis in thymus and promote thymic cell development in SAMP6 mice,which may be related to increasing the proportion of cortical thymic epithelial cells and promoting IL-7 secretion.

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of oblique lumbar interbody fusion(OLIF)combined with poste-rior percutaneous internal fixation in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis with or without redundant nerve roots(RNRs).Meth-ods A retrospective analysis of 92 patients with lumbar spinal stenosis treated by oblique lateral lumbar interbody fusion com-bined with posterior percutaneous internal fixation from June 2019 to June 2022 was performed.There were 32 males and 60 females,aged from 44 to 82 years old with an average of(63.67±9.93)years old.All patients were divided into RNRs positive group and RNRs negative group according to redundancy or not before operation.There were 38 patients in RNRs positive group,including 15 males and 23 females.The age ranged from 45 to 82 years old with an average of(65.45±10.37)years old.The disease duration was 24.00(12.00,72.00)months.There were 54 patients in RNRs negative group,including 17 males and 37 females.The age ranged from 44 to 77 years old with an average of(62.42±9.51)years old.The disease duration was 13.50(9.00,36.00)months.The general data of patients were recorded,including operation time,intraoperative blood loss and complications.The imaging parameters before and after operation were observed,including the number of stenosis segments,intervertebral space height,lumbar lordosis angle and dural sac area.The visual analogue scale(VAS)was used to evaluate the back and lower extremity pain,and the Oswestry disability index(ODI)was used to evaluate the activities of daily living.Results All patients were followed up for 8 to 18 months with an average of(11.04±3.61)months,and no complications were found during the follow-up period.The number of stenosis segments in RNRs positive group(1.71±0.46)was more than that in RNRs negative group(1.17±0.38).In RNRs positive group,intervertebral space height,dural sac area,low back pain VAS,lower extremity pain VAS,ODI score were(1.11±0.19)cm,(0.46±0.17)cm2,(5.39±1.00)scores,(5.05±1.01)points,(55.74±4.05)points,respectively.RNRs negative groups respectively(0.97±0.23)cm,(0.69±0.26)cm2,(4.50±0.77)scores,(4.00±0.58)scores,(47.33±3.43)％.In RNRs positive group,intervertebral space height,dural sac area,low back pain VAS,leg pain VAS,ODI score were(1.60±0.19)cm,(0.74±0.36)cm2,(3.39±0.72)scores,(3.05±1.01)scores,(46.74±4.82)scores,respectively.RNRs negative groups respectively(1.48±0.25)cm,(1.12±0.35)cm2,(3.00±0.82)scores,(3.00±0.82)scores,(37.67±3.58)％.The postoperative intervertebral space height,dural sac area,low back pain VAS score,lower extremity pain VAS and ODI score of the patients in the RNRs positive group and the negative group were signifi-cantly improved compared with those before operation,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).There were statistically significant differences in the number of stenosed segments,preoperative intervertebral space height,dural sac area,low back pain VAS,lower extremity pain VAS,and ODI between the two groups(P＜0.05).There were significant differences in postoperative intervertebral space height and postoperative ODI between the two groups(P＜0.05),but there was no significant difference in intervertebral space height before and after operation and ODI score before and after operation(P＞0.05).There were significant differences in operation time,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative dural sac area,difference of dural sac area before and after operation,postoperative low back pain VAS,difference of low back pain VAS score before and after oper-ation,difference of lower extremity pain VAS before and after operation between the two groups(P＜0.05).Conclusion OLIF combined with posterior percutaneous internal fixation has a good effect on patients with or without RNRs.Multi-segmental lumbar spinal stenosis and decreased dural sac area may lead to the occurrence of RNRs,and LSS patients with RNRs have more severe symptoms.LSS patients with RNRs have worse surgical outcomes than those without RNRs.

Objective:To gain a deep understanding of the disease experience of children with transition nephrotic syndrome, so as to provide a reference for developing targeted nursing measures and improving coping abilities in clinical practice.Methods:This study was a phenomenological study. From May to June 2023, a semi-structured interview was conducted using purposive sampling method to select children with transition nephrotic syndrome ( n=13) who received outpatient or inpatient treatment at Children's Hospital of Soochow University. Colaizzi 7-step method was used to analyze interview data and extract themes. Results:The disease experience of children with transition nephrotic syndrome were summarized into five themes, including inadequate disease self-management ability (lack of disease cognition and management knowledge, weak self-management awareness), excessive disease-related burden (significant academic impact, frequent adverse drug reactions, and heavy self-perceived burden), increased fear of negative evaluation, tense parent-child relationships, and growth and gain (feeling the care of others and achieving self-growth) .Conclusions:Children with transition nephrotic syndrome experience various challenges brought by growth, development, and disease, with heavy disease burden and psychological pressure. Medical and nursing staff should closely monitor children's emotional and psychological changes, value their disease experience, provide targeted psychological counseling and support in a timely manner, and reduce their adverse disease experience.

End-stage patients experience unbearable pain because of refractory symptoms.Palliative sedation is a form of palliative care which relieves patients' agony by lowering their consciousness.Standard palliative sedation can help patients die with dignity.It is distinct from euthanasia and does not alter the survival of patients.Sufficient palliative care is the premise of palliative sedation.Repeated and detailed clinical evaluation,as well as multidisciplinary involvement,is necessary for the standardized implementation of palliative sedation.Here,we proposed the standard process and specifications of palliative sedation in Peking Union Medical College Hospital.Furthermore,we reported a case of palliative sedation for an advanced cancer patient with refractory delirium and living pain to demonstrate its application in clinical practice.
Humans ; Anesthesia ; Pain ; Hospitals ; Palliative Care ; Universities

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to reveal the insomnia burden and relevant influencing factors among informal caregivers (ICs) of hospitalized patients with lung cancer. METHODS: A cross-sectional study on ICs of hospitalized patients with lung cancer was conducted from December 31, 2020 to December 31, 2021. ICs' burden was assessed using the Caregiver Reaction Assessment (CRA), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Linear and logistic regression models were used to identify the influencing factors. RESULTS: Among 289 ICs of hospitalized patients with lung cancer, 83 (28.72%), 53 (18.34%), and 14 (4.84%) ICs experienced mild, moderate, and severe insomnia, respectively. The scores concerning self-esteem, lack of family support, financial problems, disturbed schedule, and health problems were 4.32 ± 0.53, 2.24 ± 0.79, 2.84 ± 1.14, 3.63 ± 0.77, and 2.44 ± 0.95, respectively. ICs with higher Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADLS) scores were associated with a lower risk of insomnia, with an odd ratio ( OR) and 95% confidence interval ( CI) of 0.940 (0.898-0.983). Among the ICs, female gender ( OR = 2.597), alcohol consumption ( OR = 3.745), underlying medical conditions ( OR = 11.765), long-term caregiving experience ( OR = 37.037), and higher monthly expenses ( OR = 5.714) were associated with a high risk of insomnia. CONCLUSION Of the hospitalized patients with lung cancer, 51.9% experienced insomnia. Patients' ADL, ICs gender, alcohol consumption, underlying medical conditions, caregiving duration, and monthly expenses were influencing factors. Therefore, prompt screening and early intervention for ICs of patients with lung cancer is necessary.
Humans ; Female ; Caregivers ; Activities of Daily Living ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/epidemiology* ; Lung Neoplasms/epidemiology*