BACKGROUND:Acute exercise tends to cause skeletal muscle tissue damage and lipid metabolism disorders in vivo,but the mechanism by which acute exercise combined with electroacupuncture modulates metabolic and autophagic pathways in vivo is unclear. OBJECTIVE:To observe the changes in metabolic enzymes and autophagy levels in skeletal muscle of rats subjected to acute exercise by electroacupuncture at the acupoints of"Zusanli"and"Huantiao." METHODS:Fifty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups:quiet control group(n=10),model group(n=20),and reverse electroacupuncture group(n=20).The latter two groups were set up with two time points,i.e.immediate and 3 hours after exercise groups(n=10 per time point).The model group and the reverse electroacupuncture group underwent acute exercise training after adaptive treadmill training.The rats in the reverse electroacupuncture group underwent electroacupuncture treatment(parameters:electroacupuncture on both sides of the rats at the acupoints of"Zusanli"and"Huantiao,"continuous wave,frequency of 2 Hz,intensity of 2 mA,leaving the needle in the body for 30 minutes,once a day for 7 consecutive days)before treadmill training.Bilateral gastrocnemius muscle tissues were taken under anesthesia immediately after exercise and 3 hours after exercise,and hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of rat skeletal muscle.ELISA kit was used to detect the activities of hepatic lipase,fatty acid synthase,hormone-sensitive lipase,and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 in rat skeletal muscle tissues.Immunohistochemistry and western blot were used to detect the changes in the expression of autophagy genes. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:After hematoxylin-eosin staining,the arrangement of gastrocnemius muscle fibers in the model group was disturbed,swollen and ruptured immediately after exercise and 3 hours after exercise.In the reverse electroacupuncture group,gastrocnemius muscle fibers were tightly arranged and the number of swollen and ruptured cells was greatly reduced immediately after exercise and 3 hours after exercise,and there was no significant difference when compared with the quiet control group.Compared with the quiet control group,the activities of hepatic lipase and fatty acid synthase were lower while the activities of lipoprotein lipase,hormone-sensitive lipase,and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 were higher in the model group and the reverse electroacupuncture group 3 hours after exercise(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Compared with the model group,the activities of lipoprotein lipase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 were higher in the reverse electroacupuncture group immediately after exercise(P＜0.05),while the activity of lipoprotein lipase was higher and the activity of hormone-sensitive lipase was lower in the reverse electroacupuncture group 3 hours after exercise(P＜0.01).Immunohistochemical results showed that compared with the quiet control group,the expression of P62,autophagy-related gene 5 and autophagy-related gene 7 was higher in the model group immediately and 3 hours after exercise,as well as in the reverse electroacupuncture group immediately after exercise(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01);compared with the model group,the expression of P62 and autophagy-related gene 7 was lower in the reverse electroacupuncture group immediately and 3 hours after exercise(P＜0.05).Western blot results showed that the protein expression of P62 and autophagy-related gene 7 in the reverse electroacupuncture group was lower than that in the model group immediately after exercise(P＜0.05);the protein expression of Parkin in the model group was higher than that in the quiet control group immediately and 3 hours after exercise(P＜0.05);and the protein expression of Parkin in the reverse electroacupuncture group was lower than that in the model group immediately and 3 hours after exercise(P＜0.05).To conclude,acute exercise induces disorders,swelling and rupture of gastrocnemius muscle fibers in rats and electroacupuncture on both sides of the acupoints of"Zusanli"and"Huantiao"can improve the level of lipid metabolism and regulate autophagy cells in rat skeletal muscle,preventing the disorders of lipid metabolism and damage of gastrocnemius muscle tissues caused by acute exercise.The mechanism may be closely related to the regulation of autophagy-related factor P62,autophagy-related gene 5,autophagy-related gene 7,and Parkin protein expression to promote the occurrence of autophagy or regulate the autophagy pathway in rat skeletal muscle cells.

Hepatic encephalopathy is a difficult and critical disease with rapid progression and limited treatment methods in the field of liver disease， and it is urgently needed to make breakthroughs in its pathogenesis. Selection of appropriate prevention and treatment strategies is of great importance in delaying disease progression and reducing the incidence and mortality rates. This article reviews the theory of “turbid toxin pathogenesis” and related prevention and treatment strategies for hepatic encephalopathy in traditional Chinese medicine/Zhuang medicine， proposes a new theory of “turbid toxin pathogenesis”， analyzes the scientific connotations of “turbid”， “toxin”， and the theory of “turbid toxin pathogenesis”， and constructs the “four-step” prevention and treatment strategies for hepatic encephalopathy， thereby establishing the new clinical prevention and treatment regimen for hepatic encephalopathy represented by “four prescriptions and two techniques” and clarifying the effect mechanism and biological basis of core prescriptions and techniques in the prevention and treatment of hepatic encephalopathy， in order to provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of hepatic encephalopathy.

Objective To investigate the changes in the prevalence of Babesia microti infections, spleen morphology and proportions of splenic immune cells in BALB/c mice following intravenous and intraperitoneal injections, so as to provide insights into unraveling the immune regulatory mechanisms of Babesia infections. Methods Laboratory - maintained B. microti strains were prepared into whole blood samples with 10% prevalence of B. microti infection. A total of 75 BALB/c mice were randomly divided into three groups, including the normal control group, intravenous injection group, and intraperitoneal injection group, of 25 mice in each group. Mice in the intravenous and intraperitoneal injection groups were administered 100 μL of whole blood samples with 10% prevalence of B. microti infection, with the day of injection recorded as d0, and animals in the normal control group were given no treatments. Blood was sampled from mice in each group via the tail tip on d7, d14, d21, d28 and d35, and prepared into thin-film blood smears, and B. microti infection was observed in red blood cells. Five mice were randomly sampled from each group and sacrificed on d7, d14, d21, d28 and d35, and spleen was collected for measurement of spleen size and weight. In addition, splenic cells were isolated, and the proportions of CD3e⁺ T cells, CD45R⁺ B cells, CD49b⁺ nature killer (NK) cells, and F4/80⁺ macrophages were detected in CD45⁺ lymphocytes using flow cytometry. Results The prevalence of B. microti infection in the intravenous (22.80%) and intraperitoneal injection groups (44.82%) peaked on d7 (χ² = 8.141, P < 0.01) and then rapidly decreased, and no parasites were observed on d35. The longest mouse spleen length [(32.91 ± 2.20) mm] and width [(9.82 ± 0.43) mm], and the greatest weight [(0.78 ± 0.10) g] were found on d14 in the intravenous injection group, and the longest spleen length [(32.42 ± 3.21) mm] and width [(10.25 ± 0.73) mm], and the greatest weight [(0.73 ± 0.09) g] were seen in the intra-peritoneal injection group on d21, d7 and d14, respectively. There were significant differences among the intravenous injection group, intraperitoneal injection group and the normal control group in terms of spleen length (F = 10.310, P < 0.05), width (F = 9.824, P < 0.05), and weight (F = 10.672, P < 0.05) on d21, and the mouse spleen length, width and weight were all significantly greater in the intraperitoneal injection group than in the intravenous injection group (allP values < 0.05). The proportions of splenic CD3e⁺ T cells [(60.60 ± 6.20)% and (39.68 ± 7.62)%], CD45R⁺ B cells [(43.32 ± 2.08)% and (49.53 ± 4.90)%], CD49b⁺ NK cells [(6.88 ± 1.34)% and (7.71 ± 1.59)%], and F4/80⁺ macrophages [(2.21 ± 0.29)% and (3.80 ± 0.35)%] peaked on d14, d21, d21 and d14 in the intravenous and intraperitoneal injection groups, respectively. There were significant differences in the proportions of CD3e⁺ T cells (F = 16.730, P < 0.05) and F4/80⁺ macrophages (F = 15.941, P < 0.05) among the intravenous injection group, intraperitoneal injection group and normal control group on d14, and a higher proportion of CD3e⁺ T cells and a lower proportion of F4/80⁺ macrophages were detected in the intravenous injection group than in the intraperitoneal injection group (both P values < 0.01). There were significant differences among the intravenous injection group, intraperitoneal injection group and normal control group on d21 in terms of proportions of splenic CD3e⁺ T cells (F = 9.252, P < 0.05), CD45R⁺ B cells (F = 14.349, P < 0.05), CD49b⁺ NK cells (F = 13.436,P < 0.05), and F4/80⁺ macrophages (F = 8.180, P < 0.05), and a higher proportion of CD3e⁺ T cells and lower proportions of CD45R⁺ B cells and F4/80⁺ macrophages were detected in the intravenous injection group than in the intraperitoneal injection group (all P values < 0.01). In addition, there was a significant difference in the proportion of CD3e⁺ T cells among the intravenous injection group, intraperitoneal injection group and normal control group on d28 (F = 9.772,P < 0.05), and a lower proportion of CD3e⁺ T cells was found in the intravenous injection group than in the intraperitoneal injection group (P < 0.01). Conclusions Both intraperitoneal and intravenous routes are effective to induce B. microti infections in BALB/c mice, and the prevalence of B. microti infections is higher in BALB/c mice through the intraperitoneal route than through the intravenous route. Intraperitoneal and intravenous injections with B. microti cause diverse spleen morphologies and proportions of splenic immune cells in mice, indicating routes of B. microti infections cause different impacts on immune response mechanisms in mice.

ObjectiveTo analyze the changes in the degree of coordination of China's major epidemic prevention and control efforts before and after the outbreak of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), so as to explore the impact of epidemic prevention and control measures on coordination dynamics. MethodsA total of 3 864 policy documents related to epidemic prevention and control from January 2000 to December 2020 across 31 provinces (autonomous regions, and municipalities) in China were systematically collected. Contents specific to collaborative and cooperative efforts were extracted, and the extent of interdepartmental coordination were quantified to assess the effectiveness of epidemic prevention and control efforts. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was adopted to statistically analyze the differences between the indicators before and after the epidemic. ResultsThe average overall coordination level for major epidemic prevention and control in 31 provinces (autonomous regions, and municipalities) increased from 43.06% to 97.62%, and the average coordination levels in the eastern, central, and western China soared from 42.29%, 37.50%, and 47.46%, to 98.81%, 96.20%, and 97.46%, respectively, with statistically significant differences (all P<0.05). In terms of department categorization, coordination levels in the professional departments and the key support departments peaked at 100.00%, while other support departments rose to 95.43%, with an increase of 77.15%, 181.85%, and 139.89%, respectively, exhibiting noteworthy statistically significant differences (all P<0.001). ConclusionThe scope of coordination departments of China’s major epidemic prevention and control exists a remarkable surge following the COVID-19 outbreak, notable heightened coordination is particularly observed among the key support departments. Future endeavors should prioritize the roles played by diverse departments in epidemic prevention and control, enhancing both the clarity of departmental responsibilities and the effectiveness of interdepartmental coordination.

ObjectiveTo systematically evaluate the public health governance capacity of 40 cities in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui Provinces, providing a scientific evaluation basis for building a "Healthy Yangtze River Delta". MethodsA comprehensive collection of policy documents, public information reports, and research literature related to public health governance capacity in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui Provinces was conducted, totaling 6 920 policy documents, 1 720 information reports, and 1 200 literature pieces. Based on the evaluation standards for an appropriate public health system established by the research team, the basic status of public health governance capacity was assessed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the 40 cities. ResultsIn 2022, the public health governance capacity score for the 40 cities in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui Provinces was (562.5±38.0) points. In terms of specific areas, the emergency response field received the highest score of (791.4±49.7) points, while the chronic disease prevention and control field received the lowest score of (368.2±29.6) points. The Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Anhui region has largely achieved the strategic priority of health, gradually improved public health legal regulations, and established a basic organizational framework with a solid foundation for information and data infrastructure. However, challenges still need to be addressed, such as unstable government funding for public health, unclear departmental responsibilities, and barriers to information interoperability. ConclusionThe public health governance capacity of the 40 cities in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui Province has been at a moderate level, but disparities have still existed across regions and fields. In the future, while continuing to deepen existing advantages, it is essential to accurately identify the causes of problems, establish a long-term and stable investment mechanism, enhance information connectivity mechanisms, further clarify departmental responsibilities, and promote the achievement of the "Healthy Yangtze River Delta" goal.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of piriformis muscle release versus preservation in total hip arthroplasty (THA) via supercapsular percutaneously-assisted total hip (SuperPATH) approach on muscle injury. METHODS: Forty-nine patients undergoing initial THA via SuperPATH approach between June 2022 and June 2023 were randomly divided into two groups, with 24 patients in trial group and 25 patients in control group. The trial group received piriformis muscle release intraoperatively, whereas the control group underwent muscle preservation. There was no significant difference in baseline data such as gender, age, body mass index, disease type, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grading, and preoperative muscle infiltration, muscle atrophy, muscle injury serological indicators, Harris score, etc. ( P>0.05). The incision length, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, total blood loss, hospital stay, preoperative and postoperative 1-day muscle injury serological indicators [including creatine kinase (CK) and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH)], and incidence of complications between two groups were recorded. Harris score was used to evaluate the recovery of hip joint function. MRI was used to evaluate the extent of hip muscle injuries (gluteus minimus, gluteus medius, piriformis, obturator internus, quadratus femoris), including tendon integrity, degree of muscle fat infiltration, and degree of muscle atrophy preoperative and 1 year postoperatively. RESULTS: The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and total blood loss in the trial group were significantly shorter than those in the control group ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the incision length and length of hospital stay between the two groups ( P>0.05). Both groups showed a significant increase in serum CK and LDH levels on postoperative day 1 compared to preoperative levels ( P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05). All patients were followed up, the follow-up time for the trial group and the control group was (14.8±2.8) and (15.1±3.0) months, respectively, with no significant difference ( t=-0.400, P=0.691). Incisions healed by first intention in both groups, with 1 case in the trial group and 2 cases in the control group experiencing venous thrombosis in the calf muscle space. There was no complication such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, hip dislocation, prosthesis loosening, or periprosthetic infection in the lower limbs. There was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between the two groups ( P>0.05). At 1 year after operation, both groups of patients showed a significant increase in Harris scores compared to preoperative levels ( P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05). Compared with preoperative results, both groups showed significant fat infiltration in the piriformis and obturator muscles at 1 year after operation ( P<0.05), while there was no significant fat infiltration in the gluteus minimus, gluteus medius, and quadratus femoris muscles ( P>0.05). At 1 year after operation, except for the higher incidence of piriformis muscle fat infiltration in the control group compared to the trial group ( P<0.05), there was no significant difference in the incidence of other muscle infiltrations between the two groups ( P>0.05). At 1 year after operation, both groups of piriformis and obturator muscles showed significant muscle atrophy compared to preoperative levels ( P<0.05). The gluteus minimus and gluteus medius showed mild atrophy compared to preoperative levels, while the maximum transverse diameter of the quadriceps muscle slightly increased, but the differences were not significant ( P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the maximum cross-sectional diameter or cross-sectional area changes of each muscle between the two groups ( P>0.05). At 1 year after operation, the continuity of the gluteus medius and quadratus femoris muscles in both groups was intact. Both groups had some patients with incomplete continuity of the piriformis muscle, obturator internus, and gluteus minimus, but the difference was not significant ( P>0.05). CONCLUSION The SuperPATH approach THA may cause injury to the piriformis, gluteus minimus, and obturator internus. The piriformis muscle release does not increase muscle injury, but it can shorten the operation time and reduce bleeding.
Humans ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Muscle, Skeletal/surgery* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Postoperative Complications/epidemiology* ; Adult ; Operative Time ; Muscular Atrophy ; Creatine Kinase/blood* ; Length of Stay ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical efficacy and safety of the "Three-Step Nine-Method Lumbar Correction" combined with physical therapy in the treatment of patients with degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis(DLS). METHODS: From January 2021 to December 2021, 72 patients diagnosed with DLS were enrolled and divided into the Three-Step Nine-Method Lumbar Correction group and the pelvic traction group, with 36 cases in each group. In the Three-Step Nine-Method Lumbar Correction group, there were 15 males and 21 females;aged 54 to 66 years old, with an average of (59.07±5.69) years old;the course of disease was 14 to 26 years old, with an average of (20.35±5.66) years old. They were treated with the Three-Step Nine-Method Lumbar Correction combined with low-frequency physical therapy, 3 times a week, for a 4-week course. In the pelvic traction group, there were 12 males and 24 females;aged 54 to 66 years old, with an average of (59.69±5.59) years old;the course of disease was 13 to 26 years old, with an average of (19.74±5.80) years old. They were treated with pelvic traction combined with low-frequency physical therapy. Efficacy evaluation was conducted using the visual analogue scale(VAS), Oswestry disability index(ODI), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, and Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) before treatment, after 2 and 4 weeks of treatment, and at the 8-week follow-up after the end of treatment. In addition, imaging parameters of paravertebral muscles were evaluated before treatment and at the completion of treatment. RESULTS: All 72 patients completed the follow-up for 8 weeks. At the 8-week follow-up after the end of treatment, in the Three-Step Nine-Method Lumbar Correction group, the VAS score for low back pain decreased from (6.25±1.23) points before treatment to (1.25±0.65) points, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05);the ODI decreased from (57.17±7.13)% before treatment to (19.89±5.66)%, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05);the JOA score and SF-36 score increased from (15.46±3.20) points and (35.25±9.28) points before treatment to (23.75±2.10) points and (62.31±13.03) points, respectively, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). The improvement of each index in the Three-Step Nine-Method Lumbar Correction group was better than that in the pelvic traction group (P<0.05), but the change in imaging parameters was not significant (P>0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05), and no serious adverse events occurred. CONCLUSION The Three-Step Nine-Method Lumbar Correction combined with physical therapy has a definite efficacy in the treatment of DLS. It can significantly relieve pain symptoms, improve physical function and patients' quality of life. Its effect is better than that of pelvic traction combined with physical therapy, and it has high safety. However, its improvement on paravertebral muscles is not obvious.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Spondylolisthesis/physiopathology* ; Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Lumbar Vertebrae/physiopathology* ; Physical Therapy Modalities ; Adult

Nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA), one of the most severe types of male infertility, etiology often remains unclear in most cases. Therefore, this study aimed to detect four biallelic detrimental variants (0.5%) in the minichromosome maintenance domain containing 2 ( MCMDC2 ) genes in 768 NOA patients by whole-exome sequencing (WES). Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) demonstrated that MCMDC2 deleterious variants caused meiotic arrest in three patients (c.1360G>T, c.1956G>T, and c.685C>T) and hypospermatogenesis in one patient (c.94G>T), as further confirmed through immunofluorescence (IF) staining. The single-cell RNA sequencing data indicated that MCMDC2 was substantially expressed during spermatogenesis. The variants were confirmed as deleterious and responsible for patient infertility through bioinformatics and in vitro experimental analyses. The results revealed four MCMDC2 variants related to NOA, which contributes to the current perception of the function of MCMDC2 in male fertility and presents new perspectives on the genetic etiology of NOA.
Humans ; Male ; Azoospermia/genetics* ; Meiosis/genetics* ; Spermatogenesis/genetics* ; Adult ; Exome Sequencing ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins/genetics* ; Alleles ; Infertility, Male/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the impact of glycemic control and diabetes duration on subsequent myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with both coronary heart disease (CHD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 33,238 patients with both CHD and T2D in Shenzhen, China. Patients were categorized into 6 groups based on baseline fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels and diabetes duration (from the date of diabetes diagnosis to the baseline date) to examine their combined effects on subsequent MI. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used, with further stratification by age, sex, and comorbidities to assess potential interactions. RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 2.4 years, 2,110 patients experienced MI. Compared to those with optimal glycemic control (FPG < 6.1 mmol/L) and shorter diabetes duration (< 10 years), the fully-adjusted hazard ratio ( HR) (95% Confidence Interval [95% CI]) for those with a diabetes duration of ≥ 10 years and FPG > 8.0 mmol/L was 1.93 (95% CI: 1.59, 2.36). The combined effects of FPG and diabetes duration on MI were largely similar across different age, sex, and comorbidity groups, although the excess risk of MI associated with long-term diabetes appeared to be more pronounced among those with atrial fibrillation. CONCLUSION Our study indicates that glycemic control and diabetes duration significant influence the subsequent occurrence of MI in patients with both CHD and T2D. Tailored management strategies emphasizing strict glycemic control may be particularly beneficial for patients with longer diabetes duration and atrial fibrillation.
Humans ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/blood* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Coronary Disease/complications* ; Myocardial Infarction/etiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; China/epidemiology* ; Glycemic Control ; Blood Glucose ; Adult ; Risk Factors ; Time Factors

Objective:To analyze the survival of pneumoconiosis patients in Guangzhou from 1958 to 2018, explore the factors affecting the survival of pneumoconiosis, and provide scientific basis for formulating the guidelines and policies for treatment and assistance of pneumoconiosis.Methods:From July 2019 to January 2020, 1194 cases of occupational pneumoconiosis patients diagnosed by institutions qualified for pneumoconiosis diagnosis in Guangzhou from June 1, 1958 to December 31, 2018 were studied. Excluding 258 patients who lacked survival data, 936 patients were included in the pneumoconiosis survival analysis. Life table method was used to estimate the survival rate, Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw the survival curve, log-rank test was used to compare the groups, and Cox proportional risk regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors of survival.Results:The 10, 20 and 30 years cumulative survival rates of pneumoconiosis patients in Guangzhou were 62.8%, 35.2% and 15.4%, respectively. The median survival time was 19.4 years. log-rank test showed that there were statistically significant differences in the survival curves of pneumoconiosis patients between group without tuberculosis and group with tuberculosis ( P<0.001), and there were statistically significant differences among different stages and categories of pneumoconiosis ( P<0.001). Age of exposure to dust ( HR=1.03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.05), age of diagnosis ( HR=1.02, 95% CI: 1.00-1.04), combined pulmonary tuberculosis ( HR=1.46, 95% CI: 1.18-1.81), stage of pneumoconiosis (stage Ⅲ vs. stage Ⅰ, HR=2.26, 95% CI: 1.47-3.48) and categories of pneumoconiosis (fibrogenic mineral dust pneumoconiosis and metallogenic pneumoconiosis, HR=2.45, 95% CI: 1.61-3.74; non-fibrogenic mineral pneumoconiosis and metallogenic pneumoconiosis, HR=2.67, 95% CI: 1.47-4.87; mixed pneumoconiosis and metallogenic pneumoconiosis, HR=2.25, 95% CI: 1.11-4.56) were the factors affecting the survival time of pneumoconiosis patients ( P<0.05) . Conclusion:Pulmonary tuberculosis may increase the risk of death in patients with pneumoconiosis. Mineral dust pneumoconiosis, mixed pneumoconiosis and stage Ⅲ pneumoconiosis may also have higher risk of death.