This paper summarizes Professor LU Fang's clinical experience in treating systemic lupus erythematosus （SLE） based on the differentiation and treatment of heat-toxin and blood-stasis in the collaterals. SLE is generally characterized by deficiency in origin with excess in manifestation. The core pathogenesis is heat-toxin obstructing the collaterals. During the acute active stage， the predominant pattern is blazing heat-toxin causing blood stasis， while in the chronic remitting stage， the main pattern is toxic stasis blocking the collaterals with qi and yin deficiency. Clinical treatment follows the basic principle that treat with salty-cold herbs， when heat invades internally and that assist with acrid-dispersing herbs when stasis obstructs the collaterals. The self-formulated Yimian Decoction （抑免汤） serves as the base formula and is applied in stages. During the acute active stage， it is often combined with herbs for clearing heat and detoxifying， cooling blood and resolving stasis， and unblocking the collaterals. In the chronic remitting stage， it is often combined with herbs for activating blood circulation and unblocking the collaterals， as well as tonifying qi and nourishing yin.

This paper interprets the disease name related to bi （痹） disease in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） from the perspective of micropathological phenotypes in knee osteoarthritis （KOA）. By systematically reviewing classical TCM literature on the pathogenesis and clinical features of different subtypes such as damp-retention bi， bone bi， and tendon bi， and integrating these with current research on pathological subtypes of KOA including the synovitis type， cartilage-meniscus type， and subchondral bone type， the study explores the correlation between traditional disease terms and modern micropathological phenotypes. The author proposes subtype classifications of damp-retention bi corresponding to synovial inflammation， bone bi related to abnormal subchondral bone remodeling， and tendon bi representing cartilage and meniscus degeneration. This approach provides a microscopic biological explanation for TCM syndrome differentiation and offers new perspectives for advancing integrative diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in both Chinese and western medicine.

Objective　To investigate the effects of capsaicin on gut microbiota and antimicrobial peptide expression of Anopheles stephensi, providing experimental references for the application of capsaicin in mosquito-borne disease prevention and control. Methods Anopheles stephensi were continuously fed with sugary water containing capsaicin or DMSO for the capsaicin-treated group and the control, respectively. The DNA of the female mosquito's midguts and gut bacteria was extracted. Bacterial 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR were used to analyze and compare the bacteria diversity, gut flora composition, relative abundance, and total bacterial load in female mosquitoes’ midgut between the control and capsaicin treatment groups. Total RNA was extracted from the midguts of the two groups of Anopheles mosquitoes, and the transcriptional levels of important antimicrobial peptides were detected and compared by reverse transcription and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. Results A total of 10 phyla, 11 classes, 28 orders, 43 families, and 62 genera were identified in the two groups. The capsaicin-treated group had fewer taxa, with significantly reduced bacterial diversity, and different community composition and relative abundance of the flora compared to the control group. At the phylum level, Bacteroidota, Proteobacteria, and Firmicutes predominated in both two groups. At the order level, Flavobacteriales, Acetobacterales, Pseudomonadales, and Lactobacillales were the dominant bacteria, with reduced relative abundance of Pseudomonadales and Acetobacterales and increased relative abundance of Flavobacteriales and Lactobacillales in the capsaicin-treated group. At the genus level, Elizabethkingia was predominantly abundant in both samples, with higher relative abundance of Elizabethkingia, Leuconostoc, and Gluconobacter in the capsaicin-treated group, while Asaia and Acinetobacter had significantly lower relative abundance compared to the control group. In addition to these changes, the total bacterial load was increased and the transcriptional levels of attacin C, cecropin A, and defensin were significantly decreased by capsaicin treatment. Conclusions Capsaicin treatment significantly affects the composition of the gut flora in Anopheles stephensi and increases the total bacterial load while inhibiting the expression of antimicrobial peptides. Based on the analysis, it indicates that capsaicin might affect the fecundity and vector competence of Anopheles by changing the energy metabolism and immune-related bacteria.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of acupuncture on podocyte autophagy and long non-coding RNA SOX2 overlapping transcript (LncRNA SOX2OT)/mammalian target of rapamycin C1 (mTORC1)/Unc-51-like kinase 1 (ULK1) pathway in rats with diabetic kidney disease (DKD), and to explore the mechanism by which acupuncture reduces urinary protein. METHODS: A total of 40 SPF-grade male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a control group (n=10) and a modeling group (n=30). The DKD model was established by feeding a high-fat, high-sugar diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) in the modeling group. Twenty rats with successful DKD model were randomly divided into a model group (n=10) and an acupuncture group (n=10). The acupuncture group received "spleen and stomach-regulating" acupuncture at bilateral "Zusanli" (ST36), "Fenglong" (ST40), "Yinlingquan" (SP9), and "Zhongwan" (CV12), 30 min per session, once daily, five times per week, for four weeks. The general condition, fasting blood glucose (FBG), 2-hour postprandial glucose (2hPG), serum creatinine (SCr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), 24-hour urinary protein quantification, and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) were compared before and after the intervention. After intervention, urinary podocyte injury marker SPON2 was measured by ELISA. Podocyte autophagosomes and glomerular basement membrane ultrastructure in renal tissue were observed via transmission electron microscopy. Podocyte apoptosis was assessed by TUNEL staining. The protein expression of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3Ⅱ (LC3-Ⅱ), mTORC1, ULK1, Beclin-1, and p62 in renal tissue was detected by Western blot. LncRNA SOX2OT expression in renal tissue was measured by real-time PCR. RESULTS: After the intervention, compared with the control group, the model group exhibited increased food and water intake, increased urine output, weight loss, and loose stools; compared with the model group, the food and water intake, urine volume, and loose stools were improved in the acupuncture group. Compared with the control group, FBG, 2hPG, SCr, BUN, 24-hour urinary protein quantification, UACR, and urinary SPON2 were all higher in the model group (P<0.01); compared with the model group, the FBG, 2hPG, SCr, BUN, 24-hour urinary protein quantification, UACR, and urinary SPON2 were all lower in the acupuncture group (P<0.01). Compared with the control group, the model group showed reduced podocyte autophagosomes and thickened glomerular basement membrane; compared with the model group, the acupuncture group had increased podocyte autophagosomes and less thickened basement membrane. Compared with the control group, the podocyte apoptosis index (AI) was higher in the model group (P<0.01); compared with the model group, the AI was lower in the acupuncture group (P<0.01). Compared with the control group, the expression of ULK1, Beclin-1, and LC3-Ⅱ proteins was lower, and the expression of mTORC1 and p62 proteins was higher in the model group (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the expression of ULK1, Beclin-1, and LC3-Ⅱ proteins was higher, and the expression of mTORC1 and p62 proteins was lower in the acupuncture group (P<0.01). Compared with the control group, the LncRNA SOX2OT expression was lower in the model group (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, LncRNA SOX2OT expression was higher in the acupuncture group (P<0.01). CONCLUSION The "spleen and stomach-regulating" acupuncture method could improve renal function in DKD rats, reduce blood glucose and urinary protein excretion, alleviate podocyte injury, and enhance podocyte autophagy. The mechanism may be related to modulation of the renal LncRNA SOX2OT/mTORC1/ULK1 pathway.
Animals ; Podocytes/cytology* ; Diabetic Nephropathies/physiopathology* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Male ; Rats ; Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1/genetics* ; Autophagy ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Autophagy-Related Protein-1 Homolog/genetics* ; RNA, Long Noncoding/metabolism* ; Humans ; Signal Transduction

For the treatment of vertebral metastases,percutaneous vertebral augmentation can effectively relieve pain,stabilize vertebrae,and prevent and treat pathological fractures.Bone cement leakage is the most common complication of percutaneous vertebral augmentation.Most bone cement leakages are asymptomatic and no special management is required,but close attention should be paid to some rare and serious complications caused by bone cement leakage.This paper aims to make a comprehensive review about the advances in percutaneous vertebral augmentation for vertebral metastases,focusing on the technical features,characteristics of bone cement,types of bone cement leakage,leakage-related factors and their preventive measures,etc.

Objective To investigate the short-term efficacy of CT-guided microwave ablation(MWA)combined with percutaneous vertebroplasty(PVP)for spinal metastases,and to analyze the risk factors for postoperative cement leakage.Methods The clinical data of 50 patients with spinal metastases(74 diseased vertebrae in total),who were treated with CT-guided MW A combined with PVP at the authors'hospital from January 2020 to June 2023,were retrospectively analyzed.Numerical Pain Rating Scale(NRS),daily morphine consumption(DMC)and Activity of Daily Living Scale(ADL)were used to evaluate the short-term efficacy.Regular postoperative CT reexamination was carried out to assess the condition of local tumor control and bone cement leakage.Univariate analysis and multivariate binary logistic analysis of gender,age,maximum diameter of metastatic lesion,type of metastasis,Tomita classification of primary tumor,level of affected vertebrae,injected volume of bone cement,injection side,pathological fracture,and posterior vertebral wall rupture were performed to determine the risk factors for postoperative occurrence of bone cement leakage.Results The preoperative,and the postoperative one-day,one-week,one-month,3-month and 6-month NRS were(7.24±1.41),(4.76±1.45),(3.42±1.34),(2.86±0.90),(2.20±0.57),(1.66±0.72)points respectively.The preoperative,and the postoperative one-day,one-week,one-month,3-month and 6-month DMC were(110.40±94.61),(66.10±51.23),(47.30±37.49),(32.90±22.84),(25.60±18.97),(15.36±13.43)mg respectively.The preoperative,and the postoperative one-week,one-month,3-month and 6-month ADL were(40.80±11.45),(53.20±6.68),(60.40±5.14),(62.90±4.75),(64.80±4.51)points respectively.The differences in NRS,DMC,ADL between their preoperative values and postoperative 6-month values were statistically significant(all P＜0.05).Postoperative 6-month imaging follow-up check revealed that tumor was controlled in 46 patients and the tumor recurrence rate was 8％(4/50),and mild bone cement leakage occurred in 17 of 74 vertebrae(22.97％).Multivariate regression analysis indicated that pathological fracture(OR=9.581,95％CI=2.292-40.055,P=0.002)and rupture of posterior wall of vertebra(OR=5.105,95％CI=1.041-25.022,P=0.044)were the independent risk factors for bone cement leakage,the pathological fracture(OR=35.333,95％CI=4.029-309.840,P=0.001)was the independent risk factor for cortical bone cement leakage.No independent risk factor for vascular bone cement leakage was observed.The rupture of posterior wall of vertebra(OR=48.400,95％CI=4.725-495.753,P=0.001)was the independent risk factor for leakage of bone cement in spinal canal.Conclusion MW A combined with PVP can rapidly relieve pain,improve the ability of daily activity and quality of life of patients with spinal metastases,which can be further improved within 6 months after treatment.The combination use of MW A and PVP carries lower incidence of bone cement leakage.The pathological fracture and posterior wall rupture of vertebra are the independent risk factors for bone cement leakage.

With the development of low-dose chest computed tomography(CT)and artificial intelligence,the detection rate of multiple pulmonary nodules has been increased year by year.Surgical resection is the preferred treatment for high-risk pulmonary nodules,but some multiple pulmonary nodules cannot be treated surgically for various reasons,so ablation therapy can be used as an alternative to surgical procedures.This paper aims to make a comprehensive review about the research progress in the treatment of multiple pulmonary nodules,focusing on the percutaneous ablation,transbronchial ablation,ablation combined with surgery,ablation combined with drug therapy,etc.

Colorectal cancer(CRC)is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide,metastasizing most commonly to the liver and lung.Local treatment of pulmonary oligometastases from CRC has an important position in the therapeutic course of the disease,sometimes local therapy is the key to achieve a disease-free state.Surgery is the preferred treatment for pulmonary oligometastases from CRC,but some patients are unable to undergo surgery due to physical conditions or lesion's anatomical location limitations.Because of its minimally-invasive manipulation,repeatable adoption,maximum preservation of lung parenchyma and lung function,and the potential to cure new or recurrent lung metastases,percutaneous ablation therapy has emerged as an important surgical alternative,and its clinical application has been increasing in recent years.Percutaneous ablation techniques mainly include radiofrequency ablation(RFA),microwave ablation(MWA),and cryoablation(CA).RFA produces thermal effect through high-frequency electrical current,and it is easy to operate and applicable for a wide range of treatments.MW A uses efficient microwave heating technique and its energy distribution is uniform,suitable for larger lesions.Through repeated freeze-thaw cycles CA destroys tumor tissues,which is particularly suitable for the lesions near important structures.Besides,percutaneous ablation combined with surgery,medication,etc.can be used for the treatment of pulmonary oligometastases from CRC,this kind of combination therapy has synergistic effect to enhance the curative efficacy.This paper aims to make a comprehensive review about the importance of treating pulmonary oligometastases from CRC,the efficacy,prognosis,and influencing factors of various percutaneous ablation techniques,and the application progress of ablation combined with other therapies.

OBJECTIVE To explore the molecular mechanism of urolithin A inhibition of human hepatoma cells growth. METHODS Hepatoma Huh-7 cells were treated with different concentrations of urolithin A(Uro-A). The inhibition rate of Huh-7 cells survival was detected by CCK-8 assay and the IC50 was calculated. Cell proliferation was detected by colony formation assay and cell migration ability was assessed by cell wound healing experiment. Glucose uptake and lactate level in culture medium through colorimetry and the ATP production in cell through chemiluminescence method was analyzed. Western blotting was applied to detect protein expression levels of glucose transporter(GLUT1), key enzymes of glycolysis(HK2, PFKM, LDHA), p53, p-p38 and Bcl-2 after treatment with different concentrations of Uro-A. Flow cytometry and TUNEL method were used to detect apoptosis rate. RESULTS The results of CCK-8 showed that Uro-A significantly inhibited the proliferation of Huh-7 cells, and the IC50 was(48.54±1.21) μmol·L−1. The ability of clone formation and migration decreased after Uro-A treatment. Cellular glucose uptake and level of lactic acid and ATP production were down regulated in Huh-7 cells treated with Uro-A. The results showed that expression of glycolytic key proteins GLUT1, PKM2, LDHA and HK2 decreased. Western Blotting further research indicated that the p53 and p-p38 were activated, while the Bcl-2 was down-regulated. Flow cytometry data and TUNEL method revealed that the induction of apoptosis by Uro-A was remarkably increased. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that Uro-A can suppress Huh-7 cell proliferation and migration. The possible mechanism is the inhibition of glycolysis by p53, p-p38 and Bcl-2, which prevent cell growth and finally induce apoptosis.

Objective To investigate the molecular mechanisms by which SOX7 regulates the SHP-2/Wnt/β-cate-nin/ROS pathway,affecting the proliferation,invasion,and migration of colorectal cancer cells.Methods Twenty nude mice with subcutaneously transplanted tumor models were randomly divided into four groups:SOX7 NC(n=5),SOX mimic(n=5),SOX7 NC+PHPS1(n=5),and SOX7 mimic+PHPS1(n=5)to observe tumor growth.Human colorectal cancer cell line SW480 cells were transfected via lipofection and divided into six groups:SOX7 NC,SOX7 mimic,SOX7 NC+H2 O2,SOX7 mimic+H2O2,SOX7 NC+PHPS1,and SOX7 mimic+PHPS1.The ex-pression of SHP-2/Wnt/β-catenin/ROS pathway-related proteins in SW480 cells of each group was detected by Western blot.The invasion and migration capabilities of SW480 cells were assessed through scratch and Transwell invasion assays,while cell proliferation was evaluated using CCK-8.Results In vivo experiments demonstrated that tumors in the SOX7 mimic group were significantly smaller than those in the SOX7 NC group(P＜0.01).Tumors treated with PHPS1 intervention exhibited a significant increase in volume.There was no statistical significance in the difference in tumor volume between the SOX7 mimic+PHPS1 group and the SOX7 NC+PHPS1 group.In vitro experiments revealed that SOX7 mimic inhibited the expression of Wnt,β-catenin,NOX2,NOX4,PI3K,P-PI3K,AKT,P-AKT proteins(P＜0.01),and promoted the expression of p-SHP-2 protein(P＜0.01).The addition of hydrogen peroxide and SHP-2 inhibitor reversed the effects of SOX7 on SW480 cells(P＜0.05),and significantly promoted the expression levels of Wnt,β-catenin,NOX2,NOX4,PI3K,P-PI3K,AKT,P-AKT proteins,with no sig-nificant difference,while significantly reducing the expression levels of SHP-2,p-SHP-2 proteins,with no significant difference.PHPS1 inhibited the expression of SHP-2,p-SHP-2 proteins(P＜0.05)and upregulated the expression of Wnt,β-catenin,NOX2,NOX4,PI3K,P-PI3K,AKT,P-AKT proteins(P＜0.05).Scratch,Transwell invasion and migration assays,and CCK-8 experiments indicated that SOX7 suppressed the migration,invasion,and proliferation of SW480 cells through oxidative stress and the SHP-2 pathway(P＜0.01),while H2O2 and PHPS1 intervention promoted the migration,invasion,and proliferation of SW480 cells(P＜0.05).Conclusion SOX7 can suppress the proliferation,invasion,and migration of colorectal cancer by targeting the SHP-2/Wnt/β-catenin/ROS pathway.