Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD） is a chronic liver disease closely related to metabolism， which is mainly characterized by abnormal lipid deposition in hepatocytes. In recent years， with the increasing prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome， NAFLD has become one of the most common chronic diseases in the world. The pathogenesis of NAFLD is complex and varied， involving the cross-regulation of multiple signaling pathways such as glucose-lipid metabolism， oxidative stress， and inflammation. The TLR4 signaling pathway plays a key role in the development and progression of NAFLD， and abnormal activation of this pathway accelerates the deterioration of NAFLD by promoting the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines， inducing oxidative stress， and exacerbating insulin resistance. Studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） can regulate the TLR4 signaling pathway to alleviate the symptoms and pathological features of NAFLD. The present review summarizes the experimental research progress in the TCM regulation of the TLR4 signaling pathway in treating NAFLD in the past 5 years， covering a wide range of TCM active ingredients （such as polysaccharides， terpenoids， alkaloids， flavonoids） and compound prescriptions. The active ingredients and compound prescriptions of TCM can effectively ameliorate lipid metabolism disorders， reduce insulin resistance， regulate intestinal flora， and inhibit inflammation and oxidative stress by regulating the TLR4 signaling pathway via multiple targets and pathways， thus slowing down the progression of NAFLD. Through in-depth analysis of the pathological mechanisms of NAFLD and exploration of the potential of TLR4 signaling pathway as a therapeutic target， we can provide theoretical support for the application of TCM in the treatment of NAFLD， as well as new perspectives and directions for future clinical research and new drug development， thereby promoting the innovation and development of therapeutic strategies for NAFLD.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the impact of different peroneus longus tendon (PLT) stump management techniques on ankle function following arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with autologous PLT grafts. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 60 patients with ACL rupture who met the inclusion criteria between August 2020 and July 2024. All patients underwent arthroscopic ACL reconstruction using the autologous PLT grafts. Patients were assigned to group A [PLT stump sutured to peroneus brevis tendon (PBT), n=30] or group B (no stump intervention, n=30). The two groups showed no significant difference ( P>0.05) in baseline data, including gender, age, body mass index, injury mechanism, affected side, preoperative American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, ankle muscle strength, ankle range of motion, and arch-related angles. Postoperative outcomes were assessed using the AOFAS score, ankle muscle strength (eversion and first-ray plantar flexion), arch-related angles (medial/lateral longitudinal and anterior/posterior arch), ankle range of motion (eversion, inversion, dorsiflexion, plantarflexion), and limb symmetry index (LSI). Change values in muscle strength, arch-related angles, and range of motion from preoperative to 12 months postoperatively were calculated for intergroup comparison. RESULTS: Groups A and B had comparable PLT graft lengths and diameters ( P>0.05). All patients were followed up 13-16 months (mean, 14.5 months). Postoperative complications included 1 case of incision infection, 1 case of deep vein thrombosis, and 1 case of knee stiffness in group A, 1 case of knee stiffness in group B. There was no significant difference in the overall complication incidences between groups ( P>0.05). No significant difference was found in the AOFAS scores between different time points and between groups ( P>0.05). At 12 months after operation, neither group showed significant changes from preoperative baseline in ankle strength, range of motion, or arch-related angles, and there was no significant difference in these change values between groups ( P>0.05). There was no significant difference in LSI between the two groups at 6 or 12 months postoperatively ( P>0.05). CONCLUSION Both suturing and leaving the PLT stump untreated during arthroscopic ACL reconstruction provided comparable ankle outcomes and well-preserved foot and ankle function.
Humans ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction/methods* ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Female ; Adult ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries/surgery* ; Tendons/transplantation* ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Arthroscopy/methods* ; Young Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; Muscle Strength ; Transplantation, Autologous ; Ankle Joint/surgery* ; Middle Aged ; Adolescent

In this comprehensive review, we delve into the evolution of drug delivery systems in reproductive medicine with a focus on the emerging role of exosomes, a class of extracellular vesicles. Exosomes offer unique advantages in overcoming these challenges due to their inherent biocompatibility, stability, and ability to facilitate targeted delivery. This review provides a detailed examination of exosome biogenesis and their function in cellular communication, setting the stage for understanding their potential as drug delivery vehicles. We explore the mechanisms through which exosomes can be loaded with small molecule drugs and the benefits they offer over synthetic nanoparticles. The review highlights groundbreaking case studies that illustrate the successful application of exosome-mediated drug delivery in reproductive health, including enhancing fertility treatments, supporting gamete and embryo development, and facilitating maternal-fetal communication. This study aims to provide a precise understanding of how exosomal drug delivery can revolutionize treatments for reproductive health disorders, paving the way for future therapeutic applications. Lastly, we touch upon the promising therapeutic implications of exosomal delivery for proteins and genes, offering a window into future treatments for reproductive health disorders.

Objective:To analyze the association between healthy lifestyle and mortality among Henan Province 35-74 years old individuals.Methods:Data from the programme of screening and intervention subjects with high-risk cardiovascular disease 99 133 adults were analyzed in a provincial cohort study of 16 counties. Four healthy lifestyle behaviors were assessed based on a questionnaire survey. Information on mortality endpoints was retrieved from the national death surveillance system. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the associations between healthy lifestyles, mortality risk and population attributable fraction (PAF).Results:Out of the adult participants in Henan, 50.6% adhered to a healthy lifestyle, and only 0.1% adhered to 4 healthy lifestyle behaviours. During a mean of 4.5 years, 2 685 all-cause death and 1 283 cardiovascular deaths were documented. The decreased risk of mortality among individuals with non-smoking, moderate drinking, adequate exercise and healthy diet were 0.85 (95% CI: 0.77-0.94), 0.75 (95% CI: 0.63-0.89), 0.73 (95% CI: 0.67-0.79) and 0.86 (95% CI: 0.77-0.96), while the adjusted PAF for all-cause deaths were 5.2% (95% CI: 2.5%-7.9%), 24.0% (95% CI: 10.7%-36.4%), 19.4% (95% CI: 13.8%-24.8%) and 12.3% (95% CI: 3.4%-20.9%), respectively. A combined healthy lifestyle can bring more health benefits. Adherence to 4 healthy lifestyle behaviours could avoid 49.1% of all-cause death. Conclusion:Adherence to a healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk of death, and participants with a healthy lifestyle had a lower mortality risk.

BACKGROUND:Platelet-rich fibrin(PRF)is a second generation platelet concentrate with the advantages of simple operation,no anticoagulant,and high bioactivity,which has been applied in the fields of trauma repair,bone defect repair,and tendon soft tissue repair,and has been proved to have a certain tissue repair-promoting effect. OBJECTIVE:To study the repair effect of PRF on articular cartilage tissue in rats with knee osteoarthritis. METHODS:Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal group,model group,and PRF group,with 12 rats in each group.Rats in the normal group did not undergo any treatment.In the model group,animal models of knee osteoarthritis were prepared and rat models were then given physiological saline into the joint cavity once a week after surgery.Rat models of knee osteoarthritis were also prepared in the PRF group,and autologous PRF was injected into the joint cavity once a week after surgery.After 5 weeks of continuous treatment,tissue samples were taken.Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the morphology of cartilage tissue.Tunel staining was used to detect chondrocyte apoptosis,ELISA was used to detect inflammatory factor levels.Western blot and RT-PCR were used to detect Bcl-2,Bax,and Caspase-3 expression in protein and mRNA levels,respectively. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The model group had severe cartilage tissue damage,while the PRF group had significantly improved cartilage tissue morphology compared with the model group.The model group had more apoptotic chondrocytes.Compared with the model group,the mean absorbance of Tunel positive staining in the PRF group significantly decreased(P<0.01).The levels of interleukin-1β,interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α were significantly increased in the model group and PRF group compared with the normal group(P<0.01)and were significantly decreased in the PRF group compared with the model group(P<0.01).The relative expressions of Bax and Caspase-3 at protein and mRNA levels were significantly increased in the model group and PRF group compared with the normal group(P<0.01),while the relative expressions of Bcl-2 at protein and mRNA were significantly decreased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the relative expression of Bax and Caspase-3 at protein and mRNA levels were significantly decreased in the PRF group(P<0.01),while the relative expressions of Bcl-2 at protein and mRNA levels were significantly increased(P<0.01).To conclude,PRF can inhibit chondrocyte apoptosis by inhibiting the expression of pro-inflammatory factors,thereby promoting cartilage tissue repair in knee osteoarthritis rats.

Endemic fluorosis refers to an endemic disease caused by excessive intake of fluoride in the body of residents living in high fluoride environment due to natural or man-made pollution. Dental fluorosis and bone fluorosis are common symptoms of endemic fluorosis. In addition, long-term exposure to fluorine can cause damage to multiple systems such as the central nervous system, cardiovascular system, urinary system, ultimately leading to chronic lesions and functional impairments of multiple organs throughout the body. At present, endemic fluorosis remains one of the serious public health problems in China and even the world. Therefore, this article reviews the research progress on the damage of endemic fluorosis to the human body from both bone and non-bone systems, in order to provide reference for the continuous prevention and control of endemic fluorosis in the future.

Objective:To investigate the arsenic metabolism pattern and possible influencing factors in the population in drinking-water-borne endemic arsenic poisoning (drinking-water-borne arsenic poisoning for short) areas.Methods:In December 2004, a cluster sampling method was used to select arsenic poisoning population (arsenic poisoning group) and healthy population (control group) in drinking-water-borne arsenic poisoning area of Bayannur City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region as the survey subjects. A questionnaire survey was conducted. Arsenic content in drinking water at home of survey subjects, the levels of urinary arsenic and its metabolites, including [trivalent arsenic (As Ⅲ), inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsenic acid (pentavalent, MMA V), dimethylarsenic acid (pentavalent, DMA V), total arsenic (tAs), percentage of inorganic arsenic (iAs%), percentage of monomethylarsenic acid (MMA%), percentage of dimethylarsenic acid (DMA%), primary methylation index (PMI), secondary methylation index (SMI)] were tested using high performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry; nail arsenic and nail selenium levels were tested using atomic fluorescence spectrometer. The influencing factors of arsenic metabolism pattern were analyzed by multiple linear regression. Results:A total of 536 survey subjects were included, including 155 individuals in the arsenic poisoning group and 381 in the control group. The water arsenic level ranged from 0.0 to 825.7 μg/L. Compared with the control group, there was no significant difference in the distribution of gender, education level and dental fluorosis in the arsenic poisoning group ( P > 0.05), but there were significant differences in the distribution of age, marital status, smoking, drinking and water arsenic ( P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the levels of urinary As Ⅲ, iAs, MMA V, DMA V, tAs, MMA%, MMA/DMA and nail arsenic in the arsenic poisoning group were higher ( P < 0.05), while the levels of urinary DMA%, SMI and nail selenium were lower ( P < 0.05); but there was no statistically significant difference in the levels of urinary iAs% and PMI ( P > 0.05). Gender, education level, depth of wells, water arsenic, total number of wells and nail arsenic were the influencing factors of urinary As Ⅲ (β = - 19.82, - 23.83, 0.61, 0.21, 7.26, 2.98, P < 0.05). Age, depth of wells, water arsenic and nail arsenic were the influencing factors of urinary tAs (β = 3.18, 3.25, 1.31, 15.59, P < 0.05). Gender, education level, depth of wells, water arsenic, total number of wells and nail arsenic were the influencing factors of urinary iAs (β = - 20.47, - 25.90, 0.64, 0.25, 7.87, 3.11, P < 0.05). Age, gender, education level, water arsenic and nail arsenic were the influencing factors of urinary MMA V (β = 0.52, - 17.07, - 21.84, 0.22, 2.77, P < 0.05). Age, depth of wells, water arsenic and nail arsenic were the influencing factors of urinary DMA V (β = 2.35, 2.47, 0.85, 9.22, P < 0.05). Conclusions:Compared with healthy individuals, there are differences in arsenic metabolism pattern among individuals with drinking-water-borne arsenic poisoning. Age, gender, education level, depth of wells, water arsenic, total number of wells and nail arsenic may be influencing factors of different arsenic metabolism patterns.

Objective:To study the role of special microbial communities in the development of periodontitis in type 2 diabetes melli-tus(T2DM)patients.Methods:40 subjects aged 20-70 years were included and divided into 3 groups:moderate to severe periodon-titis with T2DM(SP.T2DM,n=15),moderate to severe periodontitis group(SP,n=15)and normal healthy group(N,n=10).The basic information,periodontal clinical indicators and blood sugar of the subjects were recorded.Subgingival plaque samples were col-lected,DNA samples of the plaque were extracted,and sequenced by Illumina NovaSeq6000 platform.The microbial diversity,eco-logical characteristics and functions of the plaque were analyzed by Uparse,SPSS and other softwares.Results:481 species in 22 phyla,30 classes,73 orders,129 families and 265 genera were obtained from the samples.Beta polymorphism analysis showed that the species composition of CP.T2DM group and CP group was similar.Alpha polymorphism analysis showed that the species richness and evenness in CP.T2DM group and CP group were higher than those in N group(P＜0.01).Venn diagram analysis showed that the species richness of the plaque in CP.T2DM group was the highest,followed by CP group and the lowest in N group.At the genus lev-el,Klebsiella and Bifidobacterium in CP.T2DM group were larger than those in CP group and N group(P＜0.05),and between group CP and N,P＞0.05.At the species level,the Capnocytophaga leadbetteri in CP.T2DM group was higher than that in CP group and N group(P＜0.05),between group CP and N,P＞0.05;There were some differences in the microbial community structure of subgingival plaque among the 3 groups.The species richness of subgingival flora in patients with CP and T2DM was higher than that in patients with CP and healthy people.Conclusion:The increase of Klebsiella,Bifidobacterium and Capnocytophaga leadbetter in subgingival flora of patients with moderate and severe periodontitis may be related to the development of T2DM.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between the outcome of skin injury and urinary arsenic methylation metabolism levels in people exposed to arsenic through drinking water.Methods:Using cluster sampling method, permanent residents from drinking-water-borne endemic arsenic poisoning areas in Bayannur City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region were selected as survey subjects in 2004 (before water improvement). In 2017 (after water improvement), 74 survey subjects from 2004 were tracked and followed up. Urine samples were collected from survey subjects and high-performance liquid chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to detect the levels of arsenic methylation metabolites in urine. According to the "Diagnosis of Endemic Arsenic Poisoning" (WS/T 211-2015), the clinical grading (normal, suspicious, mild, moderate and severe) of skin injury of the survey subjects and the outcome of 2017 (improved, unchanged, aggravated) were assessed. A database was established and SPSS 25.0 software was used for statistical analysis.Results:The clinical grading ratios of skin injuries among survey subjects in 2004 and 2017 were compared, the differences were statistically significant (normal, suspicious, mild, moderate and severe: 38, 18, 4, 14 cases in 2004 and 27, 31, 3, 13 cases in 2017, χ 2 = 53.02, P < 0.001). Compared with 2004, in 2017, the levels of total arsenic (tAs), inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsenic (MMA), dimethylarsenic (DMA), percentage of inorganic arsenic (iAs%), and ratio of monomethylarsenic to dimethylarsenic (MMA/DMA) in the urine of survey subjects were low, and the differences were statistically significant ( Z = - 8.24, - 9.07, - 7.81, - 8.04, - 8.24, - 3.56, P < 0.001). The levels of dimethylarsenic percentage (DMA%), monomethylation rate (PMI) and dimethylation rate (SMI) were higher, and the differences were statistically significant ( Z = - 6.39, - 8.24, - 3.52, P < 0.001). In 2004, patients with different clinical grading of skin injuries had different outcomes in 2017 (χ 2 = 30.80, P < 0.001). There were statistically significant differences in tAs, iAs, MMA and DMA variation in urine among skin injury patients with different outcomes ( H = 10.62, 9.35, 8.80, 9.13, P < 0.05). Conclusions:Improving water can significantly reduce the levels of tAs, iAs, MMA, and DMA in the urine of arsenic exposed individuals. The outcome of skin injury in individuals exposed to arsenic through drinking water is related to the variation of urinary arsenic methylation metabolites tAs, iAs, MMA, and DMA.