BACKGROUND:Inflammation affects the osteogenic differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells,and the osteogenic ability and autophagy level of periodontal ligament stem cells are closely related.However,there are no relevant reports on whether inflammation affects the osteogenic ability and autophagy level of periodontal ligament stem cells at different stages of osteogenic differentiation. OBJECTIVE:To explore alkaline phosphatase expression and autophagy periodontal ligament stem cells levels in periodontitis and normal conditions. METHODS:Periodontal ligament stem cells from normal and periodontitis patients were isolated and cultured,and underwent Vimentin,pan-CK,and Stro-1 fluorescence staining.At 3,7,and 14 days of osteogenic differentiation,western blot assay was used to detect the protein expression levels of alkaline phosphatase,LC3B,Beclin1,and ATG5 in normal and inflammatory periodontal ligament stem cells.The mRNA expression levels of alkaline phosphatase,bone sialoprotein,osteocalcin,Runx2,LC3B,Beclin1,and ATG5 were detected by real-time PCR. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Stro-1 was positive,Vimentin was positive,and pan CK was negative in periodontal ligament stem cells.(2)At 3,7,and 14 days after osteogenic differentiation,compared with normal periodontal ligament stem cells,the mineralization nodules formed by periodontal ligament stem cells from inflammatory sources were significantly reduced(P<0.01);the expression of alkaline phosphatase protein and mRNA was significantly lower(P<0.05);the mRNA expression levels of bone sialoprotein,osteocalcin,and Runx2 were significantly decreased(P<0.05).(3)At 7 and 14 days after osteogenic differentiation,compared with normal periodontal ligament stem cells,the expression levels of ATG5,LC3B,and Beclin1 proteins and mRNA of periodontal ligament stem cells were downregulated(P<0.05).These findings suggest that inflammation reduces the activity of periodontal ligament stem cells in mineralizing nodule formation and the expression of alkaline phosphatase and weakens the autophagy potential of periodontal ligament stem cells at 7 and 14 days after osteogenic differentiation.

Objective To explore the medication rules of Professor Hua Baojin in the treatment of subsolid pulmonary nodules through retrospective analysis and data mining techniques. Methods The prescriptions of patients with subsolid pulmonary nodules who were diagnosed and treated by Professor Hua Baojin at Guang’anmen Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2024 were retrospectively collected. Data were imported into the Ancient and Modern Medical Case Cloud Platform for analysis of drug frequency, four natures and five flavors, meridian tropism, drug association, and hierarchical clustering. Results A total of 455 prescriptions were included, containing 205 kinds of traditional Chinese medicines, with a total frequency of 12048 times. Fifty-seven commonly used drugs were screened out, among which drugs with high frequencies included astragalus membranaceus (raw) and hawthorn fruit (charred). The nature of the drugs was mainly warm, cold, and neutral. The flavor of the drugs was mostly sweet, bitter, and pungent. The meridians they belonged to mainly included the lung, spleen, and liver meridians. Their efficacy was mainly tonifying deficiency, clearing heat, resolving phlegm, and relieving cough and asthma. Association analysis obtained 19 pairs of drug combinations, 21 groups of three-drug combinations, and four groups of four-drug combinations. Hierarchical clustering obtained 10 groups of drug combinations. Conclusion On the basis of the core pathogenesis of subsolid pulmonary nodule, Professor Hua applies the theory of regulating qi and detoxifying; regulating the qi of the liver, spleen, and lung; and detoxifying the toxins of phlegm and blood stasis, providing valuable experience for the clinical treatment of SSN.

Objective To explore the clinical information of female patients with pulmonary nodules and the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes and their elements. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted to collect the basic information, medical history data, image data, and four diagnostic information of female patients with pulmonary nodules. The distribution characteristics of TCM syndromes and their elements in female patients with pulmonary nodules were determined by KMO test, Bartlett spherical test, systematic cluster analysis, chi-square test, and other methods. Results A total of 721 female patients with pulmonary nodules were included in this study. The patients were mainly 45-59 years old, had secondary school education or above, and had a history of oil smoke exposure as clinical characteristics. The pulmonary nodules were mainly 6-10 mm in size and appeared as multiple and ground glass nodules. The clinical symptoms were mainly fatigue, emotional irritability, and shortness of breath. The main syndromes of disease location were the spleen, liver, and lung; and the main syndromes of disease were phlegm, dampness, and qi deficiency. The main complex syndromes were spleen deficiency and dampness, liver stagnation, and qi/yin deficiency. Conclusion Middle age, high education, and multiple small ground glass nodules are the clinical characteristics of female patients with pulmonary nodules. Exposure to oil smoke is an important cause of the occurrence of female pulmonary nodules. During treatment, attention should be paid to strengthening the spleen, removing dampness, soothing the liver, regulating and tonifying qi, and nourishing yin.

ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effect of Baihe Wuyaotang （BWT） on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD） and elucidate its underlying mechanism. MethodC57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to six groups： normal control， model， positive drug （pioglitazone hydrochloride 1.95×10^-3 g·kg^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose BWT （1.3，2.5 and 5.1 g·kg^-1）. Following a 12-week high-fat diet （HFD） inducement， the mice underwent six weeks of therapeutic intervention with twice-daily drug administration. Body weight was monitored weekly throughout the treatment period. At the fifth week， glucose tolerance （GTT） and insulin tolerance （ITT） tests were conducted. Subsequently， the mice were euthanized for the collection of liver tissue and serum， and the subcutaneous adipose tissue （iWAT） and epididymal adipose tissue （eWAT） were weighed. Serum levels of total triglycerides （TG） and liver function indicators，such as alanine aminotransferase （ALT） and aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， were determined. Histological examinations， including oil red O staining， hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， Masson staining， and transmission electron microscopy， were performed to evaluate hepatic lipid deposition， pathological morphology， and ultrastructural changes， respectively. Meanwhile， Western blot and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） were employed to analyze alterations， at both gene and protein levels， the insulin signaling pathway molecules， including insulin receptor substrate 1/2/protein kinase B/forkhead box gene O1 （IRS1/2/Akt/FoxO1）， glycogen synthesis enzymes phosphoenolpyruvate carboxy kinase （Pepck） and glucose-6-phosphatase （G6Pase）， lipid metabolism-related genes stearoyl-coA desaturase-1 （SCD-1） and carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 （CPT-1）， fibrosis-associated molecules α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA）， type Ⅰ collagen （CollagenⅠ）， and the fibrosis canonical signaling pathway transforming growth factor-β₁/drosophila mothers against decapentaplegic protein2/3（TGF-β₁/p-Smad/Smad2/3）， inflammatory factors such as interleukin（IL）-6， IL-8， IL-11， and IL-1β， autophagy markers LC3B Ⅱ/Ⅰ and p62/SQSTM1， and the expression of mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR）. ResultCompared with the model group， BWT reduced the body weight and liver weight of NAFLD mice（P<0.05， P<0.01）， inhibited liver lipid accumulation， and reduced the weight of white fat： it reduced the weight of eWAT and iWAT（P<0.05， P<0.01） as well as the serum TG content（P<0.05， P<0.01）. BWT improved the liver function as reflected by the reduced ALT and AST content（P<0.05， P<0.01）. It improved liver insulin resistance by upregulating IRS2， p-Akt/Akt， p-FoxO1/FoxO1 expressions（P<0.05）. Besides， it improved glucose and lipid metabolism disorders： it reduced fasting blood glucose and postprandial blood glucose（P<0.05， P<0.01）， improved GTT and ITT（P<0.05， P<0.01）， reduced the expression of Pepck， G6Pase， and SCD-1（P<0.01）， and increased the expression of CPT-1（P<0.01）. The expressions of α-SMA， Collagen1， and TGF-β₁ proteins were down-regulated（P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the expression of p-Smad/Smad2/3 was downregulated（P<0.05）， suggesting BWT reduced liver fibrosis. BWT inhibited inflammation-related factors as it reduced the gene expression of IL-6， IL-8， IL-11 and IL-1β（P<0.01） and it enhanced autophagy by upregulating LC3B Ⅱ/Ⅰ expression（P<0.05）while downregulating the expression of p62/SQSTM1 and mTOR（P<0.05）. ConclusionBWT ameliorates NAFLD by multifaceted improvements， including improving IR and glucose and lipid metabolism， anti-inflammation， anti-fibrosis， and enhancing autophagy. In particular， BWT may enhance liver autophagy by inhibiting the mTOR-mediated signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the methodological and reporting quality of clinical practice guidelines for Chinese patent medicine （CPM） with internationally recognized tools the appraisal of guidelines for research and evaluation （AGEREE） Ⅱ and reporting items for practice guidelines in healthcare （RIGHT）， thereby providing refe-rence for the clinical application and future development of CPM guidelines. MethodsDatabases including CNKI， VIP， Wanfang and Sinomed were searched for CPM guidelines， as well as medlive.cn， websites of China Association of Chinese Medicine and Chinese Medical Association， and reference lists of the included papers. The quality of the guidelines was evaluated using the AGREE Ⅱand RIGHT tools， and consistency tests were performed using Interclass Correlation Coefficient， and descriptive analysis and chi-square test were used to analyze the reporting rate for each domain and the average score for each item. ResultsFinally， 140 CPM guidelines were included， of which 51 were disease-oriented and 89 were drug-oriented， all of which were issued by China. For 51 disease-oriented CPM guidelines， the highest average score of all six AGREE Ⅱ domains was 73.32% for clarity， and the lowest was 26.80% for application； for 89 drug-oriented CPM guidelines， the highest average score was 55.62% for scope and purpose， and the lowest was 31.32% for rigour of development. In terms of the seven domains of the RIGHT checklist， the highest reporting rate was 68.26% for background， and lowest was 27.45% for other areas regarding the disease-oriented CPM guidelines； the highest reporting rate was 61.31% for background， and the lowest was 4.49% for other areas regarding drug-oriented CPM guidelines. The average reporting rate was higher for disease-oriented than drug-oriented CPM guidelines in three domains of AGREE Ⅱ （rigour of development， clarity of presentation， editorial independence）， as well as four domains of RIGHT checklist （basic information， evidence， funding and declaration and management of interests， and other areas）. ConclusionThe overall methodology and reporting quality of the current CPM guidelines still need to be improved. It is recommended that future guideline development teams should strictly refer to the AGREE Ⅱ and RIGHT checklist， and take into account of the characteristics of CPM guidelines and relevant methodo-logical suggestions in the development and reporting of CPM guidelines， thereby guiding the clinical use of CPM in a better way.

BackgroundPatients with schizophrenia and depressive disorders exhibit abnormalities in perceptual processing. Previous perceptual studies are mainly based on asking participants to fill in a questionnaire， and little research has been undertaken on objective behavior in patients with schizophrenia and depressive disorders. ObjectiveTo explore the behavioral changes in vibrotactile sense among patients with schizophrenia and depressive disorders， so as to enrich relevant findings in objective behavioral research. MethodsFrom March 2021 to September 2023， 33 patients with schizophrenia and 31 patients with depressive disorders in the outpatient and inpatient departments of Beijing Huilongguan Hospital and met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders， fifth edition （DSM-5） diagnostic criteria were enrolled. And another 34 healthy controls were concurrently recruited at Beihang University and Beijing Huilongguan Hospital. Patients with schizophrenia were assessed using Positive and Negative Symptom Scale （PANSS）， and patients with depressive disorders were assessed using Hamilton Depression Scale-17 item （HAMD-17）. The vibrotactile sensitivity of the left hand in all participants was tested in a delay match-to-sample procedure， and the correct rate of vibrotactile delayed discrimination task was compared among the three groups. ResultsCompared with healthy controls， a reduction was found in the correct rates at index finger， middle finger and ring finger in patients with schizophrenia （P<0.01）， the average correct rate at five fingers in patients with schizophrenia （P=0.001）， and the correct rate at thumb in patients with depressive disorders （P=0.026）. No statistical difference was reported in correct rate of vibrotactile delayed discrimination task between patients with depression disorders and schizophrenia （P>0.05）. The average correct rate of vibrotactile sense in schizophrenia group was not significantly correlated with the duration of disease， age of onset， chlorpromazine equivalent doses and PANSS score （r=0.058、0.045、0.114、-0.194， P>0.05）. The average correct rate in depressive group was negatively correlated with age of onset （r=-0.415， P=0.020）， but not significantly correlated with the duration of disease and HAMD-17 score （r=-0.044， 0.142， P>0.05）. ConclusionPatients with schizophrenia and depressive disorders have impaired vibrotactile sense. The vibrotactile sense is impaired in index， middle and ring fingers among patients with schizophrenia， and in thumbs of patients with depressive disorders. Moreover， the impairment in patients with depressive disorders may be related to the age of onset. ［Funded by 2023 Hebei Provincial Graduate Innovation Funding Project （number， CXZZSS2023140）］

ObjectiveTo carry out an epidemiological analysis on an outbreak of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection at a welfare institution to provide a theoretical basis for the corresponding prevention and control measures. MethodsUsing the method of field epidemiological investigation， special field treatment was carried out in September 2022. Serum samples from cases and close contacts in the same ward area were collected for detection of nine respiratory tract infection pathogens （Mycoplasma pneumoniae， chlamydia， influenza， human metapneumosis， respiratory syncytial， human boca， parainfluenza type 1‒4 virus， and Middle East respiratory syndrome， severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus） by immunofluorescence immunoglobulin M （IgM） antibody test. ResultsA total of 14 Mycoplasma pneumoniae cases were identified， all of whom were residents of the welfare institution. The first case occurred on September 4， while the last case was reported on September 13. The incidence rate of the fifth ward area where the first case reported was 12.82% （10/78）， and it was 3.57% （3/84） in the third ward area and 1.20% （1/83） in the first ward area. There was a significant difference in incidence rates between ward areas （χ²=8.90， P<0.05）， but no significant difference was observed in age distribution and length of hospitalization. Thirty-three samples were collected for detection of nine kinds of IgM antibodies against respiratory pathogens. The results showed that the Mycoplasma pneumoniae IgM antibody was weakly positive in the 14 cases. ConclusionBased on the epidemiological history， clinical symptoms and laboratory tests， it was concluded that it was an outbreak of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection within the welfare institution. Welfare institutions should continue to control the occurrence and outbreak of infection through effective routine hygiene， ventilation， and disinfection so as to ensure the health and safety of their clients.

Objective To explore the therapeutic effect of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)on subsolid nodule(SSN).Methods A practical randomized controlled study method,including 254 SSN patients was adopted.The patients were divided into the TCM(102 cases)and follow-up(152 cases)groups.The follow-up group received regular check-ups in accordance with the guidelines,and the TCM group received TCM syndrome differentiation treatment for 24 weeks.The two groups were compared in terms of the changes in their SSN diameter,SSN number,TCM symptom score,and overall therapeutic effect before and after treatment.Adverse reactions and safety indicators were also recorded.Results The TCM group showed a significantly higher effective rate of treatment(16.7%)than the follow-up group(2.6%)(P<0.01).Compared with their condition before treatment,the TCM group showed no significant changes in their SSN diameter and number but presented considerably reduced fatigue,yellow and red urine symptoms,and overall TCM symptom score(P<0.05).The follow-up group exhibited significantly increased diameter and number of SSN(P<0.01).The follow-up group showed the significantly higher increase in SSN diameter after treatment than the TCM group(P<0.05).Moreover,the follow-up group showed significantly higher fatigue,depression,yellow and red urine symptom scores,and overall TCM symptom score than the TCM group(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Conclusion TCM treatment for SSN has a distinct clinical efficacy,reduces the malignant risk of SSN and improves clinical symptoms of SSN patients,and is safe and feasible.

To investigate the differences in methylation levels of cuproptosis related genes in cervical cancer and their effects on clinical prognosis.Methods:The methylation data of 310 cervical tissue specimens were acquired from public databases. The UALCAN database was used to analyze the methylation level differences of 12 cuproptosis-related genes and study their level in different stages or grades of cervical cancer. Genes with statistically significant differences were selected for prognosis analysis using the EWAS datahub. Finally, gene-enrichment analysis, pathway analysis, immune infiltration analysis, the mutation rate and tumor mutation burden (TMB) of the genes in cervical cancer were analyzed using the cBioportal database. Two independent samples rank-sum test was used for differences in methylation levels and immune cell infiltration; comparative analyses of overall survival were performed using KM survival curves and Log-rank two-sided tests. TMB analyses were performed using the Wilcoxon Test for statistical analyses; Pearson correlation analysis was used for assessment in GSEA and pathway analyses.Results:The methylationβvalue of Cyclin Dependent Kinase Inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A gene) in the cervical cancer tissues of patients was 0.075 which was significantly higher than the methylationβvalue of 0.049 in normal human tissues ( P=0.008). Dihydrolipoamide S-Acetyltransferase (DLAT gene) methylation with a β value of 0.102 was significantly higher than normal human tissue methylation with a β value of 0.08 ( P=0.002), and the methylation level β value of Lipoyltransferase 1 (LIPT1 gene) in cervical cancer tissues was 0.06,which was significantly lower than normal human tissue methylation value of 0.092 ( P=0.009). Patients with CDKN2A gene methylation levels≥0.199 had an overall survival of 14.75 years, which was lower than that of patients with methylation levels<0.199 (17.56 years) ( P=0.034).The results of gene enrichment analysis indicated that it mainly involves biological processes such as the response to type I interferon and DNA replication. The expression of CDKN2A gene is positively correlated with the number of neutrophils and dendritic cells in the tumor microenvironment( P<0.05), and negatively correlated with the number ofmacrophages( P<0.05). TMB was higher in the group of variants of the CDKN2A gene than in the group of non-variants ( P=0.019). Conclusion:CDKN2A methylation is a potential biomarker for predicting the prognosis of cervical cancer.

Objective: To explore and validate the potential targets of Paeoniae Radix Alba (P. Radix, Bai Shao) in protecting against chemical liver injury through network pharmacology, molecular docking technology, and in vitro cell experiments. Methods: Network pharmacology was used to identify the common potential targets of P. Radix and chemical liver injury. Molecular docking was used to fit the components, which were subsequently verified in vitro. A cell model of hepatic fibrosis was established by activating hepatic stellate cell (HSC)-LX2 cells with 10 ng/mL transforming growth factor-β1. The cells were exposed to different concentrations of total glucosides of paeony (TGP), the active substance of P. Radix, and then evaluated using the cell counting kit-8 assay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and western blot. Results: Analysis through network pharmacology revealed 13 key compounds of P. Radix, and the potential targets for preventing chemical liver injury were IL-6, AKT serine/threonine kinase 1, jun proto-oncogene, heat shock protein 90 alpha family class A member 1 (HSP90AA1), peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARG), PTGS2, and CASP3. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis indicated the involvement of response to drugs, membrane rafts, and peptide binding. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis revealed that the main pathways involved lipid and atherosclerosis and chemical carcinogenesis-receptor activation. Paeoniflorin and albiflorin exhibited strong affinity for HSP90AA1, PTGS2, PPARG, and CASP3. Different concentrations of TGP can inhibit the expression of COL-Ⅰ, COL-Ⅲ, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, HSP-90α, and PTGS2 while increasing the expression of PPAR-γ and CASP3 in activated HSC-LX2 cells. Conclusion P. Radix primarily can regulate targets such as HSP90AA1, PTGS2, PPARG, CASP3. TGP, the main active compound of P. Radix, protects against chemical liver injury by reducing the inflammatory response, activating apoptotic proteins, and promoting the apoptosis of activated HSCs.