ObjectiveTo explore the molecular mechanism of aerobic exercise to improve hippocampal neuronal degeneration by regulating tryptophan metabolic pathway. Methods60 SPF-grade C57BL/6J male mice were divided into a young group (2 months old, n=30) and a senile group (12 months old, n=30), and each group was further divided into a control group (C/A group, n=15) and an exercise group (CE/AE group, n=15). An aerobic exercise program was used for 8 weeks. Learning memory ability was assessed by Y-maze, and anxiety-depression-like behavior was detected by absent field experiment. Hippocampal Trp levels were measured by GC-MS. Nissl staining was used to observe the number and morphology of hippocampal neurons, and electron microscopy was used to detect synaptic ultrastructure. ELISA was used to detect the levels of hippocampal Trp,5-HT, Kyn, KATs, KYNA, KMO, and QUIN; Western blot was used to analyze the activities of TPH2, IDO1, and TDO enzymes. ResultsGroup A mice showed significant decrease in learning and memory ability (P<0.05) and increase in anxiety and depressive behaviors (P<0.05); all of AE group showed significant improvement (P<0.05). Hippocampal Trp levels decreased in group A (P<0.05) and increased in AE group (P<0.05). Nidus vesicles were reduced and synaptic structures were degraded in group A (P<0.05), and both were significantly improved in group AE (P<0.05). The levels of Trp, 5-HT, KATs, and KYNA were decreased (P<0.05) and the levels of Kyn, KMO, and QUIN were increased (P<0.05) in group A. The activity of TPH2 was decreased (P<0.05), and the activities of IDO1 and TDO were increased (P<0.05). The AE group showed the opposite trend. ConclusionThe aging process significantly reduces the learning memory ability and increases the anxiety-depression-like behavior of mice, and leads to the reduction of the number of nidus vesicles and degenerative changes of synaptic structure in the hippocampus, whereas aerobic exercise not only effectively enhances the spatial learning memory ability and alleviates the anxiety-depression-like behavior of aging mice, but also improves the morphology and structure of neurons in hippocampal area, which may be achieved by the mechanism of regulating the tryptophan metabolic pathway.

Objective To evaluate the effect of donor gender on short-term survival rate of lung transplant recipients. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of 1 066 lung transplant recipients. The log-rank test was used to evaluate the differences in short-term fatality among different donor gender groups and donor-recipient gender combination groups. Multivariate Cox regression, propensity score (PS) regression, and propensity score matching (PSM) were employed to control for confounding factors and further assess the differences in fatality. Subgroup analyses were also performed based on donor gender. Results Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed no statistically significant differences in fatality at 30 days, 1 year, 2 years and 3 years postoperatively between male and female donor groups (all P>0.05). After PS regression and PSM, univariate Cox regression analysis indicated that recipients from female donors had a higher fatality at 2 years postoperatively compared to those from male donors, with hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 1.29 (1.01-1.65) and 1.36 (1.03-1.80) respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis also revealed no statistically significant differences in fatality at various follow-up time points among different donor-recipient gender combination groups (all P>0.05). Subgroup analyses based on donor sex showed no statistically significant differences in fatality among recipients of different gender within either male or female donor groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions Female donors may reduce the short-term postoperative survival rate of lung transplant recipients, but this negative impact is not sustainable in the long term. At present, there is no evidence to support the inclusion of sex as a factor in lung allocation rules.

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to understand the awareness and attitudes of elderly Southeast Asians towards telehealth services during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in this study. METHODS: In this qualitative study, 78 individuals from Singapore (51.3% female, mean age 73.0 ± 7.6 years) were interviewed via telephone between 13 May 2020 and 9 June 2020 during Singapore's first COVID-19 'circuit breaker'. Participants were asked to describe their understanding of telehealth, their experience of and willingness to utilise these services, and the barriers and facilitators underlying their decision. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis, guided by the United Theory of Acceptance Use of Technology framework. RESULTS: Of the 78 participants, 24 (30.8%) were able to describe the range of telehealth services available and 15 (19.2%) had previously utilised these services. Conversely, 14 (17.9%) participants thought that telehealth comprised solely home medication delivery and 50 (51.3%) participants did not know about telehealth. Despite the advantages offered by telehealth services, participants preferred in-person consultations due to a perceived lack of human interaction and accuracy of diagnoses, poor digital literacy and a lack of access to telehealth-capable devices. CONCLUSION Our results showed poor overall awareness of the range of telehealth services available among elderly Asian individuals, with many harbouring erroneous views regarding their use. These data suggest that public health education campaigns are needed to improve awareness of and correct negative perceptions towards telehealth services in elderly Asians.
Humans ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; Female ; Telemedicine ; Aged ; Male ; Singapore/epidemiology* ; Qualitative Research ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Aged, 80 and over ; Middle Aged ; Pandemics ; Awareness ; Asian People ; Southeast Asian People

OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively analyze the genetic differences of thalassemia gene mutations among ethnic groups in Hechi, Guangxi. METHODS: A total of 15 595 whole blood samples of residents of Hechi from January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2023 were screened for thalassemia, and the Gap-PCR method and RDB-PCR method were used to perform genetic testing on the positive samples. Gene sequencing was performed on the samples with positive screening results but negative genotyping results. RESULTS: Among the 15 595 samples, 10 501 cases were screened positively, and 8 506 cases were thalassemia gene carriers among the positive samples, with a positive coincidence rate of 81.00%. Among them, there were 5 374 cases of α-thalassemia, 2 531 cases of β-thalassemia, and 601 cases of α+β compound thalassemia. A total of 13 mutant types were detected in α-thalassemia, including --^SEA (48.57%), -α ^3.7 (31.31%), α ^CS (8.57%) and -α ^4.2 (8.07%). A total of 17 mutant types were detected in β-thalassemia, mainly CD17 (48.27%) and CD41-42 (41.24%). The thalassemia gene carriers were mainly from the Zhuang (6 106 cases), Han (969 cases), Yao (793 cases), Mulam (275 cases), and Maonan (228 cases) ethnic groups. The comparison of constituent ratios within the above five ethnic groups demonstrated that there were differences in the proportions of -- ^SEA, -α ^3.7, α ^CS , and -α ^4.2 among the Zhuang, Han, and Yao ethnic groups (P < 0.005). The proportion of α ^CS in the Mulam ethnic group was not significantly different from -α ^3.7 and -α ^4.2. The proportions of -- ^SEA, -α^3.7, and α ^CS in the Maonan ethnic group were not significantly different. There were no significant differences in the proportion of CD17 and CD41-42 among the Han, Yao, Mulam and Maonan ethnic groups. The proportion of --^SEA was the highest in the Mulam ethnic group (56.68%), which was statistically different from 35.92% in the Maonan ethnic group. The proportion of -α ^3.7 was the highest in the Zhuang ethnic group (33.25%), and the difference was statistically significant compared to the Mulam ethnic group which had the lowest proportion (18.72%). The proportion of α ^CS was the highest in the Maonan ethnic group (27.46%), and the differences were statistically significant compared with other ethnic groups. The proportions of CD17 in the Zhuang and Maonan ethnic groups (50.79%, 55.68%) were higher than those in the Han (39.12%), Yao (39.63%) and Mulam (30.00%), and the differences were statistically significant. There was no significant difference in the proportion of CD41-42 among the above five ethnic groups. CONCLUSIONS The mutation type and distribution differences of genes causing thalassemia among main ethnic groups in the minority inhabited areas of Hechi, Guangxi, show the characteristics of ethnic differentiation. The result is helpful to develop a special prevention and control plan for thalassemia in line with the population distribution characteristics, and provide reference for revealing the genetic background and geographical distribution of thalassemia in this area.
Humans ; China ; beta-Thalassemia/genetics* ; Ethnicity/genetics* ; alpha-Thalassemia/genetics* ; Mutation ; Genotype ; Retrospective Studies ; Asian People/genetics* ; Thalassemia/genetics* ; Male

BACKGROUND: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is common in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients and may develop earlier in those with multiple cardiovascular comorbidities, potentially impairing self-management and treatment adherence. This study aimed to characterize the prevalence and profile of MCI in AF patients, examine its associations with cardiovascular comorbidities, and assess how these comorbidities influence specific cognitive domains. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from AF patients who underwent cognitive assessment between 2017 and 2021. Cognitive status was categorized as MCI or non-MCI based on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Associations between comorbidities and MCI were assessed by logistic regression, and cognitive domains were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: Of 4136 AF patients (mean age: 64.7 ± 9.4 years, 64.7% male), 33.5% of patients had MCI. Among the AF patients, 31.2% of patients had coronary artery disease, 20.1% of patients had heart failure, and 18.1% of patients had hypertension. 88.7% of patients had left atrial enlargement, and 11.0% of patients had reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. Independent factors associated with higher MCI prevalence included older age (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.03-1.05, P < 0.001), lower education level (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.31-1.73, P < 0.001), hypertension (OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.07-1.52, P = 0.001), heart failure (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.04-1.48, P = 0.020), and lower left ventricular ejection fraction (OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.04-1.98, P = 0.028). A higher CHA₂DS₂-VASc score (OR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.22-1.33, P < 0.001; ≥ 2 points vs. < 2 points), and greater atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease burden (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.02-2.08, P = 0.040; 2 types vs. 0 type) were linked to increased MCI risk. These above factors influenced various cognitive domains. CONCLUSIONS MCI is common in AF and closely associated with cardiovascular multimorbidity. Patients with multiple comorbidities are at higher risk, highlighting the importance of routine cognitive assessment to support self-management and integrated care.

Infectious keratitis (IK) is a leading cause of blindness worldwide, primarily resulting from improper contact lens use, trauma, and a compromised immune response. The pathogenic microorganisms responsible for IK include bacteria, fungi, viruses, and Acanthamoeba. This review examines standard therapeutic agents for treating IK, including broad-spectrum empiric antibiotics for bacterial keratitis (BK), antifungals such as voriconazole and natamycin for fungal infections, and antiviral nucleoside analogues for viral keratitis (VK). Additionally, this review discusses therapeutic agents, such as polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB), for the treatment of Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK). The review also addresses emerging drugs and the challenges associated with their clinical application, including anti-biofilm agents that combat drug resistance and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) pathway-targeted therapies to mitigate inflammation. Furthermore, methods of Photodynamic Antimicrobial Therapy (PDAT) are explored. This review underscores the importance of integrating novel and traditional therapies to tackle drug resistance and enhance drug delivery, with the goal of advancing treatment strategies for IK.

OBJECTIVE: Xuebijing injection has been recommended as a therapeutic approach for individuals with severe and critical COVID-19. This study aims to explore the correlation of neutrophil to lymphocyte platelet ratio (NLPR) with the severity and prognosis of COVID-19, and the effect of XBJ on the prognosis of patients with COVID-19 in different inflammatory states. METHODS: This was a retrospective study conducted at Wuhan Union Hospital in China. COVID-19 patients admitted between November 1, 2022 and February 1, 2023 were included. In predicting prognosis for individuals with COVID-19, new inflammatory indicators were used, and their prognostic value was assessed by using Cox regression models and receiver operating characteristic curves. Furthermore, a calculation was made to determine the cutoff value for NLPR. Relative risk and Cox regression models were used to examine the effects of Xuebijing injection on prognosis in patient cohorts that had been stratified by the NLPR cutoff. RESULTS: This research included 455 participants with COVID-19, with a mean age of 72 years. Several inflammatory indicators were found to be strongly correlated with prognosis, and NLPR shows the greatest predictive power. Patients with NLPR > 3.29 exhibited a mortality rate of 17.3%, which was 6.2 times higher than in patients with NLPR ≤ 3.29. Importantly, providing Xuebijing injection to patients with NLPR > 3.29 was associated with a lower risk of 60-day all-cause mortality. However, there was no discernible improvement in survival among patients with NLPR ≤ 3.29 who received Xuebijing injection. CONCLUSION NLPR is the most reliable inflammatory marker for predicting prognosis among individuals with COVID-19, and can accurately identify individuals who may benefit from Xuebijing injection. Please cite this article as: Liao M, Zhang LT, Bai LJ, Wang RY, Liu Y, Han J, Liu LH, Qi BL. Xuebijing injection reduces COVID-19 patients mortality as influenced by the neutrophil to lymphocyte platelet ratio. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(3): 282-288.
Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Aged ; Neutrophils ; COVID-19 Drug Treatment ; COVID-19/blood* ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Lymphocytes ; Blood Platelets ; Platelet Count ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Aged, 80 and over ; Adult

Objective:To explore the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D[25(OH)D]and handgrip strength in middle-aged and elderly people in 5 cities of Western China.Methods:Based on the data of a cross-sectional survey conducted in the 5 cities of Western China from February to July 2023,the relevant demographic characteristics of people were collected by questionnaire,handgrip strength was collected by physical examination,and serum 25(OH)D was detected by HPLC-MS/MS.The association between the serum 25(OH)D and handgrip strength was analyzed using Logistic regres-sion and Chi-square test for between-group comparisons models.Results:The prevalence of 25(OH)D deficiency and insufficiency among the middle-aged and elderly people in the 5 cities of Western China was 52.9％and 34.5％,respectively.The people who were older,female,and sampled in winter had lower serum 25(OH)D levels(P＜0.05).The prevalence of loss of handgrip strength among the mid-dle-aged and elderly people was 25.3％.The prevalence of handgrip strength loss was higher in the aged 65-80 participants with 25(OH)D deficiency(45.0％)than in those with 25(OH)D insufficiency(32.6％)and 25(OH)D sufficiency(20.6％).The highest prevalence of loss of handgrip strength was found in the aged 75-80 participants with 25(OH)D deficiency(62.1％),followed by the 25(OH)D insufficient group(11.1％,P＜0.05).The study found that middle-aged and elderly people with 25(OH)D deficiency had a 1.4-fold increased risk of handgrip strength loss compared with those with 25(OH)D sufficiency(OR=2.403,95％CI:1.202-4.804,P=0.013).No significant association was found between 25(OH)D insufficiency and handgrip strength status in the middle-aged and elderly people.For every 5 μg/L increase in total serum 25(OH)D,the risk of handgrip strength loss reduced by 13.1％(OR=0.869,95％CI:0.768-0.982,P=0.025).For every 5 μg/L increase in serum 25(OH)D2,the risk of handgrip strength loss reduced by 24.1％(OR=0.759,95％CI:0.582-0.990,P=0.042).No significant association was found between serum 25(OH)D3 levels and the risk of hand-grip strength loss.The risk of handgrip strength loss in middle-aged and elderly people was reduced by 25.2％for each incremental increase in the total serum 25(OH)D levels(deficient,insufficient and suf-ficient)(OR=0.748,95％CI:0.598-0.936,P=0.011).The risk of handgrip loss was reduced by 40.0％for each incremental increase in serum 25(OH)D levels in the aged 65-80 and aged 65-69 participants,and by 80.0％for each incremental increase in 25(OH)D levels in the aged 75-80 parti-cipants.Conclusion:Serum total 25(OH)D and 25(OH)D2 levels are associated with handgrip strength status in middle-aged and elderly people in the 5 cities of Western China.

Objective To develop the functions and optimize the automatic monitoring module for arrhythmias of the adverse drug event active surveillance and assessment system-Ⅱ,in order to continuously improve the performance,enhance the monitoring efficiency,and explore the ways to optimize the module.Methods Expand and optimize the functions of the module,increase the customized configuration,and determine the optimal setting conditions;compare the optimized test data with the results of the evaluation studies on the automatic monitoring of drug-induced arrhythmias in large samples of medicated population previously,and verify the optimization extent as well as the accuracy of the module.Results In the new module optimized according to the characteristics of the monitoring population,the function of"mandatory medical order keywords"was added,and it was determined that the inclusion of 6 electrocardiogram examination-related medical order keywords with a frequency of not less than 2 occurrences was the optimal configuration condition for the optimization of the module;combining the results of the previous automatic monitoring and evaluation researches,the system functions were verified and compared under the conditions of using the whole drugs and 2 kinds of single drug.While there was no loss of true positive cases,the number of cases with system alarms decreased by 30.75％,80.13％and 90.82％,respectively,compared with that before the optimization of the module,and the positive predictive value was significantly improved.Conclusion After the function expansion and optimization,the automatic monitoring module of drug-induced arrhythmias significantly reduces the labor cost of case evaluation and keeps the accuracy of monitoring results constant;the new module can better adapt to the demands of different automatic monitoring modes and operates stably,which is more generalizable and flexible,and provides a new way of considering for the research and development of automatic monitoring modules.

Objective To investigate the renal protective effect and mechanism of sodium acetate(Ace)on hyperuricemic nephropathy(HN)in mice.Methods Uric acid nephropathy mice model was prepared by intraperitoneal injection of potassium oxonate combined with adenine gavage.Mice were divided into blank control group(0.9％NaCl+0.5％carboxymethyl cellulose sodium),Ace group(200 mmol·L-1 Ace+0.5％carboxymethyl cellulose sodium),model group(0.9％NaCl+350 mg·kg-1 potassium oxonate+70 mg·kg-1 adenine),and experimental group(based on model group with additional 200 mmol·L-1 Ace).Serum and urine uric acid(UA)and serum creatinine(SCr)levels were observed in each group.Real-time fluorescence quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)was used to detect the expression levels of kidney injury molecule-1(Kim-1)and anti-aging gene Klotho,renal fibrosis markers Collagen Ⅰ and Fibronectin,intestinal inflammation-related factors interleukin-1 β(IL-1 β),and mRNA expression levels of tight junction proteins Zo-1.Results The serum UA levels of blank control group,Ace group,model group,and experimental group mice were(259.52±24.40),(227.71±35.91),(604.06±73.55),and(496.24±30.16)μmol·L-1,respectively;SCr levels were(16.85±0.40),(16.18±0.94),(22.38±1.56),and(19.78±1.43)μmol·L-1;Kim-1 mRNA relative expression levels were 1.04±0.25,1.17±0.28,13.00±2.87,and 4.24±3.92;Klotho mRNA relative expression levels were 1.04±0.15,1.02±0.18,0.43±0.12,and 0.69±0.12;Collagen Ⅰ mRNA relative expression levels were 1.05±0.15,1.02±0.18,3.19±1.09,and 1.61±0.55;Fibronectin mRNA relative expression levels were 1.07±0.18,1.02±0.25,7.86±2.40,and 3.34±2.10;intestinal IL-1β mRNA relative expression levels were 1.00±0.01,1.01±0.03,2.55±0.63,and 1.21±0.28;intestinal Zo-1 mRNA relative expression levels were 1.00±0.07,1.07±0.09,0.54±0.20,and 0.92±0.17.The above indicators in blank control group compared with model group,and experimental group compared with model group,all showed statistically significant differences(P＜0.05,P＜0.01,P＜0.001).Conclusion Sodium acetate can effectively reduce UA levels in HN mice,significantly improve renal injury and fibrosis,and its mechanism may be related to the improvement of intestinal inflammatory response and up-regulation of intestinal Zo-1/Occuludin pathway to reduce intestinal mucosal permeability.