International Journal of General Medicine最新文献

{"title":"Trend of Measles Outbreak in Yemen From January 2020 to August 2024.","authors":"Wadhah Hassan Edrees, Wadee Abdullah Al-Shehari, Osama Saleh Al-Haddad, Ali Ahmed Al-Halani, Lutf Mohammed Alrahabi","doi":"10.2147/IJGM.S508189","DOIUrl":"10.2147/IJGM.S508189","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The measles outbreak has recently recurred across the world despite the actions taken, and Yemen is among the worst-hit nations. There has been a lack of information regarding the status of the measles outbreak in Yemen. Therefore, this retrospective analysis aimed to determine the trend of the measles outbreak in Yemen from January 2020 to August 2024.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective analysis relied on the secondary data recorded between January 2020 and August 2024. The Ministry of Health and Population provided the necessary data in a soft copy format (Excel file), which was statistically analyzed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong> A total of 41135 suspected measles cases were reported between January 2020 and August 2024. A higher proportion was observed among males (54.72%), age groups of 0-4 years (69.34%), in 2023 (50.5%), Aden governorate (20.54%), and in the spring (32.25%). The overall incidence rate was 18.82 per 10,000 population, with a higher rate among males (19.8 cases), age groups of 0-4 years (93.87 cases), in 2023 (9.5 cases), and Abyan governorate (89.06 cases). The overall fatality rate cases were 424 (4.92%), with the highest rate among females (1.06%), aged 0-4 years (1.26%), in 2023 (1.32%), and the Al Hudaydah governorate (2.97%). Furthermore, 82.4% of suspected cases were among unvaccinated individuals and 10.2% among individuals vaccinated with one dose.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>According to current findings, the alarming rise in measles cases in recent years poses a serious threat to Yemenis' lives if not addressed. Therefore, vaccination efforts should be strengthened, healthcare infrastructure needs to be improved, vaccine hesitancy must be addressed, and international collaboration must be cultivated to control and eliminate measles.</p>","PeriodicalId":14131,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of General Medicine","volume":"18 ","pages":"1203-1214"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11881757/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143567038","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Application of Neurophysiological Monitoring and Ultrasound Guidance in Intramedullary Decompression for Acute Spinal Cord Injury.","authors":"Haoyuan Wang, Zhao Chen, Xianxiang Wang, Yiquan Zhang, Hui Wang, Ke Zhang","doi":"10.2147/IJGM.S495371","DOIUrl":"10.2147/IJGM.S495371","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To explore the clinical application value of neurophysiological monitoring combined with ultrasound guidance in Acute spinal cord injury.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Ten patients with acute spinal cord injury underwent intramedullary decompression surgery under neurophysiological monitoring and intraoperative ultrasound guidance. ASIA (American Spinal Injury Association) classification and JOA (Japan Orthopaedic Association) scoring were performed preoperatively and postoperatively.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The preoperative, 1-week postoperative, and 1-year postoperative JOA scores for the ten patients were (6.2 ± 1.55), (7 ± 1.58), and (11.8 ± 1.60), respectively. The JOA improvement rates at 1 week and 1 year postoperation were 7.4% and 51.9%, respectively. Among the patients, one patient had severe thoracic spinal cord injury upon admission, and their ASIA classification remained at Grade A after 1 year postoperation, while the remaining nine patients showed varying degrees of neurological function improvement.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring combined with intraoperative ultrasound not only allows for timely monitoring of spinal cord function but also enables observation of whether decompression is adequate during surgery. It represents a very good surgical option for patients with spinal cord injuries.</p>","PeriodicalId":14131,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of General Medicine","volume":"18 ","pages":"1155-1161"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11878119/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143556674","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of Entecavir, Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate, and Tenofovir Alafenamideantiviral Therapy on Renal Function in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients: A Real-World Retrospective Study.","authors":"Yu Li, Ya-Wei Li, Ying Gao","doi":"10.2147/IJGM.S497550","DOIUrl":"10.2147/IJGM.S497550","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Entecavir (ETV), tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), and tenofovir alafenamide(TAF) are first-line nucleos(t)ide analogs (NUCs) with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). This study aimed to assess the renal safety profile in NUC-experienced CHB patients who received ETV, TDF or TAF therapy.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective observational cohort study investigated factors related to renal function in 154 patients with NUC-experienced CHB who received ETV, TDF, and TAF therapy for 48 weeks. Changes in UREA, uric acid (UA), creatinine (Cr), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance. A linear mixed-effects model for repeated measures was used to evaluate the correlation between baseline information and eGFR changes 48 weeks following treatment initiation. The model considered sex, baseline age, viral load, aminotransferases, renal function, and treatment group as fixed effects, and incorporated random effects for individual subjects.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>There were no significant differences in UA or Cr levels during therapy over time. The eGFR level was elevated in ETV-treated patients (117.5 ± 16.65 mL/min/1.7m² vs 109.8 ± 15.69 mL/min/1.7m², <i>P</i>=0.027), whereas it did not change significantly in TDF- (123.6 ± 28.54 mL/min/1.7m² vs 115.5 ± 20.44 mL/min/1.7m², <i>P</i>=0.070) and TAF-treated (121.6 ± 23.44 mL/min/1.7m² vs 113.4 ± 16.90 mL/min/1.7m², <i>P</i>=0.053) patients. Younger patients (<30 years) and those with higher HBV DNA (> 7 log₁₀IU/mL) and lower alanine aminotransferase levels (<5 × upper limit of normal) showed a significant improvement in eGFR elevation during NUCs therapy. The linear mixed-effects model showed that the baseline HBV DNA level was an important positive predictor of eGFR elevation at 48 weeks following treatment initiation (estimate was 1.437 and 2.449, <i>P</i><0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In real-life experience, ETV, TDF, and TAF therapy may not be associated with eGFR changes in NUC-experienced CHB patients without baseline renal impairment.</p>","PeriodicalId":14131,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of General Medicine","volume":"18 ","pages":"1143-1153"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11874758/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143541263","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development and Validation of a Non-Invasive Prediction Model for Glioma-Associated Epilepsy: A Comparative Analysis of Nomogram and Decision Tree.","authors":"Zian Zhong, Hong-Fei Yu, Yanfei Tong, Jie Li","doi":"10.2147/IJGM.S512814","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2147/IJGM.S512814","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Glioma-associated epilepsy (GAE) is a common neurological symptom in glioma patients, which can worsen the condition and increase the risk of death on the basis of primary injury. Given this, accurate prediction of GAE is crucial, and this study aims to develop and validate a GAE warning recognition prediction model.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We retrospectively collected MRI scan imaging data and urine samples from 566 glioma patients at the Xiangyang Central Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Hubei University of Arts and Science from August 2016 to December 2023. Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression and multivariate logistic regression analysis are used to determine independent risk factors for GAE. The nomogram and decision tree GAE visualization prediction model were constructed based on independent risk factors. The discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness of GAE prediction models were evaluated through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA), respectively.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In the training and validation datasets, the incidence of GAE was 34.50% and 33.00%, respectively. Nomogram and decision tree were composed of five independent radiomic predictors and three differential protein molecules derived from urine. The discrimination rate of area under the curve (AUC) was 0.897 (95% CI: 0.840-0.954), slightly decreased in the validation data set, reaching 0.874 (95% CI: 8.817-0.931). The calibration curve showed a high degree of consistency between the predicted GAE probability and the actual probability. In addition, DCA analysis showed that in machine learning prediction models, decision trees have higher overall net returns within the threshold probability range.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>We have introduced a machine learning prediction model for GAE detection in glioma patients based on multiomics data. This model can improve the prognosis of GAE by providing early warnings and actionable feedback and prevent or reduce pathological damage and neurobiochemical changes by implementing early interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":14131,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of General Medicine","volume":"18 ","pages":"1111-1125"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11872099/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143541078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Overuse of Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiography in the Diagnosis of Pulmonary Thromboembolism \"Real-Life Data\".","authors":"Esra Arslan Aksu, Oğuz Uzun, İlkyaz Işıksungur, Büşra Adıgüzel Gündoğdu, Furkan Cem Kökten, Burak Özbek, Muzaffer Elmali","doi":"10.2147/IJGM.S499926","DOIUrl":"10.2147/IJGM.S499926","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) is a common cause of cardiovascular mortality with an increasing incidence rate. Scoring patients with suspected pulmonary thromboembolism according to their symptoms, findings, and risk factors is useful for empirical diagnosis and management. The combination of D-dimer and clinical scoring allows the diagnosis to be excluded in approximately 30% of patients with suspected PTE without the need for imaging methods. Despite this, clinical scores are not used effectively in the clinic. The aim of this study is to show that computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) is overused in real life and to emphasize that overuse of CTPA can be prevented with clinical tests.</p><p><strong>Patients and methods: </strong>We studied 214 patients who underwent CTPA for suspected pulmonary thromboembolism. We evaluated whether clinical probability scoring (Wells scoring, Geneva scoring) was performed prior to CTPA from these patients' records and the health system database, and if so, the scores were evaluated. The rates and results of PERC criteria were also evaluated in patients.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Pulmonary thromboembolism was not detected on CTPA in 185 patients (86.4%). PERC criteria were not evaluated in all patients before CTPA. When the PERC criteria were evaluated by the study team, it was found that there was a significant relationship between PTE diagnosis and the criteria. There was also a significant correlation between Geneva score and CTPA results (p=0.000<0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Preventing overuse of CTPA by evaluating clinical probability scores, PERC criteria and d-dimer levels is important in many ways. Prevention of overuse of CTPA use will reduce unnecessary workload in clinical functioning and provide financial gain. Although CTPA is a diagnostic method with high diagnostic accuracy in the diagnosis of PTE, it is overused in real life. The overuse of CTPA can be significantly reduced by the combined use of clinical probability scoring (Wells and Geneva), exclusion criteria (PERC) and d-dimer results.</p>","PeriodicalId":14131,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of General Medicine","volume":"18 ","pages":"1103-1109"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11873026/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143541804","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of a Diagnostic Model for Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis: Integrating Machine Learning on Activated Pathways and Clinical Validation.","authors":"Yating Ge, Xueqi Liu, Jinlian Shu, Xiao Jiang, Yonggui Wu","doi":"10.2147/IJGM.S498407","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2147/IJGM.S498407","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) represents a major global health challenge, with its incidence rising in parallel with advances in diagnostic techniques and the growing prevalence of chronic diseases. This study seeks to enhance the diagnostic accuracy of FSGS by integrating machine learning approaches to identify activated pathways, complemented by robust clinical validation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We analyzed data from 163 FSGS patients and 42 living donors across multiple GEO cohorts via the ComBat algorithm to address batch effects and ensure the comparability of gene expression profiles. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) identified key signaling pathways involved in FSGS pathogenesis. We then developed a highly accurate diagnostic model by integrating nine machine learning algorithms into 101 combinations, achieving near-perfect AUC values across training, validation, and external cohorts. The model identified six genes as potential biomarkers for FSGS. Additionally, immune cell infiltration patterns, particularly those involving natural killer (NK) cells, were explored, revealing the complex interplay between genetics and the immune response in FSGS patients. Immunohistochemical analysis validated the expression of the key markers CD99 and OAZ2 and confirmed the association between NK cells and FSGS.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The glmBoost+Ridge model exhibited exceptional diagnostic accuracy, achieving an AUC of 0.998 using just six genes: BANF1, TUSC2, SMAD3, TGFB1, CD99, and OAZ2. The prediction score was calculated as follows: score = (0.3997×BANF1) + (0.5543×TUSC2) + (0.5279×SMAD3) + (0.4118×TGFB1) + (0.8665×CD99) + (0.5996×OAZ2). Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed significantly elevated expression levels of CD99 and OAZ2 in the glomeruli and tubulointerstitial tissues of FSGS patients compared with those of controls.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study demonstrates a highly accurate machine learning model for FSGS diagnosis. Immunohistochemical validation confirmed elevated expression of CD99 and OAZ2, offering valuable insights into FSGS pathogenesis and potential biomarkers for clinical application.</p>","PeriodicalId":14131,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of General Medicine","volume":"18 ","pages":"1127-1142"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11872063/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143541106","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Anesthetists in Managing Severe Craniocerebral Trauma in China: A Cross-Sectional Study.","authors":"Chaochao Zha, Xuehua Che, Li Xiong, Yunhan Ji, Gonghao Zhang","doi":"10.2147/IJGM.S508924","DOIUrl":"10.2147/IJGM.S508924","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The study explored the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward severe craniocerebral trauma perioperative management among anesthetists in China.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study recruited anesthetists from 15 provinces in China between October 17, 2022, and November 09, 2022. Pearson's correlation was used to assess the relationships between KAP dimension scores, and multivariable linear regression was performed to identify factors associated with higher KAP scores.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study included 200 anesthetists (122 females). The mean knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were 50.41±7.36 (possible range, 0-84), 20.23±2.72 (possible range, 0-24), and 11.85±4.54 (possible range, 2-28), respectively. The knowledge scores were positively correlated with the attitude scores (<i>r</i>=0.522, <i>P</i><0.001), but the practice scores were not significantly correlated with the knowledge or attitude scores. Anesthetists with experience in 100-300 craniocerebral trauma surgeries (B = 3.728, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.271-7.186, P = 0.035) or more than 300 surgeries (B = 7.680, 95% CI: 2.684-12.675, P = 0.003) were significantly more likely to achieve higher overall KAP scores compared to those with experience in fewer than 100 surgeries.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Anesthetists in China exhibit moderate knowledge, a positive attitude, and inadequate practice regarding perioperative management of severe craniocerebral trauma. Greater clinical experience in managing craniocerebral trauma perioperatively is associated with higher KAP scores. The results highlight the need for targeted training and experience-based education to improve perioperative outcomes, which could translate into better clinical outcomes for the patients. Policymakers should be aware of those gaps and include additional training as necessary.</p>","PeriodicalId":14131,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of General Medicine","volume":"18 ","pages":"1035-1046"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11871846/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143541417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Alterations of White Matter Microstructure in Primary Aldosteronism Patients With Normal Cognitive Functioning Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging.","authors":"Weijie Chen, Simin Deng, Heng Li, Yu Zhao, Yuntao Tian, Yiqiang Yuan","doi":"10.2147/IJGM.S499346","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2147/IJGM.S499346","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To detect white matter microstructural alterations in patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) with normal cognitive function using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study included PA patients and normotensive healthy controls (HCs). MRI (T1-weighted) and DTI data were collected for all participants. Using the Johns Hopkins University white matter fiber tractography template, we calculated the values of fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity (RD), and mean diffusivity (MD).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Compared to the HC group, the PA group showed significant increases in AD in cingulum bundle cingulate part (CgC.R), forceps minor (FMi), bilateral inferior fronto-occipital fasciculi (IFO), and right temporo-superior longitudinal fasciculus (tSLF.R); RD in left IFO (IFO.L) and right superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF.R); and MD in FMi, IFO.L, right IFO (IFO.R) and SLF.R.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Compensatory white matter alterations occur in PA patients before cognitive impairment. These alterations may serve as early imaging biomarkers for PA-related brain function impairment, highlighting the importance of advanced neuroimaging for early diagnosis and intervention.</p>","PeriodicalId":14131,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of General Medicine","volume":"18 ","pages":"1089-1102"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11871850/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143540966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Recent Advances in the Mutual Regulation of m6A Modification and Non-Coding RNAs in Atherosclerosis.","authors":"Yanlu Wang, Sisi Ling, Hao Feng, Junkai Hua, Zhiyu Han, Renjie Chai","doi":"10.2147/IJGM.S508197","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2147/IJGM.S508197","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Atherosclerosis, a progressive inflammatory disease of the arteries, remains a leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality worldwide. Recent years have witnessed the pivotal role of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation in regulating various biological processes, including those implicated in atherosclerosis. Current evidence suggested that m6A regulators (writers, erasers, and readers) participated in the modification of multiple non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), thereby affecting their metabolism and functions. Meanwhile, ncRNAs have also emerged as key modulator of m6A regulators expression in turn. Therefore, understanding the mutual regulation between m6A modifications and ncRNAs is of great significance to identify novel therapeutic targets for atherosclerosis and has great clinical application prospects. This review aims to summarize the recent advances in the reciprocal regulation and provide insights into the interaction between m6A modification and ncRNAs in the context of atherosclerosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":14131,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of General Medicine","volume":"18 ","pages":"1047-1073"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11871936/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143541816","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Therapeutic Mechanism of Zhuyang Tongbian Decoction in Treating Functional Constipation: Insights from a Pilot Study Utilizing 16S rRNA Sequencing, Metagenomics, and Metabolomics.","authors":"Xuan Zhang, Hang Yin, Xu Yang, Jie Kang, Nan Sui","doi":"10.2147/IJGM.S509592","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2147/IJGM.S509592","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To explore the mechanism of Zhuyang Tongbian Decoction (ZTD) in treating functional constipation (FC) by observing its effects on intestinal flora composition, the metabolic function of gut microbiota, fecal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels, and serum concentrations of TLR4, NF-κB, TNF-α, and IL-6 in patients with FC.</p><p><strong>Patients and methods: </strong>40 patients with FC were randomly divided into the control group and the treatment group, 20 cases in each group. And 20 healthy volunteers were recruited during the same period. The control group was administered lactulose, while the treatment group was treated with ZTD. 16s RNA sequencing technology was used to compare the changes in the structure and diversity of the intestinal flora of patients before and after treatment. Changes in the levels of SCFAs in faeces and the levels of TLR4, NF-κB, TNF-α and IL-6 in serum were analysed. Metagenomics sequencing assessed microbiota metabolic functions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The treatment group showed a significant increase in the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria, including Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Faecalibacterium_prausnitzii (P < 0.05), whereas Desulfobacterota and Ruminococcus were significantly reduced (P < 0.05). Notably, fecal acetic and propionic acid levels were significantly higher in the treatment group (P < 0.05). Serum biomarkers TLR4, NF-κB, TNF-α, and IL-6 decreased significantly (P < 0.05). Metagenomics sequencing showed that Carbohydrate metabolism, Metabolism of cofactors and vitamins, and C5- Branched dibasic acid metabolism were significantly increased in functional abundance (P < 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>ZTD notably improves intestinal flora composition and gut microbiota metabolic function, regulates SCFA levels, and reduces inflammation markers in FC patients. The strain Faecalibacterium_prausnitzii shows significant potential in regulation of intestinal inflammation and may play a crucial role in the treatment efficacy of ZTD for FC.</p>","PeriodicalId":14131,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of General Medicine","volume":"18 ","pages":"1007-1022"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11871934/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143541903","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}