Background: The pain and sleep disorders caused by arthritis are health issues that have been re-emphasized with the aging population. However, the majority of research on arthritis and sleep disorders has focused on cases that have already been diagnosed with arthritis. This research aims to explore the correlation between sleep duration and new-onset arthritis in middle-aged and older adult individuals.Methods: Utilizing data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study from baseline (2011) to the Wave 3 follow-up (2018), we conducted a 7-year longitudinal investigation targeting populations with valid sleep questionnaire records and without arthritis. Sleep duration was assessed from nighttime sleep and daytime nap records. The new-onset of arthritis was determined based on self-reported diagnosis. We employed different logistic regression models to consider the potential impact of sleep duration on arthritis and conducted mediation analyses to assess the involvement of BMI in the association between sleep duration and the new-onset risk of arthritis.Results: Out of the 6,597 individuals analyzed in the cohort, 586 (8.9%) were diagnosed with new-onset arthritis. Median sleep duration was notably shorter in the new-onset arthritis group (6.63 vs. 6.41 h, p < 0.05). There was a notable negative correlation found between new-onset risk of arthritis and sleep duration, with each Interquartile Range (IQR) increment in sleep leading to a 16% risk reduction (OR: 0.864; 95% CI: 0.784–0.954). Stratified analyses revealed BMI as a potential modifier in the sleep-arthritis relationship (P for interaction = 0.05). Mediation analyses further showed that about 3.5% of the association was mediated by BMI. Additionally, the inclusion of sleep duration improved the arthritis predictive power of our model, with an IDI of 0.105 (0.0203, 0.1898) and an NRI of 0.0013 (0.0004, 0.0022) after adding sleep duration to the basic model.Conclusion: In the middle-aged and older adult demographic of China, increased sleep duration is associated with a decreased new-onset risk of arthritis, with BMI potentially playing a role in mediating this connection.

Background: Osteoarthritis is a common degenerative disease with a high incidence, high disability rate, and poor prognosis. Clinical studies have shown that Bushen Huoxue formula can relieve joint swelling and pain and improve limb function and joint mobility, but there is a lack of high-quality scientific basis. Using network pharmacology and molecular docking technology to study the mechanism of Bushen Huoxue formula in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Methods: First, the active ingredients and corresponding target predictions of the formula were obtained through the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Meanwhile, the osteoarthritis disease targets were obtained through the genome annotation database platform (GeneCards) and the DrugBank database, and the target proteins obtained above were standardized using the Uniprot (https://www.uniprot.org) database standardization of names. Then, the Venn diagram was created by taking the intersection of the active ingredient and the target of the disease, and the “active ingredient-target” network was constructed and analyzed using Cytoscape 3.7.2 software. At the same time, the intersecting targets were imported into the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interaction Gene/Proteins database to build a protein-protein interaction network and to screen the core targets; the intersecting targets were visualized by using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery 6.8 database for gene ontology functional analysis and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis, and construct the “active ingredient-target-pathway” network. Finally, the main active ingredients of the formula for tonifying the kidney and invigorating the blood were validated by molecular docking with the core targets. Results: A total of 194 active ingredients and 365 targets of the Bushen Huoxue formula were collected, 776 targets for osteoarthritis diseases and 96 targets for the intersection of active ingredients and diseases. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis yielded 104 relevant pathways, including tumor necrosis factor signaling pathways, cancer signaling pathways, nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor signaling pathways, Toll-like receptors signaling pathways, and osteoclast differentiation, apoptosis, T-cell receptor signaling pathway, and other related pathways. The molecular docking results showed good binding of the main active ingredients to the core targets. Conclusion: This study shows that the treatment of osteoarthritis involves multicomponent, multitarget, and multipathway processes. The mechanism of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, inhibition of cartilage matrix degradation, and reduction of subchondral bone destruction may be an important mechanism for the therapeutic effect.

Background: This study aimed to examine the effects of muscle-start-stop tuina and muscle belly tuina on the surface electromyography(sEMG) of chronic nonspecific neck pain. The research sought to provide empirical evidence for the efficacy of muscle start-stop tuina in treating chronic nonspecific neck pain. Methods: A total of 60 patients diagnosed with chronic nonspecific neck pain were randomly allocated into 2 equal groups: an experimental group (n = 30) and a control group (n = 30). The experimental group received tuina treatment focused on the origin and insertion points of the trapezius muscle, while the control group received tuina treatment on the trapezius muscle belly. Both groups underwent 10 treatment sessions over a two-week period. To assess the efficacy of the interventions, patients’ symptoms were evaluated using the Northwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire. Additionally, muscle tone and endurance were quantified using sEMG to measure the root mean square and median frequency value decline rates. Results: The experimental and control groups exhibited statistically significant changes in Northwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire scores, sEMG root mean square values, and median frequency decline rates posttreatment compared to pretreatment measurements. Furthermore, statistically significant differences were observed in these parameters between the experimental group, which received tuina at the muscle origin and insertion, and the control group, which received tuina at the muscle belly. Conclusions: Both the muscle-start-end tuina and muscle belly tuina techniques demonstrate efficacy in treating chronic nonspecific neck pain. However, the muscle-start-end tuina method exhibits superior outcomes in symptom alleviation, muscle tension reduction, and enhancement of muscle endurance compared to muscle belly tuina.

Introduction: Vertigo is the most common clinical complaint, misdiagnosed patients are not rare, so it is very important to exclude and identify vertigo. For vertigo caused by multiple causes, including cervical vertigo with atlantoaxial rotation fixation combined with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), tuina can correct joint misalignment. The reduction technique will return the fallen otolith to the correct position. The use of massage and reduction can improve clinical symptoms and improve quality of life and may be a simple, safe, and effective treatment strategy for this disease. Patient concerns: We report on a patient with both cervical vertigo due to atlantoaxial rotational fixation and BPPV, including his imaging examination, clinical manifestations, and treatment methods. Diagnosis: Cervical vertigo (atlantoaxial rotatory fixation) and BPPV. Intervention: Tuina combined with atlantoaxial directional inverted reduction technique and reduction manipulation. Outcomes: The patient’s vertigo symptoms improved significantly, nystagmus disappeared, cervical occipital pain, nausea, head distension, and other symptoms disappeared, and cervical motion rotation reached 60°. Conclusion: This study proved the effectiveness of massage combined with a reduction in the treatment of cervical vertigo and BPPV, as well as the importance of vertigo diagnosis and differential diagnosis, and provided a new treatment idea for the future diagnosis and treatment of vertigo caused by a variety of causes.

A motion control strategy based on multi-source heterogeneous motion information fusion and motion decoupling parallel washout algorithm (WA) is proposed for the control of a rehabilitation robot designed for stroke-related balance disorders. The robot features a serial-parallel hybrid structure and humanoid gait functionality, with its output being the pre-defined trajectory motion of the guiding pedals. The WA algorithm is widely applied in motion simulation and control. In this study, the filter parameters of the WA are optimized using Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm (MOGA), aiming to minimize the motion perception error introduced by the robot, thereby optimizing the robot’s motion trajectory to better align with the human perception threshold and the dynamic response characteristics of the device. A custom-built multi-source heterogeneous sensing system is employed to capture human gait features, enabling the WA to generate specific motion trajectories pre-defined for the rehabilitation robot. To ensure that the optimization search space for each WA channel remains independent and to more accurately reproduce motion details, motion decoupling and dual parallel filtering control strategies are introduced. Through the optimization of the WA filter parameters, the system aims to minimize the theoretical motion perception error experienced by the user during robot-assisted motion training, with the potential to provide a more realistic motion experience and enhanced training outcomes. In the future, long-term follow-up and monitoring of the effectiveness will also be conducted.