ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical efficacy of acupuncture at specific points plus kidney-reinforcing Chinese herbal medicine in treating cervical spondylotic vertebral arteriopathy (liver-kidney deficiency type).MethodNinety patients with cervical spondylotic vertebral arteriopathy (liver-kidney deficiency type) were allocated, using a random number table, to a treatment group of 45 cases and a control group of 45 cases. One case dropped out in the control group. The treatment group received acupuncture at Baihui(GV20), Dazhui(GV14), Houxi(SI3), Sanyinjiao(SP6), Taixi(KI3) and Xuanzhong(GB39) plus oral administration of six ingredients with rehmanniaplus radix puerariae formula and the control group, oral administration of six ingredients with rehmannia plus radix puerariae formula alone. The clinical therapeutic effects were evaluated after eight consecutive weeks of treatment.ResultThe total efficacy rate and the cure rate were 91.1% and 62.2%, respectively, in the treatment group and 77.3% and 34.1%, respectively, in the control group; there were statistically significant differences between the two groups (P<0.05). The therapeutic effect was better in the treatment group than in the control group. After treatment, the difference values ofthe vertigo severity, frequency and duration, headache, neck and shoulder pain, and life and work scores on the scale werehigher in the treatment group than in the control group (P<0.05).ConclusionAcupuncture at specific points plus Chinese herbal medicine is more effective than Chinese herbal medicine alone in treating cervical spondylotic vertebral arteriopathy (liver-kidney deficiency type).

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine has a certain effect in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism and effect of acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: The animal models of knee osteoarthritis were established to detect the expression levels of related factors, including matrix metal oproteinase 3, transforming growth factor β, interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α. The knee osteoarthritis patients treated with acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine were fol owed-up, and the patients received acupuncture in the main points and the adjunct points, as wel as the Chinese medicine administration and the external application and fumigation. Then, the active function recovery of the knee joint was observed to identify the effect of acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine. RESUTLS AND CONCLUSION: Acupuncture can delay the destruction of knee joint articular cartilage and improve the knee function through decreasing the contents of matrix metal oproteinase 3, transforming growth factor β, interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α, thus playing the treatment effect on knee osteoarthritis. The knee osteoarthritis patients treated with acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine can obtain better effect, and the treatment efficiency is more than 90%. Compared with the single application of sodium hyaluronate or acupuncture treatment, acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine has higher treatment efficiency and better treatment effect.

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell strategy targeting CD19 (CART19) has prominent anti-tumor effect for relapsed/refractory B-cell lymphomas. CART19-associated complications have been gradually recognized, however, late-onset complications have not been extensively studied. Herein, for the first time we report a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patient with terminal ileum involvement obtained rapid remission and developed spontaneous terminal ileal perforation 38 days following CART19 infusion. The late-onset perforation reminds us that, for the safety of CART treatment, more cautions are warranted for the management of delayed GI complications.
B-Lymphocytes* ; Humans ; Ileum ; Lymphoma, B-Cell* ; Receptors, Antigen* ; T-Lymphocytes*

Objective:To develop an online interactive cytopathological training program, and to evaluate it for improving the cytopathological diagnostic ability of endoscopists in endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) of pancreas.Methods:A total of 5 500 cytopathological images were collected from 194 patients with pancreatic solid mass who underwent EUS-FNA in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from August 2018 to August 2019. The cell type in each cytopathological picture was labeled by senior cellular pathologists, which was used to build a learning and testing platform for online interactive cytopathological training. Five endoscopists without cytopathological background were invited to participate in this training. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of endoscopists in differential diagnosis of cancer and non-cancer before and after training were compared to evaluate the effect of the online interactive cytopathological training program on improving the ability of endoscopists in diagnosis of cytopathology.Results:A cytopathological training platform for endoscopists to learn and take online test was successfully built. Before training, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of diagnosis of cancer and non-cancer for endoscopists were 0.55 (95% CI: 0.53-0.58), 0.32 (95% CI: 0.30-0.35), 0.43 (95% CI: 0.41-0.45), 0.44 (95% CI: 0.41-0.47) and 0.43 (95% CI: 0.42-0.45), respectively. After training, the above indicators were 0.96 (95% CI: 0.95-0.97), 0.70 (95% CI: 0.68-0.73), 0.74 (95% CI: 0.72-0.76), 0.95 (95% CI: 0.94-0.96) and 0.81 (95% CI: 0.80-0.83), respectively, which were significantly improved compared with those before ( P<0.001). Conclusion:The online interactive cytopathological training program can improve the understanding and diagnostic ability of endoscopists in pancreatic cytopathology, help to implement rapid on-site evaluation in the process of EUS-FNA, and improve the diagnostic efficiency of EUS-FNA.

Objective:To investigate the application value of ROX index in evaluating the effect of high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy (HFNC) on patients diagnosed with respiratory failure, and to find a simpler and more effective method to observe the efficacy of HFNC.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Patients who were admitted to department of critical care medicine of the Tianjin Third Central Hospital from April 2020 to August 2022, diagnosed with type Ⅰ respiratory failure, and treated with HFNC after failure of conventional oxygen therapy were enrolled. Oxygenation index (PaO 2/FiO 2), fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO 2), gas flow rate at the initial time of admission, and pulse oxygen saturation (SpO 2), FiO 2 and respiratory rate (RR) at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 hours of HFNC were collected, and ROX index was calculated. The patients with symptoms and PaO 2/FiO 2 improved after HFNC treatment and without higher respiratory support lately were defined as HFNC success, while other patients with symptoms worsening and needing follow-up non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) or invasive positive pressure ventilation (IPPV) were defined as HFNC failure. The tendency of changes in the ROX index at each time point was observed. Receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) was plotted to obtain the optimum cut-off value of ROX index for predicting HFNC outcome and the optimal monitoring time point for HFNC. Results:A total of 142 patients were eventually enrolled, among whom 96 patients (67.61%) were in treated with HFNC successfully, while 46 patients (32.39%) were recorded as HFNC failure (39 patients and 7 patients received NIPPV or IPPV, respectively), with an overall intubation rate of 4.93% (7/142). Compared with the HFNC success group, the HFNC failure group had lower PaO 2/FiO 2 [mmHg (1 mmHg ≈ 0.133 kPa): 208.8±37.3 vs. 235.7±48.3, P < 0.01] and higher initial gas flow rate (L/min: 46.4±3.9 vs. 42.3±4.9, P < 0.01). However, there was no significant difference in gender, age, primary diagnosis, severity of disease, hemoglobin (Hb), C-reactive protein (CRP), and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) between the two groups. In the HFNC failure group, there were 12 patients (26.09%) received progressive oxygen therapy within 12 hours of HFNC, of which 3 patients (6.52%) occurred within 6 hours, while the other 9 patients (19.57%) occurred after 6 hours. The initial ROX index was not statistically significant between the two groups. Both groups showed a continuous increasing ROX index with longer treatment duration of HFNC, and the ROX index at all of the time points of the HFNC failure group was significantly lower than that of the HFNC success group with statistically significant difference (2 hours: 9.39±2.85 vs. 10.91±3.51, 4 hours: 8.62±2.29 vs. 11.40±3.18, 6 hours: 7.62±1.65 vs. 11.85±3.45, 8 hours: 7.79±1.59 vs. 11.62±3.10, 10 hours: 7.97±1.62 vs. 12.44±2.75, 12 hours: 8.84±2.51 vs. 12.45±3.03, all P < 0.05). The ROC curve analysis showed that the areas under the ROC curve (AUC) of ROX index assessing the effect of HFNC at the time of treating 6, 8 and 10 hours were better than 2, 4 and 12 hours (0.890, 0.903, 0.930 vs. 0.585, 0.738 and 0.829), indicating that the ROX index could determine the efficacy at the early stage of HFNC (within 6 hours). When the optimum cut-off value of ROX index was 8.78, the sensitivity was 90.6%, and the specificity was 76.5%. Conclusion:The ROX index at 6 hours of HFNC has a certain predictive value for the efficacy of HFNC with an optimum cut-off value of 8.78, which can provide clinical health care personnel a method for observing the efficacy of HFNC, and guide the correct selection of oxygen therapy modality at an early stage and timely adjustment of oxygen therapy strategy.

Objective To study the biomechanical influence of posterior laminectomy with varying extent on adjacent segment after lumbar interbody fusion. Methods Three finite element models of lumbar posterior fusion were developed based on the validated intact lumbar model. These models were: posterior fusion with bi-lateral incision of facet joint (Bi-TLIF），inferior partly incision of laminar (PLIF)，total laminectomy (LAM-PLIF). The range of motion (ROM), intradiscal pressure (IDP), facet joint contact force (FJF) of adjacent segment of fusion models under various loading were compared with the intact model. The follower load of 400 N under 7.5 N·m torque was exerted on superior endplate of L1 segment. The 6-DOF (degree of freedom) of sacroiliac joint surface was constrained during loading. ResultsDuring flexion, obvious biomechanical changes of superior adjacent segment (L3-4) were found in Bi-TLIF, PLIF, LAM-PLIF surgery groups. Compared with the intact model, the ROM in Bi-TLIF, PLIF, LAM-PLIF group increased by 1.0%, 9.3%, 24.5%, respectively, while IDP in the above fusion groups increased by 1.4%, 4.3%, 10.0%，respectively. These changes were not obvious in other postures. For FJF, the Bi-TLIF and PLIF group showed obvious increasing effect on L3-4 segment, while almost had no effect on L5-S1 segment. Conclusions Laminectomy increased ROM, IDP and FJF of adjacent segment (especially superior adjacent segment) after posterior lumbar fusion, which might increase the risk of adjacent segment degeneration. This biomechanical effect was more obvious with the increase in incision range of laminar. Therefore, preserving more posterior complex during decompression has a positive effect on preventing adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) following lumbar fusion surgeries.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of Tangbikang dry paste in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetic peripheral neuropathy （DPN） based on the glyoxalase-1 （GLO-1）/advanced glycation end products （AGE）/receptor for advanced glycation end products （RAGE） pathway. MethodsA total of 56 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided， with eight assigned to the normal group. The remaining 48 rats were fed a high-fat diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin （STZ） to induce a type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） model. Based on blood glucose levels， the rats were randomly assigned to the model group， Tanglin group （13.5 mg·kg^-1）， metformin group （135 mg·kg^-1）， and Tangbikang dry paste low-， medium-， and high-dose groups （3， 6， 12 g·kg^-1）. Successful modeling of DPN was confirmed by a decrease in mechanical pain threshold in the model group at week 4. Fasting blood glucose， body weight， and mechanical pain threshold were measured every 4 weeks. After 16 weeks of intervention， the pathological morphology of the sciatic nerve was observed using hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. The expression of RAGE， AGE， protein kinase C （PKC）， and collagen （COL） in the sciatic nerve was assessed by immunohistochemistry. The mRNA expression of RAGE， PKC， Toll-like receptor （TLR）， COL， and GLO-1 was detected using real-time quantitative PCR （Real-time PCR）. Serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， creatinine （CREA）， urea （UREA）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-α were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showed significantly increased fasting blood glucose （P<0.01）， decreased body weight and mechanical pain threshold （P<0.01）， and elevated serum AST， ALT， CREA， UREA， IL-6， and TNF-α levels （P<0.01）. The expression of RAGE， AGE， and PKC in the sciatic nerve was significantly increased （P<0.01）， while COL expression was decreased （P<0.01）. The mRNA expression of TLR， RAGE， and PKC was upregulated （P<0.01）， whereas COL and GLO-1 mRNA levels were downregulated （P<0.01）. Histological examination showed irregular nerve morphology， axonal alterations， and myelin degeneration. Compared with the model group， fasting blood glucose levels in the Tangbikang dry paste high-dose group at all time points and in the medium-dose group at weeks 4 and 16 were significantly reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）. No significant changes in body weight were observed across all Tangbikang dose groups. The mechanical pain threshold was elevated at different time points after administration in all Tangbikang groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels were decreased in all dose groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The expression of RAGE， AGE， and PKC in the sciatic nerve was reduced （P<0.01）， while COL expression was increased （P<0.01）. The mRNA expression of TLR， RAGE， and PKC was downregulated （P<0.01）， whereas GLO-1 mRNA expression was upregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Additionally， COL mRNA expression was significantly increased in the low- and high-dose groups （P<0.01）. Pathological changes in the sciatic nerve were milder in all Tangbikang groups compared to the model group. ConclusionTangbikang dry paste significantly improves DPN， and its mechanism may be associated with the regulation of the GLO-1/AGE/RAGE signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of Tangbikang dry paste in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetic peripheral neuropathy （DPN） based on the glyoxalase-1 （GLO-1）/advanced glycation end products （AGE）/receptor for advanced glycation end products （RAGE） pathway. MethodsA total of 56 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided， with eight assigned to the normal group. The remaining 48 rats were fed a high-fat diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin （STZ） to induce a type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） model. Based on blood glucose levels， the rats were randomly assigned to the model group， Tanglin group （13.5 mg·kg^-1）， metformin group （135 mg·kg^-1）， and Tangbikang dry paste low-， medium-， and high-dose groups （3， 6， 12 g·kg^-1）. Successful modeling of DPN was confirmed by a decrease in mechanical pain threshold in the model group at week 4. Fasting blood glucose， body weight， and mechanical pain threshold were measured every 4 weeks. After 16 weeks of intervention， the pathological morphology of the sciatic nerve was observed using hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. The expression of RAGE， AGE， protein kinase C （PKC）， and collagen （COL） in the sciatic nerve was assessed by immunohistochemistry. The mRNA expression of RAGE， PKC， Toll-like receptor （TLR）， COL， and GLO-1 was detected using real-time quantitative PCR （Real-time PCR）. Serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， creatinine （CREA）， urea （UREA）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-α were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showed significantly increased fasting blood glucose （P<0.01）， decreased body weight and mechanical pain threshold （P<0.01）， and elevated serum AST， ALT， CREA， UREA， IL-6， and TNF-α levels （P<0.01）. The expression of RAGE， AGE， and PKC in the sciatic nerve was significantly increased （P<0.01）， while COL expression was decreased （P<0.01）. The mRNA expression of TLR， RAGE， and PKC was upregulated （P<0.01）， whereas COL and GLO-1 mRNA levels were downregulated （P<0.01）. Histological examination showed irregular nerve morphology， axonal alterations， and myelin degeneration. Compared with the model group， fasting blood glucose levels in the Tangbikang dry paste high-dose group at all time points and in the medium-dose group at weeks 4 and 16 were significantly reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）. No significant changes in body weight were observed across all Tangbikang dose groups. The mechanical pain threshold was elevated at different time points after administration in all Tangbikang groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels were decreased in all dose groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The expression of RAGE， AGE， and PKC in the sciatic nerve was reduced （P<0.01）， while COL expression was increased （P<0.01）. The mRNA expression of TLR， RAGE， and PKC was downregulated （P<0.01）， whereas GLO-1 mRNA expression was upregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Additionally， COL mRNA expression was significantly increased in the low- and high-dose groups （P<0.01）. Pathological changes in the sciatic nerve were milder in all Tangbikang groups compared to the model group. ConclusionTangbikang dry paste significantly improves DPN， and its mechanism may be associated with the regulation of the GLO-1/AGE/RAGE signaling pathway.