[Objective]To evaluate the prognostic value of skull-base invasion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC)based on magnetic resonance imaging(MRI).[Methods]A total of 924 patients who were diagnosed with NPC between 2003 and 2004,had undergone MRI scan and received mdiothempy as their primary treatment,and had no distant metastasis were included in this study.MRI images and medical records were analyzed retrospectively.All the 924 eases.patients who developed skull-base invasions based on MRI,315 patients with T3 disease and 227 patients with T2 disease were selected for analysis.The staging was according to the sixth edition of the American Joint Commission on Cancer(AJCC)staging system.[Results]Incidence of skullbase invasion according to MRI was 55.4%.Of 924 cases.skull-base invasion on MRI was not an independent prognostic factor for overall survival(OS)and distant metastasis-free survival(DMFS),but was a marginally significant independent prognostic factor for local relapse-free survival(LRFS),P=0.068.Grading of MRI-detected skull-base erosion according to the site of invasion was an independent prognostic factor for OS(P=0.002 and P=0.005)and DMFS(P=0.001 for both)in the 512 patients with skull-base invasions and 315 patients with T3 disease.Severe-grade of skull-base invasion on MRI was an independent prognostic factor for OS and DMFS in the 924 patients(P ＜ 0.001 for both).No significant differences were observed on OS,LRFS,and DMFS between T2a patients and T3 patients with low-grade of MRI-deteeted skull-base involvement.[Conclusions]Skull-base invasion based on MRI is not an independent prognostic factor for NPC.However,severe-grade of invasion according to the site of involvement has positive prognostic value.

Background:The prognostic values of staging parameters require continual re?assessment amid changes in diag?nostic and therapeutic methods. This study aimed to identify the prognostic factors and failure patterns of non?meta?static nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in the intensity?modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) era. Methods:We reviewed the data from 749 patients with newly diagnosed, biopsy?proven, non?metastatic NPC in our cancer center (South China, an NPC endemic area) between January 2003 and December 2007. All patients under?went magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before receiving IMRT. The actuarial survival rates were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method, and survival curves were compared using the log?rank test. Multivariate analyses with the Cox proportional hazards model were used to test for the independent prognostic factors by backward eliminating insigniifcant explanatory variables. Results:The 5?year occurrence rates of local failure, regional failure, locoregional failure, and distant failure were 5.4, 3.0, 7.4, and 17.4%, respectively. The 5?year survival rates were as follows: local relapse?free survival, 94.6%; nodal relapse?free survival, 97.0%; distant metastasis?free survival, 82.6%; disease?free survival, 75.1%; and overall survival, 82.0%. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that orbit involvement was the only signiifcant prognostic fac?tor for local failure (P=0.011). Parapharyngeal tumor extension, retropharyngeal lymph node involvement, and the laterality, longest diameter, and Ho’s location of the cervical lymph nodes were signiifcant prognostic factors for both distant failure and disease failure (allP<0.05). Intracranial extension had signiifcant prognostic value for distant failure (P=0.040). Conclusions:The key failure pattern for NPC was distant metastasis in the IMRT era. With changes in diagnostic and therapeutic technologies as well as treatment modalities, the signiifcant prognostic parameters for local control have also been altered substantially.

Miao is an important ethnic minority in China. Miao medicine (MM) is a pivotal of traditional Chinese medicine. It is an accumulation of the Miao people's experience fighting against diseases for thousands of years and has been an important part of the Miao culture. The origin of MM is closely related to Miao culture, customs, and habits. MM gradually formed a traditional medical theoretical system with obvious regional characteristics, distinctive cultural characteristics, and unique efficacy. In this paper, we intro-duce and review the unique theoretical system of MM, including the basic theory of MM, the theory of medicine, nature, taste, and channel tropism, and the theory of entering the shelf. In addition, we summarize the development of MM to provide an overview of the theoretical characteristics and industrialisation of MM that is accessible to everyone.

Objective:To explore the effect of cloud follow-up system in post-hospital follow-up management of hyperuricemia gout patients.Methods:Using the convenient sampling method, a total of 120 gout patients who were discharged after treatment in Taizhou Central Hospital in June 2021 were selected as the research objects and they were randomly divided into the control group and the experimental group according to the random number table method, with 60 cases in each group. The control group carried out routine follow-up, while the experimental group carried out follow-up based on cloud follow-up system. The serum uric acid level and self-management ability of gout patients were compared between the two groups before and after 6 months of follow-up.Results:After 6 months of follow-up, the serum uric acid levels of the control group and the experimental group were lower than those before follow-up and that of the experimental group was lower than the control group, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05) . After 6 months of follow-up, the self-management ability score of the experimental group was higher than that before follow-up and higher than that after follow-up of the control group, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05) . Conclusions:The new follow-up model based on cloud follow-up system is helpful to improve the self-management ability of gout patients and reduce the blood uric acid level of gout patients.

Danshen, the dried roots and rhizomes of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (S. miltiorrhiza), is widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Tanshinones, the bioactive compounds from Danshen, exhibit a wide spectrum of pharmacological properties, suggesting their potential for future therapeutic applications. Tanshinone biosynthesis is a complex process involving at least six P450 enzymes that have been identified and characterized, most of which belong to the CYP76 and CYP71 families. In this study, CYP81C16, a member of the CYP71 clan, was identified in S. miltiorrhiza. An in vitro assay revealed that it could catalyze the hydroxylation of four para-quinone-type tanshinones, namely neocryptotanshinone, deoxyneocryptotanshinone, and danshenxinkuns A and B. SmCYP81C16 emerged as a potential broad-spectrum oxidase targeting the C-18 position of para-quinone-type tanshinones with an impressive relative conversion rate exceeding 90%. Kinetic evaluations andin vivo assays underscored its highest affinity towards neocryptotanshinone among the tested substrates. The overexpression of SmCYP81C16 promoted the accumulation of (iso)tanshinone in hairy root lines. The characterization of SmCYP81C16 in this study accentuates its potential as a pivotal tool in the biotechnological production of tanshinones, either through microbial or plant metabolic engineering.
Humans ; Salvia miltiorrhiza/metabolism* ; Biosynthetic Pathways ; Quinones/metabolism* ; Plant Roots/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant