Stroke is responsible for increasingly high rates of mortality and disability worldwide. Approximately two million people suffer from stroke for the first time in China each year. The high incidence (50%) of post-stroke disability brings a heavy burden to patients and their caregivers. Acupuncture has been widely used in the communities for post-stroke rehabilitation in China. The objective of this trial is to apply our acupuncture research achievement to treatment and evaluation of post-stroke hemiplegic patients in community.

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical curative effect of Chinese herbal medicine combined with acitretin capsule in treating psoriasis of blood-heat syndrome (P-BH).

METHODSEighty patients of P-BH were randomly assigned to two groups, 39 in Group A and 41 in Group B. Both was treated with Chinese herbal medicines for clearing heat, cooling blood and removing toxic substance, and acitretin capsule was given to Group A additionally, with 8 weeks as one therapeutic course. The clinical curative effect was compared between groups, and the change of psoriasis activity severe index (PASI) scores before and after treatment was observed.

RESULTSThe total effective rate in Group A was 84.2% and that in Group B 68.2%, also showing significance between groups (P<0.01). PASI score lowered significantly after treatment in both groups, showing statistical significance (P<0.01), but no significant difference between groups. Little adverse reaction was found in Group B, while in Group A, the adverse reaction was of even milder degree, which could be alleviated by adjusting the herbal medicine and symptomatic treatment administration.

CONCLUSIONSThe effect of Chinese herbal medicine combined with acitretin capsule was superior to Chinese herbal medicine alone in treating P-BH, but the adverse reaction of acitretin capsule could be alleviated by adjusting the herbs used. However, the result is waiting to be verified further by larger samples.

Acitretin ; administration & dosage ; Adult ; Aged ; Capsules ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Hematologic Diseases ; complications ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Keratolytic Agents ; administration & dosage ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Psoriasis ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; Syndrome ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo observe the efficacy and safety of total glucosides of paeony capsule (TGPC) in patients with mild and moderate alopecia areata.

METHODSA total of 86 outpatients were randomly allocated into two groups of TGPC (treatment, 44 cases) and compound glycyrrhizin tablet (control, 42 cases). The treatment group was given oral TGPC, three times daily and 600 mg per time; the control group was given oral compound glycyrrhizin tablets, three times daily and 50 mg per time. In addition, both groups were given 10 mg of vitamin B(2) and tapped the bold patches with massage. The treatment course was three months for both groups. Peripheral blood T-cell subsets (CD3(+)CD4(+), CD3(+)CD8(+), Th, Ts, Th/Ts) of 10 patients randomly selected from each group respectively were tested before and after three months of treatment. The effectiveness and adverse reaction of all cases were observed each month. The safety was evaluated according to the incidence rate of adverse reaction.

RESULTSIn the treatment group, the cured and markedly effective rate was 36.36% (16/44), 50.00% (22/44) and 68.18% (30/44) at the end of first, second and third month of treatment, respectively, and the incidence rate of adverse reaction was 13.64% (6/44). In the control group, the cured and markedly effective rate was 38.10% (16/42), 57.14% (24/42) and 71.43% (30/42), respectively, and the incidence rate of adverse reaction was 16.67% (7/42). The cured and markedly effective rate and the incidence rate of adverse reaction were similar in both groups (P>0.05). TGPC and compound glycyrrhizin tablet can inhibit CD3(+)CD4(+) and CD3(+)CD8(+), and decrease the ratio of Th/Ts (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONTGPC is effective and safe in the treatment of alopecia areata.

Adult ; Alopecia Areata ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Capsules ; Female ; Glucosides ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Glycyrrhizic Acid ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Lymphocyte Subsets ; immunology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Paeonia ; chemistry ; T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; Tablets ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

Stress in medical education has been inevitable among medical students. However, the prevalence of stress among pre-clinical and clinical medical students differed by year of study. There were several stressors reported to affect medical students. Therefore, effective coping strategies were applied to manage the stress faced by medical students. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of stress, stressors and coping strategies comparing pre-clinical and clinical Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) medical students, and the associated stressors and stress among them. This was a cross-sectional study with a study population of 223 medical students. Universal sampling was used. A self-administered questionnaire which included socio-demographic characteristics, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), the Medical Students Stressor Questionnaire (MSSQ) and the Brief COPE Inventory were used in this study. The overall prevalence of stress among medical students was 48.15%. Clinical students had a higher prevalence of stress (53.73%) compared to pre-clinical students (39.02%). Year 3 students had the highest prevalence of stress (64.58%) compared to other years of study. Nearly 1 out of 2 medical students were stressed (48.15%). Academic Related Stressor ranked the highest and Acceptance was the most practiced coping strategy. The only associated stressor with stress was Academic Related Stressor.

Objective To study the possible causes of ST-elevated acute myocardial infarction (STEAMI) occurring one month after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods One hundred and ninety two patients aged from 40-79 years who had a successful previous PCI and also received primary PCI due to STEAMI in this hospitalization were included in this study. The AMI-related lesions and previous angiographic findings such as the number of lesions, the degree of the stenosis, the type of stents and the acute results of last PCI, etc. were recorded in detail. If the AMI-related lesion was localized in-stents or at the edge of stents (distance from the edge ≤5 mm), it was defined aslate thrombosis, otherwise it was regarded as an AMI induced by new-lesion. Results New lesions, as the cause of STEAMI, were found in 144 cases (Group A, 75%), and late thrombosis in 48 patients (Group B, 25%). There was a significant difference in the average time from previous PCI to AMI (30.1±12.4 vs. 20.3±11.9 months) between the two groups. Diabetes mellitus (DM) and drug-eluting stents (DES) utilization were associated with markedly higher morbidity of late thrombosis in adjusted logistic regressionanalysis [hazard ratio (HR) 3.387, 95% CI 1.053-10.898 and HR 5.311, 95% CI 1.066-26.464]. Conclusions STEAMI occurred 1 month after PCI are more likely to be developed from previous insignificant lesions than from late thrombosis in stents. Moreover, DM and DES are associated with a high incidence of late thrombosis, which may indicate that intensive antiplatelet therapy should be considered in diabetic patients receiving PCI.

Objective To study the suppressive effect of knockdown of miR-21 on the U87 human giioma xenograft growth and the possible mechanism. Methods Nude mice bearing U87 human glioblastoma subcutaneously were treated with miRNA-21 anfisense oligonucleotides(AS-miR-21)intratumomlly every 3 d until the observation peded ended.The tumor volume of the mice treated withAS-miR-21 was measured regularly as compared with that in the control untreated mice and in the mice treated with scramble oligonucelotides(ODN).Finally,the tumors were removed from nude mice for the examination.In-sire hybridization and real-time PCR were conducted to detect the miRNA expression of miR-21.The biological charaetedsties of the tumors were evaluated by HE and immunohistochemieal staining, and the cell apoptosis was detected by TUNEL method. Resulls During the observation period,the tumor growth was delayed and the final tumor volume of AS-miR-21 heated group was smaller than that in the control and scramble ODN treatedg roup(F=6-056,P=0.007).The expression of miRNA precursor was knocked down in As-miRNA treated tunlors compared with that in untreated or scramble ODN treated tumors.Histopathological examination exhibited the appearance of degraded malignancy.The expressions of PCNA and MMP-9 were down-regulated while Septin-7 and P21 were up-regulated and apoptotic index was increased significantly (F=141.021,P=000) as well.Conclusion The suppressive effect of anti-miR-21 ODNs on the growth of U87 human glioma xenogratts is significant and miR-21 Call be taken as a candidate for gene therapy ofhuman glioma.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of thunder-fire moxibustion plus glucosamine sulfate potassium capsule in treating knee osteoarthritis (KOA).Methods:This study was a randomized controlled trial. A total of 90 participants with KOA in the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University from February 2020 to December 2021 were randomized and assigned into 3 groups, with 30 cases in each group according to the random number table method. The thunder-fire moxibustion group was only treated with thunder-fire moxibustion on Neixiyan and Dubi acupoints, while the medication group was only treated with oral glucosamine sulfate potassium capsule, and the thunder-fire moxibustion plus medication group was treated with thunder-fire moxibustion on Neixiyan and Dubi acupoints combined with oral glucosamine sulfate potassium capsule. All the three groups were treated for 4 weeks. The degree of joint pain and stiffness was assessed using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC); the amount of knee joint cavity effusion was detected by ultrasound; the knee circumference was measured to assess the degree of knee swelling.Results:After treatment, the amount of knee joint cavity effusion [(3.21±2.44) mm, (3.73±2.53) mm vs. (4.80±3.07) mm, F=6.82], the WOMAC score [(65.88±30.25), (77.74±28.27) vs. (86.58±31.50), F=7.92], knee circumference [(36.74±2.74) cm, (37.59±2.63) cm vs. (38.51±3.09) cm, F=8.94] in the thunder-fire moxibustion plus medication group and the thunder-fire moxibustion group were lower than those in the medication group ( P<0.01). Conclusion:Thunder-fire moxibustion plus oral glucosamine sulfate potassium capsule can reduce the amount of knee joint cavity effusion, WOMAC score and the degree of knee swelling, and the efficacy is better than thunder -fire moxibustion and oral glucosamine sulfate potassium capsule.

Abstract: Objective　To analyze the pathogenic characteristics and epidemiological significance of human plague related strains in Qinghai Province in recent 30 years, so as to provide scientific basis for on-the-spot disposal and prevention and control measures of plague outbreak in Qinghai Province. Methods　A total of 35 strains of Yersinia pestis isolated from 29 typical human plague outbreaks in Qinghai Province from 1980 to 2011 were selected and studied by biochemical fermentation experiments. Virulence factors detection of Fraction 1 antigen (Fra1), virulence antigen (VW), pigmentation (Pgm) and Yersinia pestis Ⅰ (PstⅠ), determinants and genotyping of differential regions (DFRs) were used to study the pathogenic characteristics. At the same time, according to the epidemic situation of human and animal plague in Qinghai Province in recent years, the current situation of plague prevention and control and epidemic characteristics were analyzed. Results　The biotypes of 35 strains of Yersinia pestis were classical, and the biotypes of 29 strains (82.86%) were of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau type, mainly distributed in southern Qinghai and around lake areas, 2 strains (5.71%) belonged to Qilian Mountains type, mainly distributed in Qilian mountains, and 6 genotypes were identified by DFR. Among them, 16 were type 5, 12 were type 8, 2 were type 10, 1 was type 36, 3 were type 30 and 1 was type 1b, the strains of type 5 and 1b were mainly distributed around the lake and the southern foot of Qilian Mountains, while the strains of type 8, 10, 36 and 30 were mainly distributed in the southern part of Qinghai. Conclusions　The pathogen of Yersinia pestis in Qinghai Plateau has complex biochemical types, the epidemic situation among animals is continuous year after year, the situation of prevention and control is serious, the occurrence and prevalence of plague seriously endanger people's health and social development, so it is necessary to do a solid job in the prevention and control of plague to ensure the safety of people's lives.

Objective:Based on the health ecological model, this paper systematically explores the influencing factors of mild cognitive impairment among the elderly herders in Nanshan pastoral area of Xinjiang, and provides the basis for local medical institutions to formulate prevention and control strategies for mild cognitive impairment among the elderly herders.Methods:A total of 1 145 valid questionnaires were collected, all of them were permanent herdsmen aged over 60 years in Nanshan pastoral area of Xinjiang were selected from June 2022 to February 2023 by stratified cluster random sampling method in a cross-sectional survey. Under the guidance of health ecological model, the research variables were included from five dimensions: physiology, psychology, behavioral lifestyle, social network and medical and health environment, and questionnaires were conducted. SPSS 23.0 was used for chi-square test and binary Logistic regression to analyze the influencing factors of mild cognitive impairment in elderly herders.Results:There were 564 males and 581 females with age of (70.84 ± 5.69) years old in the study. The prevalence rate of mild cognitive impairment among elderly herdsmen in Nanshan pastoral area of Xinjiang was 36.1%(413/1 145). Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that: personal monthly income (1 000-2 999 yuan)( OR = 0.583, 95% CI 0.366 - 0.926, P<0.05), education level (junior high school and above)( OR = 0.479, 95% CI 0.315 - 0.728, P<0.01) were the protective factors for mild cognitive impairment among the elderly herdsmen in Nanshan pastoral area. Hypertension ( OR = 1.842, 95% CI 1.256 - 2.702, P<0.01), dyslipidemia ( OR = 1.449, 95% CI 1.069 - 1.964, P<0.05) and chronic pain ( OR = 1.549, 95% CI 1.082 - 2.216, P<0.05) were the risk factors of mild cognitive impairment in elderly herders in Nanshan pastoral area. Conclusions:The prevalence rate of mild cognitive impairment among elderly herders in Nanshan pastoral area of Xinjiang is high, so it is necessary to carry out mild cognitive impairment screening as soon as possible, especially focusing on people suffering from hypertension, dyslipidemia and chronic pain, and making intervention plans to delay the occurrence and development of mild cognitive impairment and improve the quality of life of elderly herders.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the response rate (RR), time to tumor progression (TTP), quality of life (QOL) and adverse reaction in the treatment of pretreated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using escalated doses of rh-endostatin (YH-16), and to determine the optimal dose for clinical application.

METHODSIn this phase II randomized, controlled, multicenter trial, the patients were randomly divided into two groups to receive daily 3 hours intravenous infusion of either 7.5 mg x m(-2) or 15 mg/m(2) YH-16 for 28 days.

RESULTSTotally, 68 patients were entered and 60 patients were evaluable. There were no differences in RR (3.0% in both groups, P > 0.05), median TTP (ITT: 60 days versus 71 days, P > 0.05), QOL and incidence rate of adverse reactions (48.6% versus 38.7%, P > 0.05). No significant unexpected adverse events were observed.

CONCLUSIONRh-endostatin may have anti-tumor activity with high clinical benefit rate and is well tolerated in pretreated advanced NSCLC patients. The dose of 7.5 mg x (m(2))(-1) x d(-1) is clinically recommended.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Disease Progression ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Drug Administration Schedule ; Endostatins ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Quality of Life ; Recombinant Proteins ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Remission Induction