OBJECTIVE: To observe the regulatory effects of moxibustion at "Guanyuan" (CV4) on the synthesis of extragonadal estradiol (E₂) and the expression of estrogen receptor (ER) in ovariectomized rats, aiming to explore the mechanism of moxibustion treatment for perimenopausal syndrome. METHODS: Forty-eight SD female rats of SPF grade were randomly divided into a sham-operation group, a model group and a moxibustion group, with 16 rats in each group. The model group and the moxibustion group underwent bilateral ovariectomy by the back incision method. Ten days after surgery, moxibustion was applied at "Guanyuan" (CV4) in the moxibustion group, 30 min each time, once a day for 10 days. After intervention, in the 3 groups, the body mass and uterus weight were measured; the serum levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and E₂, as well as the skin and hypothalamus levels of E₂ were detected by ELISA; the mRNA expression of aromatase (P450arom) in the skin and hypothalamus was detected by real-time PCR; the expression of ERα and ERβ in the hypothalamus, skin, and uterus was observed by immunofluorescence staining, and the density of positive cells was calculated using the Aipathwell digital pathology image analysis software. RESULTS: Compared with the sham-operation group, the body mass was increased (P<0.01) and the uterus weight was decreased (P<0.001) in the model group. Compared with the model group, the body mass was decreased in the moxibustion group (P<0.01). Compared with the sham-operation group, in the model group, the serum, hypothalamus and skin levels of E₂ were decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05), while the serum levels of FSH and LH were increased (P<0.01); the expression of ERα and ERβ in the skin, hypothalamus and uterus was decreased (P<0.05, P<0.001). Compared with the model group, in the moxibustion group, the serum levels of E₂ and LH, as well as the hypothalamus and skin levels of E₂ were increased (P<0.05, P<0.01); the mRNA expression of P450arom, as well as the expression of ERα and ERβ in the skin and hypothalamus were increased (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Moxibustion at "Guanyuan" (CV4) reduces the body mass of ovariectomized rats by enhancing the synthesis of extragonadal E₂ and increasing the expression of ER in the skin and hypothalamus, yet it does not alleviate uterine atrophy.
Animals ; Female ; Moxibustion ; Rats ; Ovariectomy ; Acupuncture Points ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Humans ; Receptors, Estrogen/genetics* ; Estrogens/metabolism* ; Estradiol/metabolism* ; Hypothalamus/metabolism* ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone/blood* ; Aromatase/genetics* ; Luteinizing Hormone/blood* ; Skin/metabolism*

Asia-Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver published the guidelines on management of ascites in liver disease in May 2023， which introduces the diagnosis， differential diagnosis， and treatment of ascites， hyponatremia， hepatic hydrothorax， and hepatorenal syndrome in patients with liver cirrhosis and acute-on-chronic liver failure. This article summarizes the main recommendations in the guidelines， so as to provide a reference for the treatment of ascites in patients with liver diseases in China.

Objective    To analyze the perioperative safety and the short-term prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with preoperative arrhythmia. Methods    The clinical data of NSCLC patients treated in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from August 2020 to March 2021 were collected and observed. The patients were divided into an arrhythmia group and a control group according to whether there was arrhythmia in the 24 h ambulatory electrocardiogram examination report before operation. The incidence of intraoperative and postoperative cardiovascular events and short-term prognosis were compared between the two groups. Results     A total of 466 patients were included in this study, including 338 patients in the arrhythmia group, 176 males and 162 females, with a median age of 68.0 (63.0, 72.0) years, and 128 patients in the control group, 59 males and 69 females, with a median age of 66.5 (60.0, 72.0) years. A total of 26 patients (7.7%) in the arrhythmia group were placed with temporary pacemakers before operation. There was no significant difference in the incidence of cardiovascular related events between the two groups [100 (29.6%) vs. 28 (21.9%), P=0.096]. The incidence of postoperative arrhythmia events in the arrhythmia group was higher than that in the control group [112 (33.1%) vs. 11 (8.6%), P<0.001]. The average postoperative ICU stay in the arrhythmia group was longer than that in the control group (1.1±0.7 d vs. 1.0±0.6 d, P=0.039). Conclusion    Preoperative arrhythmia does not increase the risk of intraoperative cardiovascular events in NSCLC patients, but increases the incidence of postoperative arrhythmia events and prolongs ICU stay.

Traumatic rib fractures are the most common injury in thoracic trauma. Previously，the patients with traumatic rib fractures were mostly treated non-surgically，of which 50%，especially those combined with flail chest presented chronic pain or chest wall deformities and over 30% had long-term disabilities，being unable to retain a full-time job. In the past two decades，thanks to the development of internal fixation material technology，the surgical treatment of rib fractures has achieved good outcomes. However，there are still some problems in clinical treatment，including inconsistency in surgical treatment and quality control in medical services. The current consensuses on the management of regional traumatic rib fractures published at home and abroad mainly focus on the guidance of the overall treatment decisions and plans，and relevant clinical guidelines abroad lacks progress in surgical treatment of rib fractures in recent years. Therefore，the Chinese Society of Traumatology affiliated to Chinese Medical Association and Chinese College of Trauma Surgeons affiliated to Chinese Medical Doctor Association，in conjunction with national multidisciplinary experts，formulate the Chinese Consensus for Surgical Treatment of Traumatic Rib Fractures（2021）following the principle of evidence-based medicine，scientific nature and practicality. This expert consensus puts forward some clear，applicable，and graded recommendations from aspects of preoperative imaging evaluation，surgical indications，timing of surgery，surgical methods，rib fracture sites for surgical fixation，internal fixation methods and material selections，treatment of combined injuries in rib fractures，in order to provide references for surgical treatment of traumatic rib fractures.

Objective:To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and current status of surgical management for esophageal cancer in China.Methods:A national database was setup through a network platform. The clinical data of esophageal cancer treated by surgery was collected from 70 major hospitals in China between January 2009 and December 2014.Results:Complete data of 8 181 cases of esophageal cancer patients who underwent surgery were recorded in the database and recruited in the analysis. Among them, 6 052 cases were male and 2 129 were female, the average age was 60.5 years.The epidemiological investigation results showed that 148 cases (1.8%) had history of psychological trauma, 7 527 cases (92.0%) were lower social economic status, 5 072 cases (62.0%) were short of fresh vegetables and fruits, 6 544 cases (80.0%) ate rough food frequently, 3 722 cases (45.5%) drank untreated water directly from lake or river or shallow well, 3 436 cases (42.0%) had a unhealthy eating habit, including habits of eating food fast (507 cases, 6.2%), eating hot food or drinking hot tea/soup (998 cases, 12.2%), eating fried food (1 939 cases, 23.7%), 4 410 cases (53.9%) had the habits of smoking cigarettes and 2 822 cases (34.5%) drank white wine frequently.The pathological results showed that 7 813 cases (95.5%) were squamous cell carcinoma, 267 cases were adenocarcinoma (3.3%), 25 cases were adenosquamous cell carcinoma (0.3%) and 50 cases were small cell carcinoma (0.6%). A total of 1 800 cases (22.0%) received preoperative neoadjuvant therapy due to locally advanced disease or difficulty of resection. The esophagectomies were performed through left thoracotomy approach in 5 870 cases (71.8%), through right chest approach in 2 215 cases (27.1%), and the remain 96 cases (1.2%) received surgery though other approaches.A total of 8 001 cases (97.8%) underwent radical resection, the other 180 cases (2.2%) received palliative resection. The 30-day postoperative mortality rate was 0.5%, the overall ≥ grade Ⅱ postoperative complication rate was 11.6% (951 cases). The 1-yr, 3-yr, and 5-yr overall actual survival rates were 82.6%, 61.6%, and 52.9%, respectively.Conclusions:The data analysis of the national database for esophageal cancer shows that bad eating habits or eating rough food without enough nutrients, lower social and economic status, drinking white wine and smoking cigarettes frequently may be correlated with tumorigenesis of esophageal cancer. However, strong evidences produced by prospective observation studies are needed. Overall, the long-term survival of esophageal cancer patients has been improved gradually due to the application of advanced surgical techniques and reasonable multimodality treatment.

Objective:To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and current status of surgical management for esophageal cancer in China.Methods:A national database was setup through a network platform. The clinical data of esophageal cancer treated by surgery was collected from 70 major hospitals in China between January 2009 and December 2014.Results:Complete data of 8 181 cases of esophageal cancer patients who underwent surgery were recorded in the database and recruited in the analysis. Among them, 6 052 cases were male and 2 129 were female, the average age was 60.5 years.The epidemiological investigation results showed that 148 cases (1.8%) had history of psychological trauma, 7 527 cases (92.0%) were lower social economic status, 5 072 cases (62.0%) were short of fresh vegetables and fruits, 6 544 cases (80.0%) ate rough food frequently, 3 722 cases (45.5%) drank untreated water directly from lake or river or shallow well, 3 436 cases (42.0%) had a unhealthy eating habit, including habits of eating food fast (507 cases, 6.2%), eating hot food or drinking hot tea/soup (998 cases, 12.2%), eating fried food (1 939 cases, 23.7%), 4 410 cases (53.9%) had the habits of smoking cigarettes and 2 822 cases (34.5%) drank white wine frequently.The pathological results showed that 7 813 cases (95.5%) were squamous cell carcinoma, 267 cases were adenocarcinoma (3.3%), 25 cases were adenosquamous cell carcinoma (0.3%) and 50 cases were small cell carcinoma (0.6%). A total of 1 800 cases (22.0%) received preoperative neoadjuvant therapy due to locally advanced disease or difficulty of resection. The esophagectomies were performed through left thoracotomy approach in 5 870 cases (71.8%), through right chest approach in 2 215 cases (27.1%), and the remain 96 cases (1.2%) received surgery though other approaches.A total of 8 001 cases (97.8%) underwent radical resection, the other 180 cases (2.2%) received palliative resection. The 30-day postoperative mortality rate was 0.5%, the overall ≥ grade Ⅱ postoperative complication rate was 11.6% (951 cases). The 1-yr, 3-yr, and 5-yr overall actual survival rates were 82.6%, 61.6%, and 52.9%, respectively.Conclusions:The data analysis of the national database for esophageal cancer shows that bad eating habits or eating rough food without enough nutrients, lower social and economic status, drinking white wine and smoking cigarettes frequently may be correlated with tumorigenesis of esophageal cancer. However, strong evidences produced by prospective observation studies are needed. Overall, the long-term survival of esophageal cancer patients has been improved gradually due to the application of advanced surgical techniques and reasonable multimodality treatment.

Objective To investigate the effect of adjusting tube current time product (mAs) according to head circumference index on head CT image quality and organ-specific-dose level based on Monte Carlo analysis platform.Methods A total of 92 patients including children and adolescents with different clinical symptoms undergoing head CT scan were prospectively selected between September 2017 and June 2018 in the First Hospital of Jilin University.Without limiting the size of the head circumference,there were 22 patients were selected as conventional group by random number table,whose head circumference was 48.1-59.2 cm.Low dose group was divided into following three subgroups according to different head circumferences:A group 54.1-57.0 cm (n=22);B group 51.1-54.0 cm (n=26) and C group 48.1-51.0 cm (n=22).Tube current time product was 250 mAs for conventional group,200 mAs for A group,150 mAs for B group and 100 mAs for C group,respectively.The organ-specific-radiation doses (brain,eye lens and salivary gland) were recorded by Monte Carlo analysis platform and the subjective and objective image quality score was evaluated.Analyses of the differences between four groups were compared with image quality score as well as organ-specific-radiation dose by single factor variance.Results Radiation dose to brain was conventional group (34.37±3.62),A group (25.91±0.99),B group (23.18±6.11) and C group (17.38 ± 3.23) mSv,respectively.The difference was of statistical significance in the four groups (F=54.51,P＜0.05).Dose to eye lens was conventional group (41.54± 1.04),A group (33.03±0.35),B group (26.18±2.72) and C group (20.88±4.45) mSv,with statistical significance in difference between the four groups (F=189.75,P＜0.05).Dose to salivary gland was conventional group (35.04 ± 4.94),A group (25.92 ± 0.99),B group (22.93 ± 6.54) and C (14.96±2.67) mSv,respectively,with statistical significance in difference between the four groups (F=65.74,P＜0.05).Image quality scores were respectively conventional group (4.97±0.13),A group (4.77 ± 0.49),B group (4.60 ± 0.49) and C group (3.98 ± 0.61),respectively,with statistical significance between them (F=3.89,P＜0.05),but without statistical significance in difference between the four groups (P ＞ 0.05).The signal-to-noise ratios of gray matter in A,B and C groups were conventional group (18.69 ± 3.55),A group (16.76 ± 2.87),B group (15.05 ± 2.80) and C group (13.65±2.53),respectively,without statistical significance in difference between the four groups (P＞ 0.05);The signal-to-noise ratios of white matter in conventional group (17.46±3.72),A group (15.54± 2.81),B group (13.71±2.43) and C group (11.77±2.18),respectively,without statistical significance in difference between the four groups (P＞0.05).Conclusions Adjusting the tube current time product (mAs) according to head circumference index of children and adolescents can make scanning program more personalized and reduce organ-specific-radiation doses to sensitive organs without compromise of image quality.

Objective: To compare the clinical effects of endoscopic laminectomy with traditional hemilaminectomy for lumbar spinal stenosis. Methods: From January 2016 to April 2017, 61 patients with lumbar spinal stenosis were treated surgi-cally. Percutaneous endoscopic laminectomy was performed in 32 patients (minimally invasive group), including 13 males and 19 females, aged 38-76 years, with an average age of 58.47±7.51 years. Twenty-nine patients (open group) underwent hemilaminecto-my, including 11 males and 18 females, aged 38-75 years, with an average age of 57.17±9.99 years. The operation time, bleeding, incision length, bedridden time and hospitalization time were recorded. Visual analogue scale(VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI), dural sac cross-sectional area (DSCA), ventral intervertebral space height (VH), dorsal intervertebral space height (DH) and lumbar mobility (range of motion, ROM) were compared between the two groups. Results: All of 61 patients were followed up for 14 to 27 months, with an average of 19.2±2.95 months. The operation time was 60.88±6.49 min in the minimally invasive group, and 52.07±9.45 min in the open group (t=4.277, P=0.000). The blood loss of minimally invasive group was 55.63±10.14 ml, and that of open group was 78.79±12.58 ml (t=7.952, P=0.000). The incision length of minimally invasive group was 23.31±4.56 mm, and open group 82.59±7.66 mm (t=12.047, P=0.000). Bed rest time was 21.97±6.42 h in minimally invasive group and 78.79±12.58 h in open group (t=12.047, P=0.000). The hospitalization time of the minimally invasive group was 8.53±2.75 d and the open group 11.34±3.12 d (t=3.745, P=0.000). All these parameters had statistical significance (P<0.05). At the last follow-up, the VAS score of minimally invasive group was 1.06±0.56, and the open group was 1.14±0.74 (t=0.469, P=0.634). ROM of open group was 5.66±1.12 degree, and ROM of minimally invasive group was 5.56±1.13 degree (t=0.140, P=0.710), VH of minimally invasive group was 14.75±2.81 mm, and open group was 14.44±2.89 mm (t=0.181, P=0.672). There was no significant difference between the two groups for these parameters. At the last follow-up, ODI score was 13.25%±1.08% in the minimally invasive group and 14.28%±2.10% in open group (t=5.911, P=0.018). DSCA score was 108.56±8.69 mm² in the minimally invasive group, and 117.28±11.09 mm² in open group (t=11.774, P=0.001). There were significant differences between the two groups for ODI and DS-CA. Conclusion Both endoscopic and open laminectomy have excellent clinical effects on lumbar spinal stenosis. Endoscop-ic laminectomy has the advantages of less local trauma, less damage to the stability of the lumbar spine and faster recovery. However, there's a higher technical requirement for endoscopic spine surgery.

The paper makes a brief introduction to the application of natural language processing in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).Through research and analysis of relevant literatures , it describes the features and application directions of such methods as the association rule mining , clustering analysis , information extraction , machine learning , etc.It also summarizes methods related to the es-tablishment of knowledge networks on TCM and proposes new ideas for future researches of natural language processing in TCM based on the establishment of knowledge networks .

Objective To evaluate the outcome of endovascular treatment with coarctation of aorta (CoA).Methods Between November 2007 and March 2012,11 patients,including 8 male and 3 female from 17 to 43 years old,with native CoA who were diagnosed by computed tomography angiography accepted the endovascular treatment.The arterial pressure difference between the femoral artery and the narrow segment was measured during the operation,and the stent was released by expanding the balloon.Results Endovascular treatment were successful in all cases without any major adverse events.Significant reduction of systohc blood pressure was observed from (64.09 ± 7.81) mmHg (1 mmHg =0.133 kPa) to (11.18 ± 3.37) mmHg.The mean CoA diameter pre-stent (4.000 ± 0.775) mm,post-stent (17.090 ± 2.427) mm.1 patient associated with patent ductus arteriosis had no persistent left-to-right shunt after covered stent implantation.The follow up range was 33 months.1 patient in simple balloon was retreatment by surgical because of restenosis.And no retraction was observed of 10 patients after stent implantation.Conclusion The early and midterm result of endovascular treatment with CoA is satisfactory,and longer follow-up is needed for its longterm outcomes.