Objective To investigate the expression of blood basophil activation markers in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) and the effects of allergens on their expression. Methods The blood samples were collected from the following four groups: healthy control (HC), AR patients with negative skin prick test (nAR), seasonal AR patients (sAR) and perennial AR patients (pAR). Flow cytometry was employed to analyze the expression of basophil activation markers Immunoglobulin E receptor I alpha(FcepsilonRIα), CD63 and CD203c in AR patients. Plasma levels of interleukin 4 (IL-4) and IL-8 were measured by liquid-phase chip technology, and their correlations with the percentages of activated basophils were further analyzed. An ovalbumin-induced AR mouse model was established, and the expression levels of FcepsilonRIα and CD63 on blood basophils were detected. Results The expression of FcepsilonRIα, CD203c and CD63 on basophils were increased in nAR, sAR and pAR patients. Allergens enhanced the mean florescence intensity expression of CD63 and CD203c on basophils of sAR and pAR patients. The plasma levels of IL-4 and IL-8 were elevated in nAR, sAR and pAR patients, showing moderate to high correlations with the expression levels of basophil activation markers. The FcepsilonRIαand CD63 expression on basophils of AR mice were increased. Conclusion Allergens may contribute to AR pathogenesis by upregulating the expression of FcepsilonRIα, CD63 and CD203c, as well as promoting the secretion of IL-4 and IL-8.
Basophils/metabolism* ; Humans ; Allergens/immunology* ; Animals ; Rhinitis, Allergic/blood* ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; Mice ; Biomarkers/blood* ; Tetraspanin 30/blood* ; Interleukin-4/blood* ; Interleukin-8/blood* ; Receptors, IgE/blood* ; Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases ; Young Adult ; Pyrophosphatases ; Middle Aged ; Mice, Inbred BALB C

Osteoporosis is a prevalent skeletal condition characterized by reduced bone mass and strength, leading to increased fragility. Buqi-Tongluo (BQTL) decoction, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, has yet to be fully evaluated for its potential in treating bone diseases such as osteoporosis. To investigate the mechanism by which BQTL decoction inhibits osteoclast differentiation in vitro and validate these findings through in vivo experiments. We employed MTS assays to assess the potential proliferative or toxic effects of BQTL on bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) at various concentrations. TRAcP experiments were conducted to examine BQTL's impact on osteoclast differentiation. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses were utilized to evaluate the relative expression levels of osteoclast-specific genes and proteins under BQTL stimulation. Finally, in vivo experiments were performed using an osteoporosis model to further validate the in vitro findings. This study revealed that BQTL suppressed receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis and osteoclast resorption activity in vitro in a dose-dependent manner without observable cytotoxicity. The inhibitory effects of BQTL on osteoclast formation and function were attributed to the downregulation of NFATc1 and c-fos activity, primarily through attenuation of the MAPK, NF-κB, and Calcineurin signaling pathways. BQTL's inhibitory capacity was further examined in vivo using an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model, demonstrating a strong protective effect against bone loss. BQTL may serve as an effective therapeutic TCM for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and the alleviation of bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency and related conditions.
Animals ; NFATC Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Ovariectomy ; Osteoclasts/metabolism* ; Female ; Osteogenesis/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; NF-kappa B/genetics* ; Osteoporosis/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Bone Resorption/genetics* ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Humans ; RANK Ligand/metabolism* ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics* ; Transcription Factors

Objective:To construct the clinical practice pathway for narrative medicine in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),with a view to providing clinical practice guidelines for narrative medicine in TCM for frontline practitioners.Methods:Using the realistic literature review and the Nominal Group Technique(NGT),the paper systematically sorted out the practices of humanistic care in ancient Chinese medical books and famous medical cases,as well as constructed the first draft of the clinical practice pathway and details for narrative medicine in TCM.Subsequently,experts from multiple fields were invited to demonstrate by using the NGT.After in-depth discussion and collective voting,various operational modules,and their detailed rules and supporting tools were determined,thus completing the construction of the entire practical pathway.Results:A complete set of clinical practice pathways for narrative medicine in TCM had been established.It encompassed six core modules,including"start of diagnosis and treatment","communication of disease conditions","diagnosis and explanation","joint decision-making","end of diagnosis and treatment",and"reflection and summary".Besides,detailed operating rules and supporting tools were also provided.Conclusion:The clinical practice pathway for narrative medicine in TCM integrates the humanistic spirit of TCM,the core concepts of narrative medicine,and the communication skills of psychology,providing medical workers with standardized,procedural,and operationally flexible practice guidance,which helps both doctors and patients to better communicate,empathize,and make joint decisions throughout the entire process of diagnosis and treatment.

Cognitive dysfunction is the impairment of higher brain functions.Cognitive impairment caused by neuropsychiatric diseases has caused serious impact on patients'quality of life and the outcome of the disease.The transcranial alternating current stimulation(tACS)improves cognitive function by modulating neural oscillations of specific frequencies,affecting the release of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine,and enhancing local and distal synchronization of brain networks.Specific frequencies of tACS can improve the cognitive impairment caused by Alzheimer disease(AD),schizophrenia,and depression,among which the gamma and theta frequencies of tACS have the most significant effects on cognitive function.tACS has high safety and low operational difficulty,and has great potential to improve cognitive function.

Objective To investigate the value of 18F labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen(18F-PSMA)-1007 developing agent PET/CT(18F-PSMA-1007PET/CT)examination in the diagnostic evaluation and therapeutic decision of the newly diagnosed prostate cancer(PCa)and follow up after radical prostatecto-my(RP).Methods This study adopted the retrospective observational study method.A total of 68 patients receiving 18 F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT examination in this hospital from September 2022 to October 2023 were analyzed,including 36 cases of newly diagnosed PCa and 32 cases of biochemistry follow up failure after RP.A total of 30 items of clinical data were collected,including 8 items of basic clinical characteristics,7 items of pa-thology-related characteristics and 15 items of imaging characteristics.The patients clinical characteristics in the newly diagnosed PCa and biochemical failure after RP conducted the descriptive analysis.The Fisher exact probability method was used to analyze the differentiation of the SUVmax of primary lesions in different clini-cal subgroups[different tPSA levels at diagnosis,different mi-T stages,different Gleason scores at postopera-tive pathological puncture and different pathological types]in the newly diagnosed PCa group and the differ-entiation of recurrent lesion detection rates in different clinical subgroups(different tPSA in 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT examination,different pathological T stages,different lymph node invasion and different pathological Gleason scores in the biochemical failure after RP group.The Spearman correlation was adopted to test and analyze the correlation between the imaging features of positive lesions and tPSA.Results In the newly diag-nosed PCa group,there were 1 case of prostatic hyperplasia and 35 cases of PCa.SUVmax had no statistical differences among the primary lesions with different tPSA levels(P=0.81),different mi-T stages(P=0.70),different puncture Glleasonscores(P=0.20)and different pathological types(P=0.71).Moreover the tPSA value at diagnosis was positively correlated with the number of metastatic lesions(r=0.410,P=0.01).The clinical treatment decisions in 11 cases(31.43％)were changed according to the examination re-sults.In 9 cases of RP combined with lymph node dissection,the accuracy rate and concordance rate of 18F-PS-MA-1007 PET/CT and MRI in the lymph node detection rate all were 100％.I n the biochemical failure after RP group,the overall recurrent lesion detection rate was 71.88％(23/32),the operative area in situ recurrence(11 cases,34.38％)and bone metastasis(11 cases,34.38％)were most common.The differences of 18F-PS-MA-1007 PET/CT recurrent lesions detection rates had no statistical differences among the patients with dif-ferent tPSA levels(P=0.08),different pathological T stages(P=0.10),different postoperative pathological lymph node invasions(P=0.68)and different pathologic Gleason score in the 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT ex-amination.In the 18 F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT examination in the biochemical failure after RP,the tPSA value in the recurrent lesion was positively correlated with the number of recurrent lesions(r=0.48,P=0.01),SUVmax value in the recurrent lesion(r=0.46,P=0.01)and the SUVmean value(r=0.38,P=0.03).The clinical treatment decision in 18 cases(56.25％)was changed according to the examination results.Conclusion 18 F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT has good diagnostic value and efficiency for primary lesion and metastasis lesion of new-ly diagnosed PCa and recurrent foci of biochemical failure after RP.

Objective To compare the therapeutic efficacy of robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy versus conventional laparoscopic radical prostatectomy,and analyze the factors influencing treatment outcomes.Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 719 patients(total cohort)who underwent radical prostatectomy in our department from June 2002 to October 2023.According to different surgical methods,they were divided into robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy group(robotic group,n=409)and conventional laparoscopic radical prostatectomy group(conventional group,n=310).Clinical characteristics,biochemical recurrence rates,and recovery of urinary continence at 1,3,6,and 12 months post operatively,as well as sexual function recovery at 6 and 12 months after surgery,were compared between the 2 groups.Additionally,the factors influencing biochemical recurrence and urinary continence recovery were analyzed across the entire cohort.Results In the cohort,the robot group demonstrated significantly larger proportions of pathological high T stages(≥pT3,P＜0.01),increased positive lymph node rate(P＜0.01),and greater number of dissected lymph nodes(P＜0.01)than the conventional group.There were no statistical differences between the 2 groups in terms of Gleason score,biochemical recurrence rate,or incidence and type of complications.The robot group exhibited significantly higher rates of urinary continence recovery at 1(P=0.004),3(P＜0.01),6(P=0.002)and 12 months(P=0.004)postoperatively.But no obvious difference was seen in the score of International Index of Erectile Function-5(IIEF-5)between the 2 groups at 6 and 12 months.Across the entire cohort,pathological high T stage(≥pT3,P＜0.01),high Gleason score(＞7,P=0.036),fewer lymph nodes dissected(≤ 10,P＜0.01),and positive lymph nodes(P=0.046)were independent risk factors for biochemical recurrence.Additionally,the surgical method,specifically robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy,was identified as a significant factor influencing urinary continence recovery at 12 months postoperatively(P=0.005).Conclusion Compared to conventional laparoscopic radical prostatectomy,robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy shows certain effect on reducing biochemical recurrence rate and enhancing recovery of urinary continence in prostate cancer patients at 1,3,6 and 12 months postoperatively.

Objective:To investigate the factors contributing to in-hospital mortality among elderly patients aged 80 and above with gastrointestinal bleeding(GIB).Additionally, it seeks to assess the predictive ability of the electronic frailty index(eFI)in determining the risk of in-hospital mortality in GIB patients.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed among 624 patients aged 80 and above with GIB who were admitted to Beijing Hospital between July 2013 and September 2019.The patients were categorized into two groups based on their discharge outcomes: those who survived and those who did not.The eFI was developed using a cumulative deficit model utilizing data from the hospital's electronic medical records.The study examined the clinical features and risk factors associated with in-hospital mortality among these elderly patients.The effectiveness of eFI in predicting in-hospital mortality in elderly patients with gastrointestinal bleeding was evaluated by calculating the area under the curve(AUC)of the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results:Among a total of 624 patients aged between 80 and 102 years, the average age was(83.0±6.4)years, with 339 being male.A majority of the patients, 581 cases(93.1%), had an eFI ≥ 0.15.A comparison between the survival group(380 cases)and the death group(244 cases)revealed that the latter had higher eFI values(0.39±0.09 vs.0.29±0.11, t=-11.452, P<0.001), along with higher rates of heart failure, chronic kidney disease, and malignant tumors, as well as lower body mass index, hemoglobin, albumin, and total cholesterol levels, and higher alanine aminotransferase and D-dimer levels(all P<0.05).Logistic regression analysis indicated that eFI( OR=2.322, 95% CI: 1.840-2.929, P<0.001), malignant tumor( OR=1.833, 95% CI: 1.141-2.860, P<0.001), and albumin<35 g/L( OR=1.826, 95% CI: 1.200-2.777, P<0.001)were independent risk factors for in-hospital death in elderly patients aged 80 and over with gastrointestinal bleeding.With every 0.1 increase in eFI, the risk of in-hospital death rose by 1.322 times.The AUC of eFI for predicting in-hospital mortality was 0.751(95% CI: 0.713-0.789, P<0.001).An eFI of ≥0.33 demonstrated a sensitivity of 77.9% and a specificity of 60.3% in predicting in-hospital mortality in elderly patients aged 80 and over with GIB. Conclusions:The eFI serves as an important independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality among patients aged 80 and above who experience GIB.It can effectively assess the prognosis of elderly individuals facing GIB.

Objective To compare the diagnostic value of white light endoscopy and intelligent scan(i-Scan)endoscopy for nasopharyngeal masses.Methods We collected 127 patients with nasopharyngeal masses from January 2019 to December 2021 and obtained biopsy pathological results.From January 2019 to December 2020,59 cases were treated with white light endoscopy,and from January 2021 to December 2021,68 cases were treated with i-Scan endoscopy.Compare the accuracy of diagnosis between the two groups based on pathological results as the gold standard;Evaluate the microvascular morphology and lesion boundaries of nasopharyngeal masses under i-Scan endoscopy,and conduct correlation analysis with pathological results.Results The specificity and accuracy of i-Scan endoscopy in the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal masses were higher than those of white light endoscopy(91.80%and 86.00%,91.17%and 86.44%),and the sensitivity was lower than that of white light endoscopy(85.71%and 88.89%),but there was no significant difference(P>0.05).The diagnostic consistency of i-Scan group was slightly higher than that of white light group(Kappa=0.619 and 0.588);The lesion site boundary score,microvascular score,and their total score in i-Scan group were positively correlated with the pathological score(r=0.429,r=0.421,r=0.460),the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05);Typical disordered and twisted submucosal vessels(SV)and branching vessels(BV)were observed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma,most benign lesions could observe dilated and regularly distributed SV and BV,regardless of pathological malignancy,no obvious intraepithelial papillary capillary loop(IPCL)was observed in the nasopharynx.Conclusion The diagnostic efficacy of i-Scan endoscopy for nasopharyngeal masses is higher than that of white light endoscopy.

In recent years， the incidence of colorectal cancer has been rising in China， and with the promotion of early screening and early diagnosis， most colorectal cancers are able to achieve long-term survival through timely diagnosis and treatment. Nevertheless， 30%-70% of patients with early to mid-stage colorectal cancer after radical surgery still have psychological problems such as anxiety， depression， and fear of recurrence and metastasis， and they hope to seek help from traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） treatment. In order to further standardize the integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine psychological rehabilitation interventions of stage Ⅰ-Ⅲ colorectal cancer after radical surgery， and to improve the diagnosis and treatment level， under the support of the pilot project of clinical collaboration between Chinese and western medicine for major and difficult diseases of National Administration of TCM， experts in oncology， integrated Chinese and western medicine， psychology， surgery， nursing， evidence-based medicine and other disciplines from 10 units nationwide participated in the work， led by Xiyuan Hospital，China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and Beijing Cancer Hospital. Based on the methodology and process of guideline development of the World Health Organization Handbook for Guideline Development and the Regulations for Group Standards of China Association of Chinese Medicine， the Guidelines for Psychological Rehabilitation Intervention Combined Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine After Radical Surgery for Early and Middle Stage Colorectal Cancer have been developed according to the current best evidence， extensive consultation with clinical experts and following the situation of current clinical practice. The guideline provides the psychological characteristics， the needs and willingness to accept psychological rehabilitation， the interventions for psychological rehabilitation， evaluation of efficacy， follow-up review， educational guidance and others of patients with stage Ⅰ-Ⅲ colorectal cancer after radical surgery. It can provide guidance for TCM（integrated Chinese and western medicine） clinicians and psychologists engaged in the psychological rehabilitation of integrated Chinese and western medicine oncology， especially for doctors in primary medical institutions.

Objective:To analyze the relationship between hematological and genotype characteristics of fetuses and patients with hemoglobin (Hb) H disease and their natural disease progression.Methods:From 2010 to 2022, a total of 1 252 blood samples from fetuses and patients with Hb H disease who visited the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Regional Maternal and Child Health Hospital were collected (including 174 umbilical cord blood samples, 1 062 peripheral blood samples from patients over 2 years old, and 16 peripheral blood samples from patients with rare cases of genotype Hb H). Additionally, 278 peripheral blood samples were collected from patients aged 0 - 2 years old with Hb H 3.7, Hb H 4.2, Hb H CS, and Hb H WS disease for the study of trends in red blood cell development. Multiple probe hybridization and microarray comparative genomic hybridization technology combined with first-generation Sanger sequencing were used for rare mutation detection.Results:Among the 1 062 Hb H disease patients over 2 years old, 62.34% (662/1 062) had gene deletion (--/-α), of which Hb H 3.7 (-- SEA/-α 3.7) and Hb H 4.2 (-- SEA/-α 4.2) were the most common, accounting for 42.28% (449/1 062) and 19.11% (203/1 062) of the total, respectively. Among the non-deletion genotypes (--/αα T or α Tα/αα T), Hb H CS (-- SEA/α CS), Hb H WS (-- SEA/α WS) and α CSα/α CSα accounted for 16.85% (179/1 062), 16.48% (175/1 062) and 1.98% (21/1 062), respectively. The 81.12% (537/662) of patients with deletional Hb H disease showed mild to moderate anemia, with Hb H detection rates ranging from 75% to 80%. Among non-deletional Hb H disease, Hb H WS disease showed the mild (blood Hb concentration > 95 g/L in 90% of patients) phenotype while Hb H CS and Hb H QS (-- SEA/αα QS) patients had moderate to severe anemia, with Hb H detected in peripheral blood at higher levels than in other types of Hb H disease patients. Except for Hb H CS and Hb H QS, which did not show a significant increase in Hb A2 levels when complicated with β-thalassemia, Hb A2 levels were increased (> 3.5%) in all other types of Hb H disease patients. When Hb H disease was complicated with β-thalassemia, Hb H peaks were not detected in either type of Hb H disease. The results of red blood cell development trend detection showed that erythrocyte counts were elevated in patients with Hb H disease compared to their normal counterparts; whereas, blood Hb, mean erythrocyte volume (MCV) and mean erythrocyte hemoglobin content (MCH) were lower than in their normal counterparts ( P < 0.05) and decreased to the minimum at 6 months to 1 year of age. Patients with Hb H CS disease, as the most severe form of anemia, had the highest MCV values ( P < 0.001). The results of fetal cord blood with Hb H disease showed that α CSα/α CSα caused severe intrauterine anemia, followed by Hb H QS and Hb H CS. The content of Hb Bart's in umbilical cord blood was negatively correlated with the severity of anemia ( rs = - 0.58, P < 0.001). When Hb H disease was complicated with β-thalassemia, there was no significant improvement in fetal anemia, and the Hb Bart's content did not change significantly ( P > 0.05). In addition, Hb H 21.9 (-α 21.9kb/-- SEA) and Hb H 2.4 (-α 2.4/-- SEA) were common in patients with deletion rare Hb H. In patients with non-deletion rare Hb H, αα Amsterdam-A1/-- SEA and αα Hb G-Georgia/-- SEA were both first reported. Conclusions:There is heterogeneity in clinical manifestations of patients with different types of Hb H disease or same type of Hb H disease at different developmental stages. When patients with Hb H are complicated with β-thalassemia, the phenotype of patients with the deletion type is improved, while that of patients with the non-deletion type is not. Compared to normal individuals, patients with Hb H disease have lower blood Hb concentration, MCV and MCH, and more rapid physiological changes in red blood cells.