Hepatic fibrosis is the hallmark of most chronic liver diseases. Its essense is excessive deposition of extracellular matrix components(ECM) in liver, which occurs due to an imbalance between the production and degradation of matrix. Collagen is the most important part of ECM. Therefore,one important antifibrotic pathway is to effectively inhibit the synthesis of collagen or increase its degradation. The review describes the current progress in collagen metabolism and antifibrotic therapy related to hepatic fibrosis.

OBJECTIVETo observe the difference in the therapeutic effects on knee osteoarthritis (KOA) among auricular electroacupuncture therapy plus isolated moxibustion with Lingxian herbal paste (combined therapy), electroacupuncture (EA) and TDP irradiation.

METHODSEighty-nine cases were randomized into three groups. In the combined therapy group (30 cases), the auricular electroacupuncture therapy was adopted together with the isolated moxibustion with Lingxian herbal paste. The auricular points were xi (AH4), pizhixia (AT4), shenmen (TF4), etc. The Lingxian herbal paste was applied at Yanglingquan (GB 34), Dubi (ST 35), Zusanli (ST 36), Neixiyan (EX-LE 4), Heding (EX-LE 2) and Ashi points. In EA group (29 cases), EA was applied at the acupoints that were same as those in the isolated moxibustion with Lingxian herbal paste. In TDP group (30 cases), TDP irradiation was given at the affected knee. The treatment was given once every day, 10 treatments made one session and there was 1 week at the interval among sessions. Totally, 3 sessions of treatment were required. KOA clinical symptom and physical sign score and the single item pain symptom score of Lequesne index were observed before treatment and 1 week after treatment in the patients of each group separately. The efficacies were compared among the three groups.

RESULTSOne week after treatment, the total score of symptoms and physical signs of the patients in each group was reduced significantly as compared with that before treatment (all P < 0.05). The improvements in the symptoms and physical signs in the combined therapy group were better than those in the other two groups (1.50 +/- 1.57 vs 2.52 +/- 1.82, 2.63 +/- 1.97, both P < 0.05). The improvement in pain in the combined therapy group was also better than that in the other two groups (2.37 +/- 0.81 vs 2.83 +/- 0.92, P < 0.05; 2.37 +/- 0.81 vs 3.03 +/- 0.77, P < 0.01). The curative rate in the combined therapy group was 40.0% (12/30), which was higher than 17.2% (5/29) in EA group and 20.0% (6/30) in TDP group separately (both P < 0.01). The overall efficacy in the combined therapy group was superior to the other two groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe auricular electroacupuncture therapy plus isolated moxibustion with Lingxian herbal paste is advantageous at the total score of the symptoms and physical signs and the overall efficacy in the patients of KOA as compared with EA at the local acupoints and local TDP irradiation.

Aged ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Electroacupuncture ; Female ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; drug effects ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Moxibustion ; Osteoarthritis, Knee ; drug therapy ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome

Age Factors ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Hip Fractures ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Orthopedic Fixation Devices

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphoma ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Splenic Neoplasms ; pathology

Air ; analysis ; Chromatography, Gas ; methods ; Ketones ; analysis ; Workplace

0.05). It suggested that the 3 D quantitative measurement is a useful technique for the diagnosis of diseases in the base of the middle cranial fossa region,so that it is useful for surgical planning.

Objective To observe whether recent sexual intercourse might cause microscopic hematuria, and investigate the cause of hematuria. Methods Eighty healthy volunteers (40 men and 40 women) consented to have intercourse with their married couples and provide samples of urine for testing before intercourse and the first day morning, noon, evening and the second day morning after intercourse. After appropriate instruction, volunteers tested their own urine for the presence of blood using standard dipsticks. Any volunteer with hematuria after intercourse was offered a comprehensive hematuria assessment and followed-up for two years. Results None of the volunteers had positive hematuria before sexual intercourse. 9 of the 40 women, but no men, had positive hematuria at the first day morning after intercourse, and 3 of the nine patients with hematuria still had positive hematuria at the noon of the first day. Five women of 9 patients with hematuria accepted two years follow-up and no abnormal was identified. Conclusion It suggested that recent sexual intercourse was a cause of asymptomatic microscopic hematuria in women, and a history of recent sexual intercourse should be considered when assessing the clinical significance of microscopic hematuria in women.

AIM: To investigate the postoperative changes of binocular visual function in patients with congenital superior oblique palsy.METHODS: Eye position and binocular visual function were examined in 28 patients with congenital superior oblique palsy pre- and post-operatively. The results were statistically analyzed.RESULTS: The normal eye position rate after operation was 89.3%. There were 9 patients who gained simultaneous perception after operation, while 13 patients gained fusion as many as that gained stereoacuity. There was statistically significant difference between postoperative and preoperative eyes (P<0.05). Near stereoacuity was improved after operation. Patients who had better visual acuity and low strabismus degrees as well as fusion had a better recovery.CONCLUSION: The operation could improve the eye position and rebuild the binocular visual function of the congenital superior oblique palsy. The recovery of binocular visual function was related to visual acuity and strabismus degrees of the patients and whether they had fusion function.

Abstract: Objective To investigate the correlation between persistent and non-persistent HPV infection and vaginal microecology and cervical lesions, and to provide the basis for HPV prevention and treatment. Methods In this prospective study, 229 female patients with high-risk type (HR-HPV) were selected for cervical cytology and vaginal microecological examination in the gynecological outpatient department of Baise Maternal and Child Health Hospital from January 2018 to June 2021. The patients were followed up for 1 year to detect persistent HR-HPV infection. The relationship between HR-HPV persistent infection and vaginal microecology and cervical lesions was analyzed using the HPV-negative group as a control. Results Among 229 patients with HR-HPV, there were 109 patients with persistent HR-HPV infection and 120 patients with non-persistent HR-HPV infection in 1-year follow-up, and the incidence of persistent HR-HPV infection was 47.6%. In the HR-HPV persistent and non-persistent infection and HPV-negative groups, the bacterial vaginal incidence was 20.2%, 15.0% and 8.6%, respectively; vulvovaginal candidiasis was 19.3%, 13.3% and 7.9%, respectively; trichomoniasis vaginitis was 12.8%, 9.2% and 4.5%, respectively; mixed infection was 10.1%, 6.7% and 2.7%; H2O2 detection rate was 24.8%, 18.3% and 12.0%,the positive rate of pH value was 52.3%, 40.8% and 36.4%, and microecological normal detection rate was 22.9%, 32.7% and 40.2%, respectively. There were significant differences among the three groups (χ2=10.634, 10.522, 9.010, 9.374, 10.054, 8.268, P<0.01). In the HR-HPV persistent and non-persistent infection groups, the rates of atypical squamous cell detection were 12.8% and 10.0%, and 8.3% and 4.2% for low-grade squamous cell lesions, and 4.6% and 1.7% for high-grade squamous cell carcinoma, 2.8% and 0 for squamous cell carcinoma, respectively. There was no significant difference in the composition of atypical squamous cells between the two groups (χ2=4.358, P>0.05), there were significant differences in the composition of low-grade, high-grade and squamous cell carcinoma (χ2=11.472, 12.685, 11.378, P<0.01). Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that the presence or extent of HPV infection was positively correlated with bacterial vaginosis, vulvovaginal candidiasis, trichomonal vaginitis and mixed infection (P<0.05), positively correlated with H2O2, sialdase, leucocyte esterase,pH positive and positive for all four items (P<0.05), negatively correlated with microecology (P<0.01), positively correlated with low grade, high grade and squamous cell carcinoma (P<0.01), and not significantly correlated with atypical squamous cell carcinoma (P>0.05). Conclusion Persistent cervical HPV infection is an important factor of dysregulation in vaginal microecology and aggravates the degree of dysregulation in vaginal microecology, which is related to the development of cervical lesions.