OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

Objective To investigate clinical effect of tendons pulling,poking and kneading for the treatment of external humeral epicondylitis.Metods From January 2018 to December 2021,a multicenter randomized controlled study was per-formed to collect 192 patients with external humeral epicondylitis in Wangjing Hospital,Beijing Dianli Hospital,and Beijing Fengsheng Osteotraumatology Hospital,respectively,and they were divided into treatment group and control group by random number table method.There were 96 patients in treatment group,including 36 males and 60 females,aged from 28 to 60 years old with an average of(41.20±5.50)years old;the course of disease ranged from 1 to 14 days with an average of(5.24±1.35)days;they were treated once every other day for 2 weeks.There were 96 patients in control group,including 33 males and 63 females,aged from 26 to 60 years old with an average of(43.35±7.75)years old;the course of disease ranged from 1 to 14 days with an average of(5.86±1.48)days;they were treated with topical voltaalin combined with elbow joint fixation for 2 weeks.Visual analogue scale(VAS)and Hospital for Surgery Scoring System(HSS)elbow pronation and supination angles,wrist metacarpal flexion and dorsal extension angles,elbow tenderness between two groups were compared before treatment and at 1,3,5,7,11 and 13 days after treatment;Hospital for Surgery Scoring System 2(HSS2)was compared before treatment and the final treatment.Results All patients were followed up for 10 to 14 days with an average of(12±1.6)days.VAS between treatment group and control group before treatment were 6.83±1.36 and 6.79±1.58,respectively,and decreased to 1.49±1.09 and 2.11±1.81 after the final treatment.VAS of treatment group were significantly lower than those of control group at 1,3,5,7,9,11 and 13 days after treatment(P＜0.05).HSS between two groups were 61.73±11.00 and 36.47±12.45 before treatment,respectively,and increased to 94.42±5.9 and 91.44±9.11 at the final treatment.HSS of treatment group were signifi-cantly higher than those of control group at 1,3,5,7,9,11 and 13 days after treatment(P＜0.05).On the 5th day after treat-ment,the external and internal rotation angles of elbow in treatment group were(66.41±12.69)° and(66.35±13.54)°,while those in control group were(62.08±16.03)° and(61.77±16.35)°.On the 7th day after treatment,the external and internal ro-tation angles of elbow were(69.79±12.64)° and(70.02±13.55)° in treatment group,and(65.28±15.86)° and(65.09± 16.67)° in control group.Elbow joint motion in treatment group was higher than that in control group(P＜0.05).On the 5th day after treatment,angles of wrist dorsiflexion and palm flexion were(39.43±15.94)°and(46.68±11.10)° in treatment group,and(38.51±18.49)° and(44.27±13.58)° in control group.On the 7th day after treatment,angles of wrist dorsiflexion and palm flexion were(42.52±16.50)° and(49.23±10.96)° in treatment group,and(41.18±20.09)° and(46.64±14.63)° in control group.The motion of wrist joint in treatment group was higher than that in control group(P＜0.05).On the 13th day after treatment,HSS2 in treatment group 93.61±6.32 were higher than those in control group 92.06±7.94(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in elbow tenderness between two groups at each time point(P＞0.05).Conclusion Voltaren external treatment combined with elbow fixation and tendons pulling,poking and kneading could effectively improve symptoms of exter-nal humeral epicondylitis.Compared with voltaren external treatment,tendons pulling,poking and kneading has advantages of longer analgesic time and better elbow function recovery.

To design a treatment plan for patients with epididymal obstruction, we explored the potential impact of factors such as body mass index (BMI) and age on the surgical outcomes of vasoepididymostomy (VE). In this retrospective study, 181 patients diagnosed with obstructive azoospermia (OA) due to epididymal obstruction between September 2014 and September 2017 were reviewed. All patients underwent single-armed microsurgical intussusception VEs with longitudinal two-suture placement performed by a single surgeon (KH) in a single hospital (Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China). Six factors that could possibly influence the patency rates were analyzed, including BMI, age, mode of anastomosis, site of anastomosis, and sperm motility and quantity in the intraoperative epididymal fluid. Single-factor outcome analysis was performed via Chi-square test and multivariable analysis was performed using logistic regression. A total of 159 (87.8%, 159/181) patients were followed up. The follow-up time (mean ± standard deviation [s.d.]) was 27.7 ± 9.3 months, ranging from 12 months to 48 months. The overall patency rate was 73.0% (116/159). The multivariable analysis revealed that BMI and age significantly influenced the patency rate (P = 0.008 and 0.028, respectively). Younger age (≤28 years; odds ratio [OR] = 3.531, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.397-8.924) and lower BMI score (<26.0 kg m^-2; OR = 2.352, 95% CI: 1.095-5.054) appeared to be associated with a higher patency rate. BMI and age were independent factors affecting the outcomes of microsurgical VEs depending on surgical expertise and the use of advanced technology.
Humans ; Male ; Adult ; Retrospective Studies ; Body Mass Index ; Epididymis/surgery* ; Vas Deferens/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome ; Sperm Motility ; Microsurgery ; Surgeons ; Vasovasostomy

Rabies is a zoonosis caused by rabies virus for which no effective treatment is available.The main preventive measure is vaccination with human rabies vaccine before or after rabies exposure.With progress in science and technology,the production process of human rabies vaccine has continually advanced,thereby increasing vaccine quality,and providing a safer,more effective means of rabies prevention and control through increasing human resistance to rabies.New human rabies vac-cines have made breakthroughs in basic research and clinical research.However,the problems of poor vaccine compliance and low vaccination rates must urgently be addressed.China must actively explore effective coping strategies,accelerate the upda-ting of existing immunization procedures,effectively increase the rabies vaccination rate,and achieve the goal of eliminating ra-bies by 2030 as soon as possible.

Objective: To establish an ultra-sensitive, ultra-fast, visible detection method for Vibrio parahaemolyticus (VP) . Methods: We established a new method for detecting the tdh and trh genes of VP using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 12a (CRISPR/Cas12a) combined with recombinase polymerase amplification and visual detection (CRISPR/Cas12a-VD). Results: CRISPR/Cas12a-VD accurately detected target DNA at concentrations as low as 10 ^-18 M (single molecule detection) within 30 min without cross-reactivity against other bacteria. When detecting pure cultures of VP, the consistency of results reached 100% compared with real-time PCR. The method accurately analysed pure cultures and spiked shrimp samples at concentrations as low as 10 ² CFU/g. Conclusion The novel CRISPR/Cas12a-VD method for detecting VP performed better than traditional detection methods, such as real-time PCR, and has great potential for preventing the spread of pathogens.
CRISPR-Cas Systems ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques/methods* ; Recombinases/genetics* ; Vibrio parahaemolyticus/genetics*

Recent population studies have significantly advanced our understanding of how age shapes the gut microbiota.However,the actual role of age could be inevitably confounded due to the complex and variable environmental factors in human populations.A well-controlled envi-ronment is thus necessary to reduce undesirable confounding effects,and recapitulate age-dependent changes in the gut microbiota of healthy primates.Herein we performed 16S rRNA gene sequenc-ing,characterized the age-associated gut microbial profiles from infant to elderly crab-eating maca-ques reared in captivity,and systemically revealed the lifelong dynamic changes of the primate gut microbiota.While the most significant age-associated taxa were mainly found as commensals such as Faecalibacterium,the abundance of a group of suspicious pathogens such as Helicobacter was exclusively increased in infants,underlining their potential role in host development.Importantly,topology analysis indicated that the network connectivity of gut microbiota was even more age-dependent than taxonomic diversity,and its tremendous decline with age could probably be linked to healthy aging.Moreover,we identified key driver microbes responsible for such age-dependent network changes,which were further linked to altered metabolic functions of lipids,carbohydrates,and amino acids,as well as phenotypes in the microbial community.The current study thus demon-strates the lifelong age-dependent changes and their driver microbes in the primate gut microbiota,and provides new insights into their roles in the development and healthy aging of their hosts.

Objective:To investigate the bacterial composition and antimicrobial resistance profile of clinical isolates from bloodstream infections in China.Methods:The clinical bacterial strains isolated from blood culture were collected during January 2020 to December 2020 in member hospitals of Blood Bacterial Resistant Investigation Collaborative System (BRICS). Antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted by agar dilution or broth dilution methods recommended by Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI, USA). WHONET 5.6 was used to analyze data.Results:During the study period, 10 043 bacterial strains were collected from 54 hospitals, of which 2 664 (26.5%) were Gram-positive bacteria and 7 379 (73.5%) were Gram-negative bacteria. The top 10 bacterial species were Escherichia coli (38.6%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (18.4%), Staphylococcus aureus (9.9%), coagulase-negative Staphylococci (7.5%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3.9%), Enterococcus faecium (3.3%), Enterobacter cloacae (2.8%), Enterococcus faecalis (2.6%), Acinetobacter baumannii (2.4%) and Klebsiella spp (1.8%). The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus aureus were 27.6% and 74.4%, respectively. No glycopeptide- and daptomycin-resistant Staphylococci were detected. More than 95% of Staphylococcus aureus were sensitive to rifampicin and SMZco. No vancomycin-resistant Enterococci strains were detected. Extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis were 48.4%, 23.6% and 36.1%, respectively. The prevalence rates of carbapenem-resistance in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were 2.3% and 16.1%, respectively; 9.6% of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains were resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam combination. The prevalence rate of carbapenem-resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii was 60.0%, while polymyxin and tigecycline showed good activity against Acinetobacter baumannii. The prevalence rate of carbapenem-resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was 23.2%. Conclusions:The surveillance results in 2020 showed that the main pathogens of bloodstream infection in China were gram-negative bacteria, while Escherichia coli was the most common pathogen, and ESBL-producing strains declined while carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae kept on high level. The proportion and the prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa were on the rise slowly. On the other side, the MRSA incidence got lower in China, while the overall prevalence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci was low.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism of Tojapride, a Chinese herbal formula extract, on strengthening the barrier function of esophageal epithelium in rats with reflux esophagitis (RE). METHODS: Ten out of 85 SD rats were randomly selected as the sham group (n10), and 75 rats were developed a reflux esophagitis model (RE) by the esophageal and duodenal side-to-side anastomosis. Fifty successful modeling rats were divided into different medicated groups through a random number table including the model, low-, medium-, and high-dose of Tojapride as well as omeprazole groups (n10). Three doses of Tojapride [5.73, 11.46, 22.92 g/(kg•d)] and omeprazole [4.17 mg/(kg•d)] were administrated intragastrically twice daily for 3 weeks. And the rats in the sham and model groups were administered 10 mL/kg distilled water. Gastric fluid was collected and the supernatant was kept to measure for volume, pH value and acidity. Esophageal tissues were isolated to monitor the morphological changes through hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, and esophageal epithelial ultrastructure was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The expressions of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells p65 (NF-KBp65), κB kinase beta (IKKß), occludin, and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) in the esophageal tissues were measured by immunohistochemistry and Western blot, respectively. RESULTS: The gastric pH value in the model group was significantly lower than the sham group (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, gastric pH value in the omeprazole and medium-dose of Tojapride groups were significantly higher (P<0.05). A large area of ulceration was found on the esophageal mucosa from the model rats, while varying degrees of congestion and partially visible erosion was observed in the remaining groups. Remarkable increase in cell gap width and decrease in desmosome count was seen in RE rats and the effect was reversed by Tojapride treatment. Compared with the sham group, the IKKß levels were significantly higher in the model group (P<0.05). However, the IKKß levels were down-regulated after treatment by all doses of Tojapride (P<0.01 or P<0.05). The occluding and ZO-1 levels decreased in the model group compared with the sham group (Ps0.01 or Ps0.05), while both indices were significantly up-regulated in the Tojapride-treated groups (P<0.01 or P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Tojapride could improve the pathological conditions of esophageal epithelium in RE rats. The underlying mechanisms may involve in down-regulating the IKKß expression and elevating ZO-1 and occludin expression, thereby alleviating the inflammation of the esophagus and strengthening the barrier function of the esophageal epithelium.

Objective To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of Enterobius vermicularis infections among children in Fanxian County, Henan Province in 2019, so as to provide insights into the management of enterobiasis. Methods Five kindergartens were selected in urban and rural areas of Fanxian County, Henan Province using the stratified sampling method in 2019, and a census of E. vermicularis infections was performed among all children in the kindergartens. E. vermicularis eggs were detected using adhesive and scotch cellophane-tape anal swab methods, and the basic characteristics of children and their families, health habits and the kindergartens’ information were investigated with questionnaires. Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the risk factors and protective factors of pinworm infection in children. Results A total of 671 children were tested, and the mean prevalence of E. vermicularis infections was 15.50% (104/671). The prevalence of E. vermicularis infections was higher among children in rural kindergartens (28.13%, 72/256) than in urban kindergartens (7.71%, 32/415) (χ² = 50.380, P < 0.01), and greater in private kindergartens (32.26%, 60/186) than in public kindergartens (9.07%, 44/485) (χ² = 55.183, P < 0.01). There was no gender-specific prevalence of E. vermicularis infections among children (χ² = 1.442, P > 0.05), and the prevalence of E. vermicularis infections presented a tendency towards a rise with age (χ²_trend = 8.373, P < 0.05) and school grade (χ²_trend = 30.274, P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis identified rural kindergartens and high grades as risk factors, and separate washing of children’s and adults’ cloths, frequent bathing and frequent dinnerware disinfection in kindergartens as protective factors for E. vermicularis infections among children. In addition, there was no significant difference in the detection of E. vermicularis infections among children by using adhesive (73.08%, 76/104) and scotch cellophane-tape anal swab methods (56.73%, 59/104) (χ² = 3.959, P > 0.05). Conclusions The prevalence of E. vermicularis infection is high among children in Fanxian Country, Henan Province. Health education and surveillance of enterobiasis are required to be intensified among children in rural kindergartens and senior grades and their parents and teachers.