OBJECTIVE:To study the therapeutic efficacy of atorvastatin for patients with carotid atherosclerotic plaques complicating cerebral infarction and the possible mechanism.METHODS:A total of 150 patients with cerebral infarction coexisting carotid atherosclerotic plaques were randomized to either control group (routine therapy against platelet aggregation) or trial group (routine therapy against platelet aggregation plus atorvastatin 20 mg?d-1).The scores of carotid atherosclerotic plaques,levels of blood lipid and C-reactive proteins (CRP) were compared between the two groups.RESULTS:At 6 and 12 months of follow-up,the scores of carotid atherosclerotic plaques in the trial group were significantly less than in the control group(P

Objective To investigate the protective effect of arbutin against CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis in mice and explore the underlying mechanisms. Methods Twenty-four C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into control group, model group, and low-and high-dose arbutin treatment (25 and 50 mg/kg, respectively) groups. Mouse models of liver fibrosis were established by intraperitoneal injection of CCl4, and arbutin was administered daily via gavage for 6 weeks. After the treatments, serum biochemical parameters of the mice were tested, and liver tissues were taken for HE staining, Sirius Red staining and immunohistochemical staining. RT-qPCR was used to detect the mRNA levels of α-SMA, Pdgfb, Col1α1, Timp-1, Ccl2 and Tnf-α, and Western blotting was performed to detect α-SMA protein expression in the liver tissues. In the cell experiment, the effect of arbutin treatment for 24 h on THP-1 and RAW264.7 cell migration and recruitment was examined using Transwell migration assay and DAPI staining; The changes in protein levels of Akt, p65, Smad3, p-Akt, p-p65, p-Smad3 and α-SMA in arbutin-treated LX-2 cells were detected with Western blotting. Results Arbutin treatment significantly lowered serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels, alleviated liver tissue damage and collagen deposition, and reduced macrophage infiltration and α-SMA protein expression in the liver of the mouse models (P<0.05 or 0.001). Arbutin treatment also significantly reduced CCl4-induced elevation of α-SMA, Pdgfb, Col1α1, Timp-1, Ccl2 and Tnf-α mRNA levels in mice (P<0.05). In the cell experiment, arbutin treatment obviously inhibited migration and recruitment of THP-1 and RAW264.7 cells and lowered the phosphorylation levels of Akt, p65 and Smad3 and the protein expression level of α-SMA in LX-2 cells. Conclusion Arbutin ameliorates liver inflammation and fibrosis in mice by inhibiting hepatic stellate cell activation via reducing macrophage recruitment and infiltration and suppressing activation of the Akt/NF-κB and Smad signaling pathways.

Objective To investigate the protective effect of arbutin against CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis in mice and explore the underlying mechanisms. Methods Twenty-four C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into control group, model group, and low-and high-dose arbutin treatment (25 and 50 mg/kg, respectively) groups. Mouse models of liver fibrosis were established by intraperitoneal injection of CCl4, and arbutin was administered daily via gavage for 6 weeks. After the treatments, serum biochemical parameters of the mice were tested, and liver tissues were taken for HE staining, Sirius Red staining and immunohistochemical staining. RT-qPCR was used to detect the mRNA levels of α-SMA, Pdgfb, Col1α1, Timp-1, Ccl2 and Tnf-α, and Western blotting was performed to detect α-SMA protein expression in the liver tissues. In the cell experiment, the effect of arbutin treatment for 24 h on THP-1 and RAW264.7 cell migration and recruitment was examined using Transwell migration assay and DAPI staining; The changes in protein levels of Akt, p65, Smad3, p-Akt, p-p65, p-Smad3 and α-SMA in arbutin-treated LX-2 cells were detected with Western blotting. Results Arbutin treatment significantly lowered serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels, alleviated liver tissue damage and collagen deposition, and reduced macrophage infiltration and α-SMA protein expression in the liver of the mouse models (P<0.05 or 0.001). Arbutin treatment also significantly reduced CCl4-induced elevation of α-SMA, Pdgfb, Col1α1, Timp-1, Ccl2 and Tnf-α mRNA levels in mice (P<0.05). In the cell experiment, arbutin treatment obviously inhibited migration and recruitment of THP-1 and RAW264.7 cells and lowered the phosphorylation levels of Akt, p65 and Smad3 and the protein expression level of α-SMA in LX-2 cells. Conclusion Arbutin ameliorates liver inflammation and fibrosis in mice by inhibiting hepatic stellate cell activation via reducing macrophage recruitment and infiltration and suppressing activation of the Akt/NF-κB and Smad signaling pathways.

Objective:To explore the different coagulation state in patients with adenomyosis and its clinical significance.Methods:Clinical data of the patients admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2017 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. (1) Differential coagulation state between 25 healthy women and 25 patients with adenomyosis were compared during menstrual and non-menstrual periods. (2) The coagulation indexes of 145 patients with adenomyosis (observation group 1) and 129 patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade Ⅲ (control group 1) who underwent hysterectomy in non-menstrual period were compared. (3) The coagulation indexes of 154 patients with adenomyosis (observation group 2) and 147 women without myometrial lesions (control group 2) who underwent endometrial curettage during uterine bleeding period were compared. (4) Correlations of coagulation index with cancer antigen 125 (CA 125), cancer antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) and uterine volume in patients with adenomyosis were analyzed. Results:(1) The coagulation state of each health women during the menstrual and non-menstrual period showed no significant differences (all P>0.05). For the 25 patients with adenomyosis, fibrinogen [FIB; 2.61 g/L(2.50-3.10 g/L)] and D-dimer [0.60 mg/L (0.40-1.00 mg/L)] in the menstrual period were significantly higher than those in the non-menstrual period [2.25 g/L (1.90-2.70 g/L) and 0.27 mg/L (0.20-0.40 mg/L), respectively; both P<0.01], while thrombin time [TT; 16.70 s (16.10-17.40 s)] in the menstrual period was significantly lower than that in the non-menstrual period [17.95 s (17.20-18.40 s); P<0.01]. (2) In the non-bleeding period, D-dimer [0.26 mg/L (0.20-0.40 mg/L)] and platelet count [257.0×10 9/L (212.0×10 9/L-308.5×10 9/L)] of observation group 1 were significantly higher than those of control group 1 (all P<0.01). Besides, FIB ( r=0.237, P=0.004) and D-dimer ( r=0.373, P<0.001) were positively correlated with CA 125, while prothrombin time (PT; r=-0.208, P=0.012) and internationalized normalized ratio of plasma prothrombin time (PT-INR; r=-0.201, P=0.015) were negatively correlated with CA 19-9. (3) In the bleeding period, PT [10.70 s (10.10-11.20 s)] and PT-INR [0.93 (0.90-1.00)] of observation group 2 were significantly lower than those of control group 2 (all P<0.01), while D-dimer [0.41 mg/L (0.20-0.80 mg/L)] was significantly higher than that in the control group 2 ( P<0.001). Furthermore, FIB ( r=0.252, P=0.038) and D-dimer ( r=0.321, P=0.008) were positively correlated with uterine volume, while activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT; r=-0.190, P=0.018) and TT ( r=-0.304, P=0.012) were negatively correlated with uterine volume. (4) During non-menstrual period and uterine bleeding period, APTT and TT in patients of observation group 1 and 2 combined with anemia were significantly lower than those of non-anemia patients (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Patients with adenomyosis have a tendency to hypercoagulability in both the uterine bleeding and non-bleeding periods, which may be related to enlarged uterine volume, increased serum CA 125 and anemia.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of Dienogest(DNG)with other drugs in non-surgi-cal pharmacologic treatment and long-term management of drugs after conservative surgery for endometriosis(EMT).Methods:We searched PubMed,Embase,Medline,Google Scholar,Cochrane Library,China National Knowledge Infrastructure,Wanfang,and Weipu databases from the establishment of the database until December 31,2023 for relevant literature on EMT pharmacotherapy.Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 18.0 software to assess the efficacy of DNG,gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist(GnRH-a),compound short-acting oral contraceptive(COC)and levonorgestrel intrauterine sustained-release system(LNG-IUS)in reducing the diameter of ovarian endometrioma(OMA),relieving pelvic pain and preventing EMT postoperative recurrence in EMT pa-tients after non-surgical drug treatment and conservative surgery,as well as the adverse reactions of drugs.Re-sults:①During non-surgical medication treatment of EMT,there was no statistically significant difference(P＞0.05)between DNG and GnRH-a in reducing OMA diameter and relieving pelvic pain.Compared with COC,DNG was superior to COC in reducing the diameter of OMA(WMD 10.44 mm,P=0.017)and relieving pelvic pain(WMD 12.20 mm,P＜0.001).②During long-term medication management after conservative EMT surger-y:there was no statistically significant difference(P＞0.05)between DNG,GnRH-a,COC and LNG-IUS in re-ducing postoperative recurrence and controlling pelvic pain significant(P＞0.05).③Adverse drug reactions:com-pared with GnRH-a,DNG had a reduced risk of bone loss(bone density WMD2.78 g/cm3,P=0.038),hot fla-shes(OR 0.07,P＜0.001),and an increased risk of irregular vaginal bleeding(OR 19.10,P＜0.001);com-pared with COC,the risk of weight gain,mood abnormalities,and breast tenderness,nausea and vomiting,and sleep disorders in DNG were reduced(OR＜1,P＜0.05);compared with LNG-IUS,the risk of abnormalities of mood in DNG was increased(OR 9.87,P=0.033).Conclusions:DNG treatment is more effective than COC in non-surgical drug therapy for EMT.When supplemental medication was given after conservative EMT surgery,DNG,like other drugs,can effectively prevent postoperative recurrence and control pelvic pain.The safety of DNG is superior to GnRH-a and COC,slightly inferior to LNG-IUS.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of Dienogest(DNG)with other drugs in non-surgi-cal pharmacologic treatment and long-term management of drugs after conservative surgery for endometriosis(EMT).Methods:We searched PubMed,Embase,Medline,Google Scholar,Cochrane Library,China National Knowledge Infrastructure,Wanfang,and Weipu databases from the establishment of the database until December 31,2023 for relevant literature on EMT pharmacotherapy.Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 18.0 software to assess the efficacy of DNG,gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist(GnRH-a),compound short-acting oral contraceptive(COC)and levonorgestrel intrauterine sustained-release system(LNG-IUS)in reducing the diameter of ovarian endometrioma(OMA),relieving pelvic pain and preventing EMT postoperative recurrence in EMT pa-tients after non-surgical drug treatment and conservative surgery,as well as the adverse reactions of drugs.Re-sults:①During non-surgical medication treatment of EMT,there was no statistically significant difference(P＞0.05)between DNG and GnRH-a in reducing OMA diameter and relieving pelvic pain.Compared with COC,DNG was superior to COC in reducing the diameter of OMA(WMD 10.44 mm,P=0.017)and relieving pelvic pain(WMD 12.20 mm,P＜0.001).②During long-term medication management after conservative EMT surger-y:there was no statistically significant difference(P＞0.05)between DNG,GnRH-a,COC and LNG-IUS in re-ducing postoperative recurrence and controlling pelvic pain significant(P＞0.05).③Adverse drug reactions:com-pared with GnRH-a,DNG had a reduced risk of bone loss(bone density WMD2.78 g/cm3,P=0.038),hot fla-shes(OR 0.07,P＜0.001),and an increased risk of irregular vaginal bleeding(OR 19.10,P＜0.001);com-pared with COC,the risk of weight gain,mood abnormalities,and breast tenderness,nausea and vomiting,and sleep disorders in DNG were reduced(OR＜1,P＜0.05);compared with LNG-IUS,the risk of abnormalities of mood in DNG was increased(OR 9.87,P=0.033).Conclusions:DNG treatment is more effective than COC in non-surgical drug therapy for EMT.When supplemental medication was given after conservative EMT surgery,DNG,like other drugs,can effectively prevent postoperative recurrence and control pelvic pain.The safety of DNG is superior to GnRH-a and COC,slightly inferior to LNG-IUS.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of Dienogest(DNG)with other drugs in non-surgi-cal pharmacologic treatment and long-term management of drugs after conservative surgery for endometriosis(EMT).Methods:We searched PubMed,Embase,Medline,Google Scholar,Cochrane Library,China National Knowledge Infrastructure,Wanfang,and Weipu databases from the establishment of the database until December 31,2023 for relevant literature on EMT pharmacotherapy.Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 18.0 software to assess the efficacy of DNG,gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist(GnRH-a),compound short-acting oral contraceptive(COC)and levonorgestrel intrauterine sustained-release system(LNG-IUS)in reducing the diameter of ovarian endometrioma(OMA),relieving pelvic pain and preventing EMT postoperative recurrence in EMT pa-tients after non-surgical drug treatment and conservative surgery,as well as the adverse reactions of drugs.Re-sults:①During non-surgical medication treatment of EMT,there was no statistically significant difference(P＞0.05)between DNG and GnRH-a in reducing OMA diameter and relieving pelvic pain.Compared with COC,DNG was superior to COC in reducing the diameter of OMA(WMD 10.44 mm,P=0.017)and relieving pelvic pain(WMD 12.20 mm,P＜0.001).②During long-term medication management after conservative EMT surger-y:there was no statistically significant difference(P＞0.05)between DNG,GnRH-a,COC and LNG-IUS in re-ducing postoperative recurrence and controlling pelvic pain significant(P＞0.05).③Adverse drug reactions:com-pared with GnRH-a,DNG had a reduced risk of bone loss(bone density WMD2.78 g/cm3,P=0.038),hot fla-shes(OR 0.07,P＜0.001),and an increased risk of irregular vaginal bleeding(OR 19.10,P＜0.001);com-pared with COC,the risk of weight gain,mood abnormalities,and breast tenderness,nausea and vomiting,and sleep disorders in DNG were reduced(OR＜1,P＜0.05);compared with LNG-IUS,the risk of abnormalities of mood in DNG was increased(OR 9.87,P=0.033).Conclusions:DNG treatment is more effective than COC in non-surgical drug therapy for EMT.When supplemental medication was given after conservative EMT surgery,DNG,like other drugs,can effectively prevent postoperative recurrence and control pelvic pain.The safety of DNG is superior to GnRH-a and COC,slightly inferior to LNG-IUS.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of Dienogest(DNG)with other drugs in non-surgi-cal pharmacologic treatment and long-term management of drugs after conservative surgery for endometriosis(EMT).Methods:We searched PubMed,Embase,Medline,Google Scholar,Cochrane Library,China National Knowledge Infrastructure,Wanfang,and Weipu databases from the establishment of the database until December 31,2023 for relevant literature on EMT pharmacotherapy.Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 18.0 software to assess the efficacy of DNG,gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist(GnRH-a),compound short-acting oral contraceptive(COC)and levonorgestrel intrauterine sustained-release system(LNG-IUS)in reducing the diameter of ovarian endometrioma(OMA),relieving pelvic pain and preventing EMT postoperative recurrence in EMT pa-tients after non-surgical drug treatment and conservative surgery,as well as the adverse reactions of drugs.Re-sults:①During non-surgical medication treatment of EMT,there was no statistically significant difference(P＞0.05)between DNG and GnRH-a in reducing OMA diameter and relieving pelvic pain.Compared with COC,DNG was superior to COC in reducing the diameter of OMA(WMD 10.44 mm,P=0.017)and relieving pelvic pain(WMD 12.20 mm,P＜0.001).②During long-term medication management after conservative EMT surger-y:there was no statistically significant difference(P＞0.05)between DNG,GnRH-a,COC and LNG-IUS in re-ducing postoperative recurrence and controlling pelvic pain significant(P＞0.05).③Adverse drug reactions:com-pared with GnRH-a,DNG had a reduced risk of bone loss(bone density WMD2.78 g/cm3,P=0.038),hot fla-shes(OR 0.07,P＜0.001),and an increased risk of irregular vaginal bleeding(OR 19.10,P＜0.001);com-pared with COC,the risk of weight gain,mood abnormalities,and breast tenderness,nausea and vomiting,and sleep disorders in DNG were reduced(OR＜1,P＜0.05);compared with LNG-IUS,the risk of abnormalities of mood in DNG was increased(OR 9.87,P=0.033).Conclusions:DNG treatment is more effective than COC in non-surgical drug therapy for EMT.When supplemental medication was given after conservative EMT surgery,DNG,like other drugs,can effectively prevent postoperative recurrence and control pelvic pain.The safety of DNG is superior to GnRH-a and COC,slightly inferior to LNG-IUS.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of Dienogest(DNG)with other drugs in non-surgi-cal pharmacologic treatment and long-term management of drugs after conservative surgery for endometriosis(EMT).Methods:We searched PubMed,Embase,Medline,Google Scholar,Cochrane Library,China National Knowledge Infrastructure,Wanfang,and Weipu databases from the establishment of the database until December 31,2023 for relevant literature on EMT pharmacotherapy.Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 18.0 software to assess the efficacy of DNG,gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist(GnRH-a),compound short-acting oral contraceptive(COC)and levonorgestrel intrauterine sustained-release system(LNG-IUS)in reducing the diameter of ovarian endometrioma(OMA),relieving pelvic pain and preventing EMT postoperative recurrence in EMT pa-tients after non-surgical drug treatment and conservative surgery,as well as the adverse reactions of drugs.Re-sults:①During non-surgical medication treatment of EMT,there was no statistically significant difference(P＞0.05)between DNG and GnRH-a in reducing OMA diameter and relieving pelvic pain.Compared with COC,DNG was superior to COC in reducing the diameter of OMA(WMD 10.44 mm,P=0.017)and relieving pelvic pain(WMD 12.20 mm,P＜0.001).②During long-term medication management after conservative EMT surger-y:there was no statistically significant difference(P＞0.05)between DNG,GnRH-a,COC and LNG-IUS in re-ducing postoperative recurrence and controlling pelvic pain significant(P＞0.05).③Adverse drug reactions:com-pared with GnRH-a,DNG had a reduced risk of bone loss(bone density WMD2.78 g/cm3,P=0.038),hot fla-shes(OR 0.07,P＜0.001),and an increased risk of irregular vaginal bleeding(OR 19.10,P＜0.001);com-pared with COC,the risk of weight gain,mood abnormalities,and breast tenderness,nausea and vomiting,and sleep disorders in DNG were reduced(OR＜1,P＜0.05);compared with LNG-IUS,the risk of abnormalities of mood in DNG was increased(OR 9.87,P=0.033).Conclusions:DNG treatment is more effective than COC in non-surgical drug therapy for EMT.When supplemental medication was given after conservative EMT surgery,DNG,like other drugs,can effectively prevent postoperative recurrence and control pelvic pain.The safety of DNG is superior to GnRH-a and COC,slightly inferior to LNG-IUS.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of Dienogest(DNG)with other drugs in non-surgi-cal pharmacologic treatment and long-term management of drugs after conservative surgery for endometriosis(EMT).Methods:We searched PubMed,Embase,Medline,Google Scholar,Cochrane Library,China National Knowledge Infrastructure,Wanfang,and Weipu databases from the establishment of the database until December 31,2023 for relevant literature on EMT pharmacotherapy.Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 18.0 software to assess the efficacy of DNG,gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist(GnRH-a),compound short-acting oral contraceptive(COC)and levonorgestrel intrauterine sustained-release system(LNG-IUS)in reducing the diameter of ovarian endometrioma(OMA),relieving pelvic pain and preventing EMT postoperative recurrence in EMT pa-tients after non-surgical drug treatment and conservative surgery,as well as the adverse reactions of drugs.Re-sults:①During non-surgical medication treatment of EMT,there was no statistically significant difference(P＞0.05)between DNG and GnRH-a in reducing OMA diameter and relieving pelvic pain.Compared with COC,DNG was superior to COC in reducing the diameter of OMA(WMD 10.44 mm,P=0.017)and relieving pelvic pain(WMD 12.20 mm,P＜0.001).②During long-term medication management after conservative EMT surger-y:there was no statistically significant difference(P＞0.05)between DNG,GnRH-a,COC and LNG-IUS in re-ducing postoperative recurrence and controlling pelvic pain significant(P＞0.05).③Adverse drug reactions:com-pared with GnRH-a,DNG had a reduced risk of bone loss(bone density WMD2.78 g/cm3,P=0.038),hot fla-shes(OR 0.07,P＜0.001),and an increased risk of irregular vaginal bleeding(OR 19.10,P＜0.001);com-pared with COC,the risk of weight gain,mood abnormalities,and breast tenderness,nausea and vomiting,and sleep disorders in DNG were reduced(OR＜1,P＜0.05);compared with LNG-IUS,the risk of abnormalities of mood in DNG was increased(OR 9.87,P=0.033).Conclusions:DNG treatment is more effective than COC in non-surgical drug therapy for EMT.When supplemental medication was given after conservative EMT surgery,DNG,like other drugs,can effectively prevent postoperative recurrence and control pelvic pain.The safety of DNG is superior to GnRH-a and COC,slightly inferior to LNG-IUS.