OBJECTIVE:To observe the curative effects of compound glycyrrhizin injection in treatment of primary sjogren syndrome(PSS).METHODS:68 patients with PSS were randomized into the treatment group and control group,and treated for 4wk with hydroxypiperaquine,bromhexine and carmellose.The treatment group also received compound glycyrrhizin injection in addition to the three agents for the control group.RESULTS:After treatment for 4wk,both groups saw some declines in IgG,IgM,IgA,ESR and RF,and improvement in indicators such as schemer test and saliva flow rate,with the treatment group showing more significant improvement than the control group(P

OBJECTIVE: To study the curative effect of Sodium Ferulate( SF) on rheumatoid arthritis( RA) and its effects on the levels of serum vascular endothelial growth factor( VEGF) and tumor necrosis factor- ? ( TNF- ? ) . METHODS: A total of 43 patients with RA were randomly divided into trial group and the control group: conventional treatment was adopted in both groups, but the trial group was treated additionally with SF injection for 4 consecutive weeks. Serum levels of VEGF and TNF- ? before and after treatment were determined by the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay( ELISA) . RESULTS: The total effective rate in the trial group the control group were 91. 30% vs. 75. 00% ( P

BACKGROUNDPaclitaxel plus cisplatin is an effective regimen in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but it has severe adverse toxicities. The aim of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effect and safety of paclitaxel plus oxaliplatin compared with paclitaxel plus cisplatin in the treatment of advanced NSCLC.

METHODSFrom January, 2002 to October, 2004, 83 initially treated patients with advanced NSCLC were randomized into two groups: the trial group was treated with paclitaxel 175mg/m², and oxaliplatin 130mg/m² on day 1;and the control group was treated with paclitaxel 175mg/m² and cisplatin 80mg/m² on day 1. Both of them were repeated every 21 days and 2-6 cycles were given to patients. The evaluation of efficacy and safety was performed after chemotherapy regularly.

RESULTSAll patients were evaluable and received 2 cycles chemotherapy at least. The response rate of the trial group and control group was 34.1% (14/41) and 33.3% (14/42) respectively, median time to progression of them was 6.0 months and 5.5 months, median survival time was 10.7 months and 10.5 months, 1-year survival was 39.0% (16/41) and 40.5% (17/42) respectively. The following adverse effects of the two groups were different: the incidence rate of III+IV leukopenia was 4.9% and 28.6% in the trial group and the control group respectively, III+IV thrombocytopemia was 0 and 14.3%, III+IV nausea and vomiting was 7.3% and 26.2%. The difference of the incidence rate of III+IV nerve abnormality (9.8% and 9.5%), imparied renal function (0 and 7.1%), myalgia and anthralgia (0 and 2.4%) was insignificant.

CONCLUSIONSThe regimen of paclitaxel plus oxaliplatin have the similar efficacy and less adverse toxicities as compared to Paclitaxel plus Cisplatin in treatment of advanced NSCLC.

Objective To observe the value of amide proton transfer(APT)imaging for assessing central nervous system damages in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)and the correlations with MR spectroscopy(MRS)and lung function parameters.Methods Thirty-nine stable COPD patients(COPD group)and 34 healthy subjects(control group)were prospectively enrolled.Images of plain head MR,3D-APT and thalami MRS were acquired,and parameters of lung function were obtained.The basic data,outcomes of voxel-based morphometry(VBM)analysis,APT values in multiple brain regions and thalami MRS metabolite parameters were compared between groups,and the correlations of thalamus APT values with thalamus MRS metabolites parameters and lung function parameters were explored.Results Lung function parameters in COPD group were lower than those in control group,while cerebrospinal fluid volume(CSFV)and total brain volume(TIV)in COPD group were lager than those in control group(all P＜0.05).Compared with those in control group,APT values of bilateral thalami,right temporal lobe and right occipital lobe in COPD group were higher,and the peak value of N-acetyl aspartate(NAA)of bilateral thalami and NAA/creatin of right thalamus in COPD group were lower(all P＜0.05).Within COPD group,APT values of bilateral thalami were positively correlated(r=0.641),while APT values of left thalamus showed negative correlation(r=-0.435)with NAA values left thalamus and negative correlation(r=-0.432)with the forced expiratory volume in the first one second after bronchodilator administration(FEV1)(all P＜0.05).Conclusion APT values of central nervous system elevated and NAA values decreased in COPD patients.There were negative correlations between left thalamus APT and NAA values,also between APT values of left thalamus and FEV1.

Purpose The feasibility and application value of 3D amide proton transfer weighted(APTw)imaging is used to evaluate central nervous system injury in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)patients.Materials and Methods A total of 36 COPD patients who attended the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine from January 2022 to August 2023 were selected along with 31 age-and gender-matched healthy volunteers.All subjects underwent pulmonary function tests,routine blood tests,Montreal cognitive assessment scale(MoCA)assessment and 3.0T MRI scan.The APT values of each brain region were measured independently and assessed for consistency by two observers,and the differences in APT values of each brain region were compared between the two groups to explore the correlation between the APT values of multiple brain regions and the pulmonary function,blood indices,and MoCA scores.Results The measurement consistency of APT values in multiple brain regions among observers was good(ICC>0.75).The APT values of brain regions in the COPD group were higher than those in the healthy control group,with statistically significant differences between the bilateral pallidum(t=2.490,2.168),the right thalamus(t=2.754),the nucleus accumbens(t=2.137),the temporal lobe gray matter(t=3.533)and the occipital lobe gray matter(t=2.345)compared with those in the healthy control group(all P<0.05);the APT values of the multiple brain regions were in a negative correlation(r=-0.390--0.084),with a stronger correlation between bilateral pallidum(r=-0.390,-0.370,both P<0.05);lung function indexes(forced vital capacity,forced expiratory volume in one second,forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity,forced expiratory volume in one second/prediction)in the COPD group showed a negative correlation trend with the APT values of the multibulbar areas(r=-0.339--0.010,all P>0.05),while white blood cell count,red blood cell count,hemoglobin concentration and platelet count showed a positive correlation trend with multi brain APT values(r=0.084-0.587).Conclusion As a novel MRI technology,APTw has potential application value in early detection of central nervous system damage in COPD patients and non-invasive monitoring of disease progression.

ObjectiveTo examine the clinical features of fractures and related risk factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis(RA) in China.MethodsSix hundred and eighty-one RA patients were randomly selected from department of rheumatology of 18 hospitals of China.Data were obtained from the questionnaire,including age,sex,disease duration,the involvement of joints,treatment regimen,features of fractures etc.The possible risk factors of fracture in patients with RA were analyzed with a multi-variate Logistic regression analysis.Results① In 681 RA patients of the survey,48 patients had 54 fractures,and the incidence of fractures was about 8％.② Fractures occurred at various sites.Foot/ankle,femur,spine and wrist were the mostfrequent sites.③ The Logistic regression analysis showed that several factors increased the risk of fracture in RA patients,including long disease duration (OR:1.245,95％CI:0.987-1.570,P=0.065),male gender(OR:0.433,95％CI:0.199-0.942,P=0.035),more deformed joints(OR:1.042,95％CI:1.006-1.079,P=0.023),family history of RA (OR:2.201,95％CI:0.984-4.923,P=0.055),and high scores of SF-36(OR:1.017,95％CI:1.002-1.033,P=0.028).④ According to the degree of correlation from strong to weak,the risk factors of fracture were disease duration,SF-36,sex,number of deformed joints and family history of rheumatoid arthritis.ConclusionThe incidence of fracture is high in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.Several factors could increase the risk of fractures in RA patients,including long disease duration,male gender,more deformed joints,and family history of RA.In order to prevent the occurrence of fractures,cautions should be taken to prevent the development of fractures and treat the disease aggressively to suppress the disease activity of RA.

Objective To describe the distribution of medication costs of rheumatoid arthritis patients, and to analyze the factors that may affect the costs. Methods Data were obtained from a 12-month retrospective investigation of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) across China. Department of Rheuma-tology of 18 hospitals were randomly selected. The data about their social conditions, clinical conditions, medications associated with RA such as disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), non -steroidal anti -inflammtory drugs (NSAIDs), steroids, biologic agents were collected, and the costs of drugs were calculated. A non-parameter test and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed. Results Six hundred and forty six patients were enrolled into the study, 435 completed data were chosen for analysis. The results demonstrated that the average costs per patient for medications in the past year was 8018 . The total medication costs were further subdivided into the following parts: DMARDs, (represented 20% of the total costs), biologic drugs (49%), NSAIDs (4%), herbal drugs (22%), steroids (1%). Data analysis showed that patients with higher education and higher incomes, with medical insurance,better health function status and outpatients paid more on DMARDs. Extra-articular manifestations increased the odds of the high-cost group (OR: 2.180, 95%CI: 1.335～3.558, P=0.002), while poor health function status increased the probability of paying high costs (OR: 1.373, 95%CI: 1.012～1.863, P=0.041). Conclusion High medication costs in RA do exist in RA patients. The costs of medication is associated with health function status and the presence of extra-articular manifestations.