A clinically serious illness with a high death and morbidity rate is sepsis.Electro-acupuncture is a significant adjuvant treatment for sepsis,lowering the inflammatory response to sepsis,regulating the patient's immunological function,and preventing multi-system organ damage.However,no comprehensive study has been published.In order to review the clinical application of electro-acupuncture in the field of sepsis and its complications,analyze its clinical efficacy,and summarize effective acupuncture point prescriptions,we systematically compiled the clinical research literature on electro-acupuncture in the treatment of sepsis and its complications by searching PubMed,CNKI,and other databases.It was found that effective clinical evidence had been gathered for the administration of electro-acupuncture in uncomplicated sepsis as well as in sepsis aggravated by gastrointestinal,pulmonary,cardiac,and brain injury.The following successful acupoint prescriptions were indicated:①Simple sepsis was treated with"Zusanli+Guanyuan"or"Zusanli+Tianshu+Shangjuxu+Xiajuxu";②Combined gastrointestinal injury was treated with"Zusanli+Shangjuxu+Tianshu"or"Zusanli+Tianshu+Shangjuxu+Xiajuxu";③ Combined lung injury was treated with"Zusanli+Chize";④Combined myocardial injury was treated with"Neiguan+Zusanli+Shenmen+Taichong+Xuehai+Geshu+Sanyinjiao+Hegu";⑤Combined brain injury was treated with"Baihui+Shuigou".The study's findings can offer preliminary clinical direction for using electro-acupuncture to treat sepsis and associated complications in patients.

Studies have investigated the effects of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) use on the incidence and clinical outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, the results have been inconsistent. We searched the PubMed, Medline, Cochrane, Scopus, and Web of Science databases from inception to March 2022; 13 studies covering 84 003 prostate cancer (PCa) patients with or without ADT met the eligibility criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. We calculated the pooled risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to explore the association between ADT use and the infection risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and severity of COVID-19. After synthesizing the evidence, the pooled RR in the SARS-CoV-2 positive group was equal to 1.17, and the SARS-CoV-2 positive risk in PCa patients using ADT was not significantly different from that in those not using ADT (P = 0.544). Moreover, no significant results concerning the beneficial effect of ADT on the rate of intensive care unit admission (RR = 1.04, P = 0.872) or death risk (RR = 1.23, P = 0.53) were found. However, PCa patients with a history of ADT use had a markedly higher COVID-19 hospitalization rate (RR = 1.31, P = 0.015) than those with no history of ADT use. These findings indicate that ADT use by PCa patients is associated with a high risk of hospitalization during infection with SARS-CoV-2. A large number of high quality studies are needed to confirm these results.
Male ; Humans ; Prostatic Neoplasms/chemically induced* ; Androgen Antagonists/adverse effects* ; COVID-19 ; Androgens/therapeutic use* ; SARS-CoV-2

We wished to establish an expert consensus on late stage of critical care (CC) management. The panel comprised 13 experts in CC medicine. Each statement was assessed based on the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) principle. Then, the Delphi method was adopted by 17 experts to reassess the following 28 statements. (1) ESCAPE has evolved from a strategy of delirium management to a strategy of late stage of CC management. (2) The new version of ESCAPE is a strategy for optimizing treatment and comprehensive care of critically ill patients (CIPs) after the rescue period, including early mobilization, early rehabilitation, nutritional support, sleep management, mental assessment, cognitive-function training, emotional support, and optimizing sedation and analgesia. (3) Disease assessment to determine the starting point of early mobilization, early rehabilitation, and early enteral nutrition. (4) Early mobilization has synergistic effects upon the recovery of organ function. (5) Early functional exercise and rehabilitation are important means to promote CIP recovery, and gives them a sense of future prospects. (6) Timely start of enteral nutrition is conducive to early mobilization and early rehabilitation. (7) The spontaneous breathing test should be started as soon as possible, and a weaning plan should be selected step-by-step. (8) The waking process of CIPs should be realized in a planned and purposeful way. (9) Establishment of a sleep-wake rhythm is the key to sleep management in post-CC management. (10) The spontaneous awakening trial, spontaneous breathing trial, and sleep management should be carried out together. (11) The depth of sedation should be adjusted dynamically in the late stage of CC period. (12) Standardized sedation assessment is the premise of rational sedation. (13) Appropriate sedative drugs should be selected according to the objectives of sedation and drug characteristics. (14) A goal-directed minimization strategy for sedation should be implemented. (15) The principle of analgesia must be mastered first. (16) Subjective assessment is preferred for analgesia assessment. (17) Opioid-based analgesic strategies should be selected step-by-step according to the characteristics of different drugs. (18) There must be rational use of non-opioid analgesics and non-drug-based analgesic measures. (19) Pay attention to evaluation of the psychological status of CIPs. (20) Cognitive function in CIPs cannot be ignored. (21) Delirium management should be based on non-drug-based measures and rational use of drugs. (22) Reset treatment can be considered for severe delirium. (23) Psychological assessment should be conducted as early as possible to screen-out high-risk groups with post-traumatic stress disorder. (24) Emotional support, flexible visiting, and environment management are important components of humanistic management in the intensive care unit (ICU). (25) Emotional support from medical teams and families should be promoted through"ICU diaries"and other forms. (26) Environmental management should be carried out by enriching environmental content, limiting environmental interference, and optimizing the environmental atmosphere. (27) Reasonable promotion of flexible visitation should be done on the basis of prevention of nosocomial infection. (28) ESCAPE is an excellent project for late stage of CC management.
Humans ; Consensus ; Critical Care/methods* ; Intensive Care Units ; Pain/drug therapy* ; Analgesics/therapeutic use* ; Delirium/therapy* ; Critical Illness

Objective: To compare the impact of different prognostic scores in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) in order to provide treatment guidance for liver transplantation. Methods: The information on inpatients with ACLF admitted at Beijing You'an Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 2015 to October 2022 was collected retrospectively. ACLF patients were divided into liver transplantation and non-liver transplantation groups, and the two groups prognostic conditions were followed-up. Propensity score matching was carried out between the two groups on the basis of liver disease (non-cirrhosis, compensated cirrhosis, and decompensated cirrhosis), the model for end-stage liver disease incorporating serum sodium (MELD-Na), and ACLF classification as matching factors. The prognostic condition of the two groups after matching was compared. The difference in 1-year survival rate between the two groups was analyzed under different ACLF grades and MELD-Na scores. The independent sample t-test or rank sum test was used for inter-group comparison, and the χ (2) test was used for the comparison of count data between groups. Results: In total, 865 ACLF inpatients were collected over the study period. Of these, 291 had liver transplantation and 574 did not. The overall survival rates at 28, 90, and 360 days were 78%, 66%, and 62%, respectively. There were 270 cases of matched ACLF post-liver transplantation and 270 cases without ACLF, in accordance with a ratio of 1:1. At 28, 90, and 360 days, patients with non-liver transplantation had significantly lower survival rates (68%, 53%, and 49%) than patients with liver transplantation (87%, 87%, and 78%, respectively; P < 0.001). Patients were classified into four groups according to the ACLF classification criteria. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the survival rates of liver transplantation and non-liver transplantation patients in ACLF grade 0 were 77.2% and 69.4%, respectively, with no statistically significant difference (P = 0.168). The survival rate with an ACLF 1-3 grade was significantly higher in liver transplantation patients than that of non-liver transplantation patients (P < 0.05). Patients with ACLF grades 1, 2, and 3 had higher 1-year survival rates compared to non-liver transplant patients by 50.6%, 43.6%, and 61.7%, respectively. Patients were divided into four groups according to the MELD-Na score. Among the patients with a MELD-Na score of < 25, the 1-year survival rates for liver transplantation and non-liver transplantation were 78.2% and 74.0%, respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.149). However, among patients with MELD-Na scores of 25-30, 30-35, and≥35, the survival rate was significantly higher in liver transplantation than that of non-liver transplantation, and the 1-year survival rate increased by 36.4%, 54.9%, and 62.5%, respectively (P < 0.001). Further analysis of the prognosis of patients with different ACLF grades and MELD-Na scores showed that ACLF grades 0 or 1 and MELD-Na score of < 30 had no statistically significant difference in the 1-year survival rate between liver transplantation and non-liver transplantation (P > 0.05), but in patients with MELD-Na score≥30, the 1-year survival rate of liver transplantation was higher than that of non-liver transplantation patients (P < 0.05). In the ACLF grade 0 and MELD-Na score of≥30 group, the 1-year survival rates of liver transplantation and non-liver transplantation patients were 77.8% and 25.0% respectively (P < 0.05); while in the ACLF grade 1 and MELD-Na score of≥30 group, the 1-year survival rates of liver transplantation and non-liver transplantation patients were 100% and 20.0%, respectively (P < 0.01). Among patients with ACLF grade 2, the 1-year survival rate with MELD-Na score of < 25 in patients with liver transplantation was 73.9% and 61.6%, respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05); while in the liver transplantation patients group with MELD-Na score of ≥25, the 1-year survival rate was 79.5%, 80.8%, and 75%, respectively, which was significantly higher than that of non-liver transplantation patients (36.6%, 27.6%, 15.0%) (P < 0.001). Among patients with ACLF grade 3, regardless of the MELD-Na score, the 1-year survival rate was significantly higher in liver transplantation patients than that of non-liver transplantation patients (P < 0.01). Additionally, among patients with non-liver transplantation with an ACLF grade 0~1 and a MELD-Na score of < 30 at admission, 99.4% survived 1 year and still had an ACLF grade 0-1 at discharge, while 70% of deaths progressed to ACLF grade 2-3. Conclusion: Both the MELD-Na score and the EASL-CLIF C ACLF classification are capable of guiding liver transplantation; however, no single model possesses a consistent and precise prediction ability. Therefore, the combined application of the two models is necessary for comprehensive and dynamic evaluation, but the clinical application is relatively complex. A simplified prognostic model and a risk assessment model will be required in the future to improve patient prognosis as well as the effectiveness and efficiency of liver transplantation.
Humans ; Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; End Stage Liver Disease ; Severity of Illness Index

Colorectal cancer is a common tumor of the digestive system with a high degree of malignancy. Most patients are in the advanced stages of the disease when they develop symptoms. Although the detection rate of traditional screening methods is improving with advances in imaging and the popularity of colonoscopy, the diagnosis of early, asymptomatic colon cancer is still unsatisfactory. Therefore, it is particularly important to further study the occurrence and development mechanism of colorectal cancer and obtain new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment.? In recent years, with the deepening of epigenetics research, the role of DNA methylation in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer has gradually attracted attention. This paper will review the research progress of DNA methylation in colorectal cancer′s diagnosis and treatment.

In the clinical practice of rheumatic immune diseases in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM），it`s still unclear about the dominant diseases and breakthrough points. It`s urgent missions to formulate TCM diagnosis and treatment guidelines widely recognized and integrated by traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine. In order to clarify the dominant diseases and breakthrough points in rheumatism，China association of Chinese medicine initiated a research group covering experts in the field of rheumatism of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine. Based on questionnaire survey and on-site discussion，experts had reached the following consensus. Evidence-based medicine research using modern medical methods and scientific methods should be carried out to provide objective clinical evidences. "Four mutuality" were put forward as the basis for the work of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine，that is the mutual communication using the exchangeable context，the mutual explanation using common theories，the mutual certification using common standards，and the mutual integration using common means. Key works should focus on solving refractory rheumatism in the future. In terms of dominant diseases and breakthrough points，this paper introduces 21 breakthrough points in 6 dominant diseases，including rheumatoid arthritis，ankylosing spondylitis，Sjogren's syndrome，hyperuricemia and gout，systemic lupus erythematosus and fibromyalgia syndrome. Advice on this discussion can provide valuable references for developing the treatment scheme of rheumatism with TCM and integrated Chinese and Western medicine and clinical practice and scientific research.

Objective:To compare the caries experience and the kinds of dental treatment between children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and children without systemic disease who were all treated under general anesthesia.Methods:Totally 103 children with ASD who received dental treatments under general anesthesia in 13 professional dental hospitals around China from April to November 2016 were included in the present study. A group of 97 children without systemic disease, according to the age, gender and application propensity score matching method, were chosen as controls, who received dental treatments under general anesthesia between January 2015 to November 2018 in the same hospitals as the children with ASD. Decay missing filling tooth (DMFT/dmft, DMFT for permanent teeth and dmft for primary teeth) indices of two groups of children and the contents of the dental treatments under general anesthesia were analyzed.Results:No significant difference of DMFT/dmft index ［ M( Q25, Q75)］ was found between children with ASD group ［0 (0, 3)/11(8, 14)］ and control group ［0 (0, 3)/9(7, 13)］ ( P>0.05). The average number of dental treatments under general anesthesia and the average number of endodontic treatment in children with ASD were 13 (11, 15) and 3 (2, 6) teeth respectively, while those in the control group were 12 (9, 14) and 2 (1, 4) teeth respectively, the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.01, P<0.05). Conclusions:No significant difference was found between children with ASD and the normal controls who receive dental treatments under general anesthesia in DMFT/dmft index, but the treatment needs of children with ASD is relatively higher, and their tooth decay is relatively severer.

OBJECTIVE: Sorafenib has been extensively used for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and Chinese herbal medicine has also been used to manage advanced HCC. The present work evaluates the effectiveness and safety of Jiedu (JD) Granule, a compound of traditional Chinese herbal medicine, side-by-side with sorafenib for the treatment of advance HCC. METHODS: Patients with advanced HCC receiving treatment with JD Granule or sorafenib were enrolled from December 2014 to March 2018. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). The secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) and safety. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was used to control for possible selection bias from the study group allocation process. RESULTS: Of the 325 patients included, 161 received JD Granule and 164 received sorafenib. No significant differences were found in OS or PFS among patients receiving JD Granule compared to sorafenib (P > 0.05). Median OS of the two study groups was 6.83 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.83-9.47) in the group receiving JD Granule and 8 months (95% CI: 6.67-9.80) in the group receiving sorafenib, with half-, 1- and 2-year survival rates of 53.6%, 31.2% and 13.2% vs 60.1%, 35.5% and 14.2%, respectively. Even after PSM, the median survival time did not differ between the JD Granule group (9.03 months; 95% CI: 6.37-14.2) and the sorafenib group (7.93 months; 95% CI: 6.5-9.97), with comparable half-, 1- and 2-year survival rates. The most common adverse events (AEs) were diarrhea (13.7%) and fatigue (5.6%) in the JD Granule group, and hand-foot skin reaction (46.3%) and diarrhea (36.6%) in the sorafenib group. The JD Granule was more cost-effective than sorafenib treatment for advanced HCC. CONCLUSION Compared to sorafenib, JD Granule was more cost-effective and caused fewer AEs for the treatment of Chinese patients with advanced HCC.

Objective To characterize the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene in Schistosoma japonicum (SjEGFR gene) and investigate the role of the EGFR gene in regulating the growth, reproductive system, maturation and fecundity of S. japonicum. Methods Rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) was performed to obtain the full length of the SjEGFR gene, and the SjEGFR gene expression was quantified in different developmental stages of S. japonicum using a quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay. The tissue localization of the SjEGFR gene was detected in 22-day parasite using whole-mount in situ hybridization (WISH). Following RNA interference (RNAi)-induced knockdown of the SjEGFR gene, the worm length, pairing rate and worm burden of S. japonicum were measured, and the worm morphology was observed using optical microscopy and confocal microscopy. Results The SjEGFR gene was identified with a conserved tyrosine-kinase active site, and the SjEGFR gene expression was detected at various developmental stages in male and female parasites. WISH showed that the transcript of the SjEGFR gene was localized on the tegument and in the digestive organs of S. japonicum. RNAi-induced SjEGFR knockdown resulted in marked suppression of the worm growth, smaller size of male testicles that contained more immature spermatocytes, and apparent impairment of ovary and vitelline gland development. In addition, no eggs were found in the uterus of SjEGFR knocked-down female parasites, indicating the interruption of egg production. Conclusions Inhibition of SjEGFR expression may remarkably suppress the growth and maturation of S. japonicum, and interrupt the egg production.

There are many problems in field training of mobile medical service units, such as lack of training ground, backward training methods, simple training methods and weak comprehensive treatment ability. The purpose of this study is to explore the research and development idea and application effect of mobile combat-injury treatment training assessment system, which consists of handheld mobile terminals, 3 function modules for training mode, training evaluation and inquiry, and 5 basic modules for comprehensive appraisal of training performance, recording and analysis of training results, facilitation of personalized training programs, multi-view summary of training performances and intelligent stratified management of trainees, respectively. This mobile assessment system makes the training equipment more portable, training means more convenient, training activities derestrict to time, place or weather and, as a result, the whole combat-injury treatment training more efficient.