ObjectiveBased on the theory of "gut-prostate" axis， this study explored the effects and mechanisms of Zishen Tongguan formula and Cinnamomi Cortex in the formula in treating rats with chronic non-bacterial prostatitis（CNP） by detecting the levels of inflammatory factors， and the composition and structure of intestinal flora in CNP rats. MethodsEight out of 42 SD rats were randomly selected as the normal group， and the remaining rats were injected with carrageenan to prepare the CNP model. After successful modeling， 32 rats were randomly divided into the model group， Ningmitai capsule group（0.50 g·kg^-1）， Zishen Tongguan formula group（2.00 g·kg^-1）， and the Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex-Anemarrhenae Rhizoma pair group（PCC-AR group， 2.00 g·kg^-1）， with 8 rats in each group. The administered groups were given the corresponding medicinal solution by gavage， and the normal and model groups were intragastrically administered with an equal volume of normal saline， once a day for 14 consecutive days. The prostate tissues of rats were collected and subjected to hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining and Masson staining to observe the pathological changes of the tissues in each group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） was used to detect the levels of related inflammatory factors in rat serum， and 16S rDNA sequencing was used to analyze the abundance and diversity changes of gut microbiota before and after administration， and species difference analysis was performed. ResultsAll the administered groups could alleviate the inflammatory symptoms of CNP rats， increase the expression levels of anti-inflammatory factors and decrease the expression levels of pro-inflammatory factors， with the most sIgnificant effect observed in the Zishen Tongguan formula group. Compared with the normal group， the expression levels of interleukin（IL）-8， hypersensitive C-reactive protein（hs-CRP）， immunoglobulin（Ig）M， secretory IgA （sIgA）， and inducible nitric oxide synthase（iNOS） were sIgnificantly increased in the model group（P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the expression levels of the above inflammatory factors in all administered groups were significantly reduced（P<0.01）. When compared with the PCC-AR group， the Zishen Tongguan formula group showed a significant decrease in transforming growth factor（TGF）-β₁ expression level（P<0.05） and a significant increase in IgM expression level（P<0.01）. The results of gut microbiota analysis showed that， compared with the PCC-AR group， at the order level， the Zishen Tongguan formula group significantly reduced the relative abundance of conditional pathogens such as Bacteroidales， Acidaminococcales， Rhodospirillales， Clostridiales， and Elusimicrobiales（P<0.01）. And at the genus level， the Zishen Tongguan formula group significantly decreased the relative abundance of pathogenic microbiota such as Lachnospira and Bacteroides（P<0.01） and significantly increased the relative abundances of beneficial microbiota such as Ruminococcus and Lactobacillus（P<0.01）. ConclusionZishen Tongguan formula can reduce the level of harmful intestinal bacteria， increase the level of beneficial intestinal bacteria， down-regulate the expression of serum inflammatory factors， and the small amount of Cinnamomi Cortex in the formula may play a key role in the treatment of CNP with this formula.

ObjectiveBased on the theory of "gut-prostate" axis， this study explored the effects and mechanisms of Zishen Tongguan formula and Cinnamomi Cortex in the formula in treating rats with chronic non-bacterial prostatitis（CNP） by detecting the levels of inflammatory factors， and the composition and structure of intestinal flora in CNP rats. MethodsEight out of 42 SD rats were randomly selected as the normal group， and the remaining rats were injected with carrageenan to prepare the CNP model. After successful modeling， 32 rats were randomly divided into the model group， Ningmitai capsule group（0.50 g·kg^-1）， Zishen Tongguan formula group（2.00 g·kg^-1）， and the Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex-Anemarrhenae Rhizoma pair group（PCC-AR group， 2.00 g·kg^-1）， with 8 rats in each group. The administered groups were given the corresponding medicinal solution by gavage， and the normal and model groups were intragastrically administered with an equal volume of normal saline， once a day for 14 consecutive days. The prostate tissues of rats were collected and subjected to hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining and Masson staining to observe the pathological changes of the tissues in each group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） was used to detect the levels of related inflammatory factors in rat serum， and 16S rDNA sequencing was used to analyze the abundance and diversity changes of gut microbiota before and after administration， and species difference analysis was performed. ResultsAll the administered groups could alleviate the inflammatory symptoms of CNP rats， increase the expression levels of anti-inflammatory factors and decrease the expression levels of pro-inflammatory factors， with the most sIgnificant effect observed in the Zishen Tongguan formula group. Compared with the normal group， the expression levels of interleukin（IL）-8， hypersensitive C-reactive protein（hs-CRP）， immunoglobulin（Ig）M， secretory IgA （sIgA）， and inducible nitric oxide synthase（iNOS） were sIgnificantly increased in the model group（P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the expression levels of the above inflammatory factors in all administered groups were significantly reduced（P<0.01）. When compared with the PCC-AR group， the Zishen Tongguan formula group showed a significant decrease in transforming growth factor（TGF）-β₁ expression level（P<0.05） and a significant increase in IgM expression level（P<0.01）. The results of gut microbiota analysis showed that， compared with the PCC-AR group， at the order level， the Zishen Tongguan formula group significantly reduced the relative abundance of conditional pathogens such as Bacteroidales， Acidaminococcales， Rhodospirillales， Clostridiales， and Elusimicrobiales（P<0.01）. And at the genus level， the Zishen Tongguan formula group significantly decreased the relative abundance of pathogenic microbiota such as Lachnospira and Bacteroides（P<0.01） and significantly increased the relative abundances of beneficial microbiota such as Ruminococcus and Lactobacillus（P<0.01）. ConclusionZishen Tongguan formula can reduce the level of harmful intestinal bacteria， increase the level of beneficial intestinal bacteria， down-regulate the expression of serum inflammatory factors， and the small amount of Cinnamomi Cortex in the formula may play a key role in the treatment of CNP with this formula.

Retinal vein occlusion(RVO)is the second most common blinding retinal vascular disease, and its secondary macular edema(ME)is an important cause of visual function impairment in patients. Intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)drugs serves as the first-line treatment, yet it is confronted with such issues as the need for repeated injections and non-response in some patients. Imaging and laboratory biomarkers play a crucial role in the early accurate diagnosis, prediction of disease progression, and evaluation of visual prognosis of RVO-ME. This study systematically reviews the research progress of imaging and laboratory biomarkers related to the prognosis of RVO-ME after anti-VEGF treatment in recent years, covering imaging biomarkers like central retinal thickness and ellipsoid zone integrity, as well as laboratory biomarkers such as serum APLN and aqueous humor IL-6. It summarizes the associations between different biomarkers and the prognosis of anti-VEGF therapy, aiming to provide a basis for the early accurate assessment and optimization of individualized treatment for RVO-ME patients, which holds significant clinical reference value.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of thumbtack-needle embedding therapy of auricular acupuncture on gastrointestinal function and intestinal microflora in the patients with gastric cancer after operation, and to explore its mechanism. METHODS: A total of 80 patients with gastric cancer after radical operation were randomly divided into an observation group (40 cases, 3 cases discontinued) and a control group (40 cases, 3 cases discontinued). The patients of both groups received the perioperative care for accelerating recovery. Additionally, in the observation group, the thumbtack-needle embedding therapy of auricular acupuncture was delivered at the auricular points of unilateral side, including Wei (CO₄), Pi (CO₁₃), Dachang (CO₇), Xiaochang (CO₆), Yuanzhong (AT_2,3,4i), Erzhong (HX₁), Sanjiao (CO₁₇) and Jiaowozhong (TF₃), and the needles were embedded and retained for 72 h. The postoperative recovery time of gastrointestinal function (the postoperative bowel sound recovery time, the first exhaust time, the first defecation time), the postoperative hospital stay and pain visual analogue scale (VAS) score were observed in the two groups. Before operation and on day 5 after operation, the serum gastrin level was detected in the two groups. The third-generation 16S rRNA sequencing technology was used to detect the composition and relative abundance of intestinal flora in the two groups before and after operation. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the postoperative bowel sound recovery time, the first exhaust time and the first defecation time were shortened in the observation group (P<0.05). In the observation group, the VAS scores at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h after surgery were lower than those of the control group, respectively (P<0.05). There was no significant differences in postoperative hospital stay and serum gastrin level between the two groups (P>0.05). The alpha diversity analysis showed that the differences in Shannon index, Simpson index, Pielou_J index and Pd_fath index were not significant statistically after intervention between the two groups (P>0.05). After intervention, the community structure of the fecal sample was similar at each taxonomic level between the two groups, and although the proportion between species was various, the difference was not significant (P>0.05). After intervention, there were 55 species with the differences between the two groups, 17 species of them presented significant difference in relative abundance in the observation group and 38 species in the control group. Regarding the level of genus, the levels of Klebsiell and Enterobacter increased (P<0.05) and the level of Streptococcus decreased (P<0.05) in the observation group. The main microbial groups that played an important role were Coprobacillaceae, Sutterellaceae and Yersiniaceae in the observation group. KEGG function prediction indicated that the function of intestinal microflora was mainly associated with the cofactor and vitamin metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and amino acid metabolism. CONCLUSION The thumbtack-needle embedding therapy of auricular acupuncture improves the postoperative gastrointestinal function of the patients with gastric cancer probably through regulating the structure and relative abundance of intestinal microflora and affecting the energy metabolism.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Acupuncture, Ear/instrumentation* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Aged ; Stomach Neoplasms/therapy* ; Adult ; Acupuncture Points ; Gastrointestinal Tract/microbiology* ; Intestines/physiopathology* ; Postoperative Period ; Acupuncture Therapy

Objective To establish a rapid detection and identification method for the chemical components of Longshengzhi capsules based on UPLC-Q-TOF/MS.Method UPLC-Q/TOF-MS technology was used to analyze and identify the chemical components of Longshengzhi capsules.The chromatographic column was a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column(100mm×2.1mm,1.7 μm),and the mobile phase A was 0.1%formic acid water.The mobile phase B was a methanol acetonitrile(1∶1)solution containing 0.1%formic acid(B).The flow rate is 0.3mL/min,the column temperature is 40℃,and the injection volume is 2 μL.The ion source adopts the electric spray ion source.The data is collected in the positive and negative ion modes,and the collection range is m/z 50～1200.The identification and matching are carried out through UNIFI software combined with manual verification of chemical components.Result 87 chemical components were preliminarily and rapidly identified.Conclusion The established method can systematically and rapidly analyze the chemical components in Longsheng leeches,providing a basis for the study of medicinal substances and having important significance for the quality control of Longsheng leeches.

Objective:To validate and compare the value of the Status Epilepticus in Pediatric Severity Score (STEPSS) versus PEDSS in assessing the short-term prognosis of children with status epilepticus (SE).Methods:Clinical data of 152 children with SE hospitalized at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2020 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.According to the STEPSS and PEDSS scores, children with SE were scored and their prognosis was predicted.Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of the 2 scales in assessing the short-term prognosis of SE in children were plotted, and the area under the curve (AUC), optimal cut-off, sensitivity and specificity were calculated, thus validating and comparing the value of the STEPSS versus PEDSS in assessing the short-term prognosis of children with SE.Results:Of the 152 children with SE, 90 were male and 62 were female, with the age of (5.8±3.9) years (1 month to 15 years). There were 112 cases with good prognosis and 40 cases with poor prognosis, involving 13 deaths.The AUC of STEPSS and PEDSS scores in predicting the death in children with SE were 0.908(95% CI: 0.848-0.967) and 0.887(95% CI: 0.831-0.942), respectively, both with the optimal cut-off value of 4.The sensitivity of STEPSS and PEDSS scores in predicting the death in children with SE were 0.740 and 0.846, respectively, and the specificity were 0.745 and 0.835, respectively.There was no significant difference in predicting the death in children with SE between the 2 scales ( P>0.05). In predicting adverse outcomes, the AUC of the STEPSS and PEDSS scores were 0.869(95% CI: 0.800-0.937) and 0.926(95% CI: 0.873-0.979), respectively, both with the optimal cut-off value of 3.The sensitivity of STEPSS and PEDSS scores in predicting adverse outcomes in children with SE were 0.827 and 0.900, respectively, and the specificity were 0.732 and 0.866, respectively.There was significant difference in predicting the adverse outcomes in children with SE between the 2 scales ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Compared with the STEPSS, the PEDSS has a higher application in predicting the short-term treatment outcome of children with SE, which can be used as a routine method to assess the prognosis of children with SE.

Objective To investigate the predictive value of lactate/albumin ratio(LAR),interleukin-6(IL-6)and CD4+T lymphocyte count in 28-day mortality in patients with severe pneumonia and sepsis.Methods A total of 73 patients with severe pneumonia and sepsis admitted to the Respiratory Intensive Care Unit(RICU)of Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from January 2022 to June 2023 were enrolled and divided into the survival group(n=43)and the death group(n=30)according to their 28-day outcomes.The clinical data of the patients were collected from their electronic medical records,including age,gender,comorbidities with hypertension,diabetes,and coronary artery heart disease(CHD),as well as sequential organ failure assessment(SOFA)score,acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ(APACHE Ⅱ)score,mean arterial pressure(MAP),confusion,uremia,respiratory rate,blood pressure,age ≥65 years(CURB-65)score,total bilirubin(Tbil),serum creatinine(Scr),platelet count(PLT),white blood cell(WBC)count,procalcitonin(PCT),and C-reactive protein(CRP)at admission to RICU.On the 1st,3rd,and 7th day after admission to RICU,the patients'arterial blood was drawn,and the lactate level was detected by a fully automated blood gas analyzer.The peripheral venous blood was drawn,and the serum albumin and IL-6 levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,and the CD4+T lymphocyte subset count was measured by flow cytometry.The LAR of patients on the 1st,3rd and 7th day was calculated.The clinical data of the patients and the LAR,IL-6 level and CD4+T lymphocyte count on the 1st,3rd,and 7th day were compared between the two groups.The influencing factors of 28-day mortality in patients with severe pneumonia and sepsis were analyzed by logistic regression,and the predictive value of each influencing factor on the 28-day mortality in patients with severe pneumonia and sepsis was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results There was no significant difference in gender,age,proportions of comorbidities with hypertension,diabetes and CHD,length of stay in RICU,and Tbil,MAP,PLT,Scr,WBC,PCT and CRP at admission to RICU(P＞0.05).The APACHE Ⅱ and CURB-65 scores of the patients in the death group were significantly higher than those in the survival group(P＜0.05).On the 1st,3rd and 7th day,the CD4+T lymphocyte count in the death group was significantly lower than that in the survival group,while the SOFA score was significantly higher than that in the survival group(P＜0.05).On the first day,there was no significant difference in the LAR and IL-6 level be-tween the death group and the survival group(P＞0.05).However,on the 3rd and 7th day,the LAR and IL-6 level in the death group were significantly higher than those in the survival group(P＜0.05).The LAR,IL-6 level and SOFA score on the 3rd and 7th day in the survival group were significantly lower than those on the 1st day,and these indicators on the 7th day were sig-nificantly lower than those on the 3rd day(P＜0.05);the CD4+T lymphocyte count on the 3rd and 7th day was significantly higher than that on the 1st day(P＜0.05),while it showed no significant difference on the 7th and 3r day(P＞0.05).The IL-6 level on the 7th day in the death group was significantly lower than that on the 1st and 3rd day(P＜0.05),while there was no significant difference in IL-6 level on the 1st day compared with the 3r day(P＞0.05);moreover,there was no significant difference in LAR,CD4+T lymphocyte count and SOFA score between each time point(P＞0.05).Pearson correlation analy-sis showed that on the 3rd day,the LAR and IL-6 level were significantly positively correlated with the SOFA score in patients with severe pneumonia and sepsis(r=0.385,0.394;P＜0.05).On the 7th day,the LAR and IL-6 level were also significantly positively correlated with the SOFA score(r=0.418,0.402;P＜0.05).On the 3 rd and 7 th day,CD4+T lymphocyte count was significantly negatively correlated with the SOFA score(r=-0.451,-0.454;P＜0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that the APACHE Ⅱ score,LAR,IL-6 level and CD4+T lymphocyte count on the 3rd day,and the IL-6 level and CD4+T lym-phocyte count on the 7th day were the influencing factors for 28-day mortality in patients with severe pneumonia and sepsis(P＜0.05).The ROC curve showed that the APACHE Ⅱ score,LAR,IL-6 level and CD4+T lymphocyte count on the 3rd day and the combination of the three,IL-6 level and CD4+T lymphocyte count on the 7th day and the combination of the two had certain predictive value for the 28-day mortality in patients with severe pneumonia and sepsis(P＜0.05).The area under the ROC curve(AUC)of LAR,IL-6 level and CD4+T lymphocyte count on the 3rd day combined to predict 28-day mortality in patients with severe pneumonia and sepsis was 0.891,and the AUC of APACHE Ⅱ score for predicting 28-day mortality in pa-tients with severe pneumonia and sepsis was 0.769.The AUC values of LAR,IL-6 level and CD4+T lymphocyte count on the 3rd day for predicting 28-day mortality in patients with severe pneumonia and sepsis were 0.795,0.757 and 0.770,respective-ly,and the AUC values of IL-6 level and CD4+T lymphocyte count on the 7th day and their combination for predicting 28-day mortality in patients with severe pneumonia and sepsis were 0.743,0.802 and 0.888,respectively.Conclusion The 3-day LAR,IL-6 level and CD4+T lymphocyte count,and the 7-day IL-6 level and CD4+T lymphocyte count after admission are re-lated to the 28-day mortality in patients with severe pneumonia and sepsis.The combined LAR,IL-6 level and CD4+T lympho-cyte count on the 3rd day can better assess the severity and prognosis of patients.

It collected relative policy documents systematically and analyzed the development process and policy objective evolution of Chinese basic medical insurance system.Based on this,it determined the performance assessment objectives of the designated medical institutions of basic medical insurance and constructed the assessment framework guided by the goal realization.Then,from the perspective of contract management and performance management,it determined the assessment elements of contract enforcement assessment system of designated medical institutions and the logical relationship between the elements,and to construct a conceptual model,which provides a reference for guiding the research of the contract enforcement assessment of the designated medical institutions of basic medical insurance.

  Objective  To establish a model that can predict the occurrence of acute kidney disease (AKD) in liver cirrhotic patients and evaluate its performance.  Methods  Liver cirrhotic patients who hospitalized in the department of gastroenterology of the First Hospital of Lanzhou University from January 2017 to January 2022 were retrospectively included. They were divided into AKD and non-AKD groups according to whether they were combined with AKD during hospitalization, and were randomized into training and validation sets in a 7∶3 ratio. The clinical data of patients in the two groups were collected, and LASSO regression and multifactorial Logistic regression were used to screen the influencing factors for the occurrence of AKD in patients with liver cirrhosis and to establish a prediction model. The model was then evaluated by using the receiver operating characteristic curve, the calibration curve and the clinical decision curve.  Results  A total of 796 cases of liver cirrhotic patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled. Among them, 103 cases were in the AKD group and 693 cases were in the non-AKD group; 561 cases were in the training set and 235 cases were in the validation set. The results of LASSO regression and multifactorial Logistic regression showed that a history of diabetes (OR=2.922, 95% CI: 1.290-6.564, P=0.009), hepatic encephalopathy (OR=6.210, 95% CI: 2.278-17.479, P < 0.001), gastrointestinal bleeding (OR=2.501, 95% CI: 1.236-5.073, P=0.011), ascites (OR=3.219, 95% CI: 1.664-6.539, P < 0.001), male (OR=0.477, 95% CI: 0.254-0.879, P=0.019), hemoglobin (OR=0.987, 95% CI: 0.975-0.999, P=0.044), albumin (OR=0.952, 95% CI: 0.911-0.991, P=0.023), and prothrombin time (OR=0.865, 95% CI: 0.779-0.920, P < 0.001) were the independent influences on the occurrence of AKD in liver cirrhotic patients, and were used to construct a prediction model. The area under the curve of the model in the training set and validation set for predicting the occurrence of AKD in liver cirrhotic patients was 0.895 (95% CI: 0.865-0.925) and 0.869 (95% CI: 0.807-0.930), respectively. The calibration curves showed that the model had good fit and consistency and the clinical decision curves showed that the use of the model for predicting the risk of AKD could benefit liver cirrhotic patients overall.  Conclusions  A prediction model for the occurrence of AKD in liver cirrhotic patients was established based on eight influencing factors, including gender, history of diabetes, and hepatic encephalopathy. It was validated to have good discrimination, calibration, and clinical utility, and is expected to assist in the clinical early screening and identification of liver cirrhosis-associated AKD.

Objective:To analyze the clinical features of postpartum hepatitis flares in pregnant women with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted. Patients who met the enrollment criteria were included. Liver function and HBV virology tests were collected from pregnant women with chronic HBV infection at delivery, 6, 24, 36, and 48 weeks after delivery through the hospital information and test system. Additionally, antiviral therapy types and drug withdrawal times were collected. Statistical analysis was performed on all the resulting data.Results:A total of 533 pregnant women who met the inclusion criteria were included, with all patients aged (29.5±3.7) years old. A total of 408 cases received antiviral drugs during pregnancy to interrupt mother-to-child transmission. There was no significant difference in the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT, z ?=?-1.981, P ?=?0.048), aspartate aminotransferase (AST, z ?=?-3.956, P ?