1.Predictive value of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio on admission for early neurological deterioration in patients with lacunar stroke
Haojiang ZHANG ; Zhonglin GE ; Mingyue QIAN ; Jiechun CHEN ; Aixia ZHUANG
International Journal of Cerebrovascular Diseases 2019;27(2):98-103
Objective To investigate the predictive value of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on admission for early neurological deterioration (END) in patients with lacunar stroke.Methods Patients with acute lacunar stroke admitted to the Department of Neurology,the Second People's Hospital of Lianyungang from June 2015 to October 2017 were enrolled retrospectively.END was defined as an increase of ≥2 in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score within 72 h of admission.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors for END.The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the predictive value of NLR for END in patients with lacunar stroke.Results A total of 309 patients with acute lacunar infarction were enrolled,including 180 males (58.2%),aged 59.7 ±7.3 years;65 patients (21.0%) in END group and 244 (79.0%) in non-END group.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for other confounders,NLR was an independent risk factor for END in lacunar stroke (odds ratio 4.508,95% confidence interval 3.128-7.547;P<0.001).ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of NLR predicting END in patients with lacunar stroke was 0.725 (95% confidence interval 0.671-0.776;P < 0.001);the optimal cut-off value was 2.32,the sensitivity of predicting END was 61.21%,and the specificity was 72.54%.Conclusion The elevated NLR after admission is an independent risk factor for END in patients with lacunar stroke,which has certain value for early identification and prediction of END.
2.Distribution of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndromes in 600 Patients with Alopecia Areata Based on Factor Analysis and Cluster Analysis
Ziyuan TIAN ; Qingwu LIU ; Mingyue ZHUANG ; Shiyi ZHONG ; Dingquan YANG
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2023;64(24):2545-2552
ObjectiveTo explore the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes of alopecia areata (AA), and to provide reference for TCM clinical syndrome differentiation and classification of AA. MethodsAA patients who visited the specialized hairiness clinic of Beijing China-Japan Friendship Hospital were included. A questionnaire was developed including general information of the patients, history of hair loss (onset time, triggers and exacerbating factors, disease progression), current symptoms (symptoms and signs), medical history, personal history, family history, and hair microscopy examination results. The factor analysis and cluster analysis were used to determine the syndrome elements and to summarize the syndrome types. ResultsA total of 600 patients with AA were included, including 218 males (36.33%) and 382 females (63.67%). Totally, 128 patients (21.33%) had a family history of hair loss, and 326 patients (54.33%) had a previous related underlying disease. The leading triggering and exacerbating factors of AA were tension and anxiety, accounting for 335 cases (55.83%) and 285 cases (47.50%), respectively. The top 10 symptoms involved among patients were scalp oil, anxiety, irritability, dreaminess, fatigue, itching, tension, weakness and dandruff. The factor analysis showed that the factor rotation converged after 9 iterations, and finally obtained 12 common factors and 34 variables, with a cumulative contribution rate of 58.59%. In terms of disease location of AA, the main syndrome elements were liver, spleen and kidney, and the disease nature syndrome elements were mainly dampness-heat, qi stagnation, yin deficiency, qi deficiency, and blood deficiency. The clustering analysis of the 12 common factors showed that TCM syndromes could be summarized into four categories: internal retention of damp-heat, liver-kidney deficiency, qi and blood deficiency, and liver constraint and spleen deficiency. There were significant differences in the distribution of TCM syndromes in patients of different ages and genders (P<0.001). ConclusionThe main disease location of AA is in the liver, spleen, and kidney, with the liver being the key. The disease mechanism of AA is a deficiency-excess complex, initially manifested as excess and later becoming deficiency. The TCM syndromes mainly include four types which are internal retention of damp-heat, liver-kidney deficiency, qi and blood deficiency, and liver constraint and spleen deficiency.
3.Study on the Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndromes of 800 Children with Alopecia Areata Based on Factor Analysis and Cluster Analysis
Ying XIE ; Yanping WANG ; Mingyue ZHUANG ; Meijiao DU ; Yonglong XU ; Yumei YANG ; Dingquan YANG
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;65(4):388-394
ObjectiveTo study the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes of children with alopecia areata, and provide evidence for TCM differentiation and treatment in clinic. MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 800 children with alopecia areata admitted to the Hair Medicine Center of the China-Japan Friendship Hospital from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2021. The clinical data of the children were collected using a four-examination information questionnaire, including clinical characteristics (age of consultation, age of onset, course of disease, family history, severity grading), alopecia areata-related factors (triggers), and four-examination information (including sleep, diet, emotions, bladder and bowel function, etc.). Descriptive frequency analyses, rank sum tests, factor analyses and cluster analyses were performed, and the distribution of the major TCM syndromes was summarised with the clinical data. ResultsThere were 800 children with alopecia areata, including 449 males and 351 females; 8 cases (1.00%) were in infancy, 36 cases (4.50%) were in early childhood, 180 cases (22.50%) were in preschool, 380 cases (47.50%) were in school age, and 196 cases (24.50%) were in puberty at the time of consultation; the average age of consultation was 8.31±3.86 years, the average age of onset of disease was 5.40±3.82 years, and the average duration of disease was 2.94±2.77 years; 527 children (65.87%) with severe alopecia areata; 85 children (13.56%) had a family history of alopecia areata; 772 children (96.50%) had unknown triggers for their first alopecia areata, and 28 children (3.50%) reported the presence of obvious triggers, including fright (9 cases), high fever (5 cases), allergic reactions (4 cases), micronutrient (zinc, iron, etc.) deficiencies (4 cases), inappropriate diet (2 cases), environmental factors (1 case, new house renovation), atopic dermatitis (1 case), atopic asthma (1 case), and pneumonia (1 case). A total of 40 four-examination information items were collected, among which the frequency of kicking quilts was the highest with 380 cases (47.50%), followed by picky eating (369 cases, 46.13%), sleeplessness (334 cases, 41.75%), irritability (334 cases, 41.75%), partiality towards certain foods (306 cases, 38.25%), impulsiveness (297 cases, 37.13%), dry stools (233 cases, 29.13%), yellow urine (215 cases, 26.88%), nail biting (213 cases, 26.63%), bad breath (211 cases, 26.38%). According to factor analysis and cluster analysis, five types of TCM syndromes were obtained, in order as qi and blood deficiency syndrome (110 cases, 13.75%), spleen deficiency syndrome (114 cases, 14.25%), kidney essence deficiency syndrome (140 cases, 17.50%), dietary stagnation syndrome (150 cases, 18.75%), and liver depression and spleen deficiency syndrome (286 cases, 35.75%). Patients in each age group and SALT grading are mainly liver depression and spleen deficiency syndrome. ConclusionThe TCM symptoms of children with alopecia areata are mainly based on qi and blood deficiency syndrome, spleen deficiency syndrome, kidney essence deficiency syndrome, dietary stagnation syndrome, and liver depression and spleen deficiency syndrome, of which liver depression and spleen deficiency syndrome is the most common type at different ages and stages of the disease.