ObjectiveTo investigate the economic status of psychiatric patients and their families in Shaoxing area in Zhejiang Province.MethodsA self-edited questionnaire was used to survey the annual income and expenses for medical treatment among psychiatric patients and their families.ResultsThe average annual income of per person in psychiatric family was (3823.07±3354.99) Yuan while average annual income of per psychiatric patient was (1918.20±5188.42) Yuan, which were only 62.3% and 31.2% of the rural controllable annual income, 20.9% and 14.2% of urban controllable annual income in Shaoxing area. In the meantime, 30.43% psychiatric patients did not have any incomes and 47.43% were below 500 Yuan per year. Engel coefficient was (59.65±24.36). The average expense for medical treatment was 1052.54 Yuan per year, which was 54.9% of annual income of the psychiatric patients. In some illness, this rate was as high as 90% or above.ConclusionThe incomes of psychiatric family members and psychiatric patients themselves are much lower than the local average level, while they would be spent more than a half of the income on their medical treatment. Psychiatric patients as well as their family members are the extremely low income and weak social class and need help by the government and society.

BACKGROUNDSubsequent neutrophil (polymorphonuclear neutrophil [PMN])-predominant inflammatory response is a predominant feature of ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI), and mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) can improve mice survival model of endotoxin-induced acute lung injury, reduce lung impairs, and enhance the repair of VILI. However, whether MSC could attenuate PMN-predominant inflammatory in the VILI is still unknown. This study aimed to test whether MSC intervention could attenuate the PMN-predominate inflammatory in the mechanical VILI.

METHODSSprague-Dawley rats were ventilated for 2 hours with large tidal volume (20 mL/kg). MSCs were given before or after ventilation. The inflammatory chemokines and gas exchange were observed and compared dynamically until 4 hours after ventilation, and pulmonary pathological change and activation of PMN were observed and compared 4 hours after ventilation.

RESULTSMechanical ventilation (MV) caused significant lung injury reflected by increasing in PMN pulmonary sequestration, inflammatory chemokines (tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6 and macrophage inflammatory protein 2) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and injury score of the lung tissue. These changes were accompanied with excessive PMN activation which reflected by increases in PMN elastase activity, production of radical oxygen series. MSC intervention especially pretreatment attenuated subsequent lung injury, systemic inflammation response and PMN pulmonary sequestration and excessive PMN activation initiated by injurious ventilation.

CONCLUSIONSMV causes profound lung injury and PMN-predominate inflammatory responses. The protection effect of MSC in the VILI rat model is related to the suppression of the PMN activation.

Animals ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Cells, Cultured ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Inflammation ; therapy ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; physiology ; Neutrophils ; cytology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury ; metabolism ; therapy

BACKGROUNDNitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in acute lung injury (ALI), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and in ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). A change in the balance of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and NO in the ALI/ARDS can also add to these problems. However, the profile of ET-1 and the balance of ET-1 and NO are still unknown in a VILI model.

METHODSModels of oleic acid induced ALI were established in dogs; these models were then randomized into three groups undergone different tidal volume (VT) mechanical ventilation, which included a VT6 group (VT equaled to 6 ml/kg body weight, positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) equaled to 10 cmH2O, n = 6), a VT10 group (VT equaled to 10 ml/kg body weight, PEEP equaled to 10 cmH2O, n = 4) and a VT20 group (VT equaled to 20 ml/kg body weight, PEEP equaled to 10 cmH2O, n = 6) for 6-hour ventilation. The levels of ET-1 and NO in serum and tissue homogenates of lung were observed throughout the trial.

RESULTSPaO2 was increased after mechanical ventilation, but hypercapnia occurred in the VT6 group. The magnitudes of lung injury in the VT20 group were more severe than those in the VT6 group and the VT10 group. Serum levels of ET-1 and NO increased after ALI models were established and slightly decreased after a 6-hour ventilation in both the VT6 group and the VT20 group. The serum ET-1 level in the VT20 group was higher than that in the VT6 group and the VT10 group after the 6-hour ventilation (P < 0.05) while the serum NO levels were similar in the three groups (all P > 0.05). There was no significant difference in serum ratio of ET-1/NO between any two out of three groups (P > 0.05), although there was a significant positive relationship between serum ET-1 and serum NO (r = 0.80, P < 0.01). The levels of ET-1 and NO in the lung were increased after ventilation. The lung ET-1 level in the VT20 group was significantly higher than that in the VT6 group and VT10 group (both P < 0.05) while there was no significant difference in lung NO levels between two groups (P > 0.05). In the lung tissue, the ratio of ET-1/NO was significantly higher in the VT20 group than in the VT6 group and VT10 group after the 6-hour ventilation (P < 0.05) as there was a significant positive relationship between ET-1 and NO in the lung (r = 0.54, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe production of ET-1 and NO was increased in serum and lung tissue in a VILI model. But the ET-1 levels increased much more than the NO levels in the lung, though there was a significant positive relationship between levels of ET-1 and NO. These results showed that there was an interaction between ET-1 and NO in a VILI model and changing the balance of ET-1 and NO levels might contribute to the pathophysiologic process of VILI.

Animals ; Colorimetry ; Dogs ; Endothelin-1 ; blood ; metabolism ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Lung ; metabolism ; pathology ; Nitric Oxide ; blood ; metabolism ; Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury ; blood ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of continuous hemofiltration (CH) on the prognosis of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in elderly patients.

METHODSThirty-four elderly patients with MODS after AMI admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) were grouped into continuous hemofiltration (CH) group and non-CH (NCH) group. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHEII) scores and Marshall scores were assessed upon admission in ICU and 7 days after the admission. The mortality rates of the patients within 28 and 90 days after admission to ICU were calculated, and the changes in APACHEII scores and Marshall scores were compared between the two groups.

RESULTSThe APACHEII scores and Marshall scores showed no significant difference between the two upon admission to the ICU, but significantly decreased in CH group 7 days after the admission (P<0.05 and P<0.01 respectively). The APACHEII scores increased significantly in NCH group (P<0.01) 7 days after the admission while the Marshall scores remained unchanged (P>0.05). The overall mortality rates at 28 and 90 days were 41.18% and 61.76%, respectively. A significant difference was noted in the mortality rate at 28 days between the two groups (P<0.05), but not in the rate at 90 days (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONCH can improve the organic functions and the short-term outcome of elderly patients with MODS after AMI, but has no positive effect on their long-term outcomes.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Hemofiltration ; Humans ; Male ; Multiple Organ Failure ; complications ; therapy ; Myocardial Infarction ; complications ; therapy ; Prognosis

OBJECTIVETo assess the value of the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) in predicting the early-stage outcome of liver transplantation in patients with end-stage liver disease.

METHODSThe MELD scores of 87 liver transplantation recipients with end-stage liver disease were calculated, and their early-stage complications and mortality were analyzed.

RESULTSThe incidence of severe complications was 20.7%; in these recipients, with the 28-day and 3-month survival rates of 89.7%; and 88.5%;, respectively. The mean MELD scores showed significant differences between the complication-free group and survival group (14.6 vs 12.9, P<0.05), and also between the complication group and death group (21.6 vs 29.4, P<0.05). Compared to patients with MELD no greater than 15, patients with MELD between 16 and 24 showed significantly increased complication rate but had comparable survival rate (P>0.05); but in patients with MELD no less than 25, the survival rate was significantly decreased with also increased complication rate.

CONCLUSIONSA higher MELD score before liver transplantation is associated with greater likeliness of early-stage complication rate and mortality. High MELD score (over 25) can be a useful index in predicting severe complications and death in patients undergoing liver transplantation.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; complications ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; etiology ; surgery ; Liver Failure ; etiology ; pathology ; surgery ; Liver Transplantation ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Models, Biological ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index ; Survival Analysis ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: Omicron, a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant, is responsible for numerous infections in China. This study investigates the association between the use of Seven-Flavor Herb Tea (SFHT) and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection to develop precise and differentiated strategies for control of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: This case-control study was conducted at shelter hospitals and quarantine hotels in China. A total of 5348 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients were enrolled between April 1 and May 31, 2022, while 2190 uninfected individuals served as healthy controls. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data on demographics, underlying diseases, vaccination status, and use of SFHT. Patients were propensity-score-matched using 1:1 nearest-neighbor matching of the logit of the propensity score. Subsequently, a conditional logistic regression model was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Overall, 7538 eligible subjects were recruited, with an average age of [45.54 ± 16.94] years. The age of COVID-19 patients was significantly higher than that of uninfected individuals ([48.25 ± 17.48] years vs [38.92 ± 13.41] years; t = 22.437, P < 0.001). A total of 2190 COVID-19 cases were matched with uninfected individuals at a 1:1 ratio. The use of SFHT (odds ratio = 0.753, 95% confidence interval: 0.692, 0.820) was associated with a lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to untreated individuals. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that taking SFHT reduces the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. This is a useful study in the larger picture of COVID-19 management, but data from large-sample multi-center, randomized clinical trial are warranted to confirm the finding. Please cite this article as: Zhang SX, Chen XX, Zheng Y, Cai BH, Shi W, Ru M, Li H, Zhang DD, Tian Y, Chen YL. Reduced SARS-CoV-2 infection risk is associated with the use of Seven-Flavor Herb Tea: A multi-center observational study in Shanghai, China. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(4):369-376.
Humans ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Case-Control Studies ; China/epidemiology* ; Tea