The overlapping symptoms of functional gastrointestinal disorders(FGIDs)are complicated,which makes the diagnosis and treatment of FGIDs more difficult,at the same time aggravates the patients'psychological and economic burden and results in the consumption of medical resources.Functional dyspepsia(FD)and gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD)may have a potential Pathophysiology relationship,which is mainly related to gastrointestinal motility disorders caused by lower esophageal sphincter relaxation and delayed gastric emptying.The spleen is the foundation of nurture,the source of Qi and blood biochemistry,disperses the fine in the whole body,contains the energy and the material which the organism needs.Mitochondria are known as"Power factories",producing heme as well as ATP from tricarboxylic acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation to fuel life.The functions of spleen and mitochondria embody the same life activity in two different ways.It has been found that the dysfunction of interstitial cells of cajal(ICC)caused by energy metabolism disorder of mitochondria is closely related to gastrointestinal motility disorder.Therefore,based on the"Correlation between spleen and mitochondria",this paper discusses the relationship between ICC dysfunction and overlapping FD and GERD.It is suggested that the dysfunction of ICC caused by spleen deficiency and mitochondrial energy metabolism disorder is the important pathogenesis of overlapping FD and GERD.In addition,starting from the theory of Tong Jiang,it can provide higher clinical practical value for the diagnosis and treatment of overlapping FD and GERD.

Humans ; Consensus ; Hypersensitivity ; Desensitization, Immunologic/adverse effects* ; Immunotherapy/adverse effects* ; Injections, Subcutaneous ; Allergens

Objective: During laparoscopic pelvic operational procedure for obese patients with rectal cancer, the large amount of fat in the abdominal cavity often impairs the exposure of the surgical field, resulting in technical difficulty. In contrast, robotic surgery has the advantages of being more minimally invasive, precise, and flexible. This study compared the clinical efficacy of robotic and laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer for overweight and obese patients. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Clinical data of 173 patients with rectal cancer and a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m(2) who received robotic or laparoscopic radical rectal resection at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from January 2015 to February 2019 were retrospectively collected. Of 173 patients, 90 underwent robotic surgery and 83 underwent laparoscopic surgery. The intraoperative parameters, postoperative short-term and follow-up status were analyzed and compared between the two groups. The follow-up ended in December 2019. Results: Of 173 patients, 103 were male and 70 were female with a median age of 62 (range 29 to 86) years. The average BMI was (27.2±1.6) kg/m(2) in the robotic group and (27.3±1.5) kg/m(2) in the laparoscopic group. No significant differences in baseline data were observed between two groups (all P>0.05). As compared to the laparoscopic group, the robotic group had less intraoperative blood loss [(73.0±46.8) ml vs. (120.9±59.9) ml, t=-5.881, P<0.001] and higher postoperative hospitalization expense [(61±15) thousand yuan vs (52±13) thousand yuan, t=3.468, P=0.026]. The conversion rate in the robotic group was 1.1% (1/90), which was lower than 6.0% (5/83) in the laparoscopic group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.106). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in operative time, number of intraoperative blood transfusion, number of harvested lymph nodes, time to the first flatus, postoperative hospital stay and morbidity of total postoperative complications (all P>0.05). Five (6.0%) patients in the laparoscopic group developed urinary dysfunction, while no case in the robotic group developed postoperative urinary dysfunction (P=0.024). The 173 patients were followed up for 8-59 months, with a median follow-up of 36 months. The 3-year overall survival rate of robotic group and laparoscopic group was 89.8% and 86.6%, respectively without significant difference between the two groups (P=0.638). The 3-year disease-free survival rate of the robotic group and the laparoscopic group was 85.6% and 81.5%, respectively without significant difference as well (P=0.638). Conclusions: Robotic radical surgery is safe and feasible for overweight and obese patients with rectal cancer. Compared with laparoscopic radical surgery, it has advantages of clear vision of surgical exposure, less intraoperative blood loss, less pelvic autonomic nerve damage, and operation in a narrow space.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Feasibility Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Obesity/complications* ; Overweight/complications* ; Rectal Neoplasms/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Robotic Surgical Procedures ; Treatment Outcome

Objective: To identify the characteristics including clinical features and pulmonary computed tomography (CT) features of heart failure and COVID-19. Methods: This study was a retrospective study. A total of 7 patients with heart failure and 12 patients with COVID-19 in the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University between December 1, 2019 and February 15, 2020 were enrolled. The baseline clinical and imaging features of the two groups were statistically analyzed. Results: There was no significant difference in age and sex between the two groups(both P>0.05), but the incidence of epidemiological contact history, fever or respiratory symptoms in the COVID-19 group was significantly higher than that in the heart failure group (12/12 vs. 0, P<0.001; 12/12 vs. 4/7, P=0.013). While the proportion of cardiovascular diseases and impaired cardiac function was significantly less than that of the heart failure group(2/12 vs.7/7, P<0.001；0 vs.7/7, P<0.001). For imaging features, both groups had ground-glass opacity and thickening of interlobular septum, but the ratio of central and gradient distribution was higher in patients with heart failure than that in patients with COVID-19 (4/7 vs. 1/12, P=0.04). In heart failure group, the ratio of the expansion of pulmonary veins was also higher (3/7 vs. 0，P=0.013), and the lung lesions can be significantly improved after effective anti-heart failure treatment. Besides, there were more cases with rounded morphology in COVID-19 group（9/12 vs. 2/7, P=0.048）. Conclusions: More patients with COVID-19 have epidemiological history and fever or respiratory symptoms. There are significant differences in chest CT features, such as enlargement of pulmonary veins, lesions distribution and morphology between heart failure and COVID-19.
Betacoronavirus ; COVID-19 ; Coronavirus Infections/diagnostic imaging* ; Heart Failure/etiology* ; Humans ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral/diagnostic imaging* ; Retrospective Studies ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVE: Autonomic imbalance is considered a psychopathological mechanism underlying major depressive disorder (MDD). Heart rate variability (HRV) is an index for autonomic activation. Poor sleep quality is common among patients with MDD. HRV biofeedback (BF) has been used for regulating autonomic balance among patients with physical illness and mental disorders. The purpose of present study was to examine the effects of HRV-BF on depressive symptoms, sleep quality, pre-sleep arousal, and HRV indices, in patients with MDD and insomnia. METHODS: In this case-controlled study, patients with MDD and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score higher than 6 were recruited. The HRV-BF group received weekly 60-minute protocol for 6 weeks, and the control group who have matched the age and sex received medical care only. All participants were assessed on Beck Depression Inventory-II, Back Anxiety Inventory, PSQI, and Pre-Sleep Arousal Scale. Breathing rates and electrocardiography were also performed under resting state at pre-testing, and post-testing conditions and for the HRV-BF group, also at 1-month follow-up. RESULTS: In the HRV-BF group, symptoms of depression and anxiety, sleep quality, and pre-sleep arousal were significantly improved, and increased HRV indices, compared with the control group. Moreover, in the HRV-BF group, significantly improved symptoms of depression and anxiety, decreased breathing rates, and increased HRV indices were detected at post-testing and at 1-month follow-up, compared with pre-testing values. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed that HRV-BF is a useful psychosocial intervention for improving autonomic balance, baroreflex, and symptoms of depression and insomnia in MDD patients.
Anxiety ; Arousal ; Baroreflex ; Biofeedback, Psychology ; Case-Control Studies ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Electrocardiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Rate ; Heart ; Humans ; Mental Disorders ; Respiration ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders

The title should be corrected as follows: Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Increased Autonomic Activation and Improved Symptoms of Depression and Insomnia among Patients with Major Depressive Disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Identification of new risk factors is needed to improve prediction of adverse outcomes in patients with three-vessel disease (TVD). The present study aimed to evaluate the prognostic values of serum chloride and sodium levels in patients with TVD. METHODS: We used data from a prospective cohort of consecutive patients with angiographically confirmed TVD. The primary endpoint was all-cause death. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to analyze the relationship of serum chloride and sodium levels with long-term outcomes of TVD patients. RESULTS: A total of 8,318 participants with available serum chloride and sodium data were included in this analysis. At baseline, patients in the low tertiles group of serum chloride level (⪕ 102.0 mmol/L) or serum sodium level (⪕ 139.0 mmol/L) had more severe disease conditions. During a median follow-up of 7.5-year, both low serum chloride level and low serum sodium level were found to be associated with an increased risk for mortality in univariate analysis. However, when both parameters were incorporated into a multivariate model, only low serum sodium level remained to be an independent predictor of all-cause death (hazard ratio: 1.16, 95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.34, P = 0.041). Modest but significant improvement of discrimination was observed after incorporating serum sodium level into the Synergy between percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery score. CONCLUSION Serum sodium level is more strongly associated with long-term outcomes of TVD patients compared with serum chloride level. Low serum sodium level is an independent risk factor for mortality, but only provides modest prognostic information beyond an established risk model.
Aged ; China ; epidemiology ; Chlorides ; blood ; Coronary Artery Disease ; blood ; diagnosis ; mortality ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; Sodium ; blood

The concept of theranostics, where individual patient-level biological information is used to choose the optimal therapy for that individual, has become more popular in the modern era of ‘personalised’ medicine. With the growth of theranostics, nuclear medicine as a specialty is uniquely poised to grow along with the ever-increasing number of concepts combining imaging and therapy. This special report summarises the status and growth of Theranostic Nuclear Medicine in Singapore.We will cover our experience with the use of radioiodine, radioiodinated metaiodobenzylguanidine, peptide receptor radionuclide therapy, prostate specific membrane antigen radioligand therapy, radium-223 and yttrium-90 selective internal radiation therapy.We also include a section on our radiopharmacy laboratory, crucial to our implementation of theranostic principles. Radionuclide theranostics has seen tremendous growth and we hope to be able to grow alongside to continue to serve the patients in Singapore and in the region.
Hope ; Humans ; Lutetium ; Membranes ; Nuclear Medicine ; Prostate ; Radium ; Receptors, Peptide ; Singapore ; Theranostic Nanomedicine ; Yttrium

The concept of theranostics, where individual patient-level biological information is used to choose the optimal therapy for that individual, has become more popular in the modern era of ‘personalised’ medicine. With the growth of theranostics, nuclear medicine as a specialty is uniquely poised to grow along with the ever-increasing number of concepts combining imaging and therapy. This special report summarises the status and growth of Theranostic Nuclear Medicine in Singapore.We will cover our experience with the use of radioiodine, radioiodinated metaiodobenzylguanidine, peptide receptor radionuclide therapy, prostate specific membrane antigen radioligand therapy, radium-223 and yttrium-90 selective internal radiation therapy.We also include a section on our radiopharmacy laboratory, crucial to our implementation of theranostic principles. Radionuclide theranostics has seen tremendous growth and we hope to be able to grow alongside to continue to serve the patients in Singapore and in the region.

There is increasing recognition of the importance of the quality of life (QOL) since it became an endpoint of clinical practices, a variety of disease-specific quality of life instruments have been developed and used as a means of assessing clinical interventions. Traditional evaluation was performed by researchers who generally ignore the subjective feeling from pa-tiens. At present, many evaluation criteria has paid more attention to the patient's subjective feelings into the scoring system, the assessment tool of patient-reported outcome (PRO) is usually the patient self-rating scale or questionnaire. As a common complica-tions of terminal stages of cancer, the treatment of bone metastases is usually conservative, improving or maintaining the quality of life of patients has been the consensus. Bone metastases trials have employed QLQ-C30 which raised by Europe Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) or other generic health related QOL measurement, such as functional assessment of cancer therapy-general (FACT-G) and the MOS 36-item short from health survey (SF-36). But they lack specificity and accuracy in the assessment. EORTC QLQ-BM22 scale is considered as a bone metastases specific scale which was introducted in 2009, after the reliability, validity, cross-cultural adaptability verification, with the combination of EORTC QLQ-C 30 or used alone, has in-creasingly applied to clinical trials and practice for QOL assessment of bone metastatic cancer patients in recent years. It complete the EORTC evaluation system, which has significant value for assessing efficacy. EORTC QLQ-BM 22 has been translated into sim-plified Chinese and evaluated its utility, could be used in China as an effective questionnaire in evaluating the QOL for patients with bone metastases. In this study, current situation and progress of QOL measuring tools for bone metastases patients is re-viewed, in order to help researchers choose appropriate scale and better assess the efficacy, find the pros and cons to guide the clinical treatment decision.