OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVE: Several epidemiological observational studies have related particulate matter (PM) exposure to Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but many confounding factors make it difficult to draw causal links from observational studies. The objective of this study was to explore the causal association between PM _2.5 exposure, its absorbance, and IBD. METHODS: We assessed the association of PM _2.5 and PM _2.5 absorbance with the two primary forms of IBD (Crohn's disease [CD] and ulcerative colitis [UC]) using Mendelian randomization (MR) to explore the causal relationship. We conducted two-sample MR analyses with aggregated data from the UK Biobank genome-wide association study. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms linked with PM _2.5 concentrations or their absorbance were used as instrumental variables (IVs). We used inverse variance weighting (IVW) as the primary analytical approach and four other standard methods as supplementary analyses for quality control. RESULTS: The results of MR demonstrated that PM _2.5 had an adverse influence on UC risk (odds ratio [ OR] = 1.010; 95% confidence interval [ CI] = 1.001-1.019, P = 0.020). Meanwhile, the results of IVW showed that PM _2.5 absorbance was also causally associated with UC ( OR = 1.012; 95% CI = 1.004-1.019, P = 0.002). We observed no causal relationship between PM _2.5, PM _2.5 absorbance, and CD. The results of sensitivity analysis indicated the absence of heterogeneity or pleiotropy, ensuring the reliability of MR results. CONCLUSION Based on two-sample MR analyses, there are potential positive causal relationships between PM _2.5, PM _2.5 absorbance, and UC.
Humans ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Particulate Matter/analysis* ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/genetics* ; Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Crohn Disease/genetics* ; Colitis, Ulcerative/genetics* ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Risk Factors ; Environmental Exposure

Objective:To analyze the correlation between serum calcium levels and the prognosis of survival and renal recovery in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) accompanied by hypercalcemia.Methods:This retrospective study analyzed the clinical data of patients with AKI accompanied by hypercalcemia admitted to Shanghai General Hospital from December 2015 to August 2022. There were 157 patients included in the study. The observation endpoint was set at discharge, focusing on the patients' survival and renal recovery during this period. Based on their status at discharge, patients were divided into a survival group (116 cases) and a death group (41 cases); and among the survivors, into a renal recovery group (63 cases) and a non-recovery group (53 cases). Continuous variables conforming to normal distribution were expressed as xˉ± s, and the mean comparison between the two groups was performed using an independent sample t-test. Continuous variables not conforming to normal distribution were represented by median (interquartile range) and compared between groups using the Mann-Whitney U test. Categorical variables were expressed as frequency (percentage), and comparisons were made using the chi-squared (χ 2) test or Fisher's exact test, as applicable. The correlation between serum calcium levels and patient outcomes was analyzed using univariate and multivariate Logistic regression. Results:The average age of the study subjects was (68.37±16.28) years, with 97 males (61.78%). The ages in the survival and death groups were (65.39±16.13) years and (76.80±13.67) years, respectively, with 66 males in the survival group and 31 in the death group. The history of malignancy (excluding multiple myeloma) was 37 cases and 23 cases, respectively, and serum albumin levels were (35.41±6.84) g/L and (30.82±5.75) g/L, respectively. Significant Statistical differences were observed in age, gender, history of malignancy (excluding multiple myeloma), and serum albumin were found between the survival and death groups (statistical values: t=4.04, χ 2=4.49, χ 2=7.51, t=3.85; all P<0.05). AIK 1 stage were 33.33%(21/63) and 64.15%(34/53), 2 stage were 36.51%(23/63) and 24.53%(13/34), 3 stage were 30.16%(23/63) and 11.32%(6/34) in the renal recovery and non-recovery groupsrespectively. Serum calcium at discharge in the renal recovery and non-recovery groups were (2.50±0.38) mmol/L and (2.70±0.58) mmol/L, respectively, with mean serum calcium levels of (2.60±0.29) mmol/L and (2.78±0.39) mmol/L, and lowest serum calcium levels of (2.28±0.36) mmol/L and (2.50±0.51) mmol/L, respectively. BNP levels were 118 (64, 283) ng/L and 248 (69, 1 383) ng/L, respectively. Significant differences in AKI stage, serum calcium at discharge, mean serum calcium, lowest serum calcium, and BNP were observed between the two groups (statistical values: χ 2=11.84, t=2.26, t=2.75, t=2.73, U=2.62, all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age ( OR=1.062, 95% CI 1.027-1.098, P<0.001), history of malignancy (excluding multiple myeloma) ( OR=3.811, 95% CI 1.623-8.951, P=0.002), and serum albumin ( OR=0.889, 95% CI 0.829-0.953, P=0.001) were independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality of patients; severity of AKI(AKI2 OR=2.984, 95% CI 1.281-6.954, P=0.011, AKI3 OR=5.280, 95% CI 1.863-14.963, P=0.002) and serum calcium level at discharge ( OR=0.813, 95% CI 0.666-0.992, P=0.041) were independent risk factors affecting early renal recovery of patients. Conclusion:Serum calcium level is not associated with the risk of in-hospital mortality in patients with AKI accompanied by hypercalcemia but is related to the prognosis of early renal recovery. Proactively managing serum calcium, along with treatment of the primary malignancy and correction of hypoalbuminemia can help improve the prognosis of these patients.

Objective:To investigate the current situation of the use of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) for portal hypertension, which should aid the development of TIPS in China.Methods:The China Portal Hypertension Alliance (CHESS) initiated this study that comprehensively investigated the basic situation of TIPS for portal hypertension in China through network research. The survey included the following: the number of surgical cases, main indications, the development of Early-TIPS, TIPS for portal vein cavernous transformation, collateral circulation embolization, intraoperative portal pressure gradient measurement, commonly used stent types, conventional anticoagulation and time, postoperative follow-up, obstacles, and the application of domestic instruments.Results:According to the survey, a total of 13 527 TIPS operations were carried out in 545 hospitals participating in the survey in 2021, and 94.1% of the hospital had the habit of routine follow-up after TIPS. Most hospitals believed that the main indications of TIPS were the control of acute bleeding (42.6%) and the prevention of rebleeding (40.7%). 48.1% of the teams carried out early or priority TIPS, 53.0% of the teams carried out TIPS for the cavernous transformation of the portal vein, and 81.0% chose routine embolization of collateral circulation during operation. Most of them used coils and biological glue as embolic materials, and 78.5% of the team routinely performed intraoperative portal pressure gradient measurements. In selecting TIPS stents, 57.1% of the hospitals woulel choose Viator-specific stents, 57.2% woulel choose conventional anticoagulation after TIPS, and the duration of anticoagulation was between 3-6 months (55.4%). The limitation of TIPS surgery was mainly due to cost (72.3%) and insufficient understanding of doctors in related departments (77.4%). Most teams accepted the domestic instruments used in TIPS (92.7%).Conclusions:This survey shows that TIPS treatment is an essential part of treating portal hypertension in China. The total number of TIPS cases is far from that of patients with portal hypertension. In the future, it is still necessary to popularize TIPS technology and further standardize surgical indications, routine operations, and instrument application.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease. At present, levodopa and other drugs are mainly used for dopamine supplementation therapy. However, the absorption of levodopa in the gastrointestinal tract is unstable and its half-life is short, and long-term use of levodopa will lead to the end-of-dose deterioration, dyskinesia, the "ON-OFF" phenomenon and other symptoms. Therefore, new preparations need to be developed to improve drug efficacy, reduce side effects or improve compliance of patients. Based on the above clinical needs, this review briefly introduced the preparation modification strategies for the treatment of PD through case analysis, in order to provide references for the research and development of related preparations.

Objective:Analyze the medical reimbursement rate and influencing factors under the DIP payment method to refine the DIP payment policy,promote the optimization of internal operations in medical institutions,and ensure reasonable compensation.Methods:Based on the 2022 DIP fund settlement data from 196 medical institutions in City A,the study used multiple linear regression to analyze the factors affecting medical reimbursement rate and conducted a heterogeneity analysis for medical institutions of different levels.Results:The medical reimbursement rate for medical institutions in City A in 2022 was 103.32%.Medical institutions with lower CMI standardized inpatient costs,lower rates of deviation cases,tertiary care institutions,lower proportion of level-four surgeries,and lower ratios of resident to employee medical insurance cases have higher medical reimbursement rate(P<0.05).Heterogeneity analysis reveals that therates of deviation cases,the proportion of primary care diseases,the ratio of resident to employee medical insurance cases,and the low-standard admission rate have different impacts on medical institutions of different levels.Conclusion:Medical insurance departments should improve policies for primary care diseases,dynamically adjust disease catalogs and payment standards,optimize funding levels and institutional coefficients,and increase penalties for violations to ensure effective use of funds.Medical institutions need to strengthen their understanding of policies,focus on refined internal management,promote standardized and rational diagnosis and treatment through performance assessment transformation,and leverage their own advantages in medical services to reasonably increase the medical reimbursement rate.

Objective To compare the efficacy of transversus fascia plane block combined with rectus sheath block(TFP-RSB)and transversus fascia plane block(TFP)in alleviating postoperative pain and in-flammation in patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing gynecologic laparoscopic total hysterectomy.Methods A total of 90 patients with type 2 diabetes who underwent gynecologic laparoscopic total hysterecto-my in the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from December 2021 to September 2022 were ran-domly divided into the TFP-RSB group(n=30),the TFP group(n=30),and the blank control group(n=30).The TFP-RSB group received ultrasound-guided TFP-RSB for postoperative analgesia,and the TFP group received TFP block after surgery.The drug was 0.375％ropivacaine.Both groups received combined with pa-tient-controlled intravenous analgesia(PCIA)and those in the control group were treated with PCIA only.The efficacy of perioperative analgesia,postoperative sleep quality and Visual Analog Scale(VAS)scores at 6 h,12 h,and 24 h after operation were compared among the three groups.The levels of IL-6 and Apelin-13 were measured before surgery and at 6 h,12 h,and 24 h postoperatively,and blood glucose was measured at 6 h,12 h,and 24 h postoperatively.Results The blood glucose levels at 6 h,12 h,and 24 h after operation in the TFP-RSB and the TFP groups were lower than those in the blank control group(P＜0.05).The blood glucose in the TFP-RSB group was lower than that in the TFP group at each time point after operation(P＜0.05).There was no statistical difference in the dosage of sedatives and analgesics used during surgery between the TFP-RSB group and the TFP group(P＞0.05).VAS scores at 12 h and 24 h postoperatively were generally lower in the TFP-RSB group compared to the TFP group(P＜0.05),as well as compared to the blank control group(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in VAS scores at 6h postoperatively between the TFP-RSB and TFP groups(P＞0.05),but both were lower than the blank control group(P＜0.05).The con-sumption of sufentanil at 24 h postoperatively was slightly lower in the TFP-RSB group than in the TFP group(P＜0.05).The PQSI sleep quality in the TFP-RSB group was better than that in the TFP and the blank control groups(P＜0.05).The levels of inflammatory factor IL-6(at 6 h,12 h,and 24 h postoperative-ly)were generally lower in the TFP-RSB group compared to the TFP group and the blank control group(P＜0.05),with no significant difference between the TFP group and the blank control group at 24 h postopera-tively(P＞0.05).Apelin-13 levels were lower at all postoperative time points compared to preoperative levels in all three groups(P＜0.05).Serum Apelin-13 levels at 6 h,12 h,and 24 h postoperatively were lower in the TFP-RSB group than in the TFP group(P＜0.05),and both were lower than the blank control group(P＜0.05).The incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting was lower in the TFP group(26.6％)than in the blank control group(50.0％),but the difference was not statistically significant(P＞0.05).The incidence in the TFP-RSB group(3.3％)was lower than in the TFP group(26.6％)and the blank control group(50.0％),P＜0.05.Conclusion Compared with TFP block,TFP-RSB block has better postoperative analge-sia effect,less blood glucose fluctuations,and more obvious inhibitory effect on inflammatory response in dia-betic patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopic total hysterectomy.

Objective:To investigate the psychological status of the outpatients in the andrology clinic and the effect of risk warning combined with multidisciplinary team(MDT)intervention on their satisfaction.Methods:Using convenience sampling,we enrolled 600 outpatients seeking medical attention in the Department of Andrology of our hospital from July to October 2022.We ran-domized the patients into a control(n=300)and an observation group(n=300),obtained their basic information,evaluated their psychological status with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale(HADS),and assessed their satisfaction with the Xijing Hospital Outpatients'Satisfaction Questionnaire(HOSQ).The controls followed the routine procedure of treatment,while the patients in the ob-servation group received early warning before intervention based on their HADS scores.We provided normal medical care for those with HADS scores≤7,employed empathetic communication for those with HADS scores of 8-10,and conducted MDT intervention for those with HADS scores≥1l,followed by comparison of the patients'satisfaction with the outpatient service between the two groups.Results:There were no statistically significant differences in general conditions between the groups of patients(P＞0.05).The mean prevalence rate of anxiety and depression was 47.83％among the male subjects,lower in the control than in the observation group(47.00％vs 48.67％,P＞0.05),but higher in the patients with the education of junior high school or below(60.99％)than in those with that of senior high school(22.34％)and university or above(16.67％),and also higher in those aged 18-40 years(67.38％)than in those aged 41-60 years(51.82％)and over 60 years old(38.33％).A significantly higher rate of satisfaction with the outpatient service was found in the observation group than in the controls(97.18％vs 90.39％,P＜0.05).Conclusion:Anxie-ty and depression are prevalent among the outpatients in the andrology clinic,with a higher prevalence rate in those with lower educa-tion and at a younger age.Early risk warning combined with MDT intervention can improve the satisfaction of the patients.

Paeonia veitchii and P. lactiflora are both original plants of the famous Chinese medicinal drug Paeoniae Radix Rubra in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. They have important medicinal value and great potential in the flower market. The selection of stable and reliable reference genes is a necessary prerequisite for molecular research on P. veitchii. In this study, two reference genes, Actin and GAPDH, were selected as candidate genes from the transcriptome data of P. veitchii. The expression levels of the two candidate genes in different tissues(phloem, xylem, stem, leaf, petiole, and ovary) and different growth stages(bud stage, flowering stage, and dormant stage) of P. veitchii were detected using real-time fluorescence quantitative technology(qRT-PCR). Then, the stability of the expression of the two reference genes was comprehensively analyzed using geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, ΔCT, and RefFinder. The results showed that the expression patterns of Actin and GAPDH were stable in different tissues and growth stages of P. veitchii. Furthermore, the expression levels of eight genes(Pv-TPS01, Pv-TPS02, Pv-CYP01, Pv-CYP02, Pv-CYP03, Pv-BAHD01, Pv-UGT01, and Pv-UGT02) in different tissues were further detected based on the transcriptome data of P. veitchii. The results showed that when Actin and GAPDH were used as reference genes, the expression trends of the eight genes in different tissues of P. veitchii were consistent, validating the reliability of Actin and GAPDH as reference genes for P. veitchii. In conclusion, this study finds that Actin and GAPDH can be used as reference genes for studying gene expression levels in different tissues and growth stages of P. veitchii.
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods* ; Paeonia/genetics* ; Actins/genetics* ; Reproducibility of Results ; Transcriptome ; Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases/genetics* ; Reference Standards ; Gene Expression Profiling/methods*

Objective To explore the impact of sinomenine on bleomycin A5-induced pulmonary fibrosis (PF) in rats and the underlying mechanism. Methods MRC-5 cells were cultured and treated with sinomenine to determine its optimal concentration and time through the MTT assay. Subsequently, MRC-5 cells were incubated with 80 μmol/L sinomenine for 48 hours or transfected with miR-21 mimic/a disintegrin-like and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin type 1 motif (ADAMTS-1) siRNA prior to sinomenine treatment. The expression of miR-21, ADAMTS-1, collagen type 1 (Col1) and collagen type 3 (Col3) was detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and/or Western blot analysis. Thirty SD rats were randomly divided into control group, sinomenine group and sinomenine combined with miR-21 agomir group, with 10 animals in each group. Bleomycin A5 were intratracheally administered to establish the PF model. Then, rats in control group, sinomenine group and sinomenine +miR-21 agomir group were treated with 9 g/L sodium chloride solution, sinomenine and sinomenine+miR-21 agomir, respectively. On day 28, all rats were sacrificed. HE and Masson staining was performed in pulmonary tissue. The expression of ADAMTS-1, Col1 and Col3 in pulmonary tissue were detected by qRT-PCR and/or Western blot analysis. ELISA was used to measure serum procollagen type 1 carboxyterminal propeptide (P1CP) and procollagen type 3 aminoterminal propeptide (P3NP) levels. Results Administration of sinomenine decreased miR-21 levels, up-regulated ADAMTS-1 expression, and promoted Col1 and Col3 degradation in MRC-5 cells. Importantly, interfering with the miR-21/ADAMTS-1 signaling pathway partially reversed the promotive effect of sinomenine on Col1 and Col3 degradation. Treatment of SD rats with sinomenine reduced alveolitis and PF scores, decreased serum P1CP and P3NP levels, up-regulated pulmonary ADAMTS-1 expression, and down-regulated Col1 and Col3 expression. However, these effects were reversed by miR-21 agomir. Conclusion Sinomenine promotes Col1 and Col3 degradation and inhibits PF in rats by miR-21/ADAMTS-1 pathway.
Rats ; Animals ; Pulmonary Fibrosis/genetics* ; Procollagen/metabolism* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction ; Bleomycin/adverse effects* ; Collagen Type III/metabolism* ; MicroRNAs/metabolism*