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 To investigate the effect of early postoperative abnormal blood glucose on the short-term prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC),and to analyze the clinical characteristics and risk factors related to poor early prognosis.Methods A total of 897 patients with NSCLC who underwent thoracoscopic surgery in Huadong Hospital,Fudan University from Jan 2020 to Aug 2021 were divided into hyperglycemia(HG)group(>7.8 mmol/L)and normal blood glucose(NG)group(≤7.8 mmol/L and≥3.9 mmol/L)according to the early postoperative blood glucose values.Additionally,the patients were divided into higher blood glucose fluctuation group(≥4 mmol/L)and the group with lower blood glucose fluctuation(<4 mmol/L)basing on the fasting blood glucose.Using Logistic regression models,column line charts,ROC curves and other methods,we aimed to clarify the impact of early postoperative blood glucose abnormalities on short-term prognosis,explore clinical characteristics associated with poor short-term outcomes,identify other high-risk factors,and establish relevant risk prediction models.Results Compared with the NG group,the incidence of postoperative pneumonia,thromboembolism,ICU admission rate,total length of hospital stay and hospital cost were significantly higher in the HG group(P<0.05).Higher blood glucose fluctuation group had a greater risk of ICU admission(P=0.003).Logistic regression analysis showed that age,preoperative fasting glucose,white blood cell count and cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1(CYFRA21-1)were risk factors for postoperative hyperglycemia(P<0.05).Contrary to the effect of BMI,diabetes,male patients,higher blood glucose fluctuation,white blood cell count and age were the risk factors for postoperative adverse events(P<0.05).The AUC of the column line chart model was 0.661(95%CI:0.624-0.698),indicating good discriminative ability for predicting poor short-term prognosis postoperatively.Calibration curves also demonstrated good consistency between predicted and actual probabilities.Conclusion Early postoperative blood glucose fluctuations independently impact the short-term prognosis of thoracoscopic NSCLC patients.Blood glucose combined with gender,BMI,white blood cell count,age and diabetes history can serve as predictive factors for poor short-term prognosis postoperatively.Additionally,a column line chart constructed based on these factors may aid clinicians in early intervention for NSCLC patients with indications.

Objective To explore the value of CT radiomics combined with different machine learning algorithms in preoperative pre-diction of spread through air spaces(STAS)status of stage Ⅰ lung adenocarcinoma.Methods A total of 183 patients with stage Ⅰ primary lung adenocarcinoma were retrospectively selected,83 in the STAS-positive group and 100 in the STAS-negative group.The clinical data and CT features were compared between the two groups.All patients were randomly divided into training set(n=146)and val-idation set(n=37)at the ratio of 8∶2.ITK-SNAP software was used to segment the region of interest(ROI).Radiomics features were extracted by PyRadiomics.Three-step feature selection was used for feature dimensionality reduction and six machine learning algorithms were used to construct the prediction models.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to assess the predictive efficacy of the 6 models.Decision curve analysis(DC A)was used to evaluate the clinical application value of the models.Results There were significant differences in tumor diameter,density,presence of micropapillary/solid components,vascular inva-sion,pleural invasion,and Ki-67 expression between the two groups(P＜0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed tumor density,presence of micropapillary/solid components,and vascular invasion were independent predictors of STAS.The area under the curve(AUC)of the multilayer perceptron(MLP)model were 0.806 and 0.841 in the training set and validation set,respectively.DCA showed good clinical decision benefits from the model.Conclusion The combined model based on CT radiomics and MLP can effectively predict STAS of stage Ⅰ lung adenocarcinoma before operation.It can provide decision support for diagnosing and treating early-stage lung adenocarcinoma.

Objectives To explore factors associated with false positive treadmill exercise testing(TET)in patients with hypertensive responses to exercise.Methods Between November 2019 and October 2022,154 patients with positive TET and hypertensive response to exercise were selected from the de-partment of cardiac rehabilitation of Jiangsu Province Official Hospital,and divided into a false posi-tive group of 72 and a true positive group of 82.Then,demographic and TET-related parameters were compared between the two groups.Results There was a significant difference between the two groups in gender(P<0.05).Compared with the male,the female were more likely to get false-positive results.Moreover,the systolic blood pressure(SBP)at the time of ST segment depression in the false positive group was 203.87±8.70 mmHg,significantly different from the true positive group of 187.25±16.66 mmHg(P<0.05).According to logistic regression analysis,only the SBP at the time of ST seg-ment depression and gender were significantly correlated with TET false positives(P<0.05).The cut-off value of SBP at the time of ST segment depression was 188 mmHg,with a sensitivity of 1,a specific-ity of 0.625,and an area under the curve of 0.813.Conclusions In patients with hypertensive re-sponse to exercise,SBP at the time of ST segment depression can be considered as a predictor of false positive TET.When its value is no less than 188 mmHg,TET-positive conclusions should be drawn with caution,especially for female patients.

Patients with severe trauma require an extremely timely treatment and transfusion plays an irreplaceable role in the emergency treatment of such patients. An increasing number of evidence-based medicinal evidences and clinical practices suggest that patients with severe traumatic bleeding benefit from early transfusion of low-titer group O whole blood or hemostatic resuscitation with red blood cells, plasma and platelet of a balanced ratio. However, the current domestic mode of blood supply cannot fully meet the requirements of timely and effective blood transfusion for emergency treatment of patients with severe trauma in clinical practice. In order to solve the key problems in blood supply and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma, Branch of Clinical Transfusion Medicine of Chinese Medical Association, Group for Trauma Emergency Care and Multiple Injuries of Trauma Branch of Chinese Medical Association, Young Scholar Group of Disaster Medicine Branch of Chinese Medical Association organized domestic experts of blood transfusion medicine and trauma treatment to jointly formulate Chinese expert consensus on blood support mode and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma patients ( version 2024). Based on the evidence-based medical evidence and Delphi method of expert consultation and voting, 10 recommendations were put forward from two aspects of blood support mode and transfusion strategies, aiming to provide a reference for transfusion resuscitation in the emergency treatment of severe trauma and further improve the success rate of treatment of patients with severe trauma.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a type of highly prevalent heterogeneous degenerative disease that leads to joint pain, deformity, the destruction of articular cartilage, and eventual disability. The current treatment strategies for OA often suffer from systemic side effects, poor anti-inflammatory efficacy, and persistent pain. To address these issues, we develop light-inducible nanomedicine that enables the co-delivery of anti-inflammatory drug (diacerein, DIA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting nerve growth factor (NGF) for pain relief to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of OA. The nanomedicine is based on poly(β-amino-ester)-coated gold nanocages (AuNCs), which is further incorporated with the phase-change material (lauric acid/stearic acid, LA/SA). Following intra-articular (IA) injection in vivo, the nanomedicine displays high degree of drug accumulation and retention in the joint lesion of OA mouse models. The photothermal effect, induced by AuNCs, not only promotes DIA and siRNA release, but also upregulates the expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP-70) to resist the apoptosis of chondrocytes in the inflammatory condition. The internalization of both DIA and siRNA results in strong anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects, which greatly contribute to the joint repair of OA mice. This study offers a promising combination strategy for OA treatment.

While generative artificial intelligence(AI), exemplified by ChatGPT, demonstrated impressive capabilities in understanding the semantics and context of natural language, and generating coherent and meaningful responses, its performance in the medical field, which required high-level expertise and complex reasoning, remained uncertain. This article aimed to explore the potential applications and challenges of generative AI technology, with ChatGPT as a representative example, in enhancing the capabilities of primary healthcare services. Generative AI, represented by ChatGPT, had potential applications in enhancing primary healthcare services, including clinical assistance in diagnosis, electronic medical record documentation, remote management of chronic patients, and patient education. However, limitations such as the inability to guarantee accuracy, lack of doctor-patient interaction, language barriers, and concerns related to data security, patient privacy, and ethical considerations constrained its practical implementation. Therefore, the application of ChatGPT in improving the capabilities of primary healthcare services required extensive discussion and analysis throughout society. A comprehensive evaluation of potential risks and the establishment of corresponding policies and regulations were necessary to ensure the prudent and responsible introduction and application of ChatGPT, ultimately achieving the goal of empowering primary healthcare services.

Background: Long coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in recovered patients (RPs) is gradually recognized by more people. However, how long it will last and the underlining mechanism remains unclear. Methods: We conducted a prospective follow-up study to evaluate the long-term symptoms and clinical indices of RPs at one-year after discharge from Union Hospital, Wuhan, China between December 2020 to May 2021. We also performed the 16S rRNA sequencing of stool samples from RPs and healthy controls (HCs) and analyzed the correlation between the gut microbiota and long COVID-19. Results: In total, 187 RPs were enrolled, among them, 84 (44.9%) RPs reported long COVID-19 symptoms at one-year after discharge. The most common long-term symptoms were cardiopulmonary symptoms, including chest tightness after activity (39/187, 20.9%), palpitations on exercise (27/187, 14.4%), sputum (21/187, 11.2%), cough (15/187, 8.0%) and chest pain (13/187, 7.0%), followed by systemic symptoms including fatigue (34/187, 18.2%) and myalgia (20/187, 10.7%), and digestive symptoms including constipation (14/187, 7.5%), anorexia (13/187, 7.0%), and diarrhea (8/187, 4.3%). Sixty-six (35.9%) RPs presented either anxiety or depression (42/187 [22.8%] and 53/187 [28.8%] respectively), and the proportion of anxiety or depression in the long symptomatic group was significantly higher than that in the asymptomatic group (41/187 [50.6%] vs. 25/187 [24.3%]). Compared with the asymptomatic group, scores of all nine 36-Item Short Form General Health Survey domains were lower in the symptomatic group (all P < 0.05). One hundred thirty RPs and 32 HCs (non-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infected subjects) performed fecal sample sequencing.Compared with HCs, symptomatic RPs had obvious gut microbiota dysbiosis including significantly reduced bacterial diversities and lower relative abundance of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-producing salutary symbionts such as Eubacterium_hallii_group, Subdoligranulum, Ruminococcus, Dorea, Coprococcus, and Eubacterium_ventriosum_group. Meanwhile, the relative abundance of Eubacterium_hallii_group, Subdoligranulum, and Ruminococcus showed decreasing tendencies between HCs, the asymptomatic group, and the symptomatic group. Conclusion This study demonstrated the presence of long COVID-19 which correlates with gut microbiota dysbiosis in RPs at one-year after discharge, indicating gut microbiota may play an important role in long COVID-19.

A boy, aged 16 months, attended the hospital due to head and facial erythema for 15 months and vulva erythema for 10 months with aggravation for 5 days. The boy developed perioral and periocular erythema in the neonatal period and had erythema and papules with desquamation and erosion in the neck, armpit, and trigone of vulva in infancy. Blood gas analysis showed metabolic acidosis; the analysis of amino acid and acylcarnitine profiles for inherited metabolic diseases and the analysis of organic acid in urine suggested multiple carboxylase deficiency; genetic testing showed a homozygous mutation of c.1522C>T(p.R508W) in the HLCS gene. Finally the boy was diagnosed with holocarboxylase synthetase deficiency and achieved a good clinical outcome after oral biotin treatment. This article analyzes the clinical data of a child with holocarboxylase synthetase deficiency and summarizes the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of this child, so as to provide ideas for clinicians to diagnose this rare disease.
Humans ; Male ; Biotin/therapeutic use* ; Holocarboxylase Synthetase Deficiency/drug therapy* ; Homozygote ; Mutation ; Rare Diseases/drug therapy* ; Infant

To explore the application value of whole exome sequencing (WES) in the diagnosis of prenatal and postnatal neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). A total of 70 patients diagnosed with NDDs who underwent WES at the Medical Genetics Center of the Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hubei Province between June 2020 and July 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples and amniotic fluid. WES-based copy number variant (CNV) analysis was integrated into the routine WES data analysis pipeline. The results showed that a molecular diagnosis rate could be made in 21/70 (30%) cases. Of 21 positive cases, 14 (23%) cases were detected by single-nucleotide variant/small insertion/deletion (SNV/Indel) analysis, of which 12 variants were novel, 6 (9.8%) cases were detected by WES-based CNV analysis, and 1 (1.6%) case was detected by a combination of both. The diagnostic yield of WES combined with CNV analysis was higher than that of SNV/Indel analysis alone (30%, 21/70 vs. 20%, 14/70). Of the 28 prenatally diagnosed cases, 6 cases were found to have inherited parental variation for NDDs, 10 cases were found not to have the same pathogenic variation as the proband, and the remaining 12 cases were found to have no pathogenic or likely pathogenic variation that could explain the NDDs phenotype. Clinical follow-up showed that 5 families opted for abortion and the remaining had no current abnormalities. In conclusion, WES may be an effective method to clarify the genetic etiology and prenatal diagnosis of NDDs, which is helpful in assessing the prognosis to aid clinical management and reproductive guidance.
Pregnancy ; Humans ; Female ; Exome Sequencing ; Retrospective Studies ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Amniotic Fluid ; Phenotype