Debates persist regarding the efficacy and safety of azvudine, particularly its real-world outcomes. This study involved patients aged ≥60 years who were admitted to 25 hospitals in mainland China with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between December 1, 2022, and February 28, 2023. Efficacy outcomes were all-cause mortality during hospitalization, the proportion of patients discharged with recovery, time to nucleic acid-negative conversion (T _NANC), time to symptom improvement (T _SI), and time of hospital stay (T _HS). Safety was also assessed. Among the 5884 participants identified, 1999 received azvudine, and 1999 matched controls were included after exclusion and propensity score matching. Azvudine recipients exhibited lower all-cause mortality compared with controls in the overall population (13.3% vs. 17.1%, RR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.67-0.90; P = 0.001) and in the severe subgroup (25.7% vs. 33.7%; RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.66-0.88; P < 0.001). A higher proportion of patients discharged with recovery, and a shorter T _NANC were associated with azvudine recipients, especially in the severe subgroup. The incidence of adverse events in azvudine recipients was comparable to that in the control group (2.3% vs. 1.7%, P = 0.170). In conclusion, azvudine showed efficacy and safety in older patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the SARS-CoV-2 omicron wave in China.

Saposhnikovia divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk (S. divaricata, Fangfeng) is a herb in the Apiaceae family, and its root has been used since the Western Han Dynasty (202 B.C.). Chromones and coumarins are the pharmacologically active substances in S. divaricata. Modern phytochemical and pharmacological studies have demonstrated their antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-tumor, and anticoagulant activities. Technological and analytical strategy theory advancements have yielded novel results; however, most investigations have been limited to the main active substances-chromones and coumarins. Hence, we reviewed studies related to the chemical composition and pharmacological activity of S. divaricata, analyzed the developing trends and challenges, and proposed that research should focus on components' synergistic effects. We also suggested that, the structure-effect relationship should be prioritized in advanced research.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Coumarins/pharmacology* ; Apiaceae/chemistry* ; Chromones

Clostridioides difficile/genetics* ; Clostridioides ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Feces ; Bacterial Proteins/genetics*

By consulting ancient materia medica， medical books， prescription books and modern literature， this paper systematically combed and reviewed the name， origin， scientific name evolution， producting area， quality evaluation， medicinal parts， harvesting and processing and traditional efficacy of Lasiosphaera Calvatia. The results show that Mabo was first recorded in Mingyi Bielu. Since then， all dynasties have taken Mabo as a legitimate name. Before the Song dynasty， only Calvatia lilacina was used as the original plant of Lasiosphaera Calvatia， which was expanded after the Song dynasty with the appearance of C. gigantea， Lasiosphaera fenzlii， Bovistella radicata and other varieties. Until modern times， there was an addition of Lycoperdon perlatum， L. pyriforme and other original plants of Lasiosphaera Calvatia. Since 1975， the original plant of Lasiosphaera Calvatia in various regulations and academic monographs has been basically uniform for C. lilacina， Lasiosphaera fenzlii and C. gigantea. Resource of the medicinal fungus was widely distributed in China and was mainly wild. From ancient times to the present， the medicinal parts of Lasiosphaera Calvatia are all fruiting body， which is harvested in summer and autumn， and its processing method was to take powder in ancient times， but to cut blocks in modern times. In recent times， its quality has been summarized as large， thin-skinned， intact， full， loose-bubbled and elastic. The medicinal efficacy has been developed from very good for all scores， and after the Ming and Qing dynasties， it is consistent with the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia， with the efficacy of clearing the lung， promoting pharynx， relieving fever and hemostasis， mainly treating cough aphonia， throat obstruction and pharyngeal pain， vomiting blood， epistaxis， hemoptysis， and external treating sores and bleeding from cuts and wounds. Based on the results of herbal textual research， it is suggested that C. lilacina is the first choice for the origin of Lasiosphaera Calvatia involved in famous classical formulas， and it is processed into block or powder for medicine.

Rats ; Animals ; Okadaic Acid/toxicity* ; PC12 Cells ; Triterpenes ; tau Proteins/metabolism* ; Phosphorylation

OBJECTIVE To prepare Gambogic acid （GA） nanocapsules （GA-LNCs） and Neogambogic acid （NGA） nanocapsules（NGA-LNCs），and to evaluate their antidiabetic activities. METHODS Using water as the aqueous phase ，medium- chain triglyceride as the oil phase and polyethylene glycol monostearate as the surfactant ，GA-LNCs and NGA-LNCs were prepared by phase inversion method. Using entrapment efficiency and drug-loading amount as index ，the formulation technologies of above 2 nanocapsules were optimized by simplex lattice design. Its physical and chemical properties were investigated. The diabetic mice model was established. GA-LNCs and NGA-LNCs （1.92 and 2.42 mg/kg respectively ）were given intragastrically ，once a day ，for consecutive 6 weeks. The fasting blood glucose of mice ，the activities of superoxide dismutase （SOD）and glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px），the contents of malondialdehyde （MDA），total cholesterol （TC），triglyceride （TG），high-density lipoprotein cholesterol（HDL-C）and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）were all detected. RESULTS The optimal formulation of 2 kinds of nanocapsules included 60％ water，10％ medium-chain triglyceride ，30％ polyethylene glycol monostearate （total amount of the three was 2 g）and 35 mg GA or NGA . The encapsulation efficiencies of GA-LNCs and NGA-LNC obtained by the optimal formulation were （92.01±0.68）％ and（93.12±2.11）％；the drug-loading amount were （0.99±0.21）％ and（1.21±0.22）％， respectively. GA-LNCs and NGA-LNCs were yellow ，homogeneous and transparent liquid without precipitation. They were spherical in microscopic shape ， and had obvious shell- Δ 基金项目：吉林省科技发展计划项目（No.20200404090YY）；吉 membrane structure. The particle sizes were （28.11 ± 9.76） 林省教育厅科学技术研究项目（No.JJKH20210372KJ） ＊硕士研究生 。研究方向 ：植物药 。E-mail：zhanhe0108@163. and（22.06±6.84）nm；Zeta potential were （－4.09±1.00） com and（－17.40±1.32）mV，and polydispersity were 0.93±0.06 # 通信作者：讲师，博士。研究方向：中药有效成分治疗疾病的作 and 0.74±0.12. The results of animal experiments showed that 用机制。E-mail：chenweijia_jlau@163.com both GA-LNCs and NGA-LNCs could sig nificantly increase 中国药房 2022年第33卷第9期 China Pharmacy 2022Vol. 33 No. 9 ·1075· the activities of SOD and GSH-Px and the seru m content of HDL-C （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）in model mice ，and significantly decreased the fasting blood glucose and the serum contents of MDA ， TC， TG and LDL-C （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS GA-LNCs，NGA-LNCs prepared in this study are good in physical and chemical properties and have good anti-diabetes activity.

Objective: To explore the incidence and risk factors of postoperative surgical site infection (SSI) after colon cancer surgery. Methods: A retrospective case-control study was performed. Patients diagnosed with colon cancer who underwent radical surgery between January 2016 and May 2021 were included, and demographic characteristics, comorbidities, laboratory tests, surgical data and postoperative complications were extracted from the specialized prospective database at Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Case exclusion criteria: (1) simultaneously multiple primary colon cancer; (2) segmental resection, subtotal colectomy, or total colectomy; (3) patients undergoing colostomy/ileostomy during the operation or in the state of colostomy/ileostomy before the operation; (4) patients receiving natural orifice specimen extraction surgery or transvaginal colon surgery; (5) patients with the history of colectomy; (6) emergency operation due to intestinal obstruction, perforation and acute bleeding; (7) intestinal diversion operation; (8) benign lesions confirmed by postoperative pathology; (9) patients not following the colorectal clinical pathway of our department for intestinal preparation and antibiotic application. Univariate analysis and multivariate analysis were used to determine the risk factors of SSI after colon cancer surgery. Results: A total of 1291 patients were enrolled in the study. 94.3% (1217/1291) of cases received laparoscopic surgery. The incidence of overall SSI was 5.3% (69/1291). According to tumor location, the incidence of SSI in the right colon, transverse colon, left colon and sigmoid colon was 8.6% (40/465), 5.2% (11/213), 7.1% (7/98) and 2.1% (11/515) respectively. According to resection range, the incidence of SSI after right hemicolectomy, transverse colectomy, left hemicolectomy and sigmoid colectomy was 8.2% (48/588), 4.5% (2/44), 4.8% (8 /167) and 2.2% (11/492) respectively. Univariate analysis showed that preoperative BUN≥7.14 mmol/L, tumor site, resection range, intestinal anastomotic approach, postoperative diarrhea, anastomotic leakage, postoperative pneumonia, and anastomotic technique were related to SSI (all P<0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that anastomotic leakage (OR=22.074, 95%CI: 6.172-78.953, P<0.001), pneumonia (OR=4.100, 95%CI: 1.546-10.869, P=0.005), intracorporeal anastomosis (OR=5.288, 95%CI: 2.919-9.577,P<0.001) were independent risk factors of SSI. Subgroup analysis showed that in right hemicolectomy, the incidence of SSI in intracorporeal anastomosis was 19.8% (32/162), which was significantly higher than that in extracorporeal anastomosis (3.8%, 16/426, χ(2)=40.064, P<0.001). In transverse colectomy [5.0% (2/40) vs. 0, χ(2)=0.210, P=1.000], left hemicolectomy [5.4% (8/148) vs. 0, χ(2)=1.079, P=0.599] and sigmoid colectomy [2.1% (10/482) vs. 10.0% (1/10), χ(2)=2.815, P=0.204], no significant differences of SSI incidence were found between intracorporeal anastomosis and extracorporeal anastomosis (all P>0.05). Conclusions: The incidence of SSI increases with the resection range from sigmoid colectomy to right hemicolectomy. Intracorporeal anastomosis and postoperative anastomotic leakage are independent risk factors of SSI. Attentions should be paid to the possibility of postoperative pneumonia and actively effective treatment measures should be carried out.
Case-Control Studies ; Colonic Neoplasms/surgery* ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Surgical Wound Infection/etiology*

BACKGROUND: The onset and clinical presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are sex-related. Few studies have investigated the distinctions in clinical characteristics and treatment preferences in male and female SLE patients in the initial cohort. This study aimed to improve the understanding of Chinese SLE patients by characterizing the different sexes of SLE patients in the inception cohort. METHODS: Based on the initial patient cohort established by the Chinese SLE Treatment and Research Group, a total of 8713 patients (795 men and 7918 women) with newly diagnosed SLE were enrolled between April 2009 and March 2021. Of these, 2900 patients (347 men and 2553 women) were eligible for lupus nephritis (LN). A cross-sectional analysis of the baseline demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory parameters, organ damage, initial treatment regimens, and renal pathology classification was performed according to sex. RESULTS: In the SLE group, as compared to female patients, male patients had a later age of onset (male vs. female: 37.0 ± 15.8 years vs. 35.1 ± 13.7 years, P  = 0.006) and a higher SLE International Collaborative Clinic/American College of Rheumatology damage index score (male vs. female: 0.47 ± 1.13 vs. 0.34 ± 0.81, P  = 0.015), LN (male vs. female: 43.6% vs. 32.2%, P < 0.001), fever (male vs. female: 18.0% vs. 14.6%, P  = 0.010), thrombocytopenia (male vs. female: 21.4% vs. 18.5%, P  = 0.050), serositis (male vs. female: 14.7% vs. 11.7%, P  = 0.013), renal damage (male vs. female: 11.1% vs. 7.4%, P < 0.001), and treatment with cyclophosphamide (CYC) (P < 0.001). The frequency of leukopenia (male vs. female: 20.5% vs. 25.4%, P  = 0.002) and arthritis (male vs. female: 22.0% vs. 29.9%, P < 0.001) was less in male patients with SLE. In LN, no differences were observed in disease duration, SLE Disease Activity Index score, renal biopsy pathological typing, or 24-h urine protein quantification among the sexes. In comparisons with female patients with LN, male patients had later onset ages (P  = 0.026), high serum creatinine (P < 0.001), higher end-stage renal failure rates (P  = 0.002), musculoskeletal damage (P  = 0.023), cardiovascular impairment (P  = 0.009), and CYC use (P  = 0.001); while leukopenia (P  = 0.017), arthritis (P  = 0.014), and mycophenolate usage (P  = 0.013) rates were lower. CONCLUSIONS Male SLE patients had more severe organ damage and a higher LN incidence compared with female SLE patients; therefore, they may require more aggressive initial treatment compared to female patients.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Sex Characteristics ; East Asian People ; Severity of Illness Index ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/diagnosis* ; Lupus Nephritis/pathology* ; Registries ; Cyclophosphamide/therapeutic use* ; Thrombocytopenia ; Leukopenia/drug therapy* ; Arthritis

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has rapidly spread throughout the world. In this study, we aimed to identify the risk factors for severe COVID-19 to improve treatment guidelines. METHODS: A multicenter, cross-sectional study was conducted on 313 patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Patients were classified into two groups based on disease severity (nonsevere and severe) according to initial clinical presentation. Laboratory test results and epidemiological and clinical characteristics were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to detect potential risk factors associated with severe COVID-19. RESULTS: A total of 289 patients (197 nonsevere and 92 severe cases) with a median age of 45.0 (33.0, 61.0) years were included in this study, and 53.3% (154/289) were male. Fever (192/286, 67.1%) and cough (170/289, 58.8%) were commonly observed, followed by sore throat (49/289, 17.0%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that patients who were aged ≥ 65 years (OR: 2.725, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.317-5.636; P = 0.007), were male (OR: 1.878, 95% CI: 1.002-3.520, P = 0.049), had comorbid diabetes (OR: 3.314, 95% CI: 1.126-9.758, P = 0.030), cough (OR: 3.427, 95% CI: 1.752-6.706, P < 0.001), and/or diarrhea (OR: 2.629, 95% CI: 1.109-6.231, P = 0.028) on admission had a higher risk of severe disease. Moreover, stratification analysis indicated that male patients with diabetes were more likely to have severe COVID-19 (71.4% vs. 28.6%, χ2 = 8.183, P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS The clinical characteristics of those with severe and nonsevere COVID-19 were significantly different. The elderly, male patients with COVID-19, diabetes, and presenting with cough and/or diarrhea on admission may require close monitoring to prevent deterioration.
Adult ; COVID-19/pathology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Comorbidity ; Cough ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diarrhea ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors