The theory of “diagnosing diseases with sinews” means that through the diagnosis and examination of the channel sinews at the site of the lesion， the surplus and deficit state of qi and blood in the channel sinews， vessles and channels， and the degree of damage to the organism caused by the disease and evils， can be determined， forming the three elements （the nature of the disease， the location of the disease， and the disease tendency） of the disease diagnosis can be closely integrated to form the trinity of diagnostic modes， which is “examining the disease nature by sinews， identifying the pattern by sinews， and determining the tendency by sinews”. For intractable facial paralysis， the method of “diagnosing diseases with sinews” can be adopted， in which the morphological changes of the channel sinews are judged through diagnosis by observation， the traditional Chinese patterns are identified through diagnosis by palpation， and the points of meridian tendons and the circulation of tendon and treatment lines are determined through diagnosis by circulation. The “diagnosing diseases with sinews” not only helps to accurately determine the disease condition， patterns and development trend， but also helps to adopt targeted treatment for the disease and prevent the disease from spreading， and providing ideas and methods for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of intractable facial paralysis.

Refractory angina is characterized by recurrent and persistent angina with a duration of not less than three months， which is related to reversible ischemia and hypoxia caused by coronary stenosis and obstruction. It mainly involves obstructive coronary artery disease and non-obstructive coronary artery disease with coronary artery spasm and coronary microvascular dysfunction. “Stasis and toxin” play an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. The pathogenesis of stasis and toxin is stubborn filthy turbidity featured by slow accumulation and sudden onset，and rapid changes，which coincides with the characteristics of refractory angina which is complex and changeable，prolonged and difficult to cure. The pathogenesis of refractory angina involves a combination of underlying deficiency and excessive manifestation， with "stasis and toxin" playing a crucial role as an important pathological factor in the whole process of refractory angina. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） employs a holistic approach known as "activating blood circulation and removing toxins"， which is supplemented by various methods to tonify Qi and warm Yang， nourish the kidneys and invigorate the spleen， clear heat and transform phlegm. This approach applies anti-inflammatory measures， regulates lipid metabolism， inhibits oxidative stress and thrombus formation， protects endothelial function in blood vessels， as well as establishes collateral circulation for the prevention and treatment of refractory angina. Therefore，based on the theory of "stasis and toxin"，combined with TCM theory and modern medical research，this paper discusses the pathogenesis of refractory angina and the prevention and treatment strategy of TCM，and elucidates the reasons for the difficulty in curing refractory angina and the relationship between refractory angina and common angina pectoris，coronary microvascular dysfunction，coronary artery spasm and obstructive coronary artery disease，hoping to provide certain theoretical basis and clinical ideas for the prevention and treatment of refractory angina with TCM.

Objective:To investigate the impact of short-term exposure to atmospheric pollutants on the number of acute stroke daily admissions in Taiyuan, China.Methods:The case data of patients with stroke from three large hospitals in different regions of Taiyuan, Shanxi Province from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019 were collected. The daily average concentrations of atmospheric pollutants and meteorological data in Taiyuan during the same period were collected. Spearman rank correlation was used to analyze the correlation between meteorological factors and atmospheric pollutants, and a generalized additive model (GAM) based on time series research and analysis was used to investigate the impact and lag effect of air pollutants on the number of stroke daily admissions. Stratified analysis was performed based on different genders and ages (≤64 years, 65-74 years, and ≥75 years).Results:Between 2018 and 2019, a total of 4 921 patients with acute stroke were collected from three large hospitals, with a daily average of 6.74 stroke admissions. Among them, 4 310 patients (87.6%) had ischemic stroke, 521 (10.6%) had cerebral hemorrhage, and 90 (1.8%) had subarachnoid hemorrhage. GAM analysis showed that there was a significant correlation between short-term exposure to PM 2.5, PM 10, and SO 2 and the number of stroke daily admissions. All three had a significant impact on the number of stroke daily admissions on the day of onset and 3 days later. The maximum effect value was reached on the day of onset, and when the average concentrations of PM 2.5, PM 10, and SO 2 increase by 10 μg/m 3, the number of stroke daily admissions increased by 1.48% (95% confidence interval [ CI] 0.46%-2.53%), 0.80% (95% CI 0.25%-1.36%), and 2.80% (95% CI 0.76%-4.88%), respectively. Stratified analysis showed that exposure to PM 2.5, PM 10, SO 2, and CO had a more significant impact on the number of stroke daily admissions in male patients, while only PM 10 showed positive results in females. Age stratified analysis showed that PM 2.5 significantly increased the number of stroke daily admissions in individuals aged ≥75 years. Conclusion:Short-term exposure to atmospheric pollutants (PM 2.5, PM 10, SO 2, and CO) will to some extent increase the number of stroke daily admissions among residents of Taiyuan, especially among males and those aged ≥75 years.

The active components of Astragali Radix, its patent drugs and preparations can play a protective role on brain tissue through a variety of pharmacological effects such as anti-oxidative stress, inhibition of cell apoptosis, protection of blood-brain barrier, alleviation of inflammatory response, inhibition of ferroptosis, promotion of nerve cell regeneration and new angiogenesis. In the basic research of Astragali Radix in the treatment of ischemic stroke, the repetition rate of experimental indexes is high. The research on upstream levels such as signal pathway and cell type should be strengthened, and the basic research should be effectively connected with clinical research.

Cerebral circulation time is defined as the difference between the time to peak of the cavernous sinus segment of the internal carotid artery and the Trolard vein, which is easily obtained in digital subtraction angiography and is closely associated with hemodynamics. Cerebral circulation time can be used to evaluate the outcome of acute ischemic stroke, especially in patients receiving endovascular treatment. This article reviews the evaluation methods of cerebral circulation time and its clinical significance in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

ColorViz is a cerebrovascular imaging technique with time resolution that integrates vascular information from three phases of multi-phase CT angiography (mCTA) into a single time-varying color coded images. By analyzing the image, it evaluates the cerebral collateral circulation and predict the outcomes of patients with ischemic stroke. ColorViz can shorten the evaluation time of collateral circulation and improve the objectivity of evaluation. Moreover, its evaluation of collateral circulation status is closely associated with the evaluation of collateral circulation status of mCTA, digital subtraction angiography, and CT perfusion imaging. This article reviews the application of ColorViz in evaluating collateral circulation in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

A total of 231 patients aged>60 years who underwent orthopedic surgery in Department of Orthopedics of Emergency General Hospital from November 2019 to June 2022, were enrolled. All patients received a comprehensive geriatric assessment before surgery. The demographic characteristics, medical history of patients were collected, the geriatric syndrome, postoperative complications were analyzed. The risk factors of postoperative complications were analyzed with Logistic regression. The preoperative comprehensive geriatric assessment showed that the most common geriatric syndrome was cognitive impairment (29.9%, n=69), followed by frailty (14.3%, n=33), nutritional risk (10.4%, n=24), functional dependence (7.8%, n=18), depression and anxiety (3.9%, n=9). Postoperative complications occurred in 38 cases, including delirium in 18 cases (7.8%), respiratory infection in 15 cases (6.5%), heart failure in 9 cases (3.9%) and death in 1 case (0.4%). The Logistic regression analysis showed that anemia ( OR=5.278, 95% CI:1.237-22.518), frailty ( OR=2.865, 95% CI:1.049-7.829) and cognitive impairment ( OR=3.796, 95% CI:1.526-9.442) were independent risk factors for adverse postoperative outcomes ( P<0.05). The study indicates that incidence of preoperative geriatric syndrome in patients undergoing evaluation is common; and anemia, frailty and cognitive impairment may be related to adverse clinical outcomes in elderly patients after surgery.

Objective:To explore the protective role and possible mechanism of neural stem cells combined with edaravone in cortical neurons after oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD-R).Methods:(1) Neural stem cells from brain tissues of SD fetal rats aged 14-16 d were cultured in vitro, and identified with Nestin, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) immunofluorescent staining. Expressions of neuron-specific nuclear protein (NeuN) and β-Tubulin were detected by immunofluorescent staining in primary cortical neurons from SD rats born within 24 h. (2) Primary cortical neurons were divided into normal group (normal culture), OGD-R model group (re-oxygenated culture for 24 h after hypoxia for 1.5 h), OGD-R+neural stem cells group (re-oxygenated co-culture with cortical neurons and neural stem cells for 24 h after hypoxia for 1.5 h), OGD-R+edaravone group (re-oxygenated culture for 24 h after hypoxia for 1.5 h; 100 μmol/L edaravone before hypoxia), OGD-R+neural stem cells+edaravone group (re-oxygenated co-culture with cortical neurons and neural stem cells for 24 h after hypoxia for 1.5 h; 100 μmol/L edaravone before hypoxia); 24 h after each treatment, neuron proliferation in each group was detected by cell counting Kit 8 (CCK8), apoptosis rate was detected by flow cytometry, contents of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in neuronal supernatant were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and real-time quantitative fluorescent polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting were used to detect the mRNA and protein expressions of Notch1, Hes1 and Hes5, respectively. Results:(1) Immunofluorescent staining results showed that neural stem cells were positive for Nestin, GFAP and MAP2, and cortical neurons were positive for NeuN and β-Tubulin; all of them were successfully identified. (2) Compared with normal group, OGD-R model group, OGD-R+neural stem cell group and OGD-R+edaravone group had decreased neuron viability, increased apoptosis, increased supernatant IL-1β and TNF-α contents, and increased Notch1 mRNA and protein expressions, with significant differences ( P<0.05). Compared with OGD-R model group, OGD-R+neural stem cells+edaravone group had increased neuron viability, decreased apoptosis, decreased supernatant IL-1β and TNF-α contents, and decreased mRNA and protein expressions of Hes1 and Hes5, with significant differences ( P<0.05). Compared with the OGD-R model group, OGD-R+edaravone group and OGD-R+neural stem cell+edaravone group had significantly decreased Notch1 mRNA and protein expressions ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Combination of edaravone and neural stem cell therapy can reverse the neuronal damage caused by OGD-R, whose mechanism may be by inhibiting the expressions of inflammatory factors and key signaling molecules in Notch signaling pathway, such as Notch1, Hes1, and Hes5.

Airborne pollen is a common allergen that causes allergic reactions. Researches have shown that airborne pollen may be an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke. The possible mechanisms of airborne pollen induced ischemic stroke include inflammation and oxidative stress response, atherosclerosis, blood hypercoagulability and thrombosis, and can increase the risk of ischemic stroke by promoting the occurrence of hypertension, respiratory and cardiovascular events.

Based on the resutls of literature review and interviews of experts, two rounds of Delphi surveys were conducted. The mean, importance ratio, coefficient of variation and coordination coefficient were used for assessment of survey from multiple perspectives, and finally form a framework model of factors affecting the efficacy of Tuina therapy. A total of 37 experts were selected for questionnaire surveys, the positive coefficients of experts' participatation in the first round and second round were 92.5% and 80.0%, respectively. The overall coordination coefficient in the second round is 0.68. The items were included into the consensus meeting if the importance ratio of items were equal to and more than 80%. After the expert consensus meeting, 22 items were included to form a framework model of factors affecting the efficacy of Tuina therapy, and summarized as 5 major influencing factors, including diagnostic factors, treatment factors, prognostic factors, patient factors, and doctor-patient communication. This framework can guide and help young Tuina practitioners to improve clinical efficacy. It is also clearly pointed out that the effect of Tuina for pain is not only related to disease diagnosis or manipulation, but also related to home exercise, health care, and doctor-patient communication.