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

Hemorrhagic shock is a common clinical emergency that can aggravate cell injury after resuscitation. Astrocytes are crucial for the survival of neurons because they regulate the surrounding ionic microenvironment of neurons. Although hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation (HSR) injury can impair cognition, it remains unclear how this insult directly affects astrocytes. In this study, we established an HSR model by bleeding and re-transfusion in mice. The social interaction test and new object recognition test were applied to evaluate post-operative cognitive changes, and the results suggest that mice experience cognitive impairment following exposure to HSR. In the HSR group, the power spectral density of β and γ oscillations decreased, and the coupling of the θ oscillation phase and γ oscillation amplitude was abnormal, which indicated abnormal neuronal oscillation and cognitive impairment after HSR exposure. In brief, cognitive impairment in mice is strongly correlated with Ca²⁺ signal strength in lateral septum astrocytes following HSR.
Animals ; Astrocytes/metabolism* ; Shock, Hemorrhagic/metabolism* ; Resuscitation/adverse effects* ; Male ; Mice ; Calcium Signaling/physiology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Septal Nuclei/metabolism* ; Cognitive Dysfunction/etiology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Cognition Disorders/etiology*

Objective To explore the characteristics of coagulation and immune function and their clinical significance in children with severe adenovirus pneumonia(SAP).Methods A total of 122 children with SAP and 120 children with non-severe adenovirus pneumonia(NSAP)were enrolled and assigned to severe group and non-severe group.The severe group was further subdivided into good prognosis subgroup(n=105)and poor prognosis subgroup(n=17)according to prognosis.Addition-ally,120 healthy children undergoing physical examination during the same period were included as control group.Coagulation function indicators,including prothrombin time(PT),activated partial thromboplastin time(APTT),fibrinogen(FIB),and thrombin time(TT)were measured.Levels of immunoglobulin A(IgA),immunoglobulin G(IgG),and immunoglobulin M(IgM)were determined using the nephelometric immunoassay.Multivariate Cox regression analysis was conducted to explore the influencing factors of poor prognosis.Results Compared with the control group,children in both the non-severe and severe groups exhibited increased levels of white blood cells(WBC),neutrophils(N),C-reactive protein(CRP),erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR),interleukin-6(IL-6),procalci-tonin(PCT),FIB,and IgG,as well as decreased levels of B lymphocytes,natural killer(NK)cells,PT,APTT,IgA,and IgM(P＜0.05).Compared with the non-severe group,children in the severe group showed increased levels of WBC,N,CRP,ESR,IL-6,PCT,FIB,and IgG,as well as decreased levels of B lymphocytes,NK cells,PT,APTT,IgA,and IgM(P＜0.05).Compared with the good prognosis subgroup,the poor prognosis subgroup exhibited increased levels of CRP,IL-6,PCT,and IgG,as well as decreased levels of APTT,IgM,and IgA(P＜0.05).The results of multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that PCT,APTT,and IgM were influencing factors of poor prognosis in children with SAP(P＜0.05).Conclusion Children with SAP have decreased levels of PT,APTT,IgA,and IgM,as well as increased levels of FIB and IgG.Coagulation and im-mune function indicators are correlated with the prognosis of SAP.

Objective:To investigate the tumor suppressing effect of Shenqi Yiliu decoction combined with cisplatin via ERK-mediated C-Myc/PD-L1 phase-coordinated pathway on H22 hepatocellular carcinoma tumor-bearing mice and its mechanism.Meth-ods:In 60 SPF-grade male Kunming mice,10 mice were taken as blank group by random number table method,and the other 50 mice were replicated as H22 hepatocellular carcinoma tumor-bearing mouse model.After successful replication of the model,the model mice were randomly divided into model group,cisplatin group[2.5×10-3 g/(kg·3 d)],Shenqi Yiliu decoction low[13.515 g/(kg·d)],me-dium[27.03 g/(kg·d-1)],and high dose[27.030 g/(kg·d)]combined with cisplatin group[2.5×10-3 g/(kg·3 d)],10 mice in each group were treated for 13 d.After 24 h of the last dose,the mice were anesthetized and sacrificed,and the tumor inhibition rate,spleen index and thymus index of each drug group were determined;HE staining was performed to observe the histopathological changes of tumor in mice;ELISA kit was used to detect the contents of EGF and IFN-γ in tumor tissue homogenate;p-ERK1/2,C-Myc and PD-L1 protein expression in tumor tissue were detected by IHC and Western blot;ERK,C-Myc and PD-L1 mRNA expression levels in tumor tissue were detected by RT-PCR.Results:Compared with blank group,the average body mass and spleen index of mice in model group were decreased(P<0.05).Compared with model group,the tumor inhibition effect of each treatment group was obvious,and Shenqi Yiliu decoction combined with cisplatin group inhibited tumor growth in liver cancer mice in a dose-dependent way,im-proved the average body mass,spleen index and thymus index of mice,promoted the necrosis of tumor cells and increased the necrotic area.EGF and IFN-γ contents,P-ERK1/2,C-Myc,PD-L1 protein expressions and ERK,C-Myc,PD-L1 mRNA expression levels were decreased in tumor tissues(P<0.05).Compared with cisplatin group,the therapeutic effect of Shenqi decoction combined with cisplatin in medium and high dose groups was significant,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion:Shenqi Yiliu decoction combined with cisplatin effectively inhibited the tumor growth of H22 liver cancer tumor-bearing mice and significantly reduces the expression of C-Myc and PD-L1 proteins in the tumor tissues,which may be through the regulation of ERK signaling path-way-related protein expression to exert tumor suppressive effect.

The advantages of fluorescence detection of uric acid were introduced compared to the traditional detection methods.The preparation process,detection principle and performance of organic,inorganic and organic-inorganic hybrid fluorescent probes were reviewed.The advantages and disadvantages of kinds of fluorescent probes were analyzed when used for uric acid detection,and the futural directions were pointed out for related research.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(6):93-104]

Objective To study the application of serum microRNA(miR)-338-3p and miR-495-3p levels in the diagnosis and disease evaluation of severe adenovirus pneumonia in children.Methods A total of 130 chil-dren with adenovirus pneumonia who were treated in Cangzhou Central Hospital from November 2020 to No-vember 2022 were enrolled as an observation group.According to the severity of the disease,the children were divided into a mild pneumonia group with 90 children and a severe pneumonia group with 40 children.A total of 130 healthy children who were examined in Cangzhou Central Hospital during the same period were en-rolled as the control group.The observation and control groups and the children with different disease severity were compared in terms of the serum levels of miR-338-3p and miR-495-3p.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the diagnostic value of serum miR-338-3p and miR-495-3p for severe adeno-virus pneumonia.Multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of severe adeno-virus pneumonia.Results The observation group had a significantly lower serum level of miR-338-3p and a significantly higher serum level of miR-495-3p than the control group(P＜0.05).There were significant differences in electrolyte disturbance,circulatory system complications incidence,miR-338-3p level,miR-495-3p level,sequential organ failure score and Murray lung injury score between the mild pneumonia group and the severe pneumonia group(P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve(AUC)of serum miR-338-3p and miR-495-3p in the auxiliary diagnosis of severe adenovirus pneumonia were 0.745(95％CI 0.662-0.828)and 0.774(95％CI 0.685-0.863),respectively.And the AUC of the combination of the two was 0.884(95％CI 0.821-0.946),which was better than that of each index alone(Z=2.593,1.963,P＜0.05).Conclusion The level of serum miR-338-3p is decreased and the level of serum miR-495-3p is increased in children with severe adenovirus pneumonia.The combined detection of miR-338-3p and miR-495-3p has a certain value in the diagnosis of severe adenovirus pneumonia and can be used as a serum indica-tor to evaluate the severity of severe adenovirus pneumonia.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Xiao′er Huangjin Zhike Granules in the treatment of cough caused by acute bronchitis in children, which is defined in TCM terms as a syndrome of phlegm-heat obstructing the lung.Methods:This was a block-randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial.From January 2022 to September 2023, 359 children aged 3 to 7 years old diagnosed as acute bronchitis (lung-obstructing phlegm-heat syndrome) were enrolled from 21 participating hospitals and randomly assigned to the experimental group and placebo group in a 3︰1 ratio, and respectively treated with Xiao′er Huangjin Zhike Granules and its matching placebo.Cough resolution/general resolution rate after 7 days of treatment was used as the primary efficacy outcome for both groups.Results:(1)On the seventh day of treatment, the rate of cough disappearance/basically disappearance in the experimental group and placebo group were 73.95% and 57.61% retrospectively, which had statistically significance ( P=0.001).(2)After 7 days of treatment, the median duration of cough disappearance/basic disappearance were 5 days and 6 days in the two groups , with a statistically significant difference ( P=0.006).The area under the curve of cough symptom severity time was 7.20 ± 3.79 in the experimental group and 8.20±4.42 in the placebo group.The difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( P=0.039).(3) After 7 days of treatment, the difference between TCM syndrome score and baseline was -16.0 (-20.0, -15.0) points in the experimental group and -15.0 (-18.0, -12.0) points in the placebo group, with significant difference between the two groups ( P=0.004).In the experimental group, the clinical control rate, the markedly effective rate, the effective rate and the ineffective rate were 49.04%, 28.35%, 16.48% and 6.13% severally; and in the placebo group, the clinical control rate, the markedly effective rate, the effective rate and the ineffective rate were 38.04%, 26.09%, 29.35%, and 6.52% separately, which had statistically significant ( P=0.014).(4) There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events or adverse reactions during the trial between both groups.Moreover, while adverse reactions in the form of vomiting and diarrhea were occasionally reported, no serious drug-related adverse event or adverse reaction was reported.(5)The tested drug provided good treatment compliance, showing no statistically significant difference from the placebo in terms of compliance rate. Conclusions:Based on the above findings, it can be concluded that Xiao′er Huangjin Zhike Granules provides good safety, efficacy, and treatment compliance in the treatment of cough caused by acute bronchitis, and lung-obstructing phlegm-heat syndrome, in children.

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.

ObjectiveTo investigate the tumor-suppressing effect of Shenqi Yiliu prescription combined with cisplatin in hepatoma H22-bearing mice based on the phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten （PTEN）/phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） pathway. MethodH22-bearing mice were prepared and randomized into model group， cisplatin group， and cisplatin combined with high-， medium-， and low-dose Shenqi Yiliu prescription groups， with 10 mice in each group. Another 10 healthy mice were randomly selected as normal group. Shenqi Yiliu prescription was given by gavage with the high， medium， low dose of 54.06， 27.03， 13.515 g·kg^-1·d^-1， respectively， and cisplatin （2.5 mg·kg^-1） was administered by intraperitoneal injection， twice a week. Normal group and model group received normal saline. After 13 days of treatment， mice were killed and the tumor inhibition rate was calculated. The pathomorphological changes of tumor were observed based on hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） and immunofluorescence method were used to detect the content of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A （p21） and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1B （p27） in tumor tissue of mice. The levels of PTEN， PI3K and phosphorylated protein kinase B （p-Akt） in tumor tissue were measured by Western blot. ResultCompared with the model group， cisplatin alone and cisplatin in combination with the high-， medium-， and low-dose Shenqi Yiliu prescription decreased tumor mass （P<0.05）， particularly the cisplatin in combination with the high-dose Shenqi Yiliu prescription. Necrosis of the tumor tissue was observed in each group， especially the cisplatin combined with high-dose Shenqi Yiliu prescription group. As compared with the model group， cisplatin alone and cisplatin in combination with the high-， medium-， and low-dose Shenqi Yiliu prescription raised the expression of p21， p27， and PTEN （P<0.05） and lowered the expression of PI3K and p-Akt （P<0.05）， particularly the cisplatin in combination with high-dose Shenqi Yiliu prescription. ConclusionShenqi Yiliu prescription may regulate the expression of key molecules in PTEN/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway， thereby upregulating the expression of downstream proliferation inhibitors p21 and p27， further suppressing the tumor in H22-bearing mice， and enhancing the effect of chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism of self-efficacy between self-management ability and self-management behavior and its differences among patients with different disease courses through mediation tests. METHODS: In the study, 489 patients with type 2 diabetes who attended the endocrinology departments of four hospitals in Shanxi Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from July to September 2022 were enrolled as the study population. They were investigated by General Information Questionnaire, Diabetes Self-Management Scale, Chinese version of Diabetes Empowerment Simplified Scale, and Diabetes Self-Efficacy Scale. Mediation analyses were performed using the linear regression model, Sobel test, and Bootstrap test in the software Stata version 15.0 and divided the patients into different disease course groups for subgroup analysis according to whether the disease course was > 5 years. RESULTS: In this study, the score of self-management behavior in the patients with type 2 diabetes was 6.16±1.41, the score of self-management ability was 3.99±0.74, and the score of self-efficacy was 7.05±1.90. The results of the study showed that self-efficacy was positively correlated with self-management ability (r=0.33) as well as self-management behavior (r=0.47) in the patients with type 2 diabetes (P < 0.01). The mediating effect of self-efficacy accounted for 38.28% of the total effect of self-management ability on self-management behaviors and was higher in the behaviors of blood glucose monitoring (43.45%) and diet control (52.63%). The mediating effect of self-efficacy accounted for approximately 40.99% of the total effect for the patients with disease course ≤ 5 years, while for the patients with disease course > 5 years, the mediating effect accounted for 39.20% of the total effect. CONCLUSION Self-efficacy enhanced the effect of self-management ability on the behavior of the patients with type 2 diabetes, and this positive effect was more significant for the patients with shorter disease course. Targeted health education should be carried out to enhance patients' self-efficacy and self-management ability according to their disease characteristics, to stimulate their inner action, to promote the development of their self-management behaviors, and to form a more stable and long-term mechanism for disease management.
Humans ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/therapy* ; Self Efficacy ; Self-Management ; Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring ; Blood Glucose ; Self Care