OBJECTIVE: To explore the effectiveness of arthroscopic release of elbow joint assisted by medial small incision ulnar nerve release in the treatment of non-traumatic elbow stiffness. METHODS: The clinical data of 15 patients with non-traumatic elbow stiffness treated with arthroscopic release of elbow joint assisted by medial small incision ulnar nerve release between April 2019 and September 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 6 males and 9 females with an average age of 46 years ranging from 34 to 56 years. The causes included rheumatoid arthritis in 3 cases, gouty arthritis in 2 cases, loose bodies in 3 cases, and elbow osteoarthritis in 7 cases. There were 4 cases with ulnar neuritis and 3 cases with synovial osteochondromatosis. The duration of elbow stiffness ranged from 6 to 18 months, with an average of 10 months. The operation time and intraoperative blood loss were recorded. The effectiveness was evaluated by visual analogue scale (VAS) score, range of elbow motion (maximum flexion, maximum extension, and total flexion and extension), Mayo score, and Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) elbow score. RESULTS: The operation time was 60-90 minutes, with an average of 65 minutes, and the intraoperative blood loss was 40-100 mL, with an average of 62 mL. All patients were followed up 13-18 months, with an average of 14 months. There was no complication such as vascular and nerve injury, poor wound healing, collateral ligament injury, elbow joint space narrowing, osteophyte proliferation, or loose body formation around the joint. At last follow-up, the elbow range of motion (maximum flexion, maximum extension, and total flexion and extension), VAS score, and Mayo score significantly improved when compared with those before operation ( P<0.05). The HSS elbow score was 85-95, with an average of 92; 12 cases were excellent, 3 cases were good, and the excellent and good rate was 100%. CONCLUSION Arthroscopic release of elbow joint assisted by medial small incision ulnar nerve release is an effective way to treat non-traumatic elbow stiffness, which has the advantages of small trauma, short operation time, and good effectiveness. It can carry out early elbow rehabilitation training and significantly improve elbow function.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Arthroscopy/methods* ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Elbow Joint/physiopathology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Treatment Outcome ; Ulnar Nerve/surgery* ; Operative Time

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is the leading cause of respiratory failure with high morbidity and mortality. Pulmonary surfactant (PS)-based complementary therapies have exhibited potential for ARDS healing and applied as an adjunctive therapy strategy. Coacervate (Coac) has the characteristics of softness, deformability and excellent molecular enrichment properties, and has attracted extensive attention in the biomedical field. Here PS and coacervate were combined for the potential ARDS treatment. The Coac, fabricated from polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by simple mixing, exhibited soft droplet property and high enrichment for dexamethasone sodium phosphate (DSP). To avoid the fusion effect of membraneless coacervate and endow it with biological functions of PS, liposomes with PS-biomimetic lipid components (PS-lipo) were further introduced to construct PS-biomimetic membranized coacervate (DSP@PS-Coac). The DSP@PS-Coac demonstrated high lung targeting effect and significant penetration efficiency after intravenous injection. Furthermore, PS-lipo replenished the endogenous PS pool and facilitated the distribution of DSP in inflammatory cells in the lung. In the ARDS mouse model, PS-Coac and DSP exerted synergetic anti-inflammatory functions, via reducing the recruitment of inflammatory neutrophils and modulating macrophages into anti-inflammatory phenotype. The overall results confirmed that DSP@PS-Coac may provide a promising delivery option for the treatment of ARDS.

Objective:To investigate the safety and feasibility of endoscopic thyroidectomy by gasless trans subclavian approach (ETGTA) in treatment of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) .Methods:The clinical data of 148 patients with PTC radical operation admitted to the Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine from Jul. 2020 to May. 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into subclavian approach group (53 cases) and modified miccoli group (95 cases) according to different surgical approaches. The operation time, intraoperative bleeding volume, postoperative drainage flow, postoperative drainage days, postoperative hospital stay, postoperative complications and cosmetic satisfaction were recorded in the 2 groups. Statistical software was used to analyze the results, including t test, Mann-Whitney U test, χ2 test, etc. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:There were no significant differences in age, sex ratio, maximum diameter, stage, tumor lesion or surgical method between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). The postoperative drainage days increased in the subclavian group than in the modified miccoli group (4.57±2.45 vs. 2.98±1.07) ( P<0.01), but there was no statistical difference in operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage, or postoperative hospital stay between the two groups ( P>0.05). The incidence of swallowing discomfort at 1 month [5.6% (3/53) vs. 18.9% (18/95), P=0.04] and 3 months [0% (0/53) vs. 7.4% (7/95) , P=0.04], anterior cervical area tightness or stiffness at 1 month [0% (0/53) vs. 11.6% (11/95), P=0.01] and 3 months [0% (0/53) vs. 8.4% (8/95), P=0.03] were less than that of the modified miccoli group, and the difference was statistically significant (4.1±0.7 vs. 2.4±0.8) ( P<0.01), and the cosmetic satisfaction of the subclavian approach was higher than that of the modified miccoli group ( P<0.01). There was no significant difference in postoperative temporary recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, postoperative 3d neck pain, postoperative hand-foot numbness or postoperative hematoma between the two groups (all P>0.05) . Conclusion:The radical resection of papillary thyroid carcinoma without inflatable subclavicular approach is safe and feasible, with few postoperative complications and better cosmetic effect, which is worth popularizing.

Objective:To analyze and compare the pathological data characteristics of patients with simple papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and PTC combined with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT), so as to provide clinical treatment ideas.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical records of 326 PTC patients who met the requirements and underwent surgical treatment in the Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from Jan. 2020 to May. 2022. There were 81 males and 245 females. They were divided into PTC group and HT-PTC group, according to whether they were combined with HT. Clinical data were collected and organized. The collection indicators included patient gender, age, body mass index (BMI), five preoperative thyroid function items including free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), BRAF gene mutation, single or bilateral lesions, single or multiple lesions, largest postoperative pathological tumor lesions diameter, cervical lymph node metastasis (LNM) status, etc. At the same time, all patients were divided into CLNM group and no CLNM group according to CLNM status. The two groups were compared in terms of gender, age ≥55 years old, whether combined with HT, number of lesions, unilateral and bilateral, extraglandular invasion, microcarcinoma, and BRAF gene. Statistical software was used to analyze the results. t test, χ2 test, and logistic regression analysis were adopted. P<0.05 indicates that the difference is statistically significant. Results:The proportion of female patients in both groups was higher, and the proportion of female patients in the HT-PTC group (90/100, 90%) was higher than that in the PTC group (155/226, 69.59%). HT-PTC patients were younger than patients in the PTC group (43.03±12.72 vs. 43.70±12.63) years old, and their TSH (2.71±1.69 vs. 2.02±1.46) uIU/mL was higher. The differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in BMI, FT3, FT4, T3, or T4 (all P>0.05). The HT-PTC group had a lower proportion of BRAF gene mutations [87/100 (87%) vs. 212/226 (93.8%) ], a smaller maximum tumor diameter (1.06±0.73 vs. 1.32±0.97 cm), and a lower proportion of CLNM [37 /100 (37%) vs. 118/226 (52.2%) ]. The number of LNMs with metastasis is less (3.33±2.21 vs. 4.76±4.00), and it was more likely to be multifocal [44/100 (44%) vs. 73/226 (32.74%) ]. All differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05), and the differences in bilateral gland lobes involvement and extra-glandular invasion were not statistically significant. When accompanied by CLNM, gender (male vs. female) [55/100 (35.45%/64.52%) vs. 26/145 (15.2%/84.85%) ], age ≥ 55 years (yes vs. no) [21/134 (13.55) %/86.45%) vs. 50/121 (29.24%/70.76%) ], HT (yes vs. no) [37/118 (23.87%/76.13%) vs. 63/108 (36.84%/63.16%), number of lesions (single focus vs. multiple focus) [90/65 (41.94%/50.06%) vs. 119/52 (69.59%/30.41%) ], microcarcinoma (yes vs. no) [83/72 (53.55%/45.45%) vs. 139/32 (81.29%/18.71%) ] and extraglandular invasion (with vs. without) [38/117 (24.52%/75.48%) vs. 27/144 (17.42%/84.21%) ] had statistics significance (both P<0.05). There was no statistical significance in bilateral lesion involvement or BRAF gene mutation (all P>0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, microcarcinoma, HT, gender, and number of lesions were independent risk factors for CLNM, and male gender and multifocal cancer were risk factors for CLNM. Age ≥55 years, microcarcinoma, and combined HT were negatively associated with CLNM. Conclusions:HT may promote the occurrence of PTC, but can inhibit its development. In the short term, patients with HT can have a better prognosis than those with simple PTC.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata on neurological function injury in ischemic stroke rats and explore its mechanism. MethodMale SD rats were randomized into sham operation， model， low- and high -dose （3.5 g·kg^-1 and 7 g·kg^-1） Rehmannia Radix Praeparata， and nimodipine （0.01 g·kg^-1） groups. The rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion （MCAO） was established with the modified suture occlusion method. Zea-Longa 5-point scoring was employed to evaluate the neurological function of rats. The cerebral infarction volume was detected by 2，3，5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride （TTC） staining. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and Nissl staining were employed to observe the morphology and damage of the brain tissue. Meanwhile， the serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase （LDH）， oxidative stress-related indicators superoxide dismutase （SOD）， glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4）， and malondialdehyde （MDA）， and the iron （Fe） content in the brain tissue were determined. To explore the mechanism of Rehmanniae Radix Preparata in mitigating the neurological damage in ischemic stroke rats， Western blotting was employed to determine the expression levels of proteins in the ischemic brain tissue. The autophagy-associated proteins included autophagy effector （beclin-1）， microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 （LC3B）， and ubiquitin-binding protein p62 （p62）. The ferroptosis-associated proteins included transferrin （TF）， transferrin receptor 1 （TFR1）， ferritin heavy chain 1 （FTH1）， and ferropotin （FPN1）. The neurological function injury-associated proteins included brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF） and tyrosine kinase receptor B （TrkB）. ResultCompared with the sham operation group， the model group showed increased neurological function score， cerebral infarction volume， and appearance of nuclear pyknosis and vacuole of cells in the cerebral cortex. In addition， the model group presented elevated levels of LDH， MDA， and Fe （P<0.01） and lowered levels of SOD and GPX4 （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata decreased the content of LDH， MDA， and Fe （P<0.05， P<0.01） and elevated the levels of SOD and GPX4 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the sham operation group， the modeling promoted the expression of beclin-1，LC3B Ⅱ/Ⅰ， TF， and TFR1 and inhibited the expression of p62， FTH1， FPN1， BDNF， and TrkB （P<0.01）. The expression levels of these proteins were recovered after the treatment with Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata. ConclusionRehmanniae Radix Praeparata may inhibit ferroptosis and improve the neurological function in ischemic stroke rats by down-regulating the autophagy level in the brain tissue.

Rats ; Animals ; Urinary Bladder Neck Obstruction/pathology* ; Survivin/genetics* ; Urinary Bladder/pathology* ; Fibrosis

Objective:To analyze the correlation between sleep midpoint and sleep quality in insomnia patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods:By adopting current situation investigation research, total of 150 T2DM patients hospitalized in the Department of Endocrinology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from November 2021 to July 2022 were selected as the research objects. The general information questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), anxiety scale (SAS) and Depression Scale (SDS) were used to investigate, and then analysis the datum.Results:Among 150 T2DM insomnia patients, 41 cases (27.33%) were in the early midpoint sleep group, 37 cases (24.67%) were in the middle midpoint sleep group, and 72 cases (48.00%) were in the late midpoint sleep group. There were significant differences in the distribution of sex, age and BMI level among different sleep midpoint groups ( χ2=7.24, 13.36, 15.93, all P<0.05). The scores of time to fall asleep at the midpoint of sleep in the 3 groups were (2.12 ± 1.25), (2.65 ± 0.79), (2.33 ± 1.02), the difference was significant ( F=2.14, P<0.05); the daytime disability scores in the 3 groups were (1.39 ± 1.36), (2.16 ± 1.12), (1.85 ± 1.32), the difference was significant ( F=3.17, P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis of disorder showed that the time to fall asleep ( OR=4.922, P<0.05) and daytime disability ( OR=4.043, P<0.05) had significant influence to the middle midpoint of sleep group when the early midpoint of sleep group as the control, while the male ( OR=2.182, P<0.05), 50 - 70 years old ( OR=5.005, P<0.05) and BMI over fat side ( OR=3.488, P<0.05) had significant influence to the late midpoint of sleep group. Conclusions:Medical staff should pay attention to the sleep quality of T2DM patients, pay attention to the sleep midpoint of patients, and improve patients′cognition of healthy sleep patterns.

Radiotherapy is widely used in the management of advanced colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the clinical efficacy is limited by the safe irradiated dose. Sensitizing tumor cells to radiotherapy via interrupting DNA repair is a promising approach to conquering the limitation. The BRCA1-BARD1 complex has been demonstrated to play a critical role in homologous recombination (HR) DSB repair, and its functions may be affected by HERC2 or BAP1. Accumulated evidence illustrates that the ubiquitination-deubiquitination balance is involved in these processes; however, the precise mechanism for the cross-talk among these proteins in HR repair following radiation hasn't been defined. Through activity-based profiling, we identified PT33 as an active entity for HR repair suppression. Subsequently, we revealed that BAP1 serves as a novel molecular target of PT33 via a CRISPR-based deubiquitinase screen. Mechanistically, pharmacological covalent inhibition of BAP1 with PT33 recruits HERC2 to compete with BARD1 for BRCA1 interaction, interrupting HR repair. Consequently, PT33 treatment can substantially enhance the sensitivity of CRC cells to radiotherapy in vitro and in vivo. Overall, these findings provide a mechanistic basis for PT33-induced HR suppression and may guide an effective strategy to improve therapeutic gain.

Purpose: No consensus exists about the causal relationship between vitamin D (VD) and male factor infertility due to heterogeneity and confounding factors even in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). This study aimed to investigate the causal association between 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels and male factor infertility through Mendelian randomization (MR) and provide complementary information for optimization of future RCTs. Materials and Methods: Two-sample MR analyses with four steps were performed. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for VD were extracted from 417,580 Europeans in the UK Biobank, and the summary-level data of male factor infertility (825 cases and 85,722 controls) were extracted from the FinnGen. Results: Totally 99 SNPs robustly associated with the 25OHD were included, and a 1-unit increase in genetically predicted natural-log transformed 25OHD levels was associated with decreased risk of male factor infertility (odds ratio [OR], 0.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.44–0.89; p=0.010), which was consistent in all three sensitivity analyses (MR-Egger, weighted median, and weighted mode methods). The conclusion still stands after removing SNPs which explained more variation in the male factor infertility than the 25OHD (OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.42–0.88; p=0.009; n=62), and which were associated with confounders (body mass index, type 2 diabetes, smoking, and coronary artery diseases) of male factor infertility (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.39–0.85; p=0.005; n=55). Conclusions VD supplement to increase serum 25OHD levels may be clinically beneficial for male factor infertility in the general population. The well-designed RCTs should be performed in priority to address this question.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of Modified Banxia Xiexin Decoction on patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) and its impact on gastric function.Methods:From June 2021 to December 2022, at the Department of Gastroenterology, Wenzhou Central Hospital, a total of 56 patients with FD who met the diagnostic criteria of Rome Ⅳ were prospectively enrolled. The patients were treated with Modified Banxia Xiexin Decoction for 4 weeks. The clinical efficacy was evaluated by the upper gastrointestinal symptom severity index score. The gastric function was assessed by standard gastric loading test of liquid nutrient meal and standard gastric emptying test of solid meal. The total scores of dyspeptic symptoms, the maximal satiety threshold of proximal stomach, the initial satiety threshold of proximal stomach and 5-hour solid gastric emptying rate were compared before and after the treatment. During the treatment and in 4-week follow-up after treatment, the adverse events (such as nausea, diarrhea, dizziness and rash) were observed. Wilcoxon rank sum test and paired sample t-test were used for statistical analysis. Results:After the treatment, 14 FD patients were cured, 22 patients showed significant improvement, 12 patients had response, and 8 patients showed no improvement. The total efficacy rate was 85.71%(48/56). The total score of dyspepsia symptoms after the treatment was lower than that before treatment (3.00(1.00, 4.00) vs. 13.00(8.00, 18.00)), and the difference was statistically significant ( Z=-7.96, P<0.001). After the treatment, the maximal satiety threshold of proximal stomach and 5-hour solid gastric emptying rate were both higher than those before treatment ( (897.45±98.82) mL vs. (588.46±60.26) mL, (87.59±12.74)% vs. (36.59±15.95)%), and the differences were statistically significant ( t=19.98 and 18.70, both P<0.001). The initial satiety threshold of proximal stomach before and after treatment was compared((131.84±52.91) mL vs. (130.0±47.61) mL), and the difference was not statistically significant( P>0.05). No adverse events related to this study were observed during treatment period and in the 4-week follow-up. Conclusions:The Modified Banxia Xiexin Decoction can improve proximal gastric compliance and gastric emptying function in patients with FD. Additionally, it can alleviate dyspeptic symptoms and have good clinical efficacy and high safety.