Osteonecrosis of femoral head （ONFH） is a disease that causes osteocyte death due to interruption of blood supply of the femoral head， which may cause symptoms such as joint movement disorders， pain， and even femoral head collapse. Currently， the commonly used methods for treating ONFH in clinical practice are accompanied by problems such as long-term side effects， inaccurate efficacy， technical limitations， and complication risks. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has shown unique advantages of holistic regulation， mild side effects， and symptom alleviation. A review of the related literature shows that Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma， as a representative Chinese herbal medicine for activating blood and resolving stasis， has the effects of activating blood， resolving stasis， dredging meridians， and relieving pain. Its active ingredients （such as salvianolic acid B， tanshinone Ⅱ_A， and tanshinone Ⅰ） interfere with bone metabolism balance， osteogenesis and differentiation， and improve bone microcirculation and bone microstructure. Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma is often combined with the herbal medicines with the effects of tonifying the liver and spleen or activing blood to form herb pairs （such as Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Angelicae Sinensis Radix， Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Chuanxiong Rhizoma， and Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Drynariae Rhizoma）， which enhances the efficacy through synergistic effects. In the application of TCM compound formulas， Bushen Huoxue prescription， Bushen Huoxue capsules， Gubi Tongxiao granules， and Shenggu Zaizao pills can regulate signaling pathways such as Wnt/β-catenin， Hedgehog， Notch， transforming growth factor（TGF）-β₁/Smads， and mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） through multiple targets to significantly improve bone metabolism and hip joint function， playing an important role in preventing and treating ONFH. Through a review of available studies， this paper systematically explains the outstanding advantages of the active ingredients， herb pairs， and compound formulas of Salviae miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma in the prevention and treatment of ONFH. The mechanisms may be related to factors such as promoting osteoblast generation and inhibiting osteoclast formation， increasing osteogenic differentiation， promoting angiogenesis， increasing bone density， inhibiting inflammatory response， and regulating signaling pathways. In the future， modern technology can be employed to optimize dosage forms， and high-quality clinical research should be conducted to further clarify its mechanism of action and promote the precise application of TCM. This review aims to provide more thinking directions for the application of Salviae miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma in preventing and treating ONFH.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the expression of the long non-coding RNA maternally expressed gene 3 (LncRNA Meg3) in patients with the Wilson disease (WD) and its correlation with the severity of liver fibrosis and autophagy-related markers. METHODS: A total of 100 WD patients and 50 healthy individuals were enrolled from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine. Serum biomarkers, including platelet count, hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), type III procollagen N-terminal peptide (PIIINP), type IV collagen (C‑IV), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), were measured, and the non-invasive indices APRI and FIB-4 were calculated. Peripheral blood levels of LncRNA Meg3, Beclin-1 and LC3B were detected using RT-qPCR, and liver stiffness (LSM) and shear wave velocity (SWV) were evaluated using two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE). The liver tissues from 10 WD patients and 10 patients with hepatic hemangioma were examined using histochemical staining, transmission electron microscopy, and RT-qPCR. RESULTS: The expression level of LncRNA Meg3 was significantly lower, while the levels of AST, ALT, HA, LN, PIIINP, C‑IV, APRI, FIB-4, LSM and SWV were significantly higher in WD patients than in the healthy individuals (all P<0.01). LncRNA Meg3 was negatively correlated with LSM, SWV, APRI, FIB-4, Beclin-1 and LC3B (P<0.05). ROC analysis demonstrated that LncRNA Meg3 effectively discriminated >F4 stage fibrosis (AUC=0.902) with a sensitivity of 92.9% and a specificity of 83.7% at the optimal cut-off value, outperforming APRI (AUC=0.746) and FIB-4 (AUC=0.661). The liver tissues from WD patients exhibited characteristic histopathological changes and lowered expression of LncRNA Meg3, which was negatively correlated with Beclin-1 and LC3B expressions (P<0.05). Liver fibrosis staging (7 S4 cases and 3 S3 cases) was significantly associated with LSM and SWV levels (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The expression level of LncRNA Meg3 is significantly decreased in WD patients, which is negatively correlated with the severity of liver fibrosis and closely related to the level of autophagy.
Humans ; RNA, Long Noncoding/metabolism* ; Liver Cirrhosis/metabolism* ; Adult ; Female ; Male ; Hepatolenticular Degeneration/metabolism* ; Case-Control Studies ; Young Adult ; Adolescent ; Middle Aged

In order to characterize the characteristics of pathological tremor of human upper limb, a simulation system of pathological tremor of human arm was provided and its dynamic response was analyzed. Firstly, in this study, a two-degree-of-freedom human arm dynamic model was established and linearized according to the arbitrary initial angle of joints. After solving the analytical solutions of steady-state responses of the joints, the numerical solution was used to verify it. The results of theoretical analysis show that the two natural frequencies of the developed dynamic model are 2.9 Hz and 5.4 Hz, respectively, which meet the characteristic frequency range of pathological tremors. Then, combined with the measured parameters of human arm, a tremor simulation system was built, and the measured results of joint responses are in good agreement with the theoretical and simulation analysis results, which verifies the effectiveness of the theoretical model. The results show that the human arm pathological tremor simulation system designed in this paper can characterize the frequency and response amplitude of the human upper limb pathological tremor. Moreover, the relevant research lays a theoretical foundation and experimental conditions for the subsequent development of wearable tremor suppression devices.
Humans ; Tremor/physiopathology* ; Computer Simulation ; Arm/physiopathology* ; Joints/physiopathology* ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Upper Extremity/physiopathology* ; Models, Biological

Objective:To establish and internally validate a nomogram model for predicting complicated acute appendicitis (CA).Methods:The clinical data from 663 acute appendicitis patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from October 2015 to October 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 411 males and 252 females, aged ( M (IQR)) 41 (22) years (range: 18 to 84 years). There were 516 cases of CA and 147 cases of uncomplicated acute appendicitis. The minimum absolute contraction and selection operator regression model was used to screen the potential relative factors of CA, and the screened factors were included in the Logistic regression model for multivariate analysis. Software R was used to establish a preoperative CA nomogram prediction model, the receiver operating characteristic curve of the model was drawn, and the value of area under the curve (AUC) was compared to evaluate its identification ability, and the Bootstrap method was used for internal verification. Results:The elderly (age≥60 years) ( OR=2.428, 95% CI: 1.295 to 4.549), abdominal pain time (every rise of 1 hour) ( OR=1.089, 95% CI: 1.072 to 1.107), high fever (body temperature≥39 ℃) ( OR=1.122, 95% CI: 1.078 to 1.168), total bilirubin (every rise of 1 μmol/L) ( OR=2.629, 95% CI: 1.227 to 5.635) were independent relative factors of CA (all P<0.05). The AUC of this model was 0.935 (95% CI: 0.915 to 0.956). After internal verification using the Bootstrap method, the model still had a high discrimination ability (AUC=0.933), and the predicted CA curve was still in good agreement with the actual clinical CA curve. Conclusion:The clinical prediction model based on the elderly (age≥60 years), prolonged abdominal pain time, high fever (body temperature≥39 ℃), and increased total bilirubin can help clinicians effectively identify CA.

Objective:To establish and internally validate a nomogram model for predicting complicated acute appendicitis (CA).Methods:The clinical data from 663 acute appendicitis patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from October 2015 to October 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 411 males and 252 females, aged ( M (IQR)) 41 (22) years (range: 18 to 84 years). There were 516 cases of CA and 147 cases of uncomplicated acute appendicitis. The minimum absolute contraction and selection operator regression model was used to screen the potential relative factors of CA, and the screened factors were included in the Logistic regression model for multivariate analysis. Software R was used to establish a preoperative CA nomogram prediction model, the receiver operating characteristic curve of the model was drawn, and the value of area under the curve (AUC) was compared to evaluate its identification ability, and the Bootstrap method was used for internal verification. Results:The elderly (age≥60 years) ( OR=2.428, 95% CI: 1.295 to 4.549), abdominal pain time (every rise of 1 hour) ( OR=1.089, 95% CI: 1.072 to 1.107), high fever (body temperature≥39 ℃) ( OR=1.122, 95% CI: 1.078 to 1.168), total bilirubin (every rise of 1 μmol/L) ( OR=2.629, 95% CI: 1.227 to 5.635) were independent relative factors of CA (all P<0.05). The AUC of this model was 0.935 (95% CI: 0.915 to 0.956). After internal verification using the Bootstrap method, the model still had a high discrimination ability (AUC=0.933), and the predicted CA curve was still in good agreement with the actual clinical CA curve. Conclusion:The clinical prediction model based on the elderly (age≥60 years), prolonged abdominal pain time, high fever (body temperature≥39 ℃), and increased total bilirubin can help clinicians effectively identify CA.

Objective:To study the changes in hemorheology in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension before and after splenectomy.Methods:The data on cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension and hypersplenism who underwent splenectomy from January 2018 to May 2019 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine was analyzed. The hemorheology indexes were monitored during the perioperative period, and portal vein thrombosis was monitored by Color Doppler ultrasound.Results:A total of 30 patients were included, including 18 males and 12 females; aged 12.0-62.0 (31.7±14.0) years. One week after splenectomy, portal vein thrombosis was found in all the patients and it disappeared after heparin treatment. The leukocyte and bilirubin levels significantly improved after splenectomy ( P<0.05). The viscosity of high, medium and low cut blood, platelet and D-dimer significantly increased ( P<0.05). Conclusions:After splenectomy, blood viscosity and platelets of cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension and hypersplenism increased, and portal vein thrombosis formed easily.

Traditional vascular intervention relies on C-arm rotation and use of contrast to obtain imaging,which results in the loss of 3D-image information and increased burden on kidney.Moreover,interventional operators bear higher occupational hazard risk under longtime X-ray exposure and the heavy burden of lead protection apron.Robot-assisted vascular intervention system carries certain advantages,it can significantly reduce the X-ray exposure to operators,obtain precise localization of lesions as well as accurate and stable manipulation.While reducing the contact of the instruments with the vascular wall and the operation tremor,it can improve operator's comfortable sensation.This paper aims to make a detailed summary about the development of robot-assisted vascular intervention system and its clinical application.The future development directions of robot-assisted vascular intervention system is also discussed.

At present, thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is the routine treatment for Stanford type B aortic dissection. Usually, during the interventional treatment only the primary entry tear, i.e. so-called proximal entry tear, is to be isolated with a stent-graft, while less intervention is adopted for the distal entry tear. With the deepening of research concerning aortic remodeling after TEVAR, the researchers have found that 25％-50％ of patients will develop aneurysmal dilation at the distal end of dissected aorta, which needs to be treated again. Among them, the treatment of entry tear at visceral branch area of the abdominal aorta has a certain degree of difficulty and technical particularity as the interventional management may affect the blood supply of vital organs. Referring to the research progress at home and abroad, this article aims to make a review about the common therapeutic methods for the entry tear at visceral branch area of the abdominal aorta.

Objective To study the hemodynamic changes before and after splenectomy plus periesophagogastric devascularization in patients with splenic artery steal syndrome (SASS) so as to provide a theoretical basis for the treatment of portal hypertension concomitant with hypersplenism.Methods The database of 30 patients who underwent splenectomy plus devascularization from January 2015 to January 2017 was studied retrospectively.Color Doppler ultrasound was performed to detect hemodynamic changes in the hepatic artery,splenic artery,splenic vein and portal vein in patients with portal hypertension and in healthy controls.The outcomes between preoperative and postoperative biochemical indicators were compared.Results The hemodynamic indexes of splenic artery,splenic vein and portal vein in the study group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P ＜ 0.05).The peak systolic velocity [(35.3 ± 5.1) cm/s vs.(53.1 ±7.0) cm/s] and blood flow [(175.9 ±30.5) ml/min vs.(297.0 ±48.3) ml/min)] of the hepatic artery were significantly lower than those of the control group (P ＜ 0.05).The peak systolic velocity [(60.7 ± 11.9) cm/s vs.(35.3 ±5.1) cm/s] and blood flow [(388.8 ±79.6) ml/min vs.(175.86 ±30.46) ml/min] of the hepatic artery increased significantly after operation (P ＜ 0.05).After splenectomy,the levels of the leucocyte [(7.9 ± 3.8) × 109/L vs.(2.8 ± 1.4) × 109/L)],thrombocyte [(491.3±194.9) × 109/L vs.(47.4 ± 16.0) × 109/L)],bilirubin [(15.0 ± 10.6) μmol/L vs.(24.4±13.8) μmol/L)] and transaminase [(32.94±8.57) U/L vs.(43.37 ±16.59) U/L)] recovered when compared with the preoperative data (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions SASS was detected in cirrhotic patients who had portal hypertension concomitant with hypersplenism.Splenectomy plus periesophagogastric devascularization were effective and safe for cirrhotic patients with hypersplenism and concomitant esophageal and gastric variceal bleeding.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of ultrasound-guided transversus abdominal plane (TAP) and posterior rectus sheath (PRS) block for postoperative analgesia in the patients undergoing radical resection for gastric cancer.Methods One hundred twenty patients of both sexes,aged 18-64 yr,with body mass index of 19-25 kg/m2,of American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status Ⅱ or Ⅲ,scheduled for elective radical resection for gastric cancer,were divided into 2 groups (n =60 each) using a random number table:control group (group C) and ultrasound-guided TAP and PRS block group (group T+R).Bilateral TAP (0.375％ ropivacaine 0.5 ml/kg was injected) and PRS block (0.375％ ropivacaine 0.3 ml/kg was injected) were performed before induction of general anesthesia in group T+R.Patient-controlled intravenous analgesia was provided to all the patients after surgery in the two groups,and the visual analog scale score at rest and during activity was maintained less than 4 within 48 h after surgery.The requirement for rescue analgesia within 48 h after surgery and occurrence of adverse reactions during the analgesia period were recorded.Results Compared with group C,the requirement for rescue analgesia within 48 h after surgery and incidence of nausea and vomiting were significantly decreased in group T+R (P＜0.05).Conclusion Ultrasound-guided TAP and PRS block provides better efficacy for postoperative analgesia with less adverse reactions in the patients undergoing radical resection for gastric cancer.