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

Abstract: Objective　To analyze the emergency response and long-term intervention effects after the detection of infectious snails epidemic by loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays in Hannan District, Wuhan City, and to explore the application of LAMP in early surveillance and early-warning of schistosomiasis transmission. Methods Snails picked up by the risk monitoring system in Hannan District were examined by anatomical microscopy and LAMP technology to identify the schistosomiasis infection. Emergency response and intensive intervention were initiated in the environment where positive snails appeared, and the long-term effects were evaluated. Results In May 2018, the infectious snails were detected by LAMP technology in Hannan District, and the positive snails were located in Zhujiacha, Dongzhuang Village, Obstacles and weeds were removed and buried by machine in Zhujiacha. 12 700 m2 of snails were killed by drugs, and the mortality rate of snails was more than 80%; no new seropositive persons were found in the emergency examination within 500 m of the positive snail sites. 506 people were examined in Dong Zhuang Village at the end of the year, and 30 positive IHA cases were detected with a blood positive rate of 5.93%, no positive fecal test was found, and all positive blood test patients took preventive medication. The monitoring results of sentinel rats and wild feces were all negative. Health education was carried out, 7 warning signs were deployed and refreshed, and 500 publicity brochures were distributed. After nearly three years of intensified intervention and monitoring in the villages where the positive environment is located, and the density of snails on the stubborn snail has dropped from 0.094/frame to 0.027/frame, and the positive rate of blood test in Dongzhuang Village has steadily dropped from 5.93% to 3.74%. Conclusions The infected snails missed by microscopy were detected by LAMP in Hannan District, which created conditions for the rapid emergency treatment of environment and elimination of positive snail and improved the sensitivity of the surveillance and early warning system in transmission-interrupted areas.

Objective To investigate the Gram-positive coccus resistance in nationwide's tertiary hospitals and understand the trend of antimicrobial resistance.Methods All the clinical isolates were collected from 19 hospitals and the minimal inhibitory concentrations(MICs)were tested using agar/broth dilution method recommended.Results A total of 1 974 pathogenic Gram-positive coccus from 19 tertiary hospitals in 19 cities nationwide over the period from July 2021 to June 2022 were studied.Based on the MIC results,the prevalence of methicillin resistant Stapylococcus aureus(MRSA)and methicillin resistant Stapylococcus epidermidis(MRSE)were 36.4％and 79.9％respectively.No vancomycin insensitivity Staphylococcus was detected.Staphylococcus aureus were 100％susceptibility to linezolid and teicoplanin.Antibiotic resistance rate of Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium to ampicillin were 3.1％and 92.9％.The detectation rate of vancomycin resistant Enterococcus(VRE)was 1.6％.Nonsusceptibility rate of Enterococcus faecalis to linezolid was 32.2％,two consecutive monitoring rises and nonsusceptibility rate of Enterococcus faecium(12.5％)was also significantly increased.The prevalence of penicillin non-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae(PNSSP)was 0.8％based on non-meningitis and parenteral administration criterion,decrease of nearly 30 percentage points from the previous surveillance.While for cases of oral penicillin,the rate was 71.8％,showing similar to last time.The results indicated that the number of strains with higher MIC value of penicillin(MIC ≥4 mg·L-1)decreased significantly.There were no significant differences of resistance rates of Stapylococcus aureus,Stapylococcus epidermidis,Enterococcus faecalis,Enterococcus faecium and Streptococcus pneumoniae among various groups such as different department,age,or specimen source.Conclusion VRE detection ratio stablized at a relatively low level.The number of Streptococcus pneumoniae with higher MIC value of penicillin decreased significantly compared with the previous monitoring.The increase of linezolidin-insensitive Enterococcus was noteworthy.

Objective To investigate the Gram-negative bacteria resistance in nationwide's tertiary hospitals and understand the trend of antimicrobial resistance.Method All the clinical isolates were collected from 19 hospitals and the minimal inhibitory concentrations(MICs)were tested using agar/broth dilution method recommended.Results A total of 4 066 pathogenic isolates from 19 tertiary hospitals in 19 cities nationwide over the period from July 2021 to June 2022 were studied.Based on the MIC results,Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae showed extended spectrum β-lactamase(ESBLs)phenotype rates of 55.0％and 21.0％,respectively,ESBLs phenotype rate of Klebsiella pneumoniae keep going down.The ratios of carbapenems resistance Klebsiella pneumoniae increased by 5 percentage points compared with the previous monitoring.Carbapenems,moxalactam,sitafloxacin,β-lactam combination agents,fosfomycin trometamol,and amikacin displayed desirable antibacterial activity against Enterbacterales,susceptibal rates were above 75％.In addition,tigacycline,omacycline,colistin and fluoxefin maintained good antibacterial activity against their respective effective bacteria/species,and the bacterial sensitivity rates by more than 80％.Resistance rates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannnii to imipenem were 26.3％and 72.1％and multidrug-resistant(MDR)detection rates were 41.1％and 77.3％,extensively drug-resistant(XDR)were 12.0％and 71.8％,respectively.Comparison of drug resistance rates from different wards,ages and specimen sources indicated that the proportion of resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from intensive care unit(ICU)were significantly higher than non-ICU.Carbapenem resistance rates of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from ICU were more than 35％.Resistance rates of Haemophilus influenzae isolated in children to β-lactam,macrolide,clindamycin and ESBLs detection rate in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from children were more than those from adults and the old people,so bacterial resistance in children is an important problem in China.Conclusion ESBLs detection rate of Escherichia coli increased slightly after years of continuous decline.The proportion of carbapenem resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa was stable,but the resistance rate of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii to carbapenems was still increased,which should be paid more attention.

Aim To study the modulation effects of HKSX capsule on Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to preliminarily explore its mechanism using SAMP8 as an AD model.Methods SAMP8 mice aged 4 months were randomly divided into model group ( P8 group) , HKSX low-dose group (L-HKSX group) , HKSX high- dose group ( H-HKSX group) , and senescence-accel- erated mouse/resistance 1 (SAMR1 ) at the same age was used as normal control group ( R1 group).New object recognition and Morris water maze experiments were used to detect the learning and memory abilities of each group.Levels of A(3, _40 and A(3, 42 were detected by ELISA, and the expression levels of LC3- U , p62, Beclin-1 , PSD95 and Syn in hippocampus of each group were detected by Western blot.Results Compared with model group, both low and high doses of HKSX could enhance the D1 in new object recognition test, increase number of crossing the platform anrl the time spent in the target quadrant, and shorten the escape latency.Besides, it also enhanced the clearance °f Ap, _40 and AfJ, _42 , up-regulated the relative expression of Beclin-1 and LC3- II and down-regulated the expression of P62.In addition, it increased the expression of synaptic-related proteins PSD95 and Syn.Conclusions HKSX capsule can regulate the expression of autophagy-related proteins and improve autoph- agv dysfunction, which in turn reduce the deposition of A(3 in vivo to alleviate its cytotoxicity and improve synaptic plasticity.Thus, HKSX can improve the learning and memory deficits of AD mice.

Fingerprints of 18 batches of substance benchmark of Shentong Zhuyu Decoction(SZD) were established by UPLC under the following conditions: Waters Sun Fire C_(18) column(3.0 mm×150 mm, 3.5 μm), column temperature of 35 ℃, gradient elution with mobile phase of acetonitrile(A)-0.1% phosphoric acid aqueous solution(B) at the flow rate of 0.4 mL·min~(-1), and detection by wavelength switching. A total of 16 common peaks were identified. The similarities among the fingerprints were calculated by Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of Traditional Chinese Medicine(2012 Edition) and the result showed they were in the range of 0.911-0.988. Based on the 16 common peaks, cluster analysis(CA), principal component analysis(PCA), and partial least square discriminant analysis(PLS-DA) all categorized the 18 batches of samples into two groups(S1, S2, S5-S8, S14, and S17 in one group, and S1, S2, S5-S8, S14, and S17 in another), and 11 most influential components were screened. Five known components with great difference among samples(hydroxysafflor yellow A, ferulic acid, benzoic acid, ecdysone, and ammonium glycyrrhizinate) were determined. The combination of multi-component content determination and fingerprints can reflect the overall cha-racteristics of the primary standards of SZD, which is simple, feasible, reproducible, and stable. This study can serve as a reference for the quality control of the primary standards of SZD.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/standards* ; Quality Control

Objective:To investigate the effect and mechanism of Yiqi Fuzheng Jiedu decoction （YQFZJDD） on autophagy and growth of A549 cells. Method:A549 cells were intervened with YQFZJDD-containing serum prepared in advance. The levels of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 （LC3）， homologue of yeast autophagy-related gene 6 （Beclin1）， p62， p53， adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK）， phosphorylated AMPK （p-AMPK）， mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR）， and phosphorylated mTOR （p-mTOR） were detected by Western blot assay， and microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B light chain 3B （MAP1LC3B） by immunofluorescence （IF） assay. The proliferation， invasion， and senescence of A549 cells were separately measured by 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine （EDU） staining， Transwell assay， and β-galactosidase staining. In the presence of autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine （3-MA， 5 mmol·L^-1）， the cells were divided into the 10% fetal bovine serum （blank） group， 10% control serum （control） group， low-， medium-， and high-dose 10% YQFZJDD-containing serum groups， and high-dose 10% YQFZJDD-containing serum + 3-MA group， followed by the measurement of A549 cell proliferation， invasion， and senescence. In the adoption of p53 inhibitor Pifithrin-α （PFT-α， 10 μmol·L^-1）， the cells were divided into the control group， PFT-α group， high-dose YQFZJDD-containing serum group， and high-dose YQFZJDD-containing serum + PFT-α group. Then the LC3-Ⅱ and Beclin1 expression， MAP1LC3B fluorescence intensity， as well as A549 cell proliferation， invasion and senescence were determined. Result:Compared with the blank group and control group， YQFZJDD-containing serum at the medium and high doses up-regulated the protein expression levels of LC3-Ⅱ and Beclin1 in A549 cells after 48-h intervention in a dose-dependent manner （P<0.01）. Besides， YQFZJDD-containing serum at the low-， medium-， and high-doses down-regulated p62 and p-mTOR/mTOR expression （P<0.05， P<0.01）， elevated p53 and p-AMPK/AMPK （P<0.01）， decreased the number of proliferative and invasive cells， increased the number of senescent cells （P<0.01）， and enhanced the IF intensity of MAP1LC3B， with the optimal effect observed in the high-dose YQFZJDD-containing serum group （P<0.01）. Compared with the high-dose YQFZJDD-containing serum group， the high-dose YQFZJDD-containing serum + 3-MA group and high-dose YQFZJDD-containing serum + PFT-α group exhibited significantly increased proliferative and invasive cells but decreased senescent cells （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Meanwhile， the IF intensity of MAP1LC3B in the high-dose YQFZJDD-containing serum + PFT-α group was weakened and the LC3-Ⅱ and Beclin1 protein expression levels declined （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Conclusion:YQFZJDD promotes the autophagy of A549 cells through the p53/AMPK signaling pathway to inhibit their proliferation， invasion and migration but accelerate senescence， thus playing a crucial role in inhibiting the progression of lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: It has been a global trend that increasing complications related to pelvic floor surgeries have been reported over time. The current study aimed to outline the development of Chinese pelvic floor surgeries related to pelvic organ prolapse (POP) over the past 14 years and investigate the potential influence of enhanced monitoring conducted by the Chinese Association of Urogynecology since 2011. METHODS: A total of 44,594 women with POP who underwent pelvic floor surgeries between October 1, 2004 and September 30, 2018 were included from 22 tertiary academic medical centers. The data were reported voluntarily and obtained from a database. We compared the proportion of each procedure in the 7 years before and 7 years after September 30, 2011. The data were analyzed by performing Z test (one-sided). RESULTS: The number of different procedures during October 1, 2011-September 30, 2018 was more than twice that during October 1, 2004-September 30, 2011. Regarding pelvic floor surgeries related to POP, the rate of synthetic mesh procedures increased from 38.1% (5298/13,906) during October 1, 2004-September 30, 2011 to 46.0% (14,107/30,688) during October 1, 2011-September 30, 2018, whereas the rate of non-mesh procedures decreased from 61.9% (8608/13,906) to 54.0% (16,581/30,688) (Z = 15.53, P < 0.001). Regarding synthetic mesh surgeries related to POP, the rates of transvaginal placement of surgical mesh (TVM) procedures decreased from 94.1% (4983/5298) to 82.2% (11,603/14,107) (Z = 20.79, P < 0.001), but the rate of laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy (LSC) procedures increased from 5.9% (315/5298) to 17.8% (2504/14,107). CONCLUSIONS: The rate of synthetic mesh procedures increased while that of non-mesh procedures decreased significantly. The rate of TVM procedures decreased while the rate of LSC procedures increased significantly. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT03620565, https://register.clinicaltrials.gov.
China ; Female ; Gynecologic Surgical Procedures/adverse effects* ; Humans ; Pelvic Floor/surgery* ; Pelvic Organ Prolapse/surgery* ; Surgical Mesh/adverse effects* ; Treatment Outcome ; Vagina

Consensus ; Critical Illness ; Humans ; Serum Albumin ; Serum Albumin, Human

Objective:To investigate the preliminary effects of sub-pectoral fascial breast augmentation and reconstruction.Methods:Six patients (10 breasts) of mammary dysplasia, mastatrophy, prophylactic mastectomy, unilateral breast defect with contralateral mastatrophy were included in the study from Oct. 2019 to July 2021. The mean patient age was 29 years (range, 20 to 35 years). All the textured and smooth cohesive gel implants were inserted under pectoralis major fascia by endoscopic-assisted, incisions were including axillary, around areola and inferior mammary fold approaches. The prophylactic mastectomy cases were performed nipple sparing mastectomy and sub-pectoral fascial breast restoration with implants. The fat and fascia tissue were well reserved to give a satisfying coverage of the appropriate implant. Negative pressure drainage and moulding dressing were used after the surgery.Results:Ten breast augmentation and restoration with a mean implant size of 200 cc (range, 180-300 cc). Less immediate postoperative pain and bleeding were reported. Patients were followed up for an average of 10 months (range, 6 to 21 months). There were no cases of major malpositions, double-bubble and bottom out symptoms. The overall outcome was with better symmetry and satisfaction with time passed by, and no secondary surgical procedures needed.Conclusions:Primary and satisfactory results have been obtained in subfascial breast augmentation and restoration for indications. With the endoscopic-assisted accurate pectoral fascial dissection, and well reserved soft tissue coverage, this technique could avoid the pectoralis major muscle ablation and keep the advantages of sub-glandular plane.