Based on the theory of blood collateral， postoperative recurrence and metastasis of bladder cancer are considered to arise primarily from the binding of stasis and toxin， which accumulate and hide within the blood collaterals. Accordingly， treatment should focus on clearing and resolving the deeply concealed stasis toxin retained in the blood collaterals. The paired use of insect and vine medicinals may exert synergistic effects by simultaneously searching out and eliminating pathogenic factors， guiding the action of herbs to the channels， and unblocking the collaterals. Drawing on clinical practice， the stasis-toxin pathogenesis of postoperative recurrence and metastasis of bladder cancer can be divided into four stages including stagnation and astringent of collateral qi， formation of fixed stasis nests， transformation of persistent stasis into toxin， and deficiency of healthy qi with lingering toxin. Accordingly， four herb pairs are proposed for each stage based on conventional treatment， which are Dilong （Pheretima）-Daxueteng （Caulis Sargentodoxae）， Shuizhi （Hirudo）-Jixueteng （Caulis Spatholobi）， Wugong （Scolopendra）-Luoshiteng （Caulis Trachelospermi）， and Quanxie （Scorpio）-Qianjinteng （stephania）. Their potential modern pharmacological mechanisms are further discussed.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of warfarin anticoagulation therapy guided by gene test in patients undergoing left ventricular assist device （LVAD） implantation， and to analyze the influencing factors of warfarin anticoagulation efficacy. METHODS Patients who underwent LVAD implantation at the Heart and Vascular Center of Northern Jiangsu People’s Hospital from January 2023 to October 2024 and required warfarin anticoagulant therapy were selected as the study subjects. They were divided into genetic testing group （n＝51） and empirical treatment group （n＝17） based on whether they underwent CYP2C9 and VKORC1 gene test. The gene test group was given warfarin based on the predicted dose calculated by gene test， while the empirical treatment group was given warfarin by clinical doctors based on international normalized ratio （INR） experience， all patients were given warfarin once a day. Follow-up observation was conducted for 6 months to compare the effectiveness [time in therapeutic range（TTR）， the time required to reach INR for the first time， the incidence of embolic events， the incidence of INR＜1.5 events] and safety （the incidence of major and minor bleeding events，the incidence of INR＞3.5 events） of warfarin treatment between two groups of patients. According to whether the patient’s TTR was ≥60%， they were divided into TTR≥60% group （n＝20） and TTR＜60% group （n＝48）. Univariate and multivariate binary Logistic regression analysis were used to determine the factors affecting the anticoagulant effect of warfarin in patients. RESULTS The TTR of patients in the gene test group was significantly higher than that in the empirical treatment group （P＜0.05）. The incidence of INR＜1.5 events in the gene test group was significantly lower than in the empirical treatment group （P＜0.05）. The incidence of minor bleeding events and INR＞3.5 events in the gene test group were lower than in the empirical treatment group， but the difference was not statistically significant （P＞0.05）. The results of multivariate binary Logistic regression analysis showed that gene test was an independent protective factor for warfarin anticoagulant therapy [odds ratio （OR）＝10.842， 95% confidence interval （CI）： 1.211-27.037， P＝0.033]， and the combination of statins was an independent risk factor for warfarin anticoagulant therapy [OR＝0.196， 95%CI： 0.045-0.861， P＝0.031]. CONCLUSIONS Under the guidance of gene test， warfarin anticoagulation therapy for LVAD patients after implantation can improve TTR， shorten the anticoagulation target time， and has good safety； meanwhile， it should be noted that the combination of statins may enhance the anticoagulant effect of warfarin， thereby increasing the risk of bleeding in patients.

Objective: To analyze the characteristics of injury surveillance cases among the elderly in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province from 2014 to 2023, so as to provide the basis for formulating targeted injury intervention measures. Methods: Injury surveillance cases aged ≥60 years were collected from seven injury sentinel hospitals in Ningbo City through the Zhejiang Provincial Chronic Disease Surveillance Information Management System from 2014 to 2023. Population distribution, temporal distribution, injury circumstances, and clinical characteristics were described. Results: A total of 67 259 injury surveillance cases among the elderly were reported in Ningbo City from 2014 to 2023, including 32 159 males (47.81%) and 35 100 females (52.19%). The median age was 68.00 (interquartile range, 14.00) years. The three months with a higher number of cases were December (6 271 cases, 9.32%), August (6 226 cases, 9.26%) and October (6 221 cases, 9.25%). The primary causes of injury were falls (25 276 cases, 37.58%), stabs (12 250 cases, 18.21%), and sprains (11 815 cases, 17.57%). The injury occurred mainly in homes (44 975 cases, 66.87%) and streets/urban areas (16 174 cases, 24.05%). The predominant activities at the time of injury were leisure activities (28 801 cases, 42.82%) and household chores (23 647 cases, 35.16%). The proportions of falls as the cause of injury and injuries occurring at home among females and people aged 80 years and above were relatively high. The predominant sites of injury were upper limbs (23 354 cases, 34.72%) and lower limbs (20 343 cases, 30.25%). The predominant nature of injury were soft tissue injuries (43 345 cases, 64.44%) and bone and joint injuries (22 042 cases, 32.77%). Injuries were primarily mild and moderate in severity, with 46 391 cases (68.97%) and 20 205 cases (30.04%), respectively. The proportion of bone and joint injuries, moderate in injuries among females and people aged 80 years and above was relatively high. Conclusions The main causes of injury surveillance cases among the elderly in Ningbo City from 2014 to 2023 were falls and stabs, and the injuries occurred mainly in homes and streets/urban areas. Female and elderly people have a higher risk of injury.

Objective:To investigate gut microbiota differences between individuals with and without colorectal adenoma(CRA)and to identify gut microbes associated with CRA.Methods:This cross-sectional study analyzed the gut microbiota of 100 patients with CRA and 68 individuals without CRA(aged 40-75 years)who underwent colonoscopies between March 2021 and March 2022 at Tianjin Nankai Hospital.Fecal samples were sequenced for the V3-V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene using the Illumina NovaSeq platform.Results:Compared to the non-CRA group,the CRA group exhibited reduced relative abundances of identified and unidentified Lachnospiraceae,with increased Faecalibacterium and Streptococcus.In the non-CRA group,the relative abundances of Coprococcus,unidentified Clostridiaceae,and Clostridium were higher.LEfSe analysis revealed significant enrichment of Gammaproteobacteria,Proteobacteria,Enterobacteriales,and Faecalibacterium in the CRA group,while the non-CRA group was enriched for Moraxellaceae,Acinetobacter,and Anaerostipes.Conclusions:These findings suggest a discernible disparity in the gut microbiota structure between CRA patients and individuals without adenoma.The enrichment of potential pathogenic taxa,such as Faecalibacterium and Streptococcus,in the CRA group suggests a possible association with adenoma development.

Mental disorders frequently co-occur with other physical illnesses,becoming one of the leading causes of disability worldwide.Early diagnosis and intervention are crucial for the effective management of these disorders.Currently,biomarker studies on mental disorders predominantly concentrate on genes,blood indicators,and imaging features of the brain.There is a growing interest in objective phenotypic markers as a research focus.It is established that the retina is part of the central nervous system(CNS),which extends from the mesencephalon and develops concurrently with the brain during the embryonic period.Given the overlapping pathophysiological mechanisms between neurodegenerative diseases and mental disorders,studying the structural and functional changes in the inner layers of the retina has emerged as a new direction in mental health research.The advent of optical coherence tomography(OCT)has enabled microscopic imaging of retinal structures.OCT is capable of objectively quantifying the retinal sub-layers and offers the advantages of being non-invasive,non-contact,and high-resolution.The use of OCT to explore structural changes in the retina among individuals with schizophrenia,bipolar disorder,major depression and other psychiatric disorders has been well documented;however,there is a paucity of reviews on this topic.This review summarizes current research on retinal structural alterations in patients with mental disorders,and the results demonstrate reduced thickness in certain sub-layers of the retina structure in patients with several mental disorders,which supports that the retina structure has the potential to be a biomarker for mental disorders and offers a novel avenue for research in the diagnosis and treatment.

Objective:To investigate impact of baicalein(BA)on airway inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)rats by regulating TLR4/NF-κB pathway.Methods:Rats were randomly divided into model group(n=56)and sham operation group(n=10),COPD rat model was established by smoking and intratracheal instillation of LPS,successful modeling rats were randomly divided into COPD group,BA low dose(BA-L,100 mg/kg)group,BA high dose(BA-H,200 mg/kg)group,TLR4 activator LPS group(0.1 mg/kg)and BA-H+LPS group(0.1 mg/kg LPS+200 mg/kg BA).After 2 h,peak expiratory flow(PEF),forced expiratory volume in first second(FEV1),forced vital capacity(FVC)and other lung function indexes were measured;serum TNF-α,IL-6 and IL-8 levels were measured;bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF)was collected to analyze number and classification of cells;lung tissues were isolated to analyze pathological changes and TLR4,p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 expressions.Results:Com-pared with sham operation group,pathological damage in COPD group was serious,PEF,FEV1 and FVC were decreased significantly,serum IL-6,IL-8,TNF-α levels,leukocytes number,neutrophils and lymphocytes proportions,TLR4 and p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 expressions were increased significantly(P<0.05);compared with COPD group,pathological damage in LPS group was further aggra-vated,PEF,FEV1 and FVC were reduced significantly,serum IL-6,IL-8,TNF-α levels,leukocytes number,neutrophils and lym-phocytes proportions,TLR4 and p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 expressions were increased significantly(P<0.05),pathological damage in BA-L group and BA-H group gradually improved,PEF,FEV1 and FVC were increased significantly,serum IL-6,IL-8,TNF-α levels,leukocytes number,neutrophils and lymphocytes proportions,TLR4 and p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 expressions were decreased significantly(P<0.05);LPS reversed protective effect of BA-H on COPD rats.Conclusion:BA can improve airway inflammation in COPD rats,which may be related to inhibition of TLR4/NF-κB pathway.

OBJECTIVE To observe the effect of electroacupuncture on insomnia symptoms and blood pressure levels in patients with hypertension and insomnia.METHODS A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted.A total of 60 patients with hyper-tension and insomnia were enrolled in Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine from December 2021 to December 2022 and ran-domly divided into a treatment group and a control group at a ratio of 1:1,with 30 cases in each group.During the treatment period,2 cases dropped out of the control group and 1 case dropped out of the treatment group.Both groups of patients received sleep and hy-pertension health education and conventional hypertension drug treatment.The treatment group was given electroacupuncture interven-tion,and the control group was given sham electroacupuncture intervention.The treatment course of both groups was 4 weeks.Before and after treatment,the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI),Insomnia Severity Index(ISI)scale and portable polysomnography(PPSG)were used to evaluate the changes in sleep quality of the two groups of patients;home blood pressure measurement(HBPM)was adopted to evaluate the changes in blood pressure levels of the two groups of patients.Spearman correlation analysis and linear re-gression analysis were used to study the relationship between blood pressure levels and PPSG parameters.RESULTS After treatment,only the sleep onset latency(SOL)and sleep efficiency(SE)of the control group were significantly improved(P<0.05);the PSQI,ISI scores,morning and night systolic blood pressure(SBP),and diastolic blood pressure(DBP)of the treatment group were signifi-cantly reduced(P<0.01),which was better than that of the control group(P<0.05,P<0.01);the sleep parameters of PPSG were significantly improved(P<0.01),which was better than that of the control group(P<0.05,P<0.01).The results of Spearman corre-lation analysis showed that the morning SBP level of patients before treatment was related to the wake time after sleep onset(WASO)and the number of micro-arousals(MAS).After treatment,the decrease in the morning SBP of patients was related to the reduction of MAS and the shortening of SOL.CONCLUSION Electroacupuncture can effectively improve the insomnia symptoms and blood pres-sure levels of patients with hypertension.Its therapeutic mechanism may be related to reducing the number of MAS and improving the degree of sleep fragmentation.

Objective To investigate the predictive value of inflammatory markers including:fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio(FARI)and lymphocytes × albumin(LA)product before treatment in patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma for patient's prognosis by creating and internally evaluating columnar graphs based on inflammatory markers.Methods Hypopharyngeal cancer patients who atten-ded the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from 2009 to 2019 were collected,and the patients who met the criteria were di-vided into the training group and the validation group according to the nativity conditions.The optimal cutoff value was determined by sub-ject operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis,and the survival curve was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method.The factors affecting the prognosis were analyzed univariately and multivariately using COX risk regression analysis,and after determining the independent prog-nostic indexes related to overall survival(OS),the prognostic column line graph was constructed and internally validated.Results The relevant data of 134hypopharyngeal cancer patients were retrospectively analyzed,and they were randomly assigned to the training group(93 cases)and the validation group(41 cases).Univariate and multivariate COX regression analyses were performed to obtain the follow-ing factors affecting the survival of patients with hypopharyngeal cancer:body mass index(BMI),lymph node stage,whether or not post-operative adjuvant radiotherapy was performed,and pre-treatment FARI,LA,PLR,and NLR.A prognostic column chart was drawn based on the independent prognostic factors obtained.The C-index of the column-line diagrams for the training and validation groups were0.81(95％CI:0.76-0.87)and0.71(95％CI:0.60-0.82),respectively.In addition,our column-line diagrams demon-strated higher accuracy in predicting patient prognosis compared with conventional TNM staging.Conclusion Our findings confirm the prognostic significance of pretreatment inflammatory markers for patients with hypopharyngeal cancer,with high FARI(＞0.083)and low LA(≤77.30)associated with poorer OS in patients with hypopharyngeal cancer.We can predict individual prognosis more accurately and effectively based on the prognostic column chart.

In recent decades, the global community has encountered several significant viral outbreaks, including the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, the Zika virus epidemic in South America, and the recent worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. In these instances, the deployment of effective vaccines has been instrumental in protecting public health. Nevertheless, as new challenges emerge in the prevention and management of infectious diseases, the traditional model of global vaccine development confronts both unprecedented opportunities and challenges. These circumstances underscore the limitations inherent in conventional vaccine development, particularly the protracted timelines and substantial costs involved. This article examines innovative approaches in contemporary vaccine clinical trials, investigates randomization techniques specific to vaccine studies, and delineates essential statistical considerations pertinent to vaccine trial design. The objective is to provide scientific support for vaccine development and to foster ongoing innovation and optimization within the realm of vaccine research and development.

Purpose To investigate the expression of SNRPA in gastric cancer and its effect on the proliferation,migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells.Methods The expression of SNRPA in gastric cancer tissues was ana-lyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)database.The level of SNRPA was detected by immunohistochemistry(EnVision method),and its relationship with clinicopathological parameters was analyzed.Western blot was used to detect the expression of SNRPA in 15 cases of fresh gastric cancer and paracancerous tissues.The expression of SNRPA in MGC-803 and GES-1 cells was detected by immunofluorescence staining.The effects of SNRPA expression on the proliferation,migration and invasion of gastric cancer cell lines were determined by RNA interference technology and cell function assays,and the expression levels of Cyclin D1 protein and EMT-related proteins(E-cadherin,N-cadher-in)were detected by Western blot.Results The expression level of SNRPA in gastric cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in normal gastric mucosal tissues(P＜0.05),with an area under the curve(AUC)of 0.902 for diag-nostic accuracy.The Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that the survival time of the group with high expression of SNRPA was shorter.SNRPA expression correlated with tumor size,Ki67,infiltration depth,and p53 status(P＜0.05).Compared with the corresponding control group,SNRPA silencing inhibited the proliferation,migration and in-vasion ability of gastric cancer cells,accompanied by decreased Cyclin D1 and N-cadherin expression and increased E-cadherin expression(P＜0.05).Conclusion SNRPA expression is upregulated in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines,promoting the proliferation,migration,and invasion of gastric cancer cells,and may be a potential molecular marker for gastric cancer.