OBJECTIVES: To explore the therapeutic effect of LuoFuShan Rheumatism Plaster (LFS) on neuropathic pain (NP) and its molecular mechanism. METHODS: Mouse models of sciatic nerve chronic constriction injury (CCI) were treated with low, medium, and high doses (2.2, 4.4, and 8.8 cm², respectively) of LFS by topical application for 14 consecutive days. The therapeutic effects were assessed by evaluating the mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT), paw withdrawal latency (PWL), plasma IL-6 and TNF-α levels, and histopathology of the sciatic nerve. Network pharmacology and molecular docking were used to identify the key targets and signaling pathways. The key targets were verified by RT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry. The biosafety of LFS was evaluated by measuring the organ indices and damage indicators of the heart, liver, and kidneys. RESULTS: Compared with the CCI group, LFS dose-dependently increased MWT and PWL, reduced plasma IL-6 and TNF-α levels, and alleviated sciatic nerve inflammation in the mouse models. Network pharmacology identified 378 bioactive compounds targeting 279 NP-associated genes enriched in TLR and TNF signaling. Molecular docking showed that quercetin and ursolic acid in LFS could stably bind to TLR4 and TNF‑α. In the mouse models of sciatic nerve CCI, LFS significantly downregulated the mRNA expression levels of Tlr4 and Tnf-α in the spinal cord in a dose-dependent manner and lowered the protein expressions of TLR4 and TNF-α in the sciatic nerve. LFS treatment did not cause significant changes in the organ indices or damage indicators of the heart, liver and kidneys as compared with those in the CCI model group and sham-operated group. CONCLUSIONS LFS alleviates NP in mice by suppression of TLR4/TNF-α-mediated neuroinflammation with a good safety profile.
Animals ; Toll-Like Receptor 4/metabolism* ; Neuralgia/metabolism* ; Mice ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Sciatic Nerve/injuries* ; Male ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Disease Models, Animal ; Interleukin-6

The application of Raman spectroscopy in the field of laboratory medicine is making continuous progress and development. The biosensor platform based on Raman spectroscopy provides a new means for accurate molecular diagnosis of diseases. In particular, as a fast and non-destructive detection method, surface-enhanced Raman scattering has the advantages of simple sample preparation, little interference from water and real-time detection, and shows great application potential in the field of medical examination. At the same time, with the integration of SERS and other technologies, including electrochemistry, new nano-materials, microfluidic, biochip, DNA nano-machine, artificial intelligence and machine learning, it will play a more and more important role in the field of medical laboratory. With the deepening of SERS research and the cross-integration between multiple disciplines, it will be widely used in biomedical detection and is expected to become an important technology platform for the next generation of precision diagnosis.

Objective:To analyze the difference between Z score and previous criteria in the diagnosis characteristics of coronary artery aneurysm (CAA) in Kawasaki disease, and to investigate the clinical distribution of Kawasaki disease CAA in the Z score group.Methods:This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical and echocardiographic data of 2 419 children with Kawasaki disease in Shenzhen Children′s Hospital from January 2009 to December 2019. The traditional criteria and Z score criteria were used to diagnose CAA, and the differences of diagnostic efficiency between the 2 diagnostic methods were analyzed. The clinical distribution characteristics of CAA in children with Kawasaki disease were analyzed by grouping their sex, clinical classification (complete Kawasaki disease, incomplete Kawasaki disease) the sensitivity to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) (IVIG-sensitive Kawasaki disease,IVIG-unresponsive Kawasaki disease). And the course of the disease (≤6 weeks, >6-8 weeks, >8 weeks to 6 months) etc. The χ2 test or Kruskal-Wallis test was used for comparison between the groups, and the Kappa test was used for consistency evaluation.Results:Among the 2 419 children with Kawasaki disease, 1 558 were males and 861 were females. The age of onset was 1.8 (1.0, 3.2) years. The rate of CAA by Z score criteria was higher than that by traditional method (21.9% (529/2 419) vs. 13.9% (336/2 419), χ 2=1 074.94, P<0.001). Compared to the traditional method, the Z score criteria found higher rate of CAA in male patients, patients with incomplete Kawasaki disease, and IVIG-unresponsive patients (25.2% (392/1 558) vs. 16.0% (249/1 558), (32.7% (166/507) vs. 19.5% (99/507), 30.5% (95/312) vs. 24.0% (75/312), χ 2=694.05, 216.19, 184.37, all P<0.001). The Z score criteria was consistent with the traditional method in diagnosing CAA (κ=0.642, P<0.001). Moreover, in the Z score criteria, the rate of CAA in males (25.2%, 392/1 558) was higher than that in females (15.9%, 137/861), higher in incomplete Kawasaki cases (32.7%, 166/507) than that in complete Kawasaki case (19.0%, 363/1 912), and higher in IVIG-unresponsive cases (30.4%, 95/312) than that in IVIG-sensitive cases (20.6%, 434/2 107), with statistically significant differences (χ 2=27.76, 44.38, 15.43, all P<0.001). Coronary Z score of course ≤ 6 weeks was greater than that of course between>6-8 weeks and >8 weeks to 6 months (1.3 (0.7, 2.3) vs. 0.7 (0.3, 1.4), 0.7 (0.3, 1.3), Z=20.65, 13.70, both P<0.001). Conclusions:The rate of CAA in Kawasaki disease by Z score criteria is higher than that by traditional method. In the Z score group, most CAA occur within 6 weeks of the course of the disease, and the rate of CAA in male, incomplete Kawasaki disease, and IVIG-unresponsive is higher.

Objective:To develop an intelligent vision examination and management system based on mobile terminal, and evaluate its practical application.Methods:A diagnostic test study was adopted.Fifty children and adolescents (100 eyes) aged from 3 to 14 years, with an average age of (8.16±4.58) years, were enrolled in Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center from March to May, 2020.An intelligent vision examination and management system for Android and IOS devices, which applied technologies of real-time range measurement, speech recognition, and gesture recognition to achieve the real-time interaction in the vision examination, was developed using JAVA language and xcode11.The uncorrected visual acuity of subjects was tested with the intelligent vision system and the standard eye chart in hospital.The difference in the number of cooperative eyes between the two methods was analyzed by χ2 test.The LogMAR acuity of the two methods were compared by Wilcoxon rank sum test and the consistency between the two methods was analyzed by Kappa test.The study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki, and the study protocol was approved by an Ethics Committee of Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center (No.2020KYPJ095). Written informed consent was obtained from guardians of each subject prior to any examination. Results:The intelligent vision examination and management system was successfully developed for Android and IOS devices, which was loaded with precise vision examination at 3 meters, intelligent interaction, result output and automatic filing functionalities.The inspection range of visual acuity was from 0.1 to 1.5.The size and resolution of eye chart met the national standard.There was no significant difference in the number of cooperative eyes during examination between traditional eye chart (99/100) and intelligent vision examination system (98/100) ( χ2=0.338, P=0.561). There was no significant difference in examination results between traditional eye chart 0.3 (0.2, 0.5) LogMAR and intelligent vision examination system 0.3 (0.2, 0.5) LogMAR ( Z=-1.602, P=0.109), and there was a high consistency between the two methods (Kappa coefficient=0.885). Conclusions:The intelligent vision examination and management system based on the mobile terminal is of high accuracy and practicability, which can effectively meet the public demand for at-home vision testing and long-term tracking.The system can be promoted and applied as a new mode for personalized eye health management.

Objective:To investigate the immediate and lasting effects of enhanced external counterpulsation(EECP)on blood pressure in elderly patients with hypertension.Methods:In this real-world prospective non-randomized controlled study, the elderly hypertensive patients who were newly diagnosed as hypertension or had poor blood pressure control in the Geriatrics Department of Shandong University Qilu Hospital from May 2019 to December 2019, were enrolled as EECP group, and those with systolic blood pressure(SBP)≥180mmHg(1mmHg=0.133 kPa)or had contraindications for EECP treatment were excluded from EECP group(28 cases). Based on the 1∶1 ratio being consistent with the tendency score-matching method, patients' blood pressure was matched at 3 d before the start of the EECP treatment course, with other matched data of baseline data, coexisting disease, cardiovascular medication were choosed as control group(n=28). The EECP group received an additional 36 hours of EECP treatment(6 times/week, 1 hour/time)including lifestyle improvement and anti-hypertensive drugs.The patient's supine blood pressure was collected 3 minutes before each EECP treatment(baseline), 30 minutes during treatment, and 3 minutes after treatment.In the EECP group, family self-measured blood pressure was collected 3 days before the start of the 6-week treatment course(0w), the 6th week(6w)of the treatment course, and the 2nd week(+ 2w), 4th week(+ 4w)and 12th week(+ 12w)after the end of the treatment course, respectively.And the data of control group were collected at the same time point mentioned above.Results:Compared with baseline, the average immediate SBP of elderly hypertensive patients at the 30th minute of EECP treatment was decreased by(5.5±13.6)mmHg( P<0.001), and the average immediate diabolic blood pressure(DBP)was decreased by(1.1±7.5)mmHg( P<0.001). When the baseline SBP was between 160 and 169 mmHg, the probability of a further increase in SBP during treatment was 2.2%(2/89 cases), and when the baseline SBP was between 170 and 179 mmHg, the probability of a further increase in SBP during treatment was 0%(0/57). At 6 weeks, the decrease in SBP was significantly greater in the EECP group than in the control group[(-17.0±8.7)mmHg vs.(-10.5±7.3)mmHg, P<0.01], and the difference continued to + 2w[(-15.5±6.6)mmHg vs.(-10.6±2.5)mmHg, P<0.01]and + 4w[(-13.3±5.4)mmHg vs.(-10.7±2.1)mmHg, P<0.05]. At + 12w, the blood pressure drop was still greater in EECP group than in the control group, but it did not achieve statistically significant differences.Smoking history, history of diabetes, family history of hypertension, and improvement of comorbidities were the key factors that affect the continuous anti-hypertensive effect of EECP. Conclusions:EECP treatment has an immediate effect on lowering blood pressure in elderly hypertensive patients.A 6-week course of EECP treatment has a sustained effect on lowering blood pressure, and the effect can last from 4 to 12 weeks after the end of the course of treatment.

Objective:To investigate the effect of enhanced external counterpulsation(EECP)on heart failure with preserved ejection fraction(HFpEF)and hemodynamics in elderly patients.Methods:Clinical data of 66 elderly HFpEF patients admitted to the enhanced external counterpulsation center of our hospital from January 2018 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed.The primary assessment parameter was the six-minute walk distance, and the secondary parameters included the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire(MLHFQ). Noninvasive hemodynamic parameters including the cardiac index(CI), stroke volume(SV), isovolumic relaxation period(A2-mitral valve opening, A2-O), pulmonary capillary wedge pressure(PCWP)and total peripheral resistance(TPR)were monitored and mean arterial blood pressure(MAP)was calculated.Results:After EECP treatment, the six-minute walk distance increased(372±87 m vs.341±85 m, P<0.05), the score of MLHFQ decreased(47.0±16.0 vs.50.0±17.0, P<0.05), CI increased(2.8±0.7)L·min -1·m -2vs.(2.6±0.6)L·min -1·m -2( P<0.05), SV, PCWP and A2-O did not show significant change(73.3±16.4 ml vs.71.5±17.1 ml, 10.0±3.3 mmHg vs.11.0±3.6 mmHg, 1 mmHg=0.133 kPa, 98.0±29.5 ms vs.91.0±29.1 ms, P>0.05), TPR decreased(1 719.0±427.0 DS/cm 5vs.1 821.0±508.0 DS/cm 5, P<0.05), and there was no significant change in MAP(96.9±10.7 mmHg vs.98.8±13.1 mmHg, P>0.05), compared with pre-EECP treatment levels.Compared with patients without hypertension, MAP decreased in patients with hypertension(14 cases), when stratified by the initial MAP( P<0.05). Conclusions:For elderly patients with HFpEF, EECP can increase the six-minute walk distance, improve the quality of life and hemodynamic parameters, and is a safe adjuvant treatment.

Objective:To compare the diagnostic accuracy of lung ultrasonography and radiography in detection of acute traumatic intrathoracic injuries in children.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed in 46 cases of children with chest trauma in Shenzhen Children′s Hospital from January 2017 to January 2021. The diagnostic efficiency of lung ultrasound and radiography in children with acute traumatic hemopneumothorax and lung contusion were compared. Computed tomography scan was used as gold standard.Results:The sensitivity and specificity of lung ultrasound were 0.79 and 0.98 for pneumothorax, 0.86 and 0.75 for hemothorax, 0.86 and 0.80 for pulmonary contusion, respectively. Area under the ROC curve of ultrasonography in detection of pneumothorax, hemothorax, and pulmonary contusion was 0.889 (95% CI=0.798-0.979, P<0.001), 0.804 (95% CI=0.707-0.901, P<0.001), and 0.831 (95% CI=0.623-1.000, P=0.013), respectively. Area under the ROC curve of radiography was 0.674 (95% CI=0.544-0.803, P=0.008) for detection of pneumothorax, 0.645 (95% CI=0.517-0.772, P=0.026) for hemothorax, and 0.547 (95% CI=0.289-0.805, P=0.724) for pulmonary contusion. Comparison of area under the ROC curve declared the significant superiority of ultrasonography in detection of pneumothorax, hemothorax and pulmonary contusion (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Lung ultrasound has higher sensitivity and accuracy than chest radiography in the initial evaluation of chest trauma. For children with acute chest trauma, lung ultrasound should be the first choice.

Objective:To explore the effects of quality-sensitive indicators in the management of disinfection supply room.Methods:The management model modified based on quality-sensitive indicators was applied in the Disinfection Supply Room of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University since October 2016. The pass rate of the instrument inspection and the quality indicators of the disinfection supply room before and after modification were compared.Results:The pass rates of instrument inspection and Bowie-Dictest in the disinfection supply room after modification were better than those before modification ( P<0.01) . After modification, the qualification of the disinfection supply room in terms of instrument recovery, washing, packaging, item distribution and sterilization was better than that before modification ( P<0.05) . Conclusions:In the prevention of nosocomial infection in the disinfection supply room, the application of quality-sensitive indicators can effectively improve the qualification in instrument recovery, washing, packaging and sterilization, thus ensuring the quality of device disinfection.

Objective:To survey the application of an intelligent consultation system for common eye diseases and evaluate its applicational effectiveness on an internet hospital platform.Methods:A cross-sectional study was performed in Zhongshan Ophthalmic Centre of Sun Yat-sen University.Natural language processing technology was applied to develop the intelligent consultation system for common eye diseases.Its efficiency and quality were evaluated.The survey data were collected from February 1 to 29, 2020 to analyze the demographic information, consultation time, consultation category, consultation content, service satisfaction.This study protocal was approved by an Ethic Committee of Zhongshan Ophthalmic Centre of Sun Yat-sen University(2020KYPJ095).Results:The intelligent consultation system for common eye diseases was developed and successfully deployed in Internet Hospital of Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center.The repeatability and accuracy of the intelligent consultation system were 100.0% and 99.8%, respectively.During February 1 to 29, 2020, the intelligent consultation system served 6 462 patients, including 3 082 males(47.7%) and 3 380 females(52.3%). The average age of patients was 32.3 years old.Total of 1 135(17.6%) patients used the intelligent guidance consultation, and 5 375(82.4%) patients used the intelligent outpatient consultation.The intelligence consultation system was applied by 223 patients per day with a maximum of 74 patients per hour.The survey showed that 25.6% and 36.4% of the patients felt very satisfied and relatively satisfied with the efficiency of the intelligent consultation service, respectively; 24.3% and 37.8% of the patients were very satisfied and relatively satisfied with the quality of the intelligent consultation service, respectively.Conclusions:Intelligent consultation system for common eye diseases can meet the needs of patients because of its high repeatability and accuracy.Patients are satisfied with the service efficiency and quality of the intelligent consultation system, which avoids the risk of cross infection and releases the burden of medical staff.

Objective:To investigate the influence of ferri ion on the growth, reproduction and energy metabolism of Leptospira interrogans ( L. interrogans), and to identify whether the LA_2690 and LA_3598 gene products functioned as ferritin and ferroxidase. Methods:Petroff-Hausser counting method was used to analyze the influence of ferri ion deficiency on the growth and reproduction of L. interrogans serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae serovar Lai strain 56601 in EMJH medium. Spectrophotometry and Chemiluminescence method was used to detect whether ferri ion deficiency inhibited the synthesis of DNA and ATP in L. interrogans. The structures and functions of L. interrogans LA_2690 and LA_3598 genes were analyzed using bioinformatic softwares. Prokaryotic expression systems for LA_2690 and LA_3598 genes were established and the target proteins, rLep2690 and rLep3598, were extracted by Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. The ferroxidase activity of rLep2690 and rLep3598 was detected by spectrophotometry. After L. interrogans strain 56601 was used to infect human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and monocytes (THP-1), changes in the expression of LA_2690 and LA_3598 genes at transcription level were detected using real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). Results:In the ferri ion-absent EMJH medium, the growth and reproduction of L. interrogans as well as the DNA and ATP synthesis levels were significantly decreased ( P<0.05). The products of LA_2690 and LA_3598 genes were predicted as bacterioferritin (Bfr) and DNA-binding ferritin containing ferroxidase diiron centers, but the latter lacked the heme-binding site and ferroxidase core. The prokaryotic expression systems for LA_2690 and LA_3598 genes could efficiently express the target recombinant proteins. Both the purified rLep2690 and rLep3598 showed a single band on SDS-PAGE. The ferroxidase activity of rLep2690 and rLep3598 was 1 238.619 U/L and 60.052 U/L, respectively. The expression of LA_2690 and LA_3598 genes of L. interrogans at mRNA level was significantly elevated during infection of the two types of cells ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Ferri ion participates in the growth and reproduction of L. interrogans as well as the synthesis of DNA and ATP. LA_2690 and LA_3598 genes were essential for L. interrogans to infect cells, and the product of LA_2690 gene possessed a stronger ferroxidase activity.