Cardiovascular diseases that develop from hypercholesterolemia-induced atherosclerosis have emerged as a significant threat to human health.Recently,probiotics exhibiting cholesterol-lowering properties have emerged as a prominent area of research.Numerous studies have demonstrated that Lactobacillus reuteri can effectively reduce endogenous cholesterol synthesis,regulate cholesterol transport,and promote cholesterol degradation by modulating the expression of key genes,such as sterol-regulatory element binding protein 2,3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme A reductase,and cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase,in both the liver and intestinal epithelial cells of the host.This leads to a notable decrease in total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the host serum.The present paper offers a comprehensive overview of the underlying mechanisms responsible for the cholesterol-lowering effects exerted by L.reuteri,aiming to provide valuable insights into the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and the development of probiotics with cholesterol-lowering properties.

Objective To explore and analyze the implementation effect of the combined traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)and Western medicine DRG payment model in TCM hospitals,aiming to provide a reference for the reform of medical in-surance payment methods in such hospitals.Methods R language was utilized to statistically analyze the costs and other indica-tors of the sample hospitals before and after the implementation of the combined TCM and Western medicine DRG payment within 1-2 years.Results Following the implementation of the combined TCM and Western medicine DRG payment,there was a de-crease in average hospitalization costs and average length of stay,accompanied by an increase in CMI(average weight).The cost structure underwent changes:the proportions of western medicine fees and auxiliary examination fees decreased,whereas the pro-portion of TCM treatment fees increased.Significant statistical differences were observed in each group of data(p＜2.2e-16).Conclusion The combined TCM and Western medicine DRG payment reform model can facilitate TCM hospitals in reducing medical costs,controlling medical expenses,optimizing the cost structure,and promoting the development of TCM diagnosis and treatment characteristics.

Cardiovascular diseases that develop from hypercholesterolemia-induced atherosclerosis have emerged as a significant threat to human health.Recently,probiotics exhibiting cholesterol-lowering properties have emerged as a prominent area of research.Numerous studies have demonstrated that Lactobacillus reuteri can effectively reduce endogenous cholesterol synthesis,regulate cholesterol transport,and promote cholesterol degradation by modulating the expression of key genes,such as sterol-regulatory element binding protein 2,3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme A reductase,and cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase,in both the liver and intestinal epithelial cells of the host.This leads to a notable decrease in total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the host serum.The present paper offers a comprehensive overview of the underlying mechanisms responsible for the cholesterol-lowering effects exerted by L.reuteri,aiming to provide valuable insights into the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and the development of probiotics with cholesterol-lowering properties.

Objective To explore and analyze the implementation effect of the combined traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)and Western medicine DRG payment model in TCM hospitals,aiming to provide a reference for the reform of medical in-surance payment methods in such hospitals.Methods R language was utilized to statistically analyze the costs and other indica-tors of the sample hospitals before and after the implementation of the combined TCM and Western medicine DRG payment within 1-2 years.Results Following the implementation of the combined TCM and Western medicine DRG payment,there was a de-crease in average hospitalization costs and average length of stay,accompanied by an increase in CMI(average weight).The cost structure underwent changes:the proportions of western medicine fees and auxiliary examination fees decreased,whereas the pro-portion of TCM treatment fees increased.Significant statistical differences were observed in each group of data(p＜2.2e-16).Conclusion The combined TCM and Western medicine DRG payment reform model can facilitate TCM hospitals in reducing medical costs,controlling medical expenses,optimizing the cost structure,and promoting the development of TCM diagnosis and treatment characteristics.

Patients who initiated peritoneal dialysis (PD) in Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2013 were enrolled in the single center and retrospective study. Clinical and laboratory data were collected to analyze the long-term survival rates, technique survival rates and associated influencing factors. Patients were followed up until December 31, 2021 or endpoints occurred (death or stopping PD treatment). Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to estimate survival rates and technique survival rates. Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to analyze the risk factors of death and technique failure in PD patients. A total of 373 patients were enrolled in the study, with age of (52.1±15.8) years old and 199 (53.4%) males. During the follow-up, 154 (41.3%) patients died, 72 (19.3%) patients transferred to hemodialysis, and 40 (10.7%) patients received kidney transplant. Kaplan-Meier survival curves revealed that overall survival rates of PD patients at 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 years were 92.2%, 76.6%, 66.0%, 52.4% and 38.6%, respectively. Technique survival rates were 93.5%, 84.8%, 74.2%, 62.8% and 44.5% at 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 years, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression model results showed that age ( HR=1.055, 95% CI 1.039-1.073, P<0.001), transfer from hemodialysis ( HR=2.212, 95% CI 1.514-3.231, P<0.001), episodes of peritonitis ( HR=2.141, 95% CI 1.194-3.837, P=0.011), Charlson comorbidity index ( HR=1.525, 95% CI 1.305-1.783, P<0.001), and baseline albumin ( HR=0.951, 95% CI 0.925-0.978, P<0.001) were independent influencing factors of survival in PD patients. Episodes of peritonitis ( HR=2.327, 95% CI 1.274-4.250, P=0.006) and Charlson comorbidity index ( HR=1.244, 95% CI 1.035-1.496, P=0.020) were independent influencing factors of technique survival in PD patients. PD patients have good early survival rates and technical survival rates, but long-term outcomes need to be further improved. Peritonitis is a major risk factor for low long-term survival rates and technical survival rates in PD patients.

Objective:To describe the changes of post-traumatic growth and rumination in coronary heart disease patients at different time points after PCI, and to analyze the correlation between them in order to provide evidence for personalized intervention.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted, a total of 234 patients with coronary heart disease who underwent PCI for the first time in the Department of Cardiology, the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University from December 2021 to October 2022 were studied by convenience sampling. The general data questionnaire, the Chinese version of the Event-Related Rumination Inventory and the simplified Chinese version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory were used to survey before discharge (T 0), first month after surgery (T 1), and three months after surgery (T 2). Results:The total scores of post-traumatic growth at the time point of T 0, T 1 and T 2 were 53.08 ± 13.47, 54.77 ± 11.20 and 59.32 ± 7.95, the difference was statistically significant ( F = 78.45, P<0.01). The scores of instrusive rumination at the time point of T 0, T 1 and T 2 were 14.92 ± 6.07, 15.78 ± 4.64 and 12.31 ± 3.38, the difference was statistically significant ( F = 46.58, P<0.01). The scores of deliberate rumination were 14.63 ± 4.74, 15.52 ± 3.93 and 17.86 ± 3.70, the difference was statistically significant ( F = 76.20, P<0.01). Instrusive rumination at T 0, T 1 and deliberate rumination at each point were positively correlated with the total score of post-traumatic growth ( r values were 0.229 to 0.414, all P<0.01). Instrusive rumination at T 2 was negatively correlated with posttraumatic growth scores ( r = -0.351, P<0.01). The deliberate rumination at T 2 time point was positively correlated with the total score of post-traumatic growth ( r = 0.403, P<0.01). Conclusions:The level of posttraumatic growth in patients with coronary heart disease after PCI needs to be improved, and targeted intervention should be planned early to change patients′pessimistic cognition caused by the disease, promote the development of positive thinking, then promote their posttraumatic growth.

A comprehensive profiling of the vaginal microbial communities and their variability enables an accurate description of the microbiome in women.However,there is a lack of studies available on Chinese women.In the present study,the composition of the vaginal microbiota during pregnancy and the 6-week postpartum period of 454 Chinese women was characterized by sequenc-ing the V3-V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA(rRNA)gene.The vaginal microbiome showed variations during pregnancy and the postpartum period based on the abortion history,hypertensive disorders,delivery mode,and maternal age.Co-variation of 22 bacterial taxa,including the Lacto-bacillus genus and two of its species,may account for the common characteristics of the vaginal microbiome under scenarios of different medical histories and pregnancy outcomes.In contrast,dis-criminant bacterial species were significantly different between women who had preterm birth(PTB)with and without premature rupture of membranes(PROM),and the community state type(CST)Ⅳ-A without any predominant Lactobacillus species in the microbiota was more prevalent during pregnancy in the PROM-PTB cases,suggesting that specific bacterial species could be considered to distinguish between different types of PTB.By providing data on Chinese women,this study will enrich the knowledge of the human microbiome and contribute to a better understanding of the association between the vaginal microbiome and reproductive health.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) gene expression and protein levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with severe or profound sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) and to explore the roles of GRs and HDAC2 in glucocorticoid (GC) insensitivity. METHODS: Fifty-five severe or profound SSNHL patients were enrolled in the study. According to hearing improvement after GC treatment, patients were assigned into two groups: GC-sensitive and GC-resistant. A normal reference group included 20 healthy volunteers without hearing loss. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analyses were used to detect the relative expression of GRα, GRβ, and HDAC2 in PBMCs at the mRNA and protein levels. RESULTS: The protein levels of GRs and HDAC2 in PBMCs of SSNHL patients were lower than the normal reference values before GC treatment. Compared with the GC-resistant group, both the mRNA and protein levels of GRα and HDAC2 were significantly increased in the GC-sensitive group after GC treatment. CONCLUSION: A lack of GRα and HDAC2 induction following steroid treatment in GC-resistant SSNHL patients may play a fundamental mechanistic role in GC insensitivity. Response of GRα and HDAC2 to steroid treatment may, thus, predict the prognosis of hearing improvement in SSNHL patients.
Blotting, Western ; Gene Expression ; Healthy Volunteers ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; Histone Deacetylase 2 ; Histone Deacetylases ; Histones ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Receptors, Glucocorticoid ; Reference Values ; RNA, Messenger

Objective To investigate the relationship between prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and neutropenia after adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with colorectal cancer. Methods The clinical data of 44 patients with colorectal cancer performed adjuvant chemotherapy in Shunyi District Hospital from December 2014 to January 2018 were retrospectively analyzed, and the patients were divided into group A (grade 0-2 neutropenia) and group B (grade3-4 neutropenia) according to the degree of neutropenia. The serum albumin, peripheral lymphocyte counts, and neutrophil counts within 1 week before chemotherapy were collected, and the PNI was calculated. The chi-square test and rank sum test were used to compare the clinical data, body mass index (BMI), baseline neutrophil count, and PNI between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors for neutropenia after chemotherapy. Results The baseline median neutrophil counts and median PNI in group A were 3.17×109/L [(1.38-7.79)×109/L] and 50.40 (37.40-57.05), and in group B were 2.54 ×109/L [(1.22-3.87) ×109/L] and 45.50 (37.95-50.95). The baseline neutrophil counts and PNI in group A were significantly higher than those in group B, the differences between the two groups were statistically significant (Z= -2.085, P= 0.037; Z= -2.615, P= 0.009). Logistic regression analysis showed that PNI was an independent risk factor for neutropenia after chemotherapy (HR=0.803, 95％CI 0.646-0.998, P= 0.048). Conclusion PNI has a certain role in predicting neutropenia after adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with colorectal cancer.

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect difference between plum-blossom needle combined with rehabilitation training and conventional rehabilitation training for hand spasm after stroke.

METHODSA total of 61 patients were randomly divided into a comprehensive treatment group (30 cases) and a rehabilitation training group (31 cases). In the rehabilitation training group, Bobath occupational therapy, OT training, and hand function training were adopted, once every day; on the basis of treatment in the rehabilitation group, plum-blossom needle was applied at the lung meridian of hand-, heart meridian of hand-, pericardium meridian of hand- in the comprehensive treatment group. The treatment was given once every two days, three weeks as one course in the two gnoups. After 3 courses of treatment, clinical efficacy evaluation was performed, and the modified Ashworth scale and Fugl-Meyer (FMA) motor function scores were assessed before and after treatment.

RESULTSAfter treatment, the grade for Ashworth scale and FMA scores in the comprehensive treatment group and the rehabilitation trainning group were better than those before treatment (all <0.05), and the improvements in hand spasm and hand fuction in the comprehensive treatment group were superior apparently to those in the rehabilitation trainning group (both <0.05) The total effective rate of hand function was 93.3% (28/30) in the comprehensive treatment group, which was better than 74.2% (23/31) in the rehabilitation training group (<0.05).

CONCLUSIONPlum-blossom needle combined with rehabilitation training are more effective than simple rehabilitation training for hand spasm after stroke.