OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of relaxing needling at the contracted sites of meridian-muscle regions in the patients with post-stroke shoulder-hand syndrome (SHS) at acute stage. METHODS: Eighty patients with post-stroke SHS at acute stage were randomized into an observation group (40 cases, 1 case dropped out) and a control group (40 cases, 1 case was eliminated). In the control group, the routine medication, basic rehabilitation training, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy were administered. In the observation group, besides the treatment as the control group, relaxing needling was delivered at the contracted sites of meridian-muscle regions. These contracted sites were distributed along three yin meridians of hand and three yang meridians of hand on the affected upper limbs. The intervention was given once daily, 5 times a week and for 4 weeks. Before and after treatment, the scores of visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, edema degree, modified Barthel index (MBI), and Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) for motor function, and the integrated electromyography (iEMG) of surface electromyogram (sEMG) were observed in the two groups. The curative effect was evaluated after treatment and in follow-up of 2 months after treatment in the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment, VAS scores and the scores of edema degree were reduced when compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05), and the scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). MBI and FMA scores increased after treatment compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05), and the scores in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05) after treatment. The iEMG values of the biceps brachii, triceps brachii, and wrist extensors were elevated after treatment in comparison with those before treatment (P<0.05) in the two groups, and the values in the observation group were larger than those in the control group after treatment (P<0.05). The total clinical effective rate in the observation group was 92.3% (36/39), which was better than that of the control group (74.4%, 29/39, P<0.05) after treatment; and that of the observation group was 97.4% (38/39), which was better than 82.1% (32/39) in the control group (P<0.05) in follow-up. CONCLUSION Relaxing needling at the contracted sites of meridian-muscle regions in treatment of post-stroke SHS at acute stage can attenuate the symptoms such as upper limb pain, swelling and spasm, improve motor function and the activity of daily living of patients.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Aged ; Meridians ; Stroke/complications* ; Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy/etiology* ; Adult ; Acupuncture Points

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the predictive value of oxygenation index (PaO₂/FiO₂) at intensive care unit (ICU) admission on 30-day mortality in patients with sepsis. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted. Patients with sepsis who were hospitalized in the ICU of the Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University from April 2015 to October 2023 were enrolled. The demographic information, comorbidities, sites of infection, vital signs and laboratory test indicators at the time of admission to the ICU, disease severity scores within 24 hours of admission to the ICU, treatment process and prognostic indicators were collected. According to the PaO₂/FiO₂ at ICU admission, patients were divided into Q1 group (PaO₂/FiO₂ of 4.1-16.4 cmHg, 1 cmHg ≈ 1.33 kPa), Q2 group (PaO₂/FiO₂ of 16.5-22.6 cmHg), Q3 group (PaO₂/FiO₂ of 22.7-32.9 cmHg), and Q4 group (PaO₂/FiO₂ of 33.0-94.8 cmHg). Differences in the indicators across the four groups were compared. Multifactorial Cox regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between PaO₂/FiO₂ and 30-day mortality of patients with sepsis. The predictive value of PaO₂/FiO₂, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) on 30-day prognosis of patients with sepsis was analyzed by receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve). RESULTS: A total of 1 711 patients with sepsis were enrolled, including 428 patients in Q1 group, 424 patients in Q2 group, 425 patients in Q3 group, and 434 patients in Q4 group. 622 patients died at 30-day, the overall 30-day mortality was 36.35%. There were statistically significant differences in age, body mass index (BMI), history of smoking, history of alcohol consumption, admission heart rate, respiratory rate, APACHE II score, SOFA score, Glasgow coma score (GCS), site of infection, Combined chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), blood lactic acid (Lac), prothrombin time (PT), albumin (Alb), total bilirubin (TBil), pH, proportion of mechanical ventilation, duration of mechanical ventilation, proportion of vasoactive medication used, and maximal concentration, length of ICU stay, hospital stay, incidence of acute kidney injury, in-hospital mortality, 30-day mortality among the four groups. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that after adjusting for confounding factors, for every 1 cmHg increase in PaO₂/FiO₂ at ICU admission, the 30-day mortality risk decreased by 2% [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.98, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 0.98-0.99, P < 0.001]. The 30-day mortality risk in the Q4 group was reduced compared with the Q1 group by 41% (HR = 0.59, 95%CI was 0.46-0.76, P < 0.001). The fitted curve showed that a curvilinear relationship between PaO₂/FiO₂ and 30-day mortality after adjustment for confounders. In the inflection point analysis, for every 1 cmHg increase in PaO₂/FiO₂ at PaO₂/FiO₂ < 28.55 cmHg, the risk of 30-day death in sepsis patients was reduced by 5% (HR = 0.95, 95%CI was 0.94-0.97, P < 0.001); when PaO₂/FiO₂ ≥ 28.55 cmHg, there was no statistically significant association between PaO2/FiO2 and the increase in the risk of 30-day death in sepsis (HR = 1.01, 95%CI was 0.99-1.02, P = 0.512). ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) for the prediction of 30-day mortality by admission PaO₂/FiO₂ in ICU sepsis patients was 0.650, which was lower than the predictive ability of the SOFA score (AUC = 0.698) and APACHE II score (AUC = 0.723). CONCLUSION In patients with sepsis, PaO₂/FiO₂ at ICU admission is strongly associated with 30-day mortality risk, alerting healthcare professionals to pay attention to patients with low PaO₂/FiO₂ for timely interventions.
Humans ; Sepsis/mortality* ; Intensive Care Units ; Retrospective Studies ; Prognosis ; Hospital Mortality ; Oxygen ; Male ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged

Objective:To explore the experience of self-management dilemma ofadults with emerging ankylosing spondylitis, and to provide reference for the construction of self-management intervention strategies for emerging adults with ankylosing spondylitis.Methods:Descriptive phenomenology was used to conduct in-depth interviews with 14 adults with emerging ankylosing spondylitis in the Rheumatology and Immunology Department of Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to Medical College of Nanjing University from August 2022 to March 2023. The interview data were analyzed by Colaizzi′s seven-step analysis method.Results:A total of 14 patients completed the interview,10 males, 4 females, aged 21-30 years. In adults with emerging ankylosing spondylitis, there were dilemmas of role maladjustment and disease management disorder, including role maladjustment of disease management and social role maladjustment. Barriers to disease management included weak self-management awareness, insufficient support for self-management information, inadequate self-management skills, and poor compliance with self-management behaviors.Conclusions:The role adaptation and self-management ability of adults with emerging ankylosing spondylitis are seriously inadequate. It is urgent to construct health management strategies for adults with emerging ankylosing spondylitis to help them improve the level of role adaptation and disease management.

Objectives:To evaluate the valvular and cardiac function,cardiac reverse remodeling at 6-month after transcatheter edge-to-edge repair(TEER)for patients with functional and degenerative mitral valve regurgitation,and summarize the experience of echocardiography application. Methods:The clinical data of 93 patients with moderate to severe mitral regurgitation(MR)treated with TEER and completed 6-month follow-up in Yunnan Fuwai Cardiovascular Hospital from July 2022 to February 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.Patients were divided into functional mitral regurgitation(FMR)and degenerative mitral regurgitation(DMR)groups according to MR etiology.The valve characteristic parameters,as well as valvular function,chamber volume and cardiac functional parameters before and at 6 months after operation were compared.The key points of echocardiography application were summarized. Results:Among all patients,71 were FMR and 22 were DMR.There were differences in valve structure between the two groups.Mitral TEER were successfully accomplished and all patients completed 6-month follow-up.The key points of echocardiography application included:valve structure analysis,atrial septal puncture location,device delivery process monitoring and image optimization during clamping process.The mitral regurgitation grade and NYHA grade were significantly improved in all patients at 6 months after TEER(P<0.05),and the mean mitral valve pressure gradient was higher than that before operation(P<0.05).Left ventricular end-diastolic volume(LVEDV),left ventricular end-systolic volume(LVESV)and left atrial volume index in FMR group were significantly decreased(P<0.05),while left ventricular and left atrial volume in DMR group remained unchanged(P>0.05).There were no significant changes in left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular global strain in both groups during the observation period(P>0.05).The changes of LVEDV and LVESV before and after operation were more significant in FMR group than those in DMR group(P<0.05). Conclusions:Mitral TEER can reduce the degree of regurgitation and improve cardiac function in the early postoperative period for moderate and severe MR patients with different etiologies.There are differences in preoperative valve structure and postoperative cardiac reverse remodeling between FMR and DMR patients.Echocardiography is an important imaging technique for the evaluation and monitoring process before,during and post mitral TEER.

We report the first in man experience of robotic assisted transcatheter edge-to-edge repair(TEER)with pure Trans-esophageal echocardiography-guidance.A 55y female was diagnosed with heart failure with 4+functional MR despite optimal medical treatment.TEER procedure was planned with robotic assistance.After guiding catheter,the robotic system was incorporated into the TEER device to replace manual operation.Under pure echo-guidance one clip was successfully placed in A2/P2 region with marked reduction of MR to 1+.Patient was discharged without complication.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) on the treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) with chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy.Methods:A retrospective cohort study. The clinical data of 168 patients with RRMM who underwent CAR-T therapy at the Department of Hematology, Xuzhou Medical University Hospital from 3 January 2020 to 13 September 2022 were analyzed. Patients were classified into a transplantation group (TG; n=47) and non-transplantation group (NTG; n=121) based on whether or not they had undergone ASCT previously. The objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and the levels of CD3, CD4, CD8, CD19, CD56 and natural killer (NK) cells before CAR-T infusion were analyzed by χ2 test, Kaplan-Meier method and independent sample t-test. Results:Among 168 patients with RRMM, 98 (58.3%) were male. The median age of onset was 57 (range 30-70) years. After CAR-T therapy, the ORR of patients was 89.3% (92/103) in the NTG and 72.9% (27/73) in the TG. The ORR of the NTG was better than that of the TG ( χ2=5.71, P=0.017). After 1 year of CAR-T therapy, the ORR of the NTG was 78.1% (75/96), and that of the TG was 59.4% (19/32). The ORR of the NTG was better than that of the TG ( χ2=4.32, P=0.038). The median OS and PFS in the NTG were significantly longer than those in the TG (OS, 30 vs. 20 months; PFS, 26 vs. 12 months; both P<0.05). The CD4 level before CAR-T infusion in the TG was significantly lower than that in the NTG (25.65±13.56 vs. 32.64±17.21; t=-2.15, P=0.034), and there were no significant differences in the counts of CD3, CD8, CD19, CD56, and NK cells between the TG and NTG (all P>0.05). Conclusion:Among patients suffering from RRMM who received CAR-T therapy, patients who did not receive ASCT had significantly better outcomes than those who had received ASCT previously, which may have been related to the CD4 level before receiving CAR-T therapy.

Mitral regurgitation (MR) is the most common valvular heart disease, however, majority of patients are not suitable for open heart surgery due to comorbidity such as organ and heart dysfunction. Transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair has become an effective treatment option for high-risk patients with MR. Two patients were enrolled in this study inlcuding one 60-year degenerative mitral regurgitation patient and one 72-year functional mitral regurgitation patient. Transcatheter repair procedure was successfully done for the two patients without postoperative complication.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics, efficacy and prognostic influencing factors of IgD multiple myeloma (MM) in the new immunotherapy era.Methods:The clinical data of 29 patients diagnosed with IgD MM in the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from March 2014 to February 2021 were retrospectively collected. The clinical characteristics, treatment regimens and efficacy, especially the efficacy of new drugs and immunotherapy for the disease were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Multivariate Cox proportional risk model was used for analysis of prognostic influencing factors.Results:The median age of patients was 58 years. There were 20 cases (69.0%) below 65 years, 12 cases (41.4%) of complicated with stomach function damage, 6 cases (20.7%) of extramedullary invasion. All patients were treated with combined therapy containing proteasome inhibitor bortezomib in the first-line therapy, and the overall response rate was 82.8% (24/29). Among 21 relapsed/refractory patients, 12 patients were treated with the second-line or above treatment regimen chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) immunotherapy, including 9 cases achieving very good partial remission (VGPR) or above; 5 patients were treated with the new drug daratozumab, including 1 case achieving complete remission (CR). The median OS time of 29 patients was 48 months (95% CI 17-79 months), the median PFS time after the first-line treatment was 9 months (95% CI 3-15 months), and the median PFS time after the second-line treatment was 11 months (95% CI 1-21 months). Multivariate Cox regression results showed that CAR-T therapy is an independent influencing factor of the prognosis of relapsed/ refractory IgD MM patients ( HR = 0.094, 95% CI 0.019-0.473, P = 0.004). Conclusions:IgD MM patients are characterized with lower onset age, more renal function damage and a high incidence of extramedullary invasion. The first-line therapy containing proteasome inhibitor has a better short-term efficacy, and CAR-T therapy can improve the remission rate and survival rate of relapsed/refractory IgD MM to a certain extent.

Objective:To investigate the differential expression profile of circular RNA (circRNA) in high glucose-cultured human retinal vascular endothelial cells (HRVECs).Methods:HRVECs were divided into high glucose group, normal control group and hypertonic control group, and were cultured in 25 mmol/L glucose medium, 5.5 mmol/L glucose medium and 19.5 mmol/L mannitol+ 5.5 mmol/L glucose medium for 24 hours accordingly.The differentially expressed circRNA molecules between high glucose group and normal control group were screened by circRNA microarray analysis.The expression of the most significant differentially expressed circRNAs in different groups was verified by real-time quantitative PCR.The possible microRNA (miRNA) targets were analyzed through the Circular RNA Interactome database.Results:It was found that 448 circRNAs were differentially expressed (FC≥1.5 or FC≤0.67, P<0.05) in high glucose-cultured HRVECs, among which 182 were up-regulated and 266 were down-regulated.The top 3 significantly up-regulated circRNAs were hsa_circ_0002938, hsa_circ_0008036, and hsa_circ_0001946, and the top 3 significantly down-regulated circRNAs were hsa_circ_0035277, hsa_circ_0008344, and hsa_circ_0001874.Compared with normal control group and hypertonic control group, the relative expressions of top 3 up-regulated circRNAs were significantly enhanced and the relative expressions of top 3 down-regulated circRNAs were significantly reduced in high glucose group, showing statistically significant differences (all at P<0.05).No significant difference was found in the differentially expressed circRNAs between normal control group and hypertonic control group (all at P>0.05). Conclusions:CircRNAs are differentially expressed in high glucose-cultured HRVECs, and the differentially expressed circRNAs may be involved in the regulatory mechanism of diabetic retinopathy.

Objective:To investigate the safety and efficacy of transcatheter genicular artery embolization (GAE) for moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis (KOA).Methods:This prospective study included 13 patients (17 knees) with KOA who were treated with GAE from October 2020 to March 2021. The Kellgren-Lawrence (K-L) grade was 2-3 for 11 knees, and 4 for 6 knees. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) and the Whole-Organ Magnetic Resonance Imaging Score (WORMS) assessments were performed for all the subjects before operation. The success rate, clinical efficacy and complications were recorded after operation. Clinical outcomes were evaluated at 1 day, 1week and 1, 3, 6 months after the operation.Results:The success rate of GAE in 17 cases was 100%, and the success rate of target artery superselection was 98.4%(63/64). The baseline WOMAC pain score was 11(10, 13) and total score was 44(38, 58) for 17 knees. Post-operation follow-up WOMAC pain score were 4(3, 7), 2(1, 5), 2(1, 6) and 4(2, 6) at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months. Post-operation follow-up WOMAC total score were 22 (15, 34),20 (12, 24),17 (12, 26) and 20 (12, 31) at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months. There were 16 knees with 6 month follow-up assessment, with the WOMAC pain score of 2.5(2, 5), and the total score of 15(12, 26). Significant difference was found in the WOMAC pain score between baseline and the 1 day, 1 week, 1, 3 and 6 months follow up ( Z=-3.631, -3.623, -3.622, -3.622, -3.532, all P<0.001); also, the total score was statistically significant different between the baseline and the 1 day, 1 week, 1, 3 and 6 months follow up ( Z=-3.639, -3.634, -3.646, -3.527, -3.532, all P<0.001). At 3 months follow-up, there was 1 knee recognized clinical failure. Post-operative adverse reaction in this group included skin ecchymosis in femoral artery puncture area ( n=3), knee joint stiffness and pain within 1 week ( n=4),and clanging joints during postoperative activities ( n=6). Conclusion:GAE is a feasible and safe procedure with obvious short-term curative effect, which can alleviate pain symptoms and improve restricted movement in patients with KOA.