OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy of acupuncture with yin-yang regulation method versus local acupuncture in treating chronic low back pain (CLBP) in elderly patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH), and to evaluate the changes in the multifidus muscle before and after treatment using musculoskeletal ultrasound. METHODS: A total of 128 elderly patients with CLBP due to LDH were randomly assigned to an observation group (64 cases, 2 cases dropped out) and a control group (64 cases, 2 cases dropped out). The control group received local acupuncture at bilateral L₃-L₅ Jiaji points (EX-B2), Shenshu (BL23), Dachangshu (BL25), Weizhong (BL40), Yaoyangguan (GV3), and ashi points. The observation group received acupuncture with yin-yang regulation method, which included an abdominal protocol with Baihui (GV20), Zhongwan (CV12), Qihai (CV6), Guanyuan (CV4), bilateral Tianshu (ST25), and Dahe (KI12), etc., and a lumbar protocol with Baihui (GV20), Dazhui (GV14), Jizhong (GV6), Yaoyangguan (GV3), and ashi points, etc., alternated bilaterally. Both groups were treated once every other day, three times per week, for a total of 12 sessions. The visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Oswestry disability index (ODI) score, and the indexs of musculoskeletal ultrasound multifidus muscle (resting and functional thickness and Young's modulus values) were observed before and after treatment, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated in the two groups. RESULTS: After 1 and 4 weeks of treatment, both groups showed lower VAS scores compared to baseline (P<0.05), the VAS scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.001). ODI scores in both groups were decreased after 1 and 4 weeks of treatment compared to baseline (P<0.05), with a further reduction at 4 weeks of treatment compared to 1 week of treatment (P<0.05); the observation group showed lower ODI score than the control group after 1 week of treatment (P<0.001). After treatment, both groups demonstrated increased resting and functional multifidus muscle thickness bilaterally compared to baseline (P<0.01), with an increased right-side thickness change rate (P<0.01), though no significant difference was observed between groups (P>0.05). Compared to baseline, after treatment, the observation group exhibited decreased Young's modulus values for bilateral resting and functional multifidus muscle (P<0.01), while the control group showed reductions only in bilateral resting and right-side functional Young's modulus values (P<0.01). After treatment, the bilateral functional Young's modulus values in the observation group were lower than that in the control group (P<0.05), and the bilateral resting and functional changes in Young's modulus values were greater in the observation group than those in the control group (P<0.01). The overall effective rate was 93.5% (58/62) in the observation group, which was higher than 79.0% (49/62) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Acupuncture with yin-yang regulation method effectively alleviates pain, improves functional disability, increases multifidus muscle thickness, and reduces Young's modulus values in elderly patients with CLBP due to LDH, which has superior therapeutic effect compared to local acupuncture.
Humans ; Low Back Pain/physiopathology* ; Male ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Female ; Aged ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement/physiopathology* ; Middle Aged ; Yin-Yang ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Acupuncture Points ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE To analyze the serum chemical composition of rats after intragastric administration of water extract of crude Anemarrhenae Rhizoma-crude Phellodendri Chinensis and salted Anemarrhenae Rhizoma-salted Phellodendri Chinensis based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS)technology,predict the effect of salt processing on the treatment of type 2 dia-betes in Anemarrhenae Rhizoma-Pheellodendri Chinensis combined with network pharmacology,and preliminarily verify it through in vitro experiments.METHODS Rats were continuously intragastrically administered with crude Anemarrhenae Rhizoma-crude Phello-dendri Chinensis drug pair and salted Anemarrhenae Rhizoma-salted Phellodendri Chinensis drug pair water extract twice,with an in-terval of 1 h.After 60 min of the last administration,the blood was taken from the abdominal aorta,and the protein was precipitated by methanol.After dissolution,the chromatographic column was Shim-pack GIST C18(4.6 mm×150 mm,5 μm);the mobile phase A was 0.1%formic acid water,and the mobile phase B was 0.1%formic acid-acetonitrile;gradient elution,positive and negative ion full scan mode,mass scan range 100-1 500 m/z.Combined with the secondary spectrum of the database and literature,the blood compo-nents of crude Anemarrhenae Rhizoma-crude Phellodendri Chinensis drug pair and salted Anemarrhenae Rhizoma-salted Phellodendri Chinensis drug pair were analyzed and identified.The disease targets of type 2 diabetes were retrieved,and the protein interaction net-work analysis,GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed on the intersection targets of blood components and diseases.The"blood components-targets"network diagram was constructed,and the selected core components and core targets were verified by molecular docking using AutoDock software.In the verification experiment,HepG2 cells were used as the experimental ob-ject,and the insulin resistance model was induced by high insulin and high glucose.CCK8 method was used to test the effect of Rhizo-ma Anemarrhenae-Phellodendri Chinensis on cell proliferation before and after salt processing.Western blot was used to detect the ex-pression of PI3K-AKT signaling pathway-related proteins.RESULTS 15 prototype components and 1 mangiferin metabolic compo-nent were identified in the serum of rats.17 prototype components and 1 mangiferin metabolite were identified in the rat serum of the water extract of Anemarrhenae Rhizoma-Phellodendri Chinensis after salt processing.The contents of mangiferin,berberine and 3-isobutylglutaric acid in the blood components after salt-processing were higher than those in the raw products.According to the results of KEGG and GO,the treatment of type 2 diabetes may be related to the transcriptional regulation of RNA polymerase,inflammatory re-sponse,AGE-RAGE,PI3K-AKT pathway and insulin resistance.Cell experiments showed that the ratio of p-PI3K/PI3K,p-AKT/AKT and GLUT4 protein expression could be up-regulated before and after salt processing,and the effect of salt processing group was better than that of the crude group.CONCLUSION This experiment preliminarily revealed the components of Anemarrhenae Rhizo-ma-Phellodendri Chinensis drug pair entering the blood before and after salt exposure,and suggested that ferulic acid,berberine,ber-berrubine,mangiferin,mTOR,SIRT1,EGFR and PPARA may be the main components and targets of Rhizoma Anemarrhenae-Phel-lodendri Chinensis after salt processing to enhance the therapeutic effect of type 2 diabetes.The mechanism may be to enhance the role of PI3K-AKT and other related signaling pathways,providing an important reference for the pharmacodynamic material basis and clini-cal application of Anemarrhenae Rhizoma-Phellodendri Chinensis before and after salt processing.

AIM: To investigate the efficacy of vitrectomy combined with intravitreal injection of dexamethasone sustained-release agent for the treatment of idiopathic macular membrane(IMEM).METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 72 patients(72 eyes)diagnosed with IMEM at Xi'an People's Hospital from January 2019 to January 2023. They were divided into Group A and Group B according to different treatment method. Group A, consisting of 36 eyes, underwent vitrectomy, epiretinal membrane(ERM)removal surgery, and dexamethasone intraocular injection treatment; group B(36 eyes)only received vitrectomy and ERM removal surgery. Follow up for 12 mo, the best corrected visual acuity(BCVA), intraocular pressure, central macular thickness(CMT), and changes in macular retinal structure before and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 mo after surgery were compared.RESULTS: There were significant differences in BCVA between the two groups at 1, 3, and 6 mo postoperatively(all P<0.05), with group A showing a more significant improvement in visual acuity; there was no significant difference in BCVA between the two groups at 12 mo after surgery(P=0.056). There were significant differences in CMT between the two groups at 1, 3, and 6 mo postoperatively(all P<0.05), with a more significant decrease in CMT of the group A compared with the group B; there was no significant difference in CMT between the two groups at 12 mo after surgery(P=0.165). The comparison of intraocular pressure before and after surgery were all statistically significant(Ftime=2.763, Ptime<0.05; Fintergroup=26.800, Pintergroup<0.05; Finteraction=5.091, Pinteraction<0.05). Group A showed significant structural changes in the macula and retina after surgery.CONCLUSION: Vitreous surgery combined with single intravitreal injection of slow-release dexamethasone in patients with late stage IMEM can rapidly improve macular morphology and help restore visual function within 6 mo after surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the risk factors of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in patients with sepsis and to construct a risk nomogram model. METHODS: The clinical data of 234 sepsis patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Tianjin Hospital from January 2019 to May 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into non-ARDS group (156 cases) and ARDS group (78 cases) according to the presence or absence of ARDS. The gender, age, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, smoking history, history of alcoholism, temperature, respiratory rate (RR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), pulmonary infection, white blood cell count (WBC), hemoglobin (Hb), platelet count (PLT), prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen (FIB), D-dimer, oxygenation index (PaO₂/FiO₂), lactic acid (Lac), procalcitonin (PCT), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), albumin (ALB), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (SCr), acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II), sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) were compared between the two groups. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression were used to analyze the risk factors of sepsis related ARDS. Based on the screened independent risk factors, a nomogram prediction model was constructed, and Bootstrap method was used for internal verification. The receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) was drawn, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was calculated to verify the prediction and accuracy of the model. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in gender, age, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, smoking history, alcoholism history, temperature, WBC, Hb, PLT, PT, APTT, FIB, PCT, BNP and SCr between the two groups. There were significant differences in RR, MAP, pulmonary infection, D-dimer, PaO₂/FiO₂, Lac, ALB, BUN, APACHE II score and SOFA score (all P < 0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that increased RR, low MAP, pulmonary infection, high Lac and high APACHE II score were independent risk factors for sepsis related ARDS [RR: odds ratio (OR) = 1.167, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 1.019-1.336; MAP: OR = 0.962, 95%CI was 0.932-0.994; pulmonary infection: OR = 0.428, 95%CI was 0.189-0.966; Lac: OR = 1.684, 95%CI was 1.036-2.735; APACHE II score: OR = 1.577, 95%CI was 1.202-2.067; all P < 0.05]. Based on the above independent risk factors, a risk nomograph model was established to predict sepsis related ARDS (accuracy was 81.62%, sensitivity was 66.67%, specificity was 89.10%). The predicted values were basically consistent with the measured values, and the AUC was 0.866 (95%CI was 0.819-0.914). CONCLUSIONS Increased RR, low MAP, pulmonary infection, high Lac and high APACHE II score are independent risk factors for sepsis related ARDS. Establishment of a risk nomograph model based on these factors may guide to predict the risk of ARDS in sepsis patients.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Alcoholism ; Prognosis ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome ; Pneumonia ; Sepsis ; Intensive Care Units ; Procalcitonin ; Fibrinogen ; ROC Curve

Objective:To explore the development trend of the combination of medical treatment and endowment and nursing by analyzing the keywords related to the combination of medical treatment and endowment and nursing in China from 2005 to 2017.Methods:Relevant articles about the combination of medical treatment and endowment which were published up to April 22, 2018 were retrieved from Wanfang, CNKI and VIP databases, and descriptive statistical methods were used to analyze the publication sources, number of keywords, word frequency, value of popularity, word meaning, etc.Results:Totally 5 704 articles were identified, and 1 655 were left after screening. The research on nursing started late among all researches on the combination of Chinese medical treatment and endowment, and there were few literatures, which had not received widespread attention from nursing journals. The proportion of Chinese nursing-related research in the combination of medical treatment and endowment was low. The keyword most concerned about was "senior caregivers". There was a lacking of technical and professional nursing research as well as specific discussions related to home care for the elderly.Conclusions:We should promote multi-angle and multi-level systematic nursing research, strengthen professional research in the combination of medical treatment and endowment and home care for the elderly, and provide technical support and practical basis for improving China's knowledge system of "the combination of medical treatment and endowment", and achieving a win-win situation for healthcare providers, caregivers, nurses and patients.

Objective To investigate the effects of α-lipoic acid(ALA)on 6-hydroxydopamine(6-OHDA)-induced autophagy in human neuroblastoma(SH-SYSY)cells and its possible mechanisms.Methods SH-SYSY cells were divided into 5 groups:blank control group (group A),ALA group (group B),6-OHDA group(group C),ALA+6-OHDA group(group D),and rapamycin(RAPA)group (group E).The cell viability,cell apoptosis,and oxidative stress were assayed and analyzed in A-D group.The expression of autophagy-related proteins LC3-Ⅱ,AMP-activated protein kinase(AMP-K),phosphorylated AMPK (p-AMPK),the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and p-mTOR were detected by Western blot in A-E group.Results Compared with the blank control group,the 6-OHDA group significantly reduced the cell viability(P ＜ 0.01) and p-mTOR protein expression (P ＜0.05),and increased the cellular apoptosis rate(P＜0.01),oxidative stress level(P ＜0.01),LC3-Ⅱ protein expression(P＜0.05,with the highest level at 6 h after treatment),and p-AMPK protein expression(P＜＜0.05).There was no significant difference in these indices between ALA group and the blank control group.Compared with 6-OHDA group,ALA+ 6-OHDA group showed that the cell viability(P ＜ 0.01) and p-mTOR protein expression (P ＜ 0.05) were increased,while the cellular apoptosis rate(P＜0.01),oxidative stress level(P＜0.01),LC3-Ⅱ protein expression(P ＜0.05),and p-AMPK protein expression (P ＜ 0.05)were decreased.Conclusions The 6-OHDA can induce oxidative stress and autophagy in SH-SY5Y cells and decrease the cell viability.ALA can alleviate the 6-OHDA-induced cell injury possibly by inhibiting autophagy via AMPK/mTOR pathway.

Functional electronic stimulation (FES) may provide a means to restore motor function in patients with spinal cord injuries. The goal of this study is to determine the regions in the spinal cord controlling different hindlimb movements in the rats. Normalization was used for the regions dominating the corresponding movements. It has been verified that FES can be used in motor function recovery of the hindlimb. The spinal cord was stimulated by FES with a three-dimensional scan mode in experiments. The results show that stimulation through the electrodes implanted in the ventral locations of the lumbosacral enlargement can produce coordinated single- and multi-joint hindlimb movements. A variety of different hindlimb movements can be induced with the appropriate stimulation sites, and movement vectors of the hindlimb cover the full range of movement directions in the sagittal plane of the hindlimb. This article drew a map about spinal cord motor function of the rat. The regions in the spinal cord which control corresponding movements are normalized. The data in the study provide guidance about the location of electrode tips in the follow-up experiments.

Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is used as a chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia. However, increasing drug resistance is reducing its efficacy. Therefore, a better understanding of ATO resistance mechanism is required. In this study, we established an ATO-resistant human epidermoid carcinoma cell line, KB/ATO, from its parental KB-3-1 cells. In addition to ATO, KB/ATO cells also exhibited cross-resistance to other anticancer drugs such as cisplatin, antimony potassium tartrate, and 6-mercaptopurine. The arsenic accumulation in KB/ATO cells was significantly lower than that in KB-3-1 cells. Further analysis indicated that neither application of P-glycoprotein inhibitor, breast cancer resistant protein (BCRP) inhibitor, or multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1) inhibitor could eliminate ATO resistance. We found that the expression level of ABCB6 was increased in KB/ATO cells. In conclusion, ABCB6 could be an important factor for ATO resistance in KB/ATO cells. The ABCB6 level may serve as a predictive biomarker for the effectiveness of ATO therapy.

Objective To compare the clinical application of Da Vinci robot surgical system (RSS) with traditional open surgery (TOS).Methods From Feb 2015 to Jul 2016,48 cases of upper abdominal surgical disease patients were divided into RSS group (23 cases) and TOS group (25 patients) randomly.Results The anesthesia time [(194 ±16)min vs.(181 ±11)min,t=3.262,P=0.002] and operation time [(167 ± 14) min vs.(158 ± 14) min,t =2.292,P =0.027] were much longer in the RSS,while the blood loss during operation significantly less than the TOS [(128 ± 62) ml vs.(190 ± 86) ml,t =-2.886,P =0.006].The RSS has obvious advantages in 24 h-drainage [(69 ± 27) ml vs.(114 ± 54) ml.t =-3.680,P =0.001],time to out-of-bed activity [(27.7 ± 8.0) h vs.(35.7 ± 9.9) h,t =-3.067,P =0.004],BPS,postoperative exhausting time[(27.2 ±5.9)h vs.(32.8 ±8.3)h,t =-2.690,P =0.01] and length of hospital stay [(10.4 ± 1.8) d vs.(11.8 ± 1.9) d,t =-2.600,P =0.013].But the total hospital cost was higher in RSS [(117 000 ± 10 000) yuan vs.(77 000 ± 8 000) yuan,t =15.087,P =0.000)].Conclusions The RSS is a much minimally invasive surgery,reducing blood loss and postoperative pain,promoting rapid recovery,shortening hospital stay.

Objective To explore the effects of group guidance on the cognitive ability of empty nesters in a community.Methods Totally 179 empty nesters aged above 60 from a community in Xicheng District,Beijing between April 2014 and April 2015 were selected by convenience sampling,and divided into an intervention group (n=89) and a control group (n=90). Patients in the intervention group were treated by group guidance,once a week (60 min each time) for 12 months,while patients in the control group received no intervention. And the empty nesters' cognitive ability was evaluated with Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) before and after the intervention.Results The differences found in comparing the orientation,memory, linguistic competence and cognitive ability of the empty nesters in the intervention group were statistically significant (P<0.05). And the differences found in comparing the memory and cognitive ability of the empty nesters in the control group were also statistically significant (P<0.05). Before the intervention,however,there was no significant difference between the empty nesters in the two groups in cognitive ability and other indicators (P>0.05). After the intervention,the empty nesters in the observation group scored higher in orientation, attention,numeracy,linguistic competence and cognitive ability than the empty nesters in the control group (P<0.05).Conclusions Empty nesters' cognitive ability comes to weaken and decline with age,and group guidance helps to improve their cognitive ability significantly.