As the search for effective treatments for COVID-19 continues, the high mortality rate among critically ill patients in Intensive Care Units (ICU) presents a profound challenge. This study explores the potential benefits of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as a supplementary treatment for severe COVID-19. A total of 110 critically ill COVID-19 patients at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Vulcan Hill Hospital between Feb., 2020, and April, 2020 (Wuhan, China) participated in this observational study. All patients received standard supportive care protocols, with a subset of 81 also receiving TCM as an adjunct treatment. Clinical characteristics during the treatment period and the clinical outcome of each patient were closely monitored and analysed. Our findings indicated that the TCM group exhibited a significantly lower mortality rate compared with the non-TCM group (16 of 81 vs 24 of 29; 0.3 vs 2.3 person/month). In the adjusted Cox proportional hazards models, TCM treatment was associated with improved survival odds (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the analysis also revealed that TCM treatment could partially mitigate inflammatory responses, as evidenced by the reduced levels of proinflammatory cytokines, and contribute to the recovery of multiple organic functions, thereby potentially increasing the survival rate of critically ill COVID-19 patients.
Humans ; COVID-19 ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Critical Illness ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To investigate the number, distribution, and types of radiation of non-medical radiation institutions in Hebei Province, China, and to explore the current radiation protection in the employing units and occupational health management of radiation workers in 2022. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted in the non-medical institutions engaged in nuclear technology application in Hebei Province, and different types of employing units were selected to monitor the radioactivity level in the workplace. Results A total of 681 non-medical institutions engaged in radiation technology application completed the survey, covering all cities with subordinate districts in the province, including 1605 radioactive devices, 2960 active devices, 45 non-uranium metal mines, and 14 non-sealed workplaces. A total of 8617 radiation workers were surveyed, with a personal dose monitoring rate of 70.9%, a radiation protection training rate of 61.1%, and an occupational health examination rate for radiation workers of 59.3%. A total of 614 radiation protection monitoring instruments were provided, with a personal protective equipment allocation rate of 51.1% and a personal dose alarm device allocation rate of 51.8%. The radiation occupational hazardous factor testing was completed for 54 workplaces, and the results were all qualified. Conclusion There are still significant deficiencies in personal dose monitoring in the radiation work units in non-medical institutions and occupational health examination in the radiation work units in our province. The health administrative departments should strengthen health supervision and law enforcement, enhance radiation protection and skill training for employers, and more effectively control the impact of radiation hazards on personnel health.

Objective To study the clinical efficacy and safety of dapagliflozin combined with sacubitril-valsartan in the treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).Methods A total of 128 patients with HFpEF hospitalized in the cardiovascular medicine department of this hospital from March to December 2022 were selected as the study subjects and divided into the observation group and control group by the random number table method,64 cases in each group.The control group was given the conventional an-ti-heart failure therapy and orally took sacubitril-valsartan,and the observation group took the combined ap-plication of dapagliflozin on the basis of the control group.The continuous treatment lasted for 12 months. The left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDd) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were com-pleted by the cardiac color Doppler ultrasound determination in 3,6,12 months after treatment,the blood was collected for detecting NT-poBNP and 6 min walking distance (6MWD) determination was completed.The outpatient follow up was conducted monthly,the follow up contents contained the adverse reactions and major adverse cardio vascular event (MACE) events.Results After 3-month treatment,the NT-proBNP level in the two groups was decreased compared with before treatment,moreover the observation group was lower than the control group,and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05).Compared with before treat-ment,LVEDd after 3-month treatment in the two groups was decreased compared with before treatment,LVEF was increased compared with before treatment,and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05).LVEDd after 6-,12-month treatment in the observation group was lower than that in the control group,LVEF was higher than that in the control group,and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05).6MWD after 3-month treatment in the two groups was increased compared with before treatment,and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).6MWD after 6-,12-month treatment in the observation group was higher than that in the control group,and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The re-admission rate due to heart failure and MACE total occurrence rate in the observation group were low-er than those in the control group (9.38％ vs. 23.44％,12.50％ vs. 26.50％,P<0.05),and the adverse re-actions occurrence rates had no statistical difference between the two groups (P>0.05).Conclusion Dapagliflozin combined with sacubitril-valsartan could significantly improve the cardiac function in elderly patients with HFpEF,reduce the occurrence rate of MACE,moreover has good safety.

Objective To investigate the effects of remimazolam and propofol on postoperative nausea and vomiting(PONV)in patients undergoing painless prostate biopsy,so as to optimize the anesthesia protocols.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 1217 patients who underwent painless prostate biopsy in our hospital during Jan.2023 and Jun.2024.Among them,1093 patients met the inclusion criteria and were divided into two groups:the remimazolam group(n=294)and the propofol group(n=799).After 1∶1 propensity score matching,with 267 patients in either group,a comparison was conducted regarding the incidence of PONV and anesthesia recovery time.Results Before propensity score matching,the remimazolam group had older age[66(53,83)years vs.63(49,78)years],higher body mass index(BMI)[25.30(21.83,29.23)vs.24.46(20.79,28.91)],larger intraoperative use of sufentanil[9(8,10)μg vs.7(6,9)μg],higher intraoperative use rate of ondansetron(55.4％vs.47.6％),and longer surgical duration[16(14,20)min vs.15(13,17)min],with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).There were no statistically significant differences in the aforementioned factors between the two groups after propensity score matching(P＞0.05).Before propensity score matching,the incidence of PONV was higher in the remimazolam group than in the propofol group(17.7％vs.11.5％,P=0.007),while after propensity score matching,the incidence of PONV did not differ significantly between the two groups(12.7％vs.17.2％,P=0.146).Before and after propensity score matching,the anesthesia recovery time was significantly shorter in the remimazolam group than in the propofol group[3(2,4)min vs.7(4,10)min,P＜0.001].Conclusion Compared with propofol,remimazolam does not increase the incidence of PONV in patients undergoing painless prostate biopsy but can shorten anesthesia recovery time.

Objective:To screen the host interaction proteins of the severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus(SFTSV)nonstructural protein(NSs)by immunoprecipitation combined with mass spectrometry analysis,to discuss the functions,subcellular localization,and biological pathways of these interaction proteins,and to provide the basis for clarifying the replication and pathogenic mechanism of SFTSV.Methods:The eukaryotic expression vectors pSFTSV-NSs-Flag(experimental group)and Flag-CMV-3(negative group)were transfected into the human embryonic kidney 293T cells,and contorl group(no treatment)was set up.The lysates of the cells in various groups were collected,and the expression and localization of SFTSV NSs in the host cells were verified by indirect immunofluorescence and Western blotting methods.The protein lysates were treated with protein A/G and immunoprecipitation was used to enrich host proteins binding to NSs.The captured interaction proteins were initially analyzed by silver staining and Coomassie brilliant blue staining to observe the differential protein bands in various groups;liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to obtain the information of protein sequences;the reliable proteins were retained and searched by UniProt database;Gene Ontology(GO)functional enrichment analysis,IPR,eukaryotic orthologous groups(KOGs)functional annotation,Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)signaling pathway enrichment analysis,subcellular localization,and transcription factor(TF)functional annotation were used to determine the subcellular structure,gene functions,and biological processes of the interaction proteins.Results:The immunofluorescence results showed that the SFTSV NSs expressed a single specific band at relative molecular mass 33 000 and was localized in the cytoplasm in a granular inclusion body-like manner.The silver staining and Coomassie brilliant blue staining results showed there were significant differential protein bands between experimental group and negative group.The mass spectrometry results identified 46 potential interaction proteins.The GO functional enrichment analysis,KOGs functional annotation,and KEGG signaling pathway enrichment analysis results showed that the biological pathways related to viral translation,cellular metabolism,and protein transport were enriched with a considerable number of proteins.Eight annotated proteins had intermediate filament domains.The highest percentage of subcellular localization was cytoplasmic proteins,consistent with the NSs localization site.The TF functional annotation analysis results showed one protein from the NF-Y family.Conclusion:The interaction proteins play roles in assisting the proper protein folding,participating in the cribosome translation,and forming the cytoskeleton,which may be involved in antiviral replication.These proteins can be used as candidate proteins for further study on the replication mechanism of SFTSV.

Objective:To develop, validate and initially apply a joint function and health assessment scale for juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients.Methods:The first draft of the juvenile idiopathic arthritis joint function and health assessment scale was developed through literature analysis, discussion by the research team, semi-structured interviews, Delphi expert correspondence. From March to June 2024, a total of 260 children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis or their parents were prospectively recruited from Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Children′s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University by convenience sampling method for pre-investigation and formal investigation.The reliability and validity of the scale were tested by item analysis, reliability analysis, exploratory factor analysis, content validity and criterion validity analysis, and the responsiveness of the scale to clinical changes was evaluated by estimating the minimum clinically important difference, and finally the formal scale was formed.Results:The juvenile idiopathic arthritis joint function and health assessment scale included disease activity assessment, daily activity and function assessment, pain, fatigue and disease outcome assessment, with a total of 5 dimensions and 24 items, in which the functional assessment subscale included 4 secondary dimensions and 18 items. The Cronbach′s α coefficient of the function assessment subscale was 0.88, the fold-half reliability was 0.86, and the test-retest reliability after 2-4 weeks was 0.84; the item-level content validity index was 0.80-1.00, and the scale-level content validity index was 0.93. Exploratory factor analysis extracted 4 common factors with a cumulative variance contribution of 70.0%. Preliminary application indicated the functional assessment subscale was moderately correlated with childhood health assessment questionnaire ( r=0.70, P<0.05), the total scale was strongly correlated with juvenile arthritis disease activity score-27 ( r=0.92, P<0.05), and moderately correlated with both active and limited joint count ( r=0.77, 0.68, both P<0.05). Reactivity analysis suggested that the minimum clinically important difference between the two visits of 41 children with clinical improvement and 25 children with disease activity was 0.49 (0.44, 0.54) and 0.51 (0.43, 0.58). Conclusion:The juvenile idiopathic arthritis joint function and health assessment scale has good reliability and validity, and has certain responsiveness to clinical changes, is simple and operable, and can be used as a tool for assessing joint function in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and clinical efficacy of hypofractionated radiotherapy (HFRT) at 36.5 Gy in 10 fractions for the chest wall and reginal lymph nodes following modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer.Methods:This was a prospective, single-arm, phase Ⅱ clinical study. A total of 85 patients who received HFRT at 36.5 Gy in 10 fractions to the chest wall ± supraclavicular region following modified radical mastectomy for locally advanced breast cancer from March 2014 to December 2015 were included. The primary endpoint was radiotherapy toxicities. The secondary endpoints were locoregional failure-free survival (LRFFS), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS).Results:The median follow-up period was 98 (94.0-109.0) months. Radiotherapy toxicities were mild. The incidence rates of grade 1 acute cutaneous and pulmonary toxicities were 52.9% and 40%, and those of grade 1 late cutaneous, pulmonary, and cardiac toxicities and upper extremity edema were 10.6%, 29.4%, 2.4%, and 21.2%, respectively. Only 1 (1.2%) patient suffered from grade 2 radiation-induced brachial plexus injury. Of the 85 patients, one patient had regional recurrence (supraclavicular lymph nodes), six patients had distant metastasis, and six patients died of breast cancer. The 9-year LRFFS, DFS, and OS were 97.7%, 91.8%, and 92.8%, respectively.Conclusions:HFRT at 36.5 Gy in 10 fractions following modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer is associated with mild toxicities. A phase Ⅲ study is necessary for validating HFRT's clinical efficacy.

Background: Biofilms, such as those from Staphylococcus epidermidis, are generally insensitive to traditional antimicrobial agents, making it difficult to inhibit their formation. Although quercetin has excellent antibiofilm effects, its clinical applications are limited by the lack of sustained and targeted release at the site of S. epidermidis infection. Objectives: Polyethylene glycol-quercetin nanoparticles (PQ-NPs)-loaded gelatin-N,Ocarboxymethyl chitosan (N,O-CMCS) composite nanogels were prepared and assessed for the on-demand release potential for reducing S. epidermidis biofilm formation. Methods: The formation mechanism, physicochemical characterization, and antibiofilm activity of PQ-nanogels against S. epidermidis were studied. Results: Physicochemical characterization confirmed that PQ-nanogels had been prepared by the electrostatic interactions between gelatin and N,O-CMCS with sodium tripolyphosphate. The PQ-nanogels exhibited obvious pH and gelatinase-responsive to achieve on-demand release in the micro-environment (pH 5.5 and gelatinase) of S. epidermidis.In addition, PQ-nanogels had excellent antibiofilm activity, and the potential antibiofilm mechanism may enhance its antibiofilm activity by reducing its relative biofilm formation, surface hydrophobicity, exopolysaccharides production, and eDNA production. Conclusions This study will guide the development of the dual responsiveness (pH and gelatinase) of nanogels to achieve on-demand release for reducing S. epidermidis biofilm formation.

Infectious bone defect is bone defect with infection or as a result of treatment of bone infection. It requires surgical intervention, and the treatment processes are complex and long, which include bone infection control,bone defect repair and even complex soft tissue reconstructions in some cases. Failure to achieve the goals in any step may lead to the failure of the overall treatment. Therefore, infectious bone defect has been a worldwide challenge in the field of orthopedics. Conventionally, sequestrectomy, bone grafting, bone transport, and systemic/local antibiotic treatment are standard therapies. Radical debridement remains one of the cornerstones for the management of bone infection. However, the scale of debridement and the timing and method of bone defect reconstruction remain controversial. With the clinical application of induced membrane technique, effective infection control and rapid bone reconstruction have been achieved in the management of infectious bone defect. The induced membrane technique has attracted more interests and attention, but the lack of understanding the basic principles of infection control and technical details may hamper the clinical outcomes of induced membrane technique and complications can possibly occur. Therefore, the Chinese Orthopedic Association organized domestic orthopedic experts to formulate An evidence-based clinical guideline for the treatment of infectious bone defect with induced membrane technique ( version 2023) according to the evidence-based method and put forward recommendations on infectious bone defect from the aspects of precise diagnosis, preoperative evaluation, operation procedure, postoperative management and rehabilitation, so as to provide useful references for the treatment of infectious bone defect with induced membrane technique.

Emerging evidence suggests that intron-detaining transcripts (IDTs) are a nucleus-detained and polyadenylated mRNA pool for cell to quickly and effectively respond to environmental stimuli and stress. However, the underlying mechanisms of detained intron (DI) splicing are still largely unknown. Here, we suggest that post-transcriptional DI splicing is paused at the Bact state, an active spliceosome but not catalytically primed, which depends on Smad Nuclear Interacting Protein 1 (SNIP1) and RNPS1 (a serine-rich RNA binding protein) interaction. RNPS1 and Bact components preferentially dock at DIs and the RNPS1 docking is sufficient to trigger spliceosome pausing. Haploinsufficiency of Snip1 attenuates neurodegeneration and globally rescues IDT accumulation caused by a previously reported mutant U2 snRNA, a basal spliceosomal component. Snip1 conditional knockout in the cerebellum decreases DI splicing efficiency and causes neurodegeneration. Therefore, we suggest that SNIP1 and RNPS1 form a molecular brake to promote spliceosome pausing, and that its misregulation contributes to neurodegeneration.
Spliceosomes/metabolism* ; Introns/genetics* ; RNA Splicing ; RNA, Messenger/genetics* ; Cell Nucleus/metabolism*