OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill (STDP) in treating stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome by exercise duration and metabolic equivalents. METHODS: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial enrolled stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome from 22 hospitals. They were randomized 1:1 to STDP (35 mg/pill, 6 pills per day) or placebo for 56 days. The primary outcome was the exercise duration and metabolic equivalents (METs) assessed by the standard Bruce exercise treadmill test after 56 days of treatment. The secondary outcomes included the total angina symptom score, Chinese medicine (CM) symptom scores, Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) scores, changes in ST-T on electrocardiogram and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: This trial enrolled 309 patients, including 155 and 154 in the STDP and placebo groups, respectively. STDP significantly prolonged exercise duration with an increase of 51.0 s, compared to a decrease of 12.0 s with placebo (change rate: -11.1% vs. 3.2%, P<0.01). The increase in METs was significantly greater in the STDP group than in the placebo group (change: -0.4 vs. 0.0, change rate: -5.0% vs. 0.0%, P<0.01). The improvement of total angina symptom scores (25.0% vs. 0.0%), CM symptom scores (38.7% vs. 11.8%), reduction of nitroglycerin consumption (100.0% vs. 11.3%), and all domains of SAQ, were significantly greater with STDP than placebo (all P<0.01). The changes in Q-T intervals at 28 and 56 days from baseline were similar between the two groups (both P>0.05). Twenty-five participants (16.3%) with STDP and 16 (10.5%) with placebo experienced AEs (P=0.131), with no serious AEs observed. CONCLUSION STDP could improve exercise tolerance in patients with stable angina and phlegm-heat and blood stasis syndrome, with a favorable safety profile. (Registration No. ChiCTR-IPR-15006020).
Humans ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Angina, Stable/physiopathology* ; Aged ; Syndrome ; Treatment Outcome ; Placebos ; Tablets

ObjectiveTo examine the current status of preschoolers' eating behaviors and investigate its correlation with family cohesion and adaptability. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted involving 21，954 preschoolers and their families from Pingshan District， Shenzhen， between September 2021 and December 2021. A general demographic questionnaire， the Chinese version of Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale Ⅱ （FACESⅡ-CV） and Chinese Preschoolers’ Eating Behavior Questionnaire （CPEBQ） were used to collect the relevant information. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the association of family cohesion and adaptability with eating behaviors of preschoolers. ResultsTypes of family cohesion and adaptability were significantly correlated with all the 7 dimensions of preschoolers' eating behaviors， including food fussiness （R²=0.252， F=114.457， P<0.001）， food responsiveness （R² = 0.111， F =24.973， P<0.001）， eating habit （R²= 0.304， F =139.658， P<0.001）， satiety responsiveness （R² = 0.259， F =105.332， P<0.001）， external eating （R² = 0.182， F =50.150， P<0.001）， emotional eating （R² = 0.234， F =91.084， P<0.001） and initiative eating （R² = 0.349， F =168.608， P<0.001）. After adjusting for confounding factors， our study showed that types of family cohesion and adaptability were independent predictors of preschoolers' eating behaviors （P<0.05）. ConclusionsTypes of family cohesion and adaptability have a significant predictive effect on the 7 dimensions of preschoolers' eating behaviors. Higher scores of family cohesion and adaptability imply stronger initiative eating ability and less poor dietary behaviors in preschoolers.

ObjectiveTo summarize the clinical features and prognosis of pulmonary mucormycosis （PM） in southern China， and to explore the diagnostic value of metagenomic next generation sequencing （mNGS） in PM. MethodsThe clinical manifestations， diagnosis， treatment and prognosis of patients diagnosed with PM in The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 1， 2019 to January 31， 2022 who had undergone mNGS detection in lung tissue or alveolar lavage fluid were collected retrospectively. A total of 14 patients with PM were included， including 4 patients with confirmed diagnosis and 10 patients with clinical diagnosis. ResultsAll patients had underlying medical conditions， with hematological malignancies and diabetes being the most common. The most common symptoms were fever （n = 10）， cough （n = 9） and shortness of breath （n = 9）. Consolidation was the most common sign of chest CT， followed by mass， mostly with cavity. On laboratory tests， decreased CD4+T lymphocytes， elevated CD8+T lymphocytes， and decreased CD4+/CD8+ ratio， and presentation with pleural effusion indicate poor prognosis. The positive rate of mNGS diagnosis was 78.5%， which was significantly higher than that of histopathology （50%）， fungus rapid fluorescence staining （61.5%） and fungal culture （23.1%） of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. ConclusionsPulmonary mucormycosis is more likely to occur in patients with underlying diseases or who are immunocompromised. The clinical manifestations lack specificity. The low CD4/CD8 ratio and presentation of pleural effusion on CT imaging indicate poor prognosis of patients. mNGS is a rapid， convenient and sensitive method for the diagnosis of PM， which has advantages in the diagnosis of pulmonary mucormycosis.

OBJECTIVES: To establish an analytical method for half sibling testing involving common three relatives' participation. METHODS: Based on the half sibling testing scenarios with the known biological mother, grandfather or uncle, and two unidentified controversial half siblings participating, two opposing hypotheses were set. Lineage reconstruction according to Mendel's law of heredity was carried out, and the calculation formula of the half sibling kinship index was derived. Verification of actual cases was carried out and the results were compared with duo half sibling testing. RESULTS: In the scenarios of the known biological mother, grandfather and uncle participating in half sibling testing, the kinship calculation formulae of 54, 91 and 99 genotype combinations for kinship index calculation were deduced respectively. The actual cases showed higher kinship indexes in trio half sibling testing compared with duo half sibling testing. CONCLUSIONS It is beneficial to obtain more genetic information for family reconstruction and improvement of the strength of genetic evidence for half sibling testing by adding known relatives.
Female ; Humans ; Siblings ; Genotype ; Mothers ; Microsatellite Repeats

Objective: This cross-sectional investigation aimed to determine the incidence, clinical characteristics, prognosis, and related risk factors of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain in mainland China. Methods: Data of patients with SARS-CoV-2 from December 28, 2022, to February 21, 2023, were collected through online and offline questionnaires from 45 tertiary hospitals and one center for disease control and prevention in mainland China. The questionnaire included demographic information, previous health history, smoking and alcohol drinking, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, olfactory and gustatory function before and after infection, other symptoms after infection, as well as the duration and improvement of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction. The self-reported olfactory and gustatory functions of patients were evaluated using the Olfactory VAS scale and Gustatory VAS scale. Results: A total of 35 566 valid questionnaires were obtained, revealing a high incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain (67.75%). Females(χ2=367.013, P<0.001) and young people(χ2=120.210, P<0.001) were more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Gender(OR=1.564, 95%CI: 1.487-1.645), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), oral health status (OR=0.881, 95%CI: 0.839-0.926), smoking history (OR=1.152, 95%CI=1.080-1.229), and drinking history (OR=0.854, 95%CI: 0.785-0.928) were correlated with the occurrence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2(above P<0.001). 44.62% (4 391/9 840) of the patients who had not recovered their sense of smell and taste also suffered from nasal congestion, runny nose, and 32.62% (3 210/9 840) suffered from dry mouth and sore throat. The improvement of olfactory and taste functions was correlated with the persistence of accompanying symptoms(χ2=10.873, P=0.001). The average score of olfactory and taste VAS scale was 8.41 and 8.51 respectively before SARS-CoV-2 infection, but decreased to3.69 and 4.29 respectively after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and recovered to 5.83and 6.55 respectively at the time of the survey. The median duration of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions was 15 days and 12 days, respectively, with 0.5% (121/24 096) of patients experiencing these dysfunctions for more than 28 days. The overall self-reported improvement rate of smell and taste dysfunctions was 59.16% (14 256/24 096). Gender(OR=0.893, 95%CI: 0.839-0.951), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), history of head and facial trauma(OR=1.180, 95%CI: 1.036-1.344, P=0.013), nose (OR=1.104, 95%CI: 1.042-1.171, P=0.001) and oral (OR=1.162, 95%CI: 1.096-1.233) health status, smoking history(OR=0.765, 95%CI: 0.709-0.825), and the persistence of accompanying symptoms (OR=0.359, 95%CI: 0.332-0.388) were correlated with the recovery of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2 (above P<0.001 except for the indicated values). Conclusion: The incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain is high in mainland China, with females and young people more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Active and effective intervention measures may be required for cases that persist for a long time. The recovery of olfactory and taste functions is influenced by several factors, including gender, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status, history of head and facial trauma, nasal and oral health status, smoking history, and persistence of accompanying symptoms.
Female ; Humans ; Adolescent ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Smell ; COVID-19/complications* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; Incidence ; Olfaction Disorders/etiology* ; Taste Disorders/etiology* ; Prognosis

Humans ; Consensus ; Hypersensitivity ; Desensitization, Immunologic/adverse effects* ; Immunotherapy/adverse effects* ; Injections, Subcutaneous ; Allergens

ObjectiveTo summarize and analyze the clinical features and CT imaging findings of melioidosis pneumonia in order to increase awareness of this disease. MethodsA retrospective study was done on clinical and CT imaging data of 68 cases with melioidosis pneumonia diagnosed from January 1， 2012 to April 1， 2023. ResultsOf the 68 cases， 62 presented with acute infection and 6 chronic infection， 88.2% were male， 85.3% were native residents of Hainan， 85.3% were farmers， 77.9% had onset in summer and autumn， 66.2% had diabetes， 100% had fever as the first clinical symptom， and 88.2% were confirmed positive by blood culture. In most patients， white blood cell count， neutrophil ratio， C-reactive protein and calcitonin levels increased， while lymphocyte ratio decreased， but no statistical difference was found between acute and chronic infection groups （P > 0.05）. Of the patients， 36.8% recovered， 42.6% got better， 11.8% patients became therapy-resistant and 8.8% died. CT image showed pathomorphological changes including nodules/masses， patchy ground-glass attenuation or large patchy consolidation or all of these at the same time. Acute and chronic infection groups had significant difference in pathomorphological changes （P = 0.01）， but no statistical difference in other imaging findings. Moreover， 36.8% of the patients developed extrapulmonary infections， 8.8% of which multi-site abscess formation. ConclusionsMelioidosis Pneumonia should be considered if the patient is the sojourner from epidemic area， or has diabetes， high fever and rapid-developing disease， with additional presence of multiple inflammatory lesions in lung CT.

Objective: To investigate the factors affecting the success of conversion therapy in patients with initially unresectable colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRLM) in order to provide evidence-based medical evidence for formulating individualized treatment strategies for patients. Methods: A retrospective case-control study was used in this study. Clinical data of 232 patients with initially unresectable CRLM receiving first-line systemic treatment in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center from January 2013 to January 2020 were collected, including 98 patients of successful conversion and 134 patients of failed conversion as control. Conversion therapy scheme: 38 patients received FOLFOXIRI regimen chemotherapy (irinotecan, oxaliplatin, calcium folinate and fluorouracil), 152 patients received FOLFOX regimen (oxaliplatin, calcium folinate and fluorouracil), 19 patients received FOLRIRI regimen (irinotecan, calcium folinate and fluorouracil), 23 patients received systemic chemotherapy combined with fluorouridine hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy; 168 patients received targeted therapy, including 68 of bevacizumab and 100 of cetuximab. Logistics analysis was used to compare the factors affecting the success of conversion therapy. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate progression-free survival (PFS), and the Log-rank test was used for survival comparison. Results: Among 232 patients, 98 patients had successful conversions and 134 patients had failed conversions with a successful conversion rate of 42.2%, meanwhile 30 patients underwent simple hepatectomy and 68 underwent hepatectomy combined with intraoperative radiofrequency ablation. After first-line chemotherapy, 111 patients (47.8%) were partial remission, 57 patients (24.6%) were stable disease, and 64 patients (27.6%) were progression disease. During the median follow-up of 18.8 (1.0-87.9) months, 148 patients were dead or with tumor progression. The median PFS time of patients with successful conversion was longer than that of patients with failed conversion (31.0 months vs. 9.9 months, P<0.001). Univariate analysis found that the bilobar distribution of liver tumors (P=0.003), elevated baseline carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels (P=0.024), tumor invasion of the portal vein (P=0.001), number of metastatic tumor>8 (P<0.001), non-FOLFOXIRI (P=0.005), and no targeted therapy (P=0.038) were high risk factors for the failed conversion therapy. The results of multivariate logistics analysis indicated that the number of metastatic tumor >8 (OR=2.422, 95%CI: 1.291-4.544, P=0.006), portal vein invasion (OR=2.727, 95%CI: 1.237-4.170, P=0.008) were the independent risk factors for failed conversion therapy, while FOLFOXIRI regimen (OR=0.300, 95%CI: 0.135-0.666, P=0.003) and targeted drugs (OR=0.411, 95%CI: 0.209-0.809, P=0.010) were independent protective factors for successful conversion therapy. Conclusions: The number of metastatic tumor and portal vein invasion are key factors that affect the outcomes of conversion therapy for initially unresectable CRLM. If a patient can tolerate chemotherapy, a combination program of three-drug and targeted therapy is preferred for the active conversion therapy.
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Camptothecin/therapeutic use* ; Case-Control Studies ; Colorectal Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Fluorouracil/therapeutic use* ; Humans ; Leucovorin/therapeutic use* ; Liver Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

Objective: To establish a survival prediction model based on the independent prognostic factors of long-term prognosis after laparoscopic liver resection(LLR) for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma(ICC). Methods: The clinical and pathological data of 351 consecutive patients with ICC who received radical LLR in 13 Chinese medical centers from August 2010 to May 2021 were collected retrospectively. There were 190 males and 161 females,aged(M(IQR)) 61(14)years(range:23 to 93 years). The total cohort was randomly divided into a training dataset(264 cases) and a validation dataset(87 cases). The patients were followed up by outpatient service or telephone,and the deadline for follow-up was October 2021. Based on the training dataset,the multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to screen the independent influencing factors of long-term prognosis to construct a Nomogram model. The Nomogram model's discrimination,calibration,and clinical benefit were evaluated through internal and external validation,and an assessment of the overall value of two groups was made through the use of a receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve. Results: There was no significant difference in clinical and pathological characteristics and long-term survival results between the training and validation datasets(all P>0.05). The multivariate Cox analysis showed that CA19-9,CA125,conversion to laparotomy during laparoscopic surgery,and lymph node metastasis were independent prognostic factors for ICC patients after LLR(all P<0.05). The survival Nomogram was established based on the independent prognostic factors obtained from the above screening. The ROC curve showed that the area under the curve of 1, 3 and 5-year overall survival rates of patients in the training dataset were 0.794(95%CI:0.721 to 0.867),0.728(95%CI:0.618 to 0.839) and 0.799(95%CI:0.670 to 0.928),and those in the validation dataset were 0.787(95%CI:0.660 to 0.915),0.831(95%CI:0.678 to 0.983) and 0.810(95%CI:0.639 to 0.982). Internal and external validation proved that the model exhibited a certain discrimination,calibration,and clinical applicability. Conclusion: The survival Nomogram model based on the independent influencing factors of long-term prognosis after LLR for ICC(including CA19-9,CA125,conversion to laparotomy during laparoscopic surgery,and lymph node metastasis) exhibites a certain differentiation,calibration,and clinical practicability.
Bile Duct Neoplasms/surgery* ; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic/pathology* ; CA-19-9 Antigen ; Cholangiocarcinoma/diagnosis* ; Female ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Nomograms ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

Objective: To investigate the clinical strategy and effect of soft tissue reconstruction after sacral tumor resection in different planes. Methods: The data of 27 consecutive patients who underwent primary or secondary sacral tumor resection and soft tissue reconstruction from June 2012 to June 2021 at Dongnan Hospital of Xiamen University (the 909th Hospital) were retrospectively analyzed. There were 11 males and 16 females, aged (M(IQR)) (46.2±23.6) years (range: 16 to 72 years). Sacrospinous muscle, gluteus maximus and vertical rectus abdominis muscle flap were selected for soft tissue reconstruction according to the tumor site and the size of tissue defect. the postoperative follow-up was performed. The operative methods, intraoperative conditions, complications and disease outcomes were summarized. Results: Among the 27 patients with sacral tumor, the tumor plane was located in S₁ in 8 cases, S₂ in 5 cases and S₃ or below in 14 cases. There were 12 patients with tumor volume≤400 cm³ and 15 patients with tumor volume>400 cm³. Operation time was 100(90) minutes (range: 70 to 610 minutes), intraoperative blood loss was 800(1 600) ml (range: 400 to 6 500 ml). Soft tissue reconstruction was performed by transabdominal rectus abdominis transfer repair in 2 cases, extraperitoneal rectus abdominis transfer repair in 1 case, gluteus maximus transfer repair in 5 cases, gluteus maximus advancement repair in 13 cases, and sacrospinous muscle transfer repair in 6 cases. Postoperative complications occurred in 6 cases, including 1 case of incision infection, 4 cases of skin border necrosis, and 1 case of delayed infection due to fracture of internal fixator 3 years after operation, all of them were cured. The follow-up time was (35±21) months. Among the patients, 6 patients had recurrence, 2 patients with Ewing sarcoma died of lung metastasis 1 year after operation, 4 patients with metastatic cancer died of primary disease, and the remaining patients survived without disease. Conclusion: Choosing different soft tissue reconstruction strategies according to sacral tumor location and tissue defect size can effectively fill the dead space after sacral tumor resection, reduce postoperative complications and improve the prognosis of patients.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Postoperative Complications ; Neoplasms