OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Yangxue Qingnao Pills (YXQNP) combined with amlodipine in treating patients with grade 1 hypertension. METHODS: This is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study. Adult patients with grade 1 hypertension of blood deficiency and Gan (Liver)-yang hyperactivity syndrome were randomly divided into the treatment or the control groups at a 1:1 ratio. The treatment group received YXQNP and amlodipine besylate, while the control group received YXQNP's placebo and amlodipine besylate. The treatment duration lasted for 180 days. Outcomes assessed included changes in blood pressure, Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome scores, symptoms and target organ functions before and after treatment in both groups. Additionally, adverse events, such as nausea, vomiting, rash, itching, and diarrhea, were recorded in both groups. RESULTS: A total of 662 subjects were enrolled, of whom 608 (91.8%) completed the trial (306 in the treatment and 302 in the control groups). After 180 days of treatment, the standard deviations and coefficients of variation of systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels were lower in the treatment group compared with the control group. The improvement rates of dizziness, headache, insomnia, and waist soreness were significantly higher in the treatment group compared with the control group (P<0.05). After 30 days of treatment, the overall therapeutic effects on CM clinical syndromes were significantly increased in the treatment group as compared with the control group (P<0.05). After 180 days of treatment, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity, ankle brachial index and albumin-to-creatinine ratio were improved in both groups, with no statistically significant differences (P>0.05). No serious treatment-related adverse events occurred during the study period. CONCLUSIONS Combination therapy of YXQNP with amlodipine significantly improved symptoms such as dizziness and headache, reduced blood pressure variability, and showed a trend toward lowering urinary microalbumin in hypertensive patients. These findings suggest that this regimen has good clinical efficacy and safety. (Registration No. ChiCTR1900022470).
Humans ; Amlodipine/adverse effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Hypertension/complications* ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Adult ; Blood Pressure/drug effects* ; Double-Blind Method ; Aged ; Antihypertensive Agents/adverse effects*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect and safety of Chinese medicine (CM) Fuzheng Huazhuo Decoction (FHD) in treating patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who persistently tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at Shanghai New International Expo Center shelter hospital in China between April 1 and May 30, 2022. Patients diagnosed as COVID-19 with persistently positive SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results for ⩾8 days after diagnosis were enrolled. Patients in the control group received conventional Western medicine (WM) treatment, while those in the FHD group received conventional WM plus FHD for at least 3 days. The primary outcome was viral clearance time. Secondary outcomes included negative conversion rate within 14 days, length of hospital stay, cycle threshold (Ct) values of the open reading frame 1ab (ORF1ab) and nucleocapsid protein (N) genes, and incidence of new-onset symptoms during hospitalization. Adverse events (AEs) that occurred during the study period were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 1,765 eligible patients were enrolled in this study (546 in the FHD group and 1,219 in the control group). Compared with the control group, patients receiving FHD treatment showed shorter viral clearance time for nucleic acids [hazard ratio (HR): 1.500, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.353-1.664, P<0.001] and hospital stays (HR: 1.371, 95% CI: 1.238-1.519, P<0.001), and a higher negative conversion rate within 14 days (96.2% vs. 82.6%, P<0.001). The incidence of new-onset symptoms was 59.5% in the FHD group, similar to 57.8% in the control group (P>0.05). The Ct values of ORF1ab and N genes increased more rapidly over time in the FHD group than those in the control group post-randomization (ORF1ab gene: β =0.436±0.053, P<0.001; N gene: β =0.415 ±0.053, P<0.001). The incidence of AEs in the FHD group was lower than that in the control group (24.2% vs. 35.4%, P<0.001). No serious AEs were observed. CONCLUSION FHD was effective and safe for patients with persistently positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests. (Registration No. ChiCTR2200063956).
Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; COVID-19 Drug Treatment ; SARS-CoV-2/drug effects* ; COVID-19/virology* ; Adult ; Aged ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To explore the therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms of Dendrobium officinale (Tiepi Shihu) extract (DOE) on insomnia. METHODS: Forty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 6 groups (n=7 per group): normal control, model control, melatonin (MT, 40 mg/kg), and 3-dose DOE (0.25, 0.50, and 1.00 g/kg) groups. Rats were raised in a strong-light (10,000 LUX) and -noise (>80 db) environment (12 h/d) for 16 weeks to induce insomnia, and from week 10 to week 16, MT and DOE were correspondingly administered to rats. The behavior tests including sodium pentobarbital-induced sleep experiment, sucrose preference test, and autonomous activity test were used to evaluate changes in sleep and emotions of rats. The metabolic-related indicators such as blood pressure, blood viscosity, blood glucose, and uric acid in rats were measured. The pathological changes in the cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) region of rat brain were evaluated using hematoxylin and eosin staining and Nissl staining. Additionally, the sleep-related factors gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate (GA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Finally, we screened potential sleep-improving receptors of DOE using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array and validated the results with quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: DOE significantly improved rats' sleep and mood, increased the sodium pentobarbital-induced sleep time and sucrose preference index, and reduced autonomic activity times (P<0.05 or P<0.01). DOE also had a good effect on metabolic abnormalities, significantly reducing triglyceride, blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood viscosity indicators (P<0.05 or P<0.01). DOE significantly increased the GABA content in hippocampus and reduced the GA/GABA ratio and IL-6 level (P<0.05 or P<0.01). In addition, DOE improved the pathological changes such as the disorder of cell arrangement in the hippocampus and the decrease of Nissel bodies. Seven differential genes were screened by PCR array, and the GABA_A receptors (Gabra5, Gabra6, Gabrq) were selected for verification. The results showed that DOE could up-regulate their expressions (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION DOE demonstrated remarkable potential for improving insomnia, which may be through regulating GABA_A receptors expressions and GA/GABA ratio.
Animals ; Dendrobium/chemistry* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Male ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/blood* ; Plant Extracts/therapeutic use* ; Receptors, GABA-A/metabolism* ; Noise/adverse effects* ; Light/adverse effects* ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid/metabolism* ; Sleep/drug effects* ; Rats ; Receptors, GABA/metabolism*

Objective To systematically evaluate the risk prediction models for anastomotic leakage (AL) in patients with esophageal cancer after surgery. Methods A computer-based search of PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Chinese Medical Journal Full-text Database, VIP, Wanfang, SinoMed and CNKI was conducted to collect studies on postoperative AL risk prediction model for esophageal cancer from their inception to October 1st, 2023. PROBAST tool was employed to evaluate the bias risk and applicability of the model, and Stata 15 software was utilized for meta-analysis. Results A total of 19 literatures were included covering 25 AL risk prediction models and 7373 patients. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.670-0.960. Among them, 23 prediction models had a good prediction performance (AUC>0.7); 13 models were tested for calibration of the model; 1 model was externally validated, and 10 models were internally validated. Meta-analysis showed that hypoproteinemia (OR=9.362), postoperative pulmonary complications (OR=7.427), poor incision healing (OR=5.330), anastomosis type (OR=2.965), preoperative history of thoracoabdominal surgery (OR=3.181), preoperative diabetes mellitus (OR=2.445), preoperative cardiovascular disease (OR=3.260), preoperative neoadjuvant therapy (OR=2.977), preoperative respiratory disease (OR=4.744), surgery method (OR=4.312), American Society of Anesthesiologists score (OR=2.424) were predictors for AL after esophageal cancer surgery. Conclusion At present, the prediction model of AL risk in patients with esophageal cancer after surgery is in the development stage, and the overall research quality needs to be improved.

Objective:To investigate the short-term and long-term effects of competency-oriented BOPPPS combined with scenario simulation teaching model on team emergency rescue skills training for healthcare professionals in Xizang.Methods:Forty-four healthcare professionals who participated in team emergency rescue training at Bianba People's Hospital from May 2022 to May 2023 were selected as study subjects. The BOPPPS combined with scenario simulation teaching model was applied in the clinical teaching of acute myocardial infarction. Before the training, the post competency was assessed using the Self-Directed Learning Instrument. The short-term teaching effects were evaluated using skill assessment and questionnaire after the training, and the long-term teaching effects were evaluated using the same questionnaire after six months.Results:Post-training skill assessment scores of the trainees were (50.45±6.68) for skill operation, (7.80±0.97) for humanistic communication, and (16.28±1.52) for team cooperation, which were significantly higher than pre-training scores ( P<0.05). Among self-directed learning abilities, "I enjoy finding answers to questions" was positively correlated with the humanistic communication scores, and "I can connect new knowledge with my personal experiences" was negatively correlated with skill operation scores ( P<0.05). The score of long-term emergency rescue skill improvement (4.27) was significantly higher than that after the training in the short term (3.98) ( P<0.05), while there were no significant decreases in career confidence and team collaboration ability ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The post competency-oriented BOPPPS combined with scenario simulation teaching model contributes to improving the team emergency rescue skills of healthcare professionals in Xizang, stabilizing their career confidence, and stimulating their self-learning ability. It is suitable to promote this teaching model in the clinical skills training of healthcare professionals in Xizang.

Objective:To analyze the gene chip related to dermatomyositis based on bioinformatics,to explore the immune in-filtration mechanism of key genes in dermatomyositis by CIBERSORT deconvolution algorithm,and to predict the therapeutic targets of dermatomyositis by network pharmacology.Methods:The gene microarray of dermatomyositis was searched in GEO database,and the differentially coexpressed genes were screened and analyzed.The differentially coexpressed genes were analyzed by GO analysis,KEGG analysis,protein interaction network construction(PPI)by R software package.Verify the expression levels of key genes,and the correlation of immune cell infiltration was analyzed by CIBERSORT deconvolution method.Through the medical ontology informa-tion retrieval platform Coremine medical database,the traditional Chinese medicine treatment targets of dermatomyositis were screened and summarized.Results:A total of 196 differentially expressed genes were screened.GO enrichment analysis showed that these differentially expressed genes were mainly concentrated in defense response to virus,blood particles,double-stranded RNA binding,polypeptide antigen binding,and so on.KEGG enrichment analysis showed that it was enriched in RIG-Ⅰ-like receptor sig-nal pathway,Toll-like receptor signal pathway and other signal pathways related to the pathogenesis of dermatomyositis.Finally,four key genes of dermatomyositis,STAT1,ISG15,IRF7 and IRF9 were obtained.Through CIBERSORT algorithm,M1 macrophages,M2 macrophages and CD8+T cells were the three kinds of cells with the highest average proportion and the most obvious immune infil-tration,and there was a significant positive correlation between activated natural killer cells and activated dendritic cells,while there was a significant negative correlation between resting mast cells and activated mast cells.The therapeutic targets of traditional Chinese medicine such as fish brain stone were predicted based on Coremine medical database;through channel analysis,it could be found that these traditional Chinese medicines are mainly attributed to liver meridian,lung meridian,spleen meridian;efficacy analysis is mainly focused on clearing heat,detoxification,promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis,relieving cough and resolving phlegm and so on.Conclusion:Four key genes and some key signal pathways of dermatomyositis,STAT1,ISG15,IRF7 and IRF9 were obtained by bioinformatics method,the immune infiltration mechanism was analyzed by CIBERSORT algorithm,and the thera-peutic potential targets of traditional Chinese medicine were screened out to provide direction for the pathogenesis and treatment of der-matomyositis.

Objective:To investigation the situation of water improvement projects in villages affected by drinking water-type endemic fluorosis in Qinghai Province and the prevalence of dental fluorosis among children, in order to provide a basis for consolidating the achievements in prevention and control of drinking water-type endemic fluorosis and adjusting prevention and control measures.Methods:The monitoring data on drinking water-type endemic fluorosis were collected from the disease prevention and control centers in various counties of Qinghai Province from 2021 to 2023, the situation of water improvement projects, the fluorine content of domestic drinking water and the prevalence of dental fluorosis in children aged 8 to 12 years old were retrospectively analyzed.Results:From 2021 to 2023, the numbers of villages affected by drinking water-type endemic fluorosis in Qinghai Province were 338, 335, and 328, respectively. The numbers of water improvement projects were 125, 127 and 124, respectively. The normal operation rates were 100%, 100% and 99.19% (123/124), respectively. The qualified rates of water fluoride level were 100%, 99.21% (126/127) and 99.19% (123/124), respectively. The detection rates of dental fluorosis among children aged 8 to 12 were 4.34% (515/11 877), 5.70% (646/11 331) and 4.48% (490/10 943), respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the detection rate of dental fluorosis among children in different years (χ 2 = 22.79, P < 0.001). Conclusions:The overall operation status of water improvement project in villages affected by drinking water-type endemic fluorosis in Qinghai Province is generally good, but there has been some relaxation in management and maintenance in the later stage, and there is a phenomenon of project intermittency. The detection rate of dental fluorosis among children aged 8 to 12 remains low, and endemic fluorosis caused by drinking water is under continuous control.

Objective:To investigate the short-term and long-term effects of competency-oriented BOPPPS combined with scenario simulation teaching model on team emergency rescue skills training for healthcare professionals in Xizang.Methods:Forty-four healthcare professionals who participated in team emergency rescue training at Bianba People's Hospital from May 2022 to May 2023 were selected as study subjects. The BOPPPS combined with scenario simulation teaching model was applied in the clinical teaching of acute myocardial infarction. Before the training, the post competency was assessed using the Self-Directed Learning Instrument. The short-term teaching effects were evaluated using skill assessment and questionnaire after the training, and the long-term teaching effects were evaluated using the same questionnaire after six months.Results:Post-training skill assessment scores of the trainees were (50.45±6.68) for skill operation, (7.80±0.97) for humanistic communication, and (16.28±1.52) for team cooperation, which were significantly higher than pre-training scores ( P<0.05). Among self-directed learning abilities, "I enjoy finding answers to questions" was positively correlated with the humanistic communication scores, and "I can connect new knowledge with my personal experiences" was negatively correlated with skill operation scores ( P<0.05). The score of long-term emergency rescue skill improvement (4.27) was significantly higher than that after the training in the short term (3.98) ( P<0.05), while there were no significant decreases in career confidence and team collaboration ability ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The post competency-oriented BOPPPS combined with scenario simulation teaching model contributes to improving the team emergency rescue skills of healthcare professionals in Xizang, stabilizing their career confidence, and stimulating their self-learning ability. It is suitable to promote this teaching model in the clinical skills training of healthcare professionals in Xizang.

Objective:To investigation the situation of water improvement projects in villages affected by drinking water-type endemic fluorosis in Qinghai Province and the prevalence of dental fluorosis among children, in order to provide a basis for consolidating the achievements in prevention and control of drinking water-type endemic fluorosis and adjusting prevention and control measures.Methods:The monitoring data on drinking water-type endemic fluorosis were collected from the disease prevention and control centers in various counties of Qinghai Province from 2021 to 2023, the situation of water improvement projects, the fluorine content of domestic drinking water and the prevalence of dental fluorosis in children aged 8 to 12 years old were retrospectively analyzed.Results:From 2021 to 2023, the numbers of villages affected by drinking water-type endemic fluorosis in Qinghai Province were 338, 335, and 328, respectively. The numbers of water improvement projects were 125, 127 and 124, respectively. The normal operation rates were 100%, 100% and 99.19% (123/124), respectively. The qualified rates of water fluoride level were 100%, 99.21% (126/127) and 99.19% (123/124), respectively. The detection rates of dental fluorosis among children aged 8 to 12 were 4.34% (515/11 877), 5.70% (646/11 331) and 4.48% (490/10 943), respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the detection rate of dental fluorosis among children in different years (χ 2 = 22.79, P < 0.001). Conclusions:The overall operation status of water improvement project in villages affected by drinking water-type endemic fluorosis in Qinghai Province is generally good, but there has been some relaxation in management and maintenance in the later stage, and there is a phenomenon of project intermittency. The detection rate of dental fluorosis among children aged 8 to 12 remains low, and endemic fluorosis caused by drinking water is under continuous control.

Objective:To analyze the gene chip related to dermatomyositis based on bioinformatics,to explore the immune in-filtration mechanism of key genes in dermatomyositis by CIBERSORT deconvolution algorithm,and to predict the therapeutic targets of dermatomyositis by network pharmacology.Methods:The gene microarray of dermatomyositis was searched in GEO database,and the differentially coexpressed genes were screened and analyzed.The differentially coexpressed genes were analyzed by GO analysis,KEGG analysis,protein interaction network construction(PPI)by R software package.Verify the expression levels of key genes,and the correlation of immune cell infiltration was analyzed by CIBERSORT deconvolution method.Through the medical ontology informa-tion retrieval platform Coremine medical database,the traditional Chinese medicine treatment targets of dermatomyositis were screened and summarized.Results:A total of 196 differentially expressed genes were screened.GO enrichment analysis showed that these differentially expressed genes were mainly concentrated in defense response to virus,blood particles,double-stranded RNA binding,polypeptide antigen binding,and so on.KEGG enrichment analysis showed that it was enriched in RIG-Ⅰ-like receptor sig-nal pathway,Toll-like receptor signal pathway and other signal pathways related to the pathogenesis of dermatomyositis.Finally,four key genes of dermatomyositis,STAT1,ISG15,IRF7 and IRF9 were obtained.Through CIBERSORT algorithm,M1 macrophages,M2 macrophages and CD8+T cells were the three kinds of cells with the highest average proportion and the most obvious immune infil-tration,and there was a significant positive correlation between activated natural killer cells and activated dendritic cells,while there was a significant negative correlation between resting mast cells and activated mast cells.The therapeutic targets of traditional Chinese medicine such as fish brain stone were predicted based on Coremine medical database;through channel analysis,it could be found that these traditional Chinese medicines are mainly attributed to liver meridian,lung meridian,spleen meridian;efficacy analysis is mainly focused on clearing heat,detoxification,promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis,relieving cough and resolving phlegm and so on.Conclusion:Four key genes and some key signal pathways of dermatomyositis,STAT1,ISG15,IRF7 and IRF9 were obtained by bioinformatics method,the immune infiltration mechanism was analyzed by CIBERSORT algorithm,and the thera-peutic potential targets of traditional Chinese medicine were screened out to provide direction for the pathogenesis and treatment of der-matomyositis.