OBJECTIVES: To study the mechanism mediating the protective effect of asiaticoside (AS) against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) in rats. METHODS: Fifty SD rats were randomized into sham-operated group, MIRI model group and AS treatment group. AS treatment was administered at low, moderate and high doses by daily gavage for 2 weeks before MIRI modeling (n=10). Serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), interleukin-18 (IL-18) and IL-1β, the volume of myocardial infarction and ischemia, and myocardial pathologies of the rats were determined or observed. The protein expression levels of NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, GSDMD, GSDMD-N, IL-1β and IL-18 in the myocardial tissues were detected using Western blotting. The changes in the expression levels of these proteins were also detected in H9C2 cells with AS pretreatment prior to hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) injury. RESULTS: The rats models of MIRI exhibited significant myocardial infarction and ischemia with increased serum levels of LDH and CK-MB and myocardial expressions of NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, GSDMD, GSDMD-N, IL-1β and IL-18. AS pretreatment effectively reduced myocardial infarction volume in the rat models and significantly reduced serum LDH and CK-MB levels and the protein levels in the myocardial tissue in a dose-dependent manner. In the H9C2 cell model of H/R injury, AS pretreatment significantly suppressed the elevation of the protein expressions of NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, GSDMD, GSDMD-N, IL-1β and IL-18. Molecular docking studies showed that AS had a strong binding affinity with NLRP3. CONCLUSIONS Asiaticoside can alleviate MIRI in rats possibly by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis.
Animals ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury/metabolism* ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/metabolism* ; Pyroptosis/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Inflammasomes/metabolism* ; Triterpenes/pharmacology* ; Interleukin-18/metabolism* ; Male ; Interleukin-1beta/metabolism* ; Caspase 1/metabolism*

  Objective  This study aimed to investigate Chinese anesthesiologists' comprehension of palliative care and their experiences with palliative sedation for patients in the end-stage of life.  Methods  From October to December 2021, a national cross-sectional survey was conducted among anesthesiologists in China distributed by the Chinese Society of Anesthesiology, Chinese Medical Association with convenient sampling. The survey questionnaire encompassed general information, professional experience, familiarity with palliative care, emotional responses to end-stage cases, experience with sedation for critically ill or end-stage patients, and preferences for sedation medication.  Results  A total of 2536 anesthesiologists from 29 provinces in China completed valid questionnaires. Among them, 572 anesthesiologists(22.6%, 572/2536) reported familiarity with palliative medicine. Male anesthesiologists, as well as those with prior experience in caring for critically ill or end-stage patients, involved in pain management and practicing in hospitals with established institutional palliative care teams, demonstrated greater familiarity with palliative care concepts(all P<0.05). Over 40% of respondents felt powerless, helpless, and indecisive when confronted with end-stage patients. Anesthesiologists knowledgeable about palliative care exhibited greater confidence in managing critically ill or end-stage patients(9.8% vs. 4.4%, P=0.001). Among the anesthesiologists surveyed, 734 had administered sedation to end-stage patients, with 151 of them(20.6%, 151/734) inappropriately relying solely on opioids for sedation.  Conclusions  The understanding of palliative care and palliative sedation medication choice among anesthesiologists in China is still very limited. The establishment of palliative care teams, provision of education and training in palliative care, and enhancement of familiarity with palliative principles may bolster anesthesiologists' confidence when encountering critically ill or end-stage patients and subsequently enhance the quality of care for patients in the terminal stages of life.

Pain not only affects the physical and mental health of individuals, but also imposes a huge burden on society as a whole. Traditional pain management measures are diverse, but each has its limitations. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new tools. Digital therapies are booming, and virtual reality (VR) has been widely used, especially in the field of pain management. VR uses assistive tools, such as headsets, to build a three-dimensional virtual world with the participation of multiple senses, including vision, hearing, and smell, so that it can make user feel being there. This review aims to summarize the application and mechanism of VR in the field of pain management, with the hope of making VR a new choice for pain management.

Pain is one of the most common symptoms in cancer patients. Apart from causing patients to suffer from unpleasant feelings and negative emotional experiences, uncontrolled pain may also influence patients' function and quality of life, and may be associated with poorer prognosis. Poor management of chronic cancer-related pain may be related to its complicated mechanisms, limitations of current clinical treatment and clinicians' and patients' insufficient understanding of the symptom. Therefore, this review summarizes the definitions, classifications, evaluation and treatment principles of chronic cancer-related pain, and emphasises the importance of multidisciplinary management and patient education in cancer pain management to provide clinicians with the overall idea of pain management in adult cancer patients.

Objective To investigate clinicians'practice and opinions on sedation therapy in end-stage patients at Peking Union Medical College Hospital.Methods From August,2022 to April,2023,an online questionnaire survey was conducted among clinicians involved in end-stage patient management.Results A total of 205 questionnaires were distributed,with an effective response rate of 56.1% .Among the clinicians,55.7% of them had experience of applying sedation therapy in end-stage patients;85.2% of clinicians believed that se-dation could relieve the suffering of terminal patients from physical refractory symptoms;75.7% of clinicians considered that sedation therapy could be used to relieve agony from psycho-existential distress.Most clinicians had concerns about sedation therapy due to the lack of legal support(86.1% )and the lack of understanding of patients or families(59.1% ).The majority(90.4% )of clinicians were willing to receive training on palliative sedation.Conclusions A majority of clinicians agree that sedation therapy could relieve the physical distress and psycho-existential distress in end-stage patients.However,most clinicians have concerns about the application of sedation therapy due to the lack of legal support.It is necessary to enhance the training on palliative sedation.

Objective To observe the echocardiographic manifestations of infective endocarditis(IE)complicated with valve damage in children.Methods Totally 104 children with IE were retrospectively enrolled and divided into non-damage group(n=34),mild damage group(n=39)and dysfunction group(n=31)according to whether complicated with valve damage and damage's degree.The general and echocardiographic data were compared among groups,and the echocardiographic characteristics of IE complicated with valve damage in children were analyzed.Results Significant difference of the proportion of combining with other congenital heart diseases(excluding bicuspid aortic malformations),the incidence of embolization events during hospital stay,also of endocarditis of left cardiac system were found among groups(all P＜0.05).Pairwise comparison showed that in non-damage group,the proportion of combining with other congenital heart diseases was higher,while the incidence of endocarditis of left cardiac system was lower than those in both mild damage group and dysfunction group(all P＜0.05).The incidence of embolization events during hospital stay in non-damage group was lower than that in dysfunction group(P＜0.05).Among 70 cases of IE complicated with valve damage,mitral valve(30/70,42.86％)was the most common involved valve,mostly presented as valve stenosis(63/70,90.00％).No significant difference of valve involvement site,valve structural lesions nor the incidence of valve stenosis was found between mild damage group and dysfunction group(all P＞0.05).Conclusion IE complicated with valve damage in children mostly involved left cardiac system,and the risk of embolization events was higher than that of IE children without valve damage.Echocardiography could be used as an important method for evaluating the site of valve involvement and the degree of damage.

Objective To observe the manifestations of isolated bicuspid aortic valve(i-BAV)in children using echocardiography.Methods Echocardiographic data of 79 children with i-BAV were retrospectively analyzed,and classification of i-BAV was performed.The patients were divided into complication group(n=50)and non-complication group(n=29)according to the existence of valve and/or aortic involvement or not,and echocardiographic parameters were compared between groups.Results After adjusting body surface area(BSA),in complication group,left ventricular end-systolic diameter/BSA was lower,while left ventricular myocardial mass index group was higher than those in non-complication group(both P＜0.05).Type 0 i-BAV was found in 22 cases,with lat subtype as the most common ones(18/22,81.82％),while Type Ⅰ was observed in 57 cases with L-R subtype as the most common ones(39/57,68.42％).The most common subtype in complication group was also Type Ⅰ L-R(31/50,62.00％),with incidence of valve involvement of 90.00％(45/50),mainly including mild aortic stenosis and/or incompetence(37/45,82.22％),and incidence of aorta involvement of 24.00％(12/50),all with type Ⅰ or Ⅱ aortic widening.Conclusion The most common subtype of i-BAV in children was type Ⅰ L-R,with mild valve damage as the main complication and possibility of left ventricular myocardial remodeling.

Clinicians need to focus on various points in the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia.This article prescribed the treatment protocol based on the unique features,such as insomnia in the elderly,women experiencing specific physiologi-cal periods,children insomnia,insomnia in sleep-breathing disorder patients,insomnia in patients with chronic liver and kidney dysfunction.It pro-vides some reference for clinicians while they make decision on diagnosis,differentiation and treat-ment methods.

Objective:To learn about the awareness of brucellosis prevention and control knowledge among people in key areas of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (Ningxia), and analyze influencing factors.Methods:From February to March 2023, a multi-stage stratified sampling method was adopted to select residents (aged ≥12 years and resident for ≥6 months) from Yanchi County, Litong District, Pingluo County and Yuanzhou District of Ningxia as the survey subjects. Demographic information such as gender, age, education level, marital status, occupation, region, urban-rural status, as well as knowledge of brucellosis prevention and control were obtained through face-to-face questionnaire surveys. The awareness rate of brucellosis prevention and control knowledge among various populations was calculated and the influencing factors were analyzed by binary logistic regression.Results:A total of 1 592 questionnaires were distributed, of which 1 581 were valid, with an effective rate of 99.31%. There were 704 males, accounting for 44.53% (704/1 581); and 877 females, accounting for 55.47% (877/1 581). The age was (54.09 ± 14.81) years old, ranging from 14 to 88 years old. The education level was mainly primary school or below, accounting for 48.07% (760/1 581). The marital status was mainly married or cohabitating, accounting for 91.84% (1 452/1 581). The occupation was mainly farmers and herdsmen, accounting for 61.92% (979/1 581). In Pingluo County, Litong District, Yuanzhou District and Yanchi County, 392, 403, 396 and 390 people were investigated, respectively. In urban and rural areas, 797 and 784 people were investigated, respectively. The overall awareness rate of brucellosis prevention and control knowledge among the population was 47.82% (756/1 581). Univariate analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences in the awareness rates of brucellosis prevention and control knowledge among different age groups, education levels, marital status, occupation, regions and urban and rural populations ( P < 0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that age, education level, marital status, occupation, urban-rural status were the factors influencing the awareness rate of brucellosis prevention and control knowledge among the population ( P < 0.05). Conclusion:The awareness rate of brucellosis prevention and control knowledge in key areas of Ningxia is relatively low, and age, education level, marital status, occupation, and urban-rural status are the main influencing factors.

Objective To investigate the current status and training requirements of pain medicine among non-anes-thetic residents rotating in the Department of Anesthesiology at a tertiary hospital in Beijing.Methods A self-de-signed questionnaire of"pain medicine education requirements of rotating residents"was administered to each resi-dent on their first day of rotation,and voluntary responses were collected.Results A total of 108 questionnaires were collected(87.1％response rate),comprising 45 from surgical residents,42 from internal medicine resi-dents,and 21 from emergency and intensive care residents.The results showed that surgical residents encountered a higher prevalence of surgery-related pain as compared to internal medicine residents or emergency and intensive care residents(P＜0.001).Internal medicine residents experienced a greater incidence of inflamma-tory pain than surgical residents(P＜0.05)or emergency and intensive care residents(P＜0.01).All residents expressed continuing education requirements on pain management.Regarding training modalities,surgical residents favored medical course(86.7％);internal medicine residents preferred outpatient clinic rotation(88.1％);and emergency and intensive care residents preferred interventional treatment rotations(90.5％).Conclusions There are a wide need for continuing medical education on pain management.The training should be tailored diversely based on the specific clinical needs of each department to improve the overall quality of continuing medical educa-tion and accelerate the development of integrative pain management.