Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of a novel sleep-aid decoction in treating elderly insomnia patients with different traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitutional types, and its effects on neurotransmitter and inflammatory factor levels. Methods A total of 200 patients with four different TCM constitutions-peaceful, Qi-deficient, Yin-deficient, and Yang-deficient-were recruited. Peripheral blood neurotransmitter and inflammatory factor levels were measured for variations among insomnia patients across different constitutions. These patients were treated using the novel sleep-aid decoction, the effects of which were evaluated based on changes in neurotransmitters and inflammatory factors. Results Compared to the peaceful constitution group, insomnia patients with Qi-deficient, Yin-deficient, and Yang-deficient constitutions exhibited significantly elevated baseline levels of neurotransmitters (5-HT, GABA) and inflammatory factors (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, CRP). Following the treatment, the Qi-deficient and Yin-deficient groups showed a marked increase in 5-HT levels, restored balance of Glu, GABA, and melatonin, and significant reductions in IL-6 and TNF-α levels. The overall effective rate was 83.5%, with optimal efficacy observed in the Qi-deficient (97.72%) and Yin-deficient (95.34%) groups. Conclusion The novel sleep-aid decoction is effective in treating insomnia in elderly patients, with the best results observed in the Qi-deficient and Yin-deficient constitution groups.
Humans ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/blood* ; Aged ; Male ; Female ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/blood* ; Sleep Aids, Pharmaceutical/therapeutic use* ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use* ; Interleukin-6/blood* ; Interleukin-1beta/blood* ; Neurotransmitter Agents/blood* ; Aged, 80 and over ; C-Reactive Protein/metabolism*

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of patients with acute low-frequency hearing loss（ALHL） and explore the potential role of migraine in its pathogenesis. Methods:A total of 56 ALHL patients treated at our outpatient clinic from June 2024 to January 2025 were randomly divided into two groups: a standardized treatment group and an anti-migraine treatment group. The standardized group received oral/intravenous steroids + oral/intravenous Ginkgo biloba extract, while the anti-migraine group received postauricular steroid injection/oral steroids + oral flunarizine for 2 weeks. Audiological, clinical, and psychological characteristics were collected, and statistical analysis was performed to assess clinical features and treatment outcomes, exploring the potential mechanism of migraine in ALHL. Results:The anti-migraine treatment group showed a significantly higher recovery rate than the standardized treatment group（92.86% vs 71.43%, P=0.036）. Among the anti-migraine group, 6 patients（21.43%） had a history of ALHL, 13（46.43%） had a confirmed migraine history, 26（92.86%） had anxiety, 26（92.86%） had depression, 5（17.86%） had irritable bowel syndrome, 21（75.00%） had sleep disorders, and 1（3.57%） experienced recurrence within 6 months. Conclusion:Anti-migraine therapy significantly improves the recovery rate in ALHL patients, suggesting that migraine may have a certain correlation with the pathogenesis of acute low-frequency hearing loss.
Humans ; Migraine Disorders/complications* ; Ginkgo biloba ; Male ; Female ; Flunarizine/therapeutic use* ; Plant Extracts/therapeutic use* ; Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; Middle Aged ; Ginkgo Extract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the current status of early pain and agitation management in critically ill patients in Guizhou Province. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed using data collected from a quality control activity conducted between April and June 2021 in non-provincial public hospitals with general intensive care unit (ICU) in Guizhou Province. Hospital-level data included hospital name and grade, ICU staffing, and number of ICU beds. Patient-level data included characteristics of patients treated in the general ICU on the day of the survey (e.g., age, sex, primary diagnosis), as well as pain and agitation assessments and the types of analgesic and sedative medications administered within 24 hours of ICU admission. RESULTS: A total of 947 critically ill ICU patients from 145 hospitals were included, among which 104 were secondary-level hospitals and 41 were tertiary-level hospitals. Within 24 hours of ICU admission, 312 (32.9%) critically ill patients received pain assessments, and 277 (29.3%) received agitation assessments. Among the pain assessment tools, the critical care pain observation tool (CPOT) was used in 44.2% (138/312) of critically ill ICU patients, with a significantly higher usage rate in tertiary hospitals compared to secondary hospitals [52.3% (69/132) vs. 38.3% (69/180), P < 0.05]. The Richmond agitation-sedation scale (RASS) was used in 93.8% (260/277) of critically ill ICU patients for agitation assessment, with no significant difference between hospital levels. Among the 947 critically ill patients, 592 (62.5%) received intravenous analgesics within 24 hours, with remifentanil being the most commonly used [42.9% (254/592)]; 510 (53.9%) received intravenous sedatives, with midazolam being the most frequently used [60.8% (310/510)]. Mechanical ventilation data were available for 932 critically ill patients, of whom 579 (62.1%) received mechanical ventilation and 353 (37.9%) did not. Compared with non-ventilated patients, ventilated patients had significantly higher rates of analgesic and sedative use [analgesics: 77.9% (451/579) vs. 38.8% (137/353); sedatives: 71.8% (416/579) vs. 25.8% (91/353); both P < 0.05]. In terms of analgesic selection, ventilated patients were more likely to receive strong opioids than non-ventilated patients [85.8% (95/137) vs. 69.3% (387/451), P < 0.05]. For sedatives, ventilated patients preferred midazolam [66.6% (277/416)], whereas non-ventilated patients more often received dexmedetomidine [45.1 (41/91)]. Blood pressure within 24 hours of ICU admission were available for 822 critically ill patients, of whom 245 (29.8%) had hypotension and 577 (70.2%) did not. Compared with non-hypotensive patients, hypotensive patients had significantly higher rates of analgesic and sedative use [analgesics: 74.7% (183/245) vs. 59.8% (345/577); sedatives: 65.7% (161/245) vs. 51.3% (296/577); both P < 0.05], but there was no significant difference in the choice of analgesic or sedative agents between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS The proportion of critically ill ICU patients in Guizhou Province who received standardized pain and agitation assessments was relatively low. The most commonly used assessment tools were CPOT and RASS, while remifentanil and midazolam were the most frequently used analgesic and sedative agents, respectively. Secondary-level hospitals had a lower rate of using standardized pain assessment tools compared to tertiary-level hospitals. Mechanical ventilation and hypotension were associated with the use of analgesic and sedative medications.
Humans ; Critical Illness ; Intensive Care Units ; Analgesics/therapeutic use* ; Hypnotics and Sedatives/therapeutic use* ; Retrospective Studies ; China ; Pain Measurement ; Pain Management ; Female ; Male ; Critical Care ; Middle Aged

Bariatric surgery may cause intestinal microecological environment imbalance due to changes in gastrointestinal anatomy.Some patients may have compli-cations,even regain weight.Probiotics can act on intestinal mucosa,epithelium and gut-associated lymphoid tissue to improve the intestinal microecological environment of obese patients after bariatric surgery.Probiotics can promote the production of short-chain fatty acids,stimulate intestinal cells to release glucagon-like peptide-1,peptide tyrosine-tyrosine,insulin and other endocrine hormones,affect the function of the central nervous system through the gut-brain axis,make patients after bariatric surgery feel full,and reduce blood sugar at the same time.Probiotics can produce lactic acid,acetic acid and lactase,to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria and to improve gastrointestinal symptoms of patients after bariatric surgery.Probiotics can activate the AMP-activated protein kinase signaling pathway,improve lipid metabolism,and promote the recovery of symptom indicators of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease after bariatric surgery.Probiotics can regulate the release of neurotransmitters or metabolites by the microbiota through the gut-brain axis to affect brain activity and behavior,thus helping patients improve negative emotions after bariatric surgery.This article describes the intestinal microecological environment of obese patients and mechanism of the change after bariatric surgery and summarizes the effects and possible mechanisms of probiotics in improving the intestinal microecological environment of obese patients after bariatric surgery,to provide references for promoting the clinical application of probiotics.

With the progress of society,the global development of scientific and technical research activities,and the increasing number of medical Institutional Review Board(IRB)review projects,the construction and management of electronic informatization have become extremely important.In the process of electronic information construction in institutional ethics review,it is necessary to take into account the new policy of ethical governance of science and technology,consider the system and standard operating procedures of IRB,and develop reasonable processes based on practical work,simplify manual operation,improve the accuracy of project management,achieve refined management,and facilitate communication among researchers,ethics committee secretaries,and members.

Objective To analyze the frailty of patients with long-term maintenance dialysis(MD)and its influencing factors,and to explore the correlation of different dialysis modalities with the re-infection of novel coronavirus infection(COVID-19)and frailty syndrome.Methods Patients with regular dialysis in Nephrology Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from February to June 2023 were selected.A cross-sectional survey was conducted to collect clinical data of the patients,including dialysis modality(i.e.maintenance hemodialysis,abbreviated as hemodialysis,and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis,abbreviated as peritoneal dialysis),and whether with re-infection of COVID-19.Patients were divided into 3 groups using Fried's frailty phenotype(FP):non-frailty group,pre-or-intermediate frailty group,and frailty syndrome group.The clinical characteristics of the FP were compared among the three groups.The correlation of frailty with clinical data,dialysis modality,re-infection of COVID-19 in each group was compared.Multifactorial logistic regression was used to analyze the factors influencing the development of frailty syndrome in patients.Results A total of 246 dialysis patients were included in this study,with 77(31.3%)in the non-frailty group,83(33.7%)in the pre-frailty group and 86(35.0%)in the frailty syndrome group.The frailty syndrome group showed characteristics of advanced age,high pre-dialysis creatinine level,low serum albumin level and combined pleural effusion(all P＜0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the comparison of frailty between the hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis group(P = 0.960).COVID-19 re-positive patients had higher frailty score than non-re-positive patients.Multifactor logistic regression showed that age,COVID-19 re-infection of COVID-19,serum albumin,pre-dialysis creatinine,and pleural effusion were factors influencing the development of frailty syndrome in dialysis patients(P＜0.05).Conclusion There is high incidence of frailty syndrome in dialysis patients,and there is no correlation of frailty with dialysis modality.High serum albumin level is a protective factor for the development of frailty syndrome in patients,whereas re-infection of COVID-19,advanced age,high pre-dialysis blood creatinine level and pleural effusion are risk factors for the development of frailty syndrome.

Objective To investigate the effect of muscone on malignant progression of ovarian cancer cells mediated by regulating sonic hedgehog(SHH)mediated autophagy.Methods Survival rates of human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 treated with 0,2,4,8,16,and 24 μmol/L muscone were detected,and the optimal cell action concentration of muscone was selected.SKOV3 cells were cultured in vitro,and their transplanted tumor mouse models were constructed.Cells were randomly grouped into the control group,the muskone group,the muskone+chloroquine(CQ,an autophagy inhibitor)group,the muskone+empty group and the muskone+SHH overexpression group.After grouping and treatment with musconeand,CQ,empty plasmid and SHH overexpression plasmid,the tumor volume and weight in transplanted tumor mice were detected.EdU staining,TUNEL staining,cell scratch,Transwell invasion assay,immunoblotting and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR were used to detect proliferation,apoptosis,migration and invasion of SKOV3 cells,the expression of autophagy related proteins(LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ,Beclin-1)and SHH in SKOV3 cells and transplanted tumor mice in each.Results Compared with the control group,the cell proliferation rate,cell migration rate,number of invasions,tumor volume and weight,and the expression of SHH mRNA and protein in tumor tissue were decreased in the muskone group(P<0.05),and the apoptosis rate,LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ,Beclin-1 protein in cells and tumor tissue were increased(P<0.05).Compared with the muscone group,the cell proliferation rate,cell migration rate,number of invasion,tumor volume and weight were increased in the muscone+CQ group and the muskone+SHH overexpression group(P<0.05),and the apoptosis rate,LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ and the expression of Beclin-1 protein in cells and tumor tissue were decreased(P<0.05).There were no significant differences in the above indicators in the muscone+empty group(P>0.05).Conclusion Muscone can promote autophagy of ovarian cancer cells by down-regulating SHH,thereby inhibiting their proliferation,in vivo growth,migration and invasion,promoting their apoptosis,and ultimately inhibiting their malignant progression.

Objective To investigate the effects and molecular mechanisms of decorin(DCN),imatinib mesylate,and sunitinib malate on the malignant phenotype of gastrointestinal stromal tumor cells.Methods Western blotting was used to detect changes in the expres-sion of DCN and its downstream proteins after DCN overexpression and treatment with imatinib mesylate and sunitinib malate alone or in combination in gastrointestinal stromal tumor cells(GIST-882).Cell counting kit-8,scratch,and Transwell assays were performed to validate the changes in cell proliferation,migration,and invasion abilities after DCN overexpression and treatment with imatinib mesylate and sunitinib malate alone or in combination in GIST-882 cells.Results Compared with the control group,DCN overexpression and treatment with imatinib mesylate and sunitinib malate alone or in combination in GIST-882 cells increased the expression levels of DCN protein,decreased the expression levels of epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR),phosphorylated EGFR(p-EGFR),extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2(ERK1/2),and phosphorylated ERK1/2(p-ERK1/2)proteins,and significantly reduced cell proliferation,migration,and invasion abilities.Conclusion DCN overexpression and treatment with imatinib mesylate and sunitinib malate alone or in combination affect the MAPK signaling pathway by downregulating the expression of EGFR,thereby regulating the proliferation,migra-tion,and invasion abilities of gastrointestinal stromal tumor cells.

Objective To observe the ultrasonic manifestations and possible etiology of fetal tricuspid regurgitation(TR).Methods Totally 717 fetuses diagnosed with TR by prenatal ultrasound were retrospectively enrolled,and the prenatal ultrasonic findings were observed.Based on postpartum follow-up data,the fetuses were divided into physiological TR group(n=468)and pathological TR group(n=249),and those in the latter were further divided into right heart preload increase subgroup(n=76),right heart afterload increase subgroup(n=127)and tricuspid valve structure abnormality subgroup(n=46)according to the possible etiology,and the ultrasonic manifestations were comparatively analyzed.Results In physiological TR group,mild and moderate TR was found in 441(441/468,94.23％)and 27 fetuses(27/468,5.77％),respectively,while no severe TR was noticed.In pathological TR group,significant difference of TR degrees was found among 3 subgroups(x2=37.244,P＜0.001).Mild TR was more common in right heart preload increase subgroup,while moderate and severe TR were more common in the other 2 subgroups.In right heart preload increase subgroup,fetuses with persistent left superior vena cava were more likely to develop mild TR,while those with intact interventricular septum and pulmonary artery occlusion were more likely to develop severe TR in right heart afterload increase subgroup(both P＜0.05).No significant difference of TR degree was found among fetuses with different possible etiology in right heart preload increase subgroup nor right heart afterload increase subgroup(both P＞0.05).In tricuspid valve structure abnormality subgroup,significant differences of TR degrees were found among fetuses with different possible etiologies(P＜0.05),and fetuses with underdeveloped tricuspid valve were more prone to severe reflux(P＜0.05).There were significant differences of reflux velocity of moderate and severe TR among 3 subgroups(F=6.945,P=0.002).Conclusion Fetal TR was mostly physiological.The possible etiologies of pathological TR were variable,including pulmonary valve stenosis,persistent left superior vena cava and tricuspid valve hypoplasia,with different prenatal ultrasonic manifestations.

Objective To observe the value of diffusion kurtosis imaging(DKI)radiomics for evaluating Parkinson disease(PD).Methods Totally 76 PD patients(PD group)and 80 healthy controls(HC group)were retrospectively analyzed.The subjects were divided into training set(n=125,including 61 PD and 64 HC)and test set(n=31,including 15 PD and 16 HC)at the ratio of 8:2.ROI of bilateral substantia nigra,caudate nucleus,putamen,globus pallidus and thalamus were automatically delineated on mean kurtosis(MK)images of cerebral DKI.The mean MK values(MKmean)of the above ROIs were obtained and compared between groups.Support vector machine(SVM)model was constructed based on 50 selected optimal texture features.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was drawn,and the area under the curve(AUC)was calculated to evaluate the efficacy of SVM model for evaluating PD.Results MKmean of bilateral substantia nigra,caudate nucleus and thalamus in PD group were all significantly lower than those in HC group(all P＜0.05).No significant difference of MKmean of bilateral putamen nor globus pallidus was found between groups(all P＞0.05).The sensitivity,specificity,accuracy and AUC of SVM model for evaluating PD in training set was 86.89％,93.75％,90.40％and 0.982,respectively,which in test set was 86.67％,93.75％,90.32％and 0.958,respectively.Conclusion DKI radiomics could be used to effectively evaluate PD through description of microstructural changes of cerebral nuclei.