BACKGROUND: Without timely and effective rehabilitation, hearing loss may profoundly affect human life quality. China has a large population of hearing-impaired individuals, which imposes a heavy health burden on society. Moreover, this population is projected to increase rapidly owing to China's aging society. METHODS: We used data from a population-representative epidemiological investigation of hearing loss and ear diseases in four Chinese provinces. We estimated the national prevalence using multiple linear regression of the age-group proportions and prevalence in 31 provinces with clustering analysis. We used years lived with disability (YLDs) to analyze the disease burden and forecasted the prevalence of hearing loss by 2060 in China. RESULTS: An estimated 115 million people had moderate-to-complete hearing loss in 2015 across the 31 provinces of China (8.4% of 1.37 billion people). Of these, 85.7% were older than age 50 years (99 million people) and 2.4% were younger than 20 years old (2.8 million people). Of all YLDs attributable to hearing loss, 68.9% were attributable to moderate-to-complete cases. By 2060, a projected 242 million people in China will have moderate-to-complete hearing loss, a 110.0% increase from 2015. CONCLUSIONS The hearing loss prevalence in China is high. Population aging and socioeconomic factors substantially affect the prevalence and severity of hearing loss and the disease burden. The prevalence and severity of hearing loss are unevenly distributed across different provinces. Future public health policies should take these trends and regional variations into account.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Hearing Loss/epidemiology* ; Prevalence ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Aged ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Infant ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cost of Illness

The quality of drugs is a crucial premise for ensuring the safety and effectiveness of clinical medication, while quality control during the pharmaceutical process directly affects the quality and consistency of the final product formulation. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive and scientific system for assessing and optimizing the quality control level during the manufacturing process in the field of drug quality control. Therefore, this study proposed the concept of "pharmaceutical process omics", clarified its advantages in guiding drug production, and explored in depth the research approaches, diverse analytical techniques, and broad range of applications in drug quality control. In addition, this study anticipated the broad application prospects of pharmaceutical process omics in the field of drug quality control, aiming to provide a scientific basis for the development of pharmaceutical process quality control standards.
Quality Control ; Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides in the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression.Methods An open,single-arm,multi-center design was adopted in our study.Adult patients with mild and moderate depression who had received acute treatment of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides were enrolled and continue to receive Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules for 24 weeks,the dose remained unchanged during continuation treatment.The remission rate,recurrence rate,recurrence time,and the change from baseline to endpoint of Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD),Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA),Clinical Global Impression-Severity(CGI-S)and Arizona Sexual Experience Scale(ASEX)were evaluated.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was reported.Results The scores of HAMD-17 at baseline and after treatment were 6.60±1.87 and 5.85±4.18,scores of HAMA were 6.36±3.02 and 4.93±3.09,scores of CGI-S were 1.49±0.56 and 1.29±0.81,scores of ASEX were 15.92±4.72 and 15.57±5.26,with significant difference(P＜0.05).After continuation treatment,the remission rate was 54.59％(202 cases/370 cases),and the recurrence rate was 6.49％(24 cases/370 cases),the recurrence time was(64.67±42.47)days.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was 15.35％(64 cases/417 cases).Conclusion Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules can be effectively used for the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression,and are well tolerated and safe.

In addition to providing energy for cells, mitochondria also participate in calcium homeostasis, cell information transfer, cell apoptosis, cell growth and differentiation. Therefore, maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis is very crucial for the body to carry out normal life activities. Ubiquitination, a post-translational modification of proteins, is involved in various physiological and pathological processes of cells by regulating mitochondrial homeostasis. However, the mechanism by which ubiquitination regulates mitochondrial homeostasis has not been summarized, especially the effect of Parkin protein on cardiovascular diseases. In this paper, the specific mechanism of mitochondrial homeostasis regulated by ubiquitination of Parkin protein is discussed, and the influence of mitochondrial homeostasis imbalance on cardiovascular diseases is reviewed, with a view to providing potential therapeutic strategies for the clinical treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Objective To investigate the effects of Fuzheng Quxie Prescription(mainly with the actions of supporting healthy qi and dispelling pathogens)combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy on tumor recurrence,serum thymidine kinase 1(TK1)level and immune function in patients with triple-negative breast cancer(TNBC).Methods Eighty patients with TNBC of qi and yin deficiency type were randomly divided into a combination group and a control group,with 40 patients in each group.The control group was treated with AC-T sequential chemotherapy(Doxorubicin combined with Cyclophosphamide plus sequential Docetaxel),and the combination group was treated with Fuzheng Quxie Prescription on the basis of treatment for the control group.One course of treatment covered 21 days,and the two groups were treated for 4 consecutive courses.The changes of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome scores,Karnofsky Performance Status(KPS)score,levels of tumor markers of carbohydrate antigen 125(CA125),carbohydrate antigen 153(CA153)and TK1,and T lymphocyte subset levels in the two groups were observed before and after the treatment.Moreover,the clinical efficacy and tumor metastasis and recurrence in the two groups were compared.Results(1)After 4 courses of treatment,the total effective rate of the combination group was 87.50%(35/40),and that of the control group was 67.50%(27/40),and the intergroup comparison(tested by chi-square test)showed that the efficacy of the combination group was significantly superior to that of the control group(P＜0.05).(2)After treatment,the TCM syndrome scores in the two groups were significantly decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the KPS scores were significantly increased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the decrease of TCM syndrome scores and the increase of KPS scores in the combination group were significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).(3)After treatment,the serum CA125,CA153 and TK1 levels of patients in the two groups were significantly decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the decrease of serum CA125,CA153 and TK1 levels in the combination group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.01).(4)After treatment,the T lymphocyte subset CD3+,CD4+ levels and CD4+/CD8+ ratio in the two groups were significantly increased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the CD8+ level was significantly decreased compared with that before treatment(P＜0.05).The post-treatment intergroup comparison showed that the increase of the T lymphocyte subset CD3+,CD4+ levels and CD4+/CD8+ ratio as well as the decrease of the CD8+ level in the combination group was all significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).(5)The one-year follow-up showed that the tumor recurrence rate and tumor metastasis rate in the combination group were 7.50%(3/40)and 12.50%(5/40)respectively,significantly lower than 25.00%(10/40)and 35.00%(14/40)in the control group,and the differences were statistically significant when comparing between the two groups(P＜0.05).Conclusion The combination of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with Fuzheng Quxie Prescription has a better therapeutic effect on TNBC patients with qi and yin deficiency syndrome,which can effectively improve the immune function of the patients,decrease the level of serum tumor markers,improve the quality of life of the patients,and reduce the incidence of tumor recurrence and metastasis.

Objective:Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) cell lines were established using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from a patient suffering from neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) who carried Adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter A3 ( ABCA3) compound heterozygous mutations. Methods:Cell experimental research.Peripheral venous blood was collected and PBMCs were isolated and cultured in vitro. PBMCs were transfected with non-integrated Sendai vector carrying reprogramming factors.The chromosome karyotypes of the established iPSCs were analyzed.Immunofluorescence and flow cytometry were used to detect pluripotency markers of stem cells and verify their differentiation potential.Sanger sequencing was performed to analyze gene mutations.In addition, short tandem repeat (STR) analysis was performed, polymerase chain reaction(PCR) and agarose gel electrophoresis were used to detect virus residual. Results:Karyotype analysis of established iPSCs cell lines showed normal diploid 46, XY karyotype.Immunofluorescence showed positive staining of stem cell pluripotency markers OCT4, SSEA4, Nanog and Sox2.Flow cytometry was used to detected stem cell pluripotency markers and showed expression of TRA-1-60, SSEA-4 and OCT4.After differentiation into all three germ layers, immunofluorescence was performed to detect ectoderm (Pax-6), mesoderm (Brachyury) and endoderm alpha-fetoprotein markers, and the results showed positive staining, which confirmed that the iPSCs had the potential to differentiate.Sanger sequencing showed c. 3997_3998del and c. 3137C>T compound heterozygous mutations.STR analysis showed they originate from PBMCs, and no Sendai virus residual was detected by PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis.Conclusions:In this study, PBMCs from patient carrying ABCA3 compound heterozygous mutations was used to establish iPSCs cell lines.The research lays a foundation for the study of pathogenesis, therapeutic drug screening and cell therapy of NRDS caused by ABCA3 gene mutations.

Goiter is a kind of non-inflammatory and non-neoplastic hyperplasia and enlargement. Many studies have shown that substances such as thiocyanates and isothiocyanates can prevent the development of a variety of tumors. However, some studies have also found that such substances can lead to goiter. In this article, relevant information on common goitrogen in food are collected to explore their mechanism of action, laying a foundation for guiding residents to maintain a healthy and balanced diet.

Objective:To carry out the policy diffusion analysis of centralized and volume-based drug procurement in China in recent years,and to provide reference for the formulation of centralized and volume-based drug procurement policy.Methods:Through the official websites of the central and provincial governments,the official websites of the Health Commission and the official websites of the Medical Security Bureau,the policy documents related to centralized and volume-based drug procurement from January 1,2009 to December 31,2023 were searched.Based on the policy diffusion theory,the reference network analysis method is used to analyze the intensity,breadth and speed of policy diffusion,and the sequential analysis method of policy keywords is used to analyze the direction of policy diffusion.Results:In the two stages of the development of centralized and volume-based drug procurement policy,the number of policies issued in the medical insurance management stage reached the peak;The top ten policies with the highest diffusion intensity and breadth are all central policies,and most of them are notices and opinions.In addition,the newly promulgated policies have a faster diffusion speed.In the direction of diffusion,top-down and parallel diffusion trends are obvious.Conclusion:The diffusion of centralized and volume-based drug procurement policy in China focuses on the central policy,and the diffusion speed is increasing year by year.It is suggested to strengthen the policy coordination between the central and local governments,establish a unified national information platform for centralized drug procurement,optimize the learning and competition mechanism between governments at all levels,and give play to the advantages of"policy experiment".