OBJECTIVE: To investigate correlation between preoperative C ₂ slope (C2S) and effectiveness at 2 years after short-segment anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), with the aim of providing reliable indicators for predicting effectiveness. METHODS: One hundred and eighteen patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy, who received short-segment ACDF between January 2018 and December 2022 and met the selection criteria, were enrolled in the study. There were 46 males and 72 females, aged from 26 to 80 years, with a mean age of 53.6 years. The operative duration was (127.6±33.46) minutes and the intraoperative blood loss was (34.75±30.40) mL. All patients were followed up 2 years. The pre- and post-operative Neck Disability Index (NDI), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, and visual analogue scale (VAS) score for pain were recorded. Based on the anteroposterior and lateral cervical X-ray films, the sagittal parameters of the cervical spine were measured [C ₂-C ₇ Cobb angle, C ₀-C ₂ Cobb angle, T ₁ slope, C2S, sagittal segmental angle (SSA) of the surgical segment, and average surgical disc height (ASDH) of the surgical segment]. Statistical analyses were performed to assess the differences in these indicators between pre- and post-operation, as well as the correlations between the preoperative C2S and the JOA score, NDI, and VAS score at 2 years after operation. The patients were allocated into group A (C2S >11.73°) and group B (C2S≤ 11.73°) according to the median value of the preoperative C2S (11.73°). The JOA score, NDI, and VAS score before operation and at 2 years after operation, as well as the differences between pre- and post-operative values (change values), were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The T ₁ slope, C ₂-C ₇ Cobb angle, C ₀-C ₂ Cobb angle, SSA, and ASDH at immediate after operation and JOA score, NDI, and VAS score at 2 years after operation significantly improved in 118 patients when compared with preoperative ones ( P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that preoperative C2S was not correlated with JOA score and NDI at 2 years after operation ( P>0.05), but negatively correlated with VAS score ( P<0.05). There were 59 patients with preoperative C2S>11.73° (group A) and 59 with C2S≤11.73° (group B). There was no significant difference in preoperative JOA score, NDI, and VAS score between the two groups ( P>0.05). There were significant differences in VAS score at 2 year after operation and the change value between the two groups ( P<0.05); there was no significant difference in the JOA score and NDI ( P>0.05). CONCLUSION Patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy and a higher preoperative C2S exhibited superior long-term pain relief and effectiveness following short-segment ACDF.
Humans ; Male ; Spinal Fusion/methods* ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Cervical Vertebrae/diagnostic imaging* ; Diskectomy/methods* ; Aged ; Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; Aged, 80 and over ; Spondylosis/diagnostic imaging* ; Pain Measurement ; Preoperative Period ; Follow-Up Studies

Objective To analyze the influence of different processing methods,including frying,ginger frying,and salt frying,on the volatile components of A.fructus.Methods The volatile components in different processed products of A.fructus were detected and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS)based on multivariate statistical analysis.After OPLS-DA analysis,the different components were screened under the conditions of VIP＞1.5 and P＜0.05 and were qualitatively searched using the NIST 11 spectral library.Results A total of 49 different components were identified,with 14 components only changing in the seed mass and 22 components changing in the peel.The content of camphor could be significantly reduced in the seed mass after A.fructus was processed and the content of bornyl acetate significantly increased in the peel of frying A.fructus.Salt frying had a great influence on the alkanes in A.fructus,and ginger processing did not only increase the volatile components in ginger,which reflected the complexity of the processing mechanism.Conclusion At present,the specific processing mechanism is not clear,but the experimental results provide theoretical data for the "detoxification and efficiency enhancement" effect of A.fructus processing,reflecting the scientific nature of the processing,enriching the processing theory of A.fructus,and providing a reference for further in-depth research on the activity of different processed products of A.fructus.

Objective: To clarify the specific mechanisms of action of raw Phellodendron chinense Schneid. (RPC) and saltwater-processed PC (SPC) in the treatment of rats with a kidney-yin deficiency pattern (KYDP). Methods: Healthy rats were administered hydrocortisone to establish a KYDP model. The rats were divided into seven groups: blank control, model, positive control (Liuwei Dihuang pills), high-dose RPC, low-dose RPC, high-dose SPC, and low-dose SPC. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the levels of cAMP, cGMP, TRH, TSH, T3, T4, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and testosterone in the serum and the levels of Na+-K+-ATPase and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase in the liver. TRH mRNA expression in the rat hypothalamus was measured using RT-PCR. THRα1+2 protein expression in the hypothalamus of rats was measured using Western blot. Immunohistochemistry was performed to determine the expression levels of FAS, FasL, and TSHR. Flow cytometry was used to determine CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocyte levels. Illumina MiSeq sequencing technology was used to evaluate the diversity of intestinal flora in KYDP rats. Results: The cAMP/cGMP ratio was significantly higher in the model group than in the blank control group (P = .048). Compared with the model group, after administration, the levels of the above-mentioned serum and liver indexes decreased, except that of testosterone. The CD4+/CD8+ ratio also decreased. Compared with the RPC group, the levels of T3, IFN-γ, FAS, FasL, and TSHR in the SPC group decreased whereas that of testosterone increased. Additionally, immune function and intestinal flora diversity improved in the SPC group. SPC proved to be more effective in improving liver energy metabolism in KYDP rats than RPC. Conclusion SPC had a better therapeutic effect on KYDP than RPC. The underlying mechanism of action may be related to improvements in liver energy metabolism, immune function, and intestinal flora diversity.

Phosphatase and tensin-homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) is an important cancer suppressor gene. Its pathogenic mutation leads to PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (PHTS), a rare syndrome also known as Cowden syndrome, which is relevant to early-onset hereditary breast cancer (BC). In this paper, we report three patients with unilateral multicentric BC and synchronous and metachronous bilateral BC who harbored PTEN gene mutations, and summarize the clinical manifestations, pathological characteristics, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up outcomes to provide reference for management of PTEN gene mutation-related BC among the Cowden syndrome population.

Gliomas are the most common primary intracranial tumors in adults, among which high-grade glioma patients are characterized by short survival and poor prognosis. The diagnosis, treatment, evaluation of effective treatments, and prognosis prediction of high-grade gliomas are of great significance for improving patient survival. Conventional enhanced magnetic resonance imaging has deficiencies in delineating tumor extent, identifying tumor progression and treatment-related changes. Therefore, there is a broad consensus to incorporate amino acid PET, and ¹⁸F-FET PET inparticular, into the diagnostic and therapeutic process of high-grade gliomas. In this article, we review the new research progress of ¹⁸F-FET PET in the diagnosis and treatment of adult high-grade glioma in recent years.

Objective:To analyze the clinical data of the patients with leucine-rich glioma inactivated 1(LGI-1)antibody-positive autoimmune encephalitis(AE)(LGI-1 AE)complicated with sleep structure abnormality and cognitive impairment,and to discuss the possible pathogenic mechanism.Methods:A 68-year-old male patient was admitted to our hospital due to memory decline for 2 months and seizures for 1 month.After diagnosed with LGI-1 AE,the patient was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin combined with methylprednisolone sodium succinate,resulting in the improved symptoms.Excluding any pharmaceutical influences,the neuropsychological assessments,including sleep evaluations with polysomnography(PSG),were performed during both the acute phase and the recovery phase.Results:During the acute phase assessment,the patient exhibited severe cognitive impairments,scoring 22 on the Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE)and 19 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment(MoCA).The PSG results showed that the total sleep time(265 min)was shortened,the sleep fragmentation throughout could be seen,the sleep efficiency was reduced,and N3 and rapid eye movement(REM)sleep stages were complete absent.In the recovery phase,the patient's cognitive functions improved(MMSE score was 30,MoCA score was 26),the total sleep time returned to normal with PSG,the sleep onset latency was 13.5 min,the sleep fragmentation notably improved,the sleep efficiency was increased to 84.3％,the N3 sleep lasted 26 min(5.1％),and the REM sleep lasted 69 min(13.6％).Conclusion:The abnormality in sleep structure and cognitive impairment in the patients with LGI-1 AE are synchronous in onset and outcome,and may be one of the etiologies of cognitive dysfunction in these patients.The pathological origin of the sleep disorder may lie in the hypothalamus.Hypothalamic secretions and the Lhx6 pathway might become new targets for correcting the sleep structure while treating the cognitive impairment.

Objective:To explore the application effect of multi-sensory stimulation with breastmilk in preterm infants with venipuncture pain, so as to provide theoretical guidance for clinical implementation of neonatal pain management.Methods:This study was a randomised controlled trial that selected 90 cases of preterm infants who were admitted to the Department of Neonatal Internal Medicine of Shanxi Children′s Hospital from May to October 2023, and were randomly divided into the control group and the intervention group, with 45 cases in each group. The control group received routine neonatal analgesia based on preparation before intervention, and the intervention group received multi-sensory stimulation with breastmilk based on preparation before intervention. Premature Infant Pain Profile-Revised(PIPP-R), The Chinese COMFORTneo Scale and physiological stress indicators (heart rate and oxygen saturation) were used to compare the pain level, comfort level and physiological stress response of preterm infants in the two groups 3 min before, during and 1 to 5 min after the venipuncture operation.Results:Finally, 80 cases of preterm infants were included with 40 cases in each group. The control group was born at a gestational age of (34.61 ± 1.16) weeks, with 19 males and 21 females; the intervention group was born at a gestational age of (34.74 ± 1.16) weeks, with 22 males and 18 females. Comparison between the groups showed that during and 5 min after the operation, the PIPP-R scale scores of the intervention group were (6.83 ± 0.26), (0.80 ± 0.25) points, respectively, which were lower than those of the control group (12.25 ± 0.70), (2.83 ± 0.36) points, and the differences were statistically significant (Wald χ2=53.31, 21.43, both P<0.01).The Chinese COMFORTneo Scale scores of the intervention group were (14.15 ± 0.64), (6.45 ± 0.13) points, which were lower than those of the control group (20.87 ± 0.82), (8.20 ± 0.32) points, and the differences were statistically significant (Wald χ2=41.89 and 25.75, both P<0.01); the heart rate of the intervention group were (161.07 ± 1.09), (142.48 ± 0.99) beats/min, which were lower than those of the control group(169.30 ± 1.93), (147.23 ± 2.15) beats/min, and the differences were statistically significant (Wald χ2=13.83, 4.03, both P<0.05). During the operation to 2 min after the operation, the blood oxygen saturation of the intervention group were 0.950 3 ± 0.004 0, 0.959 3 ± 0.003 4, 0.9663 ± 0.003 0, respectively, which were higher than those of the control group 0.925 3 ± 0.003 6, 0.940 5 ± 0.003 6, 0.9500 ± 0.004 3, and the differences were statistically significant (Wald χ2=21.98, 14.62, 9.70, all P<0.05). Conclusions:Multi-sensory stimulation with breastmilk can reduce the pain degree in preterm infants, improve the comfort level of preterm infants, reduce the physiological stress response and promote physiological stability of preterm infants during and after the operation of venipuncture.

ObjectiveTo establish the identification method of Dalbergiae Odoriferae Lignum（DOL） and its counterfeits by nuclear magnetic resonance hydrogen spectrum（¹H-NMR） combined with multivariate statistical analysis. Method¹H-NMR spectra of DOL and its counterfeits were obtained by NMR， and the full composition information was established and transformed into a data matrix， and the detection conditions were as follows：taking dimethyl sulfoxide-d₆（DMSO-d₆） containing 0.03% tetramethylsilane（TMS） as the solvent， the constant temperature at 298 K（1 K=-272.15 ℃）， pulse interval of 1.00 s， spectrum width of 12 019.23 Hz， the scanning number of 16 times， and the sampling time of 1.08 s. Similarity examination and hierarchical cluster analysis（HCA） were performed on the data matrix of DOL and its counterfeits， and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） was used to analyze the data matrix and identify the differential components between them. In the established OPLS-DA category variable value model， the category variable value of DOL was set as 1， and the category variable value of the counterfeits was set as 0， and the threshold was set as ±0.3， in order to identify the commercially available DOL. The OPLS-DA score plot was used to determine the types of counterfeits in commercially available DOL， and it was verified by thin layer chromatography（TLC）. ResultThe results of similarity analysis and HCA showed that there was a significant difference between DOL and its counterfeits. OPLS-DA found that the differential component between DOL and its counterfeits was trans-nerolidol. The established category variable value model could successfully identify the authenticity of the commercially available DOL. The results of the OPLS-DA score plot showed that there were heartwood of Dalbergia pinnata and D. cochinchinensis in the commercially available DOL， and were consistent with the TLC verification results. ConclusionThere is a phenomenon that heartwood of D. pinnata and D. cochinchinensis are sold as DOL in the market. ¹H-NMR combined with multivariate statistical analysis can effectively distinguish DOL and its counterfeits， which can provide a reference for the identification of them.

Objective:To analyze the mechanism of Danpi-Chishao in treatment of sepsis based on network pharmacology.Methods:The corresponding targets of Danpi-Chishao and sepsis were carried out through TCMSP database, OMIM database and Genecards database. Cystoscope 3.8.2 software was used to construct the " Chinese medicine-active components-target-disease" network diagram. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis were carried out by DAVID database. Weisheng cloud platform was used to draw bubble map.Results:A total of 36 effective components of Danpi-Chishao was obtained, mainly including quercetin, kaempferol, baicalin, β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, paeoniflorin and so on. There were 96 potential common key targets between Danpi-Chishao and sepsis, such as prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), transcription factor p65 (RELA), phosphatidylinositol-4, 5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit gamma (PIK3CG), B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2)-associated X (BAX), BCL-2, Caspase-3 (CASP3) with a degree value>4.9. The result of protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis showed that there were 10 important target proteins, including alpha serine/threonine-protein kinase (AKT1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), cellular tumor antigen p53 (TP53), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9), CASP3, PTGS2, C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2). The pathways obtained by GO and KEGG enrichment analysis included atherosclerosis pathway, advanced glycation end products (AGE)-receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) signal pathway, cancer pathway, tumor necrosis factor signal pathway, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) signal pathway, IL-17 signal pathway and other pathway.Conclusions:The mechanism of the intervention effect of Danpi-Chishao on sepsis may be that the active components such as quercetin, kaempferol, paeoniflorin act on target proteins such as PTGS2, RELA, PIK3CG, BAX, BCL2, CASP3, and through TNF-related signal pathway, HIF-1 signal pathway, IL-17 signal pathway, etc. Nonetheless, the conclusion needs further experimental verification.

Objective : By observing the changes of interleukin-22 ( IL-22) ，signal transduction and transcriptional activator 3 (STAT3) ，fasting blood glucose ( FBG) and fasting insulin ( FINS) of rats under the circumstance of chronic intermittent hypoxia and reoxygenation，to explore the role of IL-22 / STAT3 pathway in insulin resistance in- duced by chronic intermittent hypoxia． Methods : 4 SD rats were randomly divided into control group (NC group) and intermittent hypoxia group ( CIH group) ，with 12 rats in each group．NC group was placed in normoxia environment for 12 weeks，while CIH group was first given intermittent hypoxia for 8 weeks and then resumed normoxia feeding until 12 weeks．FBG，FINS，IL-22 and p-STAT3 / STAT3 levels were measured at baseline，week 8 and week 12 in both groups，and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was calculated．The differences between the two groups were compared. Results : ① There was no significant difference of the observation indexes between the two groups at baseline (P＞0. 05) ．At 8 weeks，the levels of FBG，FINS and HOMA-IR in CIH group were higher than those in NC group (P＜0. 05) ，and the levels of IL-22 were lower than those in NC group (P ＜0. 05) ．p-STAT3 / STAT3 showed a decreasing trend，but not statistically significant．At 4 weeks of reoxygenation，there were no significant differences in FBG，FINS，HOMA-IR and IL-22 levels between the two groups (P ＞0. 05 ) ．p-STAT3 / STAT3 in CIH group was significantly higher than that in NC group ( P ＜0. 05 ) . ② Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that HOMA-IR was negatively correlated with IL-22 and p-STAT3 / STAT3 ( all P ＜0. 05) ． Conclusion Chronic intermittent hypoxia can inhibit the expression of IL-22 / STAT3 signaling pathway，IL-22 / STAT3 signaling pathway may mediate insulin resistance induced by chronic intermittent hypoxia.