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

Background::Hypertension and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) share several pathophysiologic risk factors, and the exact relationship between the two remains unclear. Our study aims to provide evidence concerning the relationship between hypertension and NAFLD by analyzing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017-2018 and Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses.Methods::Weighted multivariable-adjusted logistic regression was applied to assess the relationship between hypertension and NAFLD risk by using data from the NHANES 2017-2018. Subsequently, a two-sample MR study was performed using the genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics to identify the causal association between hypertension, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and NAFLD. The primary inverse variance weighted (IVW) and other supplementary MR approaches were conducted to verify the causal association between hypertension and NAFLD. Sensitivity analyses were adopted to confirm the robustness of the results.Results::A total of 3144 participants were enrolled for our observational study in NHANES. Weighted multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analysis suggested that hypertension was positively related to NAFLD risk (odds ratio [OR] = 1.677; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.159-2.423). SBP ≥130 mmHg and DBP ≥80 mmHg were also significantly positively correlated with NAFLD. Moreover, hypertension was independently connected with liver steatosis ( β = 7.836 [95% CI, 2.334-13.338]). The results of MR analysis also supported a causal association between hypertension (OR = 7.203 [95% CI, 2.297-22.587]) and NAFLD. Similar results were observed for the causal exploration between SBP (OR = 1.024 [95% CI, 1.003-1.046]), DBP (OR = 1.047 [95% CI, 1.005-1.090]), and NAFLD. The sensitive analysis further confirmed the robustness and reliability of these findings (all P >0.05). Conclusion::Hypertension was associated with an increased risk of NAFLD.

Objective To observe the effects of modified Poge Jiuxin decoction combined with acupuncture in the treatment of septic cardiomyopathy(SIC),and explore its possible mechanism.Methods Totally 72 patients with SIC admitted to Chengdu First People's Hospital from January 2022 to June 2023 were enrolled.The patients were divided into control group and treatment group according to random number table method,with 36 cases in each group.Patients in control group received basic treatment for SIC.On this basis,the treatment group was administrated with modified Poge Jiuxin decoction[includes Prepared Aconite 30 g(earlier decocted),Red Ginseng 30 g(another stew),Cornel Meat 60 g,Dried Ginger 30 g,Raw Keel 30 g(earlier decocted),Raw Oyster 30 g(earlier decocted),Magnet 30 g(earlier decocted),Poria Cocos 90 g,Plantain Seeds 30 g(in bag),Roasted Licorice 60 g,Musk 0.5 g(artificial)],one dose a day,100 mL in 3 meals a day.Acupuncture at bilateral Zusanli,Guangyuan,Neiguan,Sanyinjiao and Qihai points,twice a day.Both groups were treated for 7 days.The changes of C-reactive protein(CRP),procalcitonin(PCT),cardiac tropomin I(cTnI),N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP)and lactic acid(Lac)were observed before and after treatment,acute physiology and chronic health evaluationⅡ(APACHEⅡ)and sequential organ failure assessment(SOFA)were calculated,left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),left ventricle fractional shortening(LVFS),and mitral orifice early/late diastolic blood flow velocity ratio(E/A ratio)were measured with echocardiography,the heart rate(HR),mean arterial pressure(MAP),mechanical ventilation time,vasoactive drug use time,in the intensive care unit(ICU)stay time,the incidence of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome(MODS)and 28-day mortality were recorded.Results After treatment,the indexes of inflammation(CRP,PCT),myocardial markers(cTnI,NT-proBNP),hemodynamics and perfusion(HR,Lac),illness severity score(APACHEⅡ,SOFA)and the 28-day mortality in the two groups were significantly reduced,while LVEF and MAP were significantly increased compared to before treatment.The improvement of various indexes in the treatment group were better than those in the control group[CRP(mg/L):22.18±9.46 vs.68.45±13.46,PCT(μg/L):1.16±0.59 vs.4.35±1.28,LVEF:0.48±0.06 vs.0.41±0.05,cTnI(μg/L):0.60±0.14 vs.0.98±0.30,NT-proBNP(ng/L):204.35±26.54 vs.240.12±56.12,HR(bmp):88.75±10.05 vs.98.57±10.56,MAP(mmHg,1 mmHg≈0.133 kPa):82.10±5.08 vs.73.46±3.55,Lac(mmol/L):0.75±0.28 vs.1.60±0.36,APACHEⅡscore:10.46±1.80 vs.15.50±2.16,SOFA score:2.60±1.24 vs.6.76±1.60,all P<0.05].After treatment,LVFS and E/A ratio in the two groups increased significantly compared to those before treatment,however,there was no significant difference between the treatment group and the control group after treatment[LVFS:(25.12±3.46)%vs.(22.61±3.88)%,E/A ratio:1.16±0.46 vs.0.96±0.32,both P>0.05].The vasoactive drug use time and ICU stay time were shortened in the treatment group than those in the control group[vasoactive drug use time(days):9.62±3.05 vs.10.48±3.40,ICU stay time(days):12.51±2.04 vs.13.72±1.14,both P<0.05],the incidence of MODS and the 28-day mortality were lower than those of the control group[38.89%(14/36)vs.52.77%(9/36),44.44%(16/36)vs.47.22%(17/36)],but there were no statistical differences(both P>0.05).Conclusion Modified Poge Jiuxin decoction combined with acupuncture can effectively improve the prognosis of patients with SIC,and its mechanism may be related to inhibition of inflammatory reaction and improvement of cardiac function.

Objective To investigate clinical characteristics and the risk factors of sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction(SIMD),and to provide evidence for the diagnosis,treatment and prevention of SIMD.Methods The clinical data of 284 patients with sepsis(≥18 years old)admitted to the department of critical care medicine of Chengdu Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine&Western Medicine Hospital/Chengdu First People's Hospital from January 2020 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.This includes gender,age,chronic underlying diseases,the mean arterial pressure(MAP),heart rate(HR),laboratory test results,disease severity score,the proportion of requiring mechanical ventilation,vasoactive drugs treatment and renal replacement therapy,length of intensive care medicine(ICU)stay and the 28-day mortality.Patients were divided into SIMD group and non-SIMD group according to the occurrence of SIMD,allowing for an analysis of the clinical characteristics of two groups of patients.Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were used to identify the risk factors of SIMD,and receiver operator characteristic curve(ROC curve)were plotted to analyze the predictive value of each risk factor for the occurrence of SIMD.Results A total of 284 septic patients were included,including 136 cases(47.89％)in the SIMD group and 148 cases(52.11％)in the non-SIMD group.Compared with the non-SIMD group,the levels of age,N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP),cardiac tropomin I(cTnI),lactic acid(Lac)at admission to ICU,the proportion of vasoactive drugs treatment,acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ(APACHEⅡ)and sequential organ failure assessment(SOFA)in the SIMD group were significantly higher than those in the non-SIMD group[age(years):75.92±2.35 vs.55.02±1.68,NT-proBNP(ng/L):3 037.00±544.50 vs.2 493.92±630.21,cTnI(μg/L):0.12±0.07 vs.0.06±0.03,Lac in ICU(mmol/L):4.46±1.21 vs.2.98±1.02,the proportion of vasoactive drugs treatment:40.44％(55/136)vs.21.62％(32/148),APACHEⅡ score:24.25±1.02 vs.20.95±0.85,SOFA score:7.41±4.69 vs.6.21±2.81,all P<0.05],but the 24-hour Lac clearance rate of the SIMD group was significantly lower than that of the non-SIMD group[(13.80±7.01)％vs.(25.41±8.90)％,P<0.05].Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that age≥75 years,24-hour Lac clearance rate and NT-proBNP≥3 000 ng/L were the independent factors of SIMD in patients with sepsis[odds ratio(OR)and 95％confidence interval(95％CI)were 5.990(2.143-16.742),0.348(0.155-0.786)and 2.708(1.093-6.711),P values were 0.001,0.011 and 0.031].ROC curve analysis showed that age,24-hour Lac clearance rate,NT-proBNP had predictive value for the development of SIMD[area under the curve(AUC)were 0.637,0.811,0.743,95％CI were 0.573-0.701,0.761-0.860,0.687-0.800,all P<0.05].Conclusions SIMD occurs more frequently in patients with sepsis.Increased age,elevated NT-proBNP,and reduced 24-hour Lac clearance rate are independent risk factors of SIMD,warranting clinical attention.

Patients with severe trauma require an extremely timely treatment and transfusion plays an irreplaceable role in the emergency treatment of such patients. An increasing number of evidence-based medicinal evidences and clinical practices suggest that patients with severe traumatic bleeding benefit from early transfusion of low-titer group O whole blood or hemostatic resuscitation with red blood cells, plasma and platelet of a balanced ratio. However, the current domestic mode of blood supply cannot fully meet the requirements of timely and effective blood transfusion for emergency treatment of patients with severe trauma in clinical practice. In order to solve the key problems in blood supply and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma, Branch of Clinical Transfusion Medicine of Chinese Medical Association, Group for Trauma Emergency Care and Multiple Injuries of Trauma Branch of Chinese Medical Association, Young Scholar Group of Disaster Medicine Branch of Chinese Medical Association organized domestic experts of blood transfusion medicine and trauma treatment to jointly formulate Chinese expert consensus on blood support mode and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma patients ( version 2024). Based on the evidence-based medical evidence and Delphi method of expert consultation and voting, 10 recommendations were put forward from two aspects of blood support mode and transfusion strategies, aiming to provide a reference for transfusion resuscitation in the emergency treatment of severe trauma and further improve the success rate of treatment of patients with severe trauma.

Objective: To investigate the effects of duration, temperature and shake on paraquat (PQ) concentration in the blood of PQ-exposed rats during the specinen preservation and transportation. Methods: In March 2021, 60 SD male rats of Specific Pathogen Free class were randomly divided into low-dose group (10 mg/kg PQ) and high-dose group (80 mg/kg PQ). Each group was divided into 5 subgroups (normal temperature group, cold storage group, 37 ℃ storage group, shaking on normal temperature group and shaking on 37 ℃ group), six rats in each subgroup. The rats were given intraperitoneal injection of PQ, 1 h after exposure, the blood samples were obtained by cardiac extraction. After different interventions, the concentrations of PQ were detected and compared before and after the intervention in each subgroup. Results: In the shaking on 37 ℃ group, the results of PQ concentrations in PQ-exposed rats were significantly lower than those before the intervention (P<0.05). In the other subgroups, the results were not significantly different compared with before intervention (P>0.05) . Conclusion: The concentration of PQ in the blood of rats exposed to PQ was decreased by shaking for 4 hours at 37 ℃.
Rats ; Male ; Animals ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Paraquat/pharmacology* ; Lung

OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively analyze the efficacy and complications of our institution's modified nonmyeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (NST) in treating intermediate-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) - first complete remission (CR1) and prognostic factors. METHODS: Clinical data of 50 intermediate-risk AML-CR1 patients who underwent matched related NST at the Fifth Medical Center of Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital from August 2004 to April 2021 were collected, the hematopoietic recovery, donor engraftment and complications were observed, and overall survival (OS) rate, leukemia-free survival (LFS) rate, treatment-related mortality (TRM), and cumulative relapse rate were calculated. Statistical analysis of factors affecting prognosis was also preformed. RESULTS: The median times for neutrophil and platelet recovery after transplantation were 10 (6-16) and 13 (6-33) days, respectively. One month after transplantation, 22 patients (44%) achieved full donor chimerism (FDC), and 22 patients (44%) achieved mixed chimerism (MC), among whom 18 cases gradually transited to FDC during 1-11 months, 4 cases maintained MC status. The overall incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) was 36%, with a rate of 18% for grade II-IV aGVHD and a median onset time of 45 (20-70) days after transplantation. The overall incidence of chronic GVHD (cGVHD) was 34%, with 20% and 14% of patients having limited or extensive cGVHD, respectively. The incidence rates of infections, interstitial pneumonia, and hemorrhagic cystitis were 30%, 10%, and 16%, respectively. The 5-year OS rate, LFS rate, TRM, and cumulative relapse rate were 68%, 64%, 16%, and 20%, respectively. The increase of the number of CD34⁺ cells infused had shortened the recovery time for neutrophils and platelets (r =0.563, r =0.350). The number of CD34⁺ cells infused significantly influenced the occurrence of extensive cGVHD (OR =1.36, 95%CI : 1.06-1.84, P =0.024). CONCLUSION Modified NST is effective in treating intermediate-risk AML-CR1 patients, however, further expansion of sample size is needed to study prognostic factors.
Humans ; Graft vs Host Disease ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effects* ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/complications* ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and genetic characteristics of sapovirus (SaV) in a cluster of schools in Changzhou, so as to provide a reference for the treatment of clustered vomiting and diarrhea events in schools. Methods: The epidemiological data and laboratory test data of sapovirus clusters in Changzhou from 2019 to 2022 were collected and analyzed. Partial VP1 genes of SaV positive samples were amplified and sequenced for phylogenetic analysis. Results: A total of 8 cases of clusters of SaV epidemics were reported in Changzhou City from 2019 to 2022, with 118 reported cases. The total attack rate was 1.47%, and the median of the attack number was 15. There were 6 outbreaks in kindergartens and 2 outbreaks in primary schools, which were reported in the epidemic period from September to December. The main clinical manifestations were vomiting (113 cases, 95.76 %), abdominal pain (39 cases, 33.05%), and diarrhea (16 cases, 13.56%). Among the 8 outbreaks, 17 sample strains were successfully sequenced. 5 outbreaks were GII.3 , and the other 3 outbreaks were GI.1, GI .3 and GII.2. GI and GII were the main genotypes in this area, and GII .3 was the predominant strain. Conclusion SaV is an important pathogen in the clusters of vomiting and diarrhea in schools after the transmission of norovirus. Continuous surveillance of SaV should be carried out to further understand its epidemiological characteristics and genotype distribution, so as to provide scientific basis for the prevention and control of the epidemic in schools.

Background: Long coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in recovered patients (RPs) is gradually recognized by more people. However, how long it will last and the underlining mechanism remains unclear. Methods: We conducted a prospective follow-up study to evaluate the long-term symptoms and clinical indices of RPs at one-year after discharge from Union Hospital, Wuhan, China between December 2020 to May 2021. We also performed the 16S rRNA sequencing of stool samples from RPs and healthy controls (HCs) and analyzed the correlation between the gut microbiota and long COVID-19. Results: In total, 187 RPs were enrolled, among them, 84 (44.9%) RPs reported long COVID-19 symptoms at one-year after discharge. The most common long-term symptoms were cardiopulmonary symptoms, including chest tightness after activity (39/187, 20.9%), palpitations on exercise (27/187, 14.4%), sputum (21/187, 11.2%), cough (15/187, 8.0%) and chest pain (13/187, 7.0%), followed by systemic symptoms including fatigue (34/187, 18.2%) and myalgia (20/187, 10.7%), and digestive symptoms including constipation (14/187, 7.5%), anorexia (13/187, 7.0%), and diarrhea (8/187, 4.3%). Sixty-six (35.9%) RPs presented either anxiety or depression (42/187 [22.8%] and 53/187 [28.8%] respectively), and the proportion of anxiety or depression in the long symptomatic group was significantly higher than that in the asymptomatic group (41/187 [50.6%] vs. 25/187 [24.3%]). Compared with the asymptomatic group, scores of all nine 36-Item Short Form General Health Survey domains were lower in the symptomatic group (all P < 0.05). One hundred thirty RPs and 32 HCs (non-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infected subjects) performed fecal sample sequencing.Compared with HCs, symptomatic RPs had obvious gut microbiota dysbiosis including significantly reduced bacterial diversities and lower relative abundance of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-producing salutary symbionts such as Eubacterium_hallii_group, Subdoligranulum, Ruminococcus, Dorea, Coprococcus, and Eubacterium_ventriosum_group. Meanwhile, the relative abundance of Eubacterium_hallii_group, Subdoligranulum, and Ruminococcus showed decreasing tendencies between HCs, the asymptomatic group, and the symptomatic group. Conclusion This study demonstrated the presence of long COVID-19 which correlates with gut microbiota dysbiosis in RPs at one-year after discharge, indicating gut microbiota may play an important role in long COVID-19.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of hybutimibe monotherapy or in combination with atorvastatin in the treatment of primary hypercholesterolemia. Methods: This was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-controlled phase Ⅲ clinical trial of patients with untreated primary hypercholesterolemia from 41 centers in China between August 2015 and April 2019. Patients were randomly assigned, at a ratio of 1∶1∶1∶1∶1∶1, to the atorvastatin 10 mg group (group A), hybutimibe 20 mg group (group B), hybutimibe 20 mg plus atorvastatin 10 mg group (group C), hybutimibe 10 mg group (group D), hybutimibe 10 mg plus atorvastatin 10 mg group (group E), and placebo group (group F). After a dietary run-in period for at least 4 weeks, all patients were administered orally once a day according to their groups. The treatment period was 12 weeks after the first dose of the study drug, and efficacy and safety were evaluated at weeks 2, 4, 8, and 12. After the treatment period, patients voluntarily entered the long-term safety evaluation period and continued the assigned treatment (those in group F were randomly assigned to group B or D), with 40 weeks' observation. The primary endpoint was the percent change in low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) from baseline at week 12. Secondary endpoints included the percent changes in high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglyceride (TG), apolipoprotein B (Apo B) at week 12 and changes of the four above-mentioned lipid indicators at weeks 18, 24, 38, and 52. Safety was evaluated during the whole treatment period. Results: Totally, 727 patients were included in the treatment period with a mean age of (55.0±9.3) years old, including 253 males. No statistical differences were observed among the groups in demographics, comorbidities, and baseline blood lipid levels. At week 12, the percent changes in LDL-C were significantly different among groups A to F (all P<0.01). Compared to atorvastatin alone, hybutimibe combined with atorvastatin could further improve LDL-C, TG, and Apo B (all P<0.05). Furthermore, there was no significant difference in percent changes in LDL-C at week 12 between group C and group E (P=0.991 7). During the long-term evaluation period, there were intergroup statistical differences in changes of LDL-C, TG and Apo B at 18, 24, 38, and 52 weeks from baseline among the statins group (group A), hybutimibe group (groups B, D, and F), and combination group (groups C and E) (all P<0.01), with the best effect observed in the combination group. The incidence of adverse events was 64.2% in the statins group, 61.7% in the hybutimibe group, and 71.0% in the combination group during the long-term evaluation period. No treatment-related serious adverse events or adverse events leading to death occurred during the 52-week study period. Conclusions: Hybutimibe combined with atorvastatin showed confirmatory efficacy in patients with untreated primary hypercholesterolemia, which could further enhance the efficacy on the basis of atorvastatin monotherapy, with a good overall safety profile.
Male ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Atorvastatin/therapeutic use* ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Hypercholesterolemia/drug therapy* ; Cholesterol, LDL/therapeutic use* ; Anticholesteremic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Treatment Outcome ; Triglycerides ; Apolipoproteins B/therapeutic use* ; Double-Blind Method ; Pyrroles/therapeutic use*