BACKGROUND:Cervical disc herniation can cause pain in the neck and shoulder area,as well as radiating pain in the upper limbs.The incidence rate is increasing year by year and tends to affect younger individuals.Fully understanding the biomechanical characteristics of the cervical spine in adolescents is of great significance for preventing and delaying the onset of cervical disc herniation in this age group. OBJECTIVE:To reconstruct cervical spine models for both healthy adolescents and adolescent patients with cervical disc herniation utilizing finite element analysis techniques,to analyze the motion range of the C1-T1 cervical vertebrae as well as the biomechanical characteristics of the annulus fibrosus,nucleus pulposus,endplates,and the cartilage of the small joints. METHODS:A normal adolescent's cervical spine and an adolescent patient with cervical disc herniation were selected in this study.The continuous scan cervical spine CT raw image data were imported into Mimics 21.0 in DICOM format.The C1-T1 vertebrae were reconstructed separately.Subsequently,the established models were imported into the 3-Matic software for disc reconstruction.The perfected models were then imported into Hypermesh software for meshing of the vertebrae,nucleus pulposus,annulus fibrosus,and ligaments,creating valid geometric models.After assigning material properties,the final models were imported into ABAQUS software to observe the joint motion range of the C1-C7 cervical vertebrae segments under different conditions,and to analyze the biomechanical characteristics of the annulus fibrosus,nucleus pulposus,endplates,and small joint cartilage of each cervical spine segment. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)In six different conditions,the joint motion range of the C1 vertebra in the cervical spine models of both normal adolescent and adolescent patient with cervical disc herniation was higher than that of the other vertebrae.Additionally,the joint motion range of each cervical spine segment in normal adolescent was greater than that in adolescent patient with cervical disc herniation.(2)In the cervical spine model of normal adolescent,the maximum stress values in the annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus were found on the left side during C2-3 flexion conditions(0.43 MPa and 0.17 MPa,respectively).In the cervical spine model of adolescent patient with cervical disc herniation,the maximum stress values were found on the left side during C7-T1 flexion conditions(0.54 MPa and 0.18 MPa,respectively).(3)In the cervical spine model of normal adolescent,the maximum stress value on the endplate was found on the left side of the upper endplate of C3 during flexion conditions(1.46 MPa).In the model of adolescent patient with cervical disc herniation,the maximum stress value on the endplate was found on the left side of the lower endplate of C7 during flexion conditions(1.32 MPa).(4)In the cervical spine model of normal adolescent,the maximum stress value in the small joint cartilage was found in the C2-3 left rotation conditions(0.98 MPa).In adolescent patient with cervical disc herniation,the stress in the small joint cartilage significantly increased under different conditions,especially in C1-2,with the maximum stress found during left flexion(3.50 MPa).(5)It is concluded that compared to normal adolescent,adolescent patient with cervical disc herniation exhibits altered cervical curvature and a decrease in overall joint motion range in the cervical spine.In adolescent with cervical disc herniation,there is a significant increase in stress on the annulus fibrosus,nucleus pulposus,and endplates in the C7-T1 segment.The stress on the left articular cartilage of the C1-2 is notable.Abnormal cervical curvature may be the primary factor causing these stress changes.

Background/Aims: Endoscopic radiofrequency ablation (ERFA) is a treatment option for superficial esophageal squamous cell neoplasia (ESCN), with a relatively low risk of stenosis; however, the long-term outcomes remain unclear. We aimed to compare the long-term outcomes of patients with widespread superficial ESCN who underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) or ERFA. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients with superficial ESCN who underwent ESD or ERFA between January 2015 and December 2021. The primary outcome measure was recurrence-free survival. Results: Ninety-two and 33 patients with superficial ESCN underwent ESD and ERFA, respectively. The en bloc, R0, and curative resection rates for ESD were 100.0%, 90.2%, and 76.1%, respectively. At 12 months, the complete response rate was comparable between the two groups (94.6% vs 90.9%, p=0.748). During a median follow-up of 66 months, recurrence-free survival was significantly longer in the ESD group than in the ERFA group (p=0.004), while no significant differences in overall survival (p=0.845) and disease-specific survival (p=0.494) were observed.Preoperative diagnosis of intramucosal cancer (adjusted hazard ratio, 5.55; vs high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia) was an independent predictor of recurrence. Significantly fewer patients in the ERFA group experienced stenosis compare to ESD group (15.2% vs 38.0%, p=0.016). Conclusions The risk of recurrence was higher for ERFA than ESD for ESCN but overall survival was not affected. The risk of esophageal stenosis was significantly lower for patients who underwent ERFA.

Background/Aims: Endoscopic radiofrequency ablation (ERFA) is a treatment option for superficial esophageal squamous cell neoplasia (ESCN), with a relatively low risk of stenosis; however, the long-term outcomes remain unclear. We aimed to compare the long-term outcomes of patients with widespread superficial ESCN who underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) or ERFA. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients with superficial ESCN who underwent ESD or ERFA between January 2015 and December 2021. The primary outcome measure was recurrence-free survival. Results: Ninety-two and 33 patients with superficial ESCN underwent ESD and ERFA, respectively. The en bloc, R0, and curative resection rates for ESD were 100.0%, 90.2%, and 76.1%, respectively. At 12 months, the complete response rate was comparable between the two groups (94.6% vs 90.9%, p=0.748). During a median follow-up of 66 months, recurrence-free survival was significantly longer in the ESD group than in the ERFA group (p=0.004), while no significant differences in overall survival (p=0.845) and disease-specific survival (p=0.494) were observed.Preoperative diagnosis of intramucosal cancer (adjusted hazard ratio, 5.55; vs high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia) was an independent predictor of recurrence. Significantly fewer patients in the ERFA group experienced stenosis compare to ESD group (15.2% vs 38.0%, p=0.016). Conclusions The risk of recurrence was higher for ERFA than ESD for ESCN but overall survival was not affected. The risk of esophageal stenosis was significantly lower for patients who underwent ERFA.

Background/Aims: Endoscopic radiofrequency ablation (ERFA) is a treatment option for superficial esophageal squamous cell neoplasia (ESCN), with a relatively low risk of stenosis; however, the long-term outcomes remain unclear. We aimed to compare the long-term outcomes of patients with widespread superficial ESCN who underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) or ERFA. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients with superficial ESCN who underwent ESD or ERFA between January 2015 and December 2021. The primary outcome measure was recurrence-free survival. Results: Ninety-two and 33 patients with superficial ESCN underwent ESD and ERFA, respectively. The en bloc, R0, and curative resection rates for ESD were 100.0%, 90.2%, and 76.1%, respectively. At 12 months, the complete response rate was comparable between the two groups (94.6% vs 90.9%, p=0.748). During a median follow-up of 66 months, recurrence-free survival was significantly longer in the ESD group than in the ERFA group (p=0.004), while no significant differences in overall survival (p=0.845) and disease-specific survival (p=0.494) were observed.Preoperative diagnosis of intramucosal cancer (adjusted hazard ratio, 5.55; vs high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia) was an independent predictor of recurrence. Significantly fewer patients in the ERFA group experienced stenosis compare to ESD group (15.2% vs 38.0%, p=0.016). Conclusions The risk of recurrence was higher for ERFA than ESD for ESCN but overall survival was not affected. The risk of esophageal stenosis was significantly lower for patients who underwent ERFA.

Background/Aims: Endoscopic radiofrequency ablation (ERFA) is a treatment option for superficial esophageal squamous cell neoplasia (ESCN), with a relatively low risk of stenosis; however, the long-term outcomes remain unclear. We aimed to compare the long-term outcomes of patients with widespread superficial ESCN who underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) or ERFA. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients with superficial ESCN who underwent ESD or ERFA between January 2015 and December 2021. The primary outcome measure was recurrence-free survival. Results: Ninety-two and 33 patients with superficial ESCN underwent ESD and ERFA, respectively. The en bloc, R0, and curative resection rates for ESD were 100.0%, 90.2%, and 76.1%, respectively. At 12 months, the complete response rate was comparable between the two groups (94.6% vs 90.9%, p=0.748). During a median follow-up of 66 months, recurrence-free survival was significantly longer in the ESD group than in the ERFA group (p=0.004), while no significant differences in overall survival (p=0.845) and disease-specific survival (p=0.494) were observed.Preoperative diagnosis of intramucosal cancer (adjusted hazard ratio, 5.55; vs high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia) was an independent predictor of recurrence. Significantly fewer patients in the ERFA group experienced stenosis compare to ESD group (15.2% vs 38.0%, p=0.016). Conclusions The risk of recurrence was higher for ERFA than ESD for ESCN but overall survival was not affected. The risk of esophageal stenosis was significantly lower for patients who underwent ERFA.

BACKGROUND: Generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP), a rare and recurrent autoinflammatory disease, imposes a substantial burden on patients and society. Awareness of GPP in China remains limited. METHODS: This cross-sectional survey, conducted between September 2021 and May 2023 across 14 hospitals in China, included GPP patients of all ages and disease phases. Data collected encompassed demographics, clinical characteristics, economic impact, disease severity, quality of life, and treatment-related complications. Risk factors for GPP recurrence were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 127 patients (female/male ratio = 1.35:1), the mean age of disease onset was 25 years (1st quartile [Q1]-3rd quartile [Q3]: 11-44 years); 29.2% had experienced GPP for more than 10 years. Recurrence occurred in 75.6% of patients, and nearly half reported no identifiable triggers. Younger age at disease onset ( P  = 0.021) and transitioning to plaque psoriasis ( P  = 0.022) were associated with higher recurrence rates. The median diagnostic delay was 8 months (Q1-Q3: 2-41 months), and 32.3% of patients reported misdiagnoses. Comorbidities were present in 53.5% of patients, whereas 51.1% experienced systemic complications during treatment. Depression and anxiety affected 84.5% and 95.6% of patients, respectively. During GPP flares, the median Dermatology Life Quality Index score was 19.0 (Q1-Q3: 13.0-23.5). This score showed significant differences between patients with and without systemic symptoms; it demonstrated correlations with both depression and anxiety scores. Treatment costs caused financial hardship in 55.9% of patients, underscoring the burden associated with GPP. CONCLUSIONS The substantial disease and economic burdens among Chinese GPP patients warrant increased attention. Patients with early onset disease and those transitioning to plaque psoriasis require targeted interventions to mitigate the high recurrence risk.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Psoriasis/pathology* ; Adult ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Adolescent ; Child ; Young Adult ; Quality of Life ; Middle Aged ; China/epidemiology* ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; East Asian People

This study systematically reviewed the randomized controlled trial(RCT) of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) treatment of post-stroke depression(PSD) and analyzed the clinical study characteristics and outcome indicators, aiming to optimize the design and establish the core outcome set in the future clinical trials of the TCM treatment of PSD. PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMbase, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, and SinoMed were searched for the relevant RCT published in recent 3 years. The basic characteristics, intervention measures, and outcome indicators of the included RCT were extracted, and the descriptive analysis was carried out. A total of 76 RCTs were eventually included, with the sample size concentrated in 80-100 cases. The most frequent TCM syndromes were liver depression and Qi stagnation(15 times, 31.91%) and phlegm combined with stasis(5 times, 10.63%). The frequency of intervention methods followed a descending trend of TCM decoction(35 times, 46.05%) and TCM decoction + acupuncture(4 times, 5.26%), Chinese patent medicine(3 times, 3.94%), and the intervention mainly lasted for 1 to 3 months(43 times, 60.56%). The adverse reactions of patients were mainly digestive system reaction(150 patients, 39.37%) and nervous system reaction(112 patients, 29.39%). Most of the included studies had unclear risk of bias, involving 84 outcome indicators, which belonged to 8 indicator domains. The RCTs of TCM treatment of PSD showed a variety of problems, such as non-standard TCM syndrome differentiation, inconsistent names of TCM syndrome scores and measurement tools, low quality, unclear risk of bias, neglect of endpoint indicators, unreasonable selection of substitute indicators, lack of differentiation between primary and secondary outcome indicators, non-standard reporting of safety indicators, insufficient attention to economic indicators, and lack of long-term prognosis evaluation. It is suggested that the future research should improve the quality of methodology and build a standardized core outcome set to promote the development of high-quality clinical research in this field.
Humans ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Stroke/psychology* ; Depression/etiology* ; Treatment Outcome ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Callicarpa is an important medicinal plant in China, which has hemostatic, antibacterial, and antioxidant pharmacological effects, and the efficacy of astringing and arresting bleeding, clearing heat and detoxification, activating blood, and resolving stasis is outstanding. At the same time, Callicarpa can be used as an ornamental plant because of its gorgeous flowers and fruits. Callicarpa has good market development prospects, but the long seed reproduction cycle directly limits the large demand for seedlings in its industrial development. Asexual reproduction technology is the basis for the industrialization development of Callicarpa, which is helpful in producing high-quality seedlings and medicinal materials. Although Chinese and foreign scholars have achieved remarkable results in the study of asexual reproduction of Callicarpa, there is no report on the large-scale production of seedlings of Callicarpa. Integrating and improving its asexual reproduction technology can promote the development and utilization of Callicarpa, improve its medicinal value, and create significant economic benefits. Therefore, the authors reviewed the effects of cutting, season, plant growth regulators, substrates, environment, and management measures on the cutting of Callicarpa and the research progress of tissue culture propagation affected by explants, basic media, exogenous additives, subculture cycles, culture conditions, and transplanting substrates. The mechanism of adventitious root formation was reviewed at the cellular, physiological, and biochemical levels, so as to put forward the problems and corresponding solutions in the study of asexual propagation technology and regulatory mechanism of Callicarpa and point out the future research directions. The study aims to provide a reference for in-depth research on the asexual propagation technology of Callicarpa and the commercial production of its high-quality seedlings.
Reproduction, Asexual ; Plants, Medicinal/physiology* ; Seedlings/growth & development* ; Tissue Culture Techniques

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of Chinese medicine injections in treating transient ischemic attack(TIA) based on network Meta-analysis. Randomized controlled trial(RCT) about Chinese medicine injections in treating TIA were retrieved from PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMbase, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, and SinoMed with the time interval from inception to March 1, 2024. The methodological quality of the included articles was assessed by ROB 2.0, and the GRADE system was employed to evaluate the quality of evidence. The gemtc package of R 4.1.2 was used to perform the network Meta-analysis. Finally, 63 RCTs with a total sample size of 5 750 cases were included, involving 11 Chinese medicine injections(Shuxuetong Injection, Danhong Injection, Shuxuening Injection, Ginkgo Damo Injection, Shenxiong Glucose Injection, Ligustrazine Injection, Salviae Miltiorrhizae and Ligustrazine Hydrochloride Injection, Salvianolic Acids for Injection, Dengzhan Xixin Injection, Guhong Injection, and Xueshuantong Injection). All patients received conventional western medicine treatment, and the experimental group was additionally treated with Chinese medicine injection. Network Meta-analysis yielded the following results.(1) In terms of improving the clinical total response rate, 11 Chinese medicine injections combined with conventional western medicine outperformed conventional western medicine alone, and Dengzhan Xixin Injection + conventional western medicine had the best effect.(2) In terms of reducing plasma viscosity, 7 Chinese medicine injections combined with conventional western medicine outperformed conventional western medicine alone, and Shenxiong Glucose Injection + conventional western medicine had the best effect.(3) In terms of reducing whole blood high shear viscosity, 6 Chinese medicine injections combined with conventional western medicine outperformed conventional western medicine alone, and Guhong Injection + conventional western medicine had the best effect.(4) In terms of reducing whole blood low shear viscosity, 6 Chinese medicine injections combined with conventional western medicine outperformed conventional western medicine alone, and Shuxuening Injection + conventional western medicine had the best effect.(5) In terms of reducing fibrinogen, 9 Chinese medicine injections combined with conventional western medicine outperformed conventional western medicine alone, and Ginkgo Damo Injection + conventional western medicine had the best effect.(6) In terms of increasing the average blood flow velocity, 3 Chinese medicine injections combined with conventional western medicine outperformed conventional western medicine alone, and Shuxuening Injection + conventional western medicine had the best effect. In summary, compared with conventional western medicine alone, Chinese medicine injections combined with conventional western medicine were effective in improving the clinical total response rate and the average blood flow velocity, as well as reducing plasma viscosity, whole blood high shear viscosity, whole blood low shear viscosity, and fibrinogen. However, due to the limited quality and quantity of the included articles, the above conclusions need to be verified by more high-quality, multi-center, and large-sample RCT.
Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Injections ; Ischemic Attack, Transient/drug therapy* ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Treatment Outcome