ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy and safety of Modified Guomin Decoction （加味过敏煎， MGD） in patients with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis （AD） of the traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） pattern of heart fire and spleen deficiency， and to explore its possible mechanisms. MethodsIn this randomized， double-blind， placebo-controlled study， 72 patients with mild to moderate AD and the TCM pattern of heart fire and spleen deficiency were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group， with 36 cases in each group. The treatment group received oral MGD granules combined with topical vitamin E emulsion， while the control group received oral placebo granules combined with topical vitamin E treatment. Both groups were treated twice daily for 4 weeks. Clinical efficacy， TCM syndrome scores， Visual Analogue Scale （VAS） for pruritus， Dermatology Life Quality Index （DLQI） scores， Scoring Atopic Dermatitis （SCORAD） and serum biomarkers， including interleukin-33 （IL-33）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， immunoglobulin E （IgE）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） were compared before and after treatment. Safety indexes was also assessed. ResultsThe total clinical effective rates were 77.78% （28/36） in the treatment group and 38.89% （14/36） in the control group， with cure rates of 19.44% （7/36） and 2.78% （1/36）， respectively. The treatment group showed significantly better clinical outcomes compared to the control group （P＜0.05）. The treatment group exhibited significant reductions in total TCM syndrome scores， including erythema， edema， papules， scaling， lichenification， pruritus， irritability， insomnia， abdominal distension， and fatigue scores， as well as reductions in VAS， DLQI， SCORAD， and serum IgE and IL-33 levels （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared to the control group， the treatment group had significantly better improvements in all indicators except for insomnia （P＜0.05）. No adverse events occurred in either group. ConclusionMGD is effective and safe in treating mild to moderate AD patients with heart fire and spleen deficiency pattern. It significantly alleviates pruritus， improves TCM syndromes and quality of life， and enhances clinical efficacy， possibly through modulation of immune responses.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of Ruyi Zhenbaowan（RYZBW）in the treatment of initial and early knee osteoarthritis （KOA） through a prospective multicenter，randomized，double-blind，and placebo-parallel controlled trial. MethodFrom October 13^th， 2021 to December 25^th， 2021， 240 KOA subjects meeting the acceptance criteria were enrolled in 15 sub-centers including Wangjing Hospital， Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences， and they were randomly divided into observation group and control group， with 120 cases in each group. The intervention measures for the observation group were RYZBW + health education， and the intervention measures for the control group were RYZBW placebo + health education. The intervention period in both groups was four weeks， and they were followed up for four weeks after the intervention. The primary outcome measure was the total score of Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index score （WOMAC score）， and the secondary outcome measures were the response rate of visual scale （VAS） pain score， WOMAC sub item scores （joint pain， joint stiffness， and joint function）， quality of life （SF-12） score， and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome score. Result（1） Efficacy evaluation. The marginal model results showed that the observation group was better than the control group in improving the WOMAC total score and WOMAC pain score in the treatment of KOA with RYZBW， and the difference was statistically significant （P<0.05）. There was no significant difference between the two groups in improving VAS score response rate， WOMAC function score， WOMAC stiffness score， SF12-PCS （quality of life-physical health） score， SF12-MCS （quality of life-mental health） score， and TCM syndrome score. （2） Subgroup analysis. ① In terms of VAS score response rate， the response rate of the observation group was higher than that of the control group for subjects with baseline VAS score of （4， 5］， and the difference was statistically significant （P<0.05）. ② In terms of TCM syndrome score， for subjects aged ［56， 60］ and ［61， 65］， the decrease in total TCM syndrome score in the observation group was better than that in the control group， and the difference was statistically significant （P<0.05）. ConclusionTibetan medicine RYZBW has good clinical efficacy in improving WOMAC total score， VAS score response rate， WOMAC pain score， WOMAC function score， and TCM syndrome score for patients with initial and early KOA， which can fill the lack of Tibetan medicine RYZBW in the treatment of KOA and make a demonstration study for the inheritance and development of ethnic medicine.

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by host's dysfunctional response to infection, which is an important cause of health threat worldwide. Recent studies have found that the metabolic disorder of iron homeostasis is closely related to sepsis. The body has a highly accurate iron metabolism and regulation system to prevent iron deficiency or iron overload. The imbalance of intracellular iron homeostasis is now considered to be one of the important mechanisms of sepsis and may be a new target for clinical intervention.

AIM:To investigate the mechanism by which resveratrol(Res)up-regulates the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α)/BCL2-adenovirus E1B 19 kD-interacting protein 3(BNIP3)signaling pathway to induce autophagy,thereby alleviating cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury(CIRI)in rats.METHODS:Totally 120 SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups:sham group,CIRI group,Res group,Res+HIF-1α activator CoCl2 group,Res+HIF-1α inhibitor 2-methoxyestradiol(2ME2)group,and Res+autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine(3-MA)group.Twelve rats with failed surgical modeling were excluded,leaving 18 rats in each group.The rats in CIRI group,Res group,Res+CoCl2 group,Res+2ME2 group and Res+3-MA group were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO)modeling using the su-ture method,with 2 h of ischemia followed by 24 h of reperfusion.The rats in sham group underwent MCAO modeling sur-gery without suture insertion.The Zea Longa modified scoring method was used to assess rat neurological behavior,TTC staining was used to measure rat cerebral infarct volume,and immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting were performed to detect the expression levels of HIF-1α,BNIP3,beclin-1 and mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR)proteins in the rat cerebral cortex.RESULTS:Compared with CIRI group,the rats treated with Res showed significantly improved spon-taneous behavioral function and reduced cerebral infarct volume.The expression of HIF-1α,BNIP3 and beclin-1 proteins increased,while mTOR protein expression decreased in rat brain tissue.Compared with the Res group,rats treated with Res+CoCl2 showed further improvement in spontaneous behavioral function and further reduction in cerebral infarct vol-ume.The expression of HIF-1α,BNIP3 and beclin-1 proteins increased,while mTOR protein expression decreased in rat brain tissue.Rats in the Res+2ME2 and Res+3-MA groups exhibited weakened neurological function and increased cere-bral infarct volume,accompanied by decreased expression of HIF-1α,BNIP3 and beclin-1 proteins,and increased expres-sion of mTOR protein in rat brain tissue.CONCLUSION:Resveratrol may alleviate cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury by upregulating the HIF-1α/BNIP3 pathway and subsequently activating autophagy.

Objective To explore prescription and syndrome law of TCM in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD);To provide reference for clinical medication.Methods The relevant literature on the treatment of NAFLD with TCM was retrieved from CNKI,VIP,Wanfang Data and CBM from the establishment of the databases to October 31,2023.Excel 2019,Lantern 5.0 and SPSS Modeler 18.0 software were used to analyze the latent structure model,association rules and frequency statistics of high-frequency drugs(≥3%)to explore the prescription and syndrome law of TCM in the treatment of NAFLD.Results A total of 453 prescriptions were included,involving 260 kinds of Chinese materia medica,with a cumulative frequency of 4 910 times.The high-frequency drugs were Crataegi Fructus,Salviea Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Alismatis Rhizoma,Bupleuri Radix,Poria and Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma,etc.The efficacy categories were mainly tonic medicine,diuretic dampness medicine,blood circulation-activating and stasis-resolving medicine,heat-clearing medicine and qi-regulating medicine.The latent structure model obtained 12 latent variables,24 latent classes,and 7 comprehensive clustering models.The commonly used prescriptions were Erchen Decoction,Yinchenhao Decoction,Danggui Shaoyao Powder,Sini Powder,Sijunzi Decoction,Weiling Decoction,Zhuyu Decoction and Dihuang Decoction categorized formula.Conclusion NAFLD is the syndrome of deficiency in root and excess in superficiality.Spleen deficiency is the root cause,phlegm,dampness,heat and blood stasis are the symptoms.In clinical practice,it is mainly based on tonifying qi and spleen,cooperating with the methods of resolving phlegm,eliminating dampness,clearing heat and activating blood circulation.

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infected children in convalescence in Tianjin. Methods: A total of 104 pediatric patients infected by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant Tianjin First Central Hospital (designated hospital for SARS-CoV-2 infection in Tianjin) for convalescent treatment from January 22^nd, 2022 to February 24^th were included for a retrospective study.Clinical data including clinical typing, SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM test and 2019-nCoV nucleic acid test were collected.The cases were divided into 2-dose group and zero-dose group based on the doses of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. The children were divided into repositive group and negative group, according to the nucleic acid test during hospitalization. Chi-square test was used for the comparison between the groups. Results: The age of these 104 children was 10.0 (0.3, 14.0) years on admission, 53 children were males and 51 were females, 92 cases (88.5%) had mild symptoms, 12 cases (11.5%) had common symptoms.The age and SARS-CoV-2 IgG level of zero-dose group was lower (2.0 (0.3, 10.2) vs. 10.0 (3.2, 14.0) years, 10 (2, 17) vs. 193 (157, 215), χ²=-5.57, Z=-48.76,both P<0.001) than that of 2-dose group. The zero-dose group had a high rate of transmission among family members and a high level of SARS-CoV-2 IgM level (13/14 vs. 62.2% (56/90), 0.4 (0.2, 0.8) vs. 0.4 (0.2, 1.1),χ²=5.09, Z=-48.95, both P<0.05) than the 2-dose group. Repositive group had a high rate of underlying diseases and SARS-CoV-2 IgM level was higher (2/13) vs. 1.1% (1/91), (0.6 (0.2, 1.0) vs. 0.3 (0.2, 0.7), χ²=8.29, Z=2.70, both P<0.05) than negative group. The SARS-CoV-2 IgG level of repositive group was lower than that of negative group (160 (78, 197) vs. 213 (186, 231), χ²=-3.20, P<0.05). Conclusions: Children infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in Tianjin were mainly transmitted by family members, and most of them had mild symptoms. Two-dose group had higher IgG levels and lower IgM levels than zero-dose group.The probability of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid test repositivity increased in children with underlying diseases and lower IgG levels.
Antibodies, Viral ; COVID-19/therapy* ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin M ; Male ; Nucleic Acids ; Retrospective Studies ; SARS-CoV-2

ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of An'erning granules in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in children. MethodA randomized， double-blind， single-simulation， placebo-controlled trial was designed in this study. The children were randomly assigned into an observation group （An'erning granules combined with ceftriaxone sodium） and a control group （An'erning granules placebo combined with ceftriaxone sodium） according to the ratio of 2∶1. The disease cure rate was taken as the main indicator of efficacy， and the safety of An'erning granules was observed. ResultA total of 206 children （137 in the observation group and 69 in the control group） were included in this study. Before treatment， the age， sex， body height， body weight， diagnosis time of pneumonia， and symptom and sign scores had no significant differences between the two groups. After 8 days of continuous medication， the observation group［70.80%（97/137）］ had higher cure rate than the control group［56.52%（39/69）］（χ²=4.17，P<0.05） and total effective rate of chest X-ray ［97.98%（97/99）］ than the control group［86.27%（44/51）］ （χ²=12.98，P<0.01）. The observation group was superior to the control group in the alleviation of TCM syndrome under the condition of 0-3 g dose stratification on day 3 of medication （P<0.01）. The recovery time， time to complete fever abatement， time to fever abatement and expectoration alleviation， rate of conversion to severe case， and reduction in the frequency of antibiotic use showed no significant differences between the two groups. In terms of safety， 13 and 7 adverse events occurred in the observation group and control group， respectively， which were relieved or disappeared after drug withdrawal or symptomatic treatment and showed no significant difference between the two groups. ConclusionIntravenous drip of ceftriaxone sodium combined with An'erning granules is effective in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in children. It can accelerate the absorption of pulmonary inflammation， alleviate the clinical symptoms in a short time for young children or the children with mild symptoms， and is safe in clinical application.

Objective:To evaluate the potential effects of serum lipid levels, appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI) and body mass index (BMI), together with its dynamic changes, on tumor progression in renal clear cell carcinoma patients, so as to inform body weight management.Methods:This prospective cohort study included a total of 100 patients with high-risk clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Serum lipid levels were detected, ASMI and BMI were measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis and the dynamic changes of BMI were tracked. The effects of BMI, ASMI and serum lipid levels on tumor progression within 2 years were explored.Results:Patients with normal BMI and low ASMI had 5.248 (95% CI: 1.946 to 14.153, P = 0.001) times higher risk of tumor progression than those who were overweight or obese. For every 0.1-unit increase in pre-operative HDL-C, the risk of tumor progression decreased by 0.771 (95% CI: 0.631 to 0.942, P = 0.011) times. Patients who experienced more than 5% decrease in BMI compared with baseline had 5.165 (95% CI: 1.735 to 15.370, P = 0.003) times the progression risk of patients whose BMI changed within ±5% from baseline. Conclusions:The advantage of obese clear cell carcinoma patients over normal-weight patients in tumor progression-free survival may be influenced by ASMI, pre-onset involuntary weight loss and lipid levels. Therefore, patient weight management should not merely focus on absolute BMI but tailor to individual characteristics, including cancer stage, body composition and metabolic status.

Objective:To explore the difference of high-risk factors between early-onset and late-onset pre-eclampsia, and to further understand high-risk factors of pre-eclampsia.Methods:Clinical data of pre-eclampsia pregnant women in 160 medical institutions in China in 2018 were retrospectively analyzed, including 8 031 cases of early-onset pre-eclampsia and 12 969 cases of late-onset pre-eclampsia. The proportion of high-risk factors, different body mass index (BMI) and age stratification between early-onset group and late-onset group were compared.Results:(1) Univariate analysis of high-risk factors: the proportions of high-risk factors in early-onset group and late-onset group were compared, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Among them, the proportions of primipara and multiple pregnancy in early-onset group were lower than those in late-onset group, while the proportions of pregnant women with advanced age, irregular antenatal examination, obesity, family history of hypertension, pre-eclampsia, diabetes, kidney diseases, immune system diseases and assisted reproductive technology were higher than those in late-onset group. (2) Hierarchical analysis of BMI: the proportion of pregnant women with BMI≥24 kg/m 2 in early-onset group [48.2% (2 828/5 872) vs 45.5% (4 177/9 181), respectively; P=0.001] and the proportion of pregnant women with BMI ≥28 kg/m 2 in early-onset group [19.5% (1 143/5 872) vs 18.0% (1 656/9 181), respectively; P=0.028] were significantly higher than those in late-onset group. (3) Age stratification analysis: the proportion of pregnant women aged 35-39 years in the early-onset group [21.8% (1 748/8 023) vs 17.5% (2 110/12 068), respectively; P<0.01], the proportion of pregnant women 40-44 years old [6.8% (544/8 023) vs 5.4% (648/12 068), respectively; P<0.01], and the proportion of pregnant women ≥45 years old [0.7% (58/8 023) vs 0.5% (57/12 068), respectively; P=0.021] were significantly higher than those in the late-onset group. (4) Multivariate analysis: advanced age (≥35 years old), multiple pregnancy, irregular antenatal examination or transfer from other hospitals, family history of hypertension (including paternal, maternal and parental lines), previous history of pre-eclampsia, kidney diseases, immune system diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome) and assisted reproductive technology pregnancy were the risk factors affecting the severity of pre-eclampsia (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Pregnant women with high risk factors such as age ≥35 years old, BMI ≥24 kg/m 2 before pregnancy, family history of hypertension, history of pre-eclampsia, chronic kidney diseases, immune diseases (mainly including systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid syndrome) and assisted reproductive technology are more likely to have early-onset pre-eclampsia.

Objective:To establish a tissue based assay and in-house cell based assay combined system to screen anti-metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 antibodies in a case of previously idiopathic encephalitis with prominent cerebellar ataxia and make the final diagnosis, and to summarize and analyze clinical characteristics and treatment response of the disease.Methods:A middle-aged woman admitted to Department of Neurology, People's Liberation Army General Hospical Accredited to the Sixth Medical Center in January 9, 2020, who presented with acute dizziness, unsteady gait and developed head titubation, repeated language and calculation impairment was reported. The patient′s serum and cerebrospinal fluid were firstly tested with commercial kits for conventional neural antibodies.Then samples were incubated with rat hippocampus, cerebellum and human embryonic kidney 293 cells transfected with metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 plasmid to screen extra antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence method. By reviewing literature, physical functions of metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 and clinical features of anti-metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 antibodies associated encephalitis were summarized.Results:The patient was neural antibodies negative with commercial kits. Further investigation showed neuropil staining pattern after her serum and cerebral spinal fluid were incubated with rat brain slices. The characteristic "Medusa head" staining pattern of Purkinje cells in cerebellum was also noticed. Along with her previous head titubation symptom, an in-house cell based assay using human embryonic kidney 293 cells transfected with metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 plasmid was developed and proved the existence of anti-metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 antibodies. The final diagnosis of anti-metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 antibodies associated encephalitis was made. One-year follow-up revealed her serum antibodies titers dramatically decreased and cerebrospinal fluid antibodies were negative after using steroids and intravenous immunoglobulin, but still left prominent cerebellum atrophy and severe ataxia.Conclusions:Anti-metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 antibodies may cause acute encephalitis. Cerebellar ataxia and head titubation are characteristic symptoms of metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 autoimmunity. The response to immunotherapies is limited and patients may have severe neurological deficits.