1.Qingxin Zishen Decoction Treats Menopausal Syndrome Due to Yin Deficiency with Effulgent Fire by Regulating KNDy Neurons
Yuxin ZHOU ; Rongqing ZHANG ; Su LU ; Meijuan XU ; Yun CHEN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(6):119-125
ObjectiveTo explore the comprehensive effects of Qingxin Zishen decoction on the symptom score and neuroendocrine indexes and the mechanism of the decoction in regulating KNDy neurons in the patients with menopausal syndrome. MethodA total of 60 patients with menopausal syndrome due to yin deficiency with effulgent fire who attended the menopausal outpatient of Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine were randomized into an experimental (Qingxin Zishen decoction) group (30 cases) and a control (femoston) group (30 cases). The treatment lasted for 12 weeks in both groups. The two groups were compared in terms of the comprehensive efficacy, frequency and degree of hot flashes and sweating, modified Kupperman score, and the serum levels of hypothalamic peptide kisspeptin, neurokinin B (NKB), dynorphin (Dyn), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and estradiol (E2). Result① Comprehensive efficacy: The comprehensive efficacy of the two groups was comparable. ② Frequency and degrees of hot flashes and sweating: After treatment, the frequency and degrees of hot flashes and sweating in the two groups were reduced (P<0.05) and the control group outperformed the experimental group (P<0.05). ③ Modified Kupperman score and menopausal symptoms: After treatment, the modified Kupperman score decreased in both groups (P<0.05). After 4 weeks of treatment, the experimental group was superior to the control group in terms of the scores of dizziness and headache (P<0.05). ④ Serum levels of sex hormones: After treatment, the serum E2 level elevated and the FSH level lowered in both groups (P<0.05), and the changes were more obvious in the control group (P<0.05). ⑤ Neuroendocrine indexes: After treatment, the serum levels of kisspeptin and NKB in the two groups decreased (P<0.05), and the serum Dyn level in the experimental group increased (P<0.05). Moreover, the experimental group had higher Dyn level than the control group after treatment (P<0.05). ConclusionQingxin Zishen decoction can alleviate hot flashes, sweating, and other symptoms in the women with menopausal syndrome by acting on the KNDy neurons to lower the kisspeptin and NKB levels and elevate the Dyn level. The findings provide new ideas for the clinical treatment of hot flashes in menopause.
2.Comparison of interobserver variations in delineation of target volumes and organs-at-risk for intensity-modulated radiotherapy of nasopharyngeal carcinoma among physicians from different levels of cancer centers
Meining CHEN ; Yimei LIU ; Yinglin PENG ; Qiuying XIE ; Jinping SHI ; Rong HUANG ; Chong ZHAO ; Xiaowu DENG ; Meijuan ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Medical Physics 2024;41(3):265-272
Objective To assess inter-observer variations(IOV)in the delineation of target volumes and organs-at-risk(OAR)for intensity-modulated radiotherapy(IMRT)of nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC)among physicians from different levels of cancer centers,thereby providing a reference for quality control in multi-center clinical trials.Methods Twelve patients with NPC of different TMN stages were randomly selected.Three physicians from the same municipal cancer center manually delineated the target volume(GTVnx)and OAR for each patient.The manually modified and confirmed target volume(GTVnx)and OAR delineation structures by radiotherapy experts from the regional cancer center were used as the standard delineation.The absolute volume difference ratio(△V_diff),maximum/minimum volume ratio(MMR),coefficient of variation(CV),and Dice similarity coefficient(DSC)were used to compare the differences in organ delineation among physicians from different levels of cancer centers and among the 3 physicians from the same municipal cancer center.Furthermore,the IOV of GTVnx and OAR among physicians from different levels cancer centers were compared across different TMN stages.Results Significant differences in the delineation of GTVnx were observed among physicians from different levels of cancer centers.Among the 3 physicians,the maximum values of △V_diff,MMR,and CV were 97.23%±83.45%,2.19±0.75,and 0.31±0.14,respectively,with an average DSC of less than 0.7.Additionally,there were considerable differences in the delineation of small-volume OAR such as the left and right optic nerves,chiasm,and pituitary,with average MMR>2.8,CV>0.37,and DSC<0.51.However,relatively smaller differences were observed in the delineation of large-volume OAR such as the brainstem,spinal cord,left and right eyeballs,and left and right mandible,with average△V_diff<42%,MMR<1.55,and DSC>0.7.Compared with the differences among physicians from different levels cancer centers,the differences among the 3 physicians from the municipal cancer center were slightly reduced.Furthermore,there were also differences in the delineation of target volumes for NPC among physicians from different levels cancer centers,depending on the staging of the disease.Compared with the delineation of target volumes for earlier stage patients(stages I or II),the differences among physicians in the delineation of target volumes for advanced stage patients(stages III or IV)were smaller,with average △V_diff and DSC of 98.31%±67.36%vs 69.38%±72.61%(P<0.05)and 0.55±0.08 vs 0.72±0.12(P<0.05),respectively.Conclusion There are differences in the delineation of GTVnx and OAR in radiation therapy for NPC among physicians from different levels of cancer centers,especially in the delineation of target volume(GTVnx)and small-volume OAR for early-stage patients.To ensure the accuracy of multicenter clinical trials,it is recommended to provide unified training to physicians from different levels of cancer centers and review their delineation results to reduce the effect of differences on treatment outcomes.
3.An analysis of results of 392 times of CT quality control and room radiological protection testing in Guangdong Province, China
Xiyuan CHENG ; Yanpeng LIAO ; Shupeng LIU ; Chuang WANG ; Meijuan ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Radiological Health 2024;33(1):61-67
Objective To provide a theoretical basis for radiation health supervision through an analysis of the situation of computed tomography (CT) equipment quality control and CT room radiological protection in Guangdong Province, China in recent years. Methods We collected the data of 392 times of CT quality control and radiological protection testing by a third-party radiological health technical service institution in Guangdong Province from 2019 to 2021. We analyzed the levels of CT-owning hospitals, CT manufacturers, CT quality control test results, and the pass rate of radiation protection tests. Results The examined CT scanners were from different levels of hospitals in Guangdong Province, and were manufactured by nine major CT equipment manufacturers at home and abroad. The pass rate of CT room radiological protection was 99.88%, and the ambient dose equivalent rates of five monitoring points exceeded the limit, with four at the control room door and one at the shield wall of the room. The overall pass rate of CT equipment quality control was 99.49%, and the non-conforming parameters were the accuracy of positioning light and the deviation of reconstructed slice thickness. Conclusion In recent years, CT equipment quality control and room radiation protection in Guangdong Province have been at a high level.
4.Establishing and evaluating a risk prediction model for colonoscopy bowel preparation failure based on automated machine learning
Ganhong WANG ; Jian CHEN ; Zhijia SHEN ; Meijuan XI ; Yanting ZHOU
China Journal of Endoscopy 2024;30(5):36-47
Objective Given the extensive application of machine learning(ML)in medical models and its remarkable learning and generalization capabilities,this study employed automated ML(AutoML)combined with patient demographics and clinical conditions to early assess the risk of failure in bowel preparation prior to colonoscopy.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients who underwent colonoscopy examinations in Hospital 1 and Hospital 2 from January 2022 to January 2023,and their general and clinical information was collected.According to the Boston bowel preparation scale(BBPS),a BBPS of≤5 was defined as a failure in bowel preparation,>5 was deemed satisfactory.From the data of the two hospitals,we randomly divided the dataset into a training set(n=303)and a validation set(n=76)at an 8∶2 ratio.Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)logistic regression(LR)model was used for feature selection,a nomogram scoring system was constructed,and models were established using AutoML based on five algorithms.Model performance was evaluated through receiver operator characteristic curve(ROC curve),calibration curves,LR-based decision curve analysis(DCA),SHAP plots,and force plots.Results Among the 379 patients,105 cases(27.7%)experienced bowel preparation failure(BBPS≤5).21 study variables were narrowed down to 10 through LASSO with 5-fold cross-validation,resulting in the development of a Nomogram chart with demonstrated reliability via calibration curves.Using the H2O platform and five algorithms[gradient boosting machine(GBM),deep learning(DL),generalized linear model(GLM),Stacked Ensemble and distributed random forest(DRF)],67 models were developed.Stacked Ensemble outperformed the others with an area under the curve(AUC)of 0.871,LogLoss of 0.403,and RMSE of 0.354,surpassing traditional LR model and other models.Variable importance contribution plots indicated significant predictive influences from factors such as the interval between laxative ingestion and examination,history of constipation,completion of laxative regimen,age,and presence of a companion during the procedure.Finally,SHAP plots and force plots revealed variable distribution patterns in binary classification predictions and the impact of variables on predictive outcomes.Conclusion The AutoML model based on the Stacked Ensemble algorithm exhibits clear clinical utility in early prediction of bowel preparation failure risk.Moreover,a clinically applicable column chart scoring tool is constructed.
5.Dermabrasion for the treatment of familial benign chronic pemphigus: a clinical observation of 6 cases
Yuqing SONG ; Nan YANG ; Linlin LIU ; Ziyi FENG ; Shixin HAN ; Meijuan ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Dermatology 2024;57(8):743-746
Objective:To analyze clinical efficacy and safety of dermabrasion for the treatment of familial benign chronic pemphigus.Methods:Clinical data were retrospectively collected from 6 patients with familial benign chronic pemphigus, who underwent dermabrasion in the Department of Dermatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University from February 2019 to July 2020. There were 3 males and 3 females, they were aged from 39 to 65 years, and their disease duration ranged from 10 to 40 years. All the patients were postoperatively followed up for 14 - 34 months. Response rates were calculated, and adverse reactions and recurrence were observed.Results:Dermabrasion was performed on the 6 patients in 55 body areas. After operation, complete recovery was observed in 36 areas (65.5%), marked improvement was noted in 13 areas (23.6%), and moderate improvement was observed in 6 areas (10.9%) ; there were no areas with no response, resulting in an overall response rate of 89.1%. Postoperatively, the patients experienced no obvious discomfort, and only slight hypopigmentation and mild scars remained. During the follow-up of 14 to 34 months, no recurrence was observed in the treated areas.Conclusion:Dermabrasion was safe and effective for the treatment of familial benign chronic pemphigus.
6.The mediation effect of emotional intelligence between social support and subjective well-being in hemodialysis nurses in Guangzhou
Xiaohui LI ; Hongzhen ZHOU ; Yingna LI ; Meijuan LI ; Jia LIU ; Lin WANG ; Linfei QUAN ; Zhenzhen WEN ; Huiyu LIU
Modern Clinical Nursing 2023;22(11):18-26
Objective To explore the mediation effect of emotional intelligence in social support and subjective happiness,and to provide practical guidance for scientific management of nursing talents in hemodialysis center.Methods Using a cross-sectional study,by a proportional stratified sampling method,from October 2022 to January 2023,800 hemodialysis nurses in Guangzhou area were selected as the respondents,using the general data adjustment table,general well-being schedule(GWB),social support rating scale(SSRS),and wong law emotional intelligence scale(WLEIS-C).The pearson correlation was used to analyze the correlation between emotional intelligence,social support and subjective happiness of hemodialysis nurses in Guangzhou;the process macro program was used to explore the mediation effect of emotional intelligence in social support and subjective happiness in Guangzhou.Results 707 valid questionnaires were collected,and the effective recovery rate was 88.38%.The total score of subjective well-being of hemodialysis nurses in Guangzhou was(75.67±8.17),the total score of emotional intelligence(82.29±16.20),and the total score of social support(38.76±8.40).The total score of social support was positively associated with the total score of subjective well-being(r=0.517,P<0.01)and the total score of emotional intelligence(r=0.633,P<0.01),the total score of emotional intelligence was positively related to the total score of subjective well-being(r=0.634,P<0.01).Social support had a direct effect on subjective well-being(β=0.165,95%CI:0.103-0.261),and indirectly affected it through the partial mediation effect of emotional intelligence(β=0.095,95%CI:0.069-0.142),and the indirect mediation effect accounted for 36.54%of the total effect.Conclusion Guangzhou area hemodialysis nurses subjective well-being is in upper level,and emotional intelligence in hemodialysis nurses social support and subjective happiness plays intermediary effect,managers should focus on hemodialysis nurses emotional intelligence,take various measures to improve their emotional intelligence level,enhance social support,so as to improve hemodialysis nurses subjective well-being.
7.Two cases of acute methyl acetate poisoning
Xianhan ZHU ; E REN ; Meijuan YU ; Yinji ZHOU ; Liwen SHEN ; Zuying HU
Chinese Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Diseases 2023;41(11):856-858
This article analyzed the clinical data and on-site occupational health survey results of a patient with occupational acute methyl acetate poisoning in Zhejiang. Based on the pathways of methyl acetate poisoning and the characteristics of target organ damage, diagnosis and treatment experience were summarized, providing reference for the diagnosis and treatment of occupational acute methyl acetate poisoning and occupational health monitoring of methyl acetate.
8.Two cases of acute methyl acetate poisoning
Xianhan ZHU ; E REN ; Meijuan YU ; Yinji ZHOU ; Liwen SHEN ; Zuying HU
Chinese Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Diseases 2023;41(11):856-858
This article analyzed the clinical data and on-site occupational health survey results of a patient with occupational acute methyl acetate poisoning in Zhejiang. Based on the pathways of methyl acetate poisoning and the characteristics of target organ damage, diagnosis and treatment experience were summarized, providing reference for the diagnosis and treatment of occupational acute methyl acetate poisoning and occupational health monitoring of methyl acetate.
9.Protective effects of lead collars on the thyroid in radiotherapy after breast cancer surgery
Xuemei CHEN ; Xiaobo JIANG ; Fuqiang CHEN ; Jiawei WU ; Weixun CAI ; Meijuan ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Radiological Health 2022;31(1):1-5
Objective :
To investigate the protective effects of different types of lead collars on the thyroid during radio-
therapy after breast-conserving surgery.
Methods:
Forty breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy after breast-con-
serving surgery were randomly divided into four groups to wear different lead collars for thyroid protection: control group (0 mm Pb), common material group (0.5 mm Pb), common material group (2 mm Pb), and new radiation-shielding material group (2 mm Pb). Radiation doses inside and outside lead collars were monitored. A questionnaire survey was conducted to acquire information on patient acceptance of the lead collars.
Results:
All the groups (except the control group) showed
significant differences between scattered radiation doses inside and outside lead collars (P < 0.05). The scattered radiation was attenuated by 33.64% on average in the 2-mm new material group, which was significantly higher than in the other groups (P < 0.05). After radiotherapy, there was no significant change in the color and appearance of skin under lead collars in any group. All the patients were normal at the first thyroid ultrasound re-examination. The 2-mm new material lead collar was the most acceptable.
Conclusion
The lead collar made of the new radiation-shielding material has a good protective
effect on the thyroid gland, and is easily accepted by patients, which can be promoted for application.
10.Efficient cascade biosynthesis of (S)-2-hydroxybutyric acid.
Lingzhi TIAN ; Junping ZHOU ; Taowei YANG ; Xian ZHANG ; Minglong SHAO ; Meijuan XU ; Zhiming RAO
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2021;37(12):4231-4242
2-Hydroxybutyric acid (2-HBA) is an important intermediate for synthesizing biodegradable materials and various medicines. Chemically synthesized racemized 2-HBA requires deracemization to obtain optically pure enantiomers for industrial application. In this study, we designed a cascade biosynthesis system in Escherichia coli BL21 by coexpressing L-threonine deaminase (TD), NAD-dependent L-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and formate dehydrogenase (FDH) for production of optically pure (S)-2-HBA from bulk chemical L-threonine (L-Thr). To coordinate the production rate and the consumption rate of the intermediate 2-oxobutyric acid in the multi-enzyme cascade catalytic reactions, we explored promoter engineering to regulate the expression levels of TD and FDH, and developed a recombinant strain P21285FDH-T7V7827 with a tunable system to achieve a coordinated multi-enzyme expression. The recombinant strain P21285FDH-T7V7827 was able to efficiently produce (S)-2-HBA with the highest titer of 143 g/L and a molar yield of 97% achieved within 16 hours. This titer was approximately 1.83 times than that of the highest yield reported to date, showing great potential for industrial application. Our results indicated that constructing a multi-enzyme-coordinated expression system in a single cell significantly contributed to the biosynthesis of hydroxyl acids.
Escherichia coli/genetics*
;
Formate Dehydrogenases
;
Hydroxybutyrates
;
Threonine Dehydratase

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