Jiuwei Xifeng Granules have become a Chinese patent medicine in the market. Because the formula contains Os Draconis, a top-level protected fossil of ancient organisms, the formula was to be improved by replacing Os Draconis with Ostreae Concha. To evaluate whether the improved formula has the same effectiveness and safety as the original formula, a randomized, double-blind, parallel-controlled, equivalence clinical trial was conducted. This study enrolled 288 tic disorder(TD) of children and assigned them into two groups in 1∶1. The treatment group and control group took the modified formula and original formula, respectively. The treatment lasted for 6 weeks, and follow-up visits were conducted at weeks 2, 4, and 6. The primary efficacy endpoint was the difference in Yale global tic severity scale(YGTSS)-total tic severity(TTS) score from baseline after 6 weeks of treatment. The results showed that after 6 weeks of treatment, the declines in YGTSS-TSS score showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. The difference in YGTSS-TSS score(treatment group-control group) and the 95%CI of the full analysis set(FAS) were-0.17[-1.42, 1.08] and those of per-protocol set(PPS) were 0.29[-0.97, 1.56], which were within the equivalence boundary [-3, 3]. The equivalence test was therefore concluded. The two groups showed no significant differences in the secondary efficacy endpoints of effective rate for TD, total score and factor scores of YGTSS, clinical global impressions-severity(CGI-S) score, traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) response rate, or symptom disappearance rate, and thus a complete evidence chain with the primary outcome was formed. A total of 6 adverse reactions were reported, including 4(2.82%) cases in the treatment group and 2(1.41%) cases in the control group, which showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. No serious suspected unexpected adverse reactions were reported, and no laboratory test results indicated serious clinically significant abnormalities. The results support the replacement of Os Draconis by Ostreae Concha in the original formula, and the efficacy and safety of the modified formula are consistent with those of the original formula.
Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Tic Disorders/drug therapy* ; Treatment Outcome

A high-performance liquid chromatography method using pre-column derivatization with 6-aminoquinolyl-N-hydroxysuccinimidyl carbamate was developed to determine the content of 15 amino acids in the medicinal snakes Bungarus Parvus, Agkistrodon, and Zaocys. The results showed that the total amino acid(TAA) content ranged from 277.13 to 515.05 mg·g~(-1), with the top four amino acids in all three species being glutamic acid(Glu), glycine(Gly), aspartic acid(Asp), and lysine(Lys). The essential amino acid(EAA) content ranged from 74.56 to 203.94 mg·g~(-1), with Agkistrodon exhibiting the highest content. The non-essential amino acid(NEAA), semi-essential amino acid(semi-EAA), and medicinal amino acid(MAA) content ranged from 189.06 to 318.23, 12.89 to 33.53, and 179.83 to 342.33 mg·g~(-1), respectively, with Zaocys having the highest content in these categories. Amino acid nutritional value was evaluated using the amino acid ratio(RAA), amino acid ratio coefficient(RCAA), and amino acid ratio coefficient score(SRCAA), and the results indicated that all three medicinal snakes possessed good nutritional value. The amino acid composition was similar across the species, though significant differences in content were observed. Based on these differences, an orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) model was established, which could clearly distinguish between the three medicinal snake species. The key differences in amino acid content included Gly, tyrosine(Tyr), Glu, and serine(Ser), which may be related to the observed clinical application differences among the species. Further research into the mechanisms of these differential amino acids is expected to provide more insights into the clinical application disparities of these three medicinal snake species.
Amino Acids/chemistry* ; Animals ; Nutritive Value ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Snakes/classification* ; Bungarus

Objective:To investigate the clinical diagnosis and treatment of IgG4-related disease（IgG4-RD） primarily involving the nasal cavity and skull base. Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 8 patients with IgG4-RD primarily involving the nasal cavity and skull base who visited the Nasal and Skull Base Surgery Department at Xiangya Hospital from October 2017 to January 2024. The cohort comprised 4 males and 4 females, aged 8 to 69 years. Clinical data, laboratory examination results, imaging findings, histopathological results, and treatment plans were collected. The clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up results of IgG4-RD primarily involving nasal cavity and skull base were summarized and previous literature were also reviewed. Results:The initial symptoms in the 8 patients included nasal congestion, headache, sensory function decline, and facial deformities. Three patients also had parotid and pulmonary involvement. Among the 8 patients, 4 underwent partial surgical resection combined with glucocorticoid therapy; 1 underwent partial surgical resection combined with glucocorticoid and immunosuppressant therapy; 1 received glucocorticoid therapy alone; and 2 received glucocorticoid combined with immunosuppressant therapy. Follow-up was conducted one month after treatment, lasting from 5 to 79 months. During the follow-up period, recurrence was observed in 1 patient treated with glucocorticoid combined with immunosuppressants and in 1 patient treated with glucocorticoid alone, while the other 6 patients achieved significant remission. Conclusion:The diagnosis of nasal cavity and skull base IgG4-RD requires the combination of histopathology, laboratory tests, and imaging results. Treatment primarily includes glucocorticoids or combined immunosuppressants. For patients with significant compression symptoms, sensory function impairment, or facial deformities, surgical resection is an important treatment option. Given the high risk of recurrence, early intervention, active treatment, and long-term follow-up are crucial.
Humans ; Male ; Skull Base/pathology* ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Aged ; Nasal Cavity/pathology* ; Adult ; Immunoglobulin G4-Related Disease/therapy* ; Immunoglobulin G ; Child ; Young Adult ; Adolescent

Objective To investigate the results of ambulatory electrocardiographic(ECG)monitoring in a community-based homebound elderly population and to explore the applicability of wearable long-range ambulatory ECG monitor for them.Methods Elderly volunteers were recruited in Shuangbei Community,Shapingba District,Chongqing,from November 2021 to June 2023.A single-lead wearable ambulatory ECG recorder was applied to them to obtain ECG for 7 consecutive days.The adverse reactions,acceptability,monitoring duration,and arrhythmia detection rate during the wearing were described and recorded.Serious arrhythmic events included frequent atrial premature,atrial flutter,atrial fibrillation(AF),frequent ventricular premature,and RR intervals ≥5 s.Results There were 416 individuals enrolled,with a mean age of 71.2±6.6 years,and a male percentage of 36.1％(150 men).Finally,384(92.3％)participants completed the wearing of the ECG monitor for 7 d,with an average time of 159.2±29.4 h.There were 179 participants(48.5％)reporting no discomfort during wearing,and 175 ones(47.4％)feeling itchy at the wearing site.The monitoring results showed that the common arrhythmias were atrial premature contractions(97.1％),premature ventricular contractions(93.3％),atrial tachycardia(84.6％),bradycardia(46.6％),frequent atrial premature contractions(15.1％),ventricular tachycardia(13.2％),and long RR interval(11.8％).Among them,29.1％of the participants experienced serious arrhythmic events,and the detection rate of certain serious arrhythmic events was comparatively higher in the individuals≥70 years of age and those with history of previous cardiac disease.Conclusion The detection rate of common arrhythmias is quite high in the community-based homebound elderly population.A 7-day long-range ambulatory ECG monitoring may be appropriate.

Objective To analyze and construct systolic blood pressure(SBP)fluctuation trajectory in a community population with hypertension and to analyze the factors influencing different trajectories.Methods This is a community-based retrospective cohort study.A latent class trajectory model was used to identify and construct longitudinal trajectories of blood pressure change.Multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the associated factors of blood pressure trajectories by adjusting for different confounders.Potential confounding factors were identified using a directed acyclic graph based on a priori knowledge.Results A total of 793 patients with hypertension were enrolled in the analysis.They were divided into 3 groups by LCTM-fitted systolic blood pressure trajectories,namely stable low-level group(n=561,70.74％),declining group(n=170,21.44％)and rising group(n=62,7.82％).Significant differences were observed among the 3 trajectories groups in terms of age,frequency of exercise,ways of follow-up,salt intake,compliance behavior,and referral(P＜0.05).Compared to the stable low-level group and adjusting for corresponding confounding factors,the male patients and the patients with"outpatient follow-up"were more likely to be classified into"declining group",with OR and 95％CI of 1.436(1.016～2.030)and 1.702(1.202～2.410),respectively.The participants aged ≥ 65 years,who did not exercise or occasionally exercised,and had moderate and severe salt intake,were more likely to be classified into the"rising group"(OR=1.949,2.284,2.433,4.540,95％CI:1.145～3.317,1.305～3.998,1.272～4.654,1.291～15.963).Conclusion SBP trajectories in community-dwelling hypertensive population can be divided into stable low-level,declining and rising groups.Gender,age,salt intake,exercise frequency,and follow-up methods may be influencing factors for SBP blood pressure trajectory.