Objective:To explore the clinical value of CT identification of vascular variations in the dorsal side of right middle segmental bronchus before thoracoscopic lobectomy.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 3 patients who underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy at Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital from July 2022 to March 2024 and had a variant blood vessel on the dorsal side of the right middle segmental bronchus. Relevant literature was also reviewed.Results:Among the 3 patients, 2 were female and 1 was male, with ages of 66, 50 and 69 years old, respectively. Prior to admission, imaging examinations revealed space-occupying lesions or nodes in the right lung, and all patients underwent thoracoscopic right lobectomy and systematic lymph node dissection. Postoperative pathology diagnosed adenocarcinoma in the lower lobe of the right lung, cystic adenoma in the upper lobe of the right lung and invasive adenocarcinoma in the lower lobe of the right lung. Preoperative chest CT scans revealed an abnormal blood vessel on the dorsal side of the right middle segmental bronchus, and its direction and confluence with the right lower pulmonary vein or left atrium were observed on the downward CT imaging. This was confirmed and treated accordingly during surgery. All 3 patients had no postoperative complications and recovered smoothly. Follow-up showed good health status.Conclusions:The vascular variation on the dorsal side of the right middle segmental bronchus has obvious characteristic manifestations on chest CT. Identifying the variation by CT before thoracoscopic lobectomy can effectively ensure surgical safety and reduce the occurrence of postoperative complications.

Objective To screen biomarkers for forensic identification of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) by non-targeted metabolomic studies on changes of urine metabolites in rats with AMI.Methods The rat models of the sham surgery group,AMI group and hyperlipidemia+acute myocardial infarction (HAMI) group were established.Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) was used to analyze the changes of urine metabolic spectrometry in AMI rats.Principal compo-nent analysis,partial least squares-discriminant analysis,and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis were used to screen differential metabolites.The MetaboAnalyst database was used to analyze the metabolic pathway enrichment and access the predictive ability of differential metabolites.Results A total of 40 and 61 differential metabolites associated with AMI and HAMI were screened,respec-tively.Among them,22 metabolites were common in both rat models.These small metabolites were mainly concentrated in the niacin and nicotinamide metabolic pathways.Within the 95% confidence in-terval,the area under the curve (AUC) values of receiver operator characteristic curve for N8-acetyl-spermidine,3-methylhistamine,and thymine were greater than 0.95.Conclusion N8-acetylspermidine,3-methylhistamine,and thymine can be used as potential biomarkers for AMI diagnosis,and abnormal metabolism in niacin and nicotinamide may be the main causes of AMI.This study can provide reference for the mechanism and causes of AMI identification.

Objective To establish a comprehensive evaluation system for the patient monitor clinical application based on real world data(RWD)to provide references for levels of medical institutions to purchase patient monitors.Methods RWD method was used to collect clinical application data of the monitors from 14 medical institutions in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,and a Chinese brand X(including X1 series for mid-end products and X2 series for high-end products)and a foreign brand Y(including Y1 series for mid-end products and Y2 series for high-end products)with the highest market share were selected to construct a monitor clinical application evaluation system involving in five indicators such as clinical efficacy,applicability,reliability,instrument function and service system.Data processing was carried out with Mantel-Haenszel analysis,propensity score analysis and pairwise comparison method to calculate the clinical application evaluation scores of X and Y brands of monitors.Results In the mid-end products,X series gained advantages over Y series in clinical efficacy,reliability and applicability(P＜0.05),while the differences between the service systems were not statistically signifi-cantly(P＞0.05);in the high-end products,there were no significant differences between the clinical efficacy,applicability,reliability and service systems(P＞0.05).Brand X and Y monitors were equipped with similar basic and advanced functions.Conchision The evaluation system established based on real-world data can be able to effectively evaluate the clinical appli-cation of the monitor,which provides references for clinical application evaluation of medical devices in China.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2023,44(11):71-78]

The paper explores the evolution of "bone-approaching" acupuncture, its effect target and mechanism. The concrete operation procedure of "bone-approaching" method is recorded originally in Huangdi Neijing (Inner Canon of Yellow Emperor) as short needling and Shu needling (referring to the category of the five needling technique). The periosteum is the most effective stimulation target of "bone-approaching" acupuncture for analgesia, regaining consciousness and regulating spirit. The "bone-approaching" acupuncture is not only prominently effective on bone bi syndrome, but also has the unique effect on painful, encephalogenic and emotional diseases. The paper summarizes and improves "bone-approaching" acupuncture, i.e. "touching bone surface" with needle tip by slow insertion, "touching bone surface" without pain by swift insertion and "touching bone" with needle body by oblique insertion. It contributes to the inheritance, development and supplementation to the bone needling techniques in Huangdi Neijing and is significant for broadening the clinical application range of acupuncture.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Periosteum ; Analgesia ; Pain Management ; Consciousness ; Pain

Objective: To understand the current status of diagnosis and treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) /small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) among hematologists, oncologists, and lymphoma physicians from hospitals of different levels in China. Methods: This multicenter questionnaire survey was conducted from March 2021 to July 2021 and included 1,000 eligible physicians. A combination of face-to-face interviews and online questionnaire surveys was used. A standardized questionnaire regarding the composition of patients treated for CLL/SLL, disease diagnosis and prognosis evaluation, concomitant diseases, organ function evaluation, treatment selection, and Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor was used. Results: ①The interviewed physicians stated that the proportion of male patients treated for CLL/SLL is higher than that of females, and the age is mainly concentrated in 61-70 years old. ②Most of the interviewed physicians conducted tests, such as bone marrow biopsies and immunohistochemistry, for patient diagnosis, in addition to the blood test. ③Only 13.7% of the interviewed physicians fully grasped the initial treatment indications recommended by the existing guidelines. ④In terms of cognition of high-risk prognostic factors, physicians' knowledge of unmutated immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable and 11q- is far inferior to that of TP53 mutation and complex karyotype, which are two high-risk prognostic factors, and only 17.1% of the interviewed physicians fully mastered CLL International Prognostic Index scoring system. ⑤Among the first-line treatment strategy, BTK inhibitors are used for different types of patients, and physicians have formed a certain understanding that BTK inhibitors should be preferentially used in patients with high-risk factors and elderly patients, but the actual use of BTK inhibitors in different types of patients is not high (31.6%-46.0%). ⑥BTK inhibitors at a reduced dose in actual clinical treatment were used by 69.0% of the physicians, and 66.8% of the physicians had interrupted the BTK inhibitor for >12 days in actual clinical treatment. The use of BTK inhibitors is reduced or interrupted mainly because of adverse reactions, such as atrial fibrillation, severe bone marrow suppression, hemorrhage, and pulmonary infection, as well as patients' payment capacity and effective disease progression control. ⑦Some differences were found in the perceptions and behaviors of hematologists and oncologists regarding the prognostic assessment of CLL/SLL, the choice of treatment options, the clinical use of BTK inhibitors, etc. Conclusion: At present, a gap remains between the diagnosis and treatment of CLL/SLL among Chinese physicians compared with the recommendations in the guidelines regarding the diagnostic criteria, treatment indications, prognosis assessment, accompanying disease assessment, treatment strategy selection, and rational BTK inhibitor use, especially the proportion of dose reduction or BTK inhibitor discontinuation due to high adverse events.
Female ; Humans ; Male ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/drug therapy* ; Prognosis ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; Immunohistochemistry ; Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains/therapeutic use*

Objective:To investigate the protective mechanism of TAK242, a specific inhibitor of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), on the liver of septic rats.Methods:Eighteen male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into three groups ( n = 6 in each group). The septic model was established by intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) 15 mg/kg. The rats in the TAK242 intervention group received intraperitoneal injection of TAK242 (5 mg/kg) before modeling, while the rats in the septic model group and the control group were injected with the same amount of solvent [10% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) + 90% corn oil]. Six hours later, the blood of abdominal aorta was collected and the levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The rats were sacrificed to obtain liver, the expression levels of TLR4, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-3 (caspase-3), nuclear factor-κB p65 (NF-κB p65) and phosphorylated NF-κB p65 (p-NF-κB p65) were detected by Western blotting. Immunohistochemical staining was used to observe NF-κB p65 protein expression in liver, and hepatocyte injury was assessed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Results:Serum ALT and AST levels in the septic model group were significantly higher than those in the control group [ALT (μg/L): 26.639±7.814 vs. 2.847±2.150, AST (μg/L): 28.442±8.417 vs. 5.779±3.019, both P < 0.01]. The ALT and AST levels in the TAK242 intervention group were significantly lower than those in septic model group [ALT (μg/L): 7.269±3.398 vs. 26.639±7.814, AST (μg/L): 3.580±3.115 vs. 28.442±8.417, both P < 0.01]. Light microscopy showed that the hepatocytes in the septic model group were disordered, with obvious cell edema and increased inflammatory cells infiltration; the hepatocytes in the TAK242 intervention group were more neatly arranged, with significantly reduced hepatocyte edema and reduced inflammatory cells infiltration. Western blotting results showed that caspase-3 protein expression in hepatic tissue of septic model group was significantly higher than that in the control group (caspase-3/GAPDH: 0.794±0.164 vs. 0.482±0.055, P < 0.05), and caspase-3 protein expression in the TAK242 intervention group significantly decreased than that in the septic model group (caspase-3/GAPDH: 0.482±0.056 vs. 0.794±0.164, P < 0.05), which indicated that TAK242 could attenuate hepatocytes apoptosis of septic rats. The expression of IL-6, TNF-α and TLR4 protein and the ratio of p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 in hepatic tissue of septic model group were significantly higher than those in control group (IL-6/GAPDH: 1.442±0.204 vs. 1.019±0.024, TNF-α/GAPDH: 1.089±0.098 vs. 0.806±0.005, TLR4/GAPDH: 1.292±0.085 vs. 0.941±0.087, p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 ratio: 1.936±0.081 vs. 1.579±0.183, all P < 0.05), IL-6, TNF-α and TLR4 protein expression and p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 ratio in the TAK242 intervention group were significantly lower than those in septic model group (IL-6/GAPDH: 1.035±0.042 vs. 1.442±0.204, TNF-α/GAPDH: 0.572±0.096 vs. 1.089±0.098, TLR4/GAPDH: 0.984±0.078 vs. 1.292±0.085, p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 ratio: 1.484±0.255 vs. 1.936±0.081, all P < 0.05), it is suggested that LPS-induced sepsis could activate the inflammatory response mediated by TLR4/NF-κB pathway in liver, and the activation of TLR4/NF-κB pathway was inhibited by TAK242 through the TLR4 pathway, therefore, the inflammation of liver in septic rats was reduced. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the positive expression of NF-κB p65 in liver was significantly increased in the septic model group compared with the control group; the positive expression of NF-κB p65 was significantly reduced in the TAK242 intervention group compared with the septic model group, and there was almost no positive expression in the nucleus. Conclusion:TAK242 could reduce liver function injury and protect the liver by inhibition TLR4/NF-κB pathway in septic rats.

To investigate the potential molecular markers and drug-compound-target mechanism of Mahuang Shengma Decoction(MHSM) in the intervention of acute lung injury(ALI) by network pharmacology and experimental verification. Databases such as TCMSP, TCMIO, and STITCH were used to predict the possible targets of MHSM components and OMIM and Gene Cards were employed to obtain ALI targets. The common differentially expressed genes(DEGs) were therefore obtained. The network diagram of DEGs of MHSM intervention in ALI was constructed by Cytoscape 3. 8. 0, followed by Gene Ontology(GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) enrichment analyses of target genes. The ALI model was induced by abdominal injection of lipopolysaccharide(LPS) in mice. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF) was collected for the detection of inflammatory factors. Pathological sectioning and RT-PCR experiments were performed to verify the therapeutic efficacy of MHSM on ALI. A total of 494 common targets of MHSM and ALI were obtained. Among the top 20 key active compounds of MHSM, 14 from Ephedrae Herba were found to be reacted with pivotal genes of ALI [such as tumor necrosis factor(TNF), tumor protein 53(TP53), interleukin 6(IL6), Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4), and nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)/p65(RELA)], causing an uncontrolled inflammatory response with activated cascade amplification. Pathway analysis revealed that the mechanism of MHSM in the treatment of ALI mainly involved AGE-RAGE, cancer pathways, PI3 K-AKT signaling pathway, and NF-κB signaling pathway. The findings demonstrated that MHSM could dwindle the content of s RAGE, IL-6, and TNF-α in the BALF of ALI mice, relieve the infiltration of inflammatory cells in the lungs, inhibit alveolar wall thickening, reduce the acute inflammation-induced pulmonary congestion and hemorrhage, and counteract transcriptional activities of Ager-RAGE and NF-κB p65. MHSM could also synergically act on the target DEGs of ALI and alleviate pulmonary pathological injury and inflammatory response, which might be achieved by inhibiting the expression of the key gene Ager-RAGE in RAGE/NF-κB signaling pathway and downstream signal NF-κB p65.
Acute Lung Injury/genetics* ; Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Lung/metabolism* ; Mice ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Network Pharmacology ; Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction

Computed tomography (CT) examination is the major measure for detecting and diagnosis of foreign bodies in human body. Although CT has high sensitivity in diagnosis of foreign body, some interference factors may still lead to missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis. Here we report a rare case that a bamboo stick accidentally pierced into the left chest of a young man who was drunk and unware of this hurt. The patient experienced cough, chest pain, fever, hemoptysis, and was misdiagnosed as primary and secondary tuberculosis based on chest CT examinations at a local hospital, although no tubercular bacillus detected by sputum smear. He subsequently received anti-tuberculous treatments in the following three years, but no improvement of his symptoms was observed. Until one month before his death, the bamboo stick was detected by spiral CT examination as well as three-dimensional image reconstruction at another hospital. Postmortem examination revealed pneumonia, pulmonary infarction, and abscess as the causes of his death. We analyze the potential reasons of misdiagnosis in this case, aiming to provide reference for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary inflammation associated with foreign body in the future.
Abscess ; Diagnostic Errors ; Humans ; Male ; Pneumonia ; Pulmonary Infarction ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

Rhein (4,5-dihydroxyanthraquinone-2-carboxylic acid) is the primary anthraquinone in the roots of rhubarb. A recent study showed that rhein can inhibit tumor cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in human tumor cells. However, the clinical application of rhein has been hampered by its poor bioavailability, low aqueous solubility and gastrointestinal disorders. In current study, twenty-four target compounds were designed and synthesized by coupling various hydrophilic alkanolamines to the 2-carboxyl of rhein, and their structures were established by IR, HR-MS, ¹H NMR spectra. Solubility test showed that all compounds were 10.04 to 15.08 mg·mL^-1 in water, which was 220 to 330-fold better than that of rhein (0.045 6 mg·mL^-1). All of rhein derivatives displayed more potent anti-tumor activity than rhein, and most of them were comparable to adriamycin, particularly, compound 4t exhibited IC₅₀ value of 2.08 μmol·L^-1, more effective than adriamycin (IC₅₀=2.35 μmol·L^-1). Hydroxyapatite adsorption experiment suggests that compound 4t has a better bone affinity than that of tetracycline.

Objective To investigate the regulatory actions of Intestines-unblocking, Turbid-purging Recipe (ITR) on colonic 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and its receptor 5-hydroxytryptamine 3 (5-HT3) in rats with constipation-dominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C), and to explore the therapeutic mechanism of ITR in treating IBS-C. Methods Forty-two male SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups, namely normal group, model group, western medicine group, high-, middle- and low-dose Chinese medicine groups, 7 rats in each group. IBS-C rat model was established by intragastric administration of ice water. After establishment of the model, western medicine group was given intragastric administration of Cisapride Tablets (at the dosage of 3.6 mg·kg-1·d-1), Chinese medicine groups were given intragastric administration of various dosages of ITR granules (18.5, 9.25, 4.625 g·kg-1·d-1 respectively) , and the model group was given intragastric administration of normal saline, the treatment lasting 14 d. The rats in various groups were given normal feeding and drinking. After treatment, HE staining method was used to observe pathological changes in the intestinal tissue, immunohistochemistry method was used to observe the expression levels of intestinal 5-HT and 5-HT3 receptor. Results Compared with the normal group, the expression level of rat intestinal 5-HT was increased (P < 0.05) and that of 5-HT3 receptor was decreased (P < 0.05) in the model group and the medication groups. Compared with the model group, 5-HT expression level was decreased significantly (P<0.05) and 5-HT3 receptor expression level was increased (P < 0.05) in the medication groups, and the improvement of the middle-dose Chinese medicine group was more obvious (P < 0.05). Conclusion ITR has therapeutic efficacy for IBS-C rats through lowering 5-HT expression and increasing 5-HT3 receptor expression, which results into the improvement of intestinal sensitivity and abnormal dynamic of the rats.