ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of exhalation-inhalation exercise on early pulmonary rehabi-litation for patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （AECOPD）. MethodsA total of 120 participants with AECOPD were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group， with 60 participants in each group. The control group treated with conventional western medicine， while the treatment group received exhalation-inhalation exercise training on the basis of conventional western medicine treatment， with 30 minutes per session and 5 sessions per week. The course of treatment for both groups was 12 weeks. The primary outcome was the 6-minute walking distance （6MWD）. The secondary outcomes included pulmonary function indexes including forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity （FEV1/FVC）， percentage of predicted forced expiratory volume in one second （FEV1%） and percentage of predicted forced vital capacity （FVC%）， St.George's Respiratory Questionnaire （SGRQ） score， modified Medical Research Council （mMRC） dyspnea scale score， COPD assessment test （CAT） score， hospital anxiety and depression scale-anxiety subscale ［HADS（A）］ score， and hospital anxiety and depression scale-depression subscale ［HADS（D）］ score. Meanwhile， safety of all participants was recorded and assessed. ResultsDuring the treatment， 12 participants dropped out from both the treatment group and the control group， with 48 participants in each group finally included in the analysis. The 6MWD of both groups after treatment was higher than that before treatment， and the 6MWD of the treatment group was higher than that of the control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. After treatment， the SGRQ score， mMRC score and CAT score of the treatment group were lower than those before treatment， while FEV1%， FVC% and FEV1/FVC were higher than those before treatment （P＜0.05）. Moreover， after treatment， the FEV1/FVC of the treatment group was higher than that of the control group， while the SGRQ score， mMRC score and CAT score were lower than those of the control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. There was no statistically significant difference in pulmonary function indexes， SGRQ score， mMRC score and CAT score after treatment in the control group （P＞0.05）. No statistically significant difference was observed in HADS（A） score and HADS（D） score after treatment within and between groups （P＞0.05）. The incidence of adverse reactions in the treatment group was 6.25% （3/48）， and 0 in the control group， with no statistically significant difference between groups （P＞0.05）. ConclusionExhalation-inhalation exercise for patients with AECOPD in early pulmonary rehabilitation can improve patients' exercise tole-rance， quality of life， clinical symptoms and pulmonary function， with good safety.

Intestinal tuberculosis (ITB) is a specific infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis invading the intestinal wall, encompassing two types: primary and secondary. In clinical practice, it is more commonly secondary to extrapulmonary tuberculosis, such as cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis. In recent years, the incidence of ITB has shown an increasing trend. Due to its insidious onset and the lack of obvious or specific early symptoms, early diagnosis is challenging, often leading to a prolonged disease course. Therefore, accurate early diagnosis is of great significance for the control and prevention of ITB. Currently, the primary diagnostic methods for tuberculosis include etiological examination, histopathological evaluation, molecular biological diagnosis, and imaging studies. This article summarizes recent advances in the application of these diagnostic techniques for ITB, aiming to provide valuable insights for healthcare professionals.

[Objective] To explore the incidence and risk factors of blood transfusion undergoing total knee revision (TKR) using a nationwide database. [Methods] A retrospective data analysis was conducted based on the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), enrolling patients who underwent TKR from 2015 to 2019 with complete information. Patients under 18 years old and those using anticoagulants, antiplatelets, antithrombotic and non-steroidal were excluded. The patients were divided into two groups based on whether they received blood transfusion or not. The demographic characteristics, length of stay (LOS), total charge of hospitalization, hospital characteristics, hospital mortality, comorbidities and perioperative complications by Wilcoxon rank test for continuous data and chi-square test for categorical data. Logistic regression was performed to identify risk factors of blood transfusion undergoing TKR. [Results] The NIS database included 63 359 patients who underwent TKR. Among them, 5 271 patients received blood transfusion, with an incidence of blood transfusion of 7.8%. There was a decrease in the incidence over the years from 2015 to 2019, dropping from 10.2% to 6.5%. TKR patients requiring transfusions had experienced longer LOS, incurred higher total medical expenses, utilized Medicare more frequently, and had increased in-hospital mortality rates (all P<0.001). Independent risk factors for blood transfusion included female gender, iron-deficiency anemia, rheumatoid disease, collagen vascular disease, chronic blood loss anemia, congestive heart failure, coagulopathy, diabetes with chronic complications, lymphoma, fluid and electrolyte disorders, peripheral vascular disorders, renal failure, valvular disease and weight loss (malnutrition). In addition, risk factors for transfusion in TKR surgery included sepsis, acute myocardial infarction, deep vein thrombosis, gastrointestinal bleeding, heart failure, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, acute renal failure, postoperative delirium, wound infection, lower limb nerve injury, hemorrhage, seroma, hematoma, wound rupture and non healing. [Conclusion] Our findings highlight the importance of recognizing the risk factors of blood transfusion in TKR and establishing corresponding clinical pathways and intervention measures to reduce the occurrence of adverse events.

Hormesis effect has been observed in the secondary metabolite synthesis of microorganisms induced by rare earth elements. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. To analyze the molecular mechanism of the regulatory effect of Rhodotorula mucilaginosa in the presence of lanthanum chloride, different concentrations of lanthanum chloride were added to the fermentation medium of Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, and the carotenoid content was subsequently measured. It was found that the concentrations of La³⁺ exerting the promotional and inhibitory effects were 0-100 mg/L and 100-400 mg/L, respectively. Furthermore, the expression of 33 genes and the synthesis of 55 metabolites were observed to be up-regulated, while the expression of 85 genes and the synthesis of 123 metabolites were found to be down-regulated at the concentration range of the promotional effect. Notably, the expression of carotenoid synthesis-related genes except AL1 was up-regulated. Additionally, the content of β-carotene, lycopene, and astaxanthin demonstrated increases of 10.74%, 5.02%, and 3.22%, respectively. The expression of 5 genes and the synthesis of 91 metabolites were up-regulated, while the expression of 35 genes and the synthesis of 138 metabolites were down-regulated at the concentration range of the inhibitory effect. Meanwhile, the content of β-carotene, lycopene, and astaxanthin decreased by 21.73%, 34.81%, and 35.51%, respectively. In summary, appropriate concentrations of rare earth ions can regulate the synthesis of secondary metabolites by modulating the activities of various enzymes involved in metabolic pathways, thereby exerting the hormesis effect. The findings of this study not only contribute to our comprehension for the mechanism of rare earth elements in organisms but also offer a promising avenue for the utilization of rare earth elements in diverse fields, including agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare.
Lanthanum/pharmacology* ; Rhodotorula/genetics* ; Carotenoids/metabolism* ; Hormesis/drug effects* ; Fermentation ; Multiomics

Objective:To investigate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of conditioning regimen with oral melphalan in tandem autologous hematopoieticstem cell transplantation (ASCT) for patients with malignant plasma cell diseases.Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted. The clinical data of 13 patients with malignant plasma cell diseases who underwent tandem ASCT between October 2019 and March 2024 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University were collected. Compared with the use of intravenous melphalan as conditioning regimen for the first ASCT, hematopoietic reconstruction after transplantation, the therapeutic effects, adverse reactions after drug usage and survival of conditioning regimen with oral melphalan after tandem ASCT were analyzed.Results:Among the 13 patients, there were 10 males and 3 females, with a median age [ M ( Q1, Q3)] of 53 (48, 61) years; 11 cases were multiple myeloma and 2 cases were plasma cell leukemia. Before the first ASCT, tandem ASCT was performed 2-6 months later. The median reconstruction time of neutrophils after the first and second ASCT were both 9 (9, 10) d, and the median reconstruction time of platelets after the first and second ASCT were both 10 (9, 11) d, and there were no statistically significant differences in reconstruction rate of granulocytes on day 9 [69.2% (9/13) vs. 61.5% (8/13)] and platelets on day 10 [46.2% (6/13) vs. 53.8% (7/13)] between the first and second transplantation (all P > 0.05). There were 4 cases of strict complete remission (sCR), 3 cases of complete remission (CR), 4 cases of very good partial remission (VGPR), and 2 cases of partial remission (PR) before the first ASCT. After the first ASCT 1 month later, 1 case achieved VGPR, 1 case achieved PR, 11 cases achieved sCR; all 13 patients achieved sCR at 6 months after second ASCT. Compared with conditioning regimen of intravenous melphalan for the first ASCT, the non-hematological adverse reactions such as nausea (7 cases vs. 9 cases), vomiting (4 cases vs. 13 cases), diarrhea (4 cases vs. 13 cases) and oral mucositis (2 cases vs. 9 cases) in the conditioning regimen of oral melphalan after the second ASCT was reduced, and the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.01). After the 2 transplantation conditioning regimen with melphalan, Ⅳ degree myelosuppression occurred in 13 cases. After the second ASCT, the median follow-up time was 14 (10, 22) months, 7 patients received maintenance therapy containing lenalidomide, 3 patients received maintenance therapy containing bortezomib, 2 patients received pomalidomide maintenance therapy, and 1 patient received maintenance therapy containing CD38 monoclonal antibody. At the last follow-up, all patients survived, among which 6 multiple myeloma patients relapsed; and the median recurrence time was 13 (10, 22) months after the second ASCT. The estimated 5-year progression-free survival rate was 28.6%. Conclusions:Conditioning regimen with oral melphalan for the second ASCT is safe and well tolerated, and it may further improve the efficacy of the first transplantation.

Objective To observe the safety and efficacy of levosimendan in the perioperative pe-riod for patients with pulmonary hypertension associated with valvular heart disease undergoing heart valve replacement surgery.Methods A total of 90 patients with pulmonary hypertension associated with valvular heart disease who underwent valve replacement surgery from April 2023 to May 2024 were enrolled.Based on the use of levosimendan,patients were divided into low-dose group,high-dose group,and control group,with 30 patients in each group.The control group received conventional drug therapy;the low-dose group received one dose of levosimendan from 3 days before surgery to 3 days after surgery combined with conventional drug therapy;the high-dose group received two doses of levosimendan from 3 days before surgery to 3 days after surgery combined with conventional drug therapy.Data on brain natriuretic peptide(BNP),left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVEDD),creatinine(Cr),mean pulmonary artery pressure(mPAP),PH related to left heart disease(PH-LHD)status,postoperative ICU stay,postoperative hospital stay,and cardiac function classification were collected and recorded at admission and before discharge.Results There were no statistically significant differences in gender,age,and body mass among the control group,low-dose group,and high-dose group(P＞0.05).There was no sta-tistically significant difference in the increase in Cr among the three groups(P＞0.05).There were statistically significant differences in postoperative ICU stay between the control group and the high-dose group,and between the control group and the low-dose group(P=0.017,0.028).However,there was no statistically significant difference in postoperative ICU stay between the low-dose group and the high-dose group(P=0.839).There were statistically significant differences in postopera-tive hospital stay between the control group and the high-dose group,and between the control group and the low-dose group(P=0.001,0.009),but no statistically significant difference was found between the low-dose group and the high-dose group(P=0.463).No serious complications oc-curred in any of three groups,and no patients withdrew from the study.Only one patient in the high-dose group experienced hypotension during the postoperative use of levosimendan,which nor-malized after fluid replacement.There was no statistically significant difference in the decrease in mPAP among the three groups(P＞0.05).There was a statistically significant difference in the de-crease in BNP between the control group and the high-dose group(P=0.025);however,there were no statistically significant differences in the decrease in BNP between the control group and the low-dose group,or between the low-dose group and the high-dose group(P=0.068,0.970).There was a statistically significant difference in the increase in LVEF between the control group and the high-dose group(P=0.019);however,there were no statistically significant differences in the increase in LVEF between the control group and the low-dose group,or between the low-dose group and the high-dose group(P=0.055,0.652).There were statistically significant differences in the decrease in LVEDD between the control group and the low-dose group,and between the control group and the high-dose group(P=0.019,0.033);however,there was no statistically significant difference between the low-dose group and the high-dose group(P=0.829).In the control group,18 patients(60.0％)had clinically effective treatment,22 patients(73.3％)in the low-dose group,and 24 patients(80.0％)in the high-dose group.There was no statistically significant differ-ence in clinical efficacy among the three groups(P=0.220).Conclusion Levosimendan is safe and effective in the perioperative period for patients with pulmonary hypertension associated with valvular heart disease,and high-dose use can more significantly improve LVEF and reduce BNP levels.

Objective To analyze the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and copy number variation (CNV) of cardiac myxoma to find the SNP sites and CNV events that may play important roles in the occurrence of tumors. Methods The patients with myxoma admitted to our hospital from 2015 to 2019 were randomly selected. The SNP analysis and the CNV test in gene level were performed through whole exome sequencing (WES). The samples were divided into two groups according to the mean size of the tumor: a diameter≤5.7 cm group and a diameter>5.7 cm group. The analysis results were compared between the two groups. Results A total of 14 patients were enrolled, including 8 females and 6 males with a mean age of 61.4 (41-79) years. Thirty-seven cancer-genes with SNP were detected, among which 18 mutated sites had a mutation rate of>10%; and TP53, EP300 and CREBBP played a core binding role in protein-protein interaction-network. The GO enrichment results showed significant differences in the regulation of cell secretion of the mutated genes, and the KEGG enrichment results showed significant differences in the PI3K-AKT and JAK-STAT signaling pathways in the occurrence of myxoma. In addition, 17 new mutation sites of tumor genes with high mutation effect were found in SNP detection. The WES results of 14 samples showed that the CNV events were detected in 120 tumor genes of the samples, 10 of which were included in two tumor databases. The GO enrichment results showed significant differences in the tube development and regulation of cell proliferation, and the KEGG enrichment results showed significant differences in the comprehensive tumor signaling pathway. Statistical differences of ERCC6L and INTS6L in CNV test were found (P=0.030). Conclusion There may be multiple tumor gene site mutations in the process of tumor generation, among which there are multiple core tumor genes such as TP53, EP300 and CREBBP, regulating tumor cells through PI3K-AKT and JAK-STAT signaling pathways and playing an important role in tumor generation. The CNV of ERCC6L and INTS6L genes may be related to tumor growth.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) represents a paradigmatic approach to personalized medicine, developed through the systematic accumulation and refinement of clinical empirical data over more than 2000 years, and now encompasses large-scale electronic medical records (EMR) and experimental molecular data. Artificial intelligence (AI) has demonstrated its utility in medicine through the development of various expert systems (e.g., MYCIN) since the 1970s. With the emergence of deep learning and large language models (LLMs), AI's potential in medicine shows considerable promise. Consequently, the integration of AI and TCM from both clinical and scientific perspectives presents a fundamental and promising research direction. This survey provides an insightful overview of TCM AI research, summarizing related research tasks from three perspectives: systems-level biological mechanism elucidation, real-world clinical evidence inference, and personalized clinical decision support. The review highlights representative AI methodologies alongside their applications in both TCM scientific inquiry and clinical practice. To critically assess the current state of the field, this work identifies major challenges and opportunities that constrain the development of robust research capabilities-particularly in the mechanistic understanding of TCM syndromes and herbal formulations, novel drug discovery, and the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered clinical care. The findings underscore that future advancements in AI-driven TCM research will rely on the development of high-quality, large-scale data repositories; the construction of comprehensive and domain-specific knowledge graphs (KGs); deeper insights into the biological mechanisms underpinning clinical efficacy; rigorous causal inference frameworks; and intelligent, personalized decision support systems.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Artificial Intelligence ; Humans ; Precision Medicine ; Decision Support Systems, Clinical