Community-acquired pneumonia （CAP） refers to an infectious inflammation of the lung parenchyma （including the alveolar wall，that is，the broad pulmonary interstitium） acquired outside the hospital. Its common pathogens include streptococcus pneumoniae，respiratory viruses， mycoplasma pneumoniae， and so on. The related factors for the occurrence and development of CAP include patient characteristics （immune function，mucus production and clearance function，coagulation function，physical condition， and comorbidity） and pathogen characteristics （susceptibility，virulence，and antibiotic resistance）. The pathogenesis of CAP lies in immune deficiency，pathogen invasion，inflammatory response disorder，mucus production and clearance disorder， coagulation disorder， and so on. The pathogenesis of CAP in traditional Chinese medicine can be described as "vital Qi deficiency and toxic stasis". Vital Qi deficiency （lack of immunity） is the potential pathogenesis of the disease and easy to be invaded by external pathogens （respiratory pathogens）. Toxic stasis （inflammatory disorder，mucus production and clearance disorder，and coagulation dysfunction） is the key pathogenic factor. Vital Qi deficiency and toxic stasis are intermingled in a state of deficiency and excess，which suggests that the treatment of CAP lies in strengthening vital Qi and eliminating pathogenic factors. This involves strengthening vital Qi in the whole process to consolidate body resistance and nourish promordial Qi. It also involves clearing heat，eliminating phlegm，removing dampness，and dispelling stasis to dispel pathogenic toxins based on the syndrome differentiation. Its action mechanism is to regulate immune and inflammatory responses，resist pathogens，and improve mucus production and clearance， as well as coagulation disorders. Starting from the key pathogenesis of CAP，"vital Qi deficiency and toxic stasis"， this paper discussed the pathogenesis of CAP and summarized the action mechanism of vital Qi strengthening for detoxification in its treatment. It is intended to complement the theoretical system by identifying "vital Qi deficiency and toxic stasis" as the key pathogenesis underlying CAP and the scientific connotation of treating CAP with vital Qi strengthening for detoxification，thereby providing insights for its clinical application.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of hypoxia-treated mesenchymal stem cell （MSCs） exosomes （Exo） and their loading with curcumin on microglial inflammatory responses， and to explore the enhancing effect of hypoxia treatment on the function of MSCs Exo. MethodsThe supernatants of human umbilical cord （hUC）-MSCs cultured under normal and hypoxic conditions were collected， and Exo were isolated using ultracentrifugation. After identification by transmission electron microscopy and Western blot， curcumin was loaded using the co-incubation method. The lipopolysaccharide （LPS）-induced microglial inflammation model was treated with dimethyl sulfoxide （DMSO）， curcumin， normoxia Exo， hypoxia Exo， normoxic Exo loaded with curcumin， and hypoxic Exo loaded with curcumin， respectively. The expression of the M1-type marker inducible nitric oxide synthase （iNOS） in BV2 cells was detected by immunofluorescence （IF）. Western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） were used to measure the expression and secretion levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and IL-6 in the cells and their culture supernatants. ResultsNormoxia Exo， hypoxia Exo， normoxic Exo loaded with curcumin， and hypoxic Exo loaded with curcumin exhibited a "saucer-like" shape with a diameter ranging from 30~150 nm， and the expression of exosomal markers CD9， CD81， and TSG101 were positive. After treating the BV2 cell inflammation model， IF results showed that， compared with the normoxia Exo group， treatment with hypoxic Exo significantly reduced the expression of iNOS. Moreover， when compared with the curcumin group and the normoxic Exo loaded with curcumin group， the expression level of iNOS significantly decreased after treatment with hypoxic Exo loaded with curcumin. The results of Western blot and ELISA indicated that， in comparison with the normoxia Exo group， treatment with hypoxic Exo significantly reduced the expression and secretion of the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-6. Additionally， when compared with the curcumin group and the normoxic Exo loaded with curcumin group， both the expression and secretion of TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-6 significantly decreased after treatment with hypoxic Exo loaded with curcumin. ConclusionHypoxia preconditioning can enhance the ability of hUC-MSCs-Exo in the inhibition of microglial polarization and inflammatory factors’ secretion. Additionally， using Hypoxia-MSCs-Exo as a drug-delivery carrier of curcumin can improve its solubility and stability， facilitating its absorption by cells and exerting the therapeutic effect of combination therapy.

BACKGROUND: Huaier granule is an important medicinal fungus extract widely used in cancer treatment. Previous retrospective studies have reported its effectiveness in breast cancer patients, but the imbalanced baseline characteristics of participants could have biased the results. Therefore, this retrospective study aimed to examine the efficacy of Huaier granule on the prognosis of breast cancer patients. METHODS: In this single-center cohort study, breast cancer patients diagnosed and treated at the Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine between 2009 and 2017 were selected. The data were retrospectively analyzed and divided into two groups according to whether the patients received Huaier granules. The propensity score matching (PSM) method was used to eliminate selection bias. The disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) for these groups were compared using the Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox regression. RESULTS: This study included 214 early invasive breast cancer patients, 107 in the Huaier group and 107 in the control group. In the Kaplan-Meier analysis, the 2-year and 5-year DFS rates were significantly different in the Huaier group and control group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.495; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.257-0.953; P = 0.023). The 2-year and 5-year OS rates were also significantly different (HR, 0.308; 95% CI, 0.148-0.644; P = 0.001). On multivariable Cox regression, Huaier granule was associated with improved DFS (HR, 0.440; 95% CI, 0.223-0.868; P = 0.018) and OS (HR, 0.236; 95% CI, 0.103-0.540; P = 0.001). CONCLUSION In this retrospective study, Huaier granules improved the DFS and OS of early invasive breast cancer patients, providing real-world evidence for further prospective studies on treating breast cancer with Huaier granules.
Humans ; Breast Neoplasms/mortality* ; Retrospective Studies ; Female ; Propensity Score ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Prognosis ; Disease-Free Survival ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Aged ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Complex Mixtures/therapeutic use* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Trametes

OBJECTIVE: To systematically search and integrate the best evidence for early rehabilitation of ICU-acquired swallowing dysfunction (ICU-ASD) using evidence-based medicine methods, providing high-quality evidence-based support for intensive care unit (ICU) healthcare professionals in implementing early rehabilitation assessment and intervention strategies for ICU-ASD. METHODS: The systematic search was conducted according to the "6S" pyramid evidence model. Multiple authoritative databases and resources were comprehensively searched, including: National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Canadian Medical Association Clinical Practice Guidelines Library (CMACPGL), New Zealand Guidelines Group (NZGG), Guidelines International Network (GIN), Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), PubMed/Medline, Cochrane Library, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Web of Science, JBI Evidence-Based Health Care Database, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), Chinese Medical Pulse Guidelines Website, SinoMed, CNKI, Wanfang Data, UpToDate, BMJ Best Practice, and professional association websites. The search encompassed guidelines, expert consensus statements, original studies [including cohort studies, quasi-experimental studies, and randomized controlled trials (RCT)], systematic reviews, and evidence summaries related to the prevention and management of ICU-ASD. The search period was limited from the inception of each database to November 30, 2024. The best evidence for early rehabilitation of ICU-ASD was summarized. The quality assessment of the literature and the extraction and synthesis of evidence were independently performed by two researchers with expertise in evidence-based medicine methodology. RESULTS: A total of 16 articles were included, consisting of 1 clinical decision-making study, 1 cohort study, 2 guidelines, 2 RCTs, 6 systematic reviews, 1 evidence summary, 2 expert consensuses, and 1 expert opinion. Following quality assessment, all 16 articles were incorporated into the analysis. For the early rehabilitation of ICU-ASD, five major themes were ultimately identified and 25 best evidence items were summarized, focusing on: multidisciplinary collaboration, swallowing screening and assessment, rehabilitation interventions, dietary and nutritional management, and oral hygiene. CONCLUSIONS The evidence summary provides individualized rehabilitation strategies for ICU-ASD patients, but their implementation still needs to be adapted to China's clinical practice context and patient preferences.
Humans ; Deglutition Disorders/etiology* ; Intensive Care Units ; Evidence-Based Medicine

Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics and pathogenic mutation of gene NUDT2 in the child with intellectual disability with or without peripheral neuropathy (IDDPN). Methods:The clinical characteristics and development of one child attending the Department of Rehabilitation of Tianjin Children's Hospital were evaluated retrospectively,and the relationship between the clinical phenotype and gene mutation profile of NUDT2 was analyzed. Results:The child had global developmental delay, special appearance, low muscle tone of the limbs, accompanied by peripheral nerve damage in the limbs, and whole exome sequencing found that the child carried a homozygous mutation of NUDT2 gene, c.34C>T (p.R12X), which was a nonsense mutation. Sanger verified that both parents were carriers of c.34C>T heterozygous mutations. In the inclusion of 10 registered IDDPN patients, it was found that all of them were homozygous mutations, and the clinical phenotypes all had different degrees of cognitive impairment and movement disorders, among which only 3 cases were complicated by peripheral nerve damage. Conclusions:The child in this case had low birth weight/length, weak sucking ability in infancy, cognitive impairment, peripheral nerve damage, and genetic testing showed homozygous nonsense mutation of NUDT2 gene, which provided evidence support for the clinical understanding of the disease.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of three-connections and four-screwings technique in the treatment of high double column acetabular fractures through a single ilioinguinal approach.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the data of 42 patients who had been treated for high double column acetabular fractures from June 2017 to June 2020 at Trauma Ward 2, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, The First Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Changde. There were 19 males and 23 females with an age of (42.7±25.6) years. 29 injuries were due to a traffic accident, 12 ones to fall from a height, and one to fall. The time from injury to operation was (4.5±2.1) days. All the patients were treated by the three-connections and four-screwings technique through a single ilioinguinal approach. Briefly, the anterior column was connected and secured to the main bone using 3 routes, and the posterior column was attached and fixated to the anterior column reset using 2 or 3 of the 4 screwings. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, fracture reduction quality, fracture healing time, hip function at the last follow-up and complications during the follow-up were recorded.Results:For this cohort, the operation time was (150.0±30.5) min, and intraoperative blood loss (300.0±50.0) mL. According to the Matta scale for postoperative acetabular fracture reduction, 34 cases were excellent, 6 cases good, and 2 cases acceptable, with an excellent and good rate of 95.2% (40/42). After operation one patient had fat liquefaction and wound exudation which responded to drainage and dressing change. The 42 patients were followed up for (15.0±3.4) months. All fractures healed after (11.0±2.0) months. By the modified Merle d'Aubigné & Postel scoring system, the hip function was evaluated at the last follow-up as excellent in 33 cases, as good in 6 cases, and as fair in 3 cases, yielding an excellent and good rate of 92.9% (39/42).Conclusions:In the treatment of high double column acetabular fractures, the three-connections and four-screwings technique through a single ilioinguinal approach can lead to fine reduction and rigid fixation by lag screw compression and neutralization plate protection. Consequently, early functional exercises can be performed to secure good therapeutic outcomes for the patients.

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of Hirudo， Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma， and drug pair on renal pathological morphology and protein phosphatase 2A （PP2A）/adenylate activated protein kinase （AMPK）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signal pathway in rats with chronic renal failure （CRF）. MethodThe 55 male SD rats were randomly divided into a normal group （n=11） and a modeling group （n=44）. The normal group was fed conventionally， and the modeling group was given 0.25 g·kg^-1·d^-1 adenine by gavage for 28 days to replicate the CRF model. After successful modeling， rats were randomly divided into model group， Hirudo group （3 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma group （3 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， and Hirudo + Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma group （3 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， with 9 rats in each group. The normal group and model group were given a constant volume of normal saline by intragastric administration for 30 days. At the end of the experiment， the levels of serum creatinine （SCr） and urea nitrogen （BUN） in all groups were measured. The renal pathological morphology changes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， Masson staining， and electron microscopy. The mRNA expressions of PP2A， AMPK， and mTOR were detected by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. The protein expression levels of PP2A， AMPK， phosphorylation（p）-AMPK， mTOR， and p-mTOR in renal tissue were detected by Western blot. ResultCompared with the normal group， the renal pathological structure changes were obvious， and the levels of SCr and BUN were significantly increased. The mRNA expression of PP2A， protein expression of PP2A， and p-mTOR/mTOR expression were significantly increased， and the p-AMPK/AMPK was significantly decreased in the model group （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the renal pathological morphology changes were significantly improved， and the levels of SCr and BUN were significantly decreased. The mRNA expression of PP2A， protein expression of PP2A， and p-mTOR/mTOR expression in the renal tissue were significantly decreased， and the p-AMPK/AMPK was significantly increased （P<0.05） in all groups after drug intervention. In addition， the effect in the Hirudo+Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma group was better. The mRNA expression levels of AMPK and mTOR in the renal tissue were not significantly different among the normal group， model group， and other groups. ConclusionThe efficacy of Hirudo and Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma pairs in improving renal fibrosis in rats with CRF is significantly better than that of the single drug， and its improvement on renal fibrosis in rats with CRF may be related to the regulation of PP2A/AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway.

V-ATPases are a class of multi-subunit protein complexes that utilize energy derived from ATP hydrolysis for mediating H + transport across cell membranes, which plays an important role in a range of life activities by acidifying the intracellular and extracellular environment. Variants of V-ATPase genes may lead to complete or partial loss of V-ATPase activity, which in turn may impair the ability of type A intercalated cells in renal tubules to pump H + into the tubular lumen, ultimately resulting in the onset of autosomal recessive distal renal tubular acidosis (dRTA). With the rapid development of molecular techniques, ATP6V0A4 and ATP6V1B1 have now been identified as the pathogenic genes for dRTA. Moreover, animal and cell experiments have substantiated the implication of V-ATPase subunit genes including ATP6V1C2 and ATP6V1G3 in the development of dRTA, though clinical evidence is still limited. This article has reviewed recent progress on the genetic and molecular mechanisms of V-ATPase subunit gene variants which can lead to dRTA, which may shed light on the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.

Objective To explore the high-quality development path of tertiary public hospitals and provide scientific reference for deepening the reform of public hospitals.Methods Based on SPO theory,it constructed an analytical framework for the high-quality development of tertiary public hospitals,collected data of a quarterly monitoring in-dex for the performance assessment and high-quality development of tertiary public hospitals in a certain province in 2023,and analysed 73 tertiary public hospitals participating in the performance assessment as the object of analy-sis,and adopted the fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis to explore different condition sets of high-quality de-velopment of tertiary public hospitals and reveal the path of high-quality development of public hospitals.Results High-quality development is the result of multi-factor interaction.Four configurations were identified to promote the high-quality development of tertiary public hospitals:service quality-technology-driven path,service quality-driven path,comprehensive service-driven path,and service quality-benefit-driven path.Quality safety and functional orientation were found to be the core elements in promoting high-quality development of public hospitals.Conclusion Hospitals at all levels should strengthen the guidance of party building,combine with the actual functional positioning,take quality and safety as the core,and optimize the combination conditions of technical level,personnel structure,service process,and cost control.It is essential to clarify the development strategy of hospitals,implement the dynamic concept,and realize the high-quality development of public hospitals.

Objective To explore the high-quality development path of tertiary public hospitals and provide scientific reference for deepening the reform of public hospitals.Methods Based on SPO theory,it constructed an analytical framework for the high-quality development of tertiary public hospitals,collected data of a quarterly monitoring in-dex for the performance assessment and high-quality development of tertiary public hospitals in a certain province in 2023,and analysed 73 tertiary public hospitals participating in the performance assessment as the object of analy-sis,and adopted the fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis to explore different condition sets of high-quality de-velopment of tertiary public hospitals and reveal the path of high-quality development of public hospitals.Results High-quality development is the result of multi-factor interaction.Four configurations were identified to promote the high-quality development of tertiary public hospitals:service quality-technology-driven path,service quality-driven path,comprehensive service-driven path,and service quality-benefit-driven path.Quality safety and functional orientation were found to be the core elements in promoting high-quality development of public hospitals.Conclusion Hospitals at all levels should strengthen the guidance of party building,combine with the actual functional positioning,take quality and safety as the core,and optimize the combination conditions of technical level,personnel structure,service process,and cost control.It is essential to clarify the development strategy of hospitals,implement the dynamic concept,and realize the high-quality development of public hospitals.