OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of acupoint catgut embedding (ACE) on gut microbiota and fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) levels in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) with constipation. METHODS: A total of 80 PD patients with constipation were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 40 cases in each group. Additionally, 40 healthy individuals were recruited as a healthy control group. The control group received conventional Western medical treatment for PD combined with polyethylene glycol (PEG), once daily for eight weeks. The observation group received additional ACE treatment at bilateral Tianshu (ST25), Zusanli (ST36), and Shangjuxu (ST37), once every two weeks for eight weeks. The healthy control group received no intervention. The spontaneous bowel movements (SBMs) per week and patient assessment of constipation quality of life (PAC-QOL) scores were assessed at baseline and after treatment in the two groups. Fecal samples were collected at the end of treatment for the observation and the control groups and at baseline for the healthy control group. Gut microbiota composition and diversity were analyzed using 16S rRNA method, and SCFA levels were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). RESULTS: Compared before treatment, the observation group showed a significant increase in SBMs (P<0.01), and PAC-QOL scores including physical discomfort, psychosocial discomfort, worry and concern, and total score were significantly reduced (P<0.01) after treatment; the control group also showed a reduction in PAC-QOL total score after treatment (P<0.01). After treatment, the observation group had significantly more SBMs (P<0.01), and lower PAC-QOL physical discomfort, psychosocial discomfort, worry and concern scores, and total score (P<0.01), and higher PAC-QOL satisfaction score (P<0.01) than the control group. Compared with the healthy control group, the control group showed decreased Chao1 and Ace indices (P<0.01). Compared with the healthy control group, the relative abundance of Prevotella and Roseburia was increased (P<0.05), while that of Enterobacter and Ruminococcus torques (six species in total) was decreased (P<0.05) in the control group. Compared with the control group, the observation group had increased relative abundance of Dialister, Parabacteroides, and Ruminococcus torques (P<0.05), and decreased relative abundance of Prevotella and Eubacterium ruminantium (P<0.05). Compared with the healthy control group, the control group had increased fecal SCFA levels (P<0.05); compared with the control group, the observation group had reduced fecal SCFA levels (P<0.05). Compared with the healthy control group, acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid levels were elevated in the control group (P<0.05); compared with the control group, acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid levels were decreased in the observation group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION ACE could increase spontaneous bowel movements and improve the quality of life in PD patients with constipation, which may be related to the regulation of gut microbiota composition and SCFA levels.
Humans ; Constipation/metabolism* ; Male ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Acupuncture Points ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Parkinson Disease/complications* ; Aged ; Fatty Acids, Volatile/metabolism* ; Catgut ; Feces/microbiology* ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Quality of Life ; Adult

BACKGROUND: The available evidence regarding the benefits of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on patients receiving dialysis with coronary artery disease (CAD) is limited and inconsistent. This study aimed to evaluate the association between PCI and clinical outcomes as compared with medical therapy alone in patients undergoing dialysis with CAD in China. METHODS: This multicenter, retrospective study was conducted in 30 tertiary medical centers across 12 provinces in China from January 2015 to June 2021 to include patients on dialysis with CAD. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as a composite of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and non-fatal stroke. Secondary outcomes included all-cause death, the individual components of MACE, and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium criteria types 2, 3, or 5 bleeding. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the association between PCI and outcomes. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) and propensity score matching (PSM) were performed to account for potential between-group differences. RESULTS: Of the 1146 patients on dialysis with significant CAD, 821 (71.6%) underwent PCI. After a median follow-up of 23.0 months, PCI was associated with a 43.0% significantly lower risk for MACE (33.9% [ n  = 278] vs . 43.7% [ n  = 142]; adjusted hazards ratio 0.57, 95% confidence interval 0.45-0.71), along with a slightly increased risk for bleeding outcomes that did not reach statistical significance (11.1% vs . 8.3%; adjusted hazards ratio 1.31, 95% confidence interval, 0.82-2.11). Furthermore, PCI was associated with a significant reduction in all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities. Subgroup analysis did not modify the association of PCI with patient outcomes. These primary findings were consistent across IPTW, PSM, and competing risk analyses. CONCLUSION This study indicated that PCI in patients on dialysis with CAD was significantly associated with lower MACE and mortality when comparing with those with medical therapy alone, albeit with a slightly increased risk for bleeding events that did not reach statistical significance.
Humans ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Coronary Artery Disease/drug therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Renal Dialysis/methods* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; China ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND: Death burden of stroke is severe with over one-third rural residents in China, but there is still a lack of specific national and high-quality reports on the urban-rural differences in stroke burden, especially for subtypes. We aimed to update the understanding of urban-rural differences in stroke deaths. METHODS: This is a descriptive observational study. Data from the national mortality surveillance system, which covers 323.8 million with 605 disease surveillance points (DSPs) across all 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China. All deaths from stroke as the underlying cause from 2015 to 2020 according to DSPs. Crude mortality rate and age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) were estimated through DSPs. Average annual percentage change was used to explain the change in mortality rate. RESULTS: From 2015 to 2020, the majority of deaths from all stroke subtypes occurred in rural areas. There were significant differences between the changes of urban and rural ASMRs. On the whole, the changes in urban areas were evidently better, and the ASMR differences were basically expanding. Stroke ASMR in urban China decreased by 15.5%. The rural ASMR of ischemic stroke increased by 12.9%. The rural and urban ASMRs of intracerebral hemorrhage decreased by 24.9% and 27.4%, and those of subarachnoid hemorrhage decreased by 29.5% and 40.4%, respectively. The highest ASMRs of all stroke subtypes and the increasing trend of ischemic stroke ASMR make rural males the focus of stroke management. CONCLUSIONS The death burden of stroke varies greatly between urban and rural China. Rural residents face unique challenges.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Stroke/mortality* ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Male ; Female ; Urban Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Adult

Through network pharmacology and molecular docking technology, combined with in vitro experiment verification, we explored the mechanism of action of Porana racemosa Roxb. (PRA) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and provided a modern pharmacological basis for the treatment of RA by PRA. The potential target of chemical components in the analyzed moth rattan was predicted by Swiss Target Prediction database; OMIM, GeneCards, TTD and Disgenet databases were used to search the disease targets of RA; the protein interaction (PPI) network and medicine-composition-target network were constructed using STRING database and Cytoscape software; GO (gene ontology) functional enrichment and KEGG (kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes) pathway analysis were carried out using DAVID database, and molecular docking software was used to dock the potentially active ingredients of PRA and core targets; finally, MH7A cells were selected for cell viability, scratch healing and mRNA expression level analysis of key genes to explore the effects of PRA and their potentially active ingredients on the proliferation, migration and apoptosis of MH7A cells. In this study, a total of 628 potentially active ingredient targets, 1 890 RA targets and 235 intersection targets were identified. It was screened that the potentially active ingredients of RA treatment by PRA were ethylcaffeate, N-p-coumaroyltyramine, 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid, methyl ester and so on, and the core targets involved tumor necrosis factor (TNF), matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) and so on. 1 200 GO entries and 166 KEGG pathway entries were obtained from the enrichment analysis; molecular docking results showed that N-p-coumaroyltyramine and ethylcaffeate had good binding activity with TNF, MMP9, cysteine-aspartate protease 3 (CASP3), PTGS2, B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2) proteins. In vitro experiments showed that PRA, ethylcaffeate and N-p-coumaroyltyramine could inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of MH7A cells, up-regulate the expression of apoptosis-related gene CASP3 mRNA, and down-regulate the expression of MMP9, PTGS2 and BCL2 mRNA, and it can also down-regulate the expression of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and protein kinase B (AKT) mRNA and PI3K and p-AKT proteins. This study preliminarily revealed that the treatment of RA by PRA may be related to proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis and regulation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Turning to critical illness is a common stage of various diseases and injuries before death. Patients usually have complex health conditions, while the treatment process involves a wide range of content, along with high requirements for doctor′s professionalism and multi-specialty teamwork, as well as a great demand for time-sensitive treatments. However, this is not matched with critical care professionals and the current state of medical care in China. Telemedicine, which shortens the distance of medical professionals and the gap of disease diagnosis and treatments in various regions through electronic information, can effectively solve the current problem. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a standardized, high-quality visualization telemedicine round system .Therefore, experts have been organized to search domestic and foreign literature on telemedicine round for critically ill patients and to form this consensus based on clinical experiences so as to further improve the level of critical care treatments in regions.

Aim To explore the effects of D-limonene on the steatosis of primary mouse hepatocytes and its potential mechanism of action.Methods Oleic acid-induced steatosis in primary mouse hepatocytes was used as a model to observe the effects of D-limonene on cell viability,cellular lipid content,and intracellular expression of proteins such as AMP-activated protein kinase(AMPK),acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase 1(ACC1),and carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1A(CPT1A).Results It was found that a low dose of D-limonene could effectively enhance the viability of primary mouse hepatocytes.When oleic acid at a con-centration of 300 μmol·L-1 successfully induced steatosis in primary mouse hepatocytes,D-limonene re-duced the lipid content of the cells,and D-limonene up-regulated the cellular AMPK expression level,down-regulated the cellular ACC1 and fatty acid synthetase(FAS)expression levels,which in turn promoted the overexpression of CPT1A.Conclusions D-limonene has the effect of reducing lipid deposition in primary mouse hepatocytes,and the mechanisms may be related to the activation of AMPK,the inhibitions of ACC1 and FAS,and the up-regulation of CPT1A protein expres-sion level.

Objective To understand the current situation of healthcare-associated infection(HAI)in China,pro-vide data support and decision-making basis for formulating scientific and effective strategies for HAI prevention and control.Methods A nationwide cross-sectional survey on HAI was conducted among various types and levels of medical institutions in China according to a unified protocol of bedside surveys and case investigations.Results In 2024,a total of 5 736 medical institutions and 2 751 765 patients were surveyed.Among them,34 889 HAI cases were identified,with a prevalence rate of 1.27％.The number of HAI episodes was 38 032,and case prevalence rate was 1.38％.The prevalence rate of HAI in medical institutions in different regions of China ranged from 0.66％to 2.35％.Among medical institutions of different scales,those with a bed capacity of ≥900 had the high-est incidence of HAI,reaching 1.65％.The most common infection site was the lower respiratory tract(44.66％),followed by the urinary tract(12.94％),surgical site(9.32％),upper respiratory tract(7.02％),and bloodstream infection(5.78％).The top 3 departments with the highest HAI rates were the general intensive care unit(10.02％),department of neurosurgery(5.51％),and department(group)of hematology(5.34％).A total of 23 238 strains of HAI pathogens were detected,with 10 714 strains(46.10％)from lower respiratory tract speci-mens.The top 5 detected strains were Klebsiella pneumoniae(14.76％),Pseudomonas aeruginosa(13.33％),Escherichia coli(12.79％),Acinetobacter baumannii(9.23％),and Staphylococcus aureus(7.88％).231 944 pa-tients underwent class Ⅰ incision surgery were monitored,with 1 647 cases experienced surgical site infection,and the prevalence rate of surgical site infection was 0.71％.The number of patients who should undergo pathogen de-tection(patients receiving therapeutic and therapeutic combined prophylactic antimicrobial agents)was 715 179,while the actual number was 480 492,with a pathogen detection rate of 67.18％.425 225 patients received patho-genic detection before treatment,with a detection rate of 59.46％.Conclusion The overall HAI prevalence in Chi-na is lower,showing disparities among medical institutions of different regions and scales.Therefore,precise imple-mentation of measures is necessary for HAI prevention and control,with a focus on high-risk institutions and high-risk departments,key areas,and critical procedures.All levels of medical institutions should continuously reduce the incidence of HAI by strengthening monitoring,standardizing the use of antimicrobial agents,and reinforcing basic HAI prevention and control measures.

Objective To construct nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3)knockout mice in order to investigate the effects of NLRP3 knockout on radiation-induced acute pneumonitis and pulmonary fibrosis.Methods Nlrp3+/+and Nlrp3-/-mice were randomly divided into the control group and irradiation group.To induce radiation-caused acute pneumonitis,the control group was exposed to sham irradiation while the irradiation group was exposed to 60Co γ-rays at a dose of 22 Gy at a dose rate of 184.30 R/min.At 14 days post-irradiation,the body weight of each mouse and the wet weight of its lung tissue were measured separately using an analytical balance to calculate the lung coefficient.Quantitative real-time PCR(qPCR)and cytometric bead array(CBA)were used to detect inflammatory responses in lung tissues and serum.Hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining and F4/80 immunohistochemical staining were used to assess pathological changes and inflammatory cell infiltration in lung tissues.Cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-1(caspase-1)activation was analyzed by Western blotting.To establish a model of radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis,mice were irradiated with 60Co γ-rays at a dose of 18 Gy at a dose rate of 174.67 R/min.At 24 weeks post-irradiation,HE staining and Masson staining were performed to evaluate pulmonary fibrosis.Results NLRP3 knockout inhibited caspase-1 activation,reduced inflammatory responses in lung tissues and serum,suppressed macrophage infiltration,alleviated pulmonary edema,and thereby protected against acute radiation-induced lung injury.Additionally,NLRP3 knockout significantly ameliorated late-stage radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis.Conclusion NLRP3 knockout can mitigate both early radiation-induced pneumonia and lateradiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

Objective To develop a precise and efficient single-disease management model to reduce the intensity of antibiotic use.Methods Data was collected from surgical inpatient admissions at the Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital between Jan 2022 and Mar 2024.The study focused on the six most prevalent types of malignant tumors within single-disease management.Surgical patients who did not receive single-disease quality management from Jan 2022 to Jun 2023 were designated as the control group,while surgical patients who received single-disease quality management from Jul 2023 to Mar 2024 served as the management group.By formulating and implementing standardized policies and guidelines for antibiotic use,supervision and effect evaluation were conducted across departments.Results A total of 21 746 individuals were included in the control group and 15 635 in the management group.Following the introduction of the single-disease management model,the proportion of non-restricted antibiotics used in various single diseases increased from 73.2%-77.0%before management to 78.3%-84.4%after management,while the usage of restricted antibiotics significantly decreased(P<0.001).The intensity of antibiotic use,measured in defined daily doses(DDDs),fell significantly from 113.0-159.9 before management to 36.0-44.0 after management(P<0.001).Moreover,compared with the control group,the average length of stay in the intervention group did not change considerably,although the length of stay increased for some diseases,possibly due to more precise medication adjustments.Conclusion The single-disease management model optimizes antibiotic use,reduces the intensity of antibiotic use,and enhances overall medical quality and patient safety.