ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of Tongnaoyin on the blood-brain barrier status and neurological impairment in acute ischemic stroke （AIS） patients with the syndrome of phlegm-stasis blocking collaterals by dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging （DCE-MRI）. MethodsA total of 63 patients diagnosed with AIS in the Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine from October 2022 to December 2023 were enrolled in this study. According to random number table method，the patients were assigned into a control group （32 cases） and an observation group （31 cases）. The control group received conventional Western medical treatment，and the observation group took 200 mL Tongnaoyin after meals，twice a day from day 2 of admission on the basis of the treatment in the control group. After 7 days of treatment，the patients were examined by DCE-MRI. The baseline data for two groups of patients before treatment were compared. The National Institute of Health Stroke Scale （NIHSS） score and modified Rankin Scale （mRS） score were recorded before treatment and after 90 days of treatment for both groups. The rKtrans，rKep，and rVe values were obtained from the region of interest （ROI） of the infarct zone/mirror area and compared between the two groups. ResultsThere was no significant difference in the NIHSS or mRS score between the two groups before treatment. After 90 days of treatment，the NIHSS and mRS scores declined in both groups，and the observation group had lower scores than the control group （P<0.05）. After treatment，the rKtrans and rVe in the observation group were lower than those in the control group （P<0.01）. ConclusionCompared with conventional Western medical treatment alone，conventional Western medical treatment combined with Tongnaoyin accelerates the repair of the blood-brain barrier in AIS patients，thereby ameliorating neurological impairment after AIS to improve the prognosis.

OBJECTIVE To improve the efficiency and quality of dispensed oral drug management in the inpatient pharmacy， and ensure the safety of drug use in patients. METHODS SWOT （strength， weakness， opportunity， threat） analysis method was used to analyze the internal strengths and weaknesses， as well as the external opportunities and threats in the construction of a closed-loop management system for dispensed oral drugs in the inpatient pharmacy of our hospital， and propose improvement strategies. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS A refined， full-process， closed-loop traceability management system for dispensed oral drugs in the inpatient pharmacies was successfully established， which is traceable in origin， trackable in destination， and accountable in responsibility. After the application of this system， the registration rate of dispensed drug information and the correctness rate of registration content both reached 100%. The proportion of overdue drug varieties in the same period of 2024 decreased by 77.78% compared to March 2020， the inventory volume decreased by 29.50% compared to the first quarter of 2020， the per-bed medication volume decreased by 32.14% compared to the first quarter of 2020； the average workload per post in the same period of 2023 increased by 49.09% compared to 2019， the dispensing accuracy rate reached 100%， and the improvement rate of quality control problem increased by 25.25% compared to 2021. This system effectively improves the safety and accuracy of dispensed oral drug management in the inpatient pharmacy.

BackgroundInvasive vagus nerve stimulation therapy has been approved for the adjunctive treatment of treatment-resistant depression， which may contribute to the anti-inflammatory properties of vagus nerve stimulation （VNS）， whereas the efficacy of non-invasive transcutaneous cervical vagus nerve stimulation （tcVNS） in treating major depressive disorder （MDD） and its impact on plasma inflammatory factors remain unclear. ObjectiveTo observe the effect of escitaloprom combined with tcVNS on the status of depression， anxiety and sleep quality as well as the plasma levels of interleukin-6 （IL-6） and interleukin-10 （IL-10） in MDD patients， in order to provide references for the recovery and treatment of MDD patients. MethodsFrom August 21， 2019 to April 17， 2024， 45 patients who met the diagnostic criteria for MDD in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders， fifth edition （DSM-5） were recruited from the psychosomatic outpatient clinic of the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University. Subjects were divided into study group （n=23） and control group （n=22） using random number table method. All patients were treated with escitalopram. On this basis， study group added a 30-minute tcVNS therapy once a day for 4 weeks. While control group was given corresponding sham stimulation， and the duration of each stimulation lasted 30 seconds. Before and after 4 weeks of treatment， Hamilton Depression Scale-17 item （HAMD-17） was used to assess depressive symptoms， and HAMD-17 anxiety/somatization subfactor and insomnia subfactor were used to assess patients' anxiety/somatization symptoms and sleep quality. Levels of plasma IL-6 and IL-10 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. ResultsThe generalized estimating equation model yielded a significant time effect for HAMD-17 total score， anxiety/somatization subfactor score and insomnia subfactor score in both groups （Wald χ²=315.226， 495.481， 82.420， P<0.01）. After 4 weeks of treatment， HAMD-17 total score and anxiety/somatization subfactor score of study group were lower than those of control group， with statistically significant differences （Wald χ²=4.967， 32.543， P<0.05 or 0.01）， while no statistically significant difference was found in the insomnia subfactor score between two groups （Wald χ²=0.819， P=0.366）. Significant time effects were reported on plasma IL-6 and IL-10 levels in both groups （Wald χ²=21.792， 5.242， P<0.05 or 0.01）. Compared with baseline data， a reduction in plasma IL-6 levels was detected in both groups （Wald χ²=22.015， 6.803， P<0.01）， and an increase in plasma IL-10 levels was reported in study group （Wald χ²=5.118， P=0.024） after 4 weeks of treatment. ConclusionEscitalopram combined with tcVNS therapy is effective in improving depressive symptoms， anxiety/somatization symptoms and sleep quality in patients with MDD. Additionally， it helps reduce plasma IL-6 levels and increase IL-10 levels. ［Funded by Shaanxi Provincial Key Research and Development Program-General Project （number， 2023-YBSF-185）， www.clinicaltrials.gov number， NCT04037111］

Renal interstitial fibrosis （RIF） is a common pathological change process from the development of various chronic nephropathies to the end stage， and it is an important histological manifestation of renal function decline. At present， no effective anti-fibrosis drugs have been found in clinical practice. In recent years， with the continuous development of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） pharmacology， molecular biology， system biology， and network pharmacology， the research on regulating RIF with TCM monomer， single TCM， TCM compound， Chinese patent medicine， and TCM injection is deepening. Among them， Jianpi Yishen recipe， Shendi Bushen capsules， Jianzhong Bushen Xiaozheng decoction， Liuwei Dihuangtang， and Lycium barbarum polysaccharides can regulate transforming growth factor-β/small mother against decapentaplegic （TGF-β₁/Smads）， Wnt/β-catenin， and neurogenic locus notch homolog protein （Notch） signaling pathways. Wulingsan， Zhenwutang， pachymic acid ZA， pachymic acid ZC， and pachymic acid ZD， which mainly induce diuresis， can regulate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Hirudin， curcumin， and Fuzheng Huayu recipe， which mainly promote blood circulation， can inhibit inflammation-related pathways such as p-nuclear transcription factor-κB （NF-κB）， Toll-like receptor 4/p-nuclear transcription factor-κB （TLR4/NF-κB）， and Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （JAK/STAT）， so as to achieve anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidation effects and alleviate the progression of RIF. Shenshuai Xiezhuo decoction， Shenkang injection， and Shenshuai recipe， which are mainly used for invigorating Qi， removing blood stasis， and removing turbidity， can inhibit transdifferentiation of pericytes-myofibroblasts through vascular endothelial growth factor receptor （VEGFR） signaling pathway. At present， there are many studies on the regulation of the RIF signaling pathway by TCM， but there is a lack of a systematic summary. In this study， by combing the signaling pathway of TCM in the treatment of RIF， the effective target of TCM treatment is screened， and its possible mechanism is found， which provides new ideas for clinical treatment and new drug research and development.

OBJECTIVE To develop a prediction model for durable clinical benefit （DCB） in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma （ESCC） receiving programmed death-1 （PD-1） inhibitor. METHODS The clinical data of patients with advanced ESCC who received PD-1 inhibitor in Jieyang People’s Hospital were retrospectively collected between January 2020 to December 2023. Predictors were screened by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator （Lasso） regression， and a multivariable Logistic regression model was developed to predict DCB. A nomogram was constructed based on the model. Internal validation of the prediction model was performed by using the Bootstrap method， and the model was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve， calibration curve， and decision curve analysis. RESULTS A total of 91 patients with advanced ESCC were included. The results of Lasso regression combined with Logistic regression analysis indicated that the baseline lymphocyte monocyte ratio （LMR） [odds ratio （OR）＝1.97， 95% confidence interval （CI）： 1.15-3.36， P＝0.013]， albumin （ALB） content （OR＝1.35， 95%CI： 1.13-1.60， P＜0.001）， body mass index （BMI） category 1 [normal vs. low： OR＝ 0.28， 95%CI （0.09-0.96）， P＝0.042]， BMI category 2 [overweight-obesity vs. low： OR＝0.08， 95%CI （0.01-0.59）， P＝0.013]， and treatment regimen [monotherapy vs. monotherapy combination therapy： OR＝0.07， 95%CI （0.01-0.50）， P＝0.008] were predictive factors for patients with advanced ESCC to achieve DCB when treated with PD-1 inhibitor. A prediction model was constructed based on the above indicators. Internal validation of the model using the Bootstrap method showed an area under the curve of 0.831 （95%CI： 0.746-0.904）， with specificity of 74.4% and sensitivity of 75.0%. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test yielded χ2＝ 9.930， P＝0.270， and the calibration curve slope was close to 1. The decision curve analysis demonstrated that the model exhibited good clinical utility within a threshold range of 0.1 to 1.0. CONCLUSIONS The prediction model based on baseline LMR， ALB content， BMI， and treatment regimen demonstrates robust predictive performance and clinical utility for assessing therapeutic efficacy of PD-1 inhibitor in the treatment of advanced ESCC.

Objective To compare the results of accumulation and continuation methods in indoor radon measurement. Methods The radon concentrations in 30 households in 7 provincial capital cities of China were simultaneously measured using both accumulation and continuation methods. Results The radon concentration measured by accumulation method in 30 households ranged from 21 to 323 Bq/m³, with a median M(P₂₅, P₇₅) of 70.5 (43.8, 111). The radon concentration measured by the continuation method ranged from 16.1 to 258 Bq/m³, with a median M(P₂₅, P₇₅) of 100 (51.3, 141). The average relative percent deviation between the two measurement methods was 41.8%. There were significant differences among the measurement results at 8, 16, and 24 h by the continuation method. Pairwise comparisons showed there were statistical diffferences between 8 h and 16 h, as well as between 8 h and 24h; however, no statistical significance was found (P < 0.05), between 16 h and 24 h. Conclusion The overall continuous measurement results of the 30 households were higher than those of cumulation method. The comparison between accumulation and continuation measurement results did not show a high level of correlation (r=0.49). The continuation method is significantly affected by environmental factors, and the length of the measurement period can affect the measurement results. The selection of indoor radon measurement methods should consider the purpose, sample size, and environmental conditions.

ObjectiveTo provide scientific support for the compilation of high-quality anti-nuclear， biological， and chemical （NBC） medical textbooks in China by retrieving books in the field of biological weapons defense in China， summarizing the publication time and distribution of publishing institutions， and categorizing content and key points of related books. MethodsRelevant subject terms in the field of biological weapons defense were searched through the official website of China National Digital Library and other websites， up until December 31， 2023， and were limited to books. Topic analysis was conducted on the introductions and contents of the books using the latent Dirichlet allocation （LDA） model. The number of topics was determined based on perplexity， and topics were identified according to the intertopic distance map， followed by a qualitative description of the core content of each topic. ResultsA total of 104 books were included in this study， among which four were identified as higher educational textbooks. The volume of publications increased during the periods 2002‒2004 and 2020‒2023. Research institutions accounted for the highest percentage of publishers （37.78%）， and 56.67% of the publishers were military institutions. The study identified six topics： "distribution， defense， and response to biological weapons"， "category， diagnosis， and treatment of biological warfare agents"， "response to biological public health emergencies"， "status of nuclear， biological， and chemical weapons internationally"， "biosafety risk management and prevention and control"， and "technologies and equipment related to biological hazard identification". ConclusionThere are few books in the field of biological weapons defense in China and the content is relatively outdated. In the future， the preparation of teaching materials should be aimed at practical emergency handling techniques for biological weapons， enhance the emphasis on biological weapons detection and biological warfare early warning， improve the fundamental theories at different training levels， and timely update the current research status in the field.

Pyroptosis, an inflammatory caspase-dependent programmed cell death, plays a vital role in maintaining tissue homeostasis and activating inflammatory responses. Orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) is an aseptic force-induced inflammatory bone remodeling process mediated by the activation of periodontal ligament (PDL) progenitor cells. However, whether and how force induces PDL progenitor cell pyroptosis, thereby influencing OTM and alveolar bone remodeling remains unknown. In this study, we found that mechanical force induced the expression of pyroptosis-related markers in rat OTM and alveolar bone remodeling process. Blocking or enhancing pyroptosis level could suppress or promote OTM and alveolar bone remodeling respectively. Using Caspase-1^-/- mice, we further demonstrated that the functional role of the force-induced pyroptosis in PDL progenitor cells depended on Caspase-1. Moreover, mechanical force could also induce pyroptosis in human ex-vivo force-treated PDL progenitor cells and in compressive force-loaded PDL progenitor cells in vitro, which influenced osteoclastogenesis. Mechanistically, transient receptor potential subfamily V member 4 signaling was involved in force-induced Caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis in PDL progenitor cells. Overall, this study suggested a novel mechanism contributing to the modulation of osteoclastogenesis and alveolar bone remodeling under mechanical stimuli, indicating a promising approach to accelerate OTM by targeting Caspase-1.
Animals ; Humans ; Mice ; Rats ; Bone Remodeling/physiology* ; Caspase 1 ; Periodontal Ligament ; Pyroptosis ; Tooth Movement Techniques

OBJECTIVE To investigate the mechanism of Yifei xuanfei jiangzhuo formula （YFXF） against vascular dementia （VD）. METHODS The differentially expressed genes of YFXF （YDEGs） were obtained by network pharmacology. High-risk genes were screened from YDEGs by using the nomogram model. The optimal machine learning models in generalized linear， support vector machine， extreme gradient boosting and random forest models were screened based on high-risk genes. VD model rats were established by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion， and were randomly divided into model group and YFXF group （12.18 g/kg， by the total amount of crude drugs）， and sham operation group was established additionally， with 6 rats in each group. The effects of YFXF on behavior （using escape latency and times of crossing platform as indexes）， histopathologic changes of cerebral cortex， and the expression of proteins related to the secreted phosphoprotein 1 （SPP1）/phosphoinositide 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （aka Akt） signaling pathway and the mRNA expression of SPP1 in cerebral cortex of VD rats were evaluated. RESULTS A total of 6 YDEGs were obtained， among which SPP1， CCL2， HMOX1 and HSPB1 may be high-risk genes of VD. The generalized linear model based on high-risk genes had the highest prediction accuracy （area under the curve of 0.954）. Compared with the model group， YFXF could significantly shorten the escape latency of VD rats， significantly increase the times of crossing platform （P＜0.05）； improve the pathological damage of cerebral cortex， such as neuronal shrinkage and neuronal necrosis； significantly reduce the expressions of SPP1 protein and mRNA （P＜0.05）， while significantly increase the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS VD high-risk genes SPP1， CCL2， HMOX1 and HSPB1 may be the important targets of YFXF. YFXF may play an anti-VD role by down-regulating the protein and mRNA expressions of SPP1 and activating PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

This paper summarized the clinical experience of Professor LIU Shenlin in diagnosing and treating gastric cancer with the thinking of "prescription according to tendency". In this paper， the thinking of diagnosis and treatment for gastric cancer and medication skills were summarized into four dimensions： power， energy， chronology and situation. The diagnosis emphasizes the tendency of qi power， considering that the onset of gastric cancer primarily stems from the disorder of qi movement in zang-fu organs， and emphasizing the importance of regulating the liver and spleen qi to intercept the tendency of disease. It points out that dampness-phlegm-stasis-toxin is a crucial link leading to the metabolic imbalance of body energy， and Professor LIU adepts at using methods such as breaking up blood and expelling stasis， and clearing heat and resolving toxins to block the pathological chain reaction caused by energy imbalance and to restore the homeostasis of the organism. In the treatment process， according to the characteristics of gastric cancer staging and chronological evolution， we will explore the changes of the exuberance and weakness of healthy qi and pathogenic qi in the context of the chronologic tendency， and adjust the dosage of attacking and tonic medicines in different stages of the disease in order to balance and restore the body. The "situation" is in line with the state of consumptive disease in advanced gastric cancer， Professor LIU skillfully uses large doses of Huangqi （Astragalus mongholicus） with flexible combination of medicinals to replenish deficiencies， invigorate qi， and regulate blood vessels.