Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of Yiqi Huatan Tongluo Prescription(mainly composed of Fici Simplicissimae Radix,Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma,Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum,Poria,Nelumbinis Folium,and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,etc.)combined with drug-coated balloon(DCB)in the treatment of coronary heart disease(CHD)and to observe its effect on low-shear related serological indicators.Methods A total of 106 patients with CHD of qi deficiency and phlegm stasis obstructing collateral type who were scheduled to undergo percutaneous coronary intervention were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group,with 53 cases in each group.The control group was treated with drug-eluting stent implantation,and the treatment group was treated with DCB.After the operation,the control group was given conventional antiplatelet aggregation drugs,and the treatment group was given oral administration of Yiqi Huatan Tongluo Prescription.The medication for the two groups lasted for 12 weeks.The changes in the serum levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1(MCP-1),interleukin 1 β(IL-1β)and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)in the two groups were observed before and after treatment.Moreover,the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome efficacy after treatment and the incidence of adverse events one year after operation were compared between the two groups.Results(1)After 12 weeks of treatment,the total effective rate for TCM syndrome efficacy of the treatment group was 88.68％(47/53),and that of the control group was 75.47％(40/53).The intergroup comparison(tested by chi-square test)showed that the TCM syndrome efficacy in the treatment group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05).(2)The analysis of indicators related to endothelial dysfunction in the blood flow with low shear stress showed that after treatment,the levels of serum MCP-1,IL-1βand VEGF in the control group presented no obvious changes(P＞0.05),but the serum levels of MCP-1 and IL-1β in the treatment group were significantly lowered compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05).The intergroup comparison showed that the decrease of serum MCP-1,IL-1β and VEGF levels in the treatment group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05).(3)The one-year follow-up after the operation showed that the total incidence of adverse events in the treatment group was 18.87％(10/53),and that in the control group was 20.75％(11/53).There was no significant difference between the two groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion Yiqi Huatan Tongluo Prescription combined with DCB has definite action on the targets related to endothelial dysfunction in coronary blood flow with low shear stress,which is conducive to reducing inflammatory response,improving the symptoms of angina pectoris and enhancing clinical efficacy.The incidence of adverse events did not increase one year after operation,indicating good safety and effectiveness.

Atherosclerosis(AS) is the key pathological basis of coronary heart disease(CHD), and lipid infiltration is a classical theory to explain the pathological mechanism of AS. The theory highlights that the occurrence and development of AS are closely related to abnormal lipid metabolism, with the essence of the pathological reaction caused by the invasion of lipids into arterial intima from plasma. Phlegm and blood stasis are physiologically homologous and subject to pathological co-existence. Phlegm-blood stasis correlation is the basic theory to explain the pathogenesis characteristics of CHD and has important guiding significance for revealing the mecha-nism of lipid infiltration of CHD. Phlegm is the pathological product of abnormal metabolism of Qi, blood, and body fluid, and a gene-ral summary of a series of abnormally expressed lipid substances. Among them, turbid phlegm invades the heart vessels, gradually accumulates, and condenses to achieve the qualitative change from "invisible pathogen" to "tangible pathogen", which corresponds to the mechanism of lipid migration and deposition in the intima of blood vessels, and is the starting factor of the disease. Blood stasis is the continuous development of phlegm, and it is a result of pathological states such as decreased blood fluidity, increased blood coagulation, and abnormal rheology. The fact that blood stasis caused by phlegm accords with the pathological process of "lipid abnormality-circulatory disturbance" and is the central link of the disease. Phlegm and blood stasis aggravate each other and lead to indissoluble cementation. The phlegm-blood stasis combination serves as common pathogen to trigger the disease, which is the inevitable outcome of the disease. Based on the phlegm-blood stasis correlation theory, the simultaneous treatment of phlegm and blood stasis is established. It is found that this therapy can simultaneously regulate blood lipid, reduce blood viscosity, and improve blood circulation, which can fundamentally cut off the biological material basis of the reciprocal transformation between phlegm and blood stasis, thus exerting a significant curative effect.
Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Coronary Disease ; Mucus ; Atherosclerosis ; Lipids

Objective: To investigate the level of psychosocial factors in workplace and their health effects among workers in a natural gas field. Methods: A prospective and open cohort of natural gas field workers was established to study the level of workplace psychosocial factors and their health effects, with a follow-up every 5 years. In October 2018, a cluster sampling method was used to conduct a baseline survey of 1737 workers in a natural gas field, including a questionnaire survey on demographic characteristics, workplace psychosocial factors and mental health outcomes, physiological indicators such as height and weight, and biochemical indicators such as blood routine, urine routine, liver function and kidney function. The baseline data of the workers were statistically described and analyzed. The psychosocial factors and mental health outcomes were divided into high and low groups according to the mean score, and the physiological and biochemical indicators were divided into normal and abnormal groups according to the reference range of normal values. Results: The age of 1737 natural gas field workers was (41.8±8.0) years old, and the length of service was (21.0±9.7) years. There were 1470 male workers (84.6%). There were 773 (44.5%) high school (technical secondary school) and 827 (47.6%) college (junior college) graduates, 1490 (85.8%) married (including remarriage after divorce), 641 (36.9%) smokers and 835 (48.1%) drinkers. Among the psychosocial factors, the detection rates of high levels of resilience, self-efficacy, colleague support and positive emotion were all higher than 50%. Among the mental health outcomes evaluation indexes, the detection rates of high levels of sleep disorder, job satisfaction and daily stress were 41.82% (716/1712), 57.25% (960/1677) and 45.87% (794/1731), respectively. The detection rate of depressive symptoms was 22.77% (383/1682). The abnormal rates of body mass index (BMI), triglyceride and low density lipoprotein were 46.74% (810/1733), 36.50% (634/1737) and 27.98% (486/1737), respectively. The abnormal rates of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, uric acid, total cholesterol and blood glucose were 21.64% (375/1733), 21.41% (371/1733), 20.67% (359/1737), 20.55% (357/1737) and 19.17% (333/1737), respectively. The prevalence rates of hypertension and diabetes were 11.23% (195/1737) and 3.45% (60/1737), respectively. Conclusion: The detection rates of high level psychosocial factors in natural gas field workers are high, and their effects on physical and mental health remain to be verified. The establishment of a cohort study of the levels and health effects of psychosocial factors provides an important resource for confirming the causal relationship between workplace psychosocial factors and health.
Humans ; Male ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Natural Gas ; Cohort Studies ; Prospective Studies ; Oil and Gas Fields ; Workplace/psychology* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a senile brain lesion caused by the abnormal structure and function of arterioles, venules and capillaries in the aging brain. The etiology of CSVD is complex, and disease is often asymptomatic in its early stages. However, as CSVD develops, brain disorders may occur, such as stroke, cognitive dysfunction, dyskinesia and mood disorders, and heart, kidney, eye and systemic disorders. As the population continues to age, the burden of CSVD is increasing. Moreover, there is an urgent need for better screening methods and diagnostic markers for CSVD, in addition to preventive and asymptomatic- and mild-stage treatments. Integrative medicine (IM), which combines the holistic concepts and syndrome differentiations of Chinese medicine with modern medical perspectives, has unique advantages for the prevention and treatment of CSVD. In this review, we summarize the biological markers, ultrasound and imaging features, disease-related genes and risk factors relevant to CSVD diagnosis and screening. Furthermore, we discuss IM-based CSVD prevention and treatment strategies to stimulate further research in this field.
Humans ; Integrative Medicine ; Brain/pathology* ; Cerebral Small Vessel Diseases/pathology* ; Stroke/complications* ; Cognitive Dysfunction/complications* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging

In China, the current standard for cosmetic adverse reactions related skin disease (GB/T 17149.1-1997) was jointly issued by the Ministry of Health and the State Bureau of Technical Supervision in 1997, cosmetic-allergic adverse reactions include allergic contact dermatitis and photo-allergic contact dermatitis according to this standard. The increasing use and changes in cosmetic ingredients or formula lead to a significant increase for the incidence of adverse reactions as the cosmetics industry is developing rapidly in the last 20 years. In the meantime, the clinical manifestations have become more diverse. In recent years, there have been many reports on the special manifestations for cosmetic allergy and allergen test, which provide a reference for the subsequent improvement of the diagnosis and prevention.
Humans ; Patch Tests/adverse effects* ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact/therapy* ; Cosmetics/adverse effects* ; China ; Incidence ; Allergens/adverse effects*

Variations in the dynein axonemal heavy chain gene, dynein axonemal heavy chain 6 (DNAH6), lead to multiple morphological abnormalities of the flagella. Recent studies have reported that these deficiencies may result in sperm head deformation. However, whether DNAH6 is also involved in human acrosome biogenesis remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate DNAH6 gene variants and their potential functions in the formation of defective sperm heads and flagella. Whole-exome sequencing was performed on a cohort of 375 patients with asthenoteratozoospermia from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (Hefei, China). Hematoxylin and eosin staining, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were performed to analyze the sperm morphology and ultrastructure. Immunofluorescence staining and Western blot analysis were conducted to examine the effects of genetic variants. We identified three novel deleterious variants in DNAH6 among three unrelated families. The absence of inner dynein arms and radial spokes was observed in the sperm of patients with DNAH6 variants. Additionally, deficiencies in the acrosome, abnormal chromatin compaction, and vacuole-containing sperm heads were observed in these patients with DNAH6 variants. The decreased levels of the component proteins in these defective structures were further confirmed in sperm from patients with DNAH6 variants using Western blot. After intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment, the partner of one patient with a DNAH6 variant achieved successful pregnancy. Overall, novel variants in DNAH6 genes that contribute to defects in the sperm head and flagella were identified, and the findings indicated ICSI as an effective clinical treatment for such patients.

Depression syndromes(anxiety and depression), as typical psychological disorders, often coexist with and mutually influence coronary heart disease(CHD). They constitute a psycho-cardiology disease involving both the blood vessels of the heart and the spirit of the heart. Based on the theory of "coexistence of diseases and depression syndromes", it was proposed that CHD and depression syndromes coexisted independently and were causally related. The factors of depression syndromes go through the entire course of CHD and have different causal relationships at different stages, leading to a pathogenic process of "depression causing disease" or "disease causing depression". In the chronic latent period, phlegm predominates, with depression leading to the production of phlegm. Phlegm accumulation and Qi stagnation initiate a mutual damage process of psycho-cardiology, marking the onset of the disease. In the pathological development period, blood stasis becomes predominant. Depression leads to blood stasis, which further obstructs Qi circulation, accelerating disease progression. In the acute attack period, toxicity becomes crucial. Depression transforms into toxicity, damaging Qi and blood, disturbing the balance of the mind, and inducing a sudden and severe exacerbation of the disease. Based on this, the approach of treating phlegm and depression together, treating blood stasis and depression together, and treating toxicity and depression together by stages was established. Research has found that this approach can simultaneously improve organic damage and emotional disorders, and also has a regulating effect on micro-level syndrome indicators, achieving harmonization of psycho-cardiology in the treatment.
Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Depression/diagnosis* ; Coronary Disease/diagnosis* ; Mucus ; Syndrome ; Anxiety

Objective: To investigate the values of serum 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in predicting disease progression and prognosis of patients with sepsis. Methods: The prospective observational research methods were used. A total of 124 patients with sepsis who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to the Department of Emergency of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from April 2015 to July 2016, including 79 males and 45 females, aged (62±15) years. The sepsis-related organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores of all patients on admission and on the second day of admission and their difference (ΔSOFA) were calculated. The patients were divided into non-progression group with ΔSOFA score <2 (n=101) and progression group with ΔSOFA score ≥2 (n=23), and according to the survival during hospitalization, the patients were divided into survival group (n=85) and death group (n=39). Data of patients between non-progression group and progression group, survival group and death group were compared, including the gender, age, days in emergency intensive care unit (ICU), smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, serum white blood cell count, serum C-reactive protein, and serum procalcitonin on admission, and serum 8-OHdG within 24 h of admission. The multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to screen the independent risk factors of disease progression and death during hospitalization in 124 patients with sepsis, the receiver's operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn according to the independent risk factors, and the area under the curve (AUC), the best threshold, and the sensitivity and specificity under the best threshold were calculated. The patients were divided into high 8-OHdG group (n=35) and low 8-OHdG group (n=89) according to the best threshold in ROC curve of death during hospitalization. The data including the gender, age, SOFA score on admission, SOFA score on the second day of admission, and ΔSOFA score of patients in the two groups were compared. The survival rates of patients within 90 d of admission in the two groups were compared by the Kaplan-Meier method. Data were statistically analyzed with independent sample t test, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, and Log-rank test. Results: The gender, age, days in emergency ICU, smoking, complicated with hypertension, complicated with diabetes mellitus, serum white blood cell count, serum C-reactive protein, and serum procalcitonin on admission of patients in non-progression group and progression group were similar (P>0.05). The serum 8-OHdG within 24 h of admission of patients in progression group was significantly higher than that in non-progression group (Z=-2.31, P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the serum 8-OHdG within 24 h of admission was the independent risk factor for disease progression of 124 patients with sepsis (odds ratio=1.06, with 95% confidence interval of 1.01-1.11, P<0.05). The AUC under the ROC curve of serum 8-OHdG within 24 h of admission to predict disease progression of 124 patients with sepsis was 0.65 (with 95% confidence interval of 0.52-0.79, P<0.05), the optimal threshold was 32.88 ng/mL, and the sensitivity and specificity under the optimal threshold was 52.2% and 79.2%, respectively. The gender, age, days in emergency ICU, smoking, complicated with hypertension, complicated with diabetes mellitus, and serum white blood cell count, serum C-reactive protein, and serum procalcitonin on admission of patients in survival group and death group were similar (P>0.05). The serum 8-OHdG within 24 h of admission of patients in death group was significantly higher than that in survival group (Z=-2.37, P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the serum 8-OHdG within 24 h of admission was the independent risk factor for death of 124 patients with sepsis (odd ratio=1.04, with 95% confidence interval of 1.00-1.09, P<0.05). The AUC under the ROC curve of serum 8-OHdG within 24 h of admission to predict death of patients during hospitalization was 0.63 (with 95% confidence interval of 0.52-0.75, P<0.05), the optimal threshold was 32.43 ng/mL, the sensitivity and specificity under the optimal threshold was 51.3% and 84.7%, respectively. The gender and age of patients in high 8-OHdG group and low 8-OHdG group were similar (P>0.05). The SOFA score on admission, SOFA score on the second day of admission, and ΔSOFA score of patients in high 8-OHdG group were significantly higher than those in low 8-OHdG group (with Z values of -2.49, -3.01, and -2.64, respectively, P<0.05 or P<0.01). The survival rate within 90 d of admission of patients in low 8-OHdG group was significantly higher than that in high 8-OHdG group (χ²=14.57, P<0.01). Conclusions: Serum 8-OHdG level is an independent risk factor for disease progression and death in sepsis patients with limited ability for predicting disease progression and prognosis of sepsis of patients. The patients with higher serum 8-OHdG level have higher death risk within 90 d of admission.
8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine ; Aged ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; ROC Curve ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis

The UHPLC-LTQ-orbitrap-MS metabolomics technique was used to determine the effect of deapio-platycodin D (DPD) on endogenous metabolites in lung tissues of mice with ammonia-induced cough, and to identify the metabolic regulatory pathways of DPD in its antitussive and expectorant activities. This work was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine (Approval No. JZLLSC-20190235). Metabolites were identified by UHPLC-LTQ-orbitrap-MS method and the metabolic pathways related to differentially-expressed metabolites were analyzed by the MetaboAnalyst platform. DPD significantly prolonged (P < 0.05) cough latency, reduced the number of coughs, and significantly increased (P < 0.05) phenol red excretion in ammonia-induced cough mice. Twenty-five metabolites related to cough and 38 metabolites related to sputum excretion were identified by UHPLC-LTQ-orbitrap-MS. Changes in the metabolism of linoleic acid, arachidonic acid, glycerophospholipid, alanine, aspartic acid and glutamic acid, pentose and glucuronate interconversions, and lysine degradation were evident with DPD treatment of ammonia-induced cough mice. Changes in the metabolism of linoleic acid, taurine and hypotaurine, glycerophospholipid, purines and pyrimidines, arachidonic acid and the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids after DPD treatment were related to phenol red excretion. Linoleic acid metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism and glycerophospholipid metabolism are common regulatory pathways by which DPD appears to exert its antitussive and expectorant activity. These metabolic pathways are closely related to anti-inflammatory pathways, immune function regulation, neurotransmitter release, cell signal transduction, energy metabolism and apoptosis. This study clarifies the antitussive and expectorant activity and mechanism of DPD.

Objective: To analyze the course of disease and epidemiological parameters of COVID-19 and provide evidence for making prevention and control strategies. Methods: To display the distribution of course of disease of the infectors who had close contacts with COVID-19 cases from January 1 to March 15, 2020 in Guangdong Provincial, the models of Lognormal, Weibull and gamma distribution were applied. A descriptive analysis was conducted on the basic characteristics and epidemiological parameters of course of disease. Results: In total, 515 of 11 580 close contacts were infected, with an attack rate about 4.4%, including 449 confirmed cases and 66 asymptomatic cases. Lognormal distribution was fitting best for latent period, incubation period, pre-symptomatic infection period of confirmed cases and infection period of asymptomatic cases; Gamma distribution was fitting best for infectious period and clinical symptom period of confirmed cases; Weibull distribution was fitting best for latent period of asymptomatic cases. The latent period, incubation period, pre-symptomatic infection period, infectious period and clinical symptoms period of confirmed cases were 4.50 (95%CI:3.86-5.13) days, 5.12 (95%CI:4.63-5.62) days, 0.87 (95%CI:0.67-1.07) days, 11.89 (95%CI:9.81-13.98) days and 22.00 (95%CI:21.24-22.77) days, respectively. The latent period and infectious period of asymptomatic cases were 8.88 (95%CI:6.89-10.86) days and 6.18 (95%CI:1.89-10.47) days, respectively. Conclusion: The estimated course of COVID-19 and related epidemiological parameters are similar to the existing data.
COVID-19 ; Cohort Studies ; Contact Tracing ; Humans ; Incidence ; Prospective Studies