ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of yang-reinforcing and blood-activating therapy on the long-term prognosis for patients with dilated cardiomyopathy （DCM） of yang deficiency and blood stasis syndrome. MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted involving 371 DCM patients with yang deficiency and blood stasis syndrome. The yang-reinforcing and blood-activating therapy was defined as the exposure factor. Patients were categorized into exposure group （186 cases） and non-exposure group （185 cases） according to whether they received yang-reinforcing and blood-activating therapy combined with conventional western medicine for 6 months or longer. The follow-up period was set at 48 months， and the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to assess the cumulative incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events （MACE） in both groups. Cox regression analysis was used to explore the impact of yang-reinforcing and blood-activating therapy on the risk of MACE， and subgroup analysis was performed. Changes in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome score， left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF）， left ventricular fractional shortening （LVFS）， left ventricular end-diastolic diameter （LVEDD）， and Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire （MLHFQ） score were compared between groups at the time of first combined use of yang-reinforcing and blood-activating therapy （before treatment） and 1 year after receiving the therapy （after treatment）. ResultsMACE occurred in 31 cases （16.67%） in the exposure group and 47 cases （25.41%） in the non-exposure group. The cumulative incidence of MACE in the exposure group was significantly lower than that in the non-exposure group ［HR=0.559， 95%CI（0.361，0.895）， P=0.014］. Cox regression analysis showed that yang-reinforcing and blood-activating therapy was an independent factor for reducing the risk of MACE in DCM patients ［HR=0.623， 95%CI（0.396，0.980）， P=0.041］， and consistent results were observed in different subgroups. Compared with pre-treatment， the exposure group showed decreased TCM syndrome score and MLHFQ score， reduced LVEDD， and increased LVEF and LVFS after treatment （P＜0.05）； in the non-exposure group， TCM syndrome score decreased， LVEF and LVFS increased， and LVEDD reduced after treatment （P＜0.05）. After treatment， the exposure group had higher LVEF and LVFS， smaller LVEDD， and lower TCM syndrome score and MLHFQ score compared with the non-exposure group （P＜0.05）. ConclusionCombining yang-reinforcing and blood-activating therapy with conventional western medicine can reduce the risk of MACE in DCM patients with yang deficiency and blood stasis syndrome， meanwhile improving their clinical symptoms， cardiac function， and quality of life.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the disease burden and inequalities of lower extremity peripheral artery disease (LEPAD) among people aged 40 and above in the Belt and Road partner countries from 1990 to 2021. METHODS: Data were retrieved from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 database. The age-standardized prevalence rates, mortality rates, and the annual rate of years lived with disability (YLDs) of LEPAD were analyzed. Trends were measured using the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC), and the slope index of inequality (SII) and concentration index were used to quantify the absolute and relative inequalities. RESULTS: In 2021, the age-standardized prevalence and mortality rates of LEPAD were 3168.26/10⁵ and 3.09/10⁵, increasing by 4.30% and 19.31% compared to 1990, while YLDs rates decreased by 4.00%. Females had higher age-standardized prevalence and YLDs rates, while males had higher mortality rates. The EAPC for prevalence rates was slightly higher in males (0.22%) than in females (0.17%); while the EAPC of age-standardized mortality rate was 2.02% for females, compared to 1.45% for males. From 1990 to 2021, the age-standardized YLDs rates decreased from 16.23/10⁵ to 15.58/10⁵, with a faster decline in females (－0.12%) than in males (－0.06%). LEPAD prevalence varied across countries, with higher burden in Europe and faster growth in Gulf states. Higher socio-demographic index countries had higher prevalence. Inequity improved, with the SII at 52.90/10⁵ and concentration index at 0.038 in 2021. Gender disparities persisted, with concentration index increased to 0.058 in females and reduced to －0.026 in males. CONCLUSIONS LEPAD prevalence and mortality among people aged 40 and above in the Belt and Road partner countries increased, while YLDs rates decreased from 1990 to 2021. Significant differences among people exist depending on gender and country, highlighting the need for enhanced screening, health education, and shared public health strategies across the Belt and Road partner countries.
Humans ; Peripheral Arterial Disease/mortality* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Aged ; Prevalence ; Lower Extremity/blood supply* ; Global Burden of Disease ; Cost of Illness

Preschool age(3-6 years old)is a critical period for visual development, and it is crucial to detect and treat visual problems in preschool children as early as possible. Visual acuity charts are important tools for screening visual issues in children. In China, the commonly used charts are the standard logarithmic visual acuity chart and the pediatric optotype chart, while overseas, the Lea, HOTV, and ETDRS visual acuity charts are frequently employed. Numerous studies have reported the measurability, repeatability, and sensitivity of these three charts in diagnosing visual-related problems in children. However, the application of these three charts is relatively limited in China. This article provides a comprehensive review of the design principles, clinical applications, and characteristics of these three visual acuity charts, so as to better understand their applicability and limitations in preschool children, and provide reference for the selection and improvement of vision examination methods in the future.

Background::Previous studies have reported associations of specific maternal and paternal lifestyle factors with offspring’s cognitive development during early childhood. This study aimed to investigate the prospective associations between overall parental lifestyle and offspring’s cognitive performance during adolescence and young adulthood in China.Methods::We included 2531 adolescents aged 10-15 years at baseline in 2010 from the China Family Panel Studies. A healthy parental lifestyle score (ranged 0-5) was constructed based on the following five modifiable lifestyle factors: Smoking, drinking, exercise, sleep, and diet. Generalized estimating equation models were used to examine the association between baseline parental healthy lifestyle scores and offspring’s fluid and crystallized intelligence in subsequent years (2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018).Results::Offspring in the top tertile of parental healthy lifestyle scores performed better in overall fluid intelligence (multivariable-adjusted β = 0.53, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.29-0.77) and overall crystallized intelligence (multivariable-adjusted β = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.16-0.54) than those in the bottom tertile of parental healthy lifestyle scores. The results were similar after further adjustment for the offspring’s healthy lifestyle scores and persisted across the subgroups of parental socioeconomic status. Additionally, maternal and paternal healthy lifestyle scores were independently associated with better offspring’s cognitive performance, with significant contribution observed for paternal never-smoking, weekly exercise, and diversified diet. When both parents and offspring adhered to a healthier lifestyle, we observed the highest level of the offspring’s overall crystallized intelligence. Conclusions::Our study indicates that parental adherence to a healthier lifestyle is associated with significantly better offspring’s cognitive performance during adolescence and early adulthood, regardless of socioeconomic status. These findings highlight the potential cognitive benefits of promoting healthy lifestyles among parents of adolescents.

A method capable of retinal vessel segmentation and three-dimensional(3D)reconstruction is proposed for the early diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy.The 3D reconstruction can avoid the misjudgments of blood vessel length,curvature and branch angle after segmentation,which will affect the early diagnosis.IAAnet algorithm for retinal image segmentation combines traditional Unet with Inception V3,atrous spatial pyramid pooling and AttentionGates to reduce information loss and avoid over-fitting,thereby improving the network's ability to extract features.The projection reconstruction method is used to restore the 3D information of blood vessels,and supports the adjustments of brightness and contrast,so that doctors can better observe the real state of blood vessels.The proposed algorithm has an accuracy,recall rate,F1 score,intersection over union and area under ROC curve of 97.68%,96.07%,97.26%,92.79%and 94.00%,respectively.Compared with other networks,IAAnet algorithm exhibits higher segmentation accuracy,and can obtain more vascular information in 3D image after 3D projection reconstruction to assist in the early diagnosis.

Objective To discuss the entries of prognostic factors affecting osteonecrosis of the femoral head(ONFH);To determine optimized and uniform prognostic influences.Methods Through literature pre-search and clinical research,the questionnaire was designed.Experts were selected based on the Delphi method and the questionnaire was distributed to the experts online,and after the questionnaire was recovered,Excel 2016 and SPSS 26.0 software were applied to process the data.The positive coefficients of experts,the degree of authority of experts,the degree of coordination of experts'opinions,the degree of concentration of experts'opinions,and the weight coefficients of the entries were calculated for the evaluation of the importance.Results Totally 116 articles were included.A list of prognostic factors indicators based on original literature was extracted.The first and second rounds of consultation had 30 and 40 experts respectively,and the collected questionnaires were all valid.Finally,10 major prognostic factors affecting ONFH were identified,including whether strictly on crutches,whether in pain(duration of pain),hip mobility,time to confirmation of osteonecrosis,ARCO staging,JIC staging,whether the anterolateral column is preserved,necrotic area,CT supracondylar subchondral fracture zone,and oral administration of traditional Chinese medicine.Conclusion This article summarizes the relevant factors that affect the progression of ONFH,which can further enhance clinical physicians'understanding of the prognosis of ONFH,and can delay the progression of ONFH by effectively intervening in important factors.

Objective This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of Sanjie Quban recipe in a keloid nude mice model and its impact on transforming growth factor-β 1(TGF-β1).Methods Keloid tissue after surgical resection was subcutaneously transplanted into the backs of healthy SPF BALB/C female nude mice,aged 6～8 weeks,and a keloid nude mice model was thus established.The mice were randomly divided into three groups,the Sanjie Quban recipe group,the Asiaticoside tablet group and the control gnup,with five in each group.They were respectively treated with Sanjie Quban recipe,Asiaticoside tablets,or sterile pure water.After 28 days of continuous gavage,the keloid tissue was exfoliated and weighed,and HE staining,Masson staining,and immunohistochemical staining for TGF-β1 were conducted.Differences in keloid weight between the three groups before and after treatment were compared,as were the differences in collagen fiber,fibroblast numbers,and TGF-β1 expression between the three groups after treatment.Results The difference in keloid weight before and after treatment in the Asiaticoside tablet group was greater than that of the control group,and the weight difference before and after treatment keloid treatment was the largest in the Sanjie Quban recipe group(P＜0.01).Compared with the control group,collagen fibers in the Sanjie Quban recipe group were looser and less numerous,and fibroblasts were decreased in number.The expression of TGF-β1 in the Sanjie Quban recipe group was decreased compared with that of the control group(P＜0.01).Conclusions Sanjie Quban recipe has certain therapeutic effects on keloids.The mechanism may involve reducing the expression of TGF-βl in keloid tissue and thereby reducing the proliferation of fibroblasts and the synthesis of extracellular matrix.This study provides experimental and theoretical bases for the clinical treatment of keloids with Chinese medicine.

ObjectiveTo investigate the association between estimated glucose disposal rate （eGDR） and the severity of coronary heart disease. MethodsWe conducted a hospital-based cross-sectional study that included 1258 patients （mean age： 62（53-68） years） who underwent coronary angiography for suspected coronary artery disease （53.9% were male）. Insulin resistance level （IR） was calculated according to eGDR formula： eGDR = 21.158 - （0.09 × WC） - （3.407 × hypertension） - （0.551 × HbA1c） ［hypertension （yes = 1 / no = 0）， HbA1c = HbA1c （%）］. Subjects were grouped according to the eGDR quantile. CAD severity was determined by the number of narrowed vessels： no-obstructive CAD group （all coronary stenosis were<50%， n=704）， Single-vessel CAD group （only one involved major coronary artery stenosis≥50%， n=205）， Multi-vessel CAD group （two or more involved major coronary arteries stenosis≥50%， n=349）； Multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the association between eGDR and CAD severity. The linear relationship between eGDR and CAD in the whole range of eGDR was analyzed using restricted cubic spline. Subgroup analyses were used to assess the association between eGDR and CAD severity in different diabetic states. Receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve analysis were used to evaluate the value of eGDR in improving CAD recognition. ResultsA decrease in the eGDR index was significantly associated with an increased risk of CAD severity （OR： 2.79； 95%CI： 1.72~4.55； P<0.001）. In multivariate logistic regression models， individuals with the lowest quantile of eGDR （T1） were 2.79 times more likely to develop multi-vessel CAD than those with the highest quantile of eGDR （T3） （OR： 2.79； 95%CI： 1.72~4.55； P<0.001）. Multivariate restricted cubic spline analysis showed that eGDR was negatively associated with CAD and multi-vessel CAD （P-nonlinear>0.05）. In non-diabetic patients， compared with the reference group （T3）， the T1 group had a significantly increased risk of CAD （OR： 1.42； 95% CI： 1.00~2.01； P<0.05） and multi-vessel CAD （OR： 1.86； 95%CI： 1.21~2.86； P<0.05）. No statistical association was found between eGDR and CAD in diabetic patients. In ROC curve analysis， when eGDR was added to traditional model for CAD， significant improvements were observed in the model's recognition of CAD and multi-vessel CAD. ConclusionOur study shows eGDR levels are inversely associated with CAD and CAD severity. eGDR， as a non-insulin measure to assess IR， could be a valuable indicator of CAD severity for population.

BACKGROUND:Up to now,there is no literature on the relationship between blood laboratory tests and the course of nontraumatic osteonecrosis of femoral head in different stages.It is necessary to further explore and analyze so as to better clarify the influencing factors of nontraumatic osteonecrosis of femoral head. OBJECTIVE:To analyze the relationship between blood laboratory indicators and the course of nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head by the Association Research Circulation Osseous(ARCO),thus exploring the influencing factors of blood laboratory indicators on the course of nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head. METHODS:This study used a retrospective study design.A total of 2 103 patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head were retrieved from Wangjing Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences database,and 1 075 patients with nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head were ultimately included based on inclusion and exclusion criteria.Patient age,gender,body mass index,and blood laboratory test results were collected.Blood laboratory tests included low-density lipoprotein,total cholesterol,triglycerides,high-density lipoprotein,apolipoprotein β,apolipoprotein α1,uric acid,total protein quantitative,alkaline phosphatase,activated partial thromboplastin time,prothrombin time,prothrombin time International Normalized Ratio,prothrombin time activity,fibrinogen quantitative,coagulation time of thrombin,D-dimer,total iron binding capacity,and platelet count.The indicators of patients with different age groups and different ARCO stages were compared,and multiple Logistic regression analysis was applied to explore the influencing factors of ARCO stages in osteonecrosis of the femoral head. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)There were statistical differences in total cholesterol,uric acid,prothrombin time,prothrombin time International Normalized Ratio,and D-dimer among ARCO stages in the young group(P<0.05).Among young patients in ARCO stage II,total cholesterol levels were higher than those in ARCO stage III(P<0.05).Uric acid levels in ARCO stage IV were higher than those in ARCO stage II and III(P<0.05).Prothrombin time and prothrombin time International Normalized Ratio were shorter in ARCO stage IV and II than in ARCO stage III(P<0.05).D-dimer levels were higher in ARCO stage III and IV than in ARCO stage II(P<0.05).(2)There were statistically significant differences in high-density lipoprotein,coagulation time of thrombin,and D-dimer among ARCO stages in the middle-aged group(P<0.05).Among middle-aged patients in ARCO stage IV,high-density lipoprotein levels were higher than those in ARCO stages II and III(P<0.05).Coagulation time of thrombin was shorter in ARCO stage IV than in ARCO stage III(P<0.05).D-dimer levels were higher in ARCO stages IV than in ARCO stages II and III(P<0.05).(3)The uric acid,activated partial thromboplastin time,D-dimer,and platelet count in the elderly group showed statistically significant differences(P<0.05).The uric acid level in ARCO stage IV was higher than that in ARCO stage II and III patients in the elderly group(P<0.05),while the activated prothrombin time in ARCO stage II patients was shorter than that in ARCO stage III patients in the elderly group(P<0.05).The D-dimer level in ARCO stage III and IV patients was higher than that in ARCO stage II patients in the elderly group(P<0.05).The platelet count in ARCO stage IV was lower than that in ARCO stage III patients in the elderly group(P<0.05).(4)Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that total cholesterol and platelet count may be protective factors for course of nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head,while D-dimer,uric acid,overweight,and young and middle age may be risk factors for course of nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head.(5)It is indicated that total cholesterol,high-density lipoprotein,uric acid,prothrombin time,prothrombin time International Normalized Ratio,and D-dimer are statistically significant among patients with different ARCO stages.Total cholesterol and platelet count may be protective factors for the course of nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head,while D-dimer,uric acid,overweight,and middle-aged and young age groups may be hazard factors for the course of nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head.