Ancient traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) doctrine says "The superior doctor prevents illnesses," pointing out preventative medicine as the ultimate goal for medical care. TCM recognizes that genetic predisposition and environmental and lifestyle influences contribute to diseases. It divides people into eight constitutions in addition to one normal/healthy kind. People with one of the eight subhealth constitutions are prone to develop different kinds of corresponding illnesses. The goal for this type of categorization is to help people take preemptive measures to prevent or delay disease onset. As the peripheral immune system through surveying the body, it can capture information from essentially all organs and reflect anomalies occurring in each organ. Thus, the detailed profiling of the peripheral immune-system function can generally reflect a person's overall heath state. In this study, we performed the single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from individuals with Tanshi (phlegm dampness) constitution. They were prone to develop metabolic disorders including diabetes. scRNA-seq revealed greatly reduced mucosal-associated invariable T cell content and heightened TNFα-NFκB, JAK-STAT, and interferon signaling. These findings indicated heightened chronic inflammation, as well as increased hypoxia/apoptosis responses, likely resulting from frequent sleep apnea that Tanshi individuals experienced. Altogether, this pilot study demonstrated effectiveness in using scRNA-seq to reveal molecular-immunological bases for constitution categorization, thereby substantiating that preventative medicine originated from TCM.
Humans ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear/metabolism* ; Male ; Female ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Single-Cell Analysis ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Transcriptome ; Single-Cell Gene Expression Analysis

Objective:To explore the association between postoperative radiotherapy for bladder cancer and the risk of second primary rectal cancer.Methods:Eligible 75 120 patients with bladder cancer from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result database (SEER) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) (1975-2017) were enrolled in this study. The second primary cancers referred to rectal cancers patients suffered after more than five years post-treatment for bladder cancer, and the cumulative incidence was estimated using Fine-Gray competing risk regression. The relative risk (RR) of rectal cancer in patients treated with or without radiotherapy (the RT group or the NRT group) was evaluated using Poisson regression.Results:Among the 75 120 patients, 70 045 (92.4%) were Caucasian, with a median age of 65.8 years (54-74 years). A total of 2 236 (3%) received postoperative radiotherapy, while 72 884 (97%) received surgery alone. The 30-year follow-up revealed a cumulative incidence of rectal cancer of 0.93% in the RT group and 0.43% in the NRT group ( P = 0.004). The competing risk regression analysis identified a significant association between radiotherapy and rectal cancer ( HR: 1.86; 95% CI 1.26-2.74, P < 0.009). Furthermore, the RR of radiotherapy-associated rectal cancer significantly increased as the diagnosis occurred earlier (1975-1985 vs. 1985-1994: RR 2.59; 95% CI 1.20-4.86, P < 0.001), and a lower age at the time of radiotherapy was associated with a higher probability of second primary tumors (≤50-year old vs. > 50 year old : RR 7.89, 95% CI 2.97-21.30, P < 0.001). As calculated using the Poisson distribution, the RR of second rectal tumors was higher in the RT group ( RR: 2.20, 95% CI 1.45-3.18, P < 0.001), even after adjusting the date of diagnosis ( RR: 1.77, 95% CI 1.17-2.57, P = 0.009). Conclusions:An increased risk of rectal cancer following bladder cancer radiotherapy necessitates aggressive follow-ups for the purpose of early detecting second primary rectal cancer associated with bladder cancer radiotherapy.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of invasive klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess syndrome (IKPLAS), and compare it with common pyogenic liver abscess (CPLA). Methods:The social demography and clinical data of inpatients with pyogenic liver abscess from January 2011 to December 2021 in the Peking University People's Hospital were collected. Based on the presence or absence of invasive infections and the results of bacterial etiology, IKPLAS was diagnosed and compared with CPLA. The general information, symptoms, past medical history, auxiliary examinations and prognosis indicators of the two groups of patients were compared.Results:Total of 172 patients with pyogenic liver abscess were collected, including 25 cases of IKPLAS. Compared with CPLA group, the proportion of fever in IKPLAS group was lower, the proportion of diabetes history was higher, the proportion of monocytes was lower, and procalcitonin and urea nitrogen were higher(all P<0.05), the proportion of multiple abscesses is higher, and the positive rate of blood culture and the cultivation of klebsiella pneumoniae are both higher (all P<0.05).A total of 9 cases (5.2%) of patients developed septic shock, of which 2 cases (1.2%) died. The IKPLAS group had a higher proportion of ICU admissions ( P<0.05),but but the difference of mortality between the two groups was not statistically significant ( P>0.05). The most common sites of invasion infection in the IKPLAS group are the lungs(22/25), brain(9/25), and eyes(9/25). Conclusions:There are differences in clinical characteristics between IKPLAS and CPLA, the most common sites of invasion infection are the lungs, brain, and eyes, but there is no difference in mortality in this study. For PLA with pathogenic Klebsiella pneumoniae, it is necessary to carefully evaluate the presence of invasive lesions and provide targeted local treatment to better improve prognosis.

Methods: The median sagittal diameter and transverse diameter of the spinal canal from C2 to C7 were measured on CT images. The ratio of the median sagittal diameter to the transverse diameter was calculated. Accordingly, the spinal canal shape of each segment was classified into four, and the specific criteria of lunar phase classification were determined through linear discriminant analysis based on the ratio of the median sagittal diameter to the transverse diameter. The inter-rater reliability of the classification was explored using Kappa coefficients. Finally, the morphology of the different segments of the cervical spinal canal in healthy volunteers was revised and compared. Results: According to the ratio of the median sagittal diameter and the transverse diameter of the cervical spinal canal, the lunar phase classification of the cervical bony spinal canal was determined as follows: full-moon >0.65, 0.55< convex-moon ≤0.65, 0.46≤ quarter-moon ≤0.55, and residual-moon <0.46. The Kappa values of C2–C7 were 0.851, 0.958, 0.823, 0.927, 0.793, and 0.946, and the Kappa value of all C2–C7 segments was 0.854 that mainly presented two forms of full-moon (76.5%) and convex-moon (23.0%). A quarter-moon spinal canal was mainly distributed in C3, C4, C5, and C6; a residual-moon spinal canal was mainly distributed in C4 and C5; and the morphological distribution of C4 and C5 were similar (p>0.05). The frequency of the spinal canal of the residual-moon type was the highest, and the full-moon (6.5%) and residual-moon (7.5%) types of C7 were rare. Conclusions The morphological classification of the cervical spinal canal was established to present anatomical variations. The classification showed good inter-rater reliability.

The treatment rules of point selection and treatment principles for treating chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) can be divided into three categories: regulating and replenishing, invigorating original yang and regulating zang-fu organs. The mechanism of moxibustion includes improving gut microbiota imbalance, regulating immune cell imbalance and correcting endocrine dysfunction. The moxibustion methods include ginger-partitioned moxibustion, thunder-fire moxibustion, warm acupuncture, and governor moxibustion. Acupuncture points such as Shenque (RN8), Guanyuan (RN4), Qihai (RN6), Zusanli (ST36), Baihui (DU20), Yongquan (KI1) and back-shu points are often selected to exert anti-chronic fatigue effects.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of acute leukemia patients during pregnancy.Methods:The clinical data of 16 cases with acute leukemia during pregnancy from January 2009 to December 2018 in the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC were retrospectively analyzed. The diagnosis and treatment regimens, pregnancy outcome, the early fetus and survival status of patients were also analyzed.Results:All 16 leukemia cases were confirmedly diagnosed and classified by bone marrow puncture, including 13 cases of acute myeloid leukemia (5 cases of non-acute promyelocytic leukemia and 8 cases of acute promyelocytic leukemia) and 3 cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. At the time of confirmed diagnosis, 6 patients were in first trimester, 6 cases in second trimester and 4 cases in late trimester. As for pregnancy outcome, 1 patient had natural birthing, 5 patients underwent cesarean operation, 9 patients underwent artificial abortion and 1 patient had spontaneous abortion. Chemotherapy was performed in 15 patients during pregnancy, 11 patients received chemotherapy for treatment of primary disease after pregnancy, 3 patients died during the treatment. During the follow-up of 13 cases, 8 patients survived and 5 patients lost follow-up.Conclusions:Early diagnosis of acute leukemia during pregnancy is very important. Bone marrow puncture should be performed timely to make clear diagnosis when blood routine result is abnormal during antenatal care. Multidisciplinary consultation should be initiated in time, and the best treatment plan should be worked out to guard against serious complications during pregnancy.

Objective:To evaluate the feasibility and the application values of quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) for the assessment of meniscal injury and in distinguishing meniscus degeneration and tears.Methods:The clinical and imaging data of 70 patients suspected of meniscus injury and scheduled for arthroscopy in Shandong Medical Imaging Research Institute, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University from November 2019 to June 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. Thirty age-and sex-matched healthy subjects were also examined as controls. All subjects received knee joint QSM and routine MR imaging. According to the results of arthroscopy, the patients was divided into meniscus degeneration and meniscus tear groups, respectively. The conventional MR was evaluated by two radiologists. The meniscus injury area was delineated on the original QSM magnitude images (the central area of the posterior corner of the lateral meniscus was selected in the healthy controls) and mapped to the corresponding QSM maps, and the magnetic susceptibility values were measured. Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to analyze the magnetic sensitivity values of meniscal degeneration, meniscal tear and healthy control groups; and Bonferroni was used to correct the pairwise comparison. ROC curve was established to evaluate the threshold and efficacy of magnetic susceptibility value in the diagnosis of meniscal tear. The results were compared with those of conventional MRI. Results:The magnetic susceptibility values of meniscus of healthy controls, meniscal degeneration and meniscal tear groups were (0.035±0.016)ppm, -0.031(-0.040,-0.005)ppm, and(-0.122±0.115)ppm, respectively, with significant difference found among the three groups (χ2=44.419, P<0.05). The magnetic susceptibility values of meniscus of healthy controls was significantly higher than those of meniscus degeneration patients and meniscus tear patients (χ2=-23.843, -48.253, P<0.05). The magnetic susceptibility values of meniscus of meniscus tear group was significant lower than those of meniscus degeneration group (χ2=-24.410, P<0.05). Taking magnetic susceptibility values of -0.062 5 ppm as threshold, the area under the ROC curve for the diagnosis of meniscal tears was 0.949, with the sensitivity as 87% and the specificity as 100%. The sensitivity and specificity of conventional MRI in the diagnosis of meniscal tears were 86.8% and 87.5%, respectively. Conclusion:QSM can quantitatively evaluate meniscus injury and can be used as an effective supplement method to conventional MRI, which is helpful to improve the diagnosis of meniscus tear.

Objective:To evaluate partial splenectomy (LPS) in the treatment of benign solid tumors of the spleen.Methods:The clinical data of patients with benign solid tumors of spleen treated by laparoscopy from Jan 2010 to Jun 2018 in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University was retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into LPS group and laparoscopic total splenectomy (LTS) group.Results:There were 21 cases in LPS group and 25 cases in LTS group. Differences between the two groups, operative time, blood loss, transfusion rate, maintenance of drain, postoperative hospital stay, costs, postoperative WBC and platelet count, and postoperative complications such as hemorrhage, fever, splenic fossa effusion, pancreatic fistula, venous thrombosis were statistically insignificant. However, the postoperative incidence of thrombocythemia in the LPS group were significantly lower compared to the LTS group (χ 2 =4.293, P<0.05). Conclusions:Patients with benign solid tumors of the spleen will benefit more from LPS compared to LTS.

Objective: To investigate the association of GNA11 gene polymorphisms with the risk of adult-onset non-surgical hypoparathyroidism (Ns-HypoPT). Methods: Genotyping of GNA11 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs28685098, rs4806907, rs11084997 and rs78003011) was carried out in 203 patients and 209 healthy participants by sequenom MassArray iPLEX System. These SNPs are located in promoter and 3′untranslated region (3′UTR) of GNA11 gene, respectively. Results: Allele and genotype frequencies of rs11084997 in patients were significantly different from those of controls (genotype GG:60.5% vs. 49.8%, GC: 35.5% vs. 41.6%, CC: 4.0% vs. 8.6%, P=0.038; G allele 78.3% vs. 70.6%, C allele 21.7% vs. 29.4%, P=0.012), and the C allele of rs11084997 carriers had a lower risk to develops Ns-HypoPT in additive and dominant genetic models [OR=0.382 (0.160-0.915), 0.647 (0.437-0.957)]. CC-Haplotype formed by the minor alleles of rs4806907 and rs11084997 was associated with a decreased risk of Ns-HypoPT in additive, dominant and recessive genetic model [OR=0.317 (0.126-0.801), 0.640 (0.430-0.952), 0.367 (0.148-0.912)]. Conclusion The minor allele C of rs11084997 in GNA11 gene promoter was associated with decreased risk of Ns-HypoPT in Chinese population.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of intermittent regional hepatic vascular inflow occlusion with Pringle’s maneuvre for laparoscopic anterior sectionectomy.Methods:From January 2014 to December 2018, 54 patients who underwent laparoscopic right anterior sectionectomy at the Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, the Third Affiliated Hospital, Soochow University were recruited into this study. The patients were 40 to 60 years old, and 27 were males and 27 females. Intermittent regional hepatic vascular inflow occlusion was carried out in 24 patients (the intermittent occlusion group). The remaining patients underwent Pringle’s maneuvre (the Pringle group). Postoperative liver function, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative blood transfusion, operation time and postoperative complications between the two groups were compared.Results:Intraoperative hemorrhage and blood transfusion of the Pringle group (534±42)ml, (2.88±0.54)U were significantly higher than the intermittent occlusion group (374±21)ml, (1.86±0.29)U (all P<0.05). The operation time of the Pringle group was significantly shorter than the intermittent occlusion group ( P<0.05). Two patients developed CO 2 embolism in each group, which led to 2 patients in the intermittent occlusion group being converted to open operations. Postoperative hepatic function (except albumin) of the intermittent occlusion group was significantly better than the Pringle group, while the hospital stay of the intermittent occlusion group was significantly shorter than the Pringle group (all P<0.05). Six patients (25.0%) developed postoperative complications in the intermittent occlusion group versus 8 (26.7%) in the Pringle group ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Intermittent regional hepatic vascular inflow occlusion reduced intra-operative hemorrage and hepatic impairment, and shortened hospital stay. However, it required higher operation skills and it should gradually be promoted.