OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

Functional dyspepsia (FD), characterized by persistent or recurrent dyspeptic symptoms without identifiable organic, systemic or metabolic causes, is an increasingly recognized global health issue. The objective of this guideline is to equip clinicians and nursing professionals with evidence-based strategies for the management and treatment of adult patients with FD using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The Guideline Development Group consulted existing TCM consensus documents on FD and convened a panel of 35 clinicians to generate initial clinical queries. To address these queries, a systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP Database, China Biology Medicine (SinoMed) Database, Wanfang Database, Traditional Medicine Research Data Expanded (TMRDE), and the Traditional Chinese Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (TCMLARS). The evidence from the literature was critically appraised using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. The strength of the recommendations was ascertained through a consensus-building process involving TCM and allopathic medicine experts, methodologists, pharmacologists, nursing specialists, and health economists, leveraging their collective expertise and empirical knowledge. The guideline comprises a total of 43 evidence-informed recommendations that span a range of clinical aspects, including the pathogenesis according to TCM, diagnostic approaches, therapeutic interventions, efficacy assessments, and prognostic considerations. Please cite this article as: Zhang SS, Zhao LQ, Hou XH, Bian ZX, Zheng JH, Tian HH, Yang GH, Hong WS, He YY, Liu L, Shen H, Li YP, Xie S, Shu J, Zeng BF, Li JX, Liu Z, Xiao ZH, Xiao JD, Zheng PY, Huang SG, Chen SL, Fei GJ. International clinical practice guideline on the use of traditional Chinese medicine for functional dyspepsia (2025). J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):502-518.
Dyspepsia/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*

Objective To propose a method for classifying small bowel capsule endoscopy images by combining the Swin Transformer network with an improved Adapt-RandAugment data augmentation approach,aiming to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of small bowel lesion classification and recognition.Methods An Adapt-RandAugment data augmentation approach was formulated based on the RandAugment data enhancement sub-strategy and the principles of no feature loss and no distortion when enhancing small bowel capsule endoscopy images.In the publicly available Kvasir-Capsule dataset of small bowel capsule endoscopic images,the Adapt-RandAugment data augmentation approach was trained based on the Swin Transformer network,and the convolutional neural networks ResNet152 and DenseNet161 were used as the benchmarks to validate the combined Swin Transformer network and Adapt-RandAugment data augmentation approach for small bowel capsule endoscopy image classification.Results The proposed algorithm gained advantages over ResNet152 and DenseNet161 networks in the indicators,which had the macro average precision(MAC-PRE),macro average recall(MAC-REC),macro average F1 score(MAC-Fi-S)being 0.383 2,0.314 8 and 0.290 5 respectively,the micro average precision(MIC-PRE),micro average recall(MIC-REC)and micro average F1 score(MIC-Fi-S)all being 0.755 3,and the Matthews correlation coe-fficient(MCC)being 0.452 3.Conclusion The proposed small bowel capsule endoscopy image classification method based on Swin Transformer network and Adapt-RandAugment data augmentation approach behaves well in classified recognition efficiency and accuracy.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(6):9-16]

Objective To explore the clinical rational use evaluation method for high-value medical consumables in diagnosis related groups(DRG)using association rules in order to provide references for the supervision of clinical rational use of high-value medical consumables.Methods The cardiovascular department was taken as an example.Firstly,K-means algorithm was applied to cluster analysis of DRG cases in the department,and representative cases were selected as the research objects;secondly,Apriori algorithm was used to mine the frequent item sets of DRG patient groups,the high-value medical consumables in the department and the rules of association between DRG patient groups and medical consumables;finally,two indicators of the importance of regulation and rationality of the use of medical consumables were designed to evaluate the importance of regulation and rationality of the use of high-value medical consumables.Results There were two common DRG patient groups in the cardiovascular department,including FM39 percutaneous cardiac catheterization and FM19 percutaneous coronary stent implantation,and the frequently used medical consumables contained vascular sheath,contrast catheter,pressure monitoring kit,triple three-way stopcock and coronary guide wire in the two groups.The common combinations of medical consumables used in the FM39 DRG patient group comprised of vascular sheath,contrast catheter,pressure monitoring kit,triple three-way stopcock and coronary guide wire,which were close to that of the cardiovascular department;there were some additional consumables involved in the common combinations in the FM19 group such as occluder,coronary guide catheter,pressure pump,drug-eluting stent and coronary dilation balloon.The top three medical consumables in terms of regulatory importance were cutting balloon,coronary guide wire and drug-eluting stent;using the confidence level from January to September 2022 as a reference,from January to September 2023 the rationality of using high-value consumables in FM39 group went higher by 5.08％while that in FM19 group went lower by 9.23％.Conclusion The association rule-based evaluation method for the use of medical consumables in DRG patient groups can be used for assessing the importance of regulation and rationality of the use of high-value medical consumables,which provides references for the supervision of clinical rational use of high-value medical consumables.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(11):67-71]

Background::Breast cancer (BC) risk-stratification tools for Asian women that are highly accurate and can provide improved interpretation ability are lacking. We aimed to develop risk-stratification models to predict long- and short-term BC risk among Chinese women and to simultaneously rank potential non-experimental risk factors.Methods::The Breast Cancer Cohort Study in Chinese Women, a large ongoing prospective dynamic cohort study, includes 122,058 women aged 25-70 years old from the eastern part of China. We developed multiple machine-learning risk prediction models using parametric models (penalized logistic regression, bootstrap, and ensemble learning), which were the short-term ensemble penalized logistic regression (EPLR) risk prediction model and the ensemble penalized long-term (EPLT) risk prediction model to estimate BC risk. The models were assessed based on calibration and discrimination, and following this assessment, they were externally validated in new study participants from 2017 to 2020.Results::The AUC values of the short-term EPLR risk prediction model were 0.800 for the internal validation and 0.751 for the external validation set. For the long-term EPLT risk prediction model, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.692 and 0.760 in internal and external validations, respectively. The net reclassification improvement index of the EPLT relative to the Gail and the Han Chinese Breast Cancer Prediction Model (HCBCP) models for external validation was 0.193 and 0.233, respectively, indicating that the EPLT model has higher classification accuracy.Conclusions::We developed the EPLR and EPLT models to screen populations with a high risk of developing BC. These can serve as useful tools to aid in risk-stratified screening and BC prevention.

Objective: To explore the balance of peripheral blood T helper 17 cells/regulatory T cell (Th17/Treg) ratio and the polarization ratio of M1 and M2 macrophages in lower extremity arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO). Methods: A rat model of lower extremity ASO was established, and blood samples from patients with lower extremity ASO before and after surgery were obtained. ELISA was used to detect interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-10, and IL-17. Real-time RCR and Western blot analyses were used to detect Foxp3, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-17 expression. Moreover, flow cytometry was applied to detect the Th17/Treg ratio and M1/M2 ratio. Results: Compared with the control group, the iliac artery wall of ASO rats showed significant hyperplasia, and the concentrations of cholesterol and triglyceride were significantly increased (P<0.01), indicating the successful establishment of ASO. Moreover, the levels of IL-6 and IL-17 in ASO rats were pronouncedly increased (P<0.05), while the IL-10 level was significantly decreased (P<0.05). In addition to increased IL-6 and IL-17 levels, the mRNA and protein levels of Foxp3 and IL-10 in ASO rats were significantly decreased compared with the control group. The Th17/Treg and M1/M2 ratios in the ASO group were markedly increased (P<0.05). These alternations were also observed in ASO patients. After endovascular surgery (such as percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and arterial stenting), all these changes were significantly improved (P<0.05). Conclusions: The Th17/Treg and M1/M2 ratios were significantly increased in ASO, and surgery can effectively improve the balance of Th17/Treg, and reduce the ratio of M1/M2, and the expression of inflammatory factors.

Purpose To explore the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)in the differential diagnosis of gallbladder polypoid lesions(GPLs)(diameter≥10 mm).Materials and Methods A prospective enrollment of 229 patients with GPLs who underwent cholecystectomy in 17 hospitals from December 1 2021 to June 30 2024 was conducted to analyze the relationship between general data,conventional ultrasound,CEUS characteristics and the nature of GPLs.Multivariate Logistic regression was employed to identify independent risk factors for neoplastic polyps,the differential diagnostic value of different indicators was compared.Results Among 229 patients with GPLs,there were 108 cases of cholesterol polyps,102 cases of adenoma and 19 cases of gallbladder cancer.Age(Z=-4.476,P<0.001),polyp number(χ2=15.561,P<0.001),diameter(Z=-8.149,P<0.001),echogenicity(χ2=9.241,P=0.010),vascularity(χ2=23.107,P<0.001),enhancement intensity(χ2=47.610,P<0.001),enhancement pattern(χ2=6.468,P=0.011),vascular type(χ2=84.470,P<0.001),integrity of gallbladder wall(χ2=7.662,P=0.006)and stalk width(Z=-9.831,P<0.001)between cholesterol polyps and neoplastic polyps were statistically significant.Age,location,diameter,echogenicity,enhancement pattern,vascular type and stalk width between adenoma and gallbladder cancer were statistically significant(Z=-4.333,-3.902,-5.042,all P<0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that hyper-enhancement,branched vascular type and stalk width were independent risk factors for neoplastic polyps(OR=4.563,5.770,3.075,all P<0.001).The combination of independent risk factors was better than single factor and diameter in the differential diagnosis of cholesterol polyps and neoplastic polyps(all P<0.01).Conclusion CEUS can effectively identify the nature of GPLs and provide a valuable imaging reference for the selection of treatment methods.

Humans ; Mpox (monkeypox) ; China

Objective:To study the long-term clinical effect of transvaginal mesh (TVM) and pelvic floor reconstruction with native tissue repair (NTR) in the treatment of advanced pelvic organ prolapse (POP).Methods:Totally 207 patients with advanced POP who were treated in Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital from Jan. 2016 to Sep. 2019 were enrolled. The patient′s pelvic organ prolapse quantification were all at degree Ⅲ or above, and they all complained for different degree of symptoms. They were divided into two groups according to the different surgical methods, TVM group and NTR group. In TVM group, the mesh was implanted through the vagina for pelvic floor reconstruction, while in NTR group, the traditional transvaginal hysterectomy combined with uterosacral ligament suspension and anterior and posterior wall repair, as well as perineal body repair were performed. The median follow-up time was 60 months, during the follow up time, 164 cases (79.2%, 164/207) had completed follow-up, including 76 cases in TVM group and 88 cases in NTR group. The perioperative data and complication rates of the two groups were compared, and the subjective and objective outcomes of the two groups at 1, 3 and 5 years were observed, respectively. The objective efficacy was evaluated by three composite criteria, namely: (1) the distance from the farthest end of the prolapse of the anterior and posterior wall of the vagina to the hymen is ≤0 cm, and the descending distance of the top is ≤1/2 of the total length of the vagina; (2) determine the disappearance of relevant POP symptoms according to “Do you often see or feel vaginal mass prolapse？”; (3) no further operation or pessary treatment was performed due to prolapse. If the above three criteria were met at the same time, the operation is successful; otherwise, it was recurrence. The subjective efficacy was evaluated by the pelvic floor distress inventory-short form 20 (PFDI-20) and pelvic floor impact questionnaire-short form 7 (PFIQ-7).Results:The median follow-up time of the two groups was 60 months (range: 41-82 months). Five years after the operation, the subjective and objective cure rates of TVM group were 89.5% (68/76) and 94.7% (72/76), respectively. The subjective and objective cure rates in NTR group were 80.7% (71/88) and 85.2% (75/88), respectively. There were significant differences in the subjective and objective cure rates between the two groups ( χ2=9.869, P=0.002; χ2=3.969, P=0.046). The recurrence rate of TVM group was 5.3% (4/76), and that of NTR group was 14.8% (13/88). There was a significant difference between the two groups ( P=0.046). The postoperative PFDI-20 and PFIQ-7 scores of the two groups were significantly lower than those before surgery, and there were significant differences of the two groups before and after surgery (all P<0.05). Postoperative mesh exposure in TVM group was 1.3% (1/76). Conclusions:The long-term outcomes between the two groups show that the subjective and objective outcomes of pelvic floor reconstruction in TVM group are significantly higher than those in NTR group, and the recurrence rate is significantly lower than that in NTR group. TVM has certain advantages in the treatment of advanced POP.

COVID-19 has been prevalent for three years. The virulence of SARS-CoV-2 is weaken as it mutates continuously. However, elderly patients, especially those with underlying diseases, are still at high risk of developing severe infections. With the continuous study of the molecular structure and pathogenic mechanism of SARS-CoV-2, antiviral drugs for COVID-19 have been successively marketed, and these anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs can effectively reduce the severe rate and mortality of elderly patients. This article reviews the mechanism, clinical medication regimens, drug interactions and adverse reactions of five small molecule antiviral drugs currently approved for marketing in China, so as to provide advice for the clinical rational use of anti-SARS-CoV-2 in the elderly.