BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia in the elderly. This study aimed to evaluate urban-rural disparities in its prevalence and management in elderly Chinese. METHODS: Consecutive participants aged ≥ 65 years attending outpatient clinics were enrolled for AF screening using handheld single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) from April 2017 to December 2022. Each ECG rhythm strip was reviewed from the research team. AF or uninterpretable single-lead ECGs were referred for 12-lead ECG. Primary study outcome comparison was between rural and urban areas for the prevalence of AF. The Student's t-test was used to compare mean values of clinical characteristics between rural and urban participants, while the Pearson's chi-square test was used to compare between-group proportions. Multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the association between AF and various patient characteristics. RESULTS: The 29,166 study participants included 13,253 men (45.4%) and had a mean age of 72.2 years. The 7073 rural participants differed significantly (P ≤ 0.02) from the 22,093 urban participants in several major characteristics, such as older age, greater body mass index, and so on. The overall prevalence of AF was 4.6% (n = 1347). AF was more prevalent in 7073 rural participants than 22,093 urban participants (5.6% vs. 4.3%, P < 0.01), before and after adjustment for age, body mass index, blood pressure, pulse rate, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and prior medical history. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified overweight/obesity (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.17-1.54) in urban areas and cigarette smoking (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.20-2.17) and alcohol consumption (OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.04-1.93) in rural areas as specific risk factors for prevalent AF. In patients with known AF in urban areas (n = 781) and rural areas (n = 338), 60.6% and 45.9%, respectively, received AF treatment (P < 0.01), and only 22.4% and 17.2%, respectively, received anticoagulation therapy (P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS In China, there are urban-rural disparities in AF in the elderly, with a higher prevalence and worse management in rural areas than urban areas. Our study findings provide insight for health policymakers to consider urban-rural disparity in the prevention and treatment of AF.

Wild hedgehogs may act as carriers and/or hosts for bacterial,viral,and fungal pathogens with zoonotic potential,posing a significant threat to humans.Humans are increasingly invading hedgehog habitats,disrupting the coexistence between humans and animals.Hedgehogs are also increasingly being kept as pets,substantially increasing the probability of human zoonotic pathogen spillover from hedgehogs to humans.Herein,we review existing knowledge on bacterial,viral,and mycotic pathogens with zoonotic potential,evaluating the significance of hedgehogs as carriers or hosts.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of brexpiprazole in treating acute schizophrenia.Methods Patients with schizophrenia were randomly divided into treatment group and control group.The treatment group was given brexpiprozole 2-4 mg·d-1 orally and the control group was given aripiprazole 10-20 mg·d-1orally,both were treated for 6 weeks.Clinical efficacy of the two groups,the response rate at endpoint,the changes from baseline to endpoint of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS),Clinical Global Impression-Improvement(CGI-S),Personal and Social Performance scale(PSP),PANSS Positive syndrome subscale,PANSS negative syndrome subscale were compared.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events in two groups were compared.Results There were 184 patients in treatment group and 186 patients in control group.After treatment,the response rates of treatment group and control group were 79.50％(140 cases/184 cases)and 82.40％(150 cases/186 cases),the scores of CGI-I of treatment group and control group were(2.00±1.20)and(1.90±1.01),with no significant difference(all P＞0.05).From baseline to Week 6,the mean change of PANSS total score wese(-30.70±16.96)points in treatment group and(-32.20±17.00)points in control group,with no significant difference(P＞0.05).The changes of CGI-S scores in treatment group and control group were(-2.00±1.27)and(-1.90±1.22)points,PSP scores were(18.80±14.77)and(19.20±14.55)points,PANSS positive syndrome scores were(-10.30±5.93)and(-10.80±5.81)points,PANSS negative syndrome scores were(-6.80±5.98)and(-7.30±5.15)points,with no significant difference(P＞0.05).There was no significant difference in the incidence of treatment-related adverse events between the two group(69.00％vs.64.50％,P＞0.05).Conclusion The non-inferiority of Brexpiprazole to aripiprazole was established,with comparable efficacy and acceptability.

ObjectiveTo review the ancient and modern literature of Huanglian Ejiaotang and learn about the historical evolution and clinical application， thereby providing a theoretical basis for the modern application of the classical prescription. MethodLiterature in the Chinese Medical Classics Database was retrieved with "Huanglian Ejiaotang" as the keyword. In China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI） and PubMed， "Huanglian Ejiaotang" in Chinese and English was used as the keyword to retrieve literature. The items and modern clinical application studies related to the prescription， medicine， dosage， syndrome， and treatment of Huanglian Ejiaotang were selected and recorded. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to screen out literature. The information about the dynasty， book title， function， and indication was integrated to understand the history， evolution， and clinical application of Huanglian Ejiaotang. ResultFinally， 89 ancient books were included with 111 items. Huanglian Ejiaotang was initially recorded in ZHANG Zhongjing's Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases in the Han dynasty. It was composed of five herbs， namely Coptidis Rhizoma， Scutellariae Radix， Paeoniae Radix Alba， Asini Corii Colla， and egg yolk. With the change of historical dynasties， the composition， origin basis， dosage， and preparation method of Huanglian Ejiaotang all changed， but the changes in the processing were not obvious， which was basically consistent with Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases. In addition， 48 studies were included to analyze the clinical application of Huanglian Ejiaotang， which was mainly used for insomnia， anxiety， depression， diabetes， and so on. ConclusionAccording to the ancient and modern literature， the origin basis， dosage， processing， decoction， administration， and other content of Huanglian Ejiaotang are consistent with Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases. The present clinical application has expanded the usage scale of the ancient record， which promotes the innovation and development of the classic prescription and provides references for later research， development， and accurate application.

ObjectiveTo systematically evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of Chinese medicinal injection （CMI） in the treatment of unstable angina pectoris （UAP）. MethodEight databases， i.e.， China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI），VIP，Wanfang Data，CBM，PubMed，EMBASE，The Cochrane Library，and Web of Science were searched for randomized controlled trials （RCT） of conventional treatment combined with CMI （treatment group） versus conventional treatment （CT）（control group）in the treatment of UAP published from database inception to March 31th 2021. Stata 16.0 was used for network Meta-analysis. ResultThirty-nine RCT involving 3 407 patients were included. As revealed by the results of network Meta-analysis， in terms of the total effective rate in angina pectoris improvement， the therapeutic protocols were ranked as Tanreqing injection（TRQI）+CT>Xiangdan injection（XDI）+CT>Ciwujia injection（CWJI）+CT=Shengmai injection（SMI）+CT>Xuesaitong injection（XSTS）+CT>Breviscapine injection（BI）+CT>Shuxuetong injection（SXTI）+CT>Kudiezi injection（KDZI）+CT>Shuxuening injection（SXNI）+CT>Danshen injection （DSI）+CT>Guanxinning injection（GXNI）+CT>Dengzhanxixin injection（DZXXI）+CT>Xueshuantong injection（XSTI）+CT>Gualoupi injection（GLPI）+CT>CT；for the total effective rate in ECG improvement， SXTI+CT>XDI+CT>TRQI+CT>CWJI+CT>XSTI+CT>BI+CT>XSTI+CT>SXNI+CT>GXNI+CT>KDZI+CT>DZXXI+CT>GLPI+CT>CT>SMI+CT；for the adverse reactions， DZXXI+CT>XDI+CT>DSI+CT>BI+CT>SMI+CT>SXNI+CT>CT>GLPI+CT>GXNI+CT>SXTI+CT>KDZI+CT>CWJI+CT；for the reduction of fibrinogen （FIB）， BI+CT>SXTI+CT>XSTI+CT>CT>KDZI+CT；for the reduction of C-reactive protein （CRP）， DSI+CT>DZXXI+CT>XSTI+CT>CT；for the reduction of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein （hs-CRP）， SXNI+CT>KDZI+CT>SXTI+CT>DZXXI+CT>GLPI+CT>TRQI+CT>XSTI+CT>CT. The results of subgroup analyses were consistent with those of the overall Meta-analysis. ConclusionCMI combined with CT can improve angina pectoris and ECG，reduce adverse reactions，and also improve FIB，CRP，and hs-CRP to varying degrees. However，due to the differences in the quality and quantity of CMIs in RCTs，clinical application should be performed based on the specific conditions.

Malocclusion is one of the three most common oral diseases reported by World Health Organization(WHO). In China, its incidence rate is rising. Malocclusion seriously affects the dental and maxillofacial function, facial appearance and growth development of nearly 260 million children in China, and what is more, it affects their physical and mental health development. Malocclusion occurrence is related to genetic and environmental factors. Early treatment of malocclusion can create a good dental and maxillofacial development environment, correct abnormal growth and control the adverse effects of abnormal genetic factors. It can effectively reduce the prevalence of children's malocclusion and enhance their physical and mental health. This is an urgent need from the economic perspective of our society, so it has great practical and social significance. Experts from the project group "standard diagnose and treatment protocols for early orthodontic intervention of malocclusions of children" which initiated by China National Health Institute of Hospital Administration wrote the "China Experts' Consensus on Preventive and Interceptive Orthodontic Treatments of Malocclusions of Children", which aims to guide and popularize the clinical practice, improve the clinical theory and practice level, and accelerate the disciplinary development of early treatment of children's malocclusion in China. The consensus elaborates the harmfulness of malocclusion and the necessity of early treatment, and brings up the principles and fundamental contents. Based on the law of dental and maxillofacial development, this paper puts forward the guiding suggestions of preventive and interceptive treatments in different stages of dental development ranging from fetus to early permanent dentition. It is a systematic project to promote and standardize the early treatment of malocclusion. Through scientific and comprehensive stratified clinical practice and professional training, the clinical system of early treatment of malocclusion in China will eventually be perfected, so as to comprehensively care for children's dental and maxillofacial health, and improve their oral and physical health in China.
Child ; China/epidemiology* ; Consensus ; Dental Care ; Humans ; Malocclusion/prevention & control* ; Orthodontics, Interceptive

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays an important role in the development and pathogenesis of respiratory system. Epithelial cells are characterized by well-developed, intercellular contacts, whereas EMT triggers the sequential destabilization of cell-cell adhesive junctions. The dynamic remodeling of the epithelial cell adhesion molecules is important for maintaining the integrity and normal function of epithelium. This paper reviews the research progress of EMT in lung development, lung injury repair and chronic lung diseases, and summarizes the effect of cell junctions and cell adhesion molecules on EMT molecular events.
Cell Adhesion ; Cell Adhesion Molecules ; Epithelial Cells ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Respiratory System

Objective: To compare the effect of four kinds of decocting containers on the content of sinapine and the HPLC specific chromatograms of Sinapis Semen decoction,so as to optimize decocting container for the development of classical formulas. Method: Selecting four kinds of decoction vessels,named traditional casserole,ceramic pot,round-bottom flask and stainless-steel pot as the research object,the content of sinapine in Sinapis Semen decoction and its HPLC specific chromatograms were used as indexes to investigate the influence of different decoction vessels on the decoction.Similarity evaluation of specific chromatograms was performed by the "Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of Traditional Chinese Medicine"(edition of 2004A). Result: The contents of sinapine in the decoction prepared by traditional casserole,ceramic pot,round-bottom flask and stainless-steel pot were 0.04%,0.07%,0.84% and 0.97%,respectively.Compared with specific chromatograms of the decoction prepared by traditional casserole,the similarities of specific chromatograms of the decoction prepared by ceramic pot,round-bottom flask and stainless-steel pot were 0.98,0.82 and 0.68,respectively.Compared with specific chromatograms of the decoction prepared by ceramic pot,the similarities of specific chromatograms of the decoction prepared by round-bottom flask and stainless-steel pot were 0.79 and 0.62,respectively.Compared with specific chromatograms of the decoction prepared by round-bottom flask,the similarity of specific chromatograms of the decoction prepared by stainless-steel pot was 0.97. Conclusion: The content of sinapine and HPLC specific chromatograms of Sinapis Semen decoction obtained from different decocting containers are quite different.

In recent years, near-infrared spectroscopy has developed into an analytical technique widely used in various fields. Because of its advantages of fast, green and non-destructive, it plays an increasingly prominent role in the field of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) analysis. However, due to the complexity and overlap of spectra, near-infrared spectroscopy needs to be combined with chemometrics for analysis and calculation. The principle, application scope, advantages and limitations of near infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics are summarized in detail, in addition, their combined applications in the identification of the origin, authenticity, processed products, composition prediction and water content detection of TCM are reviewed. The authors discussed and analyzed the joint application of near-infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics in the field of TCM analysis, and summarized the unique advantages of the combined technology in the field of TCM, which had certain guiding significance for medical workers to better use this technology.