Jiuwei Xifeng Granules have become a Chinese patent medicine in the market. Because the formula contains Os Draconis, a top-level protected fossil of ancient organisms, the formula was to be improved by replacing Os Draconis with Ostreae Concha. To evaluate whether the improved formula has the same effectiveness and safety as the original formula, a randomized, double-blind, parallel-controlled, equivalence clinical trial was conducted. This study enrolled 288 tic disorder(TD) of children and assigned them into two groups in 1∶1. The treatment group and control group took the modified formula and original formula, respectively. The treatment lasted for 6 weeks, and follow-up visits were conducted at weeks 2, 4, and 6. The primary efficacy endpoint was the difference in Yale global tic severity scale(YGTSS)-total tic severity(TTS) score from baseline after 6 weeks of treatment. The results showed that after 6 weeks of treatment, the declines in YGTSS-TSS score showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. The difference in YGTSS-TSS score(treatment group-control group) and the 95%CI of the full analysis set(FAS) were-0.17[-1.42, 1.08] and those of per-protocol set(PPS) were 0.29[-0.97, 1.56], which were within the equivalence boundary [-3, 3]. The equivalence test was therefore concluded. The two groups showed no significant differences in the secondary efficacy endpoints of effective rate for TD, total score and factor scores of YGTSS, clinical global impressions-severity(CGI-S) score, traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) response rate, or symptom disappearance rate, and thus a complete evidence chain with the primary outcome was formed. A total of 6 adverse reactions were reported, including 4(2.82%) cases in the treatment group and 2(1.41%) cases in the control group, which showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. No serious suspected unexpected adverse reactions were reported, and no laboratory test results indicated serious clinically significant abnormalities. The results support the replacement of Os Draconis by Ostreae Concha in the original formula, and the efficacy and safety of the modified formula are consistent with those of the original formula.
Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Tic Disorders/drug therapy* ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the clinical characteristics of diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) in children and to enhance the clinical diagnosis and treatment of this disease. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 6 children diagnosed with DPB who were hospitalized at The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from January 2011 to December 2019. RESULTS: Among the 6 patients, there were 2 males and 4 females; the age at diagnosis ranged from 7 to 12 years. All patients presented with cough, sputum production, and exertional dyspnea, and all had a history of sinusitis. Two cases showed positive serum cold agglutinin tests, and 5 cases exhibited pathological changes consistent with chronic bronchiolitis. High-resolution chest CT in all patients revealed centrilobular nodules diffusely distributed throughout both lungs with a tree-in-bud appearance. Five patients received low-dose azithromycin maintenance therapy, but 3 showed inadequate treatment response. After empirical anti-tuberculosis treatment, non-tuberculous Mycobacteria were found in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Follow-up over 2 years showed 1 case cured, 3 cases significantly improved, and 2 cases partially improved. CONCLUSIONS The clinical presentation of DPB is non-specific and can easily lead to misdiagnosis. In cases where DPB is clinically diagnosed but does not show improvement with low-dose azithromycin treatment, special infections should be considered.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Bronchiolitis/drug therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Child ; Haemophilus Infections/diagnosis*

Sennoside A (SA), a typical prodrug, exerts its laxative effect only after its transformation into rheinanthrone catalyzed by gut microbial hydrolases and reductases. Hydrolases have been identified, but reductases remain unknown. By linking a photoreactive group to the SA scaffold, we synthesized a photoaffinity probe to covalently label SA reductases and identified SA reductases using activity-based protein profiling (ABPP). From lysates of an active strain, Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum (B. pseudocatenulatum), 397 proteins were enriched and subsequently identified using mass spectrometry (MS). Among these proteins, chromate reductase/nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) phosphate (NADPH)-dependent flavin mononucleotide (FMN) reductase/oxygen-insensitive NADPH nitroreductase (nfrA) was identified as a potent SA reductase through further bioinformatic analysis and The Universal Protein Resource (UniProt) database screening. We also determined that recombinant nfrA could reduce SA. Our study contributes to further illuminating mechanisms of SA transformation to rheinanthrone and simultaneously offers an effective method to identify gut bacterial reductases.

Cells are the fundamental structural and functional units of biological organisms,with inherent differences in composition and interactions with exogenous substances,known as cellular heterogeneity.Single cell inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry(SC-ICP-MS)allows for the high-throughput introduction of individual cells,enabling the highly sensitive detection and quantification of elements within a single cell,thus effectively providing information on cellular heterogeneity.This review outlined the SC-ICP-MS sample preparation process for different types of cells(single-cell systems,aggregation-prone and adherent cell systems,animal tissues,and plant tissues),including steps such as separation,washing,and fixation,as well as the advantages and existing issues of the current sample introduction systems and quantification methods.The recent applications of SC-ICP-MS in detecting endogenous substances(endogenous elements and proteins),exogenous substances(heavy metals,metal-based drugs and nanoparticles),and the simultaneous detection of both endogenous and exogenous substances were summarized.Finally,the perspectives on the future development of SC-ICP-MS in analytical methods and application fields were presented,including the optimization of single-cell sample preparation,transport efficiency,evaluation standards of ionization efficiency,and the establishment of multiparametric cell analysis platforms.

Objective To investigate the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndromes in the patients with acute cerebral infarction,and to analyze the correlation of TCM syndromes with collateral circulation,cerebral blood perfusion and prognosis.Methods A total of 300 patients with acute cerebral infarction were selected.All patients underwent head-neck CT angiography(CTA)and CT perfusion imaging(CTP),and then were followed up for 30 days.The prognosis was evaluated by modified Rankin Scale(MRS)score.In addition,the dynamic evolution of TCM syndromes was observed to explore the correlation of TCM syndromes with collateral circulation,cerebral blood flow perfusion in the lesion area and prognosis.Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the influences of TCM syndromes,blood flow perfusion and collateral circulation establishment on stroke outcomes.Results(1)Highest incidences of syndrome elements of phlegm,blood stasis and wind were presented in ACI patients.The syndrome element of qi deficiency was predominated in the patients with anterior/posterior communicating artery opening and extracranial-to-intracranial collateral circulation establishment.On the first day of onset,the incidence of qi deficiency syndrome element in the good collateral circulation group was lower than that in the poor collateral circulation group(P＜0.05).On the 30th day after onset,the incidences of qi deficiency syndrome element and phlegm syndrome element in the good collateral circulation group were significantly lower than those in the poor collateral circulation group(P＜0.01).The results of correlation analysis showed that the score of qi deficiency was negatively correlated with regional cerebral blood volume(rCBV)of region of interest(r=-0.472,P＜0.05),and the score of yin deficiency was positively correlated with rCBV(r=-0.557,P＜0.01)on the first day of onset.The incidence of qi deficiency in the lesion area was relatively high in the patients of decreased rCBV(rCBV＜1.0 score)group(P＜0.01),while the incidence of yin deficiency in the lesion area was relatively high in the patients of elevated rCBV(rCBV＞1.0 score)group(P＜0.05).(2)The distribution of syndrome elements on the first day of onset showed that the incidence of qi deficiency syndrome element in the poor prognosis group was significantly higher than that in the good prognosis group(P＜0.01);on the 30th day after onset,the incidences of qi deficiency syndrome element and phlegm syndrome element in the good prognosis group was significantly lower than those in the poor prognosis group(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The incidence of phlegm syndrome element in the good prognosis group was significantly reduced on the 30th day after onset compared with that on the first day of onset(χ2=7.409,P＜0.01),while there was no significant difference shown in the poor prognosis group(P＞0.05).(3)Logistic regression analysis showed that syndrome elements(qi deficiency,phlegm),collateral circulation grading,and rCBV in the lesion area were the independent risk factors for stroke outcomes.Conclusion The acute cerebral infarction patients with poor collateral circulation,decreased blood perfusion and poor prognosis are predominated by qi deficiency syndrome element.Moreover,phlegm syndrome element is presented in the patients with poor prognosis throughout the course of disease.It is indicated that qi deficiency syndrome element and phlegm syndrome element play an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of acute cerebral infarction.

Objective:To explore the feasibility of using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography for measuring right ventricular strain and function in healthy adults, and to analyze the impact of age and gender.Methods:This study is a cross-sectional study. Healthy adults who underwent physical examination in the Physical Examination Center of Beijing Hospital from January 1, 2020 to January 1, 2021 were included. Two researchers independently measured various right ventricular longitudinal strain indices using the Echopac software, including (global longitudinal strain (GLS), apical longitudinal strain (ALS), midventricle longitudinal strain (MLS), basal longitudinal strain (BLS), free wall GLS (FWGLS), free wall ALS (FWALS), free wall MLS (FWMLS) and free wall BLS (FWBLS)) as well as tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and right ventricle-fraction of area change (RVFAC). The above indicators were taken as the average of two physicians. The consistency of the measurements by two physicians was evaluated by the within-group correlation coefficient ( ICC). Results:A total of 233 subjects were included, including 137 males, aged (58.5±14.2) years. ICC values was all above 0.8 with excellent agreement. The values of FWGLS and GLS in healthy adults were -26.63% and -21.89%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in TAPSE ((2.06±0.41)cm vs. (2.10±0.39)cm, P=0.510) and RVFAC ((51.17±9.91)% vs. (50.89±8.65)%, P=0.826) between males and females. The values of various right ventricular long axis strain indicators (GLS, ALS, MLS, BLS, FWGLS, FWMLS, FWMLS, FWBLS) in females aged 18 to 40 and 41 to 65 years were higher than those in males of the same age (all P<0.05), while there was no statistically significant difference in the values of various right ventricular long axis strain indicators between the sexes in subjects aged 65 years and above (all P>0.05). In females, the right ventricular GLS, ALS, MLS, FWGLS, FWALS, FWMLS, and FWBLS values in the groups aged 18 to 40 and 41 to 65 years were significantly higher than those in the group aged 65 years and above (all P<0.05). In contrast, no significant differences were found in these indices among different age groups in males (all P>0.05). Conclusions:Using two-dimensional speckle tracking technology in echocardiography to measure right ventricular strain indicators is feasible and highly reproducible. Gender and age have an impact on right ventricular strain indicators.

The COVID-19 epidemic has spread to the whole world for three years and has had a serious impact on human life, health and economic activities. China's epidemic prevention and control has gone through the following stages: emergency unconventional stage, emergency normalization stage, and the transitional stage from the emergency normalization to the "Category B infectious disease treated as Category B" normalization, and achieved a major and decisive victory. The designated hospitals for prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic in Tianjin has successfully completed its tasks in all stages of epidemic prevention and control, and has accumulated valuable experience. This article summarizes the experience of constructing a hospital infection prevention and control system during the "Category B infectious disease treated as Category A" period in designated hospital. The experience is summarized as the "Cluster" hospital infection prevention and control system, namely "three rings" outside, middle and inside, "three districts" of green, orange and red, "three things" before, during and after the event, "two-day pre-purification" and "two-director system", and "one zone" management. In emergency situations, we adopt a simplified version of the cluster hospital infection prevention and control system. In emergency situations, a simplified version of the "Cluster" hospital infection prevention and control system can be adopted. This system has the following characteristics: firstly, the system emphasizes the characteristics of "cluster" and the overall management of key measures to avoid any shortcomings. The second, it emphasizes the transformation of infection control concepts to maximize the safety of medical services through infection control. The third, it emphasizes the optimization of the process. The prevention and control measures should be comprehensive and focused, while also preventing excessive use. The measures emphasize the use of the least resources to achieve the best infection control effect. The fourth, it emphasizes the quality control work of infection control, pays attention to the importance of the process, and advocates the concept of "system slimming, process fattening". Fifthly, it emphasizes that the future development depends on artificial intelligence, in order to improve the quality and efficiency of prevention and control to the greatest extent. Sixth, hospitals need to strengthen continuous training and retraining. We utilize diverse training methods, including artificial intelligence, to ensure that infection control policies and procedures are simple. We have established an evaluation and feedback mechanism to ensure that medical personnel are in an emergency state at all times.

Objective To summarize the epidemiological and clinical features of infectious diseases of the central nervous system(CNS)by a single-center analysis.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of 1247 cases of CNS infectious diseases diagnosed and treated in the First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from 2001 to 2020.Results The data for this group of CNS infectious diseases by disease type in descending order of number of cases were viruses 743(59.6％),Mycobacterium tuberculosis 249(20.0％),other bacteria 150(12.0％),fungi 68(5.5％),parasites 18(1.4％),Treponema pallidum 18(1.4％)and rickettsia 1(0.1％).The number of cases increased by 177 cases(33.1％)in the latter 10 years compared to the previous 10 years(P<0.05).No significant difference in seasonal distribution pattern of data between disease types(P>0.05).Male to female ratio is 1.87︰1,mostly under 60 years of age.Viruses are more likely to infect students,most often at university/college level and above,farmers are overrepresented among bacteria and Mycobacterium tuberculosis,and more infections of Treponema pallidum in workers.CNS infectious diseases are characterized by fever,headache and signs of meningeal irritation,with the adductor nerve being the more commonly involved cranial nerve.Matagenomic next-generation sequencing improves clinical diagnostic capabilities.The median hospital days for CNS infectious diseases are 18.00(11.00,27.00)and median hospital costs are ￥29,500(￥16,000,￥59,200).The mortality rate from CNS infectious diseases is 1.6％.Conclusions The incidence of CNS infectious diseases is increasing last ten years,with complex clinical presentation,severe symptoms and poor prognosis.Early and accurate diagnosis and standardized clinical treatment can significantly reduce the morbidity and mortality rate and ease the burden of disease.

OBJECTIVE To explore the specific application and evaluation effect of objective structured clinical examination(OSCE)-guided scenario-based practical teaching mode in training clinical pharmacists. METHODS Fifty-six trainees who participated in the clinical pharmacist training program in the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from October 2020 to September 2022 were selected as the research objects. OSCE-guided teaching was conducted, and the application effect of OSCE-guided teaching mode in clinical pharmacist training was explored and analyzed by using theoretical examination results and OSCE assessment results as evaluation indicators. RESULTS Through comparative analysis, it was found that the OSCE-guided teaching mode not only enabled students to better grasp the theoretical knowledge points required by the training outline, but also improved their clinical thinking ability, problem-solving ability, and communication and coordination skills to varying degrees. CONCLUSION For clinical pharmacist trainees, the OSCE teaching mode is conducive to the comprehensive improvement of clinical pharmacist skills and is suitable for cultivating clinical pharmacists who are capable of independently carrying out clinical pharmacy services in the new situation.