OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill (STDP) in treating stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome by exercise duration and metabolic equivalents. METHODS: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial enrolled stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome from 22 hospitals. They were randomized 1:1 to STDP (35 mg/pill, 6 pills per day) or placebo for 56 days. The primary outcome was the exercise duration and metabolic equivalents (METs) assessed by the standard Bruce exercise treadmill test after 56 days of treatment. The secondary outcomes included the total angina symptom score, Chinese medicine (CM) symptom scores, Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) scores, changes in ST-T on electrocardiogram and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: This trial enrolled 309 patients, including 155 and 154 in the STDP and placebo groups, respectively. STDP significantly prolonged exercise duration with an increase of 51.0 s, compared to a decrease of 12.0 s with placebo (change rate: -11.1% vs. 3.2%, P<0.01). The increase in METs was significantly greater in the STDP group than in the placebo group (change: -0.4 vs. 0.0, change rate: -5.0% vs. 0.0%, P<0.01). The improvement of total angina symptom scores (25.0% vs. 0.0%), CM symptom scores (38.7% vs. 11.8%), reduction of nitroglycerin consumption (100.0% vs. 11.3%), and all domains of SAQ, were significantly greater with STDP than placebo (all P<0.01). The changes in Q-T intervals at 28 and 56 days from baseline were similar between the two groups (both P>0.05). Twenty-five participants (16.3%) with STDP and 16 (10.5%) with placebo experienced AEs (P=0.131), with no serious AEs observed. CONCLUSION STDP could improve exercise tolerance in patients with stable angina and phlegm-heat and blood stasis syndrome, with a favorable safety profile. (Registration No. ChiCTR-IPR-15006020).
Humans ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Angina, Stable/physiopathology* ; Aged ; Syndrome ; Treatment Outcome ; Placebos ; Tablets

Debates persist regarding the efficacy and safety of azvudine, particularly its real-world outcomes. This study involved patients aged ≥60 years who were admitted to 25 hospitals in mainland China with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between December 1, 2022, and February 28, 2023. Efficacy outcomes were all-cause mortality during hospitalization, the proportion of patients discharged with recovery, time to nucleic acid-negative conversion (T _NANC), time to symptom improvement (T _SI), and time of hospital stay (T _HS). Safety was also assessed. Among the 5884 participants identified, 1999 received azvudine, and 1999 matched controls were included after exclusion and propensity score matching. Azvudine recipients exhibited lower all-cause mortality compared with controls in the overall population (13.3% vs. 17.1%, RR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.67-0.90; P = 0.001) and in the severe subgroup (25.7% vs. 33.7%; RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.66-0.88; P < 0.001). A higher proportion of patients discharged with recovery, and a shorter T _NANC were associated with azvudine recipients, especially in the severe subgroup. The incidence of adverse events in azvudine recipients was comparable to that in the control group (2.3% vs. 1.7%, P = 0.170). In conclusion, azvudine showed efficacy and safety in older patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the SARS-CoV-2 omicron wave in China.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the efficacy of DSA-guided intrathecal drug delivery system combined with Zi Wu Liu Zhu Acupoint Therapy for management of cancer pain and provide reference for its standardized clinical application. Methods and. RESULTS: Recommendations were formulated based on literature review and expert group discussion, and consensus was reached following expert consultation. The consensus recommendations are comprehensive, covering the entire treatment procedures from preoperative assessment and preparation, surgical operation process, postoperative management and traditional Chinese medicine treatment to individualized treatment planning. The study results showed that the treatment plans combining traditional Chinese with Western medicine effectively alleviated cancer pain, reduced the use of opioid drugs, and significantly improved the quality of life and enhanced immune function of the patients. Postoperative follow-up suggested good treatment tolerance among the patients without serious complications. CONCLUSIONS The formulated consensus is comprehensive and can provide reference for clinicians to use DSA-guided intrathecal drug delivery system combined with Zi Wu Liu Zhu Acupoint Therapy. The combined treatment has a high clinical value with a good safety profile for management of cancer pain.
Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Cancer Pain/therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Pain Management/methods* ; China

Objective To compare the difference in the efficacies of arthroscopic microfracture operation for talar osteochondral injuries with hyperuricemia and non-hyperuricemia,and to explore the correlation be-tween blood urate level and efficacy.Methods Fifty-three patients with talar osteochondral lesions meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria from February 2015 to August 2021 were selected as the research subjects and divided into the hyperuricemia group (22 cases) and non-hyperuricemia group (31 cases) according to whether or not the preoperative blood uric acid level exceeding 420 μmol/L.The joint range of motion (ROM),visual analog scale (VAS) score,American Foot and Ankle Surgery Society (AOFAS) score,mag-netic resonance score of cartilage repair tissue (MOCART) score and postoperative satisfaction before and af-ter surgery were compared between the two groups.Results The preoperative blood uric acid level in the hy-peruricemia group was higher than that in non-hyperuricemia group,and the difference was statistically signif-icant[(504.35±86.40)μmol/L vs.(332.56±45.80)μmol/L,P<0.05].The ROM score,VAS score and AOFAS score in postoperative 1 year follow up and last follow up in the two groups were significantly im-proved compared with before operation (P<0.001).The AOFAS scores before operation,in postoperative 1 year and postoperative last follow up in the hyperuricemia group were lower than those in the non-hyperurice-mia group (P<0.05).The VAS scores before operation and postoperative last follow up in the hyperuricemia group were higher than those in the non-hyperuricemia group (P<0.05).The uric acid level was negatively correlated with the postoperative AOFAS score (r2=0.076,P=0.041).The MOCART score in postopera-tive last follow up in the hyperuricemia group was lower than that in the non-hyperuricemia group,and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).The cartilage defect repair and filling degree and the fusion of repaired tissue with adjacent cartilage had statistical differences between the hyperuricemia group and non-hyperuricemia group (P<0.05).Conclusion Arthroscopic microfracture operation in treating talar osteo-chondral injuries has good clinical effect,the postoperative clinical effect in the patients with complicating hy-peruricemia is lower than that in the patients with non-hyperuricemia and the blood uric acid level is negative-ly correlated with the AOFAS score after microfracture surgery.

Objective:Melanoma is highly malignant and heterogeneous.It is essential to develop a specific prognostic model for improving the patients'survival and treatment strategies.Recent studies have shown that ferroptosis results from the overproduction of lipid peroxidation and is an iron-dependent form of programmed cell death.Despite this,ferroptosis-related genes(FRGs)and their clinical significances remain unknown in malignant melanoma.This study aims to assess the role of FRGs in melanoma,with the goal of developing a novel prognostic model that provides new insights into personalized treatment and improvement of therapeutic outcomes for melanoma. Methods:We systematically characterized the genetic alterations and mRNA expression of 73 FRGs in The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)-skin cutaneous melanoma(SKCM)dataset in this study.The results were validated with real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting.Subsequently,a multi-gene feature model was constructed using the TCGA-SKCM cohort.Melanoma patients were classified into a high-risk group and a low-risk group based on the feature model.As a final step,correlations between ferroptosis-related signatures and immune features,immunotherapy efficacy,or drug response were analyzed. Results:By analyzing melanoma samples from TCGA-SKCM dataset,FRGs exhibited a high frequency of genetic mutations and copy number variations(CNVs),significantly impacting gene expression.Additionally,compared with normal skin tissue,30 genes with significantly differential expression were identified in melanoma tissues.A prognostic model related to FRGs,constructed using the LASSO Cox regression method,identified 13 FRGs associated with overall survival prognosis in patients and was validated with external datasets.Finally,functional enrichment and immune response analysis further indicated significant differences in immune cell infiltration,mutation burden,and hypoxia status between the high-risk group and the low-risk group,and the model was effective in predicting responses to immunotherapy and drug sensitivity. Conclusion:This study develops a strong ferroptosis-related prognostic signature model which could put forward new insights into target therapy and immunotherapy for patients with melanoma.

Objective:To explore the clinical application value of neutrophil extracellular traps(NETs)in the evaluation of psoriasis patients.Methods:Peripheral blood(2 ml)of 63 patients with psoriasis and 27 healthy controls were collected,neutrophils were isolated by density gradient method,and the formation of NETs was observed by immunofluorescence staining.Calculated the pro-portion and fluorescence intensity of NETs,and analyzed their correlation with clinical classification,severity and serological indica-tors.Skin lesions of 5 patients with psoriasis were collected,and the NETs were observed by immunofluorescence method.Results:Proportion and fluorescence intensity of spontaneous NETs in patients with psoriasis were significantly higher than those in healthy con-trols,and were positively correlated with the PASI scores.Production of NETs in psoriasis patients with metabolic abnormalities or TNF-α abnormalities was higher than that in psoriasis patients without metabolic abnormalities or TNF-α normalcy.Expressions of NETs in psoriatic lesions were increased.Conclusion:Levels of NETs are correlated with disease severity of psoriasis and patients with metabolic abnormalities,and may be used as a clinical indicator to reflect the inflammatory state of psoriasis and metabolic comor-bidity of psoriasis for disease evaluation.

Objective This study aimed to explore the effect of pituitary tumor-transforming gene 1(PTT-G1)on the invasion and proliferation of oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC)cell lines under the action of miR-362-3p.Methods The bioinformatics online database was used to query the expression of PTTG1 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma(HNSCC).The expression of PTTG1 in the Cal-27,HN-30,and HOK cell lines was detected by Western blot.A wound-healing assay was used to determine the effect of PTTG1 on the migration ability of the OSCC cells.The Transwell assay was used to examine the changes in cell-invasion ability.5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine(EdU)cell-proliferation assay was used to detect changes in cell-proliferation ability.Bioinformatics approach predicted the upstream miRNA of PTTG1.The targeting relationship between miR-362-3p and PTTG1 was examined by the dual luciferase assay,and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)was used to determine the expression of miRNA in OSCC tissues.Results The ENCORI database showed that PTTG1 expression was up-regulated in OSCC tissues.Western blot confirmed that PTTG1 expression was up-regulated in Cal-27 and HN-30 cells than HOK cells.PTTG1 knockout can inhibit the migration,invasion,and prolif-eration of Cal-27 and HN-30 cells(P<0.05).Bioinformatics prediction websites predicted that the upstream miRNA of PTTG1 was miR-362-3p,and PTTG1 can bind to miR-362-3p.Results of qRT-PCR showed that miR-362-3p expression was downregulated in OSCC tissues compared with normal tissue(P<0.05).Transwell and EdU experiments confirmed that miR-362-3p knockdown can promote the invasion and proliferation of Cal-27 and HN-30 after PTTG1 knockdown.Conclusion miR-362-3p can inhibit the invasion and proliferation of Cal-27 and HN-30 cells by targeting PTTG1.

Objective To analyze the risk factors of venous thromboembolism(VTE)after endoscopic surgery in elderly patients with urinary system calculi,construct a prediction model and validate it.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 402 elderly patients(≥ 60 years)with urinary system calculi who underwent endoscopic surgery in our hospital during Jan.2018 and Jan.2023.The patients were divided into VTE group(n=43)and non-VTE group(n=359)based on whether VTE occurred after surgery.Risk factors of VTE were screened with univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.Based on the screening results(P＜0.05 for the factor),a nomogram prediction model was established,the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was drawn,the area under the curve(AUC)was calculated to determine the efficacy of the model,and a calibration chart was drawn to determine the accuracy of the model.Results Univariate analysis showed that age＞70 years,body mass index(BMI)≥30,VTE history,history of malignant tumors,diabetes,operation time＞180 min,diuretic use during operation,and postoperative ambulation time＞24 h were risk factors of VTE(P＜0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that age＞70 years,BMI ≥ 30,history of VTE,history of malignant tumors,and operation time＞180 min were independent risk factors of VTE(P＜0.05).The AUC in the ROC curve of the validation set data was 0.789(95％CI:0.731-0.848,P＜0.001).The calibration chart showed that the calibration curve was close to the standard curve(Brier=0.13).Conclusion Age＞70 years,BMI ≥30,history of VTE,history of malignant tumors,and surgery time＞180 min are independent risk factors of postoperative VTE in elderly patients with urinary system calculi undergoing endoscopic surgery.The prediction model can effectively predict the risk factors of postoperative VTE.

AIM To establish an HPLC method for the simultaneous content determination of gallic acid,protocatechuic acid,morroniside,loganin,sweroside,paeoniflorin,hypericin,astragalin,salvianolic acid B,salvianolic acid A,epimedin C and icariin in Bushen Huoxue Sanjie Capsules.METHODS The analysis was performed on a 30℃thermostatic Agilent 5 TC-C18 column(250 mm×4.6 mm,5 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of acetonitrile-0.1%phosphoric acid flowing at 1.0 mL/min in a gradient elution manner,and the detection wavelength was set at 240 nm.RESULTS Twelve constituents showed good linear relationships within their own ranges(r≥0.999 8),whose average recoveries were 97.11%-101.14%with the RSDs of 0.60%-2.65%.CONCLUSION This simple,accurate and reproducible method can be used for the quality control of Bushen Huoxue Sanjie Capsules.

Objective: To explore the application and efficacy of paclitaxel liposome in the treatment of advanced breast cancer among Chinese population in the real world. Methods: The clinical characteristics of patients with advanced breast cancer who received paclitaxel liposome as salvage treatment from January 1, 2016 to August 31, 2019 in 11 hospitals were collected and retrospectively analyzed. The primary outcome was progression free survival (PFS), and the secondary outcome included objective response rate (ORR) and safety. The survival curve was drawn by Kaplan-Meier analysis and the Cox regression model were used for the multivariate analysis. Results: Among 647 patients with advanced breast cancer who received paclitaxel liposome, the first-line treatment accounted for 43.3% (280/647), the second-line treatment accounted for 27.7% (179/647), and the third-line and above treatment accounted for 29.1% (188/647). The median dose of first-line and second-line treatment was 260 mg per cycle, and 240 mg in third line and above treatment. The median period of paclitaxel liposome alone and combined chemotherapy or targeted therapy is 4 cycles and 6 cycles, respectively. In the whole group, 167 patients (25.8%) were treated with paclitaxel liposome combined with capecitabine±trastuzumab (TX±H), 123 patients (19.0%) were treated with paclitaxel liposome alone (T), and 119 patients (18.4%) were treated with paclitaxel liposome combined with platinum ± trastuzumab (TP±H), 108 patients (16.7%) were treated with paclitaxel liposome combined with trastuzumab ± pertuzumab (TH±P). The median PFS of first-line and second-line patients (5.5 and 5.5 months, respectively) were longer than that of patients treated with third line and above (4.9 months, P<0.05); The ORR of the first line, second line, third line and above patients were 46.7%, 36.8% and 28.2%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that event-free survival (EFS) and the number of treatment lines were independent prognostic factors for PFS. The common adverse events were myelosuppression, gastrointestinal reactions, hand foot syndrome and abnormal liver function. Conclusion: Paclitaxel liposomes is widely used and has promising efficacy in multi-subtype advanced breast cancer.
Humans ; Female ; Breast Neoplasms/chemically induced* ; Paclitaxel/adverse effects* ; Liposomes/therapeutic use* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Trastuzumab/therapeutic use* ; Capecitabine/therapeutic use* ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/adverse effects*