This paper introduces a real-world cohort research model for community-acquired pneumonia （CAP） based on the Jiangsu Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCM） Dominant Diseases Diagnosis and Treatment Data Platform. Firstly， data cleaning is performed by standardizing diagnosis， symptoms， treatment and imaging， intelligently extracting unstructured information， and cleaning and constructing a standardized database. Secondly， for cohort establishment， CAP patients across the province are screened in accordance with CAP diagnostic criteria to build a high-quality disease-specific cohort. Lastly， in terms of protocol design， the characteristics of TCM research and the CAP disease profile are considered to determine appropriate inclusion and exclusion criteria， estimate sample size， define interventions， outcomes and economic evaluations， providing a reference for real-world TCM research on CAP.

This paper introduces a real-world cohort research model for community-acquired pneumonia （CAP） based on the Jiangsu Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCM） Dominant Diseases Diagnosis and Treatment Data Platform. Firstly， data cleaning is performed by standardizing diagnosis， symptoms， treatment and imaging， intelligently extracting unstructured information， and cleaning and constructing a standardized database. Secondly， for cohort establishment， CAP patients across the province are screened in accordance with CAP diagnostic criteria to build a high-quality disease-specific cohort. Lastly， in terms of protocol design， the characteristics of TCM research and the CAP disease profile are considered to determine appropriate inclusion and exclusion criteria， estimate sample size， define interventions， outcomes and economic evaluations， providing a reference for real-world TCM research on CAP.

Objective To investigate the association between gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD)and the risk of incident chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)and explore potential effect modifiers influencing this association.Methods Clinical data from 476 175 participants in the UK Biobank(2006-2010)were collected.A Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess the relationship between GERD and the risk of incident COPD.Subgroup analyses were conducted to examine potential modifiers of the primary findings.Results A total of 11 587(2.43%)new COPD cases were diagnosed.The Cox proportional hazards model revealed that GERD was associated with an increased risk of incident COPD(HR=1.59,95%CI=1.46-1.74,P<0.001).GERD was linked to a higher risk of incident COPD in individuals aged<60 years(P<0.001)and non-smokers(P=0.011).No association was observed between GERD and the risk of incident COPD in current smokers with a daily cigarette consumption<10 cigarettes(P=0.261).Conclusion GERD may increase the risk of incident COPD.
Humans ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/epidemiology* ; Gastroesophageal Reflux/epidemiology* ; Middle Aged ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Incidence ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Female ; Aged

Objective To construct an aptamer-functionalized carboxylated graphene oxide(CGO)fluo-rescent sensor to achieve highly sensitive and specific detection of ketamine(KET)and its metabolite norketamine(NK)using an aptamer capable of simultaneously recognizing KET and NK.Methods A specific aptamer for simultaneous recognition of KET and NK was screened using graphene oxide-sys-tematic evolution of ligand by exponential enrichment(GO-SELEX)and molecular docking tech-niques.The aptamer,labeled with Cy5 fluorescence,was chemically conjugated to CGO to construct an aptamer-functionalized CGO fluorescent sensor.By optimizing detection conditions,including the mass concentration of CGO,aptamer concentration,reaction temperature,and incubation time,quantita-tive analysis of the target analytes was achieved using the ratio of fluorescence intensity changes be-fore and after target addition.The stability of the sensor in biological matrices was evaluated by moni-toring fluorescence intensity changes over incubation time in blank blood and urine,in comparison with the traditional physical adsorption-based CGO fluorescent sensor.Spiked recovery experiments in blank blood and urine were conducted to compare performance with that of HPLC-MS/MS.Results A specific aptamer A5 was selected and chemically conjugated with CGO to construct the aptamer-functionalized CGO fluorescent sensor.Under optimized conditions,the proposed fluorescent sensor ex-hibited a linear detection range of 1.0-5.0 ng/mL for KET,with a limit of detection(LOD)of 0.86 ng/mL;while for NK,the linear detection range was 1.0-5.0 ng/mL,with an LOD of 0.70 ng/mL.Com-pared with the CGO fluorescent sensor constructed via physical adsorption,this sensor demonstrated greater stability in blood and urine.The spiked recovery rates of KET and NK in blank blood and urine ranged from 81.50%to 110.03%,exhibiting detection performance comparable to that of HPLC-MS/MS.Conclusion The aptamer screening method offers a novel approach for selecting aptamers tar-geting drugs and their metabolites.The constructed aptamer-functionalized CGO fluorescent sensor pro-vides an efficient and reliable strategy for the high-performance detection of KET and NK.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the significance of the plasma cell percentage and immature plasma cells in the prognosis of patients with multiple myeloma (MM). METHODS: The clinical data of 126 newly diagnosed MM patients in Gansu Provincial Hospital from June 2017 to November 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The enrolled patients were divided into a higher plasma cell percentage group (group A) and a lower plasma cell percentage group (group B) according to the median plasma cell percentage (33.5%). The clinicopathological data of the two groups were compared, and the effect of plasma cell percentage on the prognosis of MM patients was analyzed using survival curves. On this basis, group A and group B were divided into subgroups with immature plasma cells (A1 group, B1 group) and subgroups without immature plasma cells (A2 group, B2 group), respectively, then the survival curves were used to analyze the effect of immature plasma cells on the prognosis of MM patients. RESULTS: Among the 126 patients with MM, the proportions of patients with ISS stage III, elevated β₂-microglobulin(β₂-MG) level, and immature plasma cells in Group A were significantly higher compared those in Group B ( P =0.015, P =0.028, P =0.010). The median overall survival(OS) and progression-free survival(PFS) of group A were 32 months and 10 months, respectively. The median OS of group B was not reached, and the median PFS was 32 months. The 3-year OS rates of patients in group A and group B were 46.7% and 62.2%, respectively ( P =0.021), and the 3-year PFS were 29.2% and 42.5%, respectively ( P =0.033). There were no significant differences in OS and PFS between group A1 and group A2, or between group B1 and group B2 ( P >0.05). Multivariate COX survival analysis showed that the plasma cell percentage ≥33.5%（HR=1.253, 95%CI : 0.580-2.889, P =0.018）, age ≥65 years (HR=2.206, 95%CI : 1.170-3.510, P =0.012), lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) ≥250 U/L (HR=1.180, 95%CI : 0.621-2.398, P =0.048) and β₂-MG ≥3.5 mg/L (HR=1.507, 95%CI : 0.823-3.657, P =0.036) were independent risk factors affecting OS in MM patients. CONCLUSION MM patients with a higher plasma cell percentage (≥33.5%) at the initial diagnosis have a later disease stage, poorer OS and PFS, compared to the patients with a lower percentage(<33.5%) of plasma cells. The presence or absence of immature plasma cells has no significant impact on the survival of MM patients.
Humans ; Multiple Myeloma/pathology* ; Prognosis ; Plasma Cells/cytology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Bone Marrow

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the gene mutation characteristics and survival time of patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) based on next-generation sequencing(NGS) gene detection. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 92 patients with AML (non APL) admitted to our hospital from January 2018 to May 2022. AML related genes tested were using NGS, the mutation characteristics and survival time of AML patients were analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 92 patients, 41 were males and 51 were females. A total of 38 types of gene mutations were detected. Six-two patients carried at least one gere mutation, while no gene mutations were detected in 30 patients. In the group with favourable prognosis (n =14), the frequencies of higher gene mutations were NRAS, KIT (21.43%, n =3), KRAS (14.29%, n =2). In the group with intermediate prognosis (n =64), the gene mutation frequencies from high to low were DNMT3A (18.75%, n =12), NPM1 (17.19%, n =11), IDH2, FLT3-ITD, CEBPA (12.50%, n =8), TET2 (10.94%, n =7). In the poor prognosis group (n =14), ASXL1, TP53, EZH2, NRAS had higher gene mutation frequency than others(14.29 %, n =2 ). Statistical analysis revealed that KIT had a relative hotspot of mutations in the intermediate-risk group, and DNMT3A had a relative hotspot of mutations in the high-risk group (P < 0.05). The correlation analysis of genes with high mutation rates in different prognostic groups, such as NRAS, KIT, IDH2, DNMT3A, NPM1, and FLT3-ITD, with prognosis found that KIT was a factor affecting OS (P < 0.05), while no significant differences were observed for the others(P >0.05). CONCLUSION The frequency of gene mutations is high in AML patients, 67.4% of the patients carried at least one gene mutation. The mutation frequency varies among different genes in patients with different karyotypes, and there are obvious dominant mutations. KIT and DNMT3A can be used as factors for evaluating the prognosis of AML.
Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics* ; Nucleophosmin ; Mutation ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Female ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Middle Aged ; DNA Methyltransferase 3A ; Adult ; Aged ; Survival Analysis ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit/genetics*

BACKGROUND: Biomarkers-based prediction of long-term risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is scarce. We aim to develop a risk score integrating clinical routine information (C) and plasma biomarkers (B) for predicting long-term risk of ACS patients. METHODS: We included 2729 ACS patients from the OCEA (Observation of cardiovascular events in ACS patients). The earlier admitted 1910 patients were enrolled as development cohort; and the subsequently admitted 819 subjects were treated as validation cohort. We investigated 10-year risk of cardiovascular (CV) death, myocardial infarction (MI) and all cause death in these patients. Potential variables contributing to risk of clinical events were assessed using Cox regression models and a score was derived using main part of these variables. RESULTS: During 16,110 person-years of follow-up, there were 238 CV death/MI in the development cohort. The 7 most important predictors including in the final model were NT-proBNP, D-dimer, GDF-15, peripheral artery disease (PAD), Fibrinogen, ST-segment elevated MI (STEMI), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), termed as CB-ACS score. C-index of the score for predication of cardiovascular events was 0.79 (95% CI: 0.76-0.82) in development cohort and 0.77 (95% CI: 0.76-0.78) in the validation cohort (5832 person-years of follow-up), which outperformed GRACE 2.0 and ABC-ACS risk score. The CB-ACS score was also well calibrated in development and validation cohort (Greenwood-Nam-D'Agostino: P = 0.70 and P = 0.07, respectively). CONCLUSIONS CB-ACS risk score provides a useful tool for long-term prediction of CV events in patients with ACS. This model outperforms GRACE 2.0 and ABC-ACS ischemic risk score.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the potential effects and mechanisms of Liang-Ge-San (LGS) for the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) through network pharmacology analysis and to verify LGS activity through biological experiments. METHODS: The key ingredients of LGS and related targets were obtained from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform. ARDS-related targets were selected from GeneCards and DisGeNET databases. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses were performed using the Metascape Database. Molecular docking analysis was used to confirm the binding affinity of the core compounds with key therapeutic targets. Finally, the effects of LGS on key signaling pathways and biological processes were determined by in vitro and in vivo experiments. RESULTS: A total of LGS-related targets and 496 ARDS-related targets were obtained from the databases. Network pharmacological analysis suggested that LGS could treat ARDS based on the following information: LGS ingredients luteolin, wogonin, and baicalein may be potential candidate agents. Mitogen-activated protein kinase 14 (MAPK14), recombinant V-Rel reticuloendotheliosis viral oncogene homolog A (RELA), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) may be potential therapeutic targets. Reactive oxygen species metabolic process and the apoptotic signaling pathway were the main biological processes. The p38MAPK/NF-κ B signaling pathway might be the key signaling pathway activated by LGS against ARDS. Moreover, molecular docking demonstrated that luteolin, wogonin, and baicalein had a good binding affinity with MAPK14, RELA, and TNF α. In vitro experiments, LGS inhibited the expression and entry of p38 and p65 into the nucleation in human bronchial epithelial cells (HBE) cells induced by LPS, inhibited the inflammatory response and oxidative stress response, and inhibited HBE cell apoptosis (P<0.05 or P<0.01). In vivo experiments, LGS improved lung injury caused by ligation and puncture, reduced inflammatory responses, and inhibited the activation of p38MAPK and p65 (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION LGS could reduce reactive oxygen species and inflammatory cytokine production by inhibiting p38MAPK/NF-κ B signaling pathway, thus reducing apoptosis and attenuating ARDS.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome/enzymology* ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism* ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Animals ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Humans ; Male ; Network Pharmacology ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Mice

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

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