Objective The study aimed to elucidate the evolution of the syndromes in Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM)and TCM syndrome elements in different chronic stages of psoriasis vulgaris.Methods A database was constructed using electronic medical records collected from July 2019 to March 2024 from 1,049 patients with psoriasis vulgaris.The study used Sankey diagrams and network association graphs to analyze the evolution of TCM syndromes and their elements in patients at the different stages:initial diagnosis,progressive stage(Week 2-3),progressive stage(Week 4-5),skin lesion improvement stage(Week 6-7),and remission stage.The syndrome elements network was constructed using community detection algorithms,and the association rules between local skin lesion syndrome differentiation and overall syndrome differentiation were displayed using heatmaps.Results(ⅰ)Initial diagnosis.In the syndrome differentiation of local skin lesions,blood heat syndrome was the most common(79.79％);among the disease location of TCM syndrome elements(called"disease location"),liver was the most prevalent(35.62％);and among the pathological factors of TCM syndrome elements(called"pathological factors"),fire(heat)was the most common(75.48％).(ⅱ)Active stage(Week 2-3).In the syndrome differentiation of local skin lesions,blood heat syndrome remained the most prevalent(73.13％);among the disease location,liver was still the most prevalent(31.71％);and among the pathological factors,fire(heat)continued to be the most common(82.11％),while dampness(22.26％)and qi stagnation(8.39％)began to increase.(ⅲ)Active stage(Week 4-5).The syndrome differentiation of local skin lesions was dominated by blood heat syndrome(45.91％)and blood dryness syndrome(37.19％);among disease location,the interior was the most prevalent(15.25％);and among the pathological factors,fire(heat)remained the most common(50.66％),with an increase in yin deficiency(34.26％).(ⅳ)Skin lesion improvement stage(Week 6-7).In the syndrome differentiation of local skin lesions,both blood dryness syndrome(49.44％)and blood stasis syndrome(33.33％)increased;among the disease location,meridians increased most significantly and became the most prevalent(13.44％);and among the pathological factors,blood stasis increased most significantly and became the most prevalent(28.20％).(ⅴ)Remission stage.In the syndrome differentiation of local skin lesions,blood stasis syndrome became the primary(55.69％),while the percentage of blood dryness syndrome decreased(21.16％);meridians(25.71％)and blood stasis(62.34％)remained the most predominant syndrome elements related to disease location or pathological factors.Conclusion The overall pattern of TCM syndromes in psoriasis vulgaris evolved from excess to deficiency.From the initial diagnosis to the active phase(Week 2-3),heat syndrome dominated;during the active phase(Week 4-5),heat syndrome coexisted with damp syndrome or yin deficiency syndrome;changes in the syndrome element network were the most significant during the lesion improvement phase,with blood stasis gradually increasing and peaking during the remission phase.Blood stasis,dampness,and qi stagnation were pervasive throughout psoriasis vulgaris;qi stagnation and blood stasis may be the main elements causing further deterioration and prolonged course of the disease during the active phase in patients.

Objective To investigate the risk factors associated with prolonged hospitalization in patients diagnosed with diabetic foot ulcers(DFU),to develop a predictive model,and to conduct internal validation of the model.Methods The clinical data of DFU patients admitted to West China Hospital,Sichuan University between January 2012 and December 2022 were retrospectively collected.The subjects were randomly assigned to a training cohort and a validation cohort at a ratio of 7 to 3.Hospital stays longer than 75th percentile were defined as prolonged length-of-stay.A thorough analysis of the risk factors was conducted using the training cohort,which enabled the development of an accurate risk prediction model.To ensure robustness,the model was internally validated using the validation cohort.Results A total of 967 inpatients with DFU were included,among whom 245 patients were identified as having an extended length-of-stay.The training cohort consisted of 622 patients,while the validation cohort comprised 291 patients.Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that smoking history(odds ratio[OR]=1.67,95%confidence interval[CI],1.13 to 2.48,P=0.010),Wagner grade 3 or higher(OR=7.13,95%CI,3.68 to 13.83,P＜0.001),midfoot ulcers(OR=1.99,95%CI,1.07 to 3.72,P=0.030),posterior foot ulcers(OR=3.68,95%CI,1.83 to 7.41,P＜0.001),multisite ulcers(OR=2.91,95%CI,1.80 to 4.69,P＜0.001),wound size≥3 cm2(OR=2.00,95%CI,1.28-3.11,P=0.002),and white blood cell count(OR=1.11,95%CI,1.05 to 1.18,P＜0.001)were associated with an increased risk of prolonged length of stay.Additionally,a nomogram was constructed based on the identified risk factors.The areas under the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves for both the training cohort and the validation cohort were 0.782(95%CI,0.745 to 0.820)and 0.756(95%CI,0.694 to 0.818),respectively,indicating robust predictive performance.Furthermore,the calibration plot demonstrated optimal concordance between the predicted probabilities and the observed outcomes in both the training and the validation cohorts.Conclusion Smoking history,Wagner grade≥3,midfoot ulcers,posterior foot ulcers,multisite ulcers,ulcer area≥3 cm2,and elevated white blood cell count are identified as independent predictors of prolonged hospitalization.Therefore,it is imperative that clinicians conduct a comprehensive patient evaluation and implement appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to effectively shorten the length of stay for DFU patients.

Objective To explore the characteristics of baseline inflammatory markers in diabetic foot patients and their relationship with the prognosis of diabetic foot ulcers.Methods The clinical data of diabetic foot patients(n=495)admitted to West China Hospital,Sichuan University since 2016 were retrospectively collected through the hospital electronic medical record system to analyze the characteristics of inflammatory markers and their relationship with the prognosis of diabetic foot ulcers.Results White blood cell count(WBC),erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR),C-reactive protein(CRP),procalcitonin(PCT),and interleukin-6(IL-6)levels were significantly higher in patients defined as grade 4 on the Wagner Scale than those in patients defined as grade 0-3 on the Wagner Scale.Neutrophil percentage(NE％)was higher in Wagner grade-4 patients than those in Wagner grade-0 and grade-1 patients and higher in Wagner grade-3 patients than those in Wagner grade-0 patients.NE％,CRP,PCT,and IL-6 levels were positively correlated with the severity of diabetic foot,with the respective odds ratio(OR)at 95％confidence interval(CI)being 1.038(1.019-1.056),1.019(1.012-1.026),8.225(2.015-33.576),and 1.017(1.008-1.025).Using Wagner grade-0 patients as the reference,patients with higher WBC were more likely to progress to Wagner grade 2,3,and 4,with the respective OR(95％CI)values being 1.260(1.096-1.447),1.188(1.041-1.356),and 1.301(1.137-1.490);patients with higher ESR were more likely to progress to Wagner grade 3 and 4,with the respective OR(95％CI)values being 1.030(1.006-1.054)and 1.045(1.019-1.071).Baseline ESR(P=0.008),CRP(P=0.039),and IL-6(P=0.033)levels were lower in patients who had received antibiotics prior to their admission than those in patients who had not received antibiotics before admission.The levels of WBC,NE％,ESR,PCT,and IL-6 were lower in the full recovery group than those in the group of patients who did not respond to treatment.The higher the levels of NE％and IL-6,the worse the prognosis of diabetic foot ulcers became,with the respective OR(95％CI)values being 1.030(1.010-1.051)and 1.008(1.002-1.013).Conclusion The severity of diabetic foot ulcers increased with the rise in baseline levels of inflammatory markers.Elevated baseline NE％and IL-6 levels suggest a poor prognosis.Our findings suggest that early assessment of diabetic foot infection and standardized antibiotic therapy should be implemented to improve the prognosis.

Objective:To investigate the relationship of osteoporotic vertebral body compression fracture(OVCF)with multifidus muscle and intervertebral disc degeneration in the lower lumbar spine and the lumbar-pelvic parameters in elderly women.Methods:Clinical data of a total of 108 elderly women with osteoporosis were retrospectively analyzed.They were divided into the fracture group(n=56)and the control group(n=52)according to the presence of vertebral body compression fractures.Age, body mass index(BMI)and bone mineral density(BMD)were collected in two groups.The angle of pelvic incidence(PI), angle of pelvic tilt(PT), low lumbar lordosis(LLL)and sacral slope(SS)were measured by the standing lumbar lateral X-ray photography.The degree of degeneration of intervertebral disc L 3-S 1 and multifidus muscle were detected by using the lumbar MRI.These parameters were compared between the two groups. Results:The age, BMI and BMD had no significant difference between the two groups( P>0.05). The degree of intervertebral disc degeneration of L 3-L 4 and L 4-L 5 was statistically significant higher in the fracture group than in the control group( Z=-4.656 and -2.675, P=0.000 and 0.007), while the degree of intervertebral disc degeneration of L 5-S 1 had no statistically significant difference between the two groups( Z=-1.784, P=0.075). There were statistically significant higher multifidus muscle degeneration of L 3-L 4 and L 4-L 5 in the fracture group than in the control group( Z=-3.248 and -4.073, P=0.001 and 0.000), while no significant difference between the two groups in multifidus muscle degeneration of L 5-S 1( Z=-1.096, P=0.282). No statistically significant differences were found in PI, PT, SS and LLL between the two groups( t=1.162, 0.827, -0.082 and -0.677, P=0.248, 0.410, 0.935 and 0.500). Conclusions:The degeneration of intervertebral disc and multifidus muscle of L 3-L 4 and L 4-L 5 is positively correlated with OVCF in elderly women.

Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of one-stage laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) plus laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE) with primary suture (PS) versus two-stage endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)/endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) followed by LC in treatment of cholecystolithiasis complicated with choledocholithiasis.Methods The clinical data of 171 patients with cholecystolithiasis complicated with choledocholithiasis,who underwent minimally invasive surgical treatment from January 2016 to December 2017,were retrospectively analyzed.Of these patients,90 underwent one-stage LC + LCBDE + PS (the one-stage group),and 81 underwent two-stage ERCP/EST followed by LC (the two-stage group).The main clinical variables between the two groups of patients were compared.Results The surgical success rates (94.4％ vs.95.1％),residual stone rates (3.3％ vs.4.9％) and incidences of postoperative complications (6.7％ vs.8.6％) showed no significant difference (all P ＞ 0.05) between the one-stage and two-stage groups.Compared with the two-stage group,the operative time was shorter (110.4 vs.135.7 min),the length of postoperative hospital stay was shorter (3.3 vs.7.1 d) and the total hospitalization cost was reduced (22 756.2 vs.31 429.3 yuan) in the one-stage group.The incidence of long-term complications (2.2％ vs.9.9％) in the one-stage group was also lower than that in the two-stage group (both P ＜ 0.05).Condusions Both one-stage LC + LCBDE + PS and two-stage ERCP/EST + LC are safe and effective in the treatment of cholecystolithiasis complicated with choledocholithiasis.One-stage LC + LCBDE + PS shows obvious advantages in hospitalization stay,hospitalization cost and in the preservation of function of the Oddi sphincter,and therefore should be the first choice in most cases.

Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of one-stage laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) plus laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE) with primary suture (PS) and two-staged endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)/endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) followed by LC in treatment of cholecystolithiasis complicated with choledocholithiasis.Methods Of these patients,58 received one-staged LC + LCBDE + PS (the one-stage group),and 71 underwent two-staged ERCP/EST followed by LC (the two-stage group).Results The surgical success rate,residual stone rate,incidence of postoperative complications and operative time showed no significant difference (x2 =0.344,0.344,0.108,t =-0.240,all P ＞ 0.05) in both the one-staged and two-stage groups.Compared with the two-staged group,the hospital stay was shorter (4.1d vs.6.9d) and the total hospitalization cost was lower (23 126 yuan vs.32 982 yuan) in the one-staged group.Conclusion Both one-staged LC + LCBDE + PS and two-staged ERCP/EST + LC are safe and effective in the treatment of cholecystolithiasis complicated with choledocholithiasis on base for base basis.

To compare the clinical features and the heterogeneity of macrophages in different clinical phenotypes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with frequent or infrequent exacerbations.
 Methods: Clinical characteristics of eighty COPD patients with chronic bronchitis (CB), emphysema (EM) or asthma-COPD overlap (ACO) phenotypes suffered from acute exacerbation were analyzed. The expressions of CCL3 and CD163 in sputum macrophages were detected by flow cytometry. The expressions of HIF-1α and Cav-1 in sputum macrophages were detected by quantitative PCR (qPCR).
 Results: The age, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC), sputum bacteria positive rate, COPD Assessment Test (CAT) score, and Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) score between the patients with FE and iFE were significantly different (P<0.05). Compared with iFE patients, the fluorescence intensity of CCL3 in sputum macrophages from patients with FE was significantly lower (P<0.01), while CD163 was significantly increased (P<0.01). Meanwhile, HIF-1α and Cav-1 mRNA levels were also significantly increased (P<0.01). The age, sputum bacteria positive rate, CAT score, and mMRC score between the patients of FE and iFE with CB phenotype were significantly different (P<0.05). Compared with iFE patients, the fluorescence intensity of CCL3 in sputum macrophages from FE patients was slightly decreased (P<0.05), while CD163 was significantly raised (P<0.01). Meanwhile, HIF-1α and Cav-1 mRNA levels were also significantly increased (P<0.01). The age, duration of disease, FEV1/FVC, sputum bacteria positive rate, CAT score, and mMRC score between the patients of FE and iFE with EM phenotype were significantly different (P<0.05). Compared with iFE patients, the fluorescence intensity of CCL3 in sputum macrophages from FE patients was slightly decreased (P>0.05), while CD163 was slightly raised (P>0.05). Meanwhile, HIF-1α levels were slightly elevated (P>0.05), while Cav-1 expression was significantly increased (P<0.01). There were no significant differences in all clinical features between FE and iFE patients with ACO phenotype. The fluorescence intensity of CCL3 in sputum macrophages from patients with FE was significantly lower than that in iFE patients (P<0.01); there was no significant difference in CD163 (P>0.05). At the same time, the expression of HIF-1α (P<0.01) and Cav-1(P<0.05) also increased significantly. There was a significant negative correlation between CCL3 and HIF-1α or Cav-1 in all FE and FE patients with CB phenotype. CD163 was only positively correlated with HIF-1α in those patients and FE patients with EM phenotype. There was a significant negative correlation between CCL3 and HIF-1α in FE patients with ACO phenotype, while CD163 was significantly positively correlated with HIF-1α.
 Conclusion: The clinical features of FE or iFE patients with CB, EM or ACO phenotype are different, and M2 in induced sputum from FE patients are dominant. HIF-1α may play a key role in the polarization process.
Disease Progression ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Lung ; Macrophages ; Phenotype ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Sputum ; Vital Capacity

To investigate the effects of airway epithelial cells on macrophages chemotaxis and inflammatory cytokine expression under hypoxic conditions.
 Methods: Human bronchial epithelial cells (HBE) treated with different concentrations (0, 100, 200, 400, 800 μmol/L) of CoCl2 or transfected with HIF-1α siRNA were co-cultured with THP-1-derived M1 macrophages or M2 macrophages. The chemotactic effects on macrophages were analyzed by Transwell assay. The levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-13 and IL-10 in the supernatants of macrophages were detected by ELISA, and HIF-1α or Cav-1 mRNA expression in HBE or macrophages was detected by RT-qPCR.
 Results: HBE cells promoted macrophages chemotaxis in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Compared to un-transfected group, the chemotactic ability of HBE transfected with HIF-1α siRNA was significantly weakened (P<0.01). Under the same culture conditions, the chemotaxis of M2 macrophages was greater than that in THP1-derived M1 macrophages. The concentrations of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-13 and IL-10 in the supernatants of macrophages were increased in a time-and concentration-dependent manner. The concentrations of TNF-α and IFN-γ were increased further after co-culturing for 8 and 12 h; while IL-4, IL-13 and IL-10 concentrations were increased further during 24 h of co-culture. The levels of cytokines in the supernatants of macrophages co-cultured with HBE and transfected with HIF-1α siRNA were significantly lower than those in un-transfected cells (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The reduction of TNF-α or IFN-γ was more obvious. The expression of HIF-1α or Cav-1 mRNA in HBE or macrophages was increased in a concentration-dependent manner after 8 or 12 h co-culture, which was significantly reduced when HBE was transfected with HIF-1α siRNA.
 Conclusion: Airway epithelial cells can enhance macrophages chemotaxis and pro-inflammatory cytokines expressions under hypoxic condition. HIF-1α and Cav-1 may be the important mediators in these processes.
Cell Hypoxia ; Chemotaxis ; Cytokines ; Epithelial Cells ; Humans ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit ; Macrophages

Objective To study the feasibility and efficacy of treatment of extrahepatic cholangiolithiasis using laparoscopic self-releasing J-tube drainage combined with primary suturing of common bile duct.Methods The clinical data of 172 patients with extrahepatic cholangiolithiasis who underwent operations from March 2013 to January 2015 were retrospectively studied.The patients were divided into two groups:the J-tube drainage group (n =82) and the T-tube drainage group (n =90).Surgical duration,intraoperative bleeding,postoperative hospital stay,treatment cycles,hospital costs,incidences of postoperative bile leakage and residual extrahepatic cholangiolithiasis were compared between the two groups.Results The length of postoperative hospital stay in the J-tube drainage group was (4.9 ± 1.2) days and in the T-tube drainage group was (8.0 ± 2.0) days.The treatment cycles in the J-tube drainage group were (4.9 ± 1.2) days while in the T-tube drainage group were (24.1 ± 3.2) days.The hospital costs in the J-tube drainage group were (12 817.1 ±3 167.1) yuan and the costs in the T-tube drainage group were (15 012.5 ±2 354.8) yuan.There were significant differences in hospital stay,treatment cycles and hospital costs between the two groups (all P ＜ 0.05).The surgical duration in the J-tube drainage group was (108.2 ± 10.2) minutes and the duration in the T-tube drainage group was (110.1 ± 13.1) minutes.The amount of intraoperative bleeding in the J-tube drainage group was (35.0 ± 20.0) ml and the amount in the T-tube drainage group was (42.0 ±30.0) ml.There were no significant differences in intraoperative bleeding and surgical duration between the two groups (all P ＞ 0.05).No significant differences were observed in the incidences of post-operative bile leakage and in residual extrahepatic cholangiolithiasis between the two groups (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions Self-releasing J-tube drainage combined with laparoscopic primary suturing of common bile duct was safe and efficacious.It was minimally invasive in treating patients with extrahepatic cholangiolithiasis.