OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture combined with ear tip bloodletting for insomnia with phlegm-fire disturbing heart. METHODS: A total of 60 cases with insomnia of phlegm-fire disturbing heart were selected, and the treatment of electroacupuncture combined with ear tip bloodletting was delivered. Acupuncture was applied at Yintang (GV24⁺), Shenting (GV24), Sishencong (EX-HN1) and bilateral Shenmen (HT7), Quchi (LI11), Zhaohai (KI6), Shenmai (BL62), Fenglong (ST40), Neiting (ST4), Yintang (GV24⁺) and Shenting (GV24) were connected to electroacupuncture, continuous wave, 2 Hz in frequency. In addition, bloodletting was applied at ear tip. The treatment was given for 4 weeks. Before treatment, and after 1,4 weeks into treatment, the scores of Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), Athens insomnia scale (AIS), insomnia severity index (ISI) and TCM syndrome were compared, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated in the patients. RESULTS: After 1,4 weeks into treatment, the scores of PSQI, AIS, ISI and TCM syndrome were decreased compared with those before treatment in the patients (P<0.05). Of 60 cases, 30 cases were cured, 19 cases markedly effective, 9 cases effective and 2 cases failed, and the total effective rate was 96.7% (58/60). CONCLUSION Electroacupuncture combined with ear tip bloodletting can improve the sleep quality and clinical symptoms in patients with insomnia of phlegm-fire disturbing heart.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Electroacupuncture ; Middle Aged ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/physiopathology* ; Adult ; Bloodletting ; Acupuncture Points ; Aged ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection posed a huge threat and burden to public healthcare in late 2022. Non-drug measures of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), such as acupuncture, cupping and moxibustion, are commonly used as adjuncts in China to help in severe cases, but their effects remain unclear. OBJECTIVES: To observe the clinical effect of TCM non-drug measures in improving respiratory function and symptoms among patients with severe COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTIONS: This study was designed as a multicenter, assessor-blind, randomized controlled trial. Hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were randomly assigned to the treatment or control group. The treatment group received individualized TCM non-drug measures in combination with prone position ventilation, while the control group received prone position ventilation only for 5 consecutive days. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measures were the percentage of patients with improved oxygen saturation (SpO₂) at the end of the 5-day intervention, as well as changes of patients' respiratory rates. The secondary outcome measures included changes in SpO₂ and total score on the self-made respiratory symptom scale. The improvement rate, defined as a 3-day consecutive increase in SpO₂, the duration of prone positioning, and adverse events were recorded as well. RESULTS: Among the 198 patients included in the intention-to-treat analysis, 159 (80.3%) completed all assessments on day 5, and 39 (19.7%) patients withdrew from the study. At the end of the intervention, 71 (91%) patients in the treatment group had SpO₂ above 93%, while 61 (75.3%) in the control group reached this level. The proportion of participant with improved SpO₂ was significantly greater in the intervention group (mean difference [MD] = 15.7; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.4, 27.1; P = 0.008). Compared to the baseline, with daily treatment there were significant daily decreases in respiratory rates in both groups, but no statistical differences between groups were found (all P ≥ 0.05). Compared to the control group, the respiratory-related symptoms score was lower among patients in the treatment group (MD = -1.7; 95% CI: -2.8, -0.5; P = 0.008) after day 3 of treatment. A gradual decrease in the total scores of both groups was also observed. Thirty-one adverse events occurred during the intervention, and 2 patients were transferred to the intensive care unit due to deterioration of their illness. CONCLUSION: TCM non-drug measures combined with prone positioning can effectively treat patients with severe COVID-19. The combined therapy significantly increased SpO₂ and improved symptom scores compared to prone positioning alone, thus improving the patients' respiratory function to help them recover. However, the improvement rate did not differ between the two groups. TRIAL REGISTRATION Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2300068319). Please cite this article as: Yin X, Jin Z, Li F, Huang L, Hu YM, Zhu BC, Wang ZQ, Li XY, Li JP, Lao LX, Mi YQ, Xu SF. Effectiveness and safety of adjunctive non-drug measures in improving respiratory symptoms among patients with severe COVID-19: A multicenter randomized controlled trial. J Integr Med. 2024; 22(6): 637-644.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; China ; COVID-19/complications* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Moxibustion/methods* ; Oxygen Saturation ; Prone Position ; Respiration, Artificial ; Treatment Outcome

ObjectiveTo study the sexually transmitted infections （STIs） in pregnant women with non-local household registration in Xuhui District and analyze the risk factors for STIs. MethodsFrom April 2020 to March 2022， pregnant women with non-local household registration who received their first prenatal examination in a general hospital in Shanghai Xuhui District were selected to conduct a status survey of STIs. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors of bacterial vaginitis and ureaplasma uaplasma infection. ResultsThe top three infection rates in the pregnant women were Ureaplasma urealyticum （13.2%）， bacterial vaginosis （9.8%） and mycotic vaginitis （4.7%）. Age between 25 and 35 years （aOR=0.53，95%CI： 0.28‒0.98） and monthly income ≥8 000 yuan （aOR=0.30，95%CI： 0.11‒0.82） were significantly correlated with ureaplasma uaplasma infection. Pregnancy number of 2 （aOR=4.95， 95%CI： 1.59‒15.46）， first sexual relationship occurred before marriage （aOR=2.83， 95%CI： 1.04‒7.74）， husband's alcoholism （aOR=3.83， 95%CI： 1.08‒13.56）， high school education （aOR=0.27， 95%CI： 0.08‒0.93）， and husband's travel history （aOR=0.30， 95%CI： 0.12‒0.79） were significantly correlated with bacterial vaginitis. ConclusionPregnant women with more gestation times， first sexual intercourse before marriage and husband with heavy drinking are more likely to be infected with bacterial vaginosis. Pregnant women with younger age and lower income are more likely to be infected with Ureaplasma urealyticum. Follow-up and monitoring should be strengthened in these groups.

Objective:To screen plasma exosomal protein molecular markers in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) by applying Label-Free quantification and bioinformatics analysis.Methods:Fifty plasma specimens from the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (from January 2021 to June 2022) were collected from SCI patients and healthy people, respectively. Plasma exosomes were isolated using ultracentrifugation and identified by transmission electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis and western blot. Plasma exosomal differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were analyzed using Label-Free quantitative proteomics, and DEPs were characterized, annotated, and enriched based on Gene Ontology (GO) and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) databases. The screened DEPs were validated by western blot and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using plasma exosomal specimens.Results:According to the spinal cord injury classification of the American Spinal Injury Association, 14 cases were grade A, 19 cases were grade B, 12 cases were grade C, and 5 cases were grade D. Plasma exosomes of SCI patients and control groups showed typical cup-like morphology, with diameters mainly ranging from 30-200 nm. A total of 493 exosomal proteins were identified by Label-Free quantification, and 126 proteins were screened for differential expression, of which 38 were up-regulated and 88 were down-regulated. GO annotation revealed that DEPs were mainly involved in functions such as protein activation cascade, complement activation and immune response. KEGG pathway analysis revealed that DEPs were involved in biological pathways such as complement and coagulation cascade reactions, proteasome and neurodegenerative disease pathways. Two candidate proteins, APOB and S100A9, were initially screened based on quantitative results from proteomics and bioinformatics analyses. Western blot results showed that the relative expression of S100A9 protein in plasma exosomes of 30 SCI patients (1.62±0.19) was elevated compared with that of 30 control groups (0.86±0.24), and the difference was statistically significant ( t=8.55, P<0.001), while the relative expression of APOB protein (1.06±0.13 and 1.02±0.23) were not statistically significant ( t=0.46, P=0.653). The results of ELISA analysis showed that the expression of S100A9 in plasma exosomes of patients with different degrees of SCI (grade A 197.7±11.7 pg/ml, grade B 151.7±15.2 pg/ml, grade C 136.3±14.7 pg/ml) had statistical significance ( F=69.94, P<0.001), the higher the severity of SCI, the higher the expression of S100A9 in plasma exosomes (A vs. B, q=13.11, P<0.001; A vs. C, q=15.66, P<0.001; B vs. C, q=4.19, P=0.005). Conclusion:S100A9 is a potentially valid plasma exosomal molecular marker for assessing the severity of SCI.

Objective: To examine the trend of the burden on chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) and epidemiologic transition on related risk factors among the Chinese population from 1990 to 2019. Methods: Based on the data from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 Study, we used the indicator numbers such as disability-adjusted life year (DALY), years of life lost (YLD), years lived with disability (YLL), and prevalence rate to describe the changes of COPD burden stratified by different sex and age groups from 1990 to 2019. We applied population attribution faction (PAF) to analyze the burden attributed to risk factors and epidemiological transition. Results: In 2019, the age-standard rate for DALY, YLD, and YLL and prevalence rate for COPD were 1 102.77/100 000 population,862.37/100 000 population, 240.40/100 000 population, and 2 404.41/100 000. Both age-standardized DALY and YLL rates for COPD in males were higher than in females, except for the YLD rate in females. COPD's top five risk factors were particulate matter pollution, smoking, occupational particulate matter, gases, and fumes, low temperature, and secondhand smoke. Smoking surpassed environmental particulate pollution in 1994 and became the first factor causing the disease burden of COPD. Since then, the order of risk factors has not changed. The PAF of environmental particulate pollutants increased by 1.78% annually, from 15.22% in 1990 to 25.37%, and the PAF of household air pollution from solid fuels decreased by 5.59% annually, from 40.30% in 1990 to 7.59%. Conclusions: From 1990 to 2019, the per person health loss caused by COPD in China showed an overall downward trend. The PAF of relevant risk factors has also changed, the importance of environmental factors is relatively declined, and the status of smoking and other related risk behaviors has become increasingly prominent. The prevention and control of COPD can focus on screening high-risk groups (≥40 years old, smoking, heavy air pollution, having occupational exposure), smoking cessation, and environmental treatment.
Female ; Male ; Humans ; Adult ; Cost of Illness ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/epidemiology* ; Air Pollution/adverse effects* ; Particulate Matter ; China/epidemiology* ; Dust ; Gases

Objective To evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of different puncture positions in percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Methods Three hundred fifty-six patients who underwent PCNL were analyzed from March 2012 to October 2015. The passage caliber was 16F-20F. There were 217 cases in prone position and 139 cases in supine position. Results The successful operation in PCNL was 354 cases , while the remaining 2 cases were performed by open surgery. The primary stone clearance rate was 75.5%. The additional PCNLs were performed in 23 cases, and 63 cases of residual calculi were treated by ESWL. 11 patients were treated due to infection or bleeding by the additional PCNLs. There were 3 cases with massive hemorrhage which were treated by Interventional embolization therapy , 12 cases in postoperative fever , no renal resection , no intestinal injury, no deaths. There was no significant difference in stone clearance rate and complication rate between the two groups. Conclusion The puncture position of PCNL can be optional based on the stone size , stone location, degree of hydronephrosis ,and patient′s cardiopulmonary condition individually.

OBJECTIVETo observe the impact of Sanjin tablet on the T lymphocyte subsets of the peripheral blood of female patients with recurrent urinary tract infection, to reveal the immune pharmacological mechanism of its prevention and treatment of the disease.

METHODA randomized, controlled and open trial was adopted. The 68 patients were divided into treatment group (30 cases) and control group (28 cases). Two groups were both treated with conventional sensitive antibiotics, the treatment group took Sanjin tablet in addition. After bacteria in the urine were negative, the treatment group took maintenance therapy with Sanjin tablet for 3 months, the control group took appropriate low-dose antibiotics maintenance treatment for 3 months. The peripheral blood T lymphocyte levels before and after treatment, time from the initial treatment to the bacterial culture of urine was negative of the two groups, and the recurrence rate of urinary tract infection in 3 months after discontinuation of the two groups were observed.

RESULTAfter treatment, the CD3+, CD4+ T cells and CD4+/CD8+ in peripheral blood of the treatment group were enhanced compared with untreated and the control group (P < 0.05). Time from the initial treatment to the bacterial was negative and the recurrence rate of the treatment group were significantly better than the control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONEffective treatment with Sanjin tablet to the recurrent urinary tract infection of female patients will probablely through the mechanism of improving the cell-mediated immunity levels to achieve the effect of shortening the course of treatment and to reducing the recurrence rate.

Adult ; Aged ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Recurrence ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; drug effects ; Tablets ; Urinary Tract Infections ; drug therapy ; immunology

Objective To find out the accurate resonance frequencies and vibration characteristics of intestine,lung,kidney,stomach,heart and liver of rat and rabbit in low frequency and to provide basic data for the study of organs' resonance injury and reaction.Methods Eight rats and eight rabbits were anaesthetized with 1.5％ sodium pentobarbital and acceleration sensor was fixed to the surface of their bowels.The rats were fastened on their back on the veneer hung horizontally by rubber band.The veneer was hammered upward from the down side,and the biggest value of frequency spectrum was considered the resonance frequency.Rabbits were fastened on their back on vibration platform and 2 mm amplitude vibration was given with the sweeping-frequency from 2 Hz to 50 Hz.The bowels amplitudes on each frequency point were measured.The frequency corresponding to the biggest amplitude was considered the resonance frequency.Results The resonance frequencies of rat intestine,lung,kidney,stomach,heart and liver were respectively 3.8,3.2,6.6,7.0,4,6 and 3.0 Hz within frequency interval of 0 Hz to 20 Hz.The resonance frequencies of rabbit intestine,lung,kidney,stomach,heart and liver were respectively 6.0,5.0,7.0,8.0,6.0 and 7.0 Hz within frequency interval of 2 Hz to 50 Hz.The vibration amplitude of lung was the biggest at the resonance frequency.The resonance frequencies of both rat and rabbit bowels showed no statistical correlations to body weights,bowel mass and bowel volumes.Conclusion Bowel resonance frequencies of rat and that of rabbit are evidently statistical different except for that of kidney.The resonance frequency values of rabbit bowels are closer to that of dog and monkey than to that of rat.Thus the resonance injury characteristic of rabbit bowels can be the research basis for dog,monkey,and even human bowels resonance injury.

A simple, reliable and sensitive liquid chromatography-isotope dilution mass spectrometry (LC-ID/MS) was developed and validated for quantification of olanzapine in human plasma. Plasma samples (50 microL) were extracted with tert-butyl methyl ether and isotope-labeled internal standard (olanzapine-D3) was used. The chromatographic separation was performed on XBridge Shield RP 18 (100 mm x 2.1 mm, 3.5 microm, Waters). An isocratic program was used at a flow rate of 0.4 m x min(-1) with mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and ammonium buffer (pH 8). The protonated ions of analytes were detected in positive ionization by multiple reactions monitoring (MRM) mode. The plasma method, with a lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) of 0.1 ng x mL(-1), demonstrated good linearity over a range of 0.1 - 30 ng x mL(-1) of olanzapine. Specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, recovery, matrix effect and stability were evaluated during method validation. The validated method was successfully applied to analyzing human plasma samples in bioavailability study.
Antipsychotic Agents ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Benzodiazepines ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Biological Availability ; Chromatography, Liquid ; methods ; Humans ; Indicator Dilution Techniques ; Isotope Labeling ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; methods

Objective To study the changes of ventilatory function of young soldiers coming from different regions during cold - tol-erance training. Methods The recruited young soldiers were divided into 2 groups:Group Ⅰ (50 coming from the northern region)and group Ⅱ (50 coming from the southern region) . According to the new training outline of cold -tolerance in winter,their ventilatory func-tions were tested before training and 60 days after training. Ventilatory functions were compared between smoking and non - smoking sub-jects. Results 25% forced expiratory flow (FEF25%) , 50% forced expiratory flow (FEF50%) and 75% forced expiratory flow (FEF75 %) were significant different between two groups before the course of training (P < 0.05). After 60 days, ventilatory functions of two groups were improved significantly as compared with that before training (P <0.01 ,P <0.05). There was no significant difference in ventilatory between two groups after 60 days of training (P > 0.05). There was significant difference in partial small airway function be-tween smoking and non - smoking subjects. Conclusion Cold air could decline the small airway function of soldiers coming from south-ern region before training. Cold -tolerance training has significant influence on soldiers' ventilatory function. Long- term and heavy smok-ing could decline the small airway function.