Objective To develop and evaluate a quality assessment system for palliative care nursing homes that integrate medical and elderly care services based on the SERVQUAL model,thereby providing references for assessment and improvement of the quality of palliative care.Methods Using SERVQUAL model,a preliminary evaluation of a quality assessment system for palliative care was developed through literature review and semi-structured interviews.Two rounds of expert consultation with Delphi method were conducted to refine and finalise the assessment system.Results The two rounds of expert consultation each involved 15 questionnaires,all effectively returned(100.00%response rate),reflecting strong expert engagement.The expert authority coefficients were 0.78.The Kendall's W of primary irdicators were 0.198 in the first round to 0.235 in the second(P<0.05),showing improved consensus.The mean importance scores in the second consensus were 3.93-5.00,with coefficients of variation of 0-0.20,and weights of 0.01-0.28,respectively.The finallised assessment system comprised 5 primary indicators,17 secondary indicators and 64 tertiary indicators.Conclusion The SERVQUAL-based palliative care quality assessment system for integrated medical-elderly care nursing homes is scientifically rigorous and practically applicable.It offers a standardised tool for assessment and improvement of the quality of palliative care in nursing homes with integrated medical and elderly care services,promotes homogenisation of nursing quality and ultimately meets the needs of residents and their families.

Acupuncture is an ancient treatment method used in traditional Chinese medicine and has been popularized worldwide. Over the past decade, there has been an increase in the amount of acupuncture research, mostly comprised of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that aimed to answer the question on the efficacy of acupuncture. However, poor methodology and low replicability in these acupuncture RCTs have resulted in uncertainty about the efficacy of acupuncture. In this review, current advancements and challenges in acupuncture RCTs, regarding the methodological aspects of randomization, blinding, sham acupuncture and quality of reporting, were discussed. While there have been advancements in various aspects, current acupuncture RCTs still face pressing issues such as inadequate randomization and blinding, unviable sham acupuncture controls, and poor reporting quality. Given these limitations, this review seeks to identify the methodological problems that are responsible for these problems and to suggest solutions that could help to overcome them so as to improve the quality of future studies evaluating the efficacy of acupuncture. Please cite this article as: Seetoh WS, Lim RQR, Xu RB, Sun MX, Zhang P, Wang MN. Advancements and challenges of acupuncture randomized controlled trials. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(4): 333-343.
Acupuncture Therapy ; Humans ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic/methods* ; Research Design

Objective To develop and evaluate a quality assessment system for palliative care nursing homes that integrate medical and elderly care services based on the SERVQUAL model,thereby providing references for assessment and improvement of the quality of palliative care.Methods Using SERVQUAL model,a preliminary evaluation of a quality assessment system for palliative care was developed through literature review and semi-structured interviews.Two rounds of expert consultation with Delphi method were conducted to refine and finalise the assessment system.Results The two rounds of expert consultation each involved 15 questionnaires,all effectively returned(100.00%response rate),reflecting strong expert engagement.The expert authority coefficients were 0.78.The Kendall's W of primary irdicators were 0.198 in the first round to 0.235 in the second(P<0.05),showing improved consensus.The mean importance scores in the second consensus were 3.93-5.00,with coefficients of variation of 0-0.20,and weights of 0.01-0.28,respectively.The finallised assessment system comprised 5 primary indicators,17 secondary indicators and 64 tertiary indicators.Conclusion The SERVQUAL-based palliative care quality assessment system for integrated medical-elderly care nursing homes is scientifically rigorous and practically applicable.It offers a standardised tool for assessment and improvement of the quality of palliative care in nursing homes with integrated medical and elderly care services,promotes homogenisation of nursing quality and ultimately meets the needs of residents and their families.

The patient,a male newborn,was admitted to the hospital 2 hours after birth due to prematurity(gestational age 27+5 weeks)and respiratory distress occurring 2 hours postnatally.After admission,the infant developed fever and elevated C-reactive protein levels.On the fourth day after birth,metagenomic next-generation sequencing of cerebrospinal fluid indicated a positive result for Mycoplasma hominis(9 898 reads).On the eighth day,a retest of cerebrospinal fluid metagenomics confirmed Mycoplasma hominis(56 806 reads).The diagnosis of purulent meningitis caused by Mycoplasma hominis was established,and the antibiotic treatment was switched to moxifloxacin[5 mg/(kg·day)]administered intravenously for a total of 4 weeks.After treatment,the patient's cerebrospinal fluid tests returned to normal,and he was discharged as cured on the 76th day after birth.This article focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of neonatal Mycoplasma hominis purulent meningitis,introducing the multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment of the condition in extremely preterm infants.[Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics,2024,26(4):432-436]

Objective:To analyze clinical, immunopathological, therapeutic, and prognostic features of epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) .Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on patients with confirmed EBA at the Department of Dermatology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University from January 1, 2015 to July 30, 2022. Their clinical, immunopathological, therapeutic and prognostic features were analyzed. The autoimmune bullous skin disorder intensity score (ABSIS) was used to assess the severity of lesions in patients with EBA, and the visual analogue scale (VAS) to assess itch intensity. Descriptive statistical analysis was primarily carried out, and the correlation between disease severity scores and itch scores was analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis.Results:A total of 13 patients with EBA were included, including 9 males and 4 females, with the age at the clinic visit being 49.0 ± 20.6 years and ABSIS scores being 24.2 ± 10.7 points. One patient was diagnosed with classical EBA, while the remaining 12 patients with inflammatory EBA. Mucosal involvement was observed in 6 cases, whose oral mucosae were all affected. All patients had itching to varying degrees, with VAS scores of 5.6 ± 2.2 points; 9 of the 12 inflammatory EBA patients had VAS scores of ≥ 5 points, whereas 1 classical EBA patient had a VAS score of 2 points; there was no significant correlation between the ABSIS scores and VAS scores ( r = -0.02, P > 0.05). Histopathological examination showed subepidermal cleavages or blister formation and varying degrees of perivascular inflammatory cell infiltration in the superficial dermis of patients with inflammatory EBA. Direct immunofluorescence assay demonstrated linear IgG deposits along the basement membrane zone in all 13 patients, including 12 with concomitant linear C3 deposits in the basement membrane zone, 5 with linear IgA deposits, and 2 with IgM deposits. Indirect immunofluorescence on salt-split skin showed IgG deposition on the dermal side of the salt-split skin in the 13 patients. An elevated eosinophil count in the peripheral blood was observed in 1 out of 11 patients, while increased total IgE levels were noted in 3 out of 9 patients. Among the 13 EBA patients, 11 were treated with systemic glucocorticoids (equivalent to 10 - 100 mg/d of prednisone), and the other 2 were treated with compound glycyrrhizin tablets, sulfasalazine, hydroxychloroquine sulfate, and minocycline hydrochloride alone or in combination. During the follow-up period of 34.0 (27.5, 66.0) months in the 13 patients, 8 achieved complete remission after drug withdrawal, 2 achieved complete remission on therapy, 1 achieved partial remission on minimal therapy, and 2 presented with uncontrolled condition. The time to complete remission off/on therapy was 6.0 (3.8, 17.5) months. Conclusions:The inflammatory phenotype seems to be relatively common in EBA patients, with itching to varying degrees, and oral mucosa was the most commonly involved mucosa in those with mucosal damage. After treatment with systemic glucocorticoids alone or in combination with immunomodulators, most patients could achieve complete remission.

Background::Although overnight fasting is recommended prior to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), the benefits and safety of high-carbohydrate fluid diet (CFD) intake 2 h before ERCP remain unclear. This study aimed to analyze whether high-CFD intake 2 h before ERCP can be safe and accelerate patients’ recovery.Methods::This prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial involved 15 tertiary ERCP centers. A total of 1330 patients were randomized into CFD group ( n = 665) and fasting group ( n = 665). The CFD group received 400 mL of maltodextrin orally 2 h before ERCP, while the control group abstained from food/water overnight (>6 h) before ERCP. All ERCP procedures were performed using deep sedation with intravenous propofol. The investigators were blinded but not the patients. The primary outcomes included postoperative fatigue and abdominal pain score, and the secondary outcomes included complications and changes in metabolic indicators. The outcomes were analyzed according to a modified intention-to-treat principle. Results::The post-ERCP fatigue scores were significantly lower at 4 h (4.1 ± 2.6 vs. 4.8 ± 2.8, t = 4.23, P <0.001) and 20 h (2.4 ± 2.1 vs. 3.4 ± 2.4, t= 7.94, P <0.001) in the CFD group, with least-squares mean differences of 0.48 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.26–0.71, P <0.001) and 0.76 (95% CI: 0.57–0.95, P <0.001), respectively. The 4-h pain scores (2.1 ± 1.7 vs. 2.2 ± 1.7, t = 2.60, P = 0.009, with a least-squares mean difference of 0.21 [95% CI: 0.05–0.37]) and positive urine ketone levels (7.7% [39/509] vs. 15.4% [82/533], χ2 = 15.13, P <0.001) were lower in the CFD group. The CFD group had significantly less cholangitis (2.1% [13/634] vs. 4.0% [26/658], χ2 = 3.99, P = 0.046) but not pancreatitis (5.5% [35/634] vs. 6.5% [43/658], χ2 = 0.59, P = 0.444). Subgroup analysis revealed that CFD reduced the incidence of complications in patients with native papilla (odds ratio [OR]: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.39–0.95, P = 0.028) in the multivariable models. Conclusion::Ingesting 400 mL of CFD 2 h before ERCP is safe, with a reduction in post-ERCP fatigue, abdominal pain, and cholangitis during recovery.Trail Registration::ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT03075280.

Objective:To explore the feasibility and clinical value of artificial intelligence-assisted breast ultrasound in screening breast cancer in Tibet.Methods:Two hundred and eighty-six women who participated in breast cancer screening in Shigatse People′s Hospital from August to September in 2021 were selected. The study included four groups. Group 1, ultrasound screening by senior breast ultrasound doctors from Shanghai; Group 2: local ultrasound doctors used intelligent-assisted ultrasound equipment for screening; Group 3: local ultrasound technicians used intelligent-assisted ultrasound equipment for screening; Group 4: ultrasound screening by local ultrasound doctors. The pathological results of screening positive cases and six-month ultrasound follow-up results of negative cases were set as the gold standard.Results:Twenty-seven lesions of 21 persons were screened positive. Pathology showed that 1 case of invasive ductal carcinoma, 1 case of severe atypical hyperplasia, 6 cases of fibroadenoma, 5 cases of breast disease, 14 cases of breast hyperplasia. Two hundred and sixty-five persons were screened negative, and the results of the six-month ultrasound follow-up were still negative. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of group 2 were 0.966, 1, and 0.964 respectively; The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of group 3 were 0.935, 0.769, and 0.943 respectively; The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of group 4 were 0.860, 0.308 and 0.885 respectively. The accuracy and area under the curve of groups 2 and 3 were significantly different from that of group 4 (all P<0.001), and there was no significant difference from that of group 1 ( P=0.063, P=0.055). Conclusions:Artificial intelligence-assisted breast ultrasound screening technology can effectively improve the screening efficiency of non-breast ultrasound specialists and technicians. It is very suitable to solve the problems faced by grass-roots screening in Tibet and has great social significance and clinical value.

We present GranatumX, a next-generation software environment for single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data analysis. GranatumX is inspired by the interactive webtool Granatum. GranatumX enables biologists to access the latest scRNA-seq bioinformatics methods in a web-based graphical environment. It also offers software developers the opportunity to rapidly promote their own tools with others in customizable pipelines. The architecture of GranatumX allows for easy inclusion of plugin modules, named Gboxes, which wrap around bioinformatics tools written in various programming languages and on various platforms. GranatumX can be run on the cloud or private servers and generate reproducible results. It is a community-engaging, flexible, and evolving software ecosystem for scRNA-seq analysis, connecting developers with bench scientists. GranatumX is freely accessible at http://garmiregroup.org/granatumx/app.

Objective:To observe the effect of Chinese herbal compound Siwu decoction (SW) on radiation injury of zebra fish blood system, and to clarify whether zebra fish is a suitable model for this study. Methods:Totally 72 of 4-month-old adult male zebra fish ( Danio Rerio) with body weight ranging from 0.14 to 0.20 g were used in all the experiments, where 36 zebra fish were taken to observe the hemodynamic changes after radiation, and the other 36 zebra fish were used to study the intervention effect of Siwu decoction on the blood injury after radiation. Zebra fish was irradiated with 20 Gy of 60Co gamma-rays at a dose rate of 97.33 cGy/min. For the hemodynamic study, the peripheral blood and whole kidney marrow cells (WKMCs)of irradiated zebra fish and non irradiated control were collected on days 7, 14 and 30 after irradiation, respectively, and the cell number was detected by flow cytometry. For the Siwu decoction treatment, 36 zebra fish were randomly divided into non-irradiation group, irradiation group, SW2 000 group ( Siwu decoction was diluted by 2 000-fold) and SW5 000 group ( Siwu decoction was diluted by 5 000-fold). Siwu decoction was given on the second day after irradiation. Then the peripheral blood and WKM cells of zebra fish were collected at 7 d after irradiation for further analysis. Results:After irradiation, the dynamic of blood development of zebra fish were obviously changed with the most blood cell ablation at 7 d post-irradiation. The total number of peripheral blood cells and WKM cells decreased by 26% and 52%( t=4.535, 28.987, P<0.05), the number of myeloid monocytes, lymphocytes, and red blood cells in the WKM decreased by 46%, 79% and 33%( t=18.457, 66.900, 9.872, P<0.05), and the number of precursor cells decreased by 49% ( P>0.05). The numbers of these blood cells were partly recovered at 14 d after irradiation and returned to the normal level at 30 d after irradiation. In comparison with irradiation alone group, the numbers of WKM cells, myeloid monocytes, progenitor cells, lymphocytes and red blood cells increased by 57%, 125%, 81% and 35%, respectively ( t=12.128, 21.594, 15.473, 4.594, P<0.05), and peripheral red cells did not increase significantly in the SW5 000 group after irradiation. However, SW2 000 had no significant influence on radiation injury of zebra fish blood cells ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Radiation injury of the blood system of zebra fish could be recovered at a month after irradiation, and this radiation damage could be partly intervened by Siwu decoction at a suitable concentration, which provides a reference for the study of blood system regulation of traditional Chinese medicine.