OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

Bone is a highly calcified and vascularized tissue. The vascular system plays a vital role in supporting bone growth and repair, such as the provision of nutrients, growth factors, and metabolic waste transfer. Moreover, the additional functions of the bone vasculature, such as the secretion of various factors and the regulation of bone-related signaling pathways, are essential for maintaining bone health. In the bone microenvironment, bone tissue cells play a critical role in regulating angiogenesis, including osteoblasts, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), and osteoclasts. Osteogenesis and bone angiogenesis are closely linked. The decrease in osteogenesis and bone angiogenesis caused by aging leads to osteoporosis. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in various physiological processes, including osteogenesis and angiogenesis. Recent studies have shown that lncRNAs could mediate the crosstalk between angiogenesis and osteogenesis. However, the mechanism by which lncRNAs regulate angiogenesis‒osteogenesis crosstalk remains unclear. In this review, we describe in detail the ways in which lncRNAs regulate the crosstalk between osteogenesis and angiogenesis to promote bone health, aiming to provide new directions for the study of the mechanism by which lncRNAs regulate bone metabolism.
RNA, Long Noncoding/physiology* ; Osteogenesis/physiology* ; Humans ; Neovascularization, Physiologic/genetics* ; Bone and Bones/metabolism* ; Animals ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells ; Signal Transduction ; Osteoblasts ; Osteoclasts ; Angiogenesis

Patients with severe trauma require an extremely timely treatment and transfusion plays an irreplaceable role in the emergency treatment of such patients. An increasing number of evidence-based medicinal evidences and clinical practices suggest that patients with severe traumatic bleeding benefit from early transfusion of low-titer group O whole blood or hemostatic resuscitation with red blood cells, plasma and platelet of a balanced ratio. However, the current domestic mode of blood supply cannot fully meet the requirements of timely and effective blood transfusion for emergency treatment of patients with severe trauma in clinical practice. In order to solve the key problems in blood supply and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma, Branch of Clinical Transfusion Medicine of Chinese Medical Association, Group for Trauma Emergency Care and Multiple Injuries of Trauma Branch of Chinese Medical Association, Young Scholar Group of Disaster Medicine Branch of Chinese Medical Association organized domestic experts of blood transfusion medicine and trauma treatment to jointly formulate Chinese expert consensus on blood support mode and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma patients ( version 2024). Based on the evidence-based medical evidence and Delphi method of expert consultation and voting, 10 recommendations were put forward from two aspects of blood support mode and transfusion strategies, aiming to provide a reference for transfusion resuscitation in the emergency treatment of severe trauma and further improve the success rate of treatment of patients with severe trauma.

Objective To explore the risk factors for developing chronic pulmonary heart disease in patients with pneumoconiosis.Methods The medical records of pneumoconiosis patients admitted to an occupational disease hospital in Sichuan Province between January 2012 and November 2021 were collected.Kaplan-Meier(K-M)method,or product-limit method,was used to plot the incidence curves of pulmonary heart disease in the pneumoconiosis patients.Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors associated with chronic pulmonary heart disease in patients with pneumoconiosis.Results A total of 885 pneumoconiosis patients were included in this study.The follow-up time was 12 to 115 months and the median follow-up time was 43 months.A total of 138 patients developed chronic pulmonary heart disease and the incidence density of pulmonary heart disease was 38.50/1000 person-years.Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed that the influencing factors of pneumoconiosis inpatients developing chronic pulmonary heart disease included the following,being 50 and older(hazard ratio[HR]=1.85,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.25-2.74),stage Ⅲ pneumoconiosis(HR=2.43,95%CI:1.48-4.01),resting heart rate≥100 beats/min(HR=2.62,95%CI:1.63-4.21),the complication of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)(HR=4.52,95%CI:2.12-9.63),underweight(HR=2.40,95%CI:1.48-3.87),overweight and obesity(HR=0.54,95%CI:0.34-0.86),and triacylglycerol(TG)(HR=0.69,95%CI:0.49-0.99).Conclusion Old age,stage Ⅲ pneumoconiosis,high resting heart rate,low BMI,and the complication of COPD are risk factors for chronic pulmonary heart disease in pneumoconiosis patients,while overweight and obesity and TG are protective factors.Early identification of the risk factors and the adoption of the corresponding prevention measures are the key to preventing chronic pulmonary heart disease in patients with pneumoconiosis.

Objective: To assess the feasibility of using donors with novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) when there are no other available donors and allo-HSCT cannot be delayed or discontinued. Methods: Seventy-one patients with malignant hematological diseases undergoing allo-HSCT between December 8, 2022, and January 10, 2023, were included. Of these, 16 received grafts from donors with mild COVID-19 (D-COVID(+) group) and 55 received grafts from donors without COVID-19 (D-COVID(-) group). The graft compositions were compared between the two groups. Engraftment, acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), overall survival (OS), and relapse were also evaluated. Results: There were no serious side effects or adverse events in the D-COVID(+) group. The mononuclear cell dose and CD34(+) cell dose were comparable between the two groups, and no additional apheresis was required. There were no significant differences in the lymphocyte, monocyte, and T-cell subset doses between the two groups. The median natural killer cell dose in the D-COVID(+) group was significantly higher than that in the D-COVID(-) group (0.69×10(8)/kg vs. 0.53×10(8)/kg, P=0.031). The median follow-up time was 72 (33-104) days. All patients achieved primary engraftment. The 60-day platelet engraftment rates in the D-COVID(+) and D-COVID(-) groups were 100% and (96.4±0.2) %, respectively (P=0.568). There were no significant differences in neutrophil (P=0.309) and platelet (P=0.544) engraftment times. The cumulative incidence of grade 2-4 aGVHD was (37.5±1.6) % vs. (16.4±0.3) % (P=0.062), and of grade 3-4 aGVHD was 25.0% ±1.3% vs. 9.1% ±0.2% (P=0.095) in the D-COVID(+) and D-COVID(-) groups, respectively. The probabilities of 60-day OS were 100% and 98.1% ±1.8% (P=0.522) in the D-COVID(+) and D-COVID(-) groups, respectively. There was no relapse of primary disease during the study period. Conclusion: When allo-HSCT cannot be delayed or discontinued and no other donor is available, a donor with mild COVID-19 should be considered if tolerable. Larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods are required to validate these results.
Humans ; COVID-19 ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Tissue Donors ; Graft vs Host Disease

OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed at investigating the carrier rate of, and molecular variation in, α- and β-globin gene mutations in Hunan Province. METHODS: We recruited 25,946 individuals attending premarital screening from 42 districts and counties in all 14 cities of Hunan Province. Hematological screening was performed, and molecular parameters were assessed. RESULTS: The overall carrier rate of thalassemia was 7.1%, including 4.83% for α-thalassemia, 2.15% for β-thalassemia, and 0.12% for both α- and β-thalassemia. The highest carrier rate of thalassemia was in Yongzhou (14.57%). The most abundant genotype of α-thalassemia and β-thalassemia was -α ^3.7/αα (50.23%) and β ^IVS-II-654/β ^N (28.23%), respectively. Four α-globin mutations [CD108 (ACC>AAC), CAP +29 (G>C), Hb Agrinio and Hb Cervantes] and six β-globin mutations [CAP +8 (C>T), IVS-II-848 (C>T), -56 (G>C), beta nt-77 (G>C), codon 20/21 (-TGGA) and Hb Knossos] had not previously been identified in China. Furthermore, this study provides the first report of the carrier rates of abnormal hemoglobin variants and α-globin triplication in Hunan Province, which were 0.49% and 1.99%, respectively. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrates the high complexity and diversity of thalassemia gene mutations in the Hunan population. The results should facilitate genetic counselling and the prevention of severe thalassemia in this region.
Humans ; beta-Thalassemia/genetics* ; alpha-Thalassemia/genetics* ; Hemoglobinopathies/genetics* ; China/epidemiology* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing

Objective To investigate the Gram-positive coccus resistance in nationwide's tertiary hospitals and understand the trend of antimicrobial resistance.Methods All the clinical isolates were collected from 19 hospitals and the minimal inhibitory concentrations(MICs)were tested using agar/broth dilution method recommended.Results A total of 1 974 pathogenic Gram-positive coccus from 19 tertiary hospitals in 19 cities nationwide over the period from July 2021 to June 2022 were studied.Based on the MIC results,the prevalence of methicillin resistant Stapylococcus aureus(MRSA)and methicillin resistant Stapylococcus epidermidis(MRSE)were 36.4％and 79.9％respectively.No vancomycin insensitivity Staphylococcus was detected.Staphylococcus aureus were 100％susceptibility to linezolid and teicoplanin.Antibiotic resistance rate of Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium to ampicillin were 3.1％and 92.9％.The detectation rate of vancomycin resistant Enterococcus(VRE)was 1.6％.Nonsusceptibility rate of Enterococcus faecalis to linezolid was 32.2％,two consecutive monitoring rises and nonsusceptibility rate of Enterococcus faecium(12.5％)was also significantly increased.The prevalence of penicillin non-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae(PNSSP)was 0.8％based on non-meningitis and parenteral administration criterion,decrease of nearly 30 percentage points from the previous surveillance.While for cases of oral penicillin,the rate was 71.8％,showing similar to last time.The results indicated that the number of strains with higher MIC value of penicillin(MIC ≥4 mg·L-1)decreased significantly.There were no significant differences of resistance rates of Stapylococcus aureus,Stapylococcus epidermidis,Enterococcus faecalis,Enterococcus faecium and Streptococcus pneumoniae among various groups such as different department,age,or specimen source.Conclusion VRE detection ratio stablized at a relatively low level.The number of Streptococcus pneumoniae with higher MIC value of penicillin decreased significantly compared with the previous monitoring.The increase of linezolidin-insensitive Enterococcus was noteworthy.

Objective To investigate the Gram-negative bacteria resistance in nationwide's tertiary hospitals and understand the trend of antimicrobial resistance.Method All the clinical isolates were collected from 19 hospitals and the minimal inhibitory concentrations(MICs)were tested using agar/broth dilution method recommended.Results A total of 4 066 pathogenic isolates from 19 tertiary hospitals in 19 cities nationwide over the period from July 2021 to June 2022 were studied.Based on the MIC results,Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae showed extended spectrum β-lactamase(ESBLs)phenotype rates of 55.0％and 21.0％,respectively,ESBLs phenotype rate of Klebsiella pneumoniae keep going down.The ratios of carbapenems resistance Klebsiella pneumoniae increased by 5 percentage points compared with the previous monitoring.Carbapenems,moxalactam,sitafloxacin,β-lactam combination agents,fosfomycin trometamol,and amikacin displayed desirable antibacterial activity against Enterbacterales,susceptibal rates were above 75％.In addition,tigacycline,omacycline,colistin and fluoxefin maintained good antibacterial activity against their respective effective bacteria/species,and the bacterial sensitivity rates by more than 80％.Resistance rates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannnii to imipenem were 26.3％and 72.1％and multidrug-resistant(MDR)detection rates were 41.1％and 77.3％,extensively drug-resistant(XDR)were 12.0％and 71.8％,respectively.Comparison of drug resistance rates from different wards,ages and specimen sources indicated that the proportion of resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from intensive care unit(ICU)were significantly higher than non-ICU.Carbapenem resistance rates of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from ICU were more than 35％.Resistance rates of Haemophilus influenzae isolated in children to β-lactam,macrolide,clindamycin and ESBLs detection rate in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from children were more than those from adults and the old people,so bacterial resistance in children is an important problem in China.Conclusion ESBLs detection rate of Escherichia coli increased slightly after years of continuous decline.The proportion of carbapenem resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa was stable,but the resistance rate of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii to carbapenems was still increased,which should be paid more attention.

Objective - - （BCL2L2）- （ ） To investigate the differential expression of the fusion gene BCL 2 like protein 2 poly A （PABPN1） （ ） binding protein nuclear 1 induced by sodium arsenite SA and its methylated metabolites in 16HBE cells and the Methods ） ， related mechanism. i The 16HBE cells exposed to SA at concentrations of 1.5 3.0 and 4.5 µmol/L were set as -， - - low medium and high dose arsenic exposure groups. The 16HBE cells exposed to 4.5 µmol/L monomethylarsonic acid （ ）， （ ） ， MMA dimethylarsonic acid DMA and SA were set as MMA group DMA group and SA group. The 16HBE cells without ， BCL2L2-PABPN1 toxic stimulation were set as control group. After the cells were cultured for 48 hours the expression of was - （ - ） ） （ ） detected by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction qRT PCR . ii Two small interfering RNA siRNA silencing 基金项目：国家自然科学基金（ ）； 年云南省科技厅昆明医科大学应用基础研究联合专项面上项目 82160607 2021 （ ） 202101AY070001-054 作者简介：施雅（ —），女，在读大学本科生，主要从事劳动卫生与环境卫生学研究；尹锦瑶（ —），女，在读劳动卫生与环境卫 2001 1995 生学硕士研究生，主要从事劳动卫生与环境卫生学研究；施雅和尹锦瑶为共同第一作者 通讯作者：何越峰教授，博士研究生导师，- ： E mail heyuefeng@kmmu.edu.cn中国职业医学 年 月第 卷第 期 ， ， ， · · 2022 10 49 5 Chin Occup Med October 2022 Vol.49 No.5 523 BCL2L2-PABPN1， - fragments were designed and transfected into 16HBE cells to knockdown which were set as siRNA 1 group - - BCL2L2-PABPN1 and siRNA 2 group. Non transfected control group without knockdown of transfection was set up. After ， BCL2L2-PABPN1 - culturing for 48 hours the expression level of in the three groups of cells was detected by qRT PCR. The cell - survival rate and early apoptosis rate were detected by MTS method and JC 1 mitochondrial membrane potential detection ， （ ） ， method respectively. The apoptosis was detected by Hoechest33342/propidium iodide PI double staining and the expression - Results ） level of P53 signaling pathway related proteins was detected by Western blotting. i The relative expression of BCL2L2-PABPN1 （P ） BCL2L2- in 16HBE cells increased with the increasing SA doses <0.01 . The relative expression of PABPN1 - ， - - in high dose arsenic exposure was higher than that in control group low dose and medium dose arsenic exposure （ P ） BCL2L2-PABPN1 ， groups all <0.05 . The relative expression of in SA group was higher than those in control group MMA （ P ） BCL2L2-PABPN1 group and DMA group all <0.05 . The relative expression of showed no significant difference between ， （ P ） ） BCL2L2-PABPN1 control group MMA group and DMA group all >0.05 . ii The relative expression levels of and cell - - - （ P ） survival rate in siRNA 1 group and siRNA 2 group were lower than those in non transfected control group all <0.05 . ， （P ） However there was no significant difference in the early apoptosis rate among the three groups >0.05 . The results of - Hoechest33342/PI double staining showed that the number of nuclear shrinkage and early apoptotic cells in siRNA 1 group and - - ， - siRNA 2 group was higher than that in non transfected control group. The relative protein expression levels of P53 phospho ， - - ， - - （ P ） p53 BCL 2 associated death promoter P21 and cytochrome C in siRNA 1 group and siRNA 2 group were higher all <0.05 , - - P and the relative protein expression levels of P53 up regulated modulator of apoptosis were lower (all <0.05), when compared - Conclusion with the non transfected control group. SA may block the apoptosis of 16HBE cells by inducing the expression of BCL2L2-PABPN1 fusion gene . The mechanism may be related to the activation of P53 signaling pathway. The SA methylated BCL2L2-PABPN1 BCL2L2-PABPN1 - metabolites MMD and DMA had no effect on the expression of . may affect anti apoptosis BCL2L2 PABPN1 through affecting the synergistic effect of and genes.

Objective: To develop and validate a deep learning model based on fundus photos for the identification of coronary heart disease (CHD) and associated risk factors. Methods: Subjects aged>18 years with complete clinical examination data from 149 hospitals and medical examination centers in China were included in this retrospective study. Two radiologists, who were not aware of the study design, independently evaluated the coronary angiography images of each subject to make CHD diagnosis. A deep learning model using convolutional neural networks (CNN) was used to label the fundus images according to the presence or absence of CHD, and the model was proportionally divided into training and test sets for model training. The prediction performance of the model was evaluated in the test set using monocular and binocular fundus images respectively. Prediction efficacy of the algorithm for cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., age, systolic blood pressure, gender) and coronary events were evaluated by regression analysis using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and R² correlation coefficient. Results: The study retrospectively collected 51 765 fundus images from 25 222 subjects, including 10 255 patients with CHD, and there were 14 419 male subjects in this cohort. Of these, 46 603 fundus images from 22 701 subjects were included in the training set and 5 162 fundus images from 2 521 subjects were included in the test set. In the test set, the deep learning model could accurately predict patients' age with an R² value of 0.931 (95%CI 0.929-0.933) for monocular photos and 0.938 (95%CI 0.936-0.940) for binocular photos. The AUC values for sex identification from single eye and binocular retinal fundus images were 0.983 (95%CI 0.982-0.984) and 0.988 (95%CI 0.987-0.989), respectively. The AUC value of the model was 0.876 (95%CI 0.874-0.877) with either monocular fundus photographs and AUC value was 0.885 (95%CI 0.884-0.888) with binocular fundus photographs to predict CHD, the sensitivity of the model was 0.894 and specificity was 0.755 with accuracy of 0.714 using binocular fundus photographs for the prediction of CHD. Conclusion: The deep learning model based on fundus photographs performs well in identifying coronary heart disease and assessing related risk factors such as age and sex.
Humans ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Deep Learning ; Fundus Oculi ; ROC Curve ; Algorithms ; Risk Factors ; Coronary Disease/diagnostic imaging*