Objective To compare the accuracy of bedside lung ultrasound in emergency(BLUE)and combined cardiac-lung and additional ultrasound(CLAUS)for diagnosing the causes of acute dyspnea.Methods Totally 1 016 patients with acute dyspnea were retrospectively enrolled and divided into cardiogenic pulmonary edema group(n=268),pneumonia group(n=574),pneumothorax group(n=33),pulmonary embolism group(n=67)and CAD(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/asthma/diaphragmatic dysfunction)group(n=74)according to the causes of acute dyspnea.The findings of CLAUS protocol were compared among groups,and the accuracy of BLUE and CLAUS protocol for diagnosing the causes of acute dyspnea were also compared.Results CLAUS showed that B-B and B-C were the most common modes in cardiogenic pulmonary edema group,while A-B/A-C/B-A/B-B/B-C/C-C modes were common in pneumonia group,and A-A mode was the most common in pneumothorax group,pulmonary embolism group and CAD group.Significant differences of the manifestations of pulmonary ultrasound,pleural feature of anterior chest wall,left/right cardiac insufficiency and abnormal inferior vena cava diameter were found among groups(all P＜0.05).The accuracy of BLUE and CLAUS protocol for diagnosing the causes of acute dyspnea was 86.91%(883/1 016)and 94.49%(960/1 016),respectively,the latter was higher than the former(χ2=34.587,P＜0.05).Conclusion CLAUS protocol could be used to effectively diagnose the causes of acute dyspnea,with higher accuracy than BLUE protocol.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPeM).Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted. Clinical and follow-up data of 73 MPeM patients who received pemetrexed and cisplatin (AP regimen)-based treatment at the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2004 to December 2022 were collected. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Kaplan-Meier method was used to perform the survival analysis; univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the influencing factors of prognosis by log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model.Results:In 73 MPeM patients, there were 33 males and 40 females, with a median age of 57 years old (range: 20-76 years old). Among them, 41 patients (56.2%) were aged ≥55 years old, 5 patients (6.8%) had a history of asbestos exposure, 45 patients (61.6%) presented with ascites, and 32 patients (43.8%) had distant metastasis, 70 patients (95.9%) were epithelioid subtype, 38 patients (52.1%) underwent surgery, and 3 patients (4.1%) received radiotherapy. The median OS time of all patients was 30 months (95% CI: 25-50 months), and the median PFS time was 8 months (95% CI: 6-14 months). Univariate analysis results showed that the differences in OS and PFS between patients with different ages (<55 years old vs. ≥55 years old: the median OS time not reached vs. 25 months, P < 0.001; the median PFS time 13 months vs. 7 months, P = 0.046) and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score (1 point vs. 2 points: the median OS time 37 months vs. 21 months, P < 0.001; the median PFS time 14 months vs. 4 months, P = 0.004) were statistically significant. There were statistically significant differences in OS among patients with different status of surgery (with vs. without: the median OS time 37 months vs. 24 months, P = 0.020), history of asbestos exposure (with vs. without: the median OS time 32 months vs. 18 months, P = 0.002) and distant metastasis (with vs. without: the median OS time 58 months vs. 20 months, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis results showed that ECOG score of 2 points ( HR = 5.04, 95% CI: 1.29-19.73, P = 0.020) and distant metastasis ( HR = 4.26, 95% CI: 1.77-10.24, P = 0.001) were independent risk factors for OS of patients. Conclusions:Most MPeM patients are female, the epithelioid subtype is predominant, and the overall prognosis is poor. However, patients aged <55 years old, without history of asbestos exposure, with a good general condition, with surgery, or without distant metastasis have relatively good prognosis.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPeM).Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted. Clinical and follow-up data of 73 MPeM patients who received pemetrexed and cisplatin (AP regimen)-based treatment at the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2004 to December 2022 were collected. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Kaplan-Meier method was used to perform the survival analysis; univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the influencing factors of prognosis by log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model.Results:In 73 MPeM patients, there were 33 males and 40 females, with a median age of 57 years old (range: 20-76 years old). Among them, 41 patients (56.2%) were aged ≥55 years old, 5 patients (6.8%) had a history of asbestos exposure, 45 patients (61.6%) presented with ascites, and 32 patients (43.8%) had distant metastasis, 70 patients (95.9%) were epithelioid subtype, 38 patients (52.1%) underwent surgery, and 3 patients (4.1%) received radiotherapy. The median OS time of all patients was 30 months (95% CI: 25-50 months), and the median PFS time was 8 months (95% CI: 6-14 months). Univariate analysis results showed that the differences in OS and PFS between patients with different ages (<55 years old vs. ≥55 years old: the median OS time not reached vs. 25 months, P < 0.001; the median PFS time 13 months vs. 7 months, P = 0.046) and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score (1 point vs. 2 points: the median OS time 37 months vs. 21 months, P < 0.001; the median PFS time 14 months vs. 4 months, P = 0.004) were statistically significant. There were statistically significant differences in OS among patients with different status of surgery (with vs. without: the median OS time 37 months vs. 24 months, P = 0.020), history of asbestos exposure (with vs. without: the median OS time 32 months vs. 18 months, P = 0.002) and distant metastasis (with vs. without: the median OS time 58 months vs. 20 months, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis results showed that ECOG score of 2 points ( HR = 5.04, 95% CI: 1.29-19.73, P = 0.020) and distant metastasis ( HR = 4.26, 95% CI: 1.77-10.24, P = 0.001) were independent risk factors for OS of patients. Conclusions:Most MPeM patients are female, the epithelioid subtype is predominant, and the overall prognosis is poor. However, patients aged <55 years old, without history of asbestos exposure, with a good general condition, with surgery, or without distant metastasis have relatively good prognosis.

Objective To investigate the regulatory effect of Jiedu Huayu Tongfu prescription on intestinal homeostasis in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis with liver-gallbladder damp-heat syndrome, as well as its effect on endotoxin, inflammatory factors, and cellular immune function. Methods A total of 72 patients who attended The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine from June 2019 to January 2021 and met the diagnostic and inclusion criteria were enrolled as subjects and then randomly divided into observation group and control group, with 36 patients in each group. In the treatment group, 2 patients were lost to follow-up, 2 patients were excluded, and 32 patients completed the study; in the control group, 2 patients were lost to follow-up, 1 patient was excluded, and 33 patients completed the study. In addition to the basic treatment including antiviral therapy and liver-protecting treatment, the patients in the observation group were given Jiedu Huayu Tongfu granules, and those in the control group were given oral administration of Bifidobacterium tetravaccine tablets; the course of treatment was 4 weeks for both groups. The 16S rDNA sequencing technique was used for sequencing of fecal flora, and the two groups were measured in terms of the changes in liver function [alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBil), and albumin (Alb)], endotoxin (ET), levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and T lymphocyte subsets (CD3 + T, CD4 + T, CD8 + T, and CD4 + /CD8 + ) after treatment. For normally distributed continuous data with homogeneity of variance, the paired t -test was used for comparison within each group, and the independent samples t -test was used for comparison between two groups; the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data. The chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data. Results The observation group had a significantly higher overall response rate than the control group (87.5% vs 60.6%, χ 2 =-2.299, P =0.022). After treatment, both groups had significant reductions in ALT, AST, and TBil and a significant increase in Alb (all P < 0.05), and compared with the control group, the observation group had a significantly greater reduction in TBil ( Z =-2.165, P =0.030). After treatment, both groups had significant improvements in the levels of CD3 + T, CD4 + T, and CD4 + /CD8 + , and the observation group had significantly greater improvements than the control group ( Z =-2.146, -2.940, and 3.157, P =0.032, 0.003, and 0.002). After treatment, both groups had significant reductions in the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and ET, and the observation group had significantly greater reductions than the control group ( Z =-2.139, -1.982, and -2.062, P =0.032, 0.048, and 0.043). Both groups had an increase in the number of operational taxonomic units after treatment. As for the abundance of intestinal flora at the phylum level, the observation group had a significant increase in the abundance of Firmicutes and a significant reduction in the abundance of Bacteroidetes after treatment ( Z =-3.181 and -2.215, P =0.001 and 0.027); compared with the control group, the observation group had significantly greater increases in the abundance of Firmicutes and Cyanobacteria and significantly greater reductions in the abundance of Bacteroidetes, Cercozoa, and ε-Proteobacteria (all P < 0.05). At the genus level, the observation group had a significant increase in the abundance of Bifidobacterium after treatment ( Z =-2.045, P =0.041). The alpha-diversity analysis showed that the observation group had significant increases in Chao1 and Ace indices after treatment ( t =-4.263 and -3.328, P =0.001 and 0.005) and a significantly greater increase in Ace index than the control group ( t =2.292, P =0.030). The beta-diversity analysis showed that the two groups had a similar composition of flora without significant difference (all P > 0.05). Conclusion Jiedu Huayu Tongfu prescription, in combination with etiological and basic treatments, can alleviate clinical symptoms, reduce liver injury, and improve cellular immune function in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis with liver-gallbladder damp-heat syndrome. Jiedu Huayu Tongfu prescription can improve the imbalance of intestinal flora by increasing the abundance of the probiotic bacteria such as Firmicutes, Lactobacillus, and Bifidobacterium and the pathogenic bacteria such as Bacteroidetes and Cercozoa, and its effect in further improving liver and immune function may be associated with the regulation of intestinal microecology.

Monitoring blood glucose level timely and accurately and management of glucose level is crucial for the treatment of diabetes and the prevention of diabetic complications. Glycated albumin is one of the important biomarker to evaluate the fluctuation of blood glucose level, which has been widely used in clinic. To understand the advantages and limitations of the glycated albumin in monitoring glucose level will contribute to its better application in clinic.