In observational studies, herbal prescriptions are usually studied in the form of "similar prescriptions". At present, the classification of prescriptions is mainly based on clinical experience judgment, but there are some problems in manual judgment, such as lack of unified criteria, labor consumption, and difficulty in verification. In the construction of a database of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19), our research group tried to classify real-world herbal prescriptions using a similarity matching algorithm. The main steps include 78 target prescriptions are determined in advance; four levels of importance labeling shall be carried out for the drugs of each target prescription; the combination, format conversion, and standardization of drug names of the prescriptions to be identified in the herbal medicine database; calculate the similarity between the prescriptions to be identified and each target prescription one by one; prescription discrimination is performed based on the preset criteria; remove the name of the prescriptions with "large prescriptions cover the small". Through the similarity matching algorithm, 87.49% of the real prescriptions in the herbal medicine database of this study can be identified, which preliminarily proves that this method can complete the classification of herbal prescriptions. However, this method does not consider the influence of herbal dosage on the results, and there is no recognized standard for the weight of drug importance and criteria, so there are some limitations, which need to be further explored and improved in future research.
Humans ; COVID-19 ; Algorithms ; Databases, Factual ; Prescriptions ; Plant Extracts

PURPOSE: To develop animal models of penetrating thoracic injuries and to observe the effects of the animal model-based training on improving the trainees' performance for emergent and urgent thoracic surgeries. METHODS: With a homemade machine, animal models of lung injuries and penetrating heart injuries were produced in porcine and used for training of chest tube drainage, urgent sternotomy, and emergent thoracotomy. Coefficient of variation of abbreviated injury scale and blood loss was calculated to judge the reproducibility of animal models. Five operation teams from basic-level hospitals (group A) and five operation teams from level III hospitals (group B) were included to be trained and tested. Testing standards for the operations were established after thorough literature review, and expert questionnaires were employed to evaluate the scientificity and feasibility of the testing standards. Tests were carried out after the training. Pre- and post-training performances were compared. Post-training survey using 7-point Likert scale was taken to evaluate the feelings of the trainees to these training approaches. RESULTS: Animal models of the three kinds of penetrating chest injuries were successfully established and the coefficient of variation of abbreviated injury scale and blood loss were all less than 25%. After literature review, testing standards were established, and expert questionnaire results showed that the scientific score was 7.30 ± 1.49, and the feasibility score was 7.50 ± 0.89. Post-training performance was significantly higher in both group A and group B than pre-training performance. Post-training survey showed that all the trainees felt confident in applying the operations and were generally agreed that the training procedure were very helpful in improving operation skills for thoracic penetrating injury. CONCLUSIONS Animal model-based simulation training established in the current study could improve the trainees' performance for emergent and urgent thoracic surgeries, especially of the surgical teams from basic-level hospitals.
Animals ; Swine ; Reproducibility of Results ; Wounds, Penetrating/surgery* ; Thoracotomy ; Thoracic Injuries/surgery* ; Hemorrhage ; Models, Animal

Abstract Hydrogels are widely used in biomedical fields such as drug delivery, wound dressings and tissue engineering because of their good biocompatibility and biodegradability. According to the source of material, it can be divided into synthetic material hydrogel and natural material hydrogel. Natural polysaccharide hydrogel not only can be used as material, but also has unique pharmacological activity and better mechanical properties, gradually become the preferred material. Dynamic covalent hydrogels have attracted much attention due to their structural flexibility, self healing performance and environmental responsiveness. In this paper, the dynamic bond mode natural polysaccharide hydrogel systems are classified and summarized, and the research status of the construction of this kind of hydrogel in drug delivery and tissue repair are summarized, to provide reference for the application of new polysaccharide hydrogels in clinical application.

Breast cancer is a systemic malignant tumor caused by multiple pathogenic factors， and its pathological mechanism is complex and has not been clarified so far. It has gradually become the largest killer threatening women's life. The common method for the treatment of breast cancer is lesion resection combined with radiation and chemical therapy， endocrine therapy， or targeted therapy. However， due to the limitations of western medicine therapies， there are still considerable breast cancer patients with poor disease control and high tumor recurrence rate in clinical practice. At the same time， the side effects and complications produced by these therapies affect the quality of life of patients. Therefore， it is urgent to develop new drugs or find safe and effective alternative therapies against breast cancer. Volatile oil （VO）， as a unique volatile component of Chinese herbal medicines， has anti-inflammatory， antiviral， and anti-tumor activities. It has been applied in the treatment of breast cancer and has demonstrated good efficacy by exerting the unique effects of strengthening healthy Qi， eliminating pathogenic factors， moving Qi， resolving stasis， warming Yang， soothing liver， and relieving depression. The recent studies have confirmed that VO and its chemical components can prevent and treat breast cancer via multiple mechanisms， while there is a lack of systematic review. The relevant literature published in recent years has demonstrated that VO can inhibit the occurrence and development of breast cancer by regulating the level of estrogen， inhibiting the proliferation and inducing the apoptosis of cancer cells， enhancing immunity， resisting inflammation， and regulating emotions. We introduced the pathogenesis of breast cancer， as well as the mechanisms and advantages of VO in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer， aiming to provide new ideas for the research on VO in the treatment of breast cancer.

Objective: To observe the effect of lipid regulating therapy on carotid atherosclerotic plaque in diabetic patients. Methods: The REACH study, conducted between March 2009 and February 2012, enrolled asymptomatic patients with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed carotid atherosclerotic plaque, who had never taken lipid-lowering drugs. Patients were treated with a moderate dose of rosuvastatin for 24 months. Blood lipid levels were measured and carotid MRI was performed at baseline, 3 and 24 months after treatment. The volume of carotid wall and lipid-rich necrotic core (LRNC) were measured by image analysis software. This study retrospectively analyzed patients in the REACH study. Patients were divided into diabetes group and non-diabetic group. The changes of blood lipid level and MRI parameters of carotid atherosclerotic plaque were compared between the two groups and their correlation was analyzed. Results: A total of 38 patients with carotid atherosclerotic plaque were included in this study, including 13 patients (34.2%) in the diabetic group and 25 patients (65.8%) in the non-diabetic group. Baseline parameters were comparable between the two groups, except higher HbA1c level in diabetes group (P<0.05). Compared with baseline, the total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) levels were significantly decreased at 3 and 24 months in both two groups (P<0.05). The change of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in diabetes group was not obvious, while it was significantly increased in non-diabetic group at 24 months ((1.38±0.33) mmol/l vs. (1.26±0.26) mmol/l, P<0.05). MRI results showed that the volume and percentage of LRNC remained unchanged at 3 months, slightly decreased at 24 months (64.86 (45.37, 134.56) mm³ vs. 75.76 (48.20, 115.64) mm³, P>0.05) and (15.84% (11.47%, 24.85%) vs. 16.95% (11.64%, 22.91%), P>0.05) in diabetic group. In non-diabetic group, the volume and percentage of LRNC were significantly decreased at 3 months (63.01 (44.25, 188.64) mm³ vs. 72.49 (51.91, 199.59) mm³, P<0.05) and (13.76% (8.81%, 27.64%) vs. 16.04% (11.18%, 27.05%), P<0.05) respectively. Both parameters further decreased to (55.63 (27.18, 179.40) mm³) and (12.71% (8.39%, 24.41%)) at 24 months (both P<0.05). Wall volume, lumen volume and percent wall volume (PWV) were not affected post therapy in both two groups(P>0.05). There were no correlations between the changes of plaque parameters including volume and percentage of LRNC, wall volume, lumen volume, PWV and the changes of blood lipid parameters (TC, LDL-C, HDL-C and TG) in 3 and 24 months (P>0.05). Conclusion: Lipid-lowering therapy possesses different effects on carotid atherosclerotic plaque in diabetic and non-diabetic patients, and the LRNC improvement is more significant in non-diabetic patients as compared to diabetic patients.
Carotid Arteries/pathology* ; Carotid Artery Diseases/drug therapy* ; Cholesterol, HDL/therapeutic use* ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; Necrosis/pathology* ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic/drug therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Rosuvastatin Calcium/therapeutic use*

OBJECTIVE To provide reference for primary medical institutions to carry out homogeneous oncology pharmacy service . METHODS The model and procedure of homogeneous oncology pharmacy outpatient service were dujoan- established in the medical alliances . The practice data of oncology pharmacy outpatient service were retrospectively analyzed，and preliminary analysis and evaluation were conducted for the effects of pharmacy service . RESULTS During more than one year of the practice of the model ，a total of 123 patients（170 case times ）were served in the oncology pharmacy department ； 83 case times of potential drug interaction were screened for 59 patients；78 patients were intervened with adverse reactions and combined symptoms by pharmacists ，of which 65.4% of patients ’adverse reaction grades and combined symptoms improved after intervention by pharmacists ；419 case times were followed up by telephone or WeChat , including 294 case times were educated on medication；97.6% of patients understood and adopted medication education ，87.1% of patients had good medication compliance ； 55 case times （32.3%）of pharmacist intervention and medication adjustment were accepted by patients ；95.1% of the patients were very satisfied with oncology pharmacy outpatient service . CONCLUSIONS To construct a homogeneous tumor pharmacy outpatient service model in the medical alliances , can provide professional rational drug use guidance and scientific medication regulation for patients，and also can help the quality of medical alliance oncology pharmacy services to achieve homogeneous development .

Objective To assess the psychological status of staff at the centers for disease control and prevention(CDC) in Sichuan during the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) and explore the influencing factors. Methods The staff at Sichuan provincial,municipal,and county(district)-level CDC were selected by convenience sampling.Their basic information,work status,training status,work difficulties,and support from the work group were collected from the self-filled questionnaires online.The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale and the 9-question Patient Health Questionnaire were respectively employed to measure the anxiety and depression of the staff.The stepwise Logistic regression was carried out to analyze the influencing factors of anxiety and depression in CDC staff. Results Among the 653 staff,58.35% and 50.06% presented anxiety and depression,respectively.The regression results showed that age(OR=0.95,95%CI=0.92-0.97) and mental support from the work group(OR=0.61,95%CI=0.45-0.82) were the protective factors while physical fatigue(OR=1.82,95%CI=1.20-2.74),work pressure(OR=1.61,95%CI=1.21-2.12),and insufficient protective equipment(OR=1.92,95%CI=1.06-3.49) were the risk factors for depression of CDC staff.Age(OR=0.97,95%CI=0.94-0.99),length of sleep per day(OR=0.74,95%CI=0.56-0.96),and participation in technical training(OR=0.33,95%CI=0.12-0.95) were the protective factors while mental fatigue(OR=1.68,95%CI=1.18-2.41),work pressure(OR=2.94,95%CI=2.08-4.17),and unclear incentive system for overtime(OR=1.99,95%CI=1.23-3.23) were the risk factors for the anxiety of CDC staff. Conclusion The anxiety and depression status of CDC staff during the COVID-19 outbreak were worrying,which were mainly affected by age,sleep,supply of protective equipment,incentive system,fatigue,and work pressure.
Anxiety/epidemiology* ; COVID-19 ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. ; China/epidemiology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Disease Outbreaks ; Humans ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; United States

Objective We used standardized patients to evaluate the accuracy and explore the influencing factors of the diagnosis of unstable angina pectoris and type 2 diabetes by primary healthcare providers in Sichuan rural areas,aiming to provide a scientific basis for improving the diagnosis accuracy of primary healthcare providers for the two chronic diseases. Methods A multi-stage stratified random cluster sampling method was adopted to select 100 villages from 50 townships in 5 districts/counties in Zigong city,Sichuan province. General and internal medicine practioners who were on duty on the survey day were enrolled in the survey.Two rounds of data collection were conducted.In the first round,the basic information of providers from township health centers and village clinics was collected.One month after the the first survey,standardized patients were used to collect the information related to the diagnosis of unstable angina pectoris and type 2 diabetes by rural primary providers.Logistic regression was carried out to analyze the factors influencing the diagnosis accuracy. Results A total of 172 rural primary healthcare providers were enrolled in the survey,who completed 186 standardized patient visits and showed the correct diagnosis rate of 48.39%.Specifically,the correct diagnosis rates of unstable angina pectoris and type 2 diabetes were 18.68%(17/91) and 76.84%(73/95),respectively.The providers with medical practitioner qualifications were more likely to make correct diagnosis(OR=4.857,95%CI=1.076-21.933, P=0.040).The providers who involved more necessary consultation and examination items in the diagnosis process had higher probability of correct diagnosis(OR=1.627,95%CI=1.065-2.485, P=0.024).Additionally,the providers were more likely to make a correct diagnosis for type 2 diabetes than for unstable angina pectoris(OR=6.306,95%CI=3.611-11.013, P<0.001). Conclusions The overall diagnosis accuracy of unstable angina pectoris and type 2 diabetes was relatively low among primary healthcare providers in Sichuan rural areas.The training of diagnosis process can be taken as a key for improving providers' practice ability so as to increase the diagnosis accuracy of chronic diseases.
Angina, Unstable ; China ; Chronic Disease ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/diagnosis* ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Primary Health Care ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Continuous spermatogenesis depends on the self-renewal and differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). SSCs, the only male reproductive stem cells that transmit genetic material to subsequent generations, possess an inherent self-renewal ability, which allows the maintenance of a steady stem cell pool. SSCs eventually differentiate to produce sperm. However, in an in vitro culture system, SSCs can be induced to differentiate into various types of germ cells. Rodent SSCs are well defined, and a culture system has been successfully established for them. In contrast, available information on the biomolecular markers and a culture system for livestock SSCs is limited. This review summarizes the existing knowledge and research progress regarding mammalian SSCs to determine the mammalian spermatogenic process, the biology and niche of SSCs, the isolation and culture systems of SSCs, and the biomolecular markers and identification of SSCs. This information can be used for the effective utilization of SSCs in reproductive technologies for large livestock animals, enhancement of human male fertility, reproductive medicine, and protection of endangered species.
Adult Germline Stem Cells ; Animals ; Cell Differentiation ; Male ; Spermatogenesis ; Spermatogonia ; Stem Cells

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of echinacoside (ECH) on cognitive dysfunction in post cerebral stroke model rats. METHODS: The post stroke cognitive impairment rat model was created by occlusion of the transient middle cerebral artery (MCAO). The rats were randomly divided into 3 groups by a random number table: the sham group (sham operation), the MCAO group (received operation for focal cerebral ischemia), and the ECH group (received operation for focal cerebral ischemia and ECH 50 mg/kg per day), with 6 rats in each group. The infarct volume and spatial learning were evaluated by triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining and Morris water maze. The expression of α7nAChR in the hippocampus was detected by immunohistochemistry. The contents of acetylcholine (ACh), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), activities of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and catalase (CAT) were evaluated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The neural apoptosis and autophagy were determined by TUNEL staining and LC3 staining, respectively. RESULTS: ECH significantly lessened the brain infarct volume and ameliorated neurological deficit in infarct volume and water content (both P<0.01). Compared with MCAO rats, administration of ECH revealed shorter escape latency and long retention time at 7, 14 and 28 days (all P<0.01), increased the α7nAChR protein expression, ACh content, and ChAT activity, and decreased AChE activity in MCAO rats (all P<0.01). ECH significantly decreased MDA content and increased the GSH content, SOD, and CAT activities compared with MCAO rats (all P<0.05). ECH suppressed neuronal apoptosis by reducing TUNEL-positive cells and also enhanced autophagy in MCAO rats (all P<0.01). CONCLUSION ECH treatment helped improve cognitive impairment by attenuating neurological damage and enhancing autophagy in MCAO rats.
Acetylcholinesterase ; Animals ; Autophagy ; Brain Ischemia/metabolism* ; Cerebral Infarction ; Cognitive Dysfunction/drug therapy* ; Glutathione/metabolism* ; Glycosides ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery/drug therapy* ; Neuroprotective Agents/therapeutic use* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury/drug therapy* ; Stroke/drug therapy* ; Superoxide Dismutase/metabolism* ; alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor