In recent decades, the prevalence of hyperuricemia and gout has increased dramatically due to lifestyle changes. The drugs currently recommended for hyperuricemia are associated with adverse reactions that limit their clinical use. In this study, we report that berberine (BBR) is an effective drug candidate for the treatment of hyperuricemia, with its mechanism potentially involving the modulation of gut microbiota and its metabolite, succinic acid. BBR has demonstrated good therapeutic effects in both acute and chronic animal models of hyperuricemia. In a clinical trial, oral administration of BBR for 6 months reduced blood uric acid levels in 22 participants by modulating the gut microbiota, which led to an increase in the abundance of Bacteroides and a decrease in Clostridium sensu stricto_1. Furthermore, Bacteroides fragilis was transplanted into ICR mice, and the results showed that Bacteroides fragilis exerted a therapeutic effect on uric acid similar to that of BBR. Notably, succinic acid, a metabolite of Bacteroides, significantly reduced uric acid levels. Subsequent cell and animal experiments revealed that the intestinal metabolite, succinic acid, regulated the upstream uric acid synthesis pathway in the liver by inhibiting adenosine monophosphate deaminase 2 (AMPD2), an enzyme responsible for converting adenosine monophosphate (AMP) to inosine monophosphate (IMP). This inhibition resulted in a decrease in IMP levels and an increase in phosphate levels. The reduction in IMP led to a decreased downstream production of hypoxanthine, xanthine, and uric acid. BBR also demonstrated excellent renoprotective effects, improving nephropathy associated with hyperuricemia. In summary, BBR has the potential to be an effective treatment for hyperuricemia through the gut-liver axis.

Objective To investigate the dosimetric effects of different calculation grid size(CGS)in helical tomotherapy(HT)planning system on stereotactic body radiation therapy(SBRT)for non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods Nine NSCLC patients receiving radiation therapy for the first time at some hospital from March 2019 to December 2022 were selected as the subjects.SBRT planning was carried out through the HT system with three different CGS plans(Fine,Normal,and Coarse)and the same pitch,modulation factor(MF)and optimization conditions,and the target area indexes of the three CGS plans were compared including conformity index(CI),homogeneity index(HI),dosimetric parameters of the organ at risk(OAR),point dose verification pass rate,treatment time,number of monitor units and Sinograms.SPSS 22.0 was used for statistical analysis.Results For target area HI,there weres significant differences between CGS Fine plan and Coarse plan and between CGS Normal plan and Coarse plan(P＜0.05),while no statistical differences were found between CGS Fine plan and Normal plan(P＞0.05).For target area CI,there were significant differences between CGS Fine plan and Coarse plan(P＜0.05),while no statistical differences were found between CGS Fine plan and Normal plan and between CGS Normal plan and Coarse plan(P＞0.05).For OAR dosimetric parameters,CGS Fine plan and Coarse plan had significant differences in heart Dmax and Dmean,esophageal Dmax and Dmean,V5,V20,V30 and Dmean of the whole lung and affected lung,V5 and Dmax of the affected lung and heart V10 and V30(P＜0.05),CGS Normal plan and Coarse plan had obvious differences in esophageal Dmax(P＜0.05),and the remained dosimetric parameters were not statistically significant(P＞0.05).Fine,Normal and Coarse plans had the point dose verifica-tion pass rates being 0.96％,1.50％and 1.77％,respectively.In terms of treatment time and number of monitor units,there were significant differences between Fine plan and Coarse plan(P＜0.05)while no statistical differences were found between Fine and Normal plans and between Normal and Coarse plans(P＞0.05).Sinograms analyses showed Fine plan had evenly distributed segment color gradient,Coarse plan had areas of very dark and very light color gradients and Normal plan was somewhere in between.Conclusion Low CGS has to be used as much as possible to obtain accurate dose distribution during SBRT planning for NSCLC patients,which contributes to the execution of the radiation therapy plan and the prevention of ad-verse effects.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(2):52-57]

Genetic risk factors have been shown to contribute to the development of sexual dysfunction. However, the role of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene variants in the risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) remains unclear. In this study, we recruited 1254 participants who underwent ED assessed by the International Index of Erectile Function-5. The MTHFR c.677C>T variant was also measured by fluorescence polymerase chain reaction (PCR). No significant difference in the genotypic frequency of the MTHFR C677T polymorphism (CC, CT, and TT) was observed between men from the ED and non-ED groups. In addition, on binary logistic regression analysis, both crude and adjusted models showed that the risk of ED was not significantly associated with the C677T polymorphism. Interestingly, a significantly higher frequency of the 677TT polymorphism was found in severe and moderate ED (P = 0.02). The positive correlation between the MTHFR 677TT polymorphism and severe ED was confirmed by logistic regression analysis, even after adjusting for potential confounders (odds ratio [OR] = 2.46, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.15-5.50, P = 0.02). These findings suggest a positive correlation between the MTHFR 677TT polymorphism and the risk of severe ED. Identification of MTHFR gene polymorphisms may provide complementary information for ED patients during routine clinical diagnosis.

Background Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) seriously affect work efficiency and quality of life of nurses. Currently, there are significant differences in the published studies on WMSDs in nurses. Objective To systematically evaluate the prevalence of WMSDs among nurses in the mainland of China and analyze its main influencing factors. Methods Eight databases (CNKI, Wanfang data, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase) were selected for searching literature reporting prevalence and influencing factors of WMSDs among clinical nurses in China from inception to December 31, 2022. The literature was included according to a pre-set criteria of inclusion and exclusion. The quality of cross-sectional studies was assessed using the criteria recommended by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the extracted data were analyzed by Stata 15.0 software. A random effect model or a fixed effect model was selected to calculate combined effects based on heterogeneity of included studies. Results A total of 19 studies were included in this meta-analysis, including 14 studies published in Chinese and 5 in English, involving 17852 nurses in total. The estimated prevalence rate of WMSDs since work among clinical nurses in China was 85.5% (95%CI: 79.8%, 91.1%), the estimated annual prevalence rate was 81.0% (95%CI: 75.2%, 86.8%), and the estimated weekly prevalence rate was 65.0% (95%CI: 48.5%, 81.5%). The results of subgroup analysis showed that the prevalence rate of WMSDs among nurses in specific departments of emergency, ICU, and midwifery was 88.6% (95%CI: 82.6%, 94.6%), higher than that among nurses in general departments [79.0% (95%CI: 72.5%, 85.5%)]. The reported prevalence of WMSDs from 2018 to 2022 was 82.2% (95%CI: 75.0%, 89.4%), which was higher than that from 2004 to 2017 [76.8% (95%CI: 67.2%, 86.4%)]. Age >40 years (OR=2.34, 95%CI: 1.69, 3.24), length of service >10 years (OR=2.12, 95%CI: 1.43, 3.15), obesity (OR=2.73, 95%CI: 1.56, 4.77), night shift (OR=2.03, 95%CI: 1.81, 2.28), lifting heavy objects (OR=3.80, 95%CI: 1.79, 8.07), rest during work (OR=0.49, 95%CI: 0.30, 0.83), and bending (OR=3.47, 95%CI: 2.37, 5.08) were influencing factors of WMSDs in nurses. Conclusion The prevalence rate of WMSDs among Chinese nurses is high, and it is increasing year by year. Nurses in specific departments such as emergency, ICU, and midwifery show higher prevalence rates than those in general departments. Age > 40 years, length of service >10 years, obesity, night shifts, lifting heavy objects, and bending are risk factors for WMSDs among nurses, while rest during work is a protective factor. Therefore, early prevention actions should be taken targeting the above factors, such as increasing auxiliary assistance facilities and improving work patterns, so as to reduce the risk of WMSDs.

The world has paid a heavy price for the pandemic of the emerging respiratory communicable disease, so more concern about communicable disease surveillance and early warning has been aroused. This paper briefly reviews the establishment of the surveillance and early warning system of respiratory communicable diseases in China, discusses its future development and introduces the novel surveillance methods and early warning models for the purpose of establishment of a multi-channel surveillance and multi-dimensional early warning system of communicable diseases in the future and the improvement of the prevention and control of emerging respiratory communicable diseases in China.
Humans ; Population Surveillance/methods* ; Communicable Diseases/epidemiology* ; Communicable Diseases, Emerging/prevention & control* ; China/epidemiology* ; Pandemics ; Disease Outbreaks/prevention & control*

In China, the level of ambient fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) pollution far exceeds the air quality standards recommended by the World Health Organization. Moreover, the health effects of PM 2.5 exposure have become a major public health issue. More than half of PM 2.5 -related excess deaths are caused by cardiopulmonary disease, which has become a major health risk associated with PM 2.5 pollution. In this review, we discussed the latest epidemiological advances relating to the health effects of PM 2.5 on cardiopulmonary diseases in China, including studies relating to the effects of PM 2.5 on mortality, morbidity, and risk factors for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. These data provided important evidence to highlight the cardiopulmonary risk associated with PM 2.5 across the world. In the future, further studies need to be carried out to investigate the specific relationship between the constituents and sources of PM 2.5 and cardiopulmonary disease. These studies provided scientific evidence for precise reduction measurement of pollution sources and public health risks. It is also necessary to identify effective biomarkers and elucidate the biological mechanisms and pathways involved; this may help us to take steps to reduce PM 2.5 pollution and reduce the incidence of cardiopulmonary disease.
Humans ; Particulate Matter/analysis* ; Air Pollution/adverse effects* ; Risk Factors ; Respiratory Tract Diseases ; China/epidemiology* ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects*

Radiation-induced intestinal injury(RIII), a common complication of radiotherapy for pelvic malignancies, affects the quality of life and the radiotherapy efficacy for cancer. Currently, the main clinical approaches for the prevention and treatment of RIII include drug therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and surgical treatment. Among these methods, drug therapy is cost-effective. Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) containing a variety of active components demonstrates mild side effects and good efficacy in preventing and treating RIII. Studies have proven that TCM active components, such as flavonoids, terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, and alkaloids, can protect the intestine against RIII by inhibiting oxidative stress, regulating the expression of inflammatory cytokines, modulating the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway, adjusting intestinal flora, and suppressing cell apoptosis. These mechanisms can help alleviate the symptoms of RIII. The paper aims to provide a theoretical reference for the discovery of new drugs for the prevention and treatment of RIII by reviewing the literature on TCM active components in the last 10 years.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Quality of Life ; Intestines ; Alkaloids

Background: and Purpose Intravenous tenecteplase (TNK) efficacy has not been well demonstrated in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) beyond 4.5 hours after onset. This study aimed to determine the effect of intravenous TNK for AIS within 4.5 to 24 hours of onset. Methods: In this pilot trial, eligible AIS patients with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)-fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) mismatch were randomly allocated to intravenous TNK (0.25 mg/kg) or standard care within 4.5–24 hours of onset. The primary endpoint was excellent functional outcome at 90 days (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] score of 0–1). The primary safety endpoint was symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH). Results: Of the randomly assigned 80 patients, the primary endpoint occurred in 52.5% (21/40) of TNK group and 50.0% (20/40) of control group, with no significant difference (unadjusted odds ratio, 1.11; 95% confidence interval 0.46–2.66; P=0.82). More early neurological improvement occurred in TNK group than in control group (11 vs. 3, P=0.03), but no significant differences were found in other secondary endpoints, such as mRS 0–2 at 90 days, shift analysis of mRS at 90 days, and change in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score at 24 hours and 7 days. There were no cases of sICH in this trial; however, asymptomatic intracranial hemorrhage occurred in 3 of the 40 patients (7.5%) in the TNK group. Conclusion This phase 2, randomized, multicenter study suggests that intravenous TNK within 4.5–24 hours of onset may be safe and feasible in AIS patients with a DWI-FLAIR mismatch.

Objective:The purpose of quantitatively evaluating policies related to clinical specialties and exploring existing policy problems and paths to optimization is to provide a reference basis for the formulation and improvement of the policies.Methods:Text mining was conducted on the policies related to clinical specialties issued by the national and some provincial governments since the new medical reform in 2009.The PMC index model was used to construct a comprehensive evaluation system of policies containing 9 primary variables and 35 secondary variables.22 clinical specialty policies were selected for quantitative analysis.Results:Among the 22 clinical specialty policies,6 policies were good-type policies,14 were acceptable-type policies,2 were bad-type policies,and there were no excellent-type policies.The overall design of the policies related to clinical specialties is reasonable,but there is still room for improvement.Conclusion:The quality of China's clinical specialty policy text needs to be improved,and it is necessary to strengthen the top-level design,optimise the content of the objectives,focus on the balanced and sustainable development of the speciality,give full play to the role of demand-based policy tools,and enrich the incentives and constraints,in order to mobilise multi-principal participation in the construction of the clinical speciality enthusiasm.

Ticks are the second most harmful infectious agent in the world after mosquitoes and can transmit a variety of pathogens. The surveillance of pathogen in ticks is one of the important means for the prevention and control of tick-borne diseases and tick-borne pathogens. This paper reviewed the literature published in the past two decades on the principles， advantages， disadvantages and applications of current tick pathogen detection technologies. The paper introduced the development and application of various PCR technologies， and looks forward to the future direction. Finally， it points out that metagenomics represented by high-throughput sequencing will become the mainstream development direction of pathogen detection technology in the future.