Objective To explore the effects of different immobilization modes on the setup errors for lower limb radiation therapy guided by ExacTrac image guidance system.Methods Totally 145 patients who completed radiation therapy for lower limb tumors at some hospital from October 2019 to November 2022 were selected retrospectively,and then divided into a vacuum negative pressure pad group(Group A,n=46),a thermoplastic membrane group(Group B,n=50)and a thong shoe group(Group C,n=49)based on their immobilization methods.For the three groups of patients the target areas were outlined and the radiotherapy plans were formulated according to unified standards.ExacTrac image guidance system was used for position verification and setup error recording at six directions of anterior-posterior(AP),head-foot(SI),left-right(LR),rotation around AP(Yaw),rotation around SI(Roll)and rotation around LR(Pitch).Results The differences between the 3 groups in LR,AP and Roll directions were all statistically significant(P＜0.05);the setup errors in LR,AP and Roll directions were significantly lower in group B than in the other 2 groups(P＜0.05),and the setup errors in LR and AP directions were significantly lower in group C than in group A(P＜0.05).The setup errors with the three immobilization modes all met clinical requirements after correction.Conclusion Thermoplastic membrane immobilization may enhance the accuracy of body fixation and decrease setup errors during lower limb radiotherapy,and it's recommended be prioritized for body immobilization.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(3):61-65]

The concept of'harmony'is the soul of traditional Chinese culture,which has a profound impact on the formation and development of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).TCM is rooted in traditional Chinese culture,and the mode of thinking in TCM is in line with traditional Chinese culture.Based on the harmony culture,TCM has developed a unique view of health,disease and therapeutics.From the view of the harmony culture and by combining with years of clinical experience in treating dermatosis,Chinese medical master XUAN Guo-Wei has applied the concept of'harmony'in the TCM syndrome differentiation and treatment system in clinic,and has developed the academic thoughts of harmonizing therapy for removing toxins for the diagnosis and treatment of dermatosis.The thoughts of harmonizing therapy for removing toxins includes four aspects,namely harmonizing yin and yang,harmonizing healthy qi and pathogenic qi,harmonizing water and fire(i.e.,clod and hot),and harmonizing the administration of formula and drugs,aiming to remove toxins and expel pathogens and value the harmony.The thoughts of harmonizing therapy for removing toxins will beneficial to the comprehensive understanding of the unique health-disease-therapeutics concept in TCM,and will be helpful for managing the doctor-patient relationship,which is of enlightening significance to the modern clinical practice with TCM.

Objective The efficacy of Zang Bi Formula(ZBF)in cardiac complications of rheumatoid arthritis(RA)was observed through animal experiments.Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UHPLC-TOF-MS)and network pharmacology was used to analyze the active ingredients,targets,and pathways of ZBF for the treatment of cardiac hypertrophy,and molecular docking was applied to verify the binding ability of the ingredients to pathway-related proteins.Methods TNF transgenic(TNF-Tg)mice were used as RA and RA-complexed cardiac hypertrophy models,and the left ventricular hypertrophy of mice was observed by echocardiography after 8 weeks of continuous gavage with ZBF,and WGA staining,HE staining,and Masson staining were used to observe and analyze the pathological changes of cardiac tissues.The chemical composition of ZBF was identified by UHPLC-TOF-MS technique.The public database was then used to screen the active ingredients and component targets and disease targets,construct interaction networks,and analyze the bioconcentration data as well as the docking ability of the active ingredients and proteins.Results In animal experiments,ZBF reduced cardiac weight index and cardiac weight tibia length ratio in TNF-Tg mice(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),attenuated cardiac hypertrophy(P＜0.001)and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy(P＜0.01),and alleviated inflammatory infiltration and fibrosis in the heart(P＜0.0001).A total of 24 compounds were identified from ZBF by UHPLC-TOF-MS.A total of 105 active ingredients of ZBF were screened by network pharmacological analysis,and 187 potential targets of ZBF for cardiac hypertrophy were constructed,and the enriched pathways with significance included PI3K-AKT signaling pathway,TNF signaling pathway,and MAPK signaling pathway.Conclusion ZBF attenuated myocardial hypertrophy and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in TNF-Tg mice and alleviated inflammatory infiltration and fibrosis in the heart,and ZBF may be a potential drug for the treatment of RA and its cardiac complications in the clinic.

Objective The efficacy of Zang Bi Formula(ZBF)in cardiac complications of rheumatoid arthritis(RA)was observed through animal experiments.Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UHPLC-TOF-MS)and network pharmacology was used to analyze the active ingredients,targets,and pathways of ZBF for the treatment of cardiac hypertrophy,and molecular docking was applied to verify the binding ability of the ingredients to pathway-related proteins.Methods TNF transgenic(TNF-Tg)mice were used as RA and RA-complexed cardiac hypertrophy models,and the left ventricular hypertrophy of mice was observed by echocardiography after 8 weeks of continuous gavage with ZBF,and WGA staining,HE staining,and Masson staining were used to observe and analyze the pathological changes of cardiac tissues.The chemical composition of ZBF was identified by UHPLC-TOF-MS technique.The public database was then used to screen the active ingredients and component targets and disease targets,construct interaction networks,and analyze the bioconcentration data as well as the docking ability of the active ingredients and proteins.Results In animal experiments,ZBF reduced cardiac weight index and cardiac weight tibia length ratio in TNF-Tg mice(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),attenuated cardiac hypertrophy(P＜0.001)and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy(P＜0.01),and alleviated inflammatory infiltration and fibrosis in the heart(P＜0.0001).A total of 24 compounds were identified from ZBF by UHPLC-TOF-MS.A total of 105 active ingredients of ZBF were screened by network pharmacological analysis,and 187 potential targets of ZBF for cardiac hypertrophy were constructed,and the enriched pathways with significance included PI3K-AKT signaling pathway,TNF signaling pathway,and MAPK signaling pathway.Conclusion ZBF attenuated myocardial hypertrophy and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in TNF-Tg mice and alleviated inflammatory infiltration and fibrosis in the heart,and ZBF may be a potential drug for the treatment of RA and its cardiac complications in the clinic.

Objective: To investigate the association of the levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) with frailty and its components among the elderly over 65 years old in 9 longevity areas of China. Methods: Cross-sectional data from the Health Ageing and Biomarkers Cohort Study (HABCS, 2017-2018) were used and the elderly over 65 years old were included in this study. Through questionnaire interview and physical examination, the information including demographic characteristics, behavior, diet, daily activity, cognitive function, and health status was collected. The association between hs-CRP and frailty and its components in the participants was analyzed by multivariate logistic regression model and restrictive cubic spline. Results: A total of 2 453 participants were finally included, the age was (84.8±19.8) years old. The median hs-CRP level was 1.13 mg/L and the prevalence of frailty was 24.4%. Compared with the low-level group (hs-CRP<1.0 mg/L), the OR (95%CI) value of the high-level group (hs-CRP>3.0 mg/L) was 1.79 (1.35-2.36) mg/L. As for the components, the hs-CRP level was also positively associated with ADL disability, IADL disability, functional limitation and multimorbidity. After adjusting for confounding factors, compared with the low-level group, the OR (95%CI) values of the high-level group for the four components were 1.68 (1.25-2.27), 1.88 (1.42-2.50), 1.68 (1.31-2.14) and 1.39 (1.12-1.72), respectively. Conclusion: There is a positive association between the levels of hs-CRP and the risk of frailty among the elderly over 65 years old in 9 longevity areas of China. The higher hs-CRP level may increase the risk of frailty by elevating the risk of four physical functional disabilities, namely ADL disability, IADL disability, functional limitation and multimorbidity.
Humans ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; C-Reactive Protein/analysis* ; Frailty/epidemiology* ; Cohort Studies ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; China/epidemiology*

The problems existing in the teaching mode of the traditional medical instrument practice course were introduced,and a medical instrument experimental training platform was constructed based on the maintenance demonstrators for monitor and ultrasound machine.Teaching reform was carried out with the developed training platform,and the teaching efficacy was analyzed deeply.References were provided for the improvement of the medical instrument practice course in the biomedical engineering specialties of military colleges and universities.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2023,44(9):92-95]

The paper introduces professor SHENG Can-ruo's experience in treatment of goiter with the combination of acupuncture and herbal medication. Professor SHENG believes that this disease is mostly related with emotional injury, improper diet and geographical and climatic factors, as well as body constitution. Qi stagnation, phlegm retention, blood stagnation and interaction of phlegm and stasis are the essential pathogenesis of goiter. Either acupuncture or herbal medication should focus on "phlegm and stasis" in treatment. Besides, the theory of western medicine should also be considered. In western medicine, thyroid enlargement is classified into Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ degrees of struma, thus, the pathogenesis and treatment with Chinese medicine should be adjusted accordingly. The created "four throat points", combined with acupuncture at distal points, relieve the local masses. The basic herbal formula is prepared and the couplet medicines are modified based on syndrome differentiation. The integrated acupuncture and herbal medication regulates emotions and provides a comprehensive treatment for goiter.
Acupuncture Therapy ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Goiter/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Medicine, East Asian Traditional ; Neck

TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1), a core kinase of antiviral pathways, activates the production of interferons (IFNs). It has been reported that deacetylation activates TBK1; however, the precise mechanism still remains to be uncovered. We show here that during the early stage of viral infection, the acetylation of TBK1 was increased, and the acetylation of TBK1 at Lys241 enhanced the recruitment of IRF3 to TBK1. HDAC3 directly deacetylated TBK1 at Lys241 and Lys692, which resulted in the activation of TBK1. Deacetylation at Lys241 and Lys692 was critical for the kinase activity and dimerization of TBK1 respectively. Using knockout cell lines and transgenic mice, we confirmed that a HDAC3 null mutant exhibited enhanced susceptibility to viral challenge via impaired production of type I IFNs. Furthermore, activated TBK1 phosphorylated HDAC3, which promoted the deacetylation activity of HDAC3 and formed a feedback loop. In this study, we illustrated the roles the acetylated and deacetylated forms of TBK1 play in antiviral innate responses and clarified the post-translational modulations involved in the interaction between TBK1 and HDAC3.

To learn the current situation and strengthen the management of national standards for Chinese medicinal materials, we sorted out the relevant national standards. According to incomplete statistics, there are 1 185 kinds of Chinese medicinal materials, including 1 024 kinds of plant medicines, 106 kinds of animal medicines, and 54 kinds of mineral medicines, in addition to ethnic medicinal materials with different functions. The relevant standards include 819 Pharmacopoeia standards, 342 standards issued by the Ministry of Health or National Medicinal Products Administration, 7 standards for new medicinal materials, and 17 standards for imported medicinal materials. In this paper, the sources of standards as well as the distribution of families and genera and the distribution of medicinal parts of medicinal materials are analyzed. The suggestions are as follows:(1)to improve the coordination among different national standards of Chinese medicinal materials;(2)to improve the standardization and controllability of relevant standards;(3)to revise the issued standards for Chinese medicinal materials(including Tibetan, Uygur, and Mongolian medicinal materials).
Animals ; Asians ; China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Plants, Medicinal ; Reference Standards

About 15%-20% of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) will progress to chronic manifestation (CH-DILI), which sometimes advances rapidly to liver cirrhosis (LC-DILI) within 0.5-1 year with deteriorative clinical prognosis. Therefore, it is important to find a non-invasive diagnosis for early detection of liver cirrhosis. In this study, the metabolomic profiles revealed significant differences in the metabolites from the plasma of LC-DILI versus CH-DILI. We found 35 differential metabolites through principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). Through pathway enrichment analysis, some up-regulated metabolic pathways reflected impaired liver functions such as bile acid, lipid synthesis and decomposition during cirrhosis. Five biomarkers were found to exhibit effective diagnosis value (AUC > 0.6), including phosphatidylcholine, lysoPC (18:1 (9Z)), creatine, taurochenodeoxycholic acid and taurocholic acid. Furthermore, we found that the relative content ratio between phosphatidylcholine and lysoPC (18:1 (9Z)) had a better distinguishing ability (AUC = 0.867). The relative content ratio also had the feature to reduce systematic errors of sample processing and instrument detection, therefore having a greater value for clinical application.