The paper introduces Professor SUN Shentian's experience in clinical practice of Ningshen (tranquilizing the mind) point. This point is an empirical point discovered by Professor SUN on the basis of meridian differentiation, nerve function and anatomic location, and in association with the years of clinical practice. The point is located in the prefrontal area, jointed with the distribution of the governor vessel, and responded to the body surface projection area of the frontal pole. It works on regulating the mind, regaining consciousness, improving cognition, alleviating depression, mutually treating physical and mental disorders, as well as unblocking collaterals, regulating the tendons and relieving spasm. This point is widely used in treatment of mental disorders, stroke and extrapyramidal diseases and obtains the reliable therapeutic effect in clinical practice.
Humans ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy/history* ; China ; Meridians ; History, 20th Century

Objective To compare the effects of different doses of budesonide and formoterol fumarate powder for inhalation combined with montelukast sodium tablet in the treatment of cough variant asthma(CVA)and the improvement of airway function and inflammatory factors.Methods Elderly patients with cough variant asthma were randomly divided into group A and group B.Both groups of patients received budesonide and formoterol fumarate powder for inhalation combined with montelukast sodium tablet.Group A was given budesonide and formoterol fumarate powder for inhalation(Ⅱ),2 inhalation per time,twice a day;Group B was given budesonide and formoterol fumarate powder for inhalation,4 inhalation per time,twice a day;budesonide fumatrol inhalation powder mist for continuous treatment for 6 months,and montelukast sodium tablet 10 mg once a day for at least 3 months.The nighttime cough scores of the two groups were compared before treatment and after treatment.The percentage of forced expiratory volume in one second(FEV1)in the predicted value,the maximum mid expiratory flow(MMEF),the fractional exhaled nitric oxide(FeNO),interleukin-5(IL-5)and eosinophils were compared between the two groups.The incidence of adverse drug reactions and the recurrence rate within 1 year were compared between the two groups.Results A total of 45 cases were enrolled in both the group A and the group B.At 9 months after treatment,the nocturnal cough scores of the group A and the group B were(0.93±0.42)and(0.65±0.29)points,respectively;the percentage of FEV1 in the predicted value were(97.75±9.67)％and(100.93±11.06)％,respectively;the MMEF values were(2.81±1.04)and(3.08±1.09)L·s-1,respectively;the FeNO values were(18.94±9.75)and(15.94±7.96)ppb,respectively;the IL-5 levels were(10.88±7.06)and(8.11±5.56)pg·mL-1,respectively.The above indicators in group B showed statistically significant differences compared to group A(all P＜0.05).The total incidence of adverse drug reactions in group A and group B were 8.89％(5 cases/45 cases)and 13.33％(6 cases/45 cases),respectively.The recurrence rates was 15.56％(7 cases/45 cases)and 13.33％(6 cases/45 cases),respectively.There was no statistically significant difference in the above indicators between group B and group A(all P＞0.05).Conclusion For elderly patients with CVA,higher dose of budesonide and formoterol fumarate powder for inhalation combined with montelukast sodium tablet can better improve cough symptoms,reduce the level of airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammatory factors,reduce the recurrence rate,and the patients are well tolerated.

Objective To investigate the changes of diameter of the main trunk of the extracranial segment of the facial nerve,local hemodynamics and facial muscle thickness in patients with peripheral facial palsy(PFP)at acute stage by high frequency ultrasound(HFUS).Methods Sixty patients with acute PFP were enrolled as the PFP group,and 30 healthy people were selected as the control group.The following facial param-eters were scanned and recorded using HFUS:diameter of the main trunk of the extracranial segment of the facial nerve(FN-d),facial artery diameter(FA-d),facial artery systolic velocity(FA-Vs),facial artery diastolic velocity(FA-Vd),facial artery resistance index(FA-RI),frontalis muscle thickness(FM-t),depressor anguli oris muscle thickness(DAO-t),and depressor labii inferioris muscle thickness(DLI-t).The feasibility of facial param-eters in the diagnosis of acute-phase peripheral facial palsy(PFP)was evaluated,with intra-group and inter-group variability comparisons performed.Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationship between acute-phase facial parameters and House-Brackmann(H-B)scale scores in PFP patients.Results(1)The H-B score of the PFP group was significantly lower than that of the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(2)The reliability of repeated measurements of facial parameters by different testers is good(ICC＞0.75).(3)The FN-d and FA-RI values on the affected side of PFP group were higher than those on the healthy side and control group,and FA-Vs,FA-Vd,DAO-t and DLI-t values were lower than those on the healthy side and control group,with statistical significance(P＜0.05).(4)The FN-d and FA-RI values of the affected side in the PFP group were negatively correlated with the H-S scale score(r=-0.847,P＜0.05;r=-0.863,P＜0.05);FA Vs,FA Vd,DAO-t,DLI-t are positively correlated with H-S scale scores(r=0.808,P＜0.05;r=0.757,P＜0.05;r=0.836,P＜0.05;r=0.694,P＜0.05).Conclusions HFUS can effectively detect the characteristic changes such as the increase in the diameter of the extrcranial facial nerve trunk,local microcircula-tion disturbance and facial muscle atrophy in patients with PFP in the acute stage,and the increase and decrease of FN-d,FA Vs,FA Vd,FA-RI,DAO-t,and DLI-t can accurately reflect the improvement or progress of PFP,which has important guiding significance for clinical disease monitoring and efficacy evaluation.

OBJECTIVES: To identify risk factors for recurrent plastic bronchitis (PB) among children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP). METHODS: The clinical data of children with MPP complicated by PB who underwent bronchoscopy at Gansu Province Maternity and Child Health Hospital between July 2023 and January 2025 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were grouped into a single-episode PB group and a recurrent PB group according to the number of PB episodes. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for recurrent PB. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess the diagnostic performance of individual and combined predictors. RESULTS: A total of 264 children were included; 188 (71.2%) had a single episode of PB and 76 (28.8%) had recurrent PB. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that decreased serum albumin, atelectasis, and fever persisting beyond 72 hours after the initial bronchoscopy were significantly associated with recurrent PB (all P<0.05). The combination of these predictors yielded a sensitivity of 82.9%, specificity of 61.7%, and an area under the ROC curve of 0.777 (95%CI: 0.714-0.839), outperforming any single predictor (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS In children with MPP complicated by PB, decreased serum albumin, the presence of atelectasis, and fever persisting beyond 72 hours after the initial bronchoscopy are associated with an increased risk of PB recurrence. In such cases, early repeat or multiple bronchoscopic interventions should be considered.
Humans ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma/complications* ; Male ; Female ; Risk Factors ; Recurrence ; Child, Preschool ; Bronchitis/etiology* ; Child ; Retrospective Studies ; Logistic Models ; Infant ; ROC Curve ; Adolescent

Objective:To investigate the impact of olanzapine and risperidone on the cognitive function, sensory gating function and clinical symptoms of patients with first-episode schizophrenia(FES).Additionally, to analyze the correlation between sensory gating inhibitory deficits and cognitive impairment in FES patients.Methods:A total of 71 FES patients were selected in the Third People's Hospital of Zhongshan City from March 2023 to March 2024, and 60 healthy controls were recruited during the same period.The FES patients were divided into olanzapine group and risperidone group by random number table.Olanzapine group was treated with variable doses of olanzapine(10-20 mg/d), and risperidone group was treated with variable doses of risperidone(3-6 mg/d).The MATRICS consensus cognitive battery(MCCB) was used to evaluate the cognitive function of the patients, P50 index was measured by auditory paired condition-stimulus paradigm, and the efficacy was evaluated by positive and negative syndrome scale(PANSS) score reduction rate before and after 6 weeks of treatment.Healthy controls were assessed cognitive function only once with P50.SPSS 25.0 software was used for data processing. Perform statistical analysis using paired sample t-test, Wilcoxon signed rank test, independent sample t-test, Mann Whitney U test, χ2 test and generalized linear model. Results:Before treatment, the S2 amplitude of FES (1.74 (0.91, 2.79) μV) was higher than that of healthy controls (1.70 (1.04, 2.71) μV) (Wald χ2=4.483, P=0.034), the S2/S1 ratio of FES (0.58 (0.43, 0.78)) was higher than that of healthy controls (0.41 (0.31, 0.57)) (Wald χ2=10.909, P=0.001), and the difference of FES amplitude of S1-S2 was (1.22 (0.43, 1.92) μV) was lower than that of healthy controls (2.23 (1.54, 3.07) μV) (Wald χ2=17.679, P<0.001). There was no significant difference in PANSS, MCCB and P50 between olanzapine group and risperidone group before treatment (all P>0.05). After treatment, there was no significant difference in response rate between the two groups ( χ2=0.059, P=0.808), the PANSS scores were lower than those before treatment, the MCCB test results were higher than those before treatment (both P<0.05), and the P50 results were not statistically significant different compared with those before treatment (both P>0.05). The generalized linear model showed that the S1, S2 amplitude of the P50 had positive impact on the connection test score in the MCCB test ( β=0.466, P=0.020; β=0.879, P=0.009), other indicators were not found to have an impact on the test scores of the MCCB test (all P>0.05). Conclusion:Olanzapine and risperidone can significantly improve the cognitive function of FES, but the improvement of sensory gating deficits is limited. The pathogenic mechanism of sensory gating inhibitory deficits in FES may be different from that of cognitive dysfunction.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy (AB-BNCT) in the treatment of recurrent and refractory malignant tumors.Methods:The data of 14 patients admitted to Xiamen Humanity Hospital from September 2022 to April 2023 were prospectively collected, including 7 patients with primary brain malignancies and 7 patients with locally recurrent inoperable head and neck malignancies. All patients received intravenous infusion of boron drug (NBB-001, p-dihydroxyborylphe nylalanine, a patented freeze-dried formulation) at a total nominal dosage of 500 mg/kg (11 patients) or 750 mg/kg (3 patients), and were irradiated with neutrons (operating with NeuPex system). Adverse events after treatment were recorded and assessed. The primary efficacy endpoint was the 90 d objective response rate (ORR), while the secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS) and complete response rate (CRR). Data were compiled and analyzed by SAS 9.4 software. The rate and 95% CI were calculated using Clopper-Pearson method. Results:The median dose delivered to 80% of the target volume (D 80%) was 16.80 GyE (range: 8.93-23.79 GyE). The most common adverse reactions were hyperamylasemia, alopecia, and hyperprolactinemia. Five patients experienced 8 cases of grade 3 or above adverse events, including 1 case of grade 4 acute kidney injury and 7 cases of grade 3 adverse events. All adverse events were recovered after observation or treatment. At 90 d after treatment, the ORR of all patients was 9/14 (64%, 95% CI: 35%-87%), disease control rate (DCR) was 10/14 (71%, 95% CI: 42%-92%), CRR was 2/14 (14%, 95% CI: 2%-42%); and the best overall response during the entire course included an ORR of 10/14 (71% ,95% CI: 42%-92%), DCR of 13/14 (93%, 95% CI: 66%-100%), and CRR of 3/14 (21% ,95% CI: 5%-51%). The 1-year survival rate for head and neck malignancies was 71.4%, and the 2-year survival rate was 42.8%. The 1-year survival rate for recurrent brain malignancies was 42.8%. Conclusion:AB-BNCT demonstrates favorable safety and promising efficacy in treating primary brain malignancies and recurrent/refractory head and neck malignancies, representing a potential therapeutic option.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between IUA occurrence and circRNA_0003031 by con-structing a mouse model of intrauterine adhesion(IUA).Methods:A mouse model of IUA was established by me-chanical curettage and lipopolysaccharide infection.The mice were divided into control group(NC group),IUA group,IUA+si-circRNA_0003031 group,and IUA+si-circRNA_0003031+miR-93-5p inhibitor group.The number of endometrial glands and the degree of fibrosis were determined using HE and Masson staining,respectively.Western blot test was used to detect the expression of ephthelial mesenchymal transition(EMT)marker proteins(vimentin,E-cadherin,N-cadherin),fibrosis-related molecules(collagen Ⅰ,collagen Ⅲ),α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA),Transforming growth factor β1(TGF-β1),and receptors(TGF-β1R),Smad2,P-Smad2].Results:Compared with the IUA group,the number of endometrial glands increased,the degree of endometrial fibrosis de-creased in the IUA+si-circRNA_0003031 group(P＜0.05),and the protein expression of vimentin,N-cadherin,α-SMA,collagen Ⅲ,collagen Ⅰ,P-Smad2,Smad2,TGF-β1R,and TGF-β1 was down-regulated and E-cadherin was up-regulated(P＜0.05).Compared with the IUA+si-circRNA_0003031 group,in the IUA+si-circRNA_0003031+miR-93-5p inhibitor group,the number of endometrial glands was reduced and the degree of endometrial fibrosis was increased(P＜0.05),the protein expression of vimentin,N-cadherin,α-SMA,collagen Ⅲ,collagen Ⅰ,P-Smad2,Smad2,TGF-β1R,and TGF-β1 was up-regulated and E-cadherin was down-regulated,and the differences were statistically significant except for P-Smad 2(P＜0.05).Conclusions:CircRNA_0003031 may promote the oc-currence and development of IUA by inhibiting the expression of miR-93-5p and relieving its inhibitory effect on the TGFβ1/Smad2 signaling pathway.

(±)-Penicithrones A-D (1a/1b-4a/4b), four novel pairs of anthrone-cyclopentenone heterodimers characterized by a distinctive bridged 6/6/6-5 tetracyclic core skeleton, together with three previously identified compounds (5-7), were isolated from the crude extract of the mangrove-derived fungus Penicillium sp., guided by heteronuclear single quantum correlation (HSQC)-based small molecule accurate recognition technology (SMART 2.0) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based molecular networking. The structural elucidation of new compounds was accomplished through comprehensive spectroscopic analysis, and their absolute configurations were determined using DP4+ ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) calculations and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Compounds 1a/1b-4a/4b demonstrated moderate cytotoxicity against three human cancer cell lines HeLa, HCT116 and MCF-7 with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values ranging from 15.95 ± 1.64 to 28.56 ± 2.59 μmol·L^-1.
Humans ; Penicillium/chemistry* ; Molecular Structure ; Cyclopentanes/isolation & purification* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology* ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Dimerization ; HeLa Cells ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

OBJECTIVE: Patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection frequently develop central nervous system damage, yet the mechanisms driving this pathology remain unclear. This study investigated the primary pathways and key factors underlying brain tissue damage induced by the SARS-CoV-2 beta variant (lineage B.1.351). METHODS: K18-hACE2 and C57BL/6 mice were intranasally infected with the SARS-CoV-2 beta variant. Viral replication, pathological phenotypes, and brain transcriptomes were analyzed. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis was performed to identify altered pathways. Expression changes of host genes were verified using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. RESULTS: Pathological alterations were observed in the lungs of both mouse strains. However, only K18-hACE2 mice exhibited elevated viral RNA loads and infectious titers in the brain at 3 days post-infection, accompanied by neuropathological injury and weight loss. GO analysis of infected K18-hACE2 brain tissue revealed significant dysregulation of genes associated with innate immunity and antiviral defense responses, including type I interferons, pro-inflammatory cytokines, Toll-like receptor signaling components, and interferon-stimulated genes. Neuroinflammation was evident, alongside activation of apoptotic and pyroptotic pathways. Furthermore, altered neural cell marker expression suggested viral-induced neuroglial activation, resulting in caspase 4 and lipocalin 2 release and disruption of neuronal molecular networks. CONCLUSION These findings elucidate mechanisms of neuropathogenicity associated with the SARS-CoV-2 beta variant and highlight therapeutic targets to mitigate COVID-19-related neurological dysfunction.
Animals ; COVID-19/genetics* ; Mice ; Brain/metabolism* ; Apoptosis ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; SARS-CoV-2/physiology* ; Pyroptosis ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Transcriptome ; Male ; Female