OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Yangxue Qingnao Pills (YXQNP) combined with amlodipine in treating patients with grade 1 hypertension. METHODS: This is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study. Adult patients with grade 1 hypertension of blood deficiency and Gan (Liver)-yang hyperactivity syndrome were randomly divided into the treatment or the control groups at a 1:1 ratio. The treatment group received YXQNP and amlodipine besylate, while the control group received YXQNP's placebo and amlodipine besylate. The treatment duration lasted for 180 days. Outcomes assessed included changes in blood pressure, Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome scores, symptoms and target organ functions before and after treatment in both groups. Additionally, adverse events, such as nausea, vomiting, rash, itching, and diarrhea, were recorded in both groups. RESULTS: A total of 662 subjects were enrolled, of whom 608 (91.8%) completed the trial (306 in the treatment and 302 in the control groups). After 180 days of treatment, the standard deviations and coefficients of variation of systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels were lower in the treatment group compared with the control group. The improvement rates of dizziness, headache, insomnia, and waist soreness were significantly higher in the treatment group compared with the control group (P<0.05). After 30 days of treatment, the overall therapeutic effects on CM clinical syndromes were significantly increased in the treatment group as compared with the control group (P<0.05). After 180 days of treatment, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity, ankle brachial index and albumin-to-creatinine ratio were improved in both groups, with no statistically significant differences (P>0.05). No serious treatment-related adverse events occurred during the study period. CONCLUSIONS Combination therapy of YXQNP with amlodipine significantly improved symptoms such as dizziness and headache, reduced blood pressure variability, and showed a trend toward lowering urinary microalbumin in hypertensive patients. These findings suggest that this regimen has good clinical efficacy and safety. (Registration No. ChiCTR1900022470).
Humans ; Amlodipine/adverse effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Hypertension/complications* ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Adult ; Blood Pressure/drug effects* ; Double-Blind Method ; Aged ; Antihypertensive Agents/adverse effects*

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) encompasses damage to nerves located outside the central nervous system, adversely affecting both motor and sensory functions. Although peripheral nerves possess an intrinsic capacity for self-repair, severe injuries frequently result in significant tissue loss and erroneous axonal junctions, thereby impeding complete recovery and potentially causing neuropathic pain. Various therapeutic strategies, including surgical interventions, biomaterials, and pharmacological agents, have been developed to enhance nerve repair processes. While preclinical studies in animal models have demonstrated the efficacy of certain pharmacological agents in promoting nerve regeneration and mitigating inflammation, only a limited number of these agents have been translated into clinical practice to expedite nerve regeneration. Chinese herb medicine (CHM) possesses a longstanding history in the treatment of various ailments and demonstrates potential efficacy in addressing PNI through its distinctive, cost-effective, and multifaceted methodologies. This review critically examines the advancements in the application of CHM for PNI treatment and nerve regeneration. In particular, we have summarized the most commonly employed and rigorously investigated CHM prescriptions, individual herbs, and natural products, elucidating their respective functions and underlying mechanisms in the context of PNI treatment. Furthermore, we have deliberated on the prospective development of CHM in both clinical practice and fundamental research.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Humans ; Peripheral Nerve Injuries/drug therapy* ; Animals ; Nerve Regeneration/drug effects* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Objective:To summarize the experience and effect of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) on the treatment of sudden cardiac death (SCD).Methods:The data of 120 adults with SCD-ECPR in emergency department of the first affiliated hospital of Nanjing Medical University from April 2015 to April 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were grouped by Survival/death at 90 days, OHCA/IHCA (out-of-hospital/in-hospital cardiac arrest), with/without acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and divided according to 60 min of the time from cardiac arrest to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) initiation (CA-Pump On time). Age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index, IHCA/OHCA, initial rhythm, no-flow time, CA-Pump On time, ECMO evacuation success rate, 90-day survival rate, ECMO treatment time were analyzed.Results:①Total of 114 adult patients with SCD-ECPR were enrolled, and 45 (39.5%) patients survived at 90 days, of whom 40 (88.9%) patients had good neurological outcomes.②Age and no-flow time were significantly lower in the 90-day survival group than that in death group, and the proportion of IHCA and shockable initial rhythm was higher. ③The no flow time in IHCA group was significantly lower than that in OHCA group, and the 90-day survival rate was higher. ④OHCA and regional interhospital transport prolonged CA-Pump On time and reduced the 90-day survival rate. ⑤The AMI group was older with a higher Charlson comorbidity index, and the 90-day survival rate was significantly lower than that in non-AMI group.Conclusions:ECPR improves the prognosis of patients with SCD, there are high benefits in patients with long healthy life expectancy, IHCA, shockable initial rhythm, and short no flow time. The smooth life-saving chain of SCD-ECPR improves survival rate, by screening high benefit candidates in patients with OHCA, delayed initiation of ECPR or requiring interhospital transport, despite CA-Pump On time > 60 min, there is still survival potential.

Objective:To investigate the major adverse kidney events (MAKE) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR).Methods:The data of 75 patients with AMI-ECPR in Emergency Medicine Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from April 2015 to April 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were grouped by survival/death at 90 days, with/without renal replacement therapy (RRT), and whether to initiate RRT because of acute kidney injury (AKI). age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index, OHCA/IHCA (out-of-hospital/in-hospital cardiac arrest), initial rhythm, Gensini score, ECPR initial blood gas pH and lactate value, no-flow time, time from cardiac arrest to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) initiation (CA-Pump On time), ECMO and RRT treatment time, 90-day survival rate were analyzed. Moreover, the renal function of the survivors was followed up.Results:① Total of 68 AMI-ECPR patients were enrolled, 22 (32.4%) patients survived at 90 days, 54 (79.4%) combined with RRT, and 48 (70.6%) MAKE within 90 days. ②Compared with the death group, the 90-day survival group had a higher proportion of initial shockable heart rhythm, a lower Gensini score, a higher ECPR initial blood gas pH and a lower lactic acid value. ③The severity of coronary artery disease, ECPR initial acidosis and hyperlactacemia in the RRT group was significantly higher than that in the non-RRT group, and all the non-RRT group patients survived. ④ There was no difference between the AKI-RRT group and the non-AKI-RRT group. Of 21 patients with stage 1 AKI initiating RRT, 5 survived, one of them still needs RRT for 90 days, and 7 patients with stage 2 to 3 AKI initiating RRT died.Conclusions:The 90-day MAKE rate in AMI-ECPR patients was as high as 70.6%, and the 90-day renal insufficiency rate in AMI-ECPR survivors with AKI was as high as 20.0%. Active initiation of RRT to avoid AKI or early initiation of RRT may improve the prognosis of AMI-ECPR patients.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) combined with lower cervical fracture is often categorized into unstable fracture, with a high incidence of neurological injury and a high rate of disability and morbidity. As factors such as shoulder occlusion may affect the accuracy of X-ray imaging diagnosis, it is often easily misdiagnosed at the primary diagnosis. Non-operative treatment has complications such as bone nonunion and the possibility of secondary neurological damage, while the timing, access and choice of surgical treatment are still controversial. Currently, there are no clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of AS combined with lower cervical fracture with or without dislocation. To this end, the Spinal Trauma Group of Orthopedics Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized experts to formulate Clinical guidelines for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis combined with lower cervical fracture in adults ( version 2024) in accordance with the principles of evidence-based medicine, scientificity and practicality, in which 11 recommendations were put forward in terms of the diagnosis, imaging evaluation, typing and treatment, etc, to provide guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of AS combined with lower cervical fracture.

Objective:To investigate the time characteristics from extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) initiation to termination.Methods:The data of ECPR patients in extracorporeal life support center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from April 2015 to October 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were grouped by survival/death at 90 days, in-hospital/out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA/OHCA), daytime/evening initiation, and procedural/non-procedural termination. Data on age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index, interhospital transport, initial rhythm, ECPR initial blood gas pH and lactate value, no-flow time, time from cardiac arrest to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) initiation (CA-Pump On time), ECPR initiation/termination and ECMO treatment time, 90-day survival rate and so on were analyzed.Results:200 ECPR patients were enrolled, the cardiogenic etiologies were accounted for 70.5%, more men than women, 68 (34.0%) patients survived at 90 days, of whom 61 (89.7%) patients had good neurological outcomes. The 90-day survival group had a significantly lower of no-flow time, a higher proportion of IHCA and initial shockable heart rhythm, with a higher ECPR initial blood gas pH and a lower lactic acid value than those in the death group. 3. The no flow time in OHCA group was significantly longer than that in IHCA group, with a lower ECPR initial blood gas pH and a higher lactic acid value, 77.4% were non-procedural termination and the 90-day survival rate was 16.1%. ECPR were initiated in all time periods, IHCA-ECPR initiated at random, OHCA-ECPR were rare in the early morning, and the initiation time had no significant effect on ECPR outcomes. There were 75.5% of ECPR terminated at the daytime, 56.8% death cases were occurred within 3 days after ECPR, and 19.0% of patients in the procedural termination group died due to a combination of factors.Conclusions:ECPR had a potentially high benefit for patients with IHCA, initial shockable rhythm, and a short no-flow time. The ECPR initiation time were irregular and had no effect on ECPR outcomes. Death events tend to occur in the early days after ECPR, and ECPR terminated is mostly during the daytime working hours. The construction of full-time ECPR team should be strengthened.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) combined with spinal fractures with thoracic and lumbar fracture as the most common type shows characteristics of unstable fracture, high incidence of nerve injury, high mortality and high disability rate. The diagnosis may be missed because it is mostly caused by low-energy injury, when spinal rigidity and osteoporosis have a great impact on the accuracy of imaging examination. At the same time, the treatment choices are controversial, with no relevant specifications. Non-operative treatments can easily lead to bone nonunion, pseudoarthrosis and delayed nerve injury, while surgeries may be failed due to internal fixation failure. At present, there are no evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of AS combined with thoracic and lumbar fracture. In this context, the Spinal Trauma Academic Group of Orthopedics Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized experts to formulate the Clinical guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of adult ankylosing spondylitis combined with thoracolumbar fracture ( version 2023) by following the principles of evidence-based medicine and systematically review related literatures. Ten recommendations on the diagnosis, imaging evaluation, classification and treatment of AS combined with thoracic and lumbar fracture were put forward, aiming to standardize the clinical diagnosis and treatment of such disorder.

Objective:To investigate the inhibitory effects and mechanism of Reyanning mixture （RYN） combined with linezolid （LNZ） against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus （MRSA） and its biofilm. Method:The minimum inhibitory concentrations （MICs） of RYN and LNZ against MRSA were determined by microdilution assay. The microplate method was used to detect the changes in viable count before and after MRSA administration at four time points （0， 6， 12， 24 h） in the process of biofilm growth. The morphological changes of MRSA after 24 h were observed by scanning electron microscope. Metabonomic technique was applied to analyze the changes in terminal metabolites of endogenous small molecules from MRSA treated by the two drugs at four time points. Result:The MICs of RYN and LNZ were 1/2 of the stock solution concentration and 4 mg·L^-1， respectively. The inhibitory effect of LNZ （2 mg·L^-1） against viable bacteria at 0 h was better than that of 1/16 RYN. At 6， 12， 24 h， 1/16 RYN was superior to LNZ in inhibiting MRSA. The inhibitory effects of RYN combined with LNZ were better than those of RYN or LNZ alone at the four time points. RYN combined with LNZ caused more severe damages to the morphological structure of MRSA biofilm at 24 h than RYN or LNZ alone. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate （cAMP）， adenosine diphosphate （ADP）-D-ribose and 2-methylbutanoyl-coenzyme A （2M-CoA）， as the metabolites related to biofilm formation， were immune to LNZ， but 2M-CoA and ADP-D-ribose were influenced by RYN at 12 h and 24 h. The combined use of RYN and LNZ interfered with the three metabolites at 24 h. L-tryptophan， phenylpyruvic acid， cytidine and sebacic acid were the pharmacometabolic markers of LNZ， and the related biological pathways were phenylalanine， tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis and phenylalanine metabolism. Four metabolites such as L-histidine， uric acid， and L-lysine were the pharmacometabolic markers of RYN， with phenylalanine metabolism and aminoacyl-transfer ribonucleic acid （tRNA） biosynthesis confirmed as the related biological pathways. Nine metabolites such as L-tryptophan， L-lysine， and sphingosine-1-phosphate were responsible for the efficacy of RYN combined with LNZ. The related biological pathways involved aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis， phenylalanine， tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis， novobiocin biosynthesis， and tyrosine metabolism. Conclusion:RYN combined with LNZ better exerts the inhibitory effects against MRSA at each time point of its biofilm formation， which is attributed to cAMP metabolism. The synergistic effect resulted from aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis and phenylalanine， tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis. RYN combined with LNZ can serve as a potentially effective solution to MRSA infection.

China/epidemiology* ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease/diagnosis* ; Humans ; Registries ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUND: Reduced application of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is associated with higher mortality rates after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We aimed to evaluate potential factors contributing to the refusal of PCI in STEMI patients in China. METHODS: We studied 957 patients diagnosed with STEMI in the emergency departments (EDs) of six public hospitals in China. The differences in baseline characteristics and 30-day outcome were investigated between patients who refused PCI and those who underwent PCI. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the potential factors associated with refusing PCI. RESULTS: The potential factors contributing to refusing PCI were older than 65 years (odds ratio [OR] 2.66, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.56-4.52, P < 0.001), low body mass index (BMI) (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.84-0.98, P = 0.013), not being married (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.17-0.49, P < 0.001), history of myocardial infarction (MI) (OR 2.59, 95% CI 1.33-5.04, P = 0.005), higher heart rate (HR) (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.03, P = 0.002), cardiac shock in the ED (OR 5.03, 95% CI 1.48-17.08, P = 0.010), pre-hospital delay (>12 h) (OR 3.31, 95% CI 1.83-6.02, P < 0.001) and not being hospitalized in a tertiary hospital (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.27-0.75, P = 0.002). Compared to men, women were older, were less often married, had a lower BMI and were less often hospitalized in tertiary hospitals. CONCLUSIONS Patients who were older, had lower economic or social status, and had poorer health status were more likely to refuse PCI after STEMI. There was a sex difference in the potential predictors of refusing PCI. Targeted efforts should be made to improve the acceptance of PCI among patients with STEMI in China.
China ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Risk Factors ; ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction/surgery* ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome