Professor ZHOU Peng has deeply discussed the pathological characteristics of psoriasis vulgaris,emphasizing that the disease is usually manifested deficiency interweaved with excess,leading to frequent recurrence and persistent refractory,which may lead to psychological and emotional problems of patients.This paper further expounds the effect of blood stasis on the pathogenesis,progression and prognosis of psoriasis,and puts forward a new method of combining Lingnan fire needling and filiform needling acupuncture technique to treat psoriasis vulgaris with blood stasis syndrome.Professor ZHOU Peng believes that the treatment principle of this disease is"regulating the mind first,rectifying blood as a base,syndrome differentiating and eliminating pathogenic factors",aiming at comprehensively considering the etiology and symptoms,in order to achieve more effective treatment results.Combined with the analysis of dermoscopic signs,it provides a possible improvement direction for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris from a new perspective.

Background/Aims: The histological characteristics and natural history of precirrhotic primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) with portal hypertension (PH) are unclear. Our aim was to clarify the prevalence, risk factors, and histological characteristics of precirrhotic PBC patients with PH. Methods: This retrospective study compared the clinical features, histological characteristics, and response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) between the PH and non-PH groups of precirrhotic PBC patients. Results: Out of 165 precirrhotic PBC patients, 40 (24.2%) also had PH. According to histological stage 1, 2 and 3 disease, 5.3% (1/19), 17.3% (17/98), and 45.8% (22/48) of patients also had PH, respectively. Precirrhotic PBC with PH was significantly positively correlated with bile duct loss, degree of cytokeratin 7 positivity, and degree of fibrosis in the portal area, but significantly negatively correlated with lymphoid follicular aggregation. Compared to the non-PH group, patients in the PH group showed a higher prevalence of obliterative portal venopathy, incomplete septal fibrosis, portal tract abnormalities and non-zonal sinusoidal dilatation (p<0.05). In addition, patients with PH were more likely to present with symptoms of jaundice, ascites, epigastric discomfort, a poorer response to UDCA, and more decompensation events (p<0.05). High alkaline phosphatase levels, low white blood cell counts, high Mayo scores, and high FIB-4 index values were risk factors for precirrhotic PBC with PH. Conclusions Approximately 24.2% of precirrhotic PBC patients have PH, which is histologically related to the injury of bile ducts. High alkaline phosphatase levels, low white blood cell counts, high Mayo scores, and high FIB-4 index values are associated with increased risk of precirrhotic PBC with PH.

OBJECTIVE: To explore weight-bearing stability of Pilon fracture fixed by external fixator. METHODS: Six ankle bone models (right side) and 4 pairs (8 ankle cadaver specimens) were selected. Pilon fracture model was prepared by using the preset osteotomy line based on Ruedi Allgower Pilon fracture type. Pilon fracture model was built by using a minimally invasive osteotomy. After ankle bone model and cadaver specimen model were fixed with external fixator, axial load was carried out on mechanical loading machine. After ankle bone model and cadaver specimen model were fixed with external fixator, axial load was carried out on mechanical loading machine. Axial loads of 150, 300 and 450 N were applied to ankle bone model, and displacements of fibula fracture blocks, lateral tibia fracture blocks and medial tibia fracture blocks in three-dimensional space (X, Y and Z axes) were recorded by dynamic capture instrument. Axial loads of 300, 600 and 900 N were applied to ankle cadaver model fixed by external fixator. X-ray films of Pilon fracture cadaver model fixed by external fixator under different loading conditions were taken. The anterior tibial angle, tibial malleolar point angle, talus shift value, talus tilt angle, lateral malleolar shift value, lateral malleolar shift value, medial malleolar separation shift value and articular surface step displacement value were measured under different loads by digimizer software. RESULTS: After 150, 300 and 450 N axial loads were applied to Pilon fracture models fixed by external fixator, no loosening or fracture of external fixator was observed, and no loosening, fracture or irreversible plastic deformation of Kirschner needle were observed. The displacement values of fibular fracture pieces on X-axis(around) were 0.032 (-0.022, 0.269), 0.061 (-0.002, 0.427), 0.212(-0.016, 1.223) mm, and the displacement values on Y-axis(above and below) were 0.002(-0.031, 0.103), 0.051(-1.133, 0.376), 0.128 (-1.394, 0.516) mm, and displacement values on Z-axis (front and rear) were -0.003 (-0.130, 0.171), 0.137 (-0.076, 0.433), 0.030(-0.487, 0.478) mm;the displacement values of lateral tibial fractures on X-axis were 0.000(-0.108, 0.027), 0.083(-0.364, 0.050), -0.121(-0.289, 0.165) mm, and displacement values on Y-axis were -0.009(-0.200, 0.025), -0.179(-0.710, 0.084), -0.257(-0.799, 0.027) mm, and displacement values on Z-axis were 0.112(-0.024, 0.256), 0.157(-0.068, 0.293), -0.210(-0.035, 0.430) mm;the displacement values of medial tibial fracture block on X-axis were -0.010(-0.060, 0.013), -0.165(-0.289, 0.056), -0.181(-0.395, 0.013) mm, and the displacement values on Y-axis were -0.036(-0.156, 0.007), -0.104(-0.269, 0.178), -0.245(-0.380, -0.011) mm, and displacement values on Z-axis were -0.005(-0.372, 0.189), -0.012 (-1.774, 0.380), 0.200 (-1.963, -0.540) mm. After 300, 600 and 900 N axial loads were applied to Pilon fracture cadaverous models fixed with external fixators, there were no significant difference in anterior tibial angles, angles of malleolar points of tibia, oblique angles of talus, fracture steps, shift values of talus, lateral shift values of lateral malleolus, lateral shift values of medial malleolus, lateral shift values of medial malleolus between under different loading conditions and those without loading (P>0.05). No loosening or fracture of external fixator as a whole, loosening, fracture or irreversible deformation of Kirschner needle at the local fixed fracture end occurred. CONCLUSION The early weight-bearing external fixator could maintain stability of fracture end and ankle joint, and the maximum weight is not more than 300 N. In clinical practical application, material characteristics of the implant and type of fracture should be selected.
Humans ; Weight-Bearing ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; External Fixators ; Tibial Fractures/physiopathology* ; Fracture Fixation/instrumentation* ; Male

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical appropriateness and application value of the peroxidase （POD） method for the detection of unbound bilirubin （UB） in neonatal serum. MethodsHydrogen peroxide （0.33 mol/L） and three different final concentrations （0.019， 0.038， 0.075 μg/mL） of horseradish peroxidase （HRP） were added to standard bilirubin solution （1， 2， 3 μmol/L） to obtain a standardized HRP primary rate constant Kp. Then 25 μL of neonatal serum was diluted by 41.6 fold， and measured with 2.4 and 4.8 μg/mL HRP at 37 ℃ under the dark， to determine the UB concentration. The accuracy， precision， and stability of the methodology were validated. The clinical characteristics of 33 jaundiced neonates were collected， including total serum bilirubin （TSB）， indirect bilirubin （IDB）， albumin （ALB）， bilirubin to albumin molar ratio （BAMR）， etc. The experimental data were analyzed by Graphpad Prism 8.0. ResultsA standardized Kp of （7.20±1.08） mL·μg^-1·min^-1 was determined at pH 7.4±0.2， 37 ℃ in the dark. The HRP activity and UB concentrations remained stable at -20 ℃ for 3 weeks and a week， respectively. The mean intra-day and inter-day coefficients of variation of the serum samples with different UB concentrations were less than 10%. In this study， the UB concentrations in 33 jaundiced neonates （gestational age ≥35 weeks） were measured by the POD method in the range of （0.32～1.20） μg/dL， which was positively correlated with TSB， IDB and BAMR. Of the five infants whose UB concentrations measured more than 1 μg/dL， three received intensive phototherapy （60%）. ConclusionsThe POD method combined with a standard equipment spectrophotometer to detect serum UB concentrations in neonates is easy to operate， rapid to detect， and low cost. This method has good accuracy and precision， which is convenient for clinical implementation. Moreover， the measurement of serum UB may assist us in better management of neonatal jaundice in clinical practice.

Objective: Retrospective analysis of the efficacy and influencing factors of bladder preservation integrated therapy for unresectable invasive bladder cancer confined to the pelvis was done, also including the bladder function preservation and adverse effects analysis. Methods: Sixty-nine patients with unresectable locally invasive bladder cancer who received radiotherapy-based combination therapy from March 1999 to December 2021 at our hospital were selected. Among them, 42 patients received concurrent chemoradiotherapy, 32 underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapyand 43 with transurethral resection of bladder tumors (TURBT) prior to radiotherapy. The late adverse effect of radiotherapy, preservation of bladder function, replase and metastasis and survival were followed-up. Cox proportional hazards models were applied for the multifactorial analysis. Results: The median age was 69 years. There were 63 cases (91.3%) of uroepithelial carcinoma, 64 of stage Ⅲ and 4 of stage Ⅳ. The median duration of follow-up was 76 months. There were 7 grade 2 late genito urinary toxicities, 2 grade 2 gastrointestinal toxicities, no grade 3 or higher adverse events occurred. All patients maintained normal bladder function, except for 8 cases who lost bladder function due to uncontrolled tumor in the bladder. Seventeen cases recurred locally. There were 11 cases in the concurrent chemoradiotherapy group with a local recurrence rate of 26.2% (11/42) and 6 cases in the non-concurrent chemoradiotherapy group with a local recurrence rate of 22.2% (6/27), and the difference in local recurrence rate between the two groups was not statistically significant (P=0.709). There were 23 cases of distant metastasis (including 2 cases of local recurrence with distant metastasis), including 10 cases in the concurrent chemoradiotherapy group with a distant metastasis rate of 23.8% (10/42) and 13 cases in the non-concurrent chemoradiotherapy group with a distant metastasis rate of 48.1% (13/27), and the distant metastasis rate in the non-concurrent chemoradiotherapy group was higher than that in the concurrent chemoradiotherapy group (P=0.036). The median 5-year overall survival (OS) time was 59 months and the OS rate was 47.8%. The 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) time was 20 months and the PFS rate was 34.4%. The 5-year OS rates of concurrent and non-concurrent chemoradiotherapy group were 62.9% and 27.6% (P<0.001), and 5-year PFS rates were 45.4% and 20.0%, respectively (P=0.022). The 5-year OS rates of with or without neoadjuvant chemotherapy were 78.4% and 30.1% (P=0.002), and the 5-year PFS rates were 49.1% and 25.1% (P=0.087), respectively. The 5-year OS rates with or without TURBT before radiotherapy were 45.5% and 51.9% (P=0.233) and the 5-year PFS rates were 30.8% and 39.9% (P=0.198), respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis results showed that the clinical stage (HR=0.422, 95% CI: 0.205-0.869) was independent prognostic factor for PFS of invasive bladder cancer. The multivariate analysis showed that clinical stages (HR=0.278, 95% CI: 0.114-0.678), concurrent chemoradiotherapy (HR=0.391, 95% CI: 0.165-0.930), neoadjuvant chemotherapy (HR=0.188, 95% CI: 0.058-0.611), and recurrences (HR=10.855, 95% CI: 3.655-32.638) were independent prognostic factors for OS of invasive bladder cancer. Conclusion: Unresectable localized invasive bladder cancer can achieve satisfactory long-term outcomes with bladder-preserving combination therapy based on radiotherapy, most patients can retain normal bladder function with acceptable late adverse effects and improved survival particularly evident in patients with early, concurrent chemoradiotherapy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
Humans ; Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Retrospective Studies ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Chemoradiotherapy/methods* ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/radiotherapy* ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Neoplasm Staging

Reduced levels of retinal dopamine, a key regulator of eye development, are associated with experimental myopia in various species, but are not seen in the myopic eyes of C57BL/6 mice, which are deficient in melatonin, a neurohormone having extensive interactions with dopamine. Here, we examined the relationship between form-deprivation myopia (FDM) and retinal dopamine levels in melatonin-proficient CBA/CaJ mice. We found that these mice exhibited a myopic refractive shift in form-deprived eyes, which was accompanied by altered retinal dopamine levels. When melatonin receptors were pharmacologically blocked, FDM could still be induced, but its magnitude was reduced, and retinal dopamine levels were no longer altered in FDM animals, indicating that melatonin-related changes in retinal dopamine levels contribute to FDM. Thus, FDM is mediated by both dopamine level-independent and melatonin-related dopamine level-dependent mechanisms in CBA/CaJ mice. The previously reported unaltered retinal dopamine levels in myopic C57BL/6 mice may be attributed to melatonin deficiency.
Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Dopamine ; Melatonin ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Inbred CBA ; Myopia ; Retina ; Sensory Deprivation

Objective: To analyze the clinical epidemiological characteristics including composition of pathogens , clinical characteristics, and disease prognosis acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) in Chinese children. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical and laboratory data of 1 610 children <15 years of age with ABM in 33 tertiary hospitals in China from January 2019 to December 2020. Patients were divided into different groups according to age,<28 days group, 28 days to <3 months group, 3 months to <1 year group, 1-<5 years of age group, 5-<15 years of age group; etiology confirmed group and clinically diagnosed group according to etiology diagnosis. Non-numeric variables were analyzed with the Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, while non-normal distrituction numeric variables were compared with nonparametric test. Results: Among 1 610 children with ABM, 955 were male and 650 were female (5 cases were not provided with gender information), and the age of onset was 1.5 (0.5, 5.5) months. There were 588 cases age from <28 days, 462 cases age from 28 days to <3 months, 302 cases age from 3 months to <1 year of age group, 156 cases in the 1-<5 years of age and 101 cases in the 5-<15 years of age. The detection rates were 38.8% (95/245) and 31.5% (70/222) of Escherichia coli and 27.8% (68/245) and 35.1% (78/222) of Streptococcus agalactiae in infants younger than 28 days of age and 28 days to 3 months of age; the detection rates of Streptococcus pneumonia, Escherichia coli, and Streptococcus agalactiae were 34.3% (61/178), 14.0% (25/178) and 13.5% (24/178) in the 3 months of age to <1 year of age group; the dominant pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae and the detection rate were 67.9% (74/109) and 44.4% (16/36) in the 1-<5 years of age and 5-<15 years of age . There were 9.7% (19/195) strains of Escherichia coli producing ultra-broad-spectrum β-lactamases. The positive rates of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture and blood culture were 32.2% (515/1 598) and 25.0% (400/1 598), while 38.2% (126/330)and 25.3% (21/83) in CSF metagenomics next generation sequencing and Streptococcus pneumoniae antigen detection. There were 4.3% (32/790) cases of which CSF white blood cell counts were normal in etiology confirmed group. Among 1 610 children with ABM, main intracranial imaging complications were subdural effusion and (or) empyema in 349 cases (21.7%), hydrocephalus in 233 cases (14.5%), brain abscess in 178 cases (11.1%), and other cerebrovascular diseases, including encephalomalacia, cerebral infarction, and encephalatrophy, in 174 cases (10.8%). Among the 166 cases (10.3%) with unfavorable outcome, 32 cases (2.0%) died among whom 24 cases died before 1 year of age, and 37 cases (2.3%) had recurrence among whom 25 cases had recurrence within 3 weeks. The incidences of subdural effusion and (or) empyema, brain abscess and ependymitis in the etiology confirmed group were significantly higher than those in the clinically diagnosed group (26.2% (207/790) vs. 17.3% (142/820), 13.0% (103/790) vs. 9.1% (75/820), 4.6% (36/790) vs. 2.7% (22/820), χ²=18.71, 6.20, 4.07, all P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in the unfavorable outcomes, mortility, and recurrence between these 2 groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions: The onset age of ABM in children is usually within 1 year of age, especially <3 months. The common pathogens in infants <3 months of age are Escherichia coli and Streptococcus agalactiae, and the dominant pathogen in infant ≥3 months is Streptococcus pneumoniae. Subdural effusion and (or) empyema and hydrocephalus are common complications. ABM should not be excluded even if CSF white blood cell counts is within normal range. Standardized bacteriological examination should be paid more attention to increase the pathogenic detection rate. Non-culture CSF detection methods may facilitate the pathogenic diagnosis.
Adolescent ; Brain Abscess ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Escherichia coli ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Meningitis, Bacterial/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Streptococcus agalactiae ; Streptococcus pneumoniae ; Subdural Effusion ; beta-Lactamases

Although there is guidance from different regulatory agencies, there are opportunities to bring greater consistency and stronger applicability to address the practical issues of establishing and operating a data monitoring committee (DMC) for clinical studies of Chinese medicine. We names it as a Chinese Medicine Data Monitoring Committee (CMDMC). A panel composed of clinical and statistical experts shared their experience and thoughts on the important aspects of CMDMCs. Subsequently, a community standard on CMDMCs (T/CACM 1323-2019) was issued by the China Association of Chinese Medicine on September 12, 2019. This paper summarizes the key content of this standard to help the sponsors of clinical studies establish and operate CMDMCs, which will further develop the scientific integrity and quality of clinical studies.

Rheumatoid arthritis （RA） is a common immune-mediated inflammatory autoimmunity disease. Due to its clinical characteristics， RA is classified into the category of "Bi syndrome" in traditional Chinese medicine. Huangqi Guizhi Wuwutang （HGW）， originated from Synopsis of Golden Chamber Jinkui Yaolue， is composed of Astragali Radix， Cinnamomi Ramulus， Paeonial actiflora， Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens， and Jujubae Fructus. It has been used for treatment of blood "Bi syndrome" in clinical practice， and nowadays， it is also widely used for treatment of RA or RA with wind-cold-dampness Bi syndrome or Qi and blood deficiency Bi syndrome. In 2018， HGW was collected in the Catalogue of Ancient Classical Prescriptions （the First Batch）. In order to provide insight for standardized clinical medication and lay a solid foundation for its further development， we herein reviewed literatures of clinical and animal studies on HGW treatment in RA. According to the basic pathogenesis of RA， HGW can be used for treatment of general RA， RA with wind-cold-dampness Bi syndrome or Qi and blood deficiency Bi syndrome alone or in combination with other drugs. The mechanisms of HGW were related to inhibition of inflammatory cytokines expression， inhibition of lipid peroxidation of synovium， and promotion of apoptosis. However， many issues in the current research still needed to be addressed， such as lack of standardization of drug compatibility and dosage， lack of standardization of clinical trial scheme，undefined drug interaction and unclear safety on the combination of Chinese medicine with chemistry drugs， lack of proper syndrome animal model， and limited study about molecular mechanisms. We propose that future research should focus on the standardization of the clinical trial scheme and RA syndrome of HGW， clarify the principle of drug compatibility and dosage， drug interaction and safety. In terms of mechanistic study， the research should focus on animal models of RA syndrome using multiple dimensions such as genetics， transcription， and metabolism.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical outcomes of short-segmental fixation combined with vertebroplasty via bone cement-augmented screws in treating old osteoporotic thoracolumbar vertebral fracture nonunion (OOVFN) accompanied by spinal cord injury.Methods:A retrospective case series study was made on 32 patients with OOVFN accompanied by spinal cord injury admitted to Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology between October 2012 and November 2019, including 10 males and 22 females. The age ranged from 50 to 76 years [(62.4±8.0)years]. Level of injury was T 11 in patients, T 12 in 7, L 1 in 7, L 2 in 6, L 3 in 5, L 4 in 3. Frankel classification for spinal nerve injury was grade B in 7 patients, grade C in 13 and grade D in 12. All underwent short-segmental fixation combined with vertebroplasty via bone cement-augmented screws. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and volume of bone cement injected in the fracture vertebra were documented. The anterior and posterior vertebral height, Cobb angle for local kyphosis and spinal canal volume at the fracture level were measured to evaluate the reduction, and the visual analog scale (VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI) and Frankel classification were used to evaluate clinical outcomes pre-, post-operatively and at the last follow-up. The post-operative complications were recorded. Results:All patients completed the follow-up, with the follow-up duration of 12-85 months [(44.8±17.5)months]. The operation time was 90-135 minutes[(109.5±14.1)minutes] and intraoperative blood loss was 80-220 ml[(157.2±38.5)ml]. The volume of bone cement injected in the fracture vertebra was 3.5-6.5 ml[(5.0±1.1)ml]. The anterior vertebral height was restored from (9.8±2.2)mm preoperatively to (19.8±2.7)mm at one week postoperatively and to (19.7±2.5)mm at the last follow-up ( P<0.01). The Cobb angle was corrected from (21.8±4.7)° preoperatively to (5.4±2.7)° at one week postoperatively and to (5.5±2.7)°at the last follow-up ( P<0.01). The cross-sectional area of spinal canal was enlarged from (595.8±102.3)mm 2 preoperatively to (1, 093.6±144.9)mm 2 at one week postoperatively and to (1, 103.9±147.9)mm 2 at the last follow-up ( P<0.01). The posterior vertebral height was maintained during the perioperative period ( P>0.05). The VAS and NDI decreased from (7.7±1.3)points and 79.1±14.7 preoperatively to (2.5±0.8)points, 31.8±9.8 at one week postoperatively and to (2.3±0.6)points and 31.8±9.8 at the final follow-up ( P<0.01). The spinal nerve injury showed improvement at the final follow-up, with Frankel grade B in 1 patients, grade C in 6, grade D in 15 and grade E in 10 ( P<0.01). Two patients with bone cement leakage into spinal canal were observed intraoperatively, which was cleared during decompression. Five patients with local bone cement leakage and no leakage into spinal canal were recorded during the follow-up. There was no neurological symptom deterioration, wound infection or internal fixation loosening or failure during the follow-up. Conclusion:For patients with OOVFN accompanied by spinal cord injury, short-segmental fixation combined with vertebroplasty via bone cement-augmented screws can restore and maintain vertebral alignment, relieve pain and promote neurological function recovery.