Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of pulmonary rehabilitation in elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)who are undergoing long-term home oxygen therapy.Methods:The study included a total of 60 elderly patients with COPD who were successfully discharged after receiving treatment at the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from November 2021 to October 2022.The enrolled patients were randomly divided into two groups: the pulmonary rehabilitation group and the control group, with 30 patients in each group.The allocation was determined using a random number table and prospective research methods.Patients in the pulmonary rehabilitation group underwent a 12-week pulmonary rehabilitation training program, while patients in the control group received pulmonary rehabilitation education and nutrition education.The general data of the two groups of patients were compared, including lung function parameters[forced expiratory volume in one second(FEV 1), forced vital capacity(FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second to forced vital capacity ratio(FEV 1/FVC), and percentage of predicted forced expiratory volume in one second(FEV 1%pred)], blood gas analysis[partial pressure of arterial oxygen(PaO 2), partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide(PaCO 2), arterial oxygen saturation(SaO 2)], 6-minute walking distance(6MWD), grip strength, 5-round sit to stand test(5R-STST), modified British medical research council(mMRC)score, COPD assessment test(CAT)score, closed cycles test(CCT), Berg balance scale(BBS), and safety measures.These parameters were assessed before and after the intervention. Results:A total of 29 patients in the pulmonary rehabilitation group and 28 patients in the control group completed the study.The general data between the two groups showed no significant difference(all P>0.05).After the intervention, patients in the pulmonary rehabilitation group showed improvements in FEV 1/FVC, PaO 2, PaCO 2, SaO 2, 6MWD, grip strength, 5R-STST, CAT, CCT, and BBS( t=-2.242, -4.630, W=-3.439, t=-6.512, -10.563, -6.197, W=-3.968, t=10.847, -7.334, W=-4.189, all P<0.05).Additionally, 6MWD, CAT, and CCT showed significant improvement after the intervention compared to the control group( t=-2.104, 2.183, 2.106, all P<0.05).No training-related adverse effects were observed during the study. Conclusions:The 12-week pulmonary rehabilitation program is shown to be effective for elderly patients with COPD who are undergoing long-term home oxygen therapy.This program helps to improve respiratory function, systemic symptoms, exercise endurance, muscle strength, and balance function.It is designed to be simple and easy to implement, allowing patients to achieve their training goals and improve their clinical symptoms.Additionally, the program has been found to be safe and well-tolerated by patients, making it a valuable intervention that should be promoted and widely applied.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the improvement effects of azithromycin on bronchopulmonary dysplasia （BPD） in neonatal rats based on hypoxia-inducible factor-1α（HIF-1α）/HIF-2α/vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） pathway. METHODS Sixty newborn SD rats were randomly divided into negative control group （NC）， BPD group， azithromycin group and budesonide group （positive control）， with 15 rats in each group. Rats in NC group were given normal breathing air， while rats in other three groups were exposed to high-concentration oxygen for 14 days to establish BPD rat models. After successful modeling， rats in azithromycin group were intraperitoneally injected with azithromycin 200 mg/kg， and rats in budesonide group were atomized with budesonide 1.5 mg/kg once a day for 14 consecutive days， while rats in BPD group and NC group were not treated. Pathological changes of lung tissue， radial alveolar count and mean alveolar intercept of rats were observed in each group. The white blood cell count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid （BALF） and the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， IL-1β， superoxide dismutase （SOD）， catalase （CAT） and malondialdehyde （MDA） were detected； mRNA and protein expressions of VEGF， HIF-1α， HIF-2α were also detected. RESULTS Compared with NC group， the lung tissue in BPD group was obviously damaged； the white blood cell count， average alveolar intercept and the levels of TNF-α， IL-6， IL-1β and MDA were significantly increased； the radial alveolar count， SOD and CAT levels， the relative expressions of VEGF， HIF-1α， HIF-2α mRNA and protein were significantly decreased （P＜0.05）. Compared with BPD group， the changes of the above indexes in azithromycin group and budesonide group were significantly reversed （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Azithromycin can obviously improve the symptoms of BPD in rats， reduce inflammation and oxidative stress， and exert lung protection， the mechanism of which may be realized by activating HIF-1α/HIF-2α/VEGF pathway.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between immune function and age-related pulmonary fibrosis, as well as the potential impact of bacterial lysates on this condition.Methods:Twenty-four healthy male C57BL/6 mice, aged 24, were randomly divided into three groups: a control group(Group N), a pulmonary fibrosis group(Group M), and a pulmonary fibrosis+ bacterial lysis product intervention group(Group P). Mice in Groups M and P were intratracheally injected with bleomycin(5 mg/kg)to induce a mouse pulmonary fibrosis model, while mice in Group N were injected with saline.After modeling, mice in Group P were orally administered 0.4 ml of a bacterial lysis product once a day.After 28 days, lung tissue and blood samples were collected for analysis.Pathological changes in lung tissue were assessed using hematoxylin and tosin staining(HE)and Masson staining and the Ashcroft score.The expression of CD4+ and CD8+ in lung tissue was evaluated using immunohistochemistry.The levels of serum interferon-γ(INF-γ), interleukin-3(IL-13), and immunoglobulin A(IgA)protein were measured using Enzyme-linked Immuno Sorbent Assay(ELISA). The levels of INF-γ and IL-13 mRNA in lung tissue were determined using Real-Time Quantitative Transcription PCR(RT-qPCR). Additionally, the protein expression levels of matrix metalloprotein-9(MMP-9)and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteincise 1(TIMP-1)in lung tissue were assessed using blot analysis.Results:The degree of lung fibrosis was significantly reduced in mice in group P compared with group M when treated with bacterial lysis products.Group M showed a significant decrease in the expression of CD4+ T cells and an increase in the expression of CD8+ T cells( P<0.05)compared to group N. Additionally, the content of IgA was decreased( P<0.05)in group M. On the other hand, group P showed a significant increase in the expression of CD4+ T cells and a decrease in the expression of CD8+ T cells( P<0.05)compared to group M. Furthermore, the content of IgA was elevated( P<0.05)in group P. After bacterial lysis product intervention, mRNA and protein expression levels of IFN-γ were elevated( P<0.05), while mRNA and protein expression levels of IL-13 were reduced( P<0.05). Moreover, protein expression of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 was significantly up-regulated in group M compared with group N( P<0.05), and decreased after bacterial lysis product intervention( P<0.05). Conclusions:It is well-known that immune mechanisms play a crucial role in the development of pulmonary fibrosis.The use of bacterial lysates has been found to effectively regulate immune balance and mitigate the severity of pulmonary fibrosis in elderly mice.

The comparison between traditional Chinese medicine Jinzhen oral liquid (JZOL) and Western medicine in treating children with acute bronchitis (AB) showed encouraging outcomes. This trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of the JZOL for improving cough and expectoration in children with AB. 480 children were randomly assigned to take JZOL or ambroxol hydrochloride and clenbuterol hydrochloride oral solution for 7 days. The primary outcome was time-to-cough resolution. The median time-to-cough resolution in both groups was 5.0 days and the antitussive onset median time was only 1 day. This randomized controlled trial showed that JZOL was not inferior to cough suppressant and phlegm resolving western medicine in treating cough and sputum and could comprehensively treat respiratory and systemic discomfort symptoms. Combined with clinical trials, the mechanism of JZOL against AB was uncovered by network target analysis, it was found that the pathways in TRP channels like IL-1β/IL1R/TRPV1/TRPA1, NGF/TrkA/TRPV1/TRPA1, and PGE2/EP/PKA/TRPV1/TRPA1 might play important roles. Animal experiments further confirmed that inflammation and the immune regulatory effect of JZOL in the treatment of AB were of vital importance and TRP channels were the key mechanism of action.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment and prognosis of children with leukemia secondary to malignant solid tumor.Methods:From January 2012 to January 2022, a total of 2 275 children under 15 years of age with malignant solid tumor were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University.Six children diagnosed with secondary leukemia after follow-up to August 1, 2022 were selected as the study objects.Their clinical data were retrospectively analyzed and the literature was reviewed.Results:(1)A total of 2 275 children with malignant solid tumors included 1 369 males and 906 females.There were 6 children with secondary leukemia, with an incidence rate of 0.26%, including 4 males and 2 females.The age of onset of solid tumor was 5.5(2.8, 9.7)years, and the age of secondary leukemia was(9.1±3.9)years, and the interval between them was(26.2±17.3)months.(2)Malignant solid tumor types: according to the time of secondary leukemia, there were hip malignant rhabdomyoma in 1 case, intracranial medulloblastoma in 2 cases, intracranial and pelvic malignant germinoma in 1 case respectively, and pancreatic blastoma in 1 case.Intracranial lesion biopsy was performed in 1 case, and tumor resection was performed in the other 5 cases.Three patients with intracranial tumors underwent local tumor bed, whole brain and spinal radiotherapy.All the 6 children received chemotherapy, and the main chemotherapy drugs were doxorubicin, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, platinum, ifosfamide, etoposide, bleomycin, temozolomide, etc.Complete remission was achieved in 3 cases, partial remission in 1 case, stable disease in 1 case, and disease progression in 1 case.(3)The secondary leukemia types were as follows: acute myeloid leukemia(AML)M5 in 3 cases, M1 in 1 case, M2 in 1 case, and acute B-lymphoblastic leukemia(B-ALL)in 1 case.All six cases refused hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(HSCT).One case with B-ALL gave up after receiving hydroxyurea and dexamethasone.Five cases with AML received chemotherapy according to the AML-2006 Protocol of Hematology Group of Pediatrics Society of Chinese Medical Association.The outcome of the disease was as follows: 2 cases died early, 4 cases achieved complete remission after 1 ~ 2 courses of chemotherapy, among which 2 cases did not continue treatment after 3 courses of chemotherapy due to pulmonary infection, deep mycosis, osteomyelitis, etc, and then recurred and died.By the end of follow-up, 2 cases survived and continued treatment, of which 1 case relapsed.After the diagnosis of secondary leukemia, the 1-year overall survival rate of the 6 cases was(33±26)%.Conclusion:Leukemia secondary to malignant solid tumors in children is rare and mostly occurs in older children.The pathogenesis is related to genotoxic injury caused by exposure to chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and the prognosis is unfavourable.HSCT after chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy is the best treatment strategy.

BACKGROUND: The age, biomarkers, and clinical history (ABC)-atrial fibrillation (AF)-Stroke score have been proposed to refine stroke risk stratification, beyond what clinical risk scores such as the CHA2DS2-VASc score can offer. This study aimed to identify risk factors associated with thromboembolism and evaluate the performance of the ABC-AF-Stroke score in predicting thromboembolism in non-anticoagulated AF patients following successful ablations. METHODS: A total of 2692 patients who underwent successful ablations with discontinued anticoagulation after a 3-month blanking period in the Chinese Atrial Fibrillation Registry (CAFR) between 2013 and 2019 were included. Cox regression analysis was conducted to present the association of risk factors with thromboembolism risk. The ABC-AF-Stroke score was evaluated in terms of discrimination, including concordance index (C-index), net reclassification improvement (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI), clinical utilization by decision curve analysis (DCA), and calibration by comparing the predicted risk with the observed annualized event rate. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 3.5 years, 64 patients experienced thromboembolism events. Age, prior history of stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA), high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (cTnT-hs), and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were independently associated with thromboembolism risk. The ABC-AF-Stroke score performed statistically significantly better than the CHA2DS2-VASc score in terms of C-index (0.67, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.59-0.74 vs. 0.60, 95% CI: 0.52-0.67, P = 0.030) and reclassification capacity. The DCA implied that the ABC-AF-Stroke score could identify more thromboembolism events without increasing the false positive rate compared to the CHA2DS2-VASc score. The calibration curve showed that the ABC-AF-Stroke score was well calibrated in this population. CONCLUSIONS In this real-world study enrolling non-anticoagulated AF patients following successful ablations, age, prior history of stroke/TIA, level of NT-proBNP, and cTnT-hs were independently associated with an increased risk of thromboembolism. The ABC-AF-Stroke score was well-calibrated and statistically significantly outperformed the CHA2DS2-VASc score in predicting thromboembolism risk.
Humans ; Anticoagulants/therapeutic use* ; Atrial Fibrillation/complications* ; East Asian People ; Ischemic Attack, Transient ; Registries ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors ; Stroke/etiology* ; Thromboembolism/etiology* ; Troponin T

Objective:To explore the correlation between choline,betaine,dimethylglycine,methionine and tri-methylamine oxide,metabolites related to the methionine cycle in carbon metabolism,and preeclampsia(PE)in di-chorionic diamniotic(DCDA)twin pregnancy.Methods:175 pregnant women with twin pregnancies who under-went regular prenatal examinations were registered in Peking University Third Hospital from July 2017 to April 2019 were included as the study subjects.According to whether PE had occurred,they were divided into non-PE group(138 cases)and PE group(37 cases).The fasting peripheral blood of pregnant women during the second trimester of pregnancy was collected,and the metabolites were quantitatively analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatogrey-triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry(UHPLC-QqQ MS).The basic characteristics and plasma metabolite concentrations were compared between PE group and non-PE group.Poisson regression was used for plasma metabolite-related PE relative risk(RR)analysis,and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the accuracy of PE model prediction.Results:①Compared with the non-PE group,the rate of elderly pregnant women was higher,the concentration of betaine was lower,and the concentra-tion of choline was higher in PE group.The differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).②Poisson regres-sion analysis showed that in the model adjusted for all confounding factors,there was a positive correlation be-tween maternal choline levels and PE risk(RR＞1,P＜0.05).The risk of PE occurrence increased as the in-crease of choline levels(Ptrend＜0.05).Betaine levels were negatively associated with PE risk(RR＜1,P＜0.05).The risk of PE occurrence decreased as the increase of betaine level(Ptrend＜0.05).There was no corre-lation between plasma levels of dimethylglycine,methionine and trimethylamine oxide and the risk of PE.③Pois-son regression analysis showed that the relative risk of PE was lowest when the plasma betaine/choline ratio was highest(RR0.32,95％Cl 0.14-0.75).When the dimethylglycine/betaine ratio was in the thirdpercentile,the risk of PE was increased in pregnant women(RR 2.53,95％Cl 1.01-6.32).(4)ln terms of PE prediction,the AUC combined with general risk factors and methionine metabolites was 0.80.Conclusions:Maternal choline and be-taine levels in the second trimester are related to the occurrence of PE in DCDA twin pregnancy,and provide a new idea for early prediction and intervention of PE.It is still necessary to expand the sample size to further verify and explore the mechanism.

Objective To investigate the relationship between serum indexes and the degree of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B(CHB)patients with HBeAg-negative and normal ALT,and to establish a new non-invasive model for predicting liver fibrosis in CHB patients.Methods The clinical data of 679 HBeAg-negative chronic HBV infected patients with normal ALT who underwent liver biopsy from October 2012 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed.Among these patients,they were categorized into the control group(S1,observation group)the and significant fibrosis group(S2/S3/S4,control group)based on liver biopsy results.The LASSO regression model was used for covariates selection and the restricted cubic splines model was used to examine nonlinear associations between covariates and outcomes.We used Logistic regression models to establish predictive models.Results Liver biopsy showed that 48.7%of the patients had obvious fibrosis(S≥2).GGT shows a nonlinear relationship with the degree of liver fibrosis.AST and PT show a positive relationship with the liver fibrosis degree,respectively.The area under the ROC curve(AUC)of GGT + PT + AST is 0.68(95%CI:0.64～0.72),and this model performed better than models established using GPR,APRI,and FIB-4.Conclusion The prediction model of GGT + PT+AST has high predictive value on the severity of liver fibrosis among CHB patients whose HBeAg is negative.

Objective:To investigate the awareness and attitude towards living wills among community-dwelling elderly in Taiyuan.Methods:A total of 540 residents aged 60 years or older were selected from six communities of Taiyuan city for face-to-face questionnaire survey from November 2018 to March 2019. Chi-square test and logistic regression model were used to analyze the influencing factors for awareness and attitude towards living wills.Results:The awareness rate of living wills in responders was 44.1%(226/513); and the awareness was significantly associated with age (χ 2=11.09, P=0.001), education level (χ 2=7.95, P=0.005), and daily living abilities (χ 2=8.10, P=0.017) of the residents. After the knowledge popularization, 49.9%(256/513) of responders were willing to sign the living order documents. The multivariate logistics analysis showed that residents with age of 60-74 years ( OR=2.151, 95% CI:1.380-2.941), with bachelor degree or above ( OR=3.048, 95% CI:1.571-5.913), with severely impaired activities of daily living ( OR=2.849, 95% CI:1.223-6.638), with multimorbidity ( OR=1.654, 95% CI:1.138-2.404), and with knowledge of living will ( OR=1.596, 95% CI:1.098-2.322) were more likely to sign a living will document. Conclusion:The awareness and acceptance of living wills among the community-dwelling elderly in Taiyuan city is not so high, and it is necessary to further strengthen the promotion of living wills in the city.

Early childhood caries (ECC) is a significant chronic disease of childhood and a rising public health burden worldwide. ECC may cause a higher risk of new caries lesions in both primary and permanent dentition, affecting lifelong oral health. The occurrence of ECC has been closely related to the core microbiome change in the oral cavity, which may be influenced by diet habits, oral health management, fluoride use, and dental manipulations. So, it is essential to improve parental oral health and awareness of health care, to establish a dental home at the early stage of childhood, and make an individualized caries management plan. Dental interventions according to the minimally invasive concept should be carried out to treat dental caries. This expert consensus mainly discusses the etiology of ECC, caries-risk assessment of children, prevention and treatment plan of ECC, aiming to achieve lifelong oral health.
Child ; Child, Preschool ; Consensus ; Dental Caries/prevention & control* ; Dental Caries Susceptibility ; Humans ; Oral Health