OBJECTIVES: To compare the clinical effect on Bell's facial palsy in the acute stage between the staging comprehensive treatment with acupuncture-moxibustion and western medication. METHODS: Sixty patients with Bell's facial palsy in the acute stage were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, with 30 cases in each one. The patients in the control group were administered orally with prednisone acetate tablets and methylcobalamin tablets until the 28th day of illness. In the observation group, the staging comprehensive treatment with acupuncture-moxibustion was adopted. On the affected side, Qianzheng (EX-HN 16), Yifeng (TE 17), Sibai (ST 2), Yangbai (GB 14), Jiache (ST 6), Dicang (ST 4) and Touwei (ST 8), etc. were stimulated. In the acute stage (Day 1 to 7 of illness), the routine acupuncture and the point-toward-point needle insertion were delivered, no any manipulation was exerted at acupoints, and the needles were retained for 30 min. In the subacute stage (Day 8 to 14 of illness), on the base of the treatment as the acute stage, the depth of needle insertion was adjusted at a part of acupoints and the even needling technique was operated by twisting needle. Besides, electroacupuncture (EA) was attached to Qianzheng (EX-HN 16) and Dicang (ST 4), with continuous wave of low intensity and high frequency, 100 Hz, for 20 min. In the recovery stage (Day 15 to 28 of illness), on the base of the treatment as the subacute stage, the heavy stimulation of acupuncture was given, in which, the sticking and lifting needle techniques were delivered after the needles were inserted from Sibai (ST 2) toward Dicang (ST 4), and from Dicang (ST 4) toward Jiache (ST 6), separately; warm needling was operated at Yifeng (TE 17), and EA changed to stimulate the acupoints with the intermittent wave of high intensity and low frequency, 2 Hz, for 30 min. Acupuncture-moxibustion was given once every other day until the end of the 28th day of illness. The level of House-Brackmann facial nerve function rating scale (H-B grade),the score of Sunnybrook facial nerve grading system (Sunnybrook), the score of facial disability index (FDI), the temperature difference in the infrared thermal imaging facial area and electromyogram (EMG) situation of the affected muscle group were observed before and after treatment in the two groups. Using musculoskeletal ultrasound,the facial nerve diameter was detected and the clinical effect was compared between the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment, the level of H-B grade, Sunnybrook score, the scores of physical function and social life function in FDI were improved when compared with those before treatment in the patients of either group (P<0.01, P<0.05), and the results of these evaluations in the observation group were better than those of the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the temperature difference of the frontal area, the eye area, the zygomatic area and the mouth corner was declined in comparison with that before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05), and the temperature difference in each area in the observation group was lower than that of the control group (P<0.05).The root mean square (RMS) of the frontal muscle group, the zygomatic muscle group and the orbicularis muscle group on the affected side increased in comparison with that before treatment in the two groups (P<0.01), and RMS of the observation group was higher than that of the control group (P<0.05) after treatment. Before treatment, the diameter of the facial nerve on the affected side was larger than that on the healthy side (P<0.01), and after treatment, the diameter on the affected side was reduced when compared with that before treatment in the two groups (P<0.01); the diameter of the facial nerve on the affected side in the observation group was smaller than that of the control group (P<0.05), while, the diameter on the affected side was larger when compared with the healthy side in the control group (P<0.05). The total effective rate of the observation group was 93.3% (28/30), higher than that of the control group (83.3% [25/30], P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The staging comprehensive treatment with acupuncture-moxibustion is clearly effective on Bell's facial palsy in the acute stage, which affirms the effectiveness of acupuncture-moxibustion for the acute stage of Bell's facial palsy in comparison with conventional western medication.
Humans ; Facial Paralysis/therapy* ; Moxibustion ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Bell Palsy/therapy* ; Face

Background::Limited information exists regarding the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on psoriasis patients. The objective of this study was to identify clinical factors associated with the prognosis of psoriasis following SARS-CoV-2 infection.Methods::A retrospective, multicenter study was conducted between March and May 2023. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to identify factors associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related psoriasis outcomes. The study included 2371 psoriasis patients from 12 clinical centers, with 2049 of them having been infected with SARS-CoV-2.Results::Among the infected groups, lower exacerbation rates were observed in individuals treated with biologics compared to those receiving traditional systemic or nonsystemic treatments (22.3% [236/1058] vs. 39.8% [92/231] vs. 37.5% [140/373], P <0.001). Psoriasis progression with lesions (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 8.197, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 5.685–11.820, compared to no lesions), hypertension (adjusted OR = 1.582, 95% CI = 1.068–2.343), traditional systemic (adjusted OR = 1.887, 95% CI= 1.263–2.818), and nonsystemic treatment (adjusted OR= 1.602, 95% CI= 1.117–2.297) were found to be associated with exacerbation of psoriasis after SARS-CoV-2 infection, but not biologics (adjusted OR = 0.931, 95% CI = 0.680–1.274, compared to no treatment), according to multivariable logistic regression analysis. Conclusions::A reduced risk of psoriasis exacerbation after SARS-CoV-2 infection was observed with biologics compared to traditional systemic and nonsystemic treatments. Significant risk factors for exacerbation after infection were identified as existing psoriatic lesions and hypertension.

Objective To review the literatures about ability in management of perioperative frailty in the elderly cancer patients and to provide references for clinical development of perioperative frailty management.Methods The methodological framework proposed by Arskey and O'Malley was used to retrieve studies on perioperative management of frailty in elderly cancer patients through the databases of CNKI,Wanfang Data,Chinese Biomedical Literature,PubMed,CINAHL,Embase,Cochrane and Scopus,from inception of the databases to May 2023.The included literatures were summarised and analysed by two independent researchers.Results A total of 23 studies were included,with 14 randomised controlled trials,6 reviews,1 expert consensus and 2 quasi-experimental studies.Perioperative frailty management abstracted from the retrieved literatures included preoperative frailty management,early postoperative frailty management,continuous frailty management after discharge,and hospice care management.Conclusions Perioperative fateful management of elderly cancer patients is diversified,including management of perioperative frailty,early postoperative frailty,continuous frailty after discharge and hospice care.The results of this study provide references in perioperative frailty management of elderly cancer patients.

Objective To monitor the susceptibility of clinical isolates to antimicrobial agents in tertiary hospitals in major regions of China in 2022.Methods Clinical isolates from 58 hospitals in China were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using a unified protocol based on disc diffusion method or automated testing systems.Results were interpreted using the 2022 Clinical &Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)breakpoints.Results A total of 318 013 clinical isolates were collected from January 1,2022 to December 31,2022,of which 29.5％were gram-positive and 70.5％were gram-negative.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains in Staphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermidis and other coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species(excluding Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Staphylococcus schleiferi)was 28.3％,76.7％and 77.9％,respectively.Overall,94.0％of MRSA strains were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and 90.8％of MRSE strains were susceptible to rifampicin.No vancomycin-resistant strains were found.Enterococcus faecalis showed significantly lower resistance rates to most antimicrobial agents tested than Enterococcus faecium.A few vancomycin-resistant strains were identified in both E.faecalis and E.faecium.The prevalence of penicillin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae was 94.2％in the isolates from children and 95.7％in the isolates from adults.The resistance rate to carbapenems was lower than 13.1％in most Enterobacterales species except for Klebsiella,21.7％-23.1％of which were resistant to carbapenems.Most Enterobacterales isolates were highly susceptible to tigecycline,colistin and polymyxin B,with resistance rates ranging from 0.1％to 13.3％.The prevalence of meropenem-resistant strains decreased from 23.5％in 2019 to 18.0％in 2022 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and decreased from 79.0％in 2019 to 72.5％in 2022 in Acinetobacter baumannii.Conclusions The resistance of clinical isolates to the commonly used antimicrobial agents is still increasing in tertiary hospitals.However,the prevalence of important carbapenem-resistant organisms such as carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa,and A.baumannii showed a downward trend in recent years.This finding suggests that the strategy of combining antimicrobial resistance surveillance with multidisciplinary concerted action works well in curbing the spread of resistant bacteria.

Humans ; Asthma/drug therapy* ; Biological Therapy

Objective To investigate the fertility history and demand for reproductive health services of new residents in Shanghai. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted among 1 358 new residents in 36 survey sites in 7 districts of Shanghai from July to September 2020. The content includes fertility history， induced abortion history， demand for reproductive health-related services， awareness rate of the Shanghai Family Planning Association and service access rate， etc. Results Among the new residents themselves and their spouses/sexual partners， 31.3% （374/1 194） had been pregnant once and 33.6% （401/1 194） had been pregnant twice； 46.3% （533/1 194）had one child and 29.7% （355/1 194）had two children. The difference of number of births among new residents with different residence time， those who did or did not possess permanent residency or residence permits， and those from different sources （urban or rural） was statistically significant （ χ ²=158.664， 50.263， 16.011， 114.419， all P <0.001）. Among the new residents themselves and their spouses / sexual partners， the proportion of induced abortion of more than once was 36.1%. The difference of the number of abortions of new residents with or without permanent residency was statistically significant （ χ ²=19.389， P <0.001）. The awareness rate of new residents of the harm of induced abortion to health was 92.1% （1 100/1 194）； There were significant differences in the scientific knowledge of harm of induced abortion to health among new residents with different local residence time and those with or without a residence permit （ χ ²=36.590， 20.926， both P <0.001）. The awareness rate of the Family Planning Association was 82.6% （986/1 194）， and the service access rate was 51.3% （613/1 194）. Permanent residency and residence permits are the main factors that affect the service accessibility of the Shanghai Family Planning Association. 44.8% （535/1 194） of new residents hope to receive reproductive health services in their place of residence， and they are most concerned about knowledge on good prenatal and postnatal care. Conclusion We should further publicize the "three-child" fertility policy， advocate a friendly fertility culture， and provide new residents with people-centered and accurate reproductive health services adapted to their needs through multi-sectoral cooperation， so as to improve their reproductive health level.

Oolong tea is a semi-fermented tea with strong flavor, which is widely favored by consumers because of its floral and fruity aroma as well as fresh and mellow taste. During the processing of oolong tea, withering is the first indispensable process for improving flavor formation. However, the molecular mechanism that affects the flavor formation of oolong tea during withering remains unclear. Transcriptome sequencing was used to analyze the difference among the fresh leaves, indoor-withered leaves and solar-withered leaves of oolong tea. A total of 10 793 differentially expressed genes were identified from the three samples. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in flavonoid synthesis, terpenoid synthesis, plant hormone signal transduction and spliceosome pathways. Subsequently, twelve differentially expressed genes and four differential splicing genes were identified from the four enrichment pathways for fluorescence quantitative PCR analysis. The results showed that the expression patterns of the selected genes during withering were consistent with the results in the transcriptome datasets. Further analysis revealed that the transcriptional inhibition of flavonoid biosynthesis-related genes, the transcriptional enhancement of terpenoid biosynthesis-related genes, as well as the jasmonic acid signal transduction and the alternative splicing mechanism jointly contributed to the flavor formation of high floral and fruity aroma and low bitterness in solar-withered leaves. The results may facilitate better understanding the molecular mechanisms of solar-withering treatment in flavor formation of oolong tea.
Camellia sinensis/genetics* ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Plant Leaves ; Plant Proteins/metabolism* ; Taste ; Tea ; Transcriptome/genetics*

Objective:To explore the predictive value of peripheral blood CD34-positive cell count for the stem cell mobilization effect of plerixafor in patients with multiple myeloma (MM).Methods:The clinical data of 12 MM patients who used plerixafor for stem cell mobilization in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from December 2019 to February 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The changes of peripheral blood CD34-positive cell count and the collection status of stem cell in all patients before and after the mobilization of plerixafor were analyzed.Results:Twelve patients were included in this study. These patients were in international staging system (ISS) stage Ⅱ-Ⅲ, and the induction therapy was mainly VRD regimen. The CD34-positive cell count was increased after the use of plerixafor in all patients no matter which mobilization strategies were used before plerixafor. The CD34-positive cell count was 3.63/μl (0.72-13.53/μl) and 32.11/μl (8.52-53.68/μl) before and after the use of plerixafor, and the difference was statistically significant ( Z = -0.40, P<0.001); the median increasing time was 11.50 times (1.61-23.71 times). The mobilization failure occurred in 1 patient. The CD34-positive cell count in his blood was less than 1/μl before the use of plerixafor; though increased 11.83 times after the use of plerixafor, the CD34-positive cell count was still less than 10/μl. Pearson analysis showed that among the patients with CD34-positive cell count less than 4/μl before the use of plerixafor, there was a positive correlation in peripheral blood CD34-positive cell count before and after the use of plerixafor ( r = 0.80, P = 0.032). Conclusions:The peripheral blood CD34-positive cell count has a certain predictive value for the stem cell mobilization effect of plerixafor in MM patients.

Objective:To investigate the expression of fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2) in psoriatic skin lesions, as well as its regulatory factors.Methods:FADS2 expression in psoriatic skin lesions was analyzed by using the dataset GDS4602 in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Skin tissues were obtained from the back of 5 C57BL/6 mouse models of imiquimod-induced psoriasis, normal skin of 4 patients without psoriasis or other immune skin diseases, lesions of 4 patients with psoriasis before and after 10-week treatment with infliximab, as well as lesions of 3 patients with psoriasis before and after 12-week treatment with secukinumab in Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital. FADS2 expression was determined by both immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis in the epidermis of mouse skin tissues, and by immunohistochemical staining in that of human skin tissues. In vitro cultured human immortalized keratinocytes (HaCaT) were divided into several groups to be treated with 50 ng/ml tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) alone for 0, 6, 12 and 24 hours respectively, 200 ng/ml interleukin-17A (IL-17A) alone for 0, 6 and 12 hours respectively, or treated with 50 ng/ml TNF-α and 5 μmol/L BAY 11-7082 (a nuclear factor-κB pathway inhibitor) for 6 hours (TNF-α+ BAY 11-7082 6 h group) , and the cells receiving normal culture served as the control group. After the above treatment, real-time fluorescence-based quantitative PCR (qPCR) and Western blot analysis were conducted to determine the mRNA and protein expression of FADS2 respectively. Statistical analysis was carried out by using one-way analysis of variance and t test. Results:Analysis of the dataset GDS4602 showed that the FADS2 mRNA expression was significantly lower in the lesional and non-lesional skin tissues from the patients with psoriasis (0.656 ± 0.475, 1.503 ± 1.062, respectively) than in the normal skin tissues (2.035 ± 1.226; F = 55.17, 3.07, P < 0.001, = 0.012, respectively) , and was significantly lower in the lesional skin tissues than in the non-lesional skin tissues from the patients with psoriasis ( F = 26.27, P < 0.001) . Western blot analysis and immunohistochemical staining both showed significantly decreased FADS2 protein expression in the mouse skin tissues in the imiquimod group (gray-value ratio: 0.463 ± 0.172; fluorescence intensity: 21.840 ± 3.125) compared with the normal control group (gray-value ratio: 1.000, t = 7.00, P = 0.002; fluorescence intensity: 30.720 ± 6.850, t = 3.15, P = 0.035) . Compared with the skin lesions before treatment, the FADS2 protein expression significantly increased in the skin lesions from the patients with psoriasis after 10-week treatment with infliximab (43.775± 3.342 vs. 27.950 ±1.218, t = -6.95, P = 0.006) , but was not significantly changed in the skin lesions from the patients with psoriasis after 12-week treatment with secukinumab (28.667 ± 3.402 vs. 31.933 ± 2.987, t = 2.72, P = 0.113) . qPCR revealed that the FADS2 mRNA expression significantly decreased in HaCaT cells in the TNF-α 6 h group and TNF-α 12 h group compared with the TNF-α 0 h group ( P = 0.002, 0.003, respectively) , while there was no significant change in the FADS2 mRNA expression in the IL-17A 6 h group and IL-17A 12 h group compared with the IL-17A 0 h group ( P = 0.849, 0.961, respectively) . The FADS2 mRNA expression significantly decreased in HaCaT cells in the TNF-α 6 h group (0.682 ± 0.132) compared with the control group (1.000, t = 4.82, P = 0.017) , but significantly increased in the TNF-α + BAY 11-7082 6 h group (1.541 ± 0.525) compared with the TNF-α 6 h group ( t = -3.58, P = 0.037) . Western blot analysis revealed significantly decreased FADS2 protein expression in HaCaT cells in the TNF-α 24 h group compared with the TNF-α 0 h group ( F = 6.24, P = 0.013) . Conclusion:FADS2 expression was downregulated in psoriatic lesions, which may be related to TNF-α.

Objective:To investigate changes in circadian gene cryptochrome 2 (CRY2) expression in mouse models of psoriasis and HaCaT cells, and to explore underlying mechanisms.Methods:Imiquimod-induced mouse model experiment: 12 C57BL/6 female mice were randomly and equally divided into imiquimod group receiving topical imiquimod treatment for 5 consecutive days and control group receiving no treatment; these mice were sacrificed on day 6, skin tissues were resected from the back of mice, and immunofluorescence staining was performed to determine the CRY2 expression in the epidermis. HaCaT cell transfection experiment: HaCaT cells with small interfering RNA (siRNA) -mediated knockdown of CRY2 served as siRNA-CRY2 group, and siRNA-NC group as control group; 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) staining was performed to evaluate the proliferative activity of the HaCaT cells, real-time fluorescence-based quantitative PCR (qPCR) to determine the mRNA expression of chemokines in the HaCaT cells, and Western blot analysis to determine phosphorylation levels of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) . Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) -stimulated animal and cell experiments: 12 C57BL/6 female mice were randomly and equally divided into TNF-α group subcutaneously injected with TNF-α solution in the ear for 6 days, and phosphate buffered saline (PBS) group subcutaneously injected with the same amount of PBS; the mice were sacrificed on day 7, skin tissues were resected from the ear of mice, and immunofluorescence staining was conducted to determine the CRY2 expression in the epidermis; CRY2-knockdown HaCaT cells stimulated with 50 ng/ml TNF-α for 12 hours served as siRNA-CRY2 + TNF-α group, and siRNA-NC + TNF-α group as control group; qPCR was performed to determine the mRNA expression of chemokines in HaCaT cells in the above groups. Statistical analysis was carried out by using two-independent-sample t test. Results:Immunofluorescence staining showed that the CRY2 protein expression was significantly lower in the mouse dorsal epidermis in the imiquimod group (0.94 ± 0.23) than in the control group (2.30 ± 0.25, t = 3.99, P = 0.016) . Compared with the siRNA-NC group, the siRNA-CRY2 group showed significantly increased proportions of EdU-positive cells (48.13% ± 10.97% vs. 38.23% ± 0.81%, t = 5.00, P = 0.007) , mRNA expression levels of chemokines CXCL1 and CXCL8, as well as significantly increased phosphorylated (p) -ERK1/2 protein expression levels (all P < 0.05) , while there were no significant differences in the CCL20 mRNA expression or ERK1/2 protein expression between the two groups (both P > 0.05) . Immunofluorescence staining showed significantly decreased CRY2 protein expression level in the mouse ear epidermis in the TNF-α group (0.37 ± 0.34) compared with the PBS group (2.04 ± 0.17, t = 4.38, P = 0.012) ; the relative mRNA expression levels of chemokines CXCL1, CXCL8, and CCL20 in HaCaT cells were significantly higher in the siRNA-CRY2 + TNF-α group than in the siRNA-NC + TNF-α group (all P < 0.05) . Conclusion:CRY2 was markedly underexpressed in psoriasis, which might promote the proliferation of keratinocytes and expression of chemokines CXCL1, CXCL8 and CCL20, and TNF-α might be an upstream cytokine that could downregulate CRY2 expression.