BACKGROUND: Huaier granule is an important medicinal fungus extract widely used in cancer treatment. Previous retrospective studies have reported its effectiveness in breast cancer patients, but the imbalanced baseline characteristics of participants could have biased the results. Therefore, this retrospective study aimed to examine the efficacy of Huaier granule on the prognosis of breast cancer patients. METHODS: In this single-center cohort study, breast cancer patients diagnosed and treated at the Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine between 2009 and 2017 were selected. The data were retrospectively analyzed and divided into two groups according to whether the patients received Huaier granules. The propensity score matching (PSM) method was used to eliminate selection bias. The disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) for these groups were compared using the Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox regression. RESULTS: This study included 214 early invasive breast cancer patients, 107 in the Huaier group and 107 in the control group. In the Kaplan-Meier analysis, the 2-year and 5-year DFS rates were significantly different in the Huaier group and control group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.495; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.257-0.953; P = 0.023). The 2-year and 5-year OS rates were also significantly different (HR, 0.308; 95% CI, 0.148-0.644; P = 0.001). On multivariable Cox regression, Huaier granule was associated with improved DFS (HR, 0.440; 95% CI, 0.223-0.868; P = 0.018) and OS (HR, 0.236; 95% CI, 0.103-0.540; P = 0.001). CONCLUSION In this retrospective study, Huaier granules improved the DFS and OS of early invasive breast cancer patients, providing real-world evidence for further prospective studies on treating breast cancer with Huaier granules.
Humans ; Breast Neoplasms/mortality* ; Retrospective Studies ; Female ; Propensity Score ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Prognosis ; Disease-Free Survival ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Aged ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Complex Mixtures/therapeutic use* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Trametes

BACKGROUND: Whether adherence to a healthy lifestyle is associated with a lower risk of developing pneumonia and a better long-term prognosis remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate associations of individual and combined lifestyle factors (LFs) with the incidence risk and long-term prognosis of pneumonia hospitalization. METHODS: Using data from the China Kadoorie Biobank study, we used the multistate models to investigate the role of five high-risk LFs, including smoking, excessive alcohol drinking, unhealthy dietary habits, physical inactivity, and unhealthy body shape, alone or in combination in the transitions from a generally healthy state at baseline to pneumonia hospitalization or cardiovascular disease (CVD, regarded as a reference outcome), and subsequently to mortality. RESULTS: Most of the five high-risk LFs were associated with increased risks of transitions from baseline to pneumonia and from pneumonia to death, but with different risk estimates. The greater the number of high-risk LFs, the higher the risk of developing pneumonia and long-term mortality risk after pneumonia, with the strength of associations comparable to that of LFs and CVD. Compared to participants with 0-1 high-risk LF, the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for transitions from baseline to pneumonia and from pneumonia to death in those with five high-risk LFs were 1.43 (1.28-1.60) and 1.98 (1.61-2.42), respectively. Correspondingly, the respective HRs (95% CIs) for transitions from baseline to CVD and from CVD to death were 2.00 (1.89-2.11) and 1.44 (1.30-1.59), respectively. The risk estimates changed slightly when further adjusting for the presence of major chronic diseases. CONCLUSION In this Chinese population, unhealthy LFs were associated with an increased incidence and long-term mortality risk of pneumonia.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Cardiovascular Diseases/etiology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Life Style ; Pneumonia/etiology* ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors ; Smoking

This paper summarized Professor BU He's clinical experience in the integrative internal and external treatment of pediatric functional constipation. He believes that dysfunction of the spleen in transportation leads to impaired function of the sanjiao （三焦） and intestinal obstruction， which constitutes the core pathogenesis of pediatric functional constipation. The treatment emphasizes regulating the spleen and harmonizing the pivot， as well as unblocking the bowel and eliminating stagnation. An integrated approach combining internal and external therapies is advocated. Internally， Chinese herbal medicine， primarily Modified Sijunzi Decoction and Shaoyao Gancao Decoction （四君子汤合芍药甘草汤加减） is used to regulate the internal organs. Externally， pediatric tuina and moxibustion on qi interlocking are employed. Together， these methods fortify the spleen and facilitate transportation， restoring the smooth function of the sanjiao pivot， and ensuring intestinal patency， thereby relieving constipation.

Bone is a highly calcified and vascularized tissue. The vascular system plays a vital role in supporting bone growth and repair, such as the provision of nutrients, growth factors, and metabolic waste transfer. Moreover, the additional functions of the bone vasculature, such as the secretion of various factors and the regulation of bone-related signaling pathways, are essential for maintaining bone health. In the bone microenvironment, bone tissue cells play a critical role in regulating angiogenesis, including osteoblasts, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), and osteoclasts. Osteogenesis and bone angiogenesis are closely linked. The decrease in osteogenesis and bone angiogenesis caused by aging leads to osteoporosis. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in various physiological processes, including osteogenesis and angiogenesis. Recent studies have shown that lncRNAs could mediate the crosstalk between angiogenesis and osteogenesis. However, the mechanism by which lncRNAs regulate angiogenesis‒osteogenesis crosstalk remains unclear. In this review, we describe in detail the ways in which lncRNAs regulate the crosstalk between osteogenesis and angiogenesis to promote bone health, aiming to provide new directions for the study of the mechanism by which lncRNAs regulate bone metabolism.
RNA, Long Noncoding/physiology* ; Osteogenesis/physiology* ; Humans ; Neovascularization, Physiologic/genetics* ; Bone and Bones/metabolism* ; Animals ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells ; Signal Transduction ; Osteoblasts ; Osteoclasts ; Angiogenesis

Objective To study the relationship between economic level and cognitive level of the elderly, and to test the mediating effect of social participation between the two. Methods SPSS 26.0 was used for data processing. Ordinary least squares (OLS) linear regression was used to analyze the relationship between economic level, social participation and cognitive level. The mediation effect test was used to test the mediating effect of social participation between economic level and cognitive level. Results In the OLS regression model, model 2 showed that the estimation of economic level was 0.000 003 52, model 3 showed that the estimation of social participation was -0.316 907 5, and model 4 showed that the economic level was -0.000 003 39, all of which were significant at the level of 1%. The mediating effect size of social participation was 0.298 295 45, and the robustness test showed that the correlation coefficient between economic level and cognitive level orientation was 0.000 002 15, which was highly significant at the 1% level. Conclusion There is a positive correlation between the economic level and cognitive level of the elderly, and there is a positive correlation between the social participation and cognitive level of the elderly. The economic level of the elderly improves their cognitive level through the mediating effect of social participation, and the impact effect of social participation is 29.83%.

Objective To develop"guideline for risk assessment and prevention of noninvasive ventilation related facial pressure injuries in adults"and to provide a reference for clinical medical staff to evaluate and prevent noninvasive ventilation related facial pressure injuries.Methods Referring to the"WHO Guideline Development Manual",clinical problems were formed through 3 rounds of Delphi expert consultation.The relevant recommendation opinions and evidence were screened,extracted,integrated and evaluated to form a draft consensus.Through a round of Delphi expert consultation and a round of expert consensus meeting,expert opinions were combined to modify and improve the content of each item to form a final draft of the expert consensus.Results Recommendations for the constructed guideline included 7 aspects of risk factors,high-risk sites,assessment tools,assessment timing and content,selection of non-invasive ventilation equipment,selection of dressings,and preventive measures,including 7 clinical questions and 15 recommendations.Conclusion The"guideline for risk assessment and prevention of noninvasive ventilation related facial pressure injuries in adults"was an evidence-based guideline based on the best evidence,Chinese clinical reality,and professional judgment,and it can provide practice bases for scientific clinical decisions making by clinical medical staff and managers.

Objective This paper aims to investigate and analyze the baseline conformity rate of bacterial culture exami-nation records in a tertiary specialized hospital.By doing this,this paper seeks to understand the current situation of medical re-cord writing of bacterial culture examination and explore the improvement path and relevant measures for enhancing the conformity rate of bacterial culture examination records.Methods According to the requirements of"Quality Control Index of Medical Re-cord Management(2021 Edition)",a retrospective analysis was conducted on 6 317 medical records that underwent bacterial culture examination in 2022.Results The execution rate of medical orders was 100.00％,the completeness rate of the report sheet was 100.00％,the record rate of medical records was 81.05％,the analysis rate of results was 33.07％,and the conformi-ty rate of bacterial culture examination records was 33.07％.Conclusion It is imperative to enhance the conformity rate of bac-terial culture examination records and improve the quality of medical records in terms of content.

The pathogenesis of diabetic peripheral neuropathy(DPN)is driven by environmental factors,which can induce epigenetic changes and make it a bridge between environment and gene expression.Hyperglycemia causes changes in DNA methylation,abnormal regulation of enzyme activity involved in his tone modification,and is associated with chromatin structural modification,leading to alterations in DPN gene expression.This article reviews the research progress of epigenetic effects on DPN.

AIM:To explore the roles and associations of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha(HNF4A)and mu-protocadherin(MUCDHL)in the kidney of diabetic mice.METHODS:(1)A cohort of six 12-week-old db/m mice and six db/db mice were selected and maintained on a standard diet until 16 weeks.The protein levels of fibronectin(FN),collagen type III(Col-III),E-cadherin,α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA),HNF4A,Snail and MUCDHL in renal tissues were scrutinized using Western blot.Immunohistochemical staining was conducted to observe the distribution and expres-sion of FN,HNF4A and MUCDHL.(2)Mouse renal tubular epithelial cells(mRTEC)were cultured in vitro and catego-rized into groups:normal glucose(NG)group,high glucose(HG)group,overexpression control groups(NG+vector and HG+vector),overexpression groups(NG+OE-MUCDHL,HG+OE-MUCDHL,NG+OE-HNF4A and HG+OE-HNF4A),knockdown control groups(NG+control and HG+control),and knockdown groups(NG+si-MUCDHL,HG+si-MUCDHL,NG+si-HNF4A and HG+si-HNF4A).The relevant protein levels were also detected by Western blot.RESULTS:(1)In db/db group,elevated body weight,blood glucose and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio(UACR)indicated significant re-nal injury.Compared with db/m group,the mice in db/db group exhibited increased expression of FN,Col-III,α-SMA and Snail,and decreased expression of E-cadherin,HNF4A and MUCDHL.MUCDHL was predominantly expressed in the apical membrane of renal tubular epithelial cells,FN in the tubular mesenchyme,and HNF4A in the plasma and nu-cleus of renal tubular cells.(2)In HG group,there was an up-regulation in the expression of fibrosis-related proteins and a down-regulation in the expression of E-cadherin,HNF4A and MUCDHL compared with NG group.Overexpression of MUCDHL led to a decrease in the expression of FN,Col-III,α-SMA and Snail proteins,an increase in the expression of E-cadherin and MUCDHL proteins,and unaltered expression of HNF4A.Knockdown of MUCDHL resulted in a reversal of the aforementioned effects,with HNF4A expression remaining unaltered.Overexpression of HNF4A led to an increased ex-pression of MUCDHL,and the expression changes of the remaining indicators were consistent with the overexpression of MUCDHL.Knockdown of HNF4A reversed the aforementioned effects.MUCDHL may represent a downstream target gene of HNF4A.CONCLUSION:The diminished expression of HNF4A and MUCDHL in the renal tubules of diabetic mice implies their involvement in the progression of renal fibrosis in diabetic kidney disease(DKD).HNF4A may potentially impede the progression of renal fibrosis in DKD by up-regulating the expression of MUCDHL.

Objective To investigate the effects of dexmedetomidine(DEX)combined with sufentanil for patient-controlled intravenous analgesia(PCIA)on postoperative immune function and respiratory function recovery in patients undergoing thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer.Method From October 2020 to June 2022,92 ASA Ⅰ or Ⅱ patients scheduled for thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer were selected in our hospital,and they were randomly divided into sufentanil group(Group S)and DEX group(Group D)with 46 cases in each group.There was one case of postoperative bleeding in group S and one case of intraoperative bleeding in group D withdrew from the experiment.the group S postoperative PCIA with sufentanil injection 1.0 μg/kg pre day and tropisetron hydrochloride 20 mg/150 ml,Group D was treated with dexmedetomidine 1.0 μg/kg pre day and sufentanil injection 1.0 μg/kg pre day and tropisetron hydrochloride 20 mg/150 ml.At the four time points in preoperative day(T0),24 h(T1),48h(T2)and 72 h(T3)after operation.Rest and cough NRS scores and SAS scores were recorded and venous blood samples were taken to detected CD3+,CD4+,CD8+,CRP and PCT,Arterial blood gas analysis was detected to calculate OI;clinical pulmonary infection score(CPIS),the incidence of hypoxemia and pulmonary edema and adverse reactions including nausea and vomiting,drowsiness,bradycardia,respiratory depression and shivers were recorded at T2.Results Compared with S group,NRS score of resting or cough,SAS score,CRP and PCT of group D were significantly decreased at T,to T3(P＜0.05),while CD3+,CD4+,CD4+/CD8+and OI value was increased,CD8+was only lower in T1(P＜0.05).There were no significant differences in rest and cough NRS scores、SAS scores、CD3+、CD4+、CD8+、CD4+/CD8+、CRP,PCT and OI between the two groups at T0(P＞0.05).Compared with T0,Rest and cough NRS scores、CRP and PCT were significantly increased,CD3+、CD4+、CD4+/CD8+、OI and SAS scores were decreased in the two groups at T1-T3,CD8+increased only at T1 and T2(P＜0.05).Compared with group S[8(17.8％),(3.5±1.3)],the proportion of nausea and vomiting and CPIS score in group D[1(2.2％),(1.2±1.1)]was decreased(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in the proportion of hypoxemia,pulmonary edema,drowsiness,bradycardia,respiratory depression and shivers(P＞0.05).Conclusion Dexmedetomidine combined with sufentanil patient-controlled analgesia has better analgesic and sedative effects,which can not only reduce the degree of immunosuppression caused by surgical trauma,but also reduce the adverse reactions of opioids,and is conducive to the recovery of postoperative respiratory function.It is a safer PCIA method after thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer.