OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Zhenqi Buxue Oral Liquid (ZQ), progesterone capsules, and their combination in treating oligomenorrhea and hypomenorrhea with qi-blood and Kidney (Shen) essence deficiency. METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized, multi-center controlled trial between June 2022 to December 2022. Ninety-six oligomenorrhea and hypomenorrhea patients with qi-blood and Shen essence deficiency were randomly assigned to receive ZQ (ZQ group, 29 cases), progesterone capsules (PG group, 32 cases), or the combined Chinese and Western medicine (COM group, 31 cases) at a ratio of 1:1:1. Patients in the ZQ or PG group took daily 10 mL twice a day of ZQ or 200 mg once a day of progesterone capsules for 10 consecutive days on day 15 of the menstrual cycle respectively, and patients in the COM group received the same ZQ combined with progesterone capsules. The treatment course lasted for 3 months and follow-up was performed at 1 and 3 months after the end of treatment. Primary endpoint was the menstrual Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome Scale (TCMSS) scores. Secondary endpoints included pictorial blood loss assessment chart (PBAC) scores, clinical efficacy rate, 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) scores, sex hormones and thickness of endometrium. Adverse events (AEs) were recorded. RESULTS: TCMSS scores after 1- and 3-month treatment in all groups were significantly lower than those at baseline (P<0.05). Only TCMSS scores after 3-month treatment in the ZQ and COM groups continuously decreased compared with those after 1-month treatment in the same group (P<0.01). TCMSS scores after 3-month treatment in the ZQ and COM groups were significantly lower than those in the PG group (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with baseline, PBAC scores in the ZQ and COM groups after 3 months of treatment were also significantly higher (both P<0.01). The total effective rates of TCM syndrome of 3-month treatment were significantly improved in all groups compared with that after 1 month of treatment (P<0.05). The total effective rate of the COM group was the highest in the 3rd month of treatment and significantly higher than that of PG group alone (P<0.05). Compared with baseline, only the SF-36 scores of COM group were significantly improved after 3 months of treatment (P<0.05). No serious adverse reactions were observed after treatment. CONCLUSIONS The combination of ZQ and PG, or ZQ only had better effects on reducing TCMSS scores compared with PG, and COM showed the higher total effective rate compared with monotherapy. Besides, COM could effectively improve menstrual blood loss and quality of life. ZQ combined with PG may be an effective and safe option for oligomenorrhea and hypomenorrhea patients with qi-blood and Shen essence deficiency.
Female ; Humans ; Progesterone/therapeutic use* ; Qi ; Oligomenorrhea/drug therapy* ; Quality of Life ; Prospective Studies ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Capsules ; Kidney

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy of anodal or cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (atDCS and ctDCS) on upper limb function of stroke patients with moderate to severe upper extremity impairment. MethodsFrom January to September, 2022, 69 patients in Zhongda Hospital Southeast University were randomly divided into control group (n = 23), atDCS group (n = 23) and ctDCS group (n = 23). All the groups received conventional rehabilitation. Moreover, atDCS group received atDCS over the M1 area of the affected hemisphere, ctDCS group received ctDCS over the M1 area of the unaffected hemisphere, and the control group received placebo stimulation. Before and four weeks after treatment, they were assessed with Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremities (FMA-UE), Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) and modified Barthel index (MBI). ResultsBefore treatment, there was no significant difference in the scores of FMA-UE, WMFT and MBI among groups (F < 1.165, P > 0.05). After treatment, all the scores improved significantly in all the groups (|t| > 6.412, P < 0.001), and were higher in the atDCS group and ctDCS group than in the control group (P < 0.05), however, no significant difference was found between the atDCS group and ctDCS group (P > 0.05). ConclusionBoth atDCS and ctDCS could improve the upper limb motor function and activities of daily living of stroke patients with moderate to severe upper extremity impairment.

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the most commonly used method for non-surgical treatment of liver cancer, and it is usually used as an adjuvant therapy in patients who have not developed intrahepatic metastases after surgical resection. Postoperative adjuvant TACE therapy may provide a prognostic benefit in liver cancer patients with high recurrence risk. This article reviews the research progress of adjuvant TACE therapy for liver cancer after radical resection.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology* ; Chemoembolization, Therapeutic/methods* ; Hepatectomy ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/pathology* ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/pathology* ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical and cytogenetic characteristics of acute myeloid leukemia with myelodysplasia-related changes (AML-MRC) based on morphology define. METHODS: A total of 180 newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients were enrolled and retrospectively analyzed, and marrow cell morphology of 126 patients were re-evaluated. The clinical and cytogenetic characteristics, including ages, sex, WBC count, HGB level, PLT count, blasts percentage, abnormal karyotype detection rate of the patients in AML with multilineage dysplasia (AML-MRC-1), secondary AML from myelodysplastic/ myeloproliferative neoplasms (MDS/MPN) (AML-MRC-2), and AML not otherwise specified (AML-NOS) groups were investigated. RESULTS: There was no significant differences between the patients in three groups in terms of sex, age and platelet count (P=0.898, P=0.365, P=0.853), but AML-MRC-2 group (73.2%) was higher than AML-MRC-1 (60.0%) and AML-NOS (56.4%) in the percentages of patients over 60 years old (P=0.228); there were statistically significant differences on WBC count, HGB level, and blasts percentage (P=0.000, P=0.022, P=0.000, AML-MRC-2CONCLUSION Morphological reassessment of bone marrow cell dysplasia is crucial to the differential diagnoses between AML-MRC (defined only by morphological changes of multilineage dysplasia) and AML-NOS. And the detection rate of cytogenetic abnormalities that mainly consisted of complex karyotypes and myelodysplasia-related abnormalities was higher in AML-MRC patients.
Cytogenetic Analysis ; Cytogenetics ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics* ; Middle Aged ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes/genetics* ; Retrospective Studies

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of modified Liqi-Hewei Decoction combined with conventional western medicine therapy in the treatment of Hp-positive chronic superficial gastritis (CSG). Methods:A total of 96 patients with Hp-positive CSG in the First People’s Hospital of Lianyungang and Changshu No.1 People’s Hospital who met the inclusion criteria between January 2017 and January 2019 were divided into two groups according to the random number table method, with 48 in each group. The control group was treated with conventional western medicine, and study group was additionally given modified Liqi-Hewei Decoction on the basis of control group. Both groups were treated for 8 weeks and followed up for 12 weeks. The TCM symptom score, gastric mucosa and pathological grading were scored before and after treatment. Levels of motilin, gastrin and somatostatin were detected by immunoturbidimetry, and levels of CD3 +, CD4 + and CD8 + were detected by automatic flow cytometry and the ratio of CD4 +/CD8 + was calculated. The Hp negative conversion rate was observed, the adverse reactions were recorded, the clinical efficacy was evaluated and the recurrence rate was statistically analyzed. Results:The Hp negative conversion rate was 89.6% (43/48) in study group and was 72.9% (35/48) in control group, where the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=4.376, P=0.036). The total effective rate was 95.8% (46/48) in study group and was 83.3% (40/48) in control group ( χ2=5.031, P=0.025). After treatment, the scores of epigastric pain, upper abdominal fullness, acid reflux, belching and poor appetite in the study group were significantly lower than those in control group ( t=8.919, 3.971, 7.949, 8.171, 9.865, all Ps<0.01). The scores of gastric mucosa and pathological grading were significantly lower than those in control group ( t=13.705, 15.495, all Ps<0.001). After treatment, the levels of gastrin [(126.15 ± 14.36) ng/L vs. (152.38 ± 17.51) ng/L, t=8.025], motilin [(93.59 ± 11.87) ng/L vs. (102.48 ± 14.68) ng/L, t=3.263] and somatostatin [(36.76 ± 8.97) ng/L vs. (40.84 ± 10.68) ng/L, t=2.027] in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( P<0.01 or P<0.05). The levels of CD3 +, CD4 + and CD4 +/CD8 + were significantly higher than those in the control group ( t=6.883, 6.720, 4.306, all Ps<0.001). The recurrence rate was 4.3% (2/46) in the study group and was 17.5% (7/40) in the control group ( χ2=3.950, P=0.046). During treatment, the incidence rate of adverse reactions was 8.3% (4/48) in the study group and was 12.5% (6/48) in the control group ( χ2=0.446, P=0.504). Conclusion:Modified Liqi-Hewei Decoction combined with conventional western medicine therapy can effectively improve the levels of gastrointestinal hormones and clinical symptoms, enhance the immunity and Hp negative conversion rate, and reduce the recurrence rate of patients with Hp-positive CSG.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the non-genetic factors of overall survival in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). METHODS: Kaplan-Meier survival curve, Log-rank test and Cox regression model were used to carry out univariate and multivariate retrospective analysis on clinical and laboratory parameters of 51 patients who were newly diagnosed with MM and had complete follow-up data in the Department of Hematology, the Affiliated Jiangning Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from November 2011 to October 2019. RESULTS: Fifty-one patients included 29 males and 22 females. Followed up to December 2019, 21 cases died and 30 cases survived. The univariate analysis showed that the overall survival time of the patients was influenced by age, disease stage, standard treatment, new drugs, maintenance treatment, hypercalcemia, globulin, albumin, and hemoglobin. The overall survival time of patients with age <65 years old, ISS stage I and II, standardized treatment, new drugs, normal or below normal blood calcium, normal or below normal globulin, albumin ≥35 g/L or hemoglobin ≥100 g/L was prolonged significantly (P<0.05). The multivariate analysis showed that maintenance treatment, hypercalcemia (≥2.6 mmol/L), and hemoglobin (<100 g/L) were independent risk factors influencing the prognosis of MM patients. CONCLUSION Patients with blood calcium ≥2.6 mmol/L, hemoglobin <100 g/L, and who do not undergo regular maintenance therapy show a poor prognosis.
Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Multiple Myeloma/genetics* ; Patients ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Retrospective Studies

Objective:To investigate the effects of combination of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and mirror therapy (MT) on upper limb motor function after stroke. Methods:From April, 2018 to March, 2019, 78 stroke inpatients were randomly assigned into tDCS group (n = 26), MT group (n = 26) and combined group (n = 26). All the patients received their related therapy, respectively, based on routine medicine and rehabilitation. Their motor-evoked potential cortical latency (CL) and central motor conduction time (CMCT) in affected brain area were measured before and four weeks after treatment, while they were assessed with Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) and modified Barthel Index (MBI). Results:All CL, CMCT, and the scores of FMA-UE and MBI improved significantly in all the groups after treatment (|t| > 2.609,P < 0.05), and improved more in the combined group than in both tDCS group and MT group (P < 0.05). Conclusion:Both tDCS and MT could improve excitability of cerebral cortex of the affected brain area and promote the recovery of upper limb motor function for patient after stroke, and it is more effective in combination mode.

Objective:A new prescription containing Portulacae Herba was created and the molecular mechanism of the new prescription for treating diabetes was clarified based on big data of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. Method:Taking Portulacae Herba as the key word， the TCM Inheritance Support System and Encyclopedia of TCM （ETCM） were used to excavate the most frequently used medicines combined with Portulacae Herba， and form a new prescription. Based on the basic theory of TCM， this paper analyzed the rationality of the new prescription in treating diabetes， and used the Integrative Pharmacology-based Research Platform of TCM （TCMIP） to predict the target of the new prescription， and constructed the interaction network between drugs and targets of diabetes-related diseases， the key targets of drug intervention were enriched and analyzed， and the network graph of TCM-chemical composition-key target-pathway was drawn. Result:There were 89 prescriptions containing Portulacae Herba in ETCM. The most frequently used medicines in combination with Portulacae Herba were Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex， Rehmanniae Radix and Saposhnikoviae Radix， the four medicines were combined into a new prescription. According to the new prescription to treat diabetes， 89 key core target information was obtained， among which there were 10 targets of drug and disease， including phosphoinositide-3 kinase regulatory subunit 1 （PIK3R1）， insulin （INS）， glucokinase （GCK）， etc. The new prescription treated diabetes by regulating growth hormone receptor signaling， protein kinase A （PKA） activation， adrenoceptors and other pathways. Conclusion:The therapeutic effect of new prescription containing Portulacae Herba created by big data analysis of TCM on diabetes reflects multi-component， multi-target， multi-pathway characteristics of TCM， which can provide scientific basis for explaining the mechanism and material basis of this new prescription in the treatment of diabetes.