OBJECTIVE: To examine the effectiveness of Chinese medicine (CM) Lianhua Qingwen Granule (LHQW) and Jingyin Gubiao Prescription (JYGB) in asymptomatic or mild patients with Omicron infection in the shelter hospital. METHODS: This single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted in the largest shelter hospital in Shanghai, China, from April 10, 2022 to May 30, 2022. A total of 56,244 asymptomatic and mild Omicron cases were included and divided into 4 groups, i.e., non-administration group (23,702 cases), LHQW group (11,576 cases), JYGB group (12,112 cases), and dual combination of LHQW and JYGB group (8,854 cases). The length of stay (LOS) in the hospital was used to assess the effectiveness of LHQW and JYGB treatment on Omicron infection. RESULTS: Patients aged 41-60 years, with nadir threshold cycle (C_T) value of N gene <25, or those fully vaccinated preferred to receive CM therapy. Before or after propensity score matching (PSM), the multiple linear regression showed that LHQW and JYGB treatment were independent influence factors of LOS (both P<0.001). After PSM, there were significant differences in LOS between the LHQW/JYGB combination and the other groups (P<0.01). The results of factorial design ANOVA proved that the LHQW/JYGB combination therapy synergistically shortened LOS (P=0.032). CONCLUSIONS Patients with a nadir C_T value <25 were more likely to accept CM. The LHQW/JYGB combination therapy could shorten the LOS of Omicron-infected individuals in an isolated environment.
Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; China/epidemiology* ; Hospitalization ; COVID-19 Drug Treatment ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Length of Stay ; Young Adult ; Aged

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD） is a multisystem disease associated with obesity， insulin resistance， and dyslipidemia and has a complex pathogenesis. Studies have shown that gut microbiota dysbiosis is closely associated with the onset of NAFLD， and traditional Chinese medicine treatment can improve the laboratory markers and clinical symptoms of NAFLD patients by regulating intestinal microbiota and its metabolites. This article elaborates on the association between NAFLD and gut microbiota， the involvement of gut microbiota dysbiosis in the pathogenesis of NAFLD， and the possible mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine treatment in improving NAFLD from the perspective of gut microbiota， in order to provide new ideas for the treatment of NAFLD.

Objective To compare the effects of two arc(TA)and dual arc(DA)techniques on the dose distribution to the planning target volume(PTV)and organs at risk(OAR)in volumetric modulated arc therapy(VMAT)for lower mid-thoracic esophageal cancer.Methods Ten patients with lower mid-thoracic esophageal cancer who received radiation therapy at some hospital from July 2020 to June 2022 were selected retrospectively.A TA radiation therapy plan and a DA radiation therapy plan were developed for each patient using the Ray Arc module of RayStation 4.7.5.4 planning system,and the two kinds of radiation plans were compared in terms of dosimetric parameters including D2,D5,D50,D95,D98,homogeneity index(HI),conformity index(CI),beam-on time and total monitor unit for PTV and lung V5,V10,V20,V30 and Dmean and heartV30,V40 and Dmean and spine cord Dmax for OAR.SPSS 22.0 was used for statistical analysis.Results TA and DA radiation therapy plans had no significant differences in PTV CI,HI,D2,D5,D50,D95 and beam-on time(P＞0.05),and DA plan had D98 and total monitor unit higher obviously than those of TA plan(P＜0.05).In terms of OARs protection,DA plan had heart V30,V40 and Dmean slightly lower than those of TA plan with non-significantly differences(P＞0.05),while lung V5,V30 and Dmean and spine cordDmax significantly lower(P＜0.05).Conclusion DA technique gains advantages over TA technique in PTV dose distribution and dose to OAR,and the involvement of DA technique in preparing the VMAT plan for esophageal cancer contributes to enhancing the treatment efficacy.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(1):62-66]

Background and purpose:In 2016 the National Cancer Institute(NCI)decided stopping to use NCI-60 cell lines for drug screening,suggesting that tumor cell lines were losing their value as a tool for drug discovery and basic research.The reason for NCI-60 cells'retirement'was that the preclinical studies based on traditional cellular and animal models did not obtain the corresponding expected efficacy in clinical trials.Since the major cancer behaviors,such as proliferation and metastasis,are fundamentally altered with long-term culture,the tumor cell lines are not representative of the characteristics of cancer in patients.Currently,scientists hope to create a new cancer model that are derived from fresh patient samples and tagged with details about their clinical past.Our purpose was to create patient-derived breast cancer primary cell lines as new cancer model for drug screening and basic research.Methods:Breast cancer tissues were collected in the Department of Breast Surgery,Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University.The collection of tumor tissue samples was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University(approval number:2022 ethics No.313),and the collection and use of tumor tissues complied with the Declaration of Helsinki.The primary breast cancer cell lines were isolated from the patient's breast cancer tissues and cultured in BCMI medium.After the cells proliferated,the media were replaced with DEME medium.Cell line STR genotyping was done to determine cell-specific genetic markers and identification.Clone formation assay and transplantation assay were done to analyze the ability of breast cancer primary cell lines to form tumors.Results:We created 6 primary breast cancer cell lines.The 6 primary breast cancer cell lines from the patients were tagged with the definitively clinicopathological features,clinical diagnosis,therapeutic regimens,clinical effectiveness and prognostic outcomes.The STR genotyping assays identified the genetic markers and determined the identities of the 6 primary breast cancer cell lines.Clone formation assays and transplantation assay showed that the proliferative capacities of the patient-derived primary breast cancer cell lines were significantly greater compared with the conventional breast cancer cell lines.Conclusion:We created a panel of 6 patient-derived primary breast cancer cell lines as new cancer model for drug screening and basic research in breast cancer.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of brexpiprazole in treating acute schizophrenia.Methods Patients with schizophrenia were randomly divided into treatment group and control group.The treatment group was given brexpiprozole 2-4 mg·d-1 orally and the control group was given aripiprazole 10-20 mg·d-1orally,both were treated for 6 weeks.Clinical efficacy of the two groups,the response rate at endpoint,the changes from baseline to endpoint of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS),Clinical Global Impression-Improvement(CGI-S),Personal and Social Performance scale(PSP),PANSS Positive syndrome subscale,PANSS negative syndrome subscale were compared.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events in two groups were compared.Results There were 184 patients in treatment group and 186 patients in control group.After treatment,the response rates of treatment group and control group were 79.50％(140 cases/184 cases)and 82.40％(150 cases/186 cases),the scores of CGI-I of treatment group and control group were(2.00±1.20)and(1.90±1.01),with no significant difference(all P＞0.05).From baseline to Week 6,the mean change of PANSS total score wese(-30.70±16.96)points in treatment group and(-32.20±17.00)points in control group,with no significant difference(P＞0.05).The changes of CGI-S scores in treatment group and control group were(-2.00±1.27)and(-1.90±1.22)points,PSP scores were(18.80±14.77)and(19.20±14.55)points,PANSS positive syndrome scores were(-10.30±5.93)and(-10.80±5.81)points,PANSS negative syndrome scores were(-6.80±5.98)and(-7.30±5.15)points,with no significant difference(P＞0.05).There was no significant difference in the incidence of treatment-related adverse events between the two group(69.00％vs.64.50％,P＞0.05).Conclusion The non-inferiority of Brexpiprazole to aripiprazole was established,with comparable efficacy and acceptability.

Deficiencies in the clearance of peripheral amyloid β (Aβ) play a crucial role in the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previous studies have shown that the ability of blood monocytes to phagocytose Aβ is decreased in AD. However, the exact mechanism of Aβ clearance dysfunction in AD monocytes remains unclear. In the present study, we found that blood monocytes in AD mice exhibited decreases in energy metabolism, which was accompanied by cellular senescence, a senescence-associated secretory phenotype, and dysfunctional phagocytosis of Aβ. Improving energy metabolism rejuvenated monocytes and enhanced their ability to phagocytose Aβ in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, enhancing blood monocyte Aβ phagocytosis by improving energy metabolism alleviated brain Aβ deposition and neuroinflammation and eventually improved cognitive function in AD mice. This study reveals a new mechanism of impaired Aβ phagocytosis in monocytes and provides evidence that restoring their energy metabolism may be a novel therapeutic strategy for AD.
Animals ; Mice ; Alzheimer Disease ; Amyloid beta-Peptides ; Monocytes ; Cognition ; Energy Metabolism ; Phagocytosis

BACKGROUND: Butylphthalide (NBP) and edaravone (EDV) injection are common acute ischemic stroke medications in China, but there is a lack of large real-world safety studies on them. This study aimed to determine the incidence of adverse events, detect relevant safety signals, and assess the risk factors associated with these medications in real-world populations. METHODS: In this study, data of acute ischemic stroke patients were extracted from the electronic medical record database of six tertiary hospitals between January 2019 and August 2021. Baseline confounders were eliminated using propensity score matching. The drugs' safety was estimated by comparing the results of 24 laboratory tests standards on liver function, kidney function, lipid level, and coagulation function. The drugs' relative risk was estimated by logistic regression. A third group with patients who did not receive NBP or EDV was constructed as a reference. Prescription sequence symmetry analysis was used to evaluate the associations between adverse events and NBP and EDV, respectively. RESULTS: 81,292 patients were included in this study. After propensity score matching, the NBP, EDV, and third groups with 727 patients in each group. Among the 15 test items, the incidence of adverse events was lower in the NBP group than in the EDV group, and the differences were statistically significant. The multivariate logistic regression equation revealed that NBP injection was not a promoting factor for abnormal laboratory test results, whereas EDV had statistically significant effects on aspartate transaminase, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol. Prescription sequence symmetry analysis showed that NBP had a weak correlation with abnormal platelet count. EDV had a positive signal associated with abnormal results in gamma-glutamyl transferase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, prothrombin time, and platelet count. CONCLUSIONS In a large real-world population, NBP has a lower incidence of adverse events and a better safety profile than EDV or other usual medications.

Aim To observe the effect of Gupi Xiaoji Decoction (GPXJY) on the structure and function of mitochondria of human hepatoma cell HepG2 cells and explore its possible mechanism. Methods CCK8 was used to detect cell proliferation, Mito-Tracker Green fluorescence staining was used to observe the mitochondrial structure, flow cytometry was used to detect the membrane potential, Elisa was used to detect the ATP content, fluoroscopic electron microscopy was used to observe the microstructure changes, and high-content screening(HCS) was used to detect the related proteins. Results Fluorescence staining showed that GPXJY damaged the mitochondria of HepG2 cells and decreased the content of ATP. The results of flow cytometry showed that GPXJY could reduce the mitochondrial membrane potential of HepG2 cells. The results of electron microscope showed that GPXJY made the mitochondria of cancer cells swell and so on. HCS found that GPXJY significantly reduced the average fluorescence intensity of Bcl-2 in HepG2 cells, and significantly increased the average fluorescence intensity of apoptosis promoting proteins Bax, cytochrome-c, caspase-3 and cleaved-caspase-3, which was statistically significant. Conclusion GPXJY can regulate the structure and function of mitochondria in HepG2 cells.

Adult ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ; Edema ; Humans ; Joint Diseases ; Knee Joint/surgery*

Deficits in the clearance of amyloid β protein (Aβ) by the peripheral system play a critical role in the pathogenesis of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD). Impaired uptake of Aβ by dysfunctional monocytes is deemed to be one of the major mechanisms underlying deficient peripheral Aβ clearance in AD. In the current study, flow cytometry and biochemical and behavioral techniques were applied to investigate the effects of polysaccharide krestin (PSK) on AD-related pathology in vitro and in vivo. We found that PSK, widely used in therapy for various cancers, has the potential to enhance Aβ uptake and intracellular processing by human monocytes in vitro. After administration of PSK by intraperitoneal injection, APP/PS1 mice performed better in behavioral tests, along with reduced Aβ deposition, neuroinflammation, neuronal loss, and tau hyperphosphorylation. These results suggest that PSK holds promise as a preventive agent for AD by strengthening the Aβ clearance by blood monocytes and alleviating AD-like pathology.
Alzheimer Disease/pathology* ; Amyloid beta-Peptides/metabolism* ; Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor/metabolism* ; Animals ; Cognition ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice ; Mice, Transgenic ; Monocytes/pathology* ; Polysaccharides/therapeutic use* ; Proteoglycans