OBJECTIVE To explore the effects of Lishukang capsules on hypoxic pulmonary artery hypertension （HPAH） rats by regulating the HIF-1α/NF-κB signaling pathway. METHODS Sixty rats were randomly divided into control group， model group， positive control group （sildenafil， 30 mg/kg）， Lishukang low-， medium- and high-dose groups （Lishukang capsules 6， 12， 18 g/kg）， with 10 rats in each group. Except for control group， the HPAH model was induced by intermittent hypoxia method （simulating an altitude of 5 000 m） in other groups； at the same time， they were given relevant medicine or normal saline intragastrically， for consecutive 28 days. Within 24 hours of the last administration， the mean pulmonary artery pressure （MPAP） and right ventricule hypertrophy index （RVHI） of rats were detected； pathological morphology of lung tissue was observed， and the expression of α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA）， mRNA expressions of HIF-1α and NF-κB as well as protein expressions of HIF-1α and NF-κB p65 in lung tissue were determined. RESULTS Compared with model group， MPAP and RVHI in Lishukang medium- and high-dose groups and positive control group were all decreased significantly （P＜0.05）； the expression of α-SMA， mRNA expressions of HIF-1α and NF-κB， and protein expressions of HIF-1α and NF-κB p65 in lung tissue were all decreased significantly （P＜0.05）； additionally， pulmonary vascular remodeling was improved to varying degrees. CONCLUSIONS Lishukang capsules may protect HPAH rats， the mechanism of which may be associated with inhibiting the HIF-1α/NF- κB signaling pathway.

Objective:To understand the awareness and influencing factors of core information on tuberculosis prevention and control in the elderly population in China.Methods:The study included all participants aged ≥60 from the "13 th Five-Year" National Tuberculosis Control Plan end-term assessment in 2020, with 13 706 valid questionnaires obtained. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of the awareness rate of core information on tuberculosis prevention and control in the elderly. Results:The total awareness rate of core information on tuberculosis prevention and control in the elderly aged ≥60 was 78.4%, with the highest for "suspicious symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis" (85.4%) and the lowest for "whether pulmonary tuberculosis can be cured" (65.3%). The complete awareness rate of core information on tuberculosis prevention and control in the elderly was 41.3%, and the proportion of those who received tuberculosis health education is 67.6%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis results showed that factors associated with low awareness of core information included females ( OR=0.93, 95% CI: 0.86-1.00), ages 70- ( OR=0.91, 95% CI: 0.84-0.98) and ≥80 ( OR=0.77, 95% CI: 0.68-0.87) and minority ethnicity ( OR=0.85, 95% CI: 0.74-0.99). Factors associated with high awareness of core information included educational levels of junior high school ( OR=1.46, 95% CI: 1.34-1.58), high school ( OR=1.62, 95% CI: 1.45-1.81), junior college ( OR=1.37, 95% CI: 1.11-1.68), and an undergraduate degree or higher ( OR=1.52, 95% CI: 1.09-2.11), and receiving tuberculosis health education ( OR=2.13, 95% CI: 1.97-2.27). Conclusions:In 2020, the awareness rate of core information on tuberculosis prevention and control in Chinese older adults aged ≥60 was lower than the national planning target. Therefore, there should be an increased focus on health education about tuberculosis for elderly females, those aged ≥70, ethnic minorities, and those with lower education levels.

Objective:To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of HEMO-FISS-QoL(HF-QoL) questionnaire (HF-QoL-C) in the Chinese population with hemorrhoids.Methods:From November 2021 to November 2022, a self-constructed general information questionnaire, HF-QoL-C, and the 36-item short form health survey (SF-36), Goligher classification, and Giordano severity of hemorrhoid symptom questionnaire (GSQ) were used to conduct a questionnaire survey on 760 hemorrhoid patients in the anorectal department of six hospitals. The data was analyzed for reliability and validity using SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 26.0 software.Results:The Cronbach's α coefficient of HF-QoL-C and its dimension ranged from 0.831 to 0.960, and the split coefficient was 0.832-0.915. Four common factors were extracted through principal component exploratory factor analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated acceptable structural validity( χ2/ df=8.152, RSMEA=0.097, CFI=0.881, IFI=0.881, NFI=0.867). HF-QoL-C was correlated with SF36 and GSQ( r=-0.694, 0.501, both P<0.01). There were differences in the total score and dimensional scores of HF-QoL-C between surgical and drug treated patients, different grades of Goligher classification for hemorrhoidal disease, and different ranges of hemorrhoid prolapse (all P<0.001). No ceiling effect was found in the total score and the scores of each dimension(0.3%-2.0%). There was a floor effect in both psychological function and sexual activity dimensions (16.7%, 35.1%). Conclusion:HF-QoL-C has good reliability and validity, which can be used to measure the quality of life of Chinese hemorrhoid patients.

Objective To observe the value of chocolate balloon(controlled dilatation technique)for vascular preparation of endovascular treatments for lower extremity arteriosclerosis obliterans(ASO).Methods Data of 110 patients with lower extremity ASO who underwent vascular preparation with chocolate balloon were retrospectively analyzed.The type of ASO,with calcification or not and so on were recorded,and the success rate of vascular preparation with chocolate balloon and the therapeutic effect of endovascular treatments for ASO were evaluated.Results Among 110 patients,unilateral lower extremity ASO were found in 100 cases,while bilateral lower extremities ASO were noticed in 10 cases,including 100(100/120,83.33%)chronic occlusive lesions,8(8/120,6.67%)stenotic lesions and 12(12/120,10.00%)thrombotic lesions.Calcification with grade 3-4 were observed in 50 lesions(50/120,41.67%).The technical success rate of vascular preparation with chocolate balloon was 92.50%(111/120),while 7(7/120,5.83%)lesions developed flow-limiting dissection after chocolate balloon dilatation and 2(2/120,1.67%)lesions had significant residual stenosis that did not meet the technical success criteria,which underwent stent implantation without drug-coated balloon(DCB).Besides,flow-limiting dissection were noticed in 15 lesions after DCB,hence salvage stents were implanted.The success rate of endovascular treatments of ASO was 100%.Conclusion Chocolate balloon(controlled dilation technique)was valuable for vascular preparation of endovascular treatments for lower extremity ASO.

Objectives:To investigate the relationship between paraspinal muscle degeneration and isthmic spondylolisthesis in L5/S1.Methods:The clinical data of 108 patients with L5/S1 bilateral isthmic spondylolysis admitted and treated at the Department of Orthopedics,the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 1,2020 to December 31,2023 were retrospectively analyzed.There were 62 females and 46 males,aged 26-86(52.8±10.4)years.All the patients had complete imaging data,including lateral and dynamic lumbar X-ray,lumbar CT and lumbar MRI.According to the presence or absence of spondylolisthesis and Meyerding grading,the patients were divided into non-spondylolisthesis group(28 cases),grade Ⅰ spondylolisthesis group(46 cases)and grade n spondylolisthesis group(34 cases).Venebral body cross-sectional area(V CSA),erector spinae muscle cross-sectional area(ES CSA),multifidus muscle cross-sectional area(MF CSA),and facet joint angle(FJA)were measured at the inferior vertebral endplate of L5 vertebral body on the axial view of lumbar spine MRI.And the mean FJA(mFJA),relative MF CSA(MF rCSA),relative ES CSA(ES rCSA),fat infiltration rate of multifidus muscle(MF FIR)and fat infiltration rate of erector spinae muscle(ES FIR)were calculated.The differences in age,gender,body mass index(BMI),disease duration,V CSA,mFJA,MF CSA,ES CSA,MF rCSA,ES rCSA,MF FIR and ES FIR between the three groups were compared.Ordinal logistics regression was used to analyze the relationship between age,gender,disease duration,BMI,mFJA,MF rCSA,ES rCSA,MF FIR,ES FIR and the isthmic spondylolisthesis.Results:There were no statistical differences in age,body weight,BMI,V CSA,and mFJA between the three groups(P＞0.05).The proportion of female patients in the non-spondylolisthesis group(29％)was significantly lower than that in grade Ⅰ spondylolisthesis group(61％)and grade Ⅱ spondylolisthesis group(76％)(P＜0.05).The height of non-spondylolisthesis group(1.68±0.06m)was higher than that of grade Ⅰ spondylolisthesis group(1.64±0.75m)and grade Ⅱ spondylolisthesis group(1.63±0.54m)(P＜0.05),and the disease duration in the non-spondylolisthesis group was shorter than that of grade Ⅰ spondylolisthesis group and grade Ⅱspondylolisthesis group(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in MF CSA,MF rCSA and ES FIR between the three groups(P＞0.05).ES CSA and ES rCSA in grade Ⅱ spondylolisthesis group(3183.2±1196.38mm2 and 2.14±1.11)were significantly greater than that in grade Ⅰ spondylolisthesis group(2579.28±896.56mm2 and 1.65±0.65)and non-spondylolisthesis group(2401.40±742.98mm2 and 1.56±0.58)(P＜0.05).The MF FIR of grade Ⅱ spondylolisthesis group(40.70±14.05)％was significantly higher than that of grade Ⅰspondylolisthesis group(30.39±12.98)％and non-spondylolisthesis group(26.69±9.96)％(P＜0.05).There were no significant differences in ES CSA,ES rCSA and MF FIR between grade Ⅰ spondylolisthesis group and non-spondylolisthesis group(P＞0.05).Ordinal logistics regression analysis showed that female(OR=2.81;95％CI:1.120-7.062;P=0.028)and increased MF FIR(OR=1.044;95％CI:1.003-1.088;P=0.034)were the independent risk factors for the progression of isthmic spondylolisthesis(P＜0.05).Conclusions:Patients with a higher degree of isthmic spondylolisthesis have more severe fat infiltration of multifidus muscle and hypertrophy of erector spinae muscle.Female and increased MF FIR are independent risk factors for the progression of isthmic spondylolisthesis.

Objective:To analyze the clinical features of an outbreak of extensive drug resistant typhoid fever, and to provide experience for the diagnosis and treatment of drug resistant typhoid fever.Methods:Seven patients with confirmed diagnosis of extensive drug resistant typhoid fever who visited Beijing You′an Hospital, Capital Medical University, from January 27 to February 15, 2022 were included. The clinical characteristics, drug sensitivity tests, consultation and treatment history and prognosis of the patients were analyzed through descriptive study.Results:Of the seven extensive drug resistant typhoid fever patients, three were male and four were female, one of whom was pregnant (at 32-week gestation), aged (29.8±6.8) years, with a range of 22 to 42 years. There were seven cases with fever, and the course of fever ranged from six to 20 days. There were five cases with diarrhea and lack of typhoid-specific manifestations such as rose spot, apathetic facial expression and relatively slow pulse. Four cases were complicated with intestinal bleeding and six cases developed liver function injury. Six cases had loss or decrease in eosinophil ratio and two cases had decreased white blood cell count. The results of drug susceptibility tests showed that seven strains of Salmonella typhi were resistant to chloramphenicol, ampicillin, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, quinolones, ceftriaxone, cefepime, ceftazidime, cefuroxime, and sensitive to carbapenem antibiotics, tigecycline and piperacillin/tazobactam. All seven cases had a history of antimicrobial use before admission. One case was administered with intravenous ceftizoxime for seven days after admission. After discharge, cefixime was administered orally for seven days. Six patients were given intravenous piperacillin sodium/tazobactam sodium for 14 days. All blood/fecal cultures were negative and the patients were cured and discharged. During the follow-up, one patient developed splenic abscess. All the seven patients were residents of the same apartment in Beijing City, and there were water cuts and turbid odors in the incubation period, which were considered as typhoid fever outbreak caused by waterborne transmission. Conclusions:With the use of antimicrobial agents, the typical clinical manifestations of typhoid fever are absent, and the drug resistance rates to quinolone and third-generation cephalosporins increase. Appropriate antimicrobial agents should be selected and the anti-infection course should be prolonged.

Objective:To analyze the prognosis and influencing factors of different radiotherapy modes in patients with brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to explore the best benefit population with radiotherapy boost under different prognostic scores.Methods:634 patients with brain metastasis from NSCLC admitted to the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from 2013 to 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. According to different radiotherapy modes, they were divided into three groups: no radiotherapy group ( n=330), whole-brain radiotherapy group (WBRT)( n=127) and whole-brain radiotherapy combined with boost group (WBRT+ boost)( n=177). The intracranial progression-free survival (iPFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated by Kaplan-Meier method. The multivariate prognostic factors were analyzed by the Cox models. Results:The median iPFS and OS of all patients were 6.9 months and 9.0 months, respectively. In the no radiotherapy, WBRT and WBRT+ boost groups, the 1-year iPFS was 15.1%, 16.3% and 40.2%( P=0.002), and the 1-year OS was 33.7%, 38.2% and 48.1%( P<0.001), respectively. Multivariate survival analysis demonstrated that different radiotherapy modes were the independent factors affecting iPFS and OS. Subgroup analysis revealed that for patients with 1-3 brain metastases, the 1-year OS and iPFS in the WBRT+ boost group were better than those of WBRT alone ( P=0.026, P=0.044) when GPA score was 2.5-4.0; the 1-year OS and iPFSin the WBRT+ boost group were better than those of WBRT alone ( P=0.036, P=0.049) when there was no targeted therapy; for patients with ≥4 brain metastases, the 1-year iPFS in the WBRT+ boost group was better than that of WBRT alone ( P=0.019, P=0.012) when GPA score was 2.5-4.0 and there was no targeted therapy. When the GPA score was 0-2 or there was targeted therapy, the 1-year OS and iPFS in the WBRT+ boost group were better than those of WBRT alone, but the difference was not statistically significant (all P>0.05). Conclusions:Radiotherapy can significantly improve the iPFS and OS of NSCLC patients with brain metastases. When the number of brain metastases is 1-3, GPA score is 2.5-4.0 or no targeted therapy, boost may improve the iPFS and OS; when the number of brain metastases is more than 4, GPA score is 2.5-4.0 or no targeted therapy, boost may only bring iPFS benefit; when GPA score is 0-2 or targeted therapy, boost may not benefit significantly.

Objective:To analyze the prognosis and influencing factors of patients with brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with different doses of whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT).Methods:A total of 244 NSCLC patients with brain metastases who underwent WBRT in the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from 2013 to 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. According to different doses of WBRT (EQD 2Gy), they were divided into the 30-39 Gy group ( n= 104) and ≥40 Gy group ( n= 140). The intracranial progression-free survival (iPFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared betweentwo groups. According to the number of brain metastases, GPA score, KPS score, chemotherapy and targeted therapy, the prognosis of different doses of WBRT was further analyzed. Results:The median iPFS and OS of all patients were 6.9 months and 11.8 months, respectively. Univariate survival analysis: the 1-year iPFS and 1-year OS between two groups were 22.5% and 25.4%( P=0.430) and 41.1% and 46.4%( P=0.068), respectively. Multivariate survival analysis: different doses of WBRT were not associated with the improvement of iPFS and OS; independent factors influencing iPFS included local boost, gender, number of brain metastases, chemotherapy and targeted therapy; independent factors influencing OS included gender, number of brain metastases, chemotherapy and targeted therapy. Subgroup analysis: in patients with KPS≥90, the 1-year iPFS and OS of patients with WBRT ≥ 40 Gy were seemingly better than those of their counterparts with 30-39 Gy, but the difference was statistically significant only in OS ( P=0.047), the difference was not statistically significant in iPFS ( P=0.068); in patients with chemotherapy, the 1-year iPFS and OS of patients with WBRT≥40 Gy were better than those of their counterparts with 30-39 Gy ( P=0.017, P=0.012); in patients with targeted therapy, the 1-year iPFS and OS in the WBRT≥40 Gy group were better than those in the 30-39 Gy group ( P=0.012, P=0.045). Conclusions:The 30-39 Gy may be the appropriate dose of WBRT for NSCLC patients with brain metastases. WBRT≥40 Gy does not bring more benefits. WBRT≥40 Gy may benefit NSCLC patients with brain metastases with high KPS score or active systemic therapy.

Chest trauma is one of the most common injuries. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) as a common complication of chest trauma seriously affects the quality of patients′ life and even leads to death. Although there are some consensus and guidelines on the prevention and treatment of VTE at home and abroad, the current literatures lack specificity considering the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of VTE in patients with chest trauma have their own characteristics, especially for those with blunt trauma. Accordingly, China Chest Injury Research Society and editorial board of Chinese Journal of Traumatology organized relevant domestic experts to jointly formulate the Chinese expert consensus on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of chest trauma venous thromboembolism associated with chest trauma (2022 version). This consensus provides expert recommendations of different levels as academic guidance in terms of the characteristics, clinical manifestations, risk assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of chest trauma-related VTE, so as to offer a reference for clinical application.

Objective:To explore the optimal local treatment pattern of supraclavicular lymph node in breast cancer patients with synchronous ipsilateral supraclavicular lymph node metastasis (sISLM).Methods:Clinical data of 128 breast cancer patients with sISLM admitted to the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from 2010 to 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 68 cases were treated with supraclavicular lymph node dissection combined with radiotherapy, and 60 cases received radiotherapy alone. The locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were statistically compared between two groups.Results:Univariate analysis demonstrated that the 5-year LRFS, DMFS, PFS and OS did not significantly differ between two groups (all P>0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that the local treatment pattern of supraclavicular lymph node was an independent prognostic factor for the 5-year DMFS, PFS and OS (all P<0.05). Subgroup analysis showed that when radiotherapy alone was performed, the 5-year OS of patients in the supraclavicular region radiation dose of>50 Gy group were significantly better than that in the 50 Gy group ( P=0.047). When supraclavicular lymph node dissection combined with radiotherapy was delivered, if the number of dissection was less than 10, the 5-year LRFS, DMFS, PFS, OS of patients in the>50 Gy group were all better than those in the 50 Gy group numerically without statistical significance (all P>0.05). If the number of dissection was ≥10, the 5-year LRFS, DMFS, PFS, OS in the 50 Gy group were better than those in the>50 Gy group numerically, whereas significant difference was only found in the 5-year DMFS ( P=0.028). Conclusions:Supraclavicular lymph node dissection combined with radiotherapy may be the optimal local treatment pattern for supraclavicular lymph node. When radiotherapy alone is performed, a radiation boost to the supraclavicular region may improve OS. When supraclavicular lymph node dissection combined with radiotherapy is performed, if the degree of dissection is low, a radiation boost to the supraclavicular region may bring clinical benefits. However, if the degree of dissection is high, a radiation boost to the supraclavicular region may not bring significant clinical benefits.