ObjectiveTo characterize the evidence distribution and methodological quality of randomized controlled trials （RCTs） on oral Chinese herbal medicine （CHM） for atopic dermatitis （AD） based on evidence mapping. MethodsSeven databases （CNKI， Wanfang Data， VIP， CBM， Cochrane Library， PubMed， and Embase） and the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry were searched for the RCTs in Chinese and English. Evidence distribution was presented graphically and textually， and methodological quality was assessed via the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool （ROB 1.0）. ResultsA total of 168 RCTs were included. The number of annual publications showing an increasing trend， and 72.6% RCTs had sample sizes of 51-100 participants. The studies evaluated 108 distinct CHM interventions categorized as decoctions， granules， Chinese patent medicines， and extracts. Compound Glycyrrhizin was the most frequently used， followed by Xiaofengsan and Chushi Weiling decoction. Among the RCTs， 57.1% had the treatment courses of 4-8 weeks. Outcome measures predominantly focused on clinical response rate， skin lesion severity scores， and adverse events， with less attention to TCM symptom scores， skin barrier function， and relapse rates. The overall risk of bias was generally high. ConclusionWhile CHM for AD is a research hotspot and demonstrates clinical advantages， the related studies have problems such as unclear clinical positioning， poor research standardization and methodological quality， and insufficient prominence of TCM clinical advantages. Large-sample， methodologically rigorous， and high-quality studies are needed to enhance the evidence base for CHM in treating AD.

ObjectiveTo characterize the evidence distribution and methodological quality of randomized controlled trials （RCTs） on oral Chinese herbal medicine （CHM） for atopic dermatitis （AD） based on evidence mapping. MethodsSeven databases （CNKI， Wanfang Data， VIP， CBM， Cochrane Library， PubMed， and Embase） and the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry were searched for the RCTs in Chinese and English. Evidence distribution was presented graphically and textually， and methodological quality was assessed via the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool （ROB 1.0）. ResultsA total of 168 RCTs were included. The number of annual publications showing an increasing trend， and 72.6% RCTs had sample sizes of 51-100 participants. The studies evaluated 108 distinct CHM interventions categorized as decoctions， granules， Chinese patent medicines， and extracts. Compound Glycyrrhizin was the most frequently used， followed by Xiaofengsan and Chushi Weiling decoction. Among the RCTs， 57.1% had the treatment courses of 4-8 weeks. Outcome measures predominantly focused on clinical response rate， skin lesion severity scores， and adverse events， with less attention to TCM symptom scores， skin barrier function， and relapse rates. The overall risk of bias was generally high. ConclusionWhile CHM for AD is a research hotspot and demonstrates clinical advantages， the related studies have problems such as unclear clinical positioning， poor research standardization and methodological quality， and insufficient prominence of TCM clinical advantages. Large-sample， methodologically rigorous， and high-quality studies are needed to enhance the evidence base for CHM in treating AD.

Objective:To investigate the optimal delay time in the quantitative assessment of myocardial fibrosis based on dual-energy CT extracellular volume fraction (DECT-ECV), using MRI as a reference.Methods:Thirty patients with confirmed or suspected of cardiomyopathy were prospectively enrolled in this study. All the patients underwent both cardiac DECT and MRI examination within one week. According to the imaging features of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on MRI, myocardial segments were classified into 3 types: ischemic LGE segments, non-ischemic LGE segments and negative LGE segments. According to the DECT delay time, the whole and segmental myocardium were divided into 3 groups: delay of 3 min (Group A), delay of 5 min (Group B) and delay of 7 min (Group C). Correlation and agreement between CT-ECV and MRI-ECV were performed on a basis of overall myocardium and segmental myocardium. Pearson or Spearman test was used for correlation analysis and Bland-Altman test was used for consistency analysis.Results:Thirty patients with 480 segments were finally included in our study. In the analysis based on overall myocardium, MRI-ECV was 33.12%±4.29%, and CT-ECV were 35.81%±4.48%, 36.02%±4.56%, and 36.58%±4.69% in Group A, B, and C, respectively. The agreement between DECT-ECV and MRI-ECV results was good, with the correlation coefficients of 0.878 (group A), 0.955 (Group B) and 0.947 (Group C) (all P<0.001). In the analysis based on segmental myocardium, as for the ischemic LGE myocardial segments, MRI-ECV was 34.60%(31.70%,39.40%), and CT-ECV were 37.50 (34.20, 41.90), 38.20%(36.20%, 40.60%)and 39.40%(35.50%,42.40%)in Group A, B, and C, respectively. The agreement between DECT-ECV and MRI-ECV results was good, with the correlation coefficients of 0.559, 0.695 and 0.682 (all P<0.001) for groups A, B and C, and as for non-ischemic LGE myocardial segments, MRI-ECV was 35.10% (32.68%, 38.70%), and CT-ECV were 38.15% (35.13%, 41.75%), 39.25% (35.78%, 42.20%) and 39.60% (35.88%,42.90%) in Group A, B, and C. The correlation coefficients of CMR-ECV and DECT-ECV of groups A, B and C were 0.531, 0.772 and 0.744 (all P<0.001), showing good agreement; as for negative LGE myocardial segments, MRI-ECV and CT-ECV of Group A, Group B, Group C were 28.50%(27.00%, 30.10%), 31.10%(28.70%, 34.60%), 31.30%(28.40%, 33.80%), 31.30%(29.20%, 34.80%). The correlation coefficients between MRI-ECV and DECT-ECV of group A, B and C were 0.273, 0.508 and 0.425 (all P<0.001), which also showed good agreement. Conclusions:DECT-ECV can be used for quantitative evaluation of myocardial histological features. DECT-ECV with a 5 min and 7 min delay shows good correlation and agreement with MRI-ECV. In order to make this technology more well-known and improve its application capability, our recommendation for clinical practice is a 5 min delay after contrast administration in clinical practice.

Objective To investigate the effect of intrarectal local anesthesia (IRLA) with heated oxybuprocaine gel on pain during transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy (TRUSPB).Methods A total of 150 cases patients who underwent TRUSPB in Huzhou Central Hospital from January to June 2023 were prospectively taken into.The patients were randomly divided into group A (routine group),group B (oxybuprocaine gel for IRLA at room temperature) and group C (oxybuprocaine gel for IRLA at 40℃),with 50 cases in each group.Nurses who were unaware of the anesthesia type used visual analog scale (VAS) to score the pain level of patients at each stage (VAS Ⅰ:when the ultrasound probe was inserted into the rectum;VAS Ⅱ:during the biopsy;VAS Ⅲ:30 minutes after biopsy),and the incidence of complications after biopsy were compared.Results The VAS Ⅱ score of group C was lower than that of group A and group B,and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference (P>0.05) in the VAS Ⅰ,VAS Ⅲ scores,and incidence of complications after biopsy among the three groups.There was no allergic reaction to oxybuprocaine gel.Conclusion In TRUSPB,IRLA with heated oxybuprocaine gel can effectively control pain without increasing incidence of complications.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between stress hyperglycemia ratio (SHR) and poor outcome of successful recanalization after endovascular treatment in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Methods:From January 2019 to October 2022, patients with acute ischemic stroke received endovascular treatment and successful recanalization in the Second People’s Hospital of Lianyungang were included retrospectively. SHR was defined as the fasting blood sugar and glycosylated hemoglobin ratio. At 90 d after procedure, the outcome of patients was evaluated using the modified Rankin Scale score. 0-3 was defined as good outcome, and >3 was defined as poor outcome. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factor for poor outcome. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of SHR for 90 d poor outcome in patients with successful recanalization after endovascular treatment.Results:A total of 159 patients were enrolled, including 98 males (61.6%), aged 69.8±8.9 years old. The baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was 12.6±4.3, and SHR was 1.17±0.46. One hundred and five patients (66.0%) had good outcome, while 54 (34.0%) had poor outcome. There were statistically significant differences in SHR, fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, baseline NIHSS score and the proportion of patients with poor collateral circulation and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage between the poor outcome group and the good outcome group (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that SHR was an independent predictor of poor outcome (odds ratio 2.254, 95% confidence interval 1.136-4.278; P<0.001). The ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of SHR for predicting poor outcome was 0.726 (95% confidence interval 0.648-0.804; P<0.001), which was higher than fasting blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin. The optimal cutoff value for SHR was 1.21, and the sensitivity and specificity for predicting poor outcomes were 66.23% and 75.82%, respectively. Conclusion:SHR is associated with the poor outcome of successful recanalization after endovascular treatment in patients with acute ischemic stroke and can be used as a potential predictor.

Ulcerative colitis(UC)is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease caused by many factors including colonic inflammation and microbiota dysbiosis.Previous studies have indicated that celastrol(CSR)has strong anti-inflammatory and immune-inhibitory effects.Here,we investigated the effects of CSR on colonic inflammation and mucosal immunity in an experimental colitis model,and addressed the mechanism by which CSR exerts the protective effects.We characterized the ther-apeutic effects and the potential mechanism of CSR on treating UC using histological staining,intestinal permeability assay,cytokine assay,flow cytometry,fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT),16S rRNA sequencing,untargeted metabolomics,and cell differentiation.CSR administra-tion significantly ameliorated the dextran sodium sulfate(DSS)-induced colitis in mice,which was evidenced by the recovered body weight and colon length as well as the decreased disease activity index(DAI)score and intestinal permeability.Meanwhile,CSR down-regulated the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and up-regulated the amount of anti-inflammatory mediators at both mRNA and protein levels,and improved the balances of Treg/Thl and Treg/Th1 7 to maintain the colonic immune homeostasis.Notably,all the therapeutic effects were exerted in a gut microbiota-dependent manner.Furthermore,CSR treatment increased the gut microbiota diversity and changed the compositions of the gut microbiota and metabolites,which is probably associated with the gut microbiota-mediated protective effects.In conclusion,this study provides the strong evidence that CSR may be a promising therapeutic drug for UC.

Objective:To explore the related factors of postoperative adjuvant therapy for cervical cancer stagedⅠB1-ⅡA2 [according to 2018 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging standard], and to establish a nomogram model to predict the risk of postoperative adjuvant therapy for locally advanced cervical cancer.Methods:A total of 714 patients with cervical squamous cell cancer staged FIGO ⅠB1-ⅡA2 treated by surgery in Anhui Provincial Hospital were selected as the research objects from January 2009 to December 2019, and their clinicopathological data were analyzed. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the influencing factors, and a nomogram model was established to predict the risk of postoperative adjuvant treatment of cervical cancer. The predictive performance of the model was evaluated with the consistency index (C-index), and the compliance of the model was evaluated with the calibration curve.Results:Univariate analysis suggested that postoperative adjuvant therapy for cervical cancer was associated with gravidity ( χ2=11.506, P=0.001), underlying disease (hypertension or diabetes) ( χ2=7.668, P=0.006), squamous cell cancer antigen (SCC-AG) level ( χ2=19.392, P<0.001), imaging risk factors ( χ2=16.392, P<0.001), FIGO stage ( χ2=25.686, P<0.001), tumor size ( χ2=9.392, P=0.025) and surgical path ( χ2=16.590, P<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that the number of pregnancy >2 times ( OR=1.951, 95% CI: 1.355-2.808, P<0.001), SCC-Ag &ge;1.5 μg/L ( OR=2.021, 95% CI: 1.444-2.829, P<0.001), FIGO stage ⅠB3-ⅡA2 [ⅠB3 ( OR=1.933, 95% CI: 1.139-3.282, P=0.015); ⅡA1 ( OR=2.723, 95% CI: 1.556-4.765, P<0.001); ⅡA2 ( OR=3.159, 95% CI: 1.502-6.646, P=0.002)], with underlying disease (hypertension or diabetes) ( OR=1.867, 95% CI: 1.051-3.318, P=0.033), imaging risk factors ( OR=1.997, 95% CI: 1.127-3.537, P=0.018), without neoadjuvant therapy [preoperative neoadjuvant therapy for 1 cycle ( OR=0.402, 95% CI: 0.207-0.783, P=0.007)] and laparoscopic surgery ( OR=2.177, 95% CI: 1.524-3.112, P<0.001) were independent influencing factors for postoperative adjuvant treatment of cervical cancer. Based on the screened variables, the nomogram model to predict the risk of postoperative adjuvant treatment for cervical cancer has good predictive performance (C-index was 0.702) and compliance. Conclusion:The number of pregnancy >2 times, SCC-Ag &ge;1.5 μg/L, FIGO stage ⅠB3-ⅡA2, with underlying disease (hypertension or diabetes), imaging risk factors, without neoadjuvant therapy, and laparoscopic surgery are independent influencing factors for postoperative adjuvant treatment of cervical cancer. A nomogram model has been constructed to predict the risk of postoperative adjuvant therapy for locally advanced cerrical cancer, and it can provide evidence for clinical treatment selection.

Objective: To synthesize a folic acid (FA)-modified pH-sensitive nanomicelle containing sorafenib (SF) and superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO), and to access its visibility in MRI and anti-cancer efficacy on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in vitro. Methods: The copolymer FA-PEG-Pasp (DBA/DIP) of FA, poly(ethylene glycol), N,N-dibutylethylenediamine and N,N-diisopropylethylenediamine grafted poly (L-aspartic acid) were prepared. SF and SPIO were encapsulated inside the copolymer to synthesize the targeting micelle FA-PEG-PAsp (DBA/DIP)-SPIO/SF (FPASS). The folate-free micelle[PEG-PAsp (DBA/DIP)-SPIO/SF (PASS)] was used as nontargeting micelle. The physicochemical properties and drug release behavior of the micelles were analyzed. MRI of HepG2 cells incubated with FPASS and PASS with different Fe concentrations and Prussian blue staining of cells treated with the micelles (Fe concentration of 20 μg/ml) was performed to assess the drug delivery capability and imaging function of the micelles. For the FA competitive inhibition assay in these experiments, HepG2 cells were pre-treated with an excess amount of free FA prior to the incubation with FPASS. Cell viability, cell apoptosis, cell cycle and tube formation assays were conducted for evaluating the anti-HCC effects of the micelles. Comparison between groups was analyzed by one-way ANOVA, and multiple comparisons correction was performed by LSD test. Results: The diameters of FPASS and PASS were (102.3±5.2) nm and (107.1±5.7) nm, respectively; the δ potentials of them were (29.7±1.6) mV and (31.5±1.4) mV, respectively. The T₂ relaxivity of both the micelles was (5.2±0.4) ml·μg^-1·s^-1, which was much higher than that of water soluble Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles [(2.3±0.1) ml·μg^-1·s^-1; F=76.45, P<0.01]. SF released from the micelles was much faster at pH5.0 than at pH7.4, which indicated that the micelles had a pH-triggered drug release behavior. MRI of HepG2 cell samples revealed the signal intensity on T₂WI images and the T₂ value on T₂-map images decreased with the increasing Fe concentrations in the micelles. At the same Fe concentration (5, 10, 20 and 40 μg/ml), the cells of FPASS group exhibited a more significant decrease in T₂ signal intensity and T₂ value compared with those of PASS group or FA competitive inhibition group (F=8.69, 14.03, 27.27, 32.25 and 19.80, 45.76, 113.20, 66.80; P<0.01). Prussian blue staining verified the existing of SPIO in the cytoplasm of cells. Compared with PASS, FPASS presented significantly higher anticancer effects on inducing apoptosis, causing G0/G1 phase arrest on HepG2 cells and inhibiting tube formation on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (t=7.905, 4.399 and 3.454, respectively; P<0.01). Conclusions The pH-sensitive nanomicelle FPASS was successfully constructed. This micelle possessed a hypersensitive MRI-visible function and a targeting SF delivery capability which may contribute to a significant anti-HCC effect.

Objective To investigate the predictive value of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on admission for early neurological deterioration (END) in patients with lacunar stroke.Methods Patients with acute lacunar stroke admitted to the Department of Neurology,the Second People's Hospital of Lianyungang from June 2015 to October 2017 were enrolled retrospectively.END was defined as an increase of &ge;2 in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score within 72 h of admission.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors for END.The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the predictive value of NLR for END in patients with lacunar stroke.Results A total of 309 patients with acute lacunar infarction were enrolled,including 180 males (58.2％),aged 59.7 ±7.3 years;65 patients (21.0％) in END group and 244 (79.0％) in non-END group.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for other confounders,NLR was an independent risk factor for END in lacunar stroke (odds ratio 4.508,95％ confidence interval 3.128-7.547;P＜0.001).ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of NLR predicting END in patients with lacunar stroke was 0.725 (95％ confidence interval 0.671-0.776;P ＜ 0.001);the optimal cut-off value was 2.32,the sensitivity of predicting END was 61.21％,and the specificity was 72.54％.Conclusion The elevated NLR after admission is an independent risk factor for END in patients with lacunar stroke,which has certain value for early identification and prediction of END.

Objective To investigate whether Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway mediating the neuroprotection of isoflurane post-conditioning in hippocampal neurons damage induced by ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats.Methods According to the randomized principle, 60 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups (12 rats in each group):sham group (group S), model group (group M), ISO+model group (group MI), ISO+model+DKK-1 group (group MDI) and model+DKK-1 group (group MD).A rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was established with 90 min ischemia followed by 24 hreperfusion.Group S was only exposed to one side of the internal carotid artery without fishing line.Isoflurane post-conditioning groups (group MI, MDI) were immediately treated with 1.5％isoflurane for 60 min at the onset of reperfusion.DKK-1 (5μg/kg) was injected intracerebroventricularly 30 min before the model established in group MDI and group MD.After reperfusion for 24 h, Longa score method was used for neurological deficit score.HE staining and Tunel fluorescence was employed to observe the morphological changes of neurons.Immunohistochemistry and Western Blot were applied to detect the expression of target protein in CA1 region.Results Compared with group S, the neurobehavioral score, the number of apoptosis and the expression of Bax and GSK-3βprotein in group M all increased (P<0.05), while the expression ofβ-catenin and Bcl-2/Bax ratio decreased (P<0.05) ;Compared with group M, the neurobehavioral score, the number of apoptosis and the expression of Bax protein were significantly decreased (P<0.05), while the expression of Bcl-2, β-catenin protein and the Bcl-2/Bax ratio were significantly increased (P<0.05) in group MI.Compared with group MI, the neurobehavioral score, the number of apoptosis, Bax and GSK-3βprotein in group MDI were significantly increased (P<0.05), while the Bcl-2, β-catenin protein expression, and Bcl-2/Bax ratio were significantly decreased (P<0.05).Conclusion Isoflurane post-conditioning may protect the hippocampus neurons against cerebral ischemic reperfusion-induced damage via the way that the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway regulates the expression levels of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins in rats.