ObjectiveTo observe the clinical effectiveness and safety of Dingchan Granule （定颤颗粒） for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with syndrome of qi stagnation and blood stasis. MethodsUsing a randomised， double-blind， placebo controlled study method， 90 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome were divided into 45 cases each in the treatment group and the control group. Both groups were given conventional western medicine treatment， and the treatment group was additionally treated with Dingchan Granule， while the control group was treated with Dingchan Granule placebo， both of which were taken orally for 8 g each time twice a day. Both groups were treated for 8 weeks. We compared the clinical effectiveness， the improvement of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） symptoms and the recovery rate of atrial fibrillation between the two groups. We compared the number and duration of atrial fibrillation episodes， TCM symptoms score， atrial fibrillation symptom classification， 24-hour average ventricular rate， Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index （PSQI）， anxiety index， depression index before and after treatment， and evaluated the safety of the two groups. ResultsThe total clinical effectiveness rate in the treatment group was 82.22% （37/45）， which was better than 60.00% （27/45） in the control group （P＜0.05）. The total effective rate of TCM syndrome effectiveness in the treatment group was 88.89% （40/45）， which was better than 66.67% （30/45） in the control group （P＜0.05）； and the rate of atrial fibrillation regression in the treatment group was 26.67% （12/45）， better than 6.67% （3/45） in the control group （P＜0.05）. The number and duration of atrial fibrillation episodes in both groups were significantly decreased （P＜0.01）， and the number and duration of atrial fibrillation episodes in the treatment group were lower than those in the control group （P＜0.01）. The TCM syndrome scores of both groups after treatment were significantly lower than before treatment （P＜0.01）， and the scores of the treatment group was lower than those of the control group （P＜0.05）. The severity of atrial fibrillation symptoms and the grading of atrial fibrillation symptoms in both groups after treatment were improved （P＜0.01）， and the degree of symptom improvement in the treatment group was better than that in the control group （P＜0.01）. The 24-hour average ventricular rate of both groups after treatment was significantly lower （P＜0.01）. The PSQI， anxiety index and depression index of the treatment group were all lower than before treatment （P＜0.01）， while the PSQI and anxiety index of the control group were both lower than before treatment （P＜0.01 or P＜0.05）， the PSQI， anxiety index and depression index of the treatment group being lower than those of the control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. No adverse events occurred in both groups， and no abnormalities were observed in blood， urine， stool routine， liver and kidney function， and coagulation function indexes. ConclusionDingchan Granule for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome can alleviate clinical symptom， improve TCM symptom scores， increase atrial fibrillation recovery rate， stabilise the average ventricular rate， and significantly improve the quality of sleep， alleviate the anxiety and depression， with a good safety profile.

BACKGROUND:In the process of exploring the mechanism of Alzheimer's disease,the important role of bioinformatics for common target screening has been revealed,enabling the use of its screening results as a basis for exploring the therapeutic effects of drugs on the disease. OBJECTIVE:To predict the targets of liraglutide,a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist,in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease by bioinformatics and molecular biology. METHODS:DisGeNET database and SEA database were used to obtain the common genes of Alzheimer's disease and liraglutide.GO/KEGG enrichment analysis of common targets was conducted using DAVID online database.Protein-protein interaction networks were constructed using STRING database.The optimal dosage of liraglutide was determined using cell counting kit-8 assay.Expression of key proteins was analyzed using immunofluorescence and immunoblotting techniques.The mouse hippocampal neuron HT22 cell line was used for ex vivo experiments,and the cells were randomly divided into three groups:HT22 group,HT22+Aβ group,and HT22+Aβ+Lir group.No special treatment was done in the HT22 group,while Aβ1-42 was used to intervene in the HT22 cell line for 24 hours to construct an Aβ injury cell model in the HT22+Aβ group.In additional to modeling,liraglutide was added to the HT22+Aβ+Lir group for 12 hours. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:A total of 3 333 genes associated with Alzheimer's disease were screened from DisGeNET database.Then 147 potential targets of liraglutide were obtained from SEA database.Finally,64 common targets of Alzheimer's disease and Liraglutide were determined using R packets.GO/KEGG analysis of common targets using DAVID online database suggested that common targets were mainly enriched in the following biological processes:neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction,renin-angiotensin system,bladder cancer,endopeptidase activity,peptide receptor activity,G protein-coupled peptide receptor activity,and transport vesicles.The obtained 64 common target proteins were imported into SRTING online database for protein-protein interaction network construction,and the top three genes,matrix metalloproteinases 2,9 and interleukin 1β,were obtained.The activity of cultured cells was detected by the cell counting kit-8 kit.Liraglutide at 100 nmol/L was the optimal concentration for antagonizing Aβ1-42.In the western blot and immunofluorescence assays,the expression of matrix metalloproteinases 2,9 and interleukin 1β was significantly increased in the HT22+Aβ group compared with the HT22 group(P＜0.05)but significantly decreased in the HT22+Aβ+Lir group compared with the HT22+Aβ group(P＜0.05).To conclude,the above bioinformatics data and secondary validation of differential genes in the GEO database suggest that both matrix metalloproteinases 2,9 and interleukin 1β could be potential targets of liraglutide in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Objective To screen differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the liver of mice infected with Schistosoma japonicum during the chronic pathogenic stage and identify their functions, so as to provide insights into unravelling the role of lncRNAs in S. japonicum infection-induced liver disorders. Methods Twenty 6-week-old C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into two groups, of 10 animals each group. Each mouse in the experimental group was infected with (15 ± 2) S. japonicum cercariae via the abdomen for modeling chronic S. japonicum infection in mice, and distilled water served as controls. All mice were sacrificed 70 days post-infection, and mouse liver specimens were sampled for RNA extraction and library construction. All libraries were sequenced on the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 sequencing platform. Data cleaning was performed using the fastp software, and reference genome alignment and gene expression (FPKM) calculation were performed using the HISAT2 software. Potential lncRNA sequences were predicted using the software CNIC, CPC, Pfam, and PLEK, and potential lncRNAs were screened. Differentially expressed lncRNAs were screened with the DESeq2 software and subjected to Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses to identify biological processes and metabolic pathways involved in target genes of differentially expressed lncRNAs. Results A total of 333 potential lncRNAs were screened, and 67 were identified as differentially expressed lncRNAs, including 49 up-regulated and 18 down-regulated lncRNAs. A total of 53 target genes were predicted for differentially expressed lncRNAs. GO enrichment analysis showed that these target genes were mainly enriched in biological process and molecular function, among which Sema7a, Arrb1, and Ccl21b genes may be hub target genes for positive regulation of extracellular regulated protein kinase 1 (ERK1) and ERK2 cascades and may participate in the regulation of collagen expression. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the target genes of differentially expressed lncRNAs were mainly enriched in cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, viral protein interactions with cytokines and cytokine receptors, chemokine signaling pathway, and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway. Conclusions This study identifies differentially expressed lncRNAs and functional enrichment of their target genes in the liver of mice during the chronic pathogenic stage of S. japonicum infection. Up-regulated lncRNAs may affect biological processes of ERK1/2 cascades and chemokine signaling pathways via target genes Sema7a, Arrb1, and Ccl21b, thereby affecting collagen expression and inflammatory signal pathways, ultimately affecting the development of liver disorders.

Objective To establish and validate a risk prediction model based on multiple blood routine parameters for preliminary differential diagnosis of influenza A and influenza like illness(ILI)in children.Methods Children with influenza A(n=2 686)and ILI(n=1 369)who were treated in Department of Pediatrics,The First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University(Second Military Medical University)from Jul.1,2022 to Jun.30,2023 were enrolled,and their clinical and laboratory features were collected for retrospective analysis.According to age,patients were divided into 2 subgroups:1 year≤age≤6 years and 6 years＜age≤16 years.Patients in each subgroup were randomly divided into training set(70%)and internal validation set(30%).Children with influenza A(n=204)and ILI(n=404)who were treated in Department of Pediatrics of The Second Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University(Second Military Medical University)and Naval Hospital of PLA Eastern Theater Command from Jul.1,2022 to Jun.30,2023 were selected as the external validation set.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed on the training set to obtain the independent influencing factors of influenza A.The prediction model based on these factors were displayed as a nomogram.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve,Hosmer-Lemeshow test,and decision curve analysis(DCA)were used to evaluate the performance of the model from 3 aspects:discrimination,calibration,and clinical practicality,respectively.The diagnostic performance of the model was verified in both internal validation set and external validation set.Results In the subgroup of 1 year≤age≤6 years,age,white blood cell count,lymphocyte count and C reactive protein were the independent influencing factors of influenza A(all P＜0.01);the area under the curve(AUC)value of the established nomogram prediction model for identifying influenza A was 0.746 in the training set,0.771 in the internal validation set,and 0.753 in the external validation set;the predicted probability of the model was highly consistent with the actual probability(P=0.216);and taking intervention measures within a threshold probability range of 16%-60%could yield net benefits.In the subgroup of 6 years＜age≤16 years,gender,white blood cell count and lymphocyte count were the independent influencing factors of influenza A(all P＜0.01);the AUC value of the established nomogram prediction model for identifying influenza A was 0.733,0.747 in the internal validation set,and 0.753 in the external validation set;the predicted probability of the model was highly consistent with the actual probability(P=0.06);and taking intervention measures within a threshold probability range of 12%-58%could yield net benefits.Conclusion This risk prediction model based on easily obtainable blood routine parameters shows good diagnostic performance for influenza A,with high accuracy and clinical practicality.

Objective:To study the effect of blood volume feedback control system on improving intradialytic-hypotension (IDH) in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients.Methods:It was a prospective cohort study. Thirty MHD patients with recurrent IDH in the Dialysis Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from March 2021 to March 2022 were selected. A self-control study was conducted in MHD patients. The patients were treated with routine hemodialysis in both baseline phase (A1) and reversal phase (A2), while with hemodialysis under the blood volume feedback control system in intervention phase (B). Each phase lasted for 4 weeks (12 hemodialysis sessions). The average occurrences of IDH and IDH-related adverse events (IDH-RAE, stopping dehydration for more than 10 minutes or getting off the hemodialysis machine 10 minutes earlier due to IDH) of each patient between phase A1, B, and A2 were calculated and compared. In a total of 1 080 dialysis records, a logistic regression analysis model was established with age, sex and intervention as independent variables and with the occurrence of IDH-RAE as the outcome.Results:A total of 30 eligible patients were included in the study, including 14 males (46.7%) and 16 females (53.3%), aged 63.0 (56.5, 72.5) years old, with a median dialysis age of 84.0 (37.2, 120.0) months. The average times of IDH in 30 MHD patients decreased from 1.17 (0.83, 1.67) in stage A1 (before intervention) to 0.33 (0.25, 0.58) in stage B (after intervention) ( P<0.05). The frequency of IDH-RAE decreased significantly from 0.29 (0.19, 0.47) in stage A1 to 0.17 (0,0.25) in stage B ( P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis results indicated that the use of blood volume feedback control system reduced the risk of IDH-RAE by 53% ( OR=0.47, 95% CI 0.34-0.64, P<0.001). Conclusions:The application of blood volume feedback control system can effectively reduce the occurrences of IDH and the risk of IDH-RAE in MHD patients.

Objective: To evaluate 99mtechnetium-three polyethylene glycol spacers-arginine-glycine-aspartic acid ( 99mTc-3PRGD2) singlephoton emission computed tomography (SPECT)/computed tomography (CT) imaging for diagnosing lymph node metastasis of primary malignant lung neoplasms. Materials and Methods: We prospectively enrolled 26 patients with primary malignant lung tumors who underwent 99mTc-3PRGD2 SPECT/CT and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose ( 18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT imaging. Both imaging methods were analyzed in qualitative (visual dichotomous and 5-point grades for lymph nodes and lung tumors, respectively) and semiquantitative (maximum tissue-to-background radioactive count) manners for the lymph nodes and lung tumors. The performance of the differentiation of lymph nodes with and without metastasis was determined at the per-lymph node station and perpatient levels using histopathological results as the reference standard. Results: Total 42 stations had metastatic lymph nodes and 136 stations had benign lymph nodes. The differences between metastatic and benign lymph nodes in the visual qualitative and semiquantitative analyses of 99mTc-3PRGD2 SPECT/CT and18F-FDG PET/CT were statistically significant (all P < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC)in the semi-quantitative analysis of 99mTc-3PRGD2 SPECT/CT was 0.908 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.851–0.966), and the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 0.86 (36/42), 0.88 (120/136), 0.69 (36/52), and 0.95 (120/126), respectively. Among the 26 patients (including two patients each with two lung tumors), 15 had pathologically confirmed lymph node metastasis. The difference between primary lung lesions in patients with and without lymph node metastasis was statistically significant only in the semi-quantitative analysis of 99mTc-3PRGD2 SPECT/CT (P = 0.007), with an AUC of 0.807 (95% CI, 0.641–0.974). Conclusion 99mTc-3PRGD2 SPECT/CT imaging may notably perform in the direct diagnosis of lymph node metastasis of primary malignant lung tumors and indirectly predict the presence of lymph node metastasis through uptake in the primary lesions.

Critical neurosurgery is one of the difficulties and key points in the standardized residency training of neurosurgery. Through the systematic and standardized training of the residents of the Intensive Care Unit of Neurosurgery Department in The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, consisting of first aid skills training, multi-modal case analysis with complementary theory and practice, expansion of neuroimaging and electrophysiological knowledge, specialized knowledge training in surgical operation and perioperative management, and regular case discussion, their clinical thinking becomes more mature, the time to master the management methods of neurosurgical intensive care patients is significantly shortened, the initiative to participate in clinical practice is also significantly increased, and the perioperative management methods of neurosurgical patients are more deeply understood. These trainings have effectively improved the teaching effect of neurosurgery intensive care unit.

Objective:To explore the feasibility of early oral nutrition for gastric cancer patients after total gastrectomy based on propensity score matching.Methods:Using convenience sampling method, a retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical records of 755 patients who underwent total gastrectomy for gastric cancer at Jiangsu Subei People's Hospital from 2012 to 2020. A total of 454 patients who received early oral nutrition after surgery were included in the study group, while 301 patients who received conventional nutrition were included in the control group. The study group patients began eating orally on the first day after surgery, while the control group patients began eating orally after anal exhaust. The propensity score matching method was used to balance confounding factors between two groups.Results:A total of 203 pairs (406 cases) of patients were matched. After matching, there was no statistically significant difference in general data between the two groups ( P>0.05). The study group had lower dietary intake time, first anal exhaust time, hospital stay, incidence of abdominal infection, and incidence of anastomotic fistula compared to the control group, with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05) . Conclusions:Early oral nutrition for gastric cancer patients after total gastrectomy can promote intestinal function recovery, shorten hospital stay, and do not increase the risk of complications, including anastomotic fistula. It has the same acceptable tolerance as conventional nutrition, indicating that early oral nutrition after total gastrectomy is safe and feasible.

Objective:To investigate the diagnosis method of Gilbert syndrome (GS) and the relationship between UGT1A1 gene polymorphism distribution with serum bilirubin.Methods:Clinical data of 115 GS cases diagnosed in our hospital from January 2013 to November 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact probability method, t-test, and non-parametric test were used for data analysis.Results:115 cases with GS had an average age of (36.89 ± 12.77) years and an average serum total bilirubin level of (44.01 ± 18.78) μmol/L.UGT1A1*28/*28 (21, 18.3%), UGT1A1*1/*28 (17, 14.8%), and UGT1A1*1/*6 (17, 14.8%) were the most common single-site mutations. UGT1A1*1/*28 + *1/*6 (26, 22.6%), UGT1A1*28/*28 + *1/*27 (5, 4.3%) and UGT1A1*1/*28 + *1/*6 + *1/* 27 (5, 4.3%) were the most common multiple-site mutations. Among 110 cases with Gilbert syndrome combined with non-hemolytic diseases, pairwise comparisons showed that the total bilirubin levels of patients with UGT1A1*28/*28 mutations were significantly higher than UGT1A1*6/*6 and UGT1A1*1/*28 + *1/*6 mutation ( P < 0.05). Additionally, with the increase of UGT1A1*28 distribution, the serum total bilirubin level had gradually increased ( P = 0.028), but UGT1A1*6 was opposite ( P = 0.021). There were no significant differences in gene distribution and bilirubin level between GS group (67 cases) and GS combined with viral hepatitis group (32 cases) ( P > 0.05). Conclusion:UGT1A1 gene sequencing detection is a simple, safe, specific and sensitive effective method to assist GS diagnosis. It can reduce the misdiagnosis and mistreatment of clinical jaundice, thus reducing the patients’ psychological burden and saving the limited medical resources. It is worthy of clinical application.

OBJECTIVE: To screen for Vel- rare blood type donors and determine the frequency of SMIM1 c.64_80del allele in Yili Prefecture of Xinjiang, China. METHODS: DNA pooling and PCR-sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP) was conducted to screen individuals carrying the SMIM1 c.64_80del variant, and Sanger sequencing of SMIM1 exon 3 was carried out to verify the genotype of those with the variation. SMIM1 intron 2 was also sequenced to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that may affect the expression of Vel antigen. RESULTS: Among 3328 blood donors, 14 were identified as heterozygotes for the SMIM1 c.64_80del allele, its allele frequency was 0.21%; no homozygous SMIM1 c.64_80 deletions was found. For SNP rs1175550, all of the 14 individuals had an AA genotype, among whom 5 carried heterozygous 7111ins GCA variant in intron 2. CONCLUSION The allelic frequency of SMIM1 c.64_80del in Yili area is approximately 0.21%, which is reported for the first time.
Alleles ; Blood Group Antigens/genetics* ; China ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Variation/genetics* ; Genotype ; Humans ; Membrane Proteins/genetics* ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics*