This paper analyzed the "non-standardization" phenomenon of syndrome differentiation in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） from the diagnosis process. It is proposed that the symptoms and signs collected by the four examinations of inspection， listening/smelling， inquiry， and palpation naturally have a certain "ambiguity"， which can be reduced by the comparison and comprehensive condensation （comprehensive analysis of the four examinations） of a large amount of multi-dimensional clinical data， thereby realizing the sublimation of TCM diagnosis from "ambiguity" of four examinations to "accuracy" of diagnostic conclusion. Based on the above assumptions， this paper further proposed that a research idea of intelligent syndrome differentiation in TCM， that is， by taking the clinical thinking ability of TCM physicians as the core， adopting artificial intelligence technology based on knowledge graph visualization， integrating the complex network association and reasoning method of "symptom-pathogenesis-syndrome" linked by pathogenesis， and through the automatic analysis and reasoning process of a large amount of multi-dimensional and ambiguous clinical data， the intelligent TCM diagnosis based on syndrome differentiation can be realized.

Objective:Differences between randomized controlled trial (RCT) results and real world study (RWS) results may not represent a true efficacy-effectiveness gap because efficacy-effectiveness gap estimates may be biased when RWS and RCT differ significantly in study design or when there is bias in RWS result estimation. Secondly, when there is an efficacy- effectiveness gap, it should not treat every patient the same way but assess the real-world factors influencing the intervention's effectiveness and identify the subgroup likely to achieve the desired effect.Methods:Six databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Data, and VIP) were searched up to 31 st December 2022 with detailed search strategies. A scoping review method was used to integrate and qualitatively describe the included literature inductively. Results:Ten articles were included to discuss how to use the RCT research protocol as a template to develop the corresponding RWS research protocol. Moreover, based on correctly estimating the efficacy-effectiveness gap, evaluate the intervention effect in the patient subgroup to confirm the subgroup that can achieve the expected benefit-risk ratio to bridge the efficacy-effectiveness gap.Conclusion:Using real-world data to simulate key features of randomized controlled clinical trial study design can improve the authenticity and effectiveness of study results and bridge the efficacy-effectiveness gap.

Objective:Randomized controlled trials (RCT) usually have strict implementation criteria. The included subjects' characteristics of the conditions for the intervention implementation are quite different from the actual clinical environment, resulting in discrepancies between the risk-benefit of interventions in actual clinical use and the risk-benefit shown in RCT. Therefore, some methods are needed to enhance the extrapolation of RCT results to evaluate the real effects of drugs in real people and clinical practice settings.Methods:Six databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Data, and VIP) were searched up to 31 st December 2022 with detailed search strategies. A scoping review method was used to integrate and qualitatively describe the included literature inductively. Results:A total of 12 articles were included. Three methods in the included literature focused on: ①improving the design of traditional RCT to increase population representation; ②combining RCT Data with real-world data (RWD) for analysis;③calibrating RCT results according to real-world patient characteristics.Conclusions:Improving the design of RCT to enhance the population representation can improve the extrapolation of the results of RCT. Combining RCT data with RWD can give full play to the advantages of data from different sources; the results of the RCT were calibrated against real-world population characteristics so that the effects of interventions in real-world patient populations can be predicted.

Objective:To investigate whether the lung specific X protein(LUNX)gene can serve as a prognostic biomarker for non-small cell lung cancer related to immune cell infiltration.Methods:A total of 280 non-small cell lung cancer patients admitted to Hengshui People's Hospital from January 2020 to January 2023 were selected to detect the expression of LUNX gene in cancer tissue and adjacent tissues,and to analyze the relationship between LUNX gene and immune cell infiltration and prognosis survival status in the tumor microenvironment.Results:Compared with adjacent tissues,the expression level and positive rate of LUNX gene in non-small cell lung cancer tissue were increased,which were related to differentiation degree,lymph node metastasis and tumor staging(P<0.05).GEPIA database analysis showed that the LUNX gene was only slightly expressed or not expressed in other tissues,while its expression was elevated in LUAD and LUSC(P<0.05).The copy number of LUNX gene and LUNX gene were related to the level of immune cell infiltration(P<0.05).Survival analysis showed that high expression of the LUNX gene was associated with patient survival prognosis(P<0.05).Conclusion:The LUNX gene is specifically expressed in non-small cell lung cancer tissue,affecting the level of immune cell infiltration in non-small cell lung cancer,leading to an imbalance in the immune microenvironment,and is an important mechanism for causing patients prognostic death,which can be used as a prognostic biomarker for evaluating immune cell infiltration.

Humans ; COVID-19/genetics* ; SARS-CoV-2/genetics* ; Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/genetics* ; CRISPR-Cas Systems/genetics* ; RNA, Viral/genetics*

10,11-Dehydrocurvularin (DCV) is a natural-product macrolide that has been shown to exert anti-inflammatory activity. However, the underlying mechanism of its anti-inflammatory activity remains poorly understood. Aberrant activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome is involved in diverse inflammation-related diseases, which should be controlled. The results showed that DCV specifically inhibited the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in association with reduced IL-1β secretion and caspase-1 activation, without effect on the NLRC4 and AIM2 inflammasomes. Furthermore, DCV disturbed the interaction between NEK7 and NLRP3, resulting in the inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome activation. The C=C double bond of DCV was required for the NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition induced by DCV. Importantly, DCV ameliorated inflammation in vivo through inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome. Taken together, our study reveals a novel mechanism by which DCV suppresses inflammation, which indicates the potential role of DCV in NLRP3 inflammasome-driven inflammatory disorders.
Animals ; Mice ; Inflammasomes ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/genetics* ; Inflammation/drug therapy* ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology* ; Interleukin-1beta/genetics* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

BACKGROUND: The presence of fibrosis is a criterion for subtype classification in the newly updated hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) guidelines. The present study aimed to summarize differences in clinical characteristics and prognosis of non-fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (NFHP) and fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (FHP) and explore factors associated with the presence of fibrosis. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, patients diagnosed with HP through a multidisciplinary discussion were enrolled. Collected data included demographic and clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, and radiologic and histopathological features. Logistic regression analyses were performed to explore factors related to the presence of fibrosis. RESULTS: A total of 202 patients with HP were enrolled, including 87 (43.1%) NFHP patients and 115 (56.9%) FHP patients. Patients with FHP were older and more frequently presented with dyspnea, crackles, and digital clubbing than patients with NFHP. Serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen, carbohydrate antigen 125, carbohydrate antigen 153, gastrin-releasing peptide precursor, squamous cell carcinoma antigen, and antigen cytokeratin 21-1, and count of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) eosinophils were higher in the FHP group than in the NFHP group. BAL lymphocytosis was present in both groups, but less pronounced in the FHP group. Multivariable regression analyses revealed that older age, <20% of lymphocyte in BAL, and ≥1.75% of eosinophil in BAL were risk factors for the development of FHP. Twelve patients developed adverse outcomes, with a median survival time of 12.5 months, all of whom had FHP. CONCLUSIONS Older age, <20% of lymphocyte in BAL, and ≥1.75% of eosinophil in BAL were risk factors associated with the development of FHP. Prognosis of patients with NFHP was better than that of patients with FHP. These results may provide insights into the mechanisms of fibrosis in HP.
Humans ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Prospective Studies ; Alveolitis, Extrinsic Allergic/diagnosis* ; Fibrosis ; Carbohydrates

Objective To investigate the clinical effects of two methods of compressive coverage with aseptic gauze dressing and alginate dressing on haemostasis in placement of peripherally inserted central catheter(PICC)so as to provide a new dressing method for clinical application.Methods A total of 416 breast cancer patients undergoing PICC were randomly divided into two groups,with 208 per group.In the control group,the puncture sites for PICC were dressed with aseptic gauze immediately after the placement of PICC,with a daily aseptic gauze dressing change once per 24 hours.In the trial group,the puncture sites were dressed with alginate dressing immediately after the placement of PICC,with a weekly dressing change at the 7th day after PICC placement,while no local bleeding on the puncture site.The incidence,within 24 hours,of bleeding,degree of comfort,frequency and cost of dressing change as well as the infection rate within 7 days after the PICC placement were monitored and compared between the groups.Results A total of 205 patients in the control group and 208 in the observation group had completed the study.In the trial group,the incidence of bleeding at puncture sites within 24 hours after placement of PICC was significantly lower than that of the control group(27.88%vs.38.05%,χ2=4.829,P=0.028).The frequency of dressing change within 24 hours in the observation group was significantly less than that of the control group(Z=205.235,P<0.001).The cost of dressing change in the observed groups was also significantly less than that of the control group(56.94 vs.10.20 yuan in average,Z=-8.990,P<0.001).The incidence rates of local pain and itche reported by the patients in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group(Z=-12.079,P<0.001;Z=-12.194,P<0.001).No infection at the puncture site was observed in both groups.Conclusions Application of alginate dressing immediately after PICC placement in breast cancer patients can extend the time for initial dressing change up to 7 days in the patient without bleeding at the puncture site within 24 hours after the placement of PICC.An alginate dressing can reduce the incidence of bleeding at the puncture site,increase the comfort of patients,lower the frequency and cost of dressing change hence the nursing workload.

Objective:To explore the hotspots and development trend of research in the field of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) health management in China based on bibliometrics.Methods:With the subject term of “TCM health management” “traditional Chinese medicine”“TCM” “health management”, the relevant literatures on TCM health management were retrieved in databases of CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, Web of Science, PubMed, Embase database from the establishment of the databases to December 31st, 2022. After screening and data processing, CiteSpace software was used for visual analysis of the included literature, including network maps of author and institutional collaborations, co-occurrence maps of keywords, burst analysis, timeline cluster maps, and keyword cluster views. This analysis aimed to identify research hotspots and trends in the field of TCM health management in China.Results:A total of 1 294 literatures were eventually included, and since 2013, the number of publications in the field of TCM health management in China had entered a period of rapid growth with the introduction of relevant policies, and it reached a peak in 2019. Li Candong (44 articles) et al. were the core authors in this field, and the research institutions and author groups were mainly concentrated in universities and TCM hospitals. The keywords were mainly “preventive treatment of disease” “TCM physical identification” “community” “hypertension” “elderly” “diabetes”, and the research hotspots were prominent. Among them,“physique”had the longest duration of emergence (2008-2014),“application” had the highest intensity of emergence (10.22), and the emergent words such as “big data” had surged in recent years. The keyword clustering mainly categorized into 3 types: (1) application of TCM health management in terms of hot social needs; (2) research on basic theories of TCM health management; (3) modern technology-enabled TCM health management. The representative keywords of this field in 2016-2022 were“healthcare integration” “application” “artificial intelligence” “Internet+” “intelligent Chinese medicine”and so on.Conclusion:Research in the field of TCM health management in China is heavily influenced by policy factors, resulting in a concentrated effort and uneven development. The research focuses on TCM theory, chronic disease prevention and treatment, combination of medical and nursing care and community application. Intelligent TCM health management modes technologies are emerging as a new research trend.

Objective:To analyze and compare the practical value of serum cystatin C(Scys C)and serum creatinine(SCr)in the assessment of kidney function in older adults.Methods:A retrospective, cross-sectional study was performed in 2 450 participants who were divided into a non-elderly group(<65 years)and an elderly group(≥65 years).Glomerular filtration rate(GFR), Scys C and SCr were measured by 99mTc-DTPA clearance, particle-enhanced immunoturbidimetry and an oxidase method, respectively.The χ2 test was used to compare increases in percentage of Scys C and SCr at the same GFR level.The screening value of Scys C and SCr for GFR<60 ml·min -1·1.73m -2was evaluated by the area under curve(AUC)of the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Values of 95% reference ranges were established for Scys C and SCr at different GFR levels. Results:The proportions of the general population with increased Scys C were 82.74%(556/672)and 94.74%(90/95), respectively, for GFR levels between 30~59 ml·min -1·1.73m -2and <30 ml·min -1·1.73m -2, while only 38.24%(257/672)and 75.79%(72/95)had elevated SCr levels( χ2=278.328, 13.571, both P<0.001).For the above GFR intervals, the proportions of older adults with increased Scys C were 84.81%(240/283)and 100.00%(43/43)respectively, and the proportions for non-elderly adults with increased Scys C were 81.23%(316/389)and 90.38%(47/52)( χ2=1.463, 4.364, P=0.226, 0.037), respectively.The screening value of Scys C for GFR<60 ml·min -1·1.73m -2was slightly better than SCr in terms of sensitivity, specificity and the Youden index.However, the sensitivity and specificity of Scys C in older adults were 76.4% and 75.7%, respectively, both lower than 78.7% and 84.0% in non-older adults.The variability of Scys C increased progressively with age.The reference range for Scys C was higher in older adults than in non-older adults at the same GFR level. Conclusions:When screening for GFR<60 ml·min -1·1.73m -2, the sensitivity and specificity of Scys C are slightly better than those of SCr, but are lower in older adults than in non-older adults.Scys C levels are higher and more variable in older adults.Using Scys C to assess GFR may lead to over-diagnosis of chronic kidney disease in older adults.