Objective: To investigate the efficacy, safety, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) medication patterns of rituximab (RTX) combined with TCM on treating children with steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome (SDNS). Methods: One hundred and forty-three children with SDNS who visited the Pediatric Nephrology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine from January 2018 to December 2022 were enrolled. A cohort study design was adopted, with " RTX treatment" as the exposure factor. Children who met this exposure factor were assigned to the RTX cohort (RTX, glucocorticoid, immunosuppressive agent, combined with traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation treatment), whereas those who did not were assigned to the basic treatment cohort (glucocorticoid, immunosuppressive agent, combined with traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation treatment ), and followed up for 6 months. The frequency of urinary protein recurrences, urinary protein remission duration, proportion and duration of steroid reduction and cessation, cumulative usage of steroids, proportion of recurrence, recurrence amount of steroid used, efficacy of TCM syndrome, and laboratory and safety indicators after treatment, and height and CD19+ B cell count before and after treatment were compared between the two cohorts. The medication patterns of TCM in the two cohorts were analyzed using frequency statistics, association rule analysis, and systematic clustering analysis. Results: Compared with the basic treatment cohort, the RTX cohort showed a decrease in the frequency of urinary protein recurrence, extended sustained remission of urinary protein, an increase in the proportion of steroid reduction and cessation, a shorter duration of steroid reduction and cessation, a decrease in cumulative steroid dosage, a lower recurrence rate, a decrease in CD19+ B cell count, and a decrease in 24-h urinary total protein quantification and the level of cholesterol (P<0.05). No significant difference in the recurrence amount of steroid used, height, TCM syndrome efficacy, albumin, aspartate transaminase, blood urea nitrogen, platelet count, and safety indicators between the two cohorts. Children with SDNS were mostly characterized by qi and yin deficiency syndrome, followed by spleen and kidney yang deficiency syndrome. A total of 175 TCMs were included, including 28 high-frequency drugs such as Huangqi, Fuling, Gancao, Baizhu, Dangshen, and Jiuyurou. The primary use of medication is to nourish the qi and spleen, nourish the kidney, and warm yang. The analysis of association rules yielded eight binary associations and ten three-phase associations, with Huangqi, Baizhu, Fuling, and Dangshen, being the most closely related. Cluster analysis identified four TCM combinations, primarily focusing on tonifying kidney and replenishing essence, benefiting qi and nourishing yin, and removing blood stasis. Conclusion RTX combined with TCM syndrome differentiation treatment can reduce the recurrence frequency of SDNS, prolong the remission period, reduce the glucocorticoid dosage, and have no marked effect on height growth. No apparent adverse reactions were observed. TCM should focus on nourishing qi and yin while removing blood stasis.

BACKGROUND:How to effectively promote bone regeneration and bone reconstruction after bone injury has always been a key issue in clinical bone repair research.The use of biological and degradable materials loaded with bioactive factors to treat bone defects has excellent application prospects in bone repair. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of polylactic acid-glycolic acid copolymer(PLGA)composite scaffold modified by lysine-grafted graphene oxide nanoparticles(LGA-g-GO)on osteogenic differentiation and new bone formation. METHODS:PLGA was dissolved in dichloromethane and PLGA scaffold was prepared by solvent evaporation method.PLGA/GO composite scaffolds were prepared by dispersing graphene oxide uniformly in PLGA solution.LGA-g-GO nanoparticles were prepared by chemical grafting method,and the PLGA/LGA-g-GO composite scaffolds were constructed by blending LGA-g-GO nanoparticles at different mass ratios(1%,2%,and 3%)with PLGA.The micromorphology,hydrophilicity,and protein adsorption capacity of scaffolds of five groups were characterized.MC3T3 cells were inoculated on the surface of scaffolds of five groups to detect cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The surface of PLGA scaffolds was smooth and flat under scanning electron microscope,while the surface of the other four scaffolds was rough.The surface roughness of the composite scaffolds increased with the increase of the addition of LGA-g-GO nanoparticles.The water contact angle of PLGA/LGA-g-GO(3%)composite scaffolds was lower than that of the other four groups(P<0.05).The protein adsorption capacity of PLGA/LGA-g-GO(1%,2%,and 3%)composite scaffolds was stronger than PLGA and PLGA/GO scaffolds(P<0.05).(2)CCK-8 assay showed that PLGA/LGA-g-GO(2%,3%)composite scaffold could promote the proliferation of MC3T3 cells.Alkaline phosphatase staining and alizarin red staining showed that the cell alkaline phosphatase activity in PLGA/LGA-g-GO(2%,3%)group was higher than that in the other three groups(P<0.05).The calcium deposition in the PLGA/GO and PLGA/LGA-g-GO(1%,2%,and 3%)groups was higher than that in the PLGA group(P<0.05).(3)In summary,PLGA/LGA-g-GO composite scaffold can promote the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of osteoblasts,and is conducive to bone regeneration and bone reconstruction after bone injury.

Objective: To determine the clinical efficacy and mechanism of Piwei Peiyuan Pill (PPP) combined with moxibustion for treating patients with chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) with spleen and stomach weakness syndrome. Methods: Ninety-six CAG patients with spleen and stomach weakness syndrome who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled at the Department of Spleen and Stomach Diseases of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine from June 2022 to December 2023. The patients were randomly divided into a control, a Chinese medicine, and a combined group using a random number table method, with 32 cases in each group (two cases per group were excluded). The control group was treated with rabeprazole combined with folic acid tablets (both thrice daily), the Chinese medicine group was treated with PPP (8 g, thrice daily), and the combined group was treated with moxa stick moxibustion (once daily) on the basis of the Chinese medicine group for 12 consecutive weeks. Gastric mucosa atrophy in the three groups was observed before and after treatment. The gastric mucosal pathological score was evaluated. The Patient Reported Outcome (PRO) scale was used to evaluate the patients′ physical and mental health status and quality of life.An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-4, IL-10, IL-37, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β levels in each group. Real-time fluorescence PCR was used to detect the relative expression levels of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) mRNA in each group. Western blotting was used to detect the relative expression levels of proteins related to the STAT3/mTOR signaling pathway, and the adverse drug reactions and events were recorded and compared. Results: There was no statistical difference in age, gender, disease duration, family history of gastrointestinal tumors, alcohol consumption history, and body mass index among the three groups of patients.The total therapeutic efficacy rates of the control, Chinese medicine, and combined groups in treating gastric mucosal atrophy were 66.67% (20/30), 86.67% (26/30), and 90.00% (27/30), respectively (P<0.05). Compared to before treatment, the pathological and PRO scale scores of gastric mucosa in each group decreased after treatment, and TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-37, and TGF-β levels decreased. The relative STAT3 and mTOR mRNA expression levels, as well as the relative STAT3, p-STAT3, mTOR, and p-mTOR protein expression levels decreased (P<0.05), whereas the IL-4 and IL-10 levels increased (P<0.05). After treatment, compared to the control group, the pathological score of gastric mucosa, PRO scale score, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-37, TGF-β content, relative STAT3 and mTOR mRNA expression levels, and relative STAT3, p-STAT3, mTOR, and p-mTOR protein expression levels in the Chinese medicine and combined groups after treatment were reduced (P<0.05), whereas the IL-4 and IL-10 levels increased (P<0.05). After treatment, compared to the Chinese medicine group, the combined group showed a decrease in relative STAT3, mTOR mRNA expression levels, and STAT3, p-STAT3, mTOR, and p-mTOR protein expression levels (P<0.05). Conclusion The combination of PPP and moxibustion may regulate the inflammatory mechanism of the body by inhibiting the abnormal activation of the STAT3/mTOR signaling pathway, upregulating related anti-inflammatory factor levels, downregulating pro-inflammatory factor expression, and increasing related repair factor expression, thereby promoting the recovery of atrophic gastric mucosa, reducing discomfort symptoms, and improving the physical and mental state of CAG patients with spleen and stomach weakness syndrome.

Objective To construct and apply a multidrug-resistant bacteria information management system,and evaluate its effectiveness and accuracy in the management of patients with multidrug-resistant bacteria infection.Methods A system construction team was established to develop a multidrug-resistant bacteria information management system,which includes 4 modules:early warning,execution,monitoring,and statistical decision-making.Patients with positive detection of multidrug-resistant bacteria admitted to a tertiary A obstetrics and gynecology hospital in Zhejiang Province from January to December 2022,members of the system construction team,and clinical medical staff were selected as the research subjects.The execution efficiency of multidrug-resistant bacteria management,as well as the system's accuracy,usability,and satisfaction were compared before(January to June 2022)and after(July to December 2022)the application of the system.Results After the implementation of the system,the immediate feedback rate of multidrug-resistant bacteria early warning information increased from 62.87％to 89.78％;the rate of issuing isolation medical orders rose from 61.07％to 93.33％;the accuracy of the implementation of isolation measures for patients increased from 66.67％to 98.01％;all differences are statistically significant(P＜0.001).The accuracy rate of the system in making decisions is 88.44％;the usability score given by medical staff for the system is 44.04 points,and the satisfaction score of the system construction team members and medical staff to the system is 121.25 points,both at a high level.Conclusion The multidrug-resistant information management system is equipped with features such as immediate alerts,multi-channel notifications,infection control department supervision,and auxiliary decision-making,which can provide medical staff with accurate decision reports.Preliminary application results show that the system has a high level of accuracy and good usability.

Objective To explore the potential pathogenic genes of intestinal metaplasia.Methods Twenty-one patients with intestinal metaplasia admitted to the Department of Gastroenterology at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine from January,2022 to June,2022,and 21 healthy subjects undergoing gastroscopic examination during the same period were enrolled in this study.All the participants underwent gastroscopy and pathological examination,and gastric tissue samples were collected for transcriptome sequencing to screen for differentially expressed genes(DEGs).The biological functions of the DEGs were analyzed using bioinformatics analysis,and qRT-PCR was used to validate the results.Results Transcriptomic sequencing identified a total of 1373 DEGs,including 827 upregulated and 546 downregulated ones.The top 6 upregulated genes(AGMAT,CCL25,FABP1,CDX1,SPINK4,and MUC2),ranked based on their significance and average expression level,were selected for validation,and qRT-PCR showed significant upregulation of their mRNAs in the gastric tissues of patients with intestinal metaplasia(P<0.05).Conclusion AGMAT,CCL25,FABP1,CDX1,SPINK4,and MUC2 participate in the occurrence and development of intestinal metaplasia,and may serve as potential biomarkers for diagnosing intestinal metaplasia.

Objective To improve the understanding of hypereosinophilic syndrome(HES)complicated with pe-ripheral arterial embolism through analyzing the clinical features and therapeutic effect.Methods Among 176 inpa-tients with peripheral arterial embolism in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from April 2012 to October 2021,13 patients complicated with HES were involved according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria.All patients were diagnosed with peripheral arterial embolism by imaging examination.After gender and age matching,39 HES patients who were hospitalized in the same period but without peripheral arterial embolism were selected as the control with the ratio of 1:3.Clinical features,therapy response and prognosis were compared between the two groups.Results Eleven of the 13 patients were male.The main involved arteries included popliteal artery,dorsalis pedis artery,ulnar artery and radial artery.The proportion of peripheral nerve involvement in case group was significantly higher than in the control group(P＜0.05);and the proportion of gastrointestinal involvement(P＜0.05)and eosinophil level(P＜0.05)were significantly lower than that of control group.There were 92.3％,61.5％and 76.9％of the patients in case group received anticoagulant therapy,antiplatelet therapy and immunosuppressive therapy respectively,the percentages were significantly higher than that in control group(P＜0.01).According to eosinophil counts before and after therapy,84.6％and 56.5％of the patients in the case and control groups achieved complete remission and the partial remission rates were 15.4％and 25.6％re-spectively.Conclusions Patients with hypereosinophilia syndrome and peripheral arterial embolism commonly ex-perience involvement of the peripheral nerves and skin.Vascular embolism is mainly caused by arterial emboliza-tion of the extremities.After treatment with hormones,immunosuppressants,anticoagulants and/or antiplatelet therapy,this group of patients has a good prognosis.

Objective To explore the potential pathogenic genes of intestinal metaplasia.Methods Twenty-one patients with intestinal metaplasia admitted to the Department of Gastroenterology at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine from January,2022 to June,2022,and 21 healthy subjects undergoing gastroscopic examination during the same period were enrolled in this study.All the participants underwent gastroscopy and pathological examination,and gastric tissue samples were collected for transcriptome sequencing to screen for differentially expressed genes(DEGs).The biological functions of the DEGs were analyzed using bioinformatics analysis,and qRT-PCR was used to validate the results.Results Transcriptomic sequencing identified a total of 1373 DEGs,including 827 upregulated and 546 downregulated ones.The top 6 upregulated genes(AGMAT,CCL25,FABP1,CDX1,SPINK4,and MUC2),ranked based on their significance and average expression level,were selected for validation,and qRT-PCR showed significant upregulation of their mRNAs in the gastric tissues of patients with intestinal metaplasia(P<0.05).Conclusion AGMAT,CCL25,FABP1,CDX1,SPINK4,and MUC2 participate in the occurrence and development of intestinal metaplasia,and may serve as potential biomarkers for diagnosing intestinal metaplasia.

Objective To compare the anesthetic effects of remazolam and dexmedetomidine assisted sedation in the operation of finger replantation under ultrasound guided brachial plexus block.Methods 60 patients undergoing severed finger replantation were randomly divided into remazolam group(group R)and a dexmedetomidine group(group D)by random number table method,with 30 cases in each group.Both groups received a single brachial plexus block under ultrasound guidance.Group R was injected with remazolam 0.1 mg/kg,followed by 1 mg/(kg·h)pump until 10 min before the end of the operation.In group D,a load dose of 0.5 μg/kg of dexmedetomidine was injected,followed by continuous infusion at a rate of 0.5 μg/(kg·h)until 10 min before the end of surgery.The MAP,HR and SpO2 values of the two groups were compared when the patients entered the room(T0),the wound was cleaned and disinfected(T1);the tourniquet was upper(T2);the operation began(T3);the tourniquet was relaxed(T4);and the operation ended(T5).MOAA/S scores and BIS values were compared between the two groups at different time.The time from the beginning of medication to the absence of consciousness and the time of consciousness recovery after drug withdrawal were compared between the two groups.Blood lactic acid(Lac)before applying tourniquet and 15 min after relaxing tourniquet were compared between the two groups.The occurrence of intraoperative adverse reactions was recorded in the two groups.Results The MAP of patients in group R had little fluctuation at each time during the operation,and the MAP of patients in group D was significantly increased at T1,T2,T3 and T0 moments and at the same time as that in group R(P<0.05);HR in group R was stable at all times,and HR in group D significantly slowed down at T1,T2 and at the same time with group R(P<0.05).Patients in both groups achieved ideal sedation during the operation(MOAA/S score≤3 points),and the MOAA/S score of patients in group R at T5 minutes after drug withdrawal was higher than that at other moments of the same group and group D(P<0.05);the BIS value of group R was higher than that of group D(P<0.05).The loss time and recovery time of consciousness in group R were shorter than those in group D(P<0.05).The incidence of intraoperative hypertension and bradycardia in group D was significantly higher than that in group R,and the incidence of respiratory depression in group R was higher than that in group D(P<0.05).There was no significant change in lactate value between the two groups(P>0.05).Conclusion Remazolam and dexmedetomidine can satisfy sedation in brachial plexus nerve block for replantation of severed finger under ultrasound guidanc.Compared with dexmedetomidine,remazolam has better sedation control,stable hemodynamics,low incidence of circulatory adverse events.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of maslinic acid on pyroptosis and inflammato-ry response in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion(IR)injury.Methods H9C2 cardiomyocytes were randomly divided into control group,control+maslinic acid group,hypoxia reoxygenation(HR)group,and HR+maslinic acid group.Cellular model of HR injury was constructed by hypoxia for 4 h and then reoxygenation for 12 h.Forty-eight male SD rats were randomly divided into Sham group,IR group,IR+maslinic acid group,IR+maslinic acid+Tri group(n=12).Rat model of myocardial IR injury was established by ligating the left anterior descending branch for 30 min followed by reperfusion for 2 h.The viability of cardiomyocytes was detected,the levels of LDH,CK-MB,IL-1β and IL-18 in the supernatant of cardiomyocytes and rat serum samples were detec-ted in each group.Drug-molecular docking was performed to predict the binding site and binding force of maslinic acid and NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain-associated protein 3(NLRP3).Western blotting was used to detect IκBα,NF-κB P65,NLRP3,apoptosis-associated speck-like protein(ASC),and gasdermid D-N terminal(GSDMD-N)in each group of cardiomyo-cytes and myocardial tissues.Results Compared with the Control group,significantly reduced cell viability,enhanced protein levels of p-IκBα,p-NF-κB P65 and higher releases of LDH,IL-1β and IL-18 were observed in the HR group(P＜0.05).Maslinic acid treatment reversed HR-induced changes in above indicators(P＜0.05).Compared with the Sham group,the protein levels of p-IκBα,p-NF-κB P65,NLRP3,ASC,GSDMD-N and the releases of serum CK-MB,LDH,IL-1βand IL-18 were significantly increased in the IR group(P＜0.05).Maslinic acid treatment also reversed above indicators induced by IR injury(P＜0.05).The protein levels of p-IκBα,p-NF-κB P65,NLRP3,ASC and GSDMD-N were significantly increased,and the releases of serum CK-MB,LDH,IL-1β and IL-18 were also elevated in the IR+maslinic acid+Tri group than the IR+maslinic acid group(1681.00±136.20 U/L vs 1251.00±213.60 U/L,1776.00±185.80 U/L vs 1330.00±172.50 U/L,4.32±0.45 vs 2.95±0.26,3.89±0.20 vs 2.47±0.29,P＜0.05).Conclusion Maslinic acid can show target intervention in NLRP3 activity,thereby inhibiting inflammatory re-sponse and cell pyroptosis,and ultimately attenuate myocardial IR injury effectively.

Objective:To investigate the additional value of unenhanced computed tomography (CT) in the differential diagnosis of brain tumors and non-neoplastic lesions.Methods:A total of 237 cases [140 males and 97 females; (49±16) years old; including 48 cases of low-grade glioma, 134 cases of high-grade glioma, 38 cases of primary central nervous system lymphoma, 9 cases of medulloblastoma, 5 cases of germinoma, and 3 cases of central neurocytoma] of brain tumors (diffuse gliomas and non-glial tumors) diagnosed by biopsy or surgery and pathology in the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from September 2016 to October 2020 were collected retrospectively. Sixty-six cases [46 males and 20 females; (42±13) years old; including 12 cases of abscesses, 5 cases of infarcts, 33 cases of demyelinating lesions, 11 cases of autoimmune encephalitis, and 5 cases of central nervous system vasculitis] of brain non-neoplastic lesions were confirmed by biopsy or clinic. All patients underwent routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan and unenhanced CT before the treatment. The images were reviewed by two neuroradiologists together blind to the final diagnosis with and without CT images respectively. The diagnostic results and reliability scores were recorded, and the accuracy of the two evaluations was compared.Results:CT hyperattenuation exhibited a higher specificity (95%) than conventional MRI scan (86%), and a lower diagnostic sensitivity (34% vs 86%). Compared to MRI alone, the combined modality of MRI and unenhanced CT significantly improved diagnostic accuracy (94% vs 86%). Additionally, the CT attenuation ratio of non-neoplastic lesions was significantly lower than that of neoplastic lesions [0.69 (0.61,0.78) and 1.14 (1.00,1.25), W=2 123, P<0.05]. The CT attenuation ratio in the non-glial origin tumor group was significantly higher than that in the diffuse glioma group [1.28 (1.18,1.41) and 1.13 (0.97,1.21), W=1 858, P<0.05]. There was no significant difference in grade Ⅲ and Ⅳ groups of diffuse glioma [1.11 (0.99,1.20) vs 1.16 (1.09,1.24), P>0.05 (Nemenyi test)]. However, both were significantly higher than that of grade Ⅱgroup of diffuse glioma [0.89 (0.76,1.07), P<0.05 (Nemenyi test)]. No significant difference was observed between astrocytic tumors and oligodendroglial tumors at the same grade. Conclusions:Hyperattenuation on unenhanced CT is highly specific for the diagnosis of brain tumors. Unenhanced CT plus MRI is more accurate for distinguishing the two entities in hypoattenuation lesion on unenhanced CT.