This article systematically analyzes the historical evolution of the name， origin， quality evaluation， harvesting， processing and other aspects of Picrorhizae Rhizoma by referring to the medical books， prescription books， and other documents of the past dynasties， combined with relevant modern research materials， in order to provide a basis for the development and utilization of famous classical formulas containing this medicinal herb. The research results indicate that Picrorhizae Rhizoma was first recorded in New Revised Materia Medica from the Tang dynasty. Throughout history， Huhuanglian has been used as its official name， and there are also aliases such as Gehu Luze， Jiahuanglian and Hulian. The main source of past dynasties is the the rhizomes of Picrorhiza kurrooa and P. scrophulariiflora. In ancient times， Picrorhizae Rhizoma was mainly imported by foreign traders via Guangzhou and other regions， and also produced in China， mainly in Xizang. In ancient times， it was harvested and dried in early August of the lunar calendar， while in modern times， it is mostly harvested from July to September， with the best quality being those with thick and crispy rhizomes without impurities， and bitter taste. Throughout history， Picrorhizae Rhizoma was collected， washed， sliced， and dried before being used as a raw material for medicine， it has a bitter and cold taste， mainly used to treat bone steaming， hot flashes， infantile chancre fever， and dysentery. There is no significant difference in taste and efficacy between ancient and modern times. Based on the research results， it is recommended that the rhizomes of P. scrophulariiflora in the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia， or the rhizomes of P. kurrooa， can be used in famous classical formulas containing this medicinal herb， which can be processed according to the processing requirements marked by the original formula. For those without clear processing requirements， the dried raw products are used as medicine.

To explore the correlation between human body fat distribution and carotid athero-sclerosis.

Objective To explore the computed tomography angiography(CTA)and clinical features of Takayasu's arteritis(TA)with peripheral artery involvement.Methods In this retrospective study,CTA scan was performed in a total of 184 TA patients.TA patients were divided into two groups:60 patients within peripheral artery involvement(peripheral artery involvement group)and 124 patients without peripheral artery involvement(peripheral artery non-involvement group).The difference in comparison of clini-cal data and CTA findings were analyzed.Results A total of 194 peripheral arteries were involved in 60 patients.The most suscep-tible peripheral artery were axillary artery(52,26.8％),middle cerebral artery(26,13.4％)and femoral artery(22,11.3％).In the peripheral artery involvement group,the most common CTA manifestation was luminal stenosis(141,72.7％).The lumen dilata-tion,lumen stenosis with dilatation and wall calcification were not easy to be observed.The age and duration of disease in peripheral artery involvement group were significantly greater than those in peripheral artery non-involvement group(P＜0.05).The proportion of the peripheral artery involvement group in the active phase was significantly lower than that of the peripheral artery non-involvement group(P＜0.05).The incidence of pain in the limbs in peripheral artery involvement group was significantly higher than that in peripheral artery non-involvement group(P＜0.05).The utilization rate of tocilizumab in the peripheral artery involvement group was significantly higher than that in the peripheral artery non-involvement group(P＜0.05).Conclusion TA involving peripheral arteries is more common in patients with a long course of disease and in the inactive phase.Patients are prone to pain in their limbs.The CT A manifestations of these patients are also special,that is,the involved peripheral arteries are not prone to lumen dilatation and wall calcification.

Objective:To analyze the clinical, genetic mutation characteristics, and treatment prognosis of type 2A hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) in China.Methods:Peripheral blood samples and clinical data of patients with primary iron overload were collected through the China Registry of Genetic/Metabolic Liver Disease from June 2015 to November 2023. HH-related genes were detected by Sanger sequencing. Clinical characteristics and gene mutation characteristics of HH patients carrying HJV gene mutations were analyzed.Results:Among the 37 cases with primary iron overload, ten cases (27.0%, 10/37) had detectable HJV gene mutations, which included four homozygous mutations, five compound heterozygous mutations, and one monoheterozygous mutation. p.Q6H and p.C321X (80.0%, 8/10) were the most common mutated sites. The average age of onset was 30.7±14.7 years. The age of diagnosis was 35.7±16.2 years, with male-to-female ratio of 7:3. Ferritin and transferrin saturation were (5 267±905) ng/ml, and 94.3%±1.2%, respectively. Magnetic resonance imaging showed iron overload in the liver, pancreas, and myocardium. Liver biopsy showed diffuse iron deposition within hepatocytes. All ten cases had elevated transaminases; one case (1/10, 10.0%) had liver cirrhosis; four cases (4/10, 40.0%) had heart failure and arrhythmia; five cases (5/10, 50.0%) had diabetes; six cases (6/10, 60.0%) had hypogonadism; six cases (6/10, 60.0%) had skin pigmentation; and six cases (6/10, 60.0%) had fatigue symptoms. All six cases underwent bloodletting therapy, and ferritin levels dropped to about 100 ng/ml. Two cases of oral administration of the iron chelator deferasirox did not meet the ferritin level standard, and one case died from acute heart failure following a confirmed diagnosis during hospitalization.Conclusion:The HJV gene may be one of the main pathogenic genes of HH in China. The p.Q6H and p.C321X mutations were one of the hotspot mutations. The onset age of HJV gene-related HH was between 20 and 30 years old, and their condition was severe. Therefore, early bloodletting treatment can have a favorable outcome.

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of serological indicators and evaluate the diagnostic value of a new established combined serological model on identifying the minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) in patients with compensated cirrhosis.Methods:This prospective multicenter study enrolled 263 compensated cirrhotic patients from 23 hospitals in 15 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities of China between October 2021 and August 2022. Clinical data and laboratory test results were collected, and the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score was calculated. Ammonia level was corrected to the upper limit of normal (AMM-ULN) by the baseline blood ammonia measurements/upper limit of the normal reference value. MHE was diagnosed by combined abnormal number connection test-A and abnormal digit symbol test as suggested by Guidelines on the management of hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhosis. The patients were randomly divided (7∶3) into training set ( n=185) and validation set ( n=78) based on caret package of R language. Logistic regression was used to establish a combined model of MHE diagnosis. The diagnostic performance was evaluated by the area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curve, Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration curve. The internal verification was carried out by the Bootstrap method ( n=200). AUC comparisons were achieved using the Delong test. Results:In the training set, prevalence of MHE was 37.8% (70/185). There were statistically significant differences in AMM-ULN, albumin, platelet, alkaline phosphatase, international normalized ratio, MELD score and education between non-MHE group and MHE group (all P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that AMM-ULN [odds ratio ( OR)=1.78, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 1.05-3.14, P=0.038] and MELD score ( OR=1.11, 95% CI 1.04-1.20, P=0.002) were independent risk factors for MHE, and the AUC for predicting MHE were 0.663, 0.625, respectively. Compared with the use of blood AMM-ULN and MELD score alone, the AUC of the combined model of AMM-ULN, MELD score and education exhibited better predictive performance in determining the presence of MHE was 0.755, the specificity and sensitivity was 85.2% and 55.7%, respectively. Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration curve showed that the model had good calibration ( P=0.733). The AUC for internal validation of the combined model for diagnosing MHE was 0.752. In the validation set, the AUC of the combined model for diagnosing MHE was 0.794, and Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed good calibration ( P=0.841). Conclusion:Use of the combined model including AMM-ULN, MELD score and education could improve the predictive efficiency of MHE among patients with compensated cirrhosis.

The cross regional loose medical alliance is an important carrier in the current integrated development process of medical services in the Yangtze River Delta region. Smith policy implementation process model was used to analyze the development difficulties of cross regional loose medical alliances from idealized policies, policy implementation institutions, policy target groups, and policy implementation environment. Such medical alliances were formed under the background of integrated development in the Yangtze River Delta, with Shanghai′s tertiary public hospitals as leading units and medical institutions in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces as member units. Analysis showed that the policies for such medical alliances development had not yet clearly defined the organizational management mode, operational mechanism, and implementation path, and the corporate governance structure of medical alliance was immature; The policy implementation agencies were relatively lagging behind in the support of special funds and the formulation of related supporting policies; Participation of policy target groups was insufficient and their incentive mechanisms was imperfect; There were problems in the policy implementation environment, namely inconsistent medical and health service regulations and systems in different regions, different health financing capabilities of local governments, insufficient coordination of medical institution management concepts, and a lack of unified standards in information systems. Based on the above difficulties, this study proposed to strengthen the development planning and layout of cross regional loose medical alliances, and improve the corporate governance structure; To strengthen the government′s main responsibility and improving policy implementation capabilities; To improve the internal cooperation and operation mechanism of cross regional loose medical alliances, and enhance the sense of identity of the target group; To optimize the policy implementation environment and implement various support measures, so as to provide references for further promoting the coordinated development of high-quality medical resources in the Yangtze River Delta region.

Objective:To compare the differences in the prevalence of mild micro-hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) among patients with cirrhosis by using the psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES) and the Stroop smartphone application (Encephal App) test.Methods:This prospective, multi-center, real-world study was initiated by the National Clinical Medical Research Center for Infectious Diseases and the Portal Hypertension Alliance and registered with International ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05140837). 354 cases of cirrhosis were enrolled in 19 hospitals across the country. PHES (including digital connection tests A and B, digital symbol tests, trajectory drawing tests, and serial management tests) and the Stroop test were conducted in all of them. PHES was differentiated using standard diagnostic criteria established by the two studies in China and South Korea. The Stroop test was evaluated based on the criteria of the research and development team. The impact of different diagnostic standards or methods on the incidence of MHE in patients with cirrhosis was analyzed. Data between groups were differentiated using the t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and χ2 test. A kappa test was used to compare the consistency between groups. Results:After PHES, the prevalence of MHE among 354 cases of cirrhosis was 78.53% and 15.25%, respectively, based on Chinese research standards and Korean research normal value standards. However, the prevalence of MHE was 56.78% based on the Stroop test, and the differences in pairwise comparisons among the three groups were statistically significant (kappa = -0.064, P < 0.001). Stratified analysis revealed that the MHE prevalence in three groups of patients with Child-Pugh classes A, B, and C was 74.14%, 83.33%, and 88.24%, respectively, according to the normal value standards of Chinese researchers, while the MHE prevalence rates in three groups of patients with Child-Pugh classes A, B, and C were 8.29%, 23.53%, and 38.24%, respectively, according to the normal value standards of Korean researchers. Furthermore, the prevalence rates of MHE in the three groups of patients with Child-Pugh grades A, B, and C were 52.68%, 58.82%, and 73.53%, respectively, according to the Stroop test standard. However, among the results of each diagnostic standard, the prevalence of MHE showed an increasing trend with an increasing Child-Pugh grade. Further comparison demonstrated that the scores obtained by the number connection test A and the number symbol test were consistent according to the normal value standards of the two studies in China and South Korea ( Z = -0.982, -1.702; P = 0.326, 0.089), while the other three sub-tests had significant differences ( P < 0.001). Conclusion:The prevalence rate of MHE in the cirrhotic population is high, but the prevalence of MHE obtained by using different diagnostic criteria or methods varies greatly. Therefore, in line with the current changes in demographics and disease spectrum, it is necessary to enroll a larger sample size of a healthy population as a control. Moreover, the establishment of more reliable diagnostic scoring criteria will serve as a basis for obtaining accurate MHE incidence and formulating diagnosis and treatment strategies in cirrhotic populations.

Tumors are complex ecosystems in which heterogeneous cancer cells interact with their microenvironment composed of diverse immune, endothelial, and stromal cells. Cancer biology had been studied using bulk genomic and gene expression profiling, which however mask the cellular diversity and average the variability among individual molecular programs. Recent advances in single-cell transcriptomic sequencing have enabled a detailed dissection of tumor ecosystems and promoted our understanding of tumorigenesis at single-cell resolution. In the present review, we discuss the main topics of recent cancer studies that have implemented single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). To study cancer cells, scRNA-seq has provided novel insights into the cancer stem-cell model, treatment resistance, and cancer metastasis. To study the tumor microenvironment, scRNA-seq has portrayed the diverse cell types and complex cellular states of both immune and non-immune cells interacting with cancer cells, with the promise to discover novel targets for future immunotherapy.
Ecosystem ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Genomics ; Humans ; Neoplasms/pathology* ; Sequence Analysis, RNA ; Single-Cell Analysis ; Transcriptome ; Tumor Microenvironment/genetics*

Objective:To investigate the status quo of nursing capacity for chronic respiratory disease in community health service centers.Methods:A questionnaire survey on nursing capacity for chronic respiratory disease was conducted in November 2018 among nurses working in internal medicine, general practice and chronic disease management departments of 4 community health service centers in Beijing Miyun District. The questionnaire included the knowledge and work content of chronic respiratory diseases. At the same time semi-structured interviews was conducted on the role of nurses in the management of chronic respiratory diseases among nurses selected by purposive sampling method.Results:In the study 63 valid questionnaires were collected and 14 nurses were interviewed. The results showed that the total score of nurses′ knowledge about chronic respiratory diseases was (62.0±14.4), and the scores of knowledge of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchial asthma and obstructive sleep apnea were (55.5±19.3), (61.0±21.6), (69.5±25.1), respectively. The total knowledge score of nurses with middle-rank professional title or above was higher than that of those with primary title [(67.0±12.9) vs. (54.0±13.6), t=-3.07, P<0.01]. The work contents mainly involved were nursing procedures(22/63,34.9%), health education(18/63,28.6%) and nursing evaluation(8/63,12.7%).Three themes were extracted from the deep interviews: the main work contents for nurses should be nursing procedures, nurses should participate in the chronic respiratory disease management as a member of the integrated medical team; nurses expected practice-oriented trainings of chronic respiratory disease management. Conclusions:The knowledge of chronic respiratory diseases among nurses in community health center needs to be improved, and the nursing skills special for respiratory diseases are needed. It is suggested to develop training courses and nursing guidelines suitable for community health centers and for nurses to participate in chronic respiratory disease management as team members, so that nurses in primary care institutions can play a better role in the management of chronic respiratory diseases.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of second-line therapy with dasatinib in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia.Methods:Sixty patients with chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia who received treatment in Hongqi Hospital of Mudanjiang Medical University between January 2015 and January 2021 were included in this study. They were randomly divided into control and observation groups, with 30 patients in each group. The control group was treated with conventional chemotherapy, and the observation group was treated with conventional chemotherapy combined with oral dasatinib. All patients were treated for 6 months. Clinical efficacy, immune function indexes, quality of life score, and incidence of adverse reactions (abnormal liver function, rash, fatigue, peripheral edema, nausea and vomiting, alopecia) were compared between the two groups.Results:Objective response rate (ORR) in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group [83.33% (25/30) vs. 53.33% (16/30), χ2 = 6.23, P < 0.05). Before treatment, there were no significant difference in immune function indicators between the two groups ( t = 0.03, 0.20, 0.44, all P > 0.05). After treatment, CD 4/CD 8, CD 3+ and natural killer cells in the observation group were (1.03 ± 0.32), (43.77 ± 6.62)%, (31.12 ± 3.38)%, respectively, which were significantly higher than (0.74 ± 0.28), (35.79 ± 6.27)%, (28.22 ± 2.84)% in the control group ( t = 3.69, 4.78, 3.60, all P < 0.05). The scores of social functioning, material well-being life, mental health, somatic health in the observation group were (85.48 ± 6.25) points, (80.12 ± 6.34) points, (79.94 ± 6.48) points, and (77.92 ± 5.81) points, respectively, which were significantly higher than (72.79 ± 5.89) points, (63.47 ± 5.82) points, (68.87 ± 6.08) points, (63.14 ± 6.12) points in the control group ( t = 7.91, 10.59, 6.82, 9.59, all P < 0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group [16.67% (5/30) vs. 40.00% (12/30), χ2 = 4.02, P < 0.05). Conclusion:Second-line therapy with dasatinib for chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia is effective and safe. It can effectively improve the efficacy and safety of chemotherapy and can also improve immunological function and quality of life.