OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of Daoqi (directing qi flowing) acupuncture technique in Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic) for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). METHODS: Sixty patients with moderate-to-severe OSAHS were randomly divided into a Daoqi acupuncture group (30 cases) and a conventional acupuncture group (30 cases, 1 case dropped out). In the Daoqi acupuncture group, Daoqi acupuncture technique in Huangdi Neijing was applied at Shanglianquan (Extra), Fengfu (GV16), and bilateral Lieque (LU7), Zhaohai (KI6); in the conventional acupuncture group, conventional acupuncture was applied at Shanglianquan (Extra), Fengfu (GV16), Yamen (GV15), and bilateral Lieque (LU7), Zhaohai (KI6), Zusanli (ST36), Fenglong (ST40). The treatment was adopted once every other day, 3 times a week, 4 weeks as one course and 3 courses were required totally in both groups. Before and after treatment, the polysomnography (PSG) indexes [apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), hypopnea index (HI), apnea index (AI), longest apnea duration, lowest nocturnal SaO₂ (LSaO₂)], and scores of Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), World Health Organization quality of life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) were observed, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated after treatment in the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment, the AHI, HI, AI and longest apnea duration were reduced compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.01), the LSaO₂ was increased in the Daoqi acupuncture group (P<0.01); in the Daoqi acupuncture group, the AHI, HI, AI and longest apnea duration were lower than those in the conventional acupuncture group (P<0.05), and the LSaO₂ was higher than that in the conventional acupuncture group (P<0.05). After treatment, the ESS and PSQI scores were decreased compared with those before treatment (P<0.01), while the WHOQOL-BREF scores were increased compared with those before treatment (P<0.01) in the two groups; in the Daoqi acupuncture group, the ESS and PSQI scores were lower than those in the conventional acupuncture group (P<0.05, P<0.01), and the WHOQOL-BREF score was higher than that in the conventional acupuncture group (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 93.3% (28/30) in the Daoqi acupuncture group, which was higher than 82.8% (24/29) in the conventional acupuncture group (P<0.01). CONCLUSION Daoqi acupuncture technique in Huangdi Neijing can effectively treat moderate-to-severe OSAHS patients, improve the clinical symptoms and quality of life, and has the advantages i.e. simpler acupoints selection and gentler stimulation.
Humans ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive/physiopathology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Acupuncture Points ; Treatment Outcome ; Aged ; Quality of Life

Health management is highly complex due to interactions across multiple levels and factors. System dynamics model (SDM) offers a holistic perspective and a dynamic analytical framework for understanding such complex systems. It has been applied across various domains of health management, including psychological interventions, chronic disease management, rehabilitation, optimization of medical services, and health policy development. By identifying key factors and pathways influencing health behaviors, determining critical targets for interventions, conducting cost-benefit analyses and process optimization, and simulating the long-term effects of health policies, SDM provides quantitative support for decision-making from individual-level interventions to macro-level policies. This article reviews the application of SDM in these four major areas within health management, discusses its advantages and limitations, and serves as a reference for researchers and practitioners aiming to utilize SDM in future studies. The goal is to advance health management toward greater personalization and precision, thereby offering stronger support for health interventions and policy development.
Humans ; Health Policy ; Models, Theoretical

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the expression of cartilage acidic protein 1 (CRTAC1) in gastric cancer (GC) and its effect on biological behaviors and immune cell infiltration of GC. METHODS: Transcriptomic, GO and KEGG analyses were conducted to investigate the association of CRTAC1 expression with prognosis of GC patients and its involvement in cell function and signaling pathways. ESTIMATE algorithm was used to analyze the effect of CRTAC1 expression on the tumor microenvironment and the tumor mutation load. In two GC cell clines (HGC-27 and MKN-74), CCK8, EdU and clone formation assays, flow cytometry, and Hoechst staining were used to examine the effects of CRTAC1 knockdown on cell proliferation, cell cycle changes and apoptosis. Wound healing assay, Transwell assay, and Western blotting were performed to analyze the effect of CRTAC1 knockdown on GC cell migration and the underlying mechanism. RESULTS: Bioinformatics analysis showed significantly higher expression of CRTAC1 in GC tissues than in adjacent tissues (P<0.05). Age and tumor stage were both prognostic risk factors in GC patients with high CRTAC1 expression (P<0.001). Analysis using ESTIMATE algorithm showed that CRTAC1 expression increased immune cell infiltration and decreased tumor mutational load in GC (P<0.001). In HGC-27 and MKN-74 cells, CRTAC1 knockdown significantly inhibited cell proliferation and migration and promoted cell apoptosis. Western blotting demonstrated that CRTAC1 knockdown significantly increased E-cadherin expression and reduced the expression levels of vimentin, p-PI3K, AKT2, p-AKT and p-mTOR in GC cells. CONCLUSIONS High expression of CRTAC1 in GC tissues affects immunotherapeutic efficacy and prognosis of the patients, possibly by promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition via modulating tumor mutational load, tumor microenvironment, and the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.
Stomach Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Humans ; Cell Proliferation ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; Cell Movement ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Prognosis ; Apoptosis ; Tumor Microenvironment ; Female ; Male ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition/genetics*

The cerebellum is heavily connected with other brain regions, sub-serving not only motor but also nonmotor functions. Genetic mutations leading to cerebellar dysfunction are associated with mental diseases, but cerebellar outputs have not been systematically studied in this context. Here, we present three dimensional distributions of 50,168 target neurons of cerebellar nuclei (CN) from wild-type mice and Nlgn3R451C mutant mice, a mouse model for autism. Our results derived from 36 target nuclei show that the projections from CN to thalamus, midbrain and brainstem are differentially affected by Nlgn3R451C mutation. Importantly, Nlgn3R451C mutation altered the innervation power of CN→zona incerta (ZI) pathway, and chemogenetic inhibition of a neuronal subpopulation in the ZI that receives inputs from the CN rescues social defects in Nlgn3R451C mice. Our study highlights potential role of cerebellar outputs in the pathogenesis of autism and provides potential new therapeutic strategy for this disease.
Animals ; Mice ; Disease Models, Animal ; Cerebellar Nuclei ; Autistic Disorder/pathology* ; Neurons/metabolism* ; Mutation ; Nerve Tissue Proteins/metabolism* ; Male ; Membrane Proteins ; Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal

Humans ; Hemangiosarcoma/pathology* ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Molecular Biology

OBJECTIVES: To develop a Chinese version of the Stress Adaption Scale (SAS) and to assess its reliability and validity among Chinese patients with multimorbidity. METHODS: The Brislin model was used to translate, synthesize, back-translate, and cross culturally adapt the SAS. A total of 323 multimorbidity patients selected by convenience sampling method from four hospitals in Zhejiang province. The critical ratio method, total question correlation method, and graded response model (item characteristic curve and item discrimination) were used for item analysis. Cronbach's alpha coefficient and split-half reliability were used for the reliability analysis. Content validity analysis, structural validity analysis, and criterion association validity analysis were performed by expert scoring method, confirmatory factor analysis, and Pearson correlation coefficient method, respectively. RESULTS: The Chinese version of the SAS contained 2 dimensions of resilience and thriving, with a total of 10 items. In the item analysis, the critical ratio method showed that the critical ratio of all items was greater than 3.0 (P<0.001); the correlation coefficient method showed that the Pearson correlation coefficients for all items exceeded 0.4 (P<0.01). The graded response model showed that items of the revised scale exhibited distinct item characteristic curves and all items had discrimination parameters exceeding 1.0. In the reliability analysis, Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the revised Chinese version of the SAS scale was 0.849, and the split-half reliability was 0.873. In the validity analysis, the item-level content validity index and scale-level content validity index both exceeded 0.80. In the confirmatory factor analysis, the revised two-factor model showed satisfactory fit indices (χ²/df=3.115, RMSEA=0.081, RMR=0.046, GFI=0.937, AGFI=0.898, CFI=0.936, TLI=0.915). In the criterion-related validity analysis, the Chinese version of the SAS score was negatively correlated with the Perceived Stress Scale and the Treatment Burden Questionnaire, with correlation coefficients of －0.592 and －0.482, respectively (both P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS The Chinese version of the SAS has good reliability and validity, which can be used to evaluate the stress adaption capacity among multimorbidity patients in China, and provides a reference for developing individualized health management measures.
Humans ; Adaptation, Psychological ; Asian People ; China ; Multimorbidity ; Reproducibility of Results ; Stress, Psychological/psychology* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Translating ; Cross-Cultural Comparison

Objective To study the process of single stent and double-stent thrombectomy at the Y-shaped bifurcation of the ideal internal carotid artery by finite element simulation, analyze the stent-thrombus-vessel interaction during the thrombectomy process based on the simulation results, and provide guidance for improving the effect of stent thrombectomy at the bifurcation. Methods The CAD software was used to build the model and the finite element analysis software was used to simulate the process of single stent and double-stent thrombectomy. Results Thrombectomy was unsuccessful in single stent model and successful in double-stent model, and the maximum stress of thrombus during embolus retrieval was twice that of single stent, the maximum strain was 1.12 times that of single stent, and the maximum contact pressure on the surface of vessel was approximately twice that of single stent. Conclusions Double Solitaire stents can effectively prevent thrombus displacement at the bifurcation and successfully retrieve the thrombus, but there is a risk of fracture due to the high stress level in the middle section of the thrombus. The contact pressure of the vessel on the anterior artery side is higher during thrombectomy, and the risk of vessel damage is greater. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the design of the stent-retriever to improve its flexibility.

Objective: To understand the hospitalization rates and influencing factors after diagnosis among HIV infection cases, based on real-world data in Yinzhou district of Ningbo. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted based on the databases of National AIDS Comprehensive Response Information Management System and Yinzhou Health Information Platform. The information about the following-up results, antiviral treatment data, electronic records of inpatient of the HIV cases reported during 2012-2020 were collected to analyze the rates, causes and influencing factors of hospitalization. Results: Among the 763 HIV infection cases reported in Yinzhou from 2012 to 2020, the hospitalization rate was 6.95% (53/763), and the number of inpatient was 2.59 per 100 person years. The hospitalization rate and the number of hospitalization per 100 person years in HIV infection cases were 3.16% (10/316) and 0.81 in those aged <30 years, 6.07% (15/247) and 1.59 in those aged >30 years, 7.86% (11/140) and 4.05 in those aged >45 years and 28.33% (17/60) and 17.40 in those aged ≥60 years respectively. Logistic multivariate regression analysis indicated that being aged ≥60 years was the influencing factor for hospitalizations in HIV infection cases (аOR=14.44, 95%CI:3.57-58.46). The hospitalization rates due to AIDS related diseases, cardiovascular diseases and metabolic diseases, and other diseases were 1.83% (14/763), 1.05% (8/763), and 3.93% (30/763), respectively. Conclusions: The hospitalization burden due to HIV infection was still mainly caused by those aged ≥60 years in Yinzhou, similar to that in general population and less proportion of hospitalizations were due to AIDS related diseases. The overall increase of hospitalizations due to AIDS was not obvious in Yinzhou.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/epidemiology* ; HIV Infections/therapy* ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVE: To identify pathogenic variants in two patients with suspected for Mowat-Wilson syndrome (MWS). METHODS: Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples of the patients and his family members, and gene variants were analysis by Trio-whole exome sequences and copy number variation sequencing. RESULTS: Patient 1 was found to carried a de novo heterozygous c.2769C>A (p.Y923*) nonsense variant of ZEB2 gene. The variant was not found in his healthy parents and sister. Patient 2 carried a de novo heterozygous frameshift variant of the ZEB2 gene, namely c.315delC (p.A105Afs*3), which has not been previously reported. Both variants were predicted to be pathogenic and can lead to premature occurrence of stop codons. CONCLUSION The heterozygous c.2769C>A (p.Y923*) and c.315delC (p.A105Afs*3) variants of the ZEB2 gene probably underlay the pathogenesis in the two patients. Gene testing has facilitated confirmation of the diagnosis and genetic counselling.
DNA Copy Number Variations ; Facies ; Hirschsprung Disease ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability/genetics* ; Microcephaly/genetics* ; Zinc Finger E-box Binding Homeobox 2/genetics*

Objective: To investigate the effects of single-chamber balloon combined with dinoprostone suppository on the progestation of the cervix in full-term maternal delivery. Methods: From January 2017 to December 2018, 120 cases of full-term maternal women admitted to the Central Hospital of Yiwu were selected.According to the random number table method, all women were divided into control group (60 cases) and observation group (60 cases). The control group was given a single-cavity balloon to promote cervical ripening.The observation group received single-chamber balloon combined with dinoprostone to promote cervical ripening.The effects of maternal cervical ripening were observed. Results: The total effective rate of maternal cervical ripening in the observation group (95.00%) was significantly higher than that in the control group (81.67%), and the difference was statistically significant (χ²=6.135, P<0.05). The differences of maternal postpartum hemorrhage and neonatal asphyxia rate were not statistically significant (t=1.684 , χ²=2.563, all P>0.05). The total maternal labor [(5.8±2.1)h] in the observation group was significantly shorter than that in the control group [(7.6±2.5)h], the difference was statistically significant (t=3.126, P<0.05). The vaginal delivery rate (95.00%) of the observation group was higher than that of the control group (73.33%), the difference was statistically significant (χ²=5.342, P<0.05). Before implanting the balloon and balloon combination, the Bishop score between the two groups had no statistically significant difference (t=3.623, P>0.05). After the balloon and balloon combination were taken out, the Bishop score of the maternal cervix[(8.6±1.5)points] in the observation group was higher than that in the control group [(7.2±1.3)points], and the difference was statistically significant (t=4.354, P<0.05). The incidence of adverse reaction of the observation group (6.67%) was lower than that of the control group (13.33%), the difference was statistically significant between the groups(χ²=3.821, P<0.05). Conclusion Compared with simple single-chamber balloon, single-chamber balloon combined with dinoprostone suppository has more significant effect on the maternal ripening of the cervix, it can improve the vaginal delivery rate and maternal cervical Bishop scores, effectively reduce the maternal total labor, and reduce the incidence of maternal adverse reactions.