ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy of Tongfu Xiezhuo enema in treating stage 3-4 chronic kidney disease （CKD） and the effect of the therapy on the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio （NLR） as an inflammation marker. MethodSixty patients diagnosed with stage 3-4 CKD who visited the Nephrology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine from December 2022 to June 2023 were included and randomly assigned into observation and control groups in a ratio of 1∶1. The control group received conventional therapy plus Shenkang suppositories， while the observation group received conventional therapy plus Tongfu Xiezhuo enema. After 8 weeks of treatment， the clinical efficacy was assessed based on the changes in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） symptom scores， renal function indicators， and NLR. Result① Both groups showed decreases in TCM symptom scores after treatment （P<0.01）， and the decreases were more significant in the observation group than in the control group （P<0.05）. The total response rate of TCM symptoms in the observation group was 79.31% （23/29）， which was higher than that （62.96%， 17/27） in the control group （Z=0.604，P<0.05）. ② After treatment， the observation group showed declined serum levels of creatinine （SCr）， blood urea nitrogen （BUN）， and cystatin C （Cys C） and increased glomerular filtration rate （GFR） （P<0.01）， and the control group showed lowered SCr level and increased GFR （P<0.05）. The observation group had lower SCr level and higher GFR than the control group after treatment （P<0.05）. The total response rate of renal function in the observation group was 79.31% （23/29）， which was higher than that （55.56%， 15/27） in the control group （Z=1.127，P<0.01）. ③ The NLR in the observation group decreased after treatment （P<0.05）， and it was lower than that in the control group （P<0.05）. ④ There were no significant differences in safety indicators between the two groups before and after treatment. ConclusionTongfu Xiezhuo enema ameliorated symptoms and improved renal function indicators in the patients with stage 3-4 CKD by reducing the NLR and inhibiting inflammation.

Purpose To evaluate the efficacy of T2-weighted imaging combined with diffusion weighted imaging in differential diagnosis of peripheral lung cancer(PLC)and focal organizational pneumonia(FOP).Materials and Methods A total of 36 patients with FOP and PLC diagnosed pathologically in the Affiliated Hospital of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine from November 2016 to December 2021 were retrospectively included.Two experienced radiologists independently read MR Images,and measured T2 contrast ratio(T2CR)and apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)respectively.The T2CR and ADC values of the two groups were compared,and the diagnostic efficacy of MR-T2WI and diffusion weighted imaging was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic curve.Results Two radiologists demonstrated good inter-observer agreement for T2CR and ADC values(ICC values of 0.951 and 0.955,respectively).The FOP group exhibited significantly higher T2CR and ADC values compared to the PLC group(t=3.920 and 5.819,both P<0.001),with threshold values of 2.29 for T2CR and 1 048×10-6 mm2/s for ADC being identified.ADC values accurately diagnosed FOP in 33 cases and PLC in 28 cases,while T2CR correctly diagnosed FOP in 20 cases and PLC in 33 cases.Combining both T2CR and ADC values resulted in accurate diagnoses of FOP in 29 cases and PLC in 33 cases.The diagnostic accuracy and area under the curve were improved by combining ADC and T2CR values compared with using them alone(accuracy:86.1%vs.84.7%,73.6%;AUC:0.924 vs.0.879,0.740;Z=2.208,P<0.05).Conclusion The combination of T2CR and ADC values aids in distinguishing FOP from PLC,exhibiting a higher diagnostic efficiency compared to their individual use.

Objective:To explore the effect of mind mapping combined with continuous quality improvement in the teaching of interns in gastroenterology department.Methods:The 55 students who interned in the gastroenterology department of our hospital from September 2019 to January 2020 were set as the control group and adopted traditional teaching methods; the other 54 students who interned in the gastroenterology department of our hospital from February 2020 to June 2020 were set as the control group; 55 students who interned in the gastroenterology department of our hospital from July 2020 to November 2020 were set as a combined group, and received mind mapping combined with continuous quality improvement teaching. The gastroenterology knowledge and theory assessment results, practical skills operation assessment results and learning initiative, self-study ability, comprehensive thinking ability, teamwork ability, analysis and problem-solving ability, induction and summary ability and so on were compared between the two groups, and the teaching satisfaction rate at the time of leaving the department were also compared. SPSS 20.0 was used for t test and chi-square test. Results:Before the training, there was no statistically significant difference in the three groups of theoretical assessment scores, practical skills operation assessment scores and various ability scores. When leaving the department, the theoretical assessment scores of the combined group and the mind mapping group were (89.74±4.18) points and (86.52±3.72) points, and the performance evaluation scores of practical skills were (90.04±4.86) points and (87.46±4.52) points, respectively. The theoretical evaluation scores and practical skills evaluation scores of the two groups were higher than those of the control group, and the combined group was higher than the mind mapping group, with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05). The scores of various abilities of the combined group and the mind mapping group were higher than those of the control group, and the scores of all indicators in the combined group were higher than those of the mind mapping group, with statistical significance ( P<0.05). The total teaching satisfaction of combined group and mind mapping group was higher than that of the control group, and the total teaching satisfaction of the combined group was higher than that of the mind mapping group. Conclusion:Mind mapping combined with continuous quality improvement has a significant effect on the teaching of gastroenterology interns, which can improve students' abilities and the teaching satisfaction.

Objective To investigate the application value of auditory mismatch negativity (aMMN) in evaluating the brain function of patients with chronic disorders of consciousness (DOC). Methods Thirty-three patients with DOC or escaped minimally conscious state (eMCS), admitted to our hospital from April to June 2018, were selected in this study. Based on the levels of consciousness assessed by Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R), they were divided into vegetative state (VS) group, micro-consciousness state (MCS) group and eMCS group; 14 healthy subjects were included as control group. The differences of aMMN amplitude and latency in patients from different groups, patients with different etiologies and different lateral cerebra were compared. Pearson correlation analysis was used to determine the correlation between CRS-R scores and aMMN. Results (1) There was statistically significant difference in aMMN amplitude between patients from any two groups (P<0.05); as compared with that in the control group, the latency of VS group and MCS group was significantly increased (P<0.05). (2) According to the etiology, the aMMN amplitude of brain injury group, cerebral hemorrhage group and hypoxic encephalopathy group was significantly lower than that of control group (P<0.05). (3) There was significant difference in the amplitude of aMMN between lesion side and contralateral side in 11 patients (t=5.798, P=0.000). (4) Statistical results showed that CRS-R scores were positively correlated with aMMN amplitude (R=0.876, P=0.000), but not with the latency (r=0.018, P=0.922). Conclusion The amplitude of aMMN is significantly positively correlated with levels of consciousness in DOC patients, which can be used as an important tool to assess the levels of consciousness and dynamically estimate the outcomes of consciousness in DOC patients.

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a promising technique for treating disorders of consciousness (DOCs). However, differences in the spatio-temporal responsiveness of the brain under varied SCS parameters remain unclear. In this pilot study, functional near-infrared spectroscopy was used to measure the hemodynamic responses of 10 DOC patients to different SCS frequencies (5 Hz, 10 Hz, 50 Hz, 70 Hz, and 100 Hz). In the prefrontal cortex, a key area in consciousness circuits, we found significantly increased hemodynamic responses at 70 Hz and 100 Hz, and significantly different hemodynamic responses between 50 Hz and 70 Hz/100 Hz. In addition, the functional connectivity between prefrontal and occipital areas was significantly improved with SCS at 70 Hz. These results demonstrated that SCS modulates the hemodynamic responses and long-range connectivity in a frequency-specific manner (with 70 Hz apparently better), perhaps by improving the cerebral blood volume and information transmission through the reticular formation-thalamus-cortex pathway.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Brain ; physiopathology ; Consciousness ; physiology ; Consciousness Disorders ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; physiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pilot Projects ; Spinal Cord ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Spinal Cord Stimulation ; methods ; Young Adult

Treatment for disorders of consciousness (DOCs) is still a Gordian knot. Evidence-based guidelines on the treatment of DOC patients are not currently available, while neuromodulation techniques are seen as a potential treatment. Multiple neuromodulation therapies have been applied. This article reviews the most relevant studies in the literature in order to describe a clear picture of the current state of neuromodulation therapies that could be used to treat DOC patients. Both invasive and non-invasive brain stimulation is discussed. Significant behavioral improvements in prolonged DOCs under neuromodulation therapies are rare. The efficacy of various such therapies remains a matter of debate. Further clinical investigations of existing techniques in larger samples properly controlling for spontaneous recovery are needed, and new approaches are awaited.
Brain ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Consciousness ; physiology ; Consciousness Disorders ; therapy ; Humans ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; therapeutic use ; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ; methods ; Treatment Outcome

Mismatch negativity is a kind of event-related evoked potential (ERP),which is an automatic response of the brain to relevant events without active participation,especially suitable for uncoordinated patients with disorders of consciousness.In recent years,it has been more and more widely used in the diagnosis and prognosis prediction of disorders of consciousness.This is a review about the latest progress of the clinical application of mismatch negativity in the area of disorders of consciousness.

Objective: To explore influence of urokinase on expression of soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).Methods: A total of 94 ACS patients diagnosed and treated in our hospital from Aug 2013 to Aug 2015 were selected.According to random number table, they were randomly and equally divided into routine treatment group and urokinase group (received small dose urokinase intravenous drip based on routine treatment group).Levels of sCD40L and cardiac troponin T (cTnT) before and after treatment, therapeutic effect and incidence rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were measured and compared between two groups.Results: Compared with before treatment, there were significant reductions in levels of sCD40L and cTnT in both groups after treatment, P<0.01 all;compared with routine treatment group after treatment, there were significant reductions in levels of sCD40L [(2.92±0.36) ng/ml vs.(2.58±0.18) ng/ml] and cTnT [(0.10±0.02) μg/L vs.(0.04±0.01) μg/L] in urokinase group, P=0.013, 0.001 successively.Compared with routine treatment group, there was significant rise in total effective rate (76.6% vs.95.7%),and significant reduction in incidence rate of MACE (34.0% vs.4.3%) within six months in urokinase group (P<0.01 both).Conclusion: Urokinase can significantly inhibit expression of sCD40L and reduce release of cTnT, and improve therapeutic effect, and prevent major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Ion trap performances are investigated based on digital ion trap technique with different collision gases at different pressures. Collision gases of helium (4 amu), nitrogen (28 amu) and argon (40 amu) with various pressures are adopted in ion excitation and dissociation stages to investigate the ion trap performances, including mass resolution, signal intensity, tandem mass spectrometric analysis ability and low-mass cut off (LMCO) effect. It is found that when heavy gas of argon is used, energy can be efficiently transferred and LMCO effect is decreased with higher ion capture and dissociation efficiencies but with low mass resolution. Higher mass resolution is realized with helium as collision gas. Furthermore, at the same gas pressure, heavy gas is beneficial to abundant fragment ions and structural information of precursor ion.

Objective: To observe the impact of cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) on myocardial remodeling in rabbit model of chronic heart failure (CHF) with its possible mechanism. Methods: Rabbit HF model was established by ascending aortic root ligation; the animals were divided into 3 groups: Sham group, the animals received thoracotomy without aortic ligation, HF group and HF+CCM group, the HF animals received CCM treatment for 4 weeks. n=10 in each group. Cardiac function was measured by echocardiography at 12 and 16 weeks in each group respectively; myocardial tissue fibrosis and pathological changes were examined by Masson staining; plasma BNP level was assessed by ELISA; protein expressions of collagen I, collagen II, MMP2,MMP9, TIMP1 and galectin-3 in myocardial tissue were determined by Western blot analysis. Results: ① By echocardiography: with 12 weeks treatment, compared with Sham group, HF group and HF+CCM group had increased LVESD, LVEDD and decreased LVFS, LVEF, all P<0.05; with 16 weeks treatment, compared with HF group, HF+CCM group had improved LVESD, LVEDD, LVEF and LVFS, all P<0.05. ② Pathological changes:compared with Sham group, HF group showed increased collagen content in myocardial tissue, P<0.05; CCM treatment could partially decrease collagen accumulation, P<0.05. ③ After 12 weeks treatment, compared with Sham group, HF group and HF+CCM group presented elevated plasma BNP level, P<0.05; after 16 weeks treatment, compared with HF group, HF+CCM group presented reduced plasma BNP, while it was still higher than that in Sham group, P<0.05. ④ By Western blot analysis: compared with Sham group, HF group demonstrated increased protein expressions of collagen I, collagen II, MMP2, MMP9, TIMP1 and galectin-3 in myocardial tissue; the above indexes were much lower in HF+CCM group while still higher than those in Sham group, all P<0.05. Conclusion: CCM could improve myocardial remodeling in rabbit model of CHF which might be related to down-regulated protein expressions of collagen I, collagen III, MMP2, MMP9, TIMP1 and galectin3 in myocardial tissue.