OBJECTIVE To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of capecitabine metronomic chemotherapy combined with aromatase inhibitor （AI） versus AI monotherapy as first-line treatment for hormone receptor-positive （HR+）/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative （HER2－） metastatic breast cancer， thereby providing evidence-based support for clinical therapeutic decision- making and healthcare policy formulation. METHODS Based on the MECCA trial， a partitioned survival model was constructed using a 4-week cycle length to simulate outcomes over patients’ lifetime. The model outputs included total costs， quality-adjusted life year （QALY）， and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio （ICER）. Sensitivity analyses were performed to validate the robustness of base-case results， while scenario analyses examined the cost-effectiveness of both treatment strategies under 10-year， 20-year， and lifetime time horizons. RESULTS With the willingness-to-pay （WTP） threshold set at 1 times China’s 2024 per capita gross domestic product （GDP） （95 749 yuan/QALY）， patients receiving capecitabine metronomic chemotherapy combined with AI regimen gained incremental utility （0.66 QALYs） while incurring higher costs， with ICER of 27 684.85 yuan/QALY. Results of the one-way sensitivity analysis showed that factors with significant impacts on ICER included the cost discount rate， drug costs of the capecitabine metronomic chemotherapy combined with AI group， utility value in the progression-free survival state， follow-up costs， and treatment costs in the subsequent stablephase. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis indicated that when the WTP threshold ≥49 250 yuan/QALY， the capecitabine metronomic chemotherapy combined with AI regimen had a 100% probability of being cost-effective. Scenario analysis results demonstrated that capecitabine metronomic chemotherapy combined with AI regimen was more cost-effective than the AI alone regimen across 10-year， 20-year， and lifetime study horizons. CONCLUSIONS Under the premise that the WTP threshold is set at 1 times China’s per capita GDP in 2024， capecitabine metronomic chemotherapy combined with AI regimen is more cost-effective than the AI alone regimen as the first-line treatment for HR+/HER2－ metastatic breast cancer.

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of CT-guided pulsed radiofrequency combined with continuous nerve block in the treatment of refractory postherpetic neuralgia(PHN).Methods A total of 208 patients with refractory PHN,who were admitted to the Hengshui Municipal People's Hospital of China between January 2021 and January 2023,were selected as the subjects of study.Using random number table method,the patients were divided into combination group and control group,with 104 patients in each group.The patients of control group received CT-guided pulsed radiofrequency therapy,and the patients of combination group received additional continuous nerve block therapy on the basis of the treatment of control group.The pain degree at different time point,clinical effective rate,number of analgesia remedy times,quality of sleep,and the levels of serum high mobility group box 1(HMGB1),interleukin-1 β(IL-1β)and interleukin-10(IL-10)were compared between the two groups.Results During the follow-up period,4 patients were lost in touch.Finally,103 patients were included in the combination group and 101 patients were included in the control group.The total treatment response rate in the combination group was 89.32％,which was significantly higher than 78.22％in the control group(P＜0.05).There were statistically significant differences in visual analogue scale(V AS)scores and Athens insomnia scale(AIS)scores including the time effect,inter-group effect and time-group interaction effect,between the two groups(P＜0.05).The postoperative one-week,2-week,4-week VAS scores and AIS scores in the combination group were remarkably lower than those in the control group(P＜0.05).The number of analgesia remedy times in the combination group was smaller than that in the control group,and the used dosage of tramadol in the combination group was lower than that in the control group(P＜0.05).Four weeks after treatment,the serum levels of HMGB1,IL-1β and IL-10 in the combination group were lower than those in the control group(P＜0.05).Conclusion For the treatment of refractory PHN,CT-guided pulsed radiofrequency combined with continuous nerve block can effectively alleviate neural inflammatory damage,and improve pain symptoms and sleep quality,besides,its analgesic effect and clinical efficacy are superior to CT-guided pulsed radiofrequency alone.(J Intervent Radiol,2024,33:264-268)

Acupuncture, a therapeutic treatment defined as the insertion of needles into the body at specific points (ie, acupoints), has growing in popularity world-wide to treat various diseases effectively, especially acute and chronic pain. In parallel, interest in the physiological mechanisms underlying acupuncture analgesia, particularly the neural mechanisms have been increasing. Over the past decades, our understanding of how the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system process signals induced by acupuncture has developed rapidly by using electrophysiological methods. However, with the development of neuroscience, electrophysiology is being challenged by calcium imaging in view field, neuron population and visualization in vivo. Owing to the outstanding spatial resolution, the novel imaging approaches provide opportunities to enrich our knowledge about the neurophysiological mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia at subcellular, cellular, and circuit levels in combination with new labeling, genetic and circuit tracing techniques. Therefore, this review will introduce the principle and the method of calcium imaging applied to acupuncture research. We will also review the current findings in pain research using calcium imaging from in vitro to in vivo experiments and discuss the potential methodological considerations in studying acupuncture analgesia.
Calcium ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Analgesia/methods* ; Acupuncture Points ; Technology

Objective To observe the effects of indobufen tablets combined with clopidogrel tablets on levels of serum myocardial injury indexes and incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events(MACE)in elderly patients with coronary heart disease after percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI).Methods The elderly patients with coronary heart disease after PCI were divided into treatment group[clopidogrel 75 mg(qd)combined with indobufen 200 mg(qd)]and control group[clopidogrel 75 mg(qd)combined with aspirin 100 mg(qd)]according to cohort method.All patients were treated for 3 months.The total effective rate,serum myocardial injury indexes[N terminal pro B type natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP),cardiac troponin Ⅰ(cTn Ⅰ)],coagulation-fibrinolysis indexes[fibrinogen(FIB),prothrombin time(PT),antithrombin Ⅲ(AT-Ⅲ)]and platelet function indexes[platelet distribution width(PDW)]were compared between two groups.Occurrence of bleeding events and MACE within 6 months were compared between the two groups.The safety was evaluated.Results There were 32 cases in control group and 32 cases in treatment group.After treatment,the total effective rates in treatment group and control group were 93.75％(30 cases/32 cases)and 78.13％(25 cases/32 cases),without significant difference(P＞0.05).After treatment,NT-proBNP levels in treatment group and control group were(202.65±30.77)and(283.52±31.42)pg·mL-1,cTn Ⅰ levels were(0.06±0.01)and(0.12±0.03)ng·mL-1,FIB levels were(3.17±0.51)and(3.84±0.59)g·L-1,PT were(15.87±1.23)and(14.92±1.35)s,AT-Ⅲ levels were(138.95±14.18)％and(125.17±14.96)％,PDW were(17.04±2.04)％and(19.13±2.32)％,the differences were statistically significant(all P＜0.05).The incidences of bleeding events in treatment group and control group were 6.25％and 15.63％,adverse drug reactions were 9.38％and 15.63％,respectively,the differences of above indexes were statistically significant between two groups(all P＞0.05).The total incidences of MACE in treatment group and control group were 6.25％and 25.00％,respectively(P＜0.05).Conclusion Indobufen tablets combined with clopidogrel tablets can reduce levels of serum myocardial injury indexes in elderly patients with coronary heart disease after PCI,improve coagulation-fibrinolysis function and reduce the incidence of MACE.

Objective China is among the 30 countries with a high burden of tuberculosis(TB)worldwide,and TB remains a public health concern.Kashgar Prefecture in the southern Xinjiang Autonomous Region is considered as one of the highest TB burden regions in China.However,molecular epidemiological studies of Kashgar are lacking. Methods A population-based retrospective study was conducted using whole-genome sequencing(WGS)to determine the characteristics of drug resistance and the transmission patterns. Results A total of 1,668 isolates collected in 2020 were classified into lineages 2(46.0%),3(27.5%),and 4(26.5%).The drug resistance rates revealed by WGS showed that the top three drugs in terms of the resistance rate were isoniazid(7.4%,124/1,668),streptomycin(6.0%,100/1,668),and rifampicin(3.3%,55/1,668).The rate of rifampicin resistance was 1.8%(23/1,290)in the new cases and 9.4%(32/340)in the previously treated cases.Known resistance mutations were detected more frequently in lineage 2 strains than in lineage 3 or 4 strains,respectively:18.6%vs.8.7 or 9%,P<0.001.The estimated proportion of recent transmissions was 25.9%(432/1,668).Multivariate logistic analyses indicated that sex,age,occupation,lineage,and drug resistance were the risk factors for recent transmission.Despite the low rate of drug resistance,drug-resistant strains had a higher risk of recent transmission than the susceptible strains(adjusted odds ratio,1.414;95%CI,1.023-1.954;P = 0.036).Among all patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis(DR-TB),78.4%(171/218)were attributed to the transmission of DR-TB strains. Conclusion Our results suggest that drug-resistant strains are more transmissible than susceptible strains and that transmission is the major driving force of the current DR-TB epidemic in Kashgar.

Objective To investigate the correlation between the level of N-terminal pro-Brain natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP)and cardiorespiratory fitness following acute exposure to high altitude.Methods Forty-six subjects were recruited from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University in June 2022,including 19 males and 27 females.After completing cardiopulmonary exercise test(CPET),serological detection of myocardial cell-related markers,and multiple metabolites at a plain altitude(300 meters above sea level),all subjects flew to a high-altitude location(3900 meters above sea level).Biomarker testing and CPET were repeated on the second and third days after arrival at high altitude.Changes in serum biomarker and key CPET indicators before and after rapid ascent to high altitude were compared,and the correlation between serum levels of various myocardial cell-related markers and metabolites and high altitude cardiorespiratory fitness was analyzed.Results Compared with the plain altitude,there was a significant decrease in maximal oxygen uptake after rapid ascent to high altitude[(25.41±6.20)ml/(kg.min)vs.(30.17±5.01)ml/(kg.min),P<0.001].Serum levels of NT-proBNP,Epinephrine(E),plasma renin activity(PRA),angiotensin Ⅱ(Ang Ⅱ),angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2)and leptin(LEP)significantly increased,with all differences being statistically significant(P<0.05)after acute high altitude exposure.In contrast,no statistically significant differences were observed for creatine kinase MB(CK-MB),cardiac troponin I(cTnI),myoglobin(Myo)and norepinephrine(NE)(P>0.05).Correlation analysis showed a significant negative correlation between NT-proBNP at plain altitude(r=-0.768,P<0.001)and at high altitude(r=-0.791,P<0.001)with maximal oxygen uptake at high altitude.Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that maximal oxygen uptake at plain altitude(t=2.069,P=0.045),NT-proBNP at plain altitude(t=-2.436,P=0.020)and at high altitude(t=-3.578,P=0.001)were independent influencing factors of cardiorespiratory fitness at high altitude.Conclusion Cardiorespiratory fitness significantly decreases after rapid ascent to high altitude,and the baseline NT-proBNP level at plain altitude is closely related to cardiorespiratory fitness at high altitude,making it a potential predictor indicator for high altitude cardiorespiratory fitness.

Objective To discuss the curative effect of pulsed radiofrequency combined with nerve block in treating refractory postherpetic neuralgia(PHN).Methods A total of 201 patients with PHN,who were admitted to the hospital to receive treatment between March 2020 and March 2023,were enrolled in this study.Using random number table method,the patients were divided into pulsed radiofrequency group,nerve block group and combination group,with 67 patients in each group.On the basis of routine medication,the patients of pulsed radiofrequency group received nerve pulsed radiofrequency treatment,the patients of nerve block group received nerve block therapy,while the patients of combination group received nerve block followed by nerve root pulsed radiofrequency.At the preoperative(T0),postoperative 7-day(AT7),30-day(AT30)and 90-day(AT90)time point,the short-form of McGill pain questionnaire(SF-MPQ),Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI),levels of pain mediators including β-endorphin,substance P,calcitonin gene-related peptide(CGRP),and levels of inflammatory factors including tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and interleukin-6(IL-6)were determined.The adverse reactions were recorded.Results The postoperative AT7,AT30 and AT90 scores of PRI,VAS,PPI and PSQI,and levels of substance P,CGRP,TNF-α and IL-6 in combination group were lower than those in pulsed radiofrequency group and in nerve block group(all P＜0.05),while level of β-endorphin in combination group was higher than that in the other two groups(P＜0.05).No obvious adverse reactions were observed in all three groups.Conclusion For the treatment of patients with intractable PHN,the combination therapy of pulsed radiofrequency and nerve block is superior to single therapy in improving pain and sleep quality,which may be related to the regulation of the levels of pain mediators and inflammatory factors.

Objective To explore the effect of pulsed radiofrequency combined with nerve block on the score of short-form of McGill pain questionnaire(SF-MPQ)and the levels of serum substance P(SP)and interleukin(IL)-1β in patients with refractory postherpetic neuralgia(PHN).Methods A total of 219 patients with PHN,who were admitted to the Hengshui Municipal People's Hospital of China between April 2021 and April 2022,were collected as the objects of study.Using random number table method,the patients were divided into group A(n=73,receiving pulsed radiofrequency therapy),group B(n=73,receiving nerve block therapy),and group C(n=73,receiving pulsed radiofrequency combined with nerve block therapy).The SF-MPQ score,levels of serum SP and IL-1β,degree of anxiety and depression,and quality of life were compared between each other among the three groups.Results Among the 219 patients with PHN,6 patients were excluded from this study due to losing in touch or due to receiving other therapies,and finally group A had 71 patients,group B had 70 patients,and group C had 72 patients.At 7 d after treatment(AT7),30 d after treatment(AT30)and 90 d after treatment(AT90),in group C the scores of pain rating index(PRI),visual analogue scale(VAS)and present pain intensity(PPI)were obviously lower than those in group A and group B(P＜0.05),the levels of serum SP and IL-1β were strikingly lower than those in group A and group B(P＜0.05),and the scores of patient health questionnaire-9(PHQ9),generalized anxiety disorder 7-item(DAG7)and Generic Quality of Life Inventory 74(GQOL-74)were remarkably lower than those in group A and group B(P＜0.05).Conclusion Pulsed radiofrequency combined with nerve block can effectively reduce the pain degree and the serum SP and IL-1β levels,relieve the degree of anxiety and depression in patients with refractory PHN,which can improve the quality of life.

AIM To establish an LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous content determination of guanine,adenosine,2′-deoxyuridine,uridine,uracil,thymine,cytidine,xanthine,hypoxanthine,guanosine,inosine and thymidine in Cervi Cornu slices.METHODS The analysis was performed on a 30℃thermostatic Waters X select HSS T3 column(2.1 mm×100 mm,5 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of methanol and 0.1%formic acid flowing at 200 μL/min in a gradient elution manner,and electron spray ionization source was adopted in positive ion scanning with multiple reaction monitoring mode.RESULTS Twelve nucleosides showed good linear relationships within their own ranges(r≥0.999 0),whose average recoveries were 92.46%-104.16%with the RSDs of 2.92%-6.14%.CONCLUSION This stable and feasible method can be used for the quality control of Cervi Cornu slices.

Objective To investigate the knowledge and behavioral status of foot care among patients with type 2 diabetes in Xinjiekou Community in Beijing and analyze its influencing factors. Methods A convenient sampling method was used to select 278 diabetes patients from Xinjiekou Community in Beijing for questionnaire surveys, which included general information, foot care knowledge, and behaviors of the patients. Results The average score of foot care knowledge among the 278 patients was (71.65±14.59), indicating a moderate level overall. The average score of foot care behavior was (48.83±8.83), indicating a poor level overall. Multivariate stepwise regression analysis showed that gender, duration of diabetes, and whether the patients had received foot care education or not were independent influencing factors for both the foot care knowledge score and the foot care behavior score among community diabetes patients (P < 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that a positive correlation between foot care knowledge and foot care behavior among community diabetes patients was observed(r=0.593, P < 0.001). Conclusion The level of foocare knowledge among diabetes patients in this community in Beijing is moderate, while the status of foot care behaviors is not optimistic. Community healthcare professionals should strengthen health education on foot care, improve patients' knowledge of foot care and compliance with foot care behaviors, and pay attention to male patients and those with a shorter duration of diabetes to reduce the occurrence of diabetic foot.