Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture at Neiyingxiang(EX-HN09)points combined with western medicine in the treatment of allergic rhinitis of deficiency-cold of lung qi type.Methods Sixty patients with deficiency-cold of lung qi type of allergic rhinitis were randomly divided into observation group and control group,with 30 patients in each group.The control group was treated with Desloratadine Tablets combined with Mometasone Furoate Aqueous Nasal Spray,and the observation group was treated with acupuncture at Neiyingxiang points combined with the self-made rhinitis recipe on the basis of the control group,and the clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated after 14 days.The changes of nasal symptom scores,Visual Analogue Scale(VAS)and rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life scores of the patients of the two groups were observed before and after the treatment.After 14 days of treatment,the clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated.The changes in nasal symptom scores,as well as VAS and rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire(RQLQ)scores were observed before and after treatment.The changes in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)sydnrome scores and serum immunoglobulin E(IgE)were compared before and after treatment in the two groups,and the safety of the two groups was evaluated.Results(1)The total effective rate of the observation group was 93.33%(28/30),and the control group was 73.33%(22/30).The efficacy of the observation group was superior to that of the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(2)After treatment,the symptoms of nasal congestion,sneezing,runny nose and nasal itching were significantly improved in the two groups(P＜0.01),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in improving nasal symptoms,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).(3)After treatment,the VAS scores of patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.01),and the observation group was superior to the control group in improving VAS scores,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).(4)After treatment,the PQLQ scores of patients in the two groups improved significantly(P＜0.01),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in improving the PQLQ scores,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(5)After treatment,the TCM syndrome scores of the patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.01),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in improving TCM syndrome scores,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).(6)After treatment,the serum IgE levels of patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.01),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in improving serum IgE levels(P＜0.05),with a statistically significant difference.(7)There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the observation group and the control group(P＞0.05).Conclusion Acupuncture at Neiyingxiang points plus self-made rhinitis recipe combined with western medicine in the treatment of deficiency-cold of lung qi type of allergic rhinitis can significantly improve the clinical symptoms of the patients,thus improving the quality of life of the patients,and the therapeutic efficacy is remarkable.

Objective To compare the short- to mid-term outcomes of aortic valve plasty (AVP) and Ross surgery in children with severe aortic valve disease. Methods The patients (aged<18 years) with severe aortic valve disease who underwent AVP (an AVP group) or Ross surgery (a Ross group) at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, West China Hospital from January 2019 to September 2023 were retrospectively included. We compared perioperative and follow-up data between the groups. Results A total of 48 pediatric patients were included, including 28 males and 20 females, with an average age of (9.3±4.5) years. There were 25 patients in the AVP group, and 23 in the Ross group. Leaflet thinning (15/25, 60.0%) and leaflet extension (10/25, 40.0%) were the most common strategies used in the AVP group, while root replacement technique (12/23, 52.2%) and subcoronary technique (10/23, 43.5%) were the most frequently used strategies in the Ross group. There was no in-hospital death. The median follow-up time was 16.0 (7.0, 30.0) months. Peak flow velocity of the aortic valve was higher in the AVP group [2.0 (1.4, 2.9) m/s vs. 1.2 (1.0, 1.5) m/s, P<0.001], while there was no statistical difference in the postoperative aortic valve regurgitation severity between the two groups (P=0.127). During follow-up, the overall reoperation rate and aortic valve reoperation rate were similar between the AVP group and the Ross group (8.0% vs. 13.0%, P=0.922; 8.0% vs. 0.0%, P=0.266). The rate of recurrent aortic valve disease was higher in the AVP group (52.0% vs. 4.3%, P<0.001), while further analysis failed to recognize any risk factors. Conclusion AVP and Ross procedure show similar perioperative safety, survival and reoperation rate. The rate of recurrent aortic valve disease is higher in the AVP group, but further investigations are needed to confirm the causes.

Objective To analyze the influence of midazolam and propofol on sedation effect and blood gas indicators in elderly patients undergoing mechanical ventilation after cardiopulmonary bypass(CPB)cardiac surgery.Methods The elderly patients with mechanical ventilation after CPB cardiac surgery were grouped according to cohort method,including midazolam group(group M),propofol group(group P)and midazolam-propofol combined administration group(group M-P).Group M was treated with midazolam(intravenous injection of 0.05-0.10 mg kg-1 midazolam for sedation induction,and then continuously intravenous injection of 0.05-0.15 mg·kg-1·h-1 midazolam by micropump),and group P was treated with propofol(intravenous injection of 0.5 mg·kg-1 propofol for sedation induction,and then continuously intravenous injection of 0.5-2.0 mg·kg-1·h-1 propofol by micropump),and group M-P was given combined administration of midazolam and propofol(intravenous injection of 0.02-0.05 mg·kg-1 midazolam and 0.2-0.5 mg·kg-1 propofol for sedation induction and then continuously intravenous pump of 0.05-0.1 mg·kg-1 midazolam and 0.5-0.8 mg·kg·h-1 propofol).The sedation effect,blood gas indicators,hemodynamic indicators,extubation time,intensive care unit(ICU)stay time and treatment cost were compared among the three groups,and the adverse drug reactions during sedation therapy were recorded.Results There were 43 cases in group M,44 cases in group P,39 cases in group M-P.The drug onset times in groups M,P and M-P were(77.94±12.05),(18.18±5.20)and(21.25±9.36)s;the times to achieve satisfactory sedation effect were(42.57±11.41),(22.63±8.17)and(23.98±10.25)min;the recovery times after withdrawal were(59.30±14.86),(19.83±5.44)and(22.16±6.29)min;the extubation times were(1.61±0.20),(1.45±0.22)and(1.37±0.15)d;the ICU stay times were(2.17±0.29),(1.91±0.36)and(1.84±0.25)d;the treatment costs were(186.59±60.83),(922.97±164.34)and(375.03±71.16)thousand yuan;and the total incidence rates of adverse drug reactions were 34.88％,4.55％and 7.69％respectively,all with significant difference(all P＜0.05).There were no statistically significant differences in mean arterial pressure(MAP),heart rate(HR),oxygen saturation(SpO2),partial pressure of oxygen(PaO2),partial pressure of carbon dioxide(PaCO2)at T0,T1,T2,T3 and T4 among the three groups(all P＞0.05).Conclusion Combined administration of midazolam and propofol in elderly patients underwent mechanical ventilation after CPB cardiac surgery has a significant sedation effect,and it is conducive to reducing the dosages of sedative drugs,and it has small impact on blood gas indicators and hemodynamic indicators of patients.Compared with midazolam alone,it is more beneficial to shortening the extubation time and ICU stay and reducing the total incidence rate of adverse drug reactions,and compared with propofol alone,it is more beneficial to reducing treatment cost,and is a more ideal sedation administration model.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of ZHU's scalp acupuncture combined with Danzhi Xiaoyao San in the treatment of tinnitus of liver constraint transforming into fire type.Methods A total of 70 patients with tinnitus of liver constraint transforming into fire type were randomly divided into treatment group and control group,35 cases in each group.The treatment group was treated with ZHU's scalp acupuncture combined with Danzhi Xiaoyao San,and the control group was treated with Yinxingye Tablets and Mecobalamin Tablets.The course of treatment was three weeks.After three weeks of treatment,the clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated,and telephone follow-up was conducted at three and six months after the end of treatment to evaluate the clinical efficacy.The changes of Tinnitus Evaluation Scale(TEQ)Score and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale(SAS)score were observed before and after treatment in the two groups.The changes of Tinnitus Handicap Inventory(THI)scores were compared before and after treatment between the two groups.The safety and adverse reactions of the two groups were evaluated.Results(1)After treatment,the total effective rate of the treatment group was 88.57%(31/35),and that of the control group was 62.86%(22/35),and the therapeutic efficacy of the treatment group was superior to that of the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(2)After treatment,the TEQ,SAS,and THI scores of the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.01),and the treatment group was significantly superior to the control group in improving TEQ,SAS,and THI scores,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).(3)At the 3-month follow-up after the end of treatment,the overall effective rate was 85.71%(30/35)in the treatment group and 60.00%(21/35)in the control group.At the 6-month follow-up after the end of treatment,the overall effective rate was 82.86%(29/35)in the treatment group and 54.29%(19/35)in the control group.At the 3-and 6-month follow-up after the end of treatment,the efficacy of the treatment group was superior to that of the control group,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).(4)No obvious adverse reactions were seen in the two groups of patients,and the difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups was not statistically significant(P＞0.05).Conclusion ZHU's scalp needling combined with Danzhi Xiaoyao San for the treatment of tinnitus of liver constraint transforming into fire type can significantly improve the tinnitus symptoms of patients,with high safety,no adverse reactions,and remarkable efficacy.

Objective To deeply explore the principles of drug combinations in the treatment of vitiligo by traditional Chinese medicine master XUAN Guo-Wei by data mining technology,and to analyze the potential mechanism of action of the core drug pairs by network pharmacology.Methods The original case records of Professor XUAN Guo-Wei in treating vitiligo were compiled,and then TCM inheritance Computing Platform was used to analyze the frequency of drugs in the prescriptions,the association rules between drugs,and the core combinations of drugs by the association rule method,and the core drug pairs of Professor XUAN Guo-Wei's treatment of vitiligo were obtained based on the results of the data mining,additionally,the mechanism of the core pairs of drugs was analyzed by using the method of network pharmacology.Results A total of 243 prescriptions were collected,among which the high-frequency drugs were Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Tribuli Fructus,Ecliptae Herba,Cuscutae Semen,Scrophulariae Radix,Angelicae Dahuricae Radix,etc.,and the core pair was Tribuli Fructus-Ecliptae Herba.The main components of Tribuli Fructus-Ecliptae Herba for the treatment of vitiligo were quercetin,kaempferol,etc.,there were 47 targets for the intersection of the active ingredients with the disease,among which TP53,TNF,IL-1β,CASP3,VEGFA,PTGS2,IL10,IL2,IFNG,and IL4 may be the core targets for the treatment of vitiligo by Tribuli Fructus-Ecliptae Herba.The main pathways of Tribuli Fructus-Ecliptae Herba drug pairs against the disease were PI3K-Akt signaling pathway,NF-κB signaling pathway,JAK-STAT signaling pathway and MAPK signaling pathway.Conclusion The core drug pair of Professor XUAN Guo-Wei in the treatment of vitiligo is Tribuli Fructus-Ecliptae Herba,which involves targets such as TP53,TNF,IL-1β,CASP3,VEGFA,PTGS2,IL10,IL2,IFNG,IL4,etc.,Tribuli Fructus-Ecliptae Herba drug pair maybe exert an effect in the treatment of vitiligo through PI3K-Akt signaling pathway,NF-κB signaling pathway,JAK-STAT signaling pathway and MAPK signaling pathway.

DRG payment reform is an important means to control the unreasonable growth of medical expenses, improve the quality of medical services and achieve a win-win situation among three sides of hospitals, medical insurance and patients. This study adopted the Smith policy implementation process model to analyze the difficulties in the DRG policy implementation process from four aspects(idealized policies, policy implementation institutions, target groups, and policy environment), including the deviation between policy connotations and actual needs; the interest objectives of all parties were not completely aligned, the target group lacked a sense of identity, and the social impact and technological support needed to be improved. It was suggested that optimization should be carried out from four dimensions: policy supply coordination and precision, performance evaluation and personnel literacy, target group cognitive level and participation willingness, and policy implementation environment and atmosphere, in order to synergistically promote the effective implementation of DRG policies.

Objective: Healthcare workers (HCWs) suffered from a heavy mental health burden during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We aimed to explore the differences in sleep disturbance in three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan among HCWs. Moreover, factors associated with sleep disturbances in the third wave were investigated. Methods: This study, with three waves of cross-sectional surveys, recruited first-line and second-line HCWs. The level of sleep disturbance and related demographic variables were collected through self-report questionnaires. Differences in sleep disturbance across the three waves were compared with analysis of variance. Factors associated with the level of sleep disturbance were identified using univariate linear regression and further used for multivariate stepwise and bootstrap linear regression to identify the independent predictors. Results: In total, 711, 560, and 747 HCWs were included in the first, second, and third waves, respectively. For first-line HCWs, sleep disturbance was significantly higher in the third wave than in the first wave. The level of sleep disturbance gradually increased across the three waves for all HCWs. In addition, sleep disturbance was associated with depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, anxiety about COVID-19, vaccine mistrust, and poorer physical and mental health among first-line HCWs. Among second-line HCWs, sleep disturbance was associated with younger age, depression, PTSD symptoms, lower preference for natural immunity, and poorer physical health. Conclusion The current study identified an increase in sleep disturbance and several predictors among HCWs. Further investigation is warranted to extend the application and generalizability of the current study.

Previous studies have shown that high blood glucose-induced chronic microinflammation can cause inflammatory podocyte injury in patients with diabetic kidney disease(DKD). Therein, necroptosis is a new form of podocyte death that is closely associated with renal fibrosis(RF). To explore the effects and mechanisms in vivo of total flavones of Abelmoschus manihot(TFA), an extract from traditional Chinese herbal medicine Abelmoschus manihot for treating kidney diseases, on podocyte necroptosis and RF in DKD, and to further reveal its scientific connotation with multi-pathway and multi-target, the authors randomly divided all rats into four groups: a namely normal group, a model group, a TFA group and a rapamycin(RAP) group. After the modified DKD rat models were successfully established, four group rats were given double-distilled water, TFA suspension and RAP suspension, respectively by gavage every day. At the end of the 4th week of drug treatment, all rats were sacrificed, and the samples of their urine, blood and kidneys were collected. And then, the various indicators related to podocyte necroptosis and RF in the DKD model rats were observed, detected and analyzed, respectively. The results indicated that, general condition, body weight(BW), serum creatinine(Scr), urinary albumin(UAlb), and kidney hypertrophy index(KHI) in these modified DKD model rats were both improved by TFA and RAP. Indicators of RF, including glomerular histomorphological characteristics, fibronectin(FN) and collagen type Ⅰ(collagen Ⅰ) staining extent in glomeruli, as well as the protein expression levels of FN, collagen Ⅰ, transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1) and Smad2/3 in the kidneys were improved respectively by TFA and RAP. Podocyte damage, including foot process form and the protein expression levels of podocin and CD2AP in the kidneys was improved by TFA and RAP. In addition, tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)-mediated podocyte necroptosis in the kidneys, including the morphological characteristics of podocyte necroptosis, the extent and levels of the protein expression of TNF-α and phosphorylated mixed lineage kinase domain like pseudokinase(p-MLKL) was improved respectively by TFA and RAP. Among them, RAP had the better effect on p-MLKL. More importantly, the activation of the receptor interacting serine/threonine protein kinase 1(RIPK1)/RIPK3/MLKL signaling axis in the kidneys, including the expression levels of its key signaling molecules, such as phosphorylated receptor interacting serine/threonine protein kinase 1(p-RIPK1), p-RIPK3, p-MLKL and cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-8(caspase-8) was improved respectively by TFA and RAP. Among them, the effect of TFA on p-RIPK1 was superior. On the whole, in this study, the authors demonstrated that TFA alleviates podocyte necroptosis and RF in DKD through inhibiting the activation of the TNF-α-mediated RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL signaling axis in diabetic kidneys. The authors' findings provide new pharmacological evidence to reveal the scientific connotation of TFA in treating RF in DKD in more depth.
Humans ; Rats ; Animals ; Diabetic Nephropathies/drug therapy* ; Abelmoschus ; Flavones/pharmacology* ; Podocytes ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Necroptosis ; Receptor-Interacting Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism* ; Fibrosis ; Threonine/pharmacology* ; Collagen/metabolism* ; Serine/pharmacology* ; Diabetes Mellitus/drug therapy*

This study investigated the drug delivery performance of oral co-loaded puerarin(PUE) and daidzein(DAZ) mixed micelles(PUE/DAZ-FS/PMMs) from the perspectives of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and tissue distribution. The changes in PUE plasma concentration in rats were evaluated based on PUE suspension, single drug-loaded micelles(PUE-FS/PMMs), and co-loaded micelles(PUE/DAZ-FS/PMMs). Spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHR) were used to monitor systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and mean arterial pressure for 10 weeks after administration by tail volume manometry. The content of PUE in the heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, brain, and testes was determined using LC-MS/MS. The results showed that compared with PUE suspension and PUE-FS/PMMs, PUE/DAZ-FS/PMMs significantly increased C_(max) in rats(P<0.01) and had a relative bioavailability of 122%. The C_(max), AUC_(0-t), AUC_(0-∞), t_(1/2), and MRT of PUE/DAZ-FS/PMMs were 1.77, 1.22, 1.22, 1.17, and 1.13 times higher than those of PUE suspension, and 1.76, 1.16, 1.08, 0.84, and 0.78 times higher than those of PUE-FS/PMMs, respectively. Compared with the model control group, PUE/DAZ-FS/PMMs significantly reduced systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and mean arterial pressure in SHR rats(P<0.05). The antihypertensive effect of PUE/DAZ-FS/PMMs was greater than that of PUE suspension, and even greater than that of PUE-FS/PMMs at high doses. Additionally, the distribution of PMMs in various tissues showed dose dependency. The distribution of PMMs in the kidney and liver, which are metabolically related tissues, was lower than that in the suspension group, while the distribution in the brain was higher than that in the conventional dose group. In conclusion, PUE/DAZ-FS/PMMs not only improved the bioavailability of PUE and synergistically enhanced its therapeutic effect but also prolonged the elimination of the drug to some extent. Furthermore, the micelles facilitated drug penetration through the blood-brain barrier. This study provides a foundation for the development of co-loaded mixed micelles containing homologous components.
Rats ; Animals ; Micelles ; Tissue Distribution ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Rats, Inbred SHR ; Isoflavones/pharmacology*

Carthami Flos, as a traditional blood-activating and stasis-resolving drug, possesses anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory pharmacological activities. Flavonoid glycosides are the main bioactive components in Carthamus tinctorius. Glycosyltransferase deserves to be studied in depth as a downstream modification enzyme in the biosynthesis of active glycoside compounds. This study reported a flavonoid glycosyltransferase CtUGT49 from C. tinctorius based on the transcriptome data, followed by bioinformatic analysis and the investigation of enzymatic properties. The open reading frame(ORF) of the gene was 1 416 bp, encoding 471 amino acid residues with the molecular weight of about 52 kDa. Phylogenetic analysis showed that CtUGT49 belonged to the UGT73 family. According to in vitro enzymatic results, CtUGT49 could catalyze naringenin chalcone to the prunin and choerospondin, and catalyze phloretin to phlorizin and trilobatin, exhibiting good substrate versatility. After the recombinant protein CtUGT49 was obtained by hetero-logous expression and purification, the enzymatic properties of CtUGT49 catalyzing the formation of prunin from naringenin chalcone were investigated. The results showed that the optimal pH value for CtUGT49 catalysis was 7.0, the optimal temperature was 37 ℃, and the highest substrate conversion rate was achieved after 8 h of reaction. The results of enzymatic kinetic parameters showed that the K_m value was 209.90 μmol·L~(-1) and k_(cat) was 48.36 s~(-1) calculated with the method of Michaelis-Menten plot. The discovery of the novel glycosyltransferase CtUGT49 is important for enriching the library of glycosylation tool enzymes and provides a basis for analyzing the glycosylation process of flavonoid glycosides in C. tinctorius.
Carthamus tinctorius/chemistry* ; Phylogeny ; Flavonoids/analysis* ; Glycosides/analysis* ; Glycosyltransferases/genetics* ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; Chalcones