Objective To study the correlation between traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)constitution and pathogenic factors in patients with ankylosing spondylitis(AS).Methods One hundred patients of AS and their family members who had medical consultation in the Fifth Hospital of Xi'an(i.e.,Shaanxi Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine)in August 2019 and September 2020 were selected as the study subjects.The guidelines of Classification and Determination of Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution issued by the China Association of Chinese Medicine were adopted to determine the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)constitution types of the study subjects.The sociodemographic information,living habits,clinical symptoms,and TCM constitution types of the AS patients and their family members were collected by means of questionnaires and clinical investigations,and then the pathogenic factors of the patients with AS were investigated.The binomial Logistic regression model was used to analyze the correlation between TCM constitution types and pathogenic factors in patients with AS.Results(1)Among the 100 AS patients,the majority of them had the biased constitutions,and the biased constitutions with the occurrence frequency in descending order were yang deficiency constitution,qi deficiency constitution,and damp-heat constitution,which accounted for 33.00%,14.00%,and 18.00%,respectively.(2)The prevalence rates of AS in the first-,second-,and third-degree relatives of AS patients were 56.25%,40.00%and 25.00%,respectively.For the positive rates of human leukocyte antigen B27(HLA-B27)in AS patients and their family members,HLA-B27 in AS patients was all positive,while the positive rates of HLA-B27 in the first-,second-,and third-degree relatives of AS patients were 44.31%,30.67%and 15.63%,respectively.(3)The results of regression analysis showed that the disease duration of AS patients was significantly correlated with qi deficiency constitution,the grading of sacroiliac arthritis was correlated with qi stagnation constitution,and age was correlated with blood stasis constitution(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The results indicated that disease duration and age were the important factors affecting the constitution types of AS patients,and disease duration was closely related to qi deficiency while age was closely related to blood stasis.Conclusion AS is a highly hereditary autoimmune disease,and its onset is associated with HLA-B27.Yang deficiency is the basic constitution type of AS,and damp-heat constitution is the main constitution type in the progression of AS(especially in the active stage of the disease).The prolongation of the disease will exacerbate the illness condition of AS and then the manifestations of qi deficiency will be more obvious.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the risk of aristolochic acid (AA)-associated cancer in patients with AA nephropathy (AAN). METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on patients diagnosed with AAN at Peking University First Hospital from January 1997 to December 2014. Long-term surveillance and follow-up data were analyzed to investigate the influence of different factors on the prevalence of cancer. The primary endpoint was the incidence of liver cancer, and the secondary endpoint was the incidence of urinary cancer during 1 year after taking AA-containing medication to 2014. RESULTS: A total of 337 patients diagnosed with AAN were included in this study. From the initiation of taking AA to the termination of follow-up, 39 patients were diagnosed with cancer. No cases of liver cancer were observed throughout the entire follow-up period, with urinary cancer being the predominant type (34/39, 87.17%). Logistic regression analysis showed that age, follow-up period, and diabetes were potential risk factors, however, the dosage of the drug was not significantly associated with urinary cancer. CONCLUSIONS No cases of liver cancer were observed at the end of follow-up. However, a high prevalence of urinary cancer was observed in AAN patients. Establishing a direct causality between AA and HCC is challenging.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Incidence ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Liver Neoplasms/epidemiology* ; Kidney Diseases/chemically induced* ; Aristolochic Acids/adverse effects*

Objective:To study the current status of longitudinal extrauterine growth restriction (EUGR) in extremely preterm infants (EPIs) and to develop a prediction model based on clinical data from multiple NICUs.Methods:From January 2017 to December 2018, EPIs admitted to 32 NICUs in North China were retrospectively studied. Their general conditions, nutritional support, complications during hospitalization and weight changes were reviewed. Weight loss between birth and discharge > 1SD was defined as longitudinal EUGR. The EPIs were assigned into longitudinal EUGR group and non-EUGR group and their nutritional support and weight changes were compared. The EPIs were randomly assigned into the training dataset and the validation dataset with a ratio of 7∶3. Univariate Cox regression analysis and multiple regression analysis were used in the training dataset to select the independent predictive factors. The best-fitting Nomogram model predicting longitudinal EUGR was established based on Akaike Information Criterion. The model was evaluated for discrimination efficacy, calibration and clinical decision curve analysis.Results:A total of 436 EPIs were included in this study, with a mean gestational age of (26.9±0.9) weeks and a birth weight of (989±171) g. The incidence of longitudinal EUGR was 82.3%(359/436). Seven variables (birth weight Z-score, weight loss, weight growth velocity, the proportion of breast milk ≥75% within 3 d before discharge, invasive mechanical ventilation ≥7 d, maternal antenatal corticosteroids use and bronchopulmonary dysplasia) were selected to establish the prediction model. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the training dataset and the validation dataset were 0.870 (95% CI 0.820-0.920) and 0.879 (95% CI 0.815-0.942), suggesting good discrimination efficacy. The calibration curve indicated a good fit of the model ( P>0.05). The decision curve analysis showed positive net benefits at all thresholds. Conclusions:Currently, EPIs have a high incidence of longitudinal EUGR. The prediction model is helpful for early identification and intervention for EPIs with higher risks of longitudinal EUGR. It is necessary to expand the sample size and conduct prospective studies to optimize and validate the prediction model in the future.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of brexpiprazole in treating acute schizophrenia.Methods Patients with schizophrenia were randomly divided into treatment group and control group.The treatment group was given brexpiprozole 2-4 mg·d-1 orally and the control group was given aripiprazole 10-20 mg·d-1orally,both were treated for 6 weeks.Clinical efficacy of the two groups,the response rate at endpoint,the changes from baseline to endpoint of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS),Clinical Global Impression-Improvement(CGI-S),Personal and Social Performance scale(PSP),PANSS Positive syndrome subscale,PANSS negative syndrome subscale were compared.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events in two groups were compared.Results There were 184 patients in treatment group and 186 patients in control group.After treatment,the response rates of treatment group and control group were 79.50％(140 cases/184 cases)and 82.40％(150 cases/186 cases),the scores of CGI-I of treatment group and control group were(2.00±1.20)and(1.90±1.01),with no significant difference(all P＞0.05).From baseline to Week 6,the mean change of PANSS total score wese(-30.70±16.96)points in treatment group and(-32.20±17.00)points in control group,with no significant difference(P＞0.05).The changes of CGI-S scores in treatment group and control group were(-2.00±1.27)and(-1.90±1.22)points,PSP scores were(18.80±14.77)and(19.20±14.55)points,PANSS positive syndrome scores were(-10.30±5.93)and(-10.80±5.81)points,PANSS negative syndrome scores were(-6.80±5.98)and(-7.30±5.15)points,with no significant difference(P＞0.05).There was no significant difference in the incidence of treatment-related adverse events between the two group(69.00％vs.64.50％,P＞0.05).Conclusion The non-inferiority of Brexpiprazole to aripiprazole was established,with comparable efficacy and acceptability.

Objective:To understand the impact of diet on glycemic control in community-managed patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and provide evidence for implementing prevention strategies and measures for diabetes patients.Methods:Eight communities were randomly selected from Changshu and Wuhan in 2015, and T2DM patients managed in the community were selected to conduct questionnaire surveys, physical measurements, and blood glucose testing. Factor analysis was used to obtain dietary patterns. A binary logistic regression model was used to analyze the factors affecting glycemic control.Results:Finally, 1 818 T2DM patients were included, and the control rate of FPG was 57.59% (95% CI: 55.30%-59.86%), and the control rate of 2 h postprandial blood glucose (2 h PBG) was 24.90% (95% CI: 22.93%- 26.91%). Five dietary patterns were obtained by factor analysis: animal food pattern, fruit-aquatic products-potato patterns, vegetable-grain pattern, egg-milk-bean pattern, and oil-salt patterns. No-conditional multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for confounding factors, the reduced probability of FPG control was related to animal food pattern ( OR=0.71, 95% CI: 0.52-0.98) and fruit-aquatic products-potato patterns ( OR=0.71, 95% CI: 0.51-0.97). The decrease in the 2 h PBG control probability was related to fruit-aquatic products-potato patterns ( OR=0.60, 95% CI: 0.40-0.90). The increased probability of FPG and 2 h postprandial glucose control were both related to vegetable-grain pattern ( OR=1.41, 95% CI: 1.03-1.94; OR=1.68, 95% CI: 1.13-2.51) and egg-milk-bean pattern ( OR=1.75, 95% CI: 1.25-2.46; OR=1.56, 95% CI: 1.00-2.42). Compared with the Q4 group of egg-milk-bean pattern, the FPG control rate of the combination of "fruit-aquatic products-potato pattern ( Q4 group), vegetable-grain pattern ( Q2 group), egg-milk-bean pattern ( Q3 group)" was higher ( OR=6.79, 95% CI: 1.15-40.23, P=0.035). Compared with the Q4 group of vegetable-grain pattern, the combination of "fruit-aquatic products-potato pattern ( Q4 group), vegetable-grain pattern ( Q3 group), egg-milk-bean pattern ( Q2 group), oil-salt pattern ( Q2 group)" had higher control rate of 2 h PBG ( OR=12.78, 95% CI: 1.26-130.05, P=0.031). Conclusions:A proper combination of dietary patterns and dietary patterns are more conducive to the control of FPG and 2 h PBG in T2DM patients managed in the communities of Wuhan and Changshu. Patient nutrition education should be strengthened, and the food-matching ability of patients should be improved.

With the increasing proportion of human papilloma virus(HPV)infection in the pathogenic factors of oro-pharyngeal cancer,a series of changes have occurred in the surgical treatment.While the treatment mode has been im-proved,there are still many problems,including the inconsistency between diagnosis and treatment modes,the lack of popularization of reconstruction technology,the imperfect post-treatment rehabilitation system,and the lack of effective preventive measures.Especially in terms of treatment mode for early oropharyngeal cancer,there is no unified conclu-sion whether it is surgery alone or radiotherapy alone,and whether robotic minimally invasive surgery has better func-tional protection than radiotherapy.For advanced oropharyngeal cancer,there is greater controversy over the treatment mode.It is still unclear whether to adopt a non-surgical treatment mode of synchronous chemoradiotherapy or induction chemotherapy combined with synchronous chemoradiotherapy,or a treatment mode of surgery combined with postopera-tive chemoradiotherapy.In order to standardize the surgical treatment of oropharyngeal cancer in China and clarify the indications for surgical treatment of oropharyngeal cancer,this expert consensus,based on the characteristics and treat-ment status of oropharyngeal cancer in China and combined with the international latest theories and practices,forms consensus opinions in multiple aspects of preoperative evaluation,surgical indication determination,primary tumor re-section,neck lymph node dissection,postoperative defect repair,postoperative complication management prognosis and follow-up of oropharyngeal cancer patients.The key points include:① Before the treatment of oropharyngeal cancer,the expression of P16 protein should be detected to clarify HPV status;② Perform enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of the maxillofacial region before surgery to evaluate the invasion of oropharyngeal cancer and guide precise surgical resec-tion of oropharyngeal cancer.Evaluating mouth opening and airway status is crucial for surgical approach decisions and postoperative risk prediction;③ For oropharyngeal cancer patients who have to undergo major surgery and cannot eat for one to two months,it is recommended to undergo percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy before surgery to effectively improve their nutritional intake during treatment;④ Early-stage oropharyngeal cancer patients may opt for either sur-gery alone or radiation therapy alone.For intermediate and advanced stages,HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer general-ly prioritizes radiation therapy,with concurrent chemotherapy considered based on tumor staging.Surgical treatment is recommended as the first choice for HPV unrelated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma(including primary and re-current)and recurrent HPV related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma after radiotherapy and chemotherapy;⑤ For primary exogenous T1-2 oropharyngeal cancer,direct surgery through the oral approach or da Vinci robotic sur-gery is preferred.For T3-4 patients with advanced oropharyngeal cancer,it is recommended to use temporary mandibu-lectomy approach and lateral pharyngotomy approach for surgery as appropriate;⑥ For cT1-2N0 oropharyngeal cancer patients with tumor invasion depth＞3 mm and cT3-4N0 HPV unrelated oropharyngeal cancer patients,selective neck dissection of levels ⅠB to Ⅳ is recommended.For cN+HPV unrelated oropharyngeal cancer patients,therapeutic neck dissection in regions Ⅰ-Ⅴ is advised;⑦ If PET-CT scan at 12 or more weeks after completion of radiation shows intense FDG uptake in any node,or imaging suggests continuous enlargement of lymph nodes,the patient should undergo neck dissection;⑧ For patients with suspected extracapsular invasion preoperatively,lymph node dissection should include removal of surrounding muscle and adipose connective tissue;⑨ The reconstruction of oropharyngeal cancer defects should follow the principle of reconstruction steps,with priority given to adjacent flaps,followed by distal pedicled flaps,and finally free flaps.The anterolateral thigh flap with abundant tissue can be used as the preferred flap for large-scale postoperative defects.

This study using maltodextrin as raw material, 1%-5% polyvinylpyrrolidone K30 as template agent, 1%-5% ammonium bicarbonate as pore-forming agent, curcumin and ibuprofen as model drugs. Porous maltodextrin was prepared by template and pore-forming agent methods, respectively. The structure and drug delivery behavior of porous maltodextrin prepared by different technologies were comprehensively characterized. The results showed that the porous maltodextrin prepared by pore-forming agent method had larger specific surface area (6.449 4 m²·g^-1) and pore size (32.804 2 nm), which was significantly better than that by template agent method (3.670 2 m²·g^-1, 15.278 5 nm). The adsorption kinetics between porous maltodextrin prepared by pore-forming agent method and curcumin were suitable for quasi-first order adsorption kinetic model, and that between porous maltodextrin and ibuprofen were suitable for quasi-second order adsorption kinetic model. While the adsorption kinetics between porous maltodextrin prepared by template agent method and two model drugs were both suitable for the quasi-first order adsorption kinetic model. In addition, the dissolution behavior analysis showed that the porous maltodextrin prepared by the two technologies can significantly improve the dissolution behavior of insoluble drugs, and the drug release was both carried out by diffusion mechanism, which suitable for the Peppas kinetic release model, but the porous maltodextrin prepared by template agent method had a faster release rate. The change of nozzle diameter had no significant effect on the adsorption process and drug release behavior of porous maltodextrin. In conclusion, the porous maltodextrins prepared by two different technologies were both beneficial to the delivery of insoluble drugs, and the template agent method was the best for delivery of insoluble drugs. This study can provide theoretical basis for the preparation of porous particles, promote the application of porous particles in insoluble drugs, and improve the bioavailability of insoluble drugs.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a diabetic ocular complication that can lead to poor vision and blindness. This experiment aimed to investigate the ameliorative effect and its mechanism of Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) eye drops on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) in rats. All experiments were approved by the Animal Research Committee of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Animal welfare and the animal experimental protocols were strictly consistent with related ethics regulations of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (No. PZSHUTCM 211115004). Diabetes mellitus was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ into rats. Two months later, PNS solution was dropped binocular twice per day at 6 h intervals at dose of 20, 40, and 80 mg·kg^-1 continuously for 1 month. The morphological structure and activation of microglia of the retina were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemical assay. The disruption of the blood-retina barrier (BRB) was conducted by the Evans blue dye leakage assay. The number of acellular capillaries in the retina was assessed by digesting and hematoxylin-eosin staining assay. The number of retinal leukocyte adhesion was observed by fluorescein isothiocyanate-coupled concanavalin A lectin labeling assay. The serum expression of inflammatory factors was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Western blot experiments were used to detect the expression of relevant proteins in retinal tissue and transcriptional activation of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB). The results revealed that PNS eye drops significantly increased the thickness of the retina, decreased the number of acellular capillaries, and up-regulated the expression of the tight junction proteins claudin-1 and occludin, thereby alleviating BRB damage. In addition, PNS eye drops were also able to significantly reduce leukocyte adhesion and microglia activation, the expression of inflammatory factors in serum, and the nuclear translocation of retinal p65 proteins, effectively inhibiting the occurrence of retinal inflammation. The above results showed that PNS eye drops played a role in improving NPDR by inhibiting the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway and reducing inflammation.

Objective To design a novel oxygenator to solve the existing problems of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(ECMO)machine in high transmembrane pressure difference,low efficiency of blood oxygen exchange and susceptibility to thrombosis.Methods The main body of the oxygenator vascular access flow field was gifted with a flat cylindrical shape.The topology of the vascular access was modeled in three dimensions,and the whole flow field was cut into a blood inlet section,an inlet buffer,a heat exchange zone,a blood oxygen exchange zone,an outlet buffer and a blood outlet section.The oxygenator was compared with Quadrox oxygenator by means of ANSYS FLUENT-based simulation and prototype experiments.Results Simulation calculations showed the oxygenator designed was comparable to the clinically used ones in general,and gained advantages in transmembrane pressure difference,blood oxygen exchange and flow uniformity.Experimental results indicated that the oxygenator behaved better than Quadrox oxygenator in transmembrane pressure difference and blood oxygen exchange.Conclusion The oxygenator has advantages in transmem-brane pressure difference,temperature change,blood oxygen ex-change and low probability of thrombosis.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(3):23-28]

Objective:To investigate the distribution rules of artemisia pollen and the clinical sensitization characteristics of allergic rhinitis (AR) induced by artemisia pollen in three urban and rural areas of Inner Mongolia.Methods:From March to October 2019, in 3 central cities (Chifeng, Hohhot, Ordos) and rural areas of Inner Mongolia, an epidemiological investigation method combining multi-stage stratified random sampling and face-to-face questionnaire survey was adopted to screen suspected AR patients, and skin prick test (SPT) was applied for diagnosis. At the same time, pollen monitoring was carried out in 3 areas to analyze the distribution and clinical sensitization characteristics of artemisia pollen.SPSS26.0 statistical software was used to process all the data. Chi-square test was used to compare rates among different age, sex, region and nationality, Spearman test was used to describe correlation analysis, and pairwise comparison of positive rates among multiple samples was used Bonferroni method.Results:Among the 6 393 subjects, 1 093 cases were diagnosed with AR, and the prevalence of AR was 17.10% (1 093/6 393). Among them, pollen-induced allergic rhinitis, the prevalence of PiAR was 10.97% (701/6 393), accounting for 64.14%(701/1 093).The highest incidence was in the youth group (20-39 years old), accounting for 46.94% (329/701).The diagnosed prevalence was higher in females than in males (11.35% vs. 10.64%, χ2 value 12.304, P<0.001).The prevalence rate of ethnic minority was higher than that of Han nationality (13.01% vs. 10.65%, χ2 value 6.296, P=0.008).The prevalence in urban areas was also significantly higher than that in rural areas (18.40% vs. 5.50%, χ2 value 10.497, P<0.001).There was significant difference in prevalence rate among the three regions in Inner Mongolia (6.06% in Chifeng, 13.46% in Hohhot, 16.39% in Ordos, χ2 value 70.054, P<0.001).The main clinical symptoms of artemisia PiAR were sneezing (95.58%), nasal congestion (91.73%) and nasal itching (89.30%).Allergic conjunctivitis accounted for 79.60% (558/701), chronic sinusitis for 55.63% (390/701), asthma for 23.25% (163/701).The pattern of artemisia pollen sensitization was mainly multiple sensitization, and the frequency of clinical symptoms and clinical diseases induced by hypersensitization with other allergens accounted for more than that caused by single artemisia pollen. The spread period of Artemisia pollen in the three regions was from June to October, and the peak state was in August in summer. The peak time of clinical symptoms in artemisia PiAR patients was about 2 weeks earlier than the peak time of pollen concentration, and the two were significantly positively correlated ( R=0.7671, P<0.001). Conclusion:Artemisia pollens are the dominant pollens in late summer and early autumn in Inner Mongolia, and the prevalence of artemisia PiAR is high. Controlling the spread of Artemisia pollens is of great significance for the prevention and treatment of AR.