Objective:To investigate the efficacy and adverse reactions of whole-lung low-dose radiotherapy (LDRT) in patients with severe/critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Methods:Eight patients with severe/critical COVID-19 treated in the Jiangyin Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University from January to June 2023 who were treated with whole-lung LDRT after deteriorating or failing to improve post-medical treatment were enrolled in this single-arm phase I clinical trial. They received anterior-posterior penetrating radiation in a supine or prone position, with a total dose range from 0.5 to 1.5 Gy and a dose weight ratio of 1∶1. The oxygenation status, inflammatory markers, and imaging changes before and after radiotherapy were analyzed, and patients were followed up for acute radiation-induced adverse reactions.Results:One week after LDRT, the SaO 2/FiO 2 or PaO 2/FiO 2 indices increased in seven patients (87.5%), inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) decreased in seven patients (87.5%), and chest CT/chest radiographs revealed a significant reduction in the extent of pneumonia involvement in 5 patients (62.5%). No evident acute radiation-related adverse reactions were observed. Conclusions:Whole-lung LDRT with a dose range from 0.5 to 1.5 Gy can reduce inflammatory markers, improve clinical symptoms, and promote inflammatory absorption in patients with severe/critical COVID-19 who responded poorly to medical treatment while not inducing acute adverse reactions.

Objective To develop effective measures to reduce antibiotic use duration in very low birth weight(VLBW)preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit through quality improvement methods.Methods The study population consisted of hospitalized VLBW preterm infants,with the percentage of hospitalization time during which antibiotics were used from November 2020 to June 2021 serving as the baseline.The specific quality improvement goal was to reduce the duration of antibiotic use.Factors affecting antibiotic use duration in preterm infants were analyzed using Pareto charts.Key drivers were identified,and specific interventions were formulated based on the stages of antibiotic use.Changes in the percentage of antibiotic use duration were monitored with run charts until the quality improvement target was achieved.Results From November 2020 to June 2021,the baseline antibiotic use duration percentage was 49%,with a quality improvement target to reduce this by 10%within 12 months.The Pareto analysis indicated that major factors influencing antibiotic duration included non-standard antibiotic use;delayed cessation of antibiotics when no infection evidence was present;prolonged central venous catheter placement;insufficient application of kangaroo care;and delayed progress in enteral nutrition.The interventions implemented included:(1)establishing sepsis evaluation and management standards;(2)educating medical staff on the rational use of antibiotics for preterm infants;(3)supervising the enforcement of antibiotic use standards during ward rounds;(4)for those without clear signs of infection and with negative blood cultures,discontinued the use of antibiotics 36 hours after initiation;(5)reducing the duration of central venous catheterization and parenteral nutrition to lower the risk of infection in preterm infants.The control chart showed that with continuous implementation of interventions,the percentage of antibiotic use duration was reduced from 49%to 32%,a statistically significant decrease.Conclusions The application of quality improvement tools based on statistical principles and process control may significantly reduce the antibiotic use duration in VLBW preterm infants.

Objective To explore the effect and mechanism of hawthorn leaves flavonoids(HLF)on angiotensin Ⅱ(Ang Ⅱ)-induced myocardial hypertrophy.Methods The H9c2 cells were divided into control group(normal culture),model group(100 nmol·L-1 Ang Ⅱ for 24 h),experimental-L,-M,-H groups(received 100 nmol·L-1 Ang Ⅱ for 24 h,then treated with 25,50 and 100 mg·L-1 HLF for 24 h,respectively),anti-miR-NC and anti-miR-21a-5p groups(transfected with anti-miR-NC and anti-miR-21a-5p,then treated with 100 nmol·L-1 Ang Ⅱ for 24 h),miR-NC+high-dose and miR-21a-5p+high-dose group(transfected with miR-NC and miR-21a-5p mimics,then treated with 100 nmol·L-1 Ang Ⅱ for 24 h+100 mg·L-1 HLF for 24 h).The cell viability was detected by cell counting kit-8.The cell apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry.The expression levels of miR-21a-5p was assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.The expression levels of cyclooxygenase-2(COX2)and prostaglandin E2(PGE2)was measured by Western blot.Results The cell viabilities of control,model group experimental-H groups were 1.03±0.09,0.51±0.05 and 0.93±0.08;cell apoptosis rates were(7.69±0.61)％,(23.04±1.82)％and(9.43±0.71)％;the expression levels of miR-21a-5p were 1.00±0.09,2.43±0.18 and 1.09±0.08;the relative expression levels of COX2 protein were 0.42±0.03,0.85±0.08 and 0.40±0.04;the relative expression levels of PGE2 protein were 0.34±0.03,0.75±0.07 and 0.35±0.03;the differences of above indexes were statistically significant between the model group and the control and experimental-H groups(all P＜0.05).The cell viabilities of anti-miR-NC,anti-miR-21a-5p,miR-NC+high dose and miR-21a-5p+high dose groups were 0.52±0.04,1.12±0.08,0.94±0.09 and 0.57±0.04;the cell apoptosis rates were(23.04±1.82)％,(9.86±0.73)％,(9.47±0.64)％and(24.96±1.94)％;the expression levels of miR-21a-5p were 1.00±0.10,0.43±0.04,1.00±0.09 and 2.12±0.18;the relative expression levels of COX2 protein were 0.86±0.05,0.39±0.04,0.41±0.03 and 0.78±0.07;the relative expression levels of PGE2 protein were 0.74±0.06,0.38±0.07,0.36±0.02 and 0.71±0.05.Compared the anti-miR-21a-5p group with the anti-miR-NC group,compared the miR-21a-5p+high-dose group with the miR-NC+high-dose group,the differences of above indexes were statistically significant(all P＜0.05).Conclusion HLF can inhibit Ang Ⅱ-induced myocardial hypertrophy by regulating the expression of miR-21a-5p and COX2/PGE2 pathway.

Introduction::The triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio, a novel biomarker for metabolic syndrome (MetS), has been validated in the general population as being significantly correlated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. However, its capabilities to predict CVD in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; PLWH) remain underexplored.Methods::We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 16,081 PLWH who initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) at the Third People’s Hospital of Shenzhen (China) from 2005 to 2022. The baseline TG/HDL-C ratio was calculated as TG (mmol/L) divided by HDL-C (mmol/L). We employed a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model to assess the association between the TG/HDL-C ratio and CVD occurrence, using Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests to compare survival distributions. The increase in prediction risk upon the addition of the biomarker to the conventional risk model was examined through the assessment of changes in net reclassification improvement (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI). Nonlinear relationships were investigated using a restricted cubic spline plot, complemented by a two-piecewise Cox proportional hazards model to analyze threshold effects.Results::At the median follow-up of 70 months, 213 PLWH developed CVD. Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated a significant association between the increased risk of CVD and a higher TG/HDL-C ratio (log-rank P <0.001). The multivariate-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression model indicated that the CVD hazard ratios (HR) (95% confidence intervals [95% CIs]) for Q2, Q3, and Q4 versus Q1 of the TG/HDL-C ratio were 2.07 (1.24, 3.45), 2.17 (1.32, 3.57), and 2.20 (1.35, 3.58), respectively ( P <0.05). The consideration of the TG/HDL-C ratio in the model, which included all significant factors for CVD incidence, improved the predictive risk, as indicated by the reclassification metrics (NRI 16.43%, 95% CI 3.35%-29.52%, P = 0.014). The restriction cubic spline plot demonstrated an upward trend between the TG/HDL-C ratio and the CVD occurrence ( P for nonlinear association = 0.027, P for overall significance = 0.009), with the threshold at 1.013. Significantly positive correlations between the TG/HDL-C ratio and CVD were observed below the TG/HDL-C ratio threshold with HR 5.88 (95% CI 1.58-21.88, P = 0.008), but not above the threshold with HR 1.01 (95% CI 0.88-1.15, P = 0.880). Conclusion::Our study confirms the effectiveness of the TG/HDL-C ratio as a predictor of CVD risk in PLWH, which demonstrates a significant nonlinear association. These findings indicate the potential of the TG/HDL-C ratio in facilitating early prevention and treatment strategies for CVD among PLWH.

Age-related ovarian hypofunction includes a decrease in follicle quantity and quality as well as alterations in the ovarian microenvironment，the mechanisms of which are mainly related to mitochondrial dysfunction，free radical and antioxidant systems，telomere and telomerase alterations，and apoptosis，and is one of the major factors contributing to infertility in advanced maternal age （AMA）. Despite the tremendous progress in assisted reproductive technology in recent decades，few breakthroughs have been made in alleviating age-related ovarian hypofunction and improving reproductive outcomes for AMA. In recent years，there has been an increasing number of studies on the multi-level and multi-targeted mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） to improve age-related ovarian hypofunction by modulating mitochondrial homeostasis，alleviating oxidative stress，and inhibiting apoptosis，while more high-quality randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the clinical efficacy of TCM in assisted reproductive technology. Given this，this article presented a systematic review of recent research and randomized controlled trials on the mechanism of Chinese medicine active ingredients，single Chinese medicine， and Chinese medicine compounds in delaying age-related ovarian hypofunction，to clarify the current status and shortcomings of the research. This paper provides medication management of TCM for effectively alleviating age-related ovarian hypofunction and improving reproductive outcomes for AMA.

Objectives: To investigated the safety and efficacy of treating patients with acute non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and elevated levels of N-terminal pro-hormone B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with levosimendan within 24 hours of first medical contact (FMC). Methods: This multicenter, open-label, block-randomized controlled trial (NCT03189901) investigated the safety and efficacy of levosimendan as an early management strategy of acute heart failure (EMS-AHF) for patients with NSTEMI and high NT-proBNP levels. This study included 255 patients with NSTEMI and elevated NT-proBNP levels, including 142 males and 113 females with a median age of 65 (58-70) years, and were admitted in the emergency or outpatient departments at 14 medical centers in China between October 2017 and October 2021. The patients were randomly divided into a levosimendan group (n=129) and a control group (n=126). The primary outcome measure was NT-proBNP levels on day 3 of treatment and changes in the NT-proBNP levels from baseline on day 5 after randomization. The secondary outcome measures included the proportion of patients with more than 30% reduction in NT-proBNP levels from baseline, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) during hospitalization and at 6 months after hospitalization, safety during the treatment, and health economics indices. The measurement data parameters between groups were compared using the t-test or the non-parametric test. The count data parameters were compared between groups using the χ² test. Results: On day 3, the NT-proBNP levels in the levosimendan group were lower than the control group but were statistically insignificant [866 (455, 1 960) vs. 1 118 (459, 2 417) ng/L, Z=-1.25,P=0.21]. However, on day 5, changes in the NT-proBNP levels from baseline in the levosimendan group were significantly higher than the control group [67.6% (33.8%,82.5%)vs.54.8% (7.3%,77.9%), Z=-2.14, P=0.03]. There were no significant differences in the proportion of patients with more than 30% reduction in the NT-proBNP levels on day 5 between the levosimendan and the control groups [77.5% (100/129) vs. 69.0% (87/126), χ²=2.34, P=0.13]. Furthermore, incidences of MACE did not show any significant differences between the two groups during hospitalization [4.7% (6/129) vs. 7.1% (9/126), χ²=0.72, P=0.40] and at 6 months [14.7% (19/129) vs. 12.7% (16/126), χ²=0.22, P=0.64]. Four cardiac deaths were reported in the control group during hospitalization [0 (0/129) vs. 3.2% (4/126), P=0.06]. However, 6-month survival rates were comparable between the two groups (log-rank test, P=0.18). Moreover, adverse events or serious adverse events such as shock, ventricular fibrillation, and ventricular tachycardia were not reported in both the groups during levosimendan treatment (days 0-1). The total cost of hospitalization [34 591.00(15 527.46,59 324.80) vs. 37 144.65(16 066.90,63 919.00)yuan, Z=-0.26, P=0.80] and the total length of hospitalization [9 (8, 12) vs. 10 (7, 13) days, Z=0.72, P=0.72] were lower for patients in the levosimendan group compared to those in the control group, but did not show statistically significant differences. Conclusions: Early administration of levosimendan reduced NT-proBNP levels in NSTEMI patients with elevated NT-proBNP and did not increase the total cost and length of hospitalization, but did not significantly improve MACE during hospitalization or at 6 months.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Aged ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ; Simendan/therapeutic use* ; Non-ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction ; Heart Failure/drug therapy* ; Peptide Fragments ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Biomarkers ; Prognosis

OBJECTIVE: To compare the short-term clinical efficacy of SuperCap approach and direct anterior approach in total hip arthroplasty. METHODS: Clinical data of 70 patients who underwent minimally invasive SuperCap approach and DAA THA in January 2016 to June 2017 were retrospective analyzed. These patients were divided into two groups:SuperCap approach group(SuperCap group) and direct anterior approach group(DAA group). There were 15 males and 15 females in SuperCap group, aged from 45 to 71 years old, and the follow-up time ranged from 24 to 30 months. There were 24 males and 16 females in Group B, aged from 51 to 76 years and the follow-up time ranged from 24 to 36 months. Hemoglobin level of the 3rd day after operation, transfusion rate, acetabular abduction angle, anteversion angle and creatine kinase level of the 3rd day after operation, Harris score of 3 months and the last time, VAS score of 1 week and the last time were recorded and compared. Complications were recorded at the final follow-up. RESULTS: All patients were followed up, the follow-up time of SuperCap group ranged from 24 to 30 months, that of DAA group ranged from 24 to 36 months. No significant differences were found in hemoglobin level on the 3rd day after operation, transfusion rate, Harris score or VAS score between two group (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in Harris score between 3 months after operation and the final follow-up in both groups (P>0.05). There were no significant difference in VAS scores of 6 weeks after operation and on the final follow-up neither(P>0.05). The level of creatine kinase in SuperCap group was significant lower than that in DAA group(P<0.05). Until the final follow-up, there was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between the two groups(P>0.05). CONCLUSION The clinical effect of minimally invasive SuperCap approach after total hip arthroplasty is comparable to that of DAA approach with less soft tissue injury. Patients can recover rapidly after operation and it is a safe and effective surgical approach for surgeons with short learning curve.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ; Retrospective Studies ; Antiviral Agents ; Treatment Outcome ; Creatine Kinase ; Hemoglobins

Isolated pontine infarction (IPI) is the main type of acute brainstem infarction. Due to the application of high-resolution MRI, the research on the etiology of IPI has gradually increased in recent years. This article reviews the latest research progress on the characteristics of basilar artery plaques and disease progression mechanisms of IPI, aiming to provide reference for the etiology research of IPI.

Objective This study used high-throughput sequencing technology to detect the regulation of JianPiHuaTan Prescription(JPHT)on the ApoE-/-mouse miRNA related to vascular smooth muscle cells proliferation and migration,verify the expression of related proteins,and explore the therapeutic effect of JPHT on atherosclerosis.Methods Ten of C57BL/6J mice were used as control group,and 30 ApoE-/-mice were randomly divided into model group,western medicine group and JPHT group.Sequencing technology was performed on aortic sample to select the differentially expressed miRNA.We screened out the tagetted miRNA related to VSMCs proliferation and migration.RT-qPCR and Western blot technology were used to test the differentially expressed miRNA and tagetted protein.Results Compared with model group,a total of 9 miRNAs were changed in JPHT group,among which 7 were up-regulated and 2 were down-regulated.The expression of miRNA-34a was up-regulated in JPHT group.The miRNA-34a and α-SMA protein expression in aorta of JPHT group were significantly different with model group by RT-qPCR and Western blot experiment(P<0.01).Conclusion Jianpi Huatan Prescription may improve ApoE-/-mice atherosclerosis through inhibitting the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells by regulating miRNA-34a.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a serious global public health problem. Chronic hepatitis B virus infection can cause health problems such as cirrhosis, liver metabolism disorders and hepatocellular carcinoma. Nucloes(t)ide analogues and interferon drugs used to treat chronic HBV infection do not completely eradicate covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) and integrated genome of HBV DNA, so that they cannot achieve the functional cure of chronic HBV infection. Currently, a series of drugs targeting the phases of HBV lifecycle and immunomodulators have entered clinical trials. Here, we review the current status of the therapeutic drugs as well as the recent advance of direct antiviral agents.