Aim To study the mechanism of action of licorice in alleviating cisplatin liver injury.Methods Forty-eight SD rats were randomly divided into a blank group,a model group,a positive control group and lico-rice administration groups(450,900 and 1 800 mg·kg-1).After 5 days of prophylactic administration,8 mg·kg-1 of cisplatin was injected intraperitoneally in-to the model,positive control,and licorice administra-tion groups to establish an acute liver injury model.LC-MS/MS untargeted metabolomics was used to ana-lyze the differential metabolites and metabolic pathways of licorice to alleviate cisplatin acute liver injury.Re-sults PLS-DA score plots showed significant separa-tion of metabolomics samples.The analysis yielded 119 differential metabolites associated with cisplatin liver injury,of which 31 differential metabolites were signifi-cantly regressed after licorice intervention and were mainly involved in D-arginine and D-ornithine metabo-lism;parathyroid hormone synthesis,secretion,and ac-tion;tyrosine metabolism;biosynthesis of phenylala-nine,tyrosine,and tryptophan;β-alanine metabolism;and amino acid and nucleotide sugar metabolism.Con-clusions Metabolomics analysis indicates that licorice can alter the metabolic profile of cisplatin-induced he-patic injury rats,and its mechanism of action may be related to its improvement of the levels of differential metabolites and its involvement in the regulation of a-mino acid metabolism and other related pathways.

ObjectiveTo confirm the clinical efficacy and safety of Yishen Yangxin Anshen tablets in the treatment of insomnia （heart-blood deficiency and kidney-essence insufficiency syndrome）. MethodA randomized block， double-blind， placebo-controlled， multi-center clinical trial design method was adopted， and a total of 480 patients with insomnia due to deficiency of heart blood and insufficiency of kidney essence （treatment group-control group 3∶1） from seven hospitals （Guang'anmen Hospital， China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences， The First Clinical Hospital， Jilin Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine（TCM）， The Second Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning University of TCM， The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine， Henan Province Hospital of TCM， Hebei General Hospital， The First Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine） were enrolled. The treatment group was given Yishen Yangxin Anshen tablets and the control group received placebo tablets （4 tablets/time， 3 times/day， 4 weeks of administration， 4 weeks of follow-up after drug withdrawal）. The sleep dysfunction rating scale （SDRS） score， pittsburgh sleep quality index （PSQI） score， TCM， polysomnography （PSG） indicators from four hospital （Guang'anmen Hospital， China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences， Henan Province Hospital of TCM， Hebei General Hospital， The First Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine）， and other efficacy indicators were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. Through general physical examination， laboratory examination， and observation of adverse events， the safety of the drugs was evaluated. ResultThe baseline indexes of the two groups showed no significant difference and thus the two groups were comparable. After treatment， the total score of SDRS in the treatment group was lower than that in the control group （P<0.01）. After drug withdrawal for 4 weeks， the total score of SDRS demonstrated no significant change in the treatment group as compared with that at the end of treatment， indicating that the rebound change of curative effect was not obvious. After treatment， the total score of PSQI in the treatment group decreased as compared with that in the control group （P<0.01）， and the change of total score of PSQI in the treatment group was statistically significant （P<0.05） after drug withdrawal for 4 weeks but small， indicating that the rebound change of curative effect was not obvious. After treatment， the total effective rate about the TCM symptoms in the treatment group was higher than that in the control group （χ²=137.521，P<0.01）. After treatment， the disappearance rates of single indexes in the treatment group， such as difficulty in falling asleep， easily waking up after sleeping， early awakening， short sleep time， dreamfulness， palpitation， forgetfulness， dizziness， mental fatigue， and weakness of waist and knee， increased compared with those in the control group （P<0.01）. After treatment， the treatment group demonstrated fewer awaking times （AT）， longer total sleep time （TST）， lower ATA/TST ratio， and higher sleep efficiency （%） than the control group （P<0.05）. No abnormal value or aggravation related to drugs was observed in either group. The incidence of adverse events in the treatment group and the control group was 5.57% and 8.40% respectively. No serious adverse events or adverse events leading to withdrawal happened in either group. ConclusionYishen Yangxin Anshen tablets is effective and safe for patients with insomnia of deficiency of heart-blood and insufficiency of kidney-essence.

This study aimed to explore key quality control factors that affected the prognosis of intensive care unit (ICU) patients in Chinese mainland over six years (2015-2020). The data for this study were from 31 provincial and municipal hospitals (3425 hospital ICUs) and included 2 110 685 ICU patients, for a total of 27 607 376 ICU hospitalization days. We found that 15 initially established quality control indicators were good predictors of patient prognosis, including percentage of ICU patients out of all inpatients (%), percentage of ICU bed occupancy of total inpatient bed occupancy (%), percentage of all ICU inpatients with an APACHE II score ⩾15 (%), three-hour (surviving sepsis campaign) SSC bundle compliance (%), six-hour SSC bundle compliance (%), rate of microbe detection before antibiotics (%), percentage of drug deep venous thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis (%), percentage of unplanned endotracheal extubations (%), percentage of patients reintubated within 48 hours (%), unplanned transfers to the ICU (%), 48-h ICU readmission rate (%), ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) (per 1000 ventilator days), catheter related blood stream infection (CRBSI) (per 1000 catheter days), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) (per 1000 catheter days), in-hospital mortality (%). When exploratory factor analysis was applied, the 15 indicators were divided into 6 core elements that varied in weight regarding quality evaluation: nosocomial infection management (21.35%), compliance with the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines (17.97%), ICU resources (17.46%), airway management (15.53%), prevention of deep-vein thrombosis (14.07%), and severity of patient condition (13.61%). Based on the different weights of the core elements associated with the 15 indicators, we developed an integrated quality scoring system defined as F score=21.35%xnosocomial infection management + 17.97%xcompliance with SSC guidelines + 17.46%×ICU resources + 15.53%×airway management + 14.07%×DVT prevention + 13.61%×severity of patient condition. This evidence-based quality scoring system will help in assessing the key elements of quality management and establish a foundation for further optimization of the quality control indicator system.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Cross Infection/epidemiology* ; Intensive Care Units/statistics & numerical data* ; Quality Control ; Quality Indicators, Health Care/statistics & numerical data* ; Sepsis/therapy* ; East Asian People/statistics & numerical data*

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are an important type of active microvesicles. EVs encapsulate and transfer functional substances such as miRNAs, transcription factors and proteins, which are important vectors for cell communication and organ dialogue. In recent years, studies have shown that quite a number of Chinese medicinal herbs have the pharmacological effect of regulating EVs, and play a unique trans-organ and remote role in the treatment of diseases. Some Chinese medicinal herbs also contain plant-derived EVs themselves, which can be directly involved in the treatment of diseases. As one of the core theories of raditional Chinese medicines (TCM), Qi plays a variety of important roles in the physiological and pathological processes of human body and pharmacology. However, the scientific connotation of Qi′s role and the potential material carrier are still unclear. The latest research suggests that the effect of EVs is potentially related to that of Qi. Therefore, this paper reviews the effect of Qi nourishing Chinese medicinal herbs in regulating EVs in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, nervous system diseases, liver diseases, renal diseases, malignant tumors and other diseases in recent years. EVs may play an important role in the pharmacological effect of some Chinese medicinal herbs in the treatment of diseases as an intermediary substance. EVs have the characteristics of long-distance transportation, which is consistent with the movement of Qi in TCM. EVs carry a variety of functional molecules, which is consistent with the function of Qi. As the potential material basis of Qi in TCM, the function of EVs is worth further study.

ObjectiveTo identify the molecular biology of various species of Tibetan Codonopsis plants based on internal transcribed spacer（ITS）2 and psbA-trnH sequence barcode technology. MethodThe genomic DNA of 28 Tibetan Codonopsis plant samples from four species （Codonopsis canescens，C. foetens subsp. nervosa，C. pilosula， and C. thalictrifolia var. mollis） were extracted，and the ITS2 and psbA-trnH sequences were amplified and sequenced. The related sequences of 81 Tibetan Codonopsis plant samples belonging to 15 species were downloaded from GenBank， and MEGA 6.0 was used for sequence comparison and mutation site analysis. The GC content and genetic distance within and between species were calculated. Additionally， phylogenetic trees were constructed by maximum likelihood （ML） method， neighbor-joining （NJ） method，and unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic means （UPGMA） . ResultAccording to the mutation site，C. canescens， C. pilosula，C. pilosula subsp. tangshen， C. pilosula var. modesta，C. bhutanica，C. clematidea，C. lanceolata，C. subglobosa and C. foetens were distinguished. In the phylogenetic trees，the optimal clustering effects for ITS2 and psbA-trnH sequences were obtained using the ML method and the UPGMA method， respectively， and 12 species were effectively clustered. ConclusionITS2 and psbA-trnH sequences have a high identification rate for species of single origin，but there are still some limitations in identifying variants and original variants. This study provides basis for the identification of affinity relationship and clinical safety of Tibetan Codonopsis plants.

Objective: To analyze the impact of cancer on the recurrence rate of atrial fibrillation (AF) after AF radiofrequency ablation and further evaluate the feasibility of radiofrequency ablation therapy in cancer patients with AF. Methods: This study was a single-center, retrospective study. Cancer patients with AF undergoing radiofrequency ablation for the first time in the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University from May 30, 2008 to September 30, 2018 were included (cancer group). AF patients without cancer undergoing radiofrequency ablation for the first time during the same period served as non-cancer group. Clinical data including age, gender, past history, cancer and AF-related parameters, etc. were analyzed. Patients were followed up after radiofrequency ablation. The primary endpoints were AF recurrence or all-cause death. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to analyze the effect of cancers on the recurrence after AF ablation. The multivariate cox regression analysis was further applied to correct for other confounding factors to analyze whether the impact of cancers on the recurrence of atrial fibrillation was statistically significant. Results: A total of 90 patients were enrolled, there were 30 patients in the cancer group (mean age (64.8±6.6) years, 16 (53.3%) males) and 60 patients in the non-cancer group (mean age (63.6±6.2) years, 32 (53.3%) males). Clinical data, such as age, gender, and cancer treatment, were similar between the two groups. During an average follow-up period of (328.7±110.2) days, there were 6 AF recurrences (recurrence rate 20.0%) in the cancer group, and 17 AF recurrences (recurrence rate 28.3%) in the control group. AF recurrence rate was similar between the two groups (P>0.05). During the follow-up period, there was no all-cause death in the two groups. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that cancer was not related to AF recurrence after radiofrequency ablation (P = 0.383). After adjusting for other confounding factors, the multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that cancer was not an independent predictor of AF recurrence after radiofrequency ablation (HR=0.508, 95%CI: 0.192-1.342, P = 0.172). Conclusions: The combination of cancer has no impact on the recurrence of AF after radiofrequency ablation. For cancer patients with AF, radiofrequency ablation therapy can be considered as a feasible heart rhythm control treatment strategy.

Objective:To observe the therapeutical effect and the safety of Pinggan Yuyin Qingre recipe on the hyperevaporative dry eye disease （Yin deficiency and Yang hyperactivity type） caused by the meibomian gland dysfunction（MGD）. Method:The 120 Consecutive outpatients who met the criteria were included in the trial and divided into three layers （mild， moderate and severe） according to the meibomian gland function classification （grade 1-3）. The patients in each layer were randomly assigned to the experiment group and the control group at a ratio of 1∶1. Both groups were treated with sodium hyaluronate eye drops， 1 drop/eye/time， 3 times a day. In the experiment group， Pinggan Yuyin Qingre recipe was additionally prescribed two times a day. The treatment course was 8 weeks in both groups. All patients were evaluated at the beginning and end of the study mainly for noninvasive tear breakup time （NITBUT），corneal lesions score，meibomian gland exclusion score，meibomian gland structure，eye symptom score，the ocular surface disease index（OSDI） score，and the traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） syndrome scores at both overall and layered levels. Result:A total of 116 cases completed the study，with 1 drop-out case and 3 eliminated cases. Both before and after treatment，NITBUT，the corneal lesions score，the symptom score，and the OSDI score in the experiment group were significantly superior to the control group， but there was no significant difference in meibomian gland exclusion score between two groups，only with a superior tendency in experiment group. There were significant differences in the scores of the related TCM syndrome scores between two groups after treatment. There were no adverse reactions， no abnormal changes in electro cardiogram （ECG） or liver and kidney functions in all patients. Conclusion:Pinggan Yuyin Qingre recipe can effectively improve the hyperevaporative dry eye disease caused by meibomian gland dysfunction， the tear film stability，eye dryness， burning，itching，foreign body sensation and TCM symptoms of patients with dry eye syndrome of Yin deficiency and Yang hyperactivity. The improvement effect is more obvious in moderate and severe patients. It is an effective，safe，and well-tolerated treatment for the hyperevaporative dry eye.

Chuanxiong Chatiaosan was first recorded in Taiping Huimin Heji Jufang, which was made up of 8 herbs, including Chuanxiong Rhizoma, Menthae Haplocalycis Herba, Asari Radix et Rhizoma, Schizonepetae Herba, Saposhnikoviae Radix, Angelicae Dahuricae Radix, Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. This prescription mainly contains a variety of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, volatile oils and other compounds, which play the biological activity of promoting blood circulation and relieving pain. Modern pharmacological studies have confirmed that Chuanxiong Chatiaosan can reduce blood viscosity, improve cerebral circulation, and has central analgesic effect to treat migraine effectively. However, the mechanism for treating migraine of this prescription is still unclear. The author elaborated the research status of Chuanxiong Chatiaosan from four aspects, including quality control method, chemical composition, preparation technology and pharmacological research, hoping to provide references for rational clinical application and explanation of pharmacological mechanism of this prescription.

Objective:To evaluate the prognostic value of arterial lactate (Lac) combined with central venous-to-arterial carbon dioxide difference to arterial-to-central venous oxygen content difference ratio (Pcv-aCO 2/Ca-cvO 2) in patients with septic shock following early fluid resuscitation. Methods:A total of 97 patients with septic shock admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) of Lanzhou University Second Hospital from January 2017 to December 2019 were enrolled. The Pcv-aCO 2/Ca-cvO 2 ratio was calculated from blood gas analysis of radial artery and superior vena cava which was performed before resuscitation and at 6 hours of resuscitation at the same time. The patients were divided into death group and survival group according to the 28-day prognosis. The baseline data, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHEⅡ) score, sequential organ failure score (SOFA), clinical therapy, lactate clearance rate (LCR) at 6 hours, the length of ICU stay, hemodynamics and oxygen metabolism parameters before and after resuscitation were compared between the two groups. Risk factors were analyzed by multivariate Cox regression for 28-day mortality of patients with septic shock. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to assess the prognostic values of these factors for 28-day mortality. Results:① Compared with the survival group, the patients in the death group showed significantly higher levels of APACHEⅡ score (23.96±4.31 vs. 17.70±3.92) and SOFA score (12.74±2.80 vs. 9.23±2.43, both P < 0.01), significantly higher proportions of mechanical ventilation [85.2% (23/27) vs. 50.0% (35/70)] and continuous renal replacement therapy [CRRT; 51.9% (14/27) vs. 25.7% (18/70), both P < 0.05], a significantly more fluid replacement at 6 hours (L: 2.92±0.24 vs. 2.63±0.25, P < 0.01), a significantly lower level of LCR at 6 hours [(11.61±7.76)% vs. (27.67±13.71)%, P < 0.01], and a shorter length of ICU stay (days: 6.37±2.70 vs. 7.67±2.31, P < 0.05). ② Compared with the survival group, the patients before resuscitation in the death group showed a significantly lower level of mean arterial pressure [MAP (mmHg, 1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa): 52.63±4.35 vs. 55.74±3.01, P < 0.01], significantly higher levels of Lac and Pcv-aCO 2/Ca-cvO 2 ratio [Lac (mmol/L): 7.13±1.75 vs. 5.22±1.36, Pcv-aCO 2/Ca-cvO 2 ratio: 1.67±0.29 vs. 1.48±0.22, both P < 0.01]; and the patients at 6 hours of resuscitation in the death group showed a significantly lower level of MAP (mmHg: 62.59±4.80 vs. 66.71±3.91, P < 0.01), significantly higher levels of central venous pressure (CVP), Lac, Pcv-aCO 2 and Pcv-aCO 2/Ca-cvO 2 ratio [CVP (mmHg): 10.74±1.40 vs. 8.80±0.75, Lac (mmol/L): 6.36±1.86 vs. 3.90±1.95, Pcv-aCO 2 (mmHg): 7.59±2.02 vs. 4.34±1.37, Pcv-aCO 2/Ca-cvO 2 ratio: 1.87±0.51 vs. 1.03±0.27, all P < 0.01]. ③ Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the independent risk factors for 28-day mortality in patients with septic shock were Lac and Pcv-aCO 2/Ca-cvO 2 ratio whether before or at 6 hours of resuscitation [Lac before resuscitation: relative risk ( RR) = 1.434, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 1.070-1.922, P = 0.016; Lac at 6 hours of resuscitation: RR = 1.564, 95% CI was 1.202-2.035, P = 0.001; Pcv-aCO 2/Ca-cvO 2 ratio before resuscitation: RR = 2.828, 95% CI was 1.108-4.207, P = 0.038; Pcv-aCO 2/Ca-cvO 2 ratio at 6 hours of resuscitation: RR = 4.386, 95% CI was 2.842-5.730, P = 0.000]. ④ ROC curve analysis showed that Lac and Pcv-aCO 2/Ca-cvO 2 ratio at 6 hours of resuscitation had predictive value for the prognosis of patients with septic shock, the area under ROC curve (AUC) was 0.849 (95% CI was 0.762-0.914) and 0.905 (95% CI was 0.828-0.955), respectively. However, the predictive value of Lac combined with Pcv-aCO 2/Ca-cvO 2 ratio in patients with septic shock was significantly higher than Lac [AUC (95% CI): 0.976 (0.923-0.996) vs. 0.849 (0.762-0.914), Z = 3.354, P = 0.001], the sensitivity was 97.14%, and the specificity was 88.89%. Conclusions:Lac and Pcv-aCO 2/Ca-cvO 2 ratio are independent risk factors for predicting 28-day mortality in patients with septic shock. Lac combined with Pcv-aCO 2/Ca-cvO 2 ratio can assess the prognosis of patients with septic shock more accurately.

Objective:To establish a model that can predict weaning failure from ventilation through hemodynamic and fluid balance parameters.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted. The patients who underwent invasive mechanical ventilation for more than 24 hours and having spontaneous breathing test admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) of Tianjin Third Central Hospital from January 1st, 2017 to December 31st, 2018 were enrolled. The information was collected, which included the baseline data, hemodynamic parameters by pulse indicator continuous cardiac output (PiCCO) monitoring, B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), urinary output, fluid balance in first 24 hours when patients admitted to ICU, and hemodynamic parameters by PiCCO monitoring, BNP, urinary output, fluid balance, diuretic usage, noradrenalin usage within 24 hours before weaning as well as usage of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) during mechanical ventilation. According to weaning success or failure, the patients were divided into weaning success group and weaning failure group, and the statistical differences between the two groups were calculated. Variables with statistical significance within 24 hours before weaning were included in the multivariate Logistic regression analysis to establish weaning failure prediction model and find out the possible risk factors of weaning failure.Results:A total of 159 patients were included in this study, which included 138 patients in the weaning success group and 21 patients in the weaning failure group. There were no statistical differences in all hemodynamic parameters by PiCCO monitoring, BNP, urinary output, fluid balance within 24 hours into ICU between two groups. There were statistical differences in BNP ( χ2 = 9.262, P = 0.026), central venous pressure (CVP; χ2 = 7.948, P = 0.047), maximum rate of the increase in pressure (dPmx; χ2 = 10.486, P = 0.015), urinary output ( χ2 = 8.921, P = 0.030), fluid balance ( χ2 = 9.172, P = 0.027) within 24 hours before weaning between two groups. In addition, variable about cardiac index (CI; χ2 = 7.789, P = 0.051) was included into multivariate Logistic regression model to improve the prediction model and enhance the accuracy of model. Finally, variables included in the multivariate Logistic regression model were BNP, CVP, CI, dPmx, urinary output, fluid balance volume, and the accuracy of the weaning failure prediction model was 92.9%, the sensitivity was 100%, and the specificity was 76.8%. When the model was adjusted by variables of age and noradrenalin usage, the accuracy of model to predict failure of weaning was 94.2%, the sensitivity was 100%, the specificity was 81.2%. Conclusion:Weaning failure prediction model based on hemodynamic parameters by PiCCO monitoring and variables about liquid balance has high accuracy and can guide clinical weaning.