ObjectiveTo investigate the improvement effect of Qibai Pingfei capsules on pulmonary vascular remodeling in rats at different stages of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD） and to analyze its possible mechanism of action. MethodsMale Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into a normal group， an early COPD model group， an advanced COPD model group， an early-intervention high-dose group， a late-intervention high-dose group， an early-intervention low-dose group， a late-intervention low-dose group， an early-intervention pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate （PDTC） group， and a late-intervention PDTC group， with 15 rats in each group. A rat model of early COPD was constructed by using cigarette smoke combined with airway infusion using lipopolysaccharide（LPS）， and a rat model of advanced COPD was constructed by using airway infusion with LPS， cigarette smoke， and hypoxia. All groups except the normal group were given LPS airway drops on days 1 and 14 of the experiment， smoked for 1 h per day， and administered the drug once a day for 40 weeks from day 15 onward. In the high- and low-dose groups， rats were given 1 g·kg^-1 and 250 mg·kg^-1 Qibai Pingfei capsules， respectively by gavage， and in PDTC groups， rats were given 100 mg·kg^-1 of PDTC by intraperitoneal injection. The advanced COPD model group underwent 6 h of hypoxia per day in weeks 5-6. Lung function and mean pulmonary artery pressure were tested in rats. Morphologic changes in lung tissues were detected by hematoxylin-eosin（HE）staining. Collagen deposition in lung tissues was examined by Masson staining， and the levels of inflammatory factors including interleukin-1β（IL-1β）， interleukin-6（IL-6）， and tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α）in lung tissues were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The number of inflammatory cells in the alveolar lavage fluid of rats in each group was detected by Giemsa staining， and the protein expression of Toll-like receptor 4（TLR4）， myeloid differentiation factor 88（MyD88）， nuclear factor-κB（NF-κB）， TNF-α， vascular endothelial-cadherin（VE-cadherin）， α-smooth muscle actin（α-SMA）， and platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1（CD31） was detected by Western blot in the lung tissues of rats. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showed significantly decreased forced expiratory volume in 0.3 s （FEV_0.3）， forced vital capacity （FVC）， and FEV_0.3/FVC ratio related to lung function （P<0.05）， thickening of pulmonary vasculature， increased collagen deposition in the lungs， and enhanced mean pulmonary arterial pressure and expression levels of IL-6， IL-1β， and TNF-α （P<0.05）. Additionally， the model group also exhibited increased numbers of macrophages， lymphocytes， and neutrophils （P<0.05）， significantly higher protein expression of TLR4， MyD88， NF-κB， TNF-α， and α-SMA （P<0.05）， and significantly lower protein expression of VE-cadherin and CD31 （P<0.05）. Lung function was significantly improved in the Qibai Pingfei capsules groups compared with the model group （P<0.05）， with mean pulmonary arterial pressure reduced and pulmonary vascular thickening and collagen deposition in the lungs ameliorated. The Qibai Pingfei capsules groups also showed reduced expression levels of IL-6， IL-1β， and TNF-α （P<0.05） and decreased numbers of macrophages， lymphocytes， and neutrophils （P<0.05）， as well as reduced protein expression of TLR4， MyD88， NF-κB， TNF-α， and α-SMA （P<0.05） and elevated protein expression of VE-cadherin and CD31 （P<0.05） in rat lung tissues. ConclusionQibai Pingfei capsules inhibits inflammatory response and endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition probably by regulating the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway， thus improving pulmonary vascular remodeling in COPD model rats and showing therapeutic effects in the early stage of COPD.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of combining contralateral high-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) with biofeedback-controlled empty swallowing training on dysphagia among stroke survivors.Methods:Eighty dysphagic stroke survivors were divided at random into a control group, a biofeedback group, an rTMS group and a combined treatment group, each of 20. In addition to routine dysphagia rehabilitation, the biofeedback group and the rTMS group received empty swallowing training based on biofeedback or high-frequency rTMS applied to the healthy motor cortex as appropriate. The combined treatment group was given both. The treatment was administered once daily, 5 days a week for 3 consecutive weeks. Before and after the treatment, all of the subjects′ swallowing was evaluated using the penetration aspiration scale (PAS), functional oral intake scale (FOIS) and a standardized swallowing assessment (SSA). The latency and amplitude of the mylohyoid muscle′s motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were also recorded before and after the treatment.Results:After the treatment, significant improvement was observed in the average PAS, FOIS and SSA scores as well as in the latency and amplitude of the MEPs in the four groups. The average results in the combined treatment group were significantly better than in the other 3 groups. The latency of the mylohyoid muscle′s MEP was significantly shorter in the combined group than in the control and biofeedback groups on average, while the amplitude was significantly greater than in the control group.Conclusion:Combining contralateral high frequency rTMS with empty swallowing training based on biofeedback can better improve the swallowing of dysphagic stroke survivors.

Objective:To explore the clinical features and genetic etiology of a patient with adult-onset globoid cell leukodystrophy/Krabbe disease (KD).Methods:A patient who was admitted to the Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology on February 15, 2022 due to exacerbation of right leg weakness for over 4 years was selected as the study subject. Clinical data and results of medical imaging and genetic analysis were analyzed. Candidate variants were verified by family analysis.Results:The patient, a 36-year-old woman, had spasmodic gait as the primary presentation. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed symmetrical abnormalities in the bilateral corticospinal tracts, and the activity of β-galactocerebrosidase (GALC) in her white blood cells was significantly decreased. The patient was found to harbor compound heterozygous variants of the GALC gene, namely c.461C>A (p.Pro154His) and c. 1901T>C (p.Leu634Ser). Her mother, sister and nephew were heterozygous carriers of the c. 461C>A (p.Pro154His) variant, whilst her father was heterozygous for the c.1901T>C (p.Leu634Ser) variant. Conclusion:The patient was ultimately diagnosed with adult-onset KD, for which the compound heterozygous variants of the GALC gene may be accountable.

Objective:To analyze the correlation between serum antibody titers of anti-contactin associated protein-like 2 (CASPR2) antibody and clinical features and prognosis in encephalitis.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 31 patients diagnosed with anti-CASPR2 antibody encephalitis at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2018 to April 2024. Patients were divided into low titer group (≤1∶32) and high titer group (>1∶32) based on serum anti-CASPR2 antibody titers, and their clinical characteristics, auxiliary examination results, and prognosis were compared between the two groups.Results:Among the 31 patients with anti CASPR2 antibody encephalitis (male∶female=1∶1.4), there were 16 cases in the low titer group and 15 cases in the high titer group; The age of patients in the high titer group was (33.9±17.9)years, which was lower than that of patients in the low titer group [(52.9±17.9)years], and the difference was statistically significant ( P=0.006). The proportion of patients with prodromal infection in the high titer group (6/15) was higher than that in the low titer group (1/16, P=0.037). There was no statistically significant difference in the cerebrospinal fluid related test results, imaging examination of intracranial abnormal lesions, abnormal electroencephalogram, serum abnormal tumor markers, and serum abnormal rheumatic immune indicators between the two groups of patients (all P>0.05). During hospitalization, one patient in the high titer group died; During the follow-up period, one patient died and three patients relapsed, all of whom were in the high titer group. During follow-up, the mRS scores of 6 patients ranged from 3 to 5 points (indicating functional impairment), with 4 cases in the high titer group and 2 cases in the low titer group. The proportion of patients with poor prognosis in the high titer group (9/15) was higher than that in the low titer group (2/16), and the difference was statistically significant ( P=0.021). Conclusions:Patients with high serum anti-CASPR2 antibody titers and encephalitis have a lower age of onset and are prone to pre infection triggers. High antibody titers may be associated with a higher risk of disease recurrence and poor prognosis for patients.

Objective:To investigate the factors influencing fall risk scores in elderly individuals.Methods:A total of 4 419 individuals were randomly selected using the cluster sampling method from Beijing, Nanning(Guangxi), and Yinchuan(Ningxia).Data on demographic characteristics and fall-related incidents were gathered and analyzed for their correlation with fall risk scores.Results:The fall risk score showed significant associations with various factors, such as the history of falls within one year( β=-3.607, 95% CI: -3.881 to -3.332), care methods( β=2.442, 95% CI: 2.226 to 2.658), exercise( β=0.714, 95% CI: 0.443 to 0.986), retirement( β=-0.585, 95% CI: -0.819 to -0.351), age( β=0.173, 95% CI: 0.159 to 0.187), and use of walking aids( β=-3.737, 95% CI: -4.054 to -3.421). Conclusions:Fall risk scores in older adults are influenced by a variety of factors.Factors such as no history of falls within the past year, living independently, engaging in physical activity, and being employed may contribute to lower fall risk scores in older adults.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of dynamic joint mobilization combined with core stability training in the treatment of nonspecific low back pain.Methods 60 patients with nonspecific low back pain were randomly assigned into either the treatment group or control group.Each group had 30 patients.The treatment group received a therapeutic regimen combining dynamic joint mobilization and core stability training,while the control group only received core stability training.Both groups were evaluated for therapeutic effectiveness using the Visual Analogue Scale(VAS)for pain,the Oswestry Disability Index(ODI),and the range of motion(ROM)of the lumbar spine before treatment,and at the 1st,3rd,and 6th weeks after treatment.At the conclusion of the treatment,a thorough assessment of the overall therapeutic efficacy was performed.Results At the 1st,3rd,and 6th weeks post-treatment,both groups showed statistically significant differences in VAS scores,ODI scores,and ROM scores over time(P＜0.05).The improvements in these indices were significantly greater in the treatment group compared to the control group(P＜0.05).The treatment group had considerably higher therapeutic effective-ness compared to the control group(P＜0.05).Conclusions Dynamic joint mobilization combined with core stabil-ity training is effective in treating nonspecific low back pain.It can help with pain relief,lumbar and back function restoration,and lumbar and back mobility improvement.This approach is worthy of clinical application and promotion.

This study was designed to evaluate the correlation between immune antibodies and pelvic inflammatory disease(PID)using retrospective analysis.Cases were selected from 171 patients who met the diagnosis of PID in Liuzhou People's Hospital of Guangxi Province from January 2022 to March 2023,and the PID patients were further divided into simple PID group(53 cases)and in PID combined with reproductive tract infection group(118 cases)according to the presence or absence of reproductive tract infections,while 83 cases of women who did not meet the specific diagnostic criteria of PID and did not have reproductive tract infections were selected as the control group during the same period.The positive rate of immune antibodies in the three groups were observed and compared to explore the relationship between immune antibodies and PID.Data showed that the positive rates of immune antibodies were significantly higher in the PID alone group and the PID combined with reproductive tract infection group than that in the control group.Furthermore,the positive rate of immune antibody TPOAb was significant difference in the PID combined with reproductive tract infection group and the PID alone group(P<0.05).In conclusion,TPOAb is closely associated with reproductive tract infections.

Objective To analyze the genetic subtypes of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the prevalence of pretreatment drug resistance in the newly reported HIV-infected men in Guangxi. Methods The stratified random sampling method was employed to select the newly reported HIV-infected men aged≥50 years old in 14 cities of Guangxi from January to June in 2020.The pol gene of HIV-1 was amplified by nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and then sequenced.The mutation sites associated with drug resistance and the degree of drug resistance were then analyzed. Results A total of 615 HIV-infected men were included in the study.The genetic subtypes of CRF01_AE,CRF07_BC,and CRF08_BC accounted for 57.4% (353/615),17.1% (105/615),and 22.4% (138/615),respectively.The mutations associated with the resistance to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI),non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI),and protease inhibitors occurred in 8 (1.3%),18 (2.9%),and 0 patients,respectively.M184V (0.7%) and K103N (1.8%) were the mutations with the highest occurrence rates for the resistance to NRTIs and NNRTIs,respectively.Twenty-two (3.6%) patients were resistant to at least one type of inhibitors.Specifically,4 (0.7%),14 (2.3%),4 (0.7%),and 0 patients were resistant to NRTIs,NNRTIs,both NRTIs and NNRTIs,and protease inhibitors,respectively.The pretreatment resistance to NNRTIs had much higher frequency than that to NRTIs (2.9% vs.1.3%;χ²=3.929,P=0.047).The prevalence of pretreatment resistance to lamivudine,zidovudine,tenofovir,abacavir,rilpivirine,efavirenz,nevirapine,and lopinavir/ritonavir was 0.8%, 0.3%, 0.7%, 1.0%, 1.3%, 2.8%, 2.9%, and 0, respectively. Conclusions CRF01_AE,CRF07_BC,and CRF08_BC are the three major strains of HIV-infected men≥50 years old newly reported in Guangxi,2020,and the pretreatment drug resistance demonstrates low prevalence.
Male ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; HIV Infections/drug therapy* ; Drug Resistance, Viral/genetics* ; China/epidemiology* ; Mutation ; HIV-1/genetics* ; Protease Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Genotype

In order to judge the future development trend of science and technology, plan ahead and lay out the frontier technology fields and directions, China Association of Chinese Medicine(CACM) has launched consultation projects for collecting "major scienti-fic issues and engineering technology difficulties in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)" for the industry for three consecutive years since 2019. Up to now, 18 projects have been selected as major issues for research, and some experience and achievements have been made. These projects have been applied in important scientific and technological work such as scientific and technological planning and deployment at all levels of national, local, and scientific research institutions, the selection and cultivation of major national scientific and technological projects, and the construction of innovation bases, giving full play to the role of the think tank advisory committee of CACM. This study reviewed the selection of major issues for the first time, systematically combed its application in the national layout of science and technology, and put forward the existing problems and improvement suggestions, aiming to provide new ideas for further improving the selection of major issues and research direction, providing a theoretical basis and decision support for the national scientific and technological layout in the field of TCM, and promoting scientific and technological innovation to facilitate the high quality development of TCM.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Inventions ; China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal

Objective: To analyze and compare therapy responses, outcomes, and incidence of severe hematologic adverse events of flumatinib and imatinib in patients newly diagnosed with chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) . Methods: Data of patients with chronic phase CML diagnosed between January 2006 and November 2022 from 76 centers, aged ≥18 years, and received initial flumatinib or imatinib therapy within 6 months after diagnosis in China were retrospectively interrogated. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed to reduce the bias of the initial TKI selection, and the therapy responses and outcomes of patients receiving initial flumatinib or imatinib therapy were compared. Results: A total of 4 833 adult patients with CML receiving initial imatinib (n=4 380) or flumatinib (n=453) therapy were included in the study. In the imatinib cohort, the median follow-up time was 54 [interquartile range (IQR), 31-85] months, and the 7-year cumulative incidences of CCyR, MMR, MR(4), and MR(4.5) were 95.2%, 88.4%, 78.3%, and 63.0%, respectively. The 7-year FFS, PFS, and OS rates were 71.8%, 93.0%, and 96.9%, respectively. With the median follow-up of 18 (IQR, 13-25) months in the flumatinib cohort, the 2-year cumulative incidences of CCyR, MMR, MR(4), and MR(4.5) were 95.4%, 86.5%, 58.4%, and 46.6%, respectively. The 2-year FFS, PFS, and OS rates were 80.1%, 95.0%, and 99.5%, respectively. The PSM analysis indicated that patients receiving initial flumatinib therapy had significantly higher cumulative incidences of CCyR, MMR, MR(4), and MR(4.5) and higher probabilities of FFS than those receiving the initial imatinib therapy (all P<0.001), whereas the PFS (P=0.230) and OS (P=0.268) were comparable between the two cohorts. The incidence of severe hematologic adverse events (grade≥Ⅲ) was comparable in the two cohorts. Conclusion: Patients receiving initial flumatinib therapy had higher cumulative incidences of therapy responses and higher probability of FFS than those receiving initial imatinib therapy, whereas the incidence of severe hematologic adverse events was comparable between the two cohorts.
Adult ; Humans ; Adolescent ; Imatinib Mesylate/adverse effects* ; Incidence ; Antineoplastic Agents/adverse effects* ; Retrospective Studies ; Pyrimidines/adverse effects* ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/drug therapy* ; Treatment Outcome ; Benzamides/adverse effects* ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Chronic-Phase/drug therapy* ; Aminopyridines/therapeutic use* ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use*