Cinnabar(HgS) was widely used in ancient times for medicinal purposes, religious rituals, and pigments. A group of bright red powdery clumps was excavated from Mawangdui Tomb No.3 of the Han Dynasty. Early studies considered the clumps as evidence of cinnabar's medicinal use during the Qin-Han period. This study employed a range of archaeometric techniques, including extended-depth-of-field stereo imaging, micro-CT, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry FTIR, to systematically analyze the material composition and structural characteristics of these remains. The results revealed that the cinnabar particles were granular, finely ground, and tightly bound to silk matrix, with no detectable excipients typically associated with medicinal formulations. Micro-CT imaging indicated a well-preserved textile structure, with clear signs of sedimentary accumulation and mechanical damage. Based on historical and archaeological studies, this study suggested that these remains were more likely degraded accumulations of cinnabar-colored silk textiles rather than medicinal cinnabar. By clarifying the diversity of ancient cinnabar applications and preservation states, this study provides new insights for the archaeological identification of mineral medicinal materials and contributes to the standardized study of Chinese medicinal materials and understanding of the historical use of cinnabar.
History, Ancient ; China ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/history* ; Archaeology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/history* ; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared ; Spectrum Analysis, Raman ; Mercury Compounds

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Hypertension (HT) and atrial fibrillation (AF) are highly prevalent cardiovascular conditions that frequently coexist. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major global cause of mortality. The co-occurrence of HT, AF, and CAD presents significant management challenges. This study aims to explore the clinical characteristics and risk factors associated with CAD in patients with HT and persistent AF (HT-AF). METHODS: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, data were collected from 384 hospitalized HT-AF patients at the People's Liberation Army General Hospital between January 2010 and December 2019. CAD diagnosis was confirmed by coronary angiography or computed tomography angiography. Clinical characteristics and comorbidities were compared between patients with and without CAD. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors associated with CAD development. RESULTS: The prevalence of CAD among HT-AF patients was 66.41% (255/384). Cardiovascular complications, particularly heart failure (44.7% vs 25.6%, P < 0.05), were significantly more prevalent in the CAD group than in the non-CAD group. Only age was identified as an independent risk factor for CAD (adjusted OR: 1.047; 95% CI: 1.022-1.073; P = 0.000). Of all HT-AF patients, 54.7% had a CHA₂DS₂-VASc score of ≥4, indicating high stroke risk. There was a slightly higher anticoagulant usage rate in the CAD group than those without CAD (8.6% vs 4.7%, P = 0.157), and the overall anticoagulant usage remained low. CONCLUSION: There is a high prevalence of CAD among hospitalized HT-AF patients, among whom age is the sole independent risk factor for CAD. Despite a high stroke risk, the utilization of oral anticoagulants is alarmingly low.
Humans ; Atrial Fibrillation/epidemiology* ; Coronary Artery Disease/etiology* ; Hypertension/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Risk Factors ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Aged ; Prevalence

Objective： To analyze the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of upper urinary tract calculi patients combined with mild and moderate benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) after ureteral stent implantation. Methods： One hundred and six BPH patients who were hospitalized for upper urinary tract calculi and had ureteral stents retained from January 2019 to December 2022 were selected and divided into 2 weeks group and 4 weeks group according to the time of removal of ureteral stents after surgery. Their general clinical data were analyzed and compared. International Prostatic Symptom Scale (IPSS), postoperative ureteral Stent Symptom Questionnaire (USSQ), and incidence of adverse events after ureteral stent removal were recorded before and after removal. Results： The scores of IPSS were significantly increased in all patients, and symptoms in urinary tract had improved significantly after discharge (P<0.05). Compared with the 2 weeks group, the USSQ score of the 4 weeks group was significantly increased (P<0.05). And no significant adverse event was observed in the 2 weeks group after the removal of ureteral sten. Conclusion： IPSS score and USSQ score increased significantly during stent implantation in BPH patients with lithiasis. And complications increased significantly over time. Following thorough clinical assessment, early ureteral stent removal demonstrates both safety and efficacy, representing an optimal therapeutic approach in selected cases.
Humans ; Male ; Prostatic Hyperplasia/surgery* ; Stents ; Ureter/surgery* ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Urinary Calculi/surgery* ; Ureteral Calculi/surgery*

The accurate and timely detection of biochemical coagulation indicators is pivotal in pulmonary and critical care medicine. Despite their reliability, traditional laboratories often lag in terms of rapid diagnosis. Point-of-care testing (POCT) has emerged as a promising alternative, which is awaiting rigorous validation. We assessed 226 samples from patients at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University using a Beckman Coulter AU5821 and a PUSHKANG POCT Biochemistry Analyzer MS100. Furthermore, 350 samples were evaluated with a Stago coagulation analyzer STAR MAX and a PUSHKANG POCT Coagulation Analyzer MC100. Metrics included thirteen biochemical indexes, such as albumin, and five coagulation indices, such as prothrombin time. Comparisons were drawn against the PUSHKANG POCT analyzer. Bland-Altman plots (MS100: 0.8206‒0.9995; MC100: 0.8318‒0.9911) evinced significant consistency between methodologies. Spearman correlation pinpointed a potent linear association between conventional devices and the PUSHKANG POCT analyzer, further underscored by a robust correlation coefficient (MS100: 0.713‒0.949; MC100: 0.593‒0.950). The PUSHKANG POCT was validated as a dependable tool for serum and whole blood biochemical and coagulation diagnostics. This emphasizes its prospective clinical efficacy, offering clinicians a swift diagnostic tool and heralding a new era of enhanced patient care outcomes.
Humans ; Point-of-Care Testing ; Critical Care ; Blood Coagulation Tests/methods* ; Male ; Blood Coagulation ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Reproducibility of Results ; Prothrombin Time ; Aged ; Adult ; Point-of-Care Systems

As global greenhouse gases continue rising, the urgency of more ambitious action is clearer than ever before. China is the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases and one of the countries affected most by climate change. The evidence about the impacts of climate change on the environment and human health may encourage China to take more decisive action to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate impacts. This article aimed to review the evidence of environmental damages and health risks posed by climate change and to provide a new science-based perspective for the delivery of sustainable development goals. Over recent decades, China has experienced a strong warming pattern with a growing frequency of extreme weather events, and the impacts of climate change on China's environment and human health have been consistently observed, with increasing O ₃ air pollution, decreases in water resources and availability, land degradation, and increased risks for both communicable and non-communicable diseases. Therefore, China's climate policy should target the key factors driving climate change and scale up strategic measures to curb carbon emissions and adapt to inevitable increasing climate impacts. It provides new insights for not only China but also other countries, particularly developing and emerging economies, to ensure climate and environmental sustainability whilst pursuing economic growth.
Climate Change ; China ; Humans ; Greenhouse Gases ; Air Pollution ; Sustainable Development ; Environment

The assessment of adverse drug events is an important basis for clinical safety evaluation and post-marketing risk control of drugs,and its causality assessment is gaining increasing attention.The existing methods for assessing the causal relationship between drugs and the occurrence of adverse reactions can be broadly classified into three categories:global introspective methods,standardized methods,and probabilistic methods.At present,there is no systematic introduction of the operational details of the various methods in the domestic literature.This paper compares representative causality assessment methods in terms of definition and concept,methodological steps,industry evaluation and advantages and disadvantages,clarifies the basic process of determining the causality of adverse drug reactions,and discusses how to further improve the adverse drug reaction monitoring and evaluation system,with a view to providing a reference for drug development and pharmacovigilance work in China.

Objective:To investigate the concern about pollen broadcasting in Chinese population from multiple dimensions and to understand the information about allergic rhinitis (AR) in China by analyzing related factors.Methods:From March 1 to September 30, 2022, a large-scale multi-center cross-sectional survey was conducted based on the Questionnaire Star platform in 21 Chinese hospitals. A total of 7 056 subjects from 7 regions in China: Northeast, North, East, Central, South, Southwest, and Northwest China were included. Basic characteristics (including social demographic characteristics and disease characteristics of AR patients), concern about pollen broadcasting, the willingness of pollen-induced AR (PiAR) patients to receive pollen broadcasting, and the treatment satisfaction rate of AR patients were collected. The chi-square test, multivariate linear regression model, and Logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the concern about pollen broadcasting in the Chinese population and related factors from multiple dimensions.Results:Among 7 056 subjects, 23.02% were concerned about pollen broadcasting. Among 3 176 self-reported AR and 1 019 PiAR patients, 25.60% and 39.16% were concerned about pollen broadcasting, respectively, which was higher than that of non-AR or non-PiAR subjects ( χ2 value was 21.74 and 175.11, respectively, both P<0.001). Among AR patients, the proportion of spring and autumn allergen-positive patients concerned about pollen broadcasting was higher than that in perennial allergen-positive patients ( χ2 value was 20.90 and 19.51, respectively, both P<0.001). The proportion of AR patients with asthma, sinusitis, allergic conjunctivitis, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases was higher than those without complications ( χ2 value was 50.83, 21.97, 56.78, 7.62, respectively, all P<0.05). The proportion of AR patients in North China who could find pollen broadcasting locally was 31.01%, significantly higher than those in other regions (all P<0.05). Multivariate linear regression model analysis showed that among PiAR patients, those with higher per capita household income and higher AR disease cognition levels had been concerned about pollen broadcasting in the past, and those complicated with allergic conjunctivitis had stronger intention to receive pollen broadcasting (B value was 0.24, 0.13, 0.66, 0.47, respectively, all P<0.05). The higher the disease cognition level of PiAR patients, the stronger their willingness to actively participate in treatment ( R2=0.72, P<0.001). Only 18.89% of AR patients felt satisfied with the treatment effect. Logistic regression analysis showed that in AR patients, the treatment satisfaction rate was significantly higher among those concerned about pollen broadcasting compared to those who were not ( OR=1.83, P<0.001). Conclusions:Currently, the dissemination of pollen broadcasting in China is hindered by various factors such as disease cognition level. The treatment satisfaction among AR patients remains unsatisfactory.

OBJECTIVE To explore the effect of acupuncture on the learning and memory ability and intestinal flora structure of senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8(SAMP8)mice.METHODS Eighteen 6-month-old SAMP8 mice were randomly divided in-to model group and acupuncture group,with 9 mice in each group,and 9 senescence-accelerated mouse resistant strain 1(SAMR1)mice of the same month as the normal group.The acupuncture group selected Baihui and Yongquan points for acupuncture,5 times a week,20 min each time,for 8 consecutive weeks.Morris water maze was used to detect the learning and memory ability of mice in each group,immunofluorescence method was used to detect β-amyloid protein(Aβ)expression in the cerebral cortex,and 16S rDNA technology was used to detect changes in intestinal flora.RESULTS The results of the water maze experiment showed that compared with the normal group,the learning and memory abilities of the mice in the model group were significantly reduced(P<0.05),and the learning and memory abilities of the mice in the acupuncture group were significantly improved compared with the model group(P<0.05).Immunofluorescence results showed that compared with the normal group,the model group had increased positive expression of Aβ in the cerebral cortex,and obvious Aβ plaque deposition could be seen;the acupuncture group had fewer Aβ plaques than the model group.Alpha diversity index showed that compared with the normal group,the Ace and Simpson values of the model group de-creased(P<0.05)and the Shannon value increased(P<0.05);compared with the model group,the Ace and Chao values of the acu-puncture group increased(P<0.05,P<0.01).In the beta diversity analysis,the results of principal component analysis(PCA)and principal coordinate analysis(PCoA)showed that the samples in each group were relatively clustered,and the distance between sam-ples in each group was far away.The Venn diagram showed that there were 664,689,and 649 OTUs in the normal group,model group,and acupuncture group,respectively.Results of intestinal flora structure analysis showed that compared with the normal group,the abundance of Bacteroidetes,Ruminococcaceae,and Eubacterium xylanophilum in the model group increased(P<0.05),and the abundance of Fusobacterium,unclassified Fusobacterium,and Porphyromonas decreased(P<0.05);compared with the model group,the abundance of Bacteroidetes and Eubacterium xylanophilum decreased in the acupuncture group(P<0.05),and the abundance of Fusobacterium,unclassified Fusobacterium,and Porphyromonas increased(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Acupuncture can reduce cortical Aβ deposition and improve learning and memory abilities in SAMP8 mice,which may be related to regulating the structure of intestinal flora and increasing species diversity.

BACKGROUND:Vibration environment can cause spinal injury,especially in patients with scoliosis.At present,there is no information about the inherent mode of the whole spine from T1 to the pelvis in scoliosis patients in the free state. OBJECTIVE:To analyze the dynamic characteristics of the whole spine in patients with scoliosis by the finite element method. METHODS:Based on CT scan images,a three-dimensional finite element model of the T1-pelvic total spine of an 11-year-old patient with thoracolumbar biflexion scoliosis was established,and the Cobb angles of thoracolumbar scoliosis were 36° and 24°,respectively.The mode analysis in the free state of the whole spine was carried out by the finite element method. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The fifteen-order free modes of the spine were extracted,and the dynamic characteristics of the scolio-curved spine were obtained.The resonance frequency distribution of the spine was concentrated.The thoracic vertebra was the most deformed in the whole spine model,and the amplitude of the thoracic vertebra was larger than that of the lumbar vertebra.Modal analysis was used to analyze the vibration characteristics of scoliosis patients in the vibration environment.It is of great significance to determine the natural frequency,vibration mode,and amplitude of scoliosis patients for analyzing the vibration characteristics of scoliosis.

BACKGROUND:The maximum muscle strength is typically used for evaluating the recovery of muscle function after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.Recent studies have suggested that neuromuscular function should also be considered,such as rate of force development,which measures the slope of the force time curve at different time intervals under conditions of isometric muscle contraction. OBJECTIVE:To elaborate on the current research status and shortcomings of muscle isometric rate of force development in patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery,and analyze the degree of defects in quadriceps femoris and hamstring isometric rate of force development at different times after surgery;to analyze the effect of isometric rate of force development on postoperative functional performance,thereby providing important information for optimizing postoperative rehabilitation following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction,reducing secondary injury to patients,and reducing the incidence of knee osteoarthritis. METHODS:Literature retrieval of CNKI,VIP,WanFang and PubMed was performed using"anterior cruciate ligament,rate of force development"as Chinese search terms and"anterior cruciate ligament,rate of force development,rate of torque development"as English search terms.Finally,69 articles were included according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Most studies have found defects in bilateral muscle isometric rate of force development in patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction within 6 months.Early isometric rate of force development of the bilateral hamstring muscles(i.e.the slope of the force time curve at any time interval during muscle contraction of 100 ms)showed significant improvement after 6 months.However,long-term defects in early isometric rate of force development of the bilateral quadriceps indicate long-term damage to the neuromuscular function of the quadriceps after surgery.There is limited research on late isometric rate of force development(the slope of the force time curve at any time interval after 100 ms of muscle contraction),and conclusions cannot be drawn.Regarding landing exercises(jumping to the ground,lateral cutting,etc.)and daily activities(walking,running),early isometric rate of force development of the quadriceps is more correlated with isometric peak torque.Abnormal biomechanical changes during exercise are considered an important risk factor for secondary injury and traumatic knee osteoarthritis in patients.Actively improving early isometric rate of force development of the quadriceps may reduce the incidence of secondary injury and traumatic knee osteoarthritis.Currently,there is limited evidence to suggest that whole-body vibration training can improve early isometric rate of force development of the quadriceps femoris in patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.It is recommended to use neuromuscular electrical stimulation to intervene in the quadriceps and hamstring in the early postoperative stage and implement explosive force and high resistance training in the late postoperative stage,which may improve the isometric rate of force development in patients.Generating sufficient muscle strength in a short period of time is necessary to effectively protect the anterior cruciate ligament,while the relationship between isometric rate of force development in the hamstring muscle and functional performance is still unclear,which may provide information on preventing secondary injury in patients.It is recommended to use the isometric rate of force development as one of the evaluation indicators for guiding rehabilitation and restoring movement.In addition to focusing on improving symmetry and differences from normal individuals,the hamstring to quadriceps strength ratio should also be considered.An appropriate range of ratios can ensure the balance of muscles during rapid muscle exertion,which may reduce the occurrence of secondary injuries.However,the normal range of ratios is not yet clear.Future research should consider the effects of graft type and knee flexion angle on isometric rate of force development,in order to identify neuromuscular dysfunction in patients as much as possible and help them recover better.