Chronic kidney disease(CKD)commonly used dietary assessments including 24-hour dietary recall(24 h DR)/3-day dietary recall(3DDR),food frequency questionnaire(FFQ),dietary records,and estimation of dietary protein intake based on nitrogen balance.Given the high prevalence of CKD patients in Asian population and the scarcity of research using FFQ method,it is crucial to develop an FFQ suitable for Chinese CKD patients.This review summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of dietary assessment methods for CKD,the current research status,and the content and steps involved in establishing an FFQ,with the aim of providing reference for the modification of FFQ for Chinese CKD patients.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of S₂ alar iliac screw insertion in Chinese children using computerized three-dimension reconstruction and simulated screw placement technique, and to optimize the measurement of screw parameters. METHODS: A total of 83 pelvic CT data of children who underwent pelvic CT scan December 2018 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, excluding fractures, deformities, and tumors. There were 44 boys and 39 girls, with an average age of (10.66±3.52) years, and were divided into 4 groups based on age (group A:5 to 7 years old;group B:8 to 10 years old;group C:11-13 years old;group D:14 to 16 years old). The original CT data obtained were imported into Mimics software, and the bony structure of the pelvis was reconstructed, and the maximum and minimum cranial angles of the screws were simulated in the three-dimensional view with the placement of 6.5 mm diameter S2 alar iliac screws. Subsequently, the coronal angle, sagittal angle, transverse angle, total length of the screw, length of the screw in the sacrum, width of the iliac, and distance of the entry point from the skin were measured in 3-Matic software at the maximum and minimum head tilt angles, respectively. The differences among the screw parameters of S₂ alar iliac screws in children of different ages and the differences between gender and side were compared and analyzed. RESULTS: In all 83 children, 6.5 mm diameter S₂ iliac screws could be placed. There was no significant difference between the side of each screw placement parameter. The 5 to 7 years old children had a significantly smaller screw coronal angle than other age groups, but in the screw sagittal angle, the difference was more mixed. The 5 to 7 years old children could obtain a larger angle at the maximum head tilt angle of the screw, but at the minimum cranial angle, the larger angle was obtained in the age group of 11 to 13 years old. There were no significant differences among the age groups. The coronal angle and sagittal angle under maximum cephalic angle and minimum cranial angle of 5 to 7 years old male were (40.91±2.91)° and (51.85±3.75)° respectively, which were significantly greater than in female. The coronal angle under minimum cranial angle was significantly greater in girls aged 8-10 years old than in boys. For the remaining screw placement angle parameters, there were no significant differences between gender. The differences in the minimum iliac width, the screw length, and the length of the sacral screws showed an increasing trend with age in all age groups. The distance from the screw entry point to the skin in boys were significantly smaller than that of girls. The minimum width of the iliac in boys at 14 to 16 years of age were significantly wider than that in girls at the same stage. In contrast, in girls aged 5 to 7 years and 11 to 13 years, the screw length was significantly longer than that of boys at the same stage. CONCLUSION The pelvis of children aged 5 to 16 years can safely accommodate the placement of 6.5 mm diameter S₂ alar iliac screws, but the bony structures of the pelvis are developing and growing in children, precise assessment is needed to plan a reasonable screw trajectory and select the appropriate screw length.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Child ; Adolescent ; Child, Preschool ; Ilium/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Feasibility Studies ; Bone Screws ; Pelvis ; Sacrum/surgery* ; Spinal Fusion/methods*

The present study analyzed the current Chinese medicinal health products and Chinese patent medicines effective in boosting memory,aiming at providing references for the formulation and development of memory-boosting health products. The information on memory-boosting health products published by the Department of Special Food Safety Supervision and Management,the State Administration for Market Regulation( SAMR) was collected and the Chinese patent medicines on DRUGDATAEXPY were searched. Microsoft Excel and the TCMISS were used to statistically analyze the characteristics of formulations. A total of 212 memory-boosting health products were obtained from SAMR,including 83 ones containing Chinese medicinal materials. Twelve Chinese herbal medicines showed a usage frequency ≥ 8,with 151 times in use. In DRUGDATAEXPY,258 similar Chinese patent medicines were collected.Twelve Chinese herbal medicines showed a usage frequency ≥ 58,with 907 times in use. Through unsupervised hierarchical entropybased clustering of the above-mentioned Chinese medicinal health products and Chinese patent medicines separately,5 and 12 new formulas were obtained. The selection of Chinese herbal medicines for the new formulas was consistent with the principles of traditional Chinese medicine( TCM) theories,i. e.,tonifying kidney and marrow,benefiting Qi,nourishing Yin,resolving phlegm,and eliminating stasis. According to TCM theories,syndrome differentiation of the users was conducted,and the formulas were designed following the correspondence of syndromes with formulas and Chinese herbal medicines. This study is expected to provide new ideas and methods for the development of Chinese medicinal health products and accurately guide practical applications to exert the advantages of TCM in health care based on syndrome differentiation and improve the effect of Chinese medicinal health products.
China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Nonprescription Drugs ; Syndrome

Myrtus communis is a traditional medicinal aromatic plant in the Mediterranean. At present, the plant has been introduced and cultivated in the southern part of China, and it is mostly used for ornamental or cosmetic purposes. Based on literature analysis and the theory of Chinese medicine, we discussed the medicinal parts and properties of M. communis in this paper to provide a theoretical basis for exploring the medicinal value of M. communis and its compatibility with traditional Chinese medicines. Literatures were searched from Web of Science(core collection), PubMed, CNKI, VIP and Wanfang by using the set conditions as key words. Then the obtained literatures were screened and classified. Finally, a total of 376 articles were included, consisting of 44 reviews, 54 germplasm resources, 78 chemical researches, 48 studies on application, extraction, or quality, 18 human trials, 132 pharmacological studies, and 2 safety studies. Based on literature analysis and theories of Chinese medicine, the leaves of M. communis were finally selected as the medicinal part of Chinese medicine, and the traditional Chinese medicine properties of M. communis leaves were deduced as pungent, bitter, and cool. The channel tropisms of M. communis leaves included lung, liver, and large intestine, with functions of detoxifying, resolving a mass, and insecticide. It was used for mouth sores, vaginal itching, hemorrhoids and warts, etc.; appropriate amount shall be applied for external use, and the decoction form shall be used for washing the affected parts; 3-12 g equivalent product shall be used in decoction, and this herb shall be put into the decoction in a later stage. The clarification of the medicinal parts of M. communis, and the determination of the Chinese medicine properties of M. communis leaves would lay a theoretical foundation for its compatibility and application with Chinese medicines, and can do more contribution to the medical and healthcare industry in our country.
China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Myrtus ; Plant Leaves ; Plants, Medicinal

Kaempferiae Parviflorae Rhizoma is the dried rhizome of Kaempferia parviflora in Zingiberaceae. It is originated and widely distributed in Thailand and other tropical and subtropical regions, where it has been used as food and medicine for thousands of years. K. parviflora is also planted in Yunnan and other places of China, but its traditional Chinese medicine properties are not clear, which greatly limits its compatibility with traditional Chinese medicines. In this article, the English and Chinese literatures of K. parviflora were searched from Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP databases for research and analysis. The medicinal properties of K. parviflora were preliminarily discussed based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine under the guidance of clinical application and research literatures. The traditional Chinese medicine properties of K. parviflora were inferred as follows: flat, acrid, sweet. The channel tropisms of K. parviflora included kidney, spleen, stomach, and liver. The function of K. parviflora included tonifying kidney to strengthen essence, tonifying Qi and invigorating spleen, soothing liver and relieving depression. K. parviflora was clinically applied for the diseases such as syndrome of kidney essence deficiency, sex apathy, deficiency of spleen Qi, lassitude and asthenia, a weary spirit, obesity, diabetes, liver Qi stagnation, depression, and restless. The equivalent of dry power is 1.5 g·d~(-1) and the equivalent of decoction is 1.5-6 g·d~(-1). The determination of traditional Chinese medicine properties of K. parviflora has indeed laid a theoretical foundation for its application in the field of traditional Chinese medicine and enriched traditional Chinese medicine resources.
China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Rhizome ; Thailand ; Zingiberaceae

When this paper was first published the following ethical statement was omitted in error: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of AAALAC (NO. 001488) and carried out in strict accordance with the recommendations in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals of Tianjin Institute of Pharmaceutical Research. The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused. DOI of original article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chmed.2018.12.002

Aim To study the neuroprotective effect of rhubarb extract on MCAO model rats and explore its mechanism of action. Methods Forty-five SPF male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham group, MCAO group, and MCAO + rhubarb group. MCAO model was prepared by silk plug method, and rhubarb extract was administered at a concentration of 200 mg · kg

Objective To observe the effect of acupoint catgut embedding on the expression of inflammatory factor mRNA in cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)/prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) signal pathway of vascular dementia (VD) rats, and to explore the protective mechanism of acupoint catgut embedding on the brain inflammatory response of VD rats. Methods VD model was established by the modified Pulsinelli ' s four vessel blocking method. Totally 148 male rats were randomly divided into VD model group, non acupoint catgut embedding group and acupoint catgut embedding group. On the 7th day after operation, catgut embedding at acupoints and catgut embedding at non acupoints were performed in the two treatment groups respectively, and materials were taken out 15 days later. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of COX-2 and PGE2, and real-time PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), intercellular cell adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), interieukin(IL)-6, macrophage inflammatory protein 2 (MIP-2), IL-lβ, and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 ( MCP-1 ) in rat hippocampus. Results Compared with the sham group, the expressions of COX-2, PGE2, TNF-α, ICAM-1, IL-6, MIP-2, IL-lβ and MCP-1 in hippocampus of the other three groups were significantly higher (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the expressions of COX-2, PGE2 protein and TNF-α, ICAM-1, IL-6, MIP-2, IL-lβ, MCP-1 mRNA in the hippocampus of the acupoint catgut embedding group and the non acupoint catgut embedding group decreased significantly (P<0.01). Conclusion Acupoint catgut embedding can protect the brain from inflammatory injury by down-regulating the expression of related inflammatory factors in COX-2/PGE2 signaling pathway and reducing the inflammatory response induced by VD rats.

Objective: Several COVID-19 patients have overlapping comorbidities. The independent role of each component contributing to the risk of COVID-19 is unknown, and how some non-cardiometabolic comorbidities affect the risk of COVID-19 remains unclear. Methods: A retrospective follow-up design was adopted. A total of 1,160 laboratory-confirmed patients were enrolled from nine provinces in China. Data on comorbidities were obtained from the patients' medical records. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratio ( Results: Overall, 158 (13.6%) patients were diagnosed with severe illness and 32 (2.7%) had unfavorable outcomes. Hypertension (2.87, 1.30-6.32), type 2 diabetes (T2DM) (3.57, 2.32-5.49), cardiovascular disease (CVD) (3.78, 1.81-7.89), fatty liver disease (7.53, 1.96-28.96), hyperlipidemia (2.15, 1.26-3.67), other lung diseases (6.00, 3.01-11.96), and electrolyte imbalance (10.40, 3.00-26.10) were independently linked to increased odds of being severely ill. T2DM (6.07, 2.89-12.75), CVD (8.47, 6.03-11.89), and electrolyte imbalance (19.44, 11.47-32.96) were also strong predictors of unfavorable outcomes. Women with comorbidities were more likely to have severe disease on admission (5.46, 3.25-9.19), while men with comorbidities were more likely to have unfavorable treatment outcomes (6.58, 1.46-29.64) within two weeks. Conclusion Besides hypertension, diabetes, and CVD, fatty liver disease, hyperlipidemia, other lung diseases, and electrolyte imbalance were independent risk factors for COVID-19 severity and poor treatment outcome. Women with comorbidities were more likely to have severe disease, while men with comorbidities were more likely to have unfavorable treatment outcomes.
Adult ; Aged ; COVID-19/virology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Comorbidity ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To investigate the effect of gender on hepatic pathology and antibody-mediated immunity in Schistosoma japonicum-infected C57BL/6 mice. Methods Female and male C57BL/6 mice were infected with S. japonicum, and the hepatic pathological changes were observed using HE and picrosirius red staining in mice 8 weeks post-infection. The serum specific IgG antibody levels against the soluble adult worm antigen (SWA) and soluble egg antigen (SEA) were measured in mice using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the percentages of follicular helper T (Tfh) cells and regulatory T (Treg) cells were detected in mouse spleen and lymph nodes using flow cytometry. Results HE staining showed no significant difference in the mean area of a single hepatic egg granuloma between female and male mice 8 weeks post-infection with S. japonicum [(28.050 ± 3.576) × 10⁴ μm² vs. (26.740 ± 4.093) × 10⁴ μm²; t = 0.241, P = 0.821], and picrosirius red staining revealed no statistical differences between female and male mice in terms of the mean proportion of picrosirius red stained hepatic tissues [(7.667 ± 1.856)% vs. (7.667 ± 1.764)%; t = 0, P = 1] or the mean optical density [(0.023 ± 0.003) vs. (0.027 ± 0.007); t = 0.447, P = 0.678]. ELISA detected no significant differences in the serum IgG antibody levels against SWA [(2.098 ± 0.037) vs. (1.970 ± 0.071); t = 1.595, P = 0.162] or SEA [(3.738 ± 0.039) vs. (3.708 ± 0.043); t = 0.512, P = 0.623] between female and male mice 8 weeks post-infection with S. japonicum. Flow cytometry detected significantly greater percentages of Tfh cells in the spleen [female mice, (8.645 ± 1.356)% vs. (1.730 ± 0.181)%, t = 5.055, P = 0.002; male mice, (8.470 ± 1.161)% vs. (1.583 ± 0.218)%, t = 5.829, P = 0.001] and lymph nodes [female mice, (3.218 ± 0.153)% vs. (1.095 ± 0.116)%, t = 11.040, P < 0.001; male mice, (3.673 ± 0.347)% vs. (0.935 ± 0.075)%, t = 8.994, P = 0.001) of both female and male mice 8 weeks post-infection with S. japonicum than in uninfected mice; however, no significant differences were seen between female and male mice 8 weeks post-infection with S. japonicum in terms of the percentages of Tfh cells in the spleen [(8.645 ± 1.356)% vs. (8.470 ± 1.161)%; t = 0.098, P = 0.925] or lymph nodes [(3.218 ± 0.153)% vs. (3.673 ± 0.347)%; t = 1.332, P = 0.241]. There was no significant difference in the proportion of Treg cells in the spleen of male mice between infected and uninfected mice [(10.060 ± 0.361)% vs. (10.130 ± 0.142)%; t = 0.174, P = 0.867], while a higher proportion of Treg cells was seen in the spleen of female mice 8 weeks post-infection with S. japonicum than in uninfected mice [(10.530 ± 0.242)% vs. (9.450 ± 0.263)%; t = 3.021, P = 0.023]. There was no significant difference in the proportion of Treg cells in the spleen between female and male mice infected with S. japonicum [(10.530 ± 0.242)% vs. (10.060 ± 0.361)%; t =1.077, P = 0.323]. In addition, the proportions of Treg cells were significantly greater in the lymph node of S. japonicum -infected female [(17.150 ± 0.805)% vs. (13.100 ± 0.265)%; t = 4.781, P = 0.003] and male mice [(18.550 ± 0.732)% vs. (12.630 ± 0.566)%; t = 6.402, P = 0.001] than in uninfected mice; however, no significant difference was seen between female and male mice 8 weeks post-infection [(17.150 ± 0.805)% vs. (18.550 ± 0.732)%; t = 1.287, P = 0.246]. Conclusion There are no gender-specific hepatic pathological changes or antibody-mediated immunity in C57BL/6 mice post-infection with S. japonicum.