Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of Yiqi Yangyin Jiangtang Prescription(mainly composed of Astragali Radix,Rehmanniae Radix,Imperatae Rhizoma,Ophiopogonis Radix,and Puerariae Lobatae Radix)combined with acupoint injection in the treatment of newly-diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).Methods One hundred patients with newly-diagnosed T2DM of qi-yin deficiency complicated with blood stasis type were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group,with 50 patients in each group.The control group was given oral use of Metformin Hydrochloride Tablets,and the treatment group was given the granules of Yiqi Yangyin Jiangtang Prescription orally combined with acupoint injection at unilateral points of Zusanli(ST36),Shenshu(BL23)and Qihai(CV6)on the basis of treatment for the control group.The course of treatment lasted for 4 weeks.Before and after the treatment,the two groups were observed in the changes of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome scores,fasting plasma glucose(FPG),2-hour postprandial blood glucose(2hPG),glycated hemoglobin(HbA1c),total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),and serum levels of inflammatory factors of interleukin 6(IL-6),C-reactive protein(CRP),tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α),as well as the hemorheology indicators of whole blood low-shear viscosity and whole blood high-shear viscosity.After treatment,the clinical efficacy and safety of the two groups were evaluated.Results(1)During the trial,5 cases fell off from the treatment group and 4 cases fell off from the control group,and a total of 91 patients were eventually included in the efficacy statistics,of which 45 cases were in the treatment group and 46 cases were in the control group.(2)After 4 weeks of treatment,the total effective rate of the treatment group was 93.33%(42/45),and that of the control group was 71.74%(33/46).The intergroup comparison(tested by chi-square test)showed that the therapeutic effect of the treatment group was significantly superior to that of the control group(P＜0.01).(3)After treatment,the scores of TCM symptoms of dry mouth and throat,frequent nocturia,shortness of breath and fatigue,hot flushes and night sweating as well as the total TCM syndrome scores in the two groups were significantly lower than those before the treatment(P＜0.05),and the reduction of the scores in the treatment group was significantly superior to that of the control group(P＜0.01).(4)After treatment,the levels of blood glucose and lipid indicators of FPG,2hPG,HbA1c,TC and TG of patients in the two groups were decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the decrease in the treatment group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).(5)After treatment,the serum levels of inflammatory factors of IL-6,CRP,and TNF-α in the two groups were all lower than those before treatment(P＜0.01),and the reduction in the treatment group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.01).(6)After treatment,the levels of hemorheology indicators such as whole blood low-shear viscosity and high-shear viscosity in the two groups were all lower than those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the reduction in the treatment group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05).(7)The incidence of adverse reactions in the treatment group was 8.89%(4/45),which was significantly lower than that of the control group(21.74%,10/46),and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.01).Conclusion Yiqi Yangyin Jiangtang Prescription combined with acupoint injection exerts certain effect in treating patients with newly-diagnosed T2DM of qi-yin deficiency complicated with blood stasis syndrome type.The combined therapy can effectively alleviate the early clinical manifestations,decrease the levels of blood glucose,blood lipids,and inflammatory factors,and improve the hematological indicators and the quality of life of the patients.

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of navel application of Jianpi Hewei Adhesive Plaster combined with oral use of modified Sini Hewei Anshen Decoction in treating diabetic gastroparesis(DGP)accompanied by anxiety of liver-stomach disharmony type in type 2 diabetes patients.Methods One hundred patients with DGP accompanied by anxiety of liver-stomach disharmony type were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group,with 50 patients in each group.The control group was given oral use of Mosapride Citrate Tablets orally,and the treatment group was given navel application of Jianpi Hewei Adhesive Plaster combined with oral use of modified Sini Hewei Anshen Decoction.The course of treatment for the two groups covered 4 weeks.The two groups were observed in the changes of the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome scores,Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index(GCSI)scores,Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA)scores,gastric emptying time,and levels of fasting blood glucose(FBG),2-hour postprandial blood glucose(2hPG),glycated hemoglobin(HbA1c),plasma motilin(MOT),gastrin(GAS),and serum tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α)and interleukin 6(IL-6)before and after the treatment.After treatment,the clinical efficacy and safety of the two groups were evaluated.Results(1)During the trial,4 patients in the treatment group and 3 patients in the control group fell off,and eventually a total of 93 patients were included for the efficacy statistics,including 46 patients in the treatment group and 47 patients in the control group.(2)After 4 weeks of treatment,the total effective rate of the treatment group was 95.65%(44/46)and that of the control group was 76.60%(36/47).The intergroup comparison(tested by chi-square test)showed that the therapeutic effect of the treatment group was significantly superior to that of the control group(P＜0.01).(3)After treatment,the TCM syndrome scores(including epigastric and abdominal congestion,depression or irritability,and poor appetite)and GCSI scores in the two groups were decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05)and the gastric emptying time was shortened compared with that before treatment(P＜0.05),and the effect of the treatment group on decreasing TCM syndrome scores and GCSI scores and on shortening the gastric emptying time were significantly superior to that of the control group(P＜0.01).(4)After treatment,the plasma MOT and GAS levels of the two groups were increased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the increase in the treatment group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.01).(5)After treatment,the levels of glucose metabolism indicators of FBG,2hPG,and HbA1c in the two groups were decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),but the differences of all glucose metabolism indicators between the two groups after treatment were not statistically significant(P＞0.05).(6)After treatment,the serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels in the two groups were decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the decrease in the treatment group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05).(7)After treatment,the total HAMA scores and the scores of mental anxiety factor and somatic anxiety factor of HAMA in the two groups were decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the effect on lowering the scores in the treatment group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05).(8)During the treatment period,no significant adverse reactions occurred in the two groups of patients,which has high safety.Conclusion Navel application of Jianpi Hewei Adhesive Plaster combined with oral use of modified Sini Hewei Anshen Decoction exerts certain efficacy in treating DGP accompanied by anxiety of liver-stomach disharmony type.The therapy is effective on relieving clinical symptoms,enhancing gastric motility,inhibiting inflammatory response,and improving anxiety emotion and the quality of life of the patients.

Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, usually result from atherosclerosis, has the highest mortality rate globally. Lipid metabolism disorder is the main cause of atherosclerotic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, which not only lead to acute diseases such as myocardial infarction, stroke, acute pancreatitis, but also chronic kidney disease. In recent years, the advancement of gene therapy technologies has provided novel means for lipid metabolism study, and has also made it possible to cure patients with congenital lipid metabolism abnormalities. Adeno-associatd virus has a wide host range, high safety, low immunogenicity, and especially the ability of long-term stable expression in vivo, making it the preferred delivery tool for gene therapy of monogenic genetic diseases. Alipogene triprivec, also known as Glybera, was approved by the European Medicines Agency in 2012. It is the first gene therapy drug that uses recombinant AAV1 vector to directly deliver a highly active LPL protein S447X mutant to muscle cells for the treatment of patients with hereditary LPL deficiency. To enhance the targeted transduction efficiency of AAV carriers, recombinantAAV8.TBG.hLDLR utilizes the tissue tropsim of AAV8 to liver, meanwhile utilizes a liver specific thyroxine binding globulin promoter to control gene transcription, thereby achieving liver cell specific high expressionof human low-density lipoprotein receptors (LDLR). In patients with familial hypercholesterolemia,AAV8.TBG.hLDLR treatment effectively lower the level of plasma LDL for a long time, thus preventing the occurrence of atherosclerosis.Proprotein convert subunit kexin 9 (PCSK9) is secreted by liver cells. PCSK9 binds and transports LDLR to lysosomes for degradation, preventing the circulation and regeneration of LDLR, leading to accelerated degradation of LDLR and finally resulting in the accumulation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in plasma. Using AAV to deliver Cas9 of Staphylococcus aureus and gRNA targeting the Pcsk9 gene can knock out Pcsk9 in mouse liver, leading to a long-term significant decrease in plasma cholesterol levels in mice. Hepatocyte specific angiopoietin related protein 3 (Angptl3) is an endogenous inhibitor of LPL. Using the AAV9 mediated AncBE4max system and the dCas9 mediated single base gene editing system to introduce early termination codons, the knockout of Angptal3 in liver cells was achieved with an average knockout efficiency of 63.3%. After 2-4 weeks of administration in mice, the Angptl3 protein was completely undetectable in the peripheral blood, and serum triglycerides and total cholesterol decreased by 58% and 61%, respectively. Ring finger containing protein 130 (RNF130) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase. Research has shown that overexpression of RNF130 using AAV2/8 leads to ubiquitination degradation and redistribution of LDLR on the cell membrane, significantly reducing LDLR expression on liver cells and increasing plasma LDLC levels, while knocking out Rnf130 gene using the AAV-CRISPR system results in the opposite effect. This AAV mediated RNF130 function study proves that RNF130 is a posttranslational regulatory protein of LDLR and plays an important role in the regulation of serum LDLC. As mentioned above, recently, various lipid-lowering gene therapy drugs carried by different serotypes of adeno-associated virus have been applied in clinic or are undergoing clinical trials, and adeno-associated virus has emerging to be an important tool for lipid metabolism research.This article reviews the new progress of adeno-associated virus vectors in lipid metabolism study and lipid-lowering gene therapy.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of tibiofibular-based reconstruction technique with single femoral tunnel for Fanelli type C posterolateral complex (PLC) injury.Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 16 patients with Fanelli type C PLC injury admitted to Tianjin Hospital from July 2016 to July 2019, including 10 males and 6 females, aged 20-61 years [(36.5±13.9)years]. PLC reconstruction was performed by tibiofibular-based technique with single femoral tunnel using gracilis tendon and semi-tendinosus autografts. If the posterior and anterior cruciate ligaments (PCL/ACL) rupture were combined, arthroscopic single bundle reconstruction was performed simultaneously. If the posteromedial corner (PMC) injury was combined, PMC repair or reconstruction surgery was performed simultaneously. Operation time and intraoperative blood loss were recorded. When the bone needle and tunnel for PLC were drilled during the operation, the interference of the femoral tunnel through the cruciate ligament was observed under the arthroscope. Before and at 6 and 12 months after operation, the varus stability of the knee joint was evaluated with the difference of lateral joint space width of both knees and the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) objective classification of varus stability of the knee joint; the external rotation stability was evaluated with the difference of external rotation angle of both knees and the IKDC objective classification of external rotation stability of the knee joint. Before, at 6 and 12 months after operation and at the last follow-up, IKDC 2000 subjective score and Lysholm score were compared. The occurrence of complications was observed.Results:All the patients were followed up for 12-36 months [24(15, 33)months]. The operation time was 100-220 minutes [175.0(111.3, 200.0)minutes], with intraoperative blood loss of 30-150 ml [(84.3±36.5)ml]. Intraoperative arthroscopy showed no interference of perforation between PLC and cruciate ligament femoral tunnel. The differences of lateral joint space width of both knees at 6 and 12 months after operation were 0.5(0.2, 1.4)mm and 0.6(0.2, 1.5)mm respectively, which were both significantly improved compared with 12.1(10.8, 12.6)mm before operation ( P<0.05), while there was no significant difference at 6 and 12 months after operation ( P>0.05). The IKDC objective classification of varus stability of the knee joint was grade A in 13 patients, grade B in two and grade C in one at 6 or 12 months after operation, and showed statistical difference from grade D in all the patients before operation ( P<0.01). At 6 and 12 months after operation, the difference of external rotation angle of both knees was -2.0(-3.2, 1.3)° and -1.4(-3.0, 1.7)° respectively, which were significantly improved compared with 16.8(13.9, 18.4)° before operation ( P<0.05), while there was no significant difference at 6 and 12 months after operation ( P>0.05). IKDC objective classification of external rotation stability of the knee joint was grade A in 14 patients, grade B in one and grade C in one at 6 or 12 months after operation, and showed statistical difference from grade C in 14 patients and grade D in 2 before operation ( P<0.01). At 6 and 12 months after operation and at the last follow-up, the IKDC 2000 subjective scores [(76.3±4.7)points, (80.3±4.4)points, (79.9±3.8)points respectively] and the Lysholm scores [(76.1±3.9)points, (81.1±4.3)points, (82.8±3.2)points respectively] were significantly improved compared with those before operation [(48.6±3.7)points and (52.6±2.4)points] ( P<0.05). The IKDC 2000 subjective scores and Lysholm scores were significantly improved at 12 months after operation and at the last follow-up than those at 6 months after operation ( P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the IKDC 2000 subjective scores and Lysholm scores at 12 months after operation and at the last follow-up ( P>0.05). There were no complications such as wound infection, vascular and nerve injury, joint stiffness or ectopic ossification. Conclusion:For Fanelli type C PLC injury, tibiofibular-based reconstruction technique with single femoral tunnel reduces the interference between the lateral femoral tunnels, significantly improves the varus and external rotation stability and the function of the knee joint, and has few complications and satisfactory short-term clinical efficacy.

As the search for effective treatments for COVID-19 continues, the high mortality rate among critically ill patients in Intensive Care Units (ICU) presents a profound challenge. This study explores the potential benefits of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as a supplementary treatment for severe COVID-19. A total of 110 critically ill COVID-19 patients at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Vulcan Hill Hospital between Feb., 2020, and April, 2020 (Wuhan, China) participated in this observational study. All patients received standard supportive care protocols, with a subset of 81 also receiving TCM as an adjunct treatment. Clinical characteristics during the treatment period and the clinical outcome of each patient were closely monitored and analysed. Our findings indicated that the TCM group exhibited a significantly lower mortality rate compared with the non-TCM group (16 of 81 vs 24 of 29; 0.3 vs 2.3 person/month). In the adjusted Cox proportional hazards models, TCM treatment was associated with improved survival odds (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the analysis also revealed that TCM treatment could partially mitigate inflammatory responses, as evidenced by the reduced levels of proinflammatory cytokines, and contribute to the recovery of multiple organic functions, thereby potentially increasing the survival rate of critically ill COVID-19 patients.
Humans ; COVID-19 ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Critical Illness ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To investigate the correlation between the level of N-terminal pro-Brain natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP)and cardiorespiratory fitness following acute exposure to high altitude.Methods Forty-six subjects were recruited from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University in June 2022,including 19 males and 27 females.After completing cardiopulmonary exercise test(CPET),serological detection of myocardial cell-related markers,and multiple metabolites at a plain altitude(300 meters above sea level),all subjects flew to a high-altitude location(3900 meters above sea level).Biomarker testing and CPET were repeated on the second and third days after arrival at high altitude.Changes in serum biomarker and key CPET indicators before and after rapid ascent to high altitude were compared,and the correlation between serum levels of various myocardial cell-related markers and metabolites and high altitude cardiorespiratory fitness was analyzed.Results Compared with the plain altitude,there was a significant decrease in maximal oxygen uptake after rapid ascent to high altitude[(25.41±6.20)ml/(kg.min)vs.(30.17±5.01)ml/(kg.min),P<0.001].Serum levels of NT-proBNP,Epinephrine(E),plasma renin activity(PRA),angiotensin Ⅱ(Ang Ⅱ),angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2)and leptin(LEP)significantly increased,with all differences being statistically significant(P<0.05)after acute high altitude exposure.In contrast,no statistically significant differences were observed for creatine kinase MB(CK-MB),cardiac troponin I(cTnI),myoglobin(Myo)and norepinephrine(NE)(P>0.05).Correlation analysis showed a significant negative correlation between NT-proBNP at plain altitude(r=-0.768,P<0.001)and at high altitude(r=-0.791,P<0.001)with maximal oxygen uptake at high altitude.Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that maximal oxygen uptake at plain altitude(t=2.069,P=0.045),NT-proBNP at plain altitude(t=-2.436,P=0.020)and at high altitude(t=-3.578,P=0.001)were independent influencing factors of cardiorespiratory fitness at high altitude.Conclusion Cardiorespiratory fitness significantly decreases after rapid ascent to high altitude,and the baseline NT-proBNP level at plain altitude is closely related to cardiorespiratory fitness at high altitude,making it a potential predictor indicator for high altitude cardiorespiratory fitness.

Human brain banks use a standardized protocol to collect,process and store post-mortem human brains and related tissues,along with relevant clinical information,and to provide the tissue samples and data as a resource to foster neuroscience research according to a standardized operating protocols(SOP).Human brain bank serves as the foundation for neuroscience research and the diagnosis of neurological disorders,highlighting the crucial rule of ensuring the consistency of standardized quality for brain tissue samples.The first version of SOP in 2017 was published by the China Human Brain Bank Consortium.As members increases from different regions in China,a revised SOP was drafted by experts from the China Human Brain Bank Consortium to meet the growing demands for neuroscience research.The revised SOP places a strong emphasis on ethical standards,incorporates neuropathological evaluation of brain regions,and provides clarity on spinal cord sampling and pathological assessment.Notable enhancements in this updated version of the SOP include reinforced ethical guidelines,inclusion of matching controls in recruitment,and expansion of brain regions to be sampled for neuropathological evaluation.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of hypomethylating agents (HMA) in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) .Methods:A total of 409 MDS patients from 45 hospitals in Zhejiang province who received at least four consecutive cycles of HMA monotherapy as initial therapy were enrolled to evaluate the efficacy and safety of HMA. Mann-Whitney U or Chi-square tests were used to compare the differences in the clinical data. Logistic regression and Cox regression were used to analyze the factors affecting efficacy and survival. Kaplan-Meier was used for survival analysis. Results:Patients received HMA treatment for a median of 6 cycles (range, 4-25 cycles) . The complete remission (CR) rate was 33.98% and the overall response rate (ORR) was 77.02%. Multivariate analysis revealed that complex karyotype ( P=0.02, OR=0.39, 95% CI 0.18-0.84) was an independent favorable factor for CR rate. TP53 mutation ( P=0.02, OR=0.22, 95% CI 0.06-0.77) was a predictive factor for a higher ORR. The median OS for the HMA-treated patients was 25.67 (95% CI 21.14-30.19) months. HMA response ( P=0.036, HR=0.47, 95% CI 0.23-0.95) was an independent favorable prognostic factor, whereas complex karyotype ( P=0.024, HR=2.14, 95% CI 1.10-4.15) , leukemia transformation ( P<0.001, HR=2.839, 95% CI 1.64-4.92) , and TP53 mutation ( P=0.012, HR=2.19, 95% CI 1.19-4.07) were independent adverse prognostic factors. There was no significant difference in efficacy and survival between the reduced and standard doses of HMA. The CR rate and ORR of MDS patients treated with decitabine and azacitidine were not significantly different. The median OS of patients treated with decitabine was longer compared with that of patients treated with azacitidine (29.53 months vs 20.17 months, P=0.007) . The incidence of bone marrow suppression and pneumonia in the decitabine group was higher compared with that in the azacitidine group. Conclusion:Continuous and regular use of appropriate doses of hypomethylating agents may benefit MDS patients to the greatest extent if it is tolerated.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of venetoclax (VEN) combined with hypomethylating agents (HMA) in the treatment of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasms (BPDCN).Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted. The clinical data of 5 patients with BPDCN treated with VEN combined with azacitidine (AZA) or decitabine (DAC) in the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University and Suzhou Hongci Blood Disease Hospital from February 2017 to July 2023 were collected, and the therapeutic effect, adverse reaction and prognosis of all 5 patients were summarized.Results:All 5 BPDCN patients were male with the median onset age [ M ( Q1, Q3)] of 66 years (51 years, 73 years), of which 4 cases were presented with skin lesions and 1 case was presented with lymphadenopathy as the primary symptom. As for the treatment, 3 patients were initially treated with VEN in combination with AZA induction regimen, among which 2 patients achieved complete remission with incomplete blood count recovery (CRi) after 2 cycles of treatment, survived for 26.5 months and 14.6 months, respectively and finally died, and 1 patient achieved partial remission after 1 cycle of treatment and he still survived after 3-month follow-up; 1 patient was initially treated with VEN in combination with DAC induction regimen, and achieved clinical complete remission of non-active disease with residual skin abnormalities after 2 cycles of treatment followed by allogeneic hematologic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) and he was in the state of disease-free survival for 15-month; and another 1 patient experienced a relapse after treatment with acute lymphocytic leukemia-like regimen in combination with allo-HSCT and again achieved CRi after 2 treatment courses of VEN in combination with AZA regimen, and he was in the state of disease-free survival for 30-month follow-up. Treatment-related haematological adverse effects of VEN combined with HMA were mainly neutropenia with fever, reduction of hemoglobin and thrombocytopenia; and non-haematological adverse effects were mainly gastrointestinal reactions such as nausea and vomiting. These adverse events improved with symptomatic supportive therapy, and no treatment-related deaths occurred. Conclusions:BPDCN patients who are unable to tolerate intensive chemotherapy regimens at initial time of diagnosis may attempt induction therapy with VEN+HMA regimen, which has a manageable adverse reaction and may serve as a bridge to allo-HSCT.

Objective:To study the application of conicity index (CI),body mass index (BMI),waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and body fat ratio (BFR) in abdominal obesity in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. Methods The patients who received dialysis treatment in the hemodialysis center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from September to December 2023 were selected by fixed-point cluster sampling,and the age,dialysis age,height,weight,biochemical examination indexes and other information of the study subjects were collected,and the body composition analysis was performed using InBody S10 and the visceral fat area was used as the basis for the determination of abdominal obesity. The applications of body mass index,body fat ratio,waist-to-hip ratio and conicity index in predicting abdominal obesity in MHD patients were compared. Results A total of 151 patients were enrolled,including 65 patients with abdominal obesity MHD and 86 patients with non-abdominal obesity MHD. The results showed that there were significant differences in gender,weight,BMI,visceral fat area,body fat ratio,waist-to-hip ratio,conicity index and the prevalence of diabetes between patients with abdominal obesity and non-abdominal obesity (all P<0.05). The consistency test results showed that the consistency between using BMI,body fat percentage,and waist hip ratio to determine abdominal obesity with visceral fat area method was weak,with the conicity index Kappa coefficient having the largest value (P<0.05).The analysis of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that the area under the ROC curve of conicity index was the highest,0.765,indicating the highest diagnostic efficacy (P<0.05) in MHD patients. Conclusion Conicity index,body mass index,waist-to-hip ratio and body fat ratio can be used in the diagnosis of abdominal obesity in MHD patients,among which the conicity index is more effective.