Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of joint needling method combined with ultrasound in the treatment of qi stagnation and blood stasis type of patellofemoral pain syndrome(PFPS).Methods Eighty-six patients with qi stagnation and blood stasis type of PFPS were randomly divided into observation group and control group,with 43 cases in each group.The control group was given western medicine conventional treatment combined with functional exercise,and the observation group was given joint needling method combined with ultrasound treatment on the basis of the control group.Both groups were treated for 2 consecutive weeks.After 2 weeks of treatment,the clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated,and the changes in the Visual Analogue Scale(VAS)scores of knee pain and the Kujala scale scores of the two groups were observed before and after treatment.The changes in active range of motion(AROM)of the affected knee joint were compared before and after treatment between the two groups.Results(1)After treatment,the VAS scores of the two groups of patients were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in improving the level of VAS scores,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(2)After treatment,the Kujala scores of patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in improving the level of Kujala scores,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(3)After treatment,the AROM of patients in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the observation group was significantly superior to the control group in improving the level of AROM,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).(4)The total effective rate was 95.35%(41/43)in the observation group and 81.40%(35/43)in the control group.The efficacy of the observation group was superior to that of the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion The joint needling method combined with ultrasound can significantly relieve the pain symptoms of patients with PFPS and promote the recovery of knee joint function,and the clinical efficacy is remarkable.

Objective To analyze the correlation between the ELL2 gene 1119 T>C polymorphism and the susceptibility to pleomorphic adenoma of the salivary gland.Methods The pedigree of the pleomorphic adenoma family of salivary gland was drawn.The exons of ELL2 gene in 5 members of salivary pleomorphic adenoma family were sequenced.A case-control study was conducted.One hundred and twelve patients with pleomorphic adenoma of the salivary gland who visited the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of Shanxi Bethune Hospital from January 2016 to July 2020 were taken as case group,and 176 healthy examinees from January 2019 to January 2020 were taken as control group with age and sex as matching conditions.The 1119 T>C polymorphism of ELL2 genes in the two groups were detected with high resolution melting(HRM)curve.Chi-square test was adopted to analyze the correlation between gene polymorphism and the occurrence of pleomorphic adenoma of the salivary gland,stratified analysis was performed to evaluate the synergistic effect of smoking and genotype,and real time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)was used to detect the expression level of ELL2 in individuals with different genotypes.Results The 1119 T>C polymorphism site existed in the exon 8 of ELL2 gene in a family with pleomorphic adenoma of salivary gland.The results of case-control study showed that the genotype frequency of homozygous CC was significantly higher in patients with pleomorphic adenoma of salivary gland than that in the controls(24.1%vs.11.9%,P=0.002).Homozygous CC was associated with increased risk for developing pleomorphic adenoma of salivary gland(OR=3.059,95%CI 1.494-6.263)in this cohort.Stratification analysis showed that smoking and 1119C allele cooperated to increase the risk of pleomorphic adenoma of salivary gland(OR=3.200,95%CI 1.460-7.014).The expression level of ELL2 mRNA in CC genotype was significantly higher than that in individuals with CT or TT genotype(P<0.05).Conclusion The genetic variation of ELL2 may play an important role in the occurrence of pleomorphic adenoma of salivary gland,and smoking combined with the 1119C allele increased the risk of this disease.

ObjectiveGastric cancer (GC) seriously affects human health and life, and research has shown that it is closely related to the serine/glycine metabolism. The proliferation ability of tumor cells is greatly influenced by the metabolism of serine and glycine. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanism of serine/glycine metabolism can affect the proliferation of gastric cancer cells. MethodsIn this work, a stable metabolic dynamic model of gastric cancer cells was established via a large-scale metabolic network dynamic modeling method in terms of a potential landscape description of stochastic and non-gradient systems. Based on the regulation of the model, a quantitative analysis was conducted to investigate the dynamic mechanism of serine/glycine metabolism affecting the proliferation of gastric cancer cells. We introduced random noise to the kinetic equations of the general metabolic network, and applied stochastic kinetic decomposition to obtain the Lyapunov function of the metabolic network parameter space. A stable metabolic network was achieved by further reducing the change in the Lyapunov function tied to the stochastic fluctuations. ResultsDespite the unavailability of a large number of dynamic parameters, we were able to successfully construct a dynamic model for the metabolic network in gastric cancer cells. When extracellular serine is available, the model preferentially consumes serine. In addition, when the conversion rate of glycine to serine increases, the model significantly upregulates the steady-state fluxes of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and S-adenosyl homocysteine (SAH). ConclusionIn this paper, we provide evidence supporting the preferential uptake of serine by gastric cancer cells and the important role of serine/glycine conversion rate in SAM generation, which may affect the proliferation ability of gastric cancer cells by regulating the cellular methylation process. This provides a new idea and direction for targeted cancer therapy based on serine/glycine metabolism.

Objective:To investigate the current status of endoscopic treatment for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension in China, and to provide supporting data and reference for the development of endoscopic treatment.Methods:In this study, initiated by the Liver Health Consortium in China (CHESS), a questionnaire was designed and distributed online to investigate the basic condition of endoscopic treatment for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension in 2022 in China. Questions included annual number and indication of endoscopic procedures, adherence to guideline for preventing esophagogastric variceal bleeding (EGVB), management and timing of emergent EGVB, management of gastric and isolated varices, and improvement of endoscopic treatment. Proportions of hospitals concerning therapeutic choices to all participant hospitals were calculated. Guideline adherence between secondary and tertiary hospitals were compared by using Chi-square test.Results:A total of 836 hospitals from 31 provinces (anotomous regions and municipalities) participated in the survey. According to the survey, the control of acute EGVB (49.3%, 412/836) and the prevention of recurrent bleeding (38.3%, 320/836) were major indications of endoscopic treatment. For primary [non-selective β-blocker (NSBB) or endoscopic therapies] and secondary prophylaxis (NSBB and endoscopic therapies) of EGVB, adherence to domestic guideline was 72.5% (606/836) and 39.2% (328/836), respectively. There were significant differences in the adherence between secondary and tertiary hospitals in primary prophylaxis of EGVB [71.0% (495/697) VS 79.9% (111/139), χ2=4.11, P=0.033] and secondary prophylaxis of EGVB [41.6% (290/697) VS 27.3% (38/139), χ2=9.31, P=0.002]. A total of 78.2% (654/836) hospitals preferred endoscopic therapies treating acute EGVB, and endoscopic therapy was more likely to be the first choice for treating acute EGVB in tertiary hospitals (82.6%, 576/697) than secondary hospitals [56.1% (78/139), χ2=46.33, P<0.001]. The optimal timing was usually within 12 hours (48.5%, 317/654) and 12-24 hours (36.9%, 241/654) after the bleeding. Regarding the management of gastroesophageal varices type 2 and isolated gastric varices type 1, most hospitals used cyanoacrylate injection in combination with sclerotherapy [48.2% (403/836) and 29.9% (250/836), respectively], but substantial proportions of hospitals preferred clip-assisted therapies [12.4% (104/836) and 26.4% (221/836), respectively]. Improving the skills of endoscopic doctors (84.2%, 704/836), and enhancing the precision of pre-procedure evaluation and quality of multidisciplinary team (78.9%, 660/836) were considered urgent needs in the development of endoscopic treatment. Conclusion:A variety of endoscopic treatments for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension are implemented nationwide. Participant hospitals are active to perform emergent endoscopy for acute EGVB, but are inadequate in following recommendations regarding primary and secondary prophylaxis of EGVB. Moreover, the selection of endoscopic procedures for gastric varices differs greatly among hospitals.

ObjectiveTo investigate the impact of acute respiratory infections in children under 12 years old in Pudong New Area， Shanghai from 2019 to 2023. MethodsAcute respiratory infection samples of children under 12 years old from three sentinel hospitals in Pudong New Area， Shanghai from 2019 to 2023 were collected， and 42 respiratory infection pathogens， including influenza virus， adenovirus， parainfluenza virus， respiratory syncytial virus， human enterovirus/rhinovirus， human pulmonary virus， human bokavirus， coronavirus （229E， HKU1， NL63 and OC43）， and novel coronavirus， were detected with microfluidic chips. The situation of acute respiratory infections among outpatient and inpatient children in this area was analyzed for the before the implementation of non pharmacological intervention measures （2019.12‒2020.1）， during the period of non pharmacological intervention measures （2020.2‒2022.12）， and after non pharmacological intervention measures （2023.1‒2023.6）. ResultsFrom 2019 to 2023， a total of 1 770 samples were collected， and 445 pathogens were detected， with a detection rate of 25.14% （445/1 770）. The main pathogens detected during the study period were influenza virus： 8.70% （154/1 770）， respiratory syncytial virus： 4.41% （78/1 770）， human enterovirus/rhinovirus： 2.66% （47/1 770）， human adenovirus： 2.49% （44/1 770）， and parainfluenza virus： 2.20% （39/1 770）. Before the implementation of non pharmacological intervention measures， outpatients were primarily infected with influenza， parainfluenza virus， and respiratory syncytial virus， with detection rates of 8.09%， 4.49%， and 4.04%， respectively； inpatients were mainly infected with influenza， respiratory syncytial virus， and parainfluenza virus， with detection rates of 4.49%， 3.82%， and 3.15%， respectively. During the period of non pharmacological intervention measures， influenza， rhinovirus and respiratory syncytial virus were the main viruses detected in the samples of outpatient children， with detection rates of 4.04%， 3.60%， and 2.47%， respectively； inpatient samples mainly detected respiratory syncytial virus， rhinovirus， and influenza virus， with detection rates of 3.60%， 2.02%， and 1.80%， respectively. After non pharmacological intervention measures， influenza， rhinovirus and respiratory syncytial virus were the main pathogens detected in the outpatients， with detection rates of 9.89%， 2.92% and 2.02%， respectively； influenza， respiratory syncytial virus， and rhinovirus were the main pathogens detected in inpatient children， with detection rates of 6.29%， 1.57%， and 1.35%， respectively. ConclusionThe prevalence of pathogens related to acute respiratory infections in children is influenced by non pharmacological preventive measures.

Acupuncture, a therapeutic treatment defined as the insertion of needles into the body at specific points (ie, acupoints), has growing in popularity world-wide to treat various diseases effectively, especially acute and chronic pain. In parallel, interest in the physiological mechanisms underlying acupuncture analgesia, particularly the neural mechanisms have been increasing. Over the past decades, our understanding of how the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system process signals induced by acupuncture has developed rapidly by using electrophysiological methods. However, with the development of neuroscience, electrophysiology is being challenged by calcium imaging in view field, neuron population and visualization in vivo. Owing to the outstanding spatial resolution, the novel imaging approaches provide opportunities to enrich our knowledge about the neurophysiological mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia at subcellular, cellular, and circuit levels in combination with new labeling, genetic and circuit tracing techniques. Therefore, this review will introduce the principle and the method of calcium imaging applied to acupuncture research. We will also review the current findings in pain research using calcium imaging from in vitro to in vivo experiments and discuss the potential methodological considerations in studying acupuncture analgesia.
Calcium ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Analgesia/methods* ; Acupuncture Points ; Technology

Objective To explore the current status of posttraumatic growth (PTG) among nurses at psychiatric department and analyze its latent profiles and population characteristics. Methods A total of 357 nurses from psychiatric departments of five tertiary Grade A hospitals were selected as the research subjects using the convenience sampling method. The PTG and professional quality of life were studied using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory and the Chinese version of the Compassion Fatigue Scale. Results The PTG score of the nurses was (56.6±23.2). The scores of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress among nurses were (32.6±7.2), (26.9±5.9), and (26.0±5.4), respectively. The result of potential profile analysis showed that the nurses could be divided into three latent profiles based on PTG levels: low PTG group (34.4%), moderate PTG group (44.0%), and high PTG group (21.6%). The results of multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that the nurses who slept 7-8 hours per day were at higher risk of being in the high PTG group compared with those who slept more than eight hours per day (P<0.05). Psychiatric nurses who took regular exercise were at higher risk of being in the high PTG group compared with those who took irregular exercise (P<0.05). The nurses who had high job satisfaction scores were at higher risk of being in the high PTG group compared with those who had low job satisfaction scores (P<0.01). The nurses with higher compassion satisfaction scores increased the risk of being in the high PTG group compared with those with lower compassion satisfaction scores (P<0.01). The nurses with higher burnout scores increased the risk of being in the low PTG group compared with those with lower burnout scores (P<0.01). Conclusion The PTG characteristics of the nurses exhibit heterogeneity and can be categorized into three distinct profiles. Sleep duration, regular exercise, job satisfaction, compassion satisfaction, and burnout are influencing factors for the PTG latent profiles of nurses working at psychiatric department.

Objective:To observe the changes in the nutritional status of pediatric patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(allo-HSCT)for one year,and to analyze the risk factors.Methods:We collected data from 88 pediatric patients who underwent allo-HSCT at the Department of Hematology and Oncology in Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between May 2018 and November 2022.All pediatric patients underwent nutritional status analysis before transplantation,at enrollment,3 months,6 months and 1 year after allo-HSCT.Linear regression model was used to analyze the risk factors for growth rate.Results:The body mass index Z score(BMI-Z)before allo-HSCT was(0.096±1.349),and decreased to(-0.258±1.438)、(-0.715±1.432)、(-0.584±1.444)at enrollment,3 months,6 months after allo-HSCT,and(-0.130±1.317)at 1 year after allo-HSCT(P<0.001).There was no significant change in BMI-Z between pre-transplantation and 1 year after transplantation(P=1.000).Height for age Z score(HAZ)before transplantation was(0.137±1.305)and decreased to(-0.083±1.267)、(-0.221±1.299)、(-0.269±1.282)in 3 months,6 months and 1 year after allo-HSCT(P<0.001).Multivariate linear regression showed that age≥10 years old(P=0.015)and chronic graft-versus-host disease(cGVHD)(P=0.005)were independent risk factors for change in HAZ.Conclusion:The BMI-Z of pediatric patients treated with allo-HSCT returned to the pre-transplantation level after one year,while HAZ continued to decrease.Allo-HSCT may cause impaired growth rate in pediatric patients.Attention should be paid to HAZ changes in pediatric patients before and after allo-HSCT,especially in pediatric patients≥10 years old of age and those with cGVHD.Effective nutritional intervention should be provided in time.

Objective:To explore the impact of sleep duration, physical exercise, and their interactions on the risk of dyslipidemia in older adults aged ≥80 (the oldest old) in China.Methods:The study subjects were the oldest old from four rounds of Healthy Aging and Biomarkers Cohort Study (2008-2009, 2011-2012, 2014 and 2017-2018). The information about their demographic characteristics, lifestyles, physical examination results and others were collected, and fasting venous blood samples were collected from them for blood lipid testing. Competing risk model was used to analyze the causal associations of sleep duration and physical exercise with the risk for dyslipidemia. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) function was used to explore the dose-response relationship between sleep duration and the risk for dyslipidemia. Additive and multiplicative interaction model were used to explore the interaction of sleep duration and physical exercise on the risk for dyslipidemia.Results:The average age of 1 809 subjects was (93.1±7.7) years, 65.1% of them were women. The average sleep duration of the subjects was (8.0±2.5) hours/day, 28.1% of them had sleep duration for less than 7 hours/day, and 27.2% had sleep for duration more than 9 hours/day at baseline survey. During the 9-year cumulative follow-up of 6 150.6 person years (follow-up of average 3.4 years for one person), there were 304 new cases of dyslipidemia, with an incidence density of 4 942.6/100 000 person years. The results of competitive risk model analysis showed that compared with those who slept for 7-9 hours/day, the risk for dyslipidemia in oldest old with sleep duration >9 hours/day increased by 22% ( HR=1.22, 95% CI: 1.07-1.39). Compared with the oldest old having no physical exercise, the risk for dyslipidemia in the oldest old having physical exercise decreased by 33% ( HR=0.67, 95% CI: 0.57-0.78). The RCS function showed a linear positive dose-response relationship between sleep duration and the risk for hyperlipidemia. The interaction analysis showed that physical exercise and sleep duration had an antagonistic effect on the risk for hyperlipidemia. Conclusion:Physical exercise could reduce the adverse effects of prolonged sleep on blood lipids in the oldest old.

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.