OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture (acupuncture for soothing the liver and regulating the mentality) combined with western medication on depression and sleep quality in the patients with depression-insomnia comorbidity due to COVID-19 quarantine, and investigate the potential mechanism from the perspective of cortical excitability. METHODS: Sixty patients with depression-insomnia comorbidity due to COVID-19 quarantine were randomly divided into an acupuncture group and a sham-acupuncture group, 30 cases in each one. The patients of both groups were treated with oral administration of sertraline hydrochloride tablets. In the acupuncture group, Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture was supplemented. Body acupuncture was applied to Yintang (GV 24⁺), Baihui (GV 20), Hegu (LI 4), Zhaohai (KI 6), Qihai (CV 6), etc. The intradermal needling was used at Xin (CO₁₅), Gan (CO₁₂) and Shen (CO₁₀). In the sham-acupuncture group, the sham-acupuncture was given at the same points as the acupuncture group. The compensatory treatment was provided at the end of follow-up for the patients in the sham-acupuncture group. In both groups, the treatment was given once every two days, 3 times a week, for consecutive 8 weeks. The self-rating depression scale (SDS) and insomnia severity index (ISI) scores were compared between the two groups before and after treatment and 1 month after the end of treatment (follow-up) separately. The cortical excitability indexes (resting motor threshold [rMT], motor evoked potential amplitude [MEP-A], cortical resting period [CSP]) and the level of serum 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) were measured before and after treatment in the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment and in follow-up, SDS and ISI scores were decreased in both groups compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), and the scores in the acupuncture group were lower than those in the sham-acupuncture group (P<0.05), and the decrease range in the acupuncture group after treatment was larger than that in the sham-acupuncture group (P<0.05). After treatment, rMT was reduced (P<0.05), while MEP-A and CSP were increased (P<0.05) in the acupuncture group compared with that before treatment. The levels of serum 5-HT in both groups were increased compared with those before treatment (P<0.05). The rMT in the acupuncture group was lower than that in the sham-acupuncture group, while MEP-A and CSP, as well as the level of serum 5-HT were higher in the acupuncture group in comparison with the sham-acupuncture group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Shugan Tiaoshen acupuncture combined with western medication can relieve depression and improve sleep quality in the patients with depression-insomnia comorbidity due to COVID-19 quarantine, which is probably related to rectifying the imbalanced excitatory and inhibitory neuronal functions.
Humans ; Depression ; Quarantine ; Serotonin ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; COVID-19 ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Comorbidity

Objective:To investigate the correlation of monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR) with the prognosis and adverse event in critically ill patients.Methods:Basic information of patients were extracted from Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-Ⅲ (MIMIC-Ⅲ), including demographics, blood routine, biochemical indexes, systemic inflammatory response syndrome score (SIRS), sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, and outcome, etc. MLR on the first day of intensive care unit (ICU) admission was calculated. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) was applied to evaluate the prognostic value of MLR on the 30-day mortality and its cut-off value. According to the cut-off value, the patients were divided into two groups, and the differences between the groups were compared. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship of MLR with 30-day mortality, continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), mechanical ventilation, the length of ICU stay, and total hospitalization time.Results:① A total of 43 174 critically ill patients were included. ROC curve showed that area under ROC curve (AUC) of MLR in predicting 30-day mortality was 0.655 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 0.632-0.687]. The cut-off value of MLR calculated according to the maximum Yoden index was 0.5. There were 16 948 patients with MLR ≥ 0.5 (high MLR group) and 26 226 patients with MLR < 0.5 (low MLR group). ② Compared with the low MLR group, the high MLR group had higher age, proportion of male, body mass index (BMI) [age (years old): 66.0 (51.7, 78.4) vs. 57.6 (27.1, 74.6), proportion of male: 57.2% vs. 52.5%, BMI (kg/m 2): 26.5 (22.5, 31.1) vs. 24.7 (14.3, 29.7)]. The high MLR group also had higher incidence of complications (hypertension: 49.2% vs. 44.6%, chronic heart failure: 32.6% vs. 21.7%, diabetes mellitus: 27.0% vs. 23.4%, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: 21.5% vs. 16.1%, renal insufficiency: 19.3% vs. 13.1%), and higher white blood cell count (WBC), blood glucose, lactate (Lac), serum creatinine (SCr), SIRS score and SOFA score [WBC (×10 9/L): 13.8 (9.6, 19.2) vs. 11.5 (8.4, 15.6), blood glucose (mmol/L): 8.66 (6.88, 11.49) vs. 8.27 (6.55, 10.88), Lac (mmol/L): 2.2 (1.5, 3.7) vs. 2.1 (1.4, 3.3), SCr (μmol/L): 106.1 (70.7, 176.8) vs. 88.4 (70.7, 132.6), SIRS score: 3 (2, 4) vs. 2 (2, 3), SOFA score: 4 (2, 7) vs. 3 (1, 5)]. The 30-day mortality, and the proportion of patients with length of ICU stay > 5 days, total hospitalization time > 14 days, CRRT and mechanical ventilation > 5 days were significantly higher in high MLR group (30-day mortality: 20.0% vs. 8.3%, length of ICU stay > 5 days: 33.2% vs. 20.4%, total hospitalization time > 14 days: 33.7% vs. 16.2%, CRRT: 3.6% vs. 0.7%, mechanical ventilation > 5 days: 18.4% vs. 5.7%), with statistically significant differences (all P < 0.05). ③ After adjusted with the related factors, multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that elevated MLR was an independent risk factor for increased 30-day mortality [odd ratio ( OR) = 1.54, 95% CI was 1.37-1.72, P < 0.001]. Moreover, the increased MLR was independently associated with the increased risk of usage of CRRT ( OR = 2.77, 95% CI was 2.18-3.51), mechanical ventilation > 5 days ( OR = 2.45, 95% CI was 2.21-2.72), the length of ICU stay > 5 days ( OR = 2.29, 95% CI was 2.10-2.49), and total hospitalization time > 14 days ( OR = 2.28, 95% CI was 2.08-2.49), all P < 0.001. Conclusions:Retrospective analysis of large sample shows that MLR elevation is an independent risk factor for 30-day mortality, usage of CRRT, prolonged mechanical ventilation time, prolonged hospitalization, prolonged length of ICU stay. MLR can be used for risk stratification of severe patients.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of antepartum haemorrhage on pregnancy outcomes in placenta previa cases.METHODS: A total of 404 cases of placenta previa in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from Oc-tober 2012 to December 2017 were compared. The high-risk factors of prenatal hemorrhage were analyzed,and pregnan-cy outcomes were compared between no-bleeding group(n=254)and repeated-bleeding group(n=150).RESULTS: Uni-variate Logistic regression analysis suggested:when the number of gravidity and uterine cavity operation reached 3 times,prenatal bleeding risk was higher than those less than 3 times(OR=1.937,95%CI 1.054-3.562;OR=2.174,95%CI1.050-4.504),respectively.The risk of prenatal hemorrhage was the highest at 28-<32 weeks of gestation,and the riskof of prenatal bleeding decreased with the increase of gestational weeks.The risk of prenatal hemorrhage in patients withplacenta previa was higher than that in patients with posterior wall placenta(OR=3.978,95%CI 2.220-7.195).The riskof prenatal hemorrhage in women with central placenta previa was higher than that in women with marginal or partial pla-centa(OR=3.346,95%CI 2.050-5.460).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis suggested:the risk of recurrent prenatalbleeding in central placenta previa was higher than that in marginal and partial ones(OR=3.344,95%CI 1.955-5.722).The risk of prenatal bleeding in placenta previa was higher than that in posterior wall placenta(OR=3.954,95%CI 2.196-7.387).The risk of prenatal bleeding was significantly re-duced at ≥36 weeks of gestation,and the risk was signifi-cantly lower than that at other gestational weeks(OR=0.086,95% CI 0.030-0.240).The emergency operationrisk of pregnant women with repeated prenatal hemor-rhage was higher than that of those without prenatal hemorrhage(OR=252,95%CI 60.173-1055.359),and the risk of using blood products was higher than no-bleeding group(OR=2.103,95%CI 1.394-3.171).Compared with women in no-bleeding group,the risk of low birth weight,and mildand severe asphyxia of the newborn increased(OR=7.982,95%CI 2.410-26.426),(OR=2.987,95%CI 1.529-5.837)and(OR=13.941,95%CI 1.690-114.626),respectively,and the risk of admission and treatment in neonatal intensive careunit(NICU)was increased in repeated-bleeding group(OR=3.379,95%CI 2.102-5.430).CONCLUSION: The risk factorsof prenatal haemorrhage of placenta previa are gravidity,uterine cavity operation,gestational weeks at termination ofpregnancy,and placental type and position;central placenta and anterior placenta are independent risk factors for in-creasing prenatal bleeding;repeated prenatal bleeding increases the risk of using blood products,low birth weight of thenewborn,neonatal asphyxia and neonatal NICU admission.

Objective: To explore the clinical efficacy and safety of modified Huqianwan in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome, and investigate its possible mechanism. Method: A total of 184 patients with RA liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome were randomly divided into Chinese medicine group (62 cases), western medicine group (57 cases) and integrated Chinese and western medicine group (65 cases) according to the digital table method. The patients in Chinese medicine group were treated with Huqianwan; the patients in western medicine group were treated with methotrexate tablets and leflunomide tablets; and the patients in integrated Chinese and western medicine group received Huqianwan+methotrexate tablets and leflunomide tablets,with a treatment course of 12 weeks in all groups. The pain visual analog scale (VAS), swelling and tenderness scores of 28 joints (DAS28), average hands grip strength, morning stiffness time and liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome differentiation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome score were compared between groups before and after treatment. The changes of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive protein (CRP), immunoglobulin (Ig) G, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and rheumatoid factor (RF) were detected in all groups after treatment. Clinical efficacy, and incidence of adverse reactions such as gastrointestinal response, liver injury, leukopenia, serum glutamate oxaloacetic aminotransferase (GOT) and platelet (PLT) level changes were compared between the groups, so as to investigate the efficiency and safety of the different medicines. Result: After 12 weeks of treatment, the total clinical effective rate was 79.0%, 80.7%, and 92.3% respectively in Chinese medicine group, western medicine group, and integrated Chinese and western medicine group; the integrated Chinese and western medicine group was significantly better than the Chinese medicine group and western medicine group (P<0.01), but there was no difference between the Chinese medicine group and western medicine group. Every treatment group can effectively improve liver and kidney Yin deficiency syndrome in RA patients (P<0.05), and the effect in integrated Chinese and western medicine group was superior to that in Chinese medicine group (P<0.05); the effect in Chinese medicine group was superior to that in western medicine group (P<0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions was Chinese medicine group (1.61%, 1/62)Conclusion: The efficacy in treating RA liver and kidney Yin deficiency syndrome shows no significant difference between modified Huqianwan and methotrexate tablets+leflunomide tablets. In the treatment of RA liver and kidney Yin deficiency syndrome, Huqianwan has fewer adverse reactions. Huqianwan combined with methotrexate tablets+leflunomide tablets is superior to that in methotrexate tablets+leflunomide tablets in treatment of RA liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome.

Small intestinal hemangioma is a rare condition that can be divided histologically into capillary, cavernous or mixed types, among which the cavernous type is the most common. Here we report a case of small intestinal cavernous hemangioma with chronic hemorrhage in 44-year-old man. The patient complained of weakness and dizziness for 2 years that aggravated 1 month before admission accompanied by intermittent melena. Laboratory tests suggest severe anemia, and computed tomography, gastroscopy and colonoscopy all revealed signs of anemia. Capsule endoscopy detected small intestinal erosions, bleeding lesions and prominent neoplasms. An exploratory laparotomy was performed, in which the segment of the jejunum with lesions was resected. Pathological examination of the resected jejunum identified the neoplasm as cavernous hemangioma of the small intestine, which was the cause of severe anemia.

OBJECTIVETo detect the plasma levels of mannan?binding lectin (MBL) and MBL?associated serine protease?2 (MASP-2) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and explore their role in the tumorigenesis and progression of HCC.

METHODSThe plasma levels of MBL and MASP?2 were detected by enzyme?linked immunosorbent assay in 64 HCC patients and 30 healthy control subjects. The correlation of MBL and MASP?2 with the clinical parameters of HCC patients were analyzed.

RESULTSThe plasma levels of MBL (P=0.014) and MASP?2 (P=0.002) were significantly higher in HCC patients than in the healthy controls, but the MBL?to?MASP?2 ratio did not differ significantly between the two groups. In HCC patients, plasma MBL level was positively correlated with vascular invasion (r=0.253, P=0.047) and total bilirubin level (r=0.283, P=0.024). The plasma level of MASP?2 was positively correlated with TNM stage (r=0.276, P=0.027) and negatively correlated with plasma albumin level (r=0.?0.317, P=0.015). ROC curve analysis revealed an area under curve of 0.665 for MBL (P=0.010) and 0.694 for MASP?2 (P=0.003). The sensitivities of MBL and MASP?2 were 50% and 89.1% in the diagnosis of HCC, respectively.

CONCLUSIONMBL and MASP?2 are associated with the inflammatory state and disease progression in patients with HCC.

Objective To explore the relationship between the rs18004197 polymorphism in the 3'-untranslated region of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene and colorectal cancer susceptibility.Methods Firstly,we collected the peripheral venous blood of 573 colorectal cancer cases and 588 controls,and then extracted DNA from blood samples,genotyped rs1804197 polymorphism using real-time PCR and assessed its association with the susceptibility of colorectal cancer.Results There were 387 CC (67.5％),153 AC (26.7％) and 33 AA (5.8％) genotypes in the colorectal cancer cases.In the control group,there were 427 CC (72.6％),144 AC (24.5％) and 17 AA (2.9％) genotypes.The AA genotype odds ratio (OR =2.14,95％ CI:1.17-3.91,P =0.011) and the A allele frequency (P =0.011) were significant difference in case and control groups.Further subgroup analysis showed that the differences of the frequency distribution in the male (P =0.048) and non-drinking (P =0.020) groups were statistically significant.In the male group,the risk of colorectal cancer was increased by 0.41 (OR =1.41,95％ CI:1.01-1.98) for individuals bearing the A allele.In the non-drinking group,the risk of colorectal cancer was increased by 0.22 (OR =1.22,95％ CI:0.91-1.64) for individuals bearing the A allele,but the result was not statistically significant.Conclusion The rs18004197 polymorphism in the 3'-untranslated region of APC gene is related to the susceptibility of colorectal cancer.The AA genotype may increase the susceptibility of colorectal cancer.

Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of the Weitan Waifu patch on the postsurgical gastroparesis syndrome (PGS) of gastrointestinal cancer. Methods: The multi-center, double-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted with superiority design. Patients with PGS of gastrointestinal cancer diagnosed in 4 AAA hospitals and the abdominal symptom manifested as cold syndrome by Chinese local syndrome differentiation were recruited. These patients were randomly divided into two groups according to 1∶1 proportion. Placebo or Weitan Waifu patch was applied in control group or intervention group, respectively, based on the basic treatments, including nutrition support, gastrointestinal decompression, promoting gastric dynamics medicine.Two acupuncture points (Zhongwan and Shenque) were stuck with placebo in control group or patch in treatment group. The intervention course was 14 days or reached the effective standard. Results: From July 15, 2013 to Jun 3, 2015, 128 participants were recruited and 120 eligible cases were included in the full analysis set (FAS), and 60 cases in each group. 88 cases were included in the per-protocol set (PPS), including 45 cases in the treatment group and 43 cases in the control group. In the FAS, the clinical effective rate in the treatment group was 68.3%, significantly superior than 41.7% of the control group (P=0.003). The medium time of effective therapy in the treatment group was 8 days, significantly shorter than 10 days in the control group (P=0.017). In the FAS, 3 adverse events occurred in the treatment group, including mild to moderate decrustation, pruritus and nausea. The incidence rate of adverse events was 5.0% (3/60) and these symptoms were spontaneously remitted after drug withdrawal. No severe adverse events were observed in the control group. There was no significant difference between these two groups (P=0.244). Conclusion: Weitan Waifu patch is a safely and effectively therapeutic method for patients with PGS (cold syndrome) of gastroenterological cancer. Trial registration International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number Register, ISRCTN18291857

Objective:To investigate the technique and efficacy of PTES for treatment of L5/S1 disc herniation.Methods:PTES was performed on 52 cases of L5/S1 herniations without spinal instability and central spinal canal stenosis,including 24 cases of high iliac crest,from November 2012 to April 2013.The operation duration,frequency of intraoperative fluoroscopy,blood loss and hospitalization days were recorded.Leg pain was evaluated by using the visual analog scale(VAS)Preoperatively and immediately,1 week,1 month,2 months,3 months,6 months,1 year and 2 years after surgery.The results were determined to be excellent,good,fair,or poor according to the Macnab classification,and complications were observed at 2-year follow-up.Objective:The mean operation duration was(56.3 ±11.5)min per segment.The median frequency of intraoperatively fluoroscopy was 5(3-14)times.The median blood loss was 5(2-20)mL.The median hospital stay was 3(2-4)days.The average postoperative follow-up was(26.2±2.0)months.The median preoperative VAS score of leg pain was 9(6-10),1(0-3)immediately after the operation and 0(0-3)2 years after operation,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.001).There were 3 cases of lower limb rebound pain 1 week after operation,which were relieved within 2 months after operation.The rate of excellent and good curative effect was 98.1％(51/52)2 years after operation.No complications such as nerve injury,infection,abdominal organ damage and rupture of large vessels occurred.No recurrence occurred.Conclusions:PTES for L5/S1 disc herniation including the cases with high iliac crest is an easy,effective and safe technique.The method has the advantages of simple positioning,easy puncture,simple steps and less fluoroscopy,and the learning curve is not steep for surgeons.