Objective To explore the acupoint selection rules of acupuncture treatment for cerebellar ataxia using data mining techniques.Methods Taking the related literature of acupuncture treatment of cerebellar ataxia as the retrieval content,the computer retrieval of China National Knowledge Internet(CNKI),China Biomedical Literature Database(SinoMed),Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform(Wanfang),China Science and Technology Journal Database(VIP),American Biomedical Information Retrieval System(PubMed)and other major databases.The eligible acupoints in the literature were entered into the Microsoft Excel 2021 software table to establish a database of acupoints frequency,meridian tropism,specific acupoints,distribution sites and other information for acupuncture treatment of cerebellar ataxia.SPSS Modeler 18.0 Apriori algorithm,SPSS Statistics 25.0 and SPSS Modeler 18.0 Web complex network were used to analyze the association rules of the included prescription acupoints,Ward cluster analysis and draw the tree diagram and the Web network diagram of high-frequency acupoints and core prescriptions.Results(1)A total of 93 articles were included,including 117 acupuncture prescriptions and 172 acupoints,with a total frequency of 1 199 times of acupoints.(2)The top 10 acupoints were Fengchi(GB20),Zusanli(ST36),Hegu(LI4),Baihui(DU20),Sanyinjiao(SP6),Taichong(LR3),Quchi(LI11),Yanglingquan(GB34),Wangu(GB12),and Tianzhu(BL10).(3)The top five meridians used frequently were gallbladder meridian of foot shaoyang,governor vessel(GV),stomach meridian of foot yangming,large intestine meridian of hand yangming and bladder meridian of foot taiyang.(4)The selection of acupoints is mainly based on the head,face,neck and lower limbs.(5)The highest frequency of the use of specific points is the intersection point.(6)The high-frequency acupoints for acupuncture treatment of cerebellar ataxia are Fengchi-Wangu,Fengchi-Tianzhu and Fengchi-Tianzhu-Wangu.The top 31 high-frequency acupoints(frequency＞10 times)can be divided into nine effective clusters.Conclusion Acupuncture treatment for cerebellar ataxia has formed a compatibility rule with the main principle of"regulating the mind and constraining the bones,extinguishing wind and stopping the movement",with the far and near acupoints as the main body,and attaches importance to the application of yang meridians with multiple qi and blood,presenting the basic acupoint prescription with Fengchi-Wanggu-Tianzhu as the core.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the efficacy of Getong Tongluo Capsule (, GTC, consisted of total flavone of Radix Puerariae) on improving patients' quality of life and lowering blood pressure are superior to the extract of Ginkgo biloba (EGB) for patients with convalescent-phase ischemic stroke and primary hypertension. METHODS: This randomized, positive-drug- and placebo-controlled, double-blind trial was conducted from September 2015 to October 2017. Totally 477 eligible patients from 18 hospitals in China were randomly assigned in a 2:1:1 ratio to the following interventions, twice a day for 12 weeks: (1) GTC 250 mg plus EGB-matching placebo 40 mg (237 cases, GTC group), (2) EGB 40 mg plus GTC-matching placebo 250 mg (120 cases, EGB group) or (3) GTC-matching placebo 250 mg plus EGB-matching placebo 40 mg (120 cases, placebo group). Moreover, all patients were orally administered aspirin enteric-coated tablets 100 mg, once a day for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was the Barthel Index (BI). The secondary outcomes included the control rate of blood pressure and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores. The incidence and severity of adverse events (AEs) were calculated and assessed. RESULTS: The BI relative independence rates, the clinical recovery rates of NIHSS, and the total effective rates of NIHSS in the GTC and EGB groups were significantly higher than the placebo group at 12 weeks after treatment (P<0.05), and no statistical significance was found between the GTC and EGB groups (P>0.05). The control rate of blood pressure in the GTC group was significantly higher than the EGB and placebo groups at 12, 18 and 24 weeks after treatment (P<0.01). There were no statistically significant differences in the incidences of AEs, adverse drug reactions, or serious AEs among the 3 groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION GTC exhibited significant efficacy in improving patients' quality of life as well as neurological function and controlling hypertension. (Registration No. ChiCTR1800016667).

OBJECTIVETo explore effects of exendin-4 on the metabolism of extracellular matrix (ECM) in human mesangial cells (HMC) cultured in the presence of high glucose and explore the possible mechanism.

METHODSHuman mesangial cells (HMC) were treated with exendin-4 under high glucose conditions. The cell proliferation was observed using CCK8 assay, and the expressions of collagen type I, fibronectin, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFβ1) expression and extracellular signal- regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway activity were assessed using Western blotting.

RESULTSExendin-4 inhibited cell proliferation and the expressions of collagen type I, fibronectin and TGFβ1 and reversed ERK phosphorylation in high glucose-induced HMC.

CONCLUSIONExendin-4 can regulate ECM metabolism in HMC cultured in high glucose by inhibiting TGFβ1/ERK pathway, suggesting the beneficial effects of exendin-4 in preventing and treating diabetic nephropathy.

Cell Proliferation ; Cells, Cultured ; Collagen Type I ; metabolism ; Culture Media ; chemistry ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; Extracellular Matrix ; metabolism ; Fibronectins ; metabolism ; Glucose ; chemistry ; Humans ; MAP Kinase Signaling System ; Mesangial Cells ; drug effects ; Peptides ; pharmacology ; Phosphorylation ; Signal Transduction ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism ; Venoms ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo explore the efficacy and safty of sorafenib in Child-Pugh class B to class C hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODSIn this three-center open-label study from November 2011 to May 2013, we randomly assigned 189 patients with advanced Child-Pugh class B or C HCC patients into two groups, one group with 95 patient to receive sorafenib (400 mg a time, twice a day) and the other group with 94 patients to receive best supportive care. The primary end points were progression-free survival and overall survival.

RESULTSThe median progression-free survival was 2.2 months and 1.9 months in the sorafenib group and best supportive care group respectively (Hazard ratio in the sorafenib group, 0.55; 95% confidence interval, 0.40-0.75; P=0.002). The median overall survival was 4.0 months and 3.5 months in the sorafenib group and best supportive care group respectively (Hazard ratio in the sorafenib group, 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.35-0.68; P<0.001). The main adverse effect of sorafenib was rash and acne of the skin (in 51.7% patients). The incidences of severe rash, diarrhea, and dry skin were 5.6%, 5.6%, and 2.2% in the sorafenib group. One patient reached partial response in the sorafenib group.

CONCLUSIONSSorafenib is safe in patients with liver function impaired advanced HCC. It is effective in terms of progression-free survival and overall survival compared with best supportive care. Liver functions are the important predictive factors.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antineoplastic Agents ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; drug therapy ; mortality ; pathology ; Cross-Over Studies ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Liver Function Tests ; Liver Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; mortality ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Staging ; Niacinamide ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Phenylurea Compounds ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

Objective To explore the efficacy and safty of sorafenib in Child-Pugh class B to class C hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Methods In this three-center open-label study from November 2011 to May 2013, we randomly assigned 189 patients with advanced Child-Pugh class B or C HCC patients into two groups, one group with 95 patient to receive sorafenib (400 mg a time, twice a day) and the other group with 94 patients to receive best supportive care. The primary end points were progression-free survival and overall survival.
Results The median progression-free survival was 2.2 months and 1.9 months in the sorafenib group and best supportive care group respectively (Hazard ratio in the sorafenib group, 0.55; 95% confidence interval, 0.40-0.75;P=0.002). The median overall survival was 4.0 months and 3.5 months in the sorafenib group and best supportive care group respectively (Hazard ratio in the sorafenib group, 0.48;95%confidence interval, 0.35-0.68;P<0.001). The main adverse effect of sorafenib was rash and acne of the skin (in 51.7%patients). The incidences of severe rash, diarrhea, and dry skin were 5.6%, 5.6%, and 2.2%in the sorafenib group. One patient reached partial response in the sorafenib group.
Conclusions Sorafenib is safe in patients with liver function impaired advanced HCC. It is effective in terms of progression-free survival and overall survival compared with best supportive care. Liver functions are the important predictive factors.

BACKGROUNDMicroscope-integrated near-infrared indocyanine green video angiography (ICG-VA) has been used in neurosurgery for a decade. This study aimed to assess the value of intraoperative indocyanine green (ICG) video angiography with Flow 800 software in cerebrovascular surgery and to discover its hemodynamic features and changes of cerebrovascular diseases during surgery.

METHODSA total of 87 patients who received ICG-VA during various surgical procedures were enrolled in this study. Among them, 45 cases were cerebral aneurysms, 25 were cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), and 17 were moyamoya disease (MMD). A surgical microscope integrating an infrared fluorescence module was used to confirm the residual aneurysms and blocking of perforating arteries in aneurysms. Feeder arteries, draining veins, and normal cortical vessels were identified by the time delay color mode of Flow 800 software. Hemodynamic parameters were recorded. All data were analyzed by SPSS version 18.0 (SPSS Inc., USA). T-test was used to analyze the hemodynamic features of AVMs and MMDs, the influence on peripheral cortex after resection in AVMs, and superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass in MMDs.

RESULTSThe visual delay map obtained by Flow 800 software had more advantages than the traditional playback mode in identifying the feeder arteries, draining veins, and their relations to normal cortex vessels. The maximum fluorescence intensity (MFI) and the slope of ICG fluorescence curve of feeder arteries and draining veins were higher than normal peripheral vessels (MFI: 584.24±85.86 vs. 382.94 ± 91.50, slope: 144.95 ± 38.08 vs. 69.20 ± 13.08, P < 0.05). The arteriovenous transit time in AVM was significantly shorter than in normal cortical vessels ((0.60 ± 0.27) vs. (2.08 ± 1.42) seconds, P < 0.05). After resection of AVM, the slope of artery in the cortex increased, which reflected the increased cerebral flow. In patients with MMD, after STA-MCA bypass, cortex perfusion of corresponding branches region increased and local cycle time became shorter.

CONCLUSIONIntraoperative ICG video angiography combined with hemodynamic parameter analysis obtained by Flow 800 software appears to be useful for intraoperative monitoring of regional cerebral blood flow in cerebrovascular disease.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Cerebrovascular Circulation ; physiology ; Cerebrovascular Disorders ; surgery ; Female ; Fluorescein Angiography ; methods ; Humans ; Indocyanine Green ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Software ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDBare stent implantation in the treatment for native and recurrent coarctation of the aorta (CoA) has become established as an alternative to surgery and balloon angioplasty. However, this modality still encounters significant complications during the procedure and/or follow-up. The covered Cheatham-Platinum (CP) stent commonly used to be chosen as a rescue treatment in these patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of covered CP stent as the primary modality in the treatment for native CoA.

METHODSTwenty-five covered CP stents and 2 bare CP stents were implanted in 25 patients with native CoA. All patients after the intervention were invited for follow-up examinations.

RESULTSThe peak systolic gradient across the lesion decreased significantly from a median value of 67.5 mmHg (quartile range, 19.3 mmHg) to 2 mmHg (quartile range, 4.0 mmHg) (P < 0.0001). Stenotic segment diameter increased from a median value of 5.0 mm (quartile range, 1.5 mm) to 17.9 mm (quartile range, 2.5 mm) (P < 0.0001). The median ratio of diameter of the coarctation postprocedure to preprocedure was 4.2 (quartile range, 1.6). All of the CP stents were placed in the suitable position without any acute complications. During a follow-up period of up to 72 months, no complications were encountered. Most of the patients (21/25) were normotensive, apart from four patients requiring antihypertensive medication during the follow-up.

CONCLUSIONThe implantation of covered CP stent as the primary modality is safe and effective in the treatment for native CoA in adolescents and adults.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Angioplasty, Balloon ; Aortic Coarctation ; pathology ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Platinum ; Stents ; adverse effects ; Systole

BACKGROUNDPrevalence of inadequate glycaemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains high. We assessed glycaemic control in the real-life practice among people with T2DM in metropolises in China who were treated with oral antidiabetic drugs (OAD) alone and to determine factors associated with inadequate glycaemic control in this population.

METHODSAn observational, cross-sectional multicentre study was conducted in 16 metropolitan medical centers. People with T2DM who had been followed-up before the index visit which occurred from January to September 2007 were included in the study. All subjects were ≥ 30 years of age at the time of T2DM diagnosis and had received monotherapy or combination therapy of OAD for at least 6 months. Demographic and clinical data were collected from medical records. The main study outcome was the inadequate glucose control rate, which was calculated by the proportion of patients with haemoglobin A(1C) (HbA(1C)) ≥ 6.5% detected on the index visit.

RESULTSIn this cohort of 455 patients with T2DM whose mean age was 60.6 years and mean disease duration was 6.1 years, 45.5% had inadequate glycaemic control. The mean (SD) HbA(1C) was 6.7% (1.3). Multivariate Logistic regression showed that physical inactivity, disease duration > 10 years, body mass index (BMI) ≥ 24 kg/m(2), low homeostasis model assessment of β-cell function (HOMA-β) index, less frequency of medical visit and hypertriglyceridaemia were independent determinants of inadequate glycaemic control. Higher incidence of self-reported hypoglycemia experience (47.1% vs. 34.8%, P = 0.008) and more fear of hypoglycemia quantified by Worry subscale of the Hypoglycaemia Fear Survey (HFS) II were happened in subjects with good glycemic control.

CONCLUSIONApproximately one half of these outpatients with T2DM from the metropolitan medical centers in China had inadequate glycaemic control treated with OAD alone, which raises the need for more effective educational and therapeutic approaches on management of hypertriglycemia, enhancing physical exercise and weight control, and at the same time, lowering the hypoglycemic risk and diminishing the hypoglycemic fear of patients.

Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Blood Glucose ; drug effects ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; blood ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Female ; Glycated Hemoglobin A ; Humans ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo characterize the profile of chromosomal imbalances in esophageal cancer (EC) with or without family history in Linzhou, Henan Province of China.

METHODSComparative genomic hybridization (CGH) was used to examine 13 cases with positive family history of EC and 32 cases with negative family history of EC. RESULTS DNA copy number gains on chromosome 10q was observed only in the cases with postivie family history of EC (30%), and none in cases with a negative family history (P<0.05). DNA copy number losses on chromosome 15q were significantly higher in cases with postivie family history (38% vs 6%, P<0.05). The frequency of DNA copy number gains in 3q, 5p, 7p, 8q and DNA copy number losses in 3p, 19q, 9q were similar in the two groups (both beyond 20%) (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSFrequent DNA copy number gains on chromosome 10q and losses on chromosome 15q in EC casers with postivie family history indicate that these chromosome sites may harbor the genes related to high susceptibility to EC. Such chromosomal sites as 3q, 5p, 7p, 8q, 3p, 19q, and 9q may contain important genes related with the environmental risk factors of esophageal carcinogenesis.

Adult ; Aged ; China ; Chromosome Disorders ; genetics ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 10 ; genetics ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 15 ; genetics ; Comparative Genomic Hybridization ; methods ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; genetics ; Family Health ; Female ; Gene Deletion ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo provide scientific basis for angiostrongyliasis cantonensis control and prevention in Beijing.

METHODSDescriptive epidemiological method was used to analyze angiostrongyliasis cantonensis reported from June to September in 2006.

RESULTS141 cases were treated at the Beijing Friendship Hospital with the peak in July (61 cases) and August (68 cases). All patients had dined at the same restaurant in Beijing city and they ate undercooked Pomacea canaliculata or related eatables. The source of Pomacea canaliculata was from Guilin in Guangxi. Major manifestations would include fever (56.79%), headache (93.83%), neck stiffness (100%), and skin paresthesia (77.78%). Some cases had significant eosinophil increase in peripheral blood picture and cerebrospinal fluid respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe source of infection related to angiostrongyliasis cantonensis was clear, suggesting that the improvement of restaurant sanitation and on awareness of personal hygiene were important preventive and control measures on angiostrongyliasis cantonensis.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Angiostrongylus cantonensis ; pathogenicity ; Animals ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Strongylida Infections ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; parasitology ; Young Adult