Meta-analysis comparing long-term outcomes of intersphincteric resection versus abdominoperineal resection for low rectal cancer / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective: To compare the long-term outcomes of intersphincteric (trans-internal and external) sphincter resection (ISR) and abdominoperineal proctocolectomy (APR) for low-grade rectal cancer. Methods: We used a meta-analytic approach to compare these procedures . Published reports comparing ISR and APR for low rectal cancer in Pubmed, Medline, EMBASE and Cochrane, China Knowledge Network (CNKI), China Biomedical Literature Database, and Vipers databases between January 2005 and January 2023 were searched and those meeting the eligibility criteria were selected for extraction of data for analysis. Inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) all reports comparing ISR and APR for low rectal cancer before January 2023; and (2) prospective randomized controlled studies or well-designed cohort studies. Exclusion criteria were as follows: (1) full text not available; (2) duplicate publications, missing primary outcome indicators, and unknown data; and (3) invalid statistical analysis. Results: Sixteen studies with 2498 patients were included in this study. Compared with the APR group, patients in the ISR group were relatively younger (weighted mean difference [WMD]=-1.82, 95%CI=-2.94 to -0.70, P=0.01), had tumors farther from the anal verge (WMD=0.43, 95%CI=0.18 to 0.67, P<0.01), and lower pathological T-stage (T3-4 stage: OR=0.54, 95%CI=0.36 to 0.81, P<0.01). In contrast, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in gender (P=0.78), body mass index (P=0.77), or pathological N stage (P=0.09). Compared with the APR group, patients in the ISR group had a lower rate of postoperative complications (OR=0.77, 95%CI=0.60 to 0.99, P=0.04), shorter hospital stay (WMD=-4.30, 95%CI=-7.07 to -1.53, P<0.01), higher 5-year overall survival (HR=0.54, 95%CI=0.33 to 0.88, P=0.01), and higher 5-year disease-free survival (HR=0.65, 95%CI=0.47 to 0.90, P<0.01). Five-year locoregional failure (HR=0.66, 95%CI=0.40 to 1.10, P=0.11) and time to surgery (WMD=-9.71, 95%CI=-41.89 to 22.47, P=0.55) did not differ significantly between the two groups. Conclusion: ISR is a safe and effective alternative to APR for early-stage low-grade rectal cancer.

The value of transanal multipoint full-layer puncture biopsy in determining the response degree of rectal cancer following neoadjuvant therapy: a prospective multicenter study / 中华外科杂志

Objective: To verify the feasibility and accuracy of the transanal multipoint full-layer puncture biopsy (TMFP) technique in determining the residual status of cancer foci after neoadjuvant therapy (nCRT) in rectal cancer. Methods: Between April 2020 and November 2022, a total of 78 patients from the Beijing Chaoyang Hospital of Capital Medical University, the Beijing Friendship Hospital of Capital Medical University, the Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University with advanced rectal cancer received TMFP after nCRT participated in this prospective multicenter trial. There were 53 males and 25 females, aged (M(IQR)) 61 (13) years (range: 35 to 77 years). The tumor distance from the anal verge was 5 (3) cm (range: 2 to 10 cm). The waiting time between nCRT and TMFP was 73 (26) days (range: 33 to 330 days). 13-point transanal puncture was performed with a 16 G tissue biopsy needle with the residual lesion as the center. The specimens were submitted for independent examination and the complications of the puncture were recorded. The consistency of TMFP and radical operation specimen was compared. The consistency of TMPF with clinical remission rates for the diagnosis of complete pathological remission was compared by sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, positive predictive value and accuracy. Statistical analysis between groups was performed using the χ2 analysis, and a paired χ2 test was used to compare diagnostic validity. Results: Before TMFP, clinical complete response (cCR) was evaluated in 27 cases. Thirty-six cases received in vivo puncture, the number of punctures in each patient was 13 (8) (range: 4 to 20), 24 cases of tumor residue were found in the puncture specimens. The sensitivity to judgment (100% vs. 60%, χ2=17.500, P<0.01) and accuracy (88.5% vs. 74.4%, χ2=5.125, P=0.024) of TMFP for the pathologic complete response (pCR) were significantly higher than those of cCR. Implement TMFP based on cCR judgment, the accuracy increased from 74.4% to 92.6% (χ2=4.026, P=0.045). The accuracy of the in vivo puncture was 94.4%, which was 83.3% of the in vitro puncture (χ2=1.382, P=0.240). Overall, the accuracy of TMFP improved gradually with an increasing number of cases (χ2=7.112, P=0.029). Conclusion: TMFP is safe and feasible, which improves the sensitivity and accuracy of rectal cancer pCR determination after nCRT, provides a pathological basis for cCR determination, and contributes to the safe development of the watch and wait policy.

Evaluation strategy of complete response after neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer / 中华外科杂志

Currently, the standard of clinical complete response (cCR) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) for local advanced rectal cancer generally lacks pathological examination, the cCR judged by the current standard is still far from the real pathological complete response. After nCRT, due to the presence of tissue edema and fibrosis, MRI is highly uncertain in determining the staging of local lesions. The precision of colonoscopy biopsy is generally low because residual cancer foci exist primarily in the muscular layer, which limits the determination of cCR by colonoscopy biopsy. Local excision through the anus can resect the whole intestinal wall tissue, which is relatively accurate and close to the real state of remission of the lesion, but there are many problems, such as affecting anal function, high rate of complications, and increased difficulty of following radical surgery. Based on the present diagnosis of cCR, the authors put forward the concept of modified cCR (m-cCR) which combined with the pathological standard of transanal multipoint full-layer puncture biopsy (TMFP). It is possible to improve the accuracy of cCR, and improve the safety of cCR patients who receive wait-and-watch therapy without increasing complications or affecting anal function. The exact conclusion needs to be confirmed by further studies.

Sharing the WHO guideline on control and elimination of human schistosomiasis to achieve the goal of schistosomiasis elimination in China / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Currently, the national schistosomiasis control program of China is moving from transmission interruption to elimination, and there are multiple challenges during the stage moving towards the progression of schistosomiasis elimination, including a high difficulty in shrinking snail-infested areas, unstable achievements for infectious source control, imperfect surveillance system and a reduction in schistosomiasis control and administration. Based on the core suggestions proposed in the 2022 WHO guideline on control and elimination of human schistosomiasis, recommendations on schistosomiasis surveillance system building, development of novel diagnostics, adjustment of the schistosomiasis control strategy and maintaining and improvements of the schistosomiasis control capability are proposed for the national schistosomiasis control program of China in the new era according to the actual status of schistosomiasis control in China. Formulation of the national schistosomiasis control strategy and goal from One Health perspective, verification of transmission interruption and elimination of schistosomiasis, precision implementation of schistosomiasis control interventions with adaptations to local circumstances, development and application of highly sensitive and specific diagnostics are recommended for elimination of schistosomiasis in China. In addition, the implementation of the 2022 WHO guideline on control and elimination of human schistosomiasis may guide the elimination of schistosomiasis in China.

Contribution to global implementation of WHO guideline on control and elimination of human schistosomiasis by learning successful experiences from the national schistosomiasis control program in China / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease that seriously hinders socioeconomic developments and threatens public health security. To achieve the global elimination of schistosomiasis as a public health problem by 2030, WHO released the guideline on control and elimination of human schistosomiasis on February, 2022, with aims to provide evidence-based recommendations for schistosomiasis morbidity control, elimination of schistosomiasis as a public health problem, and ultimate interruption of schistosomiasis transmission in disease-endemic countries. Following concerted efforts for decades, great achievements have been obtained for schistosomiasis control in China where the disease was historically highly prevalent, and the country is moving towards schistosomiasis elimination. This article reviews the successful experiences from the national schistosmiasis control program in China, and summarizes their contributions to the formulation and implementation of the WHO guideline on control and elimination of human schistosomiasis. With the progress of the "Belt and Road" initiative, the world is looking forward to more China's solutions on schistosomiasis control.

Decoding the evolution of preventive chemotherapy schemes for schistosomiasis in China to improve the precise implementation of the WHO guideline on control and elimination of human schistosomiasis / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Preventive chemotherapy is one of the pivotal interventions for the control and elimination of schistosomiasis, which is effective to reduce the morbidity and prevalence of schistosomiasis. In order to promote the United Nations' sustainable development goals and the targets set for schistosomiasis control in the Ending the neglect to attain the Sustainable Development Goals: a road map for neglected tropical diseases 2021-2030, WHO released the guideline on control and elimination of human schistosomiasis in 2022, with major evidence-based updates of the current preventive chemotherapy strategy for schistosomiasis. In China where great success has been achieved in schistosomiasis control, the preventive chemotherapy strategy for schistosomiasis has been updated several times during the past seven decades. This article reviews the evolution of the WHO guidelines on preventive chemotherapy and Chinese national preventive chemotherapy schemes, compares the current Chinese national preventive chemotherapy scheme and the recommendations for preventive chemotherapy proposed in the 2022 WHO guideline on control and elimination of human schistosomiasis, and proposes recommendations for preventive chemotherapy during the future implementation of the 2022 WHO guideline, so as to provide insights into schistosomiasis control among public health professionals engaging in healthcare foreign aid.

Analysis of the new WHO guideline to accelerate the progress towards elimination of schistosomiasis in China / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

On February 2022, WHO released the evidence-based guideline on control and elimination of human schistosomiasis, with aims to guide the elimination of schistosomiasis as a public health problem in disease-endemic countries by 2030 and promote the interruption of schistosomiasis transmission across the world. Based on the One Health concept, six evidence-based recommendations were proposed in this guideline. This article aims to analyze the feasibility of key aspects of this guideline in Chinese national schistosomiasis control program and illustrate the significance to guide the future actions for Chinese national schistosomiasis control program. Currently, the One Health concept has been embodied in the Chinese national schistosomiasis control program. Based on this new WHO guideline, the following recommendations are proposed for the national schistosomiasis control program of China: (1) improving the systematic framework building, facilitating the agreement of the cross-sectoral consensus, and building a high-level leadership group; (2) optimizing the current human and livestock treatments in the national schistosomiasis control program of China; (3) developing highly sensitive and specific diagnostics and the framework for verifying elimination of schistosomiasis; (4) accelerating the progress towards elimination of schistosomiasis and other parasitic diseases through integrating the national control programs for other parasitic diseases.

Action Mechanism of Chinese Medicine Polysaccharides in Prevention and Treatment Diabetes and Its Complications：A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Diabetes is a metabolic disease mainly characterized by hyperglycemia due to inadequate insulin secretion. And persistent hyperglycemia can cause chronic damage or dysfunction of eyes， kidneys， heart， blood vessels and nerves. Polysaccharides are high molecular carbohydrates polymerized by glycosidic bonds from more than 10 monosaccharide molecules of the same or different types. They have the advantages of wide sources， high safety and low toxic and so on. As one of the important effective components of traditional Chinese medicine， polysaccharides have biological activities such as immune regulation， anti-oxidation， anti-tumor， lowering blood sugar and so on. The structure is directly related to biological activities， and the advanced structure of polysaccharides is based on the primary structure. Exploring the primary structure of polysaccharides is the key task of lowering blood sugar and improving diabetic complications. This paper summarizes the monosaccharide composition of the primary structure of Chinese medicine polysaccharides， and the mechanism of Chinese medicine polysaccharides improving diabetes is emphasized by increasing the secretion and release of insulin， increasing the islet β cell number， upregulating insulin receptor level， improving glucose and lipid metabolism， inhibiting inflammatory response， improving oxidative stress and regulating phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase（PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）， mitogen activated protein kinase， cyclic adenosine monophosphate（cAMP）/protein kinase A（PKA） and adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase（AMPK） signaling pathways. At the same time， we also summarized the prevention and treatment of Chinese medicine polysaccharides in diabetic nephropathy， diabetic cardiomyopathy， diabetic ophthalmopathy and diabetic peripheral neuropathy， in order to provide a theoretical basis for new drug development and clinical application of Chinese medicine polysaccharides in the intervention of diabetes and its complications.

Medication Rules of Clinical Prescriptions Containing Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus Based on Data Mining / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo reveal the medication rules of the clinical prescriptions containing Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus， and to provide a basis for the modern clinical application of Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus， the development of health products and the research and development of new drugs. MethodThe clinical prescriptions containing Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus were retrieved from CNKI， Wanfang Data， and VIP， and then a basic database of prescriptions was established via the traditional Chinese medicine inheritance auxiliary platform （V2.5）， IBM SPSS V20， and Excel （Microsoft Office 2016）. The frequency and association rules of the medicines in prescriptions （compatible medicines） and the corresponding syndromes were then mined. ResultThe prescriptions were screened according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 458 clinical prescriptions containing Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus were collected， involving 388 Chinese medicines， and the total frequency of medicines reached 6 199. The core compatible medicines （frequency > 130） of Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus included Poria （frequency of 222）， Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma （217）， Paeoniae Radix Alba （196）， Bupleuri Radix （159）， and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium （142）. The Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus-compatible medicines with frequency > 49 were selected for further analysis， which included 34 medicines with the cumulative frequency of 3 131 （50.51% of the total frequency）. These medicines mainly have the functions of tonifying Qi， invigorating Qi， tonifying blood， alleviating edema and promoting urination， promoting digestion， and activating blood and relieving pain. They are mainly warm， cold， or mild-natured， taste bitter， sweet， or acrid， and have the tropism in the spleen， liver， stomach， or lung meridians. The association rule analysis demonstrated that 14 medicine combinations were commonly used， and the core combinations were Poria-Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus， Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma-Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus， Paeoniae Radix Alba-Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus， Bupleuri Radix-Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus， Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma-Poria-Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus， and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium-Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus. The clinical prescriptions containing Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus were mainly used to treat 52 diseases corresponding to 11 types of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes. Three representative syndrome types， including spleen and stomach syndromes， Qi-blood-body fluid syndromes， and gynecological syndromes were selected for further association rule analysis. In the treatment of spleen and stomach syndromes， the core compatible drugs were Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma， Poria， Paeoniae Radix Alba， Bupleuri Radix， Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium， and Pinelliae Ehizoma， which， together with Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus， formed 25 commonly used medicine combinations （16 combinations composed of 2 medicines and 9 combinations composed of 3 medicines）. In the treatment of Qi-blood-body fluid syndromes， the core compatible drugs were Poria， Paeoniae Radix Alba， Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma， Astragali Radix， Hordei Fructus Germinatus， and Bupleuri Radix， which， together with Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus， formed 23 common medicine combinations （17 combinations composed of 2 medicines， 5 combinations composed of 3 medicines， and 1 combination composed of 4 medicines）. In the treatment of gynecological syndromes， the core compatible medicines were Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma， Paeoniae Radix Alba， Angelicae Sinensis Radix， Astragali Radix， Cyperi Rhizoma， and Poria， which constituted 25 common medicine combinations （15 combinations composed of 2 medicines and 10 combinations composed of 3 medicines）. ConclusionWe employed the traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） inheritance auxiliary platform to explore the compatibility of Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus-containing clinical prescriptions and the corresponding TCM syndromes， which intuitively showcased the medication rules of Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus. Specifically， Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus was mainly combined with the medicines for tonifying Qi， invigorating Qi， tonifying blood， alleviating edema and promoting urination， promoting digestion， and activating blood and relieving pain to treat different TCM syndromes. While soothing liver， regulating Qi， harmonizing stomach， and relieving pain， the combinations tonify and activate blood， invigorate spleen， and resolve dampness. The findings are of great significance to the rational application of Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus， the development of health food， and the research of new drugs and will bolster the development of Chinese medicine industry.

The current status and future perspectives of bariatric and metabolic surgery in the management of obesity and its co-morbidities / 中华外科杂志

Bariatric-metabolic surgery (BMS) has the potential of decreasing body weight and improving obesity-related metabolic syndrome by restricting food intake and malabsorption. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, adjustable gastric banding, biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch are four major BMS procedures. Sleeve plus surgery, one-anastomosis gastric bypass, intragastric balloon and endoscopic surgery are also arising and gaining popularity due to their specific efficacy. Currently, BMS is now experiencing an era with deeply integrated interdisciplinarity, optimizing and innovating of surgeries and well-illustrated clinical efficacy, as a result, more obese patients would benefit from BMS.

Current management status of hereditary colorectal cancer / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Hereditary colorectal cancer accounts for approximately 5% of all colorectal cancer cases, mainly including familial adenomatous polyposis and Lynch syndrome. Total proctocolectomy plus ileal pouch-anal anastomosis and total colectomy plus ileorectal anastomosis are two major procedures for familial adenomatous polyposis, however, the exact impact of these two procedures on surgical efficacy, oncologic efficacy as well as functional results still remains uncertain. Segmental colectomy and total colectomy are two major procedures for Lynch syndrome, each of them both has advantages and disadvantages, and there still lacks a consensus about the optimal strategy because of the nature of retrospective study with a relatively insufficient evidence support. As a result, we would make a review about the current surgical treatment status and future perspectives of hereditary colorectal cancer.

Research progress of Curcuma kwangsiensis root tubers and analysis of liver protection and anti-tumor mechanisms based on Q-markers / 中国中药杂志

Curcuma kwangsiensis root tuber is a widely used genuine medicinal material in Guangxi, with the main active components of terpenoids and curcumins. It has the effects of promoting blood circulation to relieve pain, moving Qi to relieve depression, clearing heart and cooling blood, promoting gallbladder function and anti-icterus. Modern research has proved its functions in liver protection, anti-tumor, anti-oxidation, blood lipid reduction and immunosuppression. Considering the research progress of C. kwangsiensis root tubers and the core concept of quality marker(Q-marker), we predicted the Q-markers of C. kwangsiensis root tubers from plant phylogeny, chemical component specificity, traditional pharmacodynamic properties, new pharmacodynamic uses, chemical component measurability, processing methods, compatibility, and components migrating to blood. Curcumin, curcumol, curcumadiol, curcumenol, curdione, germacrone, and β-elemene may be the possible Q-markers. Based on the predicted Q-markers, the mechanisms of the liver-protecting and anti-tumor activities of C. kwangsiensis root tubers were analyzed. AKT1, IL6, EGFR, and STAT3 were identified as the key targets, and neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction signaling pathway, nitrogen metabolism pathway, cancer pathway, and hepatitis B pathway were the major involved pathways. This review provides a basis for the quality evaluation and product development of C. kwangsiensis root tubers and gives insights into the research on Chinese medicinal materials.

Traditional medicinal plants for arthropod-borne diseases of five countries in Lancang-Mekong region:a review / 中国中药杂志

Arthropod-borne diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever, have frequently beset five countries(Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand) in the tropical rainy Lancang-Mekong region, which pose a huge threat to social production and daily life. As a resort to such diseases, chemical drugs risk the resistance in plasmodium, non-availability for dengue virus, and pollution to the environment. Traditional medicinal plants have the multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics, which are of great potential in drug development. Exploring potential medicinals for arthropod-borne diseases from traditional medicinal plants has become a hot spot. This study summarized the epidemiological background of arthropod-borne diseases in the Lancang-Mekong region and screened effective herbs from the 350 medicinal plants recorded in CHINA-ASEAN Traditional Medicine. Based on CNKI, VIP, and PubMed, the plants for malaria and dengue fever and those for killing and repelling mosquitoes were respectively sorted out. Their pharmacological effects and mechanisms were reviewed and the material basis was analyzed. The result is expected to serve as a reference for efficient utilization of medicinal resources, development of effective and safe drugs for malaria and dengue fever, and the further cooperation between China and the other five countries in the Lancang-Mekong region.

Analysis on oral medication rules of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions for prevention of COVID-19 / 中草药·英文版

Objective: To analyze the medication rules of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preventive oral prescriptions for COVID-19. Methods: The preventive oral prescriptions for COVID-19 published by national and provincial health and wellness committees, administrations of TCM, medical institutions at all levels, medical masters and Chinese medicine experts were collected to establish a database, manual screening was carried out according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and frequency statistics, association rule analysis. The mutual information method, entropy hierarchical clustering and other methods were improved through Excel and the TCM inheritance auxiliary platform V2.5 to mine the rules and characteristics of medication. Results: The selected 157 prescriptions contained a total of 130 TCMs. The top five TCMs with the highest use frequency were Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (86), Astragali Radix (80), Lonicerea Japonicae Flos (70), Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma (62), Saposhnikoviae Radix (60). In accordance with TCM efficacy classification, most of them were medicines for qi-tonifying (279), followed by medicines for clearing heat and drying dampness (163), dispelling pathogenic wind-cold (126), resolving dampness (111), as well as dispelling pathogenic wind-heat (99). The characteristics of four-natures of the selected medicines are as follows: most of them were cold (59), followed by warm (38) and mild (21). In terms of five-taste, most of them were sweet (26) and acrid-and-bitter (24), followed by sweet-and-bitter (20), bitter (20) and acrid (15). For the meridian attribution, the five-zang organs and six-fu organs were all involved, most of them attributed to lung meridian (80), followed by stomach meridian (57) and spleen meridian (40). Based on association rule analysis, 12 commonly used medicine combinations with two or three TCMs were found. The commonly used medicinal pairs included Astragali Radix and Saposhnikoviae Radix (51), Astragali Radix and Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma (46), Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma and Saposhnikoviae Radix (43), Astragali Radix and Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma and Saposhnikoviae Radix (38), Forsythiae Fructus and Astragali Radix (37), and so on. In addition, 14 core combinations of medicines were obtained by complex system entropy cluster analysis, on this basis, six new prescriptions were screened out based on unsupervised entropy hierarchical clustering analysis. According to The Catalogue of Edible Traditional Chinese Medicinal Materials, Traditional Chinese Medicinal Materials for Health Food, and New Resources of Food published by National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, there are 35 species belonging to the group of edible traditional Chinese medicinal materials, 20 species belonging to the group of new resources of food, 31 species belonging to the group of traditional Chinese medicinal materials for health food, 19.11% of the preventive oral prescriptions for COVID-19 were composed of the medicines belonging to the above three groups. Besides, there are 11 toxic species, and 24.84% of the preventive oral prescriptions for COVID-19 contained toxic TCMs. Conclusion: We found that invigorating qi and resolving dampness were the main treatment used to prevent for COVID-19, combined with the methods for strengthening vital energy and eliminating pathogenic factors. Most of the preventive oral prescriptions for COVID-19 were treated in lung, spleen and stomach meridians. In the process of selecting prescriptions and using TCMs to prevent for COVID-19, the safety of preventive medicines was also emphasized. And the theory of “Preventive Treatment of Disease” was embodied in these preventive oral prescriptions for COVID-19. For the prescriptions containing toxic TCMs, special attention should be paid to their safety in clinical application.

Analysis on application law of dampness-removing traditional Chinese medicines in treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 / 中草药·英文版

Objective: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been diagnosed as an epidemic disease characterized by cold and dampness pathogens in TCM clinic. Due to many Chinese medicines with different functions were used in the treatment of COVID-19, it is very important to find the law of application of damp-removing traditional Chinese medicine with high frequency application, with view to providing a reference for the use and research of Chinese medicine to further control the pandemic. Methods: The publicly released diagnosis and treatment programs issued by the National Health Commission and Health Commission of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, and Chinese herbs prescription information in these were collected, a database was established, and Excel and Graphpad 8.0 software were used to analyze the frequency of use of various Chinese medicines, the frequency and property characters including five flavors (bitter, pungent, sweet, sour, and salty) and four natures (warm, hot, cool, and cold) and channel tropisms of Chinese medicine for removing dampness. Results: A total of 137 prescriptions of Chinese medicine for treating COVID-19 were collected, including 178 TCMs showing functions of resolving phlegm, relieving cough and asthma, resolving dampness, clearing damp and inducing dieresis, clearing heat, tonifying deficiency, and relieving exterior syndrome, in which the TCMs with the first four functions that we called the dampness-removing TCMs, accounted for 35.78%. Also a number of TCMs in the rest functions showed removing-dampness. The first four functions were divided into subfunctions including aromatic resolving dampness, clearing heat and drying dampness, drying dampness and tonifying spleen qi, drying dampness and removing phlegm, inducing diuresis and relieving swelling, inducing diuresis and relieving exterior syndrome. Among them, the most frequently used TCMs was Ephedrae Herba, followed by Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, Pogostemonis Herba, Pinelliae Rhizoma, Poria, Scutellariae Radix, and Atractylodis Rhizoma. The property character analysis in the dampness-removing TCMs showed that bitter and pungent were largely present and sour and astringent were absent, warm and hot were dominant; And the lung, spleen, stomach, large intestine, bladder were main channel tropisms. Conclusion: Dampness-removing TCMs are the first important type of traditional Chinese medicine to be considered in the treatment of COVID-19 in Chinese medicine. The application of dampness-removing TCMs in the treatment of COVID-19 needs to be combined with its application law. This study may provide meaningful and useful information on further research to investigate the effective compounds from the dampness-removing Chinese medicine with high frequency application, and also provide a reference for the clinical treatment of COVID-19 accurately against dampness evil with dampness-removing traditional Chinese medicines.

Chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of durian shells in ASEAN countries: A review / 中草药·英文版

Durio zibethnus is mainly distributed in Southeast Asia. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that durian shells have the effects of clearing heat and purging fire, nourishing yin and moisturizing dryness. Therefore, it is often used as a pharmaceutic food in the Chinese folk to assist treating diseases. At present, the chemical constituents isolated from durian shell include phenolic acids, phenolic glycosides, flavonoids, coumarins, triterpenes, simple glycosides and other compounds. Modern pharmacological studies show that durian shell has many pharmacological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism. The chemical composition and pharmacological effects of durian shells are summarized in order to provide references for the further research and application of durian shell.

Biological mesh versus primary closure for pelvic floor reconstruction following extralevator abdominoperineal excision: a meta-analysis / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective: To compare the morbidity of perineum-related complication between biological mesh and primary closure in closing pelvic floor defects following extralevator abdominoperineal excision (ELAPE). Methods: A literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Wanfang database, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP database, and China Biological Medicine database for published clinical researches on perineum-related complications following ELAPE between January 2007 and August 2020. Literature inclusion criteria: (1) study subjects: patients undergoing ELAPE with rectal cancers confirmed by colonoscopy pathological biopsy or surgical pathology; (2) study types: randomized controlled studies or observational studies comparing the postoperative perineum-related complications between the two groups (primary perineal closure and reconstruction with a biological mesh) following ELAPE; (3) intervention measures: biological mesh reconstruction used as the treatment group, and primary closure used as the control group; (4) outcome measures: the included literatures should at least include one of the following postoperative perineal complications: overall perineal wound complications, perineal wound infection, perineal wound dehiscence, perineal hernia, chronic sinus, chronic perineal pain (postoperative 12-month), urinary dysfunction and sexual dysfunction. Literature exclusion criteria: (1) data published repeatedly; (2) study with incomplete or wrong original data and unable to obtain original data. Two reviewers independently performed screening, data extraction and assessment on the quality of included studies. Review Manager 5.3 software was used for meta-analysis. The mobidities of perineum-related complications, including overall perineal wound (infection, dehiscence, hernia, chronic sinus) and perineal chronic pain (postoperative 12-month), were compared between the two pelvic floor reconstruction methods. Finally, publication bias was assessed, and sensitivity analysis was used to evaluate the stability of the results. Results: A total of five studies, including two randomized controlled studies and three observational controlled studies, with 650 patients (399 cases in the biological mesh group and 251 cases in primary closure group) were finally included. Compared with primary closure, biological mesh reconstruction had significantly lower ratio of perineal hernia (RR=0.37, 95%CI: 0.21-0.64, P<0.001). No significant differences in ratios of overall perineal wound complication, perineal wound infection, perineal wound dehiscence, perineal chronic sinus and perineal chronic pain (postoperative 12-month) were found between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion: Compared with primary closure, pelvic floor reconstruction following ELAPE with biological mesh has the advantage of a lower incidence of perineal hernia.

Influencing factors of anastomotic leak after right hemicolon surgery and progress in diagnosis and treatment strategies / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Anastomotic leak is one of the most severe complications following right hemicolectomy but rarely happens, which should be diagnosed based on clinical manifestations, laboratory and radiographic examinations. Influencing factors of anastomotic leak after right hemicolectomy include bowel preparation, emergency surgery, anastomotic procedure (side-to-side anastomosis vs. end-to-side anastomosis, instrument anastomosis vs. manual technigue and intracorporeal vs. extracorporeal anastomosis), surgical resection range and patient's characteristics. The occurrence of anastomotic leak might be avoided by standardized operations and indocyanine green fluorescence imaging. Active treatment is recommended once anastomotic leak is diagnosed. Most patients can be cured by non-surgical treatments such as adequate drainage and anti-infection therapy. When severe sepsis happens or non-surgical treatment fails, surgical treatment should be carried out in time.

A comparative study of the effects of different treatment strategies on postoperative anal function and quality of life in patients with complete obstructive left hemicolon cancer / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective: To compare the effects of 3 treatment strategies (emergent surgery, self-expanding metallic stents, self-expanding metallic stents plus neoadjuvant chemotherapy) on postoperative anal function and quality of life in patients with complete obstructive left hemicolon cancer. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Clinical data of patients with complete obstructive left hemicolon cancer admitted to General Surgery Department of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital between January 2017 and October 2019 were retrospectively collected. Patient inclusion criteria: (1) complete obstructive left hemicolon cancer was confirmed through clinical manifestation and abdominal computed tomography; (2) adenocarcinoma was confirmed by postoperative pathology; (3) emergent radical resection of primary tumor was performed with temporary stoma, or radical resection of primary tumor and primary anastomosis was performed without stoma, 7 to 14 days after completion of insertion of self-expanding metallic stents. Patients who did not receive stoma reversion after emergent operation were excluded. According to different therapies, patients were divided into three groups: emergent surgery (ES) group, self-expanding metallic stents (SEMS) group and self-expanding metallic stents plus neoadjuvant chemotherapy (SEMS+NAC) group. Wexner score for incotinence (higher score indicates the worse anal function), Vaizey score (>10 indicates fecal incontinence) and low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) scale (higher score indicates the worse anal function) were applied to evaluate anal function of patients among groups at postoperative 1-, 6- and 12-month. EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life. Risk factors of decreased anal function were identified by logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 72 patients were enrolled, including 27 (37.5%) patients in ES group, 23 (31.9%) in SEMS group and 22 (30.6%) in SEME+NAC group. The baseline characteristics including age, gender, tumor location, comorbidities, total blood loss, operation time and postoperative complications, were comparable among groups, except that the proportion of laparoscopic surgery was significantly lower in ES group (4/27, 14.9%) than that in SEMS (15/23, 65.2%) and SEMS+NAC group (16/22, 72.7%) with significant difference (P<0.001). The follow-up ended up to October 2020, and the overall follow-up rate was 79.2% (57/72). No significant differences existed in the Wexner score of patients among groups at postoperative 1-, 6- and 12-month (all P>0.05). The Vaizey scores at postoperative 1-month in ES, SEMS and SEMS+NAC group were 7 (0-17), 3 (0-7) and 4 (0-8) respectively with significant difference (H=18.415, P=0.001), and the scores in SEMS and SEMS+NAC groups were significantly lower than that in ES group (both P<0.05), while no significant difference existed between SEMS and SEMS+NAC group (P>0.05). Vaizey scores at postoperative 6- and 12-month among 3 groups were not significantly different (both P>0.05). The LARS scores at postoperative 1-month in ES, SEMS and SEMS+NAC groups were 20 (0-37), 15 (0-24) and 16 (0-28) respectively with significant difference (H=3.660, P=0.036), and the scores in SEMS and SEMS+NAC groups were significantly lower than that in ES group (both P<0.05), while no significant difference existed between SEMS and SEMS+NAC groups (P>0.05). LARS scores at postoperative 6- and 12-month among 3 groups were not significantly different (both P>0.05). The QLQ-C30 score revealed that the social function of patients in SEMS group and SEMS+NAC group was significantly better than that in ES group (both P<0.05), while no significant difference existed between SEMS and SEMS+NAC group (P>0.05). The logistic regression analysis revealed that only ES was an independent risk factor of decreased anal function (OR=2.264, 95% CI: 1.098-4.667, P=0.027). Conclusion: Compared to ES, SEMS may improve quality of life and short-term anal function of patients with complete obstructive left hemicolon cancer.

Carry forward advantages of traditional medicines in prevention and control of outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic / 中草药·英文版

Members of the China-ASEAN Joint Laboratory for International Cooperation in Traditional Medicine Research used the video conference platform to exchange and discuss the advantages of traditional medicine through the form of score exchange and report, and research and develop the amount and issues of the therapeutic COVID-19 products of concern. This paper mainly reviews the achievements of the implementation of the epidemic prevention and control plan, advances of scientific basic studies on SARS-CoV-2, analysis and screening of potential targets and pathways of antiviral compounds based on network pharmacology and development of antiviral food dual-use products. The authors believe that the declaration of the (10 + 3) special meeting of national leaders on epidemic prevention and control should raise the medical and pharmaceutical issues of common concern. It is the responsibility of our joint laboratory members to accelerate the development of traditional medicine research and industry. Also the authors believe that this exchange will certainly promote the development of the cause of cooperation.