Mechanism of catalpol regulating Th17 cell differentiation by interfering PKM2/LDHA expression / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To investigate the mechanism of catalpol affecting the differentiation of helper T cell 17 （Th17） by interfering the expressions of pyruvate kinase M2 （PKM2） and lactate dehydrogenase A （LDHA）. METHODS The naive CD4+ T cells were selected from the spleen of C57BL/6 mice， and were differentiated into Th17 cells by adding directional differentiation stimulants for 72 hours. At the same time， the cells were treated with 0 （directed control）， 20， 40 and 80 μg/mL catalpol. The flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of Th17 cell differentiation in cells； the colorimetric method was adopted to detect the levels of pyruvate and lactate in cell culture supernatant； mRNA expressions of retinoid-related orphan nuclear receptor gamma t （RORγt）， PKM2 and LDHA were detected by qRT-PCR method； Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of PKM2， LDHA， signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3）， and phosphorylated STAT3 （p-STAT3） proteins in cells. RESULTS Compared with the directed control group， after 72 hours of treatment with 20， 40， 80 μg/mL catalpol， the differentiation ratio of Th17 cells were decreased by 6.74%， 8.41%， 9.24%， and the levels of pyruvate and lactate in the cell culture supernatant， the mRNA expressions of PKM2， LDHA and RORγt as well as the protein expressions of PKM2 and LDHA and the phosphorylation of STAT3 were significantly reduced （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Catalpol can reduce the glycolysis level by down-regulating the expressions of PKM2 and LDHA， thereby inhibiting the differentiation of Th17 cells.

Effect of mycophenolate mofetil alleviates carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis in mice / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVES@#Hepatic fibrosis is a serious pathological consequence of chronic liver disease. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is a commonly used immunosuppressant after organ transplant. However, the relationship between MMF and hepatic fibrosis remains unclear. This study aims to explore the effect of MMF on hepatic fibrosis in mice and the potential mechanism.@*METHODS@#A total of 24 mice (male, 8-week old, C57BL/6) were randomly divided into a control group, a MMF group, a carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) group and a CCl4+MMF group (n=6 in each group). After the mice were sacrificed, the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were detected. The liver tissues were taken up for Masson staining and collagen I (COL1) immunohistochemistry. The levels of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were detected by Western blotting. Finally, the levels of mRNA for TGF-β1, α-SMA, and COL1 were detected using real-time PCR.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the CCl4 group, the ALT and AST levels were lower (both P<0.05), the degree of liver fibrosis was alleviated, and the deposition of COL1 in the liver was significantly decreased (P<0.01) in the CCl4+MMF group. Compared with the CCl4 group, the protein expression levels of TGF-β1 and α-SMA were significantly decreased (both P<0.05) and the relative expression levels of TGF-β1, α-SMA and COL1 mRNA in the liver were significantly decreased (all P<0.05) in the CCl4+MMF.@*CONCLUSIONS@#MMF could reduce CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis, which might be related to the inhibition of TGF-β1. This study is expected to provide a target for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis.

Ethics considerations on brain-computer interface technology / 生物医学工程学杂志

The development and potential application of brain-computer interface (BCI) technology is closely related to the human brain, so that the ethical regulation of BCI has become an important issue attracting the consideration of society. Existing literatures have discussed the ethical norms of BCI technology from the perspectives of non-BCI developers and scientific ethics, while few discussions have been launched from the perspective of BCI developers. Therefore, there is a great need to study and discuss the ethical norms of BCI technology from the perspective of BCI developers. In this paper, we present the user-centered and non-harmful BCI technology ethics, and then discuss and look forward on them. This paper argues that human beings can cope with the ethical issues arising from BCI technology, and as BCI technology develops, its ethical norms will be improved continuously. It is expected that this paper can provide thoughts and references for the formulation of ethical norms related to BCI technology.

Clinical analysis of different parts of medullary infarction / 中华神经科杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical, imaging, etiological and prognostic features of patients with infarctions in different locations of the medulla oblongata.Methods:Patients with acute medullary infarction hospitalized at Tianjin Huanhu Hospital from July 2017 to July 2022 were included. The risk factors, clinical manifestation, stroke mechanism and 90-day prognosis of these patients were analyzed retrospectively.Results:Among the 256 patients enrolled, 150 (58.6%) had lateral medullary infarction (LMI), 106 (41.4%) had medial medullary infarction (MMI). The most frequent clinical manifestation of patients with LMI was dizziness (84.7%,127/150). And motor disorders (83.0%,88/106) was the most frequent clinical manifestation of patients with MMI. LMI lesions were mostly located in the middle (42.7%,64/150) and MMI lesions were mostly located in the upper (60.4%,64/106) medulla oblongata, with statistically significant difference (χ 2=47.53, P<0.001). Large artery atherosclerosis (LAA) was the main stroke mechanism in LMI and MMI [57.3%(86/150) vs 56.6%(60/106)]. Early neurological deterioration was more common in MMI (25.5%,27/106) and less common in LMI (7.3%,11/150), with statistically significant difference (χ 2=16.17, P<0.001). At discharge, more patients with MMI showed poor prognosis in short term [45.3% (48/106) vs 24.0% (36/150), with statistically significant difference (χ 2=12.76, P<0.001)] and even long term at 90-day follow-up [33.0% (35/106) vs 12.7% (19/150), also with statistically significant difference (χ 2=15.48, P<0.001)] than those with LMI. A total of 10 patients (4.0%, 10/256) developed respiratory failure during hospitalization, including 7 patients with LMI (4.7%, 7/150) and 3 patients with bilateral MMI (2.8%,3/106). Early neurological deterioration ( OR=3.38, 95% CI 1.25-9.10, P=0.016) and LAA (compared with small artery occlusion) ( OR=3.08, 95% CI 1.13-8.37, P=0.028) were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in MMI. Age ( OR=1.01, 95% CI 1.01-1.17, P=0.026) and early neurological deterioration ( OR=20.19, 95% CI=2.63-155.06, P=0.004) were independently correlated with poor outcome in LMI. Conclusions:LMI and MMI had similar etiology and significant differences in clinical manifestations, early neurological deterioration and prognosis. Further classification of medullary infarction was of great significance for diagnosis, treatment and prognosis evaluation.

Key technology of brain-computer interaction based on speech imagery / 生物医学工程学杂志

Speech expression is an important high-level cognitive behavior of human beings. The realization of this behavior is closely related to human brain activity. Both true speech expression and speech imagination can activate part of the same brain area. Therefore, speech imagery becomes a new paradigm of brain-computer interaction. Brain-computer interface (BCI) based on speech imagery has the advantages of spontaneous generation, no training, and friendliness to subjects, so it has attracted the attention of many scholars. However, this interactive technology is not mature in the design of experimental paradigms and the choice of imagination materials, and there are many issues that need to be discussed urgently. Therefore, in response to these problems, this article first expounds the neural mechanism of speech imagery. Then, by reviewing the previous BCI research of speech imagery, the mainstream methods and core technologies of experimental paradigm, imagination materials, data processing and so on are systematically analyzed. Finally, the key problems and main challenges that restrict the development of this type of BCI are discussed. And the future development and application perspective of the speech imaginary BCI system are prospected.

Applications, industrial transformation and commercial value of brain-computer interface technology / 生物医学工程学杂志

Brain-computer interface (BCI) is a revolutionary human-computer interaction technology, which includes both BCI that can output instructions directly from the brain to external devices or machines without relying on the peripheral nerve and muscle system, and BCI that bypasses the peripheral nerve and muscle system and inputs electrical, magnetic, acoustic and optical stimuli or neural feedback directly to the brain from external devices or machines. With the development of BCI technology, it has potential application not only in medical field, but also in non-medical fields, such as education, military, finance, entertainment, smart home and so on. At present, there is little literature on the relevant application of BCI technology, the current situation of BCI industrialization at home and abroad and its commercial value. Therefore, this paper expounds and discusses the above contents, which are expected to provide valuable information for the public and organizations, BCI researchers, BCI industry translators and salespeople, and improve the cognitive level of BCI technology, further promote the application and industrial transformation of BCI technology and enhance the commercial value of BCI, so as to serve mankind better.

Key technologies for intelligent brain-computer interaction based on magnetoencephalography / 生物医学工程学杂志

Brain-computer interaction (BCI) is a transformative human-computer interaction, which aims to bypass the peripheral nerve and muscle system and directly convert the perception, imagery or thinking activities of cranial nerves into actions for further improving the quality of human life. Magnetoencephalogram (MEG) measures the magnetic field generated by the electrical activity of neurons. It has the unique advantages of non-contact measurement, high temporal and spatial resolution, and convenient preparation. It is a new BCI driving signal. MEG-BCI research has important brain science significance and potential application value. So far, few documents have elaborated the key technical issues involved in MEG-BCI. Therefore, this paper focuses on the key technologies of MEG-BCI, and details the signal acquisition technology involved in the practical MEG-BCI system, the design of the MEG-BCI experimental paradigm, the MEG signal analysis and decoding key technology, MEG-BCI neurofeedback technology and its intelligent method. Finally, this paper also discusses the existing problems and future development trends of MEG-BCI. It is hoped that this paper will provide more useful ideas for MEG-BCI innovation research.

Analysis of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 in plateau areas / 中华危重病急救医学

Objective:To analyze the distribution characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in plateau areas, and to provide theoretical basis for further clinical treatment of patients with COVID-19.Methods:From August 9 to August 24, 2022, patients with COVID-19 admitted to the Third People's Hospital of Tibet Autonomous Region (designated hospital for COVID-19) were included, and their baseline characteristics (age, gender, source), clinical classification and distribution of TCM syndrome types were collected and analyzed. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0 statistical software.Results:A total of 161 COVID-19 patients were enrolled with ethnic distribution: 124 (77.02%) Tibetans, 35 (21.74%) Han, and 2 (1.24%) Hui, 68 males and 93 females. The male-to-female ratio was 0.73∶1. Aged 1 to 94 years, the average age was (39.06±23.64) years old, of which 4 patients were under 1 year old (excluded because the information was missing). A total of 157 patients were enrolled, and 124 patients (78.9%) were under 60 years old, including 120 cases of common type, 4 cases of severe type, 0 cases of critical type, 7 cases over 80 years old, 1 case over 90 years old, and 32 cases under 18 years old. The clinical manifestations of the patient are mainly cough, expectoration, fever, aversion to cold, dry throat, headache, fatigue, running nose, dry mouth, bitter mouth, etc. Most of the tongue is pale, red, and white greasy moss or thin white coating. In TCM, the most common syndrome was cold-dampness blocking lung syndrome (99 cases, 63.06%), followed by cold-dampness stagnant lung syndrome (22 cases, 14.01%), damp-heat accumulating lung syndrome (22 cases, 14.01%), and humidity stagnant lung syndrome (11 cases, 7.01%). Syndromes of epidemic (2 cases, 1.27%), epidemic toxins blocking the lung pattern (1 cases, 0.64%), toxins with dryness intense heat in both qi and ying phases pattern (0 cases) accounted for less than 2%, and the distribution of various syndrome types in COVID-19 patients was uneven ( χ2 = 0.48, P < 0.05). Conclusion:The most common TCM syndromes of COVID-19 patients in Lhasa are cold-dampness blocking lung syndrome, followed by cold-dampness stagnant lung syndrome, damp-heat accumulating lung syndrome, and humidity stagnant lung syndrome.

3D printing assisted interventional therapy for congenital coarctation of aorta: 8 cases of analysis on clinical efficacy / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Objective:To explore the feasibility and effectiveness of 3D printing aortic model for preoperative evaluation and surgical simulation, and to assist interventional treatment of coarctation of the aorta(CoA).Methods:From December 2017 to January 2019, 8 patients with congenital coarctation of the aorta who underwent percutaneous balloon dilatation and covered stent placement in Xijing Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University were analyzed retrospectively. Among them, 7 cases were male and 1 case was female. The age was(32.00±14.93) years old. Before operation, CT data of patients' heart and aorta were collected, reconstructed with Mimics software, and 3D printing technology was used to make the model of patients' aortic lesions. Before operation, the operation simulation was carried out to determine the best operation scheme and estimate the possible situation, and the relevant clinical data of patients during hospitalization and follow-up were collected.Results:One stent graft was successfully implanted into CoA through femoral artery in all 8 patients. The mean diameter of CoA increased from(3.70±2.94) mm before operation to(18.01±1.51) mm immediately after operation( P<0.05), and the mean systolic pressure difference decreased from(83.75±25.44) mmHg before operation to(14.63±8.09) mmHg after operation( P<0.05). The mean systolic blood pressure of the right upper extremity decreased from(204.13±22.31) mmHg before operation to(145.63±32.08) mmHg after operation( P<0.05), and there was no significant difference between the two groups. During the period of hospitalization and follow-up, no corresponding cardiovascular complications were found. Conclusion:The short-term effect of percutaneous balloon dilatation covered stent implantation on CoA in adolescents and adults is obvious. 3D printing model can reproduce the anatomical model of CoA site of patients individually, which is feasible and effective for the preoperative evaluation of CoA and the preparation of operation plan.

Execution, assessment and improvement methods of motor imagery for brain-computer interface / 生物医学工程学杂志

Motor imagery (MI) is an important paradigm of driving brain computer interface (BCI). However, MI is not easy to control or acquire, and the performance of MI-BCI depends heavily on the performance of the subjects' MI. Therefore, the correct execution of MI mental activities, ability evaluation and improvement methods play important and even critical roles in the improvement and application of MI-BCI system's performance. However, in the research and development of MI-BCI, the existing researches mainly focus on the decoding algorithm of MI, but do not pay enough attention to the above three aspects of MI mental activities. In this paper, these problems of MI-BCI are discussed in detail, and it is pointed out that the subjects tend to use visual motor imagery as kinesthetic motor imagery. In the future, we need to develop some objective, quantitatively visualized MI ability evaluation methods, and develop some effective and less time-consumption training methods to improve MI ability. It is also necessary to solve the differences and commonness of MI problems between and within individuals and MI-BCI illiteracy to a certain extent.

Human factors engineering of brain-computer interface and its applications: Human-centered brain-computer interface design and evaluation methodology / 生物医学工程学杂志

Brain-computer interface (BCI) is a revolutionizing human-computer Interaction, which is developing towards the direction of intelligent brain-computer interaction and brain-computer intelligent integration. However, the practical application of BCI is facing great challenges. The maturity of BCI technology has not yet reached the needs of users. The traditional design method of BCI needs to be improved. It is necessary to pay attention to BCI human factors engineering, which plays an important role in narrowing the gap between research and practical application, but it has not attracted enough attention and has not been specifically discussed in depth. Aiming at BCI human factors engineering, this article expounds the design requirements (from users), design ideas, objectives and methods, as well as evaluation indexes of BCI with the human-centred-design. BCI human factors engineering is expected to make BCI system design under different use conditions more in line with human characteristics, abilities and needs, improve the user satisfaction of BCI system, enhance the user experience of BCI system, improve the intelligence of BCI, and make BCI move towards practical application.

Comparison of interscalene brachial plexus block and superior trunk block with ropivacaine in shoulder arthroscopic surgery / 药学实践杂志

Objective To compare the clinical effects of interscalene brachial plexus block and superior trunk block in arthroscopic shoulder surgery with 0.25% ropivacaine. Methods 46 patients undergoing shoulder arthroscopy surgery were included and randomly divided into group ISB (n=23) and group ST (n=23). Patients in group ISB received 10 ml 0.25% ropivacaine on the lateral side of C5 and C6. Patients in group ST were treated with 5 ml 0.25% ropivacaine on both sides of the superior trunk of brachial plexus. The diaphragmatic excursion, Numerical Rating Scale(NRS), duration of the block, handgrip strength were recorded at different time. Results No statistical difference was detected between the two groups in the reduction of diaphragmatic excursion within 30 min after block (P>0.05). Compared with ISB patients, ST patients had significantly less diaphragmatic excursion at 3 h after block（P<0.05). 30 minutes after block, 8.7% patients in ISB group reached complete HDP and 52.2% patients reached partial HDP. At the same time, no complete HDP and 26.1% partial HDP were detected in ST group. 3 hours after block, patients in ST group had lower complete HDP rate (0.0% vs 17.4%) and lower partial HDP rate (39.1% vs 65.2%) than patients in ISB group. At 30 minutes and 3 h after block, the reduction of grip strength in ST group was significantly lower than that in ISB group (P<0.001). ST group had lower NRS than ISB group (P<0.05). The average block time in ISB group (8.3±1.97 )h was significantly lower than that in ST group (10.9±1.26)h (P<0.01). Conclusion Superior trunk block with 10 ml 0.25% ropivacaine is superior compared to interscalene brachial plexus block in occurrence of HDP, decrease of grip strength, postoperative pain and block duration.

Efficacy observation of unilateral radical thyroidectomy via axillary approach endoscope without air insufflation / 肿瘤研究与临床

Objective:To explore the curative effect and safety of unilateral radical thyroidectomy via axillary approach endoscope without air insufflation.Methods:The clinical data of 80 patients with unilateral thyroid cancer in Huaibei People's Hospital in Anhui Province from June 2017 to June 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into the control group (40 cases) and the observation group (40 cases) according to the surgical method. The observation group was treated with unilateral radical thyroidectomy via axillary approach endoscope without air insufflation, and the control group was treated with open surgery plan. The dissection number of lymph nodes in the central area, the time of flap separation and cavity establishment, the total operation time, the drainage volume and the days of hospital stay in patients of two groups were recorded, and the postoperative complications were evaluated and recorded. The neck and chest pain of patients were investigated with visual analogue scoring method (VAS) at 3 days, 1 month and 3 months after surgery. The white blood cell count (WBC), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured before and 24 hours after treatment. The cosmetic satisfaction of the patients was investigated at 3 months after surgery.Results:The time of flap separation and cavity construction, total operation time, drainage volume and hospitalization days in the observation group were (34.27±4.38) min, (130.75±12.28) min, (143.49±15.48) ml, and (7.21±1.95) days, and they were (12.43±1.83) min, (90.38±8.65) min, (87.48±12.11) ml, and (5.48±1.32) days in the control group, and the differences between the two groups were statistically significant ( t values were 29.098, 17.002, 18.024, and 3.576, all P < 0.01). The VAS score of chest pain in the observation group was higher than that in the control group at 3 days after surgery ( P < 0.05); the CRP and WBC levels in the observation group were lower than those in the control group at 24 hours after treatment (both P < 0.05). The cosmetic satisfaction rating grade in the observation group was 6 cases of grade Ⅰ, 31 cases of grade Ⅱ, 2 cases of grade Ⅲ and 1 case of grade Ⅳ, and there were 1 case of grade Ⅰ, 10 cases of grade Ⅱ, 24 cases of grade Ⅲ and 5 cases of grade Ⅳ in the control group, the cosmetic satisfaction of the observation group was better than that of the control group ( P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative wound infection, temporary recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis and subcutaneous hematoma between the two groups (all P > 0.05). Conclusion:The radical thyroidectomy via axillary approach endoscope without air insufflation has good therapeutic and cosmetic effects, and it can effectively reduce the inflammatory response in patients.

Correlation between screen-watching time and emotional problems as well as combination effect of outdoor time among preschool children / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective@#To evaluate the positive correlation between excessive screen-watching time, combined effect of screen-watching and outdoor time and the emotional problems in preschool children.@*Methods@#A total of 27 200 preschool children aged 3-6 years in 109 kindergartens in 11 cities in Jiangsu, Hubei, Anhui participated in the study. Information on both screen-watching and outdoor time and social-demographic characteristics was collected through the Questionnaire on the healthy Development of Preschool Children. Emotional problems of these children were accessed by using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Correlation intensity between excessive screen time and emotional problems (suspicious or abnormal) in preschool children, and the combined effects of screen-watching and outdoor time were analyzed by binary logistic regression model.@*Results@#The overall detected rate of emotional symptoms in preschool children was 17.9% (4 868/27 200). Rates showed in preschool children would include: with screen-watching time>1 h/d as 62.4% (16 983/27 200) and with outdoor time<2 h/d as 65.7% (17 873/27 200). After adjusting for confounding factors as gender, age, place of residence, family economic status, BMI, parents’ age and education level, data showed that the screen-watching time was positive correlated with emotional symptoms (OR=1.15, 95%CI: 1.08-1.24) while the outdoor time was positive correlated with emotional symptoms (OR=1.08, 95%CI: 1.01-1.16). Strong correlation between the combination of screen-watching and outdoor time and the existing emotional problems among preschool children was seen.@*Conclusions@#Excessive screen-watching time was prevalent among preschool children. Screen-watching time was positively associated with the existing emotional problems while the combined effect of screen-watching time and outdoor time was stronger.

Clinical and traditional Chinese medicine syndromes features of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome / 中国中西医结合急救杂志

Objective To analyze the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes and characteristics of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and to provide reference for further clinical study of ARDS. Methods The clinical data of ARDS patients admitted to the Department of Critical Care Medicine of Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of TCM from November 2017 to February 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The general data (gender and age) and inducing cause of disease, clinical manifestations, intensive care unit (ICU) stay time, total hospitalization time, outcome in ICU, outcome in 28-day follow-up and TCM syndromes were recorded. The different degrees of disease severity, the clinical manifestations and distribution characteristics of TCM syndromes were analyzed. Results A total of 110 patients with ARDS were enrolled, including 2 patients in mild ARDS group, 33 patients in moderate ARDS group and 75 patients in severe ARDS group. In the etiology analysis of ARDS, infection was the commonest cause, including 46 cases of pulmonary infection (41.8%), 27 cases of sepsis (24.5%), 4 cases of abdominal cavity infection (3.6%), 2 case of urinary tract infection (1.9%), and 13 cases had surgical histories (11.8%). The stay in ICU was 9.00 (3.00, 18.00) days and the total hospital stay was 18.00 (10.00, 30.00) days. The mortality in ICU was 32.7% (36/110), and that in 28-day follow-up was 60.0% (66/110). The clinical symptoms of the patients in moderate and severe groups ARDS were mainly dyspnea, cough, fever, sputum, chest tightness, and palpitations, accounting for 75.0% (81/108), 43.5% (47/108), 28.1% (31/108), 26.9% (29/108), 22.2% (24/108) and 25.9% (28/108), respectively. Compared with the ARDS moderate group, the proportions of patients with dyspnea, cough and palpitation in severe ARDS group were significantly higher [80.0% (60/75) vs. 63.6% (21/33), 50.7% (38/75) vs. 27.3% (9/33), 33.3% (25/75) vs. 9.1% (3/33), respectively, all P < 0.05]. The main TCM syndromes were yang deficiency, exuberant heat-toxin, and wind-heat invading lung, accounting for 53.7% (58/108), 28.7% (31/108), and 25.0% (27/108) respectively. The proportion of patients with exuberant heat-toxin syndrome in severe ARDS group was obviously higher than that in the moderate ARDS group [34.7% (26/75) vs. 15.2% (5/33), P < 0.05], while the proportion of patients with wind-heat invading lung syndrome in moderate ARDS group was more than that in the severe ARDS group [42.4% (14/33) vs. 17.3% (13/75), P < 0.05]. Conclusion ARDS is a critical illness with high mortality and various complicated clinical symptoms, the TCM syndromes of ARDS are mainly yang deficiency, exuberant heat-toxin, wind-heat invading lung, and intermingling of deficiency and excess easily leading to collapse syndrome.

The risk factors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Li and Han ethnic groups in Hainan, China

Objective:To investigate the risk factors of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Li and Han ethnic group in Hainan, China.Methods:All subjects were randomly selected from various regions in Hainan. General characteristics were compared between COPD cases and healthy control cases in both Li and Han ethnic groups. The odds ratio (OR), the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) of COPD were calculated by logistic regression.Results:A total of 277 Li COPD cases, 307 Li healthy control subjects, 290 Han COPD cases and 301 Han healthy control were included in this study. In both the Li and Han groups, the average age exceeded 65 years, and the cigarette number smoked per day and the smoking duration were correlated with risk of COPD. In the Li COPD subjects, low weight, smoking, and recurrent infection of respiratory tract were mainly risk factors; while the mainly risk factor of Han COPD subjects was family history of respiratory disease.Conclusions:The risk factors are different in COPD subjects of Han and Li nationalities in Hainan of China. The age and smoking are strongly correlated with COPD risk.

Spectral characteristics of burning moxa sticks / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:The drug and thermal effects of moxa-wool moxibustion have been extensively studied in the clinical trials; however, the infrared radiation effects during the moxibustion are rarely reported. OBJECTIVE:To learn the spectrum characteristics of moxa sticks in the traditional moxibustion.METHODS:The herba violae, bog rush, tobacco and moxa were chosen as experimental materials. Furthermore, the moxa sticks of different storage years (1, 3, 10 years), proportions (1:3, 1:5, 1:10), and places of production (Nanyang, Qiai) were compared. A spectral measurement platform was built by using an optical power meter to analyze the spectral characteristics of the ten kinds of materials above. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:For the different materials, the herba violae and bog rush could not burn after crushed and the infrared radiation intensity of tobacco was too low, but a strong infrared emission was from the moxa with a wide range of spectrum from ultraviolet to far infrared ray. It was also found that the year of storage, proportion, place of production as well as production process had significant effects on the radiation intensity of the moxa stick. The spectrum ascended at visible-light spectrum region, reached its peak at near-infrared region, and then descended at mid-infrared and far-infrared regions. We analyzed the stability characteristics and relative total intensity of moxa stick based on statistics and mathematics. The results showed that the stability characteristics were proportional to the proportion of moxa wool, and the year of storage had stronger effect on the relative total intensity compared with the proportion of moxa wool. Herein, we systematically analyzed the spectral characteristics of different moxa sticks, thereby providing the scientific basic data for the study on the optical radiation of moxa-wool moxibustion.

The risk factors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Li and Han ethnic groups in Hainan, China

Objective: To investigate the risk factors of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Li and Han ethnic group in Hainan, China. Methods: All subjects were randomly selected from various regions in Hainan. General characteristics were compared between COPD cases and healthy control cases in both Li and Han ethnic groups. The odds ratio (OR), the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) of COPD were calculated by logistic regression. Results: A total of 277 Li COPD cases, 307 Li healthy control subjects, 290 Han COPD cases and 301 Han healthy control were included in this study. In both the Li and Han groups, the average age exceeded 65 years, and the cigarette number smoked per day and the smoking duration were correlated with risk of COPD. In the Li COPD subjects, low weight, smoking, and recurrent infection of respiratory tract were mainly risk factors; while the mainly risk factor of Han COPD subjects was family history of respiratory disease. Conclusions: The risk factors are different in COPD subjects of Han and Li nationalities in Hainan of China. The age and smoking are strongly correlated with COPD risk.

Partial nephrectomy for T3aN0M0 renal cell carcinoma: shall we step forward?

ABSTRACT Objectives: To evaluate the prognosis of non-metastatic T3a renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with partial nephrectomy (PN). Patients and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 125 patients with non-metastatic T3a RCC. Patients undergoing PN and radical nephrectomy (RN) were strictly matched by clinic-pathologic characteristics. Log-rank test and Cox regression model were used for univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: 18 pair patients were matched and the median follow-up was 35.5 (10-86) months. PN patients had a higher postoperative eGFR than RN patients (P=0.034). Cancer-specific survival (CSS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) did not differ between two groups (P=0.305 and P=0.524). On multivariate analysis, CSS decreased with positive surgical margin and anemia (both P <0.01) and RFS decreased with Furhman grade, positive surgical margin, and anemia (all P<0.01). Conclusions: For patients with non-metastatic pT3a RCC, PN may be a possible option for similar oncology outcomes and better renal function.

Ethical Reflection on Interventional Therapy in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease under the Background of the Medical Conjoined in the New Medical Reform / 中国医学伦理学

Due to the development of economy,the mature of technology,and the improvement of institution,the under-treatment and over-treatment of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) gradually tends to be balanced in our country.However,these two phenomena still exist in some regions,even in the same hospital.Under the background of the medical conjoined in the new medical reform,it should play its positive role through strengthening the guidanceof medical ethics and the abiding the principle of optimization,in order to apply PCI scientifically and rationally,benefit patients more,and improve the medical quality.