Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Neurodegenerative Diseases

A growing body of evidence has demonstrated an intricate association between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and neurodegenerative conditions, expanding beyond previous foci of comorbidities between IBD and mood disorders. These new discoveries stem from an improved understanding of the gut-microbiome-brain axis: specifically, the ability of the intestinal microbiota to modulate inflammation and regulate neuromodulatory compounds. Clinical retrospective studies incorporating large sample sizes and population-based cohorts have demonstrated and confirmed the relevance of IBD and chronic neurodegeneration in clinical medicine. In this review, we expound upon the current knowledge on the gut-microbiome-brain axis, highlighting several plausible mechanisms linking IBD with neurodegeneration. We also summarize the known associations between IBD with Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease, vascular dementia and ischemic stroke, and multiple sclerosis in a clinical context. Finally, we discuss the implications of an improved understanding of the gut-microbiome-brain axis in preventing, diagnosing, and managing neurodegeneration among IBD and non-IBD patients.

Alterations in the intestinal microbiota of preterm infants with neurodevelopmental impairments: a prospective cohort study / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To investigate the difference in intestinal microbiota between preterm infants with neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) and those without NDI.@*METHODS@#In this prospective cohort study, the preterm infants who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from September 1, 2019 to September 30, 2021 were enrolled as subjects. According to the assessment results of Gesell Developmental Scale at the corrected gestational age of 1.5-2 years, they were divided into two groups: normal (n=115) and NDI (n=100). Fecal samples were collected one day before discharge, one day before introducing solid food, and at the corrected gestational age of 1 year. High-throughput sequencing was used to compare the composition of intestinal microbiota between groups.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the normal group, the NDI group had a significantly higher Shannon diversity index at the corrected gestational age of 1 year (P<0.05). The principal coordinate analysis showed a significant difference in the composition of intestinal microbiota between the two groups one day before introducing solid food and at the corrected gestational age of 1 year (P<0.05). Compared with the normal group, the NDI group had a significantly higher abundance of Bifidobacterium in the intestine at all three time points, a significantly higher abundance of Enterococcus one day before introducing solid food and at the corrected gestational age of 1 year, and a significantly lower abundance of Akkermansia one day before introducing solid food (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#There are significant differences in the composition of intestinal microbiota between preterm infants with NDI and those without NDI. This study enriches the data on the characteristics of intestinal microbiota in preterm infants with NDI and provides reference for the microbiota therapy and intervention for NDI in preterm infants.

Efficient measures for blood donor recruitment, under the COVID-19 epidemic / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To explore ways to recruit blood donors effectively, so as to ensure blood supply for hospitals in Shenzhen with good compliance with the requirements concerning COVID-19 prevention and control. 【Methods】 From January 31 to March 31, 2020, a recruiting vanguard lead by Party members aimed at "COVID-19 control, blood supply security" was established. Otherwise, the traditional recruiting (via telephone/SMS) and on-site(on the streets) recruiting were also enhanced. The effects of the above three recruitment methods during this period, relative to the same period in 2019, were counted and analyzed. 【Results】 A total of 19 752 blood donors were recruited, and more were recruited by on-site (15 643, 79.19%) than by telephone and SMS(4 109, 20.81%), as on-site recruitment was more persuasive than the traditional one. The success rates of telephone recruitment and SMS recruitment were 11.66% (2 034 / 17 448) and 3.92% (2 075/52 915), respectively, and both were significantly higher than that in the same period in 2019(7.55% and 2.36%) (P0.05). 【Conclusion】 In times of emergency, efficient recruiting method could be achieved by grouping a vanguard, conducting scientific measures, and carrying out effect evaluation. Besides, preference could be given to donors with local registered residence, middle-age (30~50 years old) and better educated background.

Assessment of 3 enzyme linked immunosorbent assays and 1 pseudotype lentivirus-based neutralization test in detecting serum antibody in convalescent plasma from COVID-19 / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To assess three severe acute respiratorysyndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and one pseudotype lentivirus-based neutralization test (ppNAT) in detecting the convalescent plasma antibody levles from COVID-19. 【Methods】 30 COVID-19 convalescent plasma samples were screened for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 using three kinds of SARS-CoV-2 ELISA reagents and one ppNAT test in Shenzhen. The controls consisted of plasma samples from 32 healthy blood donors in February 2019. The diagnostic efficacy analysis of various SARS-CoV-2 ELISA reagents was performed using real-time fluorescent Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). We also analyzed correlation between different immunological reagents and the age, gender, hospitalization, and severity of illness. 【Results】 The positive yielding rate of ppNAT and three kinds of IgG ELISA was higher than that of IgM ELISA. The positive yielding rates of three kinds of IgG ELISA were 100%(30/30), 93.33%(28/30), and 96.67%(29/30) respectively, while the yielding rates in control group were all 0. The positive yielding rate of three IgM ELISAs were 93.33%(28/30), 70%(21/30)and 46.67% (14/30). All the cases from negative control group were negative for IgG and IgM. Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated; there was a strong correlation between ELISA reagent 2 IgG and ELISA reagent 3 IgG (r=0.765, P0.05). 【Conclusion】 In the convalescent plasma with nucleic acid confirmed covid-19, the yielding rates of different IgM antibodies varied greatly. Antibody levels were influenced by age to some extent.

Tumor immune checkpoint therapy and the drug delivery strategies / 药学学报

Tumor immune checkpoint therapy is a clinical treatment strategy developed based on the new principle of the inhibition of negative immune regulation. In this article, the tumor immune checkpoint therapy and the drug delivery strategies were reviewed, mainly including immunity and tumor therapy, tumor immune checkpoint therapy and its mechanism of action, clinical application of tumor immune checkpoint therapy and therapeutic drugs, immune resistance of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1)/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PDL1) treatment and countermeasures, drug delivery strategies for tumor immune checkpoint therapeutic agents, etc. As a revolutionary new immunotherapy strategy, tumor immune checkpoint therapy has shown obvious superior therapeutic efficacy in a variety types of tumor. However, tumor immune checkpoint therapy is also faced with a big challenge, namely, immunotherapy resistance. With the discovery of new mechanism, the continuous development of new therapeutic drugs and delivery strategies, tumor immune checkpoint therapy is expected to further improve the clinical efficacy of tumor.

Evaluation and Current Clinical Progress of Invasiveness in Postoperative Residual Regrowth and Recurrence of Pituitary Adenoma / 肿瘤防治研究

Pituitary adenoma is one common type of intracranial tumors, accounting for about 10% of intracranial tumors. Although pituitary adenomas are benign tumors, the complete resection and recurrence prevention remain challengeable due to aggressive growth of tumor, limited equipment conditions and surgical techniques of the surgeon. The proportion of recurrent pituitary adenomas is rising year by year and the difficulty of treatment also increases. This article reviews the diagnosis and treatment of recurrent pituitary adenomas based on the summary data of invasive or recurrent pituitary adenomas cases in our center, including indication for the second transsphenoidal surgery, surgical techniques, and prevention and treatment of postoperative complications, to provide reference for clinicians in this field.

A random forest model to predict acute kidney injury after acute myocardial infarction / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective:Our study aims to predict acute kidney injury (AKI) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) by establishing a random forest model.Methods:By using the clinical database from affiliated Dongyang Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, a total of 1 363 AMI cases were included. Then, 75% of participants were analyzed as training subsets and the remaining 25% were testing subsets. The CARET package in R was used to filter variables and build random forest. The prediction ability of established model was evaluated by specificity, sensitivity, accuracy, relative operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) in testing subsets. In addition, the performance of random forest was compared with other 3 commonly used machine learning algorithms (Artificial Neural Network, Naive Bayes, and Support Vector Machine).Results:In this study, 30 variables including the demographic information, risk factors of cardiovascular disease, vital signs at admission, laboratory tests were identified and used to establish our random forest prediction model. The area under the curve of the testing subsets ROC was 0.893. The specificity and sensitivity of prediction model was 0.791 and 0.866, respectively. And the first creatinine, first blood urea nitrogen, and D-dimer after admission, age, mechanical ventilation were the top-five factors in this model. After comparing various machine learning algorithms, random forest model had a better performance.Conclusion:The random forest model would be used to predict the occurrence of AMI with AKI.

Comparison of mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy and retroperitoneal laparoscopic ureterolithotomy for treatment of impacted proximal ureteral stones greater than 15 mm / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#The optimal treatment for large impacted proximal ureteral stones remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and potential complications of mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (MPCNL) and retroperitoneal laparoscopic ureterolithotomy (RPLU) in the treatment of impacted proximal ureteral stones with size greater than 15 mm.@*METHODS@#A total of 268 patients with impacted proximal ureteral stones greater than 15 mm who received MPCNL or RPLU procedures were enrolled consecutively between January 2014 and January 2019. Data on surgical outcomes and complications were collected and analyzed.@*RESULTS@#Demographic and ureteral stone characteristics found between these two groups were not significantly different. The surgical success rate (139/142, 97.9% vs. 121/126, 96.0%, P = 0.595) and stone-free rate after 1 month (139/142, 97.9% vs. 119/126, 94.4%, P = 0.245) of RPLU group were marginally higher than that of the MPCNL group, but there was no significant difference. There was no significant difference in the drop of hemoglobin between the two groups (0.8 ± 0.6 vs. 0.4 ± 0. 2 g/dL, P = 0.621). The mean operative time (68.2 ± 12.5 vs. 87.2 ± 16.8 min, P = 0.041), post-operative analgesics usage (2/121, 1.7% vs. 13/139, 9.4%, P = 0.017), length of hospital stay after surgery (2.2 ± 0.6 vs. 4.8 ± 0.9 days, P < 0.001), double J stent time (3.2 ± 0.5 vs. 3.9 ± 0.8 days, P = 0.027), time of catheterization (1.1 ± 0.3 vs. 3.5 ± 0.5 days, P < 0.001), and time of drainage tube (2.3 ± 0.3 vs. 4.6 ± 0.6 days, P < 0.001) of MPCNL group were significantly shorter than that of the RPLU group. The complication rate was similar between the two groups (20/121, 16.5% vs. 31/139, 22.3%, P = 0.242).@*CONCLUSIONS@#MPCNL and RPLU have similar surgical success and stone clearance in treating impacted proximal ureteral stones greater than 15 mm, while patients undergoing MPCNL had a lower post-operative pain rate and a faster recovery.

Effect of platelet donation frequency on iron, cooper, and zinc content and superoxide dismutase activity / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To study the effects of platelets donation frequency on iron, copper, zinc content and superoxide dismutase(SOD) activity in plasma of blood donors. 【Methods】 128 apheresis platelet donors from August 25, 2020 to August 25, 2021 in our center were divided into 4 groups according to the frequency of platelet donation: first-time donors(n=30) were enrolled as group 1, and donors with 2 to 7 donations(n=23), 8 to 14 donations(n=29), 15 to 24 donations(n=46) within the previous period were group 2, group 3 and group 4. All these donors were males, with the average age of 42 ± 8.3, and had not donated whole blood in the past two years. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS) was used to detect the content of copper, iron and zinc in plasma of different groups of platelet donors. The SOD activity was detected by WST colorimetric kit. All data were statistically analyzed by SPSS 19.0 software. 【Results】 Significant differences in the content of iron and copper, but no in zinc, were noticed in donors of different groups(P0.05). There was no significant difference in zinc content between every two groups(P>0.05). The SOD inhibition rate of blood donors in different groups was not significantly different. 【Conclusion】 The content of plasma iron, copper, and zinc and the SOD activity were not significantly affected if platelet donations were less than 15 times within a year. For those donated platelets more than 15 times within a year, the content of iron was found to decrease and copper to increase. It is suggested that platelet donations more than 15 times is correlated with the content of iron and copper in plasma of blood donors. Therefore, the proportion of iron-rich food should be appropriately increased in the daily diet for high-frequency(≥15 times per year) apheresis platelet donors after blood donation.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Survey of Gastroparesis in Asia by Asian Neurogastroenterology and Motility Association

Background/Aims@#Gastroparesis is identified as a subject that is understudied in Asia. The scientific committee of the Asian Neurogastroenterology and Motility Association performed a Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices survey on gastroparesis among doctors in Asia. @*Methods@#The questionnaire was created and developed through a literature review of current gastroparesis works of literature by the scientific committee of Asian Neurogastroenterology and Motility Association. @*Results@#A total of 490 doctors from across Asia (including Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam) participated in the survey. Gastroparesis is a significant gastrointestinal condition. However, a substantial proportion of respondents was unable to give the correct definition and accurate diagnostic test. The main reason for lack of interest in diagnosing gastroparesis was “the lack of reliable diagnostic tests” (46.8%) or “a lack of effective treatment” (41.5%). Only 41.7% of respondents had access to gastric emptying scintigraphy. Most doctors had never diagnosed gastroparesis at all (25.2%) or diagnosed fewer than 5 patients a year (52.1%). @*Conclusions@#Gastroparesis can be challenging to diagnose due to the lack of instrument, standardized method, and paucity of research data on normative value, risk factors, and treatment studies in Asian patients. Future strategies should concentrate on how to disseminate the latest knowledge of gastroparesis in Asia. In particular, there is an urgent need to estimate the magnitude of the problems in high risk and idiopathic patients as well as a standardized diagnostic procedure in Asia.

Non-pharmacological Approach in the Management of Functional Dyspepsia

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common functional gastrointestinal disease which bears a significant burden on society and individuals. Despite the high prevalence of FD, its pathophysiology remains poorly understood and the treatment options are limited and unsatisfactory. In the absence of effective pharmacological treatments for FD, non-pharmacological approaches, including: reassurance, lifestyle modification, psychotherapy, dietary interventions, medical food, acupuncture, and electrical stimulation and modulation are sought after by many physicians and FD patients. In this article, we review clinical studies which investigate nonpharmacological therapies for FD. We will also discuss potential mechanisms involved in the therapeutic effects of these nonpharmacological approaches. Though the evidences to support the routine use of the non-pharmacological management is still lacking, the non-invasive nature and potentially minimal side-effects of these therapies may be attractive in the FD management. In order to confirm the clinical effectiveness of these non-pharmacological approaches, more well-conducted, methodologically rigorous, and large-scaled clinical trials are required.

Mental Disorders and Interferon Nontreatment in Hepatitis C Virus Infection-a Population Based Cohort Study

Objective@#This study investigates the association between mental disorders and interferon nontreatment in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in a large national sample. @*Methods@#Using the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan, we conducted a nationwide population-based study. Each case was matched to five controls by age, sex, urbanization, and income. Conditional logistic regression was used to assess odds of HCV nontreatment in different mental disorders. @*Results@#From 1999 to 2013, we identified 92,970 subjects with HCV infection and 15,495 HCV cases (16.7%) had received IFN therapy. Other than chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the medical diseases and mental disorders were significantly different between IFN and non-IFN treated HCV patients. After adjusting for medical diseases, depressive disorder and anxiety disorder was positively associated with receiving IFN therapy. Patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorders and alcohol use disorders were significantly less likely to receive interferon. Antidepressant exposure (cumulative daily exposure or cumulative daily dose) was associated with lower odds of IFN treatment. @*Conclusion@#Our nationwide cohort study demonstrated that INF nontreatment rate was lower in certain mental disorders. Antidepressant exposure might lower the chance of receiving IFN treatment. Our results may help to identify and to overcome the obstacles for HCV treatment and further apply to DAAs regimen.

Relationship between Cervical Curvature and Spinal Drift Distance after Laminectomy with Screw Fixation and Its Effect on Clinical Outcome / 中国康复理论与实践

Objective:To observe the relationship between cervical curvature and spinal drift distance after laminectomy with lateral mass screw fixation, and its effect on clinical outcome. Methods:From January, 2017 to October, 2018, a total of 117 patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) underwent laminectomy with lateral mass screw fixation, and 90 of them completed the follow-up. According to the patients' cervical curvature (CC), they were divided into three groups: those CC between 0° to 5° were in Group A (n = 28), 5° to 16.5° in Group B (n = 36) and CC > 16.5° in Group C (n = 26). The spinal drift distance, nerve recovery, axial symptoms and C5 palsy were recorded and analyzed. Results:There were significant differences in CC and spinal drift distance (F > 152.119,P < 0.001), and no significant difference was found in laminectomy width and incidence of C5 palsy (P > 0.05) among three groups. The Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score significantly increased in all the groups post operation and at the last follow-up (t > 8.869,P < 0.001), and no significant difference was found among there groups at the same time (P > 0.05), as well as the incidence of C5 palsy (F = 0.472,P = 0.625). There was significant difference in the score of Visual Analogue Scale of axial symptoms among three groups (F > 34.800,P < 0.001), which was lower in groups B and C than in group A (t > 5.845,P< 0.001), and no significant differene was found between group B and group C. Conclusion:On the basis of the same laminectomy width, the greater the CC was, the more favorable the spinal drift went backwards. The loss of CC was related to the occurrence of axial symptoms, but was not correlated with the neurological recovery and C5 palsy.

Second Asian Consensus on Irritable Bowel Syndrome

BACKGROUND/AIMS: There has been major progress in our understanding of the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and novel treatment classes have emerged. The Rome IV guidelines were published in 2016 and together with the growing body of Asian data on IBS, we felt it is timely to update the Asian IBS Consensus. METHODS: Key opinion leaders from Asian countries were organized into 4 teams to review 4 themes: symptoms and epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and investigations, and lifestyle modifications and treatments. The consensus development process was carried out by using a modified Delphi method. RESULTS: Thirty-seven statements were developed. Asian data substantiate the current global viewpoint that IBS is a disorder of gut-brain interaction. Socio-cultural and environmental factors in Asia appear to influence the greater overlap between IBS and upper gastrointestinal symptoms. New classes of treatments comprising low fermentable oligo-, di-, monosacharides, and polyols diet, probiotics, non-absorbable antibiotics, and secretagogues have good evidence base for their efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: Our consensus is that all patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders should be evaluated comprehensively with a view to holistic management. Physicians should be encouraged to take a positive attitude to the treatment outcomes for IBS patients.

WoundCareLog APP - A new application to record wound diagnosis and healing / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

The incidence of chronic wounds has been increasing over the past 20 years. However, the standardized diagnosis and treatment practice of chronic refractory wounds have not been established. In addition, the properties of the wound are characterized by morphology and thus correct description of the wound in medical history collection plays a vital role, which directly affects the definitive diagnosis. To develop more accurate format of clinical history record which can correctly reflect a patient's course and treatment progress, and to standardize the medical history record of chronic refractory wounds, at the national or regional level, we designed the WoundCareLog APP. It acts as a recording and communication tool for wound healing specialists at all levels of medical institutions in China. The WoundCareLog APP is fully compatible to meet the criteria and requirements of conventional medical records by embedding 9 modules. In addition, the demands for morphological description of wounds in wound healing diagnosis and treatment have been fulfilled by enroll of digital imaging technology to overcome the inadequacies of traditional medical history records.

Early clinical efficacy of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty for elderly patients with medial compartmental knee osteoarthritis / 局解手术学杂志

Objective To compare the early clinical efficacy of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for elderly patients with medial compartmental knee osteoarthritis.Methods A total of 35 elderly patients with medial compartmental knee osteoarthritis were selected from September 2014 to March 2018 in our hospital, of whom 16 cases treated by UKA were observation group and 19 cases treated by TKA were control group.ResultsThe operation time, intraoperative blood loss, the rate of perioperative blood transfusion, postoperative drainage volume and hospitalization stays of observation group were less than those of control group, the difference were significant (P＜0.05).Before the treatment, there was no significant differences in the KSS score between two groups (P＞0.05).After the treatment, KSS scores of two groups had been improved to some extent, and the observation group was better than the control group, the difference was significant (P＜0.05).No revision or infection happened in 1 year post-operative follow-up of either group.The observation group (0) were less than the control group (26.32％) in thrombosis rate, the difference was significantly (P＜0.05).ConclusionBoth UKA and TKA have certain early clinical efficacy, but UKA had advantages such as shorter operation time, shorter hospitalization, less pain, lower incidence of adverse reaction, which can promote the postoperative function recovery, the early clinical efficacy is more significant.

Clinical observation of bevacizumab combined with pemetrexed for patients with re-current metastatic cervical cancer / 中国肿瘤临床

Objective: To observe the short-term efficacy and side effects of bevacizumab combined with pemetrexed for the treat-ment of recurrent and metastatic cervical cancer. Methods: The clinical data of 32 patients with recurrent metastatic cervical cancer admitted to the Department of Oncology, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital between January 2014 and December 2016 were retro-spectively analyzed. All patients were treated with bevacizumab plus pemetrexed. In the 21-day cycle, chemotherapy was adminis-tered for 4 to 6 cycles. The efficacy and grade of adverse reactions were evaluated. Results: Of the 32 patients with cervical cancer, 0 had complete remission, 7 (21.9%) had partial remission, 19 (59.4%) had stable disease, and 6 (18.7%) had disease progression. The ef-fective rate was 21.9% (7/32) and the disease control rate was 81.3% (26/32). The 32 patients had mild common adverse reactions, which can be tolerated. Conclusions: Bevacizumab combined with pemetrexed has good short-term effects for patients with recurrent and metastatic cervical cancer, and its side effects can be tolerated. The long-term efficacy warrants further study.

Spectrometric analyses of larotaxel and larotaxel liposomes quantification by high performance liquid chromatography / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#Larotaxel is a new chemical structure drug, which has not been marketed worldwide. Accordingly, the standard identification and quantification methods for larotaxel remain unclear. The spectrometric analyses were performed for verifying weight molecular formula, molecular weight and chemical structure of larotaxel. Besides, a quantification method was developed for measuring larotaxel in the liposomes.@*METHODS@#The molecular formula, molecular weight and chemical structure of larotaxel were studied by using mass spectrometry (MS), infra-red (IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectrometric techniques. The absorption wavelength of larotaxel was investigated by UV-vis spectrophotometry full-wavelength scanning. Besides, a quantification method was developed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and then validated by measuring the encapsulation efficacy of larotaxel liposomes.@*RESULTS@#The four spectral characteristics of larotaxel were revealed and the corresponding standard spectra were defined. It was confirmed that larotaxel had the structure of tricyclic diterpenoids, with the molecular formula of C45H53NO14, the molecular weight of 831.900 1, and the maximum absorption wavelength of 230 nm. The quantitative method of larotaxel was established by using HPLC with a reversed phase C18 column (5 μm, 250 mm×4.6 mm), a mobile phase of acetonitrile-water (75:25, volume/volume), and a detection wavelength of 230 nm. The validation study exhibited that the established HPLC method was stable, and had a high recovery and precision in the quantitative measurement of larotaxel in liposomes. In addition, a new kind of larotaxel liposomes was also successfully prepared. The particle size of the liposomes was about 105 nm, with an even size distribution. And the encapsulation efficiency of larotaxel in the liposomes was above 80%.@*CONCLUSION@#The present study offers reference standard spectra of larotaxel, including MS, IR, NMR, and UV-vis, and confirms the molecular formula, molecular weight and chemical structure of larotaxel. Besides, the study develops a rapid HPLC method for quality control of larotaxel liposomes.

Sexual Abuse Is Associated With an Abnormal Psychological Profile and Sleep Difficulty in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Taiwan

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Both sexual and physical abuse history have been reported to be associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in Western countries. The impact of abuse history in IBS patients in Asia remains unclear. We aim to determine the prevalence of abuse history, its associated psychological profiles, and sleep problems among IBS patients in Taiwan. METHODS: In total, 194 Rome III-defined IBS patients were invited to participate. Age- and sex-matched healthy carriers of chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C without chronic abdominal symptoms were identified as disease-controls. We administered a validated questionnaire to evaluate bowel symptoms, physical/sexual abuse history, anxiety/depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS]), and sleep quality. RESULTS: IBS patients had a significantly higher prevalence of sexual abuse history than the disease-control group both before (16.5% vs 6.7%, P < 0.05) and after (16.0% vs 6.6%, P < 0.05) adolescence. These significant differences were mainly observed in women (13.4% vs 3.4%, P < 0.05). No difference was noted in history of physical abuse between the 2 groups. IBS patients with a history of sexual abuse had significantly higher HADS scores and higher frequencies of sleep difficulty than those without. CONCLUSIONS: In Taiwan, sexual abuse history was more prevalent in female IBS patients than controls. Sexual abuse history may contribute to higher anxiety/depression levels and sleep difficulties, which are commonly experienced in IBS patients. In Asia, abuse history should be obtained when approaching IBS patients to facilitate better management.