Efficacy of probiotic supplements on Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of probiotics supplementation in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: We searched China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Weipu (VIP) database, Wanfang Database, Sinomed (CBM), PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library and Web of Science databases for eligible studies from inception to January 4th, 2024. Randomized controlled trials (RCTS) comparing the effects of probiotic supplements and placebo in patients with PD. Meta-analysis was conducted with the software Review Manager 5.4. The quality assessment was performed according to Cochrane risk of bias tool. RESULTS: A total of 11 RCTs with 756 PD patients were included in this study. We found that probiotics could increase the number of complete bowel movements (CBMs) per week and improved the scores of Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAC-QOL) (SMD = 0.73, 95 % CI: 0.54 to 0.92, P < 0.00001, I2 = 45 %; SMD = - 0.79, 95 % CI: - 1.19 to - 0.39, P < 0.001, I2 = 55 %, respectively) compared with the placebo group. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in improving fecal traits and defecation efforts in PD patients (SMD = 0.87, 95 % CI: 0.01 to 1.74, P = 0.05, I2 = 94 %; SMD = 1.24, 95 % CI: - 1.58 to 4.06, P > 0.05, I2 = 98 %, respectively). In terms of PD composite scale scores: after treatment, there was no significant difference in Movement Disorder Society-Unified-Parkinson Disease Rating Scale Ⅲ score (MDS-UPDRSⅢ) between the probiotic group and the placebo group (SMD = - 0.09, 95 % CI: - 0.35 to 0.16, P > 0.05, I2 = 0 %). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, based on the overall results of the available RCTs studies, our results suggested the potential value of probiotics in improving constipation symptoms in PD patients. Therefore, probiotics may be one of the adjuvant therapy for PD-related constipation patients. The findings of this study provide more proof supporting the effectiveness of probiotics, encouraging probiotics to be utilized alone or in combination with other therapies in clinical practice for PD patients. However, more well-designed RCTs with large sample sizes are required.

Relationship between long-term shift work; night work; sleep deficiency and stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The association between shift/night work and the risk of stroke is not supported by strong evidence. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to obtain evidence of a potential relationship between shift/night shift work and the risk of stroke. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library and Web of science databases for eligible studies from inception to January 19, 2024. We followed the statement in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Evaluations and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). STATA 14.0 software was used for meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of five studies involving 700,742 subjects were included in this meta-analysis. We found that shift/night workers had a 1.08 times higher risk of stroke than non-shift/night workers (RR: 1.08; 95 % CI: 1.05-1.10; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Shift/night work may be a risk factor for stroke. More objective prospective studies are needed to further support this result.

Immune Dysfunction-Associated Elevated RDW, APACHE-II, and SOFA Scores Were a Possible Cause of 28-Day Mortality in Sepsis Patients.

Objective: To explore the early predictors and their predicting value of 28-day mortality in sepsis patients and to investigate the possible causes of death. Methods: 127 sepsis patients were included, including 79 cases in the survival group and 48 cases in the death group. The results of all patients on admission were recorded. After screening the risk factors of 28-day mortality, the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to determine their predictive value for the 28-day mortality rate on admission, and the Kaplan-Meier curve was drawn to compare the 28-day mortality rate between groups. Finally, patients with cytokine and lymphocyte subsets results were included for investigating the possible causes of death through correlation analysis. Results: APACHE II (acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II), SOFA (Sequential Organ Failure Assessment) and red blood cell distribution width (RDW) were the risk factors for 28-day mortality in sepsis patients (OR: 1.130 vs.1.160 vs.1.530, P < 0.05). The area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity of APACHE II, SOFA and RDW in predicting the mortality rate at 28 days after admission in sepsis patients were 0.763 vs 0.806 vs 0.723, 79.2% vs 68.8% vs 75.0%, 65.8% vs 89.9% vs 68.4%. The combined predicted AUC was 0.873, the sensitivity was 89.6%, and the specificity was 82.3%. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that the 28-day mortality rates of sepsis patients with APACHE II≥18.5, SOFA≥11.5 and RDW≥13.8 were 58.5%, 80.5% and 59.0%, respectively. In the death group, APACHE II was positively correlated with SOFA, IL-2, and IL-10, and RDW was positively correlated with PLT, TNF-α, CD3+ lymphocyte count, and CD8+ lymphocyte count. Conclusion: Sepsis patients with high APACHE II, SOFA and RDW levels at admission have an increased 28-day mortality rate. The elevation of these indicators in dead patients are related to immune dysfunction.

Research on the signaling pathways related to the intervention of traditional Chinese medicine in Parkinson's disease:A literature review.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting more than 10 million people worldwide and is characterized by the progressive loss of Daergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. It has been reported that signaling pathways play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of PD, while the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) have been found to possess a protective effect against PD. TCM has demonstrated significant potential in mitigating oxidative stress (OS), neuroinflammation, and apoptosis of DA neurons via the regulation of signaling pathways associated with PD. AIM OF THE REVIEW: This study discussed and analyzed the signaling pathways involved in the occurrence and development of PD and the mechanism of active ingredients of TCM regulating PD via signaling pathways, with the aim of providing a basis for the development and clinical application of therapeutic strategies for TCM in PD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: With "Parkinson's disease", "Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease", "Lewy Body Parkinson's Disease", "Parkinson's Disease, Idiopathic", "Parkinson Disease, Idiopathic", "Parkinson's disorders", "Parkinsonism syndrome", "Traditional Chinese medicine", "Chinese herbal medicine", "active ingredients", "medicinal plants" as the main keywords, PubMed, Web of Science and other online search engines were used for literature retrieval. RESULTS: PD exhibits a close association with various signaling pathways, including but not limited to MAPKs, NF-κB, PI3K/Akt, Nrf2/ARE, Wnt/ß-catenin, TLR/TRIF, NLRP3, Notch. The therapeutic potential of TCM lies in its ability to regulate these signaling pathways. In addition, the active ingredients of TCM have shown significant effects in improving OS, neuroinflammation, and DA neuron apoptosis in PD. CONCLUSION: The active ingredients of TCM have unique advantages in regulating PD-related signaling pathways. It is suggested to combine network pharmacology and bioinformatics to study the specific targets of TCM. This not only provides a new way for the prevention and treatment of PD with the active ingredients of TCM, but also provides a scientific basis for the selection and development of TCM preparations.

Stress-induced hyperglycemia is associated with the mortality of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura patients.

BACKGROUND: Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare thrombotic microangiopathy with a rapid progression and high mortality rate. We aimed to explore early risk factors for mortality in patients with TTP. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 42 TTP patients that were admitted to our hospital between 2000 and 2021, with a median age of 49 (29-63) years. Risk factors for mortality were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to determine the cut-off value of glucose for predicting mortality in patients, which was validated by comparison to a similar cohort in the published literature. RESULTS: Elevated glucose level and reduced red blood cells (RBC) counts were risk factors for mortality in patients with TTP (glucose, odds ratio and 95% confidence interval: 2.476 [1.368-4.484]; RBC, odds ratio and 95% confidence interval: 0.095 [0.011-0.799]). The area under the curve of glucose was 0.827, and the cut-off value was 9.2 mmol/L, with a sensitivity of 75.0% and specificity of 95.8%. A total of 26 cases from the validation cohort had a sensitivity of 71.0% and a specificity of 84.0%. The change trends of the TTP-related laboratory indices differed during hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Hyperglycemia at admission and unstable blood glucose levels during hospitalization may be potential predictors of mortality for TTP patients. The improved prognosis was associated with the recovery of platelet counts and a significant decrease in serum lactate dehydrogenase after five days of treatment.

Elevated High Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T is Nonlinearly Associated with Poor Prognosis in Aging COVID-19 Patients: A Retrospective Study.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and prognosis in elderly patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: This study recruited 1399 COVID-19 patients aged 65 years or older admitted to Taizhou Hospital or Enze Hospital in Zhejiang Province from December 15, 2022, to January 4, 2023. The Cox regression model was used to evaluate the relationship between hs-cTnT level and in-hospital death. The logistic regression model was used to evaluate the relationship between hs-cTnT level and major adverse events. The restricted cubic spline (RCS) model is used for nonlinear analysis. Results: The increase of peak hs-cTnT was associated with the increased risk of death (HR 9.49; 95% CI 1.19-75.48; trend p = 0.012) and major adverse events (OR 20.59; 95% CI 10.41-40.71; trend p < 0.001). RCS model showed the association between peak hs-cTnT and death and major adverse events were nonlinear (P for non-line < 0.001). Starting from the limit of quantification of hs-cTnT (3ng/L), the risk of death and major adverse events had a steep S-shaped increase until hs-cTnT reached the 90th percentile point (hs-cTnT = 131 ng/L), followed by a plateau period. Peak hs-cTnT has good predictive value for death and major adverse events, with AUC of 0.834 and 0.804, respectively. Conclusion: Peak hs-cTnT has high predictive value for the risk of in-hospital death and major adverse events in elderly patients with COVID-19. The association between peak hs-cTnT and death and major adverse events were nonlinear.

Investigation of the Possible Causes of NRBC in ICU Patients and the Dynamic Trend of NRBC Count in Survival and Death Patients or with Different Underlying Diseases: A Retrospective Study.

Background: The mortality of intensive care unit (ICU) patients ranges from 5% to 30%, and nucleated red blood cells (NRBCs) were revealed to be related to mortality. However, few studies have discussed the causes of NRBC or compared the dynamic count among patients with underlying diseases. Aim: To explore the possible causes of NRBC in ICU patients and the dynamic trends between survival and death groups and underlying disease subgroups. Methods: A total of 177 ICU patients were retrospectively included. The possible causes of NRBC in ICU patients were discussed. The relationship between NRBC and in-hospital mortality and the dynamic trend of NRBC during hospitalization between the survival and death groups and underlying disease subgroups were compared. Results: The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score in the NRBC-positive group were higher (23.52 ± 9.39 vs. 19.62 ± 7.59; 13.50 (9.00-17.50) vs. 8.00 (6.00-12.00)). Red blood cell count (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb) level, oxygen saturation (SO2), oxygenation index (OI), and serum protein level were lower in the NRBC-positive group. However, D-dimer (D-D), liver and kidney function indices, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), C-reactive protein (CRP), and procalcitonin (PCT) were higher than those in the NRBC-negative group. Correlation analysis showed that NRBC count was positively correlated with alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and negatively correlated with SO2 (r = 0.431, P < 0.05; r = 0.363, P < 0.05; r = -0.335, P < 0.05). The mortality rate in the NRBC-positive group was higher, and the median survival time was shorter than that in the NRBC-negative group (77.9% vs. 95.7%, P < 0.001; 15 days vs. 8.5 days, P < 0.01). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that NRBC was an independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality (HR: 1.12 (1.03-1.22), P < 0.01). The NRBC count had different hazard ratios (HRs) for in-hospital mortality in the subgroups. Locally weighted scatterplot smoothing (LOWESS) analysis revealed that the NRBC count in the death group was higher and had a sharp upward trend before death, whereas that in the survival group was negative or stayed at a low level. The changing trend of the NRBC count was different in patients with different underlying diseases. Conclusion: The possible cause of NRBC in ICU patients was related to inflammation and hypoxia. The persistently high level and rapid upward trend of NRBC counts are risk factors for in-hospital mortality in ICU patients. The changing trend of the NRBC count varied in patients with different underlying diseases.

Development and validation a simple scoring system to identify malignant pericardial effusion.

Background: Malignant pericardial effusion (MPE) is a serious complication in patients with advanced malignant tumors, which indicates a poor prognosis. However, its clinical manifestations lack specificity, making it challenging to distinguish MPE from benign pericardial effusion (BPE). The aim of this study was to develop and validate a scoring system based on a nomogram to discriminate MPE from BPE through easy-to-obtain clinical parameters. Methods: In this study, the patients with pericardial effusion who underwent diagnostic pericardiocentesis in Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province from February 2013 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The eligible patients were divided into a training group (n = 161) and a validation group (n = 66) according to the admission time. The nomogram model was established using the meaningful indicators screened by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and multivariate logistic regression. Then, a new scoring system was constructed based on this nomogram model. Results: The new scoring system included loss of weight (3 points), no fever (4 points), mediastinal lymph node enlargement (2 points), pleural effusion (6 points), effusion adenosine deaminase (ADA≦18U/L) (5 points), effusion lactate dehydrogenase (LDH>1033U/L) (7 points), and effusion carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA>4.9g/mL) (10 points). With the optimal cut-off value was 16 points, the area under the curve (AUC), specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR) for identifying MPE were 0.974, 95.1%, 91.0%, 85.6%, 96.8%, 10.56 and 0.05, respectively, in the training set and 0.950, 83.3%, 95.2%, 90.9%, 90.9%, 17.50, and 0.18, respectively, in the validation set. The scoring system also showed good diagnostic accuracy in differentiating MPE caused by lung cancer from tuberculous pericardial effusion (TPE) and MPE including atypical cell from BPE. Conclusion: The new scoring system based on seven easily available variables has good diagnostic value in distinguishing MPE from BPE.

Elevated lactate dehydrogenase predicts poor prognosis of acute ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is associated with the prognosis of many diseases, but the relationship between LDH and the poor prognosis (recurrence and death) of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) has not been fully clarified. This study aimed to investigate the association between admission LDH level and poor prognosis in patients with AIS. METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled AIS patients treated in Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province from July 2019 to December 2019. Poor prognosis included AIS recurrence and all-cause death at 3, 6, and 18 months. The correction between LDH and poor prognosis or all-cause death was assessed. Lasso Cox expression and multivariate Cox expression analyses were used to evaluate the association of LDH with the risk of poor prognosis and all-cause death, respectively. A nomogram was constructed to evaluate the predictive Values of LDH for the poor prognosis and all-cause death of AIS. RESULTS: 732 patients were included in the study. Multivariate analysis shows that admission LDH levels were significantly correlated with poor prognosis [odds ratio (OR),1.003; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.001-1.005; P = 0.001] and all-cause death (OR, 1.005; 95% CI, 1.000-1.009; P = 0.031). The correlation analysis showed that admission LDH level was positively correlated with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (td-ROC) curves analysis showed that the AUC values of admission LDH level for predicting prognosis of AIS patients in 3-month, 6-month, 12-month and 18-month were 0.706 (95% CI, 0.604-0.810), 0.653 (95% CI, 0.583-0.723), 0.616 (95% CI, 0.556-60676) and 0.610 (95% CI, 0.552-0.680), respectively. And td-ROC also showed that the AUC values of admission LDH level for predicting all-cause death of AIS patients in 3-month, 6-month,12-month and 18-month were 0.861 (95% CI, 0.764-0.958), 0.824 (95% CI, 0.753-0.890), 0.726 (95% CI, 0.633-0.819) and 0.715 (95% CI, 0.622-0.807), respectively. The nomograms were constructed to create the predictive models of the poor prognosis and all-cause death of AIS. CONCLUSION: Higher LDH levels are independently associated with poor prognosis and all-cause death of AIS.

The role of lymphocyte-monocyte ratio on axial spondyloarthritis diagnosis and sacroiliitis staging.

BACKGROUND: Axial spondyloarthritis (axial SpA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder could lead to disability due to the failure of timely treatment. The role of lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) in axial SpA remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of LMR in axial SpA diagnosis, disease activity classification and sacroiliitis staging. METHODS: Seventy-eight axial SpA patients [51males and 27 females; mean age 41.0 (29-52) years] and 78 healthy controls (HCs) [55males and 23 females; mean age 40 (30-53) years] were enrolled in this study. The diagnosis of axial SpA was performed according to the New York criteria or the Assessment of Spondyloarthritis international Society (ASAS) classification criteria, whereas the staging of sacroiliitis in axial SpA patients was determined by X-ray examination. Comparisons of LMR levels between groups were performed using t test. Pearson or Spearman correlation analysis were used to assess correlations between LMR and other indicators. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the role of LMR in the diagnosis of axial SpA. RESULTS: Higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR), red blood cell distribution width(RDW), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio(PLR), mean platelet volume(MPV), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein(CRP) levels and lower red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), Hematocrit (Hct), LMR, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL) and albumin/globulin (A/G) levels were noted in axial SpA patients compared to HCs. Positive correlations were observed between LMR and RBC, Hb, Hct and A/G, whereas negative correlations were found between LMR and NLR, PLR, AST, and TBIL (P < 0.05). ROC curves showed that the area under the curve (AUC) for LMR in the diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis was 0.803 (95% CI = 0.734-0.872) with a sensitivity and specificity of 62.8 and 87.2%, respectively, and the AUC (95% CI) for the combination of ESR, CRP and LMR was 0.975 (0.948-1.000) with a sensitivity and specificity of 94.9 and 97.4%, respectively. LMR levels were lower (P < 0.05) and significant differences in LMR values were observed among different stages (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested that LMR might be an important inflammatory marker to identify axial SpA and assess disease activity and X-ray stage of sacroiliitis.

Establishment of a predictive model for outcomes in patients with severe acute pancreatitis by nucleated red blood cells combined with Charlson complication index and APACHE II score.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Nucleated red blood cell (NRBC) is an immature red blood cell, which can appear in the peripheral blood of newborns but not in normal adults. However, in the presence of hemorrhage, severe hypoxia, or severe infection, NRBCs may exist in adult blood and are associated with prognosis. The aims of this study were to establish a predictive model for the outcome of patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) based on NRBCs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from 92 patients with SAP were retrospectively collected for the study. We used chi-square automatic interaction detection (CHAID) to explore a prediction model of mortality in patients with SAP by NRBCs. RESULTS: During the 90-day follow-up, 11 participants (12.0%) died. The NRBC-positive rate of nonsurvivors was much higher than survivors (90.9% vs. 23.5%). Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II), Ranson score, and serum C-reactive protein were higher in nonsurvivors (5.0, 29.0, 6.0, and 140.0 g/L) than survivors (3.0, 13.0, 4.0, and 54.7 g/L). A CHAID model including NRBC, CCI, APACHE II score, and Ranson score showed that NRBCs differentiated well between nonsurvivors and survivors. All patients with SAP survived when they had a negative test result for NRBCs and CCI was below 7. All patients died when they had a positive test result for NRBCs and APACHE II score exceeded 30. Among patients whose NRBC test result was positive and APACHE II score was below 30, if the Ranson score was less than 5, the mortality rate was only 5.6%, whereas the mortality rate was 66.7% if the Ranson score exceeded 5. A validated population of 32 patients showed that the accuracy of the prediction model was 100%. CONCLUSION: NRBC combined with CCI, APACHE II, and Ranson score can predict 90-day mortality of patients with SAP.