The value of exhaled nitric oxide in assessing the risk of acute exacerbation and guiding the use of ICS in patients with COPD / 中国医师杂志

Objective:To explore the predictive value of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) for the risk of acute exacerbation in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients over the next year and evaluate whether it can guide the use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS).Methods:This study was a multicenter, retrospective and observational cohort study. The subjects of this study were stable COPD patients who were hospitalized in 12 hospitals in Hunan Province and Guangxi from January 2017 to December 2021. The patient′s basic Demography information, previous acute exacerbation history, pulmonary function, FeNO, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessment test questionnaire (CAT) score, modified British Medical Research Council dyspnea questionnaire (mMRC) score, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease control questionnaire (CCQ) score, and detailed treatment plan were collected. Based on FeNO 25 ppb, patients were divided into a high FeNO group and a normal FeNO group. All patients were followed up for 1 year and information on acute exacerbation was recorded.Results:A total of 825 patients were included, aged (63.5±9.1)years, with a median of 25 ppb of FeNO. A number of 825 patients were followed up for 1 year, of which 262(31.8%) experienced acute exacerbation. Multivariate logistic regression found that FeNO, CAT score, smoking cessation, and past history of acute exacerbation were independent factors predicting acute exacerbation in COPD patients in the next year (all P<0.05). High FeNO was a protective factor for acute exacerbation in COPD patients in the next year, with an OR value of 0.10 ( P<0.001). Further analysis found that the proportion of patients in the high FeNO group using ICS was significantly higher than that in the normal FeNO group [58.8%(247/420) vs 48.6%(197/405), P=0.003]. In the high FeNO group, using ICS can reduce the incidence of acute exacerbation of COPD in the next year [8.9%(22/247) vs 15.6%(27/173), P<0.05], while in the normal FeNO group, there was no statistically significant difference in the frequency of acute exacerbation between patients using ICS and those not using ICS ( P>0.05). Conclusions:FeNO is an independent factor predicting the acute exacerbation of COPD in the next year, and patients with high FeNO levels may consider using ICS in combination.

Symptom scores of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and their response to different inhalation drug treatments / 中国医师杂志

Objective:To analyze the response of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with multiple and few symptoms to different inhalation drugs, including acute exacerbation and symptom changes.Methods:This study was a multi center, retrospective Cohort study. The subjects of this study were patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in stable stage in 12 hospitals in Hunan and Guangxi from December 2016 to February 2022. Demographics data, lung function, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Assessment test questionnaire (CAT) score, modified British Medical Research Council dyspnea questionnaire (mMRC) score and inhalation drug scheme of patients were collected. According to the CAT and mMRC scores, patients were divided into a multi symptom group (CAT≥10 points or mMRC≥2 points) or a few symptom group (CAT<10 points and mMRC<1 point); Subsequently, they were divided into four subgroups based on the inhalation drug regimen: long-acting anticholinergic drugs (LAMA) group, long-acting β2-receptor agonists (LABA)+ inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) group, LABA+ LAMA group, and LABA+ LAMA+ ICS group. All patients were followed up for 1 year, with minimum clinical improvement (MCID) defined as a decrease of ≥2 points in the patient′s CAT score at 6 months, and clinical symptom deterioration (CSD) defined as an increase of ≥2 points in the patient′s CAT score at 6 months.Results:A total of 929 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were included, including 719(77.4%) with multiple symptoms and 210(22.6%) with few symptoms. There was no statistically significant difference in MCID, CSD, acute exacerbation, hospitalization frequency, and mortality rate among subgroups of asymptomatic COPD patients treated with different inhalation drug regimens (all P>0.05). Among patients with multiple symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, compared to those who use LAMA or LABA+ ICS, those who used LABA+ LAMA or LABA+ LAMA+ ICS were more likely to obtain MCID and had a more significant improvement in CAT scores, and the risk of acute exacerbation is lower (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Lesser symptomatic COPD patients should receive single drug LAMA as the initial inhalation treatment drug, while multi symptomatic COPD patients should receive LABA+ LAMA as the initial inhalation treatment drug.

Analysis of Fusarium oxysporum infection on changes of Astragalus metabolism by metabolomic approach / 药学学报

italic>Astragalus is a commonly used Chinese medicinal material in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and with the increase of planting area in recent years, the damage of Astragalus root rot has worsened year by year, which seriously affecting its quality and yield. Fusarium oxysporum is one of the main pathogens causing root rot in astragalus. In this study, UPLC-Q-TOF-MS based metabolomic approach combined with multivariate statistical analysis were used to analyze the metabolite changes of Astragalus in response to F. oxysporum infection. The results showed that 62 metabolites in the Astragalus had significant changes after inoculation of F. oxysporum. Polar metabolites included 40 flavonoids, 8 saponins, 2 nucleosides, 1 vitamin, 1 organic acid, 1 amino acid; while lipid metabolites included 3 fatty acids, 1 diradylglycerols, 2 lysophosphatidylcholine, 1 lysophosphatidylglycerol, 1 phosphatidylinositol, 1 sterol lipid. Among these differential metabolites, the relative content of flavonoids, vitamin B2, tryptophan and salicylic acid were increased, while the relative content of saponins were decreased. Correlation analysis showed that the flavonoids were positively correlated with each other, and positively correlated with most lipids, but negatively correlated with most saponins. In addition, studies have shown that F. oxysporum infection is not an influencing factor for the generation of malonyl substitution of flavonoid. This study elucidates the effect of F. oxysporum infection on Astragalus from the perspective of plant metabolism, which provides a basis for exploring the interaction mechanism between the Astragalus and F. oxysporum and further promoting molecular breeding.

Targeted metabolomic analysis of phenylpropanoid metabolites in Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus in response to Fusarium solani infection / 药学学报

Root rot severely restricts the sustainable development of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus (AMM) industry. Resistance breeding is an economical and environmentally safe way to manage the disease and its key lies in the obtaining of resistance indicators. This study aimed to quickly and accurately screen the resistance-related (RR) metabolites so as to provide reference for the screening of indicators of AMM breeding for resistance. LC-MS-based targeted metabolomics and real-time quantitative PCR technology were employed, in combination with multivariate statistical analysis, in analyzing the dynamic changes of phenylpropanoid metabolites in AMM in response to root rot pathogen Fusarium solani (FS) infection and identifying the differential metabolites. The LC-MS method established showed high sensitivity; each metabolite had a good linear relationship (R2 ≥ 0.968 9) in the corresponding linear range of the respective standard curve; the recoveries and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) (n = 6) ranged from 70% to 107% and from 1.2% to 9.9%, respectively. Obvious disturbances were observed in the changes of the targeted metabolites in AMM infected by FS. These metabolites, compared with the mock-inoculated (CK) group, showed different up or down regulation with time series. Calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside, ononin, calycosin and formononetin were identified as differential metabolites, and they all belong to flavonoids. The first three compounds were significantly negatively correlated (r ≤ -0.97, P < 0.05) with the content of FS in the root of AMM. As potential RR metabolites, they are helpful in obtaining promising resistance indicators for AMM against FS infection.

Finite element analysis of PMMA bone cement reinforced screw plate fixation for osteoporotic proximal humeral fracture / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#With the help of finite element analysis, to explore the effect of proximal humeral bone cement enhanced screw plate fixation on the stability of internal fixation of osteoporotic proximal humeral fracture.@*METHODS@#The digital model of unstable proximal humeral fracture with metaphyseal bone defect was made, and the finite element models of proximal humeral fracture bone cement enhanced screw plate fixation and common screw plate fixation were established respectively. The stress of cancellous bone around the screw, the overall stiffness, the maximum stress of the plate and the maximum stress of the screw were analyzed.@*RESULTS@#The maximum stresses of cancellous bone around 6 screws at the head of proximal humeral with bone cement enhanced screw plate fixation were 1.07 MPa for No.1 nail, 0.43 MPa for No.2 nail, 1.16 MPa for No.3 nail, 0.34 MPa for No.4 nail, 1.99 MPa for No.5 nail and 1.57 MPa for No.6 nail. These with common screw plate fixation were:2.68 MPa for No.1 nail, 0.67 MPa for No.2 nail, 4.37 MPa for No.3 nail, 0.75 MPa for No.4 nail, 3.30 MPa for No.5 nail and 2.47 MPa for No.6 nail. Overall stiffness of the two models is 448 N/mm for bone cement structure and 434 N/mm for common structure. The maximum stress of plate appears in the joint hole:701MPa for bone cement structure and 42 0MPa for common structure. The maximum stress of screws appeared at the tail end of No.4 nail:284 MPa for bone cement structure and 240.8 MPa for common structure.@*CONCLUSION@#Through finite element analysis, it is proved that the proximal humerus bone cement enhanced screw plate fixation of osteoporotic proximal humeral fracture can effectively reduce the stress of cancellous bone around the screw and enhance the initial stability after fracture operation, thus preventing from penetrating out and humeral head collapsing.

Effective components and mechanism of Qijiao Shengbai Capsules based on fingerprinting and network pharmacology / 中国中药杂志

Qijiao Shengbai Capsules(QJ) can invigorate Qi and replenish the blood, which is commonly used clinically for adjuvant treatment of cancer and leukopenia due to chemoradiotherapy. However, the pharmacological mechanism of QJ is still unclear. This work aims to combine the high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) fingerprints and network pharmacology to clarify the effective components and mechanism of QJ. The HPLC fingerprints of 20 batches of QJ were established. The similarity evaluation among 20 batches of QJ was performed by using Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of Traditional Chinese Medicine(version 2012), resulting in a similarity greater than 0.97. Eleven common peaks were identified by reference standard, including ferulic acid, calycosin 7-O-glucoside, ononin, calycosin, epimedin A, epimedin B, epimedin C, icariin, formononetin, baohuoside I, and Z-ligustilide. The "component-target-pathway" network was constructed by network pharmacy, and 10 key components in QJ were identified, such as ferulic acid, calycosin 7-O-glucoside, ononin, and calycosin. The components were involved in the phosphoinositide 3 kinase-protein kinase B(PI3K-Akt), mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK), and other signaling pathways by regulating potential targets, including EGFR, RAF1, PIK3R1, and RELA, to auxiliarily treat tumors, cancers, and leukopenia. The molecular docking conducted on the AutoDock Vina platform confirmed the high binding activity of 10 key effective components with core targets, with the binding energy less than-5 kcal·mol~(-1). In this study, the effective components and mechanism of QJ have been preliminary revealed based on HPLC fingerprint and network pharmacology, which provided a basis for quality control of QJ and a refe-rence for further study on its mechanism.

Contamination status and exposure risk of mycotoxins in Coicis Semen / 中国中药杂志

By investigating the contamination status and predicting the exposure risk of mycotoxin in Coicis Semen, we aim to provide guidance for the safety supervision of Chinese medicinal materials and the formulation(revision) of mycotoxin limit standards. The content of 14 mycotoxins in the 100 Coicis Semen samples collected from five major markets of Chinese medicinal materials in China was determined by UPLC-MS/MS. The probability evaluation model based on Monte Carlo simulation method was established after Chi-square test and One-way ANOVA of the sample contamination data. Health risk assessment was performed on the basis of margin of exposure(MOE) and margin of safety(MOS). The results showed that zearalenone(ZEN), aflatoxin B_1(AFB_1), deoxynivalenol(DON), sterigmatocystin(ST), and aflatoxin B_2(AFB_2) in the Coicis Semen samples had the detection rates of 84%, 75%, 36%, 19%, and 18%, and the mean contamination levels of 117.42, 4.78, 61.16, 6.61, and 2.13 μg·kg~(-1), respectively. According to the limit standards in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition), AFB_1, AFs and ZEN exceeded the standards to certain extents, with the over-standard rates of 12.0%, 9.0%, and 6.0%, respectively. The exposure risks of Coicis Semen to AFB_1, AFB2, ST, DON, and ZEN were low, while 86% of the samples were contaminated with two or more toxins, which needs more attention. It is suggested that the research on the combined toxicity of different mycotoxins should be strengthened to accelerate the cumulative exposure assessment of mixed contaminations and the formulation(revision) of toxin limit standards.

Rapid flavonoid-focused sub-chemome characterization of Draconis Sanguis using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS in combination with molecular weight imprinting and mass defect filtering / 中国中药杂志

Draconis Sanguis is a precious Chinese medicinal material for activating blood and resolving stasis, and its effective components are flavonoids. However, the structural diversity of flavonoids in Draconis Sanguis brings great challenges to the in-depth chara-cterization of its chemical composition profiles. To clarify the substance basis of Draconis Sanguis, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was used in this study to acquire MS data of Draconis Sanguis. The molecular weight imprinting(MWI) and mass defect filtering(MDF) were developed for rapid screening of flavonoids in Draconis Sanguis. Full-scan MS and MS~2 were recorded within the mass range m/z 100-1 000 in positive ion mode. Accor-ding to previous literature, MWI was employed to hunt for reported flavonoids in Draconis Sanguis, and the mass tolerance range of [M+H]~+ was set as ±10×10~(-3). A five-point MDF screening frame was further constructed to narrow the screening range of flavonoids from Draconis Sanguis. Combined with diagnostic fragment ions(DFI) and neutral loss(NL) as well as mass fragmentation pathways, 70 compounds were preliminarily identified from the extract of Draconis Sanguis, including 5 flavan oxidized congeners, 12 flavans, 1 dihydrochalcones, 49 flavonoids dimers, 1 flavonoids trimer and 2 flavonoid derivatives. This study clarified the chemical composition of flavonoids in Draconis Sanguis. Moreover, it also showed that high-resolution MS combined with data post-processing methods such as MWI and MDF could achieve rapid characterization of the chemical composition in Chinese medicinal materials.

Application of Intraoperative Transesophageal Echocardiography in the Treatment of Renal Cell Carcinoma with Inferior Vena Cava Tumor Thrombus / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To investigate the value of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in the diagnosis and treatment of renal cell carcinoma with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus. Methods Ten patients of renal cell carcinoma with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus treated in the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2017 to January 2021 were selected.TEE was employed to locate the position of the tumor thrombus,determine the occlusion point of the inferior vena cava,count the intraoperative tumor thrombus shedding rate,examine the tumor thrombus resection integrity,and measure blood loss and other indicators,on the basis of which the application value of TEE in the operation of renal cell carcinoma with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus was evaluated. Results All the 10 patients had completed the operations successfully,including 8 patients of open operation and 2 patients of laparoscopic operation.TEE showed tumor thrombi clearly,and all the tumor thrombi were completely removed.There was no tumor thrombus shedding during the operation.The blood loss varied within the range of 300-800 ml,with the mean of (520.0±193.2) ml.The grade III tumor thrombi in 2 patients and the grade I tumor thrombus in 1 patient diagnosed before operation were reduced to grade Ⅱ and upgraded to grade Ⅱ,respectively,by TEE.One patient had no floating tumor thrombus at the end of tumor thrombus before operation,and the blocking position was adjusted in time with the assistance of TEE to avoid the shedding of the floating tumor thrombus. Conclusion TEE can accurately determine and dynamically monitor the location and shape of inferior vena cava tumor thrombus,which provides an important reference and has a significant clinical value in the operation of renal cell carcinoma with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus.

A pre-conception cohort study of fertility and its related factors among couples with the intention of conception / 中华预防医学杂志

Objective: To describe fertility and explore factors associated with it among pre-conception couples of childbearing age. Methods: Based on the pre-conceptional offspring trajectory study of the School of Public Health of Fudan University, couples of childbearing age who participated in the pre-conception physical examination in Shanghai Jiading District from 2016 to 2021 were recruited and followed up. Couples' time to pregnancy (TTP) was analyzed and Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to explore the factors associated with TTP. Kaplan-Meier was used to calculate each menstrual cycle's cumulative pregnancy rate. Results: A total of 1 095 preconception couples were included in the analysis, the M(Q1,Q3)of TTP was 4.33 (2.41, 9.78) menstrual cycles. Age of women (FR=0.90, 95%CI: 0.85-0.95, P<0.001), women who were overweight or obese before pregnancy (FR=0.36, 95%CI: 0.24-0.55, P<0.001), women who were exposed to second-hand smoking (FR=0.63, 95%CI: 0.44-0.92, P=0.016), women whose home or office had been renovated in the past 2 years and had a particular smell (FR=0.46, 95%CI: 0.26-0.81, P=0.008) were risk factors for impaired fertility. Regular menstrual cycles (FR=1.64, 95%CI: 1.16-2.31, P=0.005), females who often drank tea/coffee (FR=1.55, 95%CI: 1.11-2.17, P=0.011) and males who took folic acid before conception (FR=2.35, 95%CI: 1.38-4.23, P=0.002) were associated with better fertility. The cumulative pregnancy rate of 3, 6, and 12 menstrual cycles was 37.6%, 64.4%, and 78.4%, respectively. Conclusion: Older couples, overweight or obesity before pregnancy, irregular menstruation, exposure to secondhand smoke and decoration pollutants in females are associated with impaired fertility. Frequent tea/coffee drinking before pregnancy in females and taking folic acid before pregnancy in males are associated with shortened conception time.

Clinical characteristics and CT findings of Pneumocystis Jirovecii pneumonia in 46 cases with hematological diseases / 中华血液学杂志

Objective: To summarize the original CT features of Pneumocystis Jirovecii pneumonia in patients with hematological diseases. Methods: A retrospective analysis was carried out in 46 patients with proven pneumocystis pneumonia (PJP) in the Hospital of Hematology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between January 2014 and December 2021. All patients had multiple chests CT and related laboratory examinations, imaging typing were conducted based on the initial CT presentation, and the distinct imaging types were analyzed against the clinical data. Results: In the analysis, there were 46 patients with proven pathogenesis, 33 males, and 13 females, with a median age of 37.5 (2-65) years. The diagnosis was validated by bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) hexamine silver staining in 11 patients and clinically diagnosed in 35 cases. Of the 35 clinically diagnosed patients, 16 were diagnosed by alveolar lavage fluid macrogenomic sequencing (BALF-mNGS) and 19 by peripheral blood macrogenomic sequencing (PB-mNGS) . The initial chest CT presentation was categorized into 4 types, including ground glass (GGO) type in 25 cases (56.5%) , nodular type in 10 cases (21.7%) , fibrosis type in 4 cases (8.7%) , and mixed type in 5 cases (13.0%) . There was no substantial discrepancy in CT types among confirmed patients, BALF-mNGS diagnosed patients and PB-mNGS diagnosed patients (χ(2)=11.039, P=0.087) . The CT manifestations of confirmed patients and PB-mNGS diagnosed patients were primarily GGO type (67.6%, 73.7%) , while that of BALF-mNGS diagnosed patients were nodular type (37.5%) . Of the 46 patients, 63.0% (29/46) had lymphocytopenia in the peripheral blood, 25.6% (10/39) with positive serum G test, and 77.1% (27/35) with elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) . There were no great discrepancies in the rates of lymphopenia in peripheral blood, positive G-test, and increased LDH among different CT types (all P>0.05) . Conclusion: The initial chest CT findings of PJP in patients with hematological diseases were relatively prevalent with multiple GGO in both lungs. Nodular and fibrosis types were also the initial imaging findings for PJP.

RBMS3 Expression and Its Correlation with Clinicopathological Features and Prognosis of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

ObjectiveTo investigate the expression of RNA binding motif single stranded interacting protein 3 （RBMS3） in epithelial ovarian cancer （EOC） tissues and its relationship with the clinicopathological features and prognosis of EOC. MethodsThe study enrolled the paraffin-embedded tissues from 110 EOC cases and 73 benign epithelial ovarian tumor cases pathologically diagnosed in the first affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College from January 2015 to December 2019. By using anti-RBMS3 polyclonal antibody， the immunohistochemical staining was employed to detect RBMS3 expression in the tissues and then its correlation with the clinicopathological parameters and prognosis of EOC was analyzed. ResultsRBMS3 was expressed in both EOC and benign epithelial ovarian tumor tissues. RBMS3 expression in EOC tissues， significantly related with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics （FIGO） stage， histological grade， CEA levels and survival status， was significantly lower than that in benign epithelial ovarian tumor tissues （P<0.05）. Kaplan–Meier survival curve showed that low RBMS3 expression in EOC patients was correlated with decreased progression-free survival （PFS） and overall survival （OS） （P<0.05）. Univariate analysis showed that RBMS3 expression， FIGO stage， residual lesion size， intestinal metastasis and intraperitoneal implantation were associated with OS of EOC patients （P<0.05）； multivariate analysis showed that low RBMS3 expression and intestinal metastasis were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in EOC patients （P<0.05）. ConclusionsRBMS3 is expressed at low levels in EOC tissues， which is closely related to poor prognosis of EOC patients. RBMS3 may function as a tumor suppressor gene in EOC tissues and can be used as an EOC-independent prognostic marker for targeted therapy against EOC.

Surgical treatment methods and classification of proximal clavicle fracture / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To summarize the surgical treatment of different proximal clavicle fractures, and discuss the classification of proximal clavicle fractures.@*METHODS@#Total of 24 patients with displaced proximal clavicle fractures were treated from January 2017 to December 2020 including 16 males and 8 females, aged 28 to 66 years old. Among them, 20 cases were fresh fractures and 4 cases were old fractures. According to the Edinburgh classification, 14 cases were type 1B1 fractures and 10 cases were type 1B2 fractures. The different internal fixation methods were selected for internal fixation treatment according to different fracture types.The operation time, blood loss, preoperative and postoperative displacement difference, fracture healing time and Rockwood scoring system were recorded.@*RESULTS@#All patients were followed up for 12 to 24 months. There were no patients with infection or loss of reduction after the operation. Three patients had internal fixation failure after operation, and the internal fixation device was removed. Results The operation time was 30 to 65 min, and the blood loss was 15 to 40 ml. No important nerves, blood vessels, or organs were damaged. The imaging healing time was 3 to 6 months. According to the Rockwood functional score, the total score was (13.50±1.86), pain (2.57±0.50), range of motion (2.78±0.41), muscle strength (2.93±0.28), restricted daily activity (2.85±0.35), subjective results (2.63±0.61);the results were excellent in 20 cases, good in 3 cases, fair in 1 case.@*CONCLUSION@#Proximal clavicular fracture is a type of fracture with low incidence. According to different fracture types, different internal fixation methods and treatment methods can be selected, and satisfactory surgical results can be achieved.

Effects of Sevoflurane and Propofol on Neurological Recovery of Traumatic Brain Injury Patients in the Early Postoperative Stage: A Retrospective Cohort Study / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

Objective To investigate the effects of propofol and sevoflurane on neurological recovery of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients in the early postoperative stage.Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of TBI patients who underwent craniotomy or decompressive craniectomy. Generalized additive mixed model (GAMM) was used to analyze effects of propofol and sevoflurane on Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) on postoperative days 1, 3, and 7. Multivariate regression analysis was used to analyze effects of the two anesthetics on Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) at discharge.Results A total of 340 TBI patients were enrolled in this study. There were 110 TBI patients who underwent craniotomy including 75 in the propofol group and 35 in the sevoflurane group, and 134 patients who underwent decompressive craniectomy including 63 in the propofol group and 71 in the sevoflurane group. It showed no significant difference in GCS at admission between the propofol and the sevoflurane groups among craniotomy patients (β = 0.75, 95%CI: -0.55 to 2.05, P = 0.260). However, elevation in GCS from baseline was 1.73 points (95%CI: -2.81 to -0.66, P = 0.002) less in the sevoflurane group than that in the propofol group on postoperative day 1, 2.03 points (95%CI: -3.14 to -0.91, P < 0.001) less on day 3, and 1.31 points (95%CI: -2.43 to -0.19, P = 0.022) less on day 7. The risk of unfavorable GOS (GOS 1, 2, and 3) at discharge was higher in the sevoflurane group (OR = 4.93, 95%CI: 1.05 to 23.03, P = 0.043). No significant difference was observed among two-group decompressive craniectomy patients in GCS and GOS.Conclusions Compared to propofol, sevoflurane was associated with worse neurological recovery during the hospital stay in TBI patients undergoing craniotomy. This difference was not detected in TBI patients undergoing decompressive craniectomy.

"Typhoidal Cells" Appear in a Woman with Hemophagocytic Syndrome Secondary To Brucellosis: A Case Report / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

We report a case of hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) secondary to brucellosis, in which typhoidal cells were found in bone marrow, suggesting typhoidal cells present not only in Salmonella typhi infections but also in other bacterial infections. Typhoidal cells in bone marrow can be used to quickly identify the presence of bacterial infection pending the results of bone marrow and/or blood cultures.

Cloning and functional verification of PhAEP gene, a key enzyme for biosynthesis of heterophyllin A in Pseudostellaria heterophylla / 中国中药杂志

This paper aimed to study the role of asparagine endopeptidase(AEP) gene in the biosynthesis mechanism of cyclic peptide compounds in Pseudostellaria heterophylla. The transcriptome database of P. heterophylla was systematically mined and screened, and an AEP gene, tentatively named PhAEP, was successfully cloned. The heterologous function verification by Nicotiana benthamiana showed that the expression of the gene played a role in the biosynthesis of heterophyllin A in P. heterophylla. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the cDNA of PhAEP was 1 488 bp in length, encoding 495 amino acids with a molecular weight of 54.72 kDa. The phylogenetic tree showed that the amino acid sequence encoded by PhAEP was highly similar to that of Butelase-1 in Clitoria ternatea, reaching 80%. The sequence homology and cyclase active site analysis revealed that the PhAEP enzyme may specifically hydrolyse the C-terminal Asn/Asp(Asx) site of the core peptide in the HA linear precursor peptide of P. heterophylla, thereby participating in the ring formation of the linear precursor peptide. The results of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR) showed that the expression level of PhAEP was the highest in fruits, followed by in roots, and the lowest in leaves. The heterophyllin A of P. heterophylla was detected in N. benthamiana that co-expressed PrePhHA and PhAEP genes instantaneously. In this study, the PhAEP gene, a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of heterophyllin A in P. heterophylla, has been successfully cloned, which lays a foundation for further analysis of the molecular mechanism of PhAEP enzyme in the biosynthesis of heterophyllin A in P. heterophylla and has important significance for the study of synthetic biology of cyclic peptide compounds in P. heterophylla.

Clinical characteristics and guideline compliance analysis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with initial triple therapy in real-life world / 中国医师杂志

Objective:To observe the clinical characteristics and guideline compliance of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with initial triple therapy in real-life world.Methods:This study is a cross-sectional study. The subjects of the study were COPD patients admitted to 13 hospitals in Hunan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from December 2016 to December 2021. The initial treatment was triple inhaled drugs. The data collected included gender, age, diagnosis, body mass index (BMI), history of acute exacerbation (AE) in the past year, pulmonary function, COPD Assessment Test (CAT) score, modified British Medical Research Council Dyspnea Questionnaire (mMRC), inhaled drugs and other indicators. The characteristics and differences of COPD patients before and after 2020 were analyzed.Results:7 184 patients with COPD were enrolled in this study, including 2 409 COPD patients treated with initial triple therapy, accounting for 33.5%(2 409/7 184). Taking January 1st, 2020 as the cut-off point, 1 825 COPD patients (75.8%) received initial treatment with triple inhaled drugs before 2020 and 584 patients (24.2%) after 2020 were included in this study. Compared with COPD patients before 2020, the COPD patients after 2020 had higher FEV 1% [(40.9±15.5 )% vs (39.3±15.5)%, P=0.040], lower CAT [(15.8±6.5)point vs (17.5±6.2)point, P<0.001], less AE in the past year [1(0, 2)times vs 1(0, 2)times, P=0.001] and higher rate of non-AE [255(43.7%) vs 581(37.1%), P=0.006]. In addition, before 2020, patients with COPD were mainly treated with open triple drugs (1 825/1 825, 100%); after 2020, 306 patients (52.4%) received open triple inhaled drugs, and 278 patients (47.6%) received closed triple inhaled drugs. Conclusions:In real-life world, most of patients with COPD treated with triple therapy have severe lung function, obvious symptoms and high risk of acute exacerbation. The real-world prescribing of triple therapy in patients with COPD does not always reflect recommendations in guidelines and strategies, and overtreatment is common. After 2020, prescribing triple therapy for COPD patients is more positive and worse consistency with guideline.

Methods for synchronous detection of 14 mycotoxins in Pseudostellariae Radix and investigation on its contamination / 中国中药杂志

This study aimed to establish a method for synchronous detection of 14 mycotoxins in Pseudostellariae Radix and investigate its contamination with mycotoxins, so as to provide technical guidance for monitoring the quality of Chinese medicinal materials and medication safety. The sample was extracted with 80% acetonitrile in an oscillator for 1 h, purified using the modified QuEChERS purifying agent(0.1 g PSA + 0.3 g C_(18) + 0.3 g MgSO_4), and separated on a Waters HSS T3 chromatographic column(2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.8 μm). The gradient elution was carried out with 0.1% formic acid in water and acetonitrile, followed by the scanning in the multi-reaction monitoring(MRM) mode and the analysis of mycotoxin contamination in 26 Pseudostellariae Radix samples. The recovery rates of the established method were within the range of 82.17%-113.6%, with the RSD values less than 7% and the limits of quantification(LOQ) being 0.019-0.976 μg·kg~(-1). The detection rate of 14 mycotoxins in 26 batches of medicinal materials was 53.85%. The detection rate of sterigmatocystin(ST) was the highest, followed by those of zearalenone(ZEN), aflatoxin G_2(AFG_2), fumonisin B_1(FB_1), HT-2 toxin, and nivalenol(NIV). Their respective detection rates were 38.46%, 26.92%, 23.08%, 11.54%, 11.54%, and 7.69%, with the pollution ranges being 1.48-69.65, 0.11-31.05, 0.11-0.66, 0.28-0.83, 20.86-42.56, and 0.46-1.84 μg·kg~(-1), respectively. The established method for the detection of 14 mycotoxins is accurate, fast and reliable. The research results have very important practical significance for guiding the monitoring and prevention and control of exogenous fungal contamination of Chinese medicinal materials.

Application of Micro-flow Imaging in the Differentiation of Benign and Malignant Thyroid Nodules / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To evaluate the performance of micro-flow imaging(MFI)in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules. Methods Totally 50 patients with thyroid nodules examined by conventional ultrasound,MFI,and contrast-enhanced ultrasound and confirmed by histological or cytological pathology in the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from May to December in 2020 were enrolled in the study.The clinical data and ultrasound images were retrospectively analyzed.A binary logistic regression model was established to evaluate the performance of the model in predicting benign and malignant thyroid nodules. Results Logistic regression showed that composition and "S-W-C" sign were independent risk factors for predicting malignant thyroid nodule.The sensitivity,specificity,and Youden index of the logistic regression model were 73.33%,80.00%,and 0.53,respectively,and the area under receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.799(95%CI=0.662-0.899). Conclusion MFI facilitates the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules and has the potential to be applied in the future.

A Study of Urodynamic Parameters at Different Bladder Filling Stages for Predicting Upper Urinary Tract Dilatation / 대한배뇨장애요실금학회지

Purpose@#To identify more accurate predictors of upper urinary tract dilatation (UUTD) in neurogenic bladder (NB) children, we studied the relationship among urodynamic parameters at different bladder filling stages, detrusor leak point pressure (DLPP) and UUTD. @*Methods@#A total of 158 children (3–16 years) with NB were included and then divided into 2 groups according to whether their NB diagnosis was complicated with UUTD: the UUTD group (39 patients) and those without UUTD group (control group, 119 patients). The bladder filling phase was divided into 3 equal parts: the early, middle, and end filling stages. The bladder compliance (BC) and detrusor pressure (△Pdet) at each phase and DLPP at the end filling stage were recorded. @*Results@#A BC8 cm H2O in the early stage, 20 cm H2O in the middle stage and 25 cm H2O in the end stage are more sensitive than △Pdet >40 cm H2O in the end stage (82%, 85%, 85%, vs. 49%). A DLPP cutoff value of 20 cm H2O showed higher sensitivity for predicting UUTD than 40 cm H2O. @*Conclusions@#Low BC and a high △Pdet in the middle and end filling stages are more accurate factors than classic indicators for predicting UUTD. In addition, a DLPP value of >20 cm H2O in the end bladder filling stage shows high sensitivity.