A Preliminary Study on the Construction and Visualization of Knowledge Graph for the Ancient Chinese Medical Book Ling Shu / 广州中医药大学学报

Objective To explore the construction and visualization for knowledge graph of Ling Shu(Spiritual Pivot),with a view to providing ideas for the structured storage and display of the theoretical knowledge of the ancient Chinese medical books.Methods Using the professional idea of constructing knowledge graphs for reference,text mining technology was applied to construct the thesaurus,and then word division,entity recognition,and relationship extraction for the original text of Ling Shu were performed to get the elements of knowledge graph construction.The graph database Neo4j was used for the storage and query of the knowledge graph,and then the visual display of the knowledge graph was achieved.Results The 1 216 high-quality words consisting of the thesaurus of Ling Shu were obtained,and the construction of the knowledge graph of the theory of Ling Shu was realized.The constructed knowledge graph basically displayed the traditional Chinese medicine theories such as the correlation of visceral manifestations with essence qi,and the relationship between emotions and the five-zang organs described in Ling Shu,which made the retrieval and utilization of the related entities and relationships possible,and provided ideas for the structured storage and display of the theoretical knowledge of the ancient books of Chinese medicine.Conclusion The knowledge graph construction technology can be used to obtain the Chinese medicine theoretical knowledge graph of Ling Shu,and to display the knowledge connections of yin-yang and the five elements,and the internal organs and meridians expressed in the Ling Shu.The construction of the knowledge graph and its storage in the graph database enable the knowledge graph involved in the text of Ling Shu to be displayed in the form of visualized semantic network graph,and also make the embedding of other search systems such as the semantic search and semantic wiki possible,which will be helpful for the development of Chinese medicine intelligent medical services.

Effect of cardiovascular diseases on pregnancy / 心血管康复医学杂志

Hemodynamics changes in pregnant women,cardiac output increases by 50％,increasing the burden of cardiovascular system.It leads to further aggravation of original cardiovascular diseases during pregnancy,and non-pregnancy potential cardiovascular diseases will show up.Advanced age,obesity and diabetes etc.are risk factors of cardiovascular diseases,and they are more common in pregnant women than those non-pregnant,thus incidence rate of cardiovascular diseases increase in pregnant women consequently,making 1％～4％pregnancy more compli-cated than the normal pregnancy,which is also an important reason leading to pregnant woman death and adverse outcomes such as premature birth and stillbirth.Treatment during pregnancy should consider impact of fetus,there-fore its more complicated and difficult for clinical treatment of cardiovascular diseases during pregnancy.The pres-ent article mainly elaborates influence of cardiovascular diseases on pregnancy,including gestational hypertension,gestational diabetes and perinatal cardiomyopathy.

A study on job preferences of CDC staffs at the prefectural-levels in Shandong province:Based on a discrete choice experiment / 中国卫生政策研究

Objective:This study discusses the job preferences of Center for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC)staffs at the prefectural-level,and provides a basis for the development of an effective incentive mechanism.Method:This study used a combination of stratified sampling and purposive sampling to research online 455 staffs from six prefectural-level CDCs in Shandong Province,analyzed the data using a mixed logit model and latent class model,and calculated willingness to pay and relative importance.Result:In the mixed logit model,income,benefit level,establishment,workload,recognition and respect from the public,personal career development opportunities,and training opportunities all had significant influences(P<0.05)on the job selection preferences of the CDC staffs,with hygiene factors such as establishment(β =2.636)and income(β =0.083)having a greater degree of influence than motivation factors.The latent class model shows that relatively young CDC staffs with lower monthly incomes value income more;older CDC staffs with higher monthly incomes value establishment more.Conclusion:Prefectural-level CDC staffs prefer jobs with establishment,higher incomes,very good benefit levels,recognition and respected from the public,lower workloads,many opportunities for personal career advancement and abundant training opportunities.It is recommended that the total number of establishments be rationally controlled and dynamically adjusted to balance the differences between working conditions within and outside the establishment and that the financial input to CDC be increased and the pay performance system be improved;that attention be paid to both hygiene factors and motivation factors,and that a variety of measures work together to incentivize CDC staffs development;and that differentiated incentives be adopted for different categories of CDC staffs.

Treatment of basilar artery trunk aneurysms / 国际脑血管病杂志

Basilar artery trunk aneurysms (BTAs) are relatively rare, with poor natural prognosis, high disability and mortality rates. The treatment options for BTAs includes conservative treatment, craniotomy, and endovascular treatment. Due to the deep anatomical structure, rich perforating vessels, and complex pathological structure of the basilar artery, craniotomy is more difficult. There is currently no consensus on the treatment of BTAs. This article reviews the current treatment status of BTAs, aiming to provide reference for clinical work.

Role and mechanism of glucagon-like peptide-1 in depression / 中国药理学通报

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a major hormone of incretin hormone and gut-brain axis, which is related to the control of energy homeostasis and the occurrence of obesity. In addition to suppressing appetite, GLP-1 has neuroprotective effects by acting on areas of the brain involved in stress response and mood regulation. Depression is a common mental disease, and GLP-1 is closely related to depression. This article reviews the role and mechanism of GLP-1 in depression.

Mechanism of melatonin regulation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling in hypothalamus delaying the initiation of puberty in female mice / 解剖学报

Objective To explore the effect of melatonin ( MLT) on the initiation of puberty in female mice and on the expression level of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinases ( PI3K)/protein kinase B ( Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway in the frypothalamus. Methods Seventy-eight 20-day-old female KM mice were randomly divided into melatonin (MLT) group and normal saline (NS) group, with 39 mice in each group. Starting at 22 days of age, the MLT group was given a subcutaneous injection of 1 mg/kg melatonin and the NS group was given an equal volume of saline. Thirty-two days of age were selected as the sampling point before puberty initiation and 13 mice were executed in each of the two groups, while 37 and 42 days of age were selected as the sampling point after puberty initiation and 13 mice were executed in each of the two groups. Observation of vaginal opening time in mice, weighing of ovaries and uterus to calculate organ indices. HE staining to observe the number of ovarian corpora lutea. The levels of serum luteinizing hormone (LH)were determined by ELISA. The mRNA and protein expression levels of PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in frypothalamus were detected by Real-time PCR and Western blotting. Results Compared with the normal saline group, mice in the melatonin group had significantly delayed vaginal opening time ( P < 0. 05 ) , decreased significantly ovarian and uterine volume and index (P<0. 05) , decreased significantly serum LH levels (P<0. 05) , and decreased significantly mRNA and protein expression levels of the frypothalamic PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway (P<0. 05). Conclusion Melatonin delays puberty initiation in mice by a mechanism that ma)' be related to inhibition of the hypothalamic PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling pathway.

Comparison of prediction ability of two extended Cox models in nonlinear survival data analysis / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the predictive ability of two extended Cox models in nonlinear survival data analysis.@*METHODS@#Through Monte Carlo simulation and empirical study and with the conventional Cox Proportional Hazards model and Random Survival Forests as the reference models, we compared restricted cubic spline Cox model (Cox_RCS) and DeepSurv neural network Cox model (Cox_DNN) for their prediction ability in nonlinear survival data analysis. Concordance index was used to evaluate the differentiation of the prediction results (a larger concordance index indicates a better prediction ability of the model). Integrated Brier Score was used to evaluate the calibration degree of the prediction (a smaller index indicates a better prediction ability).@*RESULTS@#For data that met requirement of the proportion risk, the Cox_RCS model had the best prediction ability regardless of the sample size or deletion rate. For data that failed to meet the proportion risk, the prediction ability of Cox_DNN was optimal for a large sample size (≥500) with a low deletion (< 40%); the prediction ability of Cox_RCS was superior to those of other models in all other scenarios. For example data, the Cox_RCS model showed the best performance.@*CONCLUSION@#In analysis of nonlinear low maintenance data, Cox_RCS and Cox_DNN have their respective advantages and disadvantages in prediction. The conventional survival analysis methods are not inferior to machine learning or deep learning methods under certain conditions.

Mechanism of Yanghe Decoction against subcutaneous tumor in pulmonary metastasis from breast cancer through HIF-1α signaling pathway regulating glycolysis:based on network pharmacology and animal experiment / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to explore the mechanism of Yanghe Decoction(YHD) against subcutaneous tumor in pulmonary metastasis from breast cancer, which is expected to lay a basis for the treatment of breast carcinoma with YHD. The chemical components of medicinals in YHD, and the targets of the components were retrieved from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP) and SwissTargetPrediction. The disease-related targets were searched from GeneCards and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM). Excel was employed to screen the common targets and plot the Venn diagram. The protein-protein interaction network was constructed. R language was used for Gene Ontology(GO) term enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment. A total of 53 female SPF Bablc/6 mice were randomized into normal group(same volume of normal saline, ig), model group(same volume of normal saline, ig), and low-dose and high-dose YHD groups(YHD, ig, 30 days), with 8 mice in normal group and 15 mice in each of the other groups. Body weight and tumor size was measured every day. Curves for body weight variation and growth of tumor in situ were plotted. In the end, the subcutaneous tumor sample was collected and observed based on hematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining. The mRNA and protein levels of hypoxia inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α), pyruvate kinase M2(PKM2), lactate dehydrogenase A(LDHA), and glucose transporter type 1(GLUT1) were detected by PCR and Western blot. A total of 213 active components of YHD and 185 targets against the disease were screened out. The hypothesis that YHD may regulate glycolysis through HIF-1α signaling pathway to intervene in breast cancer was proposed. Animal experiment confirmed that the mRNA and protein levels of HIF-1α, PKM2, LDHA, and GLUT1 in the high-and low-dose YHD groups were lower than those in the model group. YHD has certain inhibitory effect on subcutaneous tumor in pulmonary metastasis from breast cancer in the early stage, which may intervene pulmonary metastasis from breast cancer by regulating glycolysis through HIF-1α signaling pathway.

Yangyin Huayu Jiedu Preseription Regulates Autophagy and Apoptosis of Colon Cancer Cells in Hypoxic Environment Through PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of different oxygen concentration on the proliferation and autophagy of colon cancer cells and to explore the effect of Yangyin Huayu Jiedu Preseription （YHJP） on autophagy and apoptosis of colon cancer cells under hypoxia based on phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt） signaling pathway. MethodHCT-116 cells were divided into normoxia group， 1% O2 group， and 5% O2 group. Cell viability was detected by cell proliferation assay （MTS）， and autophagy was observed based on monodansylcadaverine （MDC） staining. HCT-116 cells were treated with YHJP in 5% O2 microenvironment. The cells were divided into normal group， blank serum group， and low-， medium-， high-dose YHJP groups （5%， 15%， 25% serum containing YHJP）. Cell inhibition rate in each group was calculated by MTS， and changes in the rate of autophagy were detected based on MDC staining. Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate （FITC）/propidium iodide （PI） was employed to detect the apoptosis rate of each group. Western blotting was applied to measure the expression of autophagy proteins microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 （LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ）， yeast Atg6 homolog （Beclin-1）， ubiquitin-binding scaffold protein p62 （p62）， apoptosis-related proteins B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， Bcl-2/adenovirus E1B interacting protein 3 （BNIP-3）， and Bcl-2 associated X protein （Bax）， cleaved cysteine-aspartic acid protease-3 （Caspase-3）， hypoxia-inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α） and pathway proteins PI3K， phosphorylated （p）-PI3K， Akt， and p-Akt. ResultCell survival rates of the 1% O2 and 5% O2 groups were increased compared with that in the normoxia group， particularly the 5% O2 group （P<0.01）. The fluorescence intensity for autophagy in 1% O2 and 5% O2 groups was significantly increased compared with that in the normoxia group， especially the 5% O2 group. In the presence of 5% O2， compared with the blank serum group， medium-dose and high-dose YHJP groups showed high cell inhibition rate， low autophagy rate， high apoptosis rate （P<0.01）， and low expression of Beclin-1 protein （P<0.05）. Compared with low-dose YHJP group， high-dose YHJP group demonstrated low expression of Beclin-1 protein （P<0.05）. Compared with the blank serum group， the three YHJP groups had low expression of LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ protein （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the blank serum group， medium-dose and high-dose YHJP groups showed high expression of p62 protein （P<0.01）. Compared with low-dose YHJP group， high-dose YHJP group showed high expression of p62 protein （P<0.05）. Compared with the blank serum group， high-dose YHJP increased the expression of BNIP-3 and Bax and decreased the expression of Bcl-2 （P<0.01）. The expression of Bax protein in the high-dose YHJP group was increased compared with that in the low-dose YHJP group （P<0.05）. The expression of HIF-1α in the medium-dose and high-dose YHJP groups was decreased （P<0.01） and the expression of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt in the high-dose YHJP group was increased （P<0.05， P<0.01） compared with that in the blank serum group. The expression of p-Akt/Akt was higher in the high-dose YHJP group than in the medium-dose YHJP （P<0.05）. ConclusionHypoxic microenvironment can significantly promote autophagy and proliferation of colon cancer cells. YHJP can significantly inhibit autophagy and proliferation and promote apoptosis of colon cancer cells in 5% O2 environment by up-regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Label-free target discovery technology of small molecule drug and its application in traditional Chinese medicines / 药学学报

The discovery of drug targets plays a crucial role in drug research. Accurate information of small molecule drug-protein interaction can be provided by label-free target discovery technology without any structural modification at the small molecule. So, the label-free drug target discovery technology had become the powerful tool to discover the targets of drugs. Due to the “multi-component and multi-target” characteristics of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), the research on its targets and mechanism had been restricted. Based on potential of the label-free target discovery technology in the research of TCMs, this paper summarized the label-free target discovery technology and its application in TCMs research. It will provide a reference for the discovery of targets of TCMs and a new view for promoting the modernization of TCMs.

Effect of shikonin on inflammatory response in rats with knee osteoarthritis by regulating NF-κB/ERK signaling pathway / 中国免疫学杂志

Objective:Constructing a rat model of knee osteoarthritis,to explore effects of shikonin on inflammatory response,NF-κB/extracellular regulated protein kinase(ERK)pathway in knee osteoarthritis rats,and the possibility of NF-κB/ERK signaling pathway as a new target for shikonin.Methods:Seventy-two male SD rats were collected,and randomly separated into sham operation group,arthritis group,nimesulide group,shikonin group,shikonin+ERK activation group and shikonin+NF-κB activation group,with 12 rats per group.A rat model of knee osteoarthritis was constructed,and the arthritis indexes of rats in each group were evaluated to judge the model construction;safranin fast green staining and HE staining were performed to observe the pathology of knee cartilage of rats in each group;ELISA was performed to measure levels of IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α in serum and cartilage tissue of rats in each group;Western blot was performed to measure NF-κB p65,ERK,p-NF-κB p65 and p-ERK protein expressions in cartilage tissue.Results:Cartilage tissue of rats in sham operation group had no obvious protrusions,and the safranine staining was completely stained;compared with sham operation group,cartilage of arthritis group showed protrusions,and the staining was completely lost,the arthritis index,serum and cartilage tissue TNF-α,IL-6,IL-1β contents,cartilage tissue NF-κB p65,ERK protein phosphoryla-tion degrees were increased significantly(P<0.05);compared with arthritis group,cartilage tissue of nimesulide group and shikonin group gradually recovered,the safranine staining was increased,the arthritis index,serum and cartilage tissue TNF-α,IL-6,IL-1β contents,cartilage tissue NF-κB p65,ERK protein phosphorylation degrees were reduced significantly(P<0.05);compared with shi-konin group,shikonin+ERK activation group and shikonin+NF-κB activation group showed a slower recovery of cartilage tissue and se-rious loss of safranine staining,the arthritis index,serum and cartilage tissue TNF-α,IL-6,IL-1β contents,cartilage tissue NF-κB p65,ERK protein phosphorylation degrees were increased significantly(P<0.05);there was no significant difference of each index be-tween shikonin group and nimesulide group(P>0.05).Conclusion:Shikonin can relieve knee osteoarthritis by regulating the NF-κB/ERK pathway and inhibiting the activation of related proteins.

Relationships between lead-induced learning and memory impairments and gut microbiota disturbance in mice / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

Objective: To explore the effect of lead exposure on the neurobehavior and gut microbiota community structure in mice. Methods: In August 2019, 64 C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group (0 ppm) , low lead exposure group (20 mg/l) , medium lead exposure group (100 mg/l) and high lead exposure group (500 mg/l) . During the experiment, they were free to eat and drink. The drinking water of the lead exposure group was mixed with lead acetate, and sodium acetate was added in the control group. After 10 weeks of exposure, the Morris water maze was used to test the learning and memory ability of each group of mice, and then they were sacrificed for sampling. ICP-MS was used to detect lead content in whole blood and brain tissue. ELISA was used to determine the level of IL-1β in mouse serum. 16S rRNA sequencing was used to detect the structural diversity of the intestinal flora in feces, and then the correlation between the flora and behavior indicators was analyzed. Results: In the Morris water maze experiment, compared with the control group, there was no significant difference in the body weight and swimming speed of the mice in the lead exposure groups. The escape latency of the mice in the 100 mg/l and 500 mg/l dose groups was prolonged, and the number of platform crossings decreased (P<0.05) ; meanwhile, the staying time of the mice in the 500 mg/l Pb-treated group in the target quadrant was lower than that of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05) . Compared with the control group, the blood lead content of the mice in each lead exposure group was significantly increased, and the brain lead content of mice in the 500 mg/l dose group was significantly elevated (P<0.05) . The serum IL-1β levels of mice in each lead exposure group were higher than those of the control group (P<0.05) . At the phylum level, the relative abundance of the Proteobacteria phylum in all of Pb-treated groups was significantly increased (P<0.05) ; at the genus level, Allobaculum, Desulfovibrio, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, Turicibacter and Ureaplasma were significantly increased (P<0.05) . Among them. The relative abundance of Desuffaoibrio, Turici bacter, and Ureaplasma was negatively correlated with the residence time of mice in the quadrant of the platform (r=-0.32, -0.29, -0.44, P<0.05) . Conclusion: Lead exposure induced learning and memory impairments in mice, which may be related to the disturbance of the gut microbiota.

Shanghai expert consensus on clinical protocol for traditional Chinese medicine treatment of COVID-19 among the elderly population (second edition) / 中西医结合学报

This document is the revised edition of the previously issued Shanghai Expert Consensus on Clinical Protocol for Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment of COVID-19 among the Elderly Population. Based on the clinical experience and the Protocol for Diagnosis and Treatment of COVID-19 (Trial 9th Edition), this revised edition provides treatment approaches and recommendations to proactively cope with Omicron variant and increase the therapeutic efficacy for coronavirus disease 2019 among the elderly population in Shanghai, China.

Recent advance in acute neurological complications of COVID-19 / 中华神经医学杂志

In addition to respiratory symptoms, COVID-19 can also cause acute and long-term symptoms of the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system and muscular system. This article reviews the epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestations and treatment methods of acute COVID-19 related cerebrovascular diseases, nervous system inflammatory diseases and encephalopathy, in order to provide references for clinical management of COVID-19 patients.

Factors associated with failure of trial of labor in primiparae with preeclampsia and establishment of risk prediction model / 中华围产医学杂志

Objective:To investigate the risk factors associated with failure of trial of labor in primiparous women with preeclampsia (PE) and to establish a risk prediction model.Methods:Primiparae with PE who underwent trial of labor in the Department of Obstetrics of Suzhou Ninth People's Hospital from February 2018 to July 2020 were retrospectively selected as the modeling set, and divided into two groups: the success group and the failure group. Various parameters were compared between the two groups and those data with statistically significant difference were analyzed with multivariate logistic regression analysis. Those factors related to vaginal delivery failure in primiparous women with PE were identified. Based on the results, a risk prediction model was established using R language. Its performance was assessed with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and goodness-of-fit test. This study also retrospectively enrolled primiparae with PE who underwent trial of labor in the same hospital from August 2020 to December 2021 as the validation set. Bootstrap method was used for verification and a calibration chart was created.Results:A total of 312 PE patients were selected as the modeling set with 89 in the failure group and 223 in the success group. Another 146 primiparae with PE were selected as the validation set. Logistic regression analysis showed that older age ( OR=1.609, 95% CI: 1.251-2.483), higher body fat rate in early pregnancy ( OR=1.456, 95% CI: 1.209-2.159) and higher ratio of umbilical artery systolic to diastolic flow velocity within a week before delivery ( OR=1.799, 95% CI: 1.372-2.794) were risk factors for vaginal delivery failure in primiparae with PE, while more maternal education during pregnancy ( OR=0.233, 95% CI: 0.054-0.672) and higher Bishop score ( OR=0.395, 95% CI: 0.258-0.756) were protective factors. A nomogram model to predict the risks of vaginal delivery failure was constructed based on the above five factors. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the modeling set was 0.921 (95% CI: 0.847-0.963) with the cut-off value of 0.213, and the corresponding sensitivity and specificity were 0.871 and 0.852, respectively;goodness-of-fit test showed that the observed values matched with those expected ( χ2=7.69, P=0.464); and the calibration curve indicated that the consistency of the prediction model was good. The AUC of the validation set was 0.903 (95% CI: 0.835-0.942) with the sensitivity and specificity of 0.892 and 0.796, respectively; the discrepancy between the observed values and those expected was not significant as indicated by goodness-of-fit test ( χ2=6.82, P=0.512); calibration curve of the validation set showed that the predicted values of the model was consistent with the actual values. Conclusions:The failure of vaginal delivery in primiparae with PE is associated with maternal age, prenatal body fat percentage, ratio of fetal umbilical artery systolic to diastolic flow velocity within a week before delivery, maternal education during pregnancy and Bishop score. The nomogram model based on these five risk factors for prediction of vaginal delivery failure performs well.

Comparative study on anti-cancer effect of digoxin on human lung cancer in nude mice bearing subcutaneously or orthotopicly implanted xenografts / 中国药理学通报

Aim To establish subcutaneous and orthotopic transplantation models of human lung cancer in nude mice, and compare the anti-cancer effects of digoxin between the two models. Methods After subcutaneous inoculation of H460 tissues in nude mice, the tumor volume was measured; HE staining and immunohistochemistry were performed; H460-Luc cell suspension was injected into the lung of nude mice toestablish orthotopic tumor model, the in vivo imaging and fluorescence values were recorded, and the tumor lesions in other organs were observed after dissection. Results Compared with control group, the gemcitabine group had a significant anti-tumor effect (P 0.05). HE staining showed that the cell density in each treatment group decreased, and necrosis and/or fibrous hyperplasia were obvious. Immunohistochemistry indicated that the protein expression of p-p38, p-ERK and Nur77 in each treatment group significantly increased in the subcutaneous transplantation model; in the orthotopic transplantation model, the gemcitabine, the middle (P < 0.05) and low dose of digoxin group could inhibit the tumor growth, while the high dose of digoxin group accelerated the development of tumor (P < 0.05). Conclusion Digoxin is more sensitive to orthotopic transplanted tumor than subcutaneous transplanted tumor, anddigoxin may inhibit the tumor growth by up-regulating the expression of p-p38, pERK and Nur77.

Analysis of Traditional Chinese Medicine prescriptions in 240 cases of COVID-19 / 中华全科医师杂志

Objective:To analyze Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) prescriptions in COVID-19 patients in Shanghai area.Methods:Two hundred and forty patients were enrolled in the study, including 19 mild cases, 199 moderate cases, 16 severe case and 6 critical cases. The COVID-19 formula in Shanghai area was extracted and input in TCM Inheritance platform. Data association method such as software association rules,improved mutual information method,complex system entropy clustering,unsupervised entropy hierarchical clustering were used to analyze the frequency,herb flavor and meridian, combination rule and core combination of different types of Chinese herbs in the treatment of COVID-19 in Shanghai area.Results:According to the frequency analysis of 240 prescriptions of Chinese medicine,194 herbs were found. The COVID-19 formula herbs were all "cold", the frequency of use in mild, moderate, severe and critical cases was [46.02%(104/226), 46.31%(1 230/2 656), 37.06%(146/394), 39.24%(31/79)]. The flavor was mainly "bitter" and the frequency of use in 4 types of disease were [36.53%(122/332), 37.33%(1 445/3 857), 35.96%(205/564), 33.62%(39/113)]. Scutellaria was the most frequently used TCM of "bitter and cold". The drugs used were mainly lung,stomach and spleen meridians. By comparing the formulas between mild and moderate cases,herb combinations with the highest frequency were all "scutellaria glycyrrhiza" and "tangerine glycyrrhiza". The formulas for 19 mild cases were collected,and 197 drug combinations were counted, and 125 Chinese medicine association rules,including 13 Chinese herbs. The formulas were extracted in 199 moderate cases of COVID-19, a total of 92 drug combinations and 38 Chinese medicine association rules were collected,including 19 Chinese herbs. In 16 severe cases, a total of 62 drug combination models and 46 Chinese medicine association rules were collected,including 17 Chinese herbs. For the 6 critical cases,80 Chinese medicine prescriptions were combined,and 10 Chinese medicine association rules, including 12 Chinese herbs.Conclusions:The herbal prescriptions of COVID-19 in Shanghai are characterized by clearing away heat and resolving dampness. By analyzing prescription rules with complex system entropy clustering, association compatibility ideas of different types of traditional Chinese medicine are found to be different among four types of COVID-19 cases. Analyzing the connection rules in formulas, by using the theory of TCM and pharmacology of traditional Chinese medical formula in different COVID-19 patients may be helpful for general practitioners.

Changes of microvascular diameter in non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

@#AIM:To investigate the changes of microvascular diameter in non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy(NPDR)at different stages.<p>METHODS: Prospective case-control study. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated with diabetic retinopathy(DR)who were hospitalized in the Endocrine Department of our hospital from September 2020 to March 2021 were selected and divided into diabetic non-retinopathy group(50 cases and 50 eyes), DR stage Ⅰ group(50 cases and 50 eyes), DR stage Ⅱ group(50 cases and 50 eyes), DR stage Ⅲ group(50 cases and 50 eyes)according to the “Clinical Diabetic Retinopathy Disease Severity Scale” formulated by the Chinese Medical Association in 1985. In addition, 50 cases and 50 eyes of a control group with normal physical examination were selected, totally 250 cases and 250 eyes. The fundus color photos were taken and entered into the ARIA1.0 automatic analysis software to record the diameters of arterio-venous and capillary vessels in different ranges, with 4 segments in each range and 200 segments in each group for statistical analysis.<p>RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the diameter of retinal artery between different stages of NPDR(<i>P</i>>0.05), and there was significant difference in the diameter of retinal vein and diameter of perimacular capillary amorg different stages of NPDR(<i>P</i><0.05). The multiple comparison of retinal vein diameter and perimacular capillary diameter in different groups was statistically significant(<i>P</i><0.01). The average score of retinal vein diameter in the range of 0-0.5PD was “stage Ⅲ course > stage Ⅱ course>stage Ⅰ course>normal group>control group”. The average score of retinal vein diameter group in the range of 0.5-1.0PD(including 0.5)was “stage Ⅲ course > stage Ⅱ course > stage Ⅰ course > normal group > control group”, the average score of perimacular capillary diameter group was “stage Ⅲ course > stage Ⅰ course > control group; Stage Ⅲ course > normal group; Stage Ⅱ course > stage Ⅰ course > control group; Stage Ⅱ course > normal group; The diseased normal group > the control group”, while there was no significant difference between the stage Ⅲ course and the stage Ⅱ course, the stage Ⅰ course and the diseased normal group(<i>P</i>>0.05).<p>CONCLUSION: Retinal artery diameter has no obvious change in NPDR stages. The retinal vein and perimacular capillary in diabetic patients are dilated. In different stages of NPDR, the diameter of the vein and perimacular capillary is gradually widened.

Wide Pulse Width Electroacupuncture Ameliorates Denervation-Induced Skeletal Muscle Atrophy in Rats via IGF-1/PI3K/Akt Pathway / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the effect of the pulse width of electroacupuncture (EA) in the treatment of denervation-induced skeletal muscle atrophy in rats and examine the role of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway during EA.@*METHODS@#Sciatic nerve functional index (SFI), muscle wet weight and the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the gastrocnemius muscle were analyzed after treatment in model rats with EA of various pulse widths (0.5, 50, 100 and 200 ms). The apoptosis index (AI) and paired box (PAX)3 and PAX7 protein expression were also determined. Further, the mRNA and protein expressions of components of IGF-1/PI3K/Akt pathway and their downstream targets were determined, along with the inhibiting effect of the pathway with a PI3-specific inhibitor.@*RESULTS@#EA with a pulse width of 200 ms was found to have the best effect with regard to increasing SFI, CSA and muscle weight, decreasing AI, and increasing the expression of PAX3 and PAX7. The IGF-1/PI3K/Akt pathway was found to be activated by denervation, although the downstream forkhead box O (FoxO) pathway was not suppressed by its activation. The PI3K/Akt pathway and its downstream molecule mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) were up-regulated further by EA to promote muscle protein synthesis. Meanwhile, the expressions of downstream FoxO and F-box protein 32 (ATROGIN-1) were down-regulated to reduce protein degradation.@*CONCLUSIONS@#EA with 200-ms pulse width was found to have a more significant effect than 0.5-ms EA. The positive effects of EA disappeared after inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway.

Effects of Tanreqing Capsule on the negative conversion time of nucleic acid in patients with COVID-19: A retrospective cohort study / 中西医结合学报

OBJECTIVE@#Traditional Chinese medicine plays a significant role in the treatment of the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Tanreqing Capsule (TRQC) was used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients in the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center. This study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of TRQC in the treatment of COVID-19.@*METHODS@#A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 82 patients who had laboratory-confirmed mild and moderate COVID-19; patients were treated with TRQC in one designated hospital. The treatment and control groups consisted of 25 and 57 cases, respectively. The treatment group was given TRQC orally three times a day, three pills each time, in addition to conventional Western medicine treatments which were also administered to the control group. The clinical efficacy indicators, such as the negative conversion time of pharyngeal swab nucleic acid, the negative conversion time of fecal nucleic acid, the duration of negative conversion of pharyngeal-fecal nucleic acid, and the improvement in the level of immune indicators such as T-cell subsets (CD3, CD4 and CD45) were monitored.@*RESULTS@#COVID-19 patients in the treatment group, compared to the control group, had a shorter negative conversion time of fecal nucleic acid (4 vs. 9 days, P = 0.047) and a shorter interval of negative conversion of pharyngeal-fecal nucleic acid (0 vs. 2 days, P = 0.042). The level of CD3@*CONCLUSION@#Significant reductions in the negative conversion time of fecal nucleic acid and the duration of negative conversion of pharyngeal-fecal nucleic acid were identified in the treatment group as compared to the control group, illustrating the potential therapeutic benefits of using TRQC as a complement to conventional medicine in patients with mild and moderate COVID-19. The underlying mechanism may be related to the improved levels of the immune indicator CD3