Arts therapies for mental disorders in COVID-19 patients: a comprehensive review.

Background and objective: The COVID-19 global pandemic has necessitated the urgency for innovative mental health interventions. We performed a comprehensive review of the available literature on the utility and efficacy of arts therapies in treating mental health problems, with special emphasis on their deployment during the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to provide some evidence for the application of this therapy. Methods: The potential studies were systematically sourced from five authoritative databases: PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and the CNKI database. The evaluation of these studies was conducted based on stringent criteria, including validity, suitability, therapeutic potential, and consistency. Each piece of included literature was meticulously scored in accordance with these criteria, thus ensuring the inclusion of only the most robust studies in this review. The data from these Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) were carefully extracted using the PICO(S) framework, ensuring a comprehensive and systemic approach to data collection. In order to emphasize the variability in the effects of differing arts therapies on COVID-19-induced psychiatric disturbances, the sourced literature was systematically categorized and scrutinized based on distinct modalities. Results: Out of the 7,250 sourced articles, 16 satisfied the inclusion conditions. The therapies were predominantly meditation (n = 7), supplemented by individual studies on color therapy (n = 3), music therapy (n = 2), and single studies on horticultural therapy, dance therapy, mindfulness and music therapy, and yoga and music therapy (n = 4 collectively). These various forms of arts therapies had a positive short to medium-term impact on the mental health of COVID-19 patients. Besides improving patients' physical and mental health, these therapies can also be employed to mitigate mental health issues among healthcare professionals. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has profound and long-lasting implications for public mental health. Diverse forms of arts therapies are potentially effective in addressing related psychiatric symptoms. The integration of artificial intelligence might further enhance the efficacy and scalability of arts therapies in future implementations.

Facilitating combined biopsy and percutaneous microwave ablation of pulmonary ground-glass opacities using lipiodol localisation.

OBJECTIVES: Whether preoperative localisation is necessary and valuable for the microwave ablation (MWA) of small pulmonary lesions with ground-glass opacity (GGO) remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the role of the Chiba needle and lipiodol localisation techniques in facilitating MWA and biopsy. METHODS: This retrospective before-after study included patients with GGOs who underwent conventional MWA and biopsy treatment in our hospital between January 2018 and December 2019 (group A) or who underwent the Chiba needle and lipiodol localisation treatment before MWA and biopsy between January 2020 and December 2020 (group B). The characteristics of each patient and GGO lesion were collected and analysed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the localisation technique. RESULTS: A total of 122 patients with 152 GGOs and 131 patients with 156 GGOs underwent MWA and biopsy in groups A and B, respectively. The primary technique efficacy rate of MWA differed significantly between the two groups (A vs. B: 94.1% vs. 99.4%; p = 0.009). The positive biopsy rate in the two groups was determined by the difference (A vs. B: 93.4% vs. 98.1%; p = 0.042). The incidence of complications did not increase in group B. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the unmarked group, the Chiba needle and lipiodol localisation technique improved the positive rate of biopsy and the initial effective rate of MWA, without significantly increasing the complication rate. KEY POINTS: • The localisation of the Chiba needle and lipiodol could improve the positive biopsy rate and the initial effective rate of MWA. • The localisation of the Chiba needle and lipiodol does not affect the subsequent MWA and biopsy and does not increase the incidence of pneumothorax and haemorrhage.

Clinical practice guidelines on image-guided thermal ablation of primary and metastatic lung tumors (2022 edition).

The main contents of the Clinical Practice Guidelines on Image-Guided Thermal Ablation (IGTA) of Primary and Metastatic Lung Tumors (2022 Edition) include the following: epidemiology of primary and metastatic lung tumors; the concepts of the IGTA and common technical features; procedures, indications, contraindications, outcomes evaluation, and related complications of IGTA on primary and metastatic lung tumors; and limitations and future development.

Art therapy as an adjuvant treatment for schizophrenia: A protocol for an updated systematic review and subgroup meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials following the PRISMA guidelines.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of art therapy as an adjuvant treatment for schizophrenia remains inconclusive, and variation in the effects of art therapy on schizophrenia by the type of schizophrenia, severity of schizophrenia, type of art therapy, follow-up duration, or different populations has never been systematically assessed. The objective of this study is to systematically evaluate the effects of art therapy on schizophrenia and to determine whether there are some potential influencing factors affecting the effects of art therapy. METHODS: Seven online databases will be searched from their inception until June 30, 2022. All the relevant randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing art therapy plus standardized treatment versus standardized treatment alone for schizophrenia will be selected and assessed for inclusion. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool will be used to evaluate the methodological quality of the included RCTs. Review Manager 5.4 will be used to analyze all the data obtained. Mental health symptoms are defined as the primary outcome, and the secondary outcomes include the Global Assessment of Functioning score, quality of life, functional remission, and the level of self-esteem. Subgroup analyses will be performed based on the type of schizophrenia, severity of schizophrenia, type of art therapy, follow-up duration, or different populations. RESULTS: The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSIONS: This updated systematic review and subgroup meta-analysis will evaluate the effects of art therapy as adjunctive treatment to standardized treatment in patients with schizophrenia and determine whether there are some potential confounding variables affecting the effects of art therapy on the outcomes of schizophrenia patients, thus strengthening the evidence base for the clinical application of this combination therapy for schizophrenia.

Expert consensus on thermal ablation therapy of pulmonary subsolid nodules (2021 Edition).

The Expert Consensus reviews current literatures and provides clinical practice guidelines for thermal ablation of pulmonary subsolid nodules or ground-glass nodule (GGN). The main contents include the following: (1) clinical evaluation of GGN; (2) procedures, indications, contraindications, outcomes evaluation, and related complications of thermal ablation for GGN; and (3) future development directions.

Transarterial chemoembolization, ablation, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and immunotherapy (TATI): A novel treatment for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors. Currently, the main effective treatment options for HCC include resection, liver transplantation, various percutaneous modalities (such as transarterial chemoembolization [TACE] and thermal ablation), and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Herein, we have proposed a novel therapy which consists of TACE, ablation, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and immunotherapy (TATI) for patients with advanced HCC). We reported the therapeutic effects of TATI in four patients with advanced HCC. All patients underwent TACE treatment at the beginning of disease diagnosis. During follow-up, all patients were treated with microwave ablation because of a residual tumor or recurrence. For tumor control, apatinib, a TKI, was administered after ablation. If the tumor was resistant to the TKI, we continued to apatinib therapy in combination with immunotherapy (camrelizumab). All the four patients had better survival benefits and no serious adverse effects.

Enantiomeric pairs of meroterpenoids from Rhododendron fastigiatum.

Five pairs of optically pure meroterpenoid enantiomers (1a/1b-5a/5b) and two known compounds (6 and 7) were isolated from Rhododendron fastigiatum. Compounds 1a/1b-5a/5b were resolved from naturally scalemic mixtures by chiral HPLC. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, X-ray crystallographic experiments, and ECD analyses. Compounds 1a/1b, 2a/2b, 3b, 4a/4b, and 5a/5b were new meroterpenoids with different polycyclic systems. Two enantiomeric pairs (2a/2b and 3a/3b), 6, and 7 exhibited inhibitory effects on protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) in vitro.

Expert consensus workshop report: Guidelines for thermal ablation of primary and metastatic lung tumors (2018 edition).

Although surgical resection with curative intent is the main therapy for both primary and metastatic lung tumors, about 80% of lung cancers cannot be removed by surgery. Because most patients with unresectable lung cancer only receive limited benefits from traditional radiotherapy and chemotherapy, many novel local treatment modalities have emerged including local ablation therapy. The Minimally Invasive Treatment of Lung Cancer Branch, Professional Committee of Minimally Invasive Treatment of Cancer of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association and Committee on Tumor Ablations, Chinese College of Interventionalists have organized multidisciplinary experts to develop guidelines for this treatment modality. These guidelines aim at standardizing thermal ablation procedures, describing the indications for candidates, assessing outcomes, and preventing postablation complications.

Repeated percutaneous microwave ablation for local recurrence of inoperable Stage I nonsmall cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: The safety and effectiveness of repeated computed tomography-guided percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) in the management of local recurrence (LR) in patients with medically inoperable Stage I nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were retrospectively evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From February 2008 to August 2014, 104 patients with medically inoperable Stage I NSCLC received MWA. Patients with LR were given repeat MWA. The clinical outcomes and complications of repeat MWA for LR were evaluated. RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 47 months, LR occurred in 24/104 (23.1%) patients within 12 ± 8 months after MWA. LR rates were higher in tumors> 3.5 cm than that of tumors ≤3.5 cm (35.7% vs. 18.4%). Local control of the repeat MWA was achieved in 21 of 24 (87.5%) patients. Overall survival (OS) and progress-free survival (PFS) for patients without LR were similar to that of with LR and receiving repeat MWA (OS: 48 m vs. 41.5 m; PFS: 42 m vs. 32 m). The OS rates were 100%, 74.6%, 60.6%, and 27% for patients without LR at 1, 2, 3, and 5 years, and they were 96.4%, 69.5%, 60.6%, and 26.1% for patients with repeat MWA for LR. Repeat MWA for LR was not associated with more significant complications. CONCLUSION: The LR was higher in tumors> 3.5 cm than that of in tumors ≤3.5 cm. For patients with LR, it was feasible and effective to use MWA repeatedly to achieve the similar OS and PFS as patients without LR. No additional complications were reported in the repeat MWA compared to the original MWA.

Evaluation of hypoglycemic effects of polyphenols and extracts from Penthorum chinense.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Penthorum chinense Pursh has a long history of use as a health food and folk medicine to alleviate "heat"-associated disorders, promote circulation and diuresis, and to treat liver problems, and to protect the spleen. In this study we provide experimental evidence for the clinical use of Penthorum chinense in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. The aim of the study was to investigate the hypoglycemic effects of extracts and active constituents from Penthorum chinense. MATERIALS AND METHODS: High fat diet and STZ (35mg/kg) induced diabetic rats were administered with Penthorum chinense extract at graded oral doses (150 and 300mg/kg/day, ig.) for 2 weeks. A range of parameters, including blood glucose and lipid, serum insulin, glucose tolerance, were tested to evaluate its anti-hyperglycemic effects. Moreover, oral starch tolerance test (OSTT) was performed to test the level of postprandial glucose after administrating Penthorum chinense extract. In vitro study, the Penthorum chinense extracts and purified Penthorum chinense polyphenols were tested for α-amylase inhibitory activity. The polyphenols were determined by UPLC-Q-TOF mass spectrometry and NMR. RESULTS: The Penthorum chinense extract possessed anti-hyperglycemic activities as shown by the decreased serum levels of glycosylated hemoglobulin A1C (HbA1c), triglyceride(TG), total cholesterol (TC), and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), as well as increased serum levels of high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and insulin. Penthorum chinense extract also improved the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to a certain degree. Moreover, the OSTT study showed that in diabetic rats, the extract (600mg/kg) caused a significant hypoglycemic effect with a blood glucose reduction of 42% at 60min. To identify the active constituents, three polyphenols, pinocembrin-7-O-[4″,6″-hexahydroxydiphenoyl]-ß-d-glucose (1), pinocembrin-7-O-[3″-O-galloyl-4″, 6″-hexahydroxydiphenoyl]-ß- d-glucose (2), and thonningianin A (3) were isolated from Penthorum chinense. Compounds 1-3 moderately inhibited α-amylase activity, with IC50 values of 0.14, 0.03, and 0.08µmol/ml, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The folk medicinal plant, Penthorum chinense produced a moderated anti-hyperglycemic effect on STZ-induced diabetic rats and starch induced postprandial hyperglycemic mice.

Four new sesquiterpene lactones from the stem bark of Illicium burmanicum.

Four new sesquiterpene lactones (1), (2), (3), and (4), along with three known sesquiterene, namely, 6,7,10-trihydoxyisodaucane (5), 4ß,10ß-dihydroxyaromadendrane (6), and sescrassidiol (7) were isolated from the stem bark of Illicium burmanicum. The structures of the new compounds were determined using 1D and 2D NMR, and HRESIMS. The anti-inflammatory activities of these compounds were evaluated by measuring the enzymatic activity of luciferase in NF-κB reporters in a (Luc)-HEK 293 cell line treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

Two new phenolic glycosides from Gnaphalium affine D. Don and their anti-complementary activity.

Two new phenolic glycosides, named gnaphaffine A and B (compounds 1 and 2), were isolated from Gnaphalium affine. together with six known compounds, including caffeic acid (3), everlastoside L (4), isorhamnetin-7-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (5), quercetin- 3-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (6), scutellarein-7-O-ß-D-glucoside (7) and api-genin-7-O-ß-D- glucopyranoside (8). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including ESI-MS and 2D NMR spectroscopy (HMQC and HMBC). All compounds were evaluated for their anti-complementary activity on the classical pathway of the complement system in vitro.