A real-world study of the differences in Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis and treatment rules for coronavirus disease 2019 between Northern and Southern China.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the differences in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) diagnosis and treatment rules for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) between Northern and Southern China based on the real-world data from 982 COVID-19 patients. METHODS: All consecutive cases of COVID-19 admitted to the TCM department of designated COVID-19 hospitals in eight provinces and cities were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into a Northern and a Southern group according to the location of the admitting hospital. The symptoms, syndrome elements, syndrome distribution and herbal treatments were analyzed. The core prescriptions were extracted using the multiscale backbone-based network comparison algorithm (msbNC). RESULTS: The distribution of syndrome elements showed that dampness was common in Northern and Southern China, wind and heat were more often present in the South, while fire toxin and spleen deficiency were more often encountered in the North. The distribution of syndromes showed that the South was dominated by heat dampness accumulating in the lung (55.69%), while the North was dominated by dampness-toxin stagnating in the lung (44.90%).The results of core prescription mining showed that dispelling dampness, dispersing wind, clearing heat and strengthening spleen were the common treatment methods in Northern and Southern China. For mild cases, Jinyinhua (Flos Lonicerae) and Lianqiao (Fructus Forsythiae Suspensae) were often used in the South to clear heat and relieve exterior symptoms, while Chaihu (Radix Bupleuri Chinensis) and Huangqin (Radix Scutellariae Baicalensis) were often used in the North to relieve muscles by expelling heat. For moderate cases, Chaihu (Radix Bupleuri Chinensis), Qinghao (Herba Artemisiae Annuae), and Shigao (Gypsum Fibrosum) were often used to clear heat of Tri-jiao Channel and stomach in the South, while Fuling (Poria), Chenpi (Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae), and Dangshen (Radix Codonopsis) were often used to invigorate spleen and remove dampness in the North. For severe cases, spleen invigoration and dampness removal as well as relaxing the bowels and discharging heat were often used in the North. CONCLUSION: There were certain North-South differences in terms of symptoms, syndrome elements and syndrome distribution of COVID-19, as well as differences in core prescriptions during different periods of the disease. The regional differences in the rules of TCM diagnosis and treatment for COVID-19 should be further considered in the process of optimization and revision of relevant treatment guidance.

Management and optimization of the hospital scientific research approval process based on the DingTalk platform / 中华医学科研管理杂志

Objective:In order to reduce the transactional burden of scientific researchers and ensure the researchers concentrate on their scientific research, the hospital implemented the whole-process management and optimization of the scientific research approval process based on the DingTalk platform to improve the efficiency of scientific research.Methods:We sorted out the list of routine work in the implementation of scientific research projects and analyzed the key points affecting the efficiency of scientific research management, specifically the processes of reimbursement of scientific research funds, budget adjustment, paper submission approval, and research drug application, then we developed corresponding modules on the DingTalk platform.Results:In 2021, the hospital approved 3 214 scientific research funding reimbursements, including 1 917 approvals below 5 000 yuan, with a median approval time of 19 (5~28) hours, 1 297 approvals above 5 000 yuan, with a median approval time of 26 (10~50) hours. In addition, 17 budget adjustments, 456 paper submissions, and 31 research drug applications were approved on the DingTalk platform, resulting in a smooth overall approval process, saving the time costs of medical staff and improving work efficiency.Conclusions:The scientific research approval management based on this platform realizes the concept of refined management, which can meet the needs of the normalization of epidemic prevention and control and effectively promote the high-quality development of hospital scientific research management.

Study on scientific and technological innovation trend based on the analysis of patents in Beijing municipal hospitals / 中华医学科研管理杂志

Objective To analyze the trend of scientific and technological innovation and propose strategies for development by study the general situation,distribution,dominant technology areas and protection conditions of patent applications from Beijing municipal hospitals during 2006-2015.Methods Collect basic patent information in 22 municipal hospitals to analyze the trend of scientific and technological innovation in municipal hospitals using technological development measurement method.Results A total number of 678 patent applications were filed from 22 hospitals from 2006 to 2015,shows patent applications increased a lot during the ten years.There are 390 valid patents among which medical devices,medical materials and preparation methods,enzyme or microbial testing methods are dominant areas of technological innovation.Conclusions The capacity of technological innovation develops rapidly in municipal hospitals.Research management departments should be more active in advancing technological innovation by strengthen patent management and promoting technology transfer.

Protective effects of metallothionein induced by zinc against doxorubicin-caused cardiotoxicity and its potential mechanisms / 中国新药与临床杂志

AIM: To investigate the effects of metallothionein (MT) induced by zinc on doxorubicin (DOX)-treated mice and to explore the potential mechanisms. METHODS: Male C57BL/6J mice were divided randomly into 4 groups (n = 6) following control, DOX, Zn and Zn plus DOX. Mice were pretreated with eikg-1, ip) or equal volume of saline, and were killed on d 4 after the last injection. Serum and hearts were collected for examination. RESULTS: Zinc pretreatment elevated cardiac MT levels significantly while other antioxidants in heart including glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GSHpx) , superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) were not altered. Severe oxidative injury occurred in the mice treated with DOX as myocardial lipid peroxidation and morphological changes manifested by myocardial fibers swelling and vacuolization and nuclear condensation or dissolution, with increased activities of serum creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase and depletion of GSH, GSHpx, and SOD while CAT activity was increased in compensation. However, pre-induction of MT with zinc attenuated all of these toxic changes significantly. Furthermore, DOX induced elevation of hydrogen peroxide in heart tissues was greatly inhibited by zinc pretreatment. CONCLUSION: Preinduction of MT by zinc protects the heart from DOX-induced cardiotoxicity, and this effect is possibly correlated with the property of MT on scavenging free radicals in vivo.