Mirror-like tongue is an important predictor of acute heart failure: a cohort study of acute heart failure in Chinese patients.

OBJECTIVE: To reveal that mirror-like tongue, observed via a noninvasive inspection, is a powerful indicator of the severity and prognosis of patients with acute heart failure (AHF). METHODS: This was an observational, prospective study. A total of 408 patients who met the inclusion criteria and were diagnosed with AHF for the first time at Taicang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine from August 2019 to January 2021 were selected as the research subjects. According to their tongue fur, the patients were divided into group A (mirror-like tongue group) and group B (non-mirror-like tongue group). The clinical characteristics and incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) within 1 year of follow-up were systematically compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Sixty-five patients were included in group A, and 343 patients were included in group B. There were 32 males and 33 females in group A and 168 males and 175 females in group B. The average age of the overall population was 64 years old, and the average age of group A was significantly higher than that of group B (74 vs 62 years, P < 0.001). Compared with that in group B, the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in group A was significantly lower (35% vs 42%, P < 0.001), and the log N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level was significantly higher (4.0 vs 3.4, P < 0.001). The proportion of the combined application of vasoactive drugs in group A was significantly higher than that in group B (64% vs 38%, P < 0.001). Group B had a higher proportion of coronary angiography (29.5% vs 16.9%, P = 0.038). Group A was more inclined to require mechanical ventilation than group B (33.9% vs 22.5%, P = 0.049). The length of hospital stay in group A was significantly longer than that in group B (13.1 vs 7.6, P < 0.001). The incidence of MACEs, such as recurrence of AHF, new myocardial infarction and stroke, in group A within one year was higher than that in group B (P = 0.007, 0.009, < 0.001). The incidence of cumulative MACEs in group A was significantly higher than that in group B [hazard ratio = 2.76, 95% confidence interval (1.73, 4.41), P < 0.001]. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that mirror-like tongue, age, length of stay, LVEF and log NT-proBNP were independent predictors of MACEs in patients with AHF within one year. CONCLUSIONS: Noninvasive tongue inspection technology can be used as a powerful tool for assessing the severity of illness and predicting prognosis in patients with AHF. A mirror-like tongue is an independent risk factor for MACEs in patients with AHF during the first year and has a combination effect with age, length of hospital stay, ejection fraction and NT-proBNP on the occurrence of MACEs.

An ionic silver coating prevents implant-associated infection by anaerobic bacteria in vitro and in vivo in mice.

Currently, implants are utilized clinically for bone transplant procedures. However, if infectious osteomyelitis occurs at implant sites, removal of bacteria can be challenging. Moreover, altered blood flow at peri-implant infectious sites can create an anaerobic environment, making it more difficult to treat infection with antibiotics. Thus, it would be beneficial if implants could be modified to exhibit antibacterial activity, even in anaerobic conditions. Here, we show antibacterial activity of silver ions coated on titanium rods, even against the anaerobic bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis), both in vitro and in vivo. Specifically, we implanted silver-coated or control uncoated titanium rods along with P. gingivalis in mouse femoral bone BM cavities and observed significantly inhibited P. gingivalis infection with silver-coated compared with non-coated rods, based on in vivo bio-imaging. Osteonecrosis by infectious osteomyelitis and elevation of the inflammatory factors C-reactive protein and IL-6 promoted by P. gingivalis s were also significantly reduced in the presence of silver-coated rods. Overall, our study indicates that silver ion coating of an implant represents a therapeutic option to prevent associated infection, even in anaerobic conditions or against anaerobic bacteria.

An Overview of the Application of Artificial Neural Networks in Lung Cancer Research / 中国肺癌杂志

Lung cancer is the most common and fatal tumor in the world with limited diagnostic and treatment methods. The development of precision medicine has brought new opportunities for the improvement of diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. However, various kinds of information required by precision medicine (such as biometrics, clinical test indicators and non-biological environmental background information) are difficult for clinicians to integrate and utilize effectively. With the development of computer technology, artificial neural networks (ANNs), which has the characteristic of high fault tolerance, intelligence and self-learning ability. Its powerful information integration ability can solve many problems in the development and application of precision medicine, which can play a key role in basic research and clinical practice associated with lung cancer. This article reviewed the application of artificial neural network in the field of lung cancer.
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Discussion on Non-polluted Standardized Planting Technology of Anoectochilus / 世界科学技术-中医药现代化

Anoectochilus, the fresh or dry whole grass of Anoectochilus roxburghii (Wall.) Lindl., has the effects of cooling blood, dispelling wind, dispelling dampness and resolving toxin, resulting in a wide range of clinical applications and large market demand. However, in the planting process, there are problems such as irregular planting management, excessive addition of pesticides, irregular processing links, even the phenomenon of selling adulteration, which seriously affects the quality of the medicine. In order to guarantee the quality and productivity of Chinese herbal medicines, this paper developed the standard operating procedures for the non-pollution Anoectochilus, including the non-pollution cultivation environment of Anoectochilus, planting methods, field management, pest control and quality control, etc., which provides guidance to promote the healthy development of the Anoectochilus industry.

Possibility of blood transfusion in obstetric surgery and its effect on preoperative blood preparation / 中国输血杂志

Objective Preoperative preparation of blood is common.The preoperative blood ordering and transfusion practices for elective obstetric surgery were evaluated in our Renji hospital in order to develop a reasonable preoperative blood preparation schedule for those procedures where a cross-match appears necessary.Methods We evaluated blood ordering practices in total 16 232 elective obstetric surgeries in our hospital from January 1,2013 to June 30,2017 retrospectively.The age of patients,preoperative diagnosis,surgical procedures type,preparation volume of blood,intra-operative transfusion volume of blood,and excessive usage ratio of blood were calculated and analyzed.Results 455 patients transfused intraoperatively total 1 610 U red blood cells.The usage ratio of blood was 2.80％ for patients and 4.87％ for blood preparation volumes respectively.Placenta previa,ectopic pregnancy,twin pregnancy accounted for the first three of the possibility of intraoperative blood transfusion in obstetric surgeries.Conclusion The relationship between preoperative diagnosis and the risk of blood transfusion in obstetric surgery should be take attention to.Preoperative blood typing,antibody screening and appropriate cross-matching could ensure the safety of obstetric surgery.

Value of APACHEⅡfor predicting the nursing workload in EICU / 中华危重病急救医学

Objective To investigate the predictive value of acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ(APACHE Ⅱ) for nursing workload in emergency intensive care unit (EICU).Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Critical patients except for trauma admitted to EICU of West China Hospital of Sichuan University from June 2012 to July 2016 were enrolled. APACHE Ⅱ score and therapeutic intervention scoring system (TISS-28) score were calculated in each case. The relationship between APACHE Ⅱ score and TISS-28 score was analyzed by correlation analysis and curve estimation.Results A total of 1148 patients were enrolled, including 689 male (60.0%), and age of (56±19) years old, APACHE Ⅱ score was 19 (13, 25), and TISS score was 19 (13, 25). The Spearman correlation coefficient between APACHE Ⅱ score and TISS-28 score was 0.849 (P < 0.001), and that among the linear model quadratic model, composite model, growth model, logarithm model, cubic model and exponential modelR2 were 0.669, 0.710, 0.792, 0.764, 0.765, 0.765, respectively (allP < 0.01), and the most suitable description for relationship between APACHE Ⅱ score and TISS-28 score curve was cubic model. The nursing workload was significantly increased when APACHE Ⅱ score ≥30, and it was decreased when APACHE Ⅱ score < 30.Conclusion APACHE Ⅱ was a useful score for predicting the nursing workload in EICU.

Quercetin suppresses lung cancer growth by targeting Aurora B kinase.

aurora B kinase is highly expressed in several cancer cells and promotes tumorigenesis and progression, and therefore, it is an important target for drug to treat tumors. Quercetin was identified to be an antitumor agent. Herein, we report for the first time that quercetin inhibited aurora B activities by directly binding with aurora B in vitro and in vivo. Ex vivo studies showed that quercetin inhibited aurora B activities in JB6 Cl41 cells and A549 lung cancer cells. Moreover, knockdown of aurora B in A549 cells decreased their sensitivities to quercetin. In vivo study demonstrated that injection of quercetin in A549 tumor-bearing mice effectively suppressed cancer growth. The phosphorylation of histone 3 in tumor tissues was also decreased after quercetin treatment. In short, quercetin can suppress growth of lung cancer cells as an aurora B inhibitor both in vitro and in vivo.

Effect of Acupuncture plus Medication on Pregnancy RateAfter IVF in Different Age Groups / 上海针灸杂志

ObjectiveTo observe the effect of Chinese medication and acupuncture-moxibustion plus Western medication on the pregnancy rate after in-vitro-fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) in different age groups.MethodTotally 810 eligible patients enrolled between 1st January 2010 and 31st December 2013 from the Reproduction and Infertility Department were categorized into 3 groups according to the age, respectively 20-29 years old, 30-39 years old, and 40-49 years old. The pregnancy rates of the three groups were compared, and the pregnancy rate of IVF-ET after the treatment of the integrated treatment of Chinese and Western medicine was also statistically analyzed.ResultThe pregnancy rate was 54.3% in the group of 20-29 years old, versus 46.4% in the group of 30-39 years old and 26.0% in the group of 40-49 years old, and the total pregnancy rate of IVF-ET was 47.2%. ConclusionThe younger, the higher the pregnancy rate of IVF-ET, and intervention of traditional Chinese medicine following the assisted reproductive technique can enhance the pregnancy rate of IVF-ET.

The Relationship Between Excessive Internal Heat and Intestinal Microflora from the Aspects of Energy Metabolism and Mucosal Immunity / 浙江中医药大学学报

Objective] To explore the relationship between excessive internal heat in TCM and intestinal microflora ,provide scientific evidences for pathogenesis of excessive internal heat.[Method]With the research methods of clinical observation and literature review,analyze the characteristics of excessive internal heat,and collect research progress about intestinal microflora to find out the link.[Result] Head and facial tissue is more susceptible to injury,which is determined by the organizational characteristics. People suffering from excessive internal heat widely have problems of energy metabolism and mucosal immune disorders. Intestinal microflora plays an important role in energy production,conversion,storage and use.They can change the way that organizations use energy,and change AMPK phosphorylation to influence the energy metabolism of the body.Thus gut microflora imbalance may lead to disorders of energy metabolism.On the other hand,inflammatory mediators express abnormally in these people. Impaired immune function leads to inflammatory states,which causes imbalance of gut microflora.While intestinal microflora also can regulate intestinal mucosal immune response by adjusting related effective factors. [Conclusion]Excessive internal heat is closely related with intestinal microflora from the aspects of energy metabolism and mucosal immunity,which may provide new ideas to explore the pathogenesis of this disease.The researches based on intestinal microflora and diseases bring brilliant prospects of individual prevention and treatment for TCM and western medicine .