Effects of the lncRNA MALAT1 gene region rs664589 site mutation on acute myocardial infarction in Chinese Han.

We aimed to study the association between the non-coding region of the lncRNA MALAT1 gene, the non-coding region rs664589 C>G variant, and the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the Chinese Han population. 165 NSTEMI and 135 STEMI patients were enrolled in the study. An additional 150 healthy individuals were enrolled as the controls. All subjects were analyzed for the MALAT1 rs664589 locus genotype. The receiver operating curve (ROC) was used to determine the effect of MALAT1 rs664589 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on the diagnosis of AMI by plasma lncRNA MALAT1. The MALAT1 rs664589 site G allele carrier was 1.39 times more likely to have NSTEMI than the C allele carrier (95% CI: 1.16-1.61, P = 0.001) and 1.59 times more likely to have STEMI than the C allele carrier (95% CI: 1.31-1.85, P < 0.001). The MALAT1 rs664589 site C>G mutation resulted in an increase in the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the plasma lncRNA MALAT1 level for the diagnosis of AMI. The plasma lncRNA MALAT1 levels in AMI patients were negatively correlated with hsa-miR-1972, hsa-miR-194-5p, hsa-miR-4717-5p, hsa-miR-6735-3p, and hsa-miR-3677-5p (r = -0.81, -0.75, -0.66, -0.71, and -0.88). The C>G mutation of MAL6641 rs664589 causes an increased risk of AMI in the Chinese Han population. The SNP at this site affects the value of plasma lncRNA MALAT1 in the diagnosis of AMI. The specific mechanism may indicate that the C>G mutation of the MALAT1 rs664589 changes the regulation of miRNAs expression by lncRNA MALAT1.

Readiness for return to work and its influencing factors among head and neck cancer patients: a cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate the Readiness for Return-to-Work (RRTW) of patients with head and neck tumours and to analyse the relationships among self-efficacy, disease uncertainty, psychosocial adaptation, and RRTW in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 259 HNC patients with a discharge length of ≥1 month at a tertiary hospital in Liaoning Province. The research tools included a self-designed general information questionnaire, the Readiness for Return-to-Work (RRTW) Scale, the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), the Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale (MUIS), and the Self-Reporting Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale (PAIS-SR). Descriptive statistical analysis, the rank sum test, Spearman correlation analysis, and ordered multiple and dichotomous logistic regression analyses were used. RESULTS: The overall RRTW among HNC patients was low (41.9%). HNC patients who did not return to work were mainly in the precontemplation stage (38.1%) and contemplation stage (29.9%). HNC patients who returned to work were mainly in the active maintenance stage (64.2%). Children's status (OR = 0.218, 95% CI 0.068-0.703), self-efficacy (OR = 1.213, 95% CI 1.012-1.454), unpredictability (OR = 0.845, 95% CI 0.720-0.990), occupational environment (OR = 0.787, 95% CI 0.625-0.990), and family environment (OR = 0.798, 95% CI 0.643-0.990) influence the RRTW of HNC patients who have not returned to work. Educational level (OR = 62.196, 95% CI 63.307-68.567), children's status (OR = 0.058, 95% CI 1.004-2.547), self-efficacy (OR = 1.544, 95% CI 3.010-8.715), unpredictability (OR = 0.445, 95% CI 1.271-2.280), and psychological status (OR = 0.340, 95% CI 1.141-2.401) influence the RRTW of HNC patients who have returned to work. CONCLUSION: Children's status, education level, self-efficacy, illness uncertainty, and psychosocial adjustment are crucial to RRTW. This study provides a theoretical basis for formulating intervention measures aimed at improving the RRTW of patients.

Health information-seeking experience in people with head and neck neoplasms undergoing treatment: a qualitative study.

PURPOSE: To describe the health information-seeking experience and its influencing factors of people with head and neck neoplasms undergoing treatment. METHODS: This was a descriptive phenomenology study. Participants were recruited by purposive sampling. The semistructured interviews and all observation results were recorded. The data were analysed using Colaizzi's method. RESULTS: Fourteen participants were selected. We identified four themes that illustrate factors that influence the health information-seeking behaviour of participants: patients' awareness of health information needs, patients' competence, doctor-patient communication, and online advertising interference. We also determined the value of different types of information and patients' information needs and sources. CONCLUSION: These findings can help professionals understand patients' behaviours and think about how to deliver practical information support in a network environment to guide patients in continuous information seeking while taking specific factors into account.

Analysis of the Predictive Efficacy of Serum suPAR Combined with APN and IgE Test and the Relationship of Patients with CHF and Cardiac Function.

Background: Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a complex cardiovascular disorder resulting from prolonged heart disease, leading to structural and functional damage, weakened myocardial contraction, and inadequate cardiac output for daily metabolism. The purpose of study is accurate evaluation and early identification of cardiac function and ventricular remodeling through effective biochemical indicators. Methods: This study, conducted from April 2020 to March 2021, included 100 CHF patients meeting the Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Heart Failure 2020 from First People's Hospital of Linping District, ascertaining a confirmed diagnosis based on these established guidelines. The objective of detecting these biomarkers is not for early diagnosis, given that the subjects are already diagnosed according to the guidelines. Instead, our focus is on using these biomarkers to assess disease severity, prognosis, or treatment response in the context of diagnosed CHF patients. Classification comprised 42 ischemic and 58 non-ischemic CHF cases, with NYHA cardiac function grading (I, II, III-IV) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) categorization (≤ 40%, >40%). A control group of 100 healthy volunteers was selected for comparison. SuPAR, APN, and IgE expressions were analyzed among different groups and LVEF categories. Diagnostic efficacy was assessed through ROC curves, and correlations with cardiac function and LVEF were explored. Results: SuPAR, APN, and IgE expressions were significantly higher in CHF patients compared to the control group. Increasing cardiac function grades in CHF patients correlated with a gradual elevation in suPAR, APN, and IgE expressions. Comparing LVEF groups, CHF patients with LVEF ≤ 40% exhibited significantly higher suPAR, APN, and IgE expressions. Combined detection of suPAR, APN, and IgE demonstrated superior diagnostic accuracy (AUC of 0.899) compared to individual markers. Positive correlations were observed between suPAR, APN, IgE, and cardiac function grades, while LVEF showed a significant negative correlation with these biomarkers. Conclusions: SuPAR, APN, and IgE expressions are elevated in CHF patients, and their combined detection serves as a highly efficient auxiliary diagnostic method. The findings offer valuable insights into the diagnosis and treatment of CHF patients.

Hydrogels Loaded with Atorvastatin-Metal Organic Framework Have a Preventive Effect on Coronary Heart Disease.

In the research, a new three-dimensional coordination polymer was synthesized by solvothermal method based on the metal ligand LCu =[Cu(2,4-pydca)2 ]2- (2,4-pydca=pyridine-2,4-dicarboxylate) and alkaline-earth ion CaII with chemical composition {[Ca(H2 O)2 ][LCu ]⋅DMSO ⋅ 2H2 O}n (1) (DMSO=dimethyl sulfoxide). The complex 1 was characterized soundly by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, elemental analysis (EA), single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Using atorvastatin as drug model, carboxymethyl chitosan and calcium alginate as raw materials, a new type of metal gel particles was prepared. The microstructure of the gel was observed by scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and its modulation effect on the activity of human cardiomyocytes was evaluated. The results show that the gel particles presented a three-dimensional porous structure and were able to significantly up-regulate the cell activity of human cardiomyocytes, which is expected to develop the metal gel particles into drugs for the treatment of coronary heart disease.

A potential mechanism clue to the periodic storm from microglia activation and progressive neuron damage induced by paraquat exposure.

Paraquat (PQ), is characterized by neurotoxicity, which increases the potential risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) exposure in the long-term and low doses. Triggering microglia activation and neuroinflammation is deemed an early event resulting in PD. However, the underlying pathogenesis of PD by PQ is not clear yet. In this article, C57BL/6J mice treated with PQ could successfully act out Parkinson-like. In addition, we observed the fluorescence intensity enhancement of Iba-1 activated microglia with released pro-inflammatory, all ahead of both the damage of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and corpus striatum of the brain. Surprisingly, the injection of minocycline before PQ for many hours not only can effectively improve the neurobehavioral symptoms of mice but inhibit the activation of microglia and the release of pro-inflammatory substances, even controlling the gradual damage and loss of neurons. A further mechanism of minocycline hampered the expression levels of key signaling proteins PI3K, PDK1, p-AKT, and CD11b (the receptor of microglia membrane recognition), while a large number of inflammatory factors. Our results suggested that the CD11b/PI3K/NOX2 pathway may be a clue that microglia-mediated inflammatory responses and neuronal damage in a PQ-induced abnormal behavior Parkinson-like mouse.

Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the Chinese version of career success in nursing scale (CSNS).

OBJECTIVE: To translate the career success in nursing scale (CSNS) into Chinese and evaluate its psychometric properties. BACKGROUND: A lower sense of career success seriously affects the enthusiasm of nurses and increases their turnover rate. Therefore, an accurate assessment of the career success level of nurses is necessary. However, China does not have a professional tool for assessing the career success of nurses. METHODS: The stratified sampling method was used to recruit participants from 22 hospitals of different grades in 5 cities in China. A total of 650 and 348 subjects were selected for item analysis and reliability and validity tests, respectively, of the translated initial scale. RESULTS: The Chinese version of the CSNS (C-CSNS) with 33 items had good psychometric properties. Cronbach's α was 0.960, split-half reliability was 0.893, and ICC within two weeks was 0.981. Exploratory factor analysis extracted 5 common factors that explained 63.73% of the total variance, and confirmatory factor analysis supported acceptable construct validity. CONCLUSION: The C-CSNS has adequate construct validity and excellent psychometric properties and can be used for accurate assessment of nurses' career success. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: A new tool that is more suitable for the Chinese hospital nursing context is available for evaluating Chinese clinical nurses' career success. Nursing managers can formulate appropriate management strategies according to the evaluation results to assist nurses in career development planning, thereby improving their career success level.

Effects of Baduanjin exercise in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients after chemoradiotherapy: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of traditional Chinese Baduanjin Qigong exercises on the physical and psychological recovery of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma after chemoradiotherapy. METHODS: Eighty-eight nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients who had completed chemoradiotherapy were randomly divided into the Baduanjin intervention group (n = 44) and the control group (n = 44). Patients in the intervention group practised Baduanjin exercise for 12 weeks, with the frequency of 40 min a day and 5 days a week after discharge from the hospital. Participants in the control group received usual care. Outcome indicators included quality of life (QOL), complications, cancer-related fatigue (CRF), sleep quality, anxiety, and depression. The intention-to-treat and per-protocol populations were compared using univariate analysis of variance. Partial eta squared was used as a measure of the effect size. RESULTS: A total of 75 patients completed the study. In the intention-to-treat analysis, after 12 weeks of exercise intervention, there were significant increases in the global FACT-H&N (95% CI = 2.09 to 11.47, ηp2 = 0.088), social/family well-being (95% CI = 0.13 to 2.26, ηp2 = 0.055), emotional well-being (95% CI = 0.34 to 2.44, ηp2 = 0.074), and head and neck cancer subscale scores (95% CI = 0.17 to 3.86, ηp2 = 0.052) in the Baduanjin group compared with the control group at the 12th week. In the per-protocol analysis, there were significant increases in the global FACT-H&N (95% CI = 4.11 to 11.75, ηp2 = 0.190), physical well-being (95% CI: 0.50 to 3.04, ηp2 = 0.096), social/family well-being (95% CI: 0.32 to 2.15, ηp2 = 0.090), emotional well-being (95% CI: 0.60 to 2.53, ηp2 = 0.125), functional well-being (95% CI: 0.25 to 2.49, ηp2 = 0.075), and head and neck cancer subscale (95% CI: 1.08 to 4.08, ηp2 = 0.139) scores in the Baduanjin group compared with the control group at the 12th week. CONCLUSION: The findings in this study indicate that Baduanjin exercise is an effective and appropriate intervention for improving quality of life and is worthy of recommendation and implementation by oncology nurses in the rehabilitation process of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Nosocomial outbreak of COVID-19 pneumonia in Wuhan, China.

BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), infected over 3300 healthcare workers in early 2020 in China. Little information is known about nosocomial infections of healthcare workers in the initial period. We analysed data from healthcare workers with nosocomial infections in Wuhan Union Hospital (Wuhan, China) and their family members. METHODS: We collected and analysed data on exposure history, illness timelines and epidemiological characteristics from 25 healthcare workers with laboratory-confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and two healthcare workers in whom COVID-19 was highly suspected, as well as 10 of their family members with COVID-19, between 5 January and 12 February 2020. The demographics and clinical features of the 35 laboratory-confirmed cases were investigated and viral RNA of 12 cases was sequenced and analysed. RESULTS: Nine clusters were found among the patients. All patients showed mild to moderate clinical manifestation and recovered without deterioration. The mean period of incubation was 4.5 days, the mean±sd clinical onset serial interval (COSI) was 5.2±3.2 days, and the median virus shedding time was 18.5 days. Complete genomic sequences of 12 different coronavirus strains demonstrated that the viral structure, with small irrelevant mutations, was stable in the transmission chains and showed remarkable traits of infectious traceability. CONCLUSIONS: SARS-CoV-2 can be rapidly transmitted from person to person, regardless of whether they have symptoms, in both hospital settings and social activities, based on the short period of incubation and COSI. The public health service should take practical measures to curb the spread, including isolation of cases, tracing close contacts, and containment of severe epidemic areas. Besides this, healthcare workers should be alert during the epidemic and self-quarantine if self-suspected of infection.

Prevalence of perinatal depression among HIV-positive women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Increasing attention has been paid to differences in the prevalence of perinatal depression by HIV status, although inconsistent results have been reported. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the relationship between perinatal depression and HIV infection. A comprehensive meta-analysis of comparative studies comparing the prevalence of antenatal or postnatal depression between HIV-infected women and HIV-negative controls was conducted. METHODS: Studies were identified through PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase and PsycINFO, and the reading of complementary references in August 2019. Subgroup analyses were performed for anticipated explanation of heterogeneity using methodological quality and pre-defined study characteristics, including study design, geographical location and depression screening tools for depression. The overall odds ratio (OR) and mean prevalence of each group were calculated. RESULTS: Twenty-three studies (from 21 publications), thirteen regarding antenatal depression and ten regarding postnatal depression were included, comprising 3165 subjects with HIV infection and 6518 controls. The mean prevalence of antenatal depressive symptoms in thirteen included studies was 36% (95% CI: 27, 45%) in the HIV-positive group and 26% (95% CI: 20, 32%) in the control group. The mean prevalence of postnatal depressive symptoms in ten included studies was 21% (95% CI: 14, 27%) in the HIV-positive group and 16% (95% CI: 10, 22%) in the control group. Women living with HIV have higher odds of antenatal (OR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.12, 1.80) and postnatal depressive symptoms (OR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.08, 2.32) compared with controls. Publication bias and moderate heterogeneity existed in the overall meta-analysis, and heterogeneity was partly explained by the subgroup analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Women with HIV infection exhibit a significantly higher OR of antenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms compared with controls. For the health of both mother and child, clinicians should be aware of the significance of depression screening before and after delivery in this particular population and take effective measures to address depression among these women.

Integrative bioinformatics analysis identifies APOB as a critical biomarker in coronary in-stent restenosis.

Aim: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major contributor to the worldwide prevalence of cardiovascular disease. In-stent restenosis (ISR) is a common complication which can lead to stent implantation failure, necessitating repeated intervention and presenting a significant obstacle for CAD management. Methods: To accurately assess and determine the hub genes associated with ISR, CAD databases from the Gene Expression Omnibus were utilized and weighted gene coexpression network analysis was employed to identify key genes in blood samples. Results: APOB was identified as a risk gene for ISR occurrence. Subsequent correlation analysis of APOB demonstrated a positive association with ISR. Clinical validation further confirmed the predictive value of APOB in ISR detection. Conclusion: We have identified APOB as a critical predictive biomarker for ISR in CAD patients.

Psychosocial adjustment and its influencing factors among head and neck cancer survivors after radiotherapy: A cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: Psychosocial adjustment is an important issue in patients' long-term survival. Understanding psychosocial adjustment and its influencing factors in head and neck cancer survivors after radiotherapy is essential to help them return to society and lead a normal life. The purpose of this study was to describe the level of psychosocial adjustment and explore its influencing factors in head and neck cancer patients. METHODS: Between May 2019 and May 2022, 253 head and neck cancer survivors at a tertiary hospital in northeast China were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. The research instruments comprised the Demographic and Clinical Characteristics Questionnaire, the Self-report Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale (PAIS-SR), the General Self-efficacy Scale (GSES), the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) and the M.D. Anderson Symptom Survey-head and neck Questionnaire (MDASI-H&N). RESULTS: The mean PAIS-SR score was 42.31 ± 16.70 (moderate). The multiple regression model revealed that 73.2% of the variance in psychosocial adjustment was explained by marital status (ß = -0.114, P = 0.005), return to work or not (ß = -0.275, P < 0.01), self-efficacy (ß = -0.327, P < 0.01), subjective support (ß = -0.106, P = 0.043), utilization of support (ß = -0.172, P < 0.01), and trouble with symptoms in daily life (ß = 0.138, P = 0.021). CONCLUSION: The psychosocial adjustment of head and neck cancer survivors after radiotherapy is an issue that needs to be addressed, and medical staff should develop effective, individualized interventions to improve their psychosocial adjustment by increasing their social support, improving their self-efficacy and strengthening symptom management according to their actual situation.

Pelvic floor dysfunction and its influencing factors during radiotherapy in cervical cancer survivors: A cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: Radiotherapy can negatively affect the pelvic floor function of patients with cervical cancer; however, the impact of different radiotherapy times and other related factors on pelvic floor function in cervical cancer survivors during radiotherapy remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the status of pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) in cervical cancer survivors during radiotherapy and to analyze the factors influencing PFD. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a convenience sampling method was used to recruit cervical cancer survivors undergoing radiotherapy from January 2022 to July 2022 at a tertiary first-class hospital located in northeastern China. The Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-Short Form 20 was used for participants' self-report of their PFD during radiotherapy. RESULTS: Data from 120 cervical cancer survivors were included in this study. The results showed that the mean PFDI-20 total score was 32.69 ± 7.76. Multiple stepwise linear regression analysis showed that 56.9% of the variance in PFD was explained by age (ß = 0.25, p < 0.001), body mass index (ß = 0.32, p < 0.001), recurrence (ß = 0.29, p < 0.001), number of radiotherapy sessions (ß = 0.39, p < 0.001), and number of deliveries (ß = 0.35, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: It is important to pay more attention to the PFD status of cervical cancer survivors receiving radiotherapy. Future therapeutic approaches should involve early identification of relevant risk factors early to provide patients with personalized care at different stages of radiotherapy for reducing their discomfort and improving their health-related quality of life.

Analysis of factors associated with abnormal thyroid function among medical staff in radiotherapy departments.

Objective: To understand abnormal thyroid function and its associated factors among medical staff in radiotherapy departments. Methods: Data related to medical staff in radiotherapy departments who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were analyzed from September to December 2022 in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, including basic personal and lifestyle habits, work information, and scores on the Depression Self-Assessment Scale, Perception Stress Scale, and the Generalized Anxiety Scale. Data analysis was performed using the χ2 test and binary logistic regression. Results: Among 484 medical staff in the radiotherapy department, 147 (30.4%) had abnormal thyroid function. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that age, years of work, smoking, occupational exposure, smoking, late-night snacking habits, depression, and stress perception were factors associated with abnormal thyroid function among medical staff in radiotherapy departments; on the other hand, physical exercise was a protective factor. Conclusion: The positive rate of thyroid dysfunction among medical personnel in the radiology department is relatively high. It is necessary to strengthen health education and awareness among relevant practitioners and improve the coverage of occupational disease prevention and control education.

Efficacy and risks of drug-coated balloon treatment for coronary artery disease: A meta-analysis.

Introduction: Coronary artery disease (CAD) often leads to myocardial ischemia and impaired cardiac function, significantly impacting the well-being and quality of life (QOL) of individuals. The use of drug-coated balloon (DCB) treatment has become a widespread approach in CAD management. However, currently, there is limited evidence available for the meta-analysis of DCB treatment in CAD. Materials and methods: A systematic search was conducted across databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, and VIP Database, covering data from the inception of each database up to April 2023. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding DCB treatment were meticulously chosen based on independent assessment of eligibility and scope by three researchers. Literature screening and data extraction were independently performed by two researchers, while methodological quality of the enrolled studies was assessed using the risk of bias (ROB) tool developed by the Cochrane Collaboration. Meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.3. Results: Following the screening process, seven studies were included. Four studies demonstrated an odds ratio (OR) of 0.66 for target lesion revascularization (TLR), five reported an OR of 0.41 for postoperative myocardial infarction (MI), four indicated a mean difference (MD) of 6.03 in the degree of stenosis (DOS), five exhibited an MD of 0.13 for late lumen loss (LLL), five reported an OR of 0.33 for cardiac death, and two presented an OR of 1.01 for binary restenosis (BR). Conclusion: DCB demonstrated a comparable efficacy to drug-eluting stents (DES) in treating CAD, with relatively lower associated risks.

Integrative bioinformatics analysis reveals STAT2 as a novel biomarker of inflammation-related cardiac dysfunction in atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common critical cause of stroke and cardiac dysfunction worldwide with lifetime risks. Viral infection and inflammatory response with myocardial involvement may lead to an increase in AF-related mortality. To dissect the potential sequelae of viral infection in AF patients, especially the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), based on AF and COVID-19 databases from Gene Expression Omnibus, weighted gene co-expression network analysis was used to identify key genes in heart tissues and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Here, HSCT, PSMB9, STAT2, and TNFSF13B were identified as common risk genes of AF and COVID-19 patients. Correlation analysis of these genes with AF and COVID-19 showed a positive disease relevance. silencing of STAT2 by small interfering RNA significantly rescued SARS-CoV-2 XBB1.5 pseudovirus-induced cardiac cell contraction dysfunction in vitro. In conclusion, we identified STAT2 may be a novel biomarker of inflammation-related cardiac dysfunction in AF.

[Analysis on the gastrointestinal motility disorder of gastroesophageal reflux disease and the mechanism of acupuncture-moxibustion from the perspective of autonomic nervous system].

From the perspective of autonomic nervous system, this paper analyzes the mechanism, current western medicine treatment methods and acupuncture-moxibustion treatment mechanism of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). It is believed that the main cause of GERD is that the gastric acid goes to the wrong place due to gastrointestinal motility disorder, which belongs to "acid dislocation". At present, western medical treatment cannot effectively target the pathogenesis of the disease, and its effect is limited. Acupuncture-moxibustion could regulate the neuroendocrine immune network to regulate the function of autonomic nerve, restore the power of digestive tract to treat GERD, which is worthy of further research.

Paraquat induces microglial cause early neuronal synaptic deficits through activation of the classical complement cascade response.

Synapse loss is considered to be an early event in the dysfunction of the central nervous system (CNS), precedes neuronal decline, which is the main pathological change in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Accumulating evidence has shown that neuronal synapse loss is associated with hyperactivity of microglial phagocytosis. In the CNS, microglia act as macrophages to clear cellular debris and weakened synapses, but the mechanism by which microglia activation leads to phagocytosis disorder remains unclear. Therefore, we treated mice with paraquat (PQ) in intraperitoneal injection to explore the mechanism by which microglia exert immunotoxicity in the CNS and cause neuronal synapse loss. Immunofluorescence results exposed synapses decreased with PQ exposure time, but the staining HE and Nissl showed that neuronal cell bodies were hardly affected. Fluorescence co-localization found that C1q (classical complement cascade initiation factor) was gradually deposited in the postsynaptic membrane of neurons to trigger the cascade reaction, thereby causing the excessive deposition of C3, a key factor of the classical complement cascade, and further induces hyperactivation of microglia, leads to phagocytosis disorder. IHC results demonstrated that the parallel relationship. Therefore, all our preliminary results throw light on the mechanism by which PQ abnormally triggers the immune system to produce immunotoxicity leading to microglial phagocytic dysfunction.

[Professor BAI Xing-hua's concept and experience in the diagnosis and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease].

In view of the five major misunderstandings in the clinical understanding of gastroesophageal reflux disease in traditional Chinese medicine, that is, wrong main symptoms, wrong position of the disease, wrong character of the disease, treating acid with acid, and attaching importance to drugs and neglecting acupuncture-moxibustion in treatment, Professor BAI Xing-hua has proposed the corresponding solving strategies, which includes grasping the main disease, carefully examining the disease position, distinguishing the character of disease, and no acid suppression for acid regurgitation. In addition, Professor BAI highly values the external treatment of traditional Chinese medicine. In particular, the acupuncture therapy of "Tongdu Jiangni (promote the circulation of the governor vessel and reduce the reversed qi)" based on many years of clinical experience provides new ideas and methods for the diagnosis and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease in traditional Chinese medicine.

[Clinical observation on gastroesophageal reflux asthma treated with tongdu jiangni needling technique].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical effect on gastroesophageal reflux asthma between the tongdu jiangni needling technique of acupuncture (acupuncture for promoting the circulation of the governor vessel and reducing the reversed qi) and omeprazole enteric capsules (OME). METHODS: A total of 60 patients with gastroesophageal reflux asthma were randomized into an acupuncture group and a western medication group, 30 cases in each one. The basic treatment for anti-bronchial asthma was provided in both of the groups. Additionally, OME was prescribed for oral administration in the western medication group, twice a day, 20 mg each time, for 8 weeks. In the acupuncture group, the tongdu jiangni needling technique of acupuncture was added. The needles were inserted at the sites inferior to the spinous processes of T3 to T12. Acupuncture was given once in the morning on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday respectively, totally for 8 weeks. Separately, before and after treatment, the score of reflux disease diagnostic questionnaire (RDQ), the score of asthma control test (ACT) and the tenderness threshold at the sites inferior to the spinous processes of T3 to T12 were observed and the clinical effect was evaluated in the two groups. RESULTS: ①The remarkably effective and curative rate was 46.7% (14/30) in the acupuncture group, higher than 3.3% (1/30) in the western medication group (P<0.01). The asthma control rate was 66.7% (20/30) in the acupuncture group, higher than 13.3% (4/30) in the western medication group (P<0.01). ②RDQ score after treatment was lower than that before treatment in either group (P<0.05). The decrease range of RDQ score in the acupuncture group was larger than that of the western medication group (P<0.05). After treatment, ACT score was increased as compared with that before treatment in either group (P<0.05) and the increase range of ACT score in the acupuncture group was larger than that of the western medication group (P<0.05). ③The tenderness thresholds at the sites inferior to the spinous processes of T3 to T8 and T10 to T12 were all increased after treatment as compared with those before treatment in the acupuncture group separately (P<0.05). In the western medication group, the thresholds were only increased at the sites inferior to the spinous processes of T6, T7 and T9 after treatment as compared with those before treatment separately (P<0.05). After treatment, the tenderness thresholds at T6 to T8 in the acupuncture group were all higher than the western medication group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The tongdu jiangni needling technique of acupuncture effectively relieves the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux asthma and improves the quality of life in the patients and its effect is better than omeprazole enteric capsules.