Quma Tongluo Prescription in the Treatment of Chronic Oxaliplatin Related Peripheral Neuropathy: A Single-Center, Open, Randomized Controlled Study.

Objective: To observe the effect of oral Quma Tongluo decoction on oxaliplatin-related chronic peripheral neuropathy. Methods: A total of 64 patients who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group, with 32 cases in each group. The experimental group took Quma Tongluo decoction granules orally (2 times a day, 1 package each time, morning and evening after meals), and the control group took mecobalamin tablets orally (1 tablet each time, 3 times a day, after meals). After 4 weeks of treatment, the quantitative score of chronic peripheral neuropathy severity, a quantitative score of numbness, a quantitative score of pain, a chemotherapeutic peripheral neurotoxicity score, comprehensive neuropathy score, peripheral neurotoxicity grade, KPS score, and neuropathy area range score were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. Results: Before treatment, there were no significant differences between the two groups in the quantitative score of chronic peripheral neuropathy severity, quantitative score of numbness, chemotherapeutic peripheral neurotoxicity score, total neuropathy score, peripheral neurotoxicity grade, and chronic OIPN symptom range score (P > .05). After 4 weeks of treatment, there were significant differences in the quantitative score of chronic peripheral neuropathy severity, quantitative score of numbness, chemotherapeutic peripheral neurotoxicity score, total neuropathy score, peripheral neurotoxicity grade, and chronic OIPN symptom range score between the two groups (P < .05). There was no significant difference in pain quantification score and KPS score between the two groups before and after treatment (P > .05). The total effective rate of Quma Tongluo decoction in the treatment of oxaliplatin-related chronic peripheral neuropathy was higher than that of mecobalamin (87.1% > 20.6%), and no obvious adverse reactions such as Gastrointestinal reactions and allergic reactions were observed.One patient in the experimental group had diarrhea, the incidence of adverse reactions was about 3.2%, and the control group had no adverse reactions. Conclusions: Quma Tongluo decoction can effectively treat oxaliplatin-related chronic peripheral neuropathy, reduce the symptoms while reducing the scope of symptoms, and has no obvious adverse reactions in clinical practice, with good safety.

Spatial distribution of rare earth elements and their impact factors in an area with a high abundance of regolith-hosted deposits.

Despite the widespread occurrence of regolith-hosted rare earth elements (REEs) across South China, their spatial distribution characteristics in soils and their impact factors remain largely uncertain. This knowledge gap impedes the exploration of regolith-hosted REE deposits and the assessment of the environmental risks associated with REEs. To address this issue, 180 soil samples were collected from Meizhou City, Guangdong Province, a region known for its high abundance of regolith-hosted REEs. Subsequently, the correlations between REE enrichment/fractionation and various factors, i.e., topography, climate conditions, land use, and landform were analysed using the geo-detector method. The results revealed a highly uneven spatial distribution of REEs and their fractionation features with some regions displaying distinct spatial patterns. Elevation was the dominant factor influencing this distribution, and showed strong correlations with the concentrations of REEs, light REEs (LREEs) and heavy REEs (HREEs); the LREE/HREE ratio; and the positive Ce anomaly (δCe). The negative Eu anomaly (δEu) showed a good correlation with rock type. The enrichment and fractionation of REEs indicated a coupling among the abovementioned factors. For REE enrichment, areas with elevations of 138-148 m, precipitation levels of 1553-1574 mm, annual average land surface temperatures of 30.4-30.5 °C, leaf area index values of 22-29 and surface cutting degree of 21.5-29.9 m showed the highest average abundance within each type (scope) of the predominant factors. These findings highlight the key factors affecting REE distribution, thereby aiding the efficient utilization of regolith-hosted REE resources and the evaluation of their environmental risks.

Impact of lockdown on the growth of children in China aged 3-6 years during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Lockdowns in COVID-19 pandemic led to less physical activity and more intake of unhealthy food in children. The aim of this study was to investigate the negative impact of major lockdowns on the growth of children aged 3-6 years during COVID-19 pandemic period. Methods: Physical examination results in 2019 to 2022 from 5834 eligible children (2972 males and 2862 females) from Southwestern China who were 3 years old in 2019 were retrospectively collected. Height and weight data points were extracted from the results, and percentiles of height (height%), weight (weight%), and BMI (BMI%), and rates of overweight and obesity were calculated and compared between different years during the pandemic. Results: After analyzing the 15404 growth data points from 5834 children, a slowly increasing trend of height% from 2019 to 2022 was observed. Weight%, BMI%, overweight rate, obesity rate, and combined overweight and obesity rate had two peaks in 2020 and 2022 when major lockdowns were adopted and a drop in between (year 2021), except for obesity rate which did not drop in 2021. Similar results were shown after stratification by gender. Conclusion: The lockdowns in COVID-19 pandemic promoted obesity of kindergarten children, but did not show any negative impact on their height growth possibly due to over-nutrition of children during lockdowns. More efforts need to be made to limit the increase of obesity rate in kindergarten children during possible future lockdowns.