Advantages of Anti-Inflammatory Acupuncture in Treating Sepsis of Coronavirus Disease 2019

Background: Sepsisis one of the mostserious complications and a leading cause of death in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In general, it isthe result of an unregulated inflammatory cascade such as a postinfection “cytokine storm.” The conventional treatment mainly relies on glucocorticoids, of which curative effects are not ideal, as they come with significant side effects. It is critical to seek or develop other effective therapeutics in dealing cytokine storm to fight COVID-19 with sepsis. Aims and Objectives: Raise awareness of the significance applying anti-inflammatory acupuncture in dealing COVID-19 patients with sepsis and provide an appropriate acupuncture protocol that can be easily integrated into existing medical guideline. Materials and Methods: Current evidences from animal experiments and clinical trials about acupuncture in treating infectious sepsis are reviewed, and a detailed discussion on advantages of anti?inflammatory acupuncture is followed, then the rationality on the point selection and stimulation parameters of acupuncture is analyzed to propose an appropriate acupuncture protocol. Results: Current experiments have shown that acupuncture can play a significant role to improve inflammation reaction and reduce mortality in infectious animal and patients with sepsis and its mechanisms are mainly achieved by stimulating the vagus?cholinergic anti?inflammatory pathways.Applying acupuncture in treating COVID-19 patients with sepsis hasfour aspects of advantages. Moreover, a simple and convenient clinical acupuncture protocol including point selection and appropriate stimulation parameters is proposed. Conclusion: Acupuncture, especially electroacupuncture, has shown potentials in effectively treating infectious sepsis of animal models and critically ill patients in small sample studies by stimulating the nervous system, but has been largely overlooked in the clinic so far. It is advised that acupuncture should be integrated into the existing medical guidelines in dealing with COVID-19 complicated with sepsis.     

Steep Decrease of Gender Difference in DSM-IV Alcohol Use Disorder: A Comparison of Two Nation-wide Surveys Conducted 10 Years Apart in Korea

While decreasing trend in gender differences in alcohol use disorders was reported in Western countries, the change in Asian countries is unknown. This study aims to explore the shifts in gender difference in alcohol abuse (AA) and dependence (AD) in Korea. We compared the data from two nation-wide community surveys to evaluate gender differences in lifetime AA and AD by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). Face-to-face interviews using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) were applied to all subjects in 2001 (n=6,220) and 2011 (n=6,022). Male-to-female ratio of odds was decreased from 6.41 (95% CI, 4.81-8.54) to 4.37 (95% CI, 3.35-5.71) for AA and from 3.75 (95% CI, 2.96-4.75) to 2.40 (95% CI, 1.80-3.19) for AD. Among those aged 18-29, gender gap even became statistically insignificant for AA (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 0.97-2.63) and AD (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.80-2.41) in 2011. Men generally showed decreased odds for AD (0.55; 95% CI, 0.45-0.67) and women aged 30-39 showed increased odds for AA (2.13; 95% CI 1.18-3.84) in 2011 compared to 2001. Decreased AD in men and increased AA in women seem to contribute to the decrease of gender gap. Increased risk for AA in young women suggests needs for interventions.     

新生儿胃穿孔的临床特点及影响预后的因素

目的探讨新生儿胃穿孔的临床特点及影响预后的相关因素。方法本研究为回顾性研究。研究对象为山西省儿童医院新生儿外科2008年1月至2017年12月手术治疗的49例新生儿胃穿孔病例。分析这些患儿的临床表现、辅助检查、手术情况及预后等临床资料。根据预后将患儿分为存活组和死亡组,探讨影响患儿预后的相关因素。采用独立样本t检验或连续性校正χ^2检验(或Fisher精确概率法)分析数据。结果(1)49例患儿中,男29例(59.2%),女20例(40.8%);早产儿30例(61.2%),足月儿19例(38.8%);体重(2450±700)g,范围为1010~5000 g。29例(59.2%)为低出生体重儿。11例(22.4%)有围产期不良事件;17例(34.7%)术前合并感染性休克;6例(12.2%)合并其他消化道畸形。2例(4.1%)有生后窒息复苏史,2例(4.1%)合并呼吸窘迫综合征行机械通气,12例(24.5%)有留置胃管或洗胃史。(2)49例患儿的发病时间为(3.8±2.0)d,47例(95.9%)于生后1周内发病,其中36例于生后≤4 d发病;25例(51.0%)发病到手术时间≤12 h。(3)首发症状以单纯腹胀最常见[69.4%(34/49)],12例(24.5%)腹胀伴呕吐,39例(79.6%)患儿术前腹部立位X射线片可见膈下大量游离气体,肝脏受压下移,胃泡影减小或消失。(4)所有患儿入院后均急诊行开腹探查、胃壁一期修补术。术中见27例(55.1%)穿孔位于胃大弯,5例(10.2%)位于胃小弯,14例(28.6%)位于胃前壁,3例(6.1%)位于胃后壁。33例(67.3%)穿孔长径≥3 cm。术后3例(6.1%)发生切口感染,2例(4.1%)吻合口漏;1例术后48 h发现大量气液胸,再次手术证实为食道重复并食道穿孔。(5)49例中,35例(71.4%)的病因为先天性胃壁肌层缺损,4例(8.2%)为损伤,10例(20.4%)为自发性穿孔。(6)49例中,8例(16.3%)死亡,36例(73.5%)存活,5例(10.2%)术后放弃治疗。剔除5例放弃治疗的患儿后,存活组中发病到手术时间≤12 h及穿孔长径<3 cm患儿的比例高于死亡组[61.1%(22/36)与1/8,χ^2=4.404;41.7%(15/36)与0/8];死亡组合并感染性休克的比例高于存活组[6/8与22.2%(8/36),χ^2=6.147](P值均<0.05)。结论新生儿胃穿孔病死率较高,先天性胃壁肌层缺损是新生儿胃穿孔的病理基础和主要病因,突然出现的腹胀是其主要的临床表现。尽早手术有助于提高治愈率。     

临床医学专业“5+3”一体化本科全程导师制创新人才培养的实践与探索

以培养创新型人才为目标，大连医科大学制定实施了“5+3”创新人才培养改革方案，以导师制培养为载体，在医学本科教育全过程中，制定分阶段创新能力培养体系，涵盖课程、讲座、实验设计、论文等基本科研能力训练，强化本科生科研能力培养。通过对首届“5+3”学生阶段性培养成果的统计学分析发现，“5+3”学生发表中文期刊、SCI，主持国家级创新项目、省级创新项目的比例均显著高于普通5年制学生，差异具有统计学意义（P<0.05）。虽然实施过程中存在一些问题和不足，但以导师制为核心的科研基础训练对提高学生科研思维和创新能力效果显著，对培养医学创新型人才具有可实施性。     

Prospective observation: Clinical utility of plasma Epstein–Barr virus DNA load in EBV-associated gastric carcinoma patients

Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-associated gastric carcinomas (EBVaGCs) may account for 8–9% of all gastric cancer (GC) patients. All previous reports on EBVaGC were retrospective. Prospective study is warranted to evaluate the exact role of EBV status in predicting the prognosis of GC. It is of special interest to figure out whether dynamic detection of plasma EBV-DNA load could be a feasible biomarker for the monitor of EBVaGC. From October 2014 to September 2017, we consecutively collected GC patients (n = 2,760) from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center for EBER examination. We detected EBV-DNA load in plasma and tissue samples of EBVaGC patients at baseline. Subsequently, plasma EBV-DNA load was dynamically monitored in EBVaGC patients. The overall prevalence of EBVaGC is 5.1% (140/2,760). The incidence rate of EBVaGC decreased with advanced AJCC 7th TNM stage (p < 0.001), with the corresponding percentages of 9.3, 9.9, 6.7 and 1.4% for Stage I, II, III and IV patients. EBVaGC patients were predominately young males with better histologic differentiation and earlier TNM stage than EBV-negative GC (EBVnGC) patients. EBVaGC patients were confirmed to had a favorable 3-year survival rate (EBVaGC vs. EBVnGC: 76.8% vs. 58.2%, p = 0.0001). Though only 52.1% (73/140) EBVaGC patients gained detectable EBV-DNA and 43.6% (61/140) reached a positive cutoff of 100 copies/ml, we found the plasma EBV-DNA load in EBVaGC decreased when patients got response, while it increased when disease progressed. Our results suggested that plasma EBV-DNA is a good marker in predicting recurrence and chemotherapy response for EBVaGC patients.     

Therapeutic effect of mesenchymal stem cell on Hashimoto’s thyroiditis in a rat model by modulating Th17/Treg cell balance

Abstract

The autoimmune condition Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is a disease wherein lymphocytes mediate the autoimmune damage and destruction of the thyroid gland. There are currently no effective means of treating HT, with the primary strategies of thyroid hormone therapy, surgery, or immunomodulatory therapy being associated with serious risks and side effects. There is thus a clear and urgent need to identify novel treatments for HT. In this study, we utilize female SD rats induced HT to evaluated the ability of transplanted MSCs to regulate Th17/Treg interactions in a rat Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) model system. The results showed that Rats in the HT model group exhibited increased thyroid autoantibody levels consistent with successful model development, whereas these levels were lower in rats treated with MSCs. There were also fewer thyroid lesions and less lymphoid infiltration of the thyroid in MSC-treated rats relative to HT model rats, as well as fewer Th17 cells and more Treg cells – an observation consistent with the cytokine analyses. All of these showed that MSCs can regulate Th17/Treg interactions in a rat Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) model system. It suggested that transplanted MSCs could be a potential immunotherapy strategy for the treatment of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.     

医用粘胶相关性皮肤损伤的文献计量学分析

目的: 应用文献计量学方法,分析国内外医用粘胶相关性皮肤损伤（Medical adhesive-related skin injuries,MARSI）文献的研究主题和热点。方法: 检索Cochrane Library、PubMed、EMbase、Web of science、sinoMed、CNKI、Wanfang、VIP等数据库MARSI相关文献,检索时限为建库至2019年5月。采用SPSS 22.0 软件进行文献计量分析,利用gCLUTO统计对国内外高频主题词进行聚类分析。结果: 共纳入论文103篇,其中外文文献占总文献量的27.18%,中文文献占总文献量的72.82%。聚类分析将国内外高频主题词聚为4大类,依次为皮肤损伤及损伤类型、相关危险因素、风险评估及风险管理、护理干预措施。结论: MARSI仍是国内外研究的热点,其发病机制研究仍处于探索阶段,目前尚缺乏有效的预防策略,研究领域较局限。在今后的研究中,应加强MARSI预防的研究、注重多学科合作。