WRIST-ANKLE ACUPUNCTURE FOR ANALGESIA IN TREATING SOME COMMON DISEASES IN ATHLETES

With gradual generalization of acupuncture-moxibustion therapy in developed countries, an increasing attention has been paid to its application in the athletic field. Wrist-ankle acupuncture is a kind of shallow acupuncture, by which 6 points in the wrist and ankle regions are selected and punctured for treating diseases related to individual parts of the body. It is a kind of information therapy concerning biological hologram regularities. The analgesic effects of the therapy in treating some common diseases in 64 athletes are reported as follows.

PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE RESULTS OF NUTRITION PREVENTION TRIALS OF CANCER AND OTHER COMMON DISEASES AMONG RESIDENTS IN LINXIAN,CHINA

To examine whether vitamin / mineral supplementation may lower mortality and incidence for human cancer and mortality from other diseases as well as to provide the scientific basis and feasible approach for human cancer prevention and control,from 1982 to 1991 scientists from China and USA conducted two randomized, double-blind,placebo-controlled nutrition intervention trials in Linxian,China,where the mortality rates of esophageal and gastric cardia cancer are among the highest in the world and there is suspicion that the population’s chronic deficiencies of multiple

Construction and Implementation of Expert System for Common Pig Diseases Prevention Based on Struts Framework

The prevention of common pig diseases depends on the experience of veterinarian greatly due to complexity of piggery pestilence. The expert system for the prophylaxis and treatment of common pig diseases is able to make the complex task more effective. The construction and im- plementation of this expert system is based on the bottleneck problems of the traditional expert system knowledge acquisition and the frame descrip- tion of symptoms of common pig diseases, used the knowledge project method and technology, and combined the uncertainty inference and dispel- ling strategy of matching conflict and technology of multimedia. This expert system is used to imitate expert thinking and supplement or substitute for veterinary experts to guide the prophylaxis and treatment of common pig diseases. The overall structure, knowledge expression, inference mecha- nism and system realization would be expounded emphatically.

Developing biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases using genetically-modified common marmoset models

Mouse and non-human primate models of neurodegenerative disease：The prevalence of age-related neurodegenerative diseases continues to increase with ever increasing aging population over the age of 60.Although the difficulties associated with neurodegenerative diseases present an urgent global issue,there is no effective treatment for these conditions.

Application of artificial intelligence to endoscopy on common gastrointestinal benign diseases

Artificial intelligence(AI)has been widely involved in every aspect of healthcare in the preclinical stage.In the digestive system,AI has been trained to assist auxiliary examinations including histopathology,endoscopy,ultrasonography,computerized tomography,and magnetic resonance imaging in detection,diagnosis,classification,differentiation,prognosis,and quality control.In the field of endoscopy,the application of AI,such as automatic detection,diagnosis,classification,and invasion depth,in early gastrointestinal(GI)cancers has received wide attention.There is a paucity of studies of AI application on common GI benign diseases based on endoscopy.In the review,we provide an overview of AI applications to endoscopy on common GI benign diseases including in the esophagus,stomach,intestine,and colon.It indicates that AI will gradually become an indispensable part of normal endoscopic detection and diagnosis of common GI benign diseases as clinical data,algorithms,and other related work are constantly repeated and improved.

Success rate and complications of endoscopic extraction of common bile duct stones over 2 cm in diameter

BACKGROUND:Clinically,common bile duct (CBD) stones >2 cm are difficult to remove by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).To evaluate this observation,the rates of successful clearance of CBD stones and complications were compared between ERCP extraction of CBD stones of >2 cm and <2 cm in diameter.METHODS:All patients who had undergone endoscopic extraction of CBD stones at the Endoscopy Center of Shanghai First People’s Hospital from May 2004 to May 2008 were reviewed.Patients with CBD stones of >2 cm in diameter were enrolled in the >2 cm group.Two matched controls with CBD stones of <2 cm in diameter were selected for each enrolled patient (<2 cm group).Patient characteristics,success rates,and complications during and after ERCP were compared.RESULTS:Seventy-two patients constituted the >2 cm group and 144 patients were in the <2 cm group.No significant differences were found in the patient characteristics,except for stone size and CBD diameter.Both the overall success rate and the success rate in the first ERCP session were lower in the >2 cm group (77.8% and 58.3%,respectively) than in the <2 cm group (91.7% and 83.3%,P<0.01).During ERCP,the incidence of hypoxemia (30.6%) and hemorrhaging papillae (18.1%) in the >2 cm group was higher than in the <2 cm group (13.2% and 6.3%,P<0.05).After ERCP,the rates of delayed papillae hemorrhage (13.9%),hyperamylasemia (23.6%),acute pancreatitis (8.3%) and biliary infection (18.1%) were higher in the >2 cm group than in the <2 cm group (3.5%,11.1%,2.1%,and 2.8%,respectively,P<0.05).CONCLUSION:The success rate of endoscopic extraction of CBD stones of >2 cm in diameter was lower but the complication rate was higher than that of stones of <2 cm in diameter.

Anatomical study of sciatic nerve and common peroneal nerve compression

BACKGROUND： Many diseases of the common peroneal nerve are a result of sciatic nerve injury. The present study addresses whether anatomical positioning of the sciatic nerve is responsible for these injuries. OBJECTIVE： To analyze anatomical causes of sciatic nerve and common peroneal nerve injury by studying the relationship between the sciatic nerve and piriformis. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： Observe and measure repeatedly. The experiment was conducted in the Department of Anatomy, Tianjin Medical College between January and June 2005. MATERIALS： Fifty-two adult cadavers 33 males and 19 females, with a total of 104 hemispheres, and fixed with formaldehyde, were provided by Tianjin Medical College and Tianjin Medical University. METHODS： A posterior cut was made from the lumbosacral region to the upper leg, fully exposing the piriformis and path of the sciatic nerve. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： （1） Anatomical characteristics of the tibial nerve and common peroneal nerve. （2） According to different areas where the sciatic nerve crosses the piriformis, the study was divided into two types-normal and abnormal. Normal is considered to be when the sciatic nerve passes through the infrapiriform foramen. Remaining pathways are considered to be abnormal. （3） Observe the relationship between the suprapiriform foramen, infrapiriform foramen, as well as the superior and inferior space of piriformis. RESULTS： （1） The nerve tract inside the common peroneal nerve is smaller and thinner, with less connective tissue than the tibial nerve. When pathological changes or variations of the piriformis, or over-abduction of the hip joint, occur, injury to the common peroneal nerve often arises due to blockage and compression. （2） A total of 76 hemispheres （73.08%） were normal, 28 were abnormal （26.92%）. The piriformis can be injured, and the sciatic nerve can become compressed, when the hip joint undergoes intorsion, extorsion, or abduction. （3） The structures between the infrapiriform and suprapiriform foramen are where ＂the first threshold＂ sciatic nerve projects. The structures between the infrapiriform and suprapiriform gap were ＂the second threshold＂. This became the concept of ＂double threshold＂. The reduced area caused by pathological changes of ＂double threshold＂ may block and compress the sciatic nerve. Because the common peroneal nerve lies on the anterolateral side of the sciatic nerve, injury to the common peroneal nerve is more serious. CONCLUSION： Anatomical characteristics of the common peroneal nerve, as well as variation of the sciatic nerve, piriformis, and the reduced ＂double threshold＂, are the main causes of sciatic nerve injury, and are especially common in peroneal nerve injury.

Home‑based treatment and nursing plan of a patient diagnosed with mild‑to‑common coronavirus disease 2019

To date,there are no known specific antiviral medicines recommended for coronavirus disease 2019(COVID‑19).The treatment mainly focuses on the improvement of the immunity of the individual and the application of palliative treatment.A case of a patient diagnosed with mild COVID‑19 and then later developed common COVID‑19 which was treated and closely monitored at home will be presented.The patient was advised for self‑quarantine with several prescribed medications.Nursing home and self‑care advice were given to the patient,including a change of lifestyle for the duration of the isolation,medication advice,symptomatic care,change of diet,how to monitor the progress of the disease,psychological care,and follow‑up instructions.During the course of the nursing plan,the patient showed significant improvements,and normal life functions were restored.On February 05,2020,novel coronavirus nucleic acid test showed negative after re‑examination;the patient was cured.Therefore,providing adequate nursing plan for home‑based self‑care treatment can effectively cure mild and common cases of COVID‑19.

Duplication of the common bile duct manifesting as recurrent pyogenic cholangitis:A case report

BACKGROUND Duplication of the extrahepatic bile duct(DCBD)is an extremely rare congenital anomaly of the biliary system.There are five types of DCBD according to the latest classification.Among them,Type V is characterized by single drainage of the extrahepatic bile ducts.Reports on DCBD Type V are scarce.CASE SUMMARY A 77-year-old woman presented with recurrent epigastric pain but without fever or chills.Computed tomography revealed a dilated common bile duct(CBD)that harboured multiple choledocholithiasis.Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP)was performed,and the stones were extracted using a Dormia basket.She was discharged without any complications;however,she visited the emergency department a day after she was discharged due to epigastric pain and fever.Laboratory findings were suggestive of cholestasis.After urgent ERCP for stone removal,magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography was performed to evaluate remnant choledocholithiasis.Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography revealed a DCBD Type Va and remnant choledocholithiasis in the right CBD.Both CBDs were accessed,and the stones were cleared successfully during a subsequent ERCP.CONCLUSION In this article,we report an extremely rare case of DCBD manifesting as recurrent pyogenic cholangitis.This case highlights the importance of recognizing DCBD because stones in the unrecognized bile duct could make the patient’s prognosis critical.

Advances in identifying coding variants of common complex diseases

Many common diseases are characterized by polygenic architectures in which a single variant has only a small effect on phenotype.Genome-wide association studies and next generation sequencing have identified thousands of genetic variants of disease susceptibility.Recently,non-coding variants identified by genome-wide association studies have been systematically reviewed.Here,we review disease-causing coding variants and their relevance to clinical medicine.

Common underlying diseases do not contribute in determining the causes of sudden unexplained death

Background Underlying diseases have a statistically significant positive correlation to sudden death. However, sudden unexplained death （SUD） is different from sudden death, as there is no clinical evidence to support the sudden death due to the original underlying disease, nor a lethal pathological basis to be found during autopsy. In addition, SUD are more common in young, previously healthy individuals, usually without any signs of disease, with no positive lesions found after autopsy. Therefore, a causal relationship between SUD and the underlying disease needs to be further explored. This study aimed to explore the role that common underlying diseases play in patients with SUD and to reveal the correlation between them. Methods The medical records, history and case information of 208 patients with SUD were collected for the survey. All these SUD occurred in the emergency room of Peking University Third Hospital from January 2006 to December 2009. The patients were stratified by with and without common underlying diseases. To examine possible associations between the underlying diseases and the cause of unexplained sudden death, the chi-squared and Fisher＇s exact tests were used. Results Among the 208 patients, 65 were diagnosed with common underlying diseases while 143 were not. Within these two groups, there were 45 patients for whom the clear cause of death was determined. However, there were no statistically significant differences or strong associations （x2=1.238, P 〉0.05） between the 11 patients with （16.90%） and 34 without （23.78%） common underlying disease among these 45 patients. We also found that occurrence of the common underlying diseases, such as neurological system, cardiovascular and pulmonary system diseases, are not statistically significant （P 〉0.05） in the diagnosis of the SUD. Conclusion Common underlying diseases make no obvious contributions to SUD and are not useful in diagnosing the underlying reasons for death.

Effect of Genome-Wide Genotyping and Reference Panels on Rare Variants Imputation

Common variants explain little of the variance of most common disease, prompting large-scale sequencing studies to understand the contribution of rare variants to these diseases. Imputation of rare variants from genome-wide genotypic arrays offers a cost-efficient strategy to achieve necessary sample sizes required for adequate statistical power. To estimate the performance of imputation of rare variants, we imputed 153 individuals, each of whom was genotyped on 3 different genotype arrays including 317k, 610k and 1 million single nucleotide polymorphisms （SNPs）, to two different reference panels： HapMap2 and 1000 Genomes pilot March 2010 release （1KGpilot） by using IMPUTE version 2. We found that more than 94% and 84% of all SNPs yield acceptable accuracy （info 〉 0.4） in HapMap2 and 1KGpilot-based imputation, respectively. For rare variants （minor allele frequency （MAF） 〈5%）, the proportion of well- imputed SNPs increased as the MAF increased from 0.3% to 5% across all 3 genome-wide association study （GWAS） datasets. The proportion of well-imputed SNPs was 69%, 60% and 49% for SNPs with a MAF from 0.3% to 5% for 1M, 610k and 317k, respectively. None of the very rare variants （MAF 〈 0.3%） were well imputed. We conclude that the imputation accuracy of rare variants increases with higher density of genome-wide genotyping arrays when the size of the reference panel is small. Variants with lower MAF are more difficult to impute. These findings have important implications in the design and replication of large-scale sequencing studies.

An Overview of Genome-Wide Association Studies in Alzheimer＇s Disease

Genome-wide association studies（GWASs）have revealed a plethora of putative susceptibility genes for Alzheimer＇s disease（AD）. With the sole exception of the APOE gene, these AD susceptibility genes have not been unequivocally validated in independent studies. No single novel functional risk genetic variant has been identified. In this review, we evaluate recent GWASs of AD, and discuss their significance, limitations, and challenges in the investigation of the genetic spectrum of AD.