Clinical manifestation,lifestyle,and treatment patterns of chronic erosive gastritis:A multicenter real-world study in China

BACKGROUND Although chronic erosive gastritis(CEG)is common,its clinical characteristics have not been fully elucidated.The lack of consensus regarding its treatment has resulted in varied treatment regimens.AIM To explore the clinical characteristics,treatment patterns,and short-term outcomes in CEG patients in China.METHODS We recruited patients with chronic non-atrophic or mild-to-moderate atrophic gastritis with erosion based on endoscopy and pathology.Patients and treating physicians completed a questionnaire regarding history,endoscopic findings,and treatment plans as well as a follow-up questionnaire to investigate changes in symptoms after 4 wk of treatment.RESULTS Three thousand five hundred sixty-three patients from 42 centers across 24 cities in China were included.Epigastric pain(68.0%),abdominal distension(62.6%),and postprandial fullness(47.5%)were the most common presenting symptoms.Gastritis was classified as chronic non-atrophic in 69.9%of patients.Among those with erosive lesions,72.1%of patients had lesions in the antrum,51.0%had multiple lesions,and 67.3%had superficial flat lesions.In patients with epigastric pain,the combination of a mucosal protective agent(MPA)and proton pump inhibitor was more effective.For those with postprandial fullness,acid regurgitation,early satiety,or nausea,a MPA appeared more promising.CONCLUSION CEG is a multifactorial disease which is common in Asian patients and has non-specific symptoms.Gastroscopy may play a major role in its detection and diagnosis.Treatment should be individualized based on symptom profile.

Effectiveness of an amino acid beverage formulation in diarrheapredominant irritable bowel syndrome:A pragmatic real-world study

BACKGROUND Amino-acid based medical foods have shown promise in alleviating symptoms of drug induced gastrointestinal side effects;particularly,diarrhea-predominant symptoms.Irritable bowel syndrome(IBS)is a gastrointestinal disorder that affects up to 9% of people globally,with diarrhea predominant IBS(IBS-D)being the most prevalent subtype.Further trials are needed to explore potential added benefits when integrated into standard care for IBS-D.AIM To assess the effectiveness of an amino acid-based medical food as an adjunct to standard of care for adults with IBS-D.METHODS This is a pragmatic,real world,open label,single arm study comparing a 2-week baseline assessment to a 2-week intervention period.One hundred adults,aged 18 to 65 years,with IBS-D,according to Rome IV criteria,were enrolled after completing a 2-week baseline assessment period and received a 2-week supply of an amino acid based medical food which was consumed at home twice daily on top of their standard of care.The primary outcome was an assessment of tolerability after 2-weeks of consumption,while secondary outcomes included changes in stool consistency(Bristol Stool Form Scale),severity of abdominal pain&discomfort,symptoms of urgency,Global Improvement Survey(GIS),and the IBS severity scoring system(IBS-SSS).RESULTS The test product was well-tolerated as each participant successfully completed the full 14-day trial,and there were no instances of dropouts or discontinuation of the study product reported.Forty percent of participants achieved a 50% or more reduction in the number of days with type 6-7 bowel movements(IBS-D stool consistency responders).Fifty-three percent of participants achieved a clinically meaningful reduction of 30% in mean weekly pain scores,and 55%experienced the same for mean weekly discomfort scores(IBS-D pain and discomfort responders).Participants experienced a mean-109.4(95% confidence interval:-130.1,-88.8)point reduction on the IBS-SSS and 52% experienced a minimally clinically important difference of>95 points.An IBS-SSS category shift from severe to moderate or mild occurred in 69% of participants.For functional symptoms,76% of participants reported symptom relief on the GIS.CONCLUSION The amino acid-based medical food was well-tolerated,when added to the standard of care,and demonstrated improvements in both overall IBS symptom severity and IBS-D symptoms within just 2 wk.

Real-World Study on the Treatment of Macular Edema in Central Retinal Vein Occlusion Using Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM)and Its Medication Guidelines

Object:The aim is to evaluate how effective Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM)is in treating patients who have central retinal vein occlusion with macular edema(CRVO-ME)in a real-world study.Furthermore,the objective of the research was to examine the TCM prescription trends in the management of CRVO-ME.Method:A single-center real-world study(RWS)was carried out over a span of 19 years,following the established design.The study encompassed 113 patients diagnosed with CRVO-ME.Out of these,74 patients received TCM treatment,while the remaining individuals underwent a combined therapy involving TCM and anti-VEGF drugs through intravitreal injection.The patients were matched using propensity score matching(PSM).The result measured in the RWS was BCVA.The oral prescriptions for CRVO-ME that led to observable and effective outcomes were collected.Excel and the TCM Inheritance Auxiliary Platform V2.5 were utilized to optimize mutual information,hierarchical clustering based on entropy,and other techniques to extract medication regulations and features.Result:After applying PSM,each group comprised 29 cases.Both groups exhibited improved BCVA following treatment;however,there was no statistically significant distinction in BCVA or effectiveness between the two groups(all P>0.05).Apart from the analysis of oral prescriptions for CRVO-ME,the investigation pinpointed the most frequently used TCMs,namely Flos Carthami,Semen Persicae,Radix Angelica sinensis,Radix Rehmanniae,and Radix et Rhizoma Notoginseng.Frequently utilized medications tended to possess cold,warm,or mild attributes and exhibited a taste profile that was either bitter or sweet.The primary meridians associated with the medicines employed in treating CRVO-ME were liver,spleen,stomach,heart,and lung.Through the application of association rule analysis,it was discerned that there were 195 commonly employed combinations of medicines.Additionally,a complex system entropy cluster analysis unveiled 13 key combinations of medicines.By employing an unsupervised entropy hierarchical clustering analysis,a novel prescription was formulated.Conclusion:Within a real-world population of CRVO-ME patients,TCM exhibited its effectiveness.The treatment approach for CRVO-ME predominantly involved the regulation of qi(Qi is an exceedingly subtle substance within the human body,brimming with vitality and ceaseless motion.It constitutes the fundamental element that shapes and sustains the various processes of human life.)and blood as well as the resolution of dampness.The oral prescriptions frequently targeted the meridians of liver,spleen,stomach,heart,and lungs.

Research on Retrospective Studies of Real-World Study and Its Selection Bias

Objective To provide references for improving the authenticity and reliability of the retrospective study results,thus improving the quality of evidence in the real world and strengthening drug supervision and decision-making.Methods Literature review was used to study the data sources,the characteristics of retrospective research,the sources and the corrections of selective bias in the real world.Results and Conclusion The biases in retrospective study mainly come from admission rate bias,patient rate bias,survivors bias,health user bias and symptom bias.

Experimental Design of Observational Studies in Real-World Study

Objective To introduce the design of observational trials under real-world study(RWS),and to provide guidance for clinical development of new research trials and reference for real-world researchers.Methods Relevant literature of RWS and observational experiments at home and abroad were reviewed and analyzed,and then the design of observational studies was summarized under RWS.Results and Conclusion The data and information provided in observational studies not only help to further verify the clinical study results obtained by randomized controlled trial(RCT)in clinical practice,but also objectively reflect the real situation in the process of clinical research and application.

Efficacy and safety of lenvatinib for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: A retrospective, real-world study conducted in China

BACKGROUND Lenvatinib has become an indispensable part of treatment regimens for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma(aHCC).Several recent real-world studies appear to have confirmed this;however,there are etiological differences.This necessitates further real-world studies of lenvatinib across diverse populations,such as in China.AIM To investigate the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib in a Chinese HCC patient population under real-world conditions.METHODS This is a retrospective and multiregional study involving patients with aHCC receiving lenvatinib monotherapy.Efficacy was assessed using the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1.Baseline characteristics and adverse events(AEs)were recorded throughout the entire study.RESULTS In total,54 HCC patients treated with lenvatinib monotherapy were included for final analysis.The objective response rate was 22%(n=12)with a progressionfree survival(PFS)of 168 d;however,AEs occurred in 92.8%of patients.Multivariate analysis showed that the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage[hazard ratio(HR)0.465;95%CI:0.23-0.93;P=0.031],portal vein tumor thrombus(HR 0.38;95%CI:0.15-0.94;P=0.037)and Child-Pugh classifications(HR 0.468;95%CI:and specificity(83.3%)of decreasing serum biomarkers including alphafetoprotein were calculated in order to predict tumor size reduction.Gene sequencing also provided insights into potential gene mutation signatures related to the effect of lenvatinib.CONCLUSION Our findings confirm previous evidence from the phase III REFLECT study.The majority of patients in this Chinese sample were suffering from concomitant hepatitis B virus-related HCC.However,further analysis suggested that baseline characteristics,changes in serum biomarkers and gene sequencing may hold the key for predicting lenvatinib responses.Further large-scale prospective studies that incorporate more basic medical science measures should be conducted.

Effectiveness of second-line anti-HER2 treatment in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients previously treated with trastuzumab:A real-world study

Objective:Several studies have demonstrated different benefits for patients whose disease progressed despite previous trastuzumab treatment.Due to limited real-world data,we evaluate the effectiveness of anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)therapy(lapatinib or trastuzumab)plus chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone in patients who were previously treated with trastuzumab-containing regimens and investigate factors associated with effectiveness.And we further show the effectiveness of the two anti-HER2 therapy groups.Methods:A total of 342 HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer(MBC)patients whose disease progressed during prior anti-HER2(trastuzumab)and standard chemotherapy therapy from Department of Breast Oncology,the Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital,from August 2010 to December 2016 were included.Seventy-eight patients received standard chemotherapy only,148 patients continued to receive trastuzumab and switched to other chemotherapy drugs,and 116 patients received tyrosine-kinase inhibitors(TKIs;lapatinib)and chemotherapy.The main outcome measures were progression-free survival(PFS),overall response rate(ORR),and clinical benefit rate(CBR).Subgroup analyses were conducted to identify patient characteristics associated with the greatest clinical benefit.Results:After a median follow-up of 26.2(range,2.0-56.0)months,PFS significantly improved with anti-HER2 therapy compared with chemotherapy alone:median 6.0 months with lapatinib[95%confidence interval(95%CI),4.53-7.47],4.5 months with trastuzumab(95%CI,3.99-5.01)vs.3.0 months with chemotherapy alone(95%CI,2.42-3.58);stratified hazard ratio(HR)=0.70,95%CI,0.60-0.81;P<0.0001.The ORR values were 33.6%,25.0%and 12.8%,respectively,the CBR values were 60.3%,48.6%and 26.9%,respectively.The effectiveness of lapatinib group and trastuzumab group were further analyzed.In multivariate analysis,lapatinib group was associated with a longer PFS,after controlling other potential confounders(HR=0.68,95%CI,0.52-0.90;P=0.006).Conclusions:The combination of TKIs and chemotherapy was effective in this cohort previously treated with trastuzumab treatment.Therefore,TKIs combined with chemotherapy is an option for Chinese HER2-positive MBC patients previously treated with trastuzumab treatment.

Discussion on the Application of Real-World Study in the Inheritance and Development of Empirical Prescriptions of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Objective To study the research on real-world data and to provide new ideas and methods for the inheritance and development of empirical prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).Methods The disadvantages of using randomized controlled trials for empirical prescriptions of TCM and the advantages of using real-world study(RWS)were analyzed by summarizing the previous RWS and the empirical prescriptions.Meanwhile,the methods for marketing of new TCMs derived from empirical prescriptions of TCM,the data source and trial design of the RWS were discussed.Results and Conclusion RWS can provide new ideas for the listing of new TCMs.With the improvement of relevant laws and regulations,RWS will promote the development of TCM greatly.To promote the application of RWS in the inheritance and development of empirical prescriptions of TCM,the government should improve laws and regulations as soon as possible,and enterprises and research institutions should strengthen patient privacy protection and clarify the responsible parties.

Oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy and colo-rectal cancer patient's quality of life:Practical lessons from a prospective cross-sectional,real-world study

BACKGROUND Colon cancer is one the most common forms of cancer in both sexes.Due to important progress in the field of early detection and effective treatment,colon and rectal cancer survivors currently account for 10%of cancer survivors worldwide.However,the effects of anti-cancer treatments,especially oxaliplatinbased chemotherapy,on the quality of life(QoL)have been less evaluated.Although the incidence of severe chemotherapy-induced neuropathy(CIPN)in clinical studies is below 20%,data from real-world studies is scarce,and CIPN is probably under-reported due to patient selection and the patients’fear that reporting side-effects might lead to treatment cessation.AIM To determine the impact of CIPN on QoL in colorectal cancer patients with a recent history of oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy.METHODS We performed a prospective cross-sectional study in two major Romanian oncology tertiary hospitals—the Regional Institute of Oncology Ia?i(Iasi,Romania)and the Fundeni Clinical Oncology Institute(Bucharest,Romania).All consecutive patients with colon or rectal cancer,undergoing Oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy that consented to enroll in the study,were assessed by means of two questionnaires—the EORTC QQ-CR29(quality of life in colon and rectal cancer patients)and the QLQ-CIPN20(assessment of neuropathy).Several demographical,social,clinical and treatment data were also collected.Statistical analysis was performed by means of SPSS v20.The student t test was used to assess the relationship between the QLQ-CIPN20 and QLQ-CR29 results.Kaplan Meyer-curves were used to report 3-year progression-free survival(PFS)in patients that discontinued chemotherapy vs those that completed the recommended course.RESULTS Of the 267 patients that fulfilled the inclusion criteria in the pre-specified time frame,101(37.8%)agreed to participate in the clinical study.At the time of the enrolment in the study,over 50%of the patients had recently interrupted their oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy,most often due to neuropathy.Almost 85%of the responders reported having tingling or numbness in their fingers or hands,symptoms that were associated with pain in over 20%of the cases.When comparing the scores in the two questionnaires,a statistically significant relationship(P<0.001)was found between the presence of neuropathic symptoms and a decreased quality of life.This correlation was consistent when the patients were stratified by sex,disease stage,comorbidities and the presence of stoma or treatment type,suggesting that neuropathy in itself may be a reason for a decreased quality of life.At the 3 year final assessment,median recurrence-free survival in stageⅢpatients was 26.88 mo.When stratified by completion of chemotherapy,median recurrence freesurvival of stageⅢpatients that completed chemotherapy was 28.27 mo vs 24.33 mo in patients that discontinued chemotherapy due to toxicity,a difference that did not reach statistical significance.CONCLUSION CIPN significantly impacts QoL in colorectal cancer patients.CIPN is also the most frequent reason for treatment discontinuation.Physicians should actively assess for CIPN in order to prevent chronic neuropathy.

Effectiveness of Acupoint Application in Patients with Pharyngeal Pain: Evidence from CHUNBO, A Prospective Real-World Study

Objective: To assess the outcomes after acupoint application in patients with pharyngeal pain in a real-world settings, and analyze the characteristics of effective population and prescription characteristics of acupoint application. Methods: Based on CHUNBO platform, patients with pharyngeal pain who were candidates for acupoint application on the basis of physician-evaluation, were enrolled in a nationwide, prospective, 69-week multicenter observational study from August 2020 to February 2022. Propensity score matching(PSM) was used to match the confounding factors and the association rules were used to analyze the characteristics of effective population and prescription characteristics of acupoint application. Outcome assessments included the disappearance rate of pharyngeal pain(within 3, 7, and 14 days), disappearance time of pharyngeal pain, as well as adverse events. Results: Of 7,699 enrolled participants, 6,693(86.9%) received acupoint application and 1,450(21.7%) with non-acupoint application. After PSM, there were 1,004 patients each in the application group(AG) and non-application group(NAG). The disappearance rate of pharyngeal pain in the AG at 3, 7, and 14 days were all higher than those in the NAG(P<0.05). The disappearance time of pharyngeal pain in the AG were shorter than that in the NAG(logrank P<0.001, hazard ratio=1.51, 95% confidence interval: 1.41–1.63). The median age of effective cases was 4 years, mainly 3–6 years old(40.21%). The disappearance rate of pharyngeal pain in the application group with tonsil diseases was 2.19 times higher than that in the NAG(P<0.05). The commonly used acupoints for the effective cases were Tiantu(RN 22), Shenque(RN 8) and Dazhui(DU 14). The commonly used herbs for the effective cases were Natrii sulfas, Radix et Rhizoma Rhei, and Herba Ephedrae. Among them, Natrii sulfas was applied to RN 8 most frequently(support 84.39%). A total of 1,324(17.2%) patients experienced AEs, and mainly occurred in the AG, with significant difference in the incidence of AEs between goups(P<0.05). All AEs reported were the first grade, and the average regression time of AEs was 2.8 days. Conclusions: Acupoint application in patients with pharyngeal pain resulted in improved effective rate and shortened duration, especially children aged 3–6 years old, and those with tonsil diseases. Acupoint of RN 22, RN 8 and DU 14, herbs of Natrii sulfas, Radix et Rhizoma Rhei, and Herba Ephedrae were the most commonly used in the treatment of pharyngeal pain.

Chinese Medicine Prolongs Overall Survival of Chinese Patients with Advanced Gastric Cancer: Treatment Pattern and Survival Analysis of a 20-Year Real-World Study

Objective To describe the treatment patterns and survival status of advanced gastric cancer(AGC)in China in the past two decades,and objectively evaluate the impact of standardized Chinese medicine(CM)treatment on the survival of AGC patients.Methods This multicenter registry designed and propensity score analysis study described the diagnosis characteristics,treatment-pattern development and survival status of AGC from 10 hospitals in China between January 1,2000 and July 31,2021.Overall survival(OS)was evaluated between non-CM cohort(standard medical treatment)and CM cohort(integrated standard CM treatment≥3 months).Propensity score matching(PSM)and inverse probability of treatment weighting(IPTW)were performed to adjust any difference in average outcomes for bias.Results A total of 2,001 patients histologically confirmed locally advanced and/or metastasis stomach and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma were enrolled.Among them,1,607 received systemic chemotherapy,215(10.74%)accepted molecular targeted therapy,44(2.2%)received checkpoint inhibitor therapy,and 769(38.43%)received CM.Two-drug regimen was the main choice for first-line treatment,with fluoropyrimidine plus platinum as the most common regimen(530 cases,60.09%).While 45.71%(16 cases)of patients with HER2 amplification received trastuzumab in first-line.The application of apatinib increased(33.33%)in third-line.The application of checkpoint inhibitors has increased since 2020.COX analysis showed that Lauren mixed type(P=0.017),cycles of first-line treatment>6(P=0.000),CM(P=0.000),palliative gastrectomy(P=0.000),trastuzumab(P=0.011),and apatinib(P=0.008)were independent prognostic factors for the OS of AGC.After PSM and IPTW,the median OS of CM cohort and non-CM cohort was 18.17 and 12.45 months,respectively(P<0.001).Conclusions In real-world practice for AGC in China,therapy choices consisted with guidelines.Two-drug regimen was the main first-line choice.Standardized CM treatment was an independent prognostic factor and could prolong the OS of Chinese patients with AGC.(Registration No.NCT02781285)

A Comparative Study of Metaheuristic Optimization Algorithms for Solving Real-World Engineering Design Problems

Real-world engineering design problems with complex objective functions under some constraints are relatively difficult problems to solve.Such design problems are widely experienced in many engineering fields,such as industry,automotive,construction,machinery,and interdisciplinary research.However,there are established optimization techniques that have shown effectiveness in addressing these types of issues.This research paper gives a comparative study of the implementation of seventeen new metaheuristic methods in order to optimize twelve distinct engineering design issues.The algorithms used in the study are listed as:transient search optimization(TSO),equilibrium optimizer(EO),grey wolf optimizer(GWO),moth-flame optimization(MFO),whale optimization algorithm(WOA),slimemould algorithm(SMA),harris hawks optimization(HHO),chimp optimization algorithm(COA),coot optimization algorithm(COOT),multi-verse optimization(MVO),arithmetic optimization algorithm(AOA),aquila optimizer(AO),sine cosine algorithm(SCA),smell agent optimization(SAO),and seagull optimization algorithm(SOA),pelican optimization algorithm(POA),and coati optimization algorithm(CA).As far as we know,there is no comparative analysis of recent and popular methods against the concrete conditions of real-world engineering problems.Hence,a remarkable research guideline is presented in the study for researchersworking in the fields of engineering and artificial intelligence,especiallywhen applying the optimization methods that have emerged recently.Future research can rely on this work for a literature search on comparisons of metaheuristic optimization methods in real-world problems under similar conditions.

Exploring the Path of Shantytown Renewal Based on the Theory of Environment-behavior Studies: A Case Study of the Northwest Area of Saihantala in Baotou City

The application of environment-behavior studies plays an important role in studying the renewal of shantytowns.One of the most humane ways of renewal is designing and constructing the necessary urban spatial environment from the perspective of human daily behavior.Most of the shantytown renovation projects currently carried out in China are mainly focused on demolition and reconstruction,which not only incurs high costs but also damages the original social structure and economic model.During the process of shantytown renewal,it should improve the urban landscape,living environment,and life quality of residents,and ensure the daily life of shantytown residents without increasing their economic burden,and preserve the traces of urban development.In order to achieve this goal,it should explore the renewal strategies of shantytowns from the perspective of environment-behavior studies through behavior maps,on-site research,and literature review.Updating and design from a human perspective often achieve faster and better development;the renewal of shantytowns should be a bottom-up approach and start from a grassroots perspective,completing the renovation design through the composition of the population and behavioral patterns.

Real-world 10-year retrospective study of the guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of primary liver cancer in China

BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) is a common malignant tumor worldwide. Many regions across the world have issued various HCC diagnosis and treatment protocols to improve the diagnosis and targeted treatment of patients with HCC. However, real-world studies analysing the practice, application value, and existing problems of the China Liver Cancer(CNLC) staging system are scarce.AIM To analyze the current situation and problems associated with the Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Liver Cancer in China.METHODS We collected the medical records of all patients with HCC admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2019, and recorded the hospitalization information of those patients until December 31, 2020. All information on the diagnosis and treatment of the target patients was recorded, and their demographic and sociological characteristics, CNLC stages, screening situations, and treatment methods and effects were analyzed. The survival status of the patients was obtained from follow-up data.RESULTS This study included the medical records of 3022 patients with HCC. Among these cases, 304 patients were screened before HCC diagnosis;their early-stage diagnosis rate was 69.08%, which was significantly higher than that of patients with HCC who were diagnosed without screening and early detection(33.74%). Herein, patients with no clinical outcome at discharge were followed up, and the survival information of 1128 patients was obtained. A Cox model was used to analyse independent risk factors affecting overall survival, which were revealed as age > 50 years, no screening, alpha-fetoprotein > 400 ng/mL, Child–Pugh grade B, and middle and late CNLC stages. Based on the Cox model survival analysis, in our study, patients with HCC identified via screening had significant advantages in overall and tumorfree survival after hepatectomy.CONCLUSION Early diagnosis and treatment can be achieved by screening groups at high risk for HCC based on the guidelines;however, real-world compliance is poor.

Acupuncture for stroke cohort construction:a protocol describing a multicenter,prospective,real-world cohort construction study

Background:Acupuncture for stroke has been endorsed by the World Health Organization,and the Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke 2018 lists acupuncture for stroke as a Level II recommendation with Level B evidence.The efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke needs to be approved by more high-quality studies.However,there are currently no real-world studies of acupuncture for stroke.Methods:Stroke patients who meet the study criteria and are hospitalized from February 2021 to March 2022 in 23 medical institutions across China,including the First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Chinese Medicine.The number of patients planned to be recruited is 3,000.Due to the impact of COVID-19,we have applied to the competent authorities for an extension(recruit patients until December 2022).Basic patient information and treatment information will be registered at admission,at discharge,and on the following dates after the onset of the disease:90±7 days,180±7 days,and 360±7 days after the onset of the disease.Establish a database for statistical analysis.Discussion:This study proposes to conduct a prospective cohort study of acupuncture intervention for stroke in a real-world medical setting.Analysis of the effect pattern of acupuncture intervention on the recovery of neurological function system and swallowing disorder in stroke patients.Evaluate the long-term effects of acupuncture intervention for stroke and recurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events.

Epidemiological and clinical features,treatment status,and economic burden of traumatic spinal cord injury in China:a hospital-based retrospective study

Traumatic spinal cord injury is potentially catastrophic and can lead to permanent disability or even death.China has the largest population of patients with traumatic spinal cord injury.Previous studies of traumatic spinal cord injury in China have mostly been regional in scope;national-level studies have been rare.To the best of our knowledge,no national-level study of treatment status and economic burden has been performed.This retrospective study aimed to examine the epidemiological and clinical features,treatment status,and economic burden of traumatic spinal cord injury in China at the national level.We included 13,465 traumatic spinal cord injury patients who were injured between January 2013 and December 2018 and treated in 30 hospitals in 11 provinces/municipalities representing all geographical divisions of China.Patient epidemiological and clinical features,treatment status,and total and daily costs were recorded.Trends in the percentage of traumatic spinal cord injuries among all hospitalized patients and among patients hospitalized in the orthopedic department and cost of care were assessed by annual percentage change using the Joinpoint Regression Program.The percentage of traumatic spinal cord injuries among all hospitalized patients and among patients hospitalized in the orthopedic department did not significantly change overall(annual percentage change,-0.5%and 2.1%,respectively).A total of 10,053(74.7%)patients underwent surgery.Only 2.8%of patients who underwent surgery did so within 24 hours of injury.A total of 2005(14.9%)patients were treated with high-dose(≥500 mg)methylprednisolone sodium succinate/methylprednisolone(MPSS/MP);615(4.6%)received it within 8 hours.The total cost for acute traumatic spinal cord injury decreased over the study period(-4.7%),while daily cost did not significantly change(1.0%increase).Our findings indicate that public health initiatives should aim at improving hospitals’ability to complete early surgery within 24 hours,which is associated with improved sensorimotor recovery,increasing the awareness rate of clinical guidelines related to high-dose MPSS/MP to reduce the use of the treatment with insufficient evidence.

Causal associations between gastroesophageal reflux disease and essential hypertension: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND Clinical studies have reported that patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD)have a higher prevalence of hypertension.AIM To performed a bidirectional Mendelian randomization(MR)analysis to investi-gate the causal link between GERD and essential hypertension.METHODS Eligible single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)were selected,and weighted median,inverse variance weighted(IVW)as well as MR egger(MR-Egger)re-gression were used to examine the potential causal association between GERD and hypertension.The MR-Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier analysis was used to detect and attempt to reduce horizontal pleiotropy by removing outliers SNPs.The MR-Egger intercept test,Cochran’s Q test and“leave-one-out”sen-sitivity analysis were performed to evaluate the horizontal pleiotropy,heterogen-eities,and stability of single instrumental variable.RESULTS IVW analysis exhibited an increased risk of hypertension(OR=1.46,95%CI:1.33-1.59,P=2.14E-16)in GERD patients.And the same result was obtained in replication practice(OR=1.002,95%CI:1.0008-1.003,P=0.000498).Meanwhile,the IVW analysis showed an increased risk of systolic blood pressure(β=0.78,95%CI:0.11-1.44,P=0.021)and hypertensive heart disease(OR=1.68,95%CI:1.36-2.08,P=0.0000016)in GERD patients.Moreover,we found an decreased risk of Barrett's esophagus(OR=0.91,95%CI:0.83-0.99,P=0.043)in essential hypertension patients.CONCLUSION We found that GERD would increase the risk of essential hypertension,which provided a novel prevent and therapeutic perspectives of essential hypertension.

Real-world efficacy and safety of tofacitinib treatment in Asian patients with ulcerative colitis

BACKGROUND Real-world data on tofacitinib(TOF)covering a period of more than 1 year for a sufficient number of Asian patients with ulcerative colitis(UC)are scarce.AIM To investigate the long-term efficacy and safety of TOF treatment for UC,including clinical issues.METHODS We performed a retrospective single-center observational analysis of 111 UC patients administered TOF at Hyogo Medical University as a tertiary inflammatory bowel disease center.All consecutive UC patients who received TOF between May 2018 and February 2020 were enrolled.Patients were followed up until August 2020.The primary outcome was the clinical response rate at week 8.Secondary outcomes included clinical remission at week 8,cumulative persistence rate of TOF administration,colectomy-free survival,relapse after tapering of TOF and predictors of clinical response at week 8 and week 48.RESULTS The clinical response and remission rates were 66.3%and 50.5%at week 8,and 47.1%and 43.5%at week 48,respectively.The overall cumulative clinical remission rate was 61.7%at week 48 and history of anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α)agents use had no influence(P=0.25).The cumulative TOF persistence rate at week 48 was significantly lower in patients without clinical remission than in those with remission at week 8(30.9%vs 88.1%;P<0.001).Baseline partial Mayo Score was significantly lower in responders vs non-responders at week 8(odds ratio:0.61,95%confidence interval:0.45-0.82,P=0.001).Relapse occurred in 45.7%of patients after TOF tapering,and 85.7%of patients responded within 4 wk after re-increase.All 6 patients with herpes zoster(HZ)developed the infection after achieving remission by TOF.CONCLUSION TOF was more effective in UC patients with mild activity at baseline and its efficacy was not affected by previous treatment with anti-TNF-αagents.Most relapsed patients responded again after re-increase of TOF and nearly half relapsed after tapering off TOF.Special attention is needed for tapering and HZ.

Performance evaluation of seven multi-label classification methods on real-world patent and publication datasets

Purpose:Many science,technology and innovation(STI)resources are attached with several different labels.To assign automatically the resulting labels to an interested instance,many approaches with good performance on the benchmark datasets have been proposed for multi-label classification task in the literature.Furthermore,several open-source tools implementing these approaches have also been developed.However,the characteristics of real-world multi-label patent and publication datasets are not completely in line with those of benchmark ones.Therefore,the main purpose of this paper is to evaluate comprehensively seven multi-label classification methods on real-world datasets.Research limitations:Three real-world datasets differ in the following aspects:statement,data quality,and purposes.Additionally,open-source tools designed for multi-label classification also have intrinsic differences in their approaches for data processing and feature selection,which in turn impacts the performance of a multi-label classification approach.In the near future,we will enhance experimental precision and reinforce the validity of conclusions by employing more rigorous control over variables through introducing expanded parameter settings.Practical implications:The observed Macro F1 and Micro F1 scores on real-world datasets typically fall short of those achieved on benchmark datasets,underscoring the complexity of real-world multi-label classification tasks.Approaches leveraging deep learning techniques offer promising solutions by accommodating the hierarchical relationships and interdependencies among labels.With ongoing enhancements in deep learning algorithms and large-scale models,it is expected that the efficacy of multi-label classification tasks will be significantly improved,reaching a level of practical utility in the foreseeable future.Originality/value:(1)Seven multi-label classification methods are comprehensively compared on three real-world datasets.(2)The TextCNN and TextRCNN models perform better on small-scale datasets with more complex hierarchical structure of labels and more balanced document-label distribution.(3)The MLkNN method works better on the larger-scale dataset with more unbalanced document-label distribution.

Recent progresses in the development of tubular segmented-in-series solid oxide fuel cells:Experimental and numerical study

Solid oxide fuel cells(SOFCs)have attracted a great deal of interest because they have the highest efficiency without using any noble metal as catalysts among all the fuel cell technologies.However,traditional SOFCs suffer from having a higher volume,current leakage,complex connections,and difficulty in gas sealing.To solve these problems,Rolls-Royce has fabricated a simple design by stacking cells in series on an insulating porous support,resulting in the tubular segmented-in-series solid oxide fuel cells(SIS-SOFCs),which achieved higher output voltage.This work systematically reviews recent advances in the structures,preparation methods,perform-ances,and stability of tubular SIS-SOFCs in experimental and numerical studies.Finally,the challenges and future development of tubular SIS-SOFCs are also discussed.The findings of this work can help guide the direction and inspire innovation of future development in this field.