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.     

Sequential Therapy Based on Evolvement of Patterns: A New Model for Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

In order to solve the problem of long-term (>9 months) efficacy in the treatment of Alzheimer''s disease (AD) by conventional therapy (CT), a staged and multiply-targeted sequential therapy based on the evolvement of patterns (STEP) was developed. Its main innovations include: (1) the time order of evolution of patterns defined by Chinese medicine (CM) in AD was found, that is, "the orderly pattern evolution starting from Shen (Kidney) deficiency, progressing to phlegm, stasis and fire, and worsening to severe toxin as well as functional collapse"; (2) the cascade hypothesis of Shen deficiency in AD and its sequential therapy based on Shen-reinforcing was proposed, that is, "reinforcing Shen in the early stage and throughout the whole process, resolving phlegm, activating blood and purging fire in the middle stage, detoxifying and replenishing vitality to stop the collapse in the advanced stage", and through meta-analysis, clinical drug use was optimized, thus the leap from "inferential selection" to "evidence-based selection" was realized; (3) the STEP regimen combined with CT maintained cognitive and behavioral stability in AD patients for at least 12 months, with cognitive enhancement and behavioral synergy after 9 months, and cognitive benefit was superior to CT at 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 months, respectively. The 2-year cognitive improvement rate was increased by 25.64% (P=0.020) and the cognitive deterioration rate was decreased by 48.71% (P=0.000). Among them, the cognitive and functional benefits of Shen-reinforcing therapy for very early AD (350 cases) for 1 year were better than the placebo (P<0.001), and the dementia conversion rate was reduced by 8.85% (P=0.002). The behavioral symptomatic relief of patients with vascular dementia received fire-purging therapy (540 cases) was superior to those received CT (P=0.016). These data suggested that the STEP regimen has synergistic effects on CTs at least in terms of cognitive benefit, and the earlier the use, the greater the benefit will have. Therefore, the STEP regimen should be considered as one of the clinical options, particularly for the dearth of effective pharmaceutical or immunological interventions that are currently available for AD.     

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。