Inter-rater Accuracy and Reliability of a Palpation Protocol of the C7 Spinous Process Comprising a Combination of 3 Traditional Palpation Techniques

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy and intrarater reliability of a palpatory protocol based on a combination of 3 palpatory methods to identify both the C7 spinous process (C7 SP) and the factors that affect the errors and inaccuracy of palpation.MethodsTwenty-five women between the ages of 18 and 60 years were submitted to a palpation protocol of the C7 SP, and a radiopaque marker was fixed on the skin at the possible location of the vertebrae. A radiograph and a photograph of the cervical spine were obtained in the same posture by a first rater. A second rater performed the same palpation protocol and took a second photograph. The accuracy and measurement error of the palpation protocol of C7 SP were assessed through radiographic images. The inter-rater reliability was estimated by the interclass correlation coefficient and assessed using photographs of each rater. The Pearson's correlation coefficients (r), the Fisher exact test, and the χ² test were used to identify the factors associated with the error and inaccuracy of palpation.ResultsAccuracy of the C7 palpation was 76% with excellent reliability (interclass correlation coefficient = 0.99). There was a moderate correlation between weight and the measurement of palpation error (r = –0.6; P = .003). One hundred percent of inaccuracy palpation was related to the increased soft-tissue thickness (P = .005) in the cervical region.ConclusionThe palpation protocol described in this study was accurate and presented excellent reliability in identifying the C7 SP. Increased weight and dorsocervical fat pad were associated to error and palpation inaccuracy, respectively.     

Pulmonary Functions in Patients With Chronic Neck Pain: A Case-Control Study

ObjectiveThe purpose of the study was to investigate pulmonary functions of patients with chronic neck pain and compare them with those of asymptomatic controls.MethodsThis case-control study was conducted with 25 patients with chronic neck pain (age, 26.84 ± 7.89 years) and 27 age-matched asymptomatic controls (age, 25.96 ± 7.13 years). Pulmonary function tests were performed using spirometry (Quark PFT, COSMED, Rome, Italy). Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV₁), forced expiratory flow at 25% to 75% vital capacity, peak expiratory flow, maximum voluntary ventilation, and the FEV₁/FVC ratio were measured and are expressed as (%) predicted value for patients with chronic neck pain and asymptomatic controls.ResultsThe chronic neck pain group had lower FEV₁ (P = .015), FVC (P = .029), forced expiratory flow at 25% to 75% vital capacity (P = .040), and maximum voluntary ventilation (P = .042) compared with asymptomatic controls; however, FEV₁/FVC (P = .470) and peak expiratory flow (P = .183) were similar in both groups.ConclusionThese results demonstrated that dynamic lung volumes were lower in patients with chronic neck pain compared with asymptomatic controls.     

A network pharmacology-based strategy for predicting anti-inflammatory targets of ephedra in treating asthma

Asthma, the most common chronic respiratory disease in the world, is involved in a sustained inflammatory response caused by a variety of immune cells. Ephedra with multi-target, multi-pathway functions is an effective treatment for asthma. However, the ingredients and anti-inflammatory targets of ephedra in treating asthma are unclear. Therefore, there is a need for further research. Ephedra-related and anti-inflammatory targets were found and then combined to get intersection, which represented potential anti-inflammatory targets of ephedra. Moreover, compound-anti-inflammatory target and asthma-target protein-protein interaction network were merged to get the protein-protein interaction network intersection and core genes in asthma-target protein-protein interaction network. For the anti-inflammatory targets of ephedra in treating asthma, Gene Ontology and pathway analysis were executed to confirm gene functions of ephedra in antagonizing inflammation of asthma. Finally, molecular docking, qRT-PCR, WB and ELISA were performed to assess the binding activities between the compounds and anti-inflammatory targets of ephedra in treating asthma. Critical compounds and anti-inflammatory targets of ephedra in treating asthma were identified, including quercetin, luteolin, kempferol, naringenin, beta-sitosterol, SELE, IL-2 and CXCL10. The biological processes of anti-inflammatory targets of ephedra in treating asthma were involved in immune response, inflammatory response, cell-cell signaling and response to lipopolysaccharide. Moreover, 22 pathways were obtained and we proved that critical compounds inhabited the expression of SELE, IL-2 and CXCL10 at mRNA and protein levels.     

中药膳食配合运动干预对肥胖性脂肪肝的影响

目的 探讨中药膳食配合运动干预对肥胖性脂肪肝的影响。方法 将68例脂肪肝患者随机分为对照组和观察组各34例。对照组常规给予低脂饮食和易善复、大黄庶虫丸等降酶保肝治疗；观察组按常规方法治疗外，采用中医辨证施食予以活血化淤、健脾利湿的中药膳食疗法配合运动干预．疗程均为1年。结果 治疗后观察组体重、甘油三酯、总胆固醇、谷丙转氨酶等显著低于对照组（均P〈0．01）。结论 中药膳食配合运动干预对肥胖性脂肪肝疗效显著。     

Clinical observations on 278 cases of cervical spondylopathy treated with electroacupuncture and massotherapy.

From Dec. 1990 to Dec. 1993, 278 cases of cervical spondylopathy were treated with electroacupuncture and massotherapy. The cure rate was 82.7%; but in the control group, it was only 61%, indicating that electroacupuncture may enhance the cure rate (P < 0.05). Of the 278 cases treated by three to five sessions, the pain and numbness disappeared in about 96% of the patients.     

External Application of Chinese Drugs on Acupoint Shenque Combined with Salpingostomy for Treatment of Sterility Caused by Obstruction of the Fallopian Tube——A Clinical Report of 45 Cases

Objective： To observe the therapeutic effect of external application of Chinese drugs on acupoint Shenque （CV 8） combined with salpingostomy for treatment of sterility caused by obstruction of the fallopian tube. Method： 75 cases were randomly divided into the following 2 groups. Forty-five patients in the treatment group were treated with external application of Chinese drugs on acupoint Sbenque （CV 8） combined with salpingostomy, while 30 patients in the control group were treated with salpingostomy only. Results： The results showed that in the treatment group, 26 cases were cured, 11 cases improved, and 8 cases failed, with a total effective rate of 82.22%; while in the control group, 14 cases were cured, 7 cases improved, and 9 cases failed, with a total effective rate of 70.00%. There is a significant difference in the total effective rate between the two groups （P〈0.05）. Conclusion： The therapeutic effect of external application of Chinese drugs on acupoint Shenque combined with salpingostomy is better than that of salpingostomy only.     

经皮顺行交锁钉治疗股骨干骨折

目的:评价经皮顺行交锁钉治疗股骨干骨折的临床疗效.方法:对79例82处股骨干骨折采用髋部小切口经皮顺行交锁钉治疗,观察疗效.结果:75例(92%)获得了良好的解剖对位并达到一期愈合,6例(8%)迟缓愈合.另外,由于再次手术1例(1%)发生了深部感染.失血量较少(平均小于100 mL),切口平均长25 mm.1年后随访只有10%髋部疼痛.结论:与传统手术方式相比,经皮技术术中出血少、对周围组织创伤少,是一个安全又有效的方法.     

不同重复经颅磁刺激模式对脑卒中后上肢运动功能障碍干预效果的网状Meta分析

背景 上肢运动功能障碍是脑卒中后常见的后遗症之一,严重影响患者日常生活能力。重复经颅磁刺激（rTMS）作为常见的神经电生理技术对治疗脑卒中后上肢运动功能障碍有较好的疗效,但临床对不同rTMS干预模式的选择仍缺乏循证依据。目的 采用网状Meta分析方法比较rTMS的4种模式对脑卒中后上肢运动功能障碍患者的临床疗效。方法 计算机检索PubMed、Embase、Cochrane Library、Web of Science、中国生物医学文献数据库、中国知网、万方数据知识服务平台、维普网中有关rTMS治疗脑卒中后上肢运动功能障碍的随机对照试验,并通过追溯Meta分析的参考文献作为补充。检索时间均为建库至2022年2月,采用主题词和自由词结合方式进行。2名研究者进行文献筛选、资料提取及质量评价。采用RevMan 5.0软件和Stata 16.0软件进行统计学分析。结果 最终纳入17篇文献,790例患者,共涉及6种干预措施：高频rTMS(HF-rTMS)、低频rTMS(LF-rTMS)、间断性theta节律刺激（iTBS）、连续性theta节律刺激（cTBS）、假刺激、常规疗法。网状Meta分析结...     

Safety and efficacy of oral nemonoxacin versus levofloxacin in treatment of community-acquired pneumonia: A phase 3, multicenter,randomized, double-blind,double-dummy,active-controlled,non-inferiority trial

Background/Purpose

Nemonoxacin is a novel nonfluorinated quinolone with excellent in vitro activity against most pathogens in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), especially Gram-positive isolates. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of nemonoxacin compared with levofloxacin in patients with CAP.

群体辨证论治的传承创新与现实意义

目的：纠正对辨证论治的理解偏差,全面精准应用该体系指导临床诊疗实践。方法：通过回顾辨证论治形成与发展的历史脉络,分析人们对辨证论治体系认识局限性原因,找到正确应用的路径。结果：辨证论治从古至今都包含整体与个体二个方面,可现在大家只强调其个体辨证论治的一面,忽略了群体辨证论治的临床应用。结论：完整的辨证论治体系包含个体辨证论治和群体辨证论治二个方面,二者同等重要,不可偏废。随着大数据时代和循证医学的推进,中医群体辨证论治理论具有更加突出的临床现实指导意义。