Search

In Chinese medicine, asthma cases contain a large amount of empirical data which are obtained from the clinical diagnosis of doctors throughout the year. Data correlation analysis method is among the common mechanisms which are used to mine association between the (1) prescriptions and prescribers (doctors in this case) and (2) symptoms and medications for a particular disease in the hospitals. In this paper, initially, a thorough analysis of expected performance and shortcomings of the Apriori algorithm in mining of medical case data is presented. Secondly, we propose an extended version of the traditional Apriori algorithm which is primarily based on the fast response of computer to bit-string logic operation. A comparative evaluation of the proposed and existing Apriori algorithms is presented particularly in terms of running time, mining of frequent items set and strong association rules. Both experimental and simulation results have proved that the proposed extended Apriori algorithm has outperformed existing algorithms when it is applied to asthma medication and combined symptom-medication data for the association analysis. Furthermore, the association relationship between mind asthma case data and medication is effective in the analysis of asthma case data with significant application value which is verified by the experimental data and observations.

As an important member of centromere family, centromere associated protein N (CENPN) was abnormally expressed in varied malignant tumors.This paper aimed to analyze the expression and related mechanism of CENPN in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).The expression of CENPN in LUAD was analyzed by Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database. The mRNA expression, protein expression, cell viability, cell invasion, cell apoptosis, cell stem like characteristics were detected by RT-PCR, western blot, CCK8 assay, transwell assay, flow cytometry and spheroidization assay, respectively. Finally, the pathological changes of xenograft were estimated by HE staining, and the expression of proteins was detected by immunohistochemistry.GEPIA analysis showed that the CENPN expression in LUAD was significantly higher than that in normal lung tissue, which was negatively correlated with the prognosis. These results were consistent with our clinical data. Besides, CENPN was highly expressed in LUAD cell lines. In addition, the upregulation of CENPN amplified the cell viability, stemness and invasive ability in PC9 cells. However, the knockdown of CENPN inhibited the cell activity, stemness, invasive ability with increased cell apoptosis in A549. Furthermore, CENPN could positively regulate the phosphorylation of PI3K and AKT. The PI3K inhibitor, 740Y-P, could reverse the effect of CENPN silencing on the expression of Ki-67, cleaved caspase 3, OCT4, and snail 1. Finally, the downregulation of CENPN restrained the growth of xenograft and inactivated the PI3K/AKT pathway.CENPN was abnormally overexpressed in LUAD, and promoted tumor progression of LUAD by affecting PI3K/AKT pathway.

Background Acupuncture has been widely used for acute low back pain (LBP), yet there remains continued controversy regarding its efficacy. Therefore, we aimed to critically evaluate the evidence for acupuncture as an effective treatment for acute LBP. Methods English and Chinese databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that involved acupuncture for acute LBP published up to May 2020. Data on the outcomes of pain intensity, functional status, and analgesic use were extracted. The meta-analysis was performed using the Cochrane Collaboration's RevMan 5.3, and pooled data were expressed as mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Of the 13 eligible RCTs identified, 11 RCTs (involving 707 patients) provided moderate-quality evidence that acupuncture has a statistically significant association with improvements in VAS (visual analog scale) score [MD: -1.75 (95% CI: -2.39, -1.12)]. Two studies indicated that acupuncture did not influence the RMDQ (Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire) scores more than the control treatment [MD: -2.34 (95% CI: -5.34, 0.67)]. Three studies suggested that acupuncture influenced the ODI (Oswestry Disability Index) scores more than the control treatment [MD: -12.84 (95% CI: -23.94, -1.74)]. Two studies suggested that acupuncture influenced the number of pills more than the control treatment [MD: -3.19 (95% CI: -3.45, -2.92)]. Conclusions Acupuncture treatment of acute LBP was associated with modest improvements in the VAS score, ODI score, and the number of pills, but not the RMDQ score. Our findings should be considered with caution due to the low power original studies. High-quality trials are needed to assess further the role of acupuncture in the treatment of acute LBP.

Rationale: The new coronavirus pneumonia Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic. Patients with critically COVID-19 usually require invasive respiratory support, and the airway management is particularly important and the prognosis is poor. Patient concerns: A 64-year-old man with an anastomotic fistula after radical treatment of esophageal cancer and right-side encapsulated pyopneumothorax was admitted with cough and dyspnea. Diagnosis: The patient was diagnosed with novel coronavirus pneumonia and right-side encapsulated pyopneumothorax by pharyngeal swab nucleic acid test in combination with chest computed tomography (CT). Interventions: The patient was treated with antibiotics, antiviral and antibacterial medications, respiratory support, expectorant nebulization, and nutritional support. But he expressed progressive deterioration. Endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation were performed since the onset of the type - respiratory failure on the 13th day of admission. The patient had persistent refractory hypercapnia after mechanical ventilation. Based on the treatment mentioned above, combined with repeated bronchoalveolar lavage by using N-acetylcysteine (NAC) inhalation solution, the patients refractory hypercapnia was gradually improved. Outcomes: The patient was cured and discharged after being given the mechanical ventilation for 26 days as well as 46 days of hospitalization, currently is surviving well. Lessons : Patients with severe conditions of novel coronavirus pneumonia often encounter bacterial infection in their later illness-stages. They may suffer respiratory failure and refractory hypercapnia that is difficult to improve due to excessive mucus secretion leading to small airway obstruction. This study provided a new insight on the proper treatment severe COVID-19 patients. The use of reasonable antibiotics and symptomatic respiratory support and other treatment, timely artificial airway and repeated bronchoalveolar NAC inhalation solution lavage, expectorant and other airway management are essential for such patients.

To develop a simple screening table for primary osteoporosis (POP) in senior men and women.Questionnaires were designed to obtain the risk factors associated with osteoporosis and bone mineral density (BMD), which were measured in 146 community residents over 60. The multiple stepwise regression was used to find out the risk factors and establish the screening index. Then the cut-off point of sensitivity and specificity were obtained. Simple screening table for POP in senior people was established according to the screening index and the cut-off point. Validity and reliability of the simple screening table for POP in senior people were testified by 61 outpatients whose BMD was measured with dual energy X-ray (DEXA).Percentage of the height loss,body weight, age, and gender were selected with multiple stepwise regression.Percentage of height loss and body weight were selected to develop the simple screening table for POP in senior people. The cut-off point was 270, sensitivity was 88.9 %, specificity was 75.7 %, the agreement rate was 75.4%,and the Kappa value was 0.489.The simple screening table for POP in senior people based on the percentage of height loss and body weight is simple, economic, suitable for both men and women, and is useful in basic public health.