To investigate the knowledge-attitude-practice (KAP) score in diabetes patients living in urban China regarding Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) and explore the influencing factors, this national survey recruited diabetes and prediabetes patients in 40 hospitals across 26 provinces in China. A self-designed questionnaire was used to collect the data and assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding MNT. Logistic regression was used to explore the factor influencing KAP scores. A total of 6441 diabetes patients (mean age: 60.02 ± 13.14 years) completed this survey. The mean glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level was 8.12 ± 2.12%, and the control rate of HbA1c (HbA1c < 7.0%) was 38.92%. Of the total, 53.56% had received MNT education. Over half of the patients had a poor total KAP score as well as poor K, A, and P scores. Patients with higher KAP scores had higher control rate of HbA1c (P < 0.05) but lower levels of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and 2-hour postprandial blood glucose (2h-PG). Gender, occupation, residence, education level, and MNT education could influence the KAP scores (P < 0.05). This study showed that diabetes patients in urban China generally had poor understandings and practices related to MNT. Patients with higher KAP scores exhibited better control of blood glucose.

Multiparametric protocols have significant clinical potential for the treatment of hyperacute stroke patients who are candidates for receiving intravenous thrombolytic therapy. Our data suggest that patients suffering from hyperacute ischemic cerebral infarction that are strong candidates for intravenous thrombolytic therapy can be identified by multiparametric protocol MRI, especially to those whose time windows were undefined or beyond 3 hours after symptom onset.

ObjectiveWe evaluated the efficacy and safety of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with apatinib plus PD-1 inhibitors (TACE-AP) compared with TACE combined with apatinib (TACE-A) in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to explore the prognostic factors affecting patient survival.MethodsData from patients with unresectable HCC who received TACE-AP or TACE-A from December 2018 to June 2021 were collected retrospectively. The main outcome of the study was overall survival (OS) and prognostic factors affecting survival, while the secondary outcomes were progression-free survival (PFS), the objective response rate (ORR), and treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs). Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was used to reduce patient selection bias, and the random survival forest (RF) model was employed to explore prognostic factors affecting patient survival.ResultsWe enrolled 216 patients, including 148 and 68 patients in the TACE-A and TACE-AP groups, respectively. A total of 59 pairs of patients were matched using PSM analysis. Before and after PSM, the OS, PFS, and ORR in the TACE-AP group were significantly higher than in the TACE-A group (before, OS: 22.5 months vs. 12.8 months, P &lt; 0.001; PFS: 6.7 months vs. 4.3 months, P &lt; 0.001; ORR: 63.2% vs. 34.5%, P &lt; 0.001; after, OS: 22.5 months vs. 12.0 months, P &lt; 0.001; PFS: 6.7 months vs. 4.3 months, P &lt; 0.001; ORR: 62.7% vs. 30.5%, P = 0.003). Multivariate Cox regression and RF models before and after PSM analysis revealed that the main prognostic factors affecting survival were tumor number, portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) invasion, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels, total bilirubin (TBIL) level, and treatment. There was no significant difference in TRAEs between the two groups (P &gt; 0.05).ConclusionCompared with TACE-A, TACE-AP significantly improved OS, PFS, and ORR in patients with advanced HCC. The number of tumors, PVTT invasion, AFP levels, TBIL level, and treatment were significant prognostic factors associated with patient survival. All observed TRAEs were mild and controllable.

The effect of bisacodyl on the treatment of rats with slow transit constipation (STC) was studied. Forty-five female Wister rats were divided into control group, STC group, and STC bisacodyl group. The immunohistochemical method was used to determine interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) and the expression of c-Kit protein. Body mass and the number of defecations were significantly decreased in the STC group compared with the control group on the 100th day after diphenoxylate administration, while dry weight of feces was significantly increased and the intestinal transit time was prolonged. There were significant differences in the number of defecations, dry weight of feces, and intestinal transit time among the three groups. The number of defecations was higher, dry weight of feces was lower, and intestinal transit time was shorter in the STC bisacodyl group compared to the STC group. In addition, ICC basement membrane dissolution occurred in the colon wall of the STC group. The connection between ICC and surrounding cells was destroyed, and the nucleus shrunken to different degrees. Moreover, c-Kit expression in the STC group was significantly lower than the control group. The connection between ICC and surrounding cells in the STC bisacodyl group was significantly stronger than the STC group, and the number of ICC and the expression of c-Kit were increased. Bisacodyl could reduce the severity of STC in rats by increasing the number of ICC and the expression of c-Kit.

Background. In recent years, the clinical significance of collateral circulation in vascular embolism has been gradually found.Objectives. To investigate the relationship between collateral circulation and short-term prognosis of wakeup stroke patients. Materials and methods.The present observational study enrolled 269 cases of wake-up ischemic stroke patients. All patients presented with mismatched low perfusion volume/main infraction volume and received thrombolytic therapy after admission. The hemorrhagic transformation rate was recorded. The American Society of Interventional and Therapeutic Neuroradiology/Society of Interventional Radiology (ASITN/SIR) grading was used for evaluation of collateral circulation. The stroke condition was determined using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). The Barthel Index (BI) score was used for measurement of quality of life. The Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was used for measurement of prognosis.Results. The hypertension, diabetes and current smoker rates were significantly higher. The baseline NHISS scores and NIHSS scores after 24 h were remarkably lower. The NIHSS scores were markedly lower in ASITN/SIR grade 2-3 patients compared with ASITN/SIR grade 0-1 patients at 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 3 months after treatment. Patients with ASITN/SIR grade 2-3 had lower mRS score and higher BI scores. The ASITN/ SIR grade was an independent risk factor for bad prognosis of wake-up ischemic stroke patients in 3 months. Conclusions.Collateral circulation condition may be associated with short-term prognosis of wake-up stroke patients. Patients with worse collateral circulation may present higher risk for bad short-term prognosis.

PurposeTo compare the efficacy of TACE combined with sorafenib and TACE combined with 125I seed implantation in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) combined with arterioportal fistulas (APFs), and discuss the efficacy and safety of TACE combined with 125I seed implantation.Patients and methodsBetween January 2017 and December 2018, the clinical data of patients with HCC complicated with PVTT and APFs who were admitted to the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, and Henan Provincial People’s Hospital were prospectively collected. The patients were divided into the TACE+sorafenib (TACE-S) group based on their treatment willingness. There were 26 and 32 patients in the TACE-S and TACE-125I groups, respectively. Both groups of patients underwent APFs occlusion during TACE therapy. The embolization effect of APFs was observed and recorded in the two groups, the efficacy of intrahepatic lesions and PVTT was evaluated, and the effects of different treatment methods on the efficacy were analysed.ResultsAll patients completed the 3 months follow-up. The improvement rates of APFs in TACE-S and TACE-125I groups were 30.77% (8/26) and 68.75% (22/32), respectively, and difference was statistically significant (χ2 = 8.287, P=0.004). The median survival time of TACE-S and TACE-125I groups was 8.00 months and 12.8 months, respectively (χ2 = 7.106, P=0.008). Multivariate analysis showed that the PVTT subtype (IIa/IIb) and treatment method (TACE-S or TACE-125I) were independent factors affecting the recanalization of APFs in patients (P&lt;0.05).ConclusionFor patients with HCC with PVTT and APFs, TACE combined with 125I seed implantation can effectively treat portal vein tumor thrombus, thereby reducing the recanalization of APFs and prolonging the survival time of patients.

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Background: To investigate the efficacy of transhepatic arterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with 125I seed implantation in patients with first-branch portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), establish a prognostic nomogram to determine the prognosis for individual patients.Methods: We retrospectively collected 102 cases of TACE combined with 125I seed implantation in our hospital as the primary cohort. The main observation index of the results of the study was the median overall survival (mOS). Univariate analysis and LASSO regression with cross-validation were used to screen the variables. The selected variables were included in the multivariate Cox survival regression model, and a prognostic nomogram was developed. The performance of the nomogram was assessed with respect to calibration, discrimination, and clinical usefulness. The internal and external verifications were evaluated.Results: The mOS of all patients was 13.5 months. The final determination was made using the Child-Pugh score, tumor burden, and PVTT types to establish a nomogram prediction model [C -index :0.740 (95% CI: 0.692-0.788), C-index: 0.732 through internal validation]. The model demonstrated good discrimination and calibration. Application of the nomogram to the external verification data still yielded good discrimination [C-index: 0.731(95% CI: 0.656–0.806)], and good calibration. The decision curve analysis demonstrated that the clinical validity of the model is clinically useful.Conclusion: TACE combined with 125I seed implantation indicated better long-term outcomes in patients with HCC combined with type II PVTT. This nomogram can be used to predict the prognostic survival time of such patients and help doctors make decisions in clinical practice.