Xinyan Wang

Dietary fibers/probiotics may relieve constipation via optimizing gut microbiome, yet with limited trial-based evidences. We aimed to evaluate the effects of formulas with dietary fibers or probiotics on functional constipation symptoms, and to identify modulations of gut microbiota of relevance. We conducted a 4-week double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled trial in 250 adults with functional constipation. Intervention: A: polydextrose; B: psyllium husk; C: wheat bran + psyllium husk; D: Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis HN019 + Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HN001; Placebo: maltodextrin. Oligosaccharides were also included in group A to D. 16S rRNA sequencing was used to assess the gut microbiota at weeks 0, 2, and 4. A total of 242 participants completed the study. No time-by-group effect was observed for bowel movement frequency (BMF), Bristol stool scale score (BSS), and degree of defecation straining (DDS), while BSS showed mean increases of 0.95–1.05 in group A to D (all P < 0.05), but not significantly changed in placebo (P = 0.170), and 4-week change of BSS showed similarly superior effects of the interventions as compared placebo. Group D showed a marginal reduction in plasma 5-hydroxytryptamine. Group A resulted in a higher Bifidobacterium abundance than placebo at week 2 and 4. Fourteen genera showed intervention-specific increasing or decreasing trends continuously, among which Anaerostipes showed increasing trends in groups B and C, associated with BMF increase. Random forest models identified specific baseline microbial genera panels predicting intervention responders. In conclusion, we found that the dietary fibers or probiotics may relieve hard stool, with intervention-specific changes in gut microbiota relevant to constipation relief. Baseline gut microbiota may predispose the intervention responsiveness. ClincialTrials.gov number, NCT04667884.

Importance: No definitive conclusion can be made on the best choice of anesthesia for people with acute posterior circulation stroke during endovascular treatment. Only a few observational studies have focused on this topic in recent years, and they have differing conclusions. Objective: To examine whether conscious sedation (CS) is a feasible alternative to general anesthesia (GA) during endovascular treatment in patients with acute posterior circulation stroke. Design, Setting, and Participants: A randomized parallel-group exploratory trial with blinded end point evaluation (Choice of Anesthesia for Endovascular Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke [CANVAS II]) enrolled adult patients from March 2018 to June 2021 at 2 comprehensive care hospitals in China. Patients with acute posterior circulation stroke were enrolled, randomized, and monitored for 3 months. Of 210 patients admitted with acute ischemic posterior circulation stroke, 93 were recruited and 87 were included in the intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis after exclusions, 43 were assigned to GA and 44 to CS. All analyses were unadjusted or adjusted with the ITT principle. Interventions: Participants were randomly assigned to CS or GA in a 1:1 ratio. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was functional independence at 90 days evaluated with the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Results: A total of 87 participants were included in the ITT study (mean [SD] age, 62 [12] years; 16 [18.4%] female and 71 [81.6%] male). Of these, 43 were in the GA group and 44 in the CS group. The overall baseline median (IQR) National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was 15 (12-17). In the CS group, 13 people (29.5%) were ultimately transferred to GA. The CS group had a higher incidence of functional independence; however, no significant difference was found between the 2 groups (48.8% vs 54.5%; risk ratio, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.58-1.38; adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.91; 95% CI, 0.37-2.22). However, GA performed better in successful reperfusion (mTICI 2b-3) under ITT analysis (95.3% vs 77.3%; adjusted OR, 5.86; 95% CI, 1.16-29.53). Conclusion and Relevance: The findings in this study suggest that CS was not better than GA for the primary outcome of functional recovery and was perhaps worse for the secondary outcome of successful reperfusion. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03317535.

Many reports have shown that the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) is associated with the progression of malignant tumors. We comprehensively evaluated the prognostic significance of the PNI in patients with gynecological cancer. We identified relevant studies by searching PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and the Web of Science. The hazard ratio (HR) and odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to explore the correlation between PNI and overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and the characteristics of gynecological cancer. All analyses were performed using Review Manager ver. 5.2 software. We included nine studies with 2373 patients. The PNI correlated closely with the OS and PFS of gynecological cancer; the pooled HRs were respectively 2.66 (95% CI 1.56–4.55) and 2.43 (95% CI 2.07–2.86) on univariate analysis (UVA) and 1.88 (95% CI 1.10–3.20) and 1.92 (95% CI 1.52–2.44) on multivariate analysis (MVA). The PNI is significantly associated with the prognosis of patients with gynecological cancer, and may, in fact, be independently prognostic. • Many reports have shown that prognostic nutritional index was associated with the prognosis of many malignant tumors. • The prognostic significance of PNI was different in many studies. • Pretreatment low-PNI may have significant association with poor survival of patients with gynecological cancer. • Incidence of low-PNI was significantly correlated with T stage, ascites, residual disease and chemotherapy sensitivity.

Pulmonary fibrosis is an irreversible chronic progressive fibroproliferative lung disease, which usually has a poor prognosis. Previous studies have confirmed that the transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) significantly reduces lung damage in a number of animal models. However, the underlying mechanism involved in this process remains to be elucidated. In the present study, a bleomycin (BLM)‑induced female Wister rat model of fibrosis was established. At 0 or 7 days following BLM administration, rats were injected into the tail vein with 5‑bromo‑2‑deoxyuridine‑labeled MSCs extracted from male Wistar rats. The lung tissue of the rats injected with MSCs expressed the sex‑determining region Y gene. The level surfactant protein C (SP‑C), a marker for type II alveolar epithelial cells (AEC II), was higher in the group injected with MSCs at day 0 than that in the group injected at day 7. Furthermore, SP‑C mRNA, but not aquaporin 5 mRNA, a marker for type I alveolar epithelial cells, was expressed in fresh bone marrow aspirates and the fifth generation of cultured MSCs. In addition, superoxide dismutase activity and total antioxidative capability, specific indicators of oxidative stress, were significantly increased in the lung tissue of the MSC‑transplanted rats (P<0.05). In conclusion, to alleviate pulmonary fibrosis, exogenous MSCs may be transplanted into damaged lung tissue where they differentiate into AEC II and exert their effect, at least in part, through blocking oxidative stress.

AIMS: The role of tea consumption in the primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease remains unclear in cohort studies. This prospective cohort study aimed to investigate the associations of tea consumption with the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. METHODS: We included 100,902 general Chinese adults from the project of Prediction for ASCVD Risk in China (China-PAR) in 15 provinces across China since 1998. Information on tea consumption was collected through standardized questionnaires. Outcomes were identified by interviewing study participants or their proxies, and checking hospital records and/or death certificates. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals related to tea consumption. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 7.3 years, 3683 atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease events, 1477 atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease deaths, and 5479 all-cause deaths were recorded. Compared with never or non-habitual tea drinkers, the hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval among habitual tea drinkers was 0.80 (0.75-0.87), 0.78 (0.69-0.88), and 0.85 (0.79-0.90) for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease incidence, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease mortality, and all-cause mortality, respectively. Habitual tea drinkers had 1.41 years longer of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease-free years and 1.26 years longer of life expectancy at the index age of 50 years. The observed inverse associations were strengthened among participants who kept the habit during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Tea consumption was associated with reduced risks of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, especially among those consistent habitual tea drinkers.