Complementary medicine

Consciousness is composed of arousal (i.e., wakefulness) and awareness. Substantial progress has been made in mapping the cortical networks that underlie awareness in the human brain, but knowledge about the subcortical networks that sustain arousal in humans is incomplete. Here, we aimed to map the connectivity of a proposed subcortical arousal network that sustains wakefulness in the human brain, analogous to the cortical default mode network (DMN) that has been shown to contribute to awareness. We integrated data from ex vivo diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of three human brains, obtained at autopsy from neurologically normal individuals, with immunohistochemical staining of subcortical brain sections...

This qualitative study was conducted to explore the common dyadic coping (DC) efforts of married couples, with a chronically ill partner. The sample for the study consisted of twelve couples chosen from Gujrat, Pakistan. The semi-structured interviews were conducted with the help of an interview guide and analyzed using thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006). The following four major themes were emerged: "common problem-focused DC," "common emotion-focused DC," "common religious DC," and "combined pattern of intimate relationships...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Pancreatic cancer develops in the normal tissues of the pancreas from malignant cells. The chance of recovery is not good, and the chance of survival 5 years following diagnosis is quite low. Pancreatic cancer treatment strategies such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy had relatively low success rates. Therefore, the present study aims to explore new therapies for treating pancreatic cancer. METHODS: The present study searched for information about pancreatic cancer pathophysiology, available treatment options; and their comparative benefits and challenges...

Recent advances in high-throughput proteomic profiling technologies have facilitated the precise quantification of numerous proteins across multiple specimens concurrently. Researchers have the opportunity to comprehensively analyze the molecular signatures in plentiful medical specimens or disease pattern cell lines. Along with advances in data analysis and integration, proteomics data could be efficiently consolidated and employed to recognize precise elementary molecular mechanisms and decode individual biomarkers, guiding the precision treatment of tumors...

Liver cancer is the most common cancer among males in Africa. The disease has a poor prognosis and its treatment is associated with toxicity and resistance. For this reason, numerous herbal combinations are being subjected to anticancer screening to circumvent the shortcomings of the conventional anticancer drugs. In the current study, the in vivo anti-cancer effects of the chloroform root extract of the herb, Clausena excavata Burm were investigated. Liver cancer was induced in mice by a single intraperitoneal injection of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) followed by oral administration of the promoter of carcinogenesis, 2-aminoacetyl fluorine that was mixed with the mice feed...

We report the case of a 25-year-old man who was undergoing follow-up for neurofibromatosis type 1. The man underwent 68Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT for a suspected well-differentiated duodenal neuroendocrine tumor. This examination did not reveal any significant uptake, whereas complementary 18F-FDG PET/CT showed moderate 18F-FDG uptake in the primary tumor as well as the adenopathy. Histology, a well-differentiated duodenal neuroendocrine tumor was confirmed, consistent with the diagnosis of somatostatinoma. Although rare, this well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor should be kept in mind as a possible source of false-negative somatostatin receptor PET/CT findings...

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal cancer (GIC) ranks as the highest cause of cancer-related deaths globally. GIC patients are often diagnosed at advanced stages, limiting effective treatment options. Chemotherapy, the common GIC recommendation, has significant disadvantages such as toxicity and adverse effects. Natural products contain substances with diverse pharmacological characteristics that promise for use in cancer therapeutics. In this study, the flower of renowned Asian medicinal plant, Shorea roxburghii was collected and extracted to investigate its phytochemical contents, antioxidant, and anticancer properties on GIC cells...

BACKGROUND: Despite mixed evidence regarding the safety and efficacy of natural products, many are marketed for pain and related symptoms. Use of these products is prevalent among veterans, who have disproportionately high rates of chronic pain. To date, however, there is limited research on veterans' beliefs and attitudes about natural products and their communication with healthcare providers about their natural product use. OBJECTIVE: To explore how veterans experiencing chronic pain make decisions about natural product use, to investigate veterans' beliefs about the safety and efficacy of these products, and to examine veterans' experiences discussing natural products with their providers...

BACKGROUND: Yiqi Peiyuan (YQPY) prescription, a composite prescription of traditional Chinese medicine, has been used to prevent or delay the continued deterioration of renal function after acute kidney injury (AKI) in some institutions and has shown considerable efficacy. OBJECTIVE: This is the first randomized controlled trial to assess efficacy and safety of YQPY for improving short-term prognosis in adult patients with AKI. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTIONS: This is a prospective, double-blind, multicenter, randomized, and placebo-controlled clinical trial...

BACKGROUND: Even in patients who survive resuscitation through multidisciplinary treatment, minor persistent symptoms can make hospital discharge difficult. Herein, we report a case of myocardial infarction with intractable symptoms following resuscitation, which were successfully treated using Kampo medicine. CASE PRESENTATION: A 71-year-old man experienced intractable cough and hiccups following resuscitation for acute myocardial infarction. Despite successful invasive treatment for his cardiac condition, the patient's persistent symptoms hindered his recovery and discharge from hospital...

OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to analyze the postoperative intracranial infection in patients with senile cerebral tumors treated by craniotomy. METHODS: This retrospective study included 116 patients with senile cranial tumors admitted and treated in our Hospital from January 2019 to January 2021. The patients were assigned to an observation group and a conventional group, by different nursing interventions, with 58 patients in each. Patients in both groups were treated with craniotomy, in which patients in the conventional group were given routine nursing...

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the clinical efficacy of Sun's abdominal acupuncture combined with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBTI) in the treatment of chronic insomnia with anxiety. METHODS: A total of 86 patients diagnosed with chronic insomnia and anxiety were selected from October 2022 to September 2023. Patients were divided into two groups: the cognitive therapy group (treated with CBTI alone) and the combined therapy group (treated with Sun's abdominal acupuncture combined with CBTI)...

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to investigate the effect of health education and a positive attitude nursing model on blood pressure (BP) control and psychological status in elderly patients with hypertension (HTN). METHODS: A total of 80 elderly patients with HTN in the Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital in China were selected as the study participants. They were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, with 40 patients in each group. The control group received the routine nursing intervention, while the observation group received health education and the positive attitude nursing intervention based on the nursing care in the control group...

OBJECTIVE: Myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease is one of the serious types, come on urgent, case fatality rate is high, especially the front wall or extensive anterior wall myocardial infarction, easy to merge cardiac insufficiency, arrhythmia, even in patients with sudden death will happen, and life-threatening. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of HOPE management mode on cardiac function, quality of life and in-hospital cardiovascular adverse events in patients with myocardial infarction...

OBJECTIVE: The study aims to assess and compare the outcomes of modified radical surgery, preserving the nipple-areola complex, against radical mastectomy in patients with triple-negative breast cancer. Emphasis is placed on the clinical significance of this comparison, including its potential impact on patient outcomes, quality of life, and healthcare resources. METHODS: Relevant literature from January 2017 to January 2022 was searched in the following databases: PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, Science Citation Index, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Internet, CCD, and CSPD with keywords...

BACKGROUND: Precise fluid therapy is extremely important during surgeries, as enough circulating blood volume ensures tissue perfusion and cell oxygenation. Yet, extra fluid volume could cause other adverse events, such as heart failure, intestinal swelling, etc. Thus, precise evaluation of the circulating blood volume is essential for maintaining sufficient circulating blood volume and avoiding excessive fluid infusion. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between SVV and circulating blood volume during intraoperative fluid therapy...

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify and analyze gender-specific differences in mRNA expression in the peripheral whole blood of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients using bioinformatics. METHODS: mRNA expression data from the peripheral whole blood of AIS patients were obtained from GEO datasets. Male stroke-related mRNAs (M-mRNAs) and female stroke-related mRNAs (F-mRNAs) were identified using GEO2R. The biological functions of M-mRNAs and F-mRNAs were evaluated using GO and KEGG databases, and protein-protein interaction networks were created...

OBJECTIVE: To explore the risk factors and predictive effects of visceral pleural invasion in lung adenocarcinoma patients with mGGN type, in order to identify high-risk groups of visceral pleural invasion early, and to provide more references for targeted intervention and individualized treatment adjustment of high-risk groups based on the analysis of risk factors. METHODS: The clinical data of 135 patients with mGGN-type lung adenocarcinoma who received surgical treatment in our hospital from January 2018 to December 2022 were selected from our hospital's medical record database for retrospective analysis...

OBJECTIVE: This study introduced the structural features of the Three-Dimensional Proximal Femoral Nail (3DPFN), a patented invention, and highlights its advantages in treating intertrochanteric fractures of the femur. Furthermore, biomechanical comparative experiments validated the biomechanical performance of 3DPFN in treating Evans-Jensen type IV intertrochanteric fractures. METHODS: Evans-Jensen type IV intertrochanteric fracture models were created using artificial femurs produced by the American company Sawbone...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate and analyze the effects of esketamine combined with comprehensive nursing intervention on postoperative pain, postpartum depression, and quality of life in women undergoing cesarean section. METHODS: This study included 140 parturients who underwent cesarean section in The Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University (from May 2021 to May 2022). The participants were divided into two groups: the control group and the study group, based on random allocation...