Study on the Anthropometric and Body Composition Indices for Prediction of Cold and Heat Patter

Objectives: Many symptoms of cold and heat patterns are related to the thermoregulation of the body. Thus, we aimed to study the association of cold and heat patterns with anthropometry/body composition.Methods: The cold and heat patterns of 2000 individuals aged 30–55 years were evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire.Results: Among the anthropometric and body composition variables, body mass index (-0.37, 0.39) and fat mass index (-0.35, 0.38) had the highest correlation coefficients with the cold and heat pattern scores after adjustment for age and sex in the cold-heat group, while the correlation coefficients were relatively lower in the non-cold-heat group. In the cold-heat group, the most parsimonious model for the cold pattern with the variables selected by the best subset method and Lasso included sex, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, and extracellular water/total body water (adjusted R2 = 0.324), and the model for heat pattern additionally included age (adjusted R2 = 0.292).Conclusions: The variables related to obesity and water balance were the most useful for predicting cold and heat patterns. Further studies are required to improve the performance of prediction models.

Application Value of Lung-Fire-Clearing, Phlegm-Resolving, and Bowels-Relaxing Decoction in Treating Lung Cancer of Phlegm-Heat Pattern

Objective: This article explores the clinical effects of lung-fire-clearing, phlegm-resolving and bowels-relaxing decoction in the treatment of lung cancer of phlegm-heat pattern. Methods: A total of 6 cases of lung cancer patients with phlegm-heat pattern were randomly selected from Inner Mongolia Baicaotang Qin’s Zhong Meng Medical Hospital from March 2018 to December 2020 to conduct the study. They were divided into the reference group and the study group by using the digital table method. The patients in the reference group were treated with conventional Western medicine whereas the patients in the study group were treated with lung-fire-clearing, phlegm-resolving, and bowels-relaxing decoction to observe the curative effect. Results: There were no significant differences in the levels of the tumor markers between the two groups before treatment (P > 0.05). However, after treatment, the levels of cytokeratin 19 soluble fragments (CYFRA21-1), carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125), and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in the study group were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The effective rate and the quality of life score of the study group were higher than those of the reference group while the incidence of adverse reactions was lower than that of the reference group, P < 0.05. Conclusion: Lung-fire-clearing, phlegm-resolving, and bowels-relaxing decoction can effectively improve the symptoms of patients with lung cancer and improve their quality of life.

Evaluation of Heat Distribution for the Diagnosis of the Hoof with Abscess by Infrared Thermography in Horses

Background: The study of normal temperature distribution for the diagnosis of hoof disease in horses using Infrared Thermography (IRT) is rare, therefore, the normal temperature distribution is to be investigated. In this study, we investigated the possible use of IRT in the diagnosis of hoof disease in horses. Methods: A total of 66 horses (56 healthy horses and 10 horses with hoof abscess) were used in this study. Veterinarians and farriers performed physical examinations, such as lameness examination, palpation, hoof test, and radiography, on all horses. IRT was performed in standard conditions. The plantar of the hoof was lifted upward by the owner, and the distance of the thermal camera between the plantar of the hoof was 0.3 - 0.5 m. For evaluation, the heat pattern of the plantar of the hoof was divided into seven regions of interest (ROIs), and statistical analysis was performed. Results: On performing IRT, the temperature of healthy hooves and hooves with hoof abscess was found to be 25.77 °C ± 3.87 °C (mean ± SD) and 31.94 °C ± 2.60 °C, respectively (p < 0.0001). The mean temperature of ROIs in hooves with abscesses was 6.17 °C higher than that of healthy hooves. Sole regions were found to be especially prominent. Additionally, all ROIs of hooves with hoof abscess classified IRT with high sensitivity (74.3%) and specificity (87.5%). Conclusion: The present study demonstrated the usefulness of IRT in diagnosing hoof with abscess. Moreover, this study suggests that IRT may be useful as a new temperature measurement analysis system in terms of determining differences in the heat distribution of the hoof.

Thermal and shock-wave effects of HIFU - effects on tissue-equivalent phantoms

The nature of changes in the structure of the PAG-3 biophantome under the action of HIFU indicates the significance of shock-wave shifts involved in the formation of the heat pattern and the destruction zone. The thermal effect is accompanied by the accumulation of thermal energy, the limitation of the thermal field, which predetermines the therapeutic efficiency of focused ultrasound exposure, however, it is advisable to take into account the role of mechanical effects in focused ultrasound therapy.

Disruption of Pathological Patterns in a Young Population with Dysfunctional Breathing

Dysfunctional breathing (DB) is characterized by abnormal breathing patterns and often results from psychogenic causes in the absence of organic diseases. Although acupuncture and herbal treatments have been suggested as alternative therapies for DB, few studies have addressed the relationship between DB and pathological patterns from a diagnostic perspective. We asked 237 college students (130 men aged 21.4 ± 1.9 years; 107 women aged 21.4 ± 3.0 years) to complete the Korean version of the General Health Questionnaire-30 (K-GHQ-30) and four validated pathological pattern questionnaires regarding qi and yin deficiencies, phlegm, and cold-heat patterns. The Korean version of the Nijmegen Questionnaire was used to classify participants into DB and non-DB groups. Effects of age, gender, and DB on pathological patterns were examined using simple regression and two-way MANCOVA models. Age had an effect on all pattern scores except heat pattern scores (β: 0.154–0.098). DB group showed a moderate main effect (η2 = 0.167) on pathological patterns, while gender showed a minimal main effect (η2 = 0.096); qi and yin deficiencies, phlegm, and cold-heat pattern scores in DB and female groups were higher than those in non-DB and male groups. The K-GHQ-30 scores showed significant positive correlations with the pathological pattern scores (r: 0.243–0.533), indicating that disruption of pathological patterns could be associated with patients’ psychological disturbance. In conclusion, these questionnaires may help to identify pathological patterns related to DB and determine individually tailored alternative therapies.

Study on the Spatial Pattern of an Extreme Heat Event by Remote Sensing: A Case Study of the 2013 Extreme Heat Event in the Yangtze River Delta, China

The intensity and frequency of extreme heat events are increasing globally, which has a great impact on resident health, social life, and ecosystems. Detailed knowledge of the spatial heat pattern during extreme heat events is important for coping with heat disasters. This study aimed to monitor the characteristics of the spatial pattern during the 2013 heat wave in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), China, based on the remote sensing estimated gridded air temperature (Ta). Based on the land surface temperature (Ts), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), built-up area, and elevation derived from multi-source satellite data, the daily maximum air temperature (Ta_max) during the heat wave was mapped by the random forest (RF) algorithm. Based on the remotely sensed Ta, heat intensity index (HII) was calculated to measure the spatial pattern of heat during this heat wave. Results indicated that most areas in the YRD suffered from extreme heat, and the heat pattern also exhibited obvious spatial heterogeneity. Cities located in the Taihu Plain and the Hangjiahu Plain generally had high HII values. The northern plain in the YRD showed relatively lower HII values, and mountains in the southern YRD showed the lowest HII values. Heat proportion index (HPI) was calculated to qualify the overall heat intensity of each city in the YRD. Wuxi, Changzhou, and Shanghai showed the highest HPI values, indicating that the overall heat intensities in these cities were higher than others. Yancheng, Zhoushan, and Anqing ranked last. This study provides a good reference for understanding the pattern of heat during heat waves in the YRD, which is valuable for heat wave disaster prevention.

Association between Resting Energy Expenditure and Heat Pattern in Traditional Medicine

Many symptoms of heat pattern (HP) in traditional medicine are related to thermoregulation; however, research on the association between energy expenditure characteristics and HP is limited. We aimed to study the association between HP and resting energy expenditure (REE). A total of 109 participants were divided into the HP and non-HP groups based on a self-administered questionnaire and their REE was measured using an indirect calorimeter. Multiple logistic regression models were used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) of HP according to the level of REE. No significant differences in age, anthropometric, and body composition characteristics were observed between the HP and the non-HP groups. The likelihood of having an HP significantly increased with higher REE after adjustment for fat-free mass (OR 1.22 [95% CI 1.03–1.46]) and also after additional adjustment for sex and age (OR 1.21 [95% CI 1.01–1.46]). These results suggest that increased REE could be a biological characteristic of HP. Future studies are necessary to investigate the underlying mechanisms associated with the differing energy expenditure in HP.