[ABSTRACT]OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical value of ultrasound guided fine-needle aspiration (US-FNA) in the diagnosis of thyroid nodules with different size.METHODSThe clinical data of 122 thyroid nodules of 109 cases referred to FNAC for diagnosis were retrospectively reviewed. The final operating histological results of 122 nodules were considered gold standard. RESULTSNon-diagnostic FNAC results occurred in 17 nodules (13.9%). FNAC achieved a sensitivity of 78.6%, a specificity of 93.9%, a positive predictive value of 93.6%, a negative predictive value of 78.3%, and a total accuracy of 85.7%. There was no significant difference between the diameter of the nodule≤1 cm group and>1 cm group, except negative predictive value. The non-diagnostic results rate was no significant difference between groups of different nodule size, benign or malignant nodules, and different operators. CONCLUSIONFNAC is a sensitive, specific and accurate method for differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules.

Objective To observe the protective and anti-apoptosis effects of Rannasangpei (RNSP) on brain ischemia and reperfusion injury in rats. Methods Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model was established and the groups were divided as sham group, MCAO group, vehicle + MCAO group and RNSP + MCAO group. Neuronal deficient signs, brain infarct area, the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax and the expression of caspase-3 were evaluated by neuronal deficient score, TTC (2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride) staining and Western blot respectively. Results Compared with those parameters in sham group, the neuronal deficient signs, infarct area and caspase-3 expression increased evidently while the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax decreased markedly in MCAO group. But in RNSP+MCAO group, the neuronal deficient signs, infarct area and cas?pase-3 expression decreased greatly while the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax increased markedly compared with those parameters in MCAO group. Conclusion RNSP may have protective effects on brain ischemia and reperfusion, which is related to its an?ti-apoptosis role indicated by upregulation of Bcl-2/Bax ratios and downregulation of caspase-3.

Objective To determine the relationship between serum soluble Klotho (sKL) level and adverse outcome in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients.Methods One hundred and twenty nine cases of MHD patients were collected prospectively.Serum sKL was detected by ELISA.Abdomen lateral plain was used as a criterion to determine the abdominal aortic calcification.The abdominal aortic calcification score (AAC) was calculated.Cox regression analysis was used to determine the risk factor of cardiovascular death (CVD) in MHD patients.Kaplan-Meier showed the relationship between sKL and CVD in MHD patients.Results There were 27 cases (20.9％) of allcause death and 19 cases (14.7％) of cardiovascular death.The median sKL was 612.6(379.2-816.6) nig/L,and log[iPTH] was an independent factor of sKL concentration.Low sKL had high AAC and CVD death rate.Kaplan-Meier method showed that the all-cause death rate was similar between two groups,and CVD death rate increased significantly in low sKL patients (P=0.036).Cox regression indicated that lower sKL level was associated with high CVD death rate [OR=0.352,95％CI(0.127-0.977),P=0.045].After adjustment for the general condition,biochemical indicators,the relationship still existed [OR=0.331,95％ CI (0.117-0.933),P=0.037].In no or mild vascular calcification patients (AAC ≤4),compared with high sKL patients,low sKL patients had no significant difference rate in all-cause mortality.The CVD mortality was significantly higher in high sKL (P=0.035) compared with low sKL.In severe calcification group (AAC ＞ 4),all-cause death and CVD death rates were similar between different sKL groups (P=0.991 and 0.522,respectively).Conclusions Lower sKL has the high CVD death rate and sKL level decreasing is an independent risk factor for CVD death in MHD patients.The lower sKL concentration in MHD patients with no or mild calcification may predict CVD mortality.This study suggests that sKL levels may be helpful in predicting the outcome of patients with MHD.

Objective To explore the association of fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23) with abdominal aortic calcification(AAC) and adverse outcomes in maintenance hemodialysis patients.Methods One hundred and fourteen cases of MHD patients were collected prospectively.Serum intact FGF23 was detected by ELISA.Abdomen lateral plain was used as a criteria to determine the abdominal aortic calcification and the abdominal aortic calcification score was counted.Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the risk factors of AAC.Kaplan-Meier analysis was applied to compare the survival rate among different groups and COX regression analysis was used to determine the association of FGF23 and mortality in MHD patients.Results Seventy-six patients present abdominal aortic calcification.The median of AACS was 4.0(0.0,11.0).The median level of FGF23 was 7277.4(2535.0,9990.8) pg/ml.The median follow-up duration was 72.0(67.8,72.8) months.During the follow-up,22 patients (19.3％) died of all-cause death and 17 cases (14.9％) died of cardiovascular diseases.Serum FGF23 level was positively correlated with AAC (r=0.285,P=0.002).Logistic regression analysis showed that longer age (OR=1.059,95％CI:1.020-1.100,P=0.003) and dialysis vintage (OR=I.009,95％CI 1.000-1.017,P=0.039),smoking history (OR=3.010,95％CI 1.177-7.696,P=0.021) and higher FGF23 level(OR=2.831,95％CI 1.010-7.937,P=0.048) were independent risk factors of moderate to severe AAC in MHD patients.Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that the patients with AACS≥ 5 had significantly higher all-cause mortality(P=0.028) and CVD mortality (P=0.035) than those with AACS ＜ 5.However,the Kaplan-Meier analysis showed no significant difference regarding the level of serum FGF23 with the all-cause and CVD mortality.Cox regression demonstrated that FGF23 was not associated with increased mortality risk,neither in crude nor in multivariate adjusted models.Conclusions Abdominal aortic calcification had a high prevalence in MHD patients.The all-cause and CVD mortality was higher in patients with moderate to severe AAC.FGF23 was an independent risk factor of moderate to severe AAC,but it can't yet be a predictor for the allcause and CVD mortality of MHD patients.

Depression is a mental disease that seriously threatens life and health, and its pathogenesis is complicated. Recent studies have found that altitude is one of the important factors leading to depression. As an important transcription factor under hypoxic condition, hypoxia-inducible factor-1 regulates acute hypoxia, and upregulates neurotrophic factor and 5-hydroxytryptamine, thus exerting antidepressant effect by promoting brain metabolism; hypoxia-inducible factor-2 regulates chronic hypoxia, promotes inflammation and aggravates depression. This article focuses on the related research on hypoxia-inducible factors and pathogenesis of high altitude depression, to further explore the pathogenesis and prevent high altitude depression.

Objective:To analyze the distribution and antimicrobial resistance pattern of bacteria isolated from alveolar lavage fluid in pediatric patients with lower respiratory tract infection from 2016 to 2018.Methods:The alveolar lavage fluid of pediatric patients aged <18 years old with lower respiratory tract infection in ten hospitals from January 2016 to December 2018 were collected, and the pathogenic bacteria were cultured and isolated. The paper diffusion method or minimum inhibitory concentration method was used to conduct drug susceptibility tests for the isolated strains.The distribution of pathogenic bacteria and the source department of the strains were analyzed.Chi-sqare test was used for statistical analysis.Results:Of 1 271 isolates, 606 strains (47.7%) were gram-negative bacteria, 628 strains (49.4%) were gram-positive bacteria, and 37 strains (2.9%) were fungi. The common pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae (36.7%, 466/1 271), Acinetobacter baumannii (16.8%, 214/1 271), Staphylococcus aureus (12.7%, 162/1 271), Klebsiella pneumoniae (8.3%, 105/1 271), Haemophilus influenzae (7.4%, 94/1 271), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6.2%, 79/1 271), Burkholderia cepacia (5.3%, 67/1 271) and Escherichia coli (3.7%, 47/1 271). The main pathogens in the intensive care unit (ICU) were gram-negative bacteria (80.1%, 428/534), among which Acinetobacter baumannii was the most common (3.7%, 199/534). The main pathogens in the non-ICU were gram-positive bacteria (70.8%, 522/737). The detection rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were 45.1%(23/51) in the ICU and 43.2% (48/111) in the non-ICU, respectively. The detection rates of penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (PRSP) were 10.9%(6/55) in the ICU and 18.5% (76/411) in the non-ICU, respectively. The detection rates of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) were 57.3%(43/75) in the ICU and 33.3%(10/30) in the non-ICU, respectively. The detection rate of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) in the ICU was higher than that in the non-ICU (49.1%(27/55) vs 25.0%(6/24)), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=3.98, P=0.046). Eight strains (17.0%) of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli were detected, and 164 strains(76.6%) of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii were detected. Seventy-eight Haemophilus influenzae isolates were isolated from non-ICU, and the resistance rate to ampicillin was 57.4%(54/94). Burkholderia cepacia isolates were all isolated from ICU, and the resistance rates to piperacillin-tazobactam, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin and compound sulfamethoxazole were 13.4%(9/67), 3.0%(2/67), 0(0/67) and 9.0%(6/67), respectively. Conclusions:Streptococcus pneumoniae is still the most common pathogen in pediatric patients with lower respiratory tract infection. Gram-negative bacilli are the main pathogens in pediatric patients with lower respiratory tract infection in the ICU. The dection rates of MRSA, PRSP and carbopenem-resistant gram-negative bacilli are high. And the resistance rate of Haemophilus influenzae to ampicillin is also high. The clinical empirical treatment should be determined according to different clinical background.

Objective:To study the distribution and antibiotics resistance of the main pathogens of neonatal purulent meningitis in different regions of China.Methods:A retrospective descriptive clinical epidemiological study was conducted in children with neonatal purulent meningitis which admitted to 18 tertiary hospitals in different regions of China between January 2015 to December 2019. The test results of blood and cerebrospinal fluid, and drug sensitivity test results of the main pathogens were collected. The distributions of pathogenic bacteria in children with neonatal purulent meningitis in preterm and term infants, early and late onset infants, in Zhejiang Province and other regions outside Zhejiang Province, and in Wenzhou region and other regions of Zhejiang Province were analyzed. The chi-square test was used for statistical analysis.Results:A total of 210 neonatal purulent meningitis cases were collected. The common pathogens were Escherichia coli ( E. coli)(41.4%(87/210)) and Streptococcus agalactiae ( S. agalactiae)(27.1%(57/210)). The proportion of Gram-negative bacteria in preterm infants (77.6%(45/58)) with neonatal purulent meningitis was higher than that in term infants (47.4%(72/152)), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=15.54, P=0.001). There were no significant differences in the constituent ratios of E. coli (36.5%(31/85) vs 44.8%(56/125)) and S. agalactiae (24.7%(21/85) vs 28.8%(36/125)) between early onset and late onset cases (both P>0.05). The most common pathogen was E. coli in different regions, with 46.7%(64/137) in Zhejiang Province and 31.5%(23/73) in other regions outside Zhejiang Province. In Zhejiang Province, S. agalactiae was detected in 49 out of 137 cases (35.8%), which was significantly higher than other regions outside Zhejiang Province (11.0%(8/73)). The proportions of Klebsiella pneumoniae, and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus in other regions outside Zhejiang Province (17.8%(13/73) and 16.4%(12/73)) were both higher than those in Zhejiang Province (2.9%(4/137) and 5.1%(7/137)). The differences were all statistically significant ( χ2=14.82, 12.26 and 7.43, respectively, all P<0.05). The proportion of Gram-positive bacteria in Wenzhou City (60.8%(31/51)) was higher than that in other regions in Zhejiang Province (38.4%(33/86)), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=6.46, P=0.011). E. coli was sensitive to meropenem (0/45), and 74.4%(32/43) of them were resistant to ampicillin. E. coli had different degrees of resistance to other common cephalosporins, among which, cefotaxime had the highest resistance rate of 41.8%(23/55), followed by ceftriaxone (32.4%(23/71)). S. agalactiae was sensitive to penicillin, vancomycin and linezolid. Conclusions:The composition ratios of pathogenic bacteria of neonatal purulent meningitis are different in different regions of China. The most common pathogen is E. coli, which is sensitive to meropenem, while it has different degrees of resistance to other common cephalosporins, especially to cefotaxime.