Objective To innovate an early, rapid and efficient approach to the pmgnestic evaluation of sep-sis in order to lower the mortality. Method Forty-five septic rats, induced by cecal ligation and puncture, were divided into surviving group (n=23) and non-survival group (n=22) on six days after onset of sepsis. Serum samples were taken from septic and sham-operated rats (n=25) at 12 hours after surgery. HPLC/MS assays were performed to acquire the serum metabolic profiles, and radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) was em-ployed to build predictive model for prognostic evaluation of sepsis. Results The principal component analysis al-lows differentiating the rots of survive,non-survive and sham-operated from one another in respect of the pathologic characteristics. Six metabolites, linolenic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and do-cosapentaenoic acid, related to the outcomes of septic rats were then structurally identified. A RBFNN model for outcome predication was built based upon the metabolic profile data from rat sera with the sensitivity of (96.1 ±3.6)% (n=10) and specificity of (91.0±4.3)% (n=10). Condusions HPLC/MS-based metabonomic approach combined with pattern recognition permits accurate outcome prediction of septic rats in the early stage. The proposed approach has advantages of rapid, low-cost and efficiency, and is isph-ing to be applied in clinical prognostic evaluation of septic patients.

A continuing professional development program was implemented in Shanghai Weifang Community Health Center for general practitioners (GPs) who completed residency training.The program consisted of four aspects: clinical ability, scientific research ability, teaching ability, and management ability.Clinical ability-building included the re-practice of specialty skills, expert mentoring in clinics, continuing education courses and clinic skills competitions.The scientific research ability was built from participating in research projects and talent cultivation programs.GPs were encouraged to be clinical mentors, and teaching ability was developed through attending teacher-training class and teaching practice.For those who were interested in management, the administrative positions related to medical, teaching and research would be provided.The implementation of the program received strong policy support from the health administrations at various levels.

Objective: To construct a prediction model for preeclampsia (PE) risk in twin-pregnant women, so as to provide the basis for early screening and prevention of PE. Methods: A total of 467 twin-pregnant women who underwent prenatal examination and delivered at Huzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital were selected. Sixty cases with preeclampsia (PE) were included in the case group, and 60 women without PE were included in the control group. General information, blood biochemical indicators and uterine artery resistance index (UtA-RI) were collected. A logistic regression model was used to screen predictive factors and establish a nomogram. The Bootstrap method was performed for the internal validation; the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve and decision curve analysis were employed to evaluate the discrimination, calibration and clinical utility of the nomogram, respectively. Results: In the case group, there were 47 individuals (78.33%) aged younger than 35 years, 21 individuals (35.00%) with pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) of 25 kg/m2 and above, and 33 individuals (55.00%) with in vitro fertilization. In the control group, there were 57 individuals (95.00%) aged younger than 35 years, 8 individuals (13.33%) with pre-pregnancy BMI of 25 kg/m2 and above, and 39 individuals (65.00%) with natural pregnancy. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified age, pre-pregnancy BMI, method of conception, placental growth factor (PLGF) and UtA-RI as risk prediction factors for PE in twin-pregnant women. The established nomogram had an area under the ROC curve of 0.827 (95%CI: 0.755-0.899), a sensitivity of 0.767, a specificity of 0.733, a good discrimination and calibration, and a relatively high clinical net benefit. Conclusion The nomogram established by age, pre-pregnancy BMI, method of conception, PLGF and UtA-RI has a good predictive value for the risk of PE in twin-pregnant women.

Objective: To analyze the clinical features in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) combining left ventricular apical aneurysm (LVAA) . Methods: A total of 1194 HCM patients treated in our hospital from 2007-01 to 2013-01 were studied. There were 23 (1.93%) patients combining with LVAA including 19 male and 4 female; coronary artery disease (CAD) was excluded and the patients received echocardiography and coronary angiography (CAG) examinations. Results: There were 21/23 LVAA patients having left mid-ventricular obstruction and 7 of them combining simultaneous left ventricular outflow obstruction.The average pressure gradient in those 21 patients was (56.8 ± 12.9) mmHg and the rest 2 patients suffered from apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.The mean maximum thickness of left ventricular wall was (21.8 ± 6.3) mm and the dimension of left ventricle was (39.4 ± 5.2) mm. Electrocardiography showed that 3 patients had paroxysmal ventricular tachycardia;CAG indicated that 6 patients combined with coronary artery muscular bridge at left anterior descending (LAD) artery. The patients were followed-up for (2.7 ± 1.3) years and adverse cardiovascular events occurred in 5 patients during that period. Conclusion: HCM combining LVAA was most frequently happened in patients with left mid-ventricular hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, some of them combining simultaneous left ventricular outflow obstruction and had the higher occurrence rate of adverse cardiovascular events. Early and accurate diagnosis is very important for guiding clinical treatment.

Cardiac Catheterization ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; therapy ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; therapy ; Humans ; Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Vena Cava, Inferior

Anti-thyroid drug (ATD), radioactive iodine (RAI) and thyroidectomy are treatment options for Graves disease (GD). Treatment strategies for Graves ophthalmopathy (GO) patients include thyroid function control, oral or intravenous corticosteroids, orbital radiotherapy or orbital decompression surgery. However, current treatments for GD and GO are also less ideal because they target the signs and symptoms rather than the pathogenic mechanisms. The development of treatment strategies that targeting the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR) or insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) alone or in combination may yield effective and better tolerated treatments for GD and GO. This paper reviews the progress and limitations of the 2 methods.

Objective:To explore new methods of treating Graves′ disease (GD) by targeting thyroid stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1).Methods:The small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting TSHR and the ICAM-1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) were designed and synthesized. Thirty GD model mice were randomly divided into siRNA treatment group, ICAM-1 mAb treatment group, and untreated GD group (10 mice in each group), and 10 normal mice were taken as blank control. Serum thyroxine (T 4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), TSH receptor-stimulating antibody (TSAb) and TSH-stimulation blocking antibody (TSBAb) were measured before and after treatment. At the end of the treatment, body mass and heart rate of mice in each group were measured, and thyroid uptake of 99Tc mO 4-, thyroid size and pathological changes were evaluated. Independent-sample t test, paired t test and one-way analysis of variance were used to analyze data. Results:After three treatments, the body mass of mice in siRNA group and ICAM-1 mAb group were significantly lower than that of normal mice ( F=3.50, P=0.025); the heart rates of the mice in two groups were significantly lower than that of untreated GD mice ( F=24.73, P<0.001). Heart rate of mice treated with siRNA decreased significantly, close to that of normal mice. After treatment, the serum T 4((27.58±1.94) vs (65.71±6.89) μg/L, (27.24±3.50) vs (70.84±8.46) μg/L), TSAb ((331.44±43.38) vs (457.33±45.85) mU/L, (275.16±45.80) vs (443.91±42.32) mU/L) and TSBAb ((13.94±1.11) vs (15.83±5.92) mU/L, (14.59±1.02) vs (17.05±6.16) mU/L) levels of mice in both siRNA group and ICAM-1 mAb group significantly decreased ( t values: 4.45-10.87, all P<0.05), while the serum TSH levels of mice in two groups significantly increased ((0.13±0.05) vs (0.04±0.05) mU/L, (1.46±0.34) vs (0.06±0.03) mU/L; t values: -2.22, -5.87, P values: 0.007, <0.001). The elevated TSH level and decreased TSAb level of mice treated with ICAM-1 mAb were significantly different from those treated with siRNA ( t values: 1.03, -1.63, P values: 0.002, 0.031). After treatment, the uptake of 99Tc mO 4- in part of the thyroid lobes of mice was decreased, and the enlargement degree of the corresponding lobes was reduced. The thyroid pathology of mice in the treated groups showed that the absorption vacuoles of thyroid follicles were reduced, and the phenomenon of thinner colloids was improved. No obvious damage was observed in the heart, liver and kidneys of the mice. Conclusions:Both the siRNA targeting TSHR and ICAM-1 mAb have therapeutic effects on GD model mice. The siRNA is better at controlling heart rate, and ICAM-1 mAb is better at increasing TSH and decreasing TSAb. Each of the above treatment methods is safe and effective, which can provide new ideas for GD targeted therapy.