Objective:To investigate the differences in microbiological examination results between alcohol abuse and no alcohol abuse in adult ICU patients and the association between alcohol abuse and these differences.Methods:The adult patients with microbiological examination results were selected from the MIMIC-Ⅲ database and divided into two groups according to whether they had alcohol abuse. The two groups were matched by propensity score, and the similarities and differences in microbiological examination results were evaluated between the two groups after matching. The measurement data of non normal distribution were expressed by M ( Q1, Q3). Wilcoxon rank sum test was used for the comparison of the two groups, and the comparison of counting data was used χ 2 test or Fisher exact probability method. Results:After matching, the alcohol abuse patients were more likely to use mechanical ventilation (47.06% (1 379/2 930) vs. 52.66% (1 543/2 930), χ 2=18.14, P<0.001), had a higher positive rate in sputum samples (44.30% (400/903) vs. 49.41% (501/1 014), χ 2=4.81, P=0.028) and had a lower positive rate in other samples (26.85% (653/2 432) vs. 21.67% (541/2 496), χ 2=17.69, P<0.001). In blood samples, the percentage of Gram-negative bacteria was lower in the alcohol abuse group (26.87% (126/469) vs. 17.25% (74/429), χ 2=11.42, P<0.001), while the percentage of Gram-positive bacteria was higher (78.46% (368/469) vs. 86.01% (369/429), χ 2=8.17, P=0.004). The percentage of patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3.75% (110/2 930) vs. 2.08% (61/2 930), χ 2=13.88, P<0.001) and Enterococcus sp. (8.19% (240/2 930) vs. 6.45% (189/2 930), χ 2=6.29, P=0.012) was lower in the alcohol abuse group. However, there was a higher percentage of patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (2.32% (68/2 930) vs. 3.28% (96/2 930), χ 2=4.57, P=0.032) and Haemophilus influenzae (1.30% (38/2 930) vs. 2.01% (59/2930), χ 2=4.19, P=0.041) in the alcohol abuse group. For Staphylococcus aureus (61.10% (322/527) and 52.66% (267/507), χ 2=7.16, P=0.007) and Enterococcus sp. (75.83% (160/211) and 63.64% (56/88), χ 2=4.02, P=0.045), the alcohol abuse group had a lower resistance to levofloxacin; for Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae, the alcohol abuse group had a lower resistance to cephalosporins (all P<0.05). Conclusions:In adult ICU, alcohol abuse might increase the risks of using mechanical ventilation, and patients with alcohol abuse might be more prone to have respiratory tract infections. Alcohol abuse patients with blood infections were less likely to be infected with Gram-negative bacteria, but had a higher probability of Gram-positive bacteria infection. What is more, Alcohol abuse might increase the risks of infections with Haemophilus influenzae and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. In alcohol abuse patients, the infection of Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus sp., Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae was less resistant to many antibiotics than that in no alcohol abuse patients.

Objective:To evaluate the prevalence of euthyroid sick syndrome(ESS)in sepsis patients and to explore its influencing factors.Methods:In the study,365 patients diagnosed with sepsis in the emergency critical care department of Shanghai First People's Hospital from January 2017 to January 2023 were retrospectively enrolled.The patients were divided into ESS and non-ESS groups based on whether the patients were complicated with ESS.Baseline variables and relevant clinical data of the enrolled pa-tients were collected.The prevalence of ESS in sepsis patients and its influencing factors were evaluated by multivariate Logistic regression analysis,and the 30-day survival rates were compared between the two groups.The optimal cutoff value for free triiodothyronine(FT3)was explored to predict death in the pa-tients with sepsis.Results:There were 103 sepsis patients with ESS,accounting for 28.2％of the total cases.The severity of sepsis in ESS group was significantly higher than that in non-ESS group(P＜0.05).The acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ(APACHE Ⅱ)score and sequential organ failure assessment(SOFA)score of ESS group were significantly higher than those of non-ESS group(P＜0.05).C-reactive protein(CRP),procalcitonin(PCT),serum amyloid A(SAA)and interleu-kin-6(IL-6)in ESS group were higher than those in non-ESS group.total cholesterol(TC)and high-den-sity liptein cholesterol(HDL-C)in ESS group were lower than those in non-ESS group,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that PCT,IL-6,CRP,SAA and activated partial thromboplatin time(APTT)were independent risk factors for ESS in the sepsis patients(OR values were 1.105,1.006,1.005,1.009 and 1.033,respectively;95％CI were 1.044-1.170,1.001-1.012,1.001-1.009,1.005-1.014,1.004-1.062,respec-tively,P＜0.05).The 30-day survival rate in ESS group was significantly lower than that in non-ESS group,the Long-rank chi-square test value was 16.611,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).The receiver operation characteristic area under the curve(AUCROC)of FT3 predicted death in the patients with sepsis was 0.924(95％CI 0.894-0.954).The serum FT3 cutoff point was 3.705 pmol/L,the specificity was 0.868,and the sensitivity was 0.950.Conclusion:In this study,the inci-dence of ESS in sepsis patients was determined to be 28.2％with poor prognosis.The results showed that PCT,IL-6,CRP,SAA and APTT were independent risk factors for ESS in sepsis patients,while HDL-C was a protective factor(P＜0.05).FT3 is a novel potential biomarker for predicting death in patients with sepsis.

Objective:To compare and analyze the clinical features of patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (sCOVID-19) and severe community acquired pneumonia (sCAP) who meet the diagnostic criteria for severe pneumonia of the Infectious Diseases Society of America/American Thoracic Society (IDSA/ATS).Methods:A retrospective comparative analysis of the clinical records of 116 patients with sCOVID-19 admitted to the department of critical care medicine of Wuhan Third Hospital from January 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 and 135 patients with sCAP admitted to the department of critical care medicine of Shanghai First People's Hospital from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2017 was conducted. The basic information, diagnosis and comorbidities, laboratory data, etiology and imaging results, treatment, prognosis and outcome of the patients were collected. The differences in clinical data between sCOVID-19 and sCAP patients were compared, and the risk factors of death were analyzed.Results:The 28-day mortality of sCOVID-19 and sCAP patients were 50.9% (59/116) and 37.0% (50/135), respectively. The proportion of arterial partial pressure of oxygen/fraction of inspired oxygen (PaO 2/FiO 2)≤250 mmHg (1 mmHg ≈ 0.133 kPa) in sCOVID-19 patients was significantly higher than that of sCAP [62.1% (72/116) vs. 34.8% (47/135), P < 0.01]. The possible reason was that the proportion of multiple lung lobe infiltration in sCOVID-19 was significantly higher than that caused by sCAP [94.0% (109/116) vs. 40.0% (54/135), P < 0.01], but the proportion of sCOVID-19 patients requiring mechanical ventilation was significantly lower than that of sCAP [45.7% (53/116) vs. 60.0% (81/135), P < 0.05]. Further analysis of clinical indicators related to patient death found that for sCOVID-19 patients PaO 2/FiO 2, white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophils (NEU), neutrophil percentage (NEU%), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), total bilirubin (TBil), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), albumin (ALB), Ca 2+, prothrombin time (PT), D-dimer, C-reactive protein (CRP) and other indicators were significantly different between the death group and the survival group, in addition, the proportion of receiving mechanical ventilation, gamma globulin, steroid hormones and fluid resuscitation in death group were higher than survival group. Logistic regression analysis showed that the need for mechanical ventilation, NLR > 10, TBil > 10 μmol/L, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) > 250 U/L were risk factors for death at 28 days. For sCAP patients, there were significant differences in age, BUN, ALB, blood glucose (GLU), Ca 2+ and D-dimer between the death group and the survival group, but there was no significant difference in treatment. Logistic regression analysis showed that BUN > 7.14 mmol/L and ALB < 30 g/L were risk factors for 28-day death of sCAP patients. Conclusions:The sCOVID-19 patients in this cohort have worse oxygen condition and symptoms than sCAP patients, which may be due to the high proportion of lesions involving the lungs. The indicators of the difference between the death group and the survival group were similar in sCOVID-19 and sCAP patients. It is suggested that the two diseases have similar effects on renal function, nutritional status and coagulation function. But there were still differences in risk factors affecting survival. It may be that sCOVID-19 has a greater impact on lung oxygenation function, inflammatory cascade response, and liver function, while sCAP has a greater impact on renal function and nutritional status.

Objective:To analyze the relationship between blood electrolytes and the prognosis of patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to provide assistance for clinical decision-making.Methods:The clinical data of patients with severe COVID-19 admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) of the Wuhan Third Hospital by the Shanghai aid-Hubei medical team from January 21 to March 4, 2020 were collected. Excluding ineligible patients, 110 patients were finally enrolled. The patients' gender, age, temperature, heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, clinical symptoms at admission, time of symptom onset, duration of fever, and relevant indicators at admission to ICU (including blood potassium, chloride, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium, etc.) and prognosis were analyzed. The patients were grouped by blood potassium or calcium levels or blood potassium/calcium ratio. The Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to analyze the survival of patients in each group. The relationship between the potassium/calcium ratio and the prognosis was analyzed using restricted cubic spline plots. The relationship between each index in the different models and the prognosis was analyzed using Cox regression models.Results:Among 110 severe COVID-19 patients, 78 cases survived, and 32 cases died. Compared with the surviving group, patients in the death group had higher blood potassium levels [mmol/L: 4.25 (3.80, 4.65) vs. 3.90 (3.60, 4.20), P < 0.05] and lower blood calcium levels (mmol/L: 2.00±0.14 vs. 2.19±0.18, P < 0.05). The Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that patients in the potassium > 4.2 mmol/L group had a worse prognosis than the potassium < 3.8 mmol/L group and the potassium 3.8-4.2 mmol/L group ( P = 0.011), patients in the calcium > 2.23 mmol/L group had a better prognosis than the calcium < 2.03 mmol/L group and the calcium 2.03-2.23 mmol/L group, and the lower calcium group had a worse prognosis ( P = 0.000 15). Cox regression analysis showed that the hazard ratio ( HR) of blood potassium and calcium were 2.08 and 0.01, respectively, in model 1 (single blood potassium or calcium) and in model 2 (model 1 plus age and gender), the HR of blood potassium and calcium were 1.98 and 0.01 respectively, which were significantly associated with patient prognosis (all P < 0.05). Patients in the group with the potassium/calcium ratio > 1.9 had higher blood potassium levels and a higher proportion of mechanical ventilation, lower calcium levels and lower proportion of survival, and longer time of ICU admission compared with the groups with the potassium/calcium ratio < 1.7 and 1.7-1.9. The Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that the survival rate of the potassium/calcium ratio > 1.9 group was the lowest ( P < 0.000 1), and there was no statistically significant difference in survival between the potassium/calcium ratio < 1.7 group and the potassium/calcium ratio 1.7-1.9 group. A restricted cubic spline plot corrected for age and gender showed that patients in the potassium/calcium ratio > 1.8 group had HR values > 1. Cox regression analysis corrected for other indicators showed that the potassium/calcium ratio was still associated with patient prognosis ( HR = 4.85, P = 0.033). Conclusions:Blood potassium, calcium, and the potassium/calcium ratio at ICU admission are related to the prognosis of patients with severe COVID-19, and the potassium/calcium ratio is an independent risk factor for the death of patients. The higher the potassium/calcium ratio, the worse the prognosis of patients.

OBJECTIVE：To preliminarily s tudy the potential mechanism of astragaloside Ⅳ on allergic rhinitis （AR）model mice. METHODS ：C57/BL6 mice were randomly divided into blank group ，model group and astragaloside Ⅳ group，with 10 mice in each group. Except for blank group ，AR model was prepared by sensitization and challenge with ovalbumin on day 0，7，14 and 21-27. Astragaloside Ⅳ group was given astragaloside Ⅳ 40 mg/kg intraperitoneally at the dose of 0.02 mL/g on the 15th to 27th day of modeling （given the drug 1 h before challenge sensitization on the 21st to 27th day ）. Blank group and model group were given constant volume of normal saline intraperitoneally ，once a day. Twenty-four hours after sensitization from the last challenge ， the infiltration of inflammatory cells in the nasal mucosa of each group was observed ，and the contents of interleukin 4（IL-4）， IL-5 and interferon gamma （IFN-γ）in the nasal lavage fluid were measured. The levels of reactive oxygen species （ROS），and the count of phosphorylated Janus kinase 2（p-JAK2）and phosphorylation signal transduction and activation of transcription protein 6 （p-STAT6）positive cells in the nasal mucosa and spleen as well as the phosphorylation levels of JAK 2 and STAT 6 proteins in spleen tissue （i.e. p-JAK 2/JAK2 ratio，p-STAT6/STAT6 ratio）were also determined. RESULTS ：Compared with blank group ，the number of inflammatory cells in the nasal mucosa （eosinophils and mast cells ）in the model group ，the contents of IL- 4 and IL- 5 in the nasal lavage fluid ，and the levels of ROS in the nasal mucosa and spleen tissues in the model group ，the count of p-JAK 2 and p-STAT 6 positive cells increased significantly ，the p-JAK2/JAK2 ratio，p-STAT6/STAT6 ratio in the spleen tissue were significantly increased （P＜0.05），and the content of INF-γ in the nasal lavage fluid was significantly decreased（P＜0.05）. Compared with model group ，the count of inflammatory cells infiltrated in the nasal mucosa ，the contents of IL- 4 and IL- 5 in the nasal cavity lavage fluid ，the level of ROS and the number of p-JAK 2 and p-STAT 6 positive cellsin the nasal mucosa and spleen tissue as well as the p-JAK2/JAK2 ratio and p-STAT 6/STAT6 ratio in spleen tissue were decreased significantly （P＜0.05），and the content of INF-γ in nasal lavage fluid was significantly increased（P＜0.05）. CO NCLUSIONS：Astragaloside Ⅳ can effectively improve the inflammatory response in AR model mice ，the mechanism of which may be related to down-regulation of JAK2/STAT6 signaling pathway and ROS level.

Objective: To observe the effect of Yiqi Wenyang Decoction on the infiltration and activation of NK cells in nasal mucosa of mouse model with allergic rhinitis (AR), and to explore the potential mechanism for effective intervention of AR with Yiqi Wenyang Decoction. Methods: Fourty-eight mice were randomly divided into blank group, model group, low, medium and high dose of Yiqi Wenyang Decoction group and Cetirizine group, with 8 rats in each group. After modeling of AR, the model group was filled with 0.9% sodium chloride solution. Yiqi Wenyang Decoction groups of each dose were given different concentrations of Yiqi Wenyang Decoction water extract, while the Cetirizine group was given aqueous solution of Cetirizine. The behavior, morphological changes of nasal mucosa and infiltration of NK cells in nasal mucosa were observed. The levels of IL-4 and INF-γ in nasal lavage fluid were measured. Besides, the drug safety was observed by acute toxicity test. Results: In the respect of behavioral scoring, middle and high dose of Yiqi Wenyang Decoction group were superior to the model group (number of sneezing: q value was 7.189, 8.748, respectively; number of scratching nose: q value was 12.074, 14.560, respectively; all P<0.05). In middle and high dose of Yiqi Wenyang Decoction group, the infiltration of NK cells and nasal lavage fluid IL-4 levels were lower than those in model group (IOD: q value was 10.073, 12.322, respectively; IOD/Area: q value was 10.954, 14.073, respectively; IL-4: q value was 4.705, 6.801, respectively; all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in nasal lavage fluid of INF-γ among each group (Fv=1.166, P>0.05). In acute toxicity test, no obvious poisoning symptoms and death occurred in mice. Conclusion Yiqi Wenyang Decoction can control the nasal symptom, reduce the local NK cell infiltration of nasal mucosa and inhibit the expression of the 2-type cytokines released by NK cells, which may be related with the potential mechanism of effective intervention of AR with Yiqi Wenyang Decoction.