Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a clinical syndrome characterized by acute decompensation of chronic liver disease associating with multiple organ failures and high short- term mortality. Patients with ACLF are highly susceptible to infection due to the pathophysiology features including immune function disorder (overlap of excessive inflammatory reaction and immune dysfunction), gut bacterial overgrowth/dysbiosis and translocation of gut microbiota/products. Appropriate empirical antibiotics plays a pivotal role in the management of ACLF with infection.

Objective To analyze the causes for the failures after posterior pedicle screw instrumentation for thoracolumbar fractures.Methods From June 2003 to December 2014,182 patients with thoracolumbar fracture were treated by fixation through the posterior approach using pedicle screws and fully followed up in our institute.We analyzed the cases of postoperative infection,recovery of neural symptoms,breakage and loosening of pedicle screws and connecting rod,non-union of the fractured vertebra,and correction loss of kyphosis in associations with the AO classification and Loading Sharing Classification of Spine Fracture (LSCSF) system,osteoporosis,intervertebral disc injury and methods of internal fixation.Results In this series,altogether 27 cases failed(14.8％).The rate of postoperative infection was 1.1％ (2/182).The rate of breakage of pedicle screw or connecting rod was 7.7％ (14/182).The implant breakage rates for fractures of AO types A1,A2 and A3.1 were significantly lower than for other types (P ＜ 0.05).The implant breakage rate for the patients with ≤6 LSCSF points was significantly lower than for those with ≥7 LSCSF points (P ＜ 0.05).The implant breakage occurred in 3 cases of those who underwent fixation of one normal vertebra respectively below and above the two contiguous segments but not in those who underwent additional fixation of the injured vertebrae.The rate of screw loosening was 2.2％ (4/182).The non-union rate of the injured vertebra was 2.7％ (5/182).The rate of kyphosis recurrence was 1.1％ (2/182).Conclusions To prevent the failure of posterior pedicle screw fixation,surgeons should pay more attention to the following key points before operation:the type and evaluation of spinal fractures,a proper approach and method of internal fixation,and the weight bearing capability of the anterior column.

Objective To evaluate the effects of drug-eluting stents (DES) versus bare-metal stents (BMS) on clinical outcomes in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (ASTEMI) receiving primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). Methods The 217patients with ASTEMI receiving PPCI from Jan. 2005 to Dec. 2007 were enrolled in this study. And they were divided into two groups: DES group (n=92) and BMS group (n=125). The baseline characteristics including age, gender, angiographic characteristics, stents characteristics, Killip classification, cardiac troponin I(CTnI)levels, left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF), hemoglobin levels, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, obesity and smoking of the two groups were collected.Clinical follow-up end point were major adverse cardiac event(MACE)including death, acute myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis and stent restenosis. Clinical follow-up duration was(16.8±11.3) months (6-38 months). Results The average age (years), rate of Killip classification (class 2, 3, 4), average diameter (mm) of stent were significantly higher in BMS group than in DES group(64.6±11.9 vs. 61.2±11.8, t=2.09, P=0.037;25.9% vs. 12.2%, χ2=5.53, P=0.019;3.07±0.38 vs. 2.91±0. 40, t=2.78, P=0.006). And the average LVEF (%) was significantly lower in BMS group than in DES group (55.4±11.9 vs. 60.3±12.8, t= -2.57, P=0.011). The average length (mm) of stent, rate of stent post dilatation and diabetes were significantly higher in DES group than inBMSgroup (32.8±16.2 vs. 26.2±11.2, t=-3.54, P=0.001;45.7% vs. 21.6%, χ2=13.85, P=0. 000;28.2% vs. 16.0%, χ2=4.77, P=0.030). MACE occurred in 36 patients during clinical follow-up, 6 in DES group and 30 in BMS group. Incidence of MACE was significantly lower in DES group than in BMS group(6.5% vs. 24.0%, χ2=11.70, P＜0.01). Conclusions Using DES in ASTEMI patients is safe and may improve clinical outcomes by reducing incidence of MACE compared with BMS.

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a clinical disease significantly different from acute liver failure and acute decompensation of simple liver cirrhosis, and it may have acute progression to liver failure and failure of other organs. ACLF has a high short-term mortality rate and has become a disease burden worldwide. In recent years, several international associations for the study of the liver have proposed different diagnostic criteria for ACLF and published their respective consensus or review on the diagnosis and treatment of ACLF, and there are still great differences in the comprehension of chronic liver diseases, acute injury, and organ failure. At present, there are still limited data for the key links of ACLF management in China, such as liver transplantation, intensive care unit, and palliative care, and in the context of no consensus on the diagnosis of ACLF around the world, it is necessary to further strengthen the application of existing international criteria and evidence and the accumulation of evidence-based data in China.

Objective: To explore the changes of peripheral leukocyte’s telomere length (LTL) in patients of premature coronary artery disease (PCAD) with inlfuencing factors. Methods: Our research was conducted in 2 sets of groups, by coronary artery condition: PCAD group,n=128 including 88 patients with ACS, 40 with SCAD and Non-CAD group,n=128 subjects; by age status: the age≤30 years, 31-40 years, 41-50 years, 51-60 years had 2, 14, 65, 47 patients in each group respectively. Peripheral LTL was detected by lfuorescent quantitative analysis, the relationship between LTL and PCAD with inlfuencing factors were studied by Spearman correlation analysis. Results: In PCAD group, compared with SCAD patients, ACS patients had more male gender, higher Gensini score, lower T/S ratio and shorter LTL, allP<0.05. Compared with Non-CAD group, PCAD group had decreased T/S ratio (0.88 ± 0.86) vs (1.10 ± 0.57),P<0.05. T/S ratio was negatively related to age in both PCAD group (r=-0.275,P=0.002) and Non-CAD group (r=-0.316,P=0.000). Spearman correlation study presented that in PCAD group, LTL was negatively related to hyperlipidemia (r=-0.415,P=0.049) and diabetes (r=-0.472,P=0.036); multi linear regression analysis indicated that in PCAD group, LTL was negatively related to age (B=-0.023,P=0.038) and in Non-CAD group, LTL was negatively related to age (B=-0.027,P=0.000), smoking (B=-0.278,P=0.012), HDL-C (B=-0.297,P=0.046). Conclusion: PCAD had more male ACS patients with shorter LTL and severer coronary lesions; LTL was negatively related to hyperlipidemia and diabetes, age was an important inlfuencing factor for LTL shortening.

Objectives We sought to determine the factors that predicted in-hospital heart failure(HF)in patients undergoing successful primary percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI). Methods The clinical and angiographic data were retrospectively reviewed in patients undergoing successful primary PCI for their ifrst STEMI. According to the occurrence of in-hospital HF, patients were divided into HF group and non-HF group. The incidence and predictors of in-hospital HF and its impact on prognosis were determined. Results A total of 834 patients were included, among them 94 patients (11.3%) were in the HF group and 740 patients(88.7%) were in the non-HF group. The mean age was (62.9±12.9) years and 662 patients (79.4%) were male. All-cause mortality at 30 days was signiifcantly higher in the HF group than in the non-HF group (24.5%vs. 1.5%, P<0.001). In Cox regression analysis, left anterior descending artery (LAD) as the culprit vessel (HR 2.173, 95% CI 1.12~4.212, P=0.022), ln 24 h NT-proBNP (HR 1.904, 95%CI 1.479~2.452, P<0.001), 24 h hsCRP≥11.0 mg/L (median) (HR 2.901, 95%CI 1.309~6.430, P=0.009) and baseline serum glucose (HR 1.022, 95%CI 1.000 ~ 1.044, P=0.046) were independent predictors of in-hospital HF. Receiver operator characteristic analysis identiifed 24 h NT-proBNP ≥ 1171 pg/ml (c=0.883, P < 0.001) and 24 h hsCRP ≥ 13.5 mg/L (c=0.829, P < 0.001) were the best cut-off values in discriminating in-hospital HF with a sensitivity and speciifcity of 92.5%and 76.8%for 24 h NT-proBNP, 86.0%and 77.0%for 24 h hsCRP, respectively. Even among patients with LAD as the culprit vessel, the incidence of in-hospital HF was only 0.4%in patients whose 24 h NT-proBNP was<1171 pg/ml and 24 h hsCRP was<13.5 mg/L;while the incidence of in-hospital HF was up to 60.9%in patients whose 24 h NT-proBNP≥1171 pg/ml and 24 h hsCRP≥13.5 mg/L (P<0.001). Conclusions The incidence of in-hospital HF was still high in STEMI patients even after successful primary PCI. Patients with in-hospital HF had poor prognosis. LAD as the culprit vessel, hsCRP, NT-proBNP and baseline serum glucose were independent predictors of in-hospital HF. Assessment and combined use of different serum biomarkers were effective methods to estimate the risk of in-hospital HF in STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI.

Objective:To understand the epidemiological and etiologic characteristics of meningococcal meningitis in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang).Methods:The epidemiological data about the meningococcal meningitis cases in Xinjiang from 1960 to 2019 were collected from the China information system for disease control and prevention and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Xinjiang. The epidemiological characteristics were analyzed. Clinical specimens from suspected cases were cultured and tested by real-time PCR method. A survey on the carriage rate of Neisseria meningitides ( Nm) in the healthy population was performed. The serogroups of isolates were determined by serum-agglutination and PCR methods. Multi-locus sequence typing was used for subtyping the isolates. Results:The incidence rates of meningococcal meningitis in Xinjiang from 1960 to 2019 were 0.02/100 000-81.32/100 000, with the mortality as 1.05%-20.78%. The five districts with the most cases were Kashi prefecture, Aksu prefecture, Urumqi city, Changji Hui autonomous prefecture, and Hotan prefecture. Before 1990, serogroup A (81.82%) was the commonest group for cases and contacts. After 1990, 14.00% of the cases were caused by serogroups B, C, W, and Y. There was no predominant serogroup for contacts with serogroups B, C, W, Y, and C accounting for 23.28%, 18.53%, 15.52%, 9.91% and 7.33% respectively. The general Nm carriage rate was 15.50%, with the population of 16 - 20 years age group having the highest rate (25.53%). Serogroups B (52.11%), W (20.66%), C (12.21%), and Y (9.39%) occupied 52.11%, 20.66%, 12.21% and 9.39% respectively. The commonest clonal lineages of Nm isolates were ST-4821, ST-175, and ST-5 clonal complexes, while the ST-5 and ST-4821 clonal complexes were the major ones for invasive strains. Conclusions:There appeared regional differences in the incidence rates of Xinjiang meningococcal meningitis, and the carriage rate of Nm was high. The serogroups have been changing. It is necessary to strengthen the prevention and control of meningococcal meningitis to prevent any potential outbreak.

Background:Complete colonoscopy is key to the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal disease,its role in reducing the morbidity and mortality of colorectal cancer is well known.Nonetheless,there are numerous factors,not just from the endoscopist's perspective but also from the patient's,that can potentially increase the difficulty of completing a colonoscopy.Aims:To identify patient-related factors that influenced the difficulty of a colonoscopy.Methods:Through two rounds of expert consultation,the factors that might affect the difficulty of colonoscopy were selected.A total of 1621 consecutive painless colonoscopies from Jan.2021 to Jan.2022 at the endoscopy center of The Affiliated Wuxi People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were evaluated in a retrospective manner.Factors including demographic data,cecal insertion time,adenoma detection rate and so on were recorded.These factors were analyzed to determine their association with difficulty by using Logistic regression model.Results:A total of 29 patient-related factors affecting the difficulty of colonoscopy were selected.Through retrospective analysis,the mean age of 1621 cases was(47.45±13.27)years,of which 45.8%were male and the mean body mass index was(23.32±3.11)kg/m2.Logistic regression analysis revealed that age≥60 years(OR=2.890,95%CI:1.957-4.269,P<0.001),female gender(OR=0.324,95%CI:0.217-0.484,P<0.001),history of gynecological surgery(OR=14.895,95%CI:9.741-22.776,P<0.001),constipation for 20-30 years(OR= 1.412,95%CI:0.925-2.156,P=0.010)were independent risk factors for difficult colonoscopy.Conclusions:This retrospective study identified several patient-related factors that influence the technical difficulty of colonoscopy.These findings had implications for practice and teaching of colonoscopy.

Post-traumatic tetanus is the main type of non-neonatal tetanus.To reduce the incidence and mortality rateof tetanus and guide the primary medical institutions to prevent and control tetanus after trauma,the National Immunization Planning Technical Working Group of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has compiled this document in the reference with Position Paper by World Health Organization,and the latest research progress both at home and abroad.The guidelines focus on the basic procedures for the prevention and treatment of post-traumatic tetanus,the application of tetanus vaccines and immune preparation,and pre-exposure immunization in high-risk populations of trauma.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between the fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) and colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we measured the expression of FABP4 in plasma of 50 patients who underwent surgery for CRC from October 2017 to May 2018 and 50 healthy controls. The content of the visceral fat area (VFA) as seen with abdominal computed tomography (CT) scanning was measured by ImageJ software. The expression levels of FABP4, E-cadherin, and Snail proteins in CRC and adjacent tissues were determined by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The mean concentration of plasma FABP4 of CRC patients was higher than that of the control group (22.46 vs. 9.82 ng/mL; CONCLUSIONS High LPA and VFA were risk factors for increased plasma FABP4 in CRC patients. FABP4 protein was highly expressed in CRC tissues and associated with TNM stage, differentiation, and lymph node metastasis of CRC. The level of FABP4 in CRC tissue was correlated with E-cadherin and Snail expression, suggesting that FABP4 may promote CRC progression related to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).