To review the clinical characteristics, short-term outcomes, and risk factors of patients with infective endocarditis(IE) who underwent surgical treatment at a single center, and to summarize treatment experience.

Azvudine and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) are recommended for COVID-19 treatment in China, but their safety and efficacy in the elderly population are not fully known. In this multicenter, retrospective, cohort study, we identified 5131 elderly hospitalized COVID-19 patients from 32,864 COVID-19 patients admitted to nine hospitals in Henan Province, China, from December 5, 2022, to January 31, 2023. The primary outcome was all-cause death, and the secondary outcome was composite disease progression. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to control for confounding factors, including demographics, vaccination status, comorbidities, and laboratory tests. After 2:1 PSM, 1786 elderly patients receiving azvudine and 893 elderly patients receiving Paxlovid were included. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses revealed that compared with Paxlovid group, azvudine could significantly reduce the risk of all-cause death (log-rank P = 0.002; HR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.573-0.883, P = 0.002), but there was no difference in composite disease progression (log-rank P = 0.52; HR: 1.05, 95% CI: 0.877-1.260, P = 0.588). Four sensitivity analyses verified the robustness of above results. Subgroup analysis suggested that a greater benefit of azvudine over Paxlovid was observed in elderly patients with primary malignant tumors (P for interaction = 0.005, HR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.18-0.57) compared to patients without primary malignant tumors. Safety analysis revealed that azvudine treatment had a lower incidence of adverse events and higher lymphocyte levels than Paxlovid treatment. In conclusion, azvudine treatment is not inferior to Paxlovid treatment in terms of all-cause death, composite disease progression and adverse events in elderly hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Objective To discuss the application value of video health education mode in patient's self-maintenance of totally implantable venous access port(TIVAP).Methods A total of 208 patients,who received implantation of TIVAP at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Naval Military Medical University of China From September 2021 to December 2022,were enrolled in this study.The patients were divided into control group(n=108)and observation group(n=100).Traditional health education was conducted for the patients of the control group,while on the basis of traditional health education an additional video health education based on visual communication theory was carried out for the patients of the observation group.Evaluation of self-care ability(ESCA)was used to evaluate the self-care ability before the intervention and 6 months after the implantation of TIVAP in the two groups.The complications,the incidence of adverse events,and the indwelling duration of the infusion port were compared between the two groups.Results Before intervention,the differences in each dimension score and total score of ESCA table between the two groups were not statistically significant(all P＞0.05).After intervention,the each dimension score and total score of ESCA table in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group(all P＜0.05).After intervention,both the total incidence of complications and the total incidence of adverse events in the observation group were remarkably lower than those in the control group(both P＜0.05),besides,the indwelling duration of the infusion port in the observation group was obviously longer than that in the control group.Conclusion The use of video health education mode can significantly improve the self-care ability of patients carrying a TIVAP,reduce the incidence of complications and adverse events,and extend the effective duration of TIVAP.Therefore,it is an effective health education mode.

Objective To investigate the differences in the influencing factors for acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP) and infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) between Eastern and Western countries, and to provide a theoretical basis for the prediction and prevention of ANP. Methods Databases including PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched for articles on the influencing factors for ANP and IPN published up to January 21, 2021, and a Meta-analysis was performed. Results A total of 59 studies were included, with 22 studies from Eastern countries and 37 studies from Western countries.The Meta-analysis showed that in Eastern countries, male sex (odds ratio[ OR ]=1.51, 95% confidence interval[ CI ]: 1.18-1.91, P < 0.01), C-reactive protein (CRP)(standardized mean difference[ SMD ]=1.39, 95% CI : 1.06-1.71, P < 0.01), D-dimer ( SMD =0.44, 95% CI : 0.07-0.81, P =0.02), Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE-Ⅱ) score (mean difference[ MD ]=3.51, 95% CI : 1.38-5.64, P < 0.01), alcoholic etiology ( OR =3.57, 95% CI : 2.68-4.75, P < 0.01), and biliary etiology ( OR =0.60, 95% CI : 0.46-0.77, P < 0.01) were the influencing factors for ANP, and in Western countries, male sex ( OR =1.63, 95% CI : 1.30-2.05, P < 0.01), CRP ( SMD =2.09, 95% CI : 1.12-3.05, P < 0.01), APACHE-Ⅱ score ( MD =4.28, 95% CI : 2.73-5.83, P < 0.01), Ranson score ( MD =2.99, 95% CI : 2.50-3.47, P < 0.01), and organ failure ( OR =10.87, 95% CI : 2.62-45.04, P < 0.01) were the influencing factors for ANP.In Eastern countries, age ( MD =2.16, 95% CI : 0.43-3.89, P =0.01), body mass index (BMI)( MD =1.74, 95% CI : 1.23-2.25, P < 0.01), albumin level ( SMD =-0.43, 95% CI : -0.75 to-0.12, P < 0.01), CRP ( SMD =0.58, 95% CI : 0.04-1.11, P =0.03), procalcitonin ( SMD =0.80, 95% CI : 0.56-1.04, P < 0.01), D-dimer ( MD =0.23, 95% CI : 0.15-0.31, P < 0.01), APACHE-Ⅱ score ( MD =2.47, 95% CI : 0.73-4.22, P < 0.01), Ranson score ( MD =1.60, 95% CI : 1.46-1.73, P < 0.01), and extent of necrosis ≥30%( OR =2.52, 95% CI : 1.26-5.06, P < 0.01) were the influencing factors for IPN, while in Western countries, age ( MD =4.07, 95% CI : 1.82-6.31, P < 0.01), APACHE-Ⅱ score ( MD =3.28, 95% CI : 1.39-5.17, P < 0.01), Ranson score ( MD =2.18, 95% CI : 1.75-2.62, P < 0.01), SIRS score ( OR =3.88, 95% CI : 1.58-9.51, P < 0.01), alcoholic etiology ( OR =0.61, 95% CI : 0.42-0.87, P < 0.01), and organ failure ( OR =3.63, 95% CI : 1.11-11.92, P =0.03) were the influencing factors for IPN. Conclusion Current evidence shows that biliary etiology and alcoholic etiology are unique influencing factors for ANP in the Eastern population, while Ranson score is a unique influencing factor in the Western population.BMI and extent of necrosis ≥30% are unique influencing factors for IPN in the Eastern population, while alcoholic etiology is a unique influencing factor in the Western population.

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) in the assessment of acute pancreatitis (AP).Methods:598 patients diagnosed with AP admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University between January 2016 and December 2020 were recruited and divided into severe acute pancreatitis group (SAP group, n=57) and non-severe acute pancreatitis group (non SAP group, n=541) according to the Atlanta Classification (2012 revision). General clinical data and related biochemical indicators of all enrolled patients were collected, and Bedside Index of Acute Pancreatitis Severity (BISAP) score, Ranson score and CT Severity Index (CTSI) score were performed. The risk factors of SAP were analyzed by logistic regression. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the evaluation value of AIP and various scoring systems on the severity of pancreatitis. Results:The AIP, white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil count (NEUT), fasting blood glucose (FBG), serum total cholesterol (TC) level, proportion of hyperlipidemia, proportion of diabetes, Ranson score, BISAP score, CTSI score of patients in SAP group were higher than those in non SAP group, and the difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that AIP was an independent risk factor for SAP ( P<0.05). ROC curve showed that the are under the curve (AUC) of SAP predicted by AIP was 0.706(95% CI: 0.631-0.782, P<0.001). Conclusions:AIP is an independent risk factor for SAP, which helps to assess the severity of AP.

Objective:To measure the morphological parameters of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis in healthy adults using multi-slice CT (MSCT) so as to provide a reference for the diagnosis of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injury.Methods:The ankle MSCT imaging data in 110 normal adults were retrieved from the image report database of Cangzhou People′s Hospital from May 2019 to May 2021, including 56 males and 54 females; aged 18-60 years [(38.2±11.0)years]. There were 51 patients with imaging on the right ankle and 59 on the left ankle. Picture archiving and communication system (PACS) was used to measure parameters at 10 mm above the articular surface of the distal tibia on MSCT, including the anterior tibiofibular space (L1), posterior tibiofibular space (L2), middle tibiofibular space (L3), depth of fibula in notch (L4), distance of anterior tibiofibular edge (L5), distance of posterior tibiofibular edge (L6), anterior tibiofibular syndesmosis angle (A1), and fibular rotation angle (A2), and the measurements were compared by sex, age and side. The positive rate of "tibiofibular line" was observed. The morphological classification of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis was performed.Results:There was no significant difference in L1-L6, A1 and A2 among different age and side (all P>0.05). No significant difference was found in L4, L5, A1 and A2 between males and females ( P>0.05), but L1, L2, L3 and L6 were larger in males than in females ( P<0.05 or 0.01). The positive rate of "tibiofibular line" was 80.4% (45/56) in males compared to 74.1% (40/54) in females ( P>0.05), 77.2% (44/57) in the youth compared to 77.4% (41/53) in the middle-aged, and 78.0% (46/59) in the left ankle compared to 76.5% (39/51) in the right ankle (all P>0.05). Morphological classification of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis was crescent in 61 patients (55.5%), trapezoid in 14 (12.7%), I-shaped in 3 (2.7%), M-shaped in 17 (15.5%), V-shaped in 10 (9.1%), Г-shaped in 5 (4.5%). Conclusions:When L1, L2, L3 and L6 are used as references in the diagnosis of adult distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injury, gender factors rather than age or side factors should be considered. Males have wider distal tibiofibular space than females, with the fibula more forward. The "tibiofibular line" has a high positive rate and is not affected by gender, age or sides, providing a new idea for the diagnosis of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injury and anatomical reduction. There are many variations in the morphology of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis, so it is easy to be misdiagnosed as the separation of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis on X-ray, which should be noted.

Background: The systemic immune inflammation index (SII) is a reproducible biomarker of inflammatory process. Aims: To explore the predictive value of SII for severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). Methods: A total of 406 patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) from Jan. 2013 to Dec. 2020 at Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University were collected, and were divided into SAP group and non SAP group. ROC curve was drawn to evaluate the value of SII, NLR, PLR, CAR for predicting SAP. Results: Compared with non‑SAP group, SII, NLR, PLR, CAR were significantly increased in SAP group (P<0.05). When the best cut‑off value was 1 705.83, AUC of SII for predicting SAP was 0.754, the sensitivity was 75.47%, and the specificity was 69.12%. AUC of SII for predicting SAP was higher than that of PLR, CAR (Z=2.647, P=0.007; Z= 2.616, P=0.008), while no significant difference was found between SII and NLR (P>0.05). And no significant difference in AUC was found between PLR and CAR (P>0.05). Conclusions: SII is a good new hematological index that can be used to predict the severity of AP, its predictive ability is similar to NLR, better than PLR and CAR.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the intestine. In recent years, it has been found that m 6A methylation, as the most abundant mRNA modification in mammalian cells, is closely related to the occurrence and development of IBD. The key enzymes of m 6A (METTL3, METTL4, FTO, etc.) can not only regulate the changes of inflammation and immunity in IBD, but also have bidirectional feedback regulation with intestinal microenvironment. Therefore, this paper focuses on the research progress of m 6A RNA methylation modification in IBD in recent years, in order to deeply understand the pathogenesis of IBD from the epigenetic level, and provide a new direction for exploring targeted m 6A modification-related proteins to treat IBD in the future.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the intestine. In recent years, it has been found that m 6A methylation, as the most abundant mRNA modification in mammalian cells, is closely related to the occurrence and development of IBD. The key enzymes of m 6A (METTL3, METTL4, FTO, etc.) can not only regulate the changes of inflammation and immunity in IBD, but also have bidirectional feedback regulation with intestinal microenvironment. Therefore, this paper focuses on the research progress of m 6A RNA methylation modification in IBD in recent years, in order to deeply understand the pathogenesis of IBD from the epigenetic level, and provide a new direction for exploring targeted m 6A modification-related proteins to treat IBD in the future.

Left atrial dissection is a rare complication of mitral valve replacement surgery. Here, a case of left atrial dissection followed by mitral valvular obstruction was presented. It is suspected that the dissection was caused by trematodiases infection. Cardiac surgery was finally performed, which not only confirmed the diagnosis but also acted as an effective treatment. Especially, surgery is of essential value to confirm the perforation locating at the basal posterior wall of the left ventricle, to repair the atrial dissection, and to relieve the mitral valvular obstruction.