BACKGROUND: Valvular heart disease (VHD) has become increasingly common with the aging in China. This study aimed to evaluate regional differences in the clinical features, management strategies, and outcomes of patients with VHD across different regions in China. METHODS: Data were collected from the China-VHD Study. From April 2018 to June 2018, 12,347 patients who presented with moderate or severe native VHD with a median of 2 years of follow-up from 46 centers at certified tertiary hospitals across 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in Chinese mainland were included in this study. According to the locations of the research centers, patients were divided into five regional groups: eastern, southern, western, northern, and central China. The clinical features of VHD patients were compared among the five geographical regions. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality or rehospitalization for heart failure. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to compare the cumulative incidence rate. RESULTS: Among the enrolled patients (mean age, 61.96 years; 6877 [55.70%] male), multiple VHD was the most frequent type (4042, 32.74%), which was mainly found in eastern China, followed by isolated mitral regurgitation (3044, 24.65%), which was mainly found in northern China. The etiology of VHD varied significantly across different regions of China. The overall rate of valve interventions was 32.67% (4008/12,268), with the highest rate in southern China at 48.46% (205/423). In terms of procedure, the proportion of transcatheter valve intervention was relatively low compared to that of surgical treatment. Patients with VHD in western China had the highest incidence of all-cause mortality or rehospitalization for heart failure. Valve intervention significantly improved the outcome of patients with VHD in all five regions (all P  <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that patients with VHD in China are characterized by significant geographic disparities in clinical features, treatment, and clinical outcomes. Targeted efforts are needed to improve the management and prognosis of patients with VHD in China according to differences in geographical characteristics. REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT03484806.
Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; China/epidemiology* ; Heart Valve Diseases/therapy* ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVES: To create a mixed valvular heart disease (MVHD)-related age-adjusted comorbidity index (MVACI) model for predicting mortality risk of patients with MVHD. METHODS: A total of 4080 patients with moderate or severe MVHD in the China-VHD study were included. The primary endpoint was 2-year all-cause mortality. A MVACI model prediction model was constructed based on the mortality risk factors identified by univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis. Restricted cubic splines were used to assess the relationship between MVACI scores and 2-year all-cause mortality. The optimal threshold, determined by the maximum Youden index from receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, was used to stratify patients. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate 2-year all-cause mortality and compared using the Log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were employed to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), evaluating the association between MVACI scores and mortality. Paired ROC curves were used to compare the discriminative ability of MVACI scores with the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation Ⅱ(EuroSCORE Ⅱ) or the age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (ACCI) in predicting 2-year clinical outcomes, while calibration curves assessed the calibration of these models. Internal validation was performed using the Bootstrap method. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on etiology, treatment strategies, and disease severity. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis identified the following variables independently associated with 2-year all-cause mortality in patients: pulmonary hypertension, myocardiopathy, heart failure, low body weight (body mass index <18.5 kg/m²), anaemia, hypoalbuminemia, renal insufficiency, cancer, New York Heart Association (NYHA) class and age. The score was independently associated with the risk of all-cause mortality, and exhibited good discrimination (AUC=0.777, 95%CI: 0.755-0.799) and calibration (Brier score 0.062), with significantly better predictive performance than EuroSCORE Ⅱ or ACCI (both adjusted P<0.01). The internal validation showed that the MVACI model's predicted probability of 2-year all-cause mortality was generally consistent with the actual probability. The AUCs for predicting all-cause mortality risk were all above 0.750, and those for predicting adverse events were all above 0.630. The prognostic value of the score remained consistent in patients regardless of their etiology, therapeutic option, and disease severity. CONCLUSIONS The MVACI was constructed in this study based on age and comorbidities, and can be used for mortality risk prediction and risk stratification of MVHD patients. It is a simple algorithmic index and easy to use.
Humans ; Prognosis ; Comorbidity ; Heart Valve Diseases/epidemiology* ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Risk Factors ; China/epidemiology* ; Age Factors ; Risk Assessment ; Adult ; ROC Curve

Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury following skin flap transplantation is a critical factor leading to flap necrosis and transplant failure. Antagonizing inflammatory responses and oxidative stress are regarded as crucial targets for mitigating reperfusion injury and enhancing flap survival. In this study, caffeic acid-vanadium metal polyphenol nanoparticles (CA-V NPs) were prepared for the treatment of skin flap ischemia and reperfusion. This study was conducted using a one-step method to prepare new types of CA-V NPs with uniform sizes and stable structures. In vitro, the CA-V NPs exhibited CAT-like and SOD-like activities and could effectively scavenge ROS, generate oxygen, and alleviate oxidative stress. In the H₂O₂-induced cellular oxidative stress model, CA-V NPs effectively reduced ROS levels and inhibited apoptosis through the XIAP/Caspase-3 pathway. In the cellular inflammation model induced by LPS combined with IFN-γ, CA-V NPs reprogrammed macrophage polarization toward the M2 phenotype and reduced inflammatory responses by reducing the expression of the chemokines CCL4 and CXCL2. In addition, animal experiments have shown that CA-V NPs can alleviate oxidative stress in skin flap tissues, inhibit apoptosis, promote angiogenesis, and ultimately improve the survival rate of skin flaps. CA-V NPs provide a new target and strategy for the treatment of flap I/R injury.

Objective Exploring the relationship between changes in serum Golgi apparatus transmem-brane glycoprotein 73(GP73)and chitosanase 3-like protein 1(CHI3L1)levels and liver fibrosis and lesion sever-ity in patients with hepatitis B(CHB).Methods Using a case-control study,80 patients diagnosed with CHB infection and developing liver fibrosis in the Infectious Disease Department of Changsha First Hospital from June 2020 to June 2023 were selected as the liver fibrosis group,while 120 patients diagnosed with CHB infection but not developing liver fibrosis in the Infectious Disease Department of our hospital were selected as the control group.The serum GP3,CHI3L1,liver function,and fibrosis indicators of the two groups of patients were compared,and the liver fibrosis group was divided into mild according to Scheuer system standards Perform stratified analysis on patients with significant liver fibrosis.Results The serum GP3 and CHI3L1 levels in the liver fibrosis group were significantly higher than those in the control group,with statistical significance(P＜0.05);The ROC curves were plotted using serum GP3,CHI3L1,and GP3+CHI3L1,respectively.The sensitivity for diagnosing liver fibrosis in CHB patients was 62.81%,60.94%,and 96.33%,with specificity of 80.66%,80.05%,and 75.30%.The AUC values under the curves were 0.792,0.756,and 0.908,respectively;The levels of ALT,AST,HA,LN,PC III NP,C IV,and CG in the liver fibrosis group were higher than those in the control group,and the PLT measurement values were lower than those in the control group,with statistical significance(P＜0.05);49 patients with moderate to severe liver fibrosis(33 in S2 phase and 16 in S3 phase)and 31 patients with mild liver fibrosis(all in S1 phase)had significantly higher serum GP3 and CHI3L1 levels than mild patients,with statistical significance(P＜0.05);The levels of DBIL,ALT,AST,HA,LN,PC III NP,C IV,and CG in patients with moderate to severe liver fibrosis were higher than those in the mild group,and the PLT measurement values were lower than those in the mild group,with statistical significance(P＜0.05).Conclusion The serum GP3 and CHI3L1 levels in CHB patients with liver fibrosis are significantly elevated,and there is a certain correlation with the degree of liver fibro-sis.The combination of these two indicators is beneficial for diagnosing liver fibrosis in CHB patients.

Bacterial biofilms(BF)are complex microbial communities formed by bacteria on living or abiotic surfaces.Their formation significantly enhances bacterial virulence and drug resistance and is associated with a high proportion of chronic bacterial infections,posing a serious threat to human health.The ability of traditional antibiotics and commonly used disinfectants to clear biofilms is limited,and an effective new strategy to treat BF is urgently needed.Bacteriophage,as a kind of virus that can infect and lyse bacteria,has high safety and specificity,and is considered as a promising alternative method for the treatment of BF.In this paper,the mechanism of bacteriophage anti-bacterial biofilm and the application strategies based on bacteriophage and its derivatives in the prevention and control of bacteriophage biofilm formation were reviewed,which provided new ideas for the development of efficient bacteriophage anti-bacterial biofilm methods.

Objective To establish a Nomogram model for assessing the risk of intestinal colonization by Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae(CRKP)to determine the specific probability of colonization and adopt individualized prevention strategies for the purpose of reducing the occurrence of colonization and secondary infection of neonatal CRKP.Methods A total of 187 neonates hospitalized between January 2021 and October 2022 and diagnosed with CRKP colonization by rectal swab/fecal culture as well drug sensitivity identification 48 h after admission were assigned to the CRKP group.Another 187 neonates without non-CRKP colonization during the same period were set as the non-CRKP group.All the data of the two groups were used for a retrospective analysis.The caret package in R 4.2.1 was used to randomly divide the 374 cases into the model group and validation group at a ratio of 3∶1.Then the glmnet package in R 4.2.1 was used to conduct a LASSO regression analysis over the data from the model group to determine the predictive factors for modeling and the rms software package was used to build a Nomogram model.The pROC and rms packages in R 4.2.1 were used to examine the data,analyzing the consistency indexes(Cindex),receiver operating characteristic curves(ROC),and area under the curves(AUC)and performing the internal and external validation of the efficacy of the Nomogram model via the calibration curves.Results LASSO regression analysis determined eight predictors from the 35 factors probably affecting neonatal CRKP colonization:gender,cesarean section,breastfeeding,nasogastric tube,enema,carbapenems,probiotics,and hospital stay.The Nomogram model constructed using these eight predictors as variables could predict CRKP colonization to a moderate extent,with the area under the ROC curve of 0.835 and 0.800 in the model and validation group,respectively.The Hos-mer-Lemeshow test showed that the predicted probability was highly consistent with the actual probability(the modeling group:P = 0.678>0.05;the validation group:P = 0.208>0.05),presenting a higher degree of fitting.Conclusion The Nomogram model containing such variables as gender,cesarean section,breastfeeding,nasogastric tube,enema,carbapenems,probiotics,and hospital stay is more effective in predicting the risk of neonatal CRKP colonization.Therefore,preventive measures should be individualized based on the colonization probability predicted by the Nomogram model in order to keep neonates from CRKP colonization and reduce the incidence of secondary CRKP infections among them.

Objective To establish a noninvasive diagnostic model for liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B(CHB)patients with normal alanine aminotransferase(ALT)and an age of≤30 years by selecting specific indicators from the commonly used noninvasive indicators such as clinical,biochemical,and imaging indicators,to avoid invasive liver biopsy in such patients to some extent,and to guide the timing of antiviral therapy.Methods A total of 251 CHB patients with normal ALT and an age of≤30 years who underwent liver biopsy in Shenzhen Third People's Hospital and The First Hospital of Changsha from January 2019 to January 2022 were enrolled,with 175 patients in the model group and 76 patients in the validation group,and commonly used clinical indicators were obtained based on clinical experience and related articles.The two-independent-samples t test or the two-independent-samples Mann-Whitney U rank sum test was used for comparison of continuous data between groups,and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups.A Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between each indicator and liver fibrosis and identify the indicators with correlation(P<0.01,r>0.200);a Logistic regression analysis was used to establish a noninvasive diagnostic model,and the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate its performance and perform validation of the model;this model was then compared with the widely used models of aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index(APRI)and fibrosis-4(FIB-4).The Kappa consistency test was used to investigate the consistency of pathological results.Results A total of 17 commonly used clinical indicators were obtained,among which 9 indicators(ALT,aspartate aminotransferase[AST],gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase[GGT],ferritin[FERR],platelet count[PLT],procollagen type Ⅲ amino-terminal peptide[PⅢP],collagen Ⅳ[CⅣ],HBV DNA,and spleen thickness)were correlated with liver fibrosis(P<0.01,r>0.232).Based on the above indicators,the predictive model was established as P=1/(1+e-γ),γ=-1.902+0.106×AST-0.011×PLT-0.265×HBV DNA+0.059×PⅢP,in which P was the probability for predicting≥S2 liver fibrosis and γ was the predictive index.The comparison between each indicator and the model showed that the model had the largest area under the ROC curve of 0.852,with a sensitivity of 92.7%and a specificity of 76.9%.The model was validated in 76 patients and showed an accuracy of 77.600%.The model was compared with APRI and FIB-4,and the results showed that the model has good accuracy.Conclusion Compared with the models of APRI and FIB-4 commonly used in the world,this model can more accurately judge the degree of liver fibrosis in such patients,thereby replacing liver biopsy to some extent and guiding the timing of antiviral therapy.

Objective:To evaluate the anesthetic effect of remazolam when combined with sufentanil in elderly patients with liver cirrhosis and esophageal and gastric varices undergoing endoscopic sclerotherapy.Methods:A total of 150 cirrhotic patients with liver cirrhosis and esophageal and gastric varices, regardless of gender, aged 65-80 yr, with body mass index of 18-24 kg/m 2, of American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification Ⅱor Ⅲ, who underwent endoscopic sclerotherapy under non-intubated general anesthesia from March 2022 to September 2023 in our hospital, were selected and divided into 2 groups ( n=75 each) by a random number table method: sufentanil plus propofol group (PS group) and sufentanil plus remazolam group (RS group). Anesthesia was induced with intravenous propofol 1-2 mg/kg and sufentanil 0.1 μg/kg and maintained by intravenous infusion of propofol 4-10 mg·kg -1·h -1 in PS group. Anesthesia was induced with intravenous remimazolam 0.1-0.2 mg/kg and sufentanil 0.1 μg/kg and was maintained with intravenous infusion of remimazolam 0.5-2.0 mg·kg -1·h -1 in RS group. BIS values were maintained between 40 and 60 during operation in both groups. Endoscopy was placed when the patients lost consciousness (modified observer′s assessment of alertness/sedation score ≤1). Sclerosing agent laurosinol injection was injected into esophageal submucosal varices in both groups. The time to loss of consciousness and recovery of consciousness, intraoperative body movement and cardiovascular events, and postoperative hypoxemia and nausea and vomiting were recorded. The operator-patient satisfaction was assessed by the visual analogue scale. Results:Compared with PS group, no significant changes were found in the incidence of intraoperative bradycardia, time to loss of consciousness and time to recovery of consciousness( P>0.05), the incidence of intraoperative hypotension was significantly decreased, the incidence of postoperative hypoxemia and nausea and vomiting was decreased, and the satisfaction scores for operators and patients were increased in RS group ( P<0.05). No obvious body movement was found in the two groups. Conclusions:Sufentanil combined with remifentanil provides better anesthetic effect than sufentanil combined with propofol in elderly patients with esophageal and gastric varices undergoing endoscopic sclerotherapy.

Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; COVID-19

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common serious complication after acute ischemic stroke (AIS), which is associated with an increased mortality and disability. However, the clinical prevalence is often underestimated or overlooked. This article reviews the pathogenesis, risk factors, predictive factors, and predictive models of AKI in patients with AIS, in order to provide a basis for early clinical identification and diagnosis of AKI in patients with AIS.