Objective To comprehensively analyze the clinical outcomes of total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) in the treatment of functional single ventricle combined with heterotaxy syndrome (HS). Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the patients with functional single ventricle and HS who underwent TCPC (a HS group) in Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital between 2004 and 2021. The analysis focused on postoperative complications, long-term survival rates, and identifying factors associated with patient survival. Early and late postoperative outcomes were compared with matched non-HS patients (a non-HS group). Results Before propensity score matching, 55 patients were collected in the HS group, including 42 males and 13 females, with a median age of 6.0 (4.2, 11.8) years and a median weight of 17.0 (14.2, 28.8) kg. Among the patients, there were 53 patients of right atrial isomerism and 2 patients of left atrial isomerism. Eight patients underwent TCPC in one stage. TCPC procedures included extracardiac conduit (n=39), intracardiac-extracardiac conduit (n=14), and direct cavopulmonary connection (n=2). Postoperative complications included infections in 27 patients, liver function damage in 19 patients, and acute kidney injury in 11 patients. There were 5 early deaths. The median follow-up time was 94.7 (64.3, 129.8) months. The 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year survival rates were 87.2%, 85.3%, and 74.3%, respectively. After propensity score matching, there were 45 patients in the HS group and 81 patients in the non-HS group. Compared to the non-HS group, those with HS had longer surgical and mechanical ventilation time, higher infection rates (P<0.05), and a 12.9% lower 10-year survival rate. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified asplenia was a risk factor for mortality (HR=8.98, 95%CI 1.86-43.34, P=0.006). Conclusion Compared to non-HS patients, patients with HS have lower survival rates after TCPC, and asplenia is an independent risk factor for the survival of these patients.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of Echinococcus infections in small rodents around human residential areas in Yushu City, Qinghai Province in 2023, so as to provide insights into precision echinococcosis control. Methods One or two quadrats, each measuring 50 m × 50 m, were randomly assigned in Shanglaxiu Township and Longbao Township, Yushu City, Qinghai Province on June 2023, respectively, and 300 plate-type mouse traps, each measuring 12.0 cm × 6.5 cm, were assigned in each quadrat. Small rodents were captured during the period between 10 : 00 and 18 : 00 each day for 4 days. Then, all captured small rodents were identified and dissected, and liver specimens with suspected Echinococcus infections were subjected to pathological examinations. The Echinococcus cytochrome c oxidase 1 (cox1) gene was amplified using PCR assay, and the sequence of the amplified product was aligned to that was recorded in the GenBank to characterize the parasite species. In addition, a phylogenetic tree of Echinococcus was generated based on the cox1 gene sequence using the neighbor-joining method. Results A total of 236 small rodents were captured in Shanglaxiu and Longbao townships, Yushu City, including 65 Qinghai voles and 51 plateau pikas in Shanglaxiu Township, and 62 Qinghai voles and 58 plateau pikas in Longbao Township, and there was no significant difference in the constituent ratio of small rodents between the two townships (χ² = 0.294, P > 0.05). Seven plateau pikas and 12 Qinghai voles were suspected to be infected with Echinococcus by dissection, and pathological examinations showed unclear structure of hepatic lobules and disordered hepatocyte arrangement in livers of small rodents suspected of Echinococcus infections. PCR assay identified E. shiquicus DNA in 7 Qinghai voles, which were all captured from Shanglaxiu Township. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the cox1 gene sequence of Echinococcus in small rodents was highly homologous to the E. shiquicus cox1 gene sequence reported previously. Conclusion Plateau pika and Qinghai vole were predominant small rodents around human residential areas in Yushu City, Qinghai Province in 2023, and E. shiquicus infection was detected in Qinghai voles.

Objective To evaluate early outcomes of transthoracic pulmonary valve implantation for the treatment of moderate and severe pulmonary regurgitation by using homemade self-expanding valve (SalusTM). Methods Patients with severe pulmonary regurgitation who underwent transthoracic pulmonary valve implantation in Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital from September 2, 2021 to November 25, 2022 were prospectively enrolled. The early postoperative complications and improvement of valve and heart function were summarized and analyzed. Results A total of 25 patients were enrolled, including 16 males and 9 females, with an average age of 24.5±1.5 years and an average weight of 57.0±3.0 kg. The mean systolic diameters of the bifurcation near the main pulmonary artery, the stenosis of the middle segment of the aorta and near the valve of the right ventricular outflow tract of the patients were 31.8±7.4 mm, 30.6±5.9 mm and 38.4±8.0 mm, respectively. All patients were successfully implanted with valves, and there were no serious complications such as death, coronary compression, stent fracture, valve displacement and infective endocarditis in the early postoperative period. The indexed left atrial longitudinal diameter, indexed right atrial longitudinal diameter, and indexed right ventricular outflow tract anteroposterior diameter decreased significantly after the operation. The degree of tricuspid and pulmonary valve regurgitation and the indexed regurgitation area decreased significantly. The above differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion The early outcomes of transthoracic pulmonary valve implantation with homemade self-expanding pulmonary valve (SalusTM) in the treatment of severe pulmonary regurgitation is relatively good, and the long-term outcomes need to be verified by the long-term follow-up studies with large samples.

Objective To analyze and summarize the early and medium-term outcomes of self-expanding interventional pulmonary valve stent (SalusTM) for right ventricular outflow tract dysfunction with severe pulmonary valve regurgitation. Methods We established strict enrollment and follow-up criteria. Patients who received interventional pulmonary valve in transthoracic implantation in Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital from September 2, 2021 to July 18, 2023 were prospectively included, and all clinical data of patients were collected and analyzed. Results A total of 38 patients with severe pulmonary regurgitation were included, with 23 (60.5%) males and 15 (39.5%) females. The mean age was 24.08±8.12 years, and the mean weight was 57.66±13.54 kg. The preoperative mean right ventricular end-diastolic volume index (RVEDVI) and right ventricular end-systolic volume index (RVESVI) were 151.83±42.84 mL/m2 and 83.34±33.05 mL/m2, respectively. All patients successfully underwent transcatheter self-expandable pulmonary valve implantation, with 3 (7.9%) patients experiencing valve stent displacement during the procedure. Perioperative complications included 1 (2.6%) patient of postoperative inferior wall myocardial infarction and 1 (2.6%) patient of poor wound healing. The median follow-up time was 12.00 (6.00, 17.50) months. During the follow-up period, there were no deaths or reinterventions, and no patients had recurrent severe pulmonary regurgitation. Three (7.9%) patients experienced chest tightness and chest pain, and 1 (2.6%) patient developed frequent ventricular premature beats. Compared with preoperative values, the right atrial diameter, right ventricular diameter, and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion were significantly reduced at 6 months and 1 year postoperatively, with improvement in the degree of pulmonary regurgitation (P<0.01). Compared with preoperative values, RVEDVI and RVESVI decreased to 109.51±17.13 mL/m2 and 55.88±15.66 mL/m2, respectively, at 1 year postoperatively (P<0.01). Conclusion 　Self-expanding interventional pulmonary valve in transthoracic implantation is safe and effective for severe pulmonary valve regurgitation and shows good clinical and hemodynamic results in one-year outcome.

Objective To study the application value of pneumonia severity index high-risk score (PSI-HR) in high risk patients and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in the condition evaluation of the pa-tients with respiratory tract infection in ICU.Methods The clinical data of the patients with lower respiratory tract infection hospitalized in the department of intensive care medicine of this hospital from January 2020 to July 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.According to the ICU outcomes,the patients were divided into the im-provement group (n=77) and the poor prognosis group (n=25),and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to analyze the evaluation value of PSI-HR score combined with NLR,NLR,PSI-HR score,PSI-HR grade and PSI grade in the prognosis of the patients with lower respiratory tract infection. Results The case fatality rates of the patients with different grades of PSI were 40.00％ (16/40) for the grade 5,18.75％ (6/32) for the grade 4,22.22％ (2/9) for the grade 3 and 4.76％ (1/21) for the grade 2,re-spectively.There was no significant correlation between different PSI grades and case fatality rate (r=0.911,P=0.089).The case fatality rates of different grades of PSI-HR were 75.00％ (3/4) for the grade 6,46.67％ (7/15) for the grade 5,28.57％ (6/21) for the grade 4,17.24％ (5/29) for the grade 3,and 12.12％ (4/33) for the grade 2,respectively,and the PSI-HR grade was positively correlated with the case fatality rate of the patients (r=0.955,P=0.011).The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of predicting the prognosis of the pa-tients with lower respiratory tract infection from great to small was 0.828(95％CI:0.717-0.938,P<0.05) for PSI-HR score combined with NLR,0.754 (95％CI:0.637-0.871,P<0.05) for NLR,0.744 (95％CI:0.636-0.852,P<0.05) for PSI-HR score,and 0.706 (95％CI:0.584-0.829,P<0.05) for PSI-HR grade and 0.695 (AUC=0.695,95％CI:0.582-0.807,P<0.05) for PSI grade.Conclusion The PSI-HR grade has good correlation with the case fatality rate of the patients with lower respiratory tract infection.The effi-ciency of PSI-HR grade combined with NLR for predicting the prognosis in the patients with lower respiratory tract infection in ICU is better than that of single index.

Objective To investigate the expression of Acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4(ACSL4)in liver cancer and its role in regulating ferroptosis and proliferation of liver cancer cells.Methods Clinical samples of liver cancer and adjacent normal liver tissues were examined for malondialdehyde(MDA)contents and for expressions of mRNA and protein expressions of ACSL4 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA)using RT-qPCR and Western blotting.Human liver cancer Huh-7 cells were treated with Erastin(a ferroptosis inducer),Fer-1(a ferroptosis inhibitor),or both,and the changes in expression levels of MDA,ACSL4 and PCNA were detected,and the cell proliferation was assessed with plate cloning assay.Results MDA contents were lower and ACSL4 and PCNA expressions were higher significantly in liver cancer tissues than in adjacent liver tissues.In Huh-7 cells,Erastin treatment significantly inhibited mRNA and protein expressions of ACSL4 and PCNA,suppressed cell proliferation,and increased MDA contents.Fer-1 alone did not produce significant effect on cell viability but reversed the effect of Erastin on ACSL4 and PCNA expressions,cell proliferation and MDA contents.Conclusion ACSL4 level is significantly overexpressed in liver cancer.Erastin increases MDA contents and down-regulates ACSL4 expression,thereby promoting ferroptosis and inhibiting proliferation of liver cancer cells,and these effects can be reversed by Fer-1.

Objective To investigate the expression of Acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4(ACSL4)in liver cancer and its role in regulating ferroptosis and proliferation of liver cancer cells.Methods Clinical samples of liver cancer and adjacent normal liver tissues were examined for malondialdehyde(MDA)contents and for expressions of mRNA and protein expressions of ACSL4 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA)using RT-qPCR and Western blotting.Human liver cancer Huh-7 cells were treated with Erastin(a ferroptosis inducer),Fer-1(a ferroptosis inhibitor),or both,and the changes in expression levels of MDA,ACSL4 and PCNA were detected,and the cell proliferation was assessed with plate cloning assay.Results MDA contents were lower and ACSL4 and PCNA expressions were higher significantly in liver cancer tissues than in adjacent liver tissues.In Huh-7 cells,Erastin treatment significantly inhibited mRNA and protein expressions of ACSL4 and PCNA,suppressed cell proliferation,and increased MDA contents.Fer-1 alone did not produce significant effect on cell viability but reversed the effect of Erastin on ACSL4 and PCNA expressions,cell proliferation and MDA contents.Conclusion ACSL4 level is significantly overexpressed in liver cancer.Erastin increases MDA contents and down-regulates ACSL4 expression,thereby promoting ferroptosis and inhibiting proliferation of liver cancer cells,and these effects can be reversed by Fer-1.

Objective    To analyze the effects of cardiovascular surgery on Williams syndrome (WS). Methods    The clinical data of 68 WS patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery in the Department of Cardiac Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital from January 2010 to January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 48 males and 20 females with a median age of 2.8 years ranging from 3 months to 33 years. Except one patient undergoing the coarctation repair, the rest 67 patients underwent surgical interventions to correct supravalvular aortic stenosis (SAVS) and pulmonary artery stenosis with hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass, concommitant with 3 patients of relief of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, 2 patients of relief of right ventricular outflow tract obstruction, 2 patients of mitral valvuloplasty, 3 patients of ventricular septal defect repair and 1 patient of arterial catheter ligation. Results    Two (2.9%) patients died of sudden cardiac arrest on the next day after surgery. One (1.5%) patient died of cardiac insufficiency due to severe aortic arch stenosis 3 years after surgery. The effect of SAVS was satisfactory. Two (2.9%) patients progressed to moderate aortic valvular regurgitation during postoperative follow-up. A total of 5 (7.4%) patients were re-intervened after operation for arch stenosis or pulmonary stenosis. Conclusion    WS patients should be diagnosed early, followed up and  assessed for cardiovascular system diseases, and timely surgical treatment has a good clinical effect.

Objective:To evaluate the association between the use of emergency medical services (EMS) and the severity of disease among patients admitted to the emergency room, to analyze the characteristics of the patients, and to build prediction model providing evidence-based use of EMS resources.Methods:The data of patients admitted to the Emergency Room of the First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China from January 2020 to July 2021 were extracted from the Chinese Emergency Triage Assessment and Treatment (CETAT) database. Patients were divided into the EMS use group (AB+ group) and self-seeing group (AB-group) according to whether they used EMS. The patients’ general condition, vital signs and laboratory tests results were recorded. The severity of patients’ condition was judged based on whether the patient was admitted to the department of critical medicine, specialized care unit, emergency operation and/or emergency percutaneous intervention. A 9-variable model that did not require laboratory inspection and 22-variable model that required laboratory inspection were established to correct the propensity score to analyze the correlation between the severity of disease and the EMS use. In the subgroup analysis, the correlation between the EMS use and severity of the patients was analyzed according to the reason of the patient’s visit.Results:During the study period, 16 489 patients were admitted to the emergency room, and 6975 patients were finally enrolled in this study. There were 2768 patients (39.7%) in the AB+ group and 4207 patients (60.3%) in the AB-group. In the AB+ group 522 patients (18.9%) were in high risk, and in the AB-group 563 patients (13.4%) were in high risk. Compared with the AB-group, patients in the AB+ group were older and had a higher proportion of coma, a faster autonomic heart rate, and a lower diastolic blood pressure and peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO 2). In the 9-variable model, sex, consciousness, temperature, heart rate and diastolic blood pressure were associated with the EMS use. In the 22-variable model, consciousness, SpO 2, neutrophils, and albumin were the relevant factors for patients using EMS. Before the correction of propensity score, the EMS use was an independent risk factor for critically ill patients ( OR=1.5, 95% CI 1.32-1.72, P<0.001). After adjusted using 9-variable propensity score, the EMS use ratio decreased significantly compared with that without correction ( OR=1.24,95% CI 1.08-1.42, P<0.001). Interestingly, after adjusted with propensity score match with 22-variable model, there was no association between the severity of disease and t the EMS use ( OR=1.10,95% CI 0.95-1.28, P=0.195). In subgroup analysis, patients’ chief complaint of central nervous system, cardiovascular system, and trauma were the top three reasons at admission. Before the propensity score correction, the EMS calling patients with chief complaint of central nervous system, digestive system, and trauma were related to the severity of the patients. After adjusted with 9-variable model the EMS use was associated with the severity of the disease only in trauma patients, and after adjusted with 22-variable model there was no statistical difference considering the severity of the disease in all subgroups. Conclusions:The EMS use is common. However, the association of the EMS use with the severity of disease is decreased with variable models using propensity score. These findings indicate that the EMS use should be based on multivariable models, which may be important in detecting critically ill patients, optimizing the EMS use, and avoiding unnecessary call in the future.

Objective:To investigate the different outcomes of two types of acute kidney injury (AKI) according to standard of Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes-AKI (KDIGO-AKI), and to analyze the risk factors that affect the prognosis of intensive care unit (ICU) patients in China.Methods:A secondary analysis was performed on the database of a previous study conducted by China Critical Care Clinical Trial Group (CCCCTG), which was a multicenter prospective study involving 3 063 patients in 22 tertiary ICUs in 19 provinces and autonomous regions of China. The demographic data, scores reflecting severity of illness, laboratory findings, intervention during ICU stay were extracted. All patients were divided into pure AKI (PAKI) and acute on chronic kidney disease (AoCKD). PAKI was defined as meeting the serum creatinine (SCr) standard of KDIGO-AKI (KDIGO-AKI SCr) and the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at baseline was ≥ 60 mL·min -1·1.73 m -2, and AoCKD was defined as meeting the KDIGO-AKI SCr standard and baseline eGFR was 15-59 mL·min -1·1.73 m -2. All-cause mortality in ICU within 28 days was the primary outcome, while the length of ICU stay and renal replacement therapy (RRT) were the secondary outcome. The differences in baseline data and outcomes between the two groups were compared. The cumulative survival rate of ICU within 28 days was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier survival curve, and the risk factors of ICU death within 28 days were screened by Cox multivariate analysis. Results:Of the 3 063 patients, 1 042 were enrolled, 345 with AKI, 697 without AKI. The AKI incidence was 33.11%, while ICU mortality within 28 days of AKI patients was 13.91% (48/345). Compared with PAKI patients ( n = 322), AoCKD patients ( n = 23) were older [years old: 74 (59, 77) vs. 58 (41, 72)] and more critical when entering ICU [acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHEⅡ) score: 23 (19, 27) vs. 15 (11, 22)], had worse basic renal function [eGFR (mL·min -1·1.73 m -2): 49 (38, 54) vs. 115 (94, 136)], more basic complications [Charlson comorbidity index (CCI): 3 (2, 4) vs. 0 (0, 1)] and higher SCr during ICU stay [peak SCr for diagnosis of AKI (μmol/L): 412 (280, 515) vs. 176 (124, 340), all P < 0.01]. The mortality and RRT incidence within 28 days in ICU of AoCKD patients were significantly higher than those of PAKI patients [39.13% (9/23) vs. 12.11% (39/322), 26.09% (6/23) vs. 4.04% (13/322), both P < 0.01], while no significant difference was found in the length of ICU stay. Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed that the 28-day cumulative survival rate in ICU in AoCKD patients was significantly lower than PAKI patients (Log-Rank: χ2 = 5.939, P = 0.015). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that admission to ICU due to respiratory failure [hazard ratio ( HR) = 4.458, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 1.141-17.413, P = 0.032], vasoactive agents treatment in ICU ( HR = 5.181, 95% CI was 2.033-13.199, P = 0.001), and AoCKD ( HR = 5.377, 95% CI was 1.303-22.186, P = 0.020) were independent risk factors for ICU death within 28 days. Conclusion:Further detailed classification (PAKI, AoCKD) based on KDIGO-AKI SCr standard combined with eGFR is related to ICU mortality in critical patients within 28 days.