Objective To analyze the clinical efficacy of valve surgeries for infective endocarditis and the affecting factors, and compare the early- and long-term postoperative outcomes of different surgery approaches. Methods The patients with infective endocarditis who underwent valve replacement/valvuloplasty in our hospital from 2010 to 2022 were retrospectively collected. The clinical data of the patients were analyzed. Results A total of 343 patients were enrolled, including 197 patients with mechanical valve replacement, 62 patients with bioprosthetic valve replacement, and 84 patients with valvuloplasty. There were 238 males and 105 females with an average age of (44.2±14.8) years. Single-valve endocarditis was present in 200 (58.3%) patients, and multivalve involvement was present in 143 (41.7%) patients. Sixty (17.5%) patients had suffered thrombosis before surgery, including cerebral embolisms in 32 patients. The mean follow-up time was (60.6±43.8) months. Early mortality within one month after the surgery occurred in 17 (5.0%) patients, while later mortality occurred in 19 (5.5%) patients. Eight (2.3%) patients underwent postoperative dialysis, 13 (3.8%) patients suffered postoperative stroke, 6 patients underwent reoperation, and 3 patients suffered recurrence of infective endocarditis. Smoking (P=0.002), preoperative embolisms (P=0.001), duration of surgery (P=0.001), and postoperative dialysis (P=0.001) were risk factors for early mortality, and left ventricular ejection fraction ≥60% (P=0.022) was protective factor for early mortality. New York Heart Association classification Ⅲ-Ⅳ (P=0.010) and ≥3 valve procedures (P=0.028) were risk factors for late mortality. The rate of composite endpoint events was significantly lower in the valvuloplasty group than that in the valve replacement group. Conclusion For patients with infective endocarditis, smoking and preoperative embolisms are associated with high postoperative mortality, multiple-valve surgery is associated with a poorer prognosis, and valvuloplasty has advantages over valve replacement and should be attempted in the surgical management of patients with infective endocarditis.

Invasive fungal infections play an important factor threatening human health.In recent years, the number of the susceptible population of invasive fungal infections has increased rapidly, leading to a significant increase in the disease burden of human fungi.In 2022, the World Health Organization released a list of key fungal pathogens, aiming to promote global research and investment in fungal infection and antifungal resistance.At present, antifungal drugs are preferred for anti-fungal infection treatment, although the efficacy is limited by the adverse events and drug resistance.Improving the damaged host immune response is a reasonable way to improve the effectiveness of antifungal drugs.This article briefly described the epidemiology of fungal infections, summarized how hosts mediate the clearance of fungi by initiating innate and adaptive immune responses, and discussed the prospects and clinical evidence supporting immunomodulatory therapy for invasive fungal infections.

Background/Aims: Metabolic syndrome is common in patients with acute pancreatitis and its components have been reported to be associated with infectious complications. In this post hoc analysis, we aimed to evaluate whether metabolic abnormalities impact the effect of immuneenhancing thymosin alpha-1 (Tα1) therapy in acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP) patients. Methods: All data were obtained from the database for a multicenter randomized clinical trial that evaluated the efficacy of Tα1 in ANP patients. Patients who discontinued the Tα1 treatment prematurely were excluded. The primary outcome was 90-day infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) after randomization. Three post hoc subgroups were defined based on the presence of hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, or both at the time of randomization. In each subgroup, the correlation between Tα1 and 90-day IPN was assessed using the Cox proportional-hazards regression model. Multivariable propensity-score methods were used to control potential bias. Results: Overall, 502 participants were included in this post hoc analysis (248 received Tα1 treatment and 254 received matching placebo treatment). Among them, 271 (54.0%) had hyperglycemia, 371 (73.9%) had hypertriglyceridemia and 229 (45.6%) had both. Tα1 therapy was associated with reduced incidence of IPN among patients with hyperglycemia (18.8% vs 29.7%: hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.37 to 0.97; p=0.03), but not in the other subgroups. Additional multivariate regression models using three propensity-score methods yielded similar results. Conclusions Among ANP patients with hyperglycemia, immune-enhancing Tα1 treatment was associated with a reduced risk of IPN (ClinicalTrials.gov, Registry number: NCT02473406).

Objective To screen for malignant tumors and high-risk factors in rural residents over 60 years old， so as to prevent and control the occurrence and development of tumors in the future. Methods The survey was conducted with reference to part of the questionnaire in the "Urban Cancer Early Diagnosis and Treatment Project and Evaluation of High-risk Populations". Clinical examinations included serum tumor marker detection， CT screening for lung cancer， occult blood （+） plus colonoscopy screening for colorectal cancer， and mammography screening. Individuals who were positive in the abovementioned clinical tests were defined as high-risk subjects. Results A total of 271 high-risk subjects （1.91%） were screened out of 14 161. Among the high-risk subjects， 71 cases of malignant tumors （26.19%） were found， with an incidence rate of 501.38 per 10⁵. The top five tumors （63.38% of all diagnosed） were mainly concentrated in lung， upper digestive tract， blood system， urinary system， and rectum-colon. The proportion of malignant tumors detected by positive indicators was 61.54% of blood； 46.15% of carcinoembryonic antigen and carbohydrate antigen 125； 23.08% of alpha-fetoprotein； 16.66% of lung CT； and 3.09% of prostate PSA. The positive indicators in the high-risk subjects were mainly for the tumors in the prostate， lungs， liver， and CEA/CA125. The subjects with positive test indicators had lower average annual income in the last 5 years than the normal subject group （χ²=3.380， P=0.040）. The subjects with positive test indicators had higher proportion in family history of tumors than the normal group （χ²=2.596， P=0.046）. People in thehigh-risk group had a higher proportion than the normal group in suffering from hypertension， liver disease， gastrointestinal disease， respiratory system disease， and surgical treatment. Patients with high-risk tumors were found to have higher proportion than the normal group in showing pre-tumor clinical symptoms in the last 1 year. Study of the tumor-related risk factors found that the high-risk group had a higher proportion of high-fat/high-cholesterol diet， alcohol drinking， passive smoking， and personality depression. Conclusion High tumor risk factors have been identified in this population. It is necessary to strengthen the corresponding intervention and follow-up treatment of precancerous diseases in the future. We recommend the government to conduct tumor screening among high-risk groups to improve cost-effectiveness.

Objective To investigate visual impairment students' quality of life and its influencing factors in Braille learning class at Quanzhou Special School. Methods November, 2020, 52 students (aged seven to 26) with the best corrected distance visual acuity of the better eye above 0.02 were investigated with near visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and Chinese-version Low Vision Quality of Life Questionnaire (CLVQOL). The subjects were divided into second grade blindness group, first grade low vision group and second grade low vision group according to the best corrected distance visual acuity of the better eye. Results There were significant differences in distance visual acuity (Z = 45.671, P < 0.001), near visual acuity (Z = 24.972, P < 0.001), and contrast sensitivity (CS) ( Z = 13.285, P = 0.001) among three groups. There was a correlation between near visual acuity and distance visual acuity (r = 0.74, P < 0.001), CS to distance visual acuity (r = -0.58, P < 0.001) and near visual acuity (r = -0.57, P < 0.001), score of CLVQOL and CS (r = 0.44, P < 0.001). There were significant differences in the total score (Z = 10.145, P = 0.006), distance visual acuity subscale (Z = 13.586, P = 0.001), psychological adjustment subscale (Z = 7.824, P = 0.020), reading and fine work subscale (Z = 7.923, P = 0.019) of CLVQOL among the three groups. Conclusion Quality of life is different with the visual impairment for students in special school, especially the distance visual acuity, psychological adjustment and fine reading. CS correlates to the quality of life of visually impaired students, which needs to be a part of evaluation of visual function.

Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics and investigate risk factors associated with the development of plastic bronchitis(PB)in pediatric patients who have severe pneumonia caused by adenovirus(HAdVs)infections.Methods:We retrospectively reviewed the clinical manifestations, laboratory results, radiological examinations, and treatment courses of 258 children who were diagnosed as HAdVs associated severe pneumonia between 1st January, 2015 and 31st October, 2019 at Shenzhen Children′s Hospital.According to the presence of PB, patients were divided into PB group( n=45)and non-PB group( n=213). Results:In PB group, the male to female ratio was 1.65∶1(including 28 boys and 17 girls)and the median age was 41.0(18.5, 65.5)months.Patients younger than 6 years of age accounted for 80.0%(36/45)and older patients accounted for 20.0%(9/45). The major clinical symptoms of patients in PB group were high fever(95.6%, 43/45), cough(100.0%, 45/45)and conjunctivitis(33.3%, 15/45). Physical examinations revealed that most patients had tachypnea(80.0%, 36/45)and crackles(80.0%, 36/45). Compared to patients in non-PB group, the duration of fever in PB group was significant longer( Z=-13.519, P<0.001). Compared to non-PB group, there was a significant decrease of the lymphocyte count[2.24(1.44, 3.84)×10 9/L vs.1.75(1.21, 3.03)×10 9/L] and a significantly increase of the procalcitonin level[0.46(0.19, 1.73)ng/mL vs.1.54(0.37, 2.96)ng/mL] in PB group( P<0.05). Chest radiological examinations revealed that patients in PB group had higher rates to develop pleural effusion(62.2% vs.42.3%) and atelectasis(57.8% vs.22.1%) of the lungs compared to non-PB group( P<0.05). The majority of patients improved after resolution of symptoms(97.8%, 44/45) in PB group.Only one patient(2.2%, 1/45) died due to discontinuation of treatment.Conjunctivitis( P<0.001, OR=108.514, 95% CI 17.476-673.791), tachypnea( P<0.001, OR=18.788, 95% CI 5.172-68.246), pleural effusion( P=0.007, OR=3.363, 95% CI 1.389-8.139) were independent risk factors associated with the development of PB in children with HAdVs associated severe pneumonia. Conclusion:Pre-school age children are at higher risk to develop HAdVs related severe pneumonia that complicated with PB.Fever and cough remain the main clinical symptoms.The presence of PB is associated with longer period of fever and higher risks to have pleural effusion and atelectasis.Conjunctivitis, tachypnea orpleural effusion are higher risk to develop PB in those with HAdVs associated severe pneumonia.

Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics of adenovirus (HAdVs) pneumonia in children.Methods:The clinical manifestations, laboratory results, imaging features and treatment courses of 541 children with HAdVs pneumonia treated in Shenzhen Children′s Hospital from January 2017 to August 2019 were retrospectively studied.Results:The number of children diagnosed with HAdVs pneumonia increased year by year.A total of 541 patients were included in this study (214 females and 327 males, median age 31 months). The majority of patients (89.3%, 483/541 cases) were less than 6 years of age.Cough (98.3%, 532/541 cases) was the most common symptom, followed by fever (93.7%, 507/541 cases), tachypnea (36.6%, 198/541 cases) and wheeting (32.5%, 176/541 cases). Thirteen point three percent patients (72/541 cases) had existing primary diseases.Severe HAdVs pneumonia was observed in 33.8% of patients (183/541 cases), the most common intrapulmonary complication were pleural effusion(18.6%, 101/541 cases) and respiratory failure (7.0%, 38/541 cases). In co-infection cases, 46.9% of the patients (254/541 cases) suffered from co-infection with mycoplasma pneumoniae, 21.6% of the patients (117/541 cases) suffered from bacterial co-infection.Ninety-eight point five percent of the patients (533/541 cases) were cured, and 1.5% of the patients (8/541 cases) died or discharged voluntarily.Convulsions [ P=0.026, OR=7.312 (95% CI: 1.267-42.191)] and bacterial co-infections [ P=0.030, OR=2.724 (95% CI: 1.101-6.741)] were independently correlated with the occurrence of severe HAdVs pneumonia. Conclusions:Pre-school aged children are at higher risks of developing HAdVs pneumonia.The majority of patients presents with fever and cough as primary manifestations.Tachypnea and wheezing are also common clinical features of HAdVs pneumonia patients.Approximately a third of children with HAdVs pneumonia may develop into severe pneumonia.The presentation of convulsion and the exis-tence of bacterial co-infections may help to predict the development of severe HAdVs pneumonia in pediatric patients.

Objective    To explore the safety, feasibility and superiority of tubeless video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax. Methods    We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 38 patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax treated in our hospital from February 2017 to July 2018. Tubeless bullectomy was performed in 18 patients, including 11 males and 7 females, aged 14.3±1.5 years. Twenty patients underwent conventional thoracoscopic bullae resection, including 12 males and 8 females, aged 14.5±1.7 years. The clinical effectiveness was compared. Results    All the 38 patients completed the operation successfully under the single-port thoracoscopy, without the transfer of intubation and secondary surgery. Operation time (67.3±13.3 min vs. 81.4±13.4 min, P=0.002), preoperative anesthesia time (14.2±2.6 min vs. 18.5±2.6 min, P=0.000), postoperative anesthesia recovery time (17.1±2.6 min vs. 26.5±5.0 min, P=0.000), visual simulation score of postoperative pain (2.3±0.9 vs. 5.2±1.0, P=0.000), postoperative activity time (1.3±0.4 d vs. 2.9±0.6 d, P=0.000), postoperative hospitalization time (2.9±0.8 d vs. 5.6±1.3 d, P=0.000), hospitalization cost (35.0±6.0 kyuan vs. 59.0±10.0 kyuan, P=0.000) were better in the control group. There was no significant difference in intraoperative blood loss (73.2±4.6 mL vs. 73.9±4.1 mL) and postoperative lung revascularization time (29.3±2.4 h vs. 29.7±2.5 h) between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion    Compared with traditional thoracoscopic bullectomy, tubeless VATS technique is safe and reliable in the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax, with mild pain and quick recovery, in line with the concept of fast track surgery and worthy of clinical promotion.

Objective To analyze the clinical diagnosis and treatment of a child with hemorrhagic plastic bronchitis, and to explore the etiology of hemorrhagic plastic bronchitis with review of relevant literature,so as to improve the clinicians′understanding of plastic bronchitis.Methods Clinical data of a female children with hemorrhagic plastic bronchitis was retrospectively reviewed.The patient had congenital heart disease,with repeated cough and hemoptysis as the first symptom.Chest CT scan showed cylindrical bronchiectasis of the right lower lobe and the bloodly bronchial cast was removed by bronchoscopy.The related literatures were review.Results After treatment,the symptoms of cough and cough were improved significantly.Conclusion When patients with recurrent hemoptysis and conventional treatment has no effective,it should be alert to the possibility of plastic bronchitis.The bronchoscopy can identify the causes and remove the casts,also need to pay attention to rebleeding.

Objective To evaluate the clinical effect of direct identification of microorganisms from the midstream urine by MALDI-TOF MS combined with separation gel tube and differential centrifugation. Methods A total of 2150 samples of midstream urine were collected from the outpatient and inpatients in Huadong Hospital affiliated to Fudan University from May 2017 to April 2018, including 934 males and 1216 females with an age of (72.0 ± 17.5) years. After preliminary quantification by microscopic examination, samples with a bacterial acount of ≥ 105cfu/ml were treated with two kinds of pretreatment methods to enrich the bacteria for directly identification by MS. Based on the results of quantitative urine culture and MS identification,the coincidence rates of two kinds of pretreatment methods combined with MS were analyzed. All statistical analyses were performed using Stata/SE 14.0, differences between the groups were compared by Pearson Chi-square tests. Results 464 out of 2150 midstream urine samples (21.6％) had a bacterial count ≥ 105cfu/ml after microscopic examination. In traditional culture combined with MALDI-TOF MS, 436(94.0％)cases were single species, 28(6.0％)cases were double species. Among single species of bacteria samples infection, the gram-negative bacteria accounted for 78.9％(344/436),the Gram-positive bacteria accounted for 15.8％(69/436),and the fungus accounted for 5.3％(23/436). In two methods that the separation gel tube combined MALDI-TOF MS and the differential centrifugation combined MALDI-TOF MS, the gram-negative bacteria coincidence rates were 92.4％(318/344)and 89.0％(306/344) respectively, the Gram-positive bacteria coincidence rates were 68.1％(47/69)and 62.3％(43/69) respectively,and the fungi coincidence rates were 56.5％(13/23) and 34.8％(8/23)respectively. Meanwhile,the double bacteria infection coincidence rates were 64.3％(18/28)and 60.7％(17/28). Conclusions The separation gel tube combined MALDI-TOF MS and the differential centrifugation combined MALDI-TOF MS identify directly the gram-negative bacteria in the midstream urine samples with high detection rate and accuracy,and they are rapid and simple pretreatment method,suitable for rapid screening of midstream urine.