AIM:To evaluate visual outcomes and visual function in nonamblyopic adults with myopic anisometropia treated with small incision lenticule extraction(SMILE).METHODS:Prospective comparative cohort study. The consecutive patients who underwent SMILE for the treatment of myopia or myopic astigmatism at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center(Guangzhou, China)between October 2015 and January 2016 were included. They were divided into two groups based on the bilateral difference of a spherical equivalent(SE)refraction ≥1.50 D: the anisometropic myopia group(interocular SE difference ≥1.50 D)and non-anisometropic myopia group(interocular SE difference<1.50 D). Refractive status, uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuity(UDVA and CDVA), and visual function parameters including fusional vergence amplitude, stereoacuity and horizontal phoria were measured preoperatively and at 1 wk,1,3 and 6 mo after surgery.RESULTS:A total of 49 cases(98 eyes)were included in the study, and 19 cases(38 eyes)in the anisometropic group, including 11 males and 8 females, with a mean age of 25.4±6.2 y, and 30 cases(60 eyes)in the non-anisometropic myopia group, including 19 males and 11 females, with a mean age of 26.8±4.6 y. The CDVA of the non-anisometropia group was significantly better than that of the anisometropia group 6 mo postoperatively(P=0.036). However, the safety and efficacy indexes of the two groups did not show significant differences. The fusional vergence(break point and recovery point)of the anisometropia group decreased(P=0.005 and P=0.03)and was significantly lower than that in the non-anisometropia group at 6 mo post operatively(P=0.029 and P=0.046). Both groups showed a significant improvement in distance and near stereopsis at 1, 3 and 6 mo in comparison with the preoperative baseline and 1 wk postoperatively(all P<0.05). No clinically significant change in the amount of ocular alignment in terms of distance and near deviation postoperatively in either groups.CONCLUSION: SMILE is a predictable, effective, and safe method for correcting myopic anisometropia in adults without amblyopia. Although the fusional vergence amplitudes changed, stereopsis can be improved after surgery.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia in the elderly. This study aimed to evaluate urban-rural disparities in its prevalence and management in elderly Chinese. METHODS: Consecutive participants aged ≥ 65 years attending outpatient clinics were enrolled for AF screening using handheld single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) from April 2017 to December 2022. Each ECG rhythm strip was reviewed from the research team. AF or uninterpretable single-lead ECGs were referred for 12-lead ECG. Primary study outcome comparison was between rural and urban areas for the prevalence of AF. The Student's t-test was used to compare mean values of clinical characteristics between rural and urban participants, while the Pearson's chi-square test was used to compare between-group proportions. Multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the association between AF and various patient characteristics. RESULTS: The 29,166 study participants included 13,253 men (45.4%) and had a mean age of 72.2 years. The 7073 rural participants differed significantly (P ≤ 0.02) from the 22,093 urban participants in several major characteristics, such as older age, greater body mass index, and so on. The overall prevalence of AF was 4.6% (n = 1347). AF was more prevalent in 7073 rural participants than 22,093 urban participants (5.6% vs. 4.3%, P < 0.01), before and after adjustment for age, body mass index, blood pressure, pulse rate, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and prior medical history. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified overweight/obesity (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.17-1.54) in urban areas and cigarette smoking (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.20-2.17) and alcohol consumption (OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.04-1.93) in rural areas as specific risk factors for prevalent AF. In patients with known AF in urban areas (n = 781) and rural areas (n = 338), 60.6% and 45.9%, respectively, received AF treatment (P < 0.01), and only 22.4% and 17.2%, respectively, received anticoagulation therapy (P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS In China, there are urban-rural disparities in AF in the elderly, with a higher prevalence and worse management in rural areas than urban areas. Our study findings provide insight for health policymakers to consider urban-rural disparity in the prevention and treatment of AF.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

This study was aimed at investigating infections with Giardia and Cryptosporidium in Ochotona curzoniae in Zoige County,Sichuan Province.O.curzoniae were captured in five townships of Zoige County(Dazhasi,Axi,Hongxing,Tangke,and Maixi)between March and December of 2023.DNA from the gastrointestinal contents was subjected to nested PCR to amplify Giardia bg,gdh,and tpi genes,and the Cryptosporidium SSU rRNA gene.The sequences of PCR-PCR products were analyzed and compared.Phylogenetic trees were constructed to determine the protozoa species and genotypes.A total of 114 O.curzoniae animals were captured,among which 44 samples showed bg gene positivity,and 14 samples showed gdh gene positivity for Giardia.The total detection rate was 43.9％(50/114),and two assemblages were detected(assem-blage E and a new assemblage tentatively termed assemblage OC1);the positivity rate for Cryptosporidium was 7.0％(8/114),and three new genotypes were observed.Mixed infection with Cryptosporidium and Giardia was present in some sam-ples,with a detection rate of 3.5％(4/114).Giardia lamblia and Giardia sp.(REG-1,REG-2)were prevalent in O.curzoni-ae in Zoige County in Sichuan province;assemblage E was the dominant assemblage,and the new assemblage OC1 was pres-ent;and Cryptosporidium sp.(REG-1,REG-2,and REG-3)were identified.In summary,future monitoring of Giardia and Cryptosporidium should be further strengthened in Zoige to provide detailed data for promoting local public health.

Objective To observe the value of artificial intelligence iterative reconstruction(AIIR)for reconstruction CT images of phantoms.Methods AIIR was developed through combining model-based iterative reconstruction(MBIR)with deep learning(DL)techniques.CT scanning of CCT MITA IQ phantom,CT ACR 464 phantom,Catphan 700 phantom,disc stack phantom and CT PBU-60 whole body phantom were performed,and the images were reconstructed with conventional algorithms like filtered back projection(FBP)and KARL 3D iterative reconstruction,as well as AIIR,respectively.Then the noise,X-ray dosage,as well as low contrast resolution,high contrast spatial resolution,cone-beam artifacts and streaking artifacts of various reconstructed images were compared.Results Compared to CT images reconstructed with conventional algorithms,those reconstructed with AIIR showed 61.74％—99.76％ reduction of image noise and 60.00％—90.00％ reduction of X-ray dosage,while increased image low contrast resolution to 1.99-4.86 times and high contrast spatial resolution to 1.55-2.57 times.Additionally,AIIR significantly reduced cone-beam artifacts and streaking artifacts.Conclusion AIIR showed obvious advantages for reconstruction CT images of phantoms compared with conventional algorithms.

Objective:To explore the clinical application value of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) in the treatment of tonsil squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted. The clinical data of 157 TSCC patients were collected who received TORS at five medical centers, namely, the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Eye Ear Nose and Throat Hospital of Fudan University, the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, and Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, from January 1 2017 to July 31 2022. There were 130 males and 27 females, aged 24-85 years. All patients were followed-up at least for 2 years (2-year group), among them, 99 patients had a follow-up of 3 years (3-year group). The overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), clinical stage, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection status were analyzed. SPSS 25.0 and SAS 9.4 were used for statistical analysis.Results:The OS and PFS of the 2-year group were 91.7% and 87.9%, respectively. The OS and PFS of the 3-year group were 85.9% and 82.8%, respectively. The prognosis of patients with locally early-stage was better than that of locally advanced patients, with the OS of 94.4% for T1-2 vs. 78.0% for T3 ( P=0.005) and the PFS of 91.2% for T1-2 vs. 75.0% for T3 ( P=0.011) in the 2-year group; the OS of 91.1% for T1-2 vs. 65.0% for T3 ( P=0.004) and the PFS of 88.6% for T1-2 vs. 60.0% for T3 ( P=0.002) in the 3-year group; and also, the OS of 90.0% for stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ vs. 79.5% for stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ ( P=0.204) and the PFS of 86.7% for stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ vs. 76.9% for stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ ( P=0.188) in the 3-year group. The prognosis of HPV-positive TSCC patients was better than that of HPV-negative patients in the 3-year group, with the OS of 90.9% for HPV-positive vs. 80.5% for HPV-negative ( P=0.045) and the PFS of 90.9% for HPV-positive vs. 75.6% for HPV-negative ( P=0.047). The average time of postoperative tracheal cannula indwelling was 25.1 days. The indwelling rate and average indwelling time of the postoperative nasogastric tube were 94.3% (148/157) and 8.5 days, respectively. Conclusion:TORS has outstanding survival benefits for TSCC patients. HPV-positive TSCC patients have a better prognosis than HPV-negative patients. TORS treatment of TSCC patients has advantages in postoperative recovery and quality of life.

Objective To establish a stable,reliable,and clinically relevant porcine model of endotoxin-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS).Methods Ten 8-month-old male Bama minipigs were deeply sedated,followed by invasive mechanical ventilation and electrocardiographic monitoring.Lipopolysaccharide(LPS)was intravenously pumped at 600 μg/(kg·h)for 3 hours,then maintained at 15 μg/(kg·h)thereafter.Dynamic monitoring was performed at five time points after LPS injection(LPS 0,1,3,5,and 8 h),including arterial blood gas analysis and chest computed tomography(CT)scans.Pathological examination of lung tissues obtained via bronchoscopic biopsy(HE staining and transmission electron microscopy)was conducted.These indicators were comprehensively used to evaluate the success of the animal model.Results At 5 hours after LPS administration,8 minipigs developed symptoms such as skin cyanosis,elevated body temperature,and respiratory distress.The oxygenation index decreased to<300 mmHg.Chest CT scans showed diffuse pulmonary infiltrates.Histopathology revealed alveolar edema and hyaline membrane formation.Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated disruption of pulmonary blood-air barrier,depletion of lamellar bodies in type Ⅱ pneumocytes,inflammatory cell infiltration,and exudation of plasma proteins and fibrin.Compared with LPS 0 h,at LPS 8 h,the oxygenation index and arterial blood pH were significantly decreased(P<0.001),while blood lactic acid and serum potassium were significantly increased(P<0.05);serum calcium and base excess were significantly decreased(P<0.05),and the lung injury score based on HE-stained lung sections was significantly increased(P<0.01).Conclusion The porcine ARDS model established by continuous LPS injection can dynamically simulate the pathophysiological characteristics and typical pathological manifestations of clinical septic ARDS,making it an effective tool to study the pathogenesis,prevention,and treatment strategies of septic ARDS.

To explore the value of the diaphragm thickness fraction (TF) and diaphragm mobility (DM) measured by ultrasound for predicting ventilator withdrawal success in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) after cardiac surgery. Methods: This study included 246 patients undergoing the spontaneous breathing trial. Diaphragmatic function was evaluated by ultrasound, including the diaphragm thickness at the end of calm breathing (thickness of the diaphragm at functional residual capacity [TdiFRC]) and the maximum diaphragm thickness at the end of inspiration (thickness of the diaphragm at full vital capacity [TdiFVC]); TF=(TdiFVC–TdiFRC)/TdiFRC×100%. DM, the oxygenation index (the ratio of the partial pressure of arterial oxygen to the fraction of inspired oxygen), and the rapid shallow breathing index (RSBI) were measured. Results: Successful liberation from mechanical ventilation was observed in 209 patients. There were no significant differences in the TdiFRC (0.3±0.1 cm vs. 0.3±0.1 cm) or TdiFVC (0.3±0.1 cm vs. 0.2±0.1 cm) between the ventilator withdrawal success group and the ventilator withdrawal failure group (P>0.05). The TF was greater in the ventilator withdrawal success group than in the ventilator withdrawal failure group (40.8%±15.8% vs. 37.7%±9.2%, P<0.01). DM in the ventilator withdrawal success group was greater than that in the ventilator withdrawal failure group (1.5±0.5 cm vs. 1.2±0.4 cm, P=0.040). The RSBI was lower in the ventilator withdrawal success group than in the ventilator withdrawal failure group (74.3±25.6 breaths·min–1·L –1 vs. 89.9±34.5 breaths·min–1·L –1, P<0.01). Conclusions: Diaphragmatic ultrasound can be used to predict the success of ventilator withdrawal in patients with ARDS.

Objective To establish a rapid,sensitive,and specific multiplex PCR detection method for the simultaneous detection of Cryptosporidium,Eimeria,and bovine parvovirus.Methods Specific primers targeting the SSU rRNA genes of Cryptosporidium and Eimeria,as well as the VP2 gene of bovine parvovirus were designed and the corresponding recombinant plasmid standards were constructed.To establish the multiplex PCR method,the reaction conditions were optimized using temperature gradient PCR and single-variable control methods.The sensitivity,specificity,reproducibility,and clinical application of the protocol were evaluated.Results The optimal annealing temperature was found to be 60.5℃,and the forward and reverse primer concentrations were determined to be 0.2 μmol/L for Eimeria,and 0.4 μmol/L for Cryptosporidium and bovine parvovirus.The assay demonstrated high sensitivity,with detection limits of 243,260,and 3 110 copies for the recombinant plasmid standards of Cryptosporidium,Eimeria,and bovine parvovirus,respectively.Specificity testing showed no cross-reactivity with ten common bovine pathogens,including Salmonella,bovine viral diarrhea virus,and bovine rotavirus.Consistent intra-and inter-batch results confirmed the strong reproducibility of the method.Clinical application to 81 diarrhea samples from various regions in the Ganzi Prefecture,Sichuan,revealed positivity rates of 18.52%(15/81)for Cryptosporidium,34.57%(28/81)for Eimeria,and 18.52%(15/81)forbovineparvovirus,withamixedinfectionrateof3.7%(3/81).Conclusions Themultiplex PCR method established in this study offers a reliable tool for differential diagnosis and epidemiological investigation of the three common diarrheal pathogens in yaks.

Objective To explore the influencing factors of acute kidney injury in severe burn patients,and to construct a visual risk nomogram model.Methods A total of 390 patients with severe burn admitted to the Institute of Burn Frostbite and Tissue Function Reconstruction of Chinese People's Armed Police Force Specialty Medical Center from January 2018 to January 2022 were collected as an internal training data set,and 50 patients with severe burn admitted from February to December 2022 were collected as an external validation data set.The 390 patients of the internal training data set were divided into the acute kidney injury group and the non-acute kidney injury group according to the occurrence of acute kidney injury,and the baseline data of patients in the two groups were compared.Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression were used to analyze the risk factors of acute kidney injury in severe burn patients of the internal training data set,and a nomogram model was drawn.Subsequently,the model was verified both internally and externally.Kaplan-Meier analysis and Log-rank test were used to compare the 90-day survival rate of patients between the acute kidney injury group and the non-acute kidney injury group.Results The burn area(OR=1.18,95%CI:1.06 to 2.36,P=0.004),sequential organ failure assessment(SOFA)score(OR=1.81,95%CI:1.21 to 5.92,P<0.001),inhalation injury(OR=3.21,95%CI:1.23 to 6.35,P<0.001),neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio(NLR)(OR=1.22,95%CI:1.05 to 3.65,P<0.001)and albumin(ALB)(OR=0.78,95%CI:0.57 to 0.92,P=0.011)were the independent risk factors for the development of acute kidney injury in severe burn patients.The nomogram model was established by the above factors.The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC)of the internal training data set was 0.833(95%CI:0.752 to 0.935),the sensitivity was 81.2%,and the specificity was 83.2%.The AUC of the external validation data set was 0.842(95%CI:0.762 to 0.912),the sensitivity 87.2%,and the specificity was 78.7%.The 90-day survival rate of patients in the acute kidney injury group after burns was significantly lower than that in the non-acute kidney injury group(P<0.001).Conclusion Larger burn area,higher SOFA score,combined inhalation injury,increased NLR,and decreased ALB level are the risk factors for the occurrence of acute kidney injury in severe burn patients,which are related to the 90-day survival rate of patients after burns.The nomogram model based on the risk factors can provide certain reference for clinical individualized prevention and treatment of acute kidney injury in severe burn patients.