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 efficacy and safety of a hospital-made resuscitation pack, a Chinese medicinal herbal compound formula designed to enhance recovery in post-bronchoscopy patients. METHODS: In this randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, eligible patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to either the treatment or control groups. The patients in the treatment group applied the resuscitation pack, which contained aromatic compounded Chinese herbs. The patients in the control group applied a hospital-made, single herb placebo pack. Packs were placed on the Tiantu (CV 22) acupuncture point for 4 h as soon as the bronchoscopy finished. Efficacy indicators, such as recovery time, patients' symptoms including nausea and dizziness, and adverse events (AEs) were observed and compared. The outcome indices were evaluated at baseline, 1 and 24 h after the bronchoscopy. Subgroup analysis was further performed by patients' age and depth of sedation. RESULTS: When applying generalized estimating equations (GEE) to evaluate the intensity of post-bronchoscopy nausea and vomiting, the intensity was lower in the treatment group (163 cases) compared with the control group (162 cases; 95% CI: 0.004, 0.099, P=0.03]. Also, significantly lower intensity of nausea was observed in the 60-70 years of age subgroup (95% CI: 0.029, 0.169, P=0.006) and deep sedation subgroup (95% CI: 0.002, 0.124; P=0.04). There was no significant difference in dizziness between two groups by GEE (95% CI: -0.134, 0.297; P=0.459). In addition, no serious AEs were observed in either group. CONCLUSIONS Our study found that the resuscitation pack markedly improved patients' symptoms by reducing nausea and vomiting after bronchoscopy without AEs, compared with placebo in the perioperative period. (Trial registration No. ChiCTR2000038299).
Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Bronchoscopy/adverse effects* ; Single-Blind Method ; Aged ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Treatment Outcome ; Resuscitation ; Adult ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

OBJECTIVES: The detection rate of scoliosis among school-aged children has been rising annually, varying by region, and has become a major public health concern affecting both physical and mental health. Its onset is multifactorial, and early screening combined with targeted interventions can alter disease progression. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of scoliosis among primary and secondary school students in Hunan Province, providing scientific evidence for targeted prevention strategies. METHODS: A stratified, randomized cluster sampling method was used to select 281 401 students from 14 prefecture-level cities in Hunan Province for scoliosis screening, physical examination, and questionnaire survey. The chi-square test was used for group comparisons, and trend chi-square test analyzed differences in screening positive rate by age. A multilevel regression model was applied to identify influencing factors, and ArcGIS was used to visualize spatial distribution patterns of scoliosis. RESULTS: The overall screening positive rate for scoliosis among Hunan students was 1.61%. Urban areas had a significantly higher rate than rural counties (2.81% vs 0.98%; P<0.01). The rate was equal between boys and girls (1.61% each). Underweight students had a higher rate than those with normal weight, overweight, or obesity (P<0.01). Stratified by age, urban students aged 6-18 years consistently showed higher positive rates than rural peers (P<0.001). No significant gender differences were observed at most ages (all P>0.05), except at age 11, where the females had a higher rate (1.28% vs 1.02%; P=0.048). After age 11, underweight students exhibited significantly higher positive rates than those with normal or higher BMI(all P<0.05). Across all groups, urban/rural, male/female, underweight/normal/overweight/obese, the scoliosis rate increased with age. By region, the screening positive rate ranged from 0.38% to 3.36%, with the top three being Chenzhou (3.36%), Xiangtan (2.78%), and Hengyang (2.71%), while the lowest was Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (0.38%). Multilevel regression analysis revealed that age (OR=1.160, 95% CI 1.135 to 1.186) and urban residence (OR=2.497, 95% CI 1.946 to 3.205) were positively associated with scoliosis risk (both P<0.01). Conversely, female gender (OR=0.931, 95% CI 0.874 to 0.993), normal nutritional status (OR=0.751, 95% CI 0.671 to 0.840), overweight (OR=0.513, 95% CI 0.447 to 0.590), obesity (OR=0.418, 95% CI 0.358 to 0.489), and engaging in ≥ 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity 2 to 4 days (OR=0.928, 95% CI 0.865 to 0.996) or 5 to 7 days per week (OR=0.912, 95% CI 0.833 to 0.998) were negatively associated with scoliosis risk (all P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of scoliosis among primary and secondary school students in Hunan Province is relatively high and is significantly associated with age, gender, urban-rural status, nutritional condition, and physical activity frequency. Targeted interventions and enhanced monitoring in high-risk regions and populations are essential to prevent and control scoliosis.
Humans ; Scoliosis/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Adolescent ; China/epidemiology* ; Prevalence ; Child ; Students/statistics & numerical data* ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Urban Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Risk Factors ; Thinness/epidemiology*

Debates persist regarding the efficacy and safety of azvudine, particularly its real-world outcomes. This study involved patients aged ≥60 years who were admitted to 25 hospitals in mainland China with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between December 1, 2022, and February 28, 2023. Efficacy outcomes were all-cause mortality during hospitalization, the proportion of patients discharged with recovery, time to nucleic acid-negative conversion (T _NANC), time to symptom improvement (T _SI), and time of hospital stay (T _HS). Safety was also assessed. Among the 5884 participants identified, 1999 received azvudine, and 1999 matched controls were included after exclusion and propensity score matching. Azvudine recipients exhibited lower all-cause mortality compared with controls in the overall population (13.3% vs. 17.1%, RR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.67-0.90; P = 0.001) and in the severe subgroup (25.7% vs. 33.7%; RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.66-0.88; P < 0.001). A higher proportion of patients discharged with recovery, and a shorter T _NANC were associated with azvudine recipients, especially in the severe subgroup. The incidence of adverse events in azvudine recipients was comparable to that in the control group (2.3% vs. 1.7%, P = 0.170). In conclusion, azvudine showed efficacy and safety in older patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the SARS-CoV-2 omicron wave in China.

Delirium is a common cause and complication of hospitalization in the elderly and is associated with higher risk of future dementia and progression of existing dementia, of which 70% is Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD and delirium, which are known to be aggravated by one another, represent significant societal challenges, especially in light of the absence of effective treatments. The intricate biological mechanisms have led to numerous clinical trial setbacks and likely contribute to the limited efficacy of existing therapeutics. Artificial intelligence (AI) presents a promising avenue for overcoming these hurdles by deploying algorithms to uncover hidden patterns across diverse data types. This review explores the pivotal role of AI in revolutionizing drug discovery for AD and delirium from target identification to the development of small molecule and protein-based therapies. Recent advances in deep learning, particularly in accurate protein structure prediction, are facilitating novel approaches to drug design and expediting the discovery pipeline for biological and small molecule therapeutics. This review concludes with an appraisal of current achievements and limitations, and touches on prospects for the use of AI in advancing drug discovery in AD and delirium, emphasizing its transformative potential in addressing these two and possibly other neurodegenerative conditions.

Accurate timing of myelination is crucial for the proper functioning of the central nervous system. Here, we identified a de novo heterozygous mutation in TMEM63A (c.1894G>A; p. Ala632Thr) in a 7-year-old boy exhibiting hypomyelination. A Ca²⁺ influx assay suggested that this is a loss-of-function mutation. To explore how TMEM63A deficiency causes hypomyelination, we generated Tmem63a knockout mice. Genetic deletion of TMEM63A resulted in hypomyelination at postnatal day 14 (P14) arising from impaired differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs). Notably, the myelin dysplasia was transient, returning to normal levels by P28. Primary cultures of Tmem63a^-/- OPCs presented delayed differentiation. Lentivirus-based expression of TMEM63A but not TMEM63A_A632T rescued the differentiation of Tmem63a^-/- OPCs in vitro and myelination in Tmem63a^-/- mice. These data thus support the conclusion that the mutation in TMEM63A is the pathogenesis of the hypomyelination in the patient. Our study further demonstrated that TMEM63A-mediated Ca²⁺ influx plays critical roles in the early development of myelin and oligodendrocyte differentiation.
Animals ; Cell Differentiation/physiology* ; Oligodendroglia/metabolism* ; Mice, Knockout ; Mice ; Male ; Myelin Sheath/metabolism* ; Humans ; Child ; Cells, Cultured ; Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells/metabolism*

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between blood pressure reactivity index (BPRI) and in-hospital mortality risk in patients with sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted to collect data from patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and clinically diagnosed with SA-AKI between 2008 and 2019 in the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV (MIMIC-IV) database in the United States. The collected data included demographic characteristics, comorbidities, vital signs, laboratory parameters, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) and simplified acute physiology scoreII(SAPSII) within 48 hours of SA-AKI diagnosis, stages of AKI, treatment regimens, mean BPRI during the first and second 24 hours (BPRI_0_24, BPRI_24_48), and outcome measures including primary outcome (in-hospital mortality) and secondary outcomes (ICU length of stay and total hospital length of stay). Variables with statistical significance in univariate analysis were included in LASSO regression analysis for variable selection, and the selected variables were subsequently incorporated into multivariate Logistic regression analysis to identify independent predictors associated with in-hospital mortality in SA-AKI patients. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis was employed to examine whether there was a linear relationship between BPRI within 48 hours and in-hospital mortality in SA-AKI patients. Basic prediction models were constructed based on the independent predictors identified through multivariate Logistic regression analysis, and receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) was plotted to evaluate the predictive performance of each basic prediction model before and after incorporating BPRI. RESULTS: A total of 3 517 SA-AKI patients admitted to the ICU were included, of whom 826 died during hospitalization and 2 691 survived. The BPRI values within 48 hours of SA-AKI diagnosis were significantly lower in the death group compared with the survival group [BPRI_0_24: 4.53 (1.81, 8.11) vs. 17.39 (5.16, 52.43); BPRI_24_48: 4.76 (2.42, 12.44) vs. 32.23 (8.85, 85.52), all P < 0.05]. LASSO regression analysis identified 20 variables with non-zero coefficients that were included in the multivariate Logistic regression analysis. The results showed that respiratory rate, temperature, pulse oxygen saturation (SpO₂), white blood cell count (WBC), hematocrit (HCT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), lactate, oxygenation index, SOFA score, fluid balance (FB), BPRI_0_24, and BPRI_24_48 were all independent predictors for in-hospital mortality in SA-AKI patients (all P < 0.05). RCS analysis revealed that both BPRI showed "L"-shaped non-linear relationships with the risk of in-hospital mortality in SA-AKI patients. When BPRI_0_24 ≤ 14.47 or BPRI_24_48 ≤ 24.21, the risk of in-hospital mortality in SA-AKI increased as BPRI values decreased. Three basic prediction models were constructed based on the identified independent predictors: Model 1 (physiological indicator model) included respiratory rate, temperature, SpO₂, and oxygenation index; Model 2 (laboratory indicator model) included WBC, HCT, APTT, and lactate; Model 3 (scoring indicator model) included SOFA score and FB. ROC curve analysis showed that the predictive performance of the basic models ranked from high to low as follows: Model 3, Model 2, and Model 1, with area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.755, 0.661, and 0.655, respectively. The incorporation of BPRI indicators resulted in significant improvement in the discriminative ability of each model (all P < 0.05), with AUC values increasing to 0.832 for Model 3+BPRI, 0.805 for Model 2+BPRI, and 0.808 for Model 1+BPRI. CONCLUSIONS BPRI is an independent predictor factor for in-hospital mortality in SA-AKI patients. Incorporating BPRI into the prediction model for in-hospital mortality risk in SA-AKI can significantly improve its predictive capability.
Humans ; Acute Kidney Injury/mortality* ; Sepsis/complications* ; Retrospective Studies ; Hospital Mortality ; Prognosis ; Blood Pressure ; Intensive Care Units ; Male ; Female ; Length of Stay ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Adult ; Logistic Models

OBJECTIVE: To compare clinical effects of external fixation and minimally invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis (MIPPO) after external fixation in treating open fractures of tibial shaft. METHODS: From January 2020 to June 2022, 151 patients with open fracture of tibial shaft treated with external fixation stenting were divided into external fixation group and combined group according to different surgical methods. There were 81 patients in external fixation group, including 48 males and 33 females, aged from 21 to 68 years old with an average of (42.58±7.44) years old;according to Gustilo classification, 49 patients with typeⅡ, 32 patients with type ⅢA;the time from injury to treatment ranged from 2.5 to 10 h with an average of (4.25±0.74) h;external fixed stenting was performed. There were 70 patients in combined group, including 42 males and 28 females, aged from 20 to 69 years old with an average of (41.39±7.02) years old;35 patients with type Ⅱ and 35 patients with type ⅢA according to Gustilo classification;the time from injury to treatment ranged from 3 to 9 h with an average of (4.31±0.85) h;MIPPO treatment was performed after external fixed stenting. The time of callus formation, fracture healing and complications were compared between two groups. Rasmussen score and Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score were used to evaluate functional recovery of knee joint at 6 months after operation. RESULTS: Both groups were followed up for 6 to 13 months with an average of (10.17±2.33) months. The time of callus formation and fracture healing were (13.98±4.02) d and (70.26±12.15) d in combined group, and (18.56±4.37) d and (79.87±15.41) d in external fixation group, respectively. Combined group was better than external fixation group in the time of callus formation and fracture healing (P<0.05). At six months after operation, Rasmussen and HSS scores in combined group were (26.79±3.11) and (83.36±9.44), which were higher than those in external fixation group (24.51±4.63) and (79.63±8.46) (P<0.05). In external fixation group, there were 2 patients with incision infection, 2 patients with nail tract infection, 1 patient with stent loosening, fracture displacement, delayed union and malunion, and 1 patient with biocompatibility reaction in combined group, with statistical significance between two groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSION MIPPO could accelerate callus formation and fracture healing, improve knee function, improve clinical effects and reduce complications in patients with open tibial shaft fractures after external and external fixation.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Aged ; Tibial Fractures/physiopathology* ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/methods* ; Retrospective Studies ; Bone Plates ; External Fixators ; Fractures, Open/physiopathology* ; Stents ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical symptoms and MRI outcomes of patients with ruptured lumbar disc herniation(LDH) through a multicenter randomized controlled study, and to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Yiqi Huoxue formula() in the treatment of this disease. METHODS: A total of 160 outpatients and inpatients with ruptured LDH admitted to 4 medical centers from January 2023 to June 2023 were selected and randomly divided into the Yiqi Huoxue formula group and the control group, with 80 patients in each group. In the Yiqi Huoxue formula group, there were 43 males and 37 females, with an age of (41.03±9.56) years and a disease duration of (10.45±25.37) days, and the patients were treated with Yiqi Huoxue formula. In the control group, there were 34 males and 46 females, with an age of (42.14±8.73) years and a disease duration of (11.31±21.14) days;during the acute phase, patients in this group could take celecoxib capsules orally, and methylcobalamin orally at the same time. The Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, Oswestry disability index (ODI), changes in the volume of herniated disc tissue on MRI, herniation rate, and absorption rate were recorded at the time of enrollment and during follow-ups at the 3rd, 6th, and 12th month after treatment. RESULTS: A total of 156 patients completed the clinical follow-up, and 4 patients withdrew midway. The clinical symptoms of all patients who completed the study were relieved to varying degrees, and reabsorption of herniated disc tissue was observed in all patients in the Yiqi Huoxue formula group after treatment. For the JOA score:in the Yiqi Huoxue formula group, it was (10.73±2.76) points before treatment and (24.65±2.19) points at the 12th month after treatment;in the control group, it was (11.01±1.20) points before treatment and (17.07±3.26) points at the 12th month after treatment. For the ODI score:in the Yiqi Huoxue formula group, it was (26.21±3.55) points before treatment and (5.65±2.19) points at the 12th month after treatment;in the control group, it was (27.92±2.51) points before treatment and (9.09±2.15) points at the 12th month after treatment. At the 12th month after treatment, the JOA and ODI scores of both groups were better than those before treatment, and the scores of the Yiqi Huoxue formula group were better than those of the control group, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). In terms of the herniated disc volume and herniation rate on MRI, the Yiqi Huoxue formula group was superior to the control group, with statistically significant differences(P<0.05). Reabsorption occurred in 56.96%(45/79) of patients in the Yiqi Huoxue formula group, which was significantly higher than the 37.66%(29/77) in the control group. CONCLUSION After treatment with Yiqi Huoxue formula, patients with ruptured LDH show significant improvement in clinical symptoms and a marked reduction in the volume of herniated discs. During the follow-up period, no obvious adverse drug reactions are observed in patients, and no recurrence of symptoms is found at the last follow-up, indicating that the formula has safe and reliable efficacy.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement/drug therapy* ; Adult ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Middle Aged ; Lumbar Vertebrae

We propose a strategy to reduce unnecessary prostate biopsies in Chinese patients with total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA) >10 ng ml -1 and Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) scores between 1 and 3. Clinical data derived from 517 patients of The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC (Hefei, China) from January 2020 to December 2023 who met the screening criteria for the study were retrospectively collected. Independent predictors were identified via univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. The diagnostic capacity of clinical variables was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUC). A prostate biopsy strategy was developed via risk stratification. Of the 517 patients, 17/348 (4.9%) with PI-RADS 1-2 were diagnosed with clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa), and 27/169 (16.0%) patients with PI-RADS 3 were diagnosed with csPCa. The appropriate prostate-specific antigen density (PSAD) cut-off values were 0.45 ng ml -2 for PI-RADS 1-2 patients and 0.3 ng ml -2 for PI-RADS 3 patients. The appropriate prostate volume (PV) cut-off values were 40 ml for PI-RADS 1-2 patients and 50 ml for PI-RADS 3 patients. The prostate biopsy strategy based on PSAD and PV developed in this study can reduce unnecessary prostate biopsies in patients with tPSA >10 ng ml -1 and PI-RADS 1-3. In the study, 66.5% (344/517) patients did not need to undergo prostate biopsy, at the expense of missing only 1.7% (6/344) patients with csPCa.
Humans ; Male ; Prostatic Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen/blood* ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Prostate/diagnostic imaging* ; Unnecessary Procedures/statistics & numerical data* ; Biopsy/statistics & numerical data* ; China ; ROC Curve