1.Early predictors of rescue therapy and colectomy in acute severe ulcerative colitis.
Samuel Jun Ming LIM ; Kaina CHEN ; Yi Yuan TAN ; Shu Wen TAY ; Thomson Chong Teik LIM ; Ennaliza SALAZAR ; Webber Pak-Wo CHAN ; Malcolm Teck Kiang TAN
Singapore medical journal 2025;66(8):449-456
INTRODUCTION:
Acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASUC) is a significant cause of disease morbidity. One-third of patients with ASUC are steroid refractory. Rescue therapy may not successfully induce remission, necessitating colectomy. We aimed to identify predictors of rescue therapy and colectomy in ASUC assessed within 24 h of admission for early risk stratification.
METHODS:
We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 58 admissions for ASUC among 47 patients from August 2002 to January 2022. Serum biomarkers assessed were measured on admission. Primary outcomes were the need for rescue therapy during the same admission and colectomy within 1 year of admission.
RESULTS:
Rescue therapy (all with infliximab) was given in 20 (34.5%) of the admissions. Colectomy was done within 1 year for nine (15.5%) of the admissions. An elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) of >30 mg/L (relative risk [RR] 1.63), a CRP-albumin ratio of >0.85 (RR 1.63), and a composite factor of both CRP > 30 mg/L and age ≥60 years (RR 2.37) were significantly associated with the need for rescue therapy. Hypoalbuminaemia ≤ 25 g/L (RR 4.35) and the use of biologics at presentation (RR 1.54) were significantly associated with colectomy within 1 year of admission, while a CRP of ≥ 80 mg/L was a significant protective factor (RR 0.70).
CONCLUSION
Patients with ASUC who have elevated CRP or CRP-albumin ratio on admission should be considered at risk for steroid-refractory disease. Those with hypoalbuminaemia on admission and using biologics at presentation are more likely to require colectomy in the first year after admission for ASUC.
Humans
;
Colitis, Ulcerative/therapy*
;
Colectomy
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Male
;
Female
;
Middle Aged
;
Adult
;
C-Reactive Protein/metabolism*
;
Infliximab/therapeutic use*
;
Biomarkers/blood*
;
Acute Disease
;
Aged
;
Severity of Illness Index
;
Treatment Outcome
2.Effect of electroacupuncture on intestinal function after gastric cancer surgery.
Junjie GUAN ; Miaomiao GE ; Yuling CAI ; Ting WANG ; Zhiwei JIANG ; Jianhua SUN ; Gang WANG
Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion 2025;45(6):751-756
OBJECTIVE:
To observe the effect of electroacupuncture combined with enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol on promoting intestinal function in patients after gastric cancer surgery.
METHODS:
Forty-four patients who underwent radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer were randomly divided into an experimental group (22 cases, 3 cases were excluded) and a control group (22 cases, 4 cases were excluded). Both groups received treatment under ERAS protocol, the experimental group was given electroacupuncture at bilateral Neiguan (PC6), Hegu (LI4), Zusanli (ST36) and Quchi (LI11), disperse-dense wave was selected, with frequency of 2 Hz/100 Hz. The control group received placebo electroacupuncture intervention, with the same acupoints as the experimental group, electrode pads were placed on the acupoints without electrical stimulation. Each session lasted 30 min, starting from 1 h after surgery, once every 24 h, until the patient resumed anal flatus. The intestinal sound rate of both groups was observed 24 h before surgery and 24, 48 h after surgery. The bowel sound recovery time (BSRT), time to first anal flatus, time to first defecation, and tolerance to oral enteral nutrition suspension were compared between the two groups. The levels of serum C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, IL-17, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were measured 24 h before surgery and 24 h after surgery in both groups.
RESULTS:
The intestinal sound rate 24 h after surgery was decreased compared with that 24 h before surgery in the two groups (P<0.05), the intestinal sound rate 24, 48 h after surgery in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). The BSRT in the experimental group was earlier than that in the control group (P<0.05) .The levels of serum CRP, IL-6, IL-10 24 h after surgery in the experimental group were higher than those 24 h before surgery (P<0.05), while the levels of serum CRP, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IFN-γ in the control group were higher than those 24 h before surgery (P<0.05); the levels of serum CRP、IL-4、IFN-γ 24 h after surgery in the experimental group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05) .The tolerance rate of oral enteral nutrition suspension in the experimental group was 84.2% (16/19), which was higher than 50.0% (9/18) in the control group (P<0.05).
CONCLUSION
Electroacupuncture combined with ERAS protocol can improve the intestinal motility, shorten the BSRT, enhance the tolerance of oral intake, and reduce inflammatory response in patients after gastric cancer surgery.
Adult
;
Aged
;
Female
;
Humans
;
Male
;
Middle Aged
;
Acupuncture Points
;
C-Reactive Protein/metabolism*
;
Electroacupuncture
;
Gastrectomy
;
Interleukin-10
;
Interleukin-6
;
Intestines/physiopathology*
;
Stomach Neoplasms/therapy*
3.Thermo-electroacupuncture at yaosanzhen for chronic lumbar muscle strain of cold dampness: a randomized controlled trial.
Mengzhong LI ; Jianguo ZHANG ; Wenjie LIANG ; Wenjie BAI ; Xiaoping LEI
Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion 2025;45(10):1421-1426
OBJECTIVE:
To compare the clinical efficacy between thermo-electroacupuncture at yaosanzhen and oral celecoxib in the treatment of chronic lumbar muscle strain with cold dampness.
METHODS:
A total of 80 patients with chronic lumbar muscle strain of cold dampness were randomly divided into an observation group (40 cases, 1 case dropped out) and a control group (40 cases, 2 cases were excluded). The observation group was treated with thermo-electroacupuncture at yaosanzhen (bilateral Shenshu [BL23], Dachangshu [BL25], Weizhong [BL40]), disperse-dense wave was selected, with a pulse cycle of 0.08 s, current intensity of 1-3 mA, with needles heated to approximately 45 ℃, the duration was 25 min per session, once a day. The control group was given oral celecoxib capsules, once daily, 200 mg each time. Six sessions as one course, with a 1-day interval between courses, 2 courses were required in both groups. The TCM syndrome score, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Oswestry disability index (ODI) score, and Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score before and after treatment in both groups were compared. The serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), thromboxane B2 (TXB2) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were detected using ELISA method before and after treatment in both groups. The clinical efficacy was evaluated in both groups after treatment.
RESULTS:
After treatment, the TCM syndrome scores, VAS scores, ODI scores and serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6, TXB2, CRP in both groups were reduced compared with those before treatment (P<0.01), while the JOA scores were increased (P<0.01);the TCM syndrome score, VAS score, ODI score and serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6, TXB2, CRP in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.01, P<0.05), and the JOA score was higher than that in the control group (P<0.01). The total effective rate of the observation group was 92.3% (36/39), which was superior to 78.9% (30/38) in the control group (P<0.05).
CONCLUSION
Thermo-electroacupuncture at yaosanzhen can alleviate pain symptom in patients with chronic lumbar muscle strain of cold dampness, regulate lumbar function, reduce the levels of inflammatory factors, and the therapeutic effect is superior to oral celecoxib.
Humans
;
Male
;
Female
;
Middle Aged
;
Adult
;
Electroacupuncture
;
Acupuncture Points
;
Sprains and Strains/genetics*
;
Cold Temperature
;
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/blood*
;
Interleukin-6/blood*
;
Aged
;
Treatment Outcome
;
Young Adult
;
C-Reactive Protein/metabolism*
;
Chronic Disease/therapy*
;
Lumbosacral Region/physiopathology*
4.Surviving the year: Predictors of mortality in conservative kidney management.
Swee Ping TEH ; Boon Cheok LAI ; Ivan Wei Zhen LEE ; Shashidhar BAIKUNJE ; Sye Nee TAN ; Lee Ying YEOH
Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore 2025;54(9):524-530
INTRODUCTION:
Conservative kidney management (CKM) is a recognised treatment option for selected patients with chronic kidney disease stage 5 (CKD G5), but prognostic indicators for mortality and optimal timing for palliative care transition remain uncertain.
METHOD:
This is a single-centre, prospective cohort study of CKD G5 patients who opted for CKM, conducted between April 2021 and September 2024, with longitudinal monitoring of Edmonton Symptom Assessment System Revised: Renal; Palliative Perfor-mance Scale (PPS); Resources Utilisation Group.Activities of Daily Living (RUG-ADL) scale; Clinical Frailty Score; Karnofsky Performance Score; and clinical and laboratory data. Primary outcomes included identifying baseline mortality predictors and validating the PPS for survival estimation. Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify independent predictors of mortality.
RESULTS:
Among 109 patients (mean age 79.8±7.3 years, 64.2% female), 62 (56.9%) died during follow-up. Multivariate analysis identified baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (hazard ratio [HR] 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08.1.68, P<0.01) and serum albumin (HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.08.1.43, P<0.01) as predictors of 1-year mortality. Median survival varied by eGFR: 3.0 months (95% CI 0.6.2) for eGFR .5 mL/min/1.73 m2, 13.0 months (95% CI 9.1.16.9) for eGFR 6.10 mL/ min/1.73 m2, and 20.0 months (95% CI 16.5.23.5) for eGFR >10 mL/min/1.73 m2 (P<0.01). Subsequent PPS correlated strongly with survival, with median survival of 1.8 months for PPS <50, 5.3 months for PPS 50.60, and 7.9 months for PPS 70.80 (P=0.03).
CONCLUSION
Baseline eGFR and serum albumin predict 1-year mortality in CKM patients. PPS offers a practical tool for identifying patients requiring palliative care transition, supporting personalised care pathways and timely integration of palliative care.
Humans
;
Female
;
Male
;
Aged
;
Prospective Studies
;
Glomerular Filtration Rate
;
Palliative Care/methods*
;
Conservative Treatment/methods*
;
Aged, 80 and over
;
Prognosis
;
Serum Albumin/analysis*
;
Proportional Hazards Models
;
Activities of Daily Living
;
Singapore/epidemiology*
5.Steroids combined with anticoagulant in acute/subacute severe cerebral venous thrombosis.
Shimin HU ; Yaqin GU ; Tingyu ZHAO ; Kaiyuan ZHANG ; Jingkai LI ; Chen ZHOU ; Haiqing SONG ; Zhi LIU ; Xunming JI ; Jiangang DUAN
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(15):1825-1834
BACKGROUND:
Inflammation plays a critical role in severe cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) pathogenesis, but the benefits of anti-inflammatory therapies remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between steroid therapy combined with anticoagulation and the prognosis of acute/subacute severe CVT patients.
METHODS:
A prospective cohort study enrolled patients with acute/subacute severe CVT at Xuanwu Hospital (July 2020-January 2024). Patients were allocated into steroid and non-steroid groups based on the treatment they received. Functional outcomes (modified Rankin scale [mRS]) were evaluated at admission, discharge, and 6 months after discharge. Serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) IL-6, and intracranial pressure were measured at admission and discharge in the steroid group. Fundoscopic Frisén grades were assessed at admission and 6 months after discharge. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to evaluat associations between steroid use and favorable outcomes (mRS ≤2) at the 6-month follow-up. Paired tests assessed changes in hs-CRP and other variables before and after treatment, and Spearman's correlations were used to analyze relationships between these changes and functional improvements.
RESULTS:
A total of 107 and 58 patients in the steroid and non-steroid groups, respectively, were included in the analysis. Compared with the non-steroid group, the steroid group had a higher likelihood of achieving an mRS score of 0-2 (93.5% vs . 82.5%, odds ratio [OR] = 2.98, P = 0.037) at the 6-month follow-up. After adjusting for confounding factors, the result remained consistent. Pulsed steroid therapy did not increase mortality during hospitalization or follow-up, nor did it lead to severe steroid-related complications (all P >0.05). Patients in the steroid group showed a significant reduction in serum hs-CRP, IL-6, CSF IL-6, and intracranial pressure at discharge compared to at admission, as well as a significant reduction in the fundoscopic Frisén grade at the 6-month follow-up compare to at admission (all P <0.001). A reduction in serum inflammatory marker levels during hospitalization positively correlated with improvements in functional outcomes ( P <0.05).
CONCLUSION:
Short-term steroid use may be an effective and safe adjuvant therapy for acute/subacute severe CVT when used alongside standard anticoagulant treatments, which are likely due to suppression of the inflammatory response. However, these findings require further validation in randomized controlled trials.
TRAIL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT05990894.
Adult
;
Aged
;
Female
;
Humans
;
Male
;
Middle Aged
;
Anticoagulants/therapeutic use*
;
C-Reactive Protein/metabolism*
;
Interleukin-6/metabolism*
;
Intracranial Thrombosis/drug therapy*
;
Prospective Studies
;
Steroids/therapeutic use*
;
Venous Thrombosis/drug therapy*
6.Mechanism of Colquhounia Root Tablets against diabetic kidney disease via RAGE-ROS-PI3K-AKT-NF-κB-NLRP3 signaling axis.
Ming-Zhu XU ; Zhao-Chen MA ; Zi-Qing XIAO ; Shuang-Rong GAO ; Yi-Xin YANG ; Jia-Yun SHEN ; Chu ZHANG ; Feng HUANG ; Jiang-Rui WANG ; Bei-Lei CAI ; Na LIN ; Yan-Qiong ZHANG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(7):1830-1840
This study aimed to explore the therapeutic mechanisms of Colquhounia Root Tablets(CRT) in treating diabetic kidney disease(DKD) by integrating biomolecular network mining with animal model verification. By analyzing clinical transcriptomics data, an interaction network was constructed between candidate targets of CRT and DKD-related genes. Based on the topological eigenvalues of network nodes, 101 core network targets of CRT against DKD were identified. These targets were found to be closely related to multiple pathways associated with type 2 diabetes, immune response, and metabolic reprogramming. Given that immune-inflammatory imbalance driven by metabolic reprogramming is one of the key pathogenic mechanisms of DKD, and that many core network targets of CRT are involved in this pathological process, receptor for advanced glycation end products(RAGE)-reactive oxygen species(ROS)-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)-protein kinase B(AKT)-nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)-NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3(NLRP3) signaling axis was selected as a candidate target for in-depth research. Further, a rat model of DKD induced by a high-sugar, high-fat diet and streptozotocin was established to evaluate the pharmacological effects of CRT and verify the expression of related targets. The experimental results showed that CRT could effectively correct metabolic disturbances in DKD, restore immune-inflammatory balance, and improve renal function and its pathological changes by inhibiting the activation of the RAGE-ROS-PI3K-AKT-NF-κB-NLRP3 signaling axis. In conclusion, this study reveals that CRT alleviates the progression of DKD through dual regulation of metabolic reprogramming and immune-inflammatory responses, providing strong experimental evidence for its clinical application in DKD.
Animals
;
Diabetic Nephropathies/metabolism*
;
Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products/genetics*
;
NF-kappa B/genetics*
;
Signal Transduction/drug effects*
;
Rats
;
NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/genetics*
;
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics*
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage*
;
Male
;
Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics*
;
Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism*
;
Humans
;
Plant Roots/chemistry*
;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
;
Tablets/administration & dosage*
7.Establishment of different pneumonia mouse models suitable for traditional Chinese medicine screening.
Xing-Nan YUE ; Jia-Yin HAN ; Chen PAN ; Yu-Shi ZHANG ; Su-Yan LIU ; Yong ZHAO ; Xiao-Meng ZHANG ; Jing-Wen WU ; Xuan TANG ; Ai-Hua LIANG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(15):4089-4099
In this study, lipopolysaccharide(LPS), ovalbumin(OVA), and compound 48/80(C48/80) were administered to establish non-infectious pneumonia models under simulated clinical conditions, and the correlation between their pathological characteristics and traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) syndromes was compared, providing the basis for the selection of appropriate animal models for TCM efficacy evaluation. An acute pneumonia model was established by nasal instillation of LPS combined with intraperitoneal injection for intensive stimulation. Three doses of OVA mixed with aluminum hydroxide adjuvant were injected intraperitoneally on days one, three, and five and OVA was administered via endotracheal drip for excitation on days 14-18 to establish an OVA-induced allergic pneumonia model. A single intravenous injection of three doses of C48/80 was adopted to establish a C48/80-induced pneumonia model. By detecting the changes in peripheral blood leukocyte classification, lung tissue and plasma cytokines, immunoglobulins(Ig), histamine levels, and arachidonic acid metabolites, the multi-dimensional analysis was carried out based on pathological evaluation. The results showed that the three models could cause pulmonary edema, increased wet weight in the lung, and obvious exudative inflammation in lung tissue pathology, especially for LPS. A number of pyrogenic cytokines, inclading interleukin(IL)-6, interferon(IFN)-γ, IL-1β, and IL-4 were significantly elevated in the LPS pneumonia model. Significantly increased levels of prostacyclin analogs such as prostaglandin E2(PGE2) and PGD2, which cause increased vascular permeability, and neutrophils in peripheral blood were significantly elevated. The model could partly reflect the clinical characteristics of phlegm heat accumulating in the lung or dampness toxin obstructing the lung. The OVA model showed that the sensitization mediators IgE and leukotriene E4(LTE4) were increased, and the anti-inflammatory prostacyclin 6-keto-PGF2α was decreased. Immune cells(lymphocytes and monocytes) were decreased, and inflammatory cells(neutrophils and basophils) were increased, reflecting the characteristics of "deficiency", "phlegm", or "dampness". Lymphocytes, monocytes, and basophils were significantly increased in the C48/80 model. The phenotype of the model was that the content of histamine, a large number of prostacyclins(6-keto-PGE1, PGF2α, 15-keto-PGF2α, 6-keto-PGF1α, 13,14-D-15-keto-PGE2, PGD2, PGE2, and PGH2), LTE4, and 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid(5S-HETE) was significantly increased, and these indicators were associated with vascular expansion and increased vascular permeability. The pyrogenic inflammatory cytokines were not increased. The C48/80 model reflected the characteristics of cold and damp accumulation. In the study, three non-infectious pneumonia models were constructed. The LPS model exhibited neutrophil infiltration and elevated inflammatory factors, which was suitable for the efficacy study of TCM for clearing heat, detoxifying, removing dampness, and eliminating phlegm. The OVA model, which took allergic inflammation as an index, was suitable for the efficacy study of Yiqi Gubiao formulas. The C48/80 model exhibited increased vasoactive substances(histamine, PGs, and LTE4), which was suitable for the efficacy study and evaluation of TCM for warming the lung, dispersing cold, drying dampness, and resolving phlegm. The study provides a theoretical basis for model selection for the efficacy evaluation of TCM in the treatment of pneumonia.
Animals
;
Disease Models, Animal
;
Mice
;
Pneumonia/genetics*
;
Medicine, Chinese Traditional
;
Male
;
Humans
;
Cytokines/immunology*
;
Female
;
Lipopolysaccharides/adverse effects*
;
Lung/drug effects*
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal
;
Ovalbumin
;
Mice, Inbred BALB C
8.Diagnostic value of 99mTc-MDP three-phase bone scintigraphy combined with C-reaction protein for periprosthetic joint infection.
Guojie LIU ; Xiaolan SONG ; Pei ZHAI ; Shipeng SONG ; Weidong BAO ; Yawei DUAN ; Wei ZHANG ; Yafeng LIU ; Yongqiang SUN ; Shuailei LI
Chinese Journal of Reparative and Reconstructive Surgery 2025;39(9):1180-1186
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the diagnostic efficacy of 99mTc-MDP three-phase bone scintigraphy (TPBS) combined with C-reactive protein (CRP) for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI).
METHODS:
The clinical data of 198 patients who underwent revision surgery of artificial joint between January 2017 and January 2024 and received TPBS examination before surgery were retrospectively analyzed. There were 77 males and 121 females with an average age of 63.74 years ranging from 24 to 92 years. There were 90 cases of hip arthroplasty and 108 cases of knee arthroplasty. PJI was diagnosed according to the 2013 American Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS) standard diagnostic criteria. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, negative predictive value (NPV), and positive predict value (PPV) were calculated. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to compare the diagnostic performance of the three methods, and the area under curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance.
RESULTS:
According to the 2013 MSIS criteria, 116 cases were diagnosed as PJI, and the remaining 82 cases were aseptic loosening. The cases of PJI diagnosed by TPBS, CRP, and TPBS-CRP were 125, 109, and 137 respectively, and the cases of aseptic loosening were 73, 89, and 61 respectively. The sensitivity, accuracy, NPV, and PPV of TPBS-CRP combination in the diagnosis of PJI were higher than those of TPBS and CRP, but the specificity was lower than that of TPBS and CRP. ROC curve analysis further showed that the AUC value of TPBS-CRP combination was better than that of TPBS and CRP. The severity of bone defect and the duration of symptoms in patients with false positive TPBS diagnosis were worse than those in patients with true negative TPBS diagnosis (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in the survival time of prosthesis between the two groups (P>0.05). Among the patients diagnosed with PJI by TPBS, CRP, and TPBS-CRP, 49, 35, and 54 patients had received antibiotic treatment 2 weeks before diagnosis, respectively. There was no significant difference in the diagnostic accuracy of TPBS and TPBS-CRP before diagnosis between patients treated with and without antibiotics and those not treated (P>0.05). The diagnostic accuracy of antibiotic therapy before CRP diagnosis was significantly lower than that of untreated patients (P<0.05).
CONCLUSION
TPBS and CRP have limited specificity in differentiating PJI from aseptic loosening. The TPBS-CRP combination diagnostic method can synergize the local bone metabolic characteristics and systemic inflammatory response to achieve higher diagnostic accuracy, but caution should be exercised in patients with severe bone defects and longer symptom duration.
Humans
;
Prosthesis-Related Infections/blood*
;
Middle Aged
;
Male
;
Female
;
Aged
;
C-Reactive Protein/metabolism*
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Adult
;
Radionuclide Imaging/methods*
;
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee/adverse effects*
;
Aged, 80 and over
;
Technetium Tc 99m Medronate
;
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip/adverse effects*
;
Sensitivity and Specificity
;
Knee Prosthesis/adverse effects*
;
ROC Curve
;
Reoperation
;
Radiopharmaceuticals
;
Young Adult
9.Identification of high-risk preoperative blood indicators and baseline characteristics for multiple postoperative complications in rheumatoid arthritis patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty: a multi-machine learning feature contribution analysis.
Kejia ZHU ; Zhiyang HUANG ; Biao WANG ; Hang LI ; Yuangang WU ; Bin SHEN ; Yong NIE
Chinese Journal of Reparative and Reconstructive Surgery 2025;39(12):1532-1542
OBJECTIVE:
To explore, identify, and develop novel blood-based indicators using machine learning algorithms for accurate preoperative assessment and effective prediction of postoperative complication risks in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA).
METHODS:
A retrospective cohort study was conducted including RA patients who underwent unilateral TKA between January 2019 and December 2024. Inpatient and 30-day postoperative outpatient follow-up data were collected. Six machine learning algorithms, including decision tree, random forest, logistic regression, support vector machine, extreme gradient boosting, and light gradient boosting machine, were used to construct predictive models. Model performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), F1-score, accuracy, precision, and recall. SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) values were employed to interpret and rank the importance of individual variables.
RESULTS:
According to the inclusion criteria, a total of 1 548 patients were enrolled. Ultimately, 18 preoperative indicators were identified as effective predictive features, and 8 postoperative complications were defined as prediction labels for inclusion in the study. Within 30 days after surgery, 453 patients (29.2%) developed one or more complications. Considering overall accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score, the random forest model [AUC=0.930, 95% CI (0.910, 0.950)] and the extreme gradient boosting model [AUC=0.909, 95% CI (0.880, 0.938)] demonstrated the best predictive performance. SHAP analysis revealed that anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody, C-reactive protein, rheumatoid factor, interleukin-6, body mass index, age, and smoking status made significant contributions to the overall prediction of postoperative complications.
CONCLUSION
Machine learning-based models enable accurate prediction of postoperative complication risks among RA patients undergoing TKA. Inflammatory and immune-related blood biomarkers, such as anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody, C-reactive protein, and rheumatoid factor, interleukin-6, play key predictive roles, highlighting their potential value in perioperative risk stratification and individualized management.
Humans
;
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee/adverse effects*
;
Arthritis, Rheumatoid/blood*
;
Machine Learning
;
Postoperative Complications/blood*
;
Female
;
Male
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Middle Aged
;
Aged
;
Risk Factors
;
Preoperative Period
;
C-Reactive Protein/analysis*
;
Risk Assessment
10.Predictive value of preoperative inflammatory response indicators for incisional infection after spinal surgery.
Wei LIANG ; Rui-Li ZHUO ; Shao-Dong SUN
China Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology 2025;38(2):183-187
OBJECTIVE:
To explore the clinical significance of preoperative neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) to albumin (ALB) ratio in spinal surgery patients with postoperative incision infection.
METHODS:
A total of 373 patients who underwent spinal surgery were collected and devided into two groups according to the postoperative incision infection situation. Among them, 65 cases in the incision infection group included 34 males and 31 females with a mean age of (56.01±9.78) years old;308 cases in the non incision infection group included 157 males and 151 females with a mean age of (55.54±10.19) years old. Blood cell analyzer was applied to detect neutrophils, lymphocytes, and platelets, and calculate NLR and PLR;immunoturbidimetry was applied to measure serum CRP and ALB levels and calculate CRP/ALB ratio;receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to analyze the predictive value of preoperative NLR, PLR, and CRP/ALB ratio for postoperative spinal incision infection;Logistic multivariate regression was applied to analyze the influencing factors of incision infection after spinal surgery.
RESULTS:
The NLR(4.92±1.13), PLR (119.32±22.74), CRP/ALB ratio (10.19±2.51), operation time (3.02±0.64) h, history of diabetes 38.46%(25/65), and the proportion of patients with implant 32.31%(21/65) in the incision infection group were higher than those in the non incision infection group 3.72±0.81, 90.58±20.16, 7.23±2.21, (2.26±0.51) h, 16.88%(53/308), 11.69%(36/308), there were statistical differences(P<0.05). The AUC of preoperative NLR, PLR, and CRP/ALB ratio alone and in combination for predicting postoperative incision infection after spinal surgery was 0.786, 0.806, 0.839, and 0.926, respectively. Preoperative NLR, PLR, and CRP/ALB ratio were independent risk factors for postoperative incision infection in spinal surgery(P<0.05).
CONCLUSION
The determination of preoperative NLR, PLR, and CRP/ALB ratio is beneficial for early prediction of postoperative spinal incision infection, and the combined detection of the three can further improve the accuracy of the prediction results.
Humans
;
Male
;
Female
;
Middle Aged
;
Aged
;
C-Reactive Protein/metabolism*
;
Surgical Wound Infection/etiology*
;
Adult
;
Spine/surgery*
;
Inflammation
;
Preoperative Period

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