Objective: This cross-sectional investigation aimed to determine the incidence, clinical characteristics, prognosis, and related risk factors of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain in mainland China. Methods: Data of patients with SARS-CoV-2 from December 28, 2022, to February 21, 2023, were collected through online and offline questionnaires from 45 tertiary hospitals and one center for disease control and prevention in mainland China. The questionnaire included demographic information, previous health history, smoking and alcohol drinking, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, olfactory and gustatory function before and after infection, other symptoms after infection, as well as the duration and improvement of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction. The self-reported olfactory and gustatory functions of patients were evaluated using the Olfactory VAS scale and Gustatory VAS scale. Results: A total of 35 566 valid questionnaires were obtained, revealing a high incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain (67.75%). Females(χ2=367.013, P<0.001) and young people(χ2=120.210, P<0.001) were more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Gender(OR=1.564, 95%CI: 1.487-1.645), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), oral health status (OR=0.881, 95%CI: 0.839-0.926), smoking history (OR=1.152, 95%CI=1.080-1.229), and drinking history (OR=0.854, 95%CI: 0.785-0.928) were correlated with the occurrence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2(above P<0.001). 44.62% (4 391/9 840) of the patients who had not recovered their sense of smell and taste also suffered from nasal congestion, runny nose, and 32.62% (3 210/9 840) suffered from dry mouth and sore throat. The improvement of olfactory and taste functions was correlated with the persistence of accompanying symptoms(χ2=10.873, P=0.001). The average score of olfactory and taste VAS scale was 8.41 and 8.51 respectively before SARS-CoV-2 infection, but decreased to3.69 and 4.29 respectively after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and recovered to 5.83and 6.55 respectively at the time of the survey. The median duration of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions was 15 days and 12 days, respectively, with 0.5% (121/24 096) of patients experiencing these dysfunctions for more than 28 days. The overall self-reported improvement rate of smell and taste dysfunctions was 59.16% (14 256/24 096). Gender(OR=0.893, 95%CI: 0.839-0.951), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), history of head and facial trauma(OR=1.180, 95%CI: 1.036-1.344, P=0.013), nose (OR=1.104, 95%CI: 1.042-1.171, P=0.001) and oral (OR=1.162, 95%CI: 1.096-1.233) health status, smoking history(OR=0.765, 95%CI: 0.709-0.825), and the persistence of accompanying symptoms (OR=0.359, 95%CI: 0.332-0.388) were correlated with the recovery of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2 (above P<0.001 except for the indicated values). Conclusion: The incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain is high in mainland China, with females and young people more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Active and effective intervention measures may be required for cases that persist for a long time. The recovery of olfactory and taste functions is influenced by several factors, including gender, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status, history of head and facial trauma, nasal and oral health status, smoking history, and persistence of accompanying symptoms.
Female ; Humans ; Adolescent ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Smell ; COVID-19/complications* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; Incidence ; Olfaction Disorders/etiology* ; Taste Disorders/etiology* ; Prognosis

Background: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is the most common thyroid dysfunction, and its relationship with blood pressure (BP) has been controversial. The aim of the study was to analyze the association between SCH and newly-diagnosed hypertension. Methods: Based on data from the Thyroid disease, Iodine nutrition and Diabetes Epidemiology (TIDE) study, 49,433 euthyroid individuals and 7,719 SCH patients aged ≥18 years were enrolled. Patients with a history of hypertension or thyroid disease were excluded. SCH was determined by manufacturer reference range. Overall hypertension and stage 1 and 2 hypertension were diagnosed according to the guidelines issued by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association in 2017. Results: The prevalence of overall hypertension (48.7%), including stage 1 (28.9%) and 2 (19.8%) hypertension, increased significantly in SCH patients compared with euthyroid subjects. With elevated serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level, the hypertension prevalence also increased significantly from the euthyroid to different SCH subgroups, which was more profound in females or subjects aged <65 years. The age- and sex-specific regression analysis further demonstrated the same trends in the general population and in the 1:1 propensity matched population. Similarly, several BP components (i.e., systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial BP) were positively associated with TSH elevation, and regression analysis also confirmed that all BP components were closely related with SCH in female subjects aged <65 years. Conclusion The prevalence of hypertension increases for patients with SCH. SCH tends to be associated with hypertension and BP components in females younger than 65 years.

OBJECTIVE: To establishment the Sense of Security Scale for Medical Staff and test its reliability and validity. METHODS: The pre-test version scale was formulated through methods of literature review, semi-structured interviews with clinical medical staff, discussion with members of research groups, and consultation with medical experts. A total of 350 and 403 medical staff who worked in a tertiary A hospital in Guangdong Province were selected as the prediction and the verification samples, respectively, by convenience sampling method. The reliability and validity of the final version scale were tested by item analysis, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factory analysis. RESULTS: Through item analysis, it was determined that the scale was mainly composed of 24 items. Exploratory factory analysis extracted five characteristics: environmental factors, patient factors, self factors, organizational management, and social support, that explained 72.8% of the total variation. The results of confirmatory factory analysis showed that the ratio of chi-square to degree of freedom was 2.851, the mean square error of approximation was 0.068, the standardized mean square residual was 0.078, the goodness of fit index was 0.883, the normative fit index was 0.904, the comparative fit index was 0.935, the non-standard fitting index was 0.924, and the incremental fitting index was 0.936. The results of reliability and validity test showed that the total Cronbach alpha coefficient, Spearman-Brown coefficient and retest reliability were 0.939, 0.967 and 0.808, respectively. The item reliability of each item was 0.420-0.814, the composite reliability was 0.775-0.920, the content validity ratio was 0.904, the convergent validity was 0.514-0.741, and the discriminative validity was 0.717-0.861. CONCLUSION: The reliability and validity of each dimension of the Sense of Security Scale for Medical Staff is good, and it can be used as an evaluation tool to measure the sense of security in medical staff.

Background: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is the most common thyroid dysfunction, and its relationship with blood pressure (BP) has been controversial. The aim of the study was to analyze the association between SCH and newly-diagnosed hypertension. Methods: Based on data from the Thyroid disease, Iodine nutrition and Diabetes Epidemiology (TIDE) study, 49,433 euthyroid individuals and 7,719 SCH patients aged ≥18 years were enrolled. Patients with a history of hypertension or thyroid disease were excluded. SCH was determined by manufacturer reference range. Overall hypertension and stage 1 and 2 hypertension were diagnosed according to the guidelines issued by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association in 2017. Results: The prevalence of overall hypertension (48.7%), including stage 1 (28.9%) and 2 (19.8%) hypertension, increased significantly in SCH patients compared with euthyroid subjects. With elevated serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level, the hypertension prevalence also increased significantly from the euthyroid to different SCH subgroups, which was more profound in females or subjects aged <65 years. The age- and sex-specific regression analysis further demonstrated the same trends in the general population and in the 1:1 propensity matched population. Similarly, several BP components (i.e., systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial BP) were positively associated with TSH elevation, and regression analysis also confirmed that all BP components were closely related with SCH in female subjects aged <65 years. Conclusion The prevalence of hypertension increases for patients with SCH. SCH tends to be associated with hypertension and BP components in females younger than 65 years.

Objective:To explore the effect of different effective parts of Taohe Chengqitang on the synthesis and degradation of extracellular matrix in human kideny-2（HK-2） cells induced by transforming growth factor-β₁（TGF-β₁）. Method:Petroleum ether extract, ethyl acetate extract, n-butanol extract, raffinate and polysaccharide extract, mirabilite extract were extracted with 70% ethanol by systematic solvent method. The HK-2 cell fibrosis model induced by TGF-β₁ was built to intervene the cells in different parts of Taohe Chengqitang with different concentrations (0, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 mg·L^-1). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA）kit assay was used to detect collagen（Col）-Ⅰα1 and fibronectin （FN）in supernatant to screen out the main active parts. Cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8）method was used to determine the best concentration of intervention site of bioactive components. Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression levels of Col-Ⅰ, Col-Ⅲ, matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor2 (TIMP2), and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF). Immunofluorescence assay was used to detect the expression of α-smooth muscle actin（α-SMA）. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） analysis was used to detect the mRNA expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1（PAI-1）. Result:ELISA kit assay demonstrated that compared with the model group, ethyl acetate extract, n-butanol extract and chloroform extract significantly reduced the Col-Ⅰα1 and FN content at the concentrations of 200 and 400 mg·L^-1 (P<0.05, P<0.01). CCK-8 assay showed that the cells viability was significantly inhibited with drug intervention at the concentrations of 400 and 800 mg·L^-1 (P<0.01). Western blot demonstrated that compared with the model group, ethyl acetate extract, n-butanol extract and chloroform extract decreased the expression levels of Col-Ⅰ, Col-Ⅲ, TIMP2 and CTGF in HK-2 cells induced by TGF-β₁, and increased the expression of MMP-2 (P<0.05), with more significant effect in n-butanol extract (P<0.01). The results of immunofluorescence showed that ethyl acetate extract, n-butanol extract and chloroform extract could inhibit the expression of α-SMA (P<0.05), with more significant effect in n-butanol extract (P<0.01). The results of Real-time PCR showed that ethyl acetate extract and chloroform extract inhibited mRNA expression of PAI-1 (P<0.05), with more significant effect in n-butanol extract (P<0.01). Conclusion:The extracts of ethyl acetate, n-butanol and chloroform are the active parts of Taohe Chengqitang with the anti-renal fibrosis effect, with n-butanol extract as the most active part. The mechanism on anti-renal fibrosis may be related to its regulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis and degradation.