Objective:To identify the core competencies of thoracic surgery specialist nurses and provide a reference for training thoracic surgery specialist nurses.Methods:Following the methodological framework for scoping reviews proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute, 9 databases were searched from inception to February 23, 2024.Results:A total of 17 papers were included, including 11 papers in Chinese and 6 papers in other languages. By analyzing and integrating the included literature, 6 themes, 15 sub-themes, and 59 entries were identified as the core competencies for thoracic surgery specialist nurses. The themes included direct nursing practice competencies, critical thinking competencies, professional development competencies, interpersonal competencies, managerial competencies, and ethical decision-making competencies.Conclusions:This study reviewed the core competencies of thoracic surgery specialist nurses based on publications worldwide. Combined with the national conditions of nursing development in China, we clarified the core competencies of thoracic surgery specialist nurses that align more closely with the clinical nursing practice in thoracic surgery. In the future, we suggest building a standardized training system based on these core competencies, systematically training thoracic surgery specialist nurses, addressing the challenges in developing core competencies of thoracic surgery specialist nurses, and further improving the quality of thoracic surgery nursing in China.

Objective:To investigate respiratory virus infection in children with septic shock in pediatric care units (PICU) in China and its influence on clinical outcomes.Methods:The clinical data of children with septic shock in children′s PICU from January 2018 to December 2019 in 10 Chinese hospitals were retrospectively collected. They were divided into the pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 groups according to the onset of disease, and the characteristics and composition of respiratory virus in the 2 groups were compared. Matching age, malignant underlying diseases, bacteria, fungi and other viruses, a new database was generated using 1∶1 propensity score matching method. The children were divided into the respiratory virus group and non-respiratory virus group according to the presence or absence of respiratory virus infection; their clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment were compared by t-test, rank sum test and Chi-square test. The correlation between respiratory virus infection and the clinical outcomes was analyzed by logistic regression. Results:A total of 1 247 children with septic shock were included in the study, of them 748 were male; the age was 37 (11, 105) months. In the pre-and post-COVID-19 groups, there were 530 and 717 cases of septic shock, respectively; the positive rate of respiratory virus was 14.9% (79 cases) and 9.8% (70 cases); the seasonal distribution of septic shock was 28.9% (153/530) and 25.9% (185/717) in autumn, and 30.3% (161/530) and 28.3% (203/717) in winter, respectively, and the corresponding positive rates of respiratory viruses were 19.6% (30/153) and 15.7% (29/185) in autumn, and 21.1% (34/161) and 15.3% (31/203) in winter, respectively. The positive rates of influenza virus and adenovirus in the post-COVID-19 group were lower than those in the pre-COVID-19 group (2.1% (15/717) vs. 7.5% (40/530), and 0.7% (5/717) vs. 3.2% (17/530), χ2=21.51 and 11.08, respectively; all P<0.05). Rhinovirus virus were higher than those in the pre-Covid-19 group (1.7% (12/717) vs. 0.2% (1/530), χ2=6.51, P=0.011). After propensity score matching, there were 147 cases in both the respiratory virus group and the non-respiratory virus group. Rate of respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress, rate of disseminated coagulation dysfunction, and immunoglobulin usage of the respiratory virus group were higher than those of non-respiratory virus group (77.6% (114/147) vs. 59.2% (87/147), 17.7% (26/147) vs. 4.1% (6/147), 15.6% (25/147) vs. 4.1% (7/147), and 35.4% (52/147) vs. 21.4% (32/147); χ2=11.07, 14.02, 11.06 and 6.67, all P<0.05); and PICU hospitalization of the former was longer than that of the later (7 (3, 16) vs. 3 (1, 7)d, Z=5.01, P<0.001). Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that the presence of respiratory viral infection was associated with respiratory failure, disseminated coagulation dysfunction, the use of mechanical ventilation, and the use of immunoglobulin and anti-respiratory viral drugs ( OR=2.42, 0.22, 0.25, 0.56 and 1.12, all P<0.05). Conclusions:The composition of respiratory virus infection in children with septic shock is different between pre and post-COVID-19. Respiratory viral infection is associated with organ dysfunction in children with septic shock. Decreasing respiratory viral infection through respiratory protection may improve the clinical outcome of these children.

Objective:To investigate the clinical features, pathogen composition, and prognosis of septic shock in pediatric intensive care units (PICU) in China.Methods:A multicenter retrospective cohort study. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of children with septic shock from 10 hospitals in China between January 2018 and December 2021. The clinical features, pathogen composition, and outcomes were collected. Patients were categorized into malignant tumor and non-malignant tumor groups, as well as survival and mortality groups. T test, Mann Whitney U test or Chi square test were used respectively for comparing clinical characteristics and prognosis between 2 groups. Multiple Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for mortality. Results:A total of 1 247 children with septic shock were included, with 748 males (59.9%) and the age of 3.1 (0.9, 8.8) years. The in-patient mortality rate was 23.2% (289 cases). The overall pathogen positive rate was 68.2% (851 cases), with 1 229 pathogens identified. Bacterial accounted for 61.4% (754 strains) and virus for 24.8% (305 strains). Among all bacterium, Gram negative bacteria constituted 64.2% (484 strains), with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter being the most common; Gram positive bacteria comprised 35.8% (270 strains), primarily Streptococcus and Staphylococcus species. Influenza virus (86 strains (28.2%)), Epstein-Barr virus (53 strains (17.4%)), and respiratory syncytial virus (46 strains (17.1%)) were the top three viruses. Children with malignant tumors were older and had higher pediatric risk of mortality (PRISM) Ⅲ score, paediatric sequential organ failure assessment (pSOFA) score (7.9 (4.3, 11.8) vs. 2.3 (0.8, 7.5) years old, 22 (16, 26) vs. 16 (10, 24) points, 10 (5, 14) vs. 8 (4, 12) points, Z=11.32, 0.87, 4.00, all P<0.05), and higher pathogen positive rate, and in-hospital mortality (77.7% (240/309) vs. 65.1% (611/938), 29.7% (92/309) vs. 21.0% (197/938), χ2=16.84, 10.04, both P<0.05) compared to the non-tumor group. In the death group, the score of PRISM Ⅲ, pSOFA (16 (22, 29) vs. 14 (10, 20) points, 8 (12, 15) vs. 6 (3, 9) points, Z=4.92, 11.88, both P<0.05) were all higher, and presence of neoplastic disease, positive rate of pathogen and proportion of invasive mechanical ventilation in death group were also all higher than those in survival group (29.7% (87/289) vs. 23.2% (222/958), 77.8% (225/289) vs. 65.4% (626/958), 73.7% (213/289) vs. 50.6% (485/958), χ2=5.72, 16.03, 49.98, all P<0.05). Multiple Logistic regression showed that PRISM Ⅲ, pSOFA, and malignant tumor were the independent risk factors for mortality ( OR=1.04, 1.09, 0.67, 95% CI 1.01-1.05, 1.04-1.12, 0.47-0.94, all P<0.05). Conclusions:Bacterial infection are predominant in pediatric septic shock, but viral infection are also significant. Children with malignancies are more severe and resource consumptive. The overall mortality rate for pediatric septic shock remains high, and mortality are associated with malignant tumor, PRISM Ⅲ and pSOFA scores.

Objective:To establish a radiomics-based biomarker for predicting pathological response after preoperative neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) in locally advanced esophageal cancer.Methods:From 2008 to 2018, 112 patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer who received nCRT were enrolled. All patients were treated with preoperative nCRT combined with surgery. Enhanced CT images and clinical information before nCRT were collected. A lesion volume of interest was manually delineated. In total, 670 radiomics features (including tumor intensity, shape and size, texture and wavelet characteristics) were extracted using the pyradiomics package in PYTHON. The stepwise regression combined with the best subset were employed to select the features, and finally the Logistic regression model was adopted to establish the prediction model. The performance of the classifier was evaluated by the area under the ROC curve (AUC). Results:The pathological complete remission (pCR) rate was 58.0%(65/112). 10 radiomics features were included in the final model, The most relevant radiomics feature was the gray feature (the texture information of the image), followed by the shape and voxel intensity-related features. In the training set, the AUC was 0.750 with a sensitivity of 0.711 and a specificity of 0.778, the corresponding values in the testing set were 0.870, 0.757 and 0.900, respectively.Conclusions:Models based on radiomics features from CT images can be utilized to predict the pathological response to nCRT in esophageal cancer. As it is efficient, non-invasive and economic model, it could serve as a promising tool for individualized treatment when validated by further prospective trials in the future.

Objective:To analyze the relationship between hematological examination combined with clinical factors and radiation-induced hypothyroidism (HT) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).Methods:Clinical data of 206 patients with NPC who received radiotherapy in Cancer Hospital of University of Chinese Academy of Sciences between January 2015 to August 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The correlation between general clinical data, hematological examination and HT was analyzed to establish a hematological prediction model.Results:Univariate analysis showed that sex, N-stage, thyroid volume, average dose, V 20Gy, V 25Gy, V 30Gy, V 35Gy, V 40Gy, V 45Gy, fibrinogen content, cholinesterase and neutrophil count were closely associated with the incidence of HT. Multivariate analysis showed that thyroid volume, fibrinogen content and cholinesterase were the independent predictors of HT. Conclusion:The combination of sex, N-stage, thyroid volume, dose parameters, fibrinogen content, cholinesterase, neutrophil percentage and neutrophil count can predict the incidence of HT (AUC=0.777).

As a powerful tool to advance drug discovery, molecular imaging may provide new insights into the process of drug effect and therapy at cellular and molecular levels. When compared with other detection methods, fluorescence-based strategies are highly attractive and can be used to illuminate pathways of drugs' transport, with multi-color capacity, high specificity and good sensitivity. The conjugates of fluorescent molecules and therapeutic agents create exciting avenues for real-time monitoring of drug delivery and distribution, both in vitro and in vivo. In this short review, we discuss recent developments of small molecule-based fluorophore-drug conjugates, including non-cleavable and cleavable ones, that are capable of visualizing drug delivery.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the correlation of serum osteoprotegerin (OPG) with the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the noninvasive prediction and diagnosis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

METHODSA total of 136 patients with NAFLD were enrolled, and their tissue samples for liver biopsy and serum samples obtained at 1 week after liver biopsy were collected; 83 healthy subjects without the symptoms of fatty liver disease proved by ultrasound examination were enrolled as controls. The physiological indicators including height, body weight, and waist circumference were measured, and body mass index was calculated. The biochemical parameters including alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), AST/ALT, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, total cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were measured. Double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine the serum level of OPG. The rank sum test, chi-square test, t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Spearman correlation analysis, least significant difference test, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were applied for statistical analysis of various data.

RESULTSSerum OPG level was correlated with AST and TG (P < 0.05), and was highly correlated with hepatocyte fatty degeneration, ballooning degeneration, intralobular inflammation, portal inflammation, and fibrosis degree (P < 0.01). With the increasing NAFLD activity score (NAS), serum OPG level decreased, and there was a highly negative correlation between them (r = -0.928, P < 0.01). Serum OPG level was significantly lower in NASH patients than non-NASH patients. The area under the ROC curve of serum OPG level was 0.963, and according to the Youden index, its optimal sensitivity and specificity were 96.1% and 97.4%, respectively, at an optimal cut-off value of 242.96 ng/L, which suggested a high diagnostic power.

CONCLUSIONIn NASH patients, serum OPG level decreases significantly. Serum OPG level can be used as an independent predictive factor to evaluate NASH and its severity, as well as a noninvasive diagnostic index for NASH.

Alanine Transaminase ; blood ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; blood ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; blood ; Biopsy ; Body Mass Index ; Case-Control Studies ; Cholesterol ; blood ; Disease Progression ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Inflammation ; pathology ; Liver ; pathology ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; blood ; diagnosis ; Osteoprotegerin ; blood ; ROC Curve ; Triglycerides ; blood ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase ; blood

Objective To study the proliferation and apoptosis and investigate the expression of Indian hedgehog (Ihh),parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrp),smoothened (Smo) protein and mRNA in the cultured rat primary chondrocytes exposed to different doses of NaF.Methods The third generation articular chondrocytes of neonate rat were cultured in vitro and treated with 0 (control),5,10,20 and 40 mg/L of fluoride.The proliferation activities of cells at different times (24,48 and 72 h) were tested by Thiazolyl Blue Tetrazolium Bromide (MTT).The apoptosis rate was determined by flow cytometry.The expressions of protein and mRNA of Ihh,Smo and PTHrp at 48 h were determined by Western blotting and semi-quantitative RT-PCR,respectively.Results After exposed to 5 mg/L of fluoride for 24,48 and 72 h,the proliferation rates were significantly increased [(1.17 ± 0.07)％,(1.20 ±0.06)％,(1.16 ± 0.08)％] compared with those of control group [(1.10 ± 0.08)％,(1.13 ± 0.08)％,(1.15 ± 0.08)％],but the proliferation activity at 48 and 72 h in 40 mg/L group [(0.72 ± 0.11)％,(0.68 ± 0.04)％] was significantly lower than those in control group (all P ＜ 0.05).Compared with the control group,apoptosis rate of cartilage cell in fluoride treatment group increased gradually [(1.47 ± 0.05)％,(19.87 ± 3.03)％,(25.30 ± 1.28)％,(45.73 ± 4.63)％,F =123.328,P ＜ 0.01].Western blot analysis and RT-PCR results showed that the Ihh,PTHrp,Smo mRNA and protein expression increased in the fluoride groups at 48 h (Ihh protein:0.77 ± 0.08 vs.0.98 ±-0.07,1.23 ± 0.06,1.37 ±0.07,1.34 ± 0.07;PTHrp protein:0.68 ± 0.04 vs.0.89 ± 0.05,0.83 ± 0.05,1.29 ± 0.05,1.16 ± 0.08;Smo protein:0.37 ± 0.01 vs.0.64 ± 0.06,0.67 ± 0.03,0.96 ± 0.06,0.69 ± 0.06;Ihh mRNA:0.77 ± 0.05 vs.0.98 ± 0.05,1.09 ±0.05,1.27 ± 0.03,1.46 ± 0.06;PTHrp mRNA:0.67 ± 0.07 vs.0.97 ± 0.05,1.07 ± 0.08,1.37 ± 0.05,1.45 ± 0.05;Smo mRNA:0.45 ± 0.03 vs.0.63 ±-0.04,0.71 ± 0.05,0.81 ± 0.01,1.00 ± 0.02,all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Low doses of fluoride can promote the proliferation of chondrocytes cultured in vitro,and high doses of fluoride can promote the apoptosis of chondrocytes cultured in vitro.The expression of Ihh signaling pathway RNAs and proteins of the cartilage cells are increased following increased levels of fluoride.The results suggest that fluorine has activated the Ihh signaling pathway in chondrocytes and promoted the proliferation and apoptosis processes which might be involved in chondrocytes injury.

Objective To investigate the effects of silencing Smo gene on proliferation and apoptosis of rat prima-ry chondrocyte in vitro.Methods The primary chondrocyte was obtained by mechanical-enzyme digestion and identified by Immunohistochemical cells ( ColⅡ) .The animals were divided into control group , control siRNA group and Smo siRNA 1 ~3 group.The siRNA was transfected into chondrocytes by lentivirus vector .After 72 h, the cell viability was detected by MTT, Smo expression was detected by RT-PCR and Western blot, and the apoptosis of chondrocyte was assessed by flow cytometry .Results All types of siRNA were transfected into primary chondrocyte by vectors, the Smo siRNA 1 ~3 may inhibit the expression of Smo mRNA and protein in chondrocytes, and Smo siRNA2 had the highest silencing rate ( the expressions of Smo mRNA and protein were 0.19 ±0.03 and 0.39 ±0.07 ) .The cell viability in Smo siRNA2 group was lowest ( 77.38% ±7.19%) , while the apoptosis rate of Smo siRNA2 was highest ( 21.43%±2.97%) .Conclusions Silencing Smo gene in primary chondrocytes may inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis , Smo may have a protecting role from apop-tosis of the chondrocyte.

Objective:To investigate the clinical pharmaceutical care methods and promote rational drug use. Methods:The diag-nosis and treatment process of one patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were used as the examples, the pharmacists par-ticipated in selecting drugs, adjusting dosage and making individual regimen to carry out the pharmaceutical care in the whole treatment process, including observing curative effect, monitoring adverse reactions, implementing patient education,nutritional support, immu-notherapy and the effect evaluation. Results:Clinical pharmacists together with clinicians developed the treatment regimens for the pa-tient with the full implementation of pharmaceutical care, the effect was promising, and the patient recovered and discharged from hos-pital. Conclusion:Clinical pharmacists should implement pharmaceutical care for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the whole treatment process, which can reduce drug adverse reactions and interactions effectively, and play an important role in ra-tional and safe drug use.