Objective To prepare glucose transporter 1(Glut1)-targeted doxorubicin(DOX)-loaded liposomes(doxorubicin/polyphyllin H-liposomes,DOX/ppH-LPs)using polyphyllin H(ppH)instead of cholesterol as the liposomal membrane material,and to investigate their in vitro synergistic anti-tumor activity against non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods DOX/ppH-LPs were prepared using thin-film hydration,and the formulation was optimized by single-factor investigation.The optimized DOX/ppH-LPs were characterized for morphology,particle size,polydispersity index(PDI),and zeta potential with transmission electron microscopy(TEM)and dynamic light scattering(DLS).Drug loading DL%was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC).The storage stability was evaluated by observing in PBS at 4℃for 7 d,and the serum stability was observed in DMEM containing 10%fetal bovine serum(FBS)at 37℃for 48 h.In vitro drug release was studied in PBS at pH 7.4 and pH 5.0 values,respectively.Human NSCLC A549 cells were subjected as the model,MTT assay was performed to detect the proliferation inhibition by DOX/ppH-LPs at different concentrations(0.5,5.0,15.0 μg/mL)and the control group(ppH+DOX/LPs,a physical mixture of free ppH and DOX-loaded liposomes).Fluorescence microscopy was used to observe cellular uptake of DOX/ppH-LPs and DOX/LPs(containing 5 μg/mL DOX)at 15 min and 2 h.Live/dead cell staining was applied to assess apoptosis/necrosis induced by formulations(15 μg/mL DOX)after 48 h incubation.Transwell assay was conducted to evaluate inhibitory effect on cell migration and invasion,and the targeting property and in vitro synergistic anti-NSCLC activity of DOX/ppH-LPs were then comprehensively evaluated.Results The optimal formulation of DOX/ppH-LPs was determined as hydration temperature at 50℃,6 mg DOX,2 mg ppH,and 24 mg lecithin.The prepared DOX/ppH-LPs were in spherical shape,uniform distribution,and at an average particle size of 145.13±22.14 nm,a PDI of 0.15±0.05,a zeta potential of-23.92±1.73 mV,and a DL of 10.13±0.71%for DOX and(1.22±0.21)%for ppH.DOX/ppH-LPs maintained stable particle size,PDI,and exhibited significantly unchanged zeta potential after storage in PBS at 4℃for 7 d or incubation in DMEM containing 10%FBS at 37℃for 48 h,demonstrating excellent physical and serum stability.Both liposomes showed slow release at pH 7.4 value,while drug release was significantly accelerated at pH 5.0 value(P<0.05),indicating pH-sensitive release characteristics.MTT assay revealed that DOX/ppH-LPs exerted significantly stronger cytotoxicity against A549 cells than the ppH+DOX/LPs control group(P<0.05).Compared with ppH+DOX/LPs,DOX/ppH-LPs showed remarkably enhanced cellular uptake in A549 cells(P<0.05),with more DOX localized in the nucleus.Live/dead cell staining showed that at the same DOX concentration(15 μg/mL),the proportion of apoptotic/necrotic cells induced by DOX/ppH-LPs was significantly higher than that of the DOX/LPs control group.Transwell assay demonstrated that there were significantly less cells migrating and invading through the membrane in the DOX/ppH-LPs group than the ppH+DOX/LPs group.Conclusion Glut1-targeted doxorubicin-loaded liposomes(DOX/ppH-LPs)constructed by substituting cholesterol with ppH can target NSCLC cells,significantly enhance the in vitro synergistic anti-NSCLC activity of DOX and ppH.

Background::Hepatitis B poses a heavy burden for children in China, however, the national studies on the distributional characteristics and health care costs of children with severe hepatitis B is still lacking. This study aimed to analyze the disease characteristics, health economic effects, and medical cost for children with severe hepatitis B in China.Methods::Based on patient information in the Hospital Quality Monitoring System, cases with severe hepatitis B were divided into four groups according to age, and the etiology and symptoms of each group were quantified. The cost of hospitalization was calculated for cases with different disease processes, and severity of disease. The spatial aggregation of cases and the relationship with health economic factors were analyzed by Moran’s I analysis. Results::The total number of children discharged with hepatitis B from January 2016 to April 2022 was 1603, with an average age of 10.5 years. Liver failure cases accounted for 43.48% (697/1603) of total cases and cirrhosis cases accounted for 11.23% (180/1603). According to the grouping of disease progression, there were 1292 cases without associated complications, and the median hospitalization cost was $818.12. According to the spatial analysis, the aggregation of cases was statistically significant at the prefectural and provincial levels in 2019, 2020, and 2021 (all P <0.05). The number of severe cases was negatively correlated with gross domestic product (Moran’s I <0) and percentage of urban population (Moran’s I <0), and positively correlated with the number of pediatric beds per million population (Moran’s I >0). Conclusion::The number of severe hepatitis B cases is low in areas with high gross domestic product levels and high urban population ratios, and health care costs have been declining over the years.

Objective To explore the relationship between hemorheology and Carotid Atherosclerosis.Methods The clinical data of 153 patients who underwent both hemorheological testing and carotid artery ultrasound were divided into a CAS group(n=96)and a non-CAS group(n=57)based on ultrasound findings.Clinical data and laboratory indicators were compared between two groups.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors of CAS.The ROC curves graph were drawn to observe the role of hemorheological indicators in predicting CAS and select the optimal cutoff value based on the maximum Youden index.Results The CAS group demonstrated higher levels in age,BMI,RBC aggregation index,low&high shear reduced viscosity of whole blood,plasma viscosity and fibrinogen compared to the non-CAS group(P<0.05).The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that plasma viscosity(OR=38.270,95%CI:1.206～1214.508),age(OR=1.119,95%CI:1.065～1.176)were risk factors for the occurrence of CAS(P<0.05).The ROC curves showed that the area under the curve(AUC)of plasma viscosity and age were 0.623、0.728.Conclusion CAS patients have high levels of plasma viscosity and advanged age compared to the patient without CAS.Elevated plasma viscosity and age is a risk factor for CAS,with plasma viscosity≥1.46 mPa·s,over the age of 56.5 as a significant value for predicting CAS.

Objective To explore the relationship between hemorheology and Carotid Atherosclerosis.Methods The clinical data of 153 patients who underwent both hemorheological testing and carotid artery ultrasound were divided into a CAS group(n=96)and a non-CAS group(n=57)based on ultrasound findings.Clinical data and laboratory indicators were compared between two groups.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors of CAS.The ROC curves graph were drawn to observe the role of hemorheological indicators in predicting CAS and select the optimal cutoff value based on the maximum Youden index.Results The CAS group demonstrated higher levels in age,BMI,RBC aggregation index,low&high shear reduced viscosity of whole blood,plasma viscosity and fibrinogen compared to the non-CAS group(P<0.05).The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that plasma viscosity(OR=38.270,95%CI:1.206～1214.508),age(OR=1.119,95%CI:1.065～1.176)were risk factors for the occurrence of CAS(P<0.05).The ROC curves showed that the area under the curve(AUC)of plasma viscosity and age were 0.623、0.728.Conclusion CAS patients have high levels of plasma viscosity and advanged age compared to the patient without CAS.Elevated plasma viscosity and age is a risk factor for CAS,with plasma viscosity≥1.46 mPa·s,over the age of 56.5 as a significant value for predicting CAS.

Background::Hepatitis B poses a heavy burden for children in China, however, the national studies on the distributional characteristics and health care costs of children with severe hepatitis B is still lacking. This study aimed to analyze the disease characteristics, health economic effects, and medical cost for children with severe hepatitis B in China.Methods::Based on patient information in the Hospital Quality Monitoring System, cases with severe hepatitis B were divided into four groups according to age, and the etiology and symptoms of each group were quantified. The cost of hospitalization was calculated for cases with different disease processes, and severity of disease. The spatial aggregation of cases and the relationship with health economic factors were analyzed by Moran’s I analysis. Results::The total number of children discharged with hepatitis B from January 2016 to April 2022 was 1603, with an average age of 10.5 years. Liver failure cases accounted for 43.48% (697/1603) of total cases and cirrhosis cases accounted for 11.23% (180/1603). According to the grouping of disease progression, there were 1292 cases without associated complications, and the median hospitalization cost was $818.12. According to the spatial analysis, the aggregation of cases was statistically significant at the prefectural and provincial levels in 2019, 2020, and 2021 (all P <0.05). The number of severe cases was negatively correlated with gross domestic product (Moran’s I <0) and percentage of urban population (Moran’s I <0), and positively correlated with the number of pediatric beds per million population (Moran’s I >0). Conclusion::The number of severe hepatitis B cases is low in areas with high gross domestic product levels and high urban population ratios, and health care costs have been declining over the years.

As the search for effective treatments for COVID-19 continues, the high mortality rate among critically ill patients in Intensive Care Units (ICU) presents a profound challenge. This study explores the potential benefits of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as a supplementary treatment for severe COVID-19. A total of 110 critically ill COVID-19 patients at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Vulcan Hill Hospital between Feb., 2020, and April, 2020 (Wuhan, China) participated in this observational study. All patients received standard supportive care protocols, with a subset of 81 also receiving TCM as an adjunct treatment. Clinical characteristics during the treatment period and the clinical outcome of each patient were closely monitored and analysed. Our findings indicated that the TCM group exhibited a significantly lower mortality rate compared with the non-TCM group (16 of 81 vs 24 of 29; 0.3 vs 2.3 person/month). In the adjusted Cox proportional hazards models, TCM treatment was associated with improved survival odds (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the analysis also revealed that TCM treatment could partially mitigate inflammatory responses, as evidenced by the reduced levels of proinflammatory cytokines, and contribute to the recovery of multiple organic functions, thereby potentially increasing the survival rate of critically ill COVID-19 patients.
Humans ; COVID-19 ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Critical Illness ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To investigate the effects of remimazolam and propofol on postoperative nausea and vomiting(PONV)in patients undergoing painless prostate biopsy,so as to optimize the anesthesia protocols.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 1217 patients who underwent painless prostate biopsy in our hospital during Jan.2023 and Jun.2024.Among them,1093 patients met the inclusion criteria and were divided into two groups:the remimazolam group(n=294)and the propofol group(n=799).After 1∶1 propensity score matching,with 267 patients in either group,a comparison was conducted regarding the incidence of PONV and anesthesia recovery time.Results Before propensity score matching,the remimazolam group had older age[66(53,83)years vs.63(49,78)years],higher body mass index(BMI)[25.30(21.83,29.23)vs.24.46(20.79,28.91)],larger intraoperative use of sufentanil[9(8,10)μg vs.7(6,9)μg],higher intraoperative use rate of ondansetron(55.4％vs.47.6％),and longer surgical duration[16(14,20)min vs.15(13,17)min],with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).There were no statistically significant differences in the aforementioned factors between the two groups after propensity score matching(P＞0.05).Before propensity score matching,the incidence of PONV was higher in the remimazolam group than in the propofol group(17.7％vs.11.5％,P=0.007),while after propensity score matching,the incidence of PONV did not differ significantly between the two groups(12.7％vs.17.2％,P=0.146).Before and after propensity score matching,the anesthesia recovery time was significantly shorter in the remimazolam group than in the propofol group[3(2,4)min vs.7(4,10)min,P＜0.001].Conclusion Compared with propofol,remimazolam does not increase the incidence of PONV in patients undergoing painless prostate biopsy but can shorten anesthesia recovery time.

This study aimed to explore key quality control factors that affected the prognosis of intensive care unit (ICU) patients in Chinese mainland over six years (2015-2020). The data for this study were from 31 provincial and municipal hospitals (3425 hospital ICUs) and included 2 110 685 ICU patients, for a total of 27 607 376 ICU hospitalization days. We found that 15 initially established quality control indicators were good predictors of patient prognosis, including percentage of ICU patients out of all inpatients (%), percentage of ICU bed occupancy of total inpatient bed occupancy (%), percentage of all ICU inpatients with an APACHE II score ⩾15 (%), three-hour (surviving sepsis campaign) SSC bundle compliance (%), six-hour SSC bundle compliance (%), rate of microbe detection before antibiotics (%), percentage of drug deep venous thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis (%), percentage of unplanned endotracheal extubations (%), percentage of patients reintubated within 48 hours (%), unplanned transfers to the ICU (%), 48-h ICU readmission rate (%), ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) (per 1000 ventilator days), catheter related blood stream infection (CRBSI) (per 1000 catheter days), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) (per 1000 catheter days), in-hospital mortality (%). When exploratory factor analysis was applied, the 15 indicators were divided into 6 core elements that varied in weight regarding quality evaluation: nosocomial infection management (21.35%), compliance with the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines (17.97%), ICU resources (17.46%), airway management (15.53%), prevention of deep-vein thrombosis (14.07%), and severity of patient condition (13.61%). Based on the different weights of the core elements associated with the 15 indicators, we developed an integrated quality scoring system defined as F score=21.35%xnosocomial infection management + 17.97%xcompliance with SSC guidelines + 17.46%×ICU resources + 15.53%×airway management + 14.07%×DVT prevention + 13.61%×severity of patient condition. This evidence-based quality scoring system will help in assessing the key elements of quality management and establish a foundation for further optimization of the quality control indicator system.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Cross Infection/epidemiology* ; Intensive Care Units/statistics & numerical data* ; Quality Control ; Quality Indicators, Health Care/statistics & numerical data* ; Sepsis/therapy* ; East Asian People/statistics & numerical data*

Objective:To investigate the safety and efficacy of a combined anterior and posterior approach in total hip arthroplasty (THA) for fused/ankylosed hip.Methods:37 patients who underwent THA for fused/ankylosed hip from January 2015 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, including 28 males and 9 females, with an average age of 47.9±12.0 years (range, 26-72 years). Etiologies included 23 cases of ankylosing spondylitis, 9 cases of infectious arthritis of the hip in youth, and 5 cases of traumatic arthritis after acetabulum or femoral neck fracture. All patients underwent THA with combined anterior and posterior approach. These factors include operation time, blood loss, amount of transfused blood, blood transfusion rate, preoperative and postoperative Harris score, postoperative range of motion of the hip, and perioperative complications, etc. were evaluated. Postoperative radiography of the hip was performed to evaluate acetabular abduction angle, anterior inclination angle, the prosthesis fixation, osteolysis and heterotopic ossification around the hip.Results:A total of 37 patients were enrolled. The mean operative time was 147.6±16.8 min (range, 129-190 min); the mean estimated blood loss (EBL) was 850.0±10.8 ml (range, 600-1,200 ml); the blood transfusion rate was 59% (22/37), and the mean blood transfusion was 420±45.0 ml (range, 0-800 ml). All patients were followed up for 4.2±0.9 years (range, 1.2-7.2 years). The average abductor angle of the acetabular was 43.7°±5.4° (range, 31°-55°), and the average inclination angle was 20.9°±6.7° (range, 10°-35°); the preoperative Harris score was 47.1±9.9 (range, 40-55) and the mean Harris score at the last follow-up was 83.4±12.4 (range, 75-90). The preoperative range of motion of the hip in all directions was 0°. Postoperative hip range of motion was good, with a mean hip flexion of 95.5°±12.2° (range, 80°-110°), mean extension of 10.5°±3.4° (range, -10°-25°), and mean abduction of 38.0°±8.2° (range, 10°-50°). Postoperative complications were minor, including 2 case with poor wound healing, 2 cases with paresthesia or tingling sensation in the anterior or anterolateral thigh, which returned to normal within 3 months after surgery, and no deep infection or dislocation occurred. The acetabular cup was in poor position in 2 cases and the femoral stem was varus in 1 case, but the prosthesis was stable and no treatment was needed. All the acetabular cups and femur stems were confirmed with bone ingrowth on the last follow-up radiographs, and one patient had heterotopic ossification (Brooker grade 1). No osteolysis or wear of the acetabular liner was observed.Conclusion:Combined anterior and posterior approach (Gibson posterolateral approach + modified Hardinge approach) in THA for fusion/ankylosed hip can fully expose the operative field and sufficiently release the soft tissue, and the function of hip recovered well postopratively.

Objective:To explore the impact of a modified blood management strategy on blood loss and transfusion rates during outpatient total hip arthroplasty(THA).Methods:The retrospective research was performed in a total of 125 patients (125 hips) who underwent outpatient primary THA from January 2019 to December 2021 at a medical center. According to whether a modified blood management protocol was used or not, all patients were divided into two groups. Group A was used the original perioperative blood management strategies (1 g tranexamic acid, intravenously, 10 minutes before skin incision), and group B was used the modified perioperative blood management strategy (on the basis of the original protocol, 2 g tranexamic acid was sprayed locally in the joint cavity before the incision was closed, 1 g tranexamic acid was injected intravenously 3 hours after surgery, and 1 g tranexamic acid was injected intravenously again on the first day after surgery). There were 52 cases in group A, including 32 males and 20 females, aged 58.5±9.8 years (range, 39-69 years), 13 cases were developmental hip dysplasia (Crowe I°-II°), 24 cases were avascular necrosis of the femoral head, 10 cases were hip osteoarthritis, 3 cases were ankylosing spondylitis involving hip joint, and 2 cases were femoral neck fracture. Among the 73 patients in group B, there were 43 males and 30 females, aged 55.8±10.4 years (range, 42-67 years), including 17 cases of developmental hip dysplasia (Crowe I°-II°), 32 cases of avascular necrosis of the femoral head, 16 cases of hip osteoarthritis, 7 cases of ankylosing spondylitis involving hip joint, and 1 case of femoral neck fracture. Intraoperative blood loss, transfusion, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) events (vascular ultrasound, 2w Postop.), the hemoglobin (Hb) drop, the hematocrit (Hct) drop and other complications were recorded.Results:After using the modified strategy, the intraoperative blood loss was significantly reduced (305.6±38.6 ml vs. 416.2±88.3 ml, t=9.51, P<0.001), and the drop of hemoglobin was significantly decreased (18.1±4.0 g/L vs. 22.3±5.8 g/L, t=4.97, P<0.001). The drop of Hct also decreased significantly (7.3%±0.7% vs. 9.6%±1.3%, t=10.21, P<0.001), and total blood loss decreased significantly (720.6±57.4 ml vs. 919.6±86.3 ml, t=15.49, P<0.001). The hidden blood loss was also significantly lower than that in group A (414.9±71.1 ml vs. 503.5±96.4 ml, t=5.91, P<0.001). One patient (in group A) developed intra-articular hemorrhage 2 h after surgery and was transferred back to the inpatient ward for treatment after transfusion. Three patients (2.4%, 1 in group A and 2 in group B) developed symptomatic anemia and were discharged successfully after conservative treatment. Calf muscular venous thrombosis occurred in 3 patients (2.4%), but no symptomatic deep vein thrombosis occurred in all patients. Conclusion:According to this retrospective research, the use of modified blood management strategy during outpatient THA can further reduce intraoperative blood loss, hidden blood loss and postoperative hematocrit drop, and does not increase the occurrence of perioperative thrombosis-related complications.