Objective:To explore the value of droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology in the pathogenetic diagnosis of sepsis patients, and to provide a reference basis for the early diagnosis of sepsis.Methods:A retrospective analysis was used to collect the clinical data of 53 patients with suspected sepsis admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from February to August 2023, and the blood was collected for blood culture, ddPCR and NGS detection simultaneously.Results:After excluding viral infections, the blood culture positive rate was 18.87%(10/53), the ddPCR positive rate was 47.17% (25/53), and the NGS positive rate was 41.51%(22/53). When using the ddPCR detection range as a reference, the ddPCR positivity rate was 98.11% (52/53), while the NGS positivity rate was 84.91%(45/53). There was a statistically significant difference in the positivity rate between the two groups ( P<0.05). Using blood culture as a reference, the sensitivity (60.00% vs 70.00%) and specificity (65.11% vs 69.77%) of ddPCR and NGS were in good agreement. In terms of pathogen detection, NGS had a wider detection range than ddPCR (34 species vs 21 species), and the difference was statistically significant (χ 2=55.000, P<0.001). In terms of time-consumption, blood culture took 66.93 h on average, while ddPCR was faster than NGS (about 4 h vs 20 h ). In terms of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) gene detection, five resistant strains were detected by both ddPCR and NGS, ddPCR detected two AMR genes, namely blaKPC and mecA, while NGS detected five AMR genes. Among them, except for blaKPC which was detected outside the target range in ddPCR, the other four AMR genes were also detected by ddPCR. Conclusions:Compared with blood culture, ddPCR and NGS have good application value in the etiological diagnosis of sepsis. Specifically, ddPCR has a higher detection rate of pathogens and takes less time. On the other hand, NGS has a wider detection range, especially for the discovery of some rare bacteria or pathogens that are difficult to be cultured routinely.

Objective To analyze the virus subtypes, molecular evolutional and molecular transmission network features of the first confirmed mpox case in Huai’an City, Jiangsu Province, so as to provide insights into understanding of the transmission and evolution dynamics of mpox virus and formulation of the mpox control strategy in the city. Methods Genomic DNA was extracted from swabs of the first confirmed mpox case’s skin lesions in Huai’an City, and the amplicon sequencing library was constructed using the hypersensitive mpox virus whole-genome capture kit. High-throughput sequencing was performed using the GridION X5 nanopore sequencer on the Nanopore sequencing platform, and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis of mpox virus genome sequences was performed following sequence assembly. In addition, phylogenetic analysis, genetic genealogy and molecular traceability analysis were performed. Results The virus whole genome sequence of the first confirmed mpox case was successfully obtained by high-throughput sequencing, with a full length of 197 182 bp, and was named hMpxV/China/JS-HA01/2023, which belonged to the clade IIb (West African clade) lineage B.1.3. Compared with the mpox virus reference sequence MPXV-M5312_HM12_Rivers-001 (GenBank accession number: NC_063383), the genome sequence of the Huai’an virus isolate carried 86 SNPs, including 40 SNPs in the coding region as non-synonymous mutations and 73 SNPs as nucleotide mutations caused by APOBEC3 (APOBEC3). Of the 97 mpox virus gene sequences, 79 sequences were included in the molecular network (81.44%), and the threshold of the genetic distance accessed to the network was 0.35/10⁵. There were two large molecular transmission clusters and one scattered cluster in the molecular transmission network of the mpox virus, andthehMpxV/China/JS-HA01/2023 sequence was located in the large cluster. The 97 gene sequences formed 92 haplotypes, including three shared haplotypes Hap_4, Hap_6 and Hap_38, and an exclusive haplotype Hap_1 of hMpxV/China/JS-HA01/2023 generated from mutation of the exclusive haplotype Hap_43, while the exclusive haplotype Hap_43 was generated from mutation of the shared haplotype Hap_38. Conclusions The whole genome sequence of the mpox virus isolated from the first confirmed mpox case in Huai’an City has been successfully obtained, and the molecular evolutionary and molecular transmission network characteristics of the virus have been preliminarily understood.

Objective:To explore the value of droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology in the pathogenetic diagnosis of sepsis patients, and to provide a reference basis for the early diagnosis of sepsis.Methods:A retrospective analysis was used to collect the clinical data of 53 patients with suspected sepsis admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from February to August 2023, and the blood was collected for blood culture, ddPCR and NGS detection simultaneously.Results:After excluding viral infections, the blood culture positive rate was 18.87%(10/53), the ddPCR positive rate was 47.17% (25/53), and the NGS positive rate was 41.51%(22/53). When using the ddPCR detection range as a reference, the ddPCR positivity rate was 98.11% (52/53), while the NGS positivity rate was 84.91%(45/53). There was a statistically significant difference in the positivity rate between the two groups ( P<0.05). Using blood culture as a reference, the sensitivity (60.00% vs 70.00%) and specificity (65.11% vs 69.77%) of ddPCR and NGS were in good agreement. In terms of pathogen detection, NGS had a wider detection range than ddPCR (34 species vs 21 species), and the difference was statistically significant (χ 2=55.000, P<0.001). In terms of time-consumption, blood culture took 66.93 h on average, while ddPCR was faster than NGS (about 4 h vs 20 h ). In terms of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) gene detection, five resistant strains were detected by both ddPCR and NGS, ddPCR detected two AMR genes, namely blaKPC and mecA, while NGS detected five AMR genes. Among them, except for blaKPC which was detected outside the target range in ddPCR, the other four AMR genes were also detected by ddPCR. Conclusions:Compared with blood culture, ddPCR and NGS have good application value in the etiological diagnosis of sepsis. Specifically, ddPCR has a higher detection rate of pathogens and takes less time. On the other hand, NGS has a wider detection range, especially for the discovery of some rare bacteria or pathogens that are difficult to be cultured routinely.

Sepsis constitutes a predominant cause of mortality in critically ill patients,and early determination of the type of infection is crucial for influencing patient management and forecasting outcomes.Currently,blood culture serves as the gold standard for diagnosing sepsis.Yet,its limitations,such as a lengthy culture period and low positivity rate,hinder its ability to provide a microbiological basis for early initiation of antimicrobial therapy in clinical practice.Serological markers have engendered significant interest due to their convenience and rapid detection in vitro,emerging as indispensable laboratory indices for early inference of infection.In recent years,with extensive research on sepsis across diverse academic domains,numerous novel serological markers exhibit promise in diagnosing sepsis.Therefore,this review explores the characteristics and applicatron value of new serological markers for early diagnosis of sepsis,and reviews them in combination with relevant predictive models,bringing new ideas for early clinical diagnosis of sepsis.

Sepsis constitutes a predominant cause of mortality in critically ill patients,and early determination of the type of infection is crucial for influencing patient management and forecasting outcomes.Currently,blood culture serves as the gold standard for diagnosing sepsis.Yet,its limitations,such as a lengthy culture period and low positivity rate,hinder its ability to provide a microbiological basis for early initiation of antimicrobial therapy in clinical practice.Serological markers have engendered significant interest due to their convenience and rapid detection in vitro,emerging as indispensable laboratory indices for early inference of infection.In recent years,with extensive research on sepsis across diverse academic domains,numerous novel serological markers exhibit promise in diagnosing sepsis.Therefore,this review explores the characteristics and applicatron value of new serological markers for early diagnosis of sepsis,and reviews them in combination with relevant predictive models,bringing new ideas for early clinical diagnosis of sepsis.

Patients with severe trauma require an extremely timely treatment and transfusion plays an irreplaceable role in the emergency treatment of such patients. An increasing number of evidence-based medicinal evidences and clinical practices suggest that patients with severe traumatic bleeding benefit from early transfusion of low-titer group O whole blood or hemostatic resuscitation with red blood cells, plasma and platelet of a balanced ratio. However, the current domestic mode of blood supply cannot fully meet the requirements of timely and effective blood transfusion for emergency treatment of patients with severe trauma in clinical practice. In order to solve the key problems in blood supply and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma, Branch of Clinical Transfusion Medicine of Chinese Medical Association, Group for Trauma Emergency Care and Multiple Injuries of Trauma Branch of Chinese Medical Association, Young Scholar Group of Disaster Medicine Branch of Chinese Medical Association organized domestic experts of blood transfusion medicine and trauma treatment to jointly formulate Chinese expert consensus on blood support mode and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma patients ( version 2024). Based on the evidence-based medical evidence and Delphi method of expert consultation and voting, 10 recommendations were put forward from two aspects of blood support mode and transfusion strategies, aiming to provide a reference for transfusion resuscitation in the emergency treatment of severe trauma and further improve the success rate of treatment of patients with severe trauma.

Femoral neck fracture (FNF) in the elderly patients is currently a major health challenge worldwide, with excessive consumption of medical resources, high incidence of complications as well as suboptimal outcome and prognosis. Hip joint arthroplasty (HJA) has been the mainstream treatment for FNF in the elderly, but the conventional surgical approaches and techniques are still confronted with a series of bottlenecks such as dislocation, limp and limb length discrepancy. In recent years, direct anterior approach (DAA) for HJA (DAA-HJA) has been a major new choice in the field of joint replacement, which achieves improved clinical effectiveness of HJA in the treatment of elderly FNF, due to the fact that DAA approach involves the neuromuscular interface and accords with the idea of soft tissue retention and enhanced recovery after surgery. However, there is still a lack of unified understanding of standard technique and procedure of DAA-HJA in the treatment of elderly FNF. Therefore, relevant experts from the Hip Joint Group of Chinese Orthopedics Association of Chinese Medical Association, Youth Arthrology Group of Orthopedic Committee of PLA, Orthopedic Committee of Chongqing Medical Association, Branch of Orthopedic Surgeons of Chongqing Medical Doctor Association and Sport Medicine Committee of Chongqing Medical Association were organized to formulate the " Chinese expert consensus on the technical standard of direct anterior hip arthroplasty for elderly femoral neck fracture ( version 2023)" based on evidence-based medicine. This consensus mainly proposed 13 recommendations covering indications, surgical plans, prosthesis selections, surgical techniques and processes, and postoperative management of DAA-HJA in elderly patients with FNF, aiming to promote standardized, systematic and patient-specific diagnosis and treatment to improve the functional prognosis of the patients.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of complete transperitoneal laparoscopic nephroureterectomy (CTNU) and traditional retroperitoneoscopic nehroureterectomy (TRNU) for the management of upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma(UTUC). METHODS: We retrospectively collected the clinical data of UTUC patients who underwent CTNU or TRNU surgery from January 2011 to December 2018 in Peking University First Hospital and Fujian Provincial Hospital, and compared the clinical characteristics, perioperative parameters, and follow-up results between the CTNU and TRNU surgeries. RESULTS: Finally, a total of 266 cases were included, with 94 cases in the CTNU group and 172 cases in the TRNU group. The proportion of left side lesions was bigger in TRNU group when compared with CTNU group (P<0.05). No significant differences were observed in clinical characteristics, such as age, gender, body mass index (BMI), American society of anesthesiologists score (ASA score) and tumor laterality. All surgery procedures were completed. The vascular resparing was performed by reason that left arteria renalis was injured accidently during surgical operation in one case of TRNU group. No serious complications were observed in both CTNU and TRNU groups. In CTNU group, operating time was (202.9±76.7) min, estimated blood loss was (68.4±73.3) mL, drainage duration was (3.9±1.5) d, drainage volume was (181.7±251.5) mL, and postoperative hospital stay was (7.8±4.1) d. In TRNU group, operating time was (203.5±68.7) min, estimated blood loss was (130.2±252.1) mL, drainage duration was (4.3 ±1.6) d, drainage volume was (179.1±167.5) mL, and postoperative hospital stay was (8.2±3.7) d. The estimated blood loss in CTNU group was significantly less than that in TRNU group (P=0.005).The median follow-up time was 39 months (range: 1-88 months). The 5-year overall survival rate (OS), cancer specific survival rate (CSS), intra-vesical recurrence free survival rate (IvRFS), disease free survival rate (DFS) of CTNU group was 75.6%, 86.9%, 73.8%, 57.5%, respectively. The OS, CSS, IvRFS and DFS of TRNU group was 66.3%, 83.5%, 75.9%, 58.6%, respectively.No significant differences were observed in the OS, CSS, IvRFS and DFS between the CTNU and TRNU groups. CONCLUSION CTNU technique is a safe and effective surgical option, and further prospective randomized controlled trial is needed for further evaluation.
Carcinoma, Transitional Cell ; Humans ; Nephrectomy ; Nephroureterectomy ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Urologic Neoplasms

OBJECTIVE: To identify the effect of preoperative anemia on the prognosis of patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) following radical nephroureterectomy. METHODS: Clinicopathological and prognosis data on 686 patients with UTUC who underwent RNU at Peking University First Hospital between January 2000 and December 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Preoperative anemia was defined as hemoglobin <130 g/L in men and <120 g/L in women based on the World Health Organization classification. The Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test was applied to estimate the effect of anemia on survival. The associations of clinicopathologic features with overall survival and cancer-specific survival were evaluated using univariate and multivariate Cox regression models. RESULTS: There were 303(44.2%, 303/686) male and 383(55.8%, 383/686) female patients, and the median age was 68 years (interquartile range: 60-74 years). In all, 320 (46.6%, 320/686) patients were anemic before surgery. The median follow-up duration was 47 months. In all, 160 (23.3%) patients died, 141 (20.6%) died of cancer and 19 (2.7%) died of other disease or accidents. Preoperative anemia was associated with gender (P=0.002), age (P<0.001), lymph node positive (P=0.026), increased tumor grade (P=0.018), concomitant carcinoma in situ (P=0.038), tumor necrosis (P=0.007) and poor renal function (P<0.001). In univariate analysis, overall mortality was correlated with pre-operative anemia (P<0.001), gender (P=0.009), hydronephrosis (P=0.024), tumor stage (P<0.001), lymph node positive (P<0.001), tumor grade (P<0.001), tumor architecture(P<0.001), sarcomatoid differentiation (P=0.013), history of ureteroscope (P=0.033) and tumor hemorrhage (P<0.001); cancer-specific mortality was correlated with preoperative anemia (P=0.001), gender (P=0.001), hydronephrosis (P=0.043), tumor stage (P<0.001), lymph node positive (P<0.001), tumor grade (P<0.001), tumor architecture (P<0.001), sarcomatoid differentiation (P=0.016), history of ureteroscope (P=0.028) and tumor hemorrhage (P=0.003). A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model indicated that preoperative anemia was an independent prognositic predictor for overall mortality (P<0.001, HR=1.861) and cancer-specific mortality (P=0.003, HR=1.688). CONCLUSION The preoperative anemia is an independent risk factor for cancer-specific survival and overall survival. Hemoglobin levels should be considered during patient counseling and in decision-making for further therapy.
Aged ; Anemia ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/surgery* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nephrectomy ; Nephroureterectomy ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Urologic Neoplasms/surgery*