OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical characteristics of elderly patients with sepsis, identify the key factors affecting their clinical outcomes, construct a death risk assessment scale for elderly patients with sepsis, and evaluate its predictive value. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was conducted. The clinical data of sepsis patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from September 2021 to September 2023 were collected, including basic information, clinical characteristics, and clinical outcomes. The patients were divided into non-elderly group (age ≥ 65 years old) and elderly group (age < 65 years old) based on age. Additionally, the elderly patients were divided into survival group and death group based on their 30-day survival status. The clinical characteristics of elderly patients with sepsis were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were used to screen the independent risk factors for 30-day death in elderly patients with sepsis, and the regression equation was constructed. The regression equation was simplified, and the death risk assessment scale was established. The predictive value of different scores for the prognosis of elderly patients with sepsis was compared. RESULTS: (1) A total of 833 patients with sepsis were finally enrolled, including 485 in the elderly group and 348 in the non-elderly group. Compared with the non-elderly group, the elderly group showed significantly lower counts of lymphocyte, T cell, CD8⁺ T cell, and the ratio of T cells and CD8⁺ T cells [lymphocyte count (×10⁹/L): 0.71 (0.43, 1.06) vs. 0.83 (0.53, 1.26), T cell count (cells/μL): 394.0 (216.0, 648.0) vs. 490.5 (270.5, 793.0), CD8⁺ T cell count (cells/μL): 126.0 (62.0, 223.5) vs. 180.0 (101.0, 312.0), T cell ratio: 0.60 (0.48, 0.70) vs. 0.64 (0.51, 0.75), CD8⁺ T cell ratio: 0.19 (0.13, 0.28) vs. 0.24 (0.16, 0.34), all P < 0.01], higher natural killer cell (NK cell) count, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score, ratio of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) during hospitalization, and 30-day mortality [NK cell count (cells/μL): 112.0 (61.0, 187.5) vs. 95.0 (53.0, 151.0), APACHE II score: 16.00 (12.00, 21.00) vs. 13.00 (8.00, 17.00), IMV ratio: 40.6% (197/485) vs. 31.9% (111/348), 30-day mortality: 28.9% (140/485) vs. 19.5% (68/348), all P < 0.05], and longer length of ICU stay [days: 5.5 (3.0, 10.0) vs. 5.0 (3.0, 8.0), P < 0.05]. There were no statistically significant differences in the levels of inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and interleukins (IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10) between the two groups. (2) In 485 elderly patients with sepsis, 345 survived in 30 days, and 140 died with the 30-day mortality of 28.9%. Compared with the survival group, the patients in the death group were older, and had lower body mass index (BMI), white blood cell count (WBC), PCT, platelet count (PLT) and higher IL-6, IL-10, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), total bilirubin (TBil), blood lactic acid (Lac), and ratio of in-hospital IMV and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis indicated that BMI [odds ratio (OR) = 0.783, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 0.678-0.905, P = 0.001], IL-6 (OR = 1.073, 95%CI was 1.004-1.146, P = 0.036), TBil (OR = 1.009, 95%CI was 1.000-1.018, P = 0.045), Lac (OR = 1.211, 95%CI was 1.072-1.367, P = 0.002), and IMV during hospitalization (OR = 6.181, 95%CI was 2.214-17.256, P = 0.001) were independent risk factors for 30-day death in elderly patients with sepsis, and the regression equation was constructed (Logit P = 1.012-0.244×BMI+0.070×IL-6+0.009×TBil+0.190×Lac+1.822×IMV). The regression equation was simplified to construct a death risk assessment scale, namely BITLI score. Receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of BITLI score for predicting death risk was 0.852 (95%CI was 0.769-0.935), and it was higher than APACHE II score (AUC = 0.714, 95%CI was 0.623-0.805) and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score (AUC = 0.685, 95%CI was 0.578-0.793). The determined cut-off value of BITLI score was 1.50, while achieving a sensitivity of 83.3% and specificity of 74.0%. CONCLUSIONS Elderly patients with sepsis often have reduced lymphocyte counts, severe conditions, and poor prognosis. BMI, IL-6, TBil, Lac, and IMV during hospitalization were independent risk factors for 30-day death in elderly patients with sepsis. The BITLI score constructed based above risk factors is more precise and reliable than traditional APACHE II and SOFA scores in predicting the outcomes of elderly patients with sepsis.
Humans ; Sepsis/mortality* ; Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Assessment ; Case-Control Studies ; Prognosis ; Male ; Female ; Intensive Care Units ; Risk Factors ; Aged, 80 and over ; Logistic Models ; Middle Aged

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics and neurophysiological features of patients with neuralgic amyotrophy (NA) and explore their neurological function status.Methods:Clinical data and neurophysiological findings of 90 patients diagnosed with NA at Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital from September 2016 to January 2024 were collected and their clinical phenotypes and neurophysiological characteristics were systematically summarized and analyzed.Results:Among the 90 patients, males accounted for 60.0% (54 cases) and females accounted for 40.0% (36 cases). The duration of the disease was 12 (3, 36) months (ranged from 1 week to 5 years). The onset age of the patients was 58 (30, 70) (21-87) years. Unilateral involvement was noted in 94.4% (85/90) of patients, exhibiting a left-to-right ratio of 1∶1.3, while only 5.6% (5/90) had bilateral involvement. The majority of patients demonstrated a monophasic clinical course with a recurrence rate of just 2.2% (2/90). The primary clinical manifestations included upper limb pain in 70.0% (63/90) of patients, which progressed to muscle weakness and atrophy within 1 day to 1 month, whereas 30.0% (27/90) of patients without significant pain symptoms. Lesions predominantly affected the upper trunk of the brachial plexus, which accounted for 64.4% (58/90) of patients. Distal nerve injuries in the upper limb were observed in 14.4% (13/90) of patients, with 6.7% (6/90) demonstrating isolated anterior interosseous nerve involvement and another 6.7% (6/90) exhibiting isolated posterior interosseous nerve involvement; 1 case had concurrent anterior and posterior interosseous nerve damage. Additionally, 1 case presented with bilateral phrenic nerve involvement, and another patient had isolated posterior tibial nerve injury. Electrophysiological evaluations of patients with NA revealed that axonal damage to motor nerve fibers was a hallmark feature of the condition. Among patients undergoing motor nerve conduction studies, 68.8% (55/80) exhibited decreased compound muscle action potential amplitude, and 31.3% (25/80) had prolonged latency. Sensory nerve conduction was normal in 60.0% (48/80) of patients, while abnormalities included prolonged latency in 15.0% (12/80), reduced amplitude in 12.5% (10/80), slowed conduction velocity in 8.8% (7/80), and absent waveforms in 3.8% (3/80) of patients. The rates of abnormal nerve conduction findings in motor nerves were the highest in the suprascapular nerve (70.6%, 36/51), followed by the axillary nerve (58.3%, 35/60), musculocutaneous nerve (50.7%, 35/69), long thoracic nerve (6/17), and both anterior and posterior interosseous nerves (7.5%, 6/80 each). In sensory nerves, abnormalities were predominantly noted in the lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerve (30.0%, 12/40). Needle electromyography demonstrated neurogenic damage, most frequently affecting the infraspinatus muscle (69.2%, 18/26), biceps brachii (68.1%, 49/72), and deltoid muscle (65.3%, 47/72). The positive rate of magnetic resonance neurography (MRN) for NA was 62.1% (41/66), among which 63.4% (26/41) showed localized swelling of the brachial plexus, 51.2% (21/41) exhibited T 2 hyperintensity, and 4.9% (2/41) demonstrated denervated changes in the muscles. The positive rate of ultrasound for NA was 71.1% (59/83), with 91.5% (54/59) showing nerve swelling and 8.5% (5/59) exhibiting hourglass constriction .Conclusions:NA is a peripheral neuropathy characterized by spontaneous pain, limb weakness, and (or) muscle atrophy primarily. Its clinical phenotype predominantly involves damage to the upper trunk of the brachial plexus, which can also manifest as isolated mononeuropathy. Neurophysiological findings most commonly reveal the neurogenic damage to the muscles innervated by the upper trunk of the brachial plexus, mainly characterized by the axonal damage to the motor nerves, and pure motor nerve damage may also be observed. MRN and neuroultrasound can assist in qualitative diagnosis.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics of patients with colchicine poisoning, and analyze the risk factors affecting the prognosis of colchicine poisoning and its value in the prognostic assessment.Methods:Patients with colchicine poisoning admitted to the Emergency Intensive Care Unit of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from December 2017 to October 2022 were retrospectively included and divided into the survival group and death group according to the 14-d outcome. The general conditions of the two groups of patients were compared, and the clinical characteristics of patients with colchicine poisoning were analyzed. The differences of laboratory indexes, electrocardiogram, cardiac ultrasound and other clinical indexes during the first admission of patients between the two groups were compared, and their value in the prognosis evaluation of patients with colchicine poisoning was explored.Results:There were 41 patients with colchicine poisoning, aged 15-85 years, including 35 males and 6 females. There were 27 patients (65.9%) in the survival group and 14 patients (34.1%) in the death group, including accumulative poisoning (58.7%) and suicide poisoning (41.3%). The main clinical manifestations of patients with colchicine poisoning were gastrointestinal symptoms (82.93%), multiple organ dysfunction (78.05%), infectious fever (73.17%), myocardial damage (48.78%), coagulation dysfunction (46.34%), and bone marrow suppression (41.46%). Intestinal obstruction (19.51%) and rhabdomyolysis (2.44%) occurred in some patients. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the increase in absolute value of QTc interval ( OR=1.028, 95% CI: 1.000~1.056, P<0.05), lactic acid ( OR=1.599, 95% CI: 1.088~2.350, P<0.05), prothrombin time ( OR=1.205, 95% CI: 1.002~1.450, P<0.05), D-dimer ( OR=1.242, 95% CI: 1.089~1.417, P<0.05), and alkaline phosphatase ( OR=1.013, 95% CI: 1.002~1.024, P<0.05) were the risk factors for the prognosis of patients with colchicine poisoning. The decrease in the absolute value of ADL score ( OR=0.947, 95% CI: 0.909~0.988, P<0.05) and indirect bilirubin ( OR=0.756, 95% CI: 0.572~0.999, P<0.05) were the protective factors for the prognosis of patients with colchicine poisoning. D-dimer (AUC=0.913), lactic acid (AUC= 0.875) and alkaline phosphatase (AUC=0.770) had predictive value for the prognosis of patients with colchicine poisoning, and their cut-off values were 8.965 mg/L, 4.05 mmol/L and 230.5 U/L, respectively. Conclusions:The patients with colchicine poisoning have multiple organ dysfunction on admission, and are in a critical condition. The early levels of D-dimer, lactic acid and alkaline phosphatase could effectively predict the prognosis of patients with colchicine poisoning.

Objective:To explore the predictive value of systemic immune inflammation index (SII) for the risk of hospital death in critically ill patients.Methods:The basic information and clinical data of critically ill patients were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care database-Ⅳ (MIMIC-IV) database, including demographic data, vital signs, blood routine, Logistic organ dysfunction score (Lods), Oxford acute severity of illness score (Oasis), simplified acute physiology score (Saps-Ⅱ), acute physiology score Ⅲ (APS-Ⅲ), sequential organ failure score (SOFA) and outcome. The main outcome was hospital death, and the secondary outcomes were length of hospital stay, continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), invasive ventilation and 1-year mortality. Patients were divided into two groups according to in-hospital death, and the differences between the groups were compared. According to the SII tripartite for inter-group comparison, the patients were further divided into three groups for comparison, and Logistic regression model was used to analyze the odd ratio ( OR) of the three groups. Results:A total of 32 450 critically ill patients were included in the study, of which 3765 died in hospital, with a mortality rate of 11.6%. ① Compared with the survival group, the SII in the death group were significantly higher ( P < 0.05). ② The mortality for the SII tripartite grouping (<817; 817~2 151; >2 151) were 8.4%, 10.2% and 16.3%, respectively, and the differences between groups were statistically significant. ③ Further, Logistic regression model analysis showed that the risk of death increased gradually with the increase of groups (the first group was the reference group, OR of the second group was 1.38, 95% CI 1.24-1.54, and OR of the third group was 2.03, 95% CI 1.83-2.24 ( P < 0.05). Conclusions:SII has a certain value in predicting hospital death in critically ill patients. It is easy to obtain and can be used for risk stratification of critically ill patients.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a novel domestic extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) mainframe in a porcine model, and to provide the basis for further clinical application.Methods:Five domestic healthy male white pigs, weighing (51±4) kg, were selected. The ECMO system was established by using a novel ECMO mainframe with imported membrane oxygenator and pipeline, and continued to run for 72 hours. ECMO parameters are as follows: veno-arterial ECMO, centrifugal pump speed 3 000-3 500 r/min, continuous infusion of heparin anticoagulation to maintain the activate clotting time (ACT) of 140-200 s. Real-time monitoring of speed, flow, pressure before pump, pressure after pump, pressure after membrane and other equipment parameters, and the equipment performance was scored. The changes of hemodynamics, blood lactic acid and blood routine were monitored dynamically. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare different time points within the group. At the end of the experiment, the thrombosis in the pump head and oxygenator was observed. The animals were sacrificed to obtain the tissue samples of the main organs for gross observation and pathological injury evaluation.Results:All animals successfully ran the ECMO system for 72 hours. (1) The centrifugal pump speed should be maintained at 3 029-3 483 r/min, the flow rate was maintained at 2.24-2.60 L/min, The pressure before the pump between minus 107.57 and minus 31.86 mmHg, the pressure after the pump was 197.50-282.43 mmHg, and the pressure after the membrane was 178.71-261.5 mmHg, all were in the normal range, and there was no significant difference between different time points (all P>0.05). The performance scores of the mainframe were all 4 points or above, indicating that the use requirements were met. (2) The heart rate of the animals was 50-80 beats /min, the mean arterial pressure was 85-115 mmHg, and the lactic acid was 0.996-2.25 mmol/L, all within the normal range, and there was no significant difference between different time points (all P>0.05). The free hemoglobin was 8.98-16.39 mg/L, and the hemoglobin was 6.58-7.52 g/L, both within a reasonable range, and there was no significant difference between different time points (all P>0.05). The platelet count was 69.6-231.6×10 9/L, and showed a continuous downward trend ( P<0.05). ACT was maintained at 135-169 s, which was within the target range, and there was no significant difference between different time points ( P<0.05). (3) At the end of the experiment, there was no obvious thrombosis in the pump head and oxygenator, no obvious thrombosis or infarction in the heart, brain, liver, lung and kidney, and no obvious hemorrhage or necrosis under the microscope. Conclusions:The ECMO established by the novel domestic ECMO mainframe combined with imported membrane oxygenator and pipeline ran smoothly for 72 hours, achieving the target of effect and safety.

Objective:The regional emergency system needs to maintain normal operation in disasters and sudden public health events, ensuring the timely treatment of critically ill patients, and also bearing the responsibility of ensuring various large-scale sports events. This article explores the practice of the "three-dimensional closed-loop" emergency system in the guarantee of the Hangzhou Asian Games in Wenzhou.Methods:After analyzing and integrating existing medical resources, the First Hospital Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University conducted a two-year medical emergency exercise in a simulated urban road and natural water environment, and improved and optimized the weak links in the medical security system.Results:The hospital established a "three-dimensional closed-loop" emergency system and completed the medical support tasks for the Asian Games. The "three-dimensional closed-loop" emergency rescue system adopted a three-dimensional management team that combined a decentralized organizational structure and a professional medical team, and also has a land-air-sea emergency rescue team. By combining manpower and information technology, the system could provide "4R" medical services: real-time perception of medical emergencies in venues, rapid assessment of the patient's condition, rapid transfer of patients and rapid deployment of medical forces within the hospital. In addition, closed-loop management of the hospital's diagnosis and treatment process improved patients' satisfaction during the treatment process.Conclusions:The the "three-dimensional closed-loop" emergency system provided a strong guarantee for the successful holding of the Hangzhou Asian Games in Wenzhou and also accumulates experience for future urban emergency rescue.

Objective:To explore the influencing factors of severity of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) and to establish the early warning evaluation model in the form of line chart, so as to provide a feasible basis for emergency nurses' triage.Methods:A total of 680 UGIB patients admitted to the Emergency Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from January 2019 to January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into a modeling group ( n=510) and a validation group ( n=170) by random number table method, and were divided into a high-risk group and a low-risk group according to the expert Consensus on Emergency Diagnosis and Treatment Procedures for Acute Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding in 2020. The differences of various indicators between groups were compared, the factors affecting the severity of the disease were analyzed by Logistic regression, and the nomogram was drawn and validated. Results:Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that hematemesis ( OR=3.875, 95% CI: 2.212-6.79), diabetes ( OR=2.64, 95% CI: 1.184-5.883), syncope ( OR=10.57, 95% CI: 3.675-30.403), heart rate ( OR=3.262, 95% CI: 1.753-6.068), red blood cell distribution width ( OR=3.904, 95% CI: 2.176-7.007), prothrombin time ( OR=3.665, 95% CI: 1.625-8.269), lactic acid ( OR=3.498, 95% CI: 1.926-6.354) and hemoglobin ( OR=4.984, 95% CI: 2.78-8.938) were the influencing factors of the severity of UGIB patients ( P < 0.05). The nomogram model showed good consistency and differentiation (C-index=0.903, 95% CI: 0.875-0.931), and was verified internally (C-index=0.895) and Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test ( P=0.7936). Externally verified C-index was 0.899 (95% CI: 0.846-0.952). The calibration curve prompt warning evaluation model had good stability and the prediction efficiency was better than the modified early warning score ( P < 0.05). Conclusions:The early warning evaluation model has a reliable predictive value, which can provide a reference for emergency medical staff to screen high-risk patients and formulate targeted nursing interventions.

Objective:In order to provide guidance strategies for the establishment and application of self-report inventory in nursing research, we discussed the mental response model regarding tested nurses during its application.Methods:From September to November 2020, based on the grounded theory, we conducted semi-structured interviews for 9 tested nurses, who were from Qilu Hospital of Shandong University and Jinan Central Hospital, and data were analyzed to extract the psychological response topic.Results:A response model for tested nurses, which formed three psychological responses that factored in exam motivation, exam situation and individual will was built.Conclusion:The present study reveals the correlations among exam motivation, exam situation, individual will and psychological responses during the application of self-report inventory on tested nurses, which could provide references for the establishment and application of self-report scale in nursing research.

Objective To investigate the protective effect of Baicalin on inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide in H9C2 cardiomyocytes and its possible mechanism. Methods H9C2 myocardial cells were cultured and pretreated with baicalin at the final concentration of 10, 20, 30 μmol/L for 12 hours, then stimulated with LPS at the final concentration of 1 μg/mL for 6 hours. The control group was treated with the same amount of saline to collect cell samples. CCK-8 (The Cell Counting Kit-8) was used to detect cell activity, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the expression levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of NF-κB p65, p-NF-κB p65, p38 MAPK, p-p38 MAPK, IκBα and p-IκBα. SPSS 23.0 statistical software was used. Independent sample t test was used for comparison between two groups, and one-way ANOVA test was used for comparison among multiple groups. Results The survival rate of myocardial cells in the control group was (93.67 +1.453)％. Compared with the control group, the survival rate of H9C2 myocardial cells induced by LPS decreased (P< 0.05). In the control group, the expression of IL-6 in H9C2 myocardial cells was (49.33 +2.42) pg/mL, the expression of TNF-α was (86.33 +1.85) pg/mL, and the expression of IL-1β was (28.67 +4.66) pg/mL. Compared with the control group, the expression levels of IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α in H9C2 myocardial cells increased after LPS induction (P< 0.05), while the levels of p-NF-κ B p65, p-p38 MAPK and p-I κ B α protein increased (P< 0.05), while the levels of I κ B α protein decreased (P< 0.05), while the expressions of NF-κ B p65 and p38 MAPK protein did not change significantly (P> 0.05). Compared with LPS group, the survival rate of H9C2 myocardial cells in baicalin intervention group increased (P<0.05), the expression levels of IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-a decreased (P < 0.05), the levels of p-NF-κB p65, p-p38 MAPK, p-I κBα protein decreased (P< 0.05), and the level of IκBα protein increased (P< 0.05), while the expression of NF-κB p65 and p38 MAPK did not change significantly. (P>0.05). Conclusions Baicalin may alleviate LPS-induced cardiomyocyte inflammation by inhibiting the activation of NF-kappa B and p38 MAPK, and improve cell survival.

Objective To explore the antioxidant mechanism ofhistone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) regulating Nrf 2 acetylation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced type Ⅱ alveolar epithelial cell injury.Methods The experiment was divided into two parts.The first part was the routine culture of type Ⅱ alveolar epithelial cells of mice.The cells were stimulated with different concentrations of LPS (10 ng/ mL,100 ng/mL and 1 000 ng/mL).CCK-8 was used to detect the cell activity at 0 h,6 h,12 h,24 h and 48 h,respectively.The second part:Alveolar epithelial cells of type Ⅱ were cultured and divided into the normal control group (control group),LPS group,HDAC2 lentivirus interference group (siRNA-HDAC2 group) and HDAC2 lentivirus overexpression group (LV-HDAC2 group).The expression of HDAC2 and Nrf2 were detected by Western blot,the acetylation of Nrf2 was detected by immunoprecipitation,and the stability of nrf2 was detected after actinidone action.The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were detected by chemical colorimetry.SPSS 23.0 statistical software was used.LSD-t test was used for comparison between two groups,and one-way ANOVA test was used for comparison among multiple groups.Results Compared with the control group,the expression of HDAC2 protein in the LPS group increased (t=5.974,P=0.027),the acetylation level of Nrf2 decreased (t=7.223,P=0.002),the Nrf2 protein level increased (t=2.929,P=0.043),the protein stability of Nrf2 increased,the SOD activity decreased (t=121,P＜0.01),and the MDA content increased (t=10.45,P=0.000 5).Compared with the LPS group,Nrf2 acetylation level decreased in the LV-HDAC2 group (t=1 1.29,P=0.000 4),Nrf2 protein expression increased (t=3.194,P=0.033),Nrf2 protein stability increased,SOD activity increased (t=4.678,P=0.009),and MDA content decreased in the LV-HDAC2 group (t=5.417,P=0.005 6).While the opposite trend was observed in the siRNA-HDAC2 group.Conclusion After LPS stimulation,oxidative stress of type Ⅱ alveolar epithelial cells was aggravated.HDAC2 could decrease the level of Nrf2 acetylation,increase the expression of Nrf2 protein,and alleviate LPS-induced oxidative stress.