Objective To investigate an automated pretreatment technology for detecting levels of free silica in workplace dust. Methods An fully automated pretreatment workstation for detecting free silica levels in workplace dust was developed by integrating graphite-controlled digestion temperature, online-controlled dilution of digestion solutions, and filtration endpoint recognition based on monitoring technology, combined with multi-channel synchronous measurements. Results The fully automatic pretreatment workstation was used to digest and filter 14 standard samples of free silica produced by three institutions, and then detected by pyrophosphate method. The result range of high-, medium-, and low-level free silica standard samples detection was 66.5%-84.8%, 40.0%-44.5%, and 2.1%-24.8%, respectively. The mean relative standard deviations were 3.9%, 1.4% and 1.5%. Conclusion The fully automated pretreatment workstation produced results that met relevant requirements. It can effectively replace the manual digestion and filtration steps of the pyrophosphate method to measure free silica levels in workplace dust and enable rapid detection of free silica in dust samples.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.03.002.].

OBJECTIVE To systematically analyze the functional system and construction requirements for infection prevention and control('infection control system'in short)in medical institutions so as to facilitate the effective,standardized and practical construction of the infection control system.METHODS The questionnaires were de-signed based on the relevant criteria and literatures that were released in China with the combination of expect con-sultant and were distributed to experts or professionals involving multiple fields such as hospital infection manage-ment,clinical medical treatment and information technology.The questionnaires were recycled,summarized and analyzed.RESULTS The list of functions of the infection control system(consultative draft)was formulated after review of literatures and expert consultation,including fundamental functions such as data management,case sur-veillance and intervention feedback as well as the advanced functions like target surveillance,occupational protec-tion and interconnection.The surveyed subjects agreed unanimously after the questionnaire survey that all of the function modules and elements enlisted were important,the average score of importance was more than 4 points,the score of coefficient of variable(CV)for importance of the function modules was less than 0.25,indicating that there was high consistency in the opinions among the surveyed subjects.The element of tracing and epidemiologi-cal survey function was adopted and added according to the feedback suggestions from some of the subjects;two function elements including data query and clinical interaction were revised,and the list of function requirements for the infection control systems was finally defined.CONCLUSION The requirements for functions of the infection control system that are determined in the study can provide important bases and data support for the research and standardized development of future infection control system.

Objective:To investigate the potential causes of the rising epidemic of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) in Weifang, Shandong province.Methods:The temporal trend of SFTS epidemic was segmented using Joinpoint regression analysis. Changes in epidemiological characteristics across different periods were compared, and correlation analysis was conducted to identify meteorological factors influencing the epidemic trend.Results:Joinpoint regression revealed two distinct periods for SFTS epidemic in Weifang: 2015-2021 and 2022-2024. No significant trend was observed during 2015-2021 ( P=0.634), while a sharp annual increase of 46.69% occurred from 2022 to 2024 ( P=0.006). Spatial autocorrelation analysis demonstrated a global Moran’s I of 0.42 ( Z=8.55, P<0.001) for 2015-2021, with 15 high-high clustering areas identified. For 2022-2024, the global Moran’s I decreased to 0.37 ( Z=7.31, P<0.001), with 13 high-high clusters, including newly emerging hotspots in Anqiu and Zhucheng in the southeastern region. High-risk populations remained individuals aged ≥50 in mountainous and hilly areas, with a marked rise in incidence in these groups. The male-to-female ratio of cases was higher in plain areas than in mountainous/hilly regions. Autumn (September-November) temperatures from the preceding year showed a positive correlation with annual case numbers ( P=0.004, r=0.82). The linear regression expression is y=40.61x-580.78 (y is the annual incidence, and x is the average daily temperature of last autumn). Conclusions:The SFTS epidemic in Weifang is showing a rising trend. There is a linear correlation between the temperature of the previous autumn and the scale of SFTS epidemic in the following year. This correlation allows for predicting the subsequent year′s epidemic, thereby enabling early warning of SFTS.

Objective To explore the impact of ondansetron's use within 24 h before delirium assess-ment in ICU patients on the risk of delirium occurrence.Methods All data were derived from the Critical Care Medical Information Database(MIMIC)-Ⅲ,MIMIC-Ⅳ and the eICU Collaborative Research Database.The research subjects were the patients who were admitted to ICU for treatment for the first time and had re-cords of delirium assessment.The research variable was whether ondansetron was used within 24 h before de-lirium assessment.The main observation indicator was whether delirium occurred after the patient entering to ICU,and whether the patient died during hospitalization or was discharged and returned home was taken as the secondary observation indicator.The propensity score matching eliminated confounding factors,and the stepwise logistic regression and nearest neighbor matching were used to analyze the influencing factors.Results A total of 78 364 patients had the delirium assessment records,among them 22 158 patients had the positive assessment results.A total of 294 patients who used ondansetron within 24 h before delirium assess-ment were taken as the ondansetron group,and 78 070 patients who did not use ondansetron were taken as the control group.Propensity score matching corrected most of the covariates between the two groups.The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the use of ondansetron was a protective factor for the delirium occurrence(OR=0.72,95％CI:0.53-0.96),and the results of nearest neighbor matching analysis also supported this association(OR=0.48,95％CI:0.31-0.76).However,the use of ondansetron had no effect on the outcome of in-hospital death or discharge home for critically ill patients(P＞0.05).Conclusion Ondansetron may be an effective drug for the prevention or treatment of delirium in critically ill patients.

Objective:To explore the construction of an evaluation model for aortic root anatomy and calcium burden in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) stenosis before transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) based on deep learning (DL) algorithms.Methods:A retrospective collection of 362 BAV stenosis patients who underwent TAVR from September 2023 to May 2024 was performed. All patients underwent cardiac CT angiography. The patients were divided into training group ( n=104), internal validation group ( n=206), and external validation group ( n=52). A DL model was trained on the training dataset to assess aortic root anatomy and calcification burden. The evaluation included the segmentation accuracy of the algorithm, the measurement performance of key anatomical structures (i.e., valve leaflets and type-1 and type-2 fusion raphe), and calcification burden, as well as the measurement efficiency. Overall segmentation performance was assessed using the average Dice coefficient (ADC). The fine-scale segmentation quality was validated by the 95th-percentile Hausdorff distance (HD-95) and the average symmetric surface distance (ASSD). The consistency of the measurement results was assessed using the Pearson correlation coefficient and the intraclass correlation coefficient ( ICC) with a two-way mixed model for absolute agreement. In addition, the total time and total mouse movement distance required for manual assessment versus the DL model on the validation datasets were recorded and compared. Results:The algorithm demonstrated excellent segmentation performance on aortic root anatomical targets, achieving outstanding consistency within both internal and external validation datasets (0.955

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of combined cricopharyngeal myotomy (CPM) and autologous fat injection laryngoplasty (AFIL) in the management of dysphagia secondary to glossopharyngeal and vagal nerve injury.Methods:This retrospective cohort study collected the clinical data of 18 patients with persistent dysphagia due to glossopharyngeal and vagus nerve injuries, who underwent concurrent cricopharyngeal myotomy (CPM) and autologous fat injection laryngoplasty (AFIL) at the Department of Otolaryngology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, from January 2017 to December 2024. Pre-and postoperative assessments included electronic flexible laryngoscope, the Chinese version of Swallow Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (CSWAL-QOL), videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS), body weight changes, and nasogastric tube (NGT) removal status with routine follow-up. The comparison of swallowing function before and after surgery was conducted using paired samples t-test and χ2 test. Results:The study cohort comprised 10 male and 8 female patients, with ages ranging from 33 to 70 years (mean±SD: 53.8±10.5). All surgical procedures were completed successfully without complications. During the 6-to 24-month follow-up period, 10 of the 13 patients who were initially nasogastric tube-dependent achieved successful decannulation. Compared with preoperative values, postoperative measurements demonstrated statistically significant improvements across all parameters: mean body weight increased from (56.95±9.14) kg to (59.22±8.72) kg ( t=3.689 , P<0.01), CSWAL-QOL scores improved from 91.89±17.81 to 130.83±25.42 ( t=6.921 , P<0.01), while, both VFSS scales showed marked reductions (VFSS-SWAL: 6.78±1.40 to 3.39±1.61, t=-8.001, P<0.01; PAS: 6.56±1.15 to 2.94±1.26, t=-10.114, P<0.01). Conclusions:Combined CPM and AFIL represents an effective surgical approach for dysphagia following glossopharyngeal and vagal nerve injury, thereby demonstrating significant improvements in both swallowing function and quality of life.

Objective To investigate the factors associated with coronary microvascular dysfunction(CMD)after percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)in diabetic patients with multivessel disease and non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome(NSTE-ACS).Methods A single-center retrospective study was conducted,including 242 diabetic patients with NSTE-ACS and multivessel disease who underwent PCI between January 2021 and June 2024 at Hospital.Baseline characteristics,procedural parameters,and laboratory indicators were collected.CMD was defined based on immediate postoperative coronary functional measurements[computational pressure-flow dynamics derived angiography fractional flow reserve(caFFR)＞0.80 and coronary angiography-derived index of microcirculatory resistance(caIMR)≥25].Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors for CMD.Results Among the 242 patients,49(20.2%)were diagnosed with patient-level CMD after PCI.The CMD group showed significantly higher hemoglobin levels compared to the non-CMD group[136.00(130.00,150.00)g/L vs.130.00(119.00,145.00)g/L,P=0.012],as well as higher glutamic-pyruvic transaminase levels[20.00(16.00,31.00)U/L vs.18.00(13.00,26.00)U/L,P=0.047].However,there were no significant differences between the groups in terms of diabetes duration,traditional cardiovascular risk markers(hypertension,smoking history,low-density lipoprotein cholesterol),types of hypoalycemic agents,or procedural parameters(all P＞0.05).Univariate regression analysis indicated that hemoglobin(OR 1.025,95%CI 1.007-1.043,P=0.007)and urea(OR 0.897,95%CI 0.791-1.108,P=0.091)were associated with CMD.Multivariate logistic regression further confirmed that elevated hemoglobin concentration was an independent predictor of CMD after PCI in diabetic patients with NSTE-ACS and multivessel disease(OR 1.026,95%CI 1.007-1.045,P=0.006).According to the Youden index of the receiver operating characteristics curve,the optimal cutoff value for diagnosing hemoglobin content is 131 g/L(Youden Index=0.238,sensitivity 69.4%,specificity 54.4%).Conclusions Elevated hemoglobin concentration is an independent risk factor for CMD after PCI in diabetic patients with NSTE-ACS and multivessel disease,potentially linked to hyper-viscous blood-induced oxidative stress and endothelial injury.It is recommended to intensify postoperative microcirculatory monitoring in patients with preoperative hemoglobin≥131 g/L and to explore hemorheological intervention strategies.

OBJECTIVE To systematically analyze the functional system and construction requirements for infection prevention and control('infection control system'in short)in medical institutions so as to facilitate the effective,standardized and practical construction of the infection control system.METHODS The questionnaires were de-signed based on the relevant criteria and literatures that were released in China with the combination of expect con-sultant and were distributed to experts or professionals involving multiple fields such as hospital infection manage-ment,clinical medical treatment and information technology.The questionnaires were recycled,summarized and analyzed.RESULTS The list of functions of the infection control system(consultative draft)was formulated after review of literatures and expert consultation,including fundamental functions such as data management,case sur-veillance and intervention feedback as well as the advanced functions like target surveillance,occupational protec-tion and interconnection.The surveyed subjects agreed unanimously after the questionnaire survey that all of the function modules and elements enlisted were important,the average score of importance was more than 4 points,the score of coefficient of variable(CV)for importance of the function modules was less than 0.25,indicating that there was high consistency in the opinions among the surveyed subjects.The element of tracing and epidemiologi-cal survey function was adopted and added according to the feedback suggestions from some of the subjects;two function elements including data query and clinical interaction were revised,and the list of function requirements for the infection control systems was finally defined.CONCLUSION The requirements for functions of the infection control system that are determined in the study can provide important bases and data support for the research and standardized development of future infection control system.