Objective:To construct a remote screening network for breast cancer based on automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) and explore the value of ABUS with remote reading for breast cancer screening.Methods:We constructed a remote breast cancer screening network including one remote reading center and 48 image-acquisition centers. We recruited women to participate in breast cancer screening at one of these image-acquisition centers from January 2021 to January 2023. The technicians collected the whole breast images using the ABUS. The images were then sent to the reading center through the PVBUS System and interpreted independently by two radiologists using the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS). BI-RADS categories 1 and 2 indicate negative screening results, and women diagnosed with these categories were recommended for annual breast ultrasound screening. BI-RADS categories 3, 4, and 5 indicate positive results. Women with BI-RADS category 3 lesions were recommended for follow-up examinations every 6 months using ABUS or handheld ultrasound, while those with BI-RADS 4 and 5 lesions were suggested to undergo pathological examinations.Results:In our study, we enrolled 10 344 women who completed the ABUS screening and were followed up for more than 12 months. After remote reading, 6 164 women were diagnosed with BI-RADS category 1 and 2 626 woman were within BI-RADS category 2. In contrast, 1 404 women were within BI-RADS category 3, a total of 135 women were within BI-RADS category 4, and 15 women were within BI-RADS category 5. The positive screening rate of ABUS was 15.0% (1 554/10 344). The ABUS with remote reading had a detection rate of 3.7/1 000 (38/10 344) for breast cancer screening, with a sensitivity of 97.4% (38/39) and a specificity of 85.3% (8 789/10 305). Among the 38 breast cancer cases detected, 92.1% (35/38) were invasive carcinomas, and 63.2% (24/38) were stage 0 or Ⅰ breast cancers.Conclusions:Breast cancer screening based on ABUS with remote reading provided an efficient and feasible solution to the problem of unevenly distributed medical resources and medical staff levels in various regions of China, enabling the decentralization of high-quality medical resources and improving the accessibility of high-quality screening services. It has provided an alternative for breast cancer screening in China.

Objective:To construct a remote screening network for breast cancer based on automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) and explore the value of ABUS with remote reading for breast cancer screening.Methods:We constructed a remote breast cancer screening network including one remote reading center and 48 image-acquisition centers. We recruited women to participate in breast cancer screening at one of these image-acquisition centers from January 2021 to January 2023. The technicians collected the whole breast images using the ABUS. The images were then sent to the reading center through the PVBUS System and interpreted independently by two radiologists using the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS). BI-RADS categories 1 and 2 indicate negative screening results, and women diagnosed with these categories were recommended for annual breast ultrasound screening. BI-RADS categories 3, 4, and 5 indicate positive results. Women with BI-RADS category 3 lesions were recommended for follow-up examinations every 6 months using ABUS or handheld ultrasound, while those with BI-RADS 4 and 5 lesions were suggested to undergo pathological examinations.Results:In our study, we enrolled 10 344 women who completed the ABUS screening and were followed up for more than 12 months. After remote reading, 6 164 women were diagnosed with BI-RADS category 1 and 2 626 woman were within BI-RADS category 2. In contrast, 1 404 women were within BI-RADS category 3, a total of 135 women were within BI-RADS category 4, and 15 women were within BI-RADS category 5. The positive screening rate of ABUS was 15.0% (1 554/10 344). The ABUS with remote reading had a detection rate of 3.7/1 000 (38/10 344) for breast cancer screening, with a sensitivity of 97.4% (38/39) and a specificity of 85.3% (8 789/10 305). Among the 38 breast cancer cases detected, 92.1% (35/38) were invasive carcinomas, and 63.2% (24/38) were stage 0 or Ⅰ breast cancers.Conclusions:Breast cancer screening based on ABUS with remote reading provided an efficient and feasible solution to the problem of unevenly distributed medical resources and medical staff levels in various regions of China, enabling the decentralization of high-quality medical resources and improving the accessibility of high-quality screening services. It has provided an alternative for breast cancer screening in China.

Objectives: This study sought to describe our institutional experience of repeated percutaneous stellate ganglion blockade (R-SGB) as a treatment option for drug-refractory electrical storm in patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM). Methods: This prospective observational study included 8 consecutive NICM patients who had drug-refractory electrical storm and underwent R-SGB between June 1, 2021 and January 31, 2022. Lidocaine (5 ml, 1%) was injected in the vicinity of the left stellate ganglion under the guidance of ultrasound, once per day for 7 days. Data including clinical characteristics, immediate and long-term outcomes, and procedure related complications were collected. Results: The mean age was (51.5±13.6) years. All patients were male. 5 patients were diagnosed as dilated cardiomyopathy, 2 patients as arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy and 1 patient as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The left ventricular ejection fraction was 37.8%±6.6%. After the treatment of R-SGB, 6 (75%) patients were free of electrical storm. 24 hours Holter monitoring showed significant reduction in ventricular tachycardia (VT) episodes from 43.0 (13.3, 276.3) to 1.0 (0.3, 34.0) on the first day following R-SGB (P<0.05) and 0.5 (0.0, 19.3) after whole R-SGB process (P<0.05). There were no procedure-related major complications. The mean follow-up was (4.8±1.1) months, and the median time of recurrent VT was 2 months. Conclusion: Minimally invasive R-SGB is a safe and effective method to treat electrical storm in patients with NICM.
Humans ; Male ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Female ; Stroke Volume ; Stellate Ganglion/surgery* ; Ventricular Function, Left ; Cardiomyopathies/complications* ; Tachycardia, Ventricular/therapy* ; Treatment Outcome ; Catheter Ablation

Objective: To examine the association of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) with frailty among oldest-old adults in China. Methods: A total of 7 987 people aged 80 years and older (oldest-old) who participated in the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) in 2017-2018 were included. Information on demographic characteristics, behavior pattern, diet, activities of daily living, cognitive function, health status, disease condition were collected by questionnaire and physical examination. Generalized linear mixed model and restricted cubic splines (RCS) were used to analyze the association of BMI and WC with frailty. Results: The mean age of all participants was 91.7 years, and their mean BMI and WC were (21.3±3.5) kg/m² and (82.9±10.5) cm, respectively. The proportion of male was 42.3% (3 377/7 987), and the proportion of people with frailty was 33.7% (2 664/7 987). After controlling confounding factors, compared with T₂ (19.1-22.1 kg/m²) of BMI, the OR (95%CI) of the female T₁ (<19.1 kg/m²) and T₃ (≥22.2 kg/m²) group was 1.39 (1.17-1.65) and 1.27 (1.07-1.52), respectively. Compared with T₂ (77-85 cm) of WC, the OR (95%CI) of female T₁ (<77 cm) and T₃ (≥86 cm) group was 1.20 (1.01-1.42) and 1.10 (0.93-1.31), respectively. The results of multiple linear regression model with restrictive cubic spline showed that there was a non-linear association of BMI and WC with frailty in female. Conclusion: There is a U-shaped association of BMI and WC with frailty in female participants.
Adult ; Male ; Female ; Humans ; Aged, 80 and over ; Waist Circumference ; Body Mass Index ; Frailty/epidemiology* ; Activities of Daily Living ; China/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors

Objective: To develop a nomogram model for the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast BI-RADS (Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System) category 4 nodules based on serum tumor specific protein 70 (SP70) and conventional laboratory indicators and validate its predictive efficacy. Methods: A case-control study design was used to retrospectively analyze the data of 429 female patients diagnosed with BI-RADS category 4 breast nodules by breast color doppler flow imaging at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2021 to April 2022 with an age range of 16 to 91 years and a median age of 50 years, and the patients were divided into a training cohort (314 patients) and a validation cohort (115 patients) according to the inclusion time successively. Using postoperative pathological findings as the"gold standard", univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify the predictor variables used for the model. The nomogram, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and calibration curves were drawn for the prediction model, and the discrimination and calibration of the model were evaluated using the consistency index (C-index) and calibration plots. Results: The postoperative pathological results showed that 286 (66.7%) were malignant nodules and 143 (33.3%) were benign nodules of 429 breast BI-RADS category 4 nodules. The serum SP70 (OR=1.227,95%CI: 1.033-1.458,P=0.020), NLR (OR=1.545,95%CI: 1.047-2.280,P=0.028), LDL-C (OR=2.215, 95%CI: 1.354-3.622, P=0.002), GLU (OR=2.050,95%CI:1.222-3.438,P=0.007), PT (OR=1.383,95%CI: 1.046-1.828,P=0.023), nodule diameter (OR=1.042, 95%CI: 1.008-1.076, P=0.015) and age (OR=1.062,95%CI: 1.011-1.116,P=0.016) were independent risk factors which could be used to distinguish benign and malignant breast BI-RADS category 4 nodules (P<0.05). The nomogram was plotted by the above seven independent variables, and the concordance index (C-index) for the training cohort and validation cohort were 0.842 (95%CI:0.786-0.898) and 0.787 (95%CI:0.687-0.886), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of using this model to identify benign and malignant breast BI-RADS category 4 nodules in the training and validation cohort were 83.5%, 72.5% and 79.2%, 73.6%, respectively. The calibration curves showed good agreement between the predicted and actual values in the nomogram. Conclusions: This study combined serum SP70, conventional laboratory indicators and breast color doppler flow imaging to develop a nomogram model for the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast BI-RADS category 4 nodules. The model may have good predictive efficacy and may provide a basis for clinical treatment options, which is beneficial for guiding breast cancer screening and prevention.
Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Retrospective Studies ; Case-Control Studies ; Breast/pathology* ; Breast Neoplasms/pathology*

Objective: To investigate the acute and long-term outcome of catheter ablation for the treatment of ventricular tachycardia (VT) in patients with arrhythmogenic left ventricular cardiomyopathy (ALVC). Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional study enrolled ALVC patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of VT at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2011 to December 2018 and collected their clinical characteristics and intraoperative electrophysiological examination. Patients were followed up every 6 months after radiofrequency ablation until August 2021. Echocardiographic results and VT recurrence post radiofrequency ablation were analysed. Results: Totally 12 patients were enrolled (mean age: (42±15) years, 11 males(11/12)). The mean of left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVDd) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were (51±5)mm and (65±5)%, respectively. Twelve VTs were induced in 10 patients during the electrophysiological study, and the mean tachycardia cycle length was (293±65) ms. Three-dimensional substrate mapping revealed the diseased area at endocardial site in one patient, at epicardial sites in the other 11 patients (involved endocardial sites in 2 cases) with the basal part near the mitral annulus being the predilection for the substrate (10/11). After the catheter ablation at the endocardial and epicardial sites respectively, the complete procedure endpoint was achieved in all patients (VT cannot be induced post ablation). The median follow-up time was 65 (25, 123) months. One patient was lost to follow-up, and the other 11 patients survived without VT. No significant cardiac function deterioration was detected by the echocardiographic examination ((51±5)mm vs. (52±5)mm, P>0.05 for LVDd, (65±5)% vs. (60±6)%, P>0.05 for LVEF) at the end of follow-up. Conclusion: After radiofrequency ablation, the complete procedure endpoint is achieved in ALVC patients, and the catheter ablation provides long-term ventricular tachycardia control during the long-term follow-up.
Adult ; Cardiomyopathies ; Catheter Ablation ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pericardium/surgery* ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke Volume ; Tachycardia, Ventricular/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome ; Ventricular Function, Left

There were vivax malaria, falciparum malaria, and malariae malaria epidemic in Jiangsu Province, and vivax malaria was the dominant disease. Anopheles sinensis and An. anthropophagus were malaria-transmitted vectors. Since the founding of People’s Republic of China, there have been two major malaria outbreaks in Jiangsu Province, when the highest annual malaria incidence reached up to 24.95%. According to prevention and control principles of “adjusting measures to local conditions, giving different guidance to different categories and highlighting key points”, during the epidemic outbreak stage, the largescale malaria prevention and control measures were implemented for all the residents who were target population in Jiangsu malaria-endemic areas. During the basic eradication stage, the targeted prevention and control measures had been carried out according to the different epidemic features to gradually consolidate the achievement of prevention and control in Jiangsu Province. In the malaria elimination stage, Jiangsu Province focused on controlling of the source of infection and malaria surveillance. According to the “1-3-7 targeted elimination” work model, the management of infectious sources and investigation and disposal of foci were carried out for each epidemic focus to block the malaria transmission. By the end of 2017, there had been no indigenous malaria cases for the six consecutive years in Jiangsu Province. All the 13 cities have passed the assessment of malaria elimination of Jiangsu Province. Although Jiangsu Province has achieved the goal of malaria elimination, it is urgent and necessary to maintain and improve malaria surveillance capabilities to prevent malaria reintroduction.

Objective To analyze the results of samples testing of Jiangsu Provincial Malaria Diagnostic Reference Laboratory in 2017, so as to provide the evidence for improving the malaria diagnostic performance in this province. Methods The samples of reported malaria cases in Jiangsu were collected by the provincial reference laboratory (PRL) in 2017. The microscopy and nucleic acid test were performed to confirm the infection of Plasmodium species of each case, while Plasmodium antigen tests (rapid diagnostic test, RDT) were performed as well. The detection results were analyzed among different areas and different species. Results Totally 242 malaria cases were reported and the samples were collected by PRL in 2017. A total of 239 cases were confirmed Plasmodium infections, including 163 cases of Plasmodium falciparum infection, 21 cases of P. vivax infection, 11 cases of P. malariae infection, 43 cases of P. ovale infection, and 1 case of P. falciparum and P. ovale mixed-infection. The diagnostic coincidence rates of reported malaria case in 13 prefectures with districts were all > 80%, and the total coincidence rate was 88.8%. The species diagnostic coincidence rates of P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae, and P. ovale were 98.8%, 57.1%, 63.6%, and 81.4% respectively, and the detection rates by RDT to those four species infections were 95.7%, 85.0%, 63.6% and 79.1% respectively. Conclusions In 2017, the malaria diagnostic quality of medical technicians is generally high in Jiangsu Province. However, the diagnostic capacity is slightly different among different regions, and the ability to identify non- P. falciparum parasites remains to be improved. RDT is not ideal for the detection of non-P. falciparum infection. In the current stage of malaria elimination, the malaria diagnostic capacity of technicians in all the sectors should be strengthened and maintained.

BACKGROUNDData on the epidemiology of hypertension in Chinese non-dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients are limited. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in the non-dialysis CKD patients through a nationwide, multicenter study in China.

METHODSThe survey was performed in 61 tertiary hospitals in 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China (except Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan). Trained physicians collected demographic and clinical data and measured blood pressure (BP) using a standardized protocol. Hypertension was defined as systolic BP ≥ 140 mmHg and/or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg, and/or use of antihypertensive medications. BP < 140/90 mmHg and < 130/80 mmHg were used as the 2 thresholds of hypertension control. In multivariate logistic regression with adjustment for sex and age, we analyzed the association between CKD stages and uncontrolled hypertension in non-dialysis CKD patients.

RESULTSThe analysis included 8927 non-dialysis CKD patients. The prevalence, awareness, and treatment of hypertension in non-dialysis CKD patients were 67.3%, 85.8%, and 81.0%, respectively. Of hypertensive CKD patients, 33.1% and 14.1% had controlled BP to < 140/90 mmHg and < 130/80 mmHg, respectively. With successive CKD stages, the prevalence of hypertension in non-dialysis CKD patients increased, but the control of hypertension decreased (P < 0.001). When the threshold of BP < 130/80 mmHg was considered, the risk of uncontrolled hypertension in CKD 2, 3a, 3b, 4, and 5 stages increased 1.3, 1.4, 1.4, 2.5, and 4.0 times compared with CKD 1 stage, respectively (P < 0.05). Using the threshold of < 140/90 mmHg, the risk of uncontrolled hypertension increased in advanced stages (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe prevalence of hypertension Chinese non-dialysis CKD patients was high, and the hypertension control was suboptimal. With successive CKD stages, the risk of uncontrolled hypertension increased.

Adult ; Aged ; Awareness ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; complications ; epidemiology ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; complications