Objective To investigate the correlation between serum amyloid A(SAA)level and disease se-verity in children infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(COVID-19).Methods A to-tal of 116 children infected with COVID-19 admitted to the Department of Pediatrics of the hospital from De-cember 2022 to April 2023 were included and divided into asymptomatic/mild group and moderate/severe group according to the severity of the disease.In addition,65 healthy children who received health examination during the same period were selected as the control group.Serum SAA levels in children in acute stage and convalescent stage were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results Compared with the control group,the serum SAA level in the children infected with COVID-19 was significantly increased in the acute stage(P＜0.05).The area under the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve(AUC)of SAA levels in the acute stage for diagnosing children with COVID-19 infection was 0.926(95％CI:0.886-0.966).In SARS-CoV-2 infected children,the SAA levels in the acute stage in the asymptomatic/mild group and the moderate/severe group were 2.71(1.29-10.86)mg/L and 37.78(18.58-92.62)mg/L,the differences were statistically significant between the two groups(Z=5.782,P＜0.001).In addition,serum SAA was pos-itively correlated with severity of SARS-CoV-2 by Spearman analysis(r=0.657,P＜0.001).Serum SAA lev-els were also significantly positively correlated with C-reactive protein(CRP),immunoglobulin(Ig)M,IgG,IgA and neutralizing antibody(NAb)in acute stage(P＜0.05).The AUC of serum SAA level in acute stage for diagnosing the moderate/severe children with SARS-CoV-2 was 0.889(95％CI:0.842-0.955),which was higher than that of CRP(P＜0.05).Compared with serum antibodies(IgM,IgG,IgA and NAb),the rate of serum SAA positive(≥5.55 mg/L)in children in acute stage was significantly higher(P＜0.05).The positive rate of serum SAA in convalescent children was significantly lower than that of serum antibody(P＜0.05).Conclusion Elevated serum SAA in acute phase is associated with increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infec-tion and disease severity in children.Serum SAA is promising as a good biomarker for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 infection and severity in children.

Objective To explore the effect of controlled low central venous pressure(CLCVP)on venous congestion and postoperative acute kidney injury(AKI)in cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass(CPB).Methods A total of 137 patients scheduled for elective cardiac surgery under general anes-thesia with CPB were selected,including 73 males and 64 females,aged 18 to 70 years,with a BMI of 20 to 28 kg/m2,and ASA physical status Ⅱ or Ⅲ.The patients were randomly assigned into two groups:the controlled low central venous pressure group(group CL,n=68)and the control group(group C,n=69).In group CL,CLCVP was applied by pumping nitroglycerin to reduce CVP to below 10 mmHg after 20 minutes of CPB cessation until the end of surgery.If necessary,norepinephrine was applied to maintain MAP≥65 mmHg.Patients in group C received standardized anesthesia management.Urine samples were collected before anesthesia induction and 12 hours postoperatively to detect the concentration of kidney injury molecule-1(KIM-1).Urine samples were also collected before anesthesia induction and 2 hours postopera-tively to detect the concentration of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin(NGAL).Cumulative time a-bove 10,12,16,and 20 mmHg and time-weighted average CVP were used to assess venous congestion.The occurrence of postoperative AKI,stage 2 or above AKI,renal replacement therapy(CRRT),postoperative low cardiac output syndrome(LCOS),acute kidney injury following cardiac surgery(AKICS)score when arriving in ICU,in-hospital mortality,ICU stay,and postoperative hospital stay were recorded.Results Compared with group C,the cumulative time of CVP above 10,12,16,and 20 mmHg after CPB in group CL was significantly shorter,and the time-weighted average CVP was significantly lower(P＜0.05).AKI occurred in 9 patients(13.2%)in group CL and 15 patients(21.7%)in group C postoperatively,and there was no significant difference between the two groups.One case(1.5%)of stage 2 or above AKI oc-curred in group CL and 2 patients(2.9%)in group C,with one patient in group C requiring CRRT.Com-pared with group C,the concentrations of KIM-1 at 12 hours postoperatively and NGAL at 2 hours postoper-atively were significantly lower in group CL(P＜0.05).There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in LCOS,AKICS score,in-hospital mortality,ICU stay,and postoperative hospital stay.Conclusion Controlled low central venous pressure in cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass can reduce venous congestion and decrease the occurrence of postoperative renal injury,thereby exerting a certain renal protective effect.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors of proteinuria in patients with hypertension in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.Methods:From March 2019 to June 2020, prospective design was used to collect data of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau hypertension patients who were eligible for continuous enrollment in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine in Hospital of Chengdu Office of People's Government of Tibet Autonomous Region. Questionnaire survey, physical examination and blood pressure measurement were performed on the selected patients. Fasting venous blood samples were collected for liver function test, blood lipid test, blood glucose test, and hemoglobin test, etc. Three times of morning urine samples were taken on different days, and urine protein creatinine ratio (UACR) was measured, UACR < 30 mg/g was negative for urinary protein, and UACR≥30 mg/g was positive for urinary protein. At the same time, the selected patients were examined by carotid artery color ultrasound and heart color ultrasound. The risk factors of proteinuria were analyzed.Results:A total of 588 patients with hypertension met the inclusion criteria, including 472 patients (80.3%) who received antihypertensive drug therapy, 239 patients (40.6%) had antihypertensive treatment compliance, and 252 patients (42.9%) reached the standard blood pressure after theropy. Hypertension was associated with diabetes mellitus in 150 patients (25.5%), and urinary protein was positive in 126 patients (21.4%). In univariate analysis, ethnic composition, systolic blood pressure [(138.19 ± 19.65) vs (133.16 ± 18.45) mmHg, 1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa], diastolic blood pressure [(85.80 ± 13.51) vs (83.17 ± 12.19) mmHg], uric acid [(411.79 ± 101.54) vs (379.96 ± 102.18) μmol/L], hemoglobin [(152.86 ± 30.70) vs (143.49 ± 21.15) g/L], pulmonary artery trunk width [(21.76 ± 3.94) vs (20.98 ± 3.34) mm], and ventricular septal thickness [(9.90 ± 1.70) vs (9.47 ± 1.60) mm] in the positive group ( n = 126) were significantly higher than those in the negative group ( n = 462, P < 0.01 or < 0.05). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, increased systolic blood pressure [odds ratio ( OR) = 1.015, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.005 - 1.026], uric acid ( OR = 1.003, 95% CI: 1.001 - 1.005), and pulmonary artery trunk width ( OR = 1.058, 95% CI: 1.001 - 1.118) were risk factors for proteinuria; Tibetans had a decreased risk of proteinuria compared with Han ( OR = 0.505, 95% CI: 0.317 - 0.805), but increased hemoglobin had an increased risk of proteinuria compared with normal hemoglobin ( OR = 1.890, 95% CI: 1.231 - 2.903). Conclusion:In patients with hypertension at high altitude, increased hemoglobin, systolic blood pressure, uric acid, pulmonary artery trunk width, and Han nationality are risk factors for proteinuria.