OBJECTIVE: To investigate possible associations between physical function assessment scales, such as Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS), with all-cause mortality in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) patients. METHODS: A total of 108 ADHF patients were analyzed from October 2020 to October 2022, and followed up to May 2023. The association between baseline clinical characteristics and all-cause mortality was analyzed by univariate Cox regression analysis, while for SPPB and BBS, univariate Cox regression analysis was followed by receiver operating characteristic curves, in which the area under the curve represented their predictive accuracy for all-cause mortality. Incremental predictive values for both physical function assessments were measured by calculating net reclassification index and integrated discrimination improvement scores. Optimal cut-off value for BBS was then identified using restricted cubic spline plots, and survival differences below and above that cut-off were compared using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and the log-rank test. The clinical utility of BBS was measured using decision curve analysis. RESULTS: For baseline characteristics, age, female, blood urea nitrogen, as well as statins, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, or angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors, were predictive for all-cause mortality for ADHF patients. With respect to SPPB and BBS, higher scores were associated with lower all-cause mortality rates for both assessments; similar area under the curves were measured for both (0.774 for SPPB and 0.776 for BBS). Furthermore, BBS ≤ 36.5 was associated with significantly higher mortality, which was still applicable even adjusting for confounding factors; BBS was also found to have great clinical utility under decision curve analysis. CONCLUSIONS BBS or SPPB could be used as tools to assess physical function in ageing ADHF patients, as well as prognosticate on all-cause mortality. Moreover, prioritizing the improvement of balance capabilities of ADHF patients in cardiac rehabilitation regimens could aid in lowering mortality risk.

Objective:To analyze risk factors associated with false-positive results of quantitative fecal immunochemical testing (FIT), evaluate its performance for detecting advanced colorectal neoplasia across different subgroups, and explore the optimal positivity thresholds for each subgroup.Methods:Individuals who participated in the Zhejiang Colorectal Cancer Screening Program in 2020-2021, completed questionnaire-based risk assessment and quantitative FIT for initial screening, and undertook colonoscopy for confirmed diagnosis were included in this study. The information of individuals, including demographic characteristics, lifestyles, history of diseases, and family history of colorectal cancer (CRC), was collected by using questionnaires. The diagnostic outcomes of the individuals were obtained through colonoscopy and pathological examination. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with false-positive FIT results. The optimal threshold of FIT was determined based on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and 10-fold cross-validation. The effectiveness of FIT screening in different subgroups was compared using the unified threshold of 100 ng/ml or optimal positivity thresholds.Results:There were 25 874 individuals included in the analysis, with 14 694 (56.79%) having fecal hemoglobin concentrations ≥100 ng/ml. A total of 3 830 advanced adenoma cases (14.80%) and 362 CRC cases (1.40%) were identified. Age below 60 years old, females, underweight, smoking, drinking, use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, no family history of CRC, no history of intestinal disease, no history of hypertension, and physical inactivity were associated with an elevated risk of false-positive results in FIT ( P<0.05). Compared to the predetermined threshold of 100 ng/ml, the false positive rate (FPR) of quantitative FIT decreased from 52.3% to 37.3% in all individuals, and decreased by more than 20% in females, individuals with normal weight, smokers, and those without a history of intestinal disease when adopting the optimal threshold (all P<0.001). Conclusion:The risk of false-positive results in quantitative FIT varies across different subgroups. Adopting the optimal thresholds could improve the specificity and reduce the FPR of quantitative FIT for CRC screening.

Vascular aging (VA) is a common etiology of various chronic diseases and represents a major public health concern. Intermittent hypoxia (IH) associated with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a primary pathological and physiological driver of OSAHS-induced systemic complications. A substantial proportion of OSAHS patients, estimated to be between 40% and 80%, have comorbidities such as hypertension, heart failure, coronary artery disease, pulmonary hypertension, atrial fibrillation, aneurysm, and stroke, all of which are closely associated with VA. This review examines the molecular and cellular features common to both OSAHS and VA, highlighting decreased melatonin secretion, impaired autophagy, increased apoptosis, increased inflammation and pyroptosis, increased oxidative stress, accelerated telomere shortening, accelerated stem cell depletion, metabolic disorders, imbalanced protein homeostasis, epigenetic alterations, and dysregulated neurohormonal signaling. The accumulation and combination of these features may underlie the pathophysiological link between OSAHS and VA, but the exact mechanisms by which OSAHS affects VA may require further investigation. Taken together, these findings suggest that OSAHS may serve as a novel risk factor for VA and related vascular disorders, and that targeting these features may offer therapeutic potential to mitigate the vascular risks associated with OSAHS.
Humans ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive/pathology* ; Aging/physiology* ; Oxidative Stress/physiology* ; Animals

Syringa pinnatifolia, belonging to the family Oleaceae, is a species endemic to China. It is predominantly distributed in the Helan Mountains region of Inner Mongolia and Ningxia of China. The peeled roots, stems, and thick branches have been used as a distinctive Mongolian medicinal material known as "Shan-chen-xiang", which has effects such as suppressing "khii", clearing heat, and relieving pain and is employed for the treatment of cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases and joint pain. Over the past five years, significant increase was achieved in research on chemical constituents and pharmacological effects. There were a total of 130 new constituents reported, covering sesquiterpenoids, lignans, and alkaloids. Its effects of anti-myocardial ischemia, anti-cerebral ischemia/reperfusion, sedation, and analgesia were revealed, and the mechanisms of agarwood formation were also investigated. To better understand its medical value and potential of clinical application, this review updates the research progress in recent five years focusing on the chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of S. pinnatifolia, providing reference for subsequent research on active ingredient and support for its innovative application in modern medicine system.
Medicine, Mongolian Traditional ; Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Animals ; Syringa/chemistry*

Objective:To explore the efficacy and adverse reactions of CAG regimen combined with venetoclax,chidamide,and azacitidine in the treatment of elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia(AML).Methods:15 elderly AML patients aged ≥ 60 years old who were admitted to the Hematology Department of our hospital from May 2022 to October 2023 were treated with the CAG regimen combined with venetoclax,chidamide and azacitidine,and the efficacy,treatment-related adverse events,overall survival(OS)and event-free survival(EFS)were analyzed.Results:After one course of treatment,11 out of 15 patients achieved complete response(CR),3 patients achieved CR with incomplete hematologic recovery(CRi),and 1 patient died due to prior infection before efficacy evaluation,and the overall response rate(ORR)was 93.3％(14/15).The median follow-up time was 131(19-275)days,with median OS and EFS both remaining unreached.Next-generation sequencing(NGS)analysis showed that among the 15 patients,13 were detected with gene mutations,and there were 7 genes with mutation frequencies of more than 10％,including ASXL1(4 cases),RUNX1(4 cases),BCOR(3 cases),DNMT3A(3 cases),STAG2(2 cases),IDH1/2(2 cases),and TET(2 cases).Among the 13 patients with detectable mutations,12 patients achieved composite response(CR+CRi).The average recovery time of white blood cell count was 14.6 days after chemotherapy,and the average recovery time of platelets was 7.7 days after chemotherapy.The main adverse event was myelosuppression,with 10 patients accompanied by infection.Except for 1 patient who died due to septic shock during chemotherapy,no patients experienced serious complications such as heart,liver,or kidney damage during the treatment process.Conclusion:The CACAG+V regimen,which combines the CAG regimen with venetoclax,chidamide,and azacitidine,can be applied in the treatment of elderly AML patients,demonstrating good safety and induction remission rate.

Objective:To analyze risk factors associated with false-positive results of quantitative fecal immunochemical testing (FIT), evaluate its performance for detecting advanced colorectal neoplasia across different subgroups, and explore the optimal positivity thresholds for each subgroup.Methods:Individuals who participated in the Zhejiang Colorectal Cancer Screening Program in 2020-2021, completed questionnaire-based risk assessment and quantitative FIT for initial screening, and undertook colonoscopy for confirmed diagnosis were included in this study. The information of individuals, including demographic characteristics, lifestyles, history of diseases, and family history of colorectal cancer (CRC), was collected by using questionnaires. The diagnostic outcomes of the individuals were obtained through colonoscopy and pathological examination. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with false-positive FIT results. The optimal threshold of FIT was determined based on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and 10-fold cross-validation. The effectiveness of FIT screening in different subgroups was compared using the unified threshold of 100 ng/ml or optimal positivity thresholds.Results:There were 25 874 individuals included in the analysis, with 14 694 (56.79%) having fecal hemoglobin concentrations ≥100 ng/ml. A total of 3 830 advanced adenoma cases (14.80%) and 362 CRC cases (1.40%) were identified. Age below 60 years old, females, underweight, smoking, drinking, use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, no family history of CRC, no history of intestinal disease, no history of hypertension, and physical inactivity were associated with an elevated risk of false-positive results in FIT ( P<0.05). Compared to the predetermined threshold of 100 ng/ml, the false positive rate (FPR) of quantitative FIT decreased from 52.3% to 37.3% in all individuals, and decreased by more than 20% in females, individuals with normal weight, smokers, and those without a history of intestinal disease when adopting the optimal threshold (all P<0.001). Conclusion:The risk of false-positive results in quantitative FIT varies across different subgroups. Adopting the optimal thresholds could improve the specificity and reduce the FPR of quantitative FIT for CRC screening.

Objective To explore the value of MRI in the differential diagnosis of ovarian granulosa cell tumor(OGCT)with fibrothecoma,and to analyze the clinical characteristics of the two diseases to improve the accuracy of preoperative diagnosis.Methods The clinical features and MRI findings of 20 cases of OGCT and 26 cases of fibrothecoma confirmed by surgery and pathology were analyzed retrospectively.Results 95％(19/20)of patients with OGCT had symptoms,and 54％(14/26)of patients with fibrothecoma had symptoms.There was a statistical difference between OGCT and fibrothecoma in the number of patients of symptoms and hormone-related symptoms.95％(19/20)of OGCT were unilateral lesions,and 5％(1/20)were bilateral lesions(21 lesions in total),which 67％(14/21)had regular edges and 33％(7/21)had irregular edges.The length of lesions ranged from 3.2 cm to 14.7 cm,with an average of(8.1±3.3)cm.Among them,38％(8/21)lesions were solid,33％(7/21)lesions were cystic,and 29％(6/21)lesions were solid with cystic masses.96％(25/26)of fibrothecoma were unilateral lesions and 4％(1/26)were bilateral lesions(27 lesions in total),which 59％(16/27)had regular edges and 41％(11/27)had irregular edges.The length of lesions ranged from 2.2 cm to 19.0 cm,with an average of(7.69±4.12)cm,which 89％(24/27)lesions were solid,7％(2/27)lesions were cystic,and 4％(1/27)lesions were solid with cystic masses.On T1 WI images,86％(18/21)of OGCT showed high signal,and 81％(17/21)lesions showed bleeding signal.100％(27/27)of fibrothecoma showed isointensity.On T2WI images,71％(15/21)of OGCT showed hyperintensity and 90％(19/21)lesions had multiple varies cysts.On T2WI images,63％(17/27)lesions of fibrothecoma showed hypointensity and 4％(1/27)lesion had honeycomb sign.There were no statistical differences in the location,shape and size of the lesions between the two groups.There were statistical differences in cystic-solid type,T,WI and T2WI signals,honeycomb signs and bleeding signals(P＜0.05).The mean apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)value of OGCT was about(0.830±0.210)×10-3 mm2/s,and the mean ADC value of fibrothecoma was about(1.550±0.320)× 10-3 mm2/s,which had statistical difference.The critical value was 1.085 × 10-3 mm2/s of ADC value,which the sensitivity was 100％and the specificity was 90％.Conclusion The combination of clinical features,MRI signal characteristics and ADC value is helpful for the differential diagnosis of OGCT and fibrothecoma.

Objective To explore the value of MRI in the differential diagnosis of ovarian granulosa cell tumor(OGCT)with fibrothecoma,and to analyze the clinical characteristics of the two diseases to improve the accuracy of preoperative diagnosis.Methods The clinical features and MRI findings of 20 cases of OGCT and 26 cases of fibrothecoma confirmed by surgery and pathology were analyzed retrospectively.Results 95％(19/20)of patients with OGCT had symptoms,and 54％(14/26)of patients with fibrothecoma had symptoms.There was a statistical difference between OGCT and fibrothecoma in the number of patients of symptoms and hormone-related symptoms.95％(19/20)of OGCT were unilateral lesions,and 5％(1/20)were bilateral lesions(21 lesions in total),which 67％(14/21)had regular edges and 33％(7/21)had irregular edges.The length of lesions ranged from 3.2 cm to 14.7 cm,with an average of(8.1±3.3)cm.Among them,38％(8/21)lesions were solid,33％(7/21)lesions were cystic,and 29％(6/21)lesions were solid with cystic masses.96％(25/26)of fibrothecoma were unilateral lesions and 4％(1/26)were bilateral lesions(27 lesions in total),which 59％(16/27)had regular edges and 41％(11/27)had irregular edges.The length of lesions ranged from 2.2 cm to 19.0 cm,with an average of(7.69±4.12)cm,which 89％(24/27)lesions were solid,7％(2/27)lesions were cystic,and 4％(1/27)lesions were solid with cystic masses.On T1 WI images,86％(18/21)of OGCT showed high signal,and 81％(17/21)lesions showed bleeding signal.100％(27/27)of fibrothecoma showed isointensity.On T2WI images,71％(15/21)of OGCT showed hyperintensity and 90％(19/21)lesions had multiple varies cysts.On T2WI images,63％(17/27)lesions of fibrothecoma showed hypointensity and 4％(1/27)lesion had honeycomb sign.There were no statistical differences in the location,shape and size of the lesions between the two groups.There were statistical differences in cystic-solid type,T,WI and T2WI signals,honeycomb signs and bleeding signals(P＜0.05).The mean apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)value of OGCT was about(0.830±0.210)×10-3 mm2/s,and the mean ADC value of fibrothecoma was about(1.550±0.320)× 10-3 mm2/s,which had statistical difference.The critical value was 1.085 × 10-3 mm2/s of ADC value,which the sensitivity was 100％and the specificity was 90％.Conclusion The combination of clinical features,MRI signal characteristics and ADC value is helpful for the differential diagnosis of OGCT and fibrothecoma.

Objective To assess the status of rodent infestation in commercial kitchens using data from the‘Bright Kitchen, Clean Stove' initiative. The potential use of artificial-intelligence(AI)-based surveillance systems to monitor rodent density was explored, thereby providing a scientific basis for rodent control strategies. Methods As a component of the ‘Bright Kitchen, Clean Stove' initiative, the Minhang District Market Supervision Administration in Shanghai has installed cameras in 297 kitchens. These systems incorporate an AIpowered rodent image recognition method that automatically captures and stores the first image captured in each kitchen each day when a rodent is detected. In 2023, the system collected and stored 736 screenshots of rodents. Following manual verification,720 of the images were confirmed to contain rodents. The images were analyzed by noting the time, location, and kitchen area, and the species were manually identified to assess the population density. Results Rodent activity was detected in 34 of the 297 monitored kitchens, with an overall infestation rate of 11.45%. Of the 720 confirmed images of rodents, Rattus norvegicus(brown rat)was the predominant species, present in 409(56.81 %)images. Rodents were primarily concentrated in hot food preparation spaces. The density fluctuation curve had a multimodal pattern peaking in spring and autumn. The peak of daily activity was between 22: 00 and 2: 00. There was a significant difference in the rodent detection frequency between weekends and weekdays during peak hours and during non-peak hours(χ2=7.18, P＜ 0.01). Conclusions The ‘Bright Kitchen, Clear Stove' smart monitoring system has been proven to be applicable to rodent density monitoring. To control rodents in commercial kitchens, greater efforts are required to address and identify the specific infesting conditions and the key points in the control process.

Objective:To explore the risk factors for malnutrition after a tracheotomy and to construct a predictive model useful for its prevention through early intervention.Methods:Clinical data describing 440 tracheotomy patients were subjected to a retrospective analysis. The variables examined were age, sex, etiology, Glasgow Coma Score (GCS), activities of daily living (ADL) score, age-corrected Charlson comorbidity index (aCCI), food intake, swallowing function, incidence of infections, as well as any history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, smoking or alcohol consumption. Patients identified as being at risk of malnutrition (NRS-2002≥3) were screened using the Nutritional Risk Screening tool (NRS-2002) and the European Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism′s ESPEN2015 criteria. The subjects were thus categorized into a malnutrition group of 343 and a control group of 97. Unifactorial and multifactorial logistic regression analyses were performed, and stepwise regression was applied to include the factors found significant in the unifactorial analysis into the multifactorial logistic regression analysis, and to construct a column-line graph prediction model. The clinical utility of the model was assessed by applying the receiver operator characteristics (ROC) curves, calibration plots and decision curve analysis (DCA).Results:Of the 440 persons studied, 343 (78%) were malnourished. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that pulmonary infection, dysphagia, low GCS score and high aCCI score were significant risk factors for malnutrition after a tracheotomy. A prediction nomograph was constructed. After fitting and correcting, the area under the curve (AUC) of the prediction model′s ROC curve was 0.911, the specificity was 80.4%, and the sensitivity was 91.3%. That was significantly higher than the AUCs for pulmonary infection (0.809), dysphagia (0.697), aCCI (0.721) and GCS (0.802). Bootstrap self-sampling was used to verify the model internally. After 1000 samples the average absolute error between the predicted risk and the actual risk was 0.013, indicating good prediction ability. The DCA results demonstrated that the model has substantial clinical applicability across a range of nutritional interventions, particularly for threshold probability values ranging from 0 to 0.96.Conclusion:Pulmonary infection, dysphagia, low GCS score, and high aCCI score are risk factors for malnutrition among tracheotomy patients. The nomogram model constructed in this study has good predictive value for the occurrence of malnutrition among such patients.