INTRODUCTION: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, contact tracers were under immense pressure to deliver effective and timely contact tracing, raising concerns of higher susceptibility to burnout. Our study aimed to determine burnout prevalence among hospital-based contact tracers and associated risk factors, so that interventions to reduce burnout risk could be formulated. METHODS: One hundred and ninety-six active contact tracers across three hospitals within a healthcare cluster were invited to complete an anonymous online survey. To identify burntout, data such as demographics, work-related variables and contact tracing-related variables were collected using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. Associated factors were identified using multivariate statistics. Open-ended questions were included to understand the challenges and potential improvements through qualitative analysis. RESULTS: A total of 126 participants completed the survey, giving a completion rate of 64%, and almost half of these participants (42.9%) reported burnout. Protective factors included being on work-from-home arrangements (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.08-0.56), perception of being well supported by their institution (adjusted OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.08-0.80) and being married (adjusted OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.12-0.64). Risk factors included having an administrative role pre-COVID-19 (adjusted OR 3.62, 95% CI 1.33-9.83). Work-related burnout was related to being activated for more than 1 day in the preceding week (unadjusted OR 3.25, 95% CI 1.33-7.94) and multiple activations in a day (unadjusted OR 3.54, 95% CI 1.44-4.41). Biggest challenges identified by participants were language barrier (62.7%), followed by workflow-related issues (42.1%). CONCLUSION Our study demonstrated burnout and other challenges faced by a team of mostly hospital-based administrative staff redeployed on a part-time basis to ensure timely contact tracing. To mitigate burnout, we recommend choosing staff on work-from-home arrangements and ensuring adequate manpower and rostering arrangements.
Humans ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; Burnout, Professional/epidemiology* ; Singapore/epidemiology* ; Female ; Male ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Contact Tracing/methods* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Prevalence ; Pandemics

INTRODUCTION: Outcomes after SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection in patients with heart failure (HF) and ischaemic heart disease (IHD) remain poorly defined. METHOD: In a highly vaccinated cohort of adult Singapore citizens and permanent residents, we used Cox proportional hazards models (adjusted for sociodemographic variables and comorbidities) to compare the risks of Omicron infection, COVID-19- related hospitalisation, and severe COVID-19 between indivi-duals with HF or IHD and matched controls without these conditions. RESULTS: From national databases, we identified 15,426 HF patients matched 1:∼3 to 41,221 controls, and 110,442 IHD patients matched 1:∼2 to 223,843 controls. Over 80% of HF and IHD patients had received at least 3 vaccine doses. During the Omicron-predominant period, both HF and IHD cohorts demonstrated higher adjusted risks of COVID-19 hospitalisation compared with matched controls (HF: adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.77, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.65-1.90; IHD: aHR 1.21, 95% CI 1.17-1.26). Among those with at least 1 HF-or IHD-related admission in the prior year, hospitalisation risk was further elevated (HF: aHR 1.27, 95% CI 1.13-1.42; IHD: aHR 1.11, 95% CI 1.01-1.23). Receipt of ≥3 vaccine doses was associated with substantially lower risk of severe COVID-19 versus only 2 doses (HF: aHR 0.35, 95% CI 0.28-0.43; IHD: aHR 0.27, 95% CI 0.23-0.32). A fourth dose conferred additional reductions in infection and adverse outcomes, though CIs for infection overlapped with those for 3 doses. CONCLUSION During Omicron predominance, HF and IHD patients experienced greater risk of COVID-19 hospitalisation and severe COVID-19 versus matched controls. Booster vaccinations attenuated these risks. Individuals with recent HF/IHD admissions should be prioritised for receipt of booster vaccine doses.
Humans ; COVID-19/complications* ; Male ; Heart Failure/complications* ; Myocardial Ischemia/complications* ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data* ; Aged ; COVID-19 Vaccines/administration & dosage* ; Singapore/epidemiology* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Vaccination/statistics & numerical data*

Objective: To analyze the influencing factors for hospitalization costs among stroke patients with different subtypes, so as to provide the reference for reducing the economic burden of patients. Methods: Data of patients with hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke who were discharged from hospitals in Nanshan District, Shenzhen City from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2021 were collected through Hospital Information System. Hospitalization costs were analyzed between hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke patients, and factors affecting hospitalization costs among stroke patients with different subtypes were identified using a structural equation model. Results: A total of 10 298 patients with stroke were recruited, including 2 820 patients with hemorrhagic stroke (27.38%) and 7 478 patients with ischemic stroke (72.62%). The patients with hemorrhagic stroke had a median duration of hospital stay of 19.00 (interquartile range, 18.00) d, and a median hospitalization cost of 26 759.48 (interquartile range, 51 000.87) Yuan. The patients with ischemic stroke had a median duration of hospital stay of 12.00 (interquartile range, 10.00) d, and a median hospitalization cost of 12 199.87 (interquartile range, 13 290.20) Yuan. Structural equation model analysis showed that department of hospitalization, discharge status, ways of leaving hospital, surgery and hypertension had direct effects on hospitalization costs and indirect effects on hospitalization costs through duration of hospital stay among hemorrhagic stroke patients, and duration of hospital stay had the highest total effect (0.684), followed by surgery (0.632). Employment status, admission route, department of hospitalization, ways of leaving hospital, payment mode, surgery and dyslipidemia had direct effects on hospitalization costs and indirect effects on hospitalization costs through duration of hospital stay among ischemic stroke patients, and duration of hospital stay (0.746), surgery (0.424) and department of hospitalization (0.151) ranked the top three in total effects. Conclusion The hospitalization cost is relatively high among stroke patients in Nanshan District, and duration of hospital stay and surgery have great influence on hospitalization costs among stroke patients with different subtypes.

Renal fibrosis is a common pathological manifestation of all chronic kidney diseases.Ferroptosis is closely related to the pathogenesis of renal fibrosis and can influence the onset of renal fibrosis,and it is the most critical step in the development of renal fibrosis.The paper describes the relationship between ferroptosis and renal fibrosis,discusses the research progress of ferroptosis on renal fibrosis,and further summarizes,analyzes,and describes the effective and highly targeted natural active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines against ferroptosis,and concludes that the reversal of renal fibrosis is achieved through the regulation of the key targets of ferroptosis,with a view to providing a broad new direction for its prospects in the field of renal fibrotic disease prevention and treatment;and to provide a scientific guide for clinical treatment and basis for clinical treatment.

Objective:To examine the application of a novel pedagogical approach multidimensional supportive psychological intervention(MSPI)in the clinical practice teaching of andrological nursing care.Methods:Using the Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD),we assessed the psychology of 100 nursing interns about to enter clinical practice in the Department of Andrology from De-cember 2021 to December 2022.We equally randomized the subjects into an experimental and a control group,the former receiving MSPI and the latter trained on the conventional teaching model without any psychological support intervention.Results:Compared with the baseline,the HAMD scores were significantly decreased in the experimental group after intervention(12.4±2.1 vs 8.9±2.4,P＜0.01),but increased in the controls(13.1±1.8 vs 14.7±1.9,P＜0.01);the skill scores dramatically increased in the experimental group(82.6±4.7 vs 91.2±2.4,P＜0.01),but decreased in the control group after intervention(81.0±3.5 vs 80.4±2.7,P=0.28).Conclusion:MSPI can significantly enhance the learning enthusiasm of nursing students in a short period,re-duce their psychological stress and improve teaching outcomes.This approach,combining psychology with teaching,can also strength-en the mental resilience of nursing students and better confront them with future professional challenges.

Cervical cancer, the most common gynecological malignancy, significantly and adversely affects women's physical health and well-being. Traditional surgical interventions and chemotherapy, while potentially effective, often entail serious side effects that have led to an urgent need for novel therapeutic methods. Photothermal therapy (PTT) has emerged as a promising approach due to its ability to minimize damage to healthy tissue. Connecting a biothiol detection group to PTT-sensitive molecules can improve tumor targeting and further minimize potential side effects. In this study, we developed a near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF)/photoacoustic (PA) dual-mode probe, S-NBD, which demonstrated robust PTT performance. This innovative probe is capable of activating NIRF/PA signals to enable the detection of biothiols with high emission wavelength (838 nm) and large Stokes shift (178 nm), allowing for in vivo monitoring of cancer cells. Additionally, the probe achieved an outstanding photothermal conversion efficiency of 67.1%. The application of laser irradiation (660 nm, 1.0 W/cm², 5 min) was able to achieve complete tumor ablation without recurrence. In summary, this seminal study presents a pioneering NIRF/PA dual-mode dicyanoisophorone-based probe for biothiol imaging, incorporating features from PTT for the first time. This pioneering approach achieves the dual objectives of improving tumor diagnosis and treatment.

Aim To study the effects of lentinan(LNT)on the metabolism of dendritic cells(DCs)by metabonomics, and uncover the potential mechanism of its regulation of DC function. Methods DC2.4 cells were co-incubated with LNT for 24 h, and the activity of the cells was detected by thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide(MTT)assay. The contents of interleukin-6(IL-6), tumor necrosis factorα(TNF-α)and interleukin-12(IL-12)in supernatant were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). The metabolic general changes of DC2.4 cells were detected by Ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-QTOF/MS), and the differential metabolites were analyzed by multi-distance covariates and bioinformatics, partial least squares-discriminant analysis(PLS-DA). Finally, metabolic pathway analysis was performed by MetaboAnalyst 5.0. Results LNT did not significantly inhibit the activity of DC2.4 cells at the dose of 25100 mg·L-1. LNT(100 mg·L-1)could significantly stimulate the secretion of IL-6, TNF-α and IL-12 in DC2.4 cells. 20 differential metabolites were identified in DC2.4 cells after being stimulated by LNT(100 mg·L-1), which involved 25 metabolic pathways including urea cycle, arginine and proline metabolism. Conclusion The regulation of LNT on DC function involves a variety of amino acid metabolism.

ObjectiveTo investigate whether phosphodiesterase （PDE） 5 inhibitors sildenafil （SIL） or LW1646 prevented renal interstitial fibrosis induced by unilateral ureteral obstruction （UUO）. MethodsMale C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups （n =6）， namely the Sham group， 7UUO group， 7UUO+SIL group and 7UUO+LW1646 group. Sildenafil （SIL） or LW1646， or vehicle was administered 1 hour before surgery， and the mice were continuously treated once daily （i. g.， 50 mg/kg） for 7 days. The obstructed kidneys were harvested on day 7. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） and Masson’s staining was used to examine renal histology. Immunoblotting and RT-qPCR were used to detect the expression levels of protein and mRNA for fibrosis， apoptosis， endoplasmic reticulum （ER） stress， autophagy， and pro-fibrotic factors. Human proximal tubule epithelial cells （HK-2） were treated with TGF-β1 for 48 hours or tunicamycin for 24 hours， respectively， to evaluate whether cyclic guanosine monophosphate （cGMP） or PDE5 inhibitors prevents ER stress and pro-fibrotic responses. ResultsAt the 7^th days after UUO， the body weight of the mice showed a significant decrease （P< 0.000 1） compared with that in the sham group. The obstructed kidneys showed a significant tubular dilation and interstitial inflammation. The levels of protein and mRNA expression in apoptosis， ER stress， autophagy-related protein and pro-fibrotic factors were also markedly increased in UUO mice （P <0.05）. In contrast， SIL or LW1646 treatment was associated with attenuated tubular dilation， infiltration of inflammatory cells and collagen content in the obstructed kidney of the mice. The protein and mRNA expression levels of renal TGF-β1 were markedly decreased， and the protein expression levels of apoptosis， endoplasmic reticulum stress， and autophagy markers were also significantly downregulated by PDE5 inhibitors. In HK-2 cells， TGF-β1 induced increased expression levels of fibronectin and BiP， which was at least partially reversed by cGMP， a product of PDE inhibition. Additionally， PDE5 inhibitors were found to modulate aberrant levels of autophagy and apoptosis. ConclusionIn conclusion， PDE5 inhibitors， in particular， LW1646， can alleviate the progression of fibrosis by improving ER stress， apoptosis and autophagy as well as downregulating protein and mRNA expression of TGF-β1.

With the growing demand of personalized medicine for children, it is especially important to develop medicines for children. In this study, using metoprolol tartrate as model drug, we developed 3D printed chewable tablets suitable for children with automated dosage distribution using semi-solid extruded (SSE) 3D printing technology. Based on the quality by design concept, this study prepared a semi-solid material with good printability using gelatin as the substrate, constructed 3D models and printed tablets with the aid of computer-aided design. The printing parameters were optimized and determined as follows: print temperature of 35-37 ℃, print speed of 25 mm·s^-1, fill rate of 15%, and number of outer profile layers of 2. Subsequently, the printing process and the quality uniformity of the tablets were verified, and a linear relationship between the dose and the number of model layers was obtained. Finally, 3D printed chewable tablets were superior in terms of appearance, dose accuracy and compliance compared with traditional split-dose commercially available tablets. In this study, 3D printed metoprolol tartrate chewable tablets with good performance were successfully prepared to address the personalized medication needs of pediatric patients.

Child ; Humans ; Speech ; Physicians, Primary Care ; Language Development Disorders/diagnosis* ; Speech Disorders