Based on spleen deficiency-phlegm dampness as the core pathogenesis of obesity， and integrating recent advances in modern medicine regarding the key role of immune inflammation in obesity， this paper proposes a multidimensional pathogenic network of "obesity-spleen deficiency-phlegm dampness-immune imbalance". Various traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） herbs that strengthen the spleen， regulate qi， and resolve phlegm and dampness can treat obesity by improving spleen-stomach transport and transformation， promoting water-damp metabolism， and regulating immune homeostasis. This highlights immune inflammation as an important entry point to elucidate the TCM concepts of "spleen deficiency-phlegm dampness" and the therapeutic principle of "strengthening the spleen and eliminating dampness to treat obesity". By systematically analyzing the intrinsic connection between "spleen deficiency generating dampness， internal accumulation of phlegm dampness" and immune dysregulation in obesity， this paper aims to provide theoretical support for TCM treatment of obesity based on dampness.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2019.01.013.].

Background::The increasing incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) presents significant medical and societal challenges. A well-designed IBD database is crucial for both epidemiological studies and clinical management. However, inconsistencies between regional databases hinder cross-institutional and international research, especially between Eastern and Western societies.Methods::We developed a new IBD database, the 301 IBD database, integrating the IBD clinical characteristics from the Penn IBD database (USA) and the latest IBD guidelines and consensus and clinical practices of the Chinese PLA General Hospital (PLAGH). We applied this database to analyze clinical data of IBD inpatients at PLAGH from 2008 to 2023.Results::The 301 IBD database contains 490 items in 6 sections including demographic characteristics, personal history, clinical phenotype, disease activity, laboratory tests and examinations, and treatment. Features of the 301 IBD database include inpatient focus, biochemical indicators and opportunistic infection focus, and more about ulcerative colitis (UC)-associated complications. Single-center analysis revealed an increasing hospitalization trend, from 2.35% in 2008 to 3.94% in 2023. We found that the clinical characteristics of our UC inpatients are predominantly male (62.5%), extensive lesions (55.1%), low usage of biologics (4.1%), and a high incidence of UC-CRC (3.0%). The clinical characteristics of CD inpatients included male predominance (68.39%), early onset age (35.43 ± 14.75-year-old), and high rate of surgery (25.81%).Conclusion::The 301 IBD database, integrating Eastern and Western clinical data, provides a valuable tool for IBD clinical research. Future international, multicenter collaborations are expected to further enhance its utility.

Objective To conduct a large-scale survey on the competence of healthcare workers(HCWs)in stan-dard prevention,assess the current status and training needs,and provide basis for the effective implementation of standard prevention.Methods A convenience sampling method was used to conduct an online questionnaire survey among HCWs from various medical institutions across the city.The survey contents included general information,competence questionnaires(basic cognitive and practical competence),as well as training willingness and needs.Results A total of 6 773 HCWs from 62 medical institutions participated in the survey.The average score of their competence in standard prevention was(14.98±2.63)points,with a total scoring rate of 68.07％.The scoring rate of"practical competence"(63.79％)was lower than that of"basic cognition"(73.20％).The highest scoring rate for each dimension was"hand hygiene"(90.90％),and the lowest was"use of protective equipment"(17.25％).Males,technicians,primary medical institutions,college degrees,work experience under 10 years,and emergency/general departments were characteristics of HCWs with lower standard prevention competence.99.37％of the HC-Ws were willing to participate in training."once a month""Monday to Friday afternoon""15-30 minutes""online learning""use protective equipment""local infection control experts"were the top choices in terms of training needs.Conclusion HCWs' competence in standard prevention needs to be improved urgently,especially in the as-pects of weak practical skills and differences among various groups,HCWs have a strong willingness to participate in standard prevention training.Future efforts should focus on overlooked population in HAI management,increase their training opportunities and diversity,and enhance practice implementation.

Background::The increasing incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) presents significant medical and societal challenges. A well-designed IBD database is crucial for both epidemiological studies and clinical management. However, inconsistencies between regional databases hinder cross-institutional and international research, especially between Eastern and Western societies.Methods::We developed a new IBD database, the 301 IBD database, integrating the IBD clinical characteristics from the Penn IBD database (USA) and the latest IBD guidelines and consensus and clinical practices of the Chinese PLA General Hospital (PLAGH). We applied this database to analyze clinical data of IBD inpatients at PLAGH from 2008 to 2023.Results::The 301 IBD database contains 490 items in 6 sections including demographic characteristics, personal history, clinical phenotype, disease activity, laboratory tests and examinations, and treatment. Features of the 301 IBD database include inpatient focus, biochemical indicators and opportunistic infection focus, and more about ulcerative colitis (UC)-associated complications. Single-center analysis revealed an increasing hospitalization trend, from 2.35% in 2008 to 3.94% in 2023. We found that the clinical characteristics of our UC inpatients are predominantly male (62.5%), extensive lesions (55.1%), low usage of biologics (4.1%), and a high incidence of UC-CRC (3.0%). The clinical characteristics of CD inpatients included male predominance (68.39%), early onset age (35.43 ± 14.75-year-old), and high rate of surgery (25.81%).Conclusion::The 301 IBD database, integrating Eastern and Western clinical data, provides a valuable tool for IBD clinical research. Future international, multicenter collaborations are expected to further enhance its utility.

Objective To construct a cloud-based platform for healthcare-associated infection(HAI)management based on multi-source data fusion and data visualization,and evaluate its application effectiveness.Methods A ter-tiary first-class cancer hospital was selected as the research object.Aligned with graded hospital accreditation stan-dards and based on grid-based management and responsibility zone mode,a platform was constructed in 2023 with low-code technology,multi-source data fusion,and visualization function.The self-comparison method was adopted to compare occurrence of HAI before and after the operation of the platform.A questionnaire survey was adopted to assess the experience and workload reduction feelings of full-time and part-time infection surveillance and control profe-ssionals using the platform.Results 81.56％of the surveyed respondents believed that the platform could re-duce the workload of infection surveillance and control.Compared with before the trial operation,the hospital achieved an annual reduction of 11 200 yuan in paper costs,with associated labor savings of approximately 4 482.5 hours.The incidence of HAI cases in the whole hospital decreased from 0.67％to 0.45％.The pathogen detection rate before therapeutic use of antimicrobial agents increased from 51.26％to 71.54％.Differences were both statis-tically significant(both P＜0.05).The detection number and proportion of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa(CRPA)and extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae(ESBL-KP)in HAI cases decreased(54.55％vs 36.47％and 51.14％vs 32.50％,respectively,both P＜0.05).Conclusion The construc-tion and application of smart HAI management cloud-based platform can reduce cost,improve management quality,and provide a theoretical basis and technical paradigm for the construction of smart HAI management system.

Gallstones are highly prevalent worldwide, with a complex pathogenesis. Symptomatic patients often undergo cholecystectomy, and effective preventive measures are lacking. In recent years, with the deepening of research on digestive tract microbiota, growing evidence has shown that gallstone patients exhibit an imbalance in the digestive tract microbiota, which is involved in bile acid and cholesterol metabolism as well as stone formation through multiple mechanisms. Certain probiotic strains have demonstrated potential in preventing and treating cholesterol gallstones. This article focuses on the current research status of digestive tract microbiota in gallstone disease, including their microbiota composition, potential microbial mechanisms, microecological interventions, and future research directions.

BACKGROUND: Changes in N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels may not fully translate into patient-reported health status in patients with heart failure (HF). We aimed to evaluate the correlation between NT-proBNP levels and patient-reported health status changes at one month after discharge of patients, and their associations with risk of death and rehospitalization in patients with acute HF. METHODS: We used data from the China Patient-centered Evaluative Assessment of Cardiac Events Prospective Heart Failure Study (PEACE 5p-HF Study). Patient-reported health status was measured by the 12-item Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ-12). Patients who were hospitalized for HF and completed the KCCQ-12 and NT-proBNP tests before and one month after discharge were eligible in our study. We stratified patients into different groups based on NT-proBNP levels (i.e., improved, stable, and deteriorated) and KCCQ-12 scores (i.e., not deteriorated and deteriorated). We also examined the associations of the joint NT-proBNP and KCCQ-12 change with the risk of one-year and four-year clinical outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 2461 patients were included in the analysis. The mean age was 64.06 ± 13.51 years, and 36.37% (895/2461) of the study population were female. Among patients with improved NT-proBNP levels, 115 (10.95%) patients had deteriorated KCCQ-12 scores. The correlation between the change in the KCCQ-12 score and NT-proBNP level was weak ( r2 = 0.002, P = 0.013). Stratification by changes in the KCCQ-12 score revealed subgroups with distinctive risks, such that patients with deteriorated KCCQ-12 scores in any of the NT-proBNP change groups exhibited an increased risk of one-year all-cause death than participants with not deteriorated KCCQ-12 scores in any of the NT-proBNP change groups. Patients with improved NT-proBNP levels and deteriorated KCCQ-12 scores presented greater risks of one-year all-cause death (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.45, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.34-4.48) than patients with stable NT-proBNP levels and not deteriorated KCCQ-12 scores (HR [95% CI], 1.77 [1.25-2.53]). CONCLUSIONS: A discrepancy between changes in NT-proBNP levels and KCCQ-12 scores was common. The change in NT-proBNP levels was not sufficient to characterize critical aspects related to HF during one month after discharge of patients. Changes in the KCCQ-12 score exhibit complementary information to NT-proBNP levels for the prediction of clinical outcomes in patients with acute HF. REGISTRATION www.clinicaltrials.gov (No. NCT02878811).
Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Health Status ; Heart Failure/metabolism* ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain/metabolism* ; Peptide Fragments/metabolism* ; Prospective Studies

Objective:To study the impact of fluoride exposure through drinking water on the risk of hypertension among residents in Jishan County, Shanxi Province.Methods:From March to April 2023, a cluster sampling method was used to select permanent residents aged ≥18 years and residing for ≥10 years in 12 villages in drinking water-borne endemic fluorosis areas of Jishan County, Shanxi Province as the survey subjects. A questionnaire survey, physical examination, and morning urinary fluoride level testing were conducted. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) regression were used to analyze the key influencing factors of hypertension. Restricted cubic spline was used to evaluate the linear relationship between urinary fluoride and hypertension. Logistic regression was used to analyze the impact of urinary fluoride on hypertension.Results:Finally, 2 453 survey subjects were included, aged (62 ± 10) years, including 1 565 patients (63.80%) with hypertension. There were significant differences in the distribution of age, gender, education level, annual household income, body mass index (BMI), and the level and distribution of urinary fluoride between hypertension group and normal blood pressure group ( P < 0.05). The Lasso regression results showed that age, education level, BMI, and urinary fluoride were the key influencing factors of hypertension, with coefficients of 1.04, - 0.12, 0.24 and 0.01, respectively. The results of the restricted cubic spline showed that there was a linear relationship between urinary fluoride and hypertension after adjusting for age, education level, and BMI ( Poverall = 0.018, Pnonlinear = 0.482). The logistic regression results showed that after adjusting for age, education level, and BMI, urinary fluoride > 4.68 mg/L was a risk factor for hypertension ( OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.10 - 1.84, P = 0.007). Conclusion:High urinary fluoride is a risk factor for hypertension in drinking water-borne endemic fluorosis areas of Jishan County, Shanxi Province.