BACKGROUND: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is common in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients and may develop earlier in those with multiple cardiovascular comorbidities, potentially impairing self-management and treatment adherence. This study aimed to characterize the prevalence and profile of MCI in AF patients, examine its associations with cardiovascular comorbidities, and assess how these comorbidities influence specific cognitive domains. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from AF patients who underwent cognitive assessment between 2017 and 2021. Cognitive status was categorized as MCI or non-MCI based on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Associations between comorbidities and MCI were assessed by logistic regression, and cognitive domains were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: Of 4136 AF patients (mean age: 64.7 ± 9.4 years, 64.7% male), 33.5% of patients had MCI. Among the AF patients, 31.2% of patients had coronary artery disease, 20.1% of patients had heart failure, and 18.1% of patients had hypertension. 88.7% of patients had left atrial enlargement, and 11.0% of patients had reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. Independent factors associated with higher MCI prevalence included older age (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.03-1.05, P < 0.001), lower education level (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.31-1.73, P < 0.001), hypertension (OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.07-1.52, P = 0.001), heart failure (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.04-1.48, P = 0.020), and lower left ventricular ejection fraction (OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.04-1.98, P = 0.028). A higher CHA₂DS₂-VASc score (OR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.22-1.33, P < 0.001; ≥ 2 points vs. < 2 points), and greater atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease burden (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.02-2.08, P = 0.040; 2 types vs. 0 type) were linked to increased MCI risk. These above factors influenced various cognitive domains. CONCLUSIONS MCI is common in AF and closely associated with cardiovascular multimorbidity. Patients with multiple comorbidities are at higher risk, highlighting the importance of routine cognitive assessment to support self-management and integrated care.

Tumor cell-intrinsic programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) signals mediate tumor initiation, progression and metastasis, but their effects in ameloblastoma (AM) have not been reported. In this comprehensive study, we observed marked upregulation of PD-L1 in AM tissues and revealed the robust correlation between elevated PD-L1 expression and increased tumor growth and recurrence rates. Notably, we found that PD-L1 overexpression markedly increased self-renewal capacity and promoted tumorigenic processes and invasion in hTERT⁺-AM cells, whereas genetic ablation of PD-L1 exerted opposing inhibitory effects. By performing high-resolution single-cell profiling and thorough immunohistochemical analyses in AM patients, we delineated the intricate cellular landscape and elucidated the mechanisms underlying the aggressive phenotype and unfavorable prognosis of these tumors. Our findings revealed that hTERT⁺-AM cells with upregulated PD-L1 expression exhibit increased proliferative potential and stem-like attributes and undergo partial epithelial‒mesenchymal transition. This phenotypic shift is induced by the activation of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling axis; thus, this study revealed a crucial regulatory mechanism that fuels tumor growth and recurrence. Importantly, targeted inhibition of the PD-L1-PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling axis significantly suppressed the growth of AM patient-derived tumor organoids, highlighting the potential of PD-L1 blockade as a promising therapeutic approach for AM.
Ameloblastoma/metabolism* ; Humans ; B7-H1 Antigen/metabolism* ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/pathology* ; Signal Transduction ; Cell Proliferation ; Up-Regulation ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Telomerase/metabolism* ; Jaw Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Animals ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Female ; Male

Background::Oral anti-coagulants (OAC) are the intervention for the prevention of stroke, which consistently improve clinical outcomes and survival among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The main purpose of this study is to identify problems in OAC utilization among hospitalized patients with AF in China.Methods::Using data from the Improving Care for Cardiovascular Disease in China-Atrial Fibrillation (CCC-AF) registry, guideline-recommended OAC use in eligible patients was assessed.Results::A total of 52,530 patients with non-valvular AF were enrolled from February 2015 to December 2019, of whom 38,203 were at a high risk of stroke, 9717 were at a moderate risk, and 4610 were at a low risk. On admission, only 20.0% (6075/30,420) of patients with a diagnosed AF and a high risk of stroke were taking OAC. The use of pre-hospital OAC on admission was associated with a lower risk of new-onset ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack among the diagnosed AF population (adjusted odds ratio: 0.54, 95% confidence interval: 0.43–0.68; P <0.001). At discharge, the prescription rate of OAC was 45.2% (16,757/37,087) in eligible patients with high stroke risk and 60.7% (2778/4578) in eligible patients with low stroke risk. OAC utilization in patients with high stroke risk on admission or at discharge both increased largely over time (all P <0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that OAC utilization at discharge was positively associated with in-hospital rhythm control strategies, including catheter ablation (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 11.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] 10.04–13.47; P <0.001), electronic cardioversion (adjusted OR 2.41, 95% CI 1.65–3.51; P <0.001), and anti-arrhythmic drug use (adjusted OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.38–1.53; P <0.001). Conclusions::In hospitals participated in the CCC-AF project, >70% of AF patients were at a high risk of stroke. Although poor performance on guideline-recommended OAC use was found in this study, over time the CCC-AF project has made progress in stroke prevention in the Chinese AF population.Registration::ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02309398.

OBJECTIVE: Clinical characteristics and outcome in COVID-19 with brucellosis patients has not been well demonstrated, we tried to analyze clinical outcome in local and literature COVID-19 cases with brucellosis before and after recovery. METHODS: We retrospectively collected hospitalization data of comorbid patients and prospectively followed up after discharge in Heilongjiang Infectious Disease Hospital from January 15, 2020 to April 29, 2022. Demographics, epidemiological, clinical symptoms, radiological and laboratory data, treatment medicines and outcomes, and follow up were analyzed, and findings of a systematic review were demonstrated. RESULTS: A total of four COVID-19 with brucellosis patients were included. One patient had active brucellosis before covid and 3 patients had nonactive brucellosis before brucellosis. The median age was 54.5 years, and all were males (100.0%). Two cases (50.0%) were moderate, and one was mild and asymptomatic, respectively. Three cases (75.0%) had at least one comorbidity (brucellosis excluded). All 4 patients were found in COVID-19 nucleic acid screening. Case C and D had only headache and fever on admission, respectively. Four cases were treated with Traditional Chinese medicine, western medicines for three cases, no adverse reaction occurred during hospitalization. All patients were cured and discharged. Moreover, one case (25.0%) had still active brucellosis without re-positive COVID-19, and other three cases (75.0%) have no symptoms of discomfort except one case fell fatigue and anxious during the follow-up period after recovery. Conducting the literature review, two similar cases have been reported in two case reports, and were both recovered, whereas, no data of follow up after recovery. CONCLUSION These cases indicate that COVID-19 patients with brucellosis had favorable outcome before and after recovery. More clinical studies should be conducted to confirm our findings.
Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Brucellosis ; COVID-19 ; Retrospective Studies ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Treatment Outcome ; Case Reports as Topic

Humans ; Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes/therapy* ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Transplantation Conditioning

Myopia is considered to be a disease occurred under the influence of genetic and environmental factors, and it can only be restored by corrective surgeries. The current surgical methods include laser surgeries and phakic intraocular lens(PIOL)implantation, and PIOL has the advantages of wide range of correction, repeatable procession and small damage to corneal tissue. Furthermore, good visual acuity can be achieved after implantation of intraocular lens. Implantable collamer lens(ICL)is the most common surgical method in this group. The vertical distance between the highest point of the posterior central surface of the implanted lens and the anterior surface of the crystalline lens is called vault. It will cause serious complications if the vault turns out to be abnormal. Up to now, there is no optimal prediction method. This research focuses on vault, discusses the ideal range of postoperative vault, the safety and effectiveness of this surgery, and analyzes the existing prediction methods to provide directions for future clinical research.

Objective: To analyze the immunological characteristics and antibody changes of patients infected with the Omicron BA.1 and evaluate the possibility of secondary infection. Methods: A total of 104 patients infected with Omicron BA.1 in the Jinnan District of Tianjin from January 8 to February 2, 2022, were included in the study. The control group and case group were matched 1∶1 based on age, sex and vaccination status. Serum was collected from the case group and control group at 3, 6 and 9 months after infection. The serum levels of interleukin4 (IL-4), IL-5 and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), as well as the positive rates of IgG, IgG1 and IgG2, were detected by ELISA. Results: The highest concentration of IFN-γ in the case group at 6 months after infection was 145.4 pg/ml, followed by a decrease in concentration. The concentrations of IL-4 and IL-5 began to decrease at 6 months after infection (all P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the IgG2 positive rate between the case group and the control group at 6 months after BA.1 infection. However, at 9 months, there was a significant decrease compared to the control group (P=0.003). The ratio of IFN-γ/IL4 at 3 months after infection in the case group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the ratio between the case group and the control group at 9 months after infection. Conclusion: The cellular immune function has been impaired at 3 months after infection with BA.1, and the specific cellular immune and humoral immune functions decrease significantly after 6 months, and the risk of secondary infection increases.
Adult ; Humans ; Immunity, Humoral ; Coinfection ; Interleukin-4 ; Interleukin-5 ; Immunoglobulin G ; Interferon-gamma

Objective: To analyze the immunological characteristics and antibody changes of patients infected with the Omicron BA.1 and evaluate the possibility of secondary infection. Methods: A total of 104 patients infected with Omicron BA.1 in the Jinnan District of Tianjin from January 8 to February 2, 2022, were included in the study. The control group and case group were matched 1∶1 based on age, sex and vaccination status. Serum was collected from the case group and control group at 3, 6 and 9 months after infection. The serum levels of interleukin4 (IL-4), IL-5 and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), as well as the positive rates of IgG, IgG1 and IgG2, were detected by ELISA. Results: The highest concentration of IFN-γ in the case group at 6 months after infection was 145.4 pg/ml, followed by a decrease in concentration. The concentrations of IL-4 and IL-5 began to decrease at 6 months after infection (all P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the IgG2 positive rate between the case group and the control group at 6 months after BA.1 infection. However, at 9 months, there was a significant decrease compared to the control group (P=0.003). The ratio of IFN-γ/IL4 at 3 months after infection in the case group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the ratio between the case group and the control group at 9 months after infection. Conclusion: The cellular immune function has been impaired at 3 months after infection with BA.1, and the specific cellular immune and humoral immune functions decrease significantly after 6 months, and the risk of secondary infection increases.
Adult ; Humans ; Immunity, Humoral ; Coinfection ; Interleukin-4 ; Interleukin-5 ; Immunoglobulin G ; Interferon-gamma

Objective:This study aimed to evaluate the effect of enhanced external counterpulsation(EECP)on left ventricular function in elderly patients with coronary slow flow phenomenon(CSFP)using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography(2D-STE).Methods:This prospective case-control study included 30 patients aged ≥60 years with no stenotic lesions in the coronary arteries but with slow blood flow phenomenon in more than one major coronary artery who were treated at the Department of Geriatrics, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, between December 2017 and December 2018, and were divided into a medication group with 16 participants and a medication plus EECP group with 14 participants, using the numerical lottery method.Patients in the group treated with EECP received 6-week 36-h EECP therapy in addition to lifestyle modification and drug treatment.Fourteen patients with normal coronary blood flow served as the control group.Conventional echocardiography and 2D-STE were used to evaluate changes in left ventricular function in the CSF patients before and after drug treatment and EECP.Results:Compared with the control group before treatment, patients in the drug treatment group and the drug treatment plus EECP group showed a decrease in mitral annular early diastolic velocity( P<0.01), an increase in the ratio of peak mitral early diastolic blood flow velocity to the mean peak mitral annular early diastolic velocity( P<0.05), and a decrease in left ventricular longitudinal strain during systole( P<0.01), the longitudinal systolic myocardial strain rate( P<0.01)and the early diastolic longitudinal peak strain rate( P<0.01).There was no statistically significant difference in values from conventional echocardiographic parameters before and after treatment in CSF patients of the medication group(all P>0.05).In the group receiving EECP, there were statistically significant differences in pre-and post-treatment values in ventricular septal early diastolic velocity[(6.22 ± 0.64)cm/s vs.(6.69 ± 0.44)cm/s], lateral wall early diastolic velocity[(8.01±0.68)cm/s vs.(8.41±0.29)cm/s], mitral valve to mitral annulus early diastolic peak velocity ratio[(10.51±1.38) vs.(9.74±0.37)], longitudinal left ventricular systolic strain[(-16.21±0.46)% vs.(-16.80±0.48)%], left ventricular systolic longitudinal strain rate[(-1.29±0.03)s -1vs.(-1.35±0.04)s -1], and early diastolic longitudinal strain rate[(1.35±0.03)s -1vs.(1.40±0.03)s -1](t-values were -3.70、-2.74、2.23、10.25、12.30、-19.15, all P<0.05). Conclusions:2D-STE can evaluate subclinical myocardial dysfunction early and quantitatively in elderly patients with CSF, and objectively reflect changes in left ventricular function before and after clinical intervention with EECP.

Objective:To study the infection of human rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus and human adenovirus in Jinan from April 2018 to March 2019, and analyze epidemiological characteristics of human adenovirus.Methods:All of 1969 nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from hospitalized patients with acute respiratory tract infections in The Fourth People’s Hospital of Jinan, Qilu Children′s Hospital of Shandong University, Peoples Hospital of Zhangqiu District from April 2018 to March 2019, fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect the positive rate of human rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus and human adenovirus. Seven adenovirus positive samples were isolated and examined by sequencing, then we determined adenovirus type, constructed gene phylogenetic trees for analysis.Results:Of the 1969 samples, 242 were positive, the total positive rate was 12.30% (242/1969), the positive rate was 3.00% (59/1969) for rhinovirus, 6.30% (124/1969) for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and 3.86% (76/1969) for adenovirus. There was no significant difference in the detective rate of rhinovirus in different age groups (Fisher′s exact test value =8.376, P=0.720), the positive rates of RSV and adenovirus in different age groups was statistically significant ( χ2=19.28, 12.16; P=0.001, 0.016). There was a statistically significant difference in the positive rate of adenovirus between different sexes ( χ2=14.33, P<0.001), and there was no statistically significant difference in the positive rate of rhinovirus and RSV between males and females ( χ2=0.30, 2.90, P=0.862, 0.089). Comparing the positive rates of viral nucleic acid in different months, we found that the positive rate of rhinovirus, RSV and adenovirus separately reached the highest in October, December and November (8.61%, 26.50% and 8.84%). We constructed a gene phylogenetic tree after seven positive samples of adenoviruses were sequenced, by the molecular typing method we detected that seven adenovirus-positive samples were all HAdV-2 type. Conclusions:By comparing the epidemiological trends of human rhinovirus, RSV and human adenovirus in Jinan from April 2018 to March 2019 in different ages, genders, and months, providing reference basis for the early prevention and clinical treatment of acute respiratory tract infection.