BACKGROUND: Spicy food consumption has been reported to be inversely associated with mortality from multiple diseases. However, the effect of spicy food intake on the incidence of vascular diseases in the Chinese population remains unclear. This study was conducted to explore this association. METHODS: This study was performed using the large-scale China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) prospective cohort of 486,335 participants. The primary outcomes were vascular disease, ischemic heart disease (IHD), major coronary events (MCEs), cerebrovascular disease, stroke, and non-stroke cerebrovascular disease. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to assess the association between spicy food consumption and incident vascular diseases. Subgroup analysis was also performed to evaluate the heterogeneity of the association between spicy food consumption and the risk of vascular disease stratified by several basic characteristics. In addition, the joint effects of spicy food consumption and the healthy lifestyle score on the risk of vascular disease were also evaluated, and sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the reliability of the association results. RESULTS: During a median follow-up time of 12.1 years, a total of 136,125 patients with vascular disease, 46,689 patients with IHD, 10,097 patients with MCEs, 80,114 patients with cerebrovascular disease, 56,726 patients with stroke, and 40,098 patients with non-stroke cerebrovascular disease were identified. Participants who consumed spicy food 1-2 days/week (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.95, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = [0.93, 0.97], P <0.001), 3-5 days/week (HR = 0.96, 95% CI = [0.94, 0.99], P = 0.003), and 6-7 days/week (HR = 0.97, 95% CI = [0.95, 0.99], P = 0.002) had a significantly lower risk of vascular disease than those who consumed spicy food less than once a week ( Ptrend <0.001), especially in those who were younger and living in rural areas. Notably, the disease-based subgroup analysis indicated that the inverse associations remained in IHD ( Ptrend = 0.011) and MCEs ( Ptrend = 0.002) risk. Intriguingly, there was an interaction effect between spicy food consumption and the healthy lifestyle score on the risk of IHD ( Pinteraction = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS Our findings support an inverse association between spicy food consumption and vascular disease in the Chinese population, which may provide additional dietary guidance for the prevention of vascular diseases.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Prospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Vascular Diseases/etiology* ; Risk Factors ; China/epidemiology* ; Adult ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Cerebrovascular Disorders/epidemiology* ; East Asian People

BACKGROUND: The potential impact of pre-existing coronary artery stenosis (CAS) on right ventricular (RV) function during acute pulmonary embolism (PE) episodes remains underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the association between pre-existing CAS and RV dysfunction in patients with acute PE. METHODS: In this multicenter, case-control study, 89 cases and 176 controls matched for age were enrolled at three study centers (Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Fuwai Hospital, and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University) from January 2016 to December 2020. The cases were patients with acute PE with CAS, and the controls were patients with acute PE without CAS. Coronary artery assessment was performed using coronary computed tomographic angiography. CAS was defined as ≥50% stenosis of the lumen diameter in any coronary vessel >2.0 mm in diameter. Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between CAS and RV dysfunction. RESULTS: The percentages of RV dysfunction (19.1% [17/89] vs. 44.6% [78/176], P <0.001) and elevated systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) (19.3% [17/89] vs. 39.5% [68/176], P = 0.001) were significantly lower in the case group than those in the control group. In the multivariable logistic regression model, CAS was independently and negatively associated with RV dysfunction (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 0.367; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.185-0.728; P = 0.004), and elevated sPAP (OR: 0.490; 95% CI: 0.252-0.980; P = 0.035), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Pre-existing CAS was significantly and negatively associated with RV dysfunction and elevated sPAP in patients with acute PE. This finding provides new insights into RV dysfunction in patients with acute PE with pre-existing CAS.
Humans ; Pulmonary Embolism/complications* ; Case-Control Studies ; Male ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Right/physiopathology* ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Coronary Stenosis/complications* ; Logistic Models ; Adult

Due to the limited number of cases, conducting large-scale clinical trials for rare diseases is challenging. This review introduces several small sample statistical designs tailored for rare diseases, including crossover design, n-of-1 design, randomized placebo-phase design, randomized withdrawal design, group sequential design, and adaptive design. It discusses the advantages, disadvantages, and application scenarios of these designs. Additionally, it explores the benefits of Bayes decision-making in clinical trials for rare diseases. The aim is to provide a reference for designing and implementing small sample clinical trials for rare diseases.

Objective To introduce and compare different trajectory analysis methods.Methods Simulation experiments were conducted to compare the effect and applicable conditions of different trajectory analysis methods under different scenarios.Dataset of SPRINT was analyzed using these methods.Results Growth mixture modeling(GMM)performed best in single trajectory analysis while group-based trajectory modeling(GBTM)and cluster analysis were able to analyze multivariate trajectory.Cluster analysis had strict requirements on follow-up data.Conclusion Each of these three methods has its own advantages,and the appropriate method can be selected according to the specific situation of the dataset.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), as a metabolic disease, has shown a constant upward trend in prevalence among the people in recent years. In addition to changing lifestyles and conventional drug treatment, bariatric surgery, represented by Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery and sleeve gastrectomy, has gradually become one of the treatment options for NAFLD. However, the mechanism of bariatric surgery in treating NAFLD remains to be studied. The "multiple-hit theory", which has gradually been recognized in recent years, believes that NAFLD is formed by the combined effect of multiple mechanisms such as insulin resistance, bile acid metabolism pathway, and intestinal flora. Based on relevant literatures and clinical practices, the authors explore the relevant mechanisms of bariatric surgery for direct or indirect treatment of NAFLD.

In order to promote the connotation construction of the resident standardized training bases and improve the training quality, a tertiary hospital made key breakthroughs against the existing problems in the base under the guidance of national key training base standards in September 2020. Optimization and innovation were explored in terms of residential teaching supervision, performance appraisal system, regular teaching meeting, educational fund management, pilot project of full-time residential teaching secretaries, clinical skill center construction, cultivation of faculty development, and so on. These experiments have paved the way to high quality and sustainable development of residents standardized training. By the end of December 2021, the hospital had achieved significant progress in such aspects as residential teaching atmosphere, resident learning initiative, and training base branding. These achievements improved the quality of resident standardized training of the hospital in general, and provided a reference for promoting the high-quality development of residential training in China.

BACKGROUND:The auditory ossicle chain reconstruction is stil an important method to treat conductive deafness. Although a great variety of materials have been applied, the blood supply of otosteon after the implantation is ignored. Moreover, there is no real bone formed.
OBJECTIVE:To observe the angiogenesis of vascular endothelial growth factor and col agen I modifiedβ-tricalcium phosphate porous scaffold which is implanted into the otocyst of guinea pig.
METHODS:Total y 60 guinea pigs were randomly divided into experimental group (vascular endothelial growth factor and col agen I modifiedβ-tricalcium phosphate porous scaffold), col agen I control group (col agen I modifiedβ-tricalcium phosphate porous scaffold) and blank control group (β-tricalcium phosphate porous scaffold). The guinea pigs were executed under anesthesia at weeks 1, 2, 3, 4 respectively. The surface of scaffolds was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The angiogenesis of scaffolds were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and CD34 immunohistochemistry staining, and then the microvascular density was counted. The osteogenesis of the scaffolds was observed by toluidine blue staining.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Endothelial cel proliferation and lumen formation could be observed after 1 week in the experimental group, and the angiogenesis reach the peak after 3 weeks with traffic branches formedbetween micropores. In the other two groups, the lumen formed at 2 weeks but no traffic branches were visible. The sprouting of new blood vessels in the pores were observed more in the experimental group than the other two groups (P<0.05). The adherence and proliferation of cel s could be examined in the surface and pores of the scaffold by scanning electron microscope. After 4 weeks, the osteogenesis could be observed by toluidine blue staining, especial y in the experimental group. These findings suggest that the vascular endothelial growth factor and col agen I modifiedβ-tricalcium phosphate porous scaffold can realize an effective vascularization in the environment of guinea pigs’ middle ear. What’s more, the scaffold also can promote bone formation.