OBJECTIVE: To analyze the efficacy and access safety of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in series with continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) access for critically ill patients using propensity score matching analysis, and to explore the potential influencing factors of infection. METHODS: A total of 200 critically ill patients who received both ECMO and CRRT treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Huai'an Second People's Hospital from December 2020 to December 2024 were retrospectively selected as the research subjects. They were divided into the independent operation group (72 cases) and the series system group (128 cases) according to the access connection mode of ECMO and CRRT. Propensity score matching analysis was used to perform 1 : 1 matching for patients of the two groups. The general data [age, gender, body mass index (BMI), clinical diagnosis, underlying disease, intubation method, intubation position, disease severity, ECMO support duration, catheter indwelling duration, oxygenation index (PaO₂/FiO₂) at 48 hours after ECMO initiation, serum creatinine (SCr), procalcitonin (PCT), hemoglobin (Hb), white blood cell count (WBC), platelet count (PLT)], treatment status [ECMO initiation duration, ECMO operation duration, ECMO flow, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), CRRT initiation duration, CRRT catheter indwelling duration, inflow and outflow volume of replacement fluid], clinical outcome indicators (28-day survival rate, length of ICU stay, renal function recovery, fluid balance compliance rate), and access safety indicators (incidence of ECMO access thrombosis, incidence of infection, and incidence of bleeding events) of all the patients were collected. Subgroup analysis was conducted based on the occurrence of infection, and multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to screen the potential risk factors for infection in critically ill patients receiving both ECMO and CRRT treatment. RESULTS: Finally, a total of 120 patients were successfully matched, with 60 patients in both the independent operation group and the series system group. No statistically significant differences were observed in the general data between the two groups, indicating comparability. Compared with the independent operation group, the ECMO flow at 48 hours after ECMO initiation, SCr, and alanine transaminase (ALT) of the patients in the series system group were significantly decreased, while the LVEF at 48 hours after ECMO initiation was significantly increased, additionally, the CRRT initiation duration, CRRT catheter indwelling duration, and the length of ICU stay were significantly shortened, and the inflow and outflow volume of replacement fluid were significantly increased. The incidence of infection and bleeding events in the series system group was significantly lower than that in the independent operation group [infection incidence: 11.67% (7/60) vs. 36.67% (22/60), bleeding event incidence: 8.33% (5/60) vs. 48.33% (29/60), both P < 0.05]. No significant difference was found in the other general data, treatment status, clinical outcome indicators, or access safety indicators between the two groups. Among the 120 patients, 29 cases developed infection (accounting for 24.17%), and 91 cases had no infection (accounting for 75.83%). Compared with the non-infection group, the catheter indwelling duration was significantly prolonged and PCT was significantly increased in the infection group, while the PLT and the proportion of patients with ECMO and CRRT access connected via the series system were significantly decreased. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that catheter indwelling duration [odds ratio (OR) = 1.277, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 1.001-1.629, P = 0.049], PCT (OR = 1.529, 95%CI was 1.222-1.914, P < 0.001], PLT (OR = 0.953, 95%CI was 0.926-0.981, P = 0.001), and access connection mode (OR = 0.289, 95%CI was 0.090-0.930, P = 0.037) were potential risk factors for infection in critically ill patients. CONCLUSIONS The ECMO-in-series CRRT access can accelerate the initiation of CRRT, avoid local bleeding, stabilize patients' cardiac, hepatic and renal functions, reduce potential infection risks, and improve the prognosis of patients.
Humans ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation/adverse effects* ; Critical Illness/therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy ; Male ; Female ; Intensive Care Units ; Propensity Score ; Middle Aged ; Renal Replacement Therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUND: Huaier granule is an important medicinal fungus extract widely used in cancer treatment. Previous retrospective studies have reported its effectiveness in breast cancer patients, but the imbalanced baseline characteristics of participants could have biased the results. Therefore, this retrospective study aimed to examine the efficacy of Huaier granule on the prognosis of breast cancer patients. METHODS: In this single-center cohort study, breast cancer patients diagnosed and treated at the Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine between 2009 and 2017 were selected. The data were retrospectively analyzed and divided into two groups according to whether the patients received Huaier granules. The propensity score matching (PSM) method was used to eliminate selection bias. The disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) for these groups were compared using the Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox regression. RESULTS: This study included 214 early invasive breast cancer patients, 107 in the Huaier group and 107 in the control group. In the Kaplan-Meier analysis, the 2-year and 5-year DFS rates were significantly different in the Huaier group and control group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.495; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.257-0.953; P = 0.023). The 2-year and 5-year OS rates were also significantly different (HR, 0.308; 95% CI, 0.148-0.644; P = 0.001). On multivariable Cox regression, Huaier granule was associated with improved DFS (HR, 0.440; 95% CI, 0.223-0.868; P = 0.018) and OS (HR, 0.236; 95% CI, 0.103-0.540; P = 0.001). CONCLUSION In this retrospective study, Huaier granules improved the DFS and OS of early invasive breast cancer patients, providing real-world evidence for further prospective studies on treating breast cancer with Huaier granules.
Humans ; Breast Neoplasms/mortality* ; Retrospective Studies ; Female ; Propensity Score ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Prognosis ; Disease-Free Survival ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Aged ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Complex Mixtures/therapeutic use* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Trametes

BACKGROUND: This study aims to compare the efficacy between neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) plus chemotherapy vs . chemotherapy, and neoadjuvant triplet vs . doublet chemotherapeutic regimens in locally advanced gastric/esophagogastric junction cancer (LAGC). METHODS: We included LAGC patients from 47 hospitals in China's National Cancer Information Database (NCID) from January 2019 to December 2022. Using propensity score matching (PSM), we retrospectively analyzed the efficacy between neoadjuvant ICIs plus chemotherapy vs . chemotherapy alone, and neoadjuvant triplet vs . doublet chemotherapeutic regimens. The primary study result was the pathologic complete response (pCR) rate. The secondary study results were disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: A total of 1205 LAGC patients were included. After PSM, the ICIs plus chemotherapy and the chemotherapy cohorts had 184 patients each, while the doublet and triplet chemotherapy cohorts had 246 patients each. The pCR rate (14.13% vs . 7.61%, χ2 = 4.039, P = 0.044), and the 2-year (77.60% vs . 61.02%, HR = 0.67, 95% con-fidence interval [CI] 0.43-0.98, P = 0.048) and 3-year (70.55% vs . 61.02%, HR = 0.58, 95% CI 0.32-0.93, P = 0.048) DFS rates in the ICIs plus chemotherapy cohort were improved compared to those in the chemotherapy cohort. No significant increase was observed in the OS rates at both 1 year and 2 years. The pCR rates, DFS rates at 1-3 years, and OS rates at 1-2 years did not differ significantly between the doublet and triplet cohorts, respectively. No differences were observed in postoperative complications between any of the group comparisons. CONCLUSIONS Neoadjuvant ICIs plus chemotherapy improved the pCR rate and 2-3 years DFS rates of LAGC compared to chemotherapy alone, but whether short-term benefit could translate into long-term efficacy is unclear. The triplet regimen was not superior to the doublet regimen in terms of efficacy. The safety after surgery was similar between either ICIs plus chemotherapy and chemotherapy or the triplet and the doublet regimen.
Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Female ; Neoadjuvant Therapy/methods* ; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Propensity Score ; Retrospective Studies ; Aged ; Receptor, ErbB-2/metabolism* ; Adult ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Cohort Studies

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant therapy enhances the possibility of achieving radical resection and improves the prognosis for locally advanced gastric cancer (GC). However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the optimal extent of resection for locally advanced proximal GC after neoadjuvant therapy. METHODS: In this study, 330 patients underwent resection in Peking University Cancer Hospital, with curative intent after neoadjuvant therapy for histologically confirmed proximal GC from January 2009 to December 2022. RESULTS: In this study, 45 patients underwent proximal gastrectomy (PG), while 285 underwent total gastrectomy (TG). After propensity-score matching, 110 patients (71 TG and 39 PG) were included in the analysis. No significant differences between PG and TG regarding short-term outcomes and long-term prognosis were found. Specifically, PG demonstrated comparable overall survival to TG ( P = 0.47). Subgroup analysis revealed that although not statistically significant, PG showed a potential advantage over TG in overall survival for patients with tumor-long diameters less than 4 cm ( P  = 0.31). However, for those with a long diameter larger than 4 cm, TG had a better survival probability ( P  = 0.81). No substantial differences were observed in baseline characteristics, surgical safety, postoperative recovery, and postoperative complications. CONCLUSION For locally advanced proximal GC with objective response to neoadjuvant therapy (long diameter <4 cm), PG is an alternative surgical procedure.
Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Gastrectomy/methods* ; Neoadjuvant Therapy/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Propensity Score ; Aged ; Adult ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between acupuncture during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) and the live birth rate (LBR) using different propensity score methods. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, eligible women who underwent a COH were divided into acupuncture and non-acupuncture groups. The primary outcome was LBR, as determined by propensity score matching (PSM). LBR was defined as the delivery of one or more living infants that reached a gestational age over 28 weeks after embryo transfer. The propensity score model encompassed 16 confounding variables. To validate the results, sensitivity analyses were conducted using three additional propensity score methods: propensity score adjustment, inverse probability weighting (IPW), and IPW with a "doubly robust" estimator. RESULTS: The primary cohort encompassed 9751 patients (1830 [18.76%] in the acupuncture group and 7921 [81.23%] in the non-acupuncture group). Following 1:1 PSM, a higher LBR was found in the acupuncture cohort (41.4% [755/1824] vs 36.4% [664/1824], with an odds ratio of 1.23 [95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.41]). Three additional propensity score methods produced essentially similar results. The risk of serious adverse events did not significantly differ between the two groups. CONCLUSION This retrospective study revealed an association between acupuncture and an increased LBR among patients undergoing COH, and that acupuncture is a safe and valuable treatment option. Please cite this article as: Zheng XY, Jiang ZY, Li YT, Li CL, Zhu H, Yu Z, Yu SY, Yang LL, Tang SY, Lü XY, Liang FR, Yang J. Association between acupuncture and live birth rates after fresh embryo transfer: A cohort study based on different propensity score methods. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):528-536.
Humans ; Female ; Propensity Score ; Embryo Transfer ; Adult ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Pregnancy ; Live Birth ; Birth Rate ; Cohort Studies

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to evaluate the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of the pentavalent rotavirus vaccine (RV5) among < 5-year-old children in three provinces of China during 2020-2024 via a propensity score-matched test-negative case-control study. METHODS: Electronic health records and immunization information systems were used to obtain data on acute gastroenteritis (AGE) cases tested for rotavirus (RV) infection. RV-positive cases were propensity score matched with RV-negative controls for age, visit month, and province. RESULTS: The study included 27,472 children with AGE aged 8 weeks to 4 years at the time of AGE diagnosis; 7.98% (2,192) were RV-positive. The VE (95% confidence interval, CI) of 1-2 and 3 doses of RV5 against any medically attended RV infection (inpatient or outpatient) was 57.6% (39.8%, 70.2%) and 67.2% (60.3%, 72.9%), respectively. Among children who received the 3rd dose before turning 5 months of age, 3-dose VE decreased from 70.4% (53.9%, 81.1%) (< 5 months since the 3rd dose) to 63.0% (49.1%, 73.0%) (≥ 1 year since the 3rd dose). The three-dose VE rate was 69.4% (41.3%, 84.0%) for RVGE hospitalization and 57.5% (38.9%, 70.5%) for outpatient-only medically attended RVGE. CONCLUSION Three-dose RV5 VE against rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) in children aged < 5 years was higher than 1-2-dose VE. Three-dose VE decreased with time since the 3rd dose in children who received the 3rd dose before turning five months of age, but remained above 60% for at least one year. VE was higher for RVGE hospitalizations than for medically attended outpatient visits.
Humans ; Rotavirus Vaccines/immunology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Case-Control Studies ; Child, Preschool ; Infant ; Rotavirus Infections/epidemiology* ; Male ; Propensity Score ; Female ; Vaccine Efficacy ; Gastroenteritis/virology* ; Vaccines, Attenuated ; Rotavirus

Objective To analyze the influencing factors of death in the elderly with coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).Methods The case data of death caused by COVID-19 in West China Fourth Hospital from January 1 to July 8,2023 were collected,and surviving cases from the West China Elderly Health Cohort infected with COVID-19 during the same period were selected as the control.LASSO-Logistic regression was adopted to analyze the data after propensity score matching and the validity of the model was verified by drawing the receiver operating characteristic curve.Results A total of 3 239 COVID-19 survivors and 142 deaths with COVID-19 were included.The results of LASSO-Logistic regression showed that smoking(OR=3.33,95%CI=1.46-7.59,P=0.004),stroke(OR=3.55,95%CI=1.15-10.30,P=0.022),malignant tumors(OR=19.93, 95%CI=8.52-49.23, P<0.001),coronary heart disease(OR=7.68, 95%CI=3.52-17.07, P<0.001),fever(OR=0.51, 95%CI=0.26-0.96, P=0.042),difficulty breathing or asthma symptoms(OR=21.48, 95%CI=9.44-51.95, P<0.001),and vomiting(OR=8.19,95%CI=2.87-23.58, P<0.001)increased the risk of death with COVID-19.The prediction model constructed based on the influencing factors achieved an area under the curve of 0.889 in the test set.Conclusions Smoking,stroke,malignant tumors,coronary heart disease,fever,breathing difficulty or asthma symptoms,and vomiting were identified as key factors influencing the death risk in COVID-19.
Humans ; COVID-19/mortality* ; Aged ; Propensity Score ; China/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors ; Logistic Models ; Smoking ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Male ; Female ; Stroke ; Neoplasms

The choice of biopsy method is critical in diagnosing prostate cancer (PCa). This retrospective cohort study compared systematic biopsy (SB) or cognitive fusion-targeted biopsy combined with SB (CB) in detecting PCa and clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa). Data from 2572 men who underwent either SB or CB in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (Shanghai, China) between January 2019 and December 2023 were analyzed. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance baseline characteristics, and detection rates were compared before and after PSM. Subgroup analyses based on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) scores were performed. Primary and secondary outcomes were the detection rates of PCa and csPCa, respectively. Of 2572 men, 1778 were included in the PSM analysis. Before PSM, CB had higher detection rates for both PCa (62.9% vs 52.4%, odds ratio [OR]: 1.54, P < 0.001) and csPCa (54.9% vs 43.3%, OR: 1.60, P < 0.001) compared to SB. After PSM, CB remained superior in detecting PCa (63.1% vs 47.9%, OR: 1.86, P < 0.001) and csPCa (55.0% vs 38.2%, OR: 1.98, P < 0.001). In patients with PSA 4-12 ng ml -1 (>4 ng ml -1 and ≤12 ng ml -1 , which is also applicable to the following text), CB detected more PCa (59.8% vs 40.7%, OR: 2.17, P < 0.001) and csPCa (48.1% vs 27.7%, OR: 2.42, P < 0.001). CB also showed superior csPCa detection in those with PI-RADS 3 lesions (32.1% vs 18.0%, OR: 2.15, P = 0.038). Overall, CB significantly improves PCa and csPCa detection, especially in patients with PSA 4-12 ng ml -1 or PI-RADS 3 lesions.
Humans ; Male ; Prostatic Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; Propensity Score ; Retrospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Image-Guided Biopsy/methods* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen/blood* ; Prostate/diagnostic imaging*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the differences in perioperative clinical and pathological characteristics of patients with different pathological types of prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy, and to analyze the influencing factors that may affect the extraglandular invasion of ductal adenocarcinoma of the prostate. METHODS: Retrospective collection was made of the radical prostatectomy patients who were admitted to Peking University Third Hospital from December 2011 to April 2021. The patients were screened based on inclusion criteria to obtain basic clinical features and postoperative pathological results. According to the pathological results, the patients were divided into ductal adenocarcinoma group (mixed with ductal adenocarcinoma) and acinar adenocarcinoma group, and a 1 ∶1 propensity score matching was performed to compare the differences in clinical characteristics between the two groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses of the factors related to extraglandular invasion were performed in the matched ductal adenocarcinoma groups. RESULTS: A total of 764 patients with prostate cancer were enrolled in this study, of which 62 patients were confirmed to have ductal adenocarcinoma components by postoperative pathology. There was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of the patients with a history of diabetes in baseline characteristics between the two groups before propensity score matching (29.5% vs. 17.7%, P=0.027). A total of 61 patients with simple acinar adenocarcinoma were successfully matched with the patients with ductal adenocarcinoma, and there was no statistically significant difference in baseline characteristics between the two groups after matching (P>0.05). The comparison of perioperative clinical and pathological features showed that International Society of Urology Pathology (ISUP) grade (P=0.003), pT stage (P=0.004), extraglandular invasion rate (P=0.018) and vascular thrombus rate (P=0.019) in ductal adenocarcinoma group were significantly higher than those in simple acinous adenocarcinoma group. Univariate analysis of the influence factors of extraglandular invasion showed that prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, prostate volume, ISUP grade, seminal vesicle invasion and perineural invasion might be the influencing factors of extraglandular invasion (P < 0.10). Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that perineural invasion was an independent factor of extraglandular invasion (OR=11.78, 95%CI: 1.97-70.56, P=0.007). CONCLUSION Prostatic ductal adenocarcinoma has a worse prognosis than simple acinar adenocarcinoma. Perineural invasion is the influencing factor of extraglandular invasion of ductal adenocarcinoma.
Humans ; Male ; Prostatic Neoplasms/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Prostatectomy ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Ductal/surgery* ; Propensity Score ; Adenocarcinoma/surgery*

Despite that sleep disturbance and poor neurocognitive performance are common complaints among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors, few studies have focused on the effect of post-COVID-19 sleep disturbance (PCSD) on cognitive function. This study aimed to identify the impact of PCSD on neurocognitive function and explore the associated risk factors for the worsening of this condition. This cross-sectional study was conducted via the web-based assessment in Chinese mainland. Neurocognitive function was evaluated by the modified online Integrated Cognitive Assessment (ICA) and the Number Ordering Test (NOT). Propensity score matching (PSM) was utilized to match the confounding factors between individuals with and without PCSD. Univariate analyses were performed to evaluate the effect of PCSD on neurocognitive function. The risk factors associated with worsened neurocognitive performance in PCSD individuals were explored using binary logistic regression. A total of 8692 individuals with COVID-19 diagnosis were selected for this study. Nearly half (48.80%) of the COVID-19 survivors reported sleep disturbance. After matching by PSM, a total of 3977 pairs (7954 individuals in total) were obtained. Univariate analyses revealed that PCSD was related to worse ICA and NOT performance (P<0.05). Underlying disease, upper respiratory infection, loss of smell or taste, severe pneumonia, and self-reported cognitive complaints were associated with worsened neurocognitive performance among PCSD individuals (P<0.05). Furthermore, aging, ethnicity (minority), and lower education level were found to be independent risk factors for worsened neurocognitive performance in PCSD individuals (P<0.05). PCSD was related to impaired neurocognitive performance. Therefore, appropriate prevention and intervention measures should be taken to minimize or prevent PCSD and eliminate its potential adverse effect on neurocognitive function.
Humans ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Sleep Wake Disorders/epidemiology* ; Propensity Score ; Middle Aged ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Adult ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Aged ; Risk Factors ; China/epidemiology* ; Cognition ; Cognitive Dysfunction/etiology* ; Neuropsychological Tests