OBJECTIVE: To analyze the pathogens distribution in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), and their association with anti-β-glucan receptor-1 (Dectin-1)/spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) signaling pathway, and to provide scientific basis for formulating more effective treatment strategies and preventive measures. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted. 160 patients with VAP admitted to the department of critical care medicine of Xingtai People's Hospital from January 2021 to March 2023 were enrolled. The respiratory secretions of patients were collected for Candida colonization analysis, and then the bacteria in the respiratory secretions were identified by automatic microbial identification instrument. The expression levels of Dectin-1 and Syk in peripheral blood mononuclear cells were detected by fluorescent immunopolymerase chain reaction. Clinical pulmonary infection score (CPIS) was performed based on imaging, clinical and microbiological criteria. The basic data, pathogen distribution, Dectin-1 and Syk expression levels and CPIS score of the two groups were compared. Spearman test was used to analyze the correlation between the expression levels of Dectin-1 and Syk and respiratory Candida colonization and CPIS score. RESULTS: 160 VAP patients, 97 were Candida colonized (colonized group) and 63 were not (non-colonized group). There were significantly differences in gender (males: 57.73% vs. 41.27%, P = 0.042) and age (years: 57.98±12.46 vs. 62.09±10.61, P = 0.029) between the colonized group and the non-colonized group, while there were no significantly differences in the data of duration of mechanical ventilation, underlying diseases and primary diseases. The distribution of pathogenic bacteria showed that the infection rate of Staphylococcus aureus in the colonized group was significantly higher than that in the non-colonized group (24.74% vs. 7.94%, P < 0.05), and there was no significantly difference in the infection rate of other G-positive and G-negative bacteria between the two groups. The CPIS score in the colonized group was significantly higher than that in the non-colonized group (8.73±0.43 vs. 7.31±0.39, P < 0.01), and the expression levels of Dectin-1 and Syk in peripheral blood mononuclear cells were significantly higher than those in the non-colonized group (Dectin-1/U6: 0.86±0.22 vs. 0.47±0.16, Syk/U6: 0.77±0.18 vs. 0.42±0.11, both P < 0.01). The expression levels of Dectin-1 and Syk in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of VAP patients were significantly positively correlated with the colonization of respiratory Candida (r values were 0.754 and 0.631, respectively, both P < 0.05), and were significantly positively correlated with CPIS score (r values were 0.594 and 0.618, respectively, both P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The proportion of Staphylococcus aureus in VAP patients with respiratory Candida colonization is higher, and Dectin-1/Syk signaling pathway is significantly positively correlated with respiratory Candida colonization and CPIS score.
Humans ; Syk Kinase ; Lectins, C-Type/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated/metabolism* ; Prospective Studies ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Candida ; Aged

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the risk factors for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and its prognosis in patients with severe craniocerebral injury. METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted. Patients with severe craniocerebral injury admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xingtai Medical College from January 2020 to December 2022 were enrolled as the study subjects. Patients were divided into VAP group and non-VAP group based on the occurrence of VAP. VAP patients were further stratified into low-risk group [sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score 0-5], moderate-risk group (SOFA score 6-8), and high-risk group (SOFA score ≥ 9). General data, serological indicators [interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)], and 28-day prognosis (with mortality as the endpoint event) were compared. Multivariate Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for VAP and 28-day mortality. Linear regression was applied to analyze the correlations between risk factors and outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 140 patients with severe craniocerebral injury were enrolled, including 49 in the VAP group and 91 in the non-VAP group. The primary cause of injury was traffic accidents, followed by falls and heavy object impacts. Among VAP patients, 38 survived and 11 died within 28 days; 112 were classified as low-risk, 25 as moderate-risk, and 12 as high-risk. Significant differences were observed in age, body mass index (BMI), smoking history, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, length of hospital stay, duration of mechanical ventilation, serum albumin levels, and frequency of sputum suction among different subgroups. Serologically, IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, and STAT3 mRNA expression levels in the VAP group were significantly higher than those in the non-VAP group. Deceased VAP patients exhibited higher IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, and STAT3 mRNA levels compared to survivors. These biomarkers progressively increased from low-risk to high-risk subgroups. Multivariate Logistic regression identified age [odds ratio (OR) were 0.328 and 0.318], BMI (OR were 0.340 and 0.268), hypertension (OR were 0.275 and 0.245), diabetes (OR were 0.319 and 0.307), hyperlipidemia (OR were 0.228 and 0.235), smoking history (OR were 0.255 and 0.240), length of hospital stay (OR were 0.306 and 0.230), duration of mechanical ventilation (OR were 0.247 and 0.219), frequency of sputum suction (OR were 0.325 and 0.228), IL-1β (OR were 0.231 and 0.259), TNF-α (OR were 0.308 and 0.235), IL-6 (OR were 0.298 and 0.277), and STAT3 (OR were 0.259 and 0.265) as independent risk factors for both VAP occurrence and 28-day mortality (all P < 0.05). Correlation analysis revealed that serum albumin levels were negatively correlated with VAP occurrence and mortality (all P < 0.01), while other factors showed positive correlations (all P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Age, BMI, length of hospital stay, duration of mechanical ventilation, frequency of sputum suction, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, smoking history, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway activation are significantly associated with VAP development and poor prognosis in patients with severe craniocerebral injury, providing a scientific basis for targeted clinical interventions.
Humans ; Risk Factors ; Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; Craniocerebral Trauma/complications* ; Interleukin-6/blood* ; Male ; Female ; STAT3 Transcription Factor/blood* ; Interleukin-1beta/blood* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/blood* ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Logistic Models

Globally，prostate cancer is the second most common malignant tumor in men. Radiotherapy is a radical treatment modality for prostate cancer，with efficacy comparable to radical prostatectomy. During radiotherapy delivery，as tumors in the peripheral zone of the prostate which are adjacent to the anterior rectal wall，delivering curative doses to the prostate inevitably results in irradiation of the anterior rectal wall. This carries a certain probability of causing related complications and adversely affecting patients' quality of life. The prostate-rectum spacer（or isolation device）is perineally implanted between the prostate and rectum to create a physical separation，increasing the distance between them. This reduces rectal radiation dose during radiotherapy and consequently lowers the incidence of rectal adverse reactions. Currently，commonly used prostate-rectum spacers include polyethylene glycol hydrogels，hyaluronic acid hydrogels，and balloon spacers. Substantial clinical evidence has confirmed the safety and efficacy of prostate-rectum spacers，strongly supporting their use in prostate cancer radiotherapy. However，existing technologies still face several challenges，including inadequate separation force provided by the spacer material，procedural complexity during implantation，compression-induced injuries to adjacent tissues，and suboptimal visualization under current imaging modalities. Future efforts must establish quality standards，optimize image-guided implantation，develop novel materials，evaluate long-term biocompatibility to enhance clinical deployment，and mitigate rectal complication risks.

Objective:To investigate the effects of surgical timing on incidence of perioperative complications and postoperative 30-day mortality in elderly patients with hip fracture.Methods:The data were retrospectively analyzed of the 450 elderly patients with hip fracture who had been admitted to Department of Joint Surgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2016 to December 2021. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the time from admission to surgery. In the early surgery group of 143 cases [41 males and 102 females with an age of 82(75, 86) years], the time from admission to surgery was ≤ 48 hours. In the delayed surgery group of 307 cases [88 males and 219 females with an age of 83(77, 87) years], the time from admission to surgery was over 48 hours. The 2 groups were compared in terms of comorbidities, perioperative complications, death events within postoperative 30 days, ICU transfer rate and total length of hospital stay.Results:There was no significant difference in the preoperative general data like age and gender between the 2 groups, indicating comparability ( P>0.05). The proportions of patients with coronary atherosclerotic heart disease [30.0%(92/307)], a stroke history [19.9%(61/307)], abnormal heart function [55.4%(170/307)] and abnormal kidney function [24.4%(75/307)] in the delayed surgery group were significantly higher than those in the early surgery group [18.2%(26/143), 10.5% (15/143), 39.2%(56/143), and 12.6%(18/143)] ( P<0.05). The proportions of perioperative pulmonary infection [22.5% (69/307)] and urinary infection [21.2%(65/307)] in the delayed operation group were significantly higher than those in the early operation group [11.9%(17/143) and 11.2%(16/143)] ( P<0.05). The total hospital stay in the delayed operation group [18(14, 22) d] was significantly longer than that in the early operation group [14(10, 17) d] ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in ICU transfer rate or postoperative 30-day mortality between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). Conclusion:For elderly patients with hip fracture, delayed surgery may increase the incidence of pulmonary infection and urinary infection, and extend their total hospital stay, but have no effect on the postoperative 30-day mortality.

Objective To analyze the influencing factors of postoperative hypoxemia after whole lung lavage (WLL) in patients with pneumoconiosis and to evaluate the predictive value of lung ultrasound scores. Methods A total of 757 patients with pneumoconiosis who underwent unilateral large-volume WLL were selected as the research subjects by continuous sampling method. The patients with hypoxemia after large-volume WLL were assigned to the observation group (82 cases), and those without hypoxemia were assigned to the control group (675 cases). Patients′ basic information and clinical data of the two groups were collected using a retrospective investigation method. The binary logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors of hypoxemia after large-volume WLL in patients with pneumoconiosis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was conducted to assess the predictive value of ultrasound indicators. Results The combined rate of postoperative hypoxemia in the patients was 10.8% (82/757). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of hypoxemia in patients aged ≥65 years was higher than that in patients aged <65 years (P<0.05). The risk of hypoxemia was higher in patients with increased pre-extubation lung ultrasound score than those with lower pre-extubation lung ultrasound score (P<0.01). Patients with a higher partial pressure of carbon dioxide in arterial blood (PaCO₂) had a higher risk of concurrent hypoxemia than those with a lower pressure (P<0.01), while patients with lower arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO₂) had a higher risk of concurrent hypoxemia than those with higher PaO₂ (P<0.01). Pearson correlation analysis showed that lung ultrasound scores were negatively correlated with PaO₂ and positively correlated with PaCO₂ (both P<0.01). The ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve was 0.855, the 95% confidence interval was 0.828 to 0.879, the diagnostic sensitivity was 84.2%, and the specificity was 75.1%. Conclusion Age, pre-extubation lung ultrasound score, and PaCO₂ are risk factors for hypoxemia after WLL in patients with pneumoconiosis, while PaO₂ is a protective factor. Pre-extubation lung ultrasound scoring demonstrates good accuracy in predicting postoperative hypoxemia among pneumoconiosis patients after WLL.

Objective:To explore the structural relationship between WMSDs in the upper limbs and various risk factors in the occupational population in China, based on a large sample epidemiological survey and structural equation analysis, and to establish a structural equation model, so as to lay a foundation for the prevention and control of such diseases.Methods:The Chinese version of the Musculoskeletal Disorders Electronic Questionnaire was used to conduct a nationwide survey on the prevalence of WMSDs in the upper extremity. Six factors related to WMSDs in the upper extremity were extracted by the classification standard of adverse ergonomic factors and their source and confirmatory factor analysis, including work organization, work type, upper extremity work posture, individual factors, upper extremity fatigue and upper extremity WMSDs. The structural equation analysis was carried out and the structural equation model was established.Results:The incidence of WMSDs and fatigue in the upper limbs was 24.44% and 43.76%, respectively. The adjusted structural equation model fitting indicators were generally up to the standard (GFI=1.000, AGFI=1.000, RMSEA=0.043, NFI=0.808, TLI=0.784) . The four exogenous latent variables of work organization, work type, upper limb work posture and individual factors were correlated. There was a strong positive correlation between job type and upper limb work posture ( r=0.865) , a moderate positive correlation between work organization and job type and upper limb work posture ( r=0.570, 0.490) , and a weak negative correlation between individual factors and the other three exogenous latent variables. Upper limb work posture and individual factors had direct effects on upper limb WMSDs, and the effect coefficients were 0.10 and 0.06, respectively. Upper limb fatigue played a mediating role between work organization, work type, upper limb work posture and upper limb WMSDs. The effect coefficient was 0.46, and the composition ratios of indirect effects were 100.0%, 100.0%, and 38.3%, respectively. The direct path effect of upper limb work posture, individual factors and upper limb WMSDs was weaker than the mediating path through upper limb fatigue. Conclusion:When carrying out the prevention and control of upper limbWMSDs, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the pathogenesis path of upper limb muscle fatigue and upper limb WMSDs caused by work organization, work type, and upper limb work posture, so as to provide theoretical reference for improving the prevention and control level of such diseases.

Globally，prostate cancer is the second most common malignant tumor in men. Radiotherapy is a radical treatment modality for prostate cancer，with efficacy comparable to radical prostatectomy. During radiotherapy delivery，as tumors in the peripheral zone of the prostate which are adjacent to the anterior rectal wall，delivering curative doses to the prostate inevitably results in irradiation of the anterior rectal wall. This carries a certain probability of causing related complications and adversely affecting patients' quality of life. The prostate-rectum spacer（or isolation device）is perineally implanted between the prostate and rectum to create a physical separation，increasing the distance between them. This reduces rectal radiation dose during radiotherapy and consequently lowers the incidence of rectal adverse reactions. Currently，commonly used prostate-rectum spacers include polyethylene glycol hydrogels，hyaluronic acid hydrogels，and balloon spacers. Substantial clinical evidence has confirmed the safety and efficacy of prostate-rectum spacers，strongly supporting their use in prostate cancer radiotherapy. However，existing technologies still face several challenges，including inadequate separation force provided by the spacer material，procedural complexity during implantation，compression-induced injuries to adjacent tissues，and suboptimal visualization under current imaging modalities. Future efforts must establish quality standards，optimize image-guided implantation，develop novel materials，evaluate long-term biocompatibility to enhance clinical deployment，and mitigate rectal complication risks.

Objective:To investigate the effects of surgical timing on incidence of perioperative complications and postoperative 30-day mortality in elderly patients with hip fracture.Methods:The data were retrospectively analyzed of the 450 elderly patients with hip fracture who had been admitted to Department of Joint Surgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2016 to December 2021. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the time from admission to surgery. In the early surgery group of 143 cases [41 males and 102 females with an age of 82(75, 86) years], the time from admission to surgery was ≤ 48 hours. In the delayed surgery group of 307 cases [88 males and 219 females with an age of 83(77, 87) years], the time from admission to surgery was over 48 hours. The 2 groups were compared in terms of comorbidities, perioperative complications, death events within postoperative 30 days, ICU transfer rate and total length of hospital stay.Results:There was no significant difference in the preoperative general data like age and gender between the 2 groups, indicating comparability ( P>0.05). The proportions of patients with coronary atherosclerotic heart disease [30.0%(92/307)], a stroke history [19.9%(61/307)], abnormal heart function [55.4%(170/307)] and abnormal kidney function [24.4%(75/307)] in the delayed surgery group were significantly higher than those in the early surgery group [18.2%(26/143), 10.5% (15/143), 39.2%(56/143), and 12.6%(18/143)] ( P<0.05). The proportions of perioperative pulmonary infection [22.5% (69/307)] and urinary infection [21.2%(65/307)] in the delayed operation group were significantly higher than those in the early operation group [11.9%(17/143) and 11.2%(16/143)] ( P<0.05). The total hospital stay in the delayed operation group [18(14, 22) d] was significantly longer than that in the early operation group [14(10, 17) d] ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in ICU transfer rate or postoperative 30-day mortality between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). Conclusion:For elderly patients with hip fracture, delayed surgery may increase the incidence of pulmonary infection and urinary infection, and extend their total hospital stay, but have no effect on the postoperative 30-day mortality.

Objective:To explore the structural relationship between WMSDs in the upper limbs and various risk factors in the occupational population in China, based on a large sample epidemiological survey and structural equation analysis, and to establish a structural equation model, so as to lay a foundation for the prevention and control of such diseases.Methods:The Chinese version of the Musculoskeletal Disorders Electronic Questionnaire was used to conduct a nationwide survey on the prevalence of WMSDs in the upper extremity. Six factors related to WMSDs in the upper extremity were extracted by the classification standard of adverse ergonomic factors and their source and confirmatory factor analysis, including work organization, work type, upper extremity work posture, individual factors, upper extremity fatigue and upper extremity WMSDs. The structural equation analysis was carried out and the structural equation model was established.Results:The incidence of WMSDs and fatigue in the upper limbs was 24.44% and 43.76%, respectively. The adjusted structural equation model fitting indicators were generally up to the standard (GFI=1.000, AGFI=1.000, RMSEA=0.043, NFI=0.808, TLI=0.784) . The four exogenous latent variables of work organization, work type, upper limb work posture and individual factors were correlated. There was a strong positive correlation between job type and upper limb work posture ( r=0.865) , a moderate positive correlation between work organization and job type and upper limb work posture ( r=0.570, 0.490) , and a weak negative correlation between individual factors and the other three exogenous latent variables. Upper limb work posture and individual factors had direct effects on upper limb WMSDs, and the effect coefficients were 0.10 and 0.06, respectively. Upper limb fatigue played a mediating role between work organization, work type, upper limb work posture and upper limb WMSDs. The effect coefficient was 0.46, and the composition ratios of indirect effects were 100.0%, 100.0%, and 38.3%, respectively. The direct path effect of upper limb work posture, individual factors and upper limb WMSDs was weaker than the mediating path through upper limb fatigue. Conclusion:When carrying out the prevention and control of upper limbWMSDs, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the pathogenesis path of upper limb muscle fatigue and upper limb WMSDs caused by work organization, work type, and upper limb work posture, so as to provide theoretical reference for improving the prevention and control level of such diseases.

Objective To study the clinical application value of abdominal pressure band in CT-guided puncture biopsy of lower lung nodules.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 100 patients who underwent lower lung nodule punc-ture biopsy at the Cancer and Radiotherapy Center of Tongji Hospital affiliated to Huazhong University of Science and Technol-ogy from January to December 2022.They were divided into abdominal pressure band group and control group.There were 40 patients in abdominal pressure band group,among which abdominal pressure bands were applied during the puncture process.There were 60 patients in control group who did not use abdominal pressure bands during the puncture process.The CT scan frequency,puncture depth,success rate,intraoperative time,incidence of complications,and radiation dose for puncture biopsy were compared between the two groups.Results The median value of CT scan frequency during puncture biopsy in ab-dominal pressure band group was 5 times,with a success rate of 100％(40/40).The median value of intraoperative time was 7.9 min,and the incidence of complications was 10％(4/40).The median value of radiation dose was 210.4 mGy·cm.The median value of CT scan frequency during puncture biopsy in control group was 8 times,with a success rate of 86.7％(52/60).The me-dian value of intraoperative time was 13 min,and the incidence of complications was 40％(24/60).The median value of radiation dose was 287.7 mGy·cm.Differences in five indicators were statistically significant between the two groups(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Application of the abdominal pressure bands in lower lung nodule puncture biopsy can significantly reduce the number of scans,shorten surgical time,reduce the radiation dose received by patients,and have a higher success rate and lower incidence of complications.Utilization of pressure band should be promoted in clinical practice.