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

Objective:To explore the impact of the interaction between alcohol consumption and overweight/obesity on the risk of hypertension.Methods:It was a cross-sectional study, and convenient sampling was used to enroll physical examination participants aged 18-60 years from the Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Southwest Medical University, the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University and Luzhou People′s Hospital from June to November in 2020. All the participants were given questionnaire survey, physical examination and biochemical tests. A total of 5 000 questionnaires were distributed in the study, and 4 878 questionnaires were collected, of which 4 397 (90.14%) were valid. According to the diagnostic criteria for hypertension, the study participants were divided into hypertension group (1 128 cases) and non-hypertension group (3 269 cases), and t-test and chi-square test were used to compare the differences in gender, age, and other data between the two groups; and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association of alcohol consumption, overweight/obesity with the risk of hypertension and the interaction between alcohol consumption and overweight/obesity on the risk of hypertension, and relative excess risk of interaction, attributable proportion of interaction and the synergy index were used to evaluate the impact of the interaction between alcohol consumption and overweight/obesity on the risk of hypertension. Results:Among the 4 397 individuals included in the analysis, 3 116 were male and 1 281 were female, with a mean age of (42.42±8.83) years. The detection rate of hypertension was 25.7% (1 128/4 397). The risk of hypertension in overweight/obese individuals was 2.566 times ( OR=2.566, 95% CI: 2.167-3.038) higher than that of non-overweight/obese individuals, and the risk of hypertension in alcohol consumption individuals was 1.486 times ( OR=1.486, 95% CI: 1.250-1.766) higher than that of non-drinkers. The risk of hypertension in drinking+non-overweight/obesity group, non-drinking+overweight/obesity group, and drinking+overweight/obesity group was 1.468 times ( OR=1.468, 95% CI: 1.112-1.936), 2.538 times ( OR=2.538, 95% CI: 1.968-3.272), and 3.796 times ( OR=3.796, 95% CI: 2.963-4.863) higher than that of non-drinking+non-overweight/obesity group, respectively (all P<0.05). Alcohol consumption and overweight/obesity had an additive interaction effect on the risk of hypertension, and the relative excess risk of interaction, attributable proportion of interaction and the synergy index was 0.791 (95% CI: 0.158-1.424), 0.208 (95% CI: 0.049-0.368), 1.394 (95% CI: 1.030-1.888), respectively. There was no significant multiplicative interaction between alcohol consumption and overweight/obesity on the risk of hypertension ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Alcohol consumption and overweight/obesity are both associated higher risk of hypertension. In addition, there is an additive interaction between alcohol consumption and overweight/obesity on the risk of hypertension.

To explore the effect and mechanism of sodium propionate and mixed short-chain fatty acids on colitis induced by Citrobacter rodentium (C.r.) in mice. Mice were induced by oral gavage of C.r. The C.r. growth monitoring, histopathological analysis, qPCR analysis, intestinal permeability test and flow cytometry was used to study the effects of sodium propionate and mixed short-chain fatty acids on intestinal infection. The results showed that sodium propionate could inhibit the growth of C.r. more effectively than mixed short-chain fatty acids. Results of animal experiments showed that sodium propionate significantly reduced the weight loss and intestinal bacterial output in mice. Meanwhile, compared with mixed short chain fatty acids, sodium propionate effectively alleviated the pathological manifestations of colonic inflammatory infiltration, destruction of epithelial cell structure and decrease of goblet cell caused by C.r. infection, also increased the levels of antimicrobial peptides like interleukin-17 (IL-17) and regenerated islet derived protein 3γ (Reg3γ). In addition, sodium propionate decreased intestinal permeability better than mixed short-chain fatty acids, and sodium propionate significantly induced T helper cells 17 (Th17) and regulatory T cells (Treg) differentiation. The results showed that sodium propionate significantly alleviated colitis induced by C.r. infection compared with mixed short-chain fatty acids, which may be related to its inhibition of C.r. growth and enhancement of intestinal anti-infective function. The expected results can provide a safer and effective treatment strategy and scientific basis for colitis.

Objective:To report the nationwide surveillance results of pathogenic profiles and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Gram-positive bloodstream infections in China in 2023.Methods:The clinical isolates of Gram-posttive bacteria from blood cultures were collected in member hospitals of National Bloodstream Infection Bacterial Resistant Investigation Collaborative System（BRICS）during January to December 2023. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the dilution method recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute（CLSI）. Statistical analyses were conducted using WHONET 5.6 and SPSS 25.0 software.Results:A total of 4 385 Gram-positive bacterial isolates were obtained from 60 participating center. The top five pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus（ n=1 544，35.2%），coagulase-negative Staphylococci（ n=1 441，32.9%）， Enterococcus faecium（ n=574，13.1%）， Enterococcus faecalis（ n=385，8.8%），and α-hemolytic Streptococci（ n=187，4.3%）. The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus（MRSA）and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococci（MRCNS）was 26.2%（405/1 544）and 69.8%（1 006/1 441），respectively. Notably，all Staphylococci remained susceptible to glycopeptide or daptomycin. Staphylococcus aureus demonstrated excellent susceptibility（>97.0%）to cephalobiol，rifampicin，trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole，linezolid，minocycline，tigecycline，and eravacycline. No Enterococcus exhibiting resistance to linezolid were detected. Glycopeptide resistance was uncommon but more frequent in Enterococcus faecium（resistance to vancomycin and teicoplanin：both 1.7%）compared to Enterococcus faecalis（both 0.3%）. The detection rates of MRSA and MRCNS exhibited significant regional variations across the country（ χ2=17.674 and 148.650，respectively，both P<0.001）. No vancomycin-resistant Enterococci were detected in central China. Institutional comparison demonstrated higher prevalence of MRSA（ χ2=14.111， P<0.001）and MRCNS（ χ2=4.828， P=0.028）in provincial hospitals than that in municipal hospitals. Socioeconomic analysis identified elevated detection rates of both MRSA（ χ2=18.986， P<0.001）and MRCNS（ χ2=4.477， P=0.034）in less developed regions（per capita GDP

Objective:To report the results of bacterial resistant investigation collaborative system（BRICS）on the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profile of clinical Gram-negative bacteria isolates from bloodstream infections in China in 2023，and provide reference for clinical tretment of bloodstream infections and prevention and control of bacterial resistance.Methods:The clinical isolates of Gram-negative bacteria from blood cultures in member hospitals of BRICS were collected during January 2023 to December 2023. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted by agar dilution or broth dilution methods recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute（CLSI）. WHONET 5.6 and SPSS 25.0 were used to analyze the data.Results:During the study period，11 492 strains of Gram-negative bacteria were collected from 60 hospitals，of which 10 098（87.9%）were Enterobacterales and 1 394（12.1%）were non-fermentative bacteria. The top 5 bacterial species were Escherichia coli（50.0%）， Klebsiella pneumoniae（26.1%）， Pseudomonas aeruginosa（5.1%）， Acinetobacter baumannii complex（5.0%）and Enterobacter cloacae complex（4.1%）. The ESBL-producing rates in Escherichia coli， Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirablilis were 46.8%（2 685/5 741），18.3%（549/2 999）and 44.0%（77/175），respectively. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli（CREC）and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae（CRKP）were 1.3%（76/5 741）and 15.0%（450/2 999）；32.9%（25/76）and 78.0%（351/450）of CREC and CRKP were sensitive to ceftazidime/avibactam combination，respectively. 94.7%（72/76）and 90.2%（406/450）of CREC and CRKP were sensitive to aztreonam/avibactam combination. Furthermore，57.9%（44/76）and 79.1%（356/450）were sensitive to imipenem/relebactam combination. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii（CRAB）complex was 64.6%（370/573），while more than 80.0% of CRAB complex was sensitive to tigecycline，eravacycline and polymyxin B. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa（CRPA）was 17.0%（99/581）. There were differences in the composition ratio of Gram-negative bacteria in bloodstream infections and the prevalence of important Gram-negative bacteria resistance among different regions in China，with statistically significant differences in the prevalence of CREC，CRKP，CRPA and CRAB complex（ χ2=10.6，28.6，10.8 and 19.3， P<0.05）. The prevalence of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli， CREC，CRAB complex and CRKP were higher in provincial hospitals than those in municipal hospitals（ χ2=12.5，9.8，12.7 and 57.8，all P<0.01）. Conclusions:Gram-negative bacteria are the main pathogens causing bloodstream infections in China，and Escherichia coli is ranked in the top，while the trend of Klebsiella pneumoniae increases continuously with time. CRKP infection shows a slow upward trend，CREC infecton maintains a low prevalence level，and CRAB complex infection continues to exhibit a high prevalence rate. The composition and resistance patterns of pathogens causing bloodstream infections vary to some extent across different regions and levels of hospitals in China.

Objective:To explore the impact of the interaction between alcohol consumption and overweight/obesity on the risk of hypertension.Methods:It was a cross-sectional study, and convenient sampling was used to enroll physical examination participants aged 18-60 years from the Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Southwest Medical University, the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University and Luzhou People′s Hospital from June to November in 2020. All the participants were given questionnaire survey, physical examination and biochemical tests. A total of 5 000 questionnaires were distributed in the study, and 4 878 questionnaires were collected, of which 4 397 (90.14%) were valid. According to the diagnostic criteria for hypertension, the study participants were divided into hypertension group (1 128 cases) and non-hypertension group (3 269 cases), and t-test and chi-square test were used to compare the differences in gender, age, and other data between the two groups; and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association of alcohol consumption, overweight/obesity with the risk of hypertension and the interaction between alcohol consumption and overweight/obesity on the risk of hypertension, and relative excess risk of interaction, attributable proportion of interaction and the synergy index were used to evaluate the impact of the interaction between alcohol consumption and overweight/obesity on the risk of hypertension. Results:Among the 4 397 individuals included in the analysis, 3 116 were male and 1 281 were female, with a mean age of (42.42±8.83) years. The detection rate of hypertension was 25.7% (1 128/4 397). The risk of hypertension in overweight/obese individuals was 2.566 times ( OR=2.566, 95% CI: 2.167-3.038) higher than that of non-overweight/obese individuals, and the risk of hypertension in alcohol consumption individuals was 1.486 times ( OR=1.486, 95% CI: 1.250-1.766) higher than that of non-drinkers. The risk of hypertension in drinking+non-overweight/obesity group, non-drinking+overweight/obesity group, and drinking+overweight/obesity group was 1.468 times ( OR=1.468, 95% CI: 1.112-1.936), 2.538 times ( OR=2.538, 95% CI: 1.968-3.272), and 3.796 times ( OR=3.796, 95% CI: 2.963-4.863) higher than that of non-drinking+non-overweight/obesity group, respectively (all P<0.05). Alcohol consumption and overweight/obesity had an additive interaction effect on the risk of hypertension, and the relative excess risk of interaction, attributable proportion of interaction and the synergy index was 0.791 (95% CI: 0.158-1.424), 0.208 (95% CI: 0.049-0.368), 1.394 (95% CI: 1.030-1.888), respectively. There was no significant multiplicative interaction between alcohol consumption and overweight/obesity on the risk of hypertension ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Alcohol consumption and overweight/obesity are both associated higher risk of hypertension. In addition, there is an additive interaction between alcohol consumption and overweight/obesity on the risk of hypertension.

Objective:To report the nationwide surveillance results of pathogenic profiles and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Gram-positive bloodstream infections in China in 2023.Methods:The clinical isolates of Gram-posttive bacteria from blood cultures were collected in member hospitals of National Bloodstream Infection Bacterial Resistant Investigation Collaborative System（BRICS）during January to December 2023. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the dilution method recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute（CLSI）. Statistical analyses were conducted using WHONET 5.6 and SPSS 25.0 software.Results:A total of 4 385 Gram-positive bacterial isolates were obtained from 60 participating center. The top five pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus（ n=1 544，35.2%），coagulase-negative Staphylococci（ n=1 441，32.9%）， Enterococcus faecium（ n=574，13.1%）， Enterococcus faecalis（ n=385，8.8%），and α-hemolytic Streptococci（ n=187，4.3%）. The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus（MRSA）and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococci（MRCNS）was 26.2%（405/1 544）and 69.8%（1 006/1 441），respectively. Notably，all Staphylococci remained susceptible to glycopeptide or daptomycin. Staphylococcus aureus demonstrated excellent susceptibility（>97.0%）to cephalobiol，rifampicin，trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole，linezolid，minocycline，tigecycline，and eravacycline. No Enterococcus exhibiting resistance to linezolid were detected. Glycopeptide resistance was uncommon but more frequent in Enterococcus faecium（resistance to vancomycin and teicoplanin：both 1.7%）compared to Enterococcus faecalis（both 0.3%）. The detection rates of MRSA and MRCNS exhibited significant regional variations across the country（ χ2=17.674 and 148.650，respectively，both P<0.001）. No vancomycin-resistant Enterococci were detected in central China. Institutional comparison demonstrated higher prevalence of MRSA（ χ2=14.111， P<0.001）and MRCNS（ χ2=4.828， P=0.028）in provincial hospitals than that in municipal hospitals. Socioeconomic analysis identified elevated detection rates of both MRSA（ χ2=18.986， P<0.001）and MRCNS（ χ2=4.477， P=0.034）in less developed regions（per capita GDP

Objective:To report the results of bacterial resistant investigation collaborative system（BRICS）on the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profile of clinical Gram-negative bacteria isolates from bloodstream infections in China in 2023，and provide reference for clinical tretment of bloodstream infections and prevention and control of bacterial resistance.Methods:The clinical isolates of Gram-negative bacteria from blood cultures in member hospitals of BRICS were collected during January 2023 to December 2023. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted by agar dilution or broth dilution methods recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute（CLSI）. WHONET 5.6 and SPSS 25.0 were used to analyze the data.Results:During the study period，11 492 strains of Gram-negative bacteria were collected from 60 hospitals，of which 10 098（87.9%）were Enterobacterales and 1 394（12.1%）were non-fermentative bacteria. The top 5 bacterial species were Escherichia coli（50.0%）， Klebsiella pneumoniae（26.1%）， Pseudomonas aeruginosa（5.1%）， Acinetobacter baumannii complex（5.0%）and Enterobacter cloacae complex（4.1%）. The ESBL-producing rates in Escherichia coli， Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirablilis were 46.8%（2 685/5 741），18.3%（549/2 999）and 44.0%（77/175），respectively. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli（CREC）and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae（CRKP）were 1.3%（76/5 741）and 15.0%（450/2 999）；32.9%（25/76）and 78.0%（351/450）of CREC and CRKP were sensitive to ceftazidime/avibactam combination，respectively. 94.7%（72/76）and 90.2%（406/450）of CREC and CRKP were sensitive to aztreonam/avibactam combination. Furthermore，57.9%（44/76）and 79.1%（356/450）were sensitive to imipenem/relebactam combination. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii（CRAB）complex was 64.6%（370/573），while more than 80.0% of CRAB complex was sensitive to tigecycline，eravacycline and polymyxin B. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa（CRPA）was 17.0%（99/581）. There were differences in the composition ratio of Gram-negative bacteria in bloodstream infections and the prevalence of important Gram-negative bacteria resistance among different regions in China，with statistically significant differences in the prevalence of CREC，CRKP，CRPA and CRAB complex（ χ2=10.6，28.6，10.8 and 19.3， P<0.05）. The prevalence of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli， CREC，CRAB complex and CRKP were higher in provincial hospitals than those in municipal hospitals（ χ2=12.5，9.8，12.7 and 57.8，all P<0.01）. Conclusions:Gram-negative bacteria are the main pathogens causing bloodstream infections in China，and Escherichia coli is ranked in the top，while the trend of Klebsiella pneumoniae increases continuously with time. CRKP infection shows a slow upward trend，CREC infecton maintains a low prevalence level，and CRAB complex infection continues to exhibit a high prevalence rate. The composition and resistance patterns of pathogens causing bloodstream infections vary to some extent across different regions and levels of hospitals in China.

Objective To establish an artificial intelligence voice follow-up system for differentiated thyroid cancer and evaluate the completeness and accuracy of information collection by this system. Methods Based on the postoperative medication and follow-up status of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer, an artificial intelligence voice follow-up system for differentiated thyroid cancer was established. From February 25 to 29, 2024, a total of 2, 471 differentiated thyroid cancer patients without follow-up in the thyroid cancer database management system of the Department of Thyroid and Breast Vascular Surgery of the Hospital were followed up by telephone, and 220 patients (approximately 10% of the total) were randomly selected for completeness and accuracy analyses of their call records. Results This study successfully established an artificial intelligence voice follow-up system for differentiated thyroid cancer, and the overall call connection rate was 88.9%. For patients with successful calls, the average follow-up time of the artificial intelligence voice follow-up system was (1.7±0.5) minutes, the overall information collection completeness rate was 83.8%, with a completeness rate of 92.9% for follow-up at 3 months after surgery and 82.7% for long-term follow-up, and the differences were statistically significant (χ²=15.200, P < 0.001). The accuracy rate of information collection by this follow-up system was 94.1%. The accuracy rates of information collection for patients who spoke dialect and Mandarin during follow-up were 92.2% and 95.4% respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant (χ²=0.957, P=0.389). Conclusion The artificial intelligence voice follow-up system for differentiated thyroid cancer has high efficiency, completeness, and accuracy in information collection, which can reduce human costs for follow-up and has good application prospects in large-scale follow-up of populations with differentiated thyroid cancer.

China has the highest mortality rate from cardiovascular disease in the world and coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death from cardiovascular disease. The cost of treatment for CAD is high, which is related to the incidence of CAD and possible irrational treatment protocols. However, with the escalating costs of healthcare in most countries, the cost-effectiveness of diagnostic and management testing is increasingly important. Many studies have shown that most non-invasive tests are more cost-effective than coronary angiography (CAG). This article reviews the cost-effectiveness of MPI compared with CAG and other non-invasive tests.