Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of ultrafiltration therapy in elderly patients with congestive heart failure(CHF)and frailty.Methods A total of 88 hospitalized elderly patients with CHF and frailty were randomly assigned to the ultrafiltration group(n=44)and the control group(n=44).The control group treated with standard drug therapy.The ultrafiltration group treated with ultrafiltration,however,diuretics were not used during ultrafiltration treatment.Efficacy assessment was compared between the two groups,including patient body weight,N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP)levels at 48 hours after treatment,dyspnea severity scores at 48 hours and 1 week after treatment,hospitalization duration and readmission rate within 3 months.Safety assessment parameters included serum creatinine,urea nitrogen,Na+and K+concentration at 48 hours after treatment and creatinine level 1 week after treatment.Results Efficacy assessment indicated that at 48 hours after treatment,both groups showed a significant reduction in patient body weight and NT-proBNP levels compared to pre-treatment levels(P＜0.05).However,there were no significant difference in body weight and NT-proBNP levels before and after treatment between the two groups(P＞0.05).Dyspnea severity scores for both groups increased at 48 hours after treatment,then decreased at 1 week after treatment.The ultrafiltration group exhibited higher dyspnea severity scores than that of the control group at 48 hours after treatment(P＜0.05).The length of hospital stay and the rate of re-hospitalization within 3 months were lower in the ultrafiltration group compared to those of the control group(P＜0.05).Safety assessment revealed that there were no significant differences in serum urea nitrogen and Na+levels before and 48 hours after treatment between the two groups(P＞0.05).However,serum K+levels were higher after 48-hours treatment in the ultrafiltration group than those of the control group(P＜0.05).There were no significant changes in creatinine levels before and after treatment in the control group(P＞0.05),while creatinine levels were lower 1 week after treatment in the ultrafiltration group compared to those of pre-treatment and 48 hours after treatment,and were lower than those of the control group(P＜0.05).Conclusion Ultrafiltration is a safe and effective method for elderly patients with CHF and frailty.

Objective To analyze the adverse events(AEs)associated with linezolid in tuberculosis treatment reported in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System(FAERS)database,assess its safety profile,and provide scientific evidence for ra-tional clinical use.Methods Reports of adverse events related to linezolid in tuberculosis treatment from Q1 2016 to Q1 2024 were extracted.The data were cleaned and pre-processed,and signal detection was performed using the Reporting Odds Ratio(ROR)and Information Component(IC)methods.Results A total of 1,135 linezolid-related AEs were identified,with the most common types being hospitalization(18.46％)and death(10.99％).The Results indicated that linezolid AEs primarily involved disorders of the blood and lymphatic system,as well as liver and biliary system diseases.Common adverse reactions in-cluded anemia,peripheral neuropathy,and optic neuropathy.Additionally,some adverse reaction signals not mentioned in the prescribing information were identified,such as polyneuropathy(ROR=75.25,IC025=5.8),toxic optic neuropathy(ROR=776.95,IC025=8.86),and hearing loss(ROR=14.66,IC025=3.26).Conclusion This study suggests that linezolid may be associated with some serious adverse reactions in tuberculosis treatment.It is recommended that patients on long-term linezolid therapy undergo regular neurological,ophthalmological,and auditory assessments to provide a more adequate basis for rational clinical use.

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of pneumococcal meningitis(PM),and drug sensitivity of Streptococcus pneumoniae(SP)isolates in Chinese children.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical information,laboratory data,and microbiological data of 160 hospitalized children under 15 years old with PM from January 2019 to December 2020 in 33 tertiary hospitals across the country.Results Among the 160 children with PM,there were 103 males and 57 females.The age ranged from 15 days to 15 years,with 109 cases(68.1% )aged 3 months to under 3 years.SP strains were isolated from 95 cases(59.4% )in cerebrospinal fluid cultures and from 57 cases(35.6% )in blood cultures.The positive rates of SP detection by cerebrospinal fluid metagenomic next-generation sequencing and cerebrospinal fluid SP antigen testing were 40% (35/87)and 27% (21/78),respectively.Fifty-five cases(34.4% )had one or more risk factors for purulent meningitis,113 cases(70.6% )had one or more extra-cranial infectious foci,and 18 cases(11.3% )had underlying diseases.The most common clinical symptoms were fever(147 cases,91.9% ),followed by lethargy(98 cases,61.3% )and vomiting(61 cases,38.1% ).Sixty-nine cases(43.1% )experienced intracranial complications during hospitalization,with subdural effusion and/or empyema being the most common complication[43 cases(26.9% )],followed by hydrocephalus in 24 cases(15.0% ),brain abscess in 23 cases(14.4% ),and cerebral hemorrhage in 8 cases(5.0% ).Subdural effusion and/or empyema and hydrocephalus mainly occurred in children under 1 year old,with rates of 91% (39/43)and 83% (20/24),respectively.SP strains exhibited complete sensitivity to vancomycin(100% ,75/75),linezolid(100% ,56/56),and meropenem(100% ,6/6).High sensitivity rates were also observed for levofloxacin(81% ,22/27),moxifloxacin(82% ,14/17),rifampicin(96% ,25/26),and chloramphenicol(91% ,21/23).However,low sensitivity rates were found for penicillin(16% ,11/68)and clindamycin(6% ,1/17),and SP strains were completely resistant to erythromycin(100% ,31/31).The rates of discharge with cure and improvement were 22.5% (36/160)and 66.2% (106/160),respectively,while 18 cases(11.3% )had adverse outcomes.Conclusions Pediatric PM is more common in children aged 3 months to under 3 years.Intracranial complications are more frequently observed in children under 1 year old.Fever is the most common clinical manifestation of PM,and subdural effusion/emphysema and hydrocephalus are the most frequent complications.Non-culture detection methods for cerebrospinal fluid can improve pathogen detection rates.Adverse outcomes can be noted in more than 10% of PM cases.SP strains are high sensitivity to vancomycin,linezolid,meropenem,levofloxacin,moxifloxacin,rifampicin,and chloramphenicol.[Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics,2024,26(2):131-138]

Objective:To explore the application of 18F-flurodeoxyglucose positron emission tomo-graphy/computed tomography(18F-FDG PET/CT)in rheumatic diseases,to compare these different ima-ging features,and to describe the current PET/CT imaging status in clinical practice.Methods:A total of 486 cases in our department from January 2012 to December 2018 were enrolled in this study,and 18 F-FDG PET/CT examination was performed in all the patients.The clinical use of 18F-FDG PET/CT was retrospectively analyzed to discuss the clinical application and its imaging characteristics of rheumatic diseases.Categorical data were used to ascertain prevalence statistics,whereas continuous data were used to delineate means and standard deviations.Independent sample t test,Chi square test and Mann-Whit-ney U test were used for statistical analysis.A P-value of＜0.05 was considered significant.Results:(1)From 2012 to 2018,totally 486 patients in the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology under-went18F-FDG PET/CT examination,accounting for 5.30％of the total number of PET/CT examinations in the whole hospital.In this study,304 of the 486 patient were female(62.55％),182 of them were male(37.45％),the average age of the patients was(53.21±18.81)years,and the proportion of the patients aged 45-65(227/486,46.71％)was the highest group.(2)Three leading purposes of the PET/CT examination in our department were to exclude cancers(55.56％),assist in diagnosis(24.60％)and evaluate the disease activity(19.84％).(3)Of the 486 patients who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT,327 cases might indicate a differential diagnosis of rheumatic disease,of which,292 ca-ses were highly suggestive of diagnosis,including 61 cases of myositis,60 cases of vasculitis,37 cases of adult still's disease,32 cases of IgG4 related diseases,30 cases of rheumatoid arthritis,22 cases of Sj?gren's syndrome,22 cases of systemic lupus erythematosus,and 9 cases of rheumatic polymyalgia;the remaining 35 cases only prompted the possibility of autoimmune disease.Of the 486 patients,74 ca-ses suggested the diagnosis of cancers,25 cases indicated the diagnosis of infectious diseases,while 60 cases could not show any diagnostic values.Ten patients with rheumatic disease were followed up with a post-treatment repeat PET/CT,and the findings in remission showed reduced 18F-FDG metabolic activity as well as a reduction in the extent of metabolic hypertrophic lesions.Conclusion:There are some typi-cal sign of 18F-FDG PET/CT for diffuse connective tissue diseases,therefore 18F-FDG PET/CT has auxi-liary effect on the classification diagnosis of rheumatic diseases,especially for the exclusion of cancers.

Objective To explore the toxicity of Polygonum multiflorum alcohol extract on 3D hepatospheres.Methods Variations in culture conditions and cell ratios were implemented,followed by the assessment of cell sphere diameter,density,and roundness,aiming to explore the optimal culture conditions.The 3D hepatocyte spheres were divided into control group and experimental-L,-M,-H groups.The experimental-L,-M,-H groups were treated with 0.25,1.00 and 2.50 mg·mL-1 Polygounm multiforum alcohol extract,and the control group was given the same amount of culture medium.The cell viability of the cell spheroids was tested by CellTiter-Glo reagent,the expression level of liver function related genes was detected by fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qRCR).The toxicity of cell spheres was detected by double fluorescent staining of living and dead cells.Results The ideal culture condition of cell sphere was 500 cells per micropore,and the cell ratio was HepG2-Huvec-LX-2=8∶1∶1.It displayed the values of 0.91±0.07 for circularity,0.91±0.02 for firmness,1.12±0.14 for aspect ratio,and(170.97±14.79)μm for diameter.On the 3rd,7th,10th and 14th days,the expression levels of albumin(ALB)mRNA were 1.00±0.02,0.96±0.02,0.54±0.07,0.52±0.07,and the expression levels of cytochrome P450 1A2(CYP1A2)mRNA were 1.00±0.10,2.15±0.16,2.45±0.33,1.30±0.03,respectively.The expression levels of multidrug resistance protein 2(MPR2)in the control group and the experimental-L,-M,-H groups were 1.00±0.31,1.38±0.24,1.48±0.06 and 1.90±0.08,respectively;spheroid viability were(98.19±0.49)％,(88.53±0.90)％,(71.60±2.91)％and(56.65±5.41)％.There were statistically significant differences in the above indexes between the experimental-L,-M,-H groups and the control group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion The established hepatocyte sphere co-culture model showed varying degrees of expression of phase Ⅰ/Ⅱ drug metabolism enzymes,transporters,and liver cell specific marker molecule albumin and can be used to evaluate the toxicity of multiflorum multiflorum,which provides further reference for the clinical application of multiflorum multiflorum.

Objective:To evaluate myocardial microcirculation perfusion with myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) in patients with acute myocardial infarction after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and to explore the prognostic value of different types of myocardial microcirculation perfusion.Methods:This is a prospective cohort study. Patients with acute myocardial infarction who underwent successful PCI in Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University and Kanghua Hospital of Dongguan City from October 2019 to June 2021 were selected. All the enrolled patients completed MCE examination within 72 hours after PCI. According to the examination results, the patients were divided into normal microcirculation perfusion group, delayed microcirculation perfusion group, and blocked microcirculation perfusion group. Adverse cardiovascular events including all-cause death, cardiovascular death, and angina re-hospitalization were followed up, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) review results were collected at six months to one year after surgery. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to investigate the difference in the incidence of adverse cardiovascular events in different myocardial perfusion groups, and Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate the effect of myocardial perfusion on adverse cardiovascular events.Results:A total of 113 patients with acute myocardial infarction were included, aged (56.3±11.5) years, with 88(78%) males. There were 31 cases in the normal microcirculation perfusion group, 43 cases in the delayed microcirculation perfusion group and 39 cases in the blocked microcirculation perfusion group. LVEF was reviewed in 49 patients, and LVEF in the delayed microcirculation perfusion group was significantly improved compared with baseline at follow-up ((63.3±1.2) % vs. (58.6±1.8) %, P=0.043), and there was no statistically significant difference between the other two groups (all P>0.05). The median follow-up time was 473 days, during follow-up period 30 adverse cardiovascular events occurred. Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse cardiovascular events among the three groups ( Plog-rank=0.029). Cox regression analysis showed that abnormal microcirculation perfusion (defined as delayed and blocked microcirculation perfusion) was an independent predictor of adverse cardiovascular events in patients with acute myocardial infarction after PCI ( HR=1.90, 95% CI1.16-3.12, P=0.011). Conclusions:Microcirculatory perfusion decrease or lost is common in patients with acute myocardial infarction after PCI. Timely restoration of blood flow reconstruction can save heart function when microcirculatory perfusion decreases. Microcirculatory perfusion is a predictor of adverse cardiovascular events in patients with acute myocardial infarction, and patients with poor myocardial perfusion are more likely to experience adverse cardiovascular events.

Passing the hospital grading evaluation, establishing a tertiary-A specialized hospital for occupational diseases, enhancing hospital's internal quality and sustainable development, and continuously improving medical service quality are important measures to promote the high-quality development of hospitals. The evaluation standards for occupational disease specialized tertiary-A hospital require standardized, scientific, and sustainable management of medical equipment. Guangdong Province Hospital for Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment is the first tertiary-A hospital for occupational diseases specialized in Guangdong Province. Relative regulation on medical equipment management was systematically reviewed based on the requirement of tertiary-A specialized hospital for occupational diseases during hospital grading evaluation process. Building and completing the medical equipment management system, standardizing and strengthening government procurement management, completing the configuration management and safety management of large-scale medical equipment, strengthening the effectiveness analysis and evaluation of large equipment, enhancing training on medical equipment usage, establishing emergency allocation systems for first-aid and life support medical equipment, and forming a medical equipment quality and safety management team is the measure to systematically improve and implement each item in various regulation for the full lifecycle management of medical equipment. It provides vital support in passing the tertiary-A hospital evaluation for hospitals. During the hospital grading evaluation process, each issue identified in medical equipment management was addressed and improved. This process continuously enhanced the hospital's medical equipment management level, ensured the safe and effective use of medical equipment, and improved the quality of medical services, laying a solid foundation for the hospital to become a high level specialized medical institution for occupational diseases.

AIM: To investigate the efficacy and safety of intravitreal injection of Conbercept combined with 25G minimally invasive pars plana vitrectomy(PPV)at the end of surgery for early proliferative diabetic retinopathy(PDR)with vitreous hemorrhage.METHODS: A total of 60 patients(60 eyes)with PDR complicated with vitreous hemorrhage requiring PPV at the Affiliated Eye Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. Based on the injection timing of Conbercept, the patients were divided into 3 groups: 20 patients(20 eyes)injected at the end of the surgery(group A), 20 patients(20 eyes)injected preoperatively(group B), and 20 patients(20 eyes)without injection(group C). The differences in pre- and post-operative visual acuity, intraocular pressure, intraoperative conditions, prognosis, and complications were analyzed among the 3 groups.RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the preoperative conditions and operation time among the patients. There was no iatrogenic retinal hole or silicone oil tamponade during the operation in the 3 groups, and no recurrent retinal detachment occurred after the operations. Best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)at 1, 3 and 6mo of all groups were improved compared with those before the surgery(P<0.05), and the injection groups(group A and group B)had a significantly better postoperative improvement than the non-injection group(group C), and there were significant differences(P<0.05). The incidence of postoperative late vitreous hemorrhage(1mo after operation)in group A was significantly lower than those in groups B and C(P<0.05). The central retinal thickness of the operated eyes in the injection groups(groups A and B)was significantly lower than that in the non-injection group(group C)at 1, 3 and 6mo after operation(P<0.05).CONCLUSION: Conbercept injection at the end of the surgery and preoperative injection are both safe and effective for early PDR and can significantly improve postoperative visual acuity. However, Conbercept injection at the end of surgery can reduce the risk of late vitreous hemorrhage recurrence, leading to better PPV outcomes and improving patients' retinal and visual function and quality of life.

Objectives: To investigated the safety and efficacy of treating patients with acute non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and elevated levels of N-terminal pro-hormone B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with levosimendan within 24 hours of first medical contact (FMC). Methods: This multicenter, open-label, block-randomized controlled trial (NCT03189901) investigated the safety and efficacy of levosimendan as an early management strategy of acute heart failure (EMS-AHF) for patients with NSTEMI and high NT-proBNP levels. This study included 255 patients with NSTEMI and elevated NT-proBNP levels, including 142 males and 113 females with a median age of 65 (58-70) years, and were admitted in the emergency or outpatient departments at 14 medical centers in China between October 2017 and October 2021. The patients were randomly divided into a levosimendan group (n=129) and a control group (n=126). The primary outcome measure was NT-proBNP levels on day 3 of treatment and changes in the NT-proBNP levels from baseline on day 5 after randomization. The secondary outcome measures included the proportion of patients with more than 30% reduction in NT-proBNP levels from baseline, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) during hospitalization and at 6 months after hospitalization, safety during the treatment, and health economics indices. The measurement data parameters between groups were compared using the t-test or the non-parametric test. The count data parameters were compared between groups using the χ² test. Results: On day 3, the NT-proBNP levels in the levosimendan group were lower than the control group but were statistically insignificant [866 (455, 1 960) vs. 1 118 (459, 2 417) ng/L, Z=-1.25,P=0.21]. However, on day 5, changes in the NT-proBNP levels from baseline in the levosimendan group were significantly higher than the control group [67.6% (33.8%,82.5%)vs.54.8% (7.3%,77.9%), Z=-2.14, P=0.03]. There were no significant differences in the proportion of patients with more than 30% reduction in the NT-proBNP levels on day 5 between the levosimendan and the control groups [77.5% (100/129) vs. 69.0% (87/126), χ²=2.34, P=0.13]. Furthermore, incidences of MACE did not show any significant differences between the two groups during hospitalization [4.7% (6/129) vs. 7.1% (9/126), χ²=0.72, P=0.40] and at 6 months [14.7% (19/129) vs. 12.7% (16/126), χ²=0.22, P=0.64]. Four cardiac deaths were reported in the control group during hospitalization [0 (0/129) vs. 3.2% (4/126), P=0.06]. However, 6-month survival rates were comparable between the two groups (log-rank test, P=0.18). Moreover, adverse events or serious adverse events such as shock, ventricular fibrillation, and ventricular tachycardia were not reported in both the groups during levosimendan treatment (days 0-1). The total cost of hospitalization [34 591.00(15 527.46,59 324.80) vs. 37 144.65(16 066.90,63 919.00)yuan, Z=-0.26, P=0.80] and the total length of hospitalization [9 (8, 12) vs. 10 (7, 13) days, Z=0.72, P=0.72] were lower for patients in the levosimendan group compared to those in the control group, but did not show statistically significant differences. Conclusions: Early administration of levosimendan reduced NT-proBNP levels in NSTEMI patients with elevated NT-proBNP and did not increase the total cost and length of hospitalization, but did not significantly improve MACE during hospitalization or at 6 months.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Aged ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ; Simendan/therapeutic use* ; Non-ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction ; Heart Failure/drug therapy* ; Peptide Fragments ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Biomarkers ; Prognosis

Human-animal parasitic diseases caused by medical helminths are hazardous to human health. Genetic polymorphism studies on medical helminth populations can not only understand the biological characteristics and genetic structure of their populations, but also help reveal how they adapt to their parasitic environment, thus contributing to deepen our understanding of the epidemiological patterns of parasitic diseases and improve our understanding of accurate prevention and control of parasitic diseases. With the development of molecular biology, molecular markers such as DNA barcodes, simple sequence repeats, and single nucleotide polymorphism markers have been widely used to study the genetic relationships among parasite populations and individuals, and to reveal the genetic variation of parasite populations and the evolution of species origins. In this paper, we systematically review the application of three molecular markers commonly used in the study of genetic polymorphism in medical helminths, with a view to laying the foundation for related research.