Pulmonary hypertension(PH)is a seri-ous disease characterized by abnormally high pul-monary arterial pressure(PAP),which leads to in-creased cardiac burden and may eventually lead to right heart failure.Levosimendan,as a calcium sen-sitizer,has the dual role of enhancing cardiac con-striction force and promoting vascular dilation.It shows a good prospect in the treatment of PH com-bined with right heart failure by reducing PAP,in-creasing RV contractile force and reducing anterior and posterior cardiac load without increasing myo-cardial oxygen consumption.Since it does not in-crease the intracellular Ca2+concentration,it avoids the arrhythmia-inducing,reduced coronary perfu-sion and other side effects of other positive inotro-pic drugs.At present,levosimandan is mainly trans-fused intravenically,which may lead to systemic hy-potension,arrhythmia and other side effects,while inhalation administration can reduce the occur-rence of adverse reactions,but its effectiveness and safety in the treatment of PH combined with right heart failure remains to be studied.The pur-pose of this review was to investigate the role of in-haled levosimendan in PH combined with right heart failure.

Pulmonary hypertension(PH)is a seri-ous disease characterized by abnormally high pul-monary arterial pressure(PAP),which leads to in-creased cardiac burden and may eventually lead to right heart failure.Levosimendan,as a calcium sen-sitizer,has the dual role of enhancing cardiac con-striction force and promoting vascular dilation.It shows a good prospect in the treatment of PH com-bined with right heart failure by reducing PAP,in-creasing RV contractile force and reducing anterior and posterior cardiac load without increasing myo-cardial oxygen consumption.Since it does not in-crease the intracellular Ca2+concentration,it avoids the arrhythmia-inducing,reduced coronary perfu-sion and other side effects of other positive inotro-pic drugs.At present,levosimandan is mainly trans-fused intravenically,which may lead to systemic hy-potension,arrhythmia and other side effects,while inhalation administration can reduce the occur-rence of adverse reactions,but its effectiveness and safety in the treatment of PH combined with right heart failure remains to be studied.The pur-pose of this review was to investigate the role of in-haled levosimendan in PH combined with right heart failure.

Objective:To analyze the efficacy and safety of nalbuphine for analgesia in patients with non-mechanical ventilation in intensive care unit (ICU).Methods:From December 2018 to August 2021, a multicenter randomized controlled clinical study was conducted to select non-mechanical ventilation patients with analgesic needs admitted to ICU of four hospitals in Henan Province and Guizhou Province. Patients were randomly assigned to nalbuphine group and fentanyl group. The nalbuphine group was given continuous infusion of nalbuphine [0.05~0.20 mg/(kg·h)], and the fentanyl group was given continuous infusion of fentanyl [0.5~2.0 μg/(kg·h)]. The analgesic target was critical-care pain observation tool (CPOT) score<2. The observation time was 48 hours. The primary endpoint was CPOT score, the secondary endpoints were Richmond agitation-sedation score (RASS), ICU length of stay, adverse events, and proportion of mechanical ventilation. The quantitative data of the two groups were compared by t test or Mann-Whitney U test. The enumeration data were compared by chi square test or Fisher exact probability method. The data at different time points between groups were compared by repeated measures analysis of variance. Results:A total of 210 patients were enrolled, including 105 patients in the nalbuphine group and 105 patients in the fentanyl group. There was no significant difference in baseline data between the two groups (all P>0.05). There was no significant difference in CPOT score between nalbuphine group and fentanyl group at each time point after medication ( P>0.05), the CPOT score of both groups at each time point after medication was significantly lower than that before medication, and the analgesic target could be achieved and maintained 2 hours after medication. There was no significant difference in RASS between the two groups at each time point after medication ( P>0.05), which was significantly lower than that before medication, and the target sedative effect was achieved 2 hours after medication. There was no significant difference in ICU length of stay between nalbuphine group and fentanyl group [5.0(4.0,7.5) d vs. 5.0(4.0,8.0) d, P=0.504]. The incidence of delirium, nausea and vomiting, abdominal distension, pruritus, vertigo and other adverse events in the nalbuphine group was lower than that in the fentanyl group (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of other adverse events such as deep sedation, hypotension and bradycardia between the two groups (all P>0.05). The incidence of respiratory depression in nalbuphine group was not significantly different from that in fentanyl group ( P>0.05), but the proportion of mechanical ventilation was significantly lower than that in the fentanyl group [1.9% (2/105) vs. 8.6%(9/105), P=0.030]. Conclusions:Nalbuphine could be used for analgesia in ICU patients with non-mechanical ventilation. The target analgesic effect could be achieved within 2 hours, and it had a certain sedative effect with a low incidence of adverse reactions.

Critical care medicine-related treatment is an interdisciplinary and multi-professional process,often leading to secondary or concomitant mental disorders in clinical practice.Currently,there is no consensus on the pharmacological treatment of related mental illnesses in China.The Chinese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine collaborated with the Critical Care Medicine expert group to form a consensus writing expert group.After a systematic review of relevant literature,summarizing published domestic and foreign literature,and extensive discussions,the consensus was developed.The consensus elaborates on the principles and processes of the standardized use of psychotropic drugs in critical care medicine,as well as the clinical indications,precautions,and specific drug selection of various psychiatric medications,providing feasible suggestions and guidance for the clinical application of psychiatric medications in the intensive care unit.

Objective:To observe the effect of metformin on intestinal metabolites and its protective effect on lung injury in an elderly sepsis rat.Methods:SD rats were fed at the Animal Laboratory Center of Zhengzhou University, fourteen elderly SD rats were randomly divided into three groups: sham surgery (age-Sham, AgS group, n=4), cecal ligation and perforation induced sepsis (age-Cecal ligation and puncture, AgCLP group, n=5), and oral administration of metformin (100 mg/kg) after 1 h of CLP treatment (age-Metformin, AgMET group, n=5). Collected rat feces 24 h after modeling, and analyzed the composition and inter group differences of metabolites in the feces using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry non targeted metabolomics. Collected rat lung tissues and detected the expression levels of inflammation related genes and pathological changes in the tissue. The visualization of metabolic changes between groups were presented using orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis, heatmaps, and unsupervised principal component analysis, respectively. MetaboAnalyst 3.0 was used to evaluate the Pathway analysis of metabolites, and this software was based on the KEGG database and the human metabolome database. Results:The expressions of CCL4 ( F=203.00, P<0.001), CXCL1( F=65.69, P<0.001), IL-6 ( F=38.94, P<0.002), TNF-α ( F=14.85, P=0.005) between two groups of rats were significantly different (all P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in CCL2 expression between AgCLP group and AgMET group. Furthermore, compared with the AgS group, the relative intensities of 17 metabolites such as 7-methylxanthine, N-Arachidonylglycine and Manolide in AgCLP group were significantly increased, whereas the 9 metabolites such as Phenazone, Gly-Phe and Valyproline were significantly decreased, and metformin treatment could reverse these changes of the above metabolites. Correlation analysis showed that the IL-6 and TNF-α levels were positively correlated with the relative strength of 7-Methylxanthine, N-Arachidonylglycine and other metabolites, but negatively correlated with the Phenazone and Gly-Phe. CCL4 and CXCL1 were positively correlated with Manolide, but negatively correlated with Valyproline. Conclusion:The results of this study showed that metformin improved sepsis induced acute lung injury and regulates the host intestinal metabolites, which might provide a potential and effective treatment for elderly sepsis induced acute lung injury.

Objective To investigate the correlation between the expression of circulating exosome miR-485-3p and STYX with the risk of premature coronary heart disease.Methods A total of 50 inpatients with early onset coronary heart disease diagnosed by coronary angiography or CT angiography (CTA) in Af-filiated Puyang Municipal People's Hospital of Xinxiang Medical College from August to December 2023 were selected as the study group and 50 patients with excluded coronary artery disease by examination during the same period were included in the control group.The general clinical data of the two groups were collected,the plasma exosome miR-485-3p and STYX levels were detected.The degree of coronary arterial lesions in the pa-tients of the study group was evaluated by the Gensini score.The Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between plasma exosome miR-485-3p and STYX with LDL and Gensini score.The re-ceiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the diagnostic value of plasma exosome miR-485-3p and STYX in the diagnosis of premature coronary heart disease.The multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the independent risk factors for premature coronary heart disease.Results Compared with the control group,the family history of coronary heart disease,smoking history,LDL and plasma exo-some miR-485-3p level in the study group were increased,the plasma STYX level was decreased and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05);the Spearman correlation analysis showed that miR-485-3p was positively correlated with LDL (r=0.546) and Gensini score (r=0.485),and negatively correlated with STYX (r=-0.576).STYX was negatively correlated with LDL (r=-0.389) and Gensini score (r=-0.531).The ROC curve showed that the area under the curve of miR-485-3p,STYX and their combination in the diagnosis of premature coronary heart disease was 0.821 (95％CI:0.736-0.906),0.850 (95％CI:0.772-0.927) and 0.899 (95％CI:0.837-0.960) respectively.Conclusion The expression of circulating exosome miR-485-3p in premature coronary heart disease is up-regulated and the expression of STYX is down-regulated,the both are closely related to the degree of coronary artery lesion,which could be used as the po-tential biomarkers for the diagnosis of premature coronary heart disease.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of Xuebijing injection on inflammation in sepsis by regulating intestinal microbiota and its metabolites. METHODS: A total of 45 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into Sham operation group (Sham group), cecal ligation and perforation (CLP) induced sepsis group (CLP group), and Xuebijing intervention group (XBJ group, 4 mL/kg Xuebijing injection was injected intraperitoneally at 1 hour after CLP), with 15 rats in each group. The survival of rats was observed at 24 hours after operation and sacrificed. Feces were collected for 16S rRNA gene sequencing and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis. RESULTS: At 24 hours after operation, all rats in the Sham group survived, the mortality of rats in the XBJ group was lower than that in the CLP group [47% (7/15) vs. 60% (9/15), P > 0.05]. Compared with the Sham group, the diversity of gut microbiota in the CLP group decreased, the dominant flora changed, and the abundance of inflammation-related flora increased. Xuebijing improved the changes in gut microbiota caused by sepsis, and α diversity showed an increasing trend (Ace index: 406.0±22.5 vs. 363.2±38.2, Chao1 index: 409.7±21.8 vs. 362.4±42.5, both P > 0.05). Restrictive constrained principal coordinate analysis (cPCoA) showed a high similarity in gut microbiota among the same group of rats. The CLP group was dominated by Bacteroidetes, while the Sham and XBJ groups were dominated by Firmicutes. In addition, compared with the CLP group, Xuebijing treatment increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria in septic rats, such as Verrucomicrobia, Akkermansia and Lactobacillus. LC-MS and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) showed that there were 12 main differential metabolites among the three groups, and there were certain correlations between these metabolites, which were related to amino acid and lipid metabolism. Correlation analysis showed a significant correlation between changes in metabolites and microbial communities. CONCLUSIONS Xuebijing can improve the survival rate of septic rats, regulate the composition of intestinal flora and related metabolites, which provides a new pathophysiological mechanism for Xuebijing in the treatment of sepsis.
Rats ; Male ; Animals ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; Sepsis/metabolism* ; Inflammation

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of sivelestat sodium in patients with sepsis.Methods:The clinical data of 141 adult patients with sepsis admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 1, 2019 to January 1, 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into the sivelestat sodium group ( n = 70) and the control group ( n = 71) according to whether they received sivelestat sodium or not. The efficacy indexes included oxygenation index, procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood count (WBC), sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ) before and after 7 days of treatment, as well as ventilator supporting time, the length of ICU stay, the length of hospital stay and ICU mortality. The safety indicators included platelet count (PLT) and liver and kidney function. Results:There were no significant differences in age, gender, underlying diseases, infection site, basic drugs, etiology, oxygenation index, biochemical indexes, SOFA and APACHE Ⅱ scores between the two groups. Compared with the control group, the oxygenation index in 7 days was significantly increased [mmHg (1 mmHg ≈ 0.133 kPa): 233.5 (181.0, 278.0) vs. 202.0 (153.0, 243.0), P < 0.01], the levels of PCT, CRP, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and APACHE Ⅱ score were significantly decreased in the sivelestat sodium group [PCT (μg/L): 0.87 (0.41, 1.61) vs. 1.53 (0.56, 5.33), CRP (mg/L): 64.12 (19.61, 150.86) vs. 107.20 (50.30, 173.00), ALT (U/L): 25.0 (15.0, 43.0) vs. 31.0 (20.0, 65.0), APACHE Ⅱ: 14 (11, 18) vs. 16 (13, 21), all P < 0.05]. However, there were no significant differences in SOFA, WBC, serum creatinine (SCr), PLT, total bilirubin (TBil), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in 7 days between the sivelestat sodium group and the control group [SOFA: 6.5 (5.0, 10.0) vs. 7.0 (5.0, 10.0), WBC (×10 9/L): 10.5 (8.2, 14.7) vs. 10.5 (7.2, 15.2), SCr (μmol/L): 76.0 (50.0, 124.1) vs. 84.0 (59.0, 129.0), PLT (×10 9/L): 127.5 (59.8, 212.3) vs. 121.0 (55.0, 211.0), TBil (μmol/L): 16.8 (10.0, 32.1) vs. 16.6 (8.4, 26.9), AST (U/L): 31.5 (22.0, 62.3) vs. 37.0 (24.0, 63.0), all P > 0.05]. The ventilator supporting time and the length of ICU stay in the sivelestat sodium group were significantly shorter than those in control group [ventilator supporting time (hours): 147.50 (86.83, 220.00) vs. 182.00 (100.00, 360.00), the length of ICU stay (days): 12.5 (9.0, 18.3) vs. 16.0 (11.0, 23.0), both P < 0.05]. However, there were no significant differences in the length of hospital stay and ICU mortality between the sivelestat sodium group and the control group [the length of hospital stay (days): 20.0 (11.0, 27.3) vs. 13.0 (11.0, 21.0), ICU mortality: 17.1% (12/70) vs. 14.1% (10/71), both P > 0.05]. Conclusions:Sivelestat sodium is safe and effective in patients with sepsis. It can improve the oxygenation index and APACHE Ⅱ score, reduce the levels of PCT and CRP, shorten ventilator supporting time and the length of ICU stay. No adverse reactions such as liver and kidney function injury and platelet abnormality are observed.

Polymyxin B, which is a last-line antibiotic for extensively drug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections, became available in China in Dec. 2017. As dose adjustments are based solely on clinical experience of risk toxicity, treatment failure, and emergence of resistance, there is an urgent clinical need to perform therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) to optimize the use of polymyxin B. It is thus necessary to standardize operating procedures to ensure the accuracy of TDM and provide evidence for their rational use. We report a consensus on TDM guidelines for polymyxin B, as endorsed by the Infection and Chemotherapy Committee of the Shanghai Medical Association and the Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Committee of the Chinese Pharmacological Society. The consensus panel was composed of clinicians, pharmacists, and microbiologists from different provinces in China and Australia who made recommendations regarding target concentrations, sample collection, reporting, and explanation of TDM results. The guidelines provide the first-ever consensus on conducting TDM of polymyxin B, and are intended to guide optimal clinical use.
Humans ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use* ; China ; Drug Monitoring/methods* ; Polymyxin B ; Practice Guidelines as Topic

Objective:Investigate the prognostic value of high density lipoprotein (HDL) level in patients with streptococcal bloodstream infection.Methods:A total of 698 patients with streptococcal bloodstream infection admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2015 to December 2019 were enrolled. Serum lipid and other clinical data of patients with positive blood culture within 48 h were recorded. The patients were followed up by telephone from January to March in 2020, and the end-point events were recorded, which were all-cause death 60 days after the diagnosis of streptococcal bloodstream infection. The patients were divided into two groups according to the levels of HDL: low HDL group (HDL ≤0.84 mmol/L) and high HDL group (HDL > 0.84 mmol/L). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to analyze the 60-day prognostic factors of patients with streptococcus bloodstream infection. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to explore predictive value of HDL level for 60-day prognosis of patients. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to compare the cumulative survival of patients with different HDL levels.Results:(1) A total of 491 patients were enrolled according to the inclusion criteria, and 461 patients were followed up successfully, with a follow-up rate of 93.89%. There were 373 survival patients and 88 death patients at 60 days, with a 60-day mortality rate of 19.09% (88/461). (2) There were significant differences in age, total cholesterol (TC), HDL, low density lipoprotein (LDL), platelets, albumin, fibrinogen, triglyceride (TG), creatinine, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, white blood cell, PCT, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, and respiratory failure and shock between the survival group and death group. (3) Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that HDL ( RR=1.922, 95% CI: 1.186-3.117, P=0.008), aspartate aminotransferase ( RR=1.953, 95% CI: 1.233-3.094, P=0.004), shock ( RR=15.196, 95% CI: 6.953-33.211, P< 0.001), and respiratory failure ( RR=9.509, 95% CI: 4.232-21.367, P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for 60-day mortality of patients with streptococcal bloodstream infection. (4) The ROC curve analysis showed that HDL alone had a certain value in predicting the 60-day prognosis of patients with streptococcal bloodstream infection. The area under ROC curve (AUC) was 0.602, and the AUC of the combined predictive value of HDL, aspartate aminotransferase, shock and respiratory failure was 0.960, with a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 92%. (5) Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed that the cumulative survival rate of patients without endpoint event in the HDL > 0.84 mmol/L group was higher than that in the HDL ≤ 0.84 mmol/L group, but without statistically significant difference (Log-Rank test: χ20.843, P<0.358). Conclusions:Patients with low HDL level of streptococcal bloodstream infection have an increased risk of 60-day death. HDL is an independent risk factor for 60-day death in patients with streptococcal bloodstream infection, and can be used as an indicator to evaluate the prognosis of patients with streptococcal bloodstream infection.