Objective:To explore the role of serum cholinesterase (CHE) levels in the prognosis of patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF).Methods:Total of 244 consecutive patients with ADHF who were admitted to the emergency department and were successfully discharged were prospectively enrolled from January 2018 to June 2020. Patients were divided into groups according to the first and third quartile of CHE level and the clinical data, laboratory tests and other nutritional indices were recorded after discharge, and then were followed up. The primary end points were the composites of cardiovascular death and hospitalization for worsening HF (composite end points). The secondary end points were all-cause mortality and cardiovascular death. Cox proportional risk analysis, time-dependent Cox regression model or stratified cox regression were used to identify the risk of primary and secondary endpoints. Clinical, biomarker and the compound models of clinical and biomarker were constructed. Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot the survival curves of different groups and compare their differences. Receiver Operating characteristics (ROC) curves were used to compare the area under the curve for CHE levels and other nutritional or prognostic indicators to identify composite end-point events.Results:During a follow-up period of 350(100,683) days, 158 patients reached the composite end points. In the multivariable Cox analysis, cholinesterase level was significantly associated with the composite end points after adjustment for major confounders. Cox proportional risk analysis or time-dependent Cox regression model showed that CHE level was significantly associated with the composite end points, all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality in both clinical, biomarker and composite models (all P< 0.05). A Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed that patients with low cholinesterase levels had significantly greater risk of reaching the composite end points than those with middle or high cholinesterase levels (78.1% vs 66.7% vs. 46.7%, P<0.001); Cholinesterase level showed the largest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.736 (95% CI, 0.664-0.888) for prediction of the composite end points among other nutritional indices. The AUROC of the Global Meta-Analysis Group Chronic Heart Failure (MAGGIC) Risk Score for prediction of the composite end points was increased from 0.704 to 0.762 ( P=0.038), when cholinesterase level was added. Conclusions:Cholinesterase may serve as a simple and effective prognostic marker for predicting adverse outcomes in ADHF patients.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical value of intraoperative sliding CT in deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson's disease (PD).Methods:A total of 117 PD patients accepted DBS in Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from May 2019 to May 2023 were chosen; 46 patients had local anesthesia and 71 had general anesthesia. Bilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) DBS was performed in 73 patients, bilateral medial globus pallidus (GPi) DBS was performed in 43 patients, and right GPi and left STN DBS was performed in 1 patient. Preoperative/intraoperative sliding CT images and preoperative MRI images were fused to calculate the spatial distance between the preoperative planned target and actual target (adjusting electrode position timely in case of spatial distance greater than 2 mm [electrode displacement]). Differences of spatial distance between preoperative planned target and actual target in patients accepted different types of anesthesia and surgical modalities were compared.Results:All 117 patients were successfully operated and 234 electrodes were implanted. No patients needed a second operation for misalignment of electrodes or poor efficacy. During CT scan, neither anesthesia extubation or mechanical collision nor intracranial hemorrhage complications occurred. Spatial distance between the preoperative planned target and actual target was (1.35±0.50) mm in 117 patients. Displacement was noted in 4 electrodes and immediately adjusted during the operation; and CT re-examination confirmed good electrode position. No statistical significance in spatial distance between the preoperative planned target and actual target was noted between the general anesthesia group and local anesthesia group, and between the STN group and GPi group ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Intraoperative sliding CT is simple, safe and effective, which helps to timely adjust the electrode position during operation, avoids second operation and complications, and improves the safety and efficacy of DBS.

Literature related to children's adenoid hypertrophy was retrieved to form an expert questionnaire.According to the group standard writing rules of the China Association of Chinese Medicine,the peer consultation,quality evaluation and suitability eval-uation were completed through three rounds of Delphi expert questionnaire surveys and expert discussion meetings,and the Clinical Practice Guidelines for TCM in Children with Adenoidal Hypertrophy was finally formed.The guidelines have been formulated to clarify the scope of application of the guidelines,normative reference documents,terms and definitions,diagnosis,syndrome differentiation,treatment,prevention and care,and to provide an important reference for the clinical practice and diagnosis and treatment norms of tra-ditional Chinese medicine for children with adenoid hypertrophy.

This article reports one case of adult COVID-19-associated acute necrotizing encephalopathy(ANEC).The patient developed disturbance of consciousness and seizure on the 12th day after SARS-CoV-2 infection.Imaging showed significant swelling and signal changes in the bilateral thalamus,brainstem,cerebral hemisphere and cerebellar hemisphere,which were consistent with the characteristic images of Acute necrotizing encephalitis(ANE).Although methylprednisolone shock therapy and high-dose human immunoglobulin therapy were given early,the patient died.ANEC often starts quickly and progresses rapidly,unconsciousness and seizure are the main manifestations.Imaging features of thalamic and subtentorial symmetry and multifocal lesions are specific for diagnosis,but the treatment and prognosis still face challenges and need further study.

Objective:To investigate the changing trends in cardiac function following xenogeneic heterotopic heart transplantation of multi-gene edited pig hearts and assess the impact of recipient immune responses on donor heart, laying experimental groundwork for the clinical application of gene editing technology.Methods:On December 16, 2023, xenogeneic heterotopic heart transplantation was performed between pigs and rhesus monkeys. Functional status of the graft under post-transplantation load conditions and recipient immune indicators were observed.Results:The recipient monkeys survived for 40 days with satisfactory functionality of both donor and recipient hearts, and no hyperacute or acute immune rejection reactions were observed.Conclusion:Multi-gene editing technology provides potential for xenotransplantation, yet further exploration is needed for its clinical application.

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of neoadjuvant radiohormonal therapy for oligometastatic prostate cancer (OMPC), we conducted a 3 + 3 dose escalation, prospective, phase I/II, single-arm clinical trial (CHiCTR1900025743), in which long-term neoadjuvant androgen deprivation was adopted 1 month before radiotherapy, comprising intensity modulated radiotherapy to the pelvis, and stereotactic body radiation therapy to all extra-pelvic bone metastases for 4-7 weeks, at 39.6, 45, 50.4, and 54 Gy. Robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy was performed after 5-14 weeks. The primary outcome was treatment-related toxicities and adverse events; secondary outcomes were radiological treatment response, positive surgical margin (pSM), postoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA), pathological down-grading and tumor regression grade, and survival parameters. Twelve patients were recruited from March 2019 to February 2020, aging 66.2 years in average (range, 52-80). Median baseline PSA was 62.0 ng/mL. All underwent RARP successfully without open conversions. Ten patients recorded pathological tumor down-staging (83.3%), and 5 (41.7%) with cN1 recorded negative regional lymph nodes on final pathology. 66.7% (8/12) recorded tumor regression grading (TRG) -I and 25% (3/12) recorded TRG-II. Median follow-up was 16.5 months. Mean radiological progression-free survival (RPFS) was 21.3 months, with 2-year RPFS of 83.3%. In all, neoadjuvant radiohormonal therapy is well tolerated for oligometastatic prostate cancer.
Male ; Humans ; Prostatic Neoplasms/radiotherapy* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen/therapeutic use* ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Androgen Antagonists/therapeutic use* ; Prospective Studies

Objective:To study the factors influencing repeatedly hospitalization in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP), and to analyse the predictive value of triglyceride for repeated hospitalization.Methods:The clinical data of 1 958 patients with AP treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Science and Technology from January 2012 to April 2022 were analyzed. Of 1 733 AP patients who were enrolled, there were 1 000 males and 733 females, with mean ± s. d age being (49.4±16.4) years. Patients were grouped based on their ID numbers to determine their number(s) of hospitalization. Those who were admitted only once were included in the initial hospitalization group ( n=1 030), and those who were admitted twice or more were included in the repeated hospitalization group ( n=703). The factors influencing repeated hospitalization were analyzed by univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis. The predictive value of triglyceride for repeated hospitalization was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results:Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that hypertriglyceridemia ( OR=1.445, 95% CI: 1.144-1.825, P=0.002) and biliary causes ( OR=3.184, 95% CI: 1.978-5.125, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for repeated hospitalization. When triglyceride <10.9 mmol/L, the prediction of AP patients without repeated hospitalization was 90.6%. The area under the ROC curve was 0.589, and the Yoden index was 0.170. Conclusion:Hypertriglyceridemia was risk factor for repeat hospitalization in AP patients and the efficacy of triglyceride in predicting repeat hospitalization in AP patients was good.

Objective:To construct a bowel preparation assessment scale for patients undergoing enteroscopy based on Delphi method and provide clinical nurses with a scientific and convenient bowel preparation assessment tool.Method:The bowel preparation assessment scale for patients undergoing enteroscopy was constructed through literature review, Delphi expert correspondence and analytic hierarchy process. Using the convenient sampling method, a total of 1 988 patients who needed bowel cleansing due to enteroscopy in the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from June 2020 to January 2022 were selected as the research objects. The patients who underwent enteroscopy from June 2020 to April 2021 were set up as the pre-application group ( n=980) and patients who underwent enteroscopy from April 2021 to January 2022 were set up as the post-application group ( n=1 008) . The qualified rate of bowel preparation in patients undergoing enteroscopy was compared between the two groups. Results:A total of 16 experts were invited for 2 rounds of correspondence. The effective recovery rates of the two rounds of questionnaires were respectively 100.00% and 93.75%, the expert authority coefficients were respectively 0.837 and 0.800, and the Kendall's harmony coefficients were respectively 0.207 and 0.280 (all P<0.01) . The final constructed bowel preparation assessment scale for patients undergoing enteroscopy included 4 first-level indicators, 18 second-level indicators and 47 third-level indicators. After the assessment scale was applied to the clinic, the bowel preparation qualified rate (82.24%) of patients in the post-application group was higher than that in the pre-application group (66.43%) , and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.01) . Conclusions:The bowel preparation assessment scale for patients undergoing enteroscopy constructed based on the Delphi method is reliable, scientific and practical, which can effectively guide clinical nursing work.

Epidemiological evidence suggests that patients with hypertension infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are at increased risk of acute lung injury. However, it is still not clear whether this increased risk is related to the usage of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockers. We collected medical records of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients from the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine (Hangzhou, China), and evaluated the potential impact of an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) on the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients with hypertension. A total of 30 hypertensive COVID-19 patients were enrolled, of which 17 were classified as non-ARB group and the remaining 13 as ARB group based on the antihypertensive therapies they received. Compared with the non-ARB group, patients in the ARB group had a lower proportion of severe cases and intensive care unit (ICU) admission as well as shortened length of hospital stay, and manifested favorable results in most of the laboratory testing. Viral loads in the ARB group were lower than those in the non-ARB group throughout the disease course. No significant difference in the time of seroconversion or antibody levels was observed between the two groups. The median levels of soluble angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (sACE2) in serum and urine samples were similar in both groups, and there were no significant correlations between serum sACE2 and biomarkers of disease severity. Transcriptional analysis showed 125 differentially expressed genes which mainly were enriched in oxygen transport, bicarbonate transport, and blood coagulation. Our results suggest that ARB usage is not associated with aggravation of COVID-19. These findings support the maintenance of ARB treatment in hypertensive patients diagnosed with COVID-19.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists/therapeutic use* ; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/blood* ; Antibodies, Viral/blood* ; Antihypertensive Agents/therapeutic use* ; Biomarkers ; COVID-19/complications* ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension/drug therapy* ; Intensive Care Units ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Transcriptome ; Viral Load

Objective: To assess the clinical value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in predicting anastomotic leak of postoperative rectal cancer patients. Methods: The clinical data of 787 rectal cancer patients who underwent anterior resection from January 2014 to December 2017 in Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Zhengzhou University were collected. The postoperative numbers of white blood cell (WBS) on postoperative day (POD)1, 3 and 5 were detected, and the NLR was calculated. The relationship of NLR and the incidence of anastomotic leak was analyzed, and the area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves was calculated. The accuracy of postoperative NLR in predicting the incidence of anastomotic leak was evaluated. Results: WBC counts of patients with leak on POD1, POD3 and POD5 were 13.2×10⁹/L, 9.1×10⁹/L and 8.9×10⁹/L, respectively, while those of patients without leak were 12.9×10⁹/L, 9.0×10⁹/L and 8.8×10⁹/L. The WBC count was not significantly different between patients with or without leak (P>0.05). The average NLR values of patients with or without leak were 13.3 and 11.6 on POD1, 10.9 and 7.6 on POD3, 9.3 and 5.3 on POD5, respectively. The NLR values of patients with leak on POD3 and POD5 were significantly higher than those of patients without leak (P<0.05). The cutoff value of NLR on POD3 was 8.6, the sensitivity and specificity of detecting the leakage was 73.2% and 75.6%, respectively, and the area under curve (AUC) was 0.744. The cutoff value of NLR on POD5 was 5.5, the sensitivity and specificity was 69.6% and 75.5%, the AUC was 0.726. The multivariate analysis result showed that NLR >8.6 was an independent factor for anastomotic leak prediction. Conclusion Postoperative NLR on day 3 is useful in predicting anastomotic leak and can decrease the incidence of complication in rectal cancer patients who underwent anterior resection.