Objective To explore the predictive value of the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, energy metabolism and serum thyroid hormone levels on the severity and prognosis of patients with liver failure and their correlation. Methods This study collected clinicopathological data from 60 liver failure patients, e.g., end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, energy metabolism, and serum thyroid hormone levels. The χ 2 test was performed to analyze the categorical variables, while the Mann-Whitney U test and independent sample t test were performed to assess the continuous variables between the two groups. Spearman correlation coefficient test was used to evaluate correlation of each index. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the optimal cut-off points of serum total triiodothyronine (TT3) and free triiodothyronine (FT3) levels in predicting prognosis of the patients. Results The rates of low TT3 and FT3 levels in liver failure patients were 78.2% and 69.1%, respectively, whereas the low TT3 rates were 95.2% and 67.6% and the low FT3 rates were 90.5% and 55.9% in survival and non-survival groups of patients, respectively (both P < 0.05). Moreover, the MELD score was significantly higher in the non-survival patients than in survival patients [26.0(21.0-29.0) vs 21.0 (19.0-24.0), Z =-3.396, P =0.001], while TT3 and FT3 levels were significantly lower in the non-survival patients than in the survival patients [0.69(0.62-0.73) vs 0.83(0.69-0.94) and 2.17(1.99-2.31) vs 2.54(2.12-2.86), respectively; Z =-2.884、-2.876, all P < 0.01]. The MELD score was negatively associated with serum TT3, FT3, and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels and the respiratory quotient (RQ) ( r =-0.487、-0.329、-0.422、-0.350, all P < 0.01), whereas the RQ was associated with serum TT3 and FT3 levels ( r =0.271、0.265, all P < 0.05). The optimal cutoff values in predicting the severity and survival of patients was 0.75 nmol/L and 2.37pmol/L with the sensitivity values of 67.6% and 64.7% and the specificity of 90.5% and 81.0%, respectively. Conclusion Abnormal thyroid hormone levels and low respiratory quotient could be used to predict the severity and prognosis of patients with liver failure.

Humans ; Comorbidity ; Diabetes Mellitus/genetics* ; East Asian People ; Hypertension/genetics* ; Hypertriglyceridemia/genetics* ; Obesity/genetics* ; Receptors, Calcitriol/genetics*

Tibet orbivirus (TIBOV) was identified as a novel orbivirus in 2014. Antibodies against TIBOV were detected in cattle, Asian buffalo, and goats, while all the sequenced TIBOV strains were isolated from mosquitos and Culicoides. The known TIBOV strains have been classified into four putative serotypes. In this study, two TIBOV strains isolated from Culicoides spp. in Shizong County of Yunnan Province, China, were fully sequenced. The phylogenetic analysis of outer capsid protein 2 (VP2) indicated that these two viral strains belong to two novel putative serotypes of TIBOV. The updated putative serotypes may help in an investigation of the distribution and virulence of TIBOV.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a user-friendly risk score for older mitral regurgitation (MR) patients, referred to as the Elder-MR score. METHODS: The China Senile Valvular Heart Disease (China-DVD) Cohort Study functioned as the development cohort, while the China Valvular Heart Disease (China-VHD) Study was employed for external validation. We included patients aged 60 years and above receiving medical treatment for moderate or severe MR (2274 patients in the development cohort and 1929 patients in the validation cohort). Candidate predictors were chosen using Cox's proportional hazards model and stepwise selection with Akaike's information criterion. RESULTS: Eight predictors were identified: age ≥ 75 years, body mass index < 20 kg/m², NYHA class III/IV, secondary MR, anemia, estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min per 1.73 m², albumin < 35 g/L, and left ventricular ejection fraction < 60%. The model displayed satisfactory performance in predicting one-year mortality in both the development cohort (C-statistic = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.69-0.77, Brier score = 0.06) and the validation cohort (C-statistic = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.68-0.78, Brier score = 0.06). The Elder-MR score ranges from 0 to 15 points. At a one-year follow-up, each point increase in the Elder-MR score represents a 1.27-fold risk of death (HR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.21-1.34, P < 0.001) in the development cohort and a 1.24-fold risk of death (HR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.17-1.30, P < 0.001) in the validation cohort. Compared to EuroSCORE II, the Elder-MR score demonstrated superior predictive accuracy for one-year mortality in the validation cohort (C-statistic = 0.71 vs. 0.70, net reclassification improvement = 0.320, P < 0.01; integrated discrimination improvement = 0.029, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The Elder-MR score may serve as an effective risk stratification tool to assist clinical decision-making in older MR patients.

ObjectiveTo determine the characteristics and influencing factors of hepatitis C virus （HCV） co-infection among HIV concordant couples in Dehong Prefecture. MethodsUsing the data of newly reported HIV concordant couples in Dehong Prefecture from 2016 to 2019， we collected the demographic characteristics， exposure history， and HCV infection to determine the characteristics of HCV co-infection among HIV concordant couples. ResultsAmong the 160 HIV concordant couples included in the study， 46 （28.8%） males and 14 （8.8%） females were co-infected with HCV. The prevalence of HIV-HCV co-infection was higher among the male spouses who were diagnosed less than 40， Jingpo ethnic， Burmese， illiteracy， farmers， and intravenous drug users. In contrast， the prevalence of HIV-HCV co-infection was higher among the female spouses who were diagnosed less than 40， Jingpo ethnic， and Burmese. Logistic regression analysis among male spouses showed that the Jingpo ethnic and intravenous drug users had higher risk of HCV co-infection. ConclusionHIV concordant couples in Dehong Prefecture have high prevalence of HIV-HCV co-infection. Effective intervention strategies should be developed based on ethnic-specific factors and exposure characteristics among male and female spouses of HIV concordant couples.

Objective: To analyze the dynamic changes and influencing factors of HIV-1 DNA load in HIV-1 infected individuals under antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Dehong Dai and Jingpo autonomous prefecture, Yunnan province, and provide information support for the clinical use of HIV-1 DNA quantitative detection. Methods: The HIV infection cases in recent infection cohort from Dehong Center for Disease Control and Prevention during 2009-2018 were selected as study subjects. The dynamic curve of HIV-1 DNA load varrying with time was generated and logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the risk factors for HIV-1 load in the recent follow up after ART and statistical analysis was performed by using SPSS 17.0. Results: Among the 113 HIV infection cases detected from the recent infection cohort, the recent HIV infection rate were 49.6%(56/113) males, sexual transmission cases and drug injection transmission cases accounted for 53.1% (60/113), 80.5% (91/113) and 19.5% (22/113), respectively. The dynamic changes curve showed that HIV-1 DNA load was relatively high (>800 copies /10⁶ PBMCs) before ART, and droped rapidly (<400 copies /10⁶ PBMCs) after ART for 1 year. However, HIV-1 DNA load decreased insignificantly from the second year of ART, and remained to be 269 copies/10⁶ PBMCs after ART for 6 years. Univariable logistic regression analysis indicated that OR (95%CI) of CD8, CD4/CD8 and HIV-1 DNA load were 1.00 (1.00-1.00), 0.30 (0.09-1.05) and 1.01 (1.00-1.01), respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that OR value of HIV-1 DNA load base was 1.00 (1.00-1.01). Conclusions: HIV-1 DNA load decreased significantly in the first year of ART, then remained stable for years. HIV-1 DNA load base was the key factor associated with the decrease of HIV-1 DNA load, the lower the HIV-1 DNA load base, the lower HIV-1 DNA load. Therefore, earlier ART can contribute to the decrease of HIV-1 DNA load.
China/epidemiology* ; DNA/therapeutic use* ; HIV Infections/drug therapy* ; HIV Seropositivity ; HIV-1/genetics* ; Humans ; Male ; Viral Load

Objective To analyze the hospitalization cost and its influencing factors of imported malaria patients in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Yunnan Province, so as to provide insights into the evaluation of the economic burden due to imported malaria, and the guiding of malaria control and the rational allocation of medical resources. Methods The data pertaining to the hospitalization costs of imported malaria patients admitted to Shanglin County People’s Hospital in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region during the period from January 1 through December 31, 2019, and Tengchong Municipal People’s Hospital in Yunnan Province from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2019, were collected, and the epidemiological data of these imported malaria patients were extracted from the Information Management System for Parasitic Diseases Control and Prevention, China. The composition of the hospitalization expenses was analyzed using a descriptive method. In addition, the factors affecting the hospitalization expenses of imported malaria patients were identified using a univariate analysis and a recursive system model. Results A total of 206 imported malaria patients were included in this study, including 194 men (94.17%) and 12 women (5.83%). The mean length of hospital stay was 5.00 days per patient and the median hospitalization expenses were 2 813.07 Yuan per time, in which the expenses for laboratory examinations were the highest (45.31%, 1 274.62/2 813.07). Univariate analysis showed that hospital (z = 5.43, P < 0.01), type of malaria (χ² = 34.86, P < 0.01) and type of payment (χ² = 7.72, P < 0.05) were factors affecting the hospitalization expenses of imported malaria patients. Recursion system modeling revealed that the total effects on hospitalization expenses of imported malaria patients included length of hospital stay (0.78), selection of hospital (0.34), basic medical insurance for urban and rural residents (0.19), new rural cooperative medical care (0.17), Plasmodium falciparum malaria (0.15), gender (0.11) and P. vivax malaria (0.09). Conclusions The hospitalization expenses of imported malaria patients are affected by multiple factors in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Yunnan Province, in which the length of hospital stay is the most predominant influencing factor. A reduction in the length of hospital stay is effective to decrease the hospitalization expenses of imported malaria patients.

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of ginger-partitioned moxibustion plus pediatric massage (tuina) in treating infantile diarrhea due to spleen deficiency. Methods: Ninety infants were randomly divided into a massage plus moxibustion group, a massage group and a drug group by the random number table method, with 30 cases in each group. The intervention was conducted for two consecutive courses. The infants in the massage plus moxibustion group were treated with pediatric massage and ginger-partitioned moxibustion at Shenque (CV 8). The infants in the massage group were treated with pediatric massage alone, while those in the drug group were treated with smecta. The primary and secondary symptom scales were assessed before and after treatment and at the follow-ups, and the total effective rate was evaluated after treatment. Results: The total effective rate in the massage plus moxibustion group was significantly different from that in the massage group and drug group (both P<0.05). After treatment, the scores of primary and secondary symptoms decreased in all three groups, with statistically significant intra-group differences (all P<0.05); the scores of primary symptoms were significantly different between the massage plus moxibustion group and the drug group (P<0.05); the scores of secondary symptoms in the massage plus moxibustion group and the massage group were significantly different from that in the drug group (both P<0.05). The differences in the time to recover normal bowel movement frequency among the three groups were not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusion: Ginger-partitioned moxibustion plus pediatric massage compared with pediatric massage or smecta monotherapy shows superior clinical efficacy in treating infantile diarrhea due to spleen deficiency, and has the advantages of appetite improvement, physique strengthening and short course.

BACKGROUND: Shenyankangfu Tablet (SYKFT) is a Chinese patent medicine that has been used widely to decrease proteinuria and the progression of chronic kidney disease. OBJECTIVE: This trial compared the efficacy and safety of SYKFT, for the control of proteinuria in primary glomerulonephritis patients, against the standard drug, losartan potassium. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTION: This was a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial. Primary glomerulonephritis patients, aged 18-70 years, with blood pressure ≤ 140/90 mmHg, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥ 45 mL/min per 1.73 m MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was change in the 24-hour proteinuria level, after 48 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: A total of 735 participants were enrolled. The percent decline of urine protein quantification in the SYKFT group after 48 weeks was 8.78% ± 2.56% (P = 0.006) more than that in the losartan 50 mg group, which was 0.51% ± 2.54% (P = 1.000) less than that in the losartan 100 mg group. Compared with the losartan potassium 50 mg group, the SYKFT plus losartan potassium 50 mg group had a 13.39% ± 2.49% (P < 0.001) greater reduction in urine protein level. Compared with the losartan potassium 100 mg group, the SYKFT plus losartan potassium 100 mg group had a 9.77% ± 2.52% (P = 0.001) greater reduction in urine protein. With a superiority threshold of 15%, neither was statistically significant. eGFR, serum creatinine and serum albumin from the baseline did not change statistically significant. The average change in TCM syndrome score between the patients who took SYKFT (-3.00 [-6.00, -2.00]) and who did not take SYKFT (-2.00 [-5.00, 0]) was statistically significant (P = 0.003). No obvious adverse reactions were observed in any group. CONCLUSION: SYKFT decreased the proteinuria and improved the TCM syndrome scores of primary glomerulonephritis patients, with no change in the rate of decrease in the eGFR. SYKFT plus losartan potassium therapy decreased proteinuria more than losartan potassium therapy alone. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT02063100 on ClinicalTrials.gov.