Objective To explore the safety and effects of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) in patients with ischemic heart failure (IHF). Methods A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was designed (ClinicalTrial.gov registration number NCT03491969). From January 2019 to January 2023, 300 patients with IHF were enrolled in four medical centers in China, and were randomly assigned at a 1∶1 ratio to receive ALA (600 mg daily) or placebo on top of standard care for 24 months. The primary outcome was the composite outcome of hospitalization for heart failure (HF) or all-cause mortality events. The second outcome included non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), non-fatal stroke, changes of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and 6-minute walking distance (6MWD) from baseline to 24 months after randomization. Results Finally, 138 patients of the ALA group and 139 patients of the placebo group attained the primary outcome. Hospitalization for HF or all-cause mortality events occurred in 32 patients (23.2%) of the ALA group and in 40 patients (28.8%) of the placebo group (HR＝0.753, 95%CI 0.473-1.198, P＝0.231; Figure 1A-1C). The absolute risk reduction (ARR) was 5.6%, the relative risk reduction (RRR) associated with ALA therapy was approximately 19.4% compared to placebo, corresponding to a number needed to treat (NNT) of 18 patients to prevent one event. In the secondary outcome analysis, the composite outcome of the major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) including the hospitalization for HF, all-cause mortality events, non-fatal MI or non-fatal stroke occurred in 35 patients (25.4%) in the ALA group and 47 patients (33.8%) in the placebo group (HR＝0.685, 95%CI 0.442-1.062, P＝0.091; Figure 1D). Moreover, greater improvement in LVEF (β＝3.20, 95%CI 1.14-5.23, P＝0.002) and 6MWD (β＝31.7, 95%CI 8.3-54.7, P＝0.008) from baseline to 24 months after randomization were observed in the ALA group as compared to the placebo group. There were no differences in adverse events between the study groups. Conclusions These results show potential long-term beneficial effects of adding ALA to IHF patients. ALA could significantly improve LVEF and 6MWD compared to the placebo group in IHF patients.

This study was aimed at summarizing the epidemiological characteristics and spatial-temporal changes of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome(HFRS)in Hubei Province,China from 2005 to 2021,to provide scientific evi-dence for HFRS prevention and control.Data on individual HFRS cases and population information in Hubei Province from 2005 to 2021 were collected from the China Disease Pre-vention and Control Information System.The temporal,spa-tial,and demographic distribution characteristics of HFRS cases are described,and statistical methods such as medians,rates,and composition ratios were used for analysis.Joinpoint re-gression and Spearman's rank correlation were used to analyze the temporal trends in incidence rates or composition ratios.Global autocorrelation and hotspot analysis were conducted for spatial clustering analysis.Binary logistic regression was per-formed to analyze risk factors for HFRS mortality.A total of 5 790 HFRS cases were reported from 2005 to 2021,including 117 deaths.The average annual incidence rate was 0.57 per 100 000 population,and the case fatality rate was 2.02％.The overall incidence rate of HFRS in Hubei Province showed an increasing trend(AAPC=4.05％,95％CI:1.32％-6.78％),whereas the case fatality rate showed a decreasing trend over the years(r,=-0.72,P=0.002).HFRS exhibited a bimodal pattern,with peaks in the spring/summer months(May to July)and in the autumn/winter months(November to January of the following year).The incidence rate during the autumn/winter peak was slightly higher than that in the spring/summer peak.The incidence rate in males was higher than in females(RR=2.96,95％CI:2.79-3.14).The three age groups with the highest incidence rates were 60-64 years(747 cases,1.55 per 100 000),65-69 years(515 cases,1.39 per 100 000),and 55-59 years(762 cases,1.23 per 100 000).The incidence rate(2005:0.05 per 100 000;2021:0.08 per 100 000)and proportion(2005:2.69％;2021:1.94％)of HFRS cases in individuals 14 years or younger showed no significant trend over the years(AAPC=0.14％,95％CI:-0.03％-0.31％;AAPC=-3.64％,95％CI:-8.79％-1.50％).The incidence rate(2005:0.58 per 100 000;2021:1.59 per 100 000)and proportion(2005:14.80％;2021:44.31％)in the age group of 60 years or a-bove showed an increasing trend over the years(AAPC=10.52％,95％CI:4.38％-16.66％;AAPC=175.98％,95％CI:143.20％-208.75％).HFRS cases exhibited significant spatial clustering(P＜0.05).The hotspots of HFRS in Hubei Province shifted from the northern region(Xiangyang,Suizhou,Jingmen)in 2005-2007 to the southern region(Qianjiang,Xiantao,Tianmen,Jingzhou)in 2020-2021.Older age(OR=1.02,95％CI:1.01-1.04)and the period of 2005-2008 versus 2017-2021(OR=0.98,95％CI:0.97-0.99)were associated with relatively higher risk of HFRS mortality.In recent years,the HFRS epidemic in Hubei Province has continued to escalate,and areas such as Qianjiang City and other ares in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River have experienced high incidence rates.The population 60 years of age or above is gradually becoming more susceptible to the disease.Targeted measures should be implemented to curb the rising trend of HFRS.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) on left atrial and ventricular function in patients with ischemia and non-obstructive coronary artery disease (INOCA) under the drug stress of regadenoson by speckle tracking imaging and left ventricular pressure-strain ring ultrasound technology.Methods:A total of 43 patients with INOCA who were admitted to the Department of Cardiology of the First Bethune Hospital of Jilin University from May 2022 to October 2023 were prospectively enrolled, and drug stress tests were performed. The coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) values were obtained by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography, and the INOCA patients with CFVR<2.0 were assigned to the CMD group ( n=24), and those with CFVR≥2.0 were assigned to the contrast group (CON group, n=19), and 20 healthy people without chest pain matched by clinical data were selected as the negative group (NEG group). The differences in general clinical data, routine echocardiography before and after stress, left atrial strain, and myocardial work parameters were compared between the groups. The correlation analysis of intra-group parameters was performed, and then the ROC curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of ultrasound parameters for INOCA. Results:Compared with the CON group and the NEG group, the ratio of early diastoic velocity E peak of mitral value orifice to the late diastoic velocity A peak(E/A) decreased and the ratio of early diastoic velocity E peak of mitral valve orifice to the early diastoic velocity e′ of the mitral valve annulus(E/e′) increased in the CMD group, and the differences were statistically signnificant (all P<0.05).There were statistically significant differences in left atrial strain parameters including left atrial strain reservoir (LASr), left atrial conduit strain (LAScd), left atrial contraction strain (LASct) between CON group and CMD group before and after stress (all P<0.05).However, there were no statistically significant differences between CON group and CMD group in myocardial work parameters including global longitudinal strain (GLS), peak strain dispersion (PSD), global work index (GWI), global constructive work (GCW), global wasted work (GWW), global work efficiency (GWE) at rest (all P>0.05), and there were significant differences only after stress (all P<0.05). E/e′ was negatively correlated with LASr and LAScd in the CMD group and CON group ( rs=-0.36, r=-0.31; all P<0.05), GLS was positively correlated with GWI, GCW, GWE( r=0.81, 0.61, 0.37; all P<0.05). GLS was positively correlated with GWI, GCW and GWE at stress state( r=0.66, 0.51, 0.52; all P<0.05), and negatively correlated with GWW ( rs=-0.39, P<0.05). PSD was positively correlated with GWW ( rs=0.30, P<0.05), and negatively correlated with GWI, GCW and GWE ( r=-0.46, -0.40, -0.38; all P<0.05). Univariate regression analysis showed that left atrial strain and myocardial work had good predictive values for CMD, and the predictive values of rest LASr and stress GLS were higher, with AUC values of 0.927 and 0.882, respectively. Conclusions:In patients with INOCA and CMD, the left atrial strain capacity decreases at both rest and stress state, and the myocardial work capacity decreases only under the stress. The changes in parameters of left atrial strain and myocardial work provide new ultrasound parameters and predictors for clinical evaluation of CMD.

Objective To investigate the feasibility of developing a grading diagnostic model for schistosomiasis-induced liver fibrosis based on B-mode ultrasonographic images and clinical laboratory indicators. Methods Ultrasound images and clinical laboratory testing data were captured from schistosomiasis patients admitted to the Second People’s Hospital of Duchang County, Jiangxi Province from 2018 to 2022. Patients with grade I schistosomiasis-induced liver fibrosis were enrolled in Group 1, and patients with grade II and III schistosomiasis-induced liver fibrosis were enrolled in Group 2. The machine learning binary classification tasks were created based on patients’radiomics and clinical laboratory data from 2018 to 2021 as the training set, and patients’radiomics and clinical laboratory data in 2022 as the validation set. The features of ultrasonographic images were labeled with the ITK-SNAP software, and the features of ultrasonographic images were extracted using the Python 3.7 package and PyRadiomics toolkit. The difference in the features of ultrasonographic images was compared between groups with t test or Mann-Whitney U test, and the key imaging features were selected with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression algorithm. Four machine learning models were created using the Scikit-learn repository, including the support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), linear regression (LR) and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost). The optimal machine learning model was screened with the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), and features with the greatest contributions to the differentiation features of ultrasound images in machine learning models with the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method. Results The ultrasonographic imaging data and clinical laboratory testing data from 491 schistosomiasis patients from 2019 to 2022 were included in the study, and a total of 851 radiomics features and 54 clinical laboratory indicators were captured. Following statistical tests (t = −5.98 to 4.80, U = 6 550 to 20 994, all P values < 0.05) and screening of key features with LASSO regression, 44 features or indicators were included for the subsequent modeling. The areas under ROC curve (AUCs) were 0.763 and 0.611 for the training and validation sets of the SVM model based on clinical laboratory indicators, 0.951 and 0.892 for the training and validation sets of the SVM model based on radiomics, and 0.960 and 0.913 for the training and validation sets of the multimodal SVM model. The 10 greatest contributing features or indicators in machine learning models included 2 clinical laboratory indicators and 8 radiomics features. Conclusions The multimodal machine learning models created based on ultrasound-based radiomics and clinical laboratory indicators are feasible for intelligent identification of schistosomiasis-induced liver fibrosis, and are effective to improve the classification effect of one-class data models.

ObjectiveTo describe the epidemic characteristics of COVID-19 after policy adjustment from “Category B notifiable disease with category A management” to “Category B notifiable disease with category B management”， and to explore the protective effect of previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 on common symptoms of reinfection. MethodsHealthcare workers infected with SARS-CoV-2 in a grade A tertiary hospital in Shanghai were included in the study from December 4， 2022 to January 11， 2023. Data on demographic characteristics， clinical symptoms， medical history， and COVID-19 vaccination history were collected. We determined the epidemiological curve and characteristics， and then compared the difference in the severity of clinical symptoms between primary and reinfection subjects. ResultsA total of 2 704 cases were included in the study， of which 45 had reinfection， 605 （22.4%）were males， 608 （22.5%）were doctors， 1 275 （47.2%） were nurses， and 2 351 （86.9%） received ≥3 doses of COVID-19 vaccination. The average age of these healthcare workers was （34.9±9.1） years old. The number of cases with mild/moderate illness， asymptomatic infection， fever， headache， dry cough， expectoration， and chest tightness were 2 704 （100.0%）， 92 （3.4%）， 2 385 （88.2%）， 2 066 （76.4%）， 1 642 （60.7%）， 1 807 （66.8%）， and 439 （16.2%）， respectively. Reinfection was a protective factor for fever （OR=0.161， P<0.001）， headache （OR=0.320， P<0.001）， and peak body temperature （β=-0.446， P<0.001）. ConclusionFollowing the COVID-19 policy adjustment as a category B notifiable disease， healthcare workers at a grade A tertiary hospital in Shanghai predominantly experiences mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms. Reinfection results in milder clinical manifestations， with a lower proportion of being asymptomatic.

Objective:To investigate the current situation of the use of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) for portal hypertension, which should aid the development of TIPS in China.Methods:The China Portal Hypertension Alliance (CHESS) initiated this study that comprehensively investigated the basic situation of TIPS for portal hypertension in China through network research. The survey included the following: the number of surgical cases, main indications, the development of Early-TIPS, TIPS for portal vein cavernous transformation, collateral circulation embolization, intraoperative portal pressure gradient measurement, commonly used stent types, conventional anticoagulation and time, postoperative follow-up, obstacles, and the application of domestic instruments.Results:According to the survey, a total of 13 527 TIPS operations were carried out in 545 hospitals participating in the survey in 2021, and 94.1% of the hospital had the habit of routine follow-up after TIPS. Most hospitals believed that the main indications of TIPS were the control of acute bleeding (42.6%) and the prevention of rebleeding (40.7%). 48.1% of the teams carried out early or priority TIPS, 53.0% of the teams carried out TIPS for the cavernous transformation of the portal vein, and 81.0% chose routine embolization of collateral circulation during operation. Most of them used coils and biological glue as embolic materials, and 78.5% of the team routinely performed intraoperative portal pressure gradient measurements. In selecting TIPS stents, 57.1% of the hospitals woulel choose Viator-specific stents, 57.2% woulel choose conventional anticoagulation after TIPS, and the duration of anticoagulation was between 3-6 months (55.4%). The limitation of TIPS surgery was mainly due to cost (72.3%) and insufficient understanding of doctors in related departments (77.4%). Most teams accepted the domestic instruments used in TIPS (92.7%).Conclusions:This survey shows that TIPS treatment is an essential part of treating portal hypertension in China. The total number of TIPS cases is far from that of patients with portal hypertension. In the future, it is still necessary to popularize TIPS technology and further standardize surgical indications, routine operations, and instrument application.

Objective To compare the effect of palliative mitral valve surgeries and medication therapies for secondary non-ischemic mitral regurgitation. Methods The clinical data of patients with non-ischemic functional mitral regurgitation treated in our hospital between 2009 and 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)＜40% underwent a dobutamine stress test, and a positive result was determined when the LVEF improved by more than 15% compared to the baseline value. Positive patients were divided into a surgery group and a medication group. The surgery group underwent surgical mitral valve repair or replacement, while the medication group received simple medication treatment. Follow-up on survival and cardiac function status through outpatient or telephone visits every six months after surgery, and patients underwent cardiac ultrasound examination one year after surgery. The main research endpoint was a composite endpoint of all-cause death, heart failure readmission, and heart transplantation, and the differences in cardiac function and cardiac ultrasound parameters between the two groups were compared. Results Ultimately 41 patients were collected, including 28 males and 13 females with an average age of 55.5±11.1 years. Twenty-five patients were in the surgery group and sixteen patients in the medication group. The median follow-up time was 16 months, ranging 1-96 months. The occurrence of all-cause death in the surgery group was lower than that in the medication group (HR=0.124, 95%CI 0.024-0.641, P=0.034). The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant in the composite endpoint (HR=0.499, 95%CI 0.523-1.631, P=0.229). The New York Heart Association (NYHA) grade of the surgery group was better (NYHA Ⅰ-Ⅱ accounted for 68.0% in the surgury group and 18.8% in the medication group, P<0.01) as well as the grade of mitral valve regurgitation (87.5% of the patients in the medication group had moderate or above regurgitation at follow-up, while all the patients in the surgery group had moderate below regurgitation, P<0.01). There was no statistical difference in preoperative and follow-up changes in echocardiograph parameters between the two groups (P＞0.05). Conclusion For non-ischemic functional mitral regurgitation, if the cardiac systolic function is well reserved, mitral valve surgery can improve survival and quality of life compare to simple medication therapy.

Stickler syndrome is a hereditary connective tissue disorder, characterized in ocular manifestations by high myopia and vitreous abnormalities. The progression of the disease can lead to giant retinal tear and rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, making it the most common cause of inherited pediatric retinal detachment. Surgical intervention is the primary treatment for retinal detachment associated with Stickler syndrome. However, there are currently no evidence-based management strategies. Patients typically require multiple surgeries, with low reattachment rates and high recurrence rates, emphasizing the importance of prophylactic treatment. Current prophylactic measures include scleral bucking, laser photocoagulation and retinal cryotherapy, but their absolute benefits remain insufficiently supported. This review summarizes recent advances in the prophylaxis and treatment of retinal detachment in Stickler syndrome, aiming to provide new insights and essential references for the prevention and treatment for such conditions.

Objective To evaluate the molluscicidal effects and costs of spraying 20% suspension concentrate of pyricloben-zuron sulphate (SCPS) with drones against Pomacea canaliculata in paddy environments, so as to provide insights into the extensive applications of pyriclobenzuron against P. canaliculata. Methods On July 2022, a paddy field was selected from Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province as the study area, and 72 independent rectangular plots measuring 2 m × 1 m were allocated in the study area, with 1 m interval between each plot, and 20 P. canaliculata snails gently placed in each plot. The activity of 25% wettable powder of pyriclobenzuron sulphate (WPPS) by manual spraying at doses of 0.50, 1.00, 2.00 g/m² and 4.00 g/m² against P. canaliculata was tested in 54 plots, and manual spraying of 50% wettable powder of niclosamide ethanolamine salt (WPNES) at a dose of 0.10 g/m² served as a chemical control, while manual spraying of the same volume of clean water served as a blank control, with 9 plots in each group. The activity of SCPS against P. canaliculata was tested in the remaining 18 plots. Based on the molluscicidal tests of WPPS, the molluscicidal effect of SCPS by manual spraying at doses of 0.20, 0.30, 0.40 g/m² and 0.50 g/m² against P. canaliculata was evaluated, and manual spraying of WPNES at a dose of 0.10 g/m² served as a chemical control, while manual spraying of the same volume of clean water served as a blank control, with three plots in each group. On July 2023, 14 paddy fields with a mean living P. canaliculata density of > 5 snails/m² were selected from Yujiang District, Yingtan City, Jiangxi Province for molluscicidal tests. Based on the molluscicidal effect of pyriclobenzuron against P. canaliculata in plots, the molluscicidal effects of WPPS by manual spraying at doses of 0.25, 0.50 g/m² and 1.00 g/m² and manual applications of WPPS at dose of 0.25, 0.50, 1.00 g/m² and 2.00 g/m² mixed with soil were tested, and manual spraying of 0.10 g/m² WPNES served as a chemical control group, while manual spraying of the same volume of clean water served as a blank control, with one paddy field in each group. Based on the effect of pyriclobenzuron against P. canaliculata in plots, the activity of SCPS sprayed with drones at doses of 0.25 g/m² and 0.50 g/m² mixed in water at 2 kg/667 m² and 4 kg/667 m² was tested against P. canaliculata, and spraying of the same volume of clean water with drones served as a blank control. All P. canaliculata snails were captured 3 days and 7 days following chemical treatment in plots and paddy fields and identified for survival, and the mortality and corrected mortality of P. canaliculata snails were estimated. In addition, the areas of chemical treatment, amount of molluscicide use and labor costs of chemical treatment were estimated in molluscicidal tests in paddy fields, and the costs of chemical treatment for an area covering 667 m² by drones and manual applications were calculated. Results The mortality of P. canaliculata snails was all 100% in plots 3 days and 7 days following spraying WPPS at doses of 0.50, 1.00, 2.00 g/m² and 4.00 g/m², and the mortality rates of P. canaliculata snails were 66.67% to 100.00% 3 days post-treatment with SCPS at various doses (χ² = 277.897, P < 0.05) and 76.67% to 100.00% 7 days post-treatment (χ² = 274.206, P < 0.05). The mortality rates of P. canaliculata snails were 98.19% to 100.00% 3 days post-treatment with WPPS at various doses in paddy fields. There was a significant difference in the mortality of P. canaliculata snails among WPPS treatment groups and controls (χ² = 270.778, P < 0.05), and there were no significant differences between WPPS treatment groups and the chemical control group (all P values > 0.05), while there were significant differences in the mortality of P. canaliculata snails between WPPS treatment groups and the blank control group (all P values < 0.05). The mortality rates of P. canaliculata snails were 89.83% to 95.31% 3 days post-treatment with SCPS at various doses sprayed with drones, and there was a significant difference in the mortality of P. canaliculata snails among SCPS treatment groups and the blank control group (χ² = 1 132.892, P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the mortality of P. canaliculata snails among SCPS treatment groups or water mixture groups (all P values > 0.05), and there were significant differences in the mortality of P. canaliculata snails between SCPS treatment groups and the blank control group (all P values < 0.05). The mortality rates of P. canaliculata snails were 94.62% to 100.00% 7 days post-treatment with SCPS at various doses sprayed with drones, and there was a significant difference in the mortality of P. canaliculata snails among SCPS treatment groups and the blank control group (χ² = 1 266.932, P < 0.05), with the highest mortality found following spraying 0.50 g/m² SCPS mixed in 2 kg/667 m² water with drones (P < 0.05). The costs of P. canaliculata snail control by drones and manually were 35.85 Yuan/667 m² and 43.33 Yuan/667 m²; however, the snail control efficiency was 6.67 times higher by drones than by manual applications. Conclusions SCPS sprayed with drones is highly active against P. canaliculata snails in paddy fields. SCPS sprayed with drones is highly efficient and low in cost for P. canaliculata snail control in paddy fields, beaches and river courses.

Background: Genetic defects in the human thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor (TSHR) gene can cause congenital hypothyroidism (CH). However, the biological functions and comprehensive genotype–phenotype relationships for most TSHR variants associated with CH remain unexplored. We aimed to identify TSHR variants in Chinese patients with CH, analyze the functions of the variants, and explore the relationships between TSHR genotypes and clinical phenotypes. Methods: In total, 367 patients with CH were recruited for TSHR variant screening using whole-exome sequencing. The effects of the variants were evaluated by in-silico programs such as SIFT and polyphen2. Furthermore, these variants were transfected into 293T cells to detect their Gs/cyclic AMP and Gq/11 signaling activity. Results: Among the 367 patients with CH, 17 TSHR variants, including three novel variants, were identified in 45 patients, and 18 patients carried biallelic TSHR variants. In vitro experiments showed that 10 variants were associated with Gs/cyclic AMP and Gq/11 signaling pathway impairment to varying degrees. Patients with TSHR biallelic variants had lower serum TSH levels and higher free triiodothyronine and thyroxine levels at diagnosis than those with DUOX2 biallelic variants. Conclusions We found a high frequency of TSHR variants in Chinese patients with CH (12.3%), and 4.9% of cases were caused by TSHR biallelic variants. Ten variants were identified as loss-of-function variants. The data suggest that the clinical phenotype of CH patients caused by TSHR biallelic variants is relatively mild. Our study expands the TSHR variant spectrum and provides further evidence for the elucidation of the genetic etiology of CH.