OBJECTIVES: With the accelerating aging of the population and the rising prevalence of chronic diseases, the number of patients with pressure injuries (PIs) has increased markedly, prolonging the period of disease-related care. Informal caregivers play a critical role in the daily care of patients with pressure injuries, and their care burden has become increasingly prominent. This study aims to investigate the current status and influencing factors of care burden among informal caregivers of patients with PIs, providing evidence for targeted intervention strategies. METHODS: A total of 170 informal caregivers of patients with PIs were selected by convenience sampling from the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. General demographic and clinical data of both patients and caregivers were collected. The Zarit Caregiver Burden Inventory (ZBI), Knowledge-Attitude-Practice Scale for Informal Caregivers of Patients with PIs, General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and Family Caregiver Task Inventory (FCTI) were used to assess caregiving burden, knowledge-attitude-practice level, self-efficacy, and caregiving ability, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to evaluate relationships among ZBI, Knowledge-Attitude-Practice Scale for Informal Caregivers of Patients with PIs, GSES, and FCTI scores. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify factors influencing caregiving. RESULTS: Among the 170 patients with pressure injuries, the age was (65.52±15.88) years; 118 (69.41%) were male and 52 (30.59%) were female. The duration of PIs was less than 1 month in 108 (63.53%) cases and 1 to 6 months in 40 cases (23.53%). Stage II injuries were predominant (135 cases, 79.41%). A total of 193 pressure injury sites were recorded, most commonly located at the sacrococcygeal region (127 sites, 65.80%), followed by the head (3 sites, 1.55%), shoulder and back (9 sites, 4.66%), feet (24 sites, 12.44%), and other regions (30 sites, 15.55%). Informal caregivers were 48.82% aged 46 to 59 years, 54.71% female, 41.77% primarily spouses and 47.06% children of the patients, and 77.06% lived with the patients. Caregivers who received assistance from others or had higher family per-capita monthly income reported significantly lower caregiver burden scores than those without assistance or with lower income (all P<0.001). The total ZBI score was 50.89±14.95, indicating a moderate burden. The total scores of the Knowledge-Attitude-Practice Scale for Informal Caregivers, GSES, and FCTI were 50.61±7.22, 26.03±7.11, and 14.76±8.70, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that ZBI scores were correlated with scores on the Knowledge-Attitude-Practice Scale for Informal Caregivers of Patients with PIs (r=-0.543, P<0.001), GSES scores (r=-0.545, P<0.001), and FCTI scores (r=0.800, P<0.001). The scores on Knowledge-Attitude-Practice Scale for Informal Caregivers of patients with PIs were correlated with GSES scores (r=0.500, P<0.001) and FCTI scores (r=-0.461, P<0.001); GSES scores was negatively correlated with FCTI scores (r=-0.415, P<0.001). Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis showed that assistance availability, family per-capita monthly income, total scores on the Knowledge-Attitude-Practice Scale for Informal Caregivers of Patients with PIs, total GSES score, and total FCTI score were the main influencing factors of caregiver burden, jointly explaining 79.38% of its variance. CONCLUSIONS The main factors influencing the caregiving burden of informal caregivers of patients with PIs include the availability of assistance, family per-capita monthly income, total score on the Knowledge-Attitude-Practice Scale for Informal Caregivers of PI patients, total score on the GSES, and total score on the FCTI. Developing targeted intervention strategies addressing these factors may help alleviate the caregiving burden among informal caregivers of patients with PIs.
Humans ; Caregivers/psychology* ; Pressure Ulcer/nursing* ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Cost of Illness ; Adult ; Aged ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Self Efficacy ; Caregiver Burden ; China

Objective:To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of high tibial osteotomy (HTO) assisted by digital orthopedic techniques in the treatment of varus knee osteoarthritis secondary to tibial fracture malunion.Methods:The clinical data were retrospectively analyzed of the 16 patients who had been admitted to Clinical Application Center of Digital Orthopedic Technology, Tianjin Hospital for varus knee osteoarthritis secondary to tibial fracture malunion from April 2022 to October 2023. There were 6 men and 10 women, with an age of (56.3±1.6) years and a mean body mass index of (23.8±0.9) kg/m 2. HTO was performed for all the patients using patient-specific instrumentation integrated osteotomy and orthopedic guide which was designed and printed with digital orthopedic techniques. If preoperative imaging indicated symptomatic meniscus injury (tear), intraarticular free body, or intercondylar fossa stenosis in a patient, arthroscopic clearance was first conducted before subsequent performance of HTO at one stage. Clinical effectiveness was evaluated by measuring and comparing hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA), medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA), posterior tibial slope (PTS), lower limb weight-bearing line (WBL) ratio, Western Ontario and McMaster University (WOMAC) osteoarthritis index, visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score and knee range of motion (ROM) before surgery and 12 months after surgery. Results:The operative time was (41.3±2.1) min and intraoperative fluoroscopy was performed only once in all the patients. All the wounds healed by the first stage with no such complications as hinge point fracture, wound infection, vascular injury, nerve injury, delayed union or nonunion of fracture, lower limb deep venous thrombosis, loosening of internal fixation, or plate rupture. The follow-up time for the 16 patients was (16.3±0.7) months. At 12 months after surgery, the HKA (179.5°±0.5°), MPTA (91.7°±0.5°), WBL ratio (61.2%±0.4%), WOMAC osteoarthritis index [(12.8±0.8) points], VAS pain score [(1.8±0.3) points] and knee ROM (121.8°±1.8°) were significantly better than those before surgery [166.6°±1.3°, 81.8°±0.4°, 29.6%±1.0%, (38.4±2.1) points, (4.8±0.3) points, and 110.5°±2.1°] ( P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in PTS between pre-surgery and 12 months after surgery ( P > 0.05). Conclusions:When HTO is used to treat varus knee osteoarthritis secondary to tibial fracture malunion, assistance of digital orthopedic techniques can improve HKA, MPTA, lower limb alignment, and knee ROM to reduce and recover knee function for the patients.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical effect of derotational distal femoral osteotomy (DDFO) combined with medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction assisted by digital orthopedic technique in the treatment of recurrent patellar dislocation with enlarged femoral anteversion angle (FAA).Methods:TThe clinical data of 18 patients (4 men and 14 women; mean age 22.1±0.7 years; range, 18-26 years) with recurrent patellar dislocation (FAA≥30°) admitted to Digital Orthopedic Technology Clinical Application Center in Tianjin hospital from May 2022 to December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The average number of patella dislocations were 3.6±0.4 (range, 2-8 times), with a mean symptom duration of 4.3±0.4 years (range, 2-7 years). According to Dejour classification of femoral trochlea dysplasia, there were 5 cases of type A, 3 cases of type B, 6 cases of type C and 4 cases of type D. All patients underwent 3D CT scanning and digital modeling before operation. Based on the modeling results, personalized osteotomy and orthopedic integration guide were designed and printed to direct intraoperative DDFO and MPFL reconstruction. Radiological parameters, knee function and complications were assessed during follow-up. Knee function assessments included visual analogue scale (VAS), Intemational Knee Documentation Committee Knee Form (IKDC), Kujala, Lysholm and Tegner score. The radiological parameters included FAA, patellar tilt angle (PTA), tibial tuberosity-trochlear groove distance (TT-TG) and caton-deschamps index (CDI).Results:All patients underwent surgery and were followed up for 15.4±2.8 months (range, 12-20 months). Complications occurred in 3 patients, including deep venous thrombosis in 2 cases and wound effusion in 1 case. No other complications such as wound infection, nerve injury, vascular injury, fracture nonunion or patella dislocation were recorded. The VAS score improved from 5.4±0.3 preoperatively to 2.1±0.2 at one year postoperatively. The IKDC score improved from 44.4±2.7 to 79.2±1.9 points. The Kujala score improved from 51.8±2.6 to 86.1±1.6, the Lysholm from 49.8±2.5 to 84.9±1.5, and the Tegner score from 2.2±0.2 to 4.1±0.2. The FAA decreased from 39.7°±1.2° to 14.9°±0.2°, the PTA from 33.1°±2.6° to 12.6°±1.4°, and the TT-TG from 20.2±0.6 to 13.9±0.4 mm. The differences between time of all the above-mentioned parameters were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The CDI remained stable, which changed from 1.03±0.02 preoperatively to 1.07±0.01 one year after operation ( P>0.05). Conclusions:After the application of DDFO combined with MPFL reconstruction assist by personalized osteotomy and orthopedic integrated guide, the patient's knee function and imaging parameters were significantly improved at one-year follow-up. In the treatment of recurrent patellar dislocation with enlarged FAA, good early clinical efficacy could be achieved with this operation.

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) decoction pieces are a core carrier for the inheritance and innovation of TCM, and their quality and safety are critical to public health and the sustainable development of the industry. Conventional quality control models, while having established a well-developed system through long-term practice, still face challenges such as relatively long inspection cycles, insufficient objectivity in characterizing complex traits, and urgent needs for improving the efficiency of integrating multidimensional quality information when confronted with the dual demands of large-scale production and precision quality control. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, machine learning can deeply analyze multidimensional data of the morphology, spectroscopy, and chemical fingerprints of decoction pieces by constructing high-dimensional feature space analysis models, significantly improving the standardization level and decision-making efficiency of quality evaluation. This article reviews the research progress in the application of machine learning in the processing, production, and rapid quality evaluation of TCM decoction pieces. It further analyzes current challenges in technological implementation and proposes potential solutions, offering theoretical and technical references to advance the digital and intelligent transformation of the industry.
Machine Learning ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/standards* ; Quality Control ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/standards* ; Humans

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of Rotarex mechanical thrombectomy (Rotarex) combined with drug-coated balloon (DCB) versus percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) combined with DCB in the treatment of femoropopliteal artery in-stent restenosis (ISR).Methods:A multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled trial was conducted. 46 patients with femoropopliteal artery ISR admitted to five hospitals (Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University; Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University; Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University; Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University; Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University) from July 2020 to June 2024 were enrolled. Patients were randomly divided into the Rotarex+ DCB group ( n=24) and the PTA+ DCB group ( n=22) using a random number table. The clinical data of the two groups were collected, including clinical characteristics, Fontaine classification, stent placement location, stent duration, and lesion length. The primary endpoint was the target blood vessel patency rate at 6 and 12 months postoperatively; the secondary endpoints included improvement in clinical symptoms (Fontaine classification), rate of reintervention, and safety indicators. Measurement data were expressed as mean±standard deviation ( ± s), and the t-test was used for comparison between groups; count data were expressed as the number of cases and percentages, and intergroup comparisons were performed using the Chi-test or Fisher exact probability method. Results:At 12 months postoperatively, the target blood vessel patency rate in the Rotarex+ DCB group was significantly higher than that in the PTA+ DCB group (81.8% vs 45.5%, P=0.012), and the proportion of patients in Fontaine classification stage I was also higher (86.4% vs 45.5%, P=0.004). The results at the 6-month follow-up were consistent (target blood vessel patency rate: 87.0% vs 59.1%, P=0.035). In terms of safety, no severe complications such as arterial rupture, amputation, or procedure-related death occurred during the perioperative period in either group. During the postoperative follow-up, no amputation or procedure-related deaths occurred in either group. Conclusion:For the treatment of femoropopliteal artery ISR, Rotarex mechanical thrombectomy combined with DCB is significantly superior to PTA+ DCB in terms of 12-month target blood vessel patency rate and improvement of clinical symptoms, with comparable safety.

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections in adult patients for improving clinical treatment and identifying potential interventions.Methods Clinical data of inpatients diagnosed with S.aureus bloodstream infection confirmed by blood culture in a hospital from January 2016 to December 2023 were retrospectively reviewed.The data included patient age,gender,history of hospital admission,department of admission,underlying diseases,primary infection,quick Pitt bacteremia score(qPitt),invasive treatment,empirical anti-infective treatment,and treatment outcomes.Patients were assigned to case group or control group according to whether they died in hospital in order to identify the prognostic factors of patient outcomes.Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent prognostic factors.Results A total of 233 cases of S.aureus bacteremia were identified.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age ≥ 70 years old(OR=4.725,95％CI:1.228-18.173,P=0.024),diabetes mellitus(OR=8.161,95％CI:1.954-34.086,P=0.004),Charlson comorbidity index(CCI)≥ 5(OR=7.672,95％CI:1.901-30.963,P=0.004),hospital infection(OR=7.853,95％CI:1.588-38.832,P=0.012),and qPitt ≥ 2(OR=23.189,95％CI:4.461-120.552,P＜0.001)were independent prognostic factors for poor outcome of patients with S.aureus bacteremia,while catheter-associated infection(OR=0.051,95％CI:0.005-0.579,P=0.016)was negatively correlated with mortality.Conclusions Advanced age,diabetes mellitus,high CCI,hospital infection,and high qPitt were independent prognostic factors for poor outcomes of patients with S.aureus bacteremia.The patients should be well managed by timely removal of eradicable lesions to improve patient outcomes.

Objective To explore the clinical application value of multimodal radiomics in differentiating parotid pleomorphic adenoma(PA)from adenolymphoma(AL).Methods The clinical and imaging data of 68 cases of PA and 52 cases of AL were retrospectively analyzed.All patients underwent ultrasound examination,enhanced CT scan and enhanced MRI scan of the neck before the operation.All patients were randomly divided into training group(n=84)and validation group(n=36)according to the ratio of 7∶3.The 3D Slicer software was used to manually draw the lesion area of the preoperative images and perform radiomics feature extraction.The best feature subset was selected to establish the radiomics model,and the diagnostic efficacy of different models was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results The study found that age,gender,and smoking history were effective in differentiating parotid PA from AL,and were used to construct a clinical diagnostic model.Eighteen features were selected through dimensionality reduction to establish the radiomics model.A multimodal combined diagnostic model was then constructed by integrating the radiomics model with gender,age,and smoking history.Compared to the clinical model and the radiomics model,the multimodal combined diagnostic model demonstrated the highest area under the curve(AUC)for distinguishing PA from AL in both the training group and the validation group.Conclusion The combination of radiomics based on neck ultrasound,CT,and MRI with clinical characteristics shows significant clinical application value in the preoperative differentiation of PA and AL.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical effect of derotational distal femoral osteotomy (DDFO) combined with medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction assisted by digital orthopedic technique in the treatment of recurrent patellar dislocation with enlarged femoral anteversion angle (FAA).Methods:TThe clinical data of 18 patients (4 men and 14 women; mean age 22.1±0.7 years; range, 18-26 years) with recurrent patellar dislocation (FAA≥30°) admitted to Digital Orthopedic Technology Clinical Application Center in Tianjin hospital from May 2022 to December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The average number of patella dislocations were 3.6±0.4 (range, 2-8 times), with a mean symptom duration of 4.3±0.4 years (range, 2-7 years). According to Dejour classification of femoral trochlea dysplasia, there were 5 cases of type A, 3 cases of type B, 6 cases of type C and 4 cases of type D. All patients underwent 3D CT scanning and digital modeling before operation. Based on the modeling results, personalized osteotomy and orthopedic integration guide were designed and printed to direct intraoperative DDFO and MPFL reconstruction. Radiological parameters, knee function and complications were assessed during follow-up. Knee function assessments included visual analogue scale (VAS), Intemational Knee Documentation Committee Knee Form (IKDC), Kujala, Lysholm and Tegner score. The radiological parameters included FAA, patellar tilt angle (PTA), tibial tuberosity-trochlear groove distance (TT-TG) and caton-deschamps index (CDI).Results:All patients underwent surgery and were followed up for 15.4±2.8 months (range, 12-20 months). Complications occurred in 3 patients, including deep venous thrombosis in 2 cases and wound effusion in 1 case. No other complications such as wound infection, nerve injury, vascular injury, fracture nonunion or patella dislocation were recorded. The VAS score improved from 5.4±0.3 preoperatively to 2.1±0.2 at one year postoperatively. The IKDC score improved from 44.4±2.7 to 79.2±1.9 points. The Kujala score improved from 51.8±2.6 to 86.1±1.6, the Lysholm from 49.8±2.5 to 84.9±1.5, and the Tegner score from 2.2±0.2 to 4.1±0.2. The FAA decreased from 39.7°±1.2° to 14.9°±0.2°, the PTA from 33.1°±2.6° to 12.6°±1.4°, and the TT-TG from 20.2±0.6 to 13.9±0.4 mm. The differences between time of all the above-mentioned parameters were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The CDI remained stable, which changed from 1.03±0.02 preoperatively to 1.07±0.01 one year after operation ( P>0.05). Conclusions:After the application of DDFO combined with MPFL reconstruction assist by personalized osteotomy and orthopedic integrated guide, the patient's knee function and imaging parameters were significantly improved at one-year follow-up. In the treatment of recurrent patellar dislocation with enlarged FAA, good early clinical efficacy could be achieved with this operation.

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections in adult patients for improving clinical treatment and identifying potential interventions.Methods Clinical data of inpatients diagnosed with S.aureus bloodstream infection confirmed by blood culture in a hospital from January 2016 to December 2023 were retrospectively reviewed.The data included patient age,gender,history of hospital admission,department of admission,underlying diseases,primary infection,quick Pitt bacteremia score(qPitt),invasive treatment,empirical anti-infective treatment,and treatment outcomes.Patients were assigned to case group or control group according to whether they died in hospital in order to identify the prognostic factors of patient outcomes.Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent prognostic factors.Results A total of 233 cases of S.aureus bacteremia were identified.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age ≥ 70 years old(OR=4.725,95％CI:1.228-18.173,P=0.024),diabetes mellitus(OR=8.161,95％CI:1.954-34.086,P=0.004),Charlson comorbidity index(CCI)≥ 5(OR=7.672,95％CI:1.901-30.963,P=0.004),hospital infection(OR=7.853,95％CI:1.588-38.832,P=0.012),and qPitt ≥ 2(OR=23.189,95％CI:4.461-120.552,P＜0.001)were independent prognostic factors for poor outcome of patients with S.aureus bacteremia,while catheter-associated infection(OR=0.051,95％CI:0.005-0.579,P=0.016)was negatively correlated with mortality.Conclusions Advanced age,diabetes mellitus,high CCI,hospital infection,and high qPitt were independent prognostic factors for poor outcomes of patients with S.aureus bacteremia.The patients should be well managed by timely removal of eradicable lesions to improve patient outcomes.

Objective To explore the clinical application value of multimodal radiomics in differentiating parotid pleomorphic adenoma(PA)from adenolymphoma(AL).Methods The clinical and imaging data of 68 cases of PA and 52 cases of AL were retrospectively analyzed.All patients underwent ultrasound examination,enhanced CT scan and enhanced MRI scan of the neck before the operation.All patients were randomly divided into training group(n=84)and validation group(n=36)according to the ratio of 7∶3.The 3D Slicer software was used to manually draw the lesion area of the preoperative images and perform radiomics feature extraction.The best feature subset was selected to establish the radiomics model,and the diagnostic efficacy of different models was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results The study found that age,gender,and smoking history were effective in differentiating parotid PA from AL,and were used to construct a clinical diagnostic model.Eighteen features were selected through dimensionality reduction to establish the radiomics model.A multimodal combined diagnostic model was then constructed by integrating the radiomics model with gender,age,and smoking history.Compared to the clinical model and the radiomics model,the multimodal combined diagnostic model demonstrated the highest area under the curve(AUC)for distinguishing PA from AL in both the training group and the validation group.Conclusion The combination of radiomics based on neck ultrasound,CT,and MRI with clinical characteristics shows significant clinical application value in the preoperative differentiation of PA and AL.