OBJECTIVES: To explore the measures to improve the follow-up rate of preterm infants after discharge, and to evaluate the effectiveness of these measures using quality improvement methodology. METHODS: The follow-up status of preterm infants discharged from March to May 2017 was used as the baseline before quality improvement, and a specific quality improvement goal for the follow-up rate was proposed. The Pareto chart was used to analyze the causes of follow-up failure, and a key driver diagram was constructed based on the links involved in improving follow-up rate. The causes of failure were analyzed to determine the key links and intervention measures for quality improvement, and the follow-up rate was monitored weekly using a control chart until the quality improvement goal was achieved. RESULTS: The follow-up rate of preterm infants after discharge was 57.92% (117/202) at baseline before quality improvement, and the quality improvement goal was set to increase the follow-up rate of preterm infants from baseline to more than 80% within 12 months. The Pareto chart analysis showed that the main causes of follow-up failure were deficiencies in follow-up file management and irregular follow-up times (33.70%, 31/92), insufficient follow-up education and poor communication (25.00%, 23/92), and the inability to meet the diverse needs of parents (18.48%, 17/92). Based on the key links for quality improvement and the main causes of follow-up failure, the following intervention measures were adopted: (1) strengthen follow-up publicity and education; (2) build a follow-up team; and (3) establish a follow-up platform and system. The control chart indicated that with the implementation of the above intervention measures, the weekly follow-up rate increased to 74.09% (306/413) in July 2017 and 83.09% (511/615) in December 2017, finally achieving the quality improvement goal. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the follow-up rate of preterm infants fluctuated between 23.54% (460/1 954) and 70.97% (1 931/2 721), and subsequently, it returned to pre-pandemic levels starting in February 2023. CONCLUSIONS The application of quality improvement methodology can help to formulate intervention measures based on the main causes of follow-up failure, thereby improving the follow-up rate of preterm infants after discharge. This quality improvement method is feasible and practical and thus holds promise for clinical application.
Humans ; Quality Improvement ; Infant, Premature ; Infant, Newborn ; Patient Discharge ; Follow-Up Studies ; Female ; Male

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to reexplore minimum iodine excretion and to build a dietary iodine recommendation for Chinese adults using the obligatory iodine loss hypothesis. METHODS: Data from 171 Chinese adults (19-21 years old) were collected and analyzed based on three balance studies in Shenzhen, Yinchuan, and Changzhi. The single exponential equation was accordingly used to simulate the trajectory of 24 h urinary iodine excretion as the low iodine experimental diets offered (iodine intake: 11-26 μg/day) and to further deduce the dietary reference intakes (DRIs) for iodine, including estimated average requirement (EAR) and recommended nutrient intake (RNI). RESULTS: The minimum iodine excretion was estimated as 57, 58, and 51 μg/day in three balance studies, respectively. Moreover, it was further suggested as 57, 58, and 51 μg/day for iodine EAR, and 80, 81, and 71 μg/day for iodine RNI or expressed as 1.42, 1.41, and 1.20 μg/(day·kg) of body weight. CONCLUSION The iodine DRIs for Chinese adults were established based on the obligatory iodine loss hypothesis, which provides scientific support for the amendment of nutrient requirements.
Humans ; Iodine/administration & dosage* ; Male ; Female ; China ; Young Adult ; Diet ; Adult ; Nutritional Requirements ; East Asian People

Objective To evaluate the safety,tolerability and pharmacokinetic profiles of naldemedine in Chinese healthy adult subjects after single and multiple administrations.Methods After single and multiple oral administrations of naldemedine to 10 healthy Chinese subjects,the plasma concentrations of naldemedine and its metabolite(nor-naldemedine)were measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry,and the pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by Phoenix WinNonlin 8.3.1 software.Results Compared with single administration,naldemedine showed no significant change in the tmax(1.06 h for single and 1.08 h for multiple)and Cmax(4.16 ng·mL-1 for single and 4.11 ng·mL-1 for multiple),higher AUC0-τ than that of single(23.88 ng·h·mL-1 for single and 28.93 ng·h·mL-1 for multiple),slightly prolonged t1/2(9.26 h for single,12.50 h for multiple),there was a slight drug accumulation after multiple doses(accumulation ratio of 0.99 for Cmax and 1.22 for AUC);t1/2(18.10 h for single,29.30 h for multiple),Cmax(0.19 ng·mL-1 for single,0.38 ng·mL-1 for multiple),and AUC0-τ(3.13 ng·h·mL-1 for single,6.02 ng·h·mL-1 for multiple)were all significantly elevated with nor-naldemedine,and the tmax(single was 3.49 h and multiple was 3.56 h)did not change significantly.The Cmax ratio and AUC ratio of metabolites to naldemedine were significantly elevated,and accumulation was present after multiple administrations(accumulation ratio of 2.01 for Cmax and 1.95 for AUC).All adverse events that occurred after treatment were mild.Conclusion After multiple oral administrations of 0.2 mg naldemedine tablets to Chinese healthy subjects(single dose on day 1 and once daily on days 4-13),the drug was eliminated rapidly with mild accumulation,and reached a steady state before the second dose of the multiple-dosing phase,and the product has a favorable safety and tolerability profiles.

Objective To investigate the differences of characteristic of bone marrow plasma cells in patients of different plasma cell dyscrasias according to International Myeloma Working Group(IMWG)criteria.Methods We analyzed the serological and bone marrow flow cytometry results of patients with plasma cell dyscrasias diagnosed and treated in Department of Hematology,Zhongshan Hospital(Xiamen Branch),Fudan University from Jun 12,2019 to Sep 5,2023 retrospectively.Results A total of 102 patients,63 males and 39 females,aged 22 to 85 years,were included,including 46 patients with monoclonal gammaglobulinemia of unknown significance,39 patients with multiple myeloma,5 patients with smoldering multiple myeloma and 12 patients with light-chain amyloidosis.All patients had M proteinemia,including 58 patients with IgG type and 44 patients with non-IgG type.Plasma cells were detected in the bone marrow of all patients.Clonal plasma cells were detected in the bone marrow of 79 patients.Normal plasma cells were detected in the bone marrow of 63 patients.Both clonal and normal plasma cells were detected in the bone marrow of 40 patients.Clonal plasma cells from bone marrow of 52 patients expressed CD56 and 12 patients expressed CD117.There were no significant differences in gender,age among different disease groups.There were statistical differences in M protein type,the concentration of M protein,serum involved/uninvolved free light chain ratio,the proportion of plasma cells in bone marrow nucleated cells,the proportion of clonal plasma cells in bone marrow nucleated cells,the proportion of clonal plasma cells in all bone marrow plasma cells,and the proportion of normal plasma cells in all bone marrow plasma cells among different disease groups(P<0.05).There was statistical difference in the expression of CD56 in clonal plasma cells among different disease groups(P=0.009),but no statistical difference in the expression of CD117.Conclusion The proportion of clonal plasma cells to all nucleated cells,the proportion of clonal plasma cells to all plasma cells,and the proportion of CD56 expression in abnormal plasma cells in the bone marrow of patients with light amyloidosis were similar to those of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance,but significantly different from those of patients with multiple myeloma.

  Objective  To establish a model that can predict the occurrence of acute kidney disease (AKD) in liver cirrhotic patients and evaluate its performance.  Methods  Liver cirrhotic patients who hospitalized in the department of gastroenterology of the First Hospital of Lanzhou University from January 2017 to January 2022 were retrospectively included. They were divided into AKD and non-AKD groups according to whether they were combined with AKD during hospitalization, and were randomized into training and validation sets in a 7∶3 ratio. The clinical data of patients in the two groups were collected, and LASSO regression and multifactorial Logistic regression were used to screen the influencing factors for the occurrence of AKD in patients with liver cirrhosis and to establish a prediction model. The model was then evaluated by using the receiver operating characteristic curve, the calibration curve and the clinical decision curve.  Results  A total of 796 cases of liver cirrhotic patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled. Among them, 103 cases were in the AKD group and 693 cases were in the non-AKD group; 561 cases were in the training set and 235 cases were in the validation set. The results of LASSO regression and multifactorial Logistic regression showed that a history of diabetes (OR=2.922, 95% CI: 1.290-6.564, P=0.009), hepatic encephalopathy (OR=6.210, 95% CI: 2.278-17.479, P < 0.001), gastrointestinal bleeding (OR=2.501, 95% CI: 1.236-5.073, P=0.011), ascites (OR=3.219, 95% CI: 1.664-6.539, P < 0.001), male (OR=0.477, 95% CI: 0.254-0.879, P=0.019), hemoglobin (OR=0.987, 95% CI: 0.975-0.999, P=0.044), albumin (OR=0.952, 95% CI: 0.911-0.991, P=0.023), and prothrombin time (OR=0.865, 95% CI: 0.779-0.920, P < 0.001) were the independent influences on the occurrence of AKD in liver cirrhotic patients, and were used to construct a prediction model. The area under the curve of the model in the training set and validation set for predicting the occurrence of AKD in liver cirrhotic patients was 0.895 (95% CI: 0.865-0.925) and 0.869 (95% CI: 0.807-0.930), respectively. The calibration curves showed that the model had good fit and consistency and the clinical decision curves showed that the use of the model for predicting the risk of AKD could benefit liver cirrhotic patients overall.  Conclusions  A prediction model for the occurrence of AKD in liver cirrhotic patients was established based on eight influencing factors, including gender, history of diabetes, and hepatic encephalopathy. It was validated to have good discrimination, calibration, and clinical utility, and is expected to assist in the clinical early screening and identification of liver cirrhosis-associated AKD.

Objective This study aimed to comprehensively analyze and compare the clinicopathological features and prognosis of Chinese patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)-low early breast cancer(BC)and HER2-IHC0 BC. Methods Patients diagnosed with HER2-negative BC(N=999)at our institution between January 2011 and December 2015 formed our study population.Clinicopathological characteristics,association between estrogen receptor(ER)expression and HER2-low,and evolution of HER2 immunohistochemical(IHC)score were assessed.Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to compare the long-term survival outcomes(5-year follow-up)between the HER2-IHC0 and HER2-low groups. Results HER2-low BC group tended to demonstrate high expression of ER and more progesterone receptor(PgR)positivity than HER2-IHC0 BC group(P<0.001).The rate of HER2-low status increased with increasing ER expression levels(Mantel-Haenszel χ2 test,P<0.001,Pearson's R=0.159,P<0.001).Survival analysis revealed a significantly longer overall survival(OS)in HER2-low BC group than in HER2-IHC0 group(P=0.007)in the whole cohort and the hormone receptor(HR)-negative group.There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of disease-free survival(DFS).The discordance rate of HER2 IHC scores between primary and metastatic sites was 36.84%. Conclusion HER2-low BC may not be regarded as a unique BC group in this population-based study due to similar clinicopathological features and prognostic roles.

Objective To compare the clinical characteristics of diabetes mellitus(DM)patients complicated with pyogenic liver abscess(PLA)and non-DM(NDM)patients complicated with PLA,and provide evidence for clinical diagnosis and treatment.Methods PLA patients who admitted to an affiliated hospital of Anhui Medical University from July 2002 to February 2022 were selected and divided into DM+PLA group and NDM+PLA group according to whether they had DM.General condition,clinical manifestations and signs.complications,biochemical and patho-genic examination results,imaging findings,as well as clinical efficacy and influencing factors of the two groups of patients were analyzed retrospectively.Results 695 PLA patients were included in the analysis,191(27.5％)in the DM+PLA group and 504(72.5％)in the NDM+PLA group.The proportions of males and complication of hypertension in the DM+PLA group were higher than those in the NDM+PLA group,while the proportion of bi-liary diseases and malignant tumors was lower(all P＜0.05).The proportions of patients developing fever,fa-tigue,as well as concurrent anemia and hypoalbuminemia in the DM+PLA group were higher than those in the NDM+PLA group(all P＜0.05).Compared with the NDM+PLA group,the neutrophil count and percentage in the DM+PLA group increased,while total protein,albumin content,and albumin/globulin ratio all decreased(all P＜0.05).The proportions of the detection of Klebsiella pneumoniae and the occurrence of liver right lobe abscess in DM+PLA patients were higher than those of the NDM+PLA group(both P＜0.05).Multivariate logistic re-gression analysis revealed that malignant tumor was a risk factor for affecting the clinical efficacy of PLA patients,invasive treatment was a protect factor for affecting the clinical efficacy of PLA patients,while blood sugar was a risk factor for affecting the clinical efficacy of NDM+PLA patients.Conclusion DM+PLA patients have more se-vere infection symptoms than NDM+PLA patients,and are accompanied by higher proportions of Klebsiella pneu-moniae infection and liver right lobe abscess.It is necessary to strengthen attention to patients with malignant tumor and control blood sugar level,and timely supplement with invasive treatment if necessary.

Coronary perforation is when a contrast agent or blood flows outside a blood vessel through a tear in a coronary artery.In this case,we reported a case of percutaneous coronary intervention for coronary calcified lesions,which led to iatrogenic coronary perforation and cardiac tamponade after the use of Shockwave balloon to treat intracoronary calcified nodules,and the management of PCI-related CAP was systematically reviewed through the literature.

Objective The dense fibrous connective tissue that connects sub-occipital muscles which consist of the rectus capitis posterior minor muscle (RCPmi), rectus capitis posterior major muscle (RCPma), obliquus capitis inferior muscle (OCI) and nuchal ligament (NL) to the spinal dura mater (SDM), is described as the myodural bridge (MDB) in humans. The MDB is perceived as an essential anatomical structure and has been a subject of interest for clinicians. Studies have revealed that MDB may be related to the dynamic circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and a chronic cervicogenic headache. To date, the MDB is identified as a universal, existing structure in mammals and it exists in other vertebrates as well, such as Gallus domesticus and Rock pigeons in Avifauna, Siamese crocodile and Trachemys scripta elegans in Reptile. The current study is to further analyze different structures features of the MDB in sundry classes and provide the anatomical basis for functional studies. The JapaLura Splendida is the most common species in Lacertiformes, Reptilia. So we chose it as the experimental object to supply the morphological study of the MDB in Reptilia. Methods The study was based on gross anatomical dissection, thick sheet section, histological staining to observe the structural characteristics of the post-occipital area of twenty JapaLura Splendidas and the existence of the MDB. Results The deep post-occipital muscles were composed of the rectus capitis dorsal muscle (RCD) and the obliquus capital posterior (OCP) muscle. The RCD was merged by the rectus capitis dorsal major muscle (RCDma), the rectus capitis dorsal minor muscle (RCDmi) and the obliquus capitis anterior muscle (OCA). In the atlanto-occipital space, the dense fibrous bundles were found to originate from the ventral aspect of the RCD and run ventral, closely inserting into the SDM. In the atlanto-axial space, the dense fibrous bundles were found to originate from the ventral aspect of the OCP and run ventral, closely contacted with the SDM. These dense fibrous bundles were the collagen type I fibers with strong double refraction. Conclusion The result of this study indicates that the MDB is located between the post-occipital muscles and the SDM in JapaLura Splendida. The MDB of Japalura splendida may be related to the activities of the head and neck, and exert a physiological function similar to the MDB in humans.

Objective: This cross-sectional investigation aimed to determine the incidence, clinical characteristics, prognosis, and related risk factors of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain in mainland China. Methods: Data of patients with SARS-CoV-2 from December 28, 2022, to February 21, 2023, were collected through online and offline questionnaires from 45 tertiary hospitals and one center for disease control and prevention in mainland China. The questionnaire included demographic information, previous health history, smoking and alcohol drinking, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, olfactory and gustatory function before and after infection, other symptoms after infection, as well as the duration and improvement of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction. The self-reported olfactory and gustatory functions of patients were evaluated using the Olfactory VAS scale and Gustatory VAS scale. Results: A total of 35 566 valid questionnaires were obtained, revealing a high incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain (67.75%). Females(χ2=367.013, P<0.001) and young people(χ2=120.210, P<0.001) were more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Gender(OR=1.564, 95%CI: 1.487-1.645), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), oral health status (OR=0.881, 95%CI: 0.839-0.926), smoking history (OR=1.152, 95%CI=1.080-1.229), and drinking history (OR=0.854, 95%CI: 0.785-0.928) were correlated with the occurrence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2(above P<0.001). 44.62% (4 391/9 840) of the patients who had not recovered their sense of smell and taste also suffered from nasal congestion, runny nose, and 32.62% (3 210/9 840) suffered from dry mouth and sore throat. The improvement of olfactory and taste functions was correlated with the persistence of accompanying symptoms(χ2=10.873, P=0.001). The average score of olfactory and taste VAS scale was 8.41 and 8.51 respectively before SARS-CoV-2 infection, but decreased to3.69 and 4.29 respectively after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and recovered to 5.83and 6.55 respectively at the time of the survey. The median duration of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions was 15 days and 12 days, respectively, with 0.5% (121/24 096) of patients experiencing these dysfunctions for more than 28 days. The overall self-reported improvement rate of smell and taste dysfunctions was 59.16% (14 256/24 096). Gender(OR=0.893, 95%CI: 0.839-0.951), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), history of head and facial trauma(OR=1.180, 95%CI: 1.036-1.344, P=0.013), nose (OR=1.104, 95%CI: 1.042-1.171, P=0.001) and oral (OR=1.162, 95%CI: 1.096-1.233) health status, smoking history(OR=0.765, 95%CI: 0.709-0.825), and the persistence of accompanying symptoms (OR=0.359, 95%CI: 0.332-0.388) were correlated with the recovery of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2 (above P<0.001 except for the indicated values). Conclusion: The incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain is high in mainland China, with females and young people more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Active and effective intervention measures may be required for cases that persist for a long time. The recovery of olfactory and taste functions is influenced by several factors, including gender, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status, history of head and facial trauma, nasal and oral health status, smoking history, and persistence of accompanying symptoms.
Female ; Humans ; Adolescent ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Smell ; COVID-19/complications* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; Incidence ; Olfaction Disorders/etiology* ; Taste Disorders/etiology* ; Prognosis