ObjectiveTo analyze the epidemiological characteristics of long COVID and to investigate its main influencing factors by examining individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 between March and June 2022 in two communities in Shanghai, to lay the foundation for further research on the mechanism and clinical treatment of long COVID, and to provide the basis for the development of inexpensive, convenient, and feasible prevention and intervention strategies. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted, enrolling 6 410 individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey. The incidence and common symptoms of long COVID were analyzed, along with their associations with demographic characteristics, medical history, and behavioral factors. A logistic regression model was used to identify the major factors associated with the development of long COVID symptoms. ResultsThe overall incidence rate of long COVID among the study population was 13.9%. The most commonly reported symptoms included fatigue (65.1%), attention disorders (23.1%), and cough (16.9%). The analysis showed that having underlying chronic diseases (OR=2.580, 95%CI: 2.165‒3.074), a history of allergies (OR=1.418, 95%CI: 1.003‒1.971), current smoking (OR=1.461, 95%CI: 1.013‒2.079), ever smoking (OR=2.462, 95%CI: 1.687‒3.551), a greater number of symptoms during the acute phase [1 symptom (OR=1.778, 95%CI: 1.459‒2.162), 2 symptoms (OR=2.749, 95%CI: 2.209‒3.409), ≥3 symptoms (OR=7.792, 95%CI: 6.333‒9.593)] and aggravated symptoms during the acute phase (OR=1.082, 95%CI: 1.070‒1.094) were factors associated with a higher risk of developing long COVID symptoms. Additionally, individuals who had consumed alcohol in the past year (OR=1.914, 95%CI: 1.344‒2.684) were more prone to objective long COVID symptoms. Among individuals under 50 years of age, females (OR=1.427, 95%CI: 1.052‒1.943) were more likely to develop objective long COVID symptoms. ConclusionThis study has identified the diversity of long COVID symptoms, which involve multiple organs and systems, including fatigue, attention disorders, cough, and joint pain. It has also revealed associations between long COVID and various demographic factors (e.g., age, gender), personal medical history (e.g., underlying chronic diseases, history of allergies), acute-phase characteristics (e.g., number and severity of symptoms), and behavioral factors (e.g., smoking, alcohol consumption). These findings highlight the need for further research and ongoing surveillance of long COVID and may inform the development of more targeted health management strategies for specific populations.

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of malignant tumor incidence and mortality in cancer registration areas of Zhejiang Province in 2021. Methods: Based on the 2021 cancer registration data from 22 national cancer registries in Zhejiang Province, the crude incidence, crude mortality, and cumulative rate for 0 to 74 years were calculated. Age standardized was performed using the age composition of the standard population from the Fifth National Population Census in 2000 and Segi's world standard population. The incidence and mortality characteristics of malignant tumor in different genders, urban/rural areas and ages were described. The order of crude incidence and mortality of malignant tumor were analyzed. Results: In 2021, there were 116 639 new malignant tumor cases in Zhejiang Province. The crude, Chinese population standardized, and world population-standardized incidences were 530.93/100 000, 304.83/100 000, and 288.20/100 000, respectively. The cumulative incidence for 0 to 74 years was 31.92%. There were 40 475 death cases. The crude, Chinese population-standardized, and world population-standardized mortalities were 184.24/100 000, 79.40/100 000, and 78.97/100 000, respectively. The cumulative mortality for 0 to 74 years was 8.37%. The Chinese population-standardized incidence for males and females were 286.34/100 000 and 323.45/100 000, respectively, and the Chinese population-standardized mortality were 106.25/100 000 and 54.17/100 000, respectively. The Chinese population-standardized incidence for urban and rural were 316.85/100 000 and 285.11/100 000, respectively, and the Chinese population-standardized mortality were 75.59/100 000 and 85.48/100 000, respectively. The crude incidence and crude mortality of malignant tumor both increased with age, peaking in the groups aged 80-<80 and ≥85 years at 1 845.06/100 000 and 1 656.88/100 000, respectively. The top ten malignant tumors with the highest crude incidence were, in descending order: lung cancer, thyroid cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer, cervical cancer, lymphoma, and brain tumors. These accounted for 80.34% of all new malignant tumor cases. The top ten malignant tumors with the highest crude mortality were, in descending order: lung cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, lymphoma, and gallbladder cancer. These accounted for 82.26% of all malignant tumor deaths. Conclusions In 2021, the cancer registration areas of Zhejiang Province were characterized by a relatively high malignant tumor incidence and a comparatively low mortality compared to national data. Males and the elderly emerged as key populations for targeted prevention and control. It is recommended to enhance screening, early diagnosis, and early treatment for lung cancer, thyroid cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and gastric cancer malignancies.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of palliative care on drug use, medical service utilization and medical expenditure of patients with advanced cancer. METHODS: A cohort of patients including pal-liative care and standard care was constructed using the medical records of the patients in Peking University Cancer Hospital from 2018 to 2020, and coarsened exact matching was used to match the two groups of patients. The average monthly opioid consumption, hospitalization rate, intensive care unit (ICU) rate and operation rate, and the average monthly total cost were selected to evaluate drug use, medical service utilization and medical expenditure. Chi-square test and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used to compare the differences between the two groups before and after exposure and the change in the palliative care group. The net impact of palliative care on the patients was calculated using the difference-in-differences analysis. RESULTS: In this study, 180 patients in the palliative care group and 3 101 patients in the stan-dard care group were finally included in the matching, and the matching effect of the two groups was good (L₁ < 0.1). Before and after exposure, the average monthly opioid consumption in the palliative care group was significantly higher than that in the standard care group (Before exposure: 0.3 DDD/person-month vs. 0.1 DDD/person-month, P < 0.01; After exposure: 0.7 DDD/person-month vs. 0.1 DDD/person-month, P < 0.01; DDD refers to defined daily dose), palliative care significantly increased the average monthly opioid consumption in the patients (0.3 DDD/person-month, P < 0.01). The hospitalization rate (48.9% vs. 74.3%, P < 0.01) and operation rate (3.9% vs. 8.8%, P < 0.01) of the patients in palliative care group were significantly lower than those in standard care group, and the ICU rate became similar between the two groups (1.1% vs. 1.6%, P=0.634). Palliative care significantly reduced the patients ' hospitalization rate (-25.6%, P < 0.01), ICU rate (-4.9%, P < 0.01) and operation rate (-14.5%, P < 0.01). Before and after exposure, the average monthly total costs of pal-liative care group were slightly higher than those of standard care group (Before exposure: 20 092.3 yuan vs. 19 132.8 yuan, P=0.725; After exposure: 9 719.8 yuan vs. 8 818.8 yuan, P=0.165). Palliative care increased the average monthly total cost by 2 208.8 yuan, but it was not statistically significant (P=0.316). CONCLUSION Palliative care can increase the opioid consumption in advanced cancer patients, reduce the rates of hospitalization, ICU and surgery, but has no significant effect on medical expenditure.
Humans ; Palliative Care/economics* ; Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Analgesics, Opioid/economics* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Hospitalization/economics* ; Intensive Care Units/statistics & numerical data* ; Health Expenditures/statistics & numerical data* ; Adult ; Drug Utilization/statistics & numerical data* ; Patient Acceptance of Health Care/statistics & numerical data*

The pharmaceutical industry faces challenges in quality digitization for complex multi-stage processes, especially in small-sample systems. Here, an intelligent quality prediction and diagnostic (IQPD) framework was developed and applied to Tong Ren Tang's Niuhuang Qingxin Pills, utilizing four years of data collected from four production units, covering the entire process from raw materials to finished products. In this framework, a novel path-enhanced double ensemble quality prediction model (PeDGAT) is proposed, which combines a graph attention network and path information to encode inter-unit long-range and sequential dependencies. Additionally, the double ensemble strategy enhances model stability in small samples. Compared to global traditional models, PeDGAT achieves state-of-the-art results, with an average improvement of 13.18% and 87.67% in prediction accuracy and stability on three indicators. Additionally, a more in-depth diagnostic model leveraging grey correlation analysis and expert knowledge reduces reliance on large samples, offering a panoramic view of attribute relationships across units and improving process transparency. Finally, the IQPD framework integrates into a Human-Cyber-Physical system, enabling faster decision-making and real-time quality adjustments for Tong Ren Tang's Niuhuang Qingxin Pills, a product with annual sales exceeding 100 million CNY. This facilitates the transition from experience-driven to data-driven manufacturing.

Objective To explore the influence of the chronic disease management model based on wearable devices on the self-management ability,quality of life and physiological index control of patients after percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI).Methods Eighty patients with coronary heart disease who underwent PCI in Hefei BOE Hospital from April to September 2024 were selected as research objects.They were divided into control group and intervention group according to the random number table method,with 40 cases in each group.The control group received the conventional care model,while the intervention group adopted a postoperative chronic disease management model based on wearable devices,and the intervention period was 6 months for all.The coronary artery disease self-management scale(CSMS)was used to assess self-management ability,and the Seattle angina questionnaire(SAQ)was used to assess quality of life before and after the intervention.Additionally,the compliance rates of blood pressure,low density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-C),and body mass index(BMI)were recorded.Results After the intervention,the scores of each dimension and total score of CSMS,as well as the scores of each dimension of SAQ of two groups of patients were significantly higher than those before the intervention(P＜0.05).Moreover,the scores of each dimension and total score of CSMS and the scores of each dimension of SAQ of intervention group were significantly higher than those of control group(P＜0.05).The compliance rates of blood pressure,LDL-C and BMI in intervention group were significantly higher than those in control group(P＜0.05).Conclusion The chronic disease management model based on wearable devices,through data monitoring,team collaboration and dynamic intervention,can significantly enhance the self-management ability of patients after PCI,improve their quality of life and the compliance rate of key physiological indicators,and has clinical promotion value.

Objective:To investigate the management of cancer pain and the clinical practices of hospice care across 11 cities in Zhejiang Province.Methods:From May 22 to 29, 2023, the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission conducted a survey to assess the current status of hospice care practitioners regarding cancer pain management, the practices employed by medical staff in managing cancer pain, and the understanding of medical personnel concerning self-controlled analgesia for cancer pain treatment in Zhejiang Province.Results:A total of 505 questionnaires were collected from 198 hospitals across 11 cities in the province.Among the medical staff in secondary and tertiary medical institutions, 85.71%(198 out of 231)participated in the management of cancer pain in patients.Oral analgesics emerged as the most commonly used treatment for pain outbreaks, accounting for 38.53%(89 out of 231)of cases.Additionally, 37.66%(87 out of 231)of medical personnel were involved in the development of self-controlled analgesia devices within their institutions.Conclusions:In the management of cancer pain within hospice care, it is essential to enhance the theoretical training of medical staff, ensure the availability of basic analgesic medications, and establish standardized management protocols for the entire process as promptly as possible.

A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 11 children with Protein-Losing Gastrointestinal Disease (PLG) presented with chronic diarrhea who were admitted to the Capital Institute of Pediatrics Affiliated to Capital Medical University from 2018 to 2025. The data included etiology, laboratory test results, endoscopic and imaging findings, treatment regimens, and prognosis. Among them, there were 6 males and 5 females, with a median age of 7.8 (1.6, 12.0) months, and 9 cases ≤1 year. The etiologies were intestinal lymphangiectasia ( n=5), infection-related enteritis ( n=2), Crohn′s disease ( n=1), eosinophilic gastroenteritis ( n=1), and unknown ( n=2). Clinical manifestations were characterized by chronic diarrhea ( n=11), hypoalbuminemia ( n=11), and immune dysfunction ( n=8). Gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed in 9 cases, and diagnosis was confirmed by endoscopic pathology in 8 cases. Among the 5 cases of intestinal lymphangiectasia, only 3 were confirmed by 99Tc-labeled human serum albumin ( 99Tc m-HSA) radionuclide imaging. Five cases of lymphangiectasia were treated with a high medium-chain triglyceride diet, 2 infectious cases were treated with antibacterial agens, and 3 immune diseases received immunomodulators. Ten cases were cured and discharged, while 1 child died of sepsis after intestinal malrotation surgery. It is suggested that childhood PLG mostly occurs in infancy, with intestinal lymphangiectasia as the main etiology. Endoscopic pathology is the main diagnostic method, and with the combination of nutritional and immunomodulatory therapy, the prognosis is good for most of PLG patients.

Objective:To compare the clinical characteristics of monogenic and non-monogenic early-onset inflammatory bowel disease (EO-IBD) in children and to explore the necessity of genetic analysis in EO-IBD research.Methods:A retrospective analysis of clinical data was conducted on 73 children diagnosed with EO-IBD at the Children's Hospital affiliated with Capital Institute of Pediatrics between January 2017 and December 2023. Genetic analysis was performed utilizing next-generation sequencing technology, with patients stratified into monogenic and non-monogenic groups based on the presence or absence of pathogenic mutations. Subsequently, a comparative analysis of clinical characteristics was conducted between these two cohorts of EO-IBD patients.Results:Among the 73 EO-IBD cases, 27 (37%) were diagnosed as monogenic IBD, and 46 (63%) as non-monogenic IBD. Compared to the non-monogenic group, the monogenic group had an earlier age of onset [1 (0.2, 3.0) months vs. 15 (4.1, 51.3) months, P < 0.001], with a higher incidence within the first month of life (70.4% vs. 13.0%, P < 0.001). Monogenic IBD cases were more likely to present with Crohn's disease (CD) phenotypes (88.9% vs. 52.2%, P = 0.003) and colonic involvement (L2) (91.7% vs. 62.5%, P < 0.001), but were less likely to present with non-penetrating, non-stricturing (B1) disease (87.5% vs. 95.8%, P = 0.019). Children in the monogenic group were more prone to severe malnutrition (74.1% vs. 21.3%, P < 0.001), perianal abscesses (40.7% vs. 8.7%, P < 0.001), perianal tags (22.2% vs. 0%, P = 0.004), fever (74.1% vs. 23.9%, P < 0.001), oral ulcers (44.4% vs. 6.5%, P < 0.001), and skin lesions (33.3% vs. 2.2%, P < 0.001). Regarding treatment, the monogenic group had higher usage of thalidomide (88.9% vs. 54.3%, P = 0.002) and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) (37.0% vs. 0, P < 0.001) and a higher mortality rate (22.2% vs. 2.2%, P = 0.017) . Conclusions:For children with IBD presenting at an early age, especially within the first month of life, and showing symptoms like fever, oral ulcers, skin lesions, severe malnutrition, and perianal disease, monogenic IBD should be considered. Genetic testing results can aid in guiding treatment decisions.

Objective:To investigate the antibiotic resistance of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) and to evaluate the eradication efficacy of individualized treatment for Hp in children. Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 227 children who visited the Department of Gastroenterology, Capital Center for Children′s Health, Capital Medical University from June 2022 to December 2023 due to gastrointestinal symptoms. All patients underwent gastroscopy and tested positive on 13C-urea breath testing. They were grouqed according to the Hp culture and drug susceptibility test. Children with positive Hp culture received personalized treatment based on the results of their drug sensitivity tests, while the other children who didn′t undergo Hp culture received empirical treatment. The effects of different treatment groups was compared by chi-square test or Fisher exact probability test. Results:A total of 227 children with Hp infection (121 males and 106 females) were included, with the age of 11.7 (8.9, 13.6) years. Among the 131 samples submitted for testing, 105 cases (80.1%) had positive results. Only 9.5% (10/105) of patients were sensitive to 6 antibiotics. The resistance rates to clarithromycin, metronidazole and levofloxacin were 90.5% (95/105), 86.7% (91/105) and 22.9% (24/105) respectively. The resistance rate to both clarithromycin and metronidazole was 77.1% (81/105). The resistance rate to both levofloxacin and metronidazole was 19.0% (20/105). The resistance rate to both levofloxacin and clarithromycin was 21.9% (23/105). The resistance rate to these three antibiotics was 16.2% (17/105). No strains resistant to furazolidone, amoxicillin or tetracycline hydrochloride were found. Eighty-nine cases were treated with bismuth quadruple therapy based on the drug sensitivity results, and the overall eradication rate was 88.8% (79/89), including 42 treatment-naive cases with a 100% eradication rate (42/42) and 47 retreatment cases with a 78.7% eradication rate (37/47). The eradication rate of empirical treatment was 75.7% (56/74). Among them, 65 patients received amoxicillin, clarithromycin and omeprazole because of negative penicillin skin tests, with a 75.4% (49/65) eradication rate; 9 patients received clarithromycin, metronidazole, omeprazole and bismuth with positive penicillin skin tests, achieving 7/9 eradication rate. The comparison of eradication rates between two treatment groups suggested a statistically significant difference ( P<0.05). No statistically significant difference was found in drug reactions such as nausea, vomiting, and rash between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Hp strains had a relatively high dual resistance to clarithromycin and metronidazole, especially clarithromycin. For areas with a high resistance rate to clarithromycin, the bismuth quadruplet of clarithromycin removal combined with bismuth agent can be chosen as empirical treatment. In medical institutions where drug susceptibility test can be conducted, personalized treatment plans are recommended as the first-line treatment.

Objective:To analyze the changes and structural variations in hospitalization costs for patients with lung malignancies after the implementation of diagnosis-intervention packet (DIP) payment system, and to evaluate its effectiveness.Methods:Data from the first page of medical records and hospitalization cost data from the hospital information system of a tertiary general hospital in Henan Province were extracted for patients diagnosed with lung malignancies from 2020 to 2023. The data were divided into pre-implementation group (2020—2021) and post-implementation group (2022—2023) based on the implementation time of DIP. Chi-square test, t test, and Wilcoxon rank-sum test were used to analyze the differences in basic characteristics and hospitalization costs of patients with lung malignancies before and after the implementation of DIP. Grey relational analysis was employed to examine the internal associations between total hospitalization costs and various cost components. Structural variation analysis was used to assess the changes in the structure of hospitalization costs after the implementation of DIP. Results:A total of 14 587 hospitalized patients with lung malignancies were included, with 6 807 cases in the pre-implementation group and 7 780 cases in the post-implementation group. The average length of hospital stay decreased from (13.17±6.74) days before implementation to (12.02±6.49) days after implementation ( P<0.05). The proportion of level-four surgeries increased from 46.4% to 57.0% ( P<0.05). The average hospitalization cost per patient with lung malignancies decreased from 56 952 yuan before DIP implementation to 55 560 yuan after implementation ( P<0.05). For patients with lung malignancies diagnosed as C34.1, C34.2, C34.3, and C34.8, the top four cost components most strongly associated with total hospitalization costs were treatment costs, material costs, comprehensive medical service costs, and diagnostic costs, with correlation coefficients all>0.80. For patients with C34.9, the top four cost components most strongly associated with total hospitalization costs were treatment costs, comprehensive medical service costs, diagnostic costs, and Western medicine costs, with correlation coefficients>0.95. For patients diagnosed as C34.1, C34.2, C34.3, and C34.9, diagnostic costs, Western medicine costs, and material costs contributed significantly to the structural variation of hospitalization costs, with contribution rate of structure variation all exceeding 75%, among which Western medicine costs and material costs showed negative variation. For patients diagnosed as C34.8, treatment costs, Western medicine costs, and material costs contributed significantly to the structural variation of hospitalization costs, with contribution rate of structure variation all exceeding 80%, among which Western medicine costs showed negative variation. Conclusions:The implementation of DIP reduced the hospitalization costs for patients with lung malignancies, optimized the structure of hospitalization costs, improved the efficiency of medical services, and promoted the rational allocation of medical resources.