Objective:To evaluate the outcomes of short-segment pedicle screw fixation after vertebroplasty augmentation using polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and laminectomy for stage Ⅲ Kümmell's disease with neurological symptoms.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of the 23 patients who had been treated at Department of Spinal Surgery, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital from January 2016 to August 2022 for single level stage Ⅲ Kümmell's disease with neurological symptoms by short-segment pedicle screw fixation after vertebroplasty augmentation using PMMA and laminectomy. There were 9 males and 14 females, with an age of (69.7±3.8) years. The visual analogue scale (VAS) for low back pain, Oswestry disability index (ODI) for low back pain, kyphotic Cobb angle of the fixed segment, and loss of the anterior vertebral body height were compared between preoperation, 2 weeks after operation, 2 years after operation, and the last follow-up. The improvements in American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment grading at the last follow-up compared to the preoperative levels, bone graft fusion rates at the last follow-up and complications were recorded.Results:All patients were followed up for (57.4±17.7) months after operation. The VAS pain scores [(2.2±0.3) points, (1.8±0.6) points and (1.6±0.5) points], ODIs (23.9%±4.5%, 21.6%±4.5% and 19.1%±3.8%), kyphotic Cobb angles of the fixed segments (12.2°±2.7°, 12.5°±2.6° and 12.8°±2.8°) and losses of the anterior vertebral body height (20.0%±3.4%, 20.2%±3.5% and 20.3%±3.5%) at 2 weeks after operation, 2 years after operation, and the last follow-up were significantly improved compared to the pre-operative values [(7.8±0.5) points, 79.7%±5.1%, 40.2°±6.2°, and 60.4%±14.2%, respectively] ( P<0.05). However, there were no significantly differences in the above values between 2 weeks after operation, 2 years after operation and the last follow-up ( P>0.05). Of the 2 patients with grade C, the ASIA grading at the last follow-up improved to grade D in one and to grade E in the other; of the 12 patients with grade D, the ASIA grading at the last follow-up improved to grade E in 11. The complications included 2 asymptomatic cases of bone cement leakage from the upper endplate of the affected vertebra, 1 asymptomatic case of bone cement leakage from the lower endplate of the affected vertebra, 1 asymptomatic case of bone cement leakage from the spinal canal, and 1 case of distant vertebral compression fracture. The last follow-up showed good bone graft fusion in all patients. Conclusion:In the treatment of stage Ⅲ Kümmell's disease with neurological symptoms, short-segment pedicle screw fixation after vertebroplasty augmentation using PMMA is a relatively minimally invasive, safe, and effective treatment, because it can alleviate back pain, improve neurological function and daily function, correct thoracolumbar kyphosis, restore vertebral height and reconstruct spinal stability without significant complications.

Objective:To establish the predictive model for major adverse cardiovascular events(MACE) following endovascular repair in elderly patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm(AAA).Methods:The clinical data and postoperative MACE were retrospectively collected from elderly patients with AAA who underwent their first endovascular aneurysm repair(EVAR)in Beijing Hospital and Tibet Autonomous Region People's Hospital between January 2016 and December 2023.Patients were randomly divided into training and validation cohorts at a ratio of 7∶3.Predictive models were using logistic regression, LASSO regression, random forest, linear discriminant analysis, na?ve Bayes, k-nearest neighbor algorithm, support vector machine, decision tree, and AdaBoost.Models were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves.Results:A total of 171 elderly AAA patients were enrolled, aged 60 to 94 years(mean 73.0 ± 7.5 years), of whom 145 were male.MACE occurred after EVAR in 30 patients(17.5%). LASSO regression identified monocyte count, history of coronary artery disease, the ratio of maximum AAA diameter to body mass index(DBR), neutrophil-lymphocyte count ratio(NLR), and age as significant predictors, yielding an area under the ROC curve(AUC)of 0.816.Logistic regression achieved an AUC of 0.813 in the training cohort and 0.772 in the validation cohort.Among all models, AdaBoost demonstrated the best performance, with an AUC of 0.92 in the validation cohort.Conclusions:Age, monocyte count, DBR, NLR and creatinine could predict the occurrence of MACE after EVAR in AAA patients.The AdaBoost model provides the most accurate prediction of postoperative MACE.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the correlation between mechanical power normalized to dynamic lung compliance (Cdyn-MP) and weaning outcomes and prognosis in mechanically ventilated patients. METHODS: A prospective, observational cohort study was conducted. Patients who underwent invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) for more than 24 hours and used a T-tube ventilation strategy for extubation in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Lianyungang First People's Hospital and Lianyungang Second People's Hospital between January 2022 and December 2023 were enrolled. The collected data encompassed patients' baseline characteristics, primary causes of ICU admission, vital signs and laboratory indicators during the initial spontaneous breathing trial (SBT), respiratory mechanics parameters within the 4-hour period prior to the SBT, weaning outcomes and prognostic indicators. Mechanical power (MP) and Cdyn-MP were calculated using a simplified MP equation. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were utilized to determine the independent risk factors associated with weaning failure in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis and Spearman rank-sum test were employed to investigate the correlation between Cdyn-MP and weaning outcomes as well as prognosis. Receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) was constructed, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was computed to evaluate the predictive accuracy of Cdyn-MP for weaning outcomes in mechanically ventilated patients. RESULTS: A total of 366 patients undergoing IMV were enrolled in this study, with 243 cases classified as successful weaning and 123 cases classified as failed weaning. Among them, 23 patients underwent re-intubation within 48 hours after the successful withdrawal of the first SBT, non-invasive ventilation, or died. Compared with the successful weaning group, the patients in the failed weaning group had significantly increased levels of sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, body temperature and respiratory rate (RR) during SBT, and respiratory mechanical parameters within the 4-hour period prior to the SBT [ventilation frequency, positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), platform pressure (Pplat), peak inspiratory pressure (Ppeak), dynamic driving pressure (ΔPaw), fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO₂), MP, and Cdyn-MP], dynamic lung compliance (Cdyn) was significantly reduced, and duration of IMV, ICU length of stay, and total length of hospital stay were significantly prolonged. However, there were no statistically significant differences in age, gender, body mass index (BMI), smoking history, main causes of ICU admission, other vital signs [heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), saturation of peripheral oxygen (SpO₂)] and laboratory indicators [white blood cell count (WBC), albumin (Alb), serum creatinine (SCr)] during SBT of patients between the two groups. Univariate Logistic regression analysis was conducted, and variables with P < 0.05 and no multicollinearity with Cdyn-MP were selected for inclusion in the multivariate Logistic regression model. The results demonstrated that SOFA score [odds ratio (OR) = 1.081, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 1.008-1.160, P = 0.030], and PEEP (OR = 1.191, 95%CI was 1.075-1.329, P = 0.001), FiO₂ (OR = 1.035, 95%CI was 1.006-1.068, P = 0.021) and Cdyn-MP (OR = 1.190, 95%CI was 1.086-1.309, P < 0.001) within the 4-hour period prior to the SBT were independent risk factors for weaning failure in patients undergoing IMV. The RCS analysis after adjusting for confounding factors showed that as Cdyn-MP within the 4-hour period prior to the SBT increased, the risk of weaning failure in patients undergoing IMV significantly increased (P < 0.001). The Spearman rank correlation test showed that Cdyn-MP within the 4-hour period prior to the SBT was positively correlated with respiratory mechanical parameters including ΔPaw and MP (r values were 0.773 and 0.865, both P < 0.01), and negatively correlated with Cdyn (r = -0.587, P < 0.01). Cdyn-MP within the 4-hour period prior to the SBT was positively correlated with prognostic indicators such as duration of IMV, length of ICU stay, and total length of hospital stay (r values were 0.295, 0.196, and 0.120, all P < 0.05). ROC curve analysis demonstrated that, within the 4-hour period preceding the SBT, Cdyn-MP, MP, Cdyn, and ΔPaw possessed predictive value for weaning failure in patients undergoing IMV. Notably, Cdyn-MP exhibited superior predictive capability, evidenced by an AUC of 0.761, with a 95%CI ranging from 0.712 to 0.810 (P < 0.001). At the optimal cut-off value of 408.5 J/min×cmH₂O/mL×10^-3, the sensitivity was 68.29%, and the specificity was 71.19%. CONCLUSION Cdyn-MP is related to weaning outcomes and prognosis in mechanically ventilated patients, and has good predictive ability in assessing the risk of weaning failure.
Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Ventilator Weaning ; Prognosis ; Respiration, Artificial ; Intensive Care Units ; Lung Compliance ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Aged

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between nucleated red blood cell (NRBC) level on the first day of intensive care unit (ICU) admission and 28-day mortality in adult septic patients, and to evaluate the value of NRBC as an independent predictor of death. METHODS: Single-cell transcriptomic analysis was performed using the GSE167363 dataset from the Gene Expression Omnibus (including 2 healthy controls, 3 surviving septic patients, and 2 non-surviving septic patients). A retrospective clinical analysis was conducted using the America Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV (MIMIC-IV) database, including adult patients (≥ 18 years) with first-time admission who met the Sepsis-3.0 criteria, excluding those without NRBC testing on the first ICU day. The demographic information, vital signs, laboratory test indicators, disease severity score and survival data on the first day of admission were collected. The restricted cubic spline (RCS) curve was used to determine the optimal cut-off value of NRBC for predicting 28-day mortality in patients. Patients were divided into low-risk and high-risk groups based on this cut-off value for intergroup comparison, with Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis conducted. Independent risk factors for 28-day mortality were analyzed using Logistic regression and Cox regression analysis, followed by the construction of regression models. RESULTS: NRBC were detected in the peripheral blood of septic patients by single-cell transcriptomic. A total of 1 291 sepsis patients were included in the clinical analysis, with 576 deaths within 28 days, corresponding to a 28-day mortality of 44.6%. RCS curve analysis showed a nonlinear relationship between the first-day NRBC level and the 28-day mortality. When NRBC ≥ 1%, the 28-day mortality of patients increased significantly. Compared to the low-risk group (NRBC < 1%), the high-risk group (NRBC ≥ 1%) had significantly higher respiratory rate, heart rate, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), and simplified acute physiology score II (SAPSII), and significantly lower hematocrit and platelet count. The high-risk group also had a significantly higher 28-day mortality [49.8% (410/824) vs. 35.5% (166/467), P < 0.05], and shorter median survival time (days: 29.8 vs. 208.6, P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that compared with the low-risk group, the survival time of high-risk group was significantly shortened (Log-rank test: χ ² = 25.1, P < 0.001). After adjusting for potential confounding factors including body mass, temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, mean arterial pressure, serum creatinine, pulse oximetry saturation, hemoglobin, hematocrit, Na⁺, K⁺, platelet count, and SOFA score, multivariate regression analysis confirmed that NRBC ≥ 1% was an independent risk factor for 28-day mortality [Logistic regression: odds ratio (OR) = 1.464, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 1.126-1.902, P = 0.004; Cox regression: hazard ratio (HR) = 1.268, 95%CI was 1.050-1.531, P = 0.013]. CONCLUSIONS NRBC ≥ 1% on the first day of ICU admission is an independent risk factor for 28-day mortality in septic patients and can serve as a practical indicator for early prognostic assessment.
Humans ; Sepsis/blood* ; Intensive Care Units ; Risk Factors ; Retrospective Studies ; Prognosis ; Male ; Female ; Hospital Mortality ; Middle Aged ; Aged

Objective:To investigate the differences and prognostic value of serum myeloid-related proteins 8 and 14 (Mrp 8/14) in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) induced by pulmonary and extrapulmonary sepsis.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted to collect the general clinical data of septic ARDS patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Nanjing Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from August 2021 to February 2024. The serum levels of Mrp 8/14 were detected within 24 hours after admission. According to whether the patients died during ICU stay, the patients with pulmonary ARDS and extrapulmonary ARDS induced by sepsis were divided into survival and death groups, respectively. The differences of Mrp 8/14 and other clinical data between the two groups were compared. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the prognostic factors of septic patients with pulmonary ARDS and extrapulmonary ARDS. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the predictive value of serum Mrp 8/14 for the prognosis of patients with pulmonary ARDS and extrapulmonary ARDS.Results:A total of 138 patients with sepsis-induced ARDS were enrolled in this study, including 79 patients with pulmonary ARDS and 59 patients with extrapulmonary ARDS. Compared to the death group, the level of serum Mrp 8/14 was significantly lower [Mrp 8/14: 22.90 (17.91, 30.88) μg/mL vs. 10.73 (7.15, 17.20) μg/mL, P<0.05]. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the serum Mrp 8/14 level was an independent risk factor for the prognosis of pulmonary ARDS patients only during the ICU stay ( OR=1.253, 95% CI: 1.110-1.414, P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of serum Mrp 8/14 for the prediction of death in ARDS patients with pulmonary sepsis during ICU stay was 0.855 (95% CI: 0.773-0.938, P<0.05), the cut-off value was 19.230 μg/mL, the sensitivity was 0.718, the specificity was 0.925, and the Yonden index was 0.405. Conclusion:Serum Mrp 8/14 is an effective prognostic indicator for the mortality of ARDS patients with pulmonary sepsis during ICU hospitalization.

Objective:To investigate differentially expressed lipid molecules and their associated metabolic pathways in lung tissue using lipidomic analysis in a rat model of acute lung injury (ALI).Methods:An ALI rat model was established via intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Twenty rats were randomly allocated into an ALI group and a control group ( n = 10 per group). The left lung was subjected to histopathological evaluation, while the right lung underwent untargeted lipidomics analysis. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was employed for lipid profiling. Principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were performed to assess intergroup differences and determine variable importance in projection (VIP) scores. Differential lipids were screened based on VIP and fold change.Lipid identification and metabolic pathway analysis were conducted using MetaboAnalyst 5.0 and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database. Results:Among 1 022 detected lipid molecules, 47 were differentially expressed (VIP > 1, FC > 2.0 or < 0.5, P< 0.05). Subsequent analysis identified 12 structurally annotated lipids ( P < 0.05), predominantly enriched in glycerophospholipid metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, and α-linolenic acid metabolism pathways. Notably, phosphatidylcholines (PCs) and lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs) exhibited significant alterations in the ALI group. Conclusions:The ALI model demonstrated substantial dysregulation of lipid metabolism, particularly involving PCs and LPCs, with prominent perturbations in glycerophospholipid metabolism. This provides a scienctific basis for indepth research on the pathogenesis mechanism of ALI/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) .

Objective To investigate the predictive value of dual-energy CT quantitative parameters for assessing the short-term treatment efficacy of second-generation epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors(EGFR-TKIs)in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma.Methods A total of 77 patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma who received second-generation EGFR-TKIs treatment were retrospectively included.All patients underwent non-contrast and contrast-enhanced dual-energy CT scans.The patients were divided into effective group(45 cases)and ineffective group(32 cases).The clinical data and CT morpho-logical features of the patients were collected,and the iodine concentration(ICA,ICV),normalized iodine concentration(NICA,NICV),and spectral curve slope(kA,kV)in the arterial and venous phases were obtained.The predictive model was constructed using statistically significant intergroup differences,and the predictive performance of the model was evaluated via the area under the curve(AUC)of the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves,calibration curves,and decision curve analysis(DCA).Results Signifi-cant differences were observed in ICA 90 keV,ICA 150 keV,kA and NICA 90 keV,NICA 150 keV between the effective group and the ineffective group(P<0.05).Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses identified that ICA 90 keV and ICA 150 keV as independent predictors of the short-term treatment efficacy of second-generation EGFR-TKIs.The AUC of the logistic regression model was 0.96[(95%confidence interval(CI)0.87-0.97].Conclusion The quantitative parameters of dual-energy CT can predict the short-term therapeutic efficacy of EGFR-TKIs in advanced lung adenocarcinoma to a certain extent.

With the continuous intensification of aging， chronic diseases among the elderly have become a widely concerned public health issue. In the terminal stage， they often lose the ability to express their medical care wishes autonomously， leading to a disconnect between medical decision-making and the actual needs of the patients and increasing their physical and psychological suffering. With the rapid aging process in China， the incidence of chronic diseases in the elderly is continuously rising， which has become a serious public health problem. Studies have shown that advance care planning （ACP） has achieved remarkable results in maintaining the dignity of life for terminal chronic disease patients， improving patients’ quality of life， as well as alleviating the physical， mental， and economic burdens on their families. Therefore， the implementation of ACP is crucial for elderly patients with chronic diseases. This paper reviewed the concept of ACP， as well as application effects， challenges and limitations， and corresponding recommendations and countermeasures of ACP in elderly patients with chronic diseases， with a view to providing a solid theoretical and practical basis for the application of ACP in elderly population with chronic diseases in China.

Objective To investigate the predictive value of dual-energy CT quantitative parameters for assessing the short-term treatment efficacy of second-generation epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors(EGFR-TKIs)in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma.Methods A total of 77 patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma who received second-generation EGFR-TKIs treatment were retrospectively included.All patients underwent non-contrast and contrast-enhanced dual-energy CT scans.The patients were divided into effective group(45 cases)and ineffective group(32 cases).The clinical data and CT morpho-logical features of the patients were collected,and the iodine concentration(ICA,ICV),normalized iodine concentration(NICA,NICV),and spectral curve slope(kA,kV)in the arterial and venous phases were obtained.The predictive model was constructed using statistically significant intergroup differences,and the predictive performance of the model was evaluated via the area under the curve(AUC)of the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves,calibration curves,and decision curve analysis(DCA).Results Signifi-cant differences were observed in ICA 90 keV,ICA 150 keV,kA and NICA 90 keV,NICA 150 keV between the effective group and the ineffective group(P<0.05).Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses identified that ICA 90 keV and ICA 150 keV as independent predictors of the short-term treatment efficacy of second-generation EGFR-TKIs.The AUC of the logistic regression model was 0.96[(95%confidence interval(CI)0.87-0.97].Conclusion The quantitative parameters of dual-energy CT can predict the short-term therapeutic efficacy of EGFR-TKIs in advanced lung adenocarcinoma to a certain extent.

Objective:To establish the predictive model for major adverse cardiovascular events(MACE) following endovascular repair in elderly patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm(AAA).Methods:The clinical data and postoperative MACE were retrospectively collected from elderly patients with AAA who underwent their first endovascular aneurysm repair(EVAR)in Beijing Hospital and Tibet Autonomous Region People's Hospital between January 2016 and December 2023.Patients were randomly divided into training and validation cohorts at a ratio of 7∶3.Predictive models were using logistic regression, LASSO regression, random forest, linear discriminant analysis, na?ve Bayes, k-nearest neighbor algorithm, support vector machine, decision tree, and AdaBoost.Models were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves.Results:A total of 171 elderly AAA patients were enrolled, aged 60 to 94 years(mean 73.0 ± 7.5 years), of whom 145 were male.MACE occurred after EVAR in 30 patients(17.5%). LASSO regression identified monocyte count, history of coronary artery disease, the ratio of maximum AAA diameter to body mass index(DBR), neutrophil-lymphocyte count ratio(NLR), and age as significant predictors, yielding an area under the ROC curve(AUC)of 0.816.Logistic regression achieved an AUC of 0.813 in the training cohort and 0.772 in the validation cohort.Among all models, AdaBoost demonstrated the best performance, with an AUC of 0.92 in the validation cohort.Conclusions:Age, monocyte count, DBR, NLR and creatinine could predict the occurrence of MACE after EVAR in AAA patients.The AdaBoost model provides the most accurate prediction of postoperative MACE.