Objective To explore the relationship between levels of retinol binding protein (RBP) and lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)], and obesity and the occurrence risk of cardiovascular disease in population with prehypertension (PH). Methods A total of 301 patients with PH who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Science and Technology for physical examination from July 2021 to July 2024 were selected as the study subjects. The levels of serum RBP and Lp(a) were determined, and the waist circumference (WC) and body mass index (BMI) were measured to evaluate the obesity of patients. All patients were followed up. According to whether cardiovascular disease occurred during the follow-up period, they were classified into a study group (with cardiovascular disease) and a control group (without cardiovascular disease). The effects of serum RBP and Lp(a) levels, WC and BMI on the risk of cardiovascular disease were analyzed. Results The follow-up results showed that 53 out of 301 cases developed cardiovascular disease. The levels of RBP, Lp(a), WC, and BMI in the study group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). Receiver operating characteristic curve revealed that the areas under the curves of RBP, Lp(a), WC, and BMI for predicting the cardiovascular disease were 0.823, 0.741, 0.768, and 0.841, respectively. Serum RBP, Lp(a), WC, and BMI were influencing factors of the occurrence of cardiovascular disease (P<0.05). Conclusion RBP, Lp(a), WC, and BMI are the influencing factors for the occurrence of cardiovascular disease in patients with prehypertension. These four indicators have certain predictive value on the occurrence of cardiovascular disease.

Objective: To explore the impact of different blood donation scenarios on population characteristics and blood donation behaviors, and to provide a basis for precise blood donation recruitment. Methods: Eligible voluntary blood donors with complete records from four scenarios in Xi'an: medical institutions, cultural tourism SITES, commercial superstores, and blood centers. After a preliminary analysis of overall donor characteristics across the four scenarios, three core subgroups were defined based on scenarios and donor population differences: the medical subgroup (aged 30-39 years), the blood center subgroup (aged 30-39 years), and the cultural tourism and commercial superstore subgroup (aged 18-29 years). Baseline characteristics, blood donation behaviors, and blood test results were compared among the subgroups. Results: The blood donors in all four scenarios were mainly male, but the proportion of female donors in the medical scenario was the highest (26.4%, 8 878/33 634). In terms of age distribution, the cultural tourism and commercial superstore scenarios were dominated by donors aged 18-29, while the blood center and medical scenarios were dominated by those aged 30-39, with the highest proportion of donors over 40 in the medical scenario. The occupational and educational composition of blood donors in the blood center scenario spanned a wide range, exhibiting a clear bipolar distribution. Significant differences were observed in baseline characteristics, blood donation behaviors, and blood test results among the three core subgroups (P<0.001). The medical subgroup was mainly composed of enterprise/industrial workers and married individuals, with high proportions of first-time blood donors, and the highest unqualified rate of infectious indicators (2.0%, 274/13 509). The cultural tourism and commercial superstore subgroup was mainly unmarried and students, featured high proportions of large-volume donations and evening donations, and had a relatively high unqualified rate for ALT (0.4%, 130/31 443). The blood center subgroup had a complex population structure, a high proportion of repeat blood donors (45.3%, 6449/14 225), and moderate results in all test indicators. Conclusion: There is an inherent correlation between the attributes of blood donation scenarios, population characteristics, and blood donation behaviors. The differences among the three core subgroups provide a clear basis for precise scenario operation. By constructing transformation channels between different scenarios and optimizing scenario-specific strategies, the structure of blood donors can be improved, thereby supporting the sustainable development of voluntary blood donation.

Objective To construct and compare logistic regression and decision tree models for predicting systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) in patients with type B aortic dissection (TBAD) after interventional surgery. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data of TBAD patients at Peking University Shenzhen Hospital from 2020 to 2024. The patients were divided into a SIRS group and a non SIRS group based on whether SIRS occurred within 24 hours after surgery. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of SIRS occurrence in TBAD intervention patients, and a decision tree model was constructed using SPSS Modeler to compare the predictive performance of the two models. Results A total of 742 patients with TBAD were included, including 579 males and 163 females, aged 27-97 (58.85±10.79) years. Within 24 hours after intervention, a total of 506 patients developed SIRS, with an incidence rate of 68.19%. Logistic regression analysis showed that the extensive involvement of the dissection, the surgical time≥2 hours, PET coated stents implanted, serum creatinine, white blood cell count, C-reactive protein, monocyte (MONO), neutrophil count levels elevated, estimated glomerular filtration rate and decreased albumin levels were independent risk factors for SIRS (P<0.05). The decision tree model selected a total of 10 explanatory variables and 6 layers with 37 nodes, among which MONO was the most important predictor. The area under the decision tree model curve was 0.829 [95%CI (0.800, 0.856)], which was better than the logistic regression model's 0.690 [95%CI (0.655, 0.723)], and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). Conclusion The incidence of SIRS after TBAD intervention is high, and the decision tree model has better predictive performance than logistic regression. It can identify high-risk patients with higher accuracy and provide a practical tool for early clinical intervention.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between uterine volume and intrauterine adhesion (IUA).Methods:From June 2018 to November 2019, totally 7 007 patients who underwent hysteroscopy in outpatient operating rooms of Gynecological Minimally Invasive Center, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital were retrospectively analyzed . Patients of reproductive age with IUA without uterine fibroids and adenomyosis were selected as IUA group, and patients of reproductive age without uterine fibroids and adenomyosis without IUA during the same period were selected as the control group. The propensity score matching (PSM) method was used to perform 1∶1 matching for the two groups of patients, matching variables included age, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), gravidity, parity, and number of abortion curettage. Whether there was any difference in uterine volume between the two groups of patients was compared, and whether uterine volume was an influencing factor of IUA was explored. The patients in IUA group were also categorized into mild, moderate and severe to explore whether uterine volume influenced the severity of IUA. Results:(1) After inclusion and exclusion criteria, 351 patients were included in IUA group and 2 986 patients in the control group. With PSM, 327 patients in IUA group and 327 patients in the control group were finally enrolled in this study. There were no statistically significant differences in age, height, weight, BMI, gravidity, parity, and number of abortion curettage between the two groups of patients after matching (all P>0.05). (2) After PSM, there was a significant difference between the uterine volume of IUA group (median: 44.23 cm 3) and the uterine volume of the control group (median: 57.20 cm 3; P<0.001). (3) Reduced uterine volume ( OR=0.961, 95% CI: 0.952-0.970) was an independent risk factor for IUA ( P<0.001). (4) Uterine volume had a significant effect on the severity of IUA ( P<0.001), the larger the uterine volume ( B=-0.030, 95% CI: -0.044 to -0.017), the less severe the IUA. Conclusions:Reduced uterine volume is an independent risk factor for IUA, and uterine volume has a significant effect on the severity of IUA. In patients with small uterine volume size, primary and secondary prevention of IUA should be emphasized.

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of uterine volume for intrauterine adhesion (IUA) caused by endometrial injury, and to provide a new perspective for the primary prevention of IUA.Methods:The clinical data of 7 007 patients of reproductive age who underwent outpatient hysteroscopy in the Gynecological Minimally Invasive Center, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital from June 2018 to November 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients of reproductive age with IUA without uterine fibroids and adenomyosis were selected as the IUA group (351 cases), and patients of reproductive age without uterine fibroids and adenomyosis and without IUA during the same period were selected as the control group (2 986 cases). The uterine volume was compared between the two groups. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine whether uterine volume was an independent factor for the occurrence of IUA. Ordinal multinomial logistic regression was used to analyze the correlation between uterine volume and menstrual volume in IUA patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the predictive value of uterine volume for IUA caused by endometrial injury.Results:(1) The uterine volume of the IUA group was significantly smaller than that of the control group (median: 44.15 vs 62.59 cm 3; Z=-15.742, P<0.001). (2) Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis showed that decreased uterine volume was an independent risk factor for IUA ( OR=0.184, 95% CI: 0.139-0.245; P<0.001). (3) The area under the ROC curve of uterine volume to predict IUA was 0.756, and the optimal cut-off value of uterine volume to predict IUA was 51.49 cm 3. (4) The risk of IUA caused by endometrial injury in patients with uterine volume≤51.49 cm 3 was 4.658 times higher than that in patients with uterine volume>51.49 cm 3 (95% CI: 3.681-5.893; P<0.001). (5) The smaller the uterine volume ( β=-0.032, 95% CI:-0.046 to -0.018; P<0.001), the more likely the IUA patients were to have menorrhagia and amenorrhea. Conclusions:Uterine volume has a certain predictive value for the occurrence of IUA caused by endometrial injury. For patients with small uterine volume, it is necessary to be alert to the occurrence of IUA caused by endometrial injury and improve the awareness of primary prevention.

Objective:Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare autoimmune disease. This study aims to describe the baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes of Chinese PSC patients and explore risk factors associated with prognosis, addressing the lack of long-term prognostic analysis in China.Methods:Clinical data of PSC patients were retrospectively collected from May 2009 to June 2023 in Beijing Friendship Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University, and patient follow-up was conducted through outpatient visits, telephone calls, and medical record reviews. The Cox proportional hazards model and the Kaplan-Meier method were employed to identify risk factors and estimate transplant-free survival.Results:A total of 65 PSC patients were enrolled, with male patients accounting for 50.8% and an average age of onset of 44 years. The disease types primarily included large duct PSC (57.9%) and whole duct PSC (22.8%). Most patients (78.5%) sought medical attention due to symptoms, with common clinical manifestations including jaundice (32.3%), fatigue (23.1%), abdominal discomfort (21.5%), pruritus (16.9%), and fever (10.8%). A total of 19 patients (29.2%) had concomitant ulcerative colitis. Compared to large duct PSC or whole duct PSC, small duct PSC showed a lower proportion of concomitant ulcerative colitis ( P<0.001) and milder baseline disease severity. After a median follow-up of 29 months (interquartile range: 11,53), 19 patients experienced liver transplantations and/or liver disease-related deaths. The overall 2-year and 5-year transplant-free survival rates for PSC patients were 76.0% and 59.5%, respectively. Elevated bile acid levels were identified as an independent risk factor for poor outcomes in PSC patients. Conclusion:The study population of Chinese PSC patients predominantly consisted of middle-aged males, characterized by a low ratio of asymptomatic cases, a low incidence of associated inflammatory bowel disease, and a low rate of transplant-free survival. Elevated bile acid level was identified as an independent risk factor for poor outcomes in PSC patients.

Objective:To investigate the regulatory effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on functional connectivity (FC) of thalamic subregions in patients with premenstrual syndrome (PMS).Methods:This study was a cross-sectional investigation. Clinical, laboratory, and imaging data were retrospectively collected from 56 PMS patients (PMS group) and 66 healthy controls (control group) recruited from various universities and hospitals in Nanning between November 2021 and June 2024. Resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) data and fMRI data during taVNS immediate stimulation (2 Hz, 25 Hz) were acquired from subjects during their late luteal phase. Using thalamic subregions (anterior thalamic nucleus, lateral nucleus, ventral nucleus, medial nucleus, central nucleus, posterior nucleus) as seeds, two-sample t-tests or paired t-tests were employed to analyze alterations in thalamic subregion FC in PMS patients and the regulatory effects of taVNS on these changes. Independent samples t-test were used to compare the differences in clinical and laboratory indicators between the PMS group and the control group. The relationship between taVNS regulation of thalamic subregion FC in PMS patients and thalamic internal functional connectivity were analyzed using mediation effect analysis. Results:Compared to the control group, patients in the PMS group showed increased scores on the Daily Record of Severity of Problems, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, Self-Rating Depression Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale 17, and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale 14 during the late luteal phase ( P<0.05). At baseline, PMS patients exhibited higher FC between the left thalamic lateral nucleus and the left insula, and lower FC between the left medial nucleus, posterior nucleus, and ventral nucleus of the thalamus and the right middle frontal gyrus (MFG) compared to the control group (GRF corrected, voxel-level P<0.001, cluster-level P<0.05). During 2 Hz taVNS immediate stimulation in PMS group, FC between the left thalamic medial nucleus, posterior nucleus, ventral nucleus and the right MFG, as well as the FC between the left thalamic ventral nucleu and the left MFG increased compared to baseline levels; meanwhile, FC between the left thalamic posterior nucleus, ventral nucleus and the left insula decreased compared to baseline levels (GRF corrected, voxel-level P<0.001, cluster-level P<0.05). During 25 Hz taVNS immediate stimulation, the FC between the left thalamic ventral nucleus and the right MFG decreased compared to the baseline level (GRF corrected, voxel-level P<0.001, cluster-level P<0.05). Mediation effect analysis showed that the FC between the left thalamic posterior nucleus and the left lateral nucleus mediated part of the association between the FC of the left lateral thalamic nucleus-left insula and the FC of the left ventral thalamic nucleus-left putamen/insula; there were significant direct effects between the FC of the left lateral thalamic nucleus-the left posterior nucleus and FC of the left lateral thalamic nucleus-the left insula, as well as between the FC of the left ventral thalamic nucleus-the left MFG and FC of the left ventral thalamic nucleus-the right MFG. Conclusions:taVNS can modulate abnormal FC of the left thalamic subregions in PMS patients, restoring it toward normalization. The regulatory effects of 2 Hz stimulation are more pronounced than those of 25 Hz stimulation. This modulation primarily operates through two pathways: the left thalamic lateral nucleus-left insula-left thalamic ventral nucleus pathway and the left MFG-left thalamic ventral nucleus-right MFG.

Cancer cachexia is a complex syndrome caused by multiple factors,which seriously affects the quality of life and prognosis of patients.Its overall pathogenesis is related to the deficiency of spleen qi,insufficiency of kidney essence,internal generation of turbid toxins,and the obstruction of the production of qi,blood and essential qi,which cannot nourish the muscles and bones.Under the guidance of the dynamic diagnosis and treatment system of"spleen and kidney exhaustion as the root cause and internal accumulation of turbid toxins as the manifestation",the overall regulation is carried out from four dimensions:opening and closing the spleen and stomach,nourishing the kidney and promoting transportation,transforming turbid toxins and detoxification,and tonifying qi and nourishing yin.It has shown unique value in the intervention of cancer cachexia and can provide ideas and references for the clinical practice of TCM in treating cancer cachexia.

Objective:To explore the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on dysphagia in hemispheric stroke patients.Methods:Sixty-two hemispheric stroke patients with dysphagia were randomized into an ipsilateral group, a contralateral group and a bilateral group with 20 in each group. The ipsilateral and contralateral groups received tDCS over their ipsilesional and contralesional hemispheres, respectively, while in the bilateral group it was over both hemispheres. That was followed by conventional swallowing therapy. Before and after 2 weeks of the treatment, swallowing function was assessed using the modified Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MMASA) and a Swallow Severity scale (SSS). Linear regressions were evaluated to highlight the factors most influencing recovery from post-stroke hemispheric dysphagia.Results:After the treatments, the average MMASA and SSS scores had increased significantly in all three groups. There was no significant difference in the average post-treatment MMASA and SSS scores between the ipsilateral and contralateral groups, but the bilateral group showed significantly better average post-treatment MMASA and SSS scores compared to the other two groups. Linear regression analysis confirmed that the tDCS protocol (group allocation) was a significant predictor of recovery.Conclusion:Bilateral tDCS can effectively promote the recovery of swallowing function after a hemispheric stroke. It demonstrates greater therapeutic benefits than unilateral tDCS.

Objective:To analyze the prevalence of human respiratory syncytial virus（RSV）and the evolutionary characteristics of the adhesion glycoprotein（G）gene in Xi'an from 2023 to 2024.Methods:Respiratory specimens were collected from patients with acute respiratory infections in Xi'an between October 2023 to October 2024. RSV nucleic acid screening was performed using real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR；full-length G gene sequencing was conducted on nucleic acid-positive specimens. Genotyping characterization of the obtained sequences was performed using Nextclade v3.10.0 software.Results:A total of 2 548 respiratory tract infection samples were collected，with 104 cases（4.08%，104/2 548）testing positive for RSV. The highest RSV positivity rate was observed in children aged ≤1 year（12.24%，18/147），and significant difference in positivity rates were found among age groups（χ 2=37.868， P<0.001）. Since October 2023，RSV has seen an epidemic peak during January to February 2024，and gradually declined thereafter，with no positive cases from May to September 2024. Among the 43 RSV-positive samples，12 strains were identified as subtype A（all genotype A.D.3），and 31 strains were subtype B（14 genotype B.D.4.1.1 and 17 genotype B.D.E.1）. Conclusion:From October 2023 to October 2024，RSV had an epidemic peak in January and February in Xi＇an，with subtype B being the predominant circulating type.