Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of β-blockers in older patients with hypertension combined with vascular dementia.Methods A total of 152 older patients with hypertension combined with vascular dementia who were admitted to Shanxi Provincial Fenyang Hospital between January 2022 and October 2024 were enrolled.The participants were randomly assigned to either the study group or the control group(76 patients each)using the randomized numerical table method.Both groups received conventional treatment,and the study group received metoprolol for 5 weeks in addition to the conventional treatment.Primary outcome indicators,including changes in systolic blood pressure(SBP)and diastolic blood pressure(DBP)before and after treatment,were examined.Additionally,comparison was made to examine the intergroup difference in serological markers,including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hs-CRP),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin(IL)-6,IL-8,matrix metalloproteinase 9(MMP-9),homocysteine(Hcy),and superoxide dismutase(SOD)levels,and the scores for intelligence,cognitive,and behavioral assessments.Adverse reactions were recorded.Results After treatment,the study group showed reduced SBP from(146.90±7.35)mmHg(1 mmHg=0.133 kPa)to(120.00±6.03)mmHg and reduced DBP from(90.24±5.97)mmHg to(77.23±6.81)mmHg.The reduction in blood pressure in the study group became more significantly when compared with that of the control group,with intergroup difference in SBP reduction being-8.54 mmHg(P<0.001)and intergroup difference in DBP reduction being-10.80 mmHg(P<0.001).Patients in the 2 groups showed statistically significant differences in the levels of hs-CRP,TNF-α,IL-6,IL-8,MMP-9,and Hcy,and in their cognitive and behavioral scores(P<0.05).No statistically significant differences were found in pulse pressure,von Willebrand factor(vWF)levels,or intelligence scores before and after treatment(P>0.05).The main adverse reactions in the study group were central nervous system reactions(22.37%)and withdrawal syndrome(17.11%).Conclusion The β-blocker metoprolol effectively controlled blood pressure,significantly reduced levels of pro-inflammatory factors and specific vascular injury markers,and improved cognitive function and behavioral symptoms in older patients with hypertension combined with vascular dementia,suggesting its therapeutic efficacy for this condition.However,attention should be paid to its associated adverse reactions.

Objective:To explore the diagnostic value of quantitative analysis of contrast-enhanced ultrasound for deep venous thrombosis of lower extremity after total hip arthroplasty.Methods:A total of 150 patients suspected of deep venous thrombosis of lower extremity undergoing total hip arthroplasty treatment in Jiaozhou Central Hospital of Qingdao from June 2021 to June 2022 were selected. Color Doppler ultrasound diagnostic instrument was used to examine the deep vein vessels of the lower limbs of patients, and quantitative analysis of contrast-enhanced ultrasound was performed to record the color Doppler detection results of patients. Quantitative parameters of contrast-enhanced ultrasound including time to peak (TIP), derived peak intensity (DPI), slope of ascending branch of curve (C) were compared between patients with deep vein thrombosis of lower extremities and normal patients. According to the onset time of symptoms of lower extremity thrombus group, patients were divided into acute stage, subacute stage and chronic stage, and the thrombus elasticity score and thrombus strain ratio among the three subgroups were compared.Results:Angiography results showed that 82 patients were diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis of lower extremities. The Kappa = 0.904, sensitivity was 95.00%, specificity was 91.43%, accuracy was 93.33%, positive prediction rate was 92.68%, and negative prediction rate was 94.12% by using contrast-enhanced ultrasonography and angiography in the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis of lower extremity. The Kappa = 0.616, the sensitivity was 77.55%, specificity was 88.46%, accuracy was 81.33%, positive prediction rate was 92.68%, negative prediction rate was 67.65% by using ultrasonography and angiography in the diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis of lower extremities. The TIP level in patients with deep venous thrombosis of lower limbs was higher than that in normal patients, the DPI and C levels were lower than that in normal patients: (40.21 ± 12.34) s vs. (13.50 ± 4.59) s, (- 32.27 ± 7.56) dB vs. (- 11.33 ± 3.07) dB, (1.88 ± 0.40) dB/s vs. (4.75 ± 1.34) dB/s, there were statistical differences ( P<0.05). There were 28 cases of acute stage thrombosis, 22 cases of subacute stage thrombosis, and 32 cases of chronic stage thrombosis. There were statistically significant differences in thrombus elasticity score and thrombus strain ratio among patients with lower extremity thrombosis at different periods. Thrombus elasticity score and thrombus strain ratio of patients with acute stage thrombus were the lowest. Conclusions:Quantitative analysis of contrast-enhanced ultrasound has good consistency in the diagnosis of lower extremity deep vein thrombosis after total hip arthroplasty, and has certain clinical significance for staging diagnosis of lower extremity deep vein thrombosis.

Objective To investigate the performance of using lung dynamic compliance(Cdyn)and airway resistance(RAW)levels to predict lung infection in elderly esophageal cancer patients who have undergone radiotherapy.Methods A total of 298 elderly esophageal cancer patients who received radiotherapy at Shanxi Fenyang Hospital between October 2017 and July 2022 were retrospectively enrolled and their clinical data were collected.The patients were divided into an infection group(124 cases)and a non-infection group(174 cases)according to their status of lung infection.Then,in the infection group,CURB-65 score was used to assess the severity of the patients'lung infection and the patients were further divided into subgroups accordingly,with 36 cases in the mild infection subgroup,58 cases in the moderate infection subgroup,and 30 cases in the severe infection subgroup.The levels of Cdyn,RAW,and infection indicators,including serum procalcitonin(PCT),interleukin-6(IL-6),and angiotensin Ⅱ(Ang Ⅱ),were measured in both groups of patients and the differences in the findings were compared between the infection and the non-infection groups and among patients with infection of varying degrees of severity.The correlation between Cdyn and RAW and the levels of PCT,IL-6,and Ang Ⅱ was analyzed.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the performance of predicting infection with Cdyn and RAW.Results The Cdyn level of patients in the infection group was lower than that of patients in the non-infection group,while the RAW level of the infection group was higher than that of the non-infection group(P＜0.05).Among the infection subgroup,the level of Cdyn of the mild infection subgroup was higher than those of the moderate and severe infection subgroups,while the levels of RAW,PCT,IL-6,and Ang Ⅱ of the mild infection subgroup were lower than those of the moderate severe subgroups.The level of Cdyn of the moderate infection subgroup was higher than that of the severe infection subgroup,while the RAW,PCT,IL-6,and Ang Ⅱ levels of the moderate infection subgroup were lower than those of the severe infection subgroup,with all difference being statistically significant(P＜0.05).The Cdyn level of patients with lung infection was negatively correlated with PCT,IL-6,and Ang Ⅱ levels and the severity of infection(r=-0.501,-0.430,-0.367,and-0.484,respectively,P＜0.05),while RAW was positively correlated with PCT,IL-6,and Ang Ⅱ levels and the severity of infection(r=0.483,0.395,0.374,and 0.423,respectively,P＜0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of Cdyn and RAW for predicting lung infection in elderly patients with esophageal cancer after radiotherapy were 0.898(95％confidence interval[CI]:0.857-0.930)and 0.823(95％CI:0.775-0.865),respectively,and the AUC of combined evaluation of Cdyn and RAW was 0.959(95％CI:0.930-0.979),which suggested that the predictive performance of combined evaluation was better than evaluation with Cdyn or RAW alone.Conclusion When elderly esophageal cancer patients develop lung infection after radiotherapy,their Cdyn level is decreased,while the levels of RAW,PCT,IL-6,and Ang Ⅱ are increased.In addition,the levels of Cdyn and RAW are correlated with the PCT,IL-6,and Ang Ⅱ levels.The combined use of Cdyn and RAW shows good performance for predicting lung infection in patients.

Objectives:To summarize the clinical and genetic characteristics of the patients with isolated methylmalonic acidemia and investigate the strategies for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention.Methods:Three hundred and fourteen patients (180 males, 134 females) with isolated methylmalonic acidemia were ascertained from 26 provinces or cities across the mainland of China during January 1998 to March 2020. Genetic analysis was performed by Sanger sequencing, gene panel sequencing, whole exome sequencing, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification or quantitative PCR. According to the age of onset, the patients were divided to early-onset group (≤12 months of age) and the late-onset group (>12 months of age). They were treated by cobalamin, L-carnitine and (or) special diet and symptomatic treatment. Statistical analysis was done using Chi-square test.Results:Fifty-eight of 314 (18.5%) patients were detected by Newborn screening using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Five cases (1.6%) had a postmortem diagnosis. Two hundred and fifty-one patients (79.9%) were clinically diagnosed with an age of onset ranged from 3 hours after birth to 18 years. One hundred and fifty-nine patients (71.0%) belonged to early-onset groups, 65 patients (29.0%) belonged to the late-onset group. The most common symptoms were metabolic crises, psychomotor retardation, epilepsy, anemia and multiple organ damage. Metabolic acidosis and anemia were more common in early-onset patients than that in late-onset patients (20.8%(33/159) vs. 9.2% (6/65), 34.6% (55/159) vs. 16.9% (11/165), χ 2=4.261, 6.930, P=0.039, 0.008). Genetic tests were performed for 236 patients (75.2%), 96.2%(227/236) had molecular confirmation. One hundred and twenty-seven variants were identified in seven genes (MMUT, MMAA, MMAB, MMADHC, SUCLG1, SUCLA2, and MCEE), of which 49 were novel. The mut type, caused by the deficiency of methylmalonyl-CoA mutase, was the most common ( n=211, 93%) cause of this condition. c.729_730insTT, c.1106G>A and c.914T>C were the three most frequent mutations in MMUT gene. The frequency of c.914T>C in early-onset patients was significantly higher than that in late-onset patients (8.3% (18/216) vs. 1.6% (1/64), χ 2=3.859, P=0.037). Metabolic crisis was more frequent in mut type than the other types (72.6% (114/157) vs. 3/13, χ 2=13.729, P=0.001),developmental delay and hypotonia were less frequent in mut type (38.2% (60/157) vs. 9/13, 25.5% (40/157) vs. 8/13, χ 2=4.789, 7.705, P=0.030, 0.006). Of the 58 patients identified by newborn screening, 44 patients (75.9%) who were treated from asymptomatic phase developed normally whereas 14 patients (24.1%) who received treatment after developing symptoms exhibited varying degrees of psychomotor retardation. Conclusions:The characteristics of phenotypes and genotypes among Chinese patients with isolated methylmalonic acidemia were analyzed. Expanded the mutation spectrum of the associated genes. Because of the complex clinical manifestations and severe early onset of isolated methylmalonic acidemia, Newborn screening is crucial for early diagnosis and improvement of prognosis. MMUT gene is recommended for carrier screening as an effort to move the test earlier as a part of the primary prevention of birth defects.

Objective To investigate the relationship between muscle mass reduction and quality of life in elderly lung cancer patients at the initial visit.Methods Totally 221 patients with non-small cell lung cancer undergoing chest and abdominal CT examination were included in this study at Fenyang Hospital in Shanxi Province.The Pearson's correlations of skeletal muscle index(SMI) and skeletal muscle radiodensity(SMD)with the disease stage,physical function,role of physical function,global quality of life,fatigue and dyspnea were analyzed.Results The average age of 221 patients was(70.2t9.0)years.The mean SMI for men and women was(46.7± 7.8)cm2/m2 and(39.4 ±6.4) cm2/m2 respectively.Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that SMI affected the body function,role of physical function,global quality of life,and fatigue dimension(all P ＜ 0.05),and SMD affected the physical function of life quality and dyspnea dimension(P ＜0.05).SMI was related to the physical function and role of physical function(men:r =0.287 and 0.245,P =0.001 and 0.006;women:r=0.296 and 0.395,P =0.004 and 0.000).In male patients,SMO was also associated with low global quality of life and fatigue(r=0.191 and-0.198,P =0.032 and 0.026).The above relationships did not change even after adjusting for the effect of age and disease stages.Low SMD was associated with low physical function and dyspnea in both men and women(men:r =0.287 and 0.245,P=0.037 and 0.049;women.:r=0.281 and-0.262,P=0.006 and 0.010),and SMD was associated with dyspnea only in women even after adjusting for age and disease stages.A correlation between SMI and the disease stage was found in both men and women(male:r =-0.266,P=0.003;female:r=-0.223,P=0.005).Conclusions Changes in muscle mass may affect the physical function,role of physical function and global quality of life in elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Objective To investigate the antimicrobial resistance profile of the clinical isolates collected from selected hospitals across China. Methods Twenty-nine general hospitals and five children's hospitals were involved in this program. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out according to a unified protocol using Kirby-Bauer method or automated systems. Results were interpreted according to CLSI 2017 breakpoints. Results A total of 190 610 clinical isolates were collected from January to December 2017, of which gram negative organisms accounted for 70.8％ (134 951/190 610) and gram positive cocci 29.2％ (55 649/190 610). The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains was 35.3％ in S. aureus (MRSA) and 80.3％ in coagulase negative Staphylococcus (MRCNS) on average. MR strains showed much higher resistance rates to most of the other antimicrobial agents than MS strains. However, 91.6％ of MRSA strains were still susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, while 86.2％ of MRCNS strains were susceptible to rifampin. No staphylococcal strains were found resistant to vancomycin. E. faecalis strains showed much lower resistance rates to most of the drugs tested (except chloramphenicol) than E. faecium. Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) was identified in both E. faecalis and E. faecium. The identified VRE strains were mainly vanA, vanB or vanM type based on phenotype or genotype. The proportion of PSSP or PRSP strains in the non-meningitis S.pneumoniae strains isolated from children decreased but the proportion of PISP strains increased when compared to the data of 2016. Enterobacteriaceae strains were still highly susceptible to carbapenems. Overall, less than 10％ of these strains (excluding Klebsiella spp.) were resistant to carbapenems. The prevalence of imipenem-resistant K. pneumoniae increased from 3.0％ in 2005 to 20.9％ in 2017, and meropenem-resistant K. pneumoniae increased from 2.9％ in 2005 to 24.0％ in 2017, more than 8-fold increase. About 66.7％ and 69.3％ of Acinetobacter (A. baumannii accounts for 91.5％) strains were resistant to imipenem and meropenem, respectively. Compared with the data of year 2016, P. aeruginosa strains showed decreasing resistance rate to carbapenems. Conclusions Bacterial resistance is still on the rise. It is necessary to strengthen hospital infection control and stewardship of antimicrobial agents. The communication between laboratorians and clinicians should be further improved in addition to surveillance of bacterial resistance.

Objective To explore the effects of application of virtual simulation technology in basic nursing practice teaching.Methods Convenience sampling method was used to select 204 nursing students of grade 2013 in Fenyang College of Shanxi Medical University as the research subjects.Virtual reality software and simulator were used to build realistic experiment environment.Tasks of virtual simulation training were primary,intermediate and advanced.Questionnaire survey was conducted after training to investigate teaching effects,and theoretical and operating test scores of grade 2013 were compared with those of grade 2012.Results In the primary,intermediate and advanced tasks,there were 87.3％,77％ and 60.8％ of the students having scores of 91～100;theoretical and operating test scores of grade 2013 were better than those of grade 2012(P＜0.01);98％ of the students considered virtual simulation enhanced proficiency of operation,93.1％ of the students considered virtual simulation facilitated learning,91.1％ of the students liked virtual simulation learning,and 90.1％ of the students considered virtual simulation stimulated interests in learning.Conclusion The application of virtual simulation experiment teaching in basic nursing practice teaching can promote the innovation of teaching mode and improve the teaching quality and teaching effect.

Objective To understand the changing resistance proifle ofProteus,Serratia,Citrobacter,Morganella andProvidencia in hospitals across China according to the data from CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program 2005-2014.Methods Antimicrobial susceptibility was tested by using Kirby-Bauer method or automatic minimum inhibitory concentration determination according to a uniifed protocol.Results A total of 21 663 clinical isolates were collected from January 2005 to December 2014. The proportion ofProteus andSerratia isolates increased with time from 1.41% in 2005 to 2.09% in 2014, and from 0.99% in 2005 to 1.28% in 2014 among all the isolates. No change was found for the proportion ofCitrobacter,Morganella, orProvidencia. Less than 10% of theProteus isolates were resistant to cefoperazone-sulbactam, piperacillin-tazobactam, ceftazidime, cefoxitin, amikacin and tigecycline. Less than 10% of theSerratia isolates were resistant to cefoperazone-sulbactam, piperacillin-tazobactam, amikacin and tigecycline. Less than 20% of theCitrobacter isolates were resistant to cefoperazone-sulbactam, piperacillin-tazobactam, cefepime, amikacin and tigecycline. Less than 10% of theMorganella isolates were resistant to cefoperazone-sulbactam, piperacillin-tazobactam, cefepime, amikacin and tigecycline. Less than 20% of theProvidencia isolates were resistant to cefoperazone-sulbactam, piperacillin-tazobactam, cefepime, cefoxitin and tigecycline.Conclusions The antibiotic resistance ofProteus,Serratia, Citrobacter,Morganella andProvidencia isolates in hospitals across China is growing during the period from 2005 to 2014. Strengthening infection control and rational antibiotic use are effective to slow the growth of drug resistance.

Objective To investigate the distribution and antibiotic resistance proifle of clinicalEnterobacter isolates using the data from CHINET during the period from 2005 through 2014.Methods A total of 20 558 clinical strains ofEnterobacter spp. were collected from 2005 to 2014 in CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed with Kirby-Bauer or minimum inhibitory concentration method. The results were analyzed according to CLSI 2014 breakpoints.ResultsEnterobacter cloacae andEnterobacter aerogenes accounted for 71.1% (14 617/20558) and 20.1% (4 129/20 558) of all theEnterobacterisolates, respectively. The proportion ofEnterobacter spp. increased with time from 3.5% in 2005 to 4.3% in 2014. The main source of the isolates was respiratory tract, accounting for 55.2% (11 358/20 558). More than 90% of theEnterobacterisolates were resistant to cefazolin and cefoxitin, but less than 30% of the strains were resistant to cefepime, piperacillin-tazobactam, cefoperazone-sulbactam, amikacin, gentamicin, ciprolfoxacin, meropenem, imipenem and ertapenem. TheEnterobacterisolates showed a trend of declining resistance to most antibiotics except ertapenem and meropenem. The resistance proifle ofEnterobacterisolates varied with departments where they were isolated. The strains from ICU and Department of Surgery were relatively more resistant to antibiotics. The prevalence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains was decreasing, but the prevalence of carbapenem-resistantEnterobacter (CRE, resistant to any of imipenem, meropenem or ertapenem) was increasing. The MDR and CRE strains were primarily isolated from ICU and Department of Surgery. At least 30% of the MDREnterobacter strains were resistant to any of the antimicrobial agents tested except meropenem, imipenem and ertapenem and at least 35% of the CRE strains were resistant to any of the antimicrobial agents tested except amikacin and ciprolfoxacin.Conclusions TheEnterobacter isolates in CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program showed decreasing resistance to most of the antimicrobial agents tested since 2011, but the prevalence of CRE strains increased progressively. Effective measures should be carried out to prevent the spread of CRE strains in hospitals.

Objective To evaluate the changing pattern of antibiotic resistance inKlebsiella strains isolated from the patients in 19 hospitals across China based on the data from CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program during the period from 2005 through 2014.Methods Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion and automated susceptibility testing methods were used to test the susceptibility ofKlebsiella isolates to the commonly used antibiotics. The results were interpreted according to the criteria of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (CLSI-2014).Results A total of 61 406Klebsiella strains were identified between 2005 and 2014, includingK. pneumoniae (56 281 strains), K. oxytoca(4 779),Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp.Ozaenae (300) and otherKlebsiella species (46). Most (89.0%, 54 664/61 406) of theKlebsiella strains were isolated from inpatients, and 60.0% (36 835/61 406) were from respiratory tract speciems. About 16.7% (10 248/61 406) of the strains were isolated from pediatric patients aged 0-17 years and 83.3% (51 158/61 406) from adult patients. The prevalence ofKlebsiella spp. increased with time from 10.1% in 2005 to 14.3% in 2014. Based on the surveillance data during the 10-year period, we found a marked increase of resistance to imipenem (2.9% to 10.5%) and meropenem (2.8% to 13.4%) inKlebsiella spp. The prevalence of ESBLs-producing isolates inK. pneumoniae andK. oxytoca decreased from 39.0% in 2005 to 30.1% in 2014. The resistance to amikacin, ceftazidime, ciprolfoxacin, pipracillin-tazobactam and cefoperazone-sulbactam was on decline. The resistance rate to cefotaxime remained high about 49.5%. Carbapenem resistantance was identiifed in 5 796 (9.4%) of the isolates, including 5 492 strains ofK. pneumoniae and 280 strains ofK. oxytoca. Overall, 4 740 (7.8%) strains were identiifed as extensively-drug resistant (XDR), including 4 520 strains ofK. pneumoniae and 202 strains ofK. oxytoca. The carbapenem-resistant strains showed high (>60%) resistance rate to majority of the antimicrobial agents tested, but relatively low resistance to tigecycline (16.8%), amikacin (54.4%), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (55.5%).Conclusions During the 10-year period from 2005 through 2014, carbapenem resistance amongKlebsiella isolates has increased dramatically in the hospitals across China. The level of resistance to other antibiotics remains stable.