Background and Aims:Portal hypertensive colopathy(PHC)is a common complication of portal hypertension in patients with liver cirrhosis.It may lead to gastrointestinal bleeding,yet its underlying pathogenesis remains unclear,and systematic research in China is limited.This study aimed to analyze the colonoscopic features in cirrhotic patients and to explore their associations with relevant clinical factors.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 99 cirrhotic patients who underwent colonoscopy at Xingtai People's Hospital between July 2020 and December 2024.Colonoscopy,gastroscopy,and clinical data were reviewed.Differences between patients with PHC and those without were compared in terms of sex,Child-Pugh classification,platelet count,presence of ascites,and hepatic encephalopathy.Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent risk factors for PHC.Additionally,colorectal lesion detection rates were compared with those of a contemporaneous cohort of 444 participants undergoing national colorectal cancer(CRC)screening at the same center.Results:Among the 105 patients with cirrhosis,the detection rates of PHC,adenomatous polyps,and CRC were 32.32%,28.28%,and 3.03%,respectively,while only 37.37%had no abnormal findings.No serious colonoscopy-related complications were observed.The proportion of males in the PHC group was significantly higher than in the non-PHC group(78.13%vs.50.75%,P=0.009).The PHC group also showed significantly higher rates of Child-Pugh class B/C,and lower platelet count(all P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of ascites and hepatic encephalopathy between the two groups(P>0.05).Multivariate analysis identified that male gender(OR=3.307,95%CI=1.219-8.971)and Child-Pugh class B/C(OR=2.867,95%CI=1.046-7.861)were independent risk factors for PHC.Compared to the CRC screening cohort,cirrhotic patients had a similar adenoma detection rate(28.28%vs.25.00%,P=0.499),and a slightly higher colorectal cancer detection rate that did not reach statistical significance(3.03%vs.0.68%,P=0.135).Conclusion:Colonoscopy revealed a high rate of abnormalities in cirrhotic patients,with PHC and adenomatous polyps being the most common findings.Routine colonoscopy is recommended for cirrhotic patients without contraindications,especially males,and patients with Child-Pugh class B/C,to facilitate early detection of PHC and precancerous lesions,thereby reducing the risk of lower gastrointestinal bleeding and missed diagnoses of malignancy.

Objective:To investigate lipid metabolism gene mutations and pathogenicity of hypertriglyceridemia acute pancreatitis (HTG-AP) patients.Methods:Clinical data of 495 HTG-AP patients admitted from June 2018 to June 2020 in the center for severe acute pancreatitis of Eastern Theater General Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Whole-exome sequencing and mutation verification were performed by next-generation sequencing technology and Sanger sequencing. The pathogenicity of gene mutation was analyzed by population mutation ratio, pathogenicity prediction software, conservation scoring software, protein structure prediction, and in vitro experiments. Results:The mutation ratio of lipid metabolism-related genes, namely LPL, APOA5, LMF1, GPIHBP1, and APOC2, were 14.81%, 55.78%, 43.61%, 1.62%, and 0.61%, respectively. Among them, 44 heterozygous mutations in LPL gene were detected including 36 missense mutations, 5 nonsense mutations and 3 frameshift mutations, which were all rarely carried in single patient. Six HTG-AP patients carried the LPL gene heterozygous mutation c.835C>G (p.Leu279Val). The mean level of serum triglyceride at the onset of HTG-AP was 27.4 mmol/L. All of them had a history of recurrent HTG-AP, and most of them had severe acute pancreatitis. The serum LPL concentration and activity were lower than the normal level. The pathogenicity analysis results suggested that the LPL p.Leu279Val was a rare, highly possible pathogenic and highly conserved gene mutation. The in vitro results showed that the LPL p.Leu279Val could significantly reduce the synthesis and secretion ability of LPL as well as its enzymatic activity. Conclusions:The mutation ratio of lipid metabolism-related genes, including LPL, APOA5, LMF1, GPIHBP1, and APOC2, are relatively high in the HTG-AP patients. The LPL p.Leu279Val is a rare and highly possible pathogenic gene mutation, which may lead to recurrent episodes of HTG-AP.

Background and Aims:Portal hypertensive colopathy(PHC)is a common complication of portal hypertension in patients with liver cirrhosis.It may lead to gastrointestinal bleeding,yet its underlying pathogenesis remains unclear,and systematic research in China is limited.This study aimed to analyze the colonoscopic features in cirrhotic patients and to explore their associations with relevant clinical factors.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 99 cirrhotic patients who underwent colonoscopy at Xingtai People's Hospital between July 2020 and December 2024.Colonoscopy,gastroscopy,and clinical data were reviewed.Differences between patients with PHC and those without were compared in terms of sex,Child-Pugh classification,platelet count,presence of ascites,and hepatic encephalopathy.Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent risk factors for PHC.Additionally,colorectal lesion detection rates were compared with those of a contemporaneous cohort of 444 participants undergoing national colorectal cancer(CRC)screening at the same center.Results:Among the 105 patients with cirrhosis,the detection rates of PHC,adenomatous polyps,and CRC were 32.32%,28.28%,and 3.03%,respectively,while only 37.37%had no abnormal findings.No serious colonoscopy-related complications were observed.The proportion of males in the PHC group was significantly higher than in the non-PHC group(78.13%vs.50.75%,P=0.009).The PHC group also showed significantly higher rates of Child-Pugh class B/C,and lower platelet count(all P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of ascites and hepatic encephalopathy between the two groups(P>0.05).Multivariate analysis identified that male gender(OR=3.307,95%CI=1.219-8.971)and Child-Pugh class B/C(OR=2.867,95%CI=1.046-7.861)were independent risk factors for PHC.Compared to the CRC screening cohort,cirrhotic patients had a similar adenoma detection rate(28.28%vs.25.00%,P=0.499),and a slightly higher colorectal cancer detection rate that did not reach statistical significance(3.03%vs.0.68%,P=0.135).Conclusion:Colonoscopy revealed a high rate of abnormalities in cirrhotic patients,with PHC and adenomatous polyps being the most common findings.Routine colonoscopy is recommended for cirrhotic patients without contraindications,especially males,and patients with Child-Pugh class B/C,to facilitate early detection of PHC and precancerous lesions,thereby reducing the risk of lower gastrointestinal bleeding and missed diagnoses of malignancy.

Objective:To investigate lipid metabolism gene mutations and pathogenicity of hypertriglyceridemia acute pancreatitis (HTG-AP) patients.Methods:Clinical data of 495 HTG-AP patients admitted from June 2018 to June 2020 in the center for severe acute pancreatitis of Eastern Theater General Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Whole-exome sequencing and mutation verification were performed by next-generation sequencing technology and Sanger sequencing. The pathogenicity of gene mutation was analyzed by population mutation ratio, pathogenicity prediction software, conservation scoring software, protein structure prediction, and in vitro experiments. Results:The mutation ratio of lipid metabolism-related genes, namely LPL, APOA5, LMF1, GPIHBP1, and APOC2, were 14.81%, 55.78%, 43.61%, 1.62%, and 0.61%, respectively. Among them, 44 heterozygous mutations in LPL gene were detected including 36 missense mutations, 5 nonsense mutations and 3 frameshift mutations, which were all rarely carried in single patient. Six HTG-AP patients carried the LPL gene heterozygous mutation c.835C>G (p.Leu279Val). The mean level of serum triglyceride at the onset of HTG-AP was 27.4 mmol/L. All of them had a history of recurrent HTG-AP, and most of them had severe acute pancreatitis. The serum LPL concentration and activity were lower than the normal level. The pathogenicity analysis results suggested that the LPL p.Leu279Val was a rare, highly possible pathogenic and highly conserved gene mutation. The in vitro results showed that the LPL p.Leu279Val could significantly reduce the synthesis and secretion ability of LPL as well as its enzymatic activity. Conclusions:The mutation ratio of lipid metabolism-related genes, including LPL, APOA5, LMF1, GPIHBP1, and APOC2, are relatively high in the HTG-AP patients. The LPL p.Leu279Val is a rare and highly possible pathogenic gene mutation, which may lead to recurrent episodes of HTG-AP.

Objective To investigate the sleep structure of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) and its correlations with cognitive function, depressive state and motor function. Methods A total of 120 PD patients were enrolled in this study, and divided into PD+RBD group (n=45) and PD group (n=75) based on the presence or absence of RBD. Sleep structure was recorded for both groups. The scores of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part Ⅲ (UPDRS-Ⅲ) and Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson's Disease-Autonomic (SCOPA-AUT) were compared between the two groups. The correlations of MoCA, HAMA, HAMD, UPDRS-Ⅲ and SCOPA-AUT scores with sleep structure in the PD+RBD group were analyzed. Results The PD+RBD group showed significantly higher percentage of non-rapideye movement (NREM) at stage 1, arousal index, periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS) and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) compared to the PD group, while the percentages of NREM at stage 3, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, sleep efficiency and lowest oxygen saturation were significantly lower (P < 0.05). The PD+RBD group also had significantly higher HAMA, HAMD, UPDRS-Ⅲ and SCOPA-AUT scores, and significantly lower MoCA scores compared to the PD group (P < 0.05). In the PD+RBD group, the percentages of NREM at stage 1, arousal index, PLMS and AHI were positively correlated with HAMA, HAMD, UPDRS-Ⅲ and SCOPA-AUT scores, and negatively correlated with MoCA scores (P < 0.05). Conversely, the percentages of NREM at stage 3, REM sleep, sleep efficiency and lowest oxygen saturation were negatively correlated with HAMA, HAMD, UPDRS-Ⅲ and SCOPA-AUT scores, and positively correlated with MoCA scores (P < 0.05). Conclusion PD patients with RBD exhibit disrupted sleep structure, which is closely associated with cognitive function, depressive state, motor function, and autonomic nervous system function.

Background:Colonoscopy,regarded as the gold standard for detecting colorectal polyps,has a certain rate of missed diagnosis.Enhancing the polyp detection rate holds the promise of reducing the incidence of colorectal cancer.In recent years,electronic chromoendoscopy has been gradually gaining popularity.Optical enhancement(OE),which is the electron staining mode of Pentax endoscopy,and its impact on the polyp detection rate in patients with ulcerative colitis(UC)remains unclear.Aims:To investigate the effect of OE mode on polyp detection rate in patients with UC.Methods:A total of 233 UC patients who underwent colonoscopy at Xingtai People's Hospital in Hebei Province from July 2020 to April 2024 were enrolled.These patients were divided into the OE group and the High-definition white light(HDWL)group.The two groups were compared in terms of gender,age,Boston bowel preparation score(BBPS),withdrawal time,polyp detection rate,adenoma detection rate,polyp size,and polyp location.Results:There were no significant differences in gender,age,BBPS,and withdrawal time between the OE group and the HDWL group.When compared with the HDWL group,No significant differences in the polyp detection rate(24.66%vs.14.69%,P=0.071)and the adenoma detection rate(13.7%vs.6.99%,P=0.108)were found between the OE group and HDWL group.There was no significant difference in the detection rate of tiny polyps(with a diameter≤5 mm)between the OE group and the HDWL group(78.57%vs.79.41%,P=0.936).Also,there was no significant difference in the detection rate of proximal colon polyps(42.86%vs.41.18%,P=0.894).Moreover,no complications such as bleeding or perforation occurred during the colonoscopy in either group.Conclusions:During colonoscopy,compared with the HDWL mode,the OE mode does not significantly improve the polyp detection rate in UC patients.

Background:Colonoscopy,regarded as the gold standard for detecting colorectal polyps,has a certain rate of missed diagnosis.Enhancing the polyp detection rate holds the promise of reducing the incidence of colorectal cancer.In recent years,electronic chromoendoscopy has been gradually gaining popularity.Optical enhancement(OE),which is the electron staining mode of Pentax endoscopy,and its impact on the polyp detection rate in patients with ulcerative colitis(UC)remains unclear.Aims:To investigate the effect of OE mode on polyp detection rate in patients with UC.Methods:A total of 233 UC patients who underwent colonoscopy at Xingtai People's Hospital in Hebei Province from July 2020 to April 2024 were enrolled.These patients were divided into the OE group and the High-definition white light(HDWL)group.The two groups were compared in terms of gender,age,Boston bowel preparation score(BBPS),withdrawal time,polyp detection rate,adenoma detection rate,polyp size,and polyp location.Results:There were no significant differences in gender,age,BBPS,and withdrawal time between the OE group and the HDWL group.When compared with the HDWL group,No significant differences in the polyp detection rate(24.66%vs.14.69%,P=0.071)and the adenoma detection rate(13.7%vs.6.99%,P=0.108)were found between the OE group and HDWL group.There was no significant difference in the detection rate of tiny polyps(with a diameter≤5 mm)between the OE group and the HDWL group(78.57%vs.79.41%,P=0.936).Also,there was no significant difference in the detection rate of proximal colon polyps(42.86%vs.41.18%,P=0.894).Moreover,no complications such as bleeding or perforation occurred during the colonoscopy in either group.Conclusions:During colonoscopy,compared with the HDWL mode,the OE mode does not significantly improve the polyp detection rate in UC patients.

Objectives:To investigate the prevalence,clinical characteristics and risk factors of coronavirus disease-2019(COVID-19)in patients with pulmonary hypertension(PH). Methods:A questionnaire survey was conducted from December 30,2022 to January 6,2023 through the WeChat official account of the PH Patients Mutual Aid Organization.PH patients aged≥18 years from 26 province(municipality/autonomous region)were recruited to fill in the electronic survey questionnaire. Results:A total of 293 valid questionnaires were collected from PH patients.The mean age of patients was(40.6±12.7)years,and 226 patients(77.1%)of them were female.The vaccination rate was 59.7%(175/293),117 patients(39.9%)received three or more doses of vaccine,145 patients(49.5%)received inactivated vaccine.242 patients(82.6%)had COVID-19.The most common symptoms during infection were fever(85.5%),cough(77.7%),and fatigue(66.5%).10.7%of the patients had severe or critical COVID-19.Age(OR =1.057,95%CI:1.027-1.087,P<0.001)and comorbid pulmonary disease(OR=3.341,95%CI:1.215-9.184,P=0.019)were associated with severe or critical COVID-19.After adjusting for confounding factors,age was an independent risk factor for severe or critical COVID-19(OR=1.049,95%CI:1.019-1.080,P=0.001).Severe or critical COVID-19 was an independent risk factor for worsening heart failure in PH patients during COVID-19 pandemic(OR=10.522,95%CI:4.311-25.682,P<0.001). Conclusions:The immunization coverage of PH patients is insufficient.PH patients have a higher risk of developing severe or critical COVID-19 than general population.Ageing is an independent risk factor for severe or critical COVID-19,and the risk of worsening heart failure in PH patients with severe or critical COVID-19 is significantly increased during COVID-19 pandemic.

Background::The CHA 2DS 2–VASc score was initially applied to stratify stroke risk in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and was found to be effective in predicting all-cause mortality outcomes. To date, it is still unclear whether circulating long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as emerging biomarkers, can improve the predictive power of the CHA 2DS 2–VASc score in stroke and all-cause mortality. Methods::Candidate lncRNAs were screened by searching the literature and analyzing previous RNA sequencing results. After preliminary verification in 29 patients with AF, the final selected lncRNAs were evaluated by Cox proportional hazards regression in 192 patients to determine whether their relative expression levels were associated with stroke and all-cause mortality. The c-statistic, net reclassification improvement (NRI), and integrated discrimination improvement of the patients were calculated to evaluate the discrimination and reclassification power for stroke and all-cause mortality when adding lncRNA expression levels to the CHA 2DS 2–VASc score model. Results::Five plasma lncRNAs associated with stroke and all-cause mortality in AF patients were selected in our screening process. Patients with elevated H19 levels were found to have a higher risk of stroke (hazard ratio [HR] 3.264, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.364–7.813, P = 0.008). Adding the H19 expression level to the CHA 2DS 2–VASc score significantly improved the discrimination and reclassification power of the CHA 2DS 2–VASc score for stroke in AF patients. In addition, the H19 level showed a marginally significant association with all-cause mortality (HR 2.263, 95% CI: 0.889–5.760, P = 0.087), although it appeared to have no significant improvement for the CHA 2DS 2–VASc model for predicting all-cause mortality. Conclusions::Plasma expression of H19 was associated with stroke risk in AF patients and improved the discriminatory power of the CHA 2DS 2–VASc score. Therefore, lncRNA H19 served as an emerging non-invasive biomarker for stroke risk prediction in patients with AF.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and influencing factors of mortality in patients with intra-abdominal candidiasis (IAC).Methods:The retrospective case-control study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 203 IAC patients who were admitted to 7 medical centers from June 2018 to June 2020 were collected, including 54 cases in Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 31 cases in Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, 25 cases in Beijing Hospital, 25 cases in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 24 cases in China-Japan Friendship Hospital, 22 cases in General Hospital of Eastern Theater Command of Chinese PLA and 22 cases in Chongqing University Cancer Hospital. There were 130 males and 73 females, aged (64±15)years. Observation indicators: (1) candida infection and treatment of IAC patients; (2) analysis of influencing factors for mortality of IAC patients. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range), and comparison between groups was analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were expressed as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the chi-square test. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed by Logistic regression model. Results:(1) Candida infection and treatment of IAC patients: 134 cases of candida albicans were cultured in the initial abdominal drainage fluid or intraoperative abdominal specimens of 203 patients, and 49 cases were treated with fluconazole. Of 69 cases infected with non candida albicans, 13 cases were treated with fluconazole. The resistance rate of candida albicans to fluconazole was 5.91%(12/203). Of 203 patients, there were 68 cases with infections shock, 53 cases with renal failure, 84 cases with respiratory failure and 63 cases with multiple organ failure, respectively. There were 148 of 203 patients admitted to intensive care unit for 9 days(range, 3-20 days), and the total hospital stay was 28 days(range, 17-50 days). Of 203 patients, 86 cases were cured and discharged, 50 cases were improved and transferred to local hospitals, 32 cases gave up treatment and discharged automatically, 19 cases died, 16 cases had no follow-up data. The mortality was 25.12%(51/203). (2) Analysis of influencing factors for mortality of IAC patients. Results of univariate analysis showed that acute physiology and chronic health evaluation score, sequential organ failure assessment score, the Cr, bilirubin, albumin, procalcitonin, and PLT on the first day of candida positive culture, of the lowest value in a week and the highest in a week, heart disease, diabetes, infections shock, renal failure, respiratory failure, multiple organ failure, anti-fungal therapy were the related factors for mortality of IAC patients ( t=-2.322, Z=-2.550, -2.262, -4.361, t=2.085, Z=-3.734, -5.226, -2.394, -5.542, t=3.462, Z=-4.957, -5.632, 3.670, -5.805, t=3.966, Z=-3.734, -5.727, χ2=4.071, 4.638, 27.353, 18.818, 13.199, 26.251, 13.388, P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that the bilirubin, procalcitonin on the first day of candida positive culture and infections shock were independent risk factors for mortality of IAC patients ( odds ratio=1.021, 1.022, 6.864, 95% confidence interval as 1.010-1.033, 1.001-1.044, 1.858-25.353, P<0.05). Conclusions:The common fungus of IAC was candida albicans, and fluconazole can be used as the initial empirical treatment. The prognosis of patients with abdominal candidiasis is poor. Bilirubin, procalcitonin on the first day of candida positive culture and infections shock are indepen-dent risk factors for mortality of IAC patients.