Objective:To analyze the current situation and core issues of medical escort services in Shanghai through a two-side (supply and demand) survey, so as to provide references for formulating targeted strategies for the standardized management of this industry.Methods:From June to August 2024, a questionnaire survey on awareness of escort services was conducted among patients at 16 tertiary public hospitals in Shanghai. The survey covered patients′ basic information, their needs, concerns, and expectations regarding escort services. Concurrently, a specialized questionnaire was administered to trainees enrolled in Shanghai Open University′s " elderly care escort service provider" program. This survey covered the companions′ basic profiles, types of service recipients, relevant qualifications, training programs, and standardized service procedures. Data were organized and analyzed by using SPSS 26.0 software.Results:The survey on awareness of patient escort services yielded 855 valid responses, achieving a 92.13% response rate. Among these 855 patients, the primary demand for escort services was queue management for examinations (515 cases, 71.47%), followed by assistance with registration/payment/medication pickup (528 cases, 61.74%). 587 patients (68.66%) expressed willingness to use the service. The main concerns included lack of professional expertise among attendants (538 cases, 62.92%), trust issues (494 cases, 57.78%), and fee concerns (456 cases, 53.33%). Expectations for service supervision primarily focused on service quality and safety (618 cases, 72.28%) and pricing standards (609 cases, 71.23%). The specialized survey on medical escort services yielded 194 valid questionnaires, achieving a 100.00% response rate. Among the 194 medical escort service providers, 82.5% (160 individuals) were full-time practitioners, 31.96% (62 individuals) held relevant qualification certificates, and 72.68% (144 individuals) had participated in related training programs. Regarding standardized services, 74.74% (145 individuals) of medical escorts obtained patient information prior to service delivery, 56.70% (110 individuals) signed agreements with users, and 67.01% (130 individuals) maintained records of their medical escort services.Conclusions:Shanghai′s medical escort services had achieved some success, yet faced challenges including high patient demand coupled with low trust, insufficient certification and training for escorts, and an urgent need to improve service standardization. It is recommended that medical institutions further strengthen their primary role in managing escort services. By enhancing top-level design, establishing standardized training and certification mechanisms, implementing comprehensive quality monitoring and credit evaluation systems, and other measures, they could elevate the professional competence of practitioners, reinforce patient safety safeguards, and promote the high-quality, standardized development of escort services.

Objective:To analyze the current situation and core issues of medical escort services in Shanghai through a two-side (supply and demand) survey, so as to provide references for formulating targeted strategies for the standardized management of this industry.Methods:From June to August 2024, a questionnaire survey on awareness of escort services was conducted among patients at 16 tertiary public hospitals in Shanghai. The survey covered patients′ basic information, their needs, concerns, and expectations regarding escort services. Concurrently, a specialized questionnaire was administered to trainees enrolled in Shanghai Open University′s " elderly care escort service provider" program. This survey covered the companions′ basic profiles, types of service recipients, relevant qualifications, training programs, and standardized service procedures. Data were organized and analyzed by using SPSS 26.0 software.Results:The survey on awareness of patient escort services yielded 855 valid responses, achieving a 92.13% response rate. Among these 855 patients, the primary demand for escort services was queue management for examinations (515 cases, 71.47%), followed by assistance with registration/payment/medication pickup (528 cases, 61.74%). 587 patients (68.66%) expressed willingness to use the service. The main concerns included lack of professional expertise among attendants (538 cases, 62.92%), trust issues (494 cases, 57.78%), and fee concerns (456 cases, 53.33%). Expectations for service supervision primarily focused on service quality and safety (618 cases, 72.28%) and pricing standards (609 cases, 71.23%). The specialized survey on medical escort services yielded 194 valid questionnaires, achieving a 100.00% response rate. Among the 194 medical escort service providers, 82.5% (160 individuals) were full-time practitioners, 31.96% (62 individuals) held relevant qualification certificates, and 72.68% (144 individuals) had participated in related training programs. Regarding standardized services, 74.74% (145 individuals) of medical escorts obtained patient information prior to service delivery, 56.70% (110 individuals) signed agreements with users, and 67.01% (130 individuals) maintained records of their medical escort services.Conclusions:Shanghai′s medical escort services had achieved some success, yet faced challenges including high patient demand coupled with low trust, insufficient certification and training for escorts, and an urgent need to improve service standardization. It is recommended that medical institutions further strengthen their primary role in managing escort services. By enhancing top-level design, establishing standardized training and certification mechanisms, implementing comprehensive quality monitoring and credit evaluation systems, and other measures, they could elevate the professional competence of practitioners, reinforce patient safety safeguards, and promote the high-quality, standardized development of escort services.

ObjectiveTo investigate the regulatory effect of circular RNA circ_0120051 on the fibrotic phenotype of cardiac fibroblasts and the potential mechanism involved. MethodsThe expression of circ_0120051 and its host gene of solute carrier family 8 member A1（SLC8A1） mRNA in the myocardium of healthy organ donors （n=24） and heart failure （HF） patients （n=21） were assessed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （RT-qPCR） assay. RNA stability of circ_0120051 was identified by RNase R exonuclease digestion assay. The cytoplasmic and nuclear distribution of circ_0120051 in human cardiomyocyte AC16 was detected by RT-qPCR assay. The expression of fibrosis-related genes in mouse cardiac fibroblasts （mCFs） with adenovirus-mediated overexpression of circ_0120051 was detected by RT-qPCR and Western blot assay， respectively. The effect of overexpression of circ_0120051 on the migration activity of mCFs was evaluated by wound-healing assay. RNA co-immunoprecipitation （RIP） was conducted to detect the interaction between circ_0120051 and miR-144-3p. The binding site of miR-144-3p in the 3'-UTR of isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 （Idh2） mRNA was identified by the dual luciferase reporter gene assay. ResultsCirc_0120051 was significantly up-regulated in the myocardium of HF patients， while the mRNA expression of its host gene SLC8A1 was not changed. Circ_0120051 was mainly located in the cytoplasm of human AC16 cells. Results of RNase R exonuclease digestion revealed that circ_0120051 possesses the characteristic stability of circular RNA compared to the linear SLC8A1 mRNA. Overexpression of circ_0120051 could inhibit the expression of fibrosis-related gene in mCFs and mCFs migration. RIP assay confirmed the specific interaction between circ_0120051 and miR-144-3p. Transfection of miR-144-3p mimic could efficiently promote the expression of fibrosis-related genes in mCFs and reverse the inhibitory effect of circ_0120051 on the fibrotic phenotype of mCFs. Results of the dual luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed the interaction between miR-144-3p and the 3'-UTR of Idh2. Transfection of miR-144-3p transcriptionally inhibited Idh2 expression， and overexpression of circ_0120051 enhanced IDH2 expression in mCFs. MiR-144-3p mimic and Idh2 small interfering RNA （siRNA） could consistently reverse the inhibitory effects of circ_0120051 on fibrosis-related genes expression in mCFs and mCFs migration. ConclusionsCirc_0120051 inhibits the fibrotic phenotype of cardiac fibroblasts via sponging miR-144-3p to enhance the target gene of IDH2 expression.

Objective:To explore changes of acid-base metabolism in the brain tissue of patients with chronic ischemic cerebrovascular disease (CICVD) using MRI amide proton transfer-weighted (APTw) imaging.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study. From January 2021 to July 2022, thirty-nine patients with CICVD at West China Hospital, Sichuan University were retrospectively included. All patients received CT perfusion (CTP) and APTw imaging. NeuBrainCARE brain perfusion software was used to analyze the impaired perfusion sites and measure the mean transit time (MTT) and time to peak (TTP). Standard spatial matching between CTP and APTw images was performed to measure the APTw values of the same sites. For comparison with normal tissue, APTw values were measured for normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) in the ipsilateral cerebral hemisphere, the contralateral cerebral hemisphere, and the ipsilateral cerebellar hemisphere in areas of impaired perfusion. ANOVA was used to compare the APTw values of impaired perfusion brain tissue, ipsilateral cerebral NAWM, contralateral cerebral NAWM, and ipsilateral cerebellar NAWM. The Bonferroni method was used to correct for multiple comparisons. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation between APTw values and MTT and TTP in the cerebral tissue with impaired perfusion.Results:In 39 patients with CICVD, both the mean and minimum APTw values of cerebral tissue with impaired perfusion were significantly lower than those in the NAWM of the ipsilateral cerebral hemisphere, the contralateral cerebral hemisphere, and the ipsilateral cerebellar hemisphere ( P<0.001). In the NAWM of the cerebellar hemispheres with unimpaired perfusion, both the mean and minimum APTw values were significantly higher than those in the ipsilateral cerebral hemispheres and the contralateral cerebral hemisphere ( P<0.001). Correlation analysis showed that MTT was significantly negatively correlated with both the mean APTw and the minimum APTw ( r values were -0.90 and -0.82, P<0.001). TTP was significantly negatively correlated with both the mean APTw and the minimum APTw ( r values were -0.86 and -0.78, P<0.001). Conclusion:APTw value can reflect acidosis in cerebral tissue with impaired perfusion in patients with CICVD.

ObjectiveThe potential suitable area for ecological planting， key ecological factors， and suitable range of Polygonatum odoratum in China were analyzed to provide theoretical and scientific guidance for the artificial planting of P. odoratum. MethodA total of 454 geographical distribution records of P. odoratum in China and 118 ecological factors were used in this study. The maximum entropy model （MaxEnt） was adopted to predict the suitable areas of P. odoratum. The key ecological factors and their suitable ranges were analyzed by the jackknife method， contribution rates of ecological factors， and response curves. ResultThe suitable areas of P. odoratum were mainly located in the northwest， north， and northeast of China， the highly suitable areas of which were concentrated in Shaanxi， Shanxi， Gansu， etc. Solar radiation in November （Srad11）， precipitation in July （Prec7）， percentage of evergreen/deciduous needleleaf trees （Class1）， silt content （2-50 μm） mass fraction （SLTPPT）， and annual average temperature （Bio1） were found to be the key ecological factors affecting the suitable distribution of P. odoratum in China. The cumulative contribution rate of solar radiation factors （31.29%）>vegetation factors （25.61%）>soil factors （19.52%）>precipitation factors （11.38%）>temperature factors （8.57%）>topography factors （3.63%）. ConclusionIt is suggested to carry out ecological planting of P. odoratum mainly in Shaanxi （such as Baoji and Ankang Cities and Ningshan， Liuba， and Hua Counties）， Gansu （such as Tianshui City， Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture， and Liangdang and Huating Counties）， and Shanxi （such as Yangquan， Taiyuan， Fenyang， and Jinzhong Cities， as well as Xingxian County） of China. Solar radiation factors should be given priority in the planting process， followed by vegetation， soil， precipitation， temperature， and topography factors. The range of key ecological factors， namely Srad11， Prec7， Class1， SLTPPT， and Bio1 should be controlled within 8 095.21-10 334.98 （optimum 8 787.50） kJ·m^-2·d^-1， 109.99-223.60 （146.91） mm， 1.00%-9.45% （6.76%-10.68%）， 41.73%-50.35% （46.53%）， and 3.29-16.33 （13.57） °C， respectively.

Objective:To follow-up the previous phase Ⅲ clinical trial of recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone (Follitrope ?), and to evaluate the cumulative pregnancy rate, the cumulative live birth rate, and the neonatal outcomes of subjects. Methods:The phase Ⅲ clinical study of Follitrope ? in China (CTR20150341/CTR20150341, May 15, 2015—June 27, 2016) was followed up until December 31, 2022. Patients were divided into Follitrope ? group and Gonal-F ? group. According to the age, patients were divided into three subgroups: 20-30 years old subgroup, 31-35 years old subgroup and 36-39 years old subgroup. Cumulative pregnancy rate, cumulative live birth rate, number of embryos transferred per cycle, live births per embryo transfer cycle, live births per oocyte retrieved, and neonatal characteristics were analyzed. Results:A total of 446 patients were included in the analysis, of which 336 (75.3%) were in the Follitrope ? group and 110 (24.7%) in the Gonal-F ? group, with a follow-up period of 6.5 years. There were no statistically significant differences between the Follitrope ? group and the Gonal-F ? group in terms of cumulative pregnancy rate and cumulative live birth rate (all P>0.05). Similar cumulative pregnancy rates and cumulative live birth rates were observed between the two groups within each age subgroup (all P>0.05). In the 36-39 years old subgroup, the Follitrope ? group showed a trend towards higher cumulative pregnancy rate [60.0% (12/20)] and cumulative live birth rate [55.0% (11/20)] compared with the Gonal-F ? group [28.6% (2/7), 14.3% (1/7)], however, none of the differences were statistically significant (all P>0.05). Twin pregnancy rates, live births per embryo, live birth per oocyte, newborn gender, birth weight, and birth defect rates were similar between the Follitrope ? group and the Gonal-F ? group without statistically significant differences (all P>0.05). Conclusion:The safety and effectiveness of Follitrope ? in controlled ovarian hyperstimulation are similar to those of Gonal-F ?. Compared with Gonal-F ?, there is a trend toward higher cumulative pregnancy rates and cumulative live birth rates in elderly patients with Follitrope ?, although there is no statistical difference.

Objective:To follow-up the previous phase Ⅲ clinical trial of recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone (Follitrope ?), and to evaluate the cumulative pregnancy rate, the cumulative live birth rate, and the neonatal outcomes of subjects. Methods:The phase Ⅲ clinical study of Follitrope ? in China (CTR20150341/CTR20150341, May 15, 2015—June 27, 2016) was followed up until December 31, 2022. Patients were divided into Follitrope ? group and Gonal-F ? group. According to the age, patients were divided into three subgroups: 20-30 years old subgroup, 31-35 years old subgroup and 36-39 years old subgroup. Cumulative pregnancy rate, cumulative live birth rate, number of embryos transferred per cycle, live births per embryo transfer cycle, live births per oocyte retrieved, and neonatal characteristics were analyzed. Results:A total of 446 patients were included in the analysis, of which 336 (75.3%) were in the Follitrope ? group and 110 (24.7%) in the Gonal-F ? group, with a follow-up period of 6.5 years. There were no statistically significant differences between the Follitrope ? group and the Gonal-F ? group in terms of cumulative pregnancy rate and cumulative live birth rate (all P>0.05). Similar cumulative pregnancy rates and cumulative live birth rates were observed between the two groups within each age subgroup (all P>0.05). In the 36-39 years old subgroup, the Follitrope ? group showed a trend towards higher cumulative pregnancy rate [60.0% (12/20)] and cumulative live birth rate [55.0% (11/20)] compared with the Gonal-F ? group [28.6% (2/7), 14.3% (1/7)], however, none of the differences were statistically significant (all P>0.05). Twin pregnancy rates, live births per embryo, live birth per oocyte, newborn gender, birth weight, and birth defect rates were similar between the Follitrope ? group and the Gonal-F ? group without statistically significant differences (all P>0.05). Conclusion:The safety and effectiveness of Follitrope ? in controlled ovarian hyperstimulation are similar to those of Gonal-F ?. Compared with Gonal-F ?, there is a trend toward higher cumulative pregnancy rates and cumulative live birth rates in elderly patients with Follitrope ?, although there is no statistical difference.

Objective:To explore the risk factors for death within 1 year after hip fracture surgery in the elderly.Methods:A case control study was made on the clinical data of 551 elderly patients with hip fracture treated in Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2019 to December 2020, including 182 males and 369 females; aged 65-100 years [80(73,86)years]. Joint replacement, cannulated screw fixation or proximal femoral nail fixation were performed. The patients were divided into survival group ( n=494) and death group ( n=57) based on the death within 1 year after surgery recorded at postoperative telephone follow-up. The gender, age, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, neurological diseases, chronic renal failure, anemia on admission, fracture types, American anesthesiologist Association (ASA) classification, operative methods, preoperative waiting time, duration of operation and perioperative blood transfusion were recorded in two groups. Univariate Cox regression was used to analyze the correlation between the above indexes and death within 1 year after surgery. All indexes with P<0.2 in the univariate analysis were included in multivariate Cox regression analysis to clarify the independent risk factors for death within 1 year after surgery. Results:Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that death within 1 year after surgery correlated with gender, age chronic respiratory diseases, chronic renal failure and anemia on admission (all P<0.01), but not with hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases, fracture types, ASA classification, operative methods, preoperative waiting time, duration of operation or perioperative blood transfusion (all P>0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that male ( HR=2.08, 95% CI 1.20, 3.61, P<0.01), age ≥ 80 years ( HR=2.22, 95% CI 1.15, 4.28, P<0.05), chronic respiratory diseases ( HR=2.54, 95% CI 1.19, 5.40, P<0.05), chronic renal failure ( HR=4.57, 95% CI 1.27, 16.44, P<0.05), anemia on admission ( HR=2.82, 95% CI 1.38, 5.76, P<0.01) were significantly associated with death within 1 year after surgery. Conclusion:Male age≥ 80 years, chronic respiratory disease, chronic renal failure and anemia on admission are independent risk factors for death within 1 year after hip fracture surgery in the elderly.

Objective:To explore the effect of inactive tuberculosis on the assisted reproductive outcome of the first in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and embryo transfer (ET) in infertile patients. Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the data of 15 412 infertile patients who underwent the first fresh-cycle embryo transfer in the Reproductive and Genetics Hospital of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2011 to December 2021. They were divided into inactive tuberculosis group (635 cases) and control group (1 270 cases) according to the ratio of 1∶2 by propensity score matching (PSM). The inactive tuberculosis group was divided into three subgroups: tuberculosis (group A, 378 cases), pelvic tuberculosis (group B, 214 cases) and other tuberculosis (group C, 43 cases) according to the location. The inactive tuberculosis group was also divided into the treatment subgroup (377 cases) and the non-treatment subgroup (258 cases) according to whether they had undergone treatment. The assisted reproductive outcomes were compared and the influencing factors were analyzed.Results:After PSM, the difference of the baseline data between the inactive tuberculosis group and control group was not statistically significant (all P>0.05). The fertilization rate [65.2% (5 207/7 991)] of patients in the inactive tuberculosis group was significantly higher than that of control group [63.7% (9 889/15 524), P=0.027], but the implantation rate [41.9% (483/1 152)], the clinical pregnancy rate [58.4% (371/635) ] and the live birth rate [46.5% (295/635)] were significantly lower than those of control group [48.8% (1 112/2 279), P<0.001; 67.2% (853/1 270), P<0.001; 57.9% (735/1 270), P<0.001], and the miscarriage rate [20.5% (76/371)] was significantly higher than that of control group [13.8% (118/853), P=0.003], and the endometrium thickness [(11.8±2.6) mm] was thinner than that of control group [(12.5±3.9) mm, P<0.001]. For subgroup analysis, the high-quality embryo rate in group B [62.3% (1 111/1 784)] was significantly lower than that in group A [66.5% (2 027/3 048), P=0.007] and control group [65.9% (6 516/9 889), P=0.007], and the difference was statistically significant. The implantation rate [46.6% (318/682)], the clinical pregnancy rate [64.5% (243/377)] and the live birth rate [51.7% (195/377)] in the treatment group were higher than those in the non-treatment group [35.1% (165/470), P<0.001;49.6% (128/258), P<0.001;38.8% (100/258), P=0.001]. In addition, logistic regression showed that inactive tuberculosis was an independent risk factor for clinical pregnancy, live birth, and miscarriage ( OR=0.71, 95% CI: 0.58-0.87, P=0.002; OR=0.65, 95% CI: 0.54-0.80, P<0.001; OR=1.58, 95% CI: 1.15-2.19, P=0.045). Conclusion:Inactive tuberculosis is an independent risk factor for adverse assisted reproductive outcomes. Compared with non-tuberculosis infertile patients, the pregnancy outcomes of inactive tuberculosis infertile patients who received IVF/ICSI-ET for the first time are poorer, especially the patients with pelvic tuberculosis in the past. Regular anti-tuberculosis treatment for tuberculosis patients can help to improve pregnancy outcomes.

Objective:To explore the effect of inactive tuberculosis on the assisted reproductive outcome of the first in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and embryo transfer (ET) in infertile patients. Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the data of 15 412 infertile patients who underwent the first fresh-cycle embryo transfer in the Reproductive and Genetics Hospital of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2011 to December 2021. They were divided into inactive tuberculosis group (635 cases) and control group (1 270 cases) according to the ratio of 1∶2 by propensity score matching (PSM). The inactive tuberculosis group was divided into three subgroups: tuberculosis (group A, 378 cases), pelvic tuberculosis (group B, 214 cases) and other tuberculosis (group C, 43 cases) according to the location. The inactive tuberculosis group was also divided into the treatment subgroup (377 cases) and the non-treatment subgroup (258 cases) according to whether they had undergone treatment. The assisted reproductive outcomes were compared and the influencing factors were analyzed.Results:After PSM, the difference of the baseline data between the inactive tuberculosis group and control group was not statistically significant (all P>0.05). The fertilization rate [65.2% (5 207/7 991)] of patients in the inactive tuberculosis group was significantly higher than that of control group [63.7% (9 889/15 524), P=0.027], but the implantation rate [41.9% (483/1 152)], the clinical pregnancy rate [58.4% (371/635) ] and the live birth rate [46.5% (295/635)] were significantly lower than those of control group [48.8% (1 112/2 279), P<0.001; 67.2% (853/1 270), P<0.001; 57.9% (735/1 270), P<0.001], and the miscarriage rate [20.5% (76/371)] was significantly higher than that of control group [13.8% (118/853), P=0.003], and the endometrium thickness [(11.8±2.6) mm] was thinner than that of control group [(12.5±3.9) mm, P<0.001]. For subgroup analysis, the high-quality embryo rate in group B [62.3% (1 111/1 784)] was significantly lower than that in group A [66.5% (2 027/3 048), P=0.007] and control group [65.9% (6 516/9 889), P=0.007], and the difference was statistically significant. The implantation rate [46.6% (318/682)], the clinical pregnancy rate [64.5% (243/377)] and the live birth rate [51.7% (195/377)] in the treatment group were higher than those in the non-treatment group [35.1% (165/470), P<0.001;49.6% (128/258), P<0.001;38.8% (100/258), P=0.001]. In addition, logistic regression showed that inactive tuberculosis was an independent risk factor for clinical pregnancy, live birth, and miscarriage ( OR=0.71, 95% CI: 0.58-0.87, P=0.002; OR=0.65, 95% CI: 0.54-0.80, P<0.001; OR=1.58, 95% CI: 1.15-2.19, P=0.045). Conclusion:Inactive tuberculosis is an independent risk factor for adverse assisted reproductive outcomes. Compared with non-tuberculosis infertile patients, the pregnancy outcomes of inactive tuberculosis infertile patients who received IVF/ICSI-ET for the first time are poorer, especially the patients with pelvic tuberculosis in the past. Regular anti-tuberculosis treatment for tuberculosis patients can help to improve pregnancy outcomes.