OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Yangxue Qingnao Pills (YXQNP) combined with amlodipine in treating patients with grade 1 hypertension. METHODS: This is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study. Adult patients with grade 1 hypertension of blood deficiency and Gan (Liver)-yang hyperactivity syndrome were randomly divided into the treatment or the control groups at a 1:1 ratio. The treatment group received YXQNP and amlodipine besylate, while the control group received YXQNP's placebo and amlodipine besylate. The treatment duration lasted for 180 days. Outcomes assessed included changes in blood pressure, Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome scores, symptoms and target organ functions before and after treatment in both groups. Additionally, adverse events, such as nausea, vomiting, rash, itching, and diarrhea, were recorded in both groups. RESULTS: A total of 662 subjects were enrolled, of whom 608 (91.8%) completed the trial (306 in the treatment and 302 in the control groups). After 180 days of treatment, the standard deviations and coefficients of variation of systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels were lower in the treatment group compared with the control group. The improvement rates of dizziness, headache, insomnia, and waist soreness were significantly higher in the treatment group compared with the control group (P<0.05). After 30 days of treatment, the overall therapeutic effects on CM clinical syndromes were significantly increased in the treatment group as compared with the control group (P<0.05). After 180 days of treatment, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity, ankle brachial index and albumin-to-creatinine ratio were improved in both groups, with no statistically significant differences (P>0.05). No serious treatment-related adverse events occurred during the study period. CONCLUSIONS Combination therapy of YXQNP with amlodipine significantly improved symptoms such as dizziness and headache, reduced blood pressure variability, and showed a trend toward lowering urinary microalbumin in hypertensive patients. These findings suggest that this regimen has good clinical efficacy and safety. (Registration No. ChiCTR1900022470).
Humans ; Amlodipine/adverse effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Hypertension/complications* ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Adult ; Blood Pressure/drug effects* ; Double-Blind Method ; Aged ; Antihypertensive Agents/adverse effects*

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality based on the 10-year population-based multicenter prospective study. METHODS: A general population-based multicenter prospective study was conducted at four sites in rural China between 2013 and 2023. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic spline analyses were used to assess the association between BMI and mortality. Stratified analyses were performed based on the individual characteristics of the participants. RESULTS: Overall, 19,107 participants with a sum of 163,095 person-years were included and 1,910 participants died. The underweight (< 18.5 kg/m ²) presented an increase in all-cause mortality (adjusted hazards ratio [ aHR] = 2.00, 95% confidence interval [ CI]: 1.66-2.41), while overweight (≥ 24.0 to < 28.0 kg/m ²) and obesity (≥ 28.0 kg/m ²) presented a decrease with an aHR of 0.61 (95% CI: 0.52-0.73) and 0.51 (95% CI: 0.37-0.70), respectively. Overweight ( aHR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.67-0.86) and mild obesity ( aHR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.59-0.87) had a positive impact on mortality in people older than 60 years. All-cause mortality decreased rapidly until reaching a BMI of 25.7 kg/m ² ( aHR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.98) and increased slightly above that value, indicating a U-shaped association. The beneficial impact of being overweight on mortality was robust in most subgroups and sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION This study provides additional evidence that overweight and mild obesity may be inversely related to the risk of death in individuals older than 60 years. Therefore, it is essential to consider age differences when formulating health and weight management strategies.
Humans ; Body Mass Index ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Aged ; Follow-Up Studies ; Adult ; Mortality ; Cause of Death ; Obesity/mortality* ; Overweight/mortality*

Objective:To compare the differences in the prevalence of mild micro-hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) among patients with cirrhosis by using the psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES) and the Stroop smartphone application (Encephal App) test.Methods:This prospective, multi-center, real-world study was initiated by the National Clinical Medical Research Center for Infectious Diseases and the Portal Hypertension Alliance and registered with International ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05140837). 354 cases of cirrhosis were enrolled in 19 hospitals across the country. PHES (including digital connection tests A and B, digital symbol tests, trajectory drawing tests, and serial management tests) and the Stroop test were conducted in all of them. PHES was differentiated using standard diagnostic criteria established by the two studies in China and South Korea. The Stroop test was evaluated based on the criteria of the research and development team. The impact of different diagnostic standards or methods on the incidence of MHE in patients with cirrhosis was analyzed. Data between groups were differentiated using the t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and χ2 test. A kappa test was used to compare the consistency between groups. Results:After PHES, the prevalence of MHE among 354 cases of cirrhosis was 78.53% and 15.25%, respectively, based on Chinese research standards and Korean research normal value standards. However, the prevalence of MHE was 56.78% based on the Stroop test, and the differences in pairwise comparisons among the three groups were statistically significant (kappa = -0.064, P < 0.001). Stratified analysis revealed that the MHE prevalence in three groups of patients with Child-Pugh classes A, B, and C was 74.14%, 83.33%, and 88.24%, respectively, according to the normal value standards of Chinese researchers, while the MHE prevalence rates in three groups of patients with Child-Pugh classes A, B, and C were 8.29%, 23.53%, and 38.24%, respectively, according to the normal value standards of Korean researchers. Furthermore, the prevalence rates of MHE in the three groups of patients with Child-Pugh grades A, B, and C were 52.68%, 58.82%, and 73.53%, respectively, according to the Stroop test standard. However, among the results of each diagnostic standard, the prevalence of MHE showed an increasing trend with an increasing Child-Pugh grade. Further comparison demonstrated that the scores obtained by the number connection test A and the number symbol test were consistent according to the normal value standards of the two studies in China and South Korea ( Z = -0.982, -1.702; P = 0.326, 0.089), while the other three sub-tests had significant differences ( P < 0.001). Conclusion:The prevalence rate of MHE in the cirrhotic population is high, but the prevalence of MHE obtained by using different diagnostic criteria or methods varies greatly. Therefore, in line with the current changes in demographics and disease spectrum, it is necessary to enroll a larger sample size of a healthy population as a control. Moreover, the establishment of more reliable diagnostic scoring criteria will serve as a basis for obtaining accurate MHE incidence and formulating diagnosis and treatment strategies in cirrhotic populations.

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of serological indicators and evaluate the diagnostic value of a new established combined serological model on identifying the minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) in patients with compensated cirrhosis.Methods:This prospective multicenter study enrolled 263 compensated cirrhotic patients from 23 hospitals in 15 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities of China between October 2021 and August 2022. Clinical data and laboratory test results were collected, and the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score was calculated. Ammonia level was corrected to the upper limit of normal (AMM-ULN) by the baseline blood ammonia measurements/upper limit of the normal reference value. MHE was diagnosed by combined abnormal number connection test-A and abnormal digit symbol test as suggested by Guidelines on the management of hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhosis. The patients were randomly divided (7∶3) into training set ( n=185) and validation set ( n=78) based on caret package of R language. Logistic regression was used to establish a combined model of MHE diagnosis. The diagnostic performance was evaluated by the area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curve, Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration curve. The internal verification was carried out by the Bootstrap method ( n=200). AUC comparisons were achieved using the Delong test. Results:In the training set, prevalence of MHE was 37.8% (70/185). There were statistically significant differences in AMM-ULN, albumin, platelet, alkaline phosphatase, international normalized ratio, MELD score and education between non-MHE group and MHE group (all P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that AMM-ULN [odds ratio ( OR)=1.78, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 1.05-3.14, P=0.038] and MELD score ( OR=1.11, 95% CI 1.04-1.20, P=0.002) were independent risk factors for MHE, and the AUC for predicting MHE were 0.663, 0.625, respectively. Compared with the use of blood AMM-ULN and MELD score alone, the AUC of the combined model of AMM-ULN, MELD score and education exhibited better predictive performance in determining the presence of MHE was 0.755, the specificity and sensitivity was 85.2% and 55.7%, respectively. Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration curve showed that the model had good calibration ( P=0.733). The AUC for internal validation of the combined model for diagnosing MHE was 0.752. In the validation set, the AUC of the combined model for diagnosing MHE was 0.794, and Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed good calibration ( P=0.841). Conclusion:Use of the combined model including AMM-ULN, MELD score and education could improve the predictive efficiency of MHE among patients with compensated cirrhosis.

Objective: To investigate the clinical value of observing perioperative changes of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and neutrophil elastase (NE) in coronary artery circulation in patients underwent valve replacement surgery. Methods: This perspective cohort study was performed in patients who underwent valvular surgery in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital and Fuwai Hospital from June 2021 to June 2022. Patients were divided into perioperative myocardial injury group and age-, sex- and type of cardiac procedure-matched non-perioperative myocardial injury control group in the ratio of 1∶1. Perioperative myocardial injury was defined as cardiac troponin T (cTnT)>0.8 μg/L on the first postoperative day (POD), and the cTnT level on the second POD increased by more than 10% compared with the cTnT level on the first POD. During the operation, blood samples were collected from the coronary sinus before clamping ascending aorta, and within 5 minutes after de-clamping ascending aorta. Then, the levels of MPO and NE on coronary sinus were continuously measured. The death, severe ventricular arrhythmia, pneumonia, re-intubation, repeat cardiac surgery, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP), continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), mechanical ventilation time and the duration of intensive care unit (ICU) were recorded. The levels of MPO and NE and the incidence of clinical outcomes were compared between the myocardial injury group and the control group. The independent risk factors of myocardial injury were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. Results: A total of 130 patients were enrolled, aged (60.6±7.6) years old, with 59 males (45.4%). There were 65 patients in the myocardial injury group and 65 patients in the control group. During hospitalization, there was no death, ECMO, IABP and CRRT cases in both groups. Compared with the control group, the incidence of severe ventricular arrhythmia (13.8%(9/65) vs. 3.1%(2/65), P=0.03), pneumonia (20.0%(13/65) vs. 3.1%(2/65), P=0.03), re-intubation (6.2%(4/65) vs. 0, P=0.04) was significantly higher in myocardial injury group. The mechanical ventilation time (16.8(10.7, 101.7) h vs. 7.5(4.7, 15.1) h, P<0.01), and the duration of ICU (3.7(2.7, 18.9) vs. 2.7(1.8, 6.9)d, P<0.01) were significantly longer in myocardial injury group compared with the control group. There was no significant difference in the levels of MPO and NE in coronary sinus blood between the two groups before aortic clamping (all P>0.05). However, MPO ((551.3±124.2) μg/L vs. (447.2±135.9) μg/L, P<0.01) and NE ((417.0±83.1)μg/L vs. (341.0±68.3)μg/L, P<0.01) after 5 min aortic de-clamping were significantly higher in myocardial injury group than in the control group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the levels of NE (OR=1.02, 95%CI: 1.01-1.02, P<0.01), MPO (OR=1.00, 95%CI: 1.00-1.01, P=0.02) and mechanical ventilation time (OR=1.03, 95%CI: 1.01-1.06, P=0.02) were independent risk factors of myocardial injury in patients after surgical valvular replacement. Conclusion: Perioperative myocardial injury is related poor clinical outcomes, perioperative NE and MPO in coronary artery circulation are independent risk factors of perioperative myocardial injury in patients undergoing valve replacement surgery.
Aged ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Cohort Studies ; Coronary Circulation ; Leukocyte Elastase ; Peroxidase ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Female

Objective: To investigate the oncologic and surgical safety of the fused fascia method for immediate breast reconstruction with implants. Methods: The clinical data of 343 patients with immediate breast reconstruction with implants in Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital from 2014-2017 were retrospectively analyzed to compare the 5-year local recurrence-free survival, 5-year disease-free survival and 5-year overall survival of patients with breast reconstruction by fusion fascia and other methods, and to analyze the complication incidences of implant removal between different implant groups. Results: Of the 343 patients with breast reconstruction, 95 were in the fused fascia group (fascia group) and 248 were in the non-fascia group (25 in the bovine pericardial patch group and 223 in the muscle flap group). At a median follow-up of 49 months, the differences in 5-year local recurrence-free survival (90.1% and 94.9%, respectively), 5-year disease-free survival (89.2% and 87.6%, respectively), and 5-year overall survival (95.2% and 95.1%, respectively) between patients in the fascial and non-fascial groups were not statistically significant (P>0.05). The complication incidence of implant removal was 24.0% (6/25) in the patch group and 2.1% (2/95) and 2.2% (5/223) in the fascia and muscle flap groups, respectively. Conclusion: Immediate breast reconstruction with fused fascial combined with implant is safe and feasible, less invasive than muscle flaps, more economical and with fewer complications than patches.
Humans ; Animals ; Cattle ; Female ; Mastectomy/methods* ; Retrospective Studies ; Breast Implants/adverse effects* ; Feasibility Studies ; Mammaplasty/methods* ; Breast Neoplasms/complications* ; Treatment Outcome ; Postoperative Complications/surgery*

Objective To evaluate the effects of various polysorbates(PS)on the stability of different types of monoclonal antibody(mAb)drugs.Methods Three types of monoclonal antibodies mAbA(IgG1 proantibody drug),mAbB(IgG1 mAb)and mAbC(IgG1 mAb with Fc N297A mutation)were used as model proteins,and different kinds or contents of PS were added into the mAb formulations respectively to investigate the influencing factors.The effects of PS on the stability of mAb drugs were evaluated comprehensively by detecting the changes of quality attributes,such as protein aggregates and insoluble particles.Results PS20 and PS80 showed no significant difference in inhibiting the formation of aggregates and charge variants in the three mAbs(P>0.05),while the addition of PS80 in mAbB and PS20 in mAbC significantly inhibited the increase of insoluble particles respectively(P<0.05);The content of PS20 showed a significant effect on the detection indexes of charge variants and insoluble particles in mAbC(P<0.05).Conclusion Different types of mAbs have different sensitivities to various kinds and contents of PS.Therefore,when designing the formulation of mAbs,it is necessary to select appropriate kinds and contents of PS to further improve the stability of mAb drugs.

ObjectiveTo construct an evaluation index system for the development of district-level disease prevention and control centers according to the requirements of the modernization of Shanghai’s disease control system and public health work practices， and to comprehensively assess the construction and development of district-level disease prevention and control institutions. MethodsAccording to the national and municipal requirements for the development of disease prevention and control institutions， an index framework was proposed through literature search and expert interviews. 39 representative experts in the field of public health at the national， provincial， and municipal （district） levels were selected to participate in the consultation and construction of the index system. The authority coefficient， the coefficient of variation， etc. were used to carry out quality control and determination of each index on the Delphi method. ResultsThe questionnaire response rate was 100%， the expert authority coefficient was 0.86，the degree of familiarity was 0.79， and the judgment basis was 0.92. The coefficients of variation of the necessary indicators in the index system were all <0.25 in the dimension of importance， and there were statistical differences in the statistical test of Kendall’s W coordination coefficients at all levels and dimensions （all P<0.001）. After multiple rounds of consultation， experts reached a consensus， forming a development evaluation index system of district-level CDCs with 6 first-level indicators， 24 second-level indicators， and 105 third-level indicators （including 63 necessary indicators and 42 recommended indicators）. ConclusionThe evaluation index system of Shanghai district-level CDCs based on the Delphi method has good authority， reliability， sensitivity and operability. This indicator system can effectively support the development of Shanghai district-level CDCs， and can be used for evaluation at multiple levels and in an all-round way in the future. The evaluation results can provide an evidence-based basis for the modernization of the disease prevention and control system and the continuous and dynamic updating of the development goals in the future.

Objective:To evaluate the consistency of the Gleason scores of PCa patients based on preoperative biopsy with those from postoperative pathology,identify the possible factors influencing results of scoring,and construct a risk scoring model.Meth-ods:We collected the demographic and clinical data on the patients with PCa confirmed by preoperative prostate biopsy or postoperative pathology and treated by radical prostatectomy within 6 months after diagnosis.Using paired sample t-test,we identified the difference between the Gleason scores based on preoperative biopsy and those from postoperative pathology,analyzed the demographic and clinical data on the patients for relevant factors affecting the consistency of the Gleason scores,and calculated and visualized the relative risk values of the factors through Poisson regression.From the continuous variables with statistical significance,we screened independent risk factors for the difference in the Gleason scores by Lasso regression analysis,established a risk scoring model,generated risk coeffi-cients,and evaluated the predictive ability of the model using the ROC curve.Based on the results of imaging examination with statisti-cally significant differences,we constructed a column chart by logistic regression and evaluated the predictive validity of the chart using calibration curves,decision curves and ROC curves.Results:The results of paired sample t-test for 210 PCa patients showed statisti-cally significant differences between the Gleason scores from preoperative biopsy and those from postoperative pathology(P＜0.001).There were significant differences in the body weight,BMI and PSA level as well as in all other factors but prostate calcification be-tween the patients with consistent and those with inconsistent Gleason scores(all P＜0.05).An 8-factor prediction model was suc-cessfully constructed,which could predict the consistency of Gleason scores,with a better predicting performance than the single indi-cator within the model.The nomogram exhibited a C-index value of 0.85,with the calibration curve similar to the standard one,the threshold of the decision curve 0.10-0.92,and the area under the ROC curve higher than other predictive indicators.Conclusion:Based on the demographic and clinical data on PCa patients,a risk prediction model and a column chart were successfully constructed,which could effectively predict the difference between the Gleason scores from preoperative prostate biopsy and those from postoperative pathology.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence of extrauterine growth retardation (EUGR) and its risk factors in very preterm infants (VPIs) during hospitalization in China. METHODS: A prospective multicenter study was performed on the medical data of 2 514 VPIs who were hospitalized in the department of neonatology in 28 hospitals from 7 areas of China between September 2019 and December 2020. According to the presence or absence of EUGR based on the evaluation of body weight at the corrected gestational age of 36 weeks or at discharge, the VPIs were classified to two groups: EUGR group (n=1 189) and non-EUGR (n=1 325). The clinical features were compared between the two groups, and the incidence of EUGR and risk factors for EUGR were examined. RESULTS: The incidence of EUGR was 47.30% (1 189/2 514) evaluated by weight. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher weight growth velocity after regaining birth weight and higher cumulative calorie intake during the first week of hospitalization were protective factors against EUGR (P<0.05), while small-for-gestational-age birth, prolonged time to the initiation of total enteral feeding, prolonged cumulative fasting time, lower breast milk intake before starting human milk fortifiers, prolonged time to the initiation of full fortified feeding, and moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia were risk factors for EUGR (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS It is crucial to reduce the incidence of EUGR by achieving total enteral feeding as early as possible, strengthening breastfeeding, increasing calorie intake in the first week after birth, improving the velocity of weight gain, and preventing moderate-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia in VPIs.
Female ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Gestational Age ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors