Objective To analyze the correlation between the lung allocation score (LAS) and the risk of early death and complications in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) after lung transplantation. Methods Clinical data of 275 patients with IPF were retrospectively analyzed. The correlation between LAS and the risk of early death in IPF patients after lung transplantation and the correlation between LAS and complications at postoperative 1 year was assessed by univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Results Among 275 recipients, 62, 83, 95 and 108 cases died within postoperative 30, 90, 180 and 365 d, respectively. LAS was correlated with 30-, 90-, 180- and 365-d fatality of IPF patients (all P<0.05), whereas it was not correlated with the incidence of primary graft dysfunction (PGD) and acute kidney injury (AKI) at 365 d after lung transplantation (both P>0.05). Conclusions LAS is correlated with the risk of early death of IPF patients after lung transplantation. While, it is not correlated the incidence of PGD and AKI early after lung transplantation. Special attention should be paid to the effect of comprehensive factors upon PGD and AKI.

Objective To investigate the relationship between thyroid function and brain volume in patients with Alzheimer's disease(AD).Methods A total of 64 AD patients(AD group)and 36 patients with mild cognitive impairment(MCI group)admitted in our department from January 2020 to March 2022 were enrolled in this study.Another 19 healthy individuals who had no cogni-tive impairment or psychiatric disorders were enrolled and served as normal control group.Their levels of free triiodothyronine(FT3),free thyroxine(FT4)and thyroid stimulating hormone(TSH)were detected by electrochemical luminescence assay.Results FT3 level was significantly decreased in the MCI group and AD group than the normal control group[2.50(2.28,2.60)ng/L and 2.07(1.97,2.30)ng/L vs 2.76(2.55,2.93)ng/L,P＜0.05],and the decrease in the AD group was more obvious than that in the MCI group.The volumes of the midbrain,pons,medulla oblon-gata,hippocampus,amygdala and temporal lobe were significantly smaller in the AD group than the MCI group(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Spearman correlation analysis and multivariate linear regres-sion analysis showed that in the AD patients,FT3 and FT4 levels were positively while TSH level was negatively correlated with the volumes of both right and left hippocampus and amygdala(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),and TSH level was also negatively correlated with the left temporal lobe volume(P＜0.05).Conclusion Thyroid dysfunction is associated with reduced brain volume in AD patietns,and may contribute to the progression of AD cognitive dysfunction and brain atrophy.

Objective To investigate the effects and mechanism of Zhachong Shisanwei Pills on rats with cerebral ischemia.Methods Totally 75 rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group,model group,positive drug group(Ginaton,21.6 mg/kg),and Zhachong Shisanwei Pills low-,medium-,and high-dosage groups(81,162,324 mg/kg).Each treatment group was given the corresponding drug by gavage for 5 days.On the 6th day,a cerebral ischemia rat model was prepared by suture method.After 24 hours of modeling,the drugs were given in the same manner for 2 days.Neurological function scoring,horizontal beam walking scoring,and grip strength testing were performed on rats.TTC staining was used to detect the cerebral infarction rate,HE staining and Nissl staining were used to observe the morphology of brain tissue.TUNEL staining was used to detect the apoptosis rate of brain tissue cells.Differential genes in the treatment of cerebral ischemia using Zhachong Shisanwei Pills were screened by transcriptomics,and RT-qPCR,immunohistochemistry and Western blot were used to detect differential gene mRNA and protein expression.Results Compared with the sham-operation group,the model group rats showed a decrease in neurological function scores,horizontal beam walking scores,grip strength,an increase in cerebral infarction rate,neuronal nucleus condensation,vacuolar changes,widened intercellular spaces,the number of Nissl bodies reduced,and the apoptosis rate increased(P<0.01,P<0.001);compared with the model group,the Zhachong Shisanwei Pills medium-dosage group showed an increase in neurological function score,horizontal beam walking score,and grip strength in rats,a decrease in cerebral infarction rate,a lower degree of neuronal damage,an increase in the number of Nissl bodies,and a decrease in cell apoptosis rate(P<0.05,P<0.01).Transcriptome and bioinformatics analysis screened the Hippo signaling pathway related to the anti-cerebral ischemia effect of Zhachong Shisanwei Pills.The key genes of this pathway,mammalian sterile line 20 like kinase(MST1)1,Yes related protein(YAP)1,large tumor suppressor kinase(LATS)1,and TEA domain family member(TEAD)1 were detected.The results showed that the expression of MST1 mRNA and protein in brain tissue of model rats significantly increased,while the expressions of YAP1,LATS1,TEAD1 mRNA and protein significantly decreased;Zhachong Shisanwei Pills could down-regulate the expression of MST1 in brain tissue of model rats,and up-regulate the expressions of YAP1,LATS1 and TEAD1.Conclusion Zhachong Shisanwei Pills may exert anti-cerebral ischemia effects through the Hippo signaling pathway.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of radiotherapy/chemotherapy combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with locally recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (LR/M ESCC) after first-line radical treatment.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 116 enrolled patients with LR/M ESCC. Factors influencing patient prognosis were analyzed, and a stratified analysis was performed focusing on inflammatory markers such as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) before second-line treatment, the intervention timing and extent of radiotherapy, and treatment efficacy. Additionally, treatment-related adverse effects with grade ≥2 and failure patterns of the patients after second-line treatment were examined.Results:After second-line treatment, the median OS and PFS were 19.4 and 12.0 months, respectively, and the overall objective response rate and disease control rate were 38.8% and 86.2%, respectively. Patients with lower NLR and PLR values exhibited significantly higher OS ( χ2 = 14.93, 11.60, P < 0.05) and PFS rates ( χ2=17.55, 8.95, P<0.05) compared to those with higher NLR and PLR values. Radiotherapy significantly improved the OS rates ( χ2 = 5.93, P < 0.05) of the patients, but produced insignificant effects on their PFS rates ( P > 0.05). Patients receiving whole-field radiotherapy exhibited superior OS and PFS rates compared to those treated with partial-field radiotherapy ( χ2 = 8.88, 4.93, P < 0.05). The intervention time of radiotherapy had no significant effects on the OS and PFS of the patients ( P > 0.05). The prognosis of the CR+ PR group was significantly better than that of the SD+ PD group ( χ2 = 8.97, 10.67, P > 0.05). The Cox multivariate analysis result identified the recurrence type, PLR, the number of immunotherapy cycles, local radiotherapy intervention, and recent efficacy as independent risk factors in the patients′OS ( HR = 2.67, 4.63, 0.39, 2.10, 3.35, P<0.05) and determined that NLR, PLR, the number of immunotherapy cycles, and recent efficacy were independent risk factors affecting the patients′ PFS ( HR = 1.79, 1.88, 0.54, 2.50, P<0.05). Among the patients, 38 (32.8%) experienced disease progression after second-line treatment, and 36 (31.0%) suffered from treatment-related adverse effects of grades ≥2, which were generally tolerable. Conclusions:Second-line treatment with ICIs combined with radiotherapy/chemotherapy can improve the prognosis of patients with LR/M ESCC. Further clinical exploration is warranted regarding the intervention timing and extent of radiotherapy.

Objective To construct and explore the clinical application effect of OEC nursing management model for emergency critically ill patients.Methods Haier's OEC management concept is integrated with the nursing management of emergency critically ill patients,and the OEC nursing management model for emergency critically ill patients is constructed from three aspects:goal system,daily cleaning system and incentive mechanism.Before and after the implementation of OEC nursing management model,the core abilities of nurses in critical cases,the results of nursing quality control for critically ill patients,the enthusiasm of nurses and the satisfaction of patients and doctors on nurses'work were compared.Results After the implementation of the project,the scores of all dimensions and total scores of the questionnaire of core abilities of nurses in critical cases were significantly higher than those before the implementation(P＜0.05).In addition to the implementation dimension of graded nursing,the scores of all dimensions and total scores of nursing quality control for critical ill patients were significantly higher than before implementation(P＜0.05).The working enthusiasm of nurses was significantly higher than before implementation(P＜0.05).Both patients and doctors'satisfaction with nurses was significantly higher than before implementation(P＜0.05).Conclusion OEC nursing management model for emergency critically ill patients can improve the core abilities of nurses in critical care,improve the quality of nursing for critically ill patients,stimulate nurses'work enthusiasm,and enhance patients'and doctors'satisfaction with nurses'work.

Objective:To explore the mediating role of illness perception in the relationship between fear of disease progression and sleep quality in patients with ovarian cancer during chemotherapy, and to provide a theoretical basis for improving sleep quality in patients with ovarian cancer during chemotherapy.Methods:From January to August 2022, 300 patients with ovarian cancer undergoing chemotherapy in Shandong First Medical University Affiliated Provincial Hospital, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Shandong Cancer Hospital were included by convenient sampling. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey included the Chinese version of the Fear of Progression Questionnaire Short Form for cancer patients, the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Bivariate factor analysis, Spearman correlation analysis, and the Bootstrap confidence interval evaluation method were used.Results:A total of 287 valid questionnaires were collected. The scores of fear disease progression, illness perception, and sleep quality were 30.00 (22.00, 36.00), 37.00 (32.00, 44.00), and 6.00 (3.00, 11.00), respectively. Sleep quality was positively correlated with fear disease progression ( r=0.250, P<0.001) and illness perception ( r=0.326, P<0.001). Illness perception played a partial mediating role in the relationship between fear of disease progression and sleep quality, accounting for 41.4% of the total effect. Conclusions:Ovarian cancer patients during chemotherapy reported poor sleep quality. In clinical practice, health care providers including nurses can take interventions aimed at reducing fear of disease and improving illness perception level to improve the sleep quality of ovarian cancer patients during chemotherapy.

Objective:The aim of this study was to explore the perception and cognition of patients with laryngeal cancer post total laryngectomy accepted expressive writing intervention, analyze the intervention effect from the perspective of patients, and provide a basis for psychological intervention of these patients.Methods:From July to August 2021, the descriptive research method was applied to 13 patients with laryngeal cancer post total laryngectomy who had participated in the expressive writing intervention hosted in the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, in order to understand the patients′ perception and cognition of the intervention, and the data were analyzed by using content analysis method.Results:A total of 2 themes and 9 sub themes were extracted. Theme 1: the positive feedback of expressive writing intervention: relieve related physical symptoms and improve sleep; reduce anxiety and regulate emotions effectively; reduce psychological stress and promote positive coping; reduce stigma and improve social withdrawal; make up for lost pronunciation and clear mind. Theme 2: Difficulties and challenges in the application of expressive writing intervention: physical discomfort affects the compliance of patients, poor economic status affects the enthusiasm of patients to participate, poor social and family support affects the willingness of patients to participate, and literacy and writing habits affect the completion of participation.Conclusions:The application of expressive writing intervention promotes the psychological and social functional rehabilitation of patients with laryngeal cancer post total laryngectomy and has satisfactory effects and certain feasibility. The researchers should fully consider the influencing factors of intervention and optimize the plan in the future.

Objective: Subthreshold attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been suggested to be a “morbid condition” which also needs medical attention. Methods: The present study recruited 89 children with subthreshold ADHD (sADHD), 115 children with diagnosed ADHD (cADHD), and 79 healthy controls (HC) to explore the clinical manifestation, executive functions (EFs) of sADHD, and the caregiver strain. The clinical manifestation was evaluated through clinical interviews and parent-reports. Executive functions were assessed both experimentally and ecologically. Caregiver strain was measured by a parent-reported questionnaire. Results: For the clinical manifestation, both sADHD and cADHD indicated impairments when compared with HC. The comorbidities and the scaled symptoms indicated that the externalizing behaviors were relatively less serious in sADHD than cADHD, whereas the internalizing behaviors between two groups were comparable. For ecological EFs, sADHD scored between cADHD and HC in inhibition and working memory. For experimental EFs, sADHD was comparable to cADHD in inhibition, shifting, and was worse than cADHD in verbal working memory. For the caregiver strain, all scores of sADHD were between that in cADHD and that in HC. Conclusion Our present findings supported the suggestion of subthreshold ADHD as “morbid condition,” which should be treated with caution in clinical practice, especially for the internalizing behaviors and some key components of EFs.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the risk factors of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in patients with sepsis and to construct a risk nomogram model. METHODS: The clinical data of 234 sepsis patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Tianjin Hospital from January 2019 to May 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into non-ARDS group (156 cases) and ARDS group (78 cases) according to the presence or absence of ARDS. The gender, age, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, smoking history, history of alcoholism, temperature, respiratory rate (RR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), pulmonary infection, white blood cell count (WBC), hemoglobin (Hb), platelet count (PLT), prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen (FIB), D-dimer, oxygenation index (PaO₂/FiO₂), lactic acid (Lac), procalcitonin (PCT), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), albumin (ALB), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (SCr), acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II), sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) were compared between the two groups. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression were used to analyze the risk factors of sepsis related ARDS. Based on the screened independent risk factors, a nomogram prediction model was constructed, and Bootstrap method was used for internal verification. The receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) was drawn, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was calculated to verify the prediction and accuracy of the model. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in gender, age, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, smoking history, alcoholism history, temperature, WBC, Hb, PLT, PT, APTT, FIB, PCT, BNP and SCr between the two groups. There were significant differences in RR, MAP, pulmonary infection, D-dimer, PaO₂/FiO₂, Lac, ALB, BUN, APACHE II score and SOFA score (all P < 0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that increased RR, low MAP, pulmonary infection, high Lac and high APACHE II score were independent risk factors for sepsis related ARDS [RR: odds ratio (OR) = 1.167, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 1.019-1.336; MAP: OR = 0.962, 95%CI was 0.932-0.994; pulmonary infection: OR = 0.428, 95%CI was 0.189-0.966; Lac: OR = 1.684, 95%CI was 1.036-2.735; APACHE II score: OR = 1.577, 95%CI was 1.202-2.067; all P < 0.05]. Based on the above independent risk factors, a risk nomograph model was established to predict sepsis related ARDS (accuracy was 81.62%, sensitivity was 66.67%, specificity was 89.10%). The predicted values were basically consistent with the measured values, and the AUC was 0.866 (95%CI was 0.819-0.914). CONCLUSIONS Increased RR, low MAP, pulmonary infection, high Lac and high APACHE II score are independent risk factors for sepsis related ARDS. Establishment of a risk nomograph model based on these factors may guide to predict the risk of ARDS in sepsis patients.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Alcoholism ; Prognosis ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome ; Pneumonia ; Sepsis ; Intensive Care Units ; Procalcitonin ; Fibrinogen ; ROC Curve

Objective:To investigate the correlation between serum CXCL12 and the outcomes after intravenous thrombolytic therapy in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Methods:Consecutve patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with intravenous thrombolytic therapy in the Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021 were enrolled retrospectively. Serum CXCL12 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay within 24 h of onset. No improvement in early neurological function was defined as the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) 24 h after thrombolysis decreased by <4 compared with the baseline. The clinical outcome was evaluated by the modified Rankin Scale at 90 d after onset, and >2 were defined as a poor outcome. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between serum CXCL12 and the outcome after intravenous thrombolysis, and the predictive value of serum CXCL12 for no improvement of early neurological function and poor short-term outcome was analyzed by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results:A total of 66 patients were enrolled, and the serum CXCL12 was 15.72±6.52 g/L. Twenty-seven patients (40.9%) had poor outcomes, and 34 (51.5%) had no improvement in early neurological function. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher serum CXCL12 was an independent predictor of poor outcome (odds ratio [ OR] 1.245, 95% confidence interval [ CI] 1.093-1.419; P=0.001) and no improvement in early neurological function ( OR 1.250, 95% CI 1.100-1.420; P=0.001). ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of serum CXCL12 for predicting poor outcome was 0.793 (95% CI 0.679-0.908), the best cut-off value was 15.38 μg/L, and the corresponding sensitivity and specificity were 81.5% and 76.9%, respectively. The area under the curve of serum CXCL12 for predicting no improvement of early neurological function was 0.849 (95% CI 0.748-0.951), and the best cut-off value was 15.68 μg/L, and the corresponding sensitivity and specificity were 76.5% and 87.5%, respectively. Conclusion:Serum CXCL12 had a better predictive value for the outcomes of patients with acute ischemic stroke after intravenous thrombolytic therapy.