ObjectiveTo analyze the characteristics and influencing factors of elderly hospitalized patients with carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacillus (CRO) infection in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a gradeⅡ level A general hospital in Yangpu District of Shanghai, and to provide scientific basis for the prevention and control of hospital-acquired CRO infection in such hospitals. MethodsThe clinical data of elderly ICU patients (age ≥60 years) from January 2019 to December 2023 were retrospectively collected. A total of 122 cases with hospital-acquired CRO infection were used as the case group, and a total of 68 cases with carbapenem-sensitive gram-negative (CSO) infection were used as the control group. The clinical characteristics of the two groups were analyzed, and univariate analysis and logistic regression analysis were performed for screening for possible influencing factors on hospital-acquired CRO infection. ResultsThe main pathogens of CRO infection were carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) (53 cases, 43.44%) and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) (46 cases, 37.70%), and 17 patients (13.93%) had more than two types of CRO infection. Among the CRO infection, the main sites were lower respiratory tract infection (58 cases, 47.54%), ventilator-associated pneumonia (21 cases, 17.21%), and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (16 cases, 13.11%). The incidence rate of poor prognosis was higher in the CRO infection group (54.10%) than that in the CSO infection group (36.76%) (P=0.021). The results of univariate analysis showed that male, history of hospitalization within three months, chronic respiratory disease, hypoproteinemia, anemia, and history of invasive procedures prior to infection, including indwelling central venous catheter, invasive mechanical ventilation, urinary catheter, gastric tube placement and parenteral nutrition, in addition, heparin anticoagulation, the use of broad-spectrum penicillin, third-generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, carbapenems, carbapenems combined with fluoroquinolones, carbapenems combined with glycopeptides, use of ≥3 antibiotics and long time of antibiotic use prior to infection were all associated with the CRO infection (P<0.05). The results of logistic regression analysis showed that use of carbapenems (OR=7.739, 95%CI: 2.226‒26.911), ≥3 types of antibiotics (OR=6.307, 95%CI: 1.674‒23.754), invasive mechanical ventilation (OR=4.082, 95%CI: 1.795‒9.281), urinary catheter (OR=3.554, 95%CI: 1.074‒11.758), and comorbid hypoproteinemia (OR=4.741, 95%CI: 2.039‒11.022) and diabetes (OR=3.245, 95%CI: 1.344‒7.839) were positively correlated with the risk of CRO infection. ConclusionConcurrent use of carbapenems with multiple other antibiotics, as well as the use of invasive mechanical ventilation, urinary catheter, and comorbid hypoproteinemia and diabetes, may be associated with an increased influencing of CRO infection. More attention should be paid to the prevention and control of infection in elderly patients with the above-mentioned risk factors, and active screening of drug-resistant bacteria should be strengthened. Besides, the rational use of broad-spectrum antibiotics such as carbapenems, avoiding unnecessary invasive operations, and paying attention to patient nutrition and blood glucose control all can reduce the incidence of CRO infection and help to improve clinical outcomes.

BACKGROUND:Increasing studies have found that estrogen has a certain correlation with tendinopathy,but for a long time,there are few experiments and summaries of estrogen in tendinopathy,which makes it difficult for specialists and scholars in related fields to fully understand the research status. OBJECTIVE:To summarize the current clinical or preclinical original research,so as to summarize the role of estrogen in tendinosis,and make a certain prospect for the evaluation and management of estrogen in tendinosis in the future. METHODS:Relevant literature in PubMed,Web of Science,CNKI,WanFang,and VIP databases were searched by computer.Search time was from January 2008 to September 2023.The search terms were"oestrogen,estrogen,estrogen receptor,tendinopathy,tendonopathy,sinew,tendon,tendons,myotenositis"in English and"estrogen,estrogen receptor,tendinosis,tendon,tendinitis"in Chinese.According to the selection criteria,the search results were screened and excluded,and finally 60 documents were included for review and analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:In vivo studies have shown that estrogen can promote tendon anabolism.In vitro experiments have also proved that various estrogens can promote the proliferation of tendon cells and reduce inflammation and apoptosis,but most of the experiments are limited to animal models.Estrogen receptor β acts more in tendon injury and repair processes,but estrogen receptor α has not been found to have a major impact on tendon injury.The expression of estrogen receptor β can repair the tendon by affecting the formation of fat,the deposition of type I collagen and reducing the apoptosis of tendon cells,while its over-expression may promote inflammation and angiogenesis,thus promoting the inflammatory process and playing a role in tendon injury.Animal studies have shown that estrogen deficiency may reduce the synthesis efficiency of collagen in the tendon,decrease the elasticity of tendon,inhibit the synthesis and metabolism of the tendon,which is not conducive to the repair of tendon injury,while normal level of estrogen may stimulate the synthesis of type I collagen in tendon and promote the proliferation and metabolism of tendon cells.At present,the molecular mechanism of estrogen in tendon injury has not been fully explained.More experiments focus on tendon collagen synthesis,cell proliferation and apoptosis.Only a few documents have studied the molecular mechanisms of estrogen receptor β deficiency regulating interferon regulatory factor 5-chemokine ligand 3 axis,E2 regulating estrogen receptor α and PI-3K-Akt signaling pathways,and high levels of estradiol reducing the level of free-circulating insulin-like growth factor.Various estrogens,including endogenous estrogens and phytoestrogens,are beneficial to the repair of tendinopathy at normal levels,and estrogen receptor β mainly affects the formation of fat,the deposition of type I collagen and the reduction of apoptosis of tendon cells through,which lays a foundation for the future treatment of tendinopathy with different subtypes of estrogens in vivo and the influence of estrogen membrane receptors on tendinopathy.

Objective:To investigate the factors contributing to in-hospital mortality among elderly patients aged 80 and above with gastrointestinal bleeding(GIB).Additionally, it seeks to assess the predictive ability of the electronic frailty index(eFI)in determining the risk of in-hospital mortality in GIB patients.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed among 624 patients aged 80 and above with GIB who were admitted to Beijing Hospital between July 2013 and September 2019.The patients were categorized into two groups based on their discharge outcomes: those who survived and those who did not.The eFI was developed using a cumulative deficit model utilizing data from the hospital's electronic medical records.The study examined the clinical features and risk factors associated with in-hospital mortality among these elderly patients.The effectiveness of eFI in predicting in-hospital mortality in elderly patients with gastrointestinal bleeding was evaluated by calculating the area under the curve(AUC)of the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results:Among a total of 624 patients aged between 80 and 102 years, the average age was(83.0±6.4)years, with 339 being male.A majority of the patients, 581 cases(93.1%), had an eFI ≥ 0.15.A comparison between the survival group(380 cases)and the death group(244 cases)revealed that the latter had higher eFI values(0.39±0.09 vs.0.29±0.11, t=-11.452, P<0.001), along with higher rates of heart failure, chronic kidney disease, and malignant tumors, as well as lower body mass index, hemoglobin, albumin, and total cholesterol levels, and higher alanine aminotransferase and D-dimer levels(all P<0.05).Logistic regression analysis indicated that eFI( OR=2.322, 95% CI: 1.840-2.929, P<0.001), malignant tumor( OR=1.833, 95% CI: 1.141-2.860, P<0.001), and albumin<35 g/L( OR=1.826, 95% CI: 1.200-2.777, P<0.001)were independent risk factors for in-hospital death in elderly patients aged 80 and over with gastrointestinal bleeding.With every 0.1 increase in eFI, the risk of in-hospital death rose by 1.322 times.The AUC of eFI for predicting in-hospital mortality was 0.751(95% CI: 0.713-0.789, P<0.001).An eFI of ≥0.33 demonstrated a sensitivity of 77.9% and a specificity of 60.3% in predicting in-hospital mortality in elderly patients aged 80 and over with GIB. Conclusions:The eFI serves as an important independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality among patients aged 80 and above who experience GIB.It can effectively assess the prognosis of elderly individuals facing GIB.

Objective:To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of different antifungal medications for fungal keratitis (FK).Methods:A network meta-analysis was conducted.Four databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science were searched.The publication period was from inception to March 16, 2023.Two researchers followed the inclusion and exclusion criteria to screen randomized controlled trial (RCT), completed the quality assessment and extracted the information.Literature quality assessment was performed using Review Manager 5.4 bias risk assessment tool, and network meta-analysis was performed using Stata 14.0 software for cure rate, healing time, visual acuity improvement and safety of different antifungal drugs for fungal keratitis.Results:A total of 14 RCTs involving 1 681 patients were finally included in this study.The network meta-analysis showed that 0.2% chlorhexidine eye drops and 5% natamycin eye drops+ oral voriconazole had better efficacy than other interventions in cure rate, and the surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) were 86.1% and 63.3%, respectively.The cure rate of 1% voriconazole eye drops was lower than that of 0.2% chlorhexidine eye drops, 5% natamycin eye drops+ oral voriconazole, 0.05% chlorhexidine eye drops, 0.1% chlorhexidine eye drops, 5% natamycin eye drops+ oral ketoconazole and 5% natamycin eye drops, showing statistically significant differences (all at P<0.05).1% voriconazole eye drops and 5% natamycin eye drops+ oral voriconazole showed better efficacy than other interventions in terms of healing time (SUCRA=66.9%, 55.7%).The combination of 5% natamycin eye drops, 1% voriconazole eye drops and oral voriconazole showed a better efficacy than others in improving visual acuity and safety (SUCRA=74.8%, 79.7%).For safety, 5% natamycin eye drops was superior to 1% voriconazole eye drops and 0.2% chlorhexidine eye drops, with statistically significant differences (both at P<0.05).In addition, there may be potential publication bias in this analysis. Conclusions:0.2% chlorhexidine eye drops and 1% voriconazole eye drops are effective in the treatment of FK.The combination use of 5% natamycin eye drops, 1% voriconazole eye drops and oral voriconazole can improve visual acuity and had good safety.

Abstract: Objective To understand the morphological characteristics and ultrastructure of the dominant species of Rhipicephalus sanguineus in Hainan at different developmental stages, and provide theoretical basis for the identification of the lineage and control of Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Methods The external morphology of different developmental stages of the dominant species of Rhipicephalus sanguineus, including larva, nymph and adult tick in Hainan were observed by scanning electron microscope. Results The division between each segment of larva pedipalps was not obvious, and setae was serrated; dental formula type 2 | 2; 3 pairs of podomere; a pair of setae on the anal valve; none of anal groove, spiracular plate, porous area and genital aperture. There was a clear boundary at the beginning of each segment of nymph pedipalps; dental formula type 2 | 2; 4 pairs of podomere; 3 pairs of setae on the anal valve; anal groove; none of porous area and genital aperture. The male adult tick's trichotheca are covered by the pedipalps, and the whole bristles are conical; dental formula type 3 | 3; 4 pairs of podomere; anal groove and paraprocts; 7 setae on the anal valve; genital aperture was oval. The female of adult tick can be distinguished by dental formula 3 | 3; pairs of podomere; porous areas with 3 short setae; anal groove; 4 pairs of setae and 2 pores on the anal valve; genital pore was broadly U-shaped. In addition, the male adult's scutum occupies almost the entire dorsal surface, the basis capituli of larva, nymph and adult tick all were hexagonal, and the existence of Haller's organ was found on the first pair of legs. Conclusions Scanning electron microscopy observation of the different developmental stages of R.sanguineus revealed clear morphological features, preliminarily suggesting that R.sanguineus in Hainan Province may belong to the tropical lineage, which provide a certain experimental basis for the identification of the tick and the comprehensive prevention and control of local tick-borne diseases.

Objective　To investigate the biological characteristics of the serine protease inhibitor 15 (RmS-15) protein of Rhipicephalus microplus, and to perform molecular cloning and prokaryotic expression. Methods RmS-15 gene was amplified and sequenced to construct a phylogenetic tree to understand its evolutionary relationships. Bioinformatic tools were used to analyze the physicochemical properties, signal peptide, secondary and tertiary structure of the RmS-15 protein. In addition, DNA star and ABCpred were used to predict potential B-lymphocyte antigenic epitopes of RmS-15 protein, and potential T-lymphocyte antigenic epitopes were predicted by SYF-PEITHI and IEDB. Finally, the RmS-15 recombinant protein of Rhipicephalus microplus was obtained using the E.coli prokaryotic expression system and purified. Results The RmS-15 gene with 1 212 bp was successfully amplified, encoding a protein comprising 403 amino acids. Phylogenetic tree results indicated high conservation of the RmS-15 protein among different tick amino acid sequences, with the closest phylogenetic relationships to the Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides and the Rhipicephalus sanguineus. The results of physicochemical property analysis showed a 20-amino acid signal peptide at the N-terminus of the RmS-15 protein, with a relative molecular weight and theoretical isoelectric point of 44 000 and 6.68, respectively. The protein showed an average hydrophilicity of 0.001, classifying it as a stably hydrophilic protein. The results of antigenicity analysis showed that the dominant fragments of B-cell antigenic epitopes of RmS-15 protein were 102-112 aa,147-152 aa and 207-215 aa, and the dominant fragments of T-cell antigenic epitopes were 3-11 aa, 6-14 aa, 27-33 aa, 34-37 aa. Protein expression results showed that RmS-15 protein exhibited high expression levels in the supernatant after induction with 0.8 mmol/L IPTG at 16 ℃ for 24 hours and reached a successful purification with a single band of the protein molecular weight of 44 000. Conclusions The method of prokaryotic expression and purification of RmS-15 protein from Rhipicephalus microplus was successfully established. Bioinformatics analysis demonstrated its strong antigenicity, suggesting its potential to develop as a candidate vaccine for ticks.

Objective:To evaluate the distribution and drug sensitivity of pathogenic bacteria in patients with bacterial keratitis in recent 40 years in China.Methods:A Meta-analysis was conducted.Five databases including PubMed, ScienceDirect, Embase, CNKI and Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform were searched.The research was limited to the hospital-based cross-sectional studies published in Chinese and English between 1980 and 2020, without limitations of subject.Two researchers followed the inclusion and exclusion criteria to complete literature retrieval, data extraction and methodological quality evaluation.The literature quality was assessed with reference to a methodological scoring system for rates. Q test and I2 test were used to quantify the degree of heterogeneity of the included literature.According to the heterogeneity, the fixed effects model or random-effects model was used to calculate the combined rates indicators to perform the Meta-analysis. Results:Twenty-seven original studies were incorporated, including 50 046 cases of bacterial keratitis.A random-effects model for the Meta-analysis showed that the positive rate of bacterial culture in bacterial keratitis was 28% (95% CI: 0.24-0.32). Among the culture-positive bacteria, the percentages of gram-positive cocci and gram-negative bacilli were 57% (95% CI: 0.52-0.62) and 32% (95% CI: 0.28-0.37), respectively.The percentages of gram-positive bacilli and gram-negative cocci were 8% (95% CI: 0.06-0.10) and 1% (95% CI: 0.01-0.02), respectively.In the recent 40 years, the proportion of gram-positive cocci isolated from corneas in China was on the rise, and the proportion of gram-negative bacilli was on the decline.Among them, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus accounted for 23% (95% CI: 0.17-0.30), followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa 18% (95% CI: 0.14-0.23), Streptococcus pneumoniae 8% (95% CI: 0.06-0.12), Staphylococcus aureus 6% (95% CI: 0.04-0.08), Corynebacterium 4% (95% CI: 0.03-0.07), and Escherichia coli 4% (95% CI: 0.02-0.06). The results of the drug sensitivity test showed that gram-positive cocci were highly sensitive to vancomycin, moxifloxacin, levofloxacin and ofloxacin. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was most sensitive to tobramycin, and Escherichia coli was most sensitive to ofloxacin. Conclusions:This Meta-analysis indicates that the proportion of gram-positive cocci isolated from corneas in China has been on the rise, while the proportion of gram-negative bacilli was on the decline during the recent 40 years.Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa have become the most common pathogens of bacterial keratitis in China.The sensitivity of various bacteria to commonly used antibiotics shows a downward trend.The sensitive antibiotics should be selected correctly according to the drug sensitivity results.

Objective:To analyze and summarize the clinical manifestations, imaging and colonoscopy characteristics, treatment and prognosis of idiopathic mesenteric phlebosclerosis(IMP), so as to raise clinicians' awareness of this rare disease.Methods:One case of IMP admitted into the Department of Gastroenterology, Beijing Hospital, was reported.The patient was admitted primarily due to abdominal pain, distension, and obstructed defecation and flatulence for 3 months, and recurrent vomiting for 2 days.Combining the patient's medical history, symptoms, physical signs, imaging and colonoscopy results, IMP was suspected to be the most likely cause for incomplete intestinal obstruction in this case.The literatures on IMP published before April 2021, including case reports, reviews and articles, were collected and analyzed.Based upon information mentioned above, the epidemiological characteristics, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of IMP were systematically reviewed.Results:A total of 206 cases of idiopathic mesenteric vein sclerosing enteritis had been reported up to April 2021 in the literature, with a male to female ratio of about 2.75∶1.Age was clearly mentioned in 111 case reports, with a median age of 59 years and 36 patients(32.4%)≥65 years old.Common clinical manifestations include abdominal pain, distension, diarrhea, hematochezia, nausea and vomiting, obstructed defecation and flatulence, among others.The lesion is usually at the right side of the colon, including the cecum, ascending colon and transverse colon, with the ascending colon as the most commonly involved site.Imaging characteristics include linear, serrated or tortuous calcification of vessels inside the involved colon segments and adjacent mesenterium, edema and thickening of the intestinal wall, and reactive hyperplasia of lymph nodes, etc.Endoscopic features include edema and thickening of the intestinal wall, discoloration of the mucosa, and tortuous and dilated submucosal vessels.Complications include intestinal obstruction, perforation and necrosis.In most cases, symptoms subside after patients stop taking herbal medicines and go through conservative treatment for microcirculation improvement, anti-inflammation, anti-coagulation, anti-infection, etc.Overall, the prognosis of IMP is satisfactory.Conclusions:IMP is a type of non-obstructive, non-thrombotic and non-inflammatory mesenteric phlebosclerosis that causes intestinal ischemia.The pathogenesis of the disease is still unclear.Combination of characteristic clinical manifestations, imaging especially CT findings, endoscopic and histopathological examinations will help the diagnosis of IMP.

Objective:To investigated the clinical, biochemical, and immunohistological characteristics of patients with aldosterone producing adenoma(APA)and different gene mutations.Methods:The clinical and biochemical data of 206 patients with APA who received unilateral adrenalectomy were collected. Sanger sequencing was used to identify the mutation in the hot-point of KCNJ5 and other genes. The tumor samples were stained by 11β-hydroxylase(CYP11B1)and aldosterone synthase(CYP11B2), which was quantified by McCarty′s H-score system.Results:The gene mutations were identified in 166 out of 206(80.6%)patients with APA, of which 158 cases were KCNJ5 mutation, 2 ATP1A1 mutation, 5 ATP2B3 mutation, and 1 CTNNB1 mutation. Age, duration of hypertension, and serum potassium in APA patients with genetic mutant were significantly lower than those without genetic mutation( P<0.05) while the proportion of female, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, aldosterone/renin ratio(ARR), and plasma aldosterone concentration(PAC)post saline infusion test(SIT)were significantly higher( P<0.05). Subgroup analysis showed that age, duration of hypertension, systolic blood pressure, and proportion of left ventricular hypertrophy in APA patients with ATP1A1 and ATP2B3 mutations were significantly higher than those with KCNJ5 mutation( P<0.05)while the PAC post SIT and tumor diameter were significantly lower( P<0.05). The positive rates of CYP11B2 in APA with different mutations were not significantly different. The H-score of CYP11B1 was significantly higher [160.0(127.5, 193.5) vs 80.0(27.5, 152.3), P=0.020] and the H-score of CYP11B2 was significantly lower [155.0(123.0, 190.0) vs 240.0(140.0, 270.0), P<0.01] in APA with KCNJ5 mutation compared with those with ATPase mutation. Conclusion:The types of genetic mutation are closely correlated with the clinical, biochemical, and immunohistological phenotypes in patients with APA.

Dry eye is a common ophthalmic disease caused by eye maladjustment due to meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), which is often accompanied by symptoms such as increased tear film osmotic pressure and ocular surface inflammation. In the treatment of dry eye patients, dredging gland obstruction caused by meibomian gland secretion is an effective treatment method. Based on electrothermal effect and hyperelasticity of the silicone, an auxiliary treatment instrument for MGD is designed, which can improve the blood circulation of the glands through heat compress and massage to achieve the purpose of dredging the meibomian glands. The therapy device can display the temperature and pressure during the treatment in real time, so that the surgeon can grasp the progress of the treatment in real time. The therapy device constructs a user-oriented interactive interface based on parametric modeling method, which can be customized by 3D printing according to the user's eyeball geometric parameters. The designed therapeutic device was finally tested on New Zealand white rabbits. The experimental results show that the therapeutic device has significant effectiveness and safety, as well as clinical application prospects.
Animals ; Dry Eye Syndromes/therapy* ; Humans ; Meibomian Gland Dysfunction ; Meibomian Glands ; Rabbits ; Tears ; Treatment Outcome