Background::Oral anti-coagulants (OAC) are the intervention for the prevention of stroke, which consistently improve clinical outcomes and survival among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The main purpose of this study is to identify problems in OAC utilization among hospitalized patients with AF in China.Methods::Using data from the Improving Care for Cardiovascular Disease in China-Atrial Fibrillation (CCC-AF) registry, guideline-recommended OAC use in eligible patients was assessed.Results::A total of 52,530 patients with non-valvular AF were enrolled from February 2015 to December 2019, of whom 38,203 were at a high risk of stroke, 9717 were at a moderate risk, and 4610 were at a low risk. On admission, only 20.0% (6075/30,420) of patients with a diagnosed AF and a high risk of stroke were taking OAC. The use of pre-hospital OAC on admission was associated with a lower risk of new-onset ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack among the diagnosed AF population (adjusted odds ratio: 0.54, 95% confidence interval: 0.43–0.68; P <0.001). At discharge, the prescription rate of OAC was 45.2% (16,757/37,087) in eligible patients with high stroke risk and 60.7% (2778/4578) in eligible patients with low stroke risk. OAC utilization in patients with high stroke risk on admission or at discharge both increased largely over time (all P <0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that OAC utilization at discharge was positively associated with in-hospital rhythm control strategies, including catheter ablation (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 11.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] 10.04–13.47; P <0.001), electronic cardioversion (adjusted OR 2.41, 95% CI 1.65–3.51; P <0.001), and anti-arrhythmic drug use (adjusted OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.38–1.53; P <0.001). Conclusions::In hospitals participated in the CCC-AF project, >70% of AF patients were at a high risk of stroke. Although poor performance on guideline-recommended OAC use was found in this study, over time the CCC-AF project has made progress in stroke prevention in the Chinese AF population.Registration::ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02309398.

Objective:To evaluate the accuracy of continuous photoplethysmography algorithms for atrial fibrillation diagnosis and atrial fibrillation burden evaluation via wearable devices.Methods:This study was a self-controlled prospective cohort study. A total of 254 consecutive inpatients were recruited from the Department of Cardiology, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University from September 2022 to November 2022. All participants were required to wear two devices at the same time: (1) an electrocardiogram (ECG) watch for acquisition of photoplethysmography (watch-recorded-photoplethysmography, W-PPG) and electrocardiogram (watch-recorded-electrocardiogram, W-ECG); (2) an ECG patch for acquisition of electrocardiogram (patch-recorded-electrocardiogram, P-ECG). The results were measured in 30 s data segments and individual participants, separately, which were calculated for sensitivity and specificity by comparing them with the results of expert-read ECG according to the receiver operating characteristic curve. Four groups were separated according to the proportion of the atrial fibrillation burden, and the difference of atrial fibrillation burden from algorithm and expert-read ECG was calculated.Results:All 254 subjects completed the study. The mean age of participants was (63.04±11.04) years old, 99 (38.98%) of them were female, and 97 (38.19%) patients had persistent atrial fibrillation. Expert-read ECG results were taken as standard criteria in all calculations. The P-ECG algorithm had a sensitivity of 94.86% (95% CI: 94.81%-94.91%) and a specificity of 99.30% (95% CI: 99.28%-99.31%) when measured in data segments. The W-PPG algorithm had a sensitivity of 96.07% (95% CI: 95.97%-96.18%) and a specificity of 98.62% (95% CI: 98.59%-98.65%). When measured in terms of individual participants, the P-ECG algorithm had a sensitivity of 92.55% (95% CI: 87.57%-95.71%) and a specificity of 96.39% (95% CI: 93.45%-98.09%), while the W-PPG algorithm had a sensitivity of 93.71% (95% CI: 88.75%-96.67%) and a specificity of 89.62% (95% CI: 85.61%-92.65%). When measured in terms of a single acquisition of W-ECG records, the W-ECG algorithm had a sensitivity of 92.04% (95% CI: 88.14%-94.78%) and a specificity of 96.19% (95% CI: 94.35%-97.47%). For atrial fibrillation burden assessment, the difference between the W-PPG analysis results and the expert-read ECG results was less than 2% in all burden distribution intervals. Conclusions:Continuous photoplethysmography algorithm applied to wearable devices to detect atrial fibrillation is a feasible strategy. Taking expert-read ECG results as standard, continuous monitoring of PPG by a smartwatch is highly accurate for atrial fibrillation diagnosis and can also be used to effectively complete atrial fibrillation burden assessment.

Objective:To explore the role of mechanical hemodynamic support (MHS) in mapping and catheter ablation of patients with hemodynamically unstable ventricular tachycardia (VT), report single-center experience in a cohort of consecutive patients receiving VT ablation during MHS therapy, and provide evidence-based medical evidence for clinical practice.Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study. Patients with hemodynamically unstable VT who underwent catheter ablation with MHS at Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University between August 2021 and December 2023 were included. Patients were divided into rescue group and preventive group according to the purpose of treatment. Their demographic data, periprocedural details, and clinical outcomes were collected and analyzed.Results:A total of 15 patients with hemodynamically unstable VT were included (8 patients in the rescue group and 7 patients in the preventive group). The acute procedure was successful in all patients. One patient in the rescue group had surgical left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation, remaining 14 patients received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for circulation support. ECMO decannulation was performed in 12 patients due to clinical and hemodynamic stability, of which 6 patients were decannulation immediately after surgery and the remaining patients were decannulation at 2.0 (2.5) d after surgery. Two patients in the rescue group died during the index admission due to refractory heart failure and cerebral hemorrhage. During a median follow-up of 30 d (1 d to 12 months), one patient with LVAD had one episode of ventricular fibrillation at 6 months after discharge, and no further episodes of ventricular fibrillation and/or VT occurred after treatment with antiarrhythmic drugs. No malignant ventricular arrhythmia occurred in the remaining 12 patients who were followed up.Conclusions:MHS contributes to the successful completion of mapping and catheter ablation in patients with hemodynamically unstable VT, providing desirable hemodynamic status for emergency and elective conditions.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma(HNSCC)is characterized by high recurrence or distant metastases rate and the prognosis is challenging.There is mounting evidence that tumor-infiltrating B cells(TIL-Bs)have a crucial,synergistic role in tumor control.However,little is known about the role TIL-Bs play in immune microenvironment and the way TIL-Bs affect the outcome of immune checkpoint blockade.Using single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)data from the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database,the study identified distinct gene expression patterns in TIL-Bs.HNSCC samples were categorized into TIL-Bs inhibition and TIL-Bs activation groups using unsupervised clustering.This classification was further validated with TCGA HNSCC data,correlating with patient prognosis,immune cell infiltration,and response to immunotherapy.We found that the B cells activation group exhibited a better prognosis,higher immune cell infiltration,and distinct immune checkpoint levels,including elevated PD-L1.A prognostic model was also developed and validated,highlighting four genes as potential biomarkers for predicting survival outcomes in HNSCC patients.Overall,this study provides a foundational approach for B cells-based tumor classification in HNSCC,offering insights into targeted treatment and immunotherapy strategies.

BACKGROUND: The age, biomarkers, and clinical history (ABC)-atrial fibrillation (AF)-Stroke score have been proposed to refine stroke risk stratification, beyond what clinical risk scores such as the CHA2DS2-VASc score can offer. This study aimed to identify risk factors associated with thromboembolism and evaluate the performance of the ABC-AF-Stroke score in predicting thromboembolism in non-anticoagulated AF patients following successful ablations. METHODS: A total of 2692 patients who underwent successful ablations with discontinued anticoagulation after a 3-month blanking period in the Chinese Atrial Fibrillation Registry (CAFR) between 2013 and 2019 were included. Cox regression analysis was conducted to present the association of risk factors with thromboembolism risk. The ABC-AF-Stroke score was evaluated in terms of discrimination, including concordance index (C-index), net reclassification improvement (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI), clinical utilization by decision curve analysis (DCA), and calibration by comparing the predicted risk with the observed annualized event rate. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 3.5 years, 64 patients experienced thromboembolism events. Age, prior history of stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA), high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (cTnT-hs), and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were independently associated with thromboembolism risk. The ABC-AF-Stroke score performed statistically significantly better than the CHA2DS2-VASc score in terms of C-index (0.67, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.59-0.74 vs. 0.60, 95% CI: 0.52-0.67, P = 0.030) and reclassification capacity. The DCA implied that the ABC-AF-Stroke score could identify more thromboembolism events without increasing the false positive rate compared to the CHA2DS2-VASc score. The calibration curve showed that the ABC-AF-Stroke score was well calibrated in this population. CONCLUSIONS In this real-world study enrolling non-anticoagulated AF patients following successful ablations, age, prior history of stroke/TIA, level of NT-proBNP, and cTnT-hs were independently associated with an increased risk of thromboembolism. The ABC-AF-Stroke score was well-calibrated and statistically significantly outperformed the CHA2DS2-VASc score in predicting thromboembolism risk.
Humans ; Anticoagulants/therapeutic use* ; Atrial Fibrillation/complications* ; East Asian People ; Ischemic Attack, Transient ; Registries ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors ; Stroke/etiology* ; Thromboembolism/etiology* ; Troponin T

Objective:To investigate the occurrence of carotid artery abnormalities in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients and the related risk factors affecting the occurrence of carotid artery abnormalities.Methods:A total of 169 regular follow-up outpatients with HIV/AIDS from April 2003 to December 2019 in Peking Union Medical College Hospital, whose carotid artery ultrasound examination were performed from July 2015 to December 2019 were included. The patients were divided into young (≤44 years old), middle-aged and elderly (≥45 years old) according to their ages, and the physical examination data of the included patients were collected.The statistical methods were logistic regression analysis and single sample t test. Results:Among the 169 HIV/AIDS patients, 40(23.7%) had abnormal carotid artery and 129(76.3%) had no abnormal carotid artery. Middle-aged and elderly people (odds ratio ( OR)=3.85, 95%confidence interval (95% CI) 1.54-9.65, P<0.01), hypertension ( OR=6.24, 95% CI 1.95-20.00, P<0.01), hyperlipidemia ( OR=2.44, 95% CI 1.00-5.93, P<0.05), and elevated human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-DR + CD8 + /CD8 + ( OR=1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.06, P<0.05) were the risk factors for carotid artery abnormality. The common carotid artery inner medium film thickness (IMT) of patients in HIV/AIDS group Ⅰ (20 to 30 years old), group Ⅱ (31 to 40 years old), group Ⅲ (41 to 50 years old) were (0.061 0±0.001 2), (0.062 9±0.001 4) and (0.065 6±0.002 6) cm, respectively, which were thicker than the control groups ((0.051±0.003), (0.056±0.004) and (0.063±0.002) cm, respectively). The differences were all statistically significant ( t=5.119, 4.775 and 1.739, respectively, all P<0.05). The common carotid artery IMT of patients in HIV/AIDS group A (30 to 44 years old) and group B (45 to 59 years old) were (0.062 6±0.001 1) and (0.072 3±0.003 4) cm, respectively, which were thicker than the control groups ((0.052±0.011) and (0.064±0.015) cm, respectively), the differences were both statistically significant ( t=9.520 and 3.012, respectively, both P<0.01). Conclusion:Younger HIV-positive people have a higher probability of abnormal carotid arteries and may be at greater risk of cardiovascular disease than HIV-negative people of the same age, suggesting that HIV-positive people, especially young people, should be examined early with ultrasound of the neck arteries to detect abnormalities and intervene as soon as possible.

Objective:To investigate the long-term safety of digoxin in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and atrial fibrillation (AF).Methods:This was a prospective study, in which 25 512 AF patients were enrolled from China Atrial Fibrillation Registry Study. After exclusion of patients receiving ablation therapy at the enrollment, 1 810 CAD patients [age: (71.5±9.3)years] with AF were included. The subjects were grouped into the digoxin group and non-digoxin group, and were followed up for a period of 80 months. Long-term outcomes were compared between the groups and an adjusted Cox regression analysis was applied to evaluate the risk of digoxin on the long-term outcomes. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality.Results:The patients were followed up for a median period of 3.05 years. After multivariable adjustment, the Cox regression analysis showed that digoxin significantly increased the risk of all-cause mortality ( HR=1.28, 95% CI 1.01-1.61, P=0.038), cardiovascular mortality ( HR=1.48,95% CI 1.10-2.00, P=0.010), cardiovascular hospitalization ( HR=1.67,95% CI 1.35-2.07, P=0.008) and the composite endpoints ( HR=2.02,95% CI 1.71-2.38, P<0.001). In the subgroup of patients with heart failure (HF), digoxin was not associated with the risk of all-cause mortality, but was still associated with the increased risk of cardiovascular mortality ( HR=1.44,95% CI 1.05-1.98, P=0.025), cardiovascular hospitalization ( HR=1.44,95% CI 1.09-1.90, P=0.010) and the composite endpoints ( HR=1.37, 95% CI 1.01-1.70, P=0.004). However, in the subgroup of patients without HF, digoxin was only associated with all-cause mortality ( HR=2.56,95% CI 1.44-4.54, P=0.001). Conclusion:Digoxin significantly increased the risk of all-cause mortality in CAD patients with AF, especially in patients without HF.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and feasibility of radiofrequency resection of supraglottic laryngeal carcinoma under a multifunctional opener.Methods:The clinical data of four cases of supraglottic laryngeal carcinoma (type T1N1M0 in two cases, T2N1M0 in one case, and T1N0M0 in one case) who received treatment in the Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University during January-June 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Radiofrequency resection of supraglottic laryngeal carcinoma under a multi-functional opener combined with bilateral neck II-IV region lymph node dissection was performed. Swallowing, breathing and phonation were observed and analyzed based on references.Results:Among the four cases, two cases had a normal diet at 3 days after surgery, one case had a normal diet at 7 days after surgery, and one case had a normal diet at 16 days after surgery. Tracheotomy was not performed in any case. After surgery, breathing and speech communication were not affected.Conclusion:Radiofrequency surgery under a multifunctional opener can be used for treatment of early supraglottic laryngeal cancer. It is an effective treatment with minimal trauma, mild postoperative pain and promotes the early recovery of normal swallowing function.

Objectives: This study explored the relationship between weight control and atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after catheter ablation in overweight and obese patients. Methods: We prospectively enrolled consecutive 333 overweight and obese patients aged 28 to 87 years old, who underwent catheter ablation for AF in Beijing Anzhen Hospital between October 2015 and February 2016. Data of patients′ characteristics, laboratory examination and treatment were collected at baseline. Each patient was followed up at 3, 6 and 12 months after ablation to collect information on weight, AF recurrence, stroke, major bleeding, hospitalization for cardiovascular reasons and death, etc. Patients were divided into weight controlled group (ΔBMI<-1 kg/m²) and weight uncontrolled group (ΔBMI≥-1 kg/m²), according to the changes in the most recent exposure BMI before AF recurrence in patients with recurrence or the BMI at 12 months′ follow-up in patients without recurrence and the BMI at baseline. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to adjust other known risk factors of AF recurrence and to explore the association between weight control and AF recurrence after catheter ablation. Results: There were 54 patients in weight controlled group and 279 patients in weight uncontrolled group. There were no significant differences in age, gender, education level, left atrial size and history of hypertension between the two groups (all P>0.05). The proportion of patients using angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers was higher in the weight controlled group (50.0%(27/54) vs. 34.8%(97/279), P=0.034). However, there was no significant difference in the proportion of patients with obesity (33.3% (18/54) vs. 29.7% (83/279)), paroxysmal AF (59.3% (32/54) vs. 56.6% (158/279)) and AF duration less than 5 years (76.9% (40/52) vs. 65.4% (178/272)) between the weight controlled group and the uncontrolled group. During 1-year follow-up after ablation, the recurrence rate of AF was significantly lower in the weight controlled group than that in the weight uncontrolled group (14.8% (8/54) vs. 32.6%(91/279), P=0.009). Multivariable logistic regression analysis shows that weight control is independently associated with a lower postoperative AF recurrence rate (OR=0.40, 95%CI 0.18-0.90, P=0.026). Conclusion Weight control is strongly associated with a lower AF recurrence rate after catheter ablation in overweight and obese patients.

Objectives This study explored the relationship between weight control and atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after catheter ablation in overweight and obese patients. Methods We prospectively enrolled consecutive 333 overweight and obese patients aged 28 to 87 years old, who underwent catheter ablation for AF in Beijing Anzhen Hospital between October 2015 and February 2016. Data of patients′ characteristics, laboratory examination and treatment were collected at baseline. Each patient was followed up at 3, 6 and 12 months after ablation to collect information on weight, AF recurrence, stroke, major bleeding, hospitalization for cardiovascular reasons and death, etc. Patients were divided into weight controlled group (ΔBMI<-1 kg/m2) and weight uncontrolled group (ΔBMI≥-1 kg/m2), according to the changes in the most recent exposure BMI before AF recurrence in patients with recurrence or the BMI at 12 months′ follow?up in patients without recurrence and the BMI at baseline. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to adjust other known risk factors of AF recurrence and to explore the association between weight control and AF recurrence after catheter ablation. Results There were 54 patients in weight controlled group and 279 patients in weight uncontrolled group. There were no significant differences in age, gender, education level, left atrial size and history of hypertension between the two groups (all P>0.05). The proportion of patients using angiotensin?converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers was higher in the weight controlled group (50.0%(27/54) vs. 34.8%(97/279), P=0.034). However, there was no significant difference in the proportion of patients with obesity (33.3% (18/54) vs. 29.7% (83/279)), paroxysmal AF (59.3% (32/54) vs. 56.6% (158/279)) and AF duration less than 5 years (76.9% (40/52) vs. 65.4% (178/272)) between the weight controlled group and the uncontrolled group. During 1?year follow?up after ablation, the recurrence rate of AF was significantly lower in the weight controlled group than that in the weight uncontrolled group (14.8% (8/54) vs. 32.6%(91/279), P=0.009). Multivariable logistic regression analysis shows that weight control is independently associated with a lower postoperative AF recurrence rate ( OR=0.40, 95%CI 0.18-0.90, P=0.026). Conclusion Weight control is strongly associated with a lower AF recurrence rate after catheter ablation in overweight and obese patients.