Objective To evaluate the perioperative safety of lung surgery for patients with corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of the patients recovered from COVID-19 infection and received lung surgery from December 2022 to February 2023 in the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Beijing Hospital. Patients who received lung surgery and without COVID-19 at the same time were selected as a control group. Perioperative data between the two groups were compared. Results A total of 103 patients were included with 44 males and 49 females at an average age of (62.2±12.1) years. All surgeries were performed by uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Among patients who recovered from COVID-19, 53 (51.5%) received lobectomy, 30 (29.1%) received segmentectomy, and 20 (19.4%) received wedge resection. The interval between diagnosis of infection and lung surgery was ≤1 month in 32 (31.1%) patients, and >1 month in 71 (68.9%) patients. The results of virus nucleic acid test for all patients before surgery were negative. A total of 13 (12.6%) patients had positive IgM, and 100 (97.1%) patients had positive IgG. A total of 20 patients experienced perioperative complications (13 patients with pulmonary air leakage, 3 patients with chylothorax, 2 patients with atrial fibrillation, and 2 patients with severe pulmonary complications). There was one perioperative death. Comparing the patients who recovered from COVID-19 with those without COVID-19, we found no statistical difference in perioperative outcomes including surgical duration, postoperative drainage, duration of thoracic tube, and duration of postoperative stay (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in perioperative complications between the two groups (P>0.05). Multivariable logistical regression analysis demonstrated that positive IgM before surgery (OR=7.319, 95%CI 1.669 to 32.103, P=0.008), and longer duration of surgery (OR=1.016, 95%CI 1.003 to 1.028, P=0.013) were independent risk factors of perioperative complications for patients who recovered from COVID-19. Conclusion It is safe for patients recover from COVID-19 to receive lung surgery when symptoms disappear and the nucleic acid test turn negative. However, positive COVID-19 IgM is an independent risk factor for perioperative complications. We suggest that lung surgery could be performed when the nucleic acid test and COVID-19 IgM are both negative for patients recover from COVID-19 infection.

Diagnostic criteria, as a critical component of clinical practice guidelines, play a direct role in guiding clinicians' diagnostic and treatment decisions. Although China has increasingly emphasized the development and updating of clinical guidelines in recent years, research focusing on the diagnostic criteria within these guidelines remains limited. This paper aims to explore the types of diagnostic criteria, the issues they present, and the processes involved in their formulation. Based on this analysis, suggestions are proposed to improve the recommendation and application of diagnostic criteria in Chinese guidelines.

Diagnostic criteria, as a critical component of clinical practice guidelines, play a direct role in guiding clinicians' diagnostic and treatment decisions. Although China has increasingly emphasized the development and updating of clinical guidelines in recent years, research focusing on the diagnostic criteria within these guidelines remains limited. This paper aims to explore the types of diagnostic criteria, the issues they present, and the processes involved in their formulation. Based on this analysis, suggestions are proposed to improve the recommendation and application of diagnostic criteria in Chinese guidelines.

The sensitivity of cardiac troponin testing for diagnosing acute myocardial infarction(AMI)varies over time from chest pain onset.This study aimed to determine the diagnostic performance of point-of-care testing cardiac troponin T(POCT-cTnT)at different time intervals post-symptom onset to refine rapid rule-out approaches for AMI.Methods This retrospective study included 6,024 patients presenting with chest pain from January 2018 to December 2022.POCT-cTnT and central lab cTnI levels were measured on admission.Receiver operating charac-teristics analysis stratified by time windows assessed the accuracy of POCT-cTnT for diagnosing AMI.Results The overall AUC of POCT-cTnT for diagnosing AMI was 0.826(95%CI:0.816～0.836),with a sensitivity of 72.81%and a specificity of 86.26%.According to the time intervals of chest pain onset(＜3 hours,3～6 hours,6～12 hours,12～24 hours,24～72 hours,and≥72 hours),the AUC values for groups after 6～12 hours were 0.918,0.928,0.920 and 0.908,respectively,with no statistically significant difference(P＞0.05),but all were higher than the groups within 6 hours(P＜0.001).According to the time of chest pain onset,the AUC for the≥8h group was 0.921,with a negative predictive value(NPV)of 98.1%and a negative likelihood ratio(-LR)of 0.11.Its AUC was higher than those of the≥3 h,≥2 h,≥1 h,and overall groups(P＜0.05),but there was no statistically significant differ-ence compared with the groups after≥4 h(P＞0.05).Conclusions Chest pain onset time has a certain impact on the performance of a single POCT-cTnT test for diagnosing AMI.The duration from chest pain onset to hospital admission combined with POCT-cTnT test may improve the reliability in diagnosing AMI.Specifically,a single POCT-cTnT test at four hours after chest pain onset,especially eight hours after chest pain onset,can diagnose or exclude AMI.

Background:Following the short-term outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)in December 2022 in China,clinical data on kidney transplant recipients(KTRs)with COVID-19 are lacking.Methods:We conducted a single-center retrospective study to describe the clinical features,complications,and mortality rates of hospitalized KTRs infected with COVID-19 between Dec.16,2022 and Jan.31,2023.The patients were followed up until Mar.31,2023.Results:A total of 324 KTRs with COVID-19 were included.The median age was 49 years.The median time between the onset of symptoms and admission was 13 d.Molnupiravir,azvudine,and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir were administered to 67(20.7%),11(3.4%),and 148(45.7%)patients,respectively.Twenty-nine(9.0%)patients were treated with more than one antiviral agent.Forty-eight(14.8%)patients were treated with tocilizumab and 53(16.4%)patients received baricitinib therapy.The acute kidney injury(AKI)occurred in 81(25.0%)patients and 39(12.0%)patients were admitted to intensive care units.Fungal infections were observed in 55(17.0%)patients.Fifty(15.4%)patients lost their graft.The 28-d mortality rate of patients was 9.0%and 42(13.0%)patients died by the end of follow-up.Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified that cerebrovascular disease,AKI incidence,interleukin(IL)-6 level of>6.8 pg/mL,daily dose of corticosteroids of>50 mg,and fungal infection were all associated with an increased risk of death for hospitalized patients.Conclusions:Our findings demonstrate that hospitalized KTRs with COVID-19 are at high risk of mortality.The administration of immunomodulators or the late application of antiviral drugs does not improve patient survival,while higher doses of corticosteroids may increase the death risk.

Objective To explore the value of artificial intelligence federated learning system based on chest X-ray films for pathogen diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia(CAP)in children.Methods Totally 900 cases of CAP children from 2 hospitals were retrospectively enrolled,including bacterial,viral and mycoplasma CAP(each n=300),and chest posteroanterior X-ray films were collected.Meanwhile,chest posteroanterior X-ray films of 5856 children from the publicly available dataset GWCMCx were collected,including 4273 CAP images and 1583 healthy chest images.All above 6756 images were divided into training set(n=5359)and validation set(n=1397)at the ratio of 8∶2.Then a pathogen diagnosis model of children CAP was established based on attention mechanism.Binary and ternary diagnostic algorithms were designed,and federated deployment training was performed.The efficacy of this system for pathogen diagnosis of children CAP was analyzed and compared with DenseNet model.Results Based on all data,the accuracy of the obtained artificial intelligence federated learning system model for diagnosing children CAP was 97.00%,with the area under the curve(AUC)of 0.990.Based on hospital data,the AUC of this system using single imaging data and clinical-imaging data for pathogen diagnosis of children CAP was 0.858 and 0.836,respectively,both better than that of DenseNet model(0.740,both P＜0.05).Conclusion The artificial intelligence federated learning system based on chest X-ray films could be used for pathogen diagnosis of children CAP.

Objective: To prospectively evaluate the outcomes of ultrasound (US)-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in tertiary hyperparathyroidism (THPT). Materials and Methods: Patients with THPT underwent RFA between September 2017 and January 2022. Laboratory parameters, including serum intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels, were monitored for 48 months after RFA and compared with the levels at baseline. Complications related to RFA and changes in hyperparathyroidism-related clinical symptoms were recorded before and after RFA. Results: A total of 42 patients with THPT were recruited for this study. Ultimately, 36 patients with renal failure and 2 patients who underwent successful renal transplantation (male:female, 17:21; median age, 54.5 years) were enrolled. The follow-up time was 21.5 ± 19.0 months in the 36 patients with renal failure. In these 36 patients, iPTH levels were significantly decreased to 261.1 pg/mL at 48 months compared with the baseline value of 1284.9 pg/mL (P = 0.012). Persistent hyperparathyroidism, defined as iPTH levels maintained at > 585.0 pg/mL for 6 months after treatment, occurred in 4.0% of patients (1/25). Recurrent hyperparathyroidism, defined as iPTH levels > 585.0 pg/mL after 6 months, were 4.0% (1/25) and 0.0% (0/9) at 6 months and 4 years after treatment, respectively. In two patients with THPT after successful renal transplantation, iPTH decreased from the baseline value of 242.5 and 115.9 pg/mL to 171.0 and 62.0 pg/mL at 6 months after treatment. All complications resolved within 6 months of ablation without medical intervention, except in 10.5% (4/38) patients with permanent hypocalcemia. The overall symptom recovery rate was 58.8% (10/17). The severity scores for bone pain, arthralgia, and itchy skin associated with hyperparathyroidism improved after treatment (P < 0.05). Conclusion US-guided RFA is an effective and safe alternative to surgery in the treatment of patients with TPTH and improves hyperparathyroidism-related clinical symptoms.Keywords: Ultrasound; Radiofrequency ablation; Te

Objective:To evaluate the safety of thymic surgery in patients aged 65 years and over.Methods:A total of 696 patients who underwent thymectomy/thymoma resection in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Beijing Hospital from November 2011 to March 2022 were collected and divided into two groups according to the age of 65 years old.The preoperative course of disease, MG stage, dosage of pyridostigmine bromide, American College of Anesthesiologists(ASA)score, surgical method, intraoperative bleeding, postoperative drainage, postoperative complications, Clavien-dindo score(CDC), and myasthenic crisis were recorded and statistically analyzed.Results:A total of 696 patients were enrolled, including 364 males and 332 females, aged 15~86 years, with an average age of 49.1 years.There were 309 patients with thymoma, 565 patients with MG, and 178 patients with both.There were 124 cases in the elderly group(≥65 years old)and 572 cases in the non-elderly group(<65 years old). The incidence of thymoma was higher in the elderly group(54.8 % versus 42.1 %, χ2=6.664, P=0.010), while the incidence of MG was lower(67.7 % versus 84.1 %, χ2=17.827, P<0.001). The ASA score of the elderly group was higher than that of the non-elderly group( χ2=52.372, P=0.000), and the preoperative ventilation function FEV1 and FEV1/FVC were also significantly lower than those of the non-elderly group( z=8.187, 4.580, P=0.000 for all). The drainage volume in the first 3 days after operation and postoperative drainage tube time in the elderly group were significantly higher than those in the non-elderly group( P=0.018, P=0.003). The incidence of postoperative myasthenia crisis in the elderly group was higher than that in the non-elderly group( P=0.034). There was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative complications between the two groups, but after Clavien-dindo classification, the score of the elderly group was higher than that of the non-elderly group( P=0.003). Although the ASA score and Clavien-dindo score of the elderly group were both higher than those of the non-elderly group, there was no correlation between the two. Conclusions:Although the preoperative ASA score and pulmonary function of elderly patients were poorer than those in the non-elderly group, while the incidence of postoperative myasthenia crisis was higher, and the incidence of postoperative complications was not higher, the Clavien-dindo classification, however, was higher in elderly patients than that of the non-elderly group.After careful preoperative evaluation and strengthening perioperative management, most elderly patients can receive thymus surgery safely with acceptable risks.

Objective:To explore the influencing factors of acute rejection (AR) within one year after pediatric kidney transplantation (KT) and the effect of AR onset time on prognosis.Methods:From January 2011 to October 2021, a total of 112 patients aged under 18 years at the time of transplantation were selected.After excluding 6 of them with early renal non-function caused by non-rejection, 106 cases were examined.There were 63 males and 43 females with the age of 15(12, 16) years.The donors were living related (n=26) and deceased (n=80).According to the presence/absence and onset time of AR, they were assigned into three groups of AR within one year, AR after one year and non-AR.The relevant clinical data of donor/recipient, influencing factors of AR and therapeutic outcomes of AR were retrospectively compared.One-way ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis test was utilized for comparing 1-year renal function after the occurrence of AR among three groups.With graft-function loss as an end-point event of follow-up, the effects of AR within one year and AR after one year on survival rate and function of graft-kidney were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier survival curve.Results:The median follow-up period of 106 pediatric KT recipients was 35 months.During follow-ups, 19 episodes of AR occurred in 17(16.0%) patients and 89 recipients exhibited no AR episode by the end of follow-up (non-AR group).As for initial AR, 9 episodes of AR occurred within one year (AR within one year group) and 8 episodes of AR after one year (AR after one year group).After anti-rejection treatment, 8 patients (47.1%) achieved full recovery and 6 patients (35.3%) failed to completely normalize and 3 patients (17.6%) developed graft failure.Univariate analysis indicated that, as compared with non-AR group, female recipients, donors aged under 8 years and early postoperative infection with parvovirus B19 were risk factors of AR within one year ( P=0.032, P=0.039, P=0.047).Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that the incidence rates of AR within one year in patients with donors aged under 8 years and early postoperative parvoviral infection were 14.5%(8/55) and 30.0%(3/10) respectively.They were significantly higher than 2.0%(1/51) and 6.3%(6/96) of patients with donors aged above 8 years and those without parvoviral infection ( P=0.012, P=0.004).With graft-function loss as an end-point event of follow-up, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that 10-year kidney graft survival rate in AR within one year and AR after one year groups were 88.9% and 65.6%.Both were significantly lower than that in non-AR group (98.9%).And the inter-group differences were statistically significant ( χ2=4.286, P=0.038; χ2=7.787, P=0.005).However, no significant difference existed in survival rate between AR within one year and AR after one year groups ( P=0.689).One-way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis test indicated that estimated glomerular filtration rates at 3/6/12 months after an onset of AR in AR within one year group were (76.8±51.6), (80.6±56.6) and (85.6±40.2) ml·min -1·1.73 m -2.The values of 3/6 months were lower than (125.3±39.2) and (124.7±38.2) ml·min -1·1.73 m -2 in AR after one year group.And the inter-group differences were statistically significant ( P=0.021, P=0.039).The values of 3/6/12 months were lower than (112.2±34.2), (115.3±33.2) and (117.4±30.2) ml·min -1·1.73 m -2 in non-AR group.And the inter-group differences were also statistically significant ( P=0.019, P=0.020, P=0.020). Conclusions:Female recipients, donors aged under 8 years and early postoperative infection with parvovirus B19 may elevate the risks of AR in children within one year of KT.AR within one year affects the survival rate of graft-kidney and renal function.

There is currently a huge worldwide demand for donor kidneys for organ transplantation. Consequently, numerous marginal donor kidneys, such as kidneys with microthrombi, are used to save patients' lives. While some studies have shown an association between the presence of microthrombi in donor kidneys and an increased risk for delayed graft function (DGF) (McCall et al., 2003; Gao et al., 2019), other studies have demonstrated that microthrombi negatively impact the rate of DGF (Batra et al., 2016; Hansen et al., 2018), but not graft survival rate (McCall et al., 2003; Batra et al., 2016; Gao et al., 2019). In contrast, Hansen et al. (2018) concluded that fibrin thrombi were not only associated with reduced graft function six months post-transplantation but also with increased graft loss within the first year of transplantation. On the other hand, Batra et al. (2016) found no significant differences in the DGF rate or one-year graft function between recipients in diffuse and focal microthrombi groups. To date, however, the overall influence of donor kidney microthrombi and the degree of influence on prognosis remain controversial, necessitating further research.
Humans ; Thrombotic Microangiopathies ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Tissue Donors ; Kidney ; Allografts