Objective:To investigate the current status of endoscopic treatment for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension in China, and to provide supporting data and reference for the development of endoscopic treatment.Methods:In this study, initiated by the Liver Health Consortium in China (CHESS), a questionnaire was designed and distributed online to investigate the basic condition of endoscopic treatment for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension in 2022 in China. Questions included annual number and indication of endoscopic procedures, adherence to guideline for preventing esophagogastric variceal bleeding (EGVB), management and timing of emergent EGVB, management of gastric and isolated varices, and improvement of endoscopic treatment. Proportions of hospitals concerning therapeutic choices to all participant hospitals were calculated. Guideline adherence between secondary and tertiary hospitals were compared by using Chi-square test.Results:A total of 836 hospitals from 31 provinces (anotomous regions and municipalities) participated in the survey. According to the survey, the control of acute EGVB (49.3%, 412/836) and the prevention of recurrent bleeding (38.3%, 320/836) were major indications of endoscopic treatment. For primary [non-selective β-blocker (NSBB) or endoscopic therapies] and secondary prophylaxis (NSBB and endoscopic therapies) of EGVB, adherence to domestic guideline was 72.5% (606/836) and 39.2% (328/836), respectively. There were significant differences in the adherence between secondary and tertiary hospitals in primary prophylaxis of EGVB [71.0% (495/697) VS 79.9% (111/139), χ2=4.11, P=0.033] and secondary prophylaxis of EGVB [41.6% (290/697) VS 27.3% (38/139), χ2=9.31, P=0.002]. A total of 78.2% (654/836) hospitals preferred endoscopic therapies treating acute EGVB, and endoscopic therapy was more likely to be the first choice for treating acute EGVB in tertiary hospitals (82.6%, 576/697) than secondary hospitals [56.1% (78/139), χ2=46.33, P<0.001]. The optimal timing was usually within 12 hours (48.5%, 317/654) and 12-24 hours (36.9%, 241/654) after the bleeding. Regarding the management of gastroesophageal varices type 2 and isolated gastric varices type 1, most hospitals used cyanoacrylate injection in combination with sclerotherapy [48.2% (403/836) and 29.9% (250/836), respectively], but substantial proportions of hospitals preferred clip-assisted therapies [12.4% (104/836) and 26.4% (221/836), respectively]. Improving the skills of endoscopic doctors (84.2%, 704/836), and enhancing the precision of pre-procedure evaluation and quality of multidisciplinary team (78.9%, 660/836) were considered urgent needs in the development of endoscopic treatment. Conclusion:A variety of endoscopic treatments for gastroesophageal varices in portal hypertension are implemented nationwide. Participant hospitals are active to perform emergent endoscopy for acute EGVB, but are inadequate in following recommendations regarding primary and secondary prophylaxis of EGVB. Moreover, the selection of endoscopic procedures for gastric varices differs greatly among hospitals.

Objective:To investigate the factors influencing fall risk scores in elderly individuals.Methods:A total of 4 419 individuals were randomly selected using the cluster sampling method from Beijing, Nanning(Guangxi), and Yinchuan(Ningxia).Data on demographic characteristics and fall-related incidents were gathered and analyzed for their correlation with fall risk scores.Results:The fall risk score showed significant associations with various factors, such as the history of falls within one year( β=-3.607, 95% CI: -3.881 to -3.332), care methods( β=2.442, 95% CI: 2.226 to 2.658), exercise( β=0.714, 95% CI: 0.443 to 0.986), retirement( β=-0.585, 95% CI: -0.819 to -0.351), age( β=0.173, 95% CI: 0.159 to 0.187), and use of walking aids( β=-3.737, 95% CI: -4.054 to -3.421). Conclusions:Fall risk scores in older adults are influenced by a variety of factors.Factors such as no history of falls within the past year, living independently, engaging in physical activity, and being employed may contribute to lower fall risk scores in older adults.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical application of urine sediment score (USS) in early diagnosis, etiological differentiation, staging and prognosis of acute kidney injury (AKI), and to investigate the diagnostic efficacy of independent USS and its combination with blood urea nitrogen(Bun) serum creatinine(sCr) and uric acid(UA) in AKI.Methods:From August 23 to September 28, 2023, 9 020 morning urine samples of hospitalized patients in the First Hospital of Jilin University were detected by Sysmex UF5000.A total of 3 226 ssamples with small and round cell (SRC) > 1/μl and/or CAST>1/μl were screened for microscopic examination, and 404 cases with positive renal tubular epithelial cells and/or cast were enrolled in this study. There were 218 males and 186 females, aged 59.5 (49.0, 71.0) years. The 404 cases were divided into the USS AKI group (345 cases) and the USS non-AKI group (59 cases) according to the USS results based on the microscopic findings. According to Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria, they were divided into KDIGO criteria AKI group (63 cases) and KDIGO criteria non-AKI group (341 cases), and the AKI group was divided into renal AKI group (33 cases) and non-renal AKI group (30 cases). According to the clinical diagnosis recorded in the medical records, they were divided into clinically diagnosed AKI group (29 cases) and clinically diagnosed non-AKI group (375 cases).The χ 2 test or Fisher exact test was used to compare USS in different AKI causes and stages. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio of renal AKI and stage 3 AKI. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of USS, sCr, UA and Bun alone and in combination in the diagnosis of AKI, and the best cut-off value, sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of AKI were calculated. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:The USS was used to identify the etiology of KDIGO standard AKI group,and there were significant differences in USS between renal AKI group and non-renal AKI group (χ 2=11.070, P<0.001). Compared to USS=1, the odds ratio of renal AKI was 8.125 when USS≥2 (95% CI 2.208—29.901). There was a statistically significant difference in the comparison of USS between groups in each stage of the AKI staging study based on USS (χ 2=15.724, P<0.05). Compared to USS=1, the odds ratio of stage 3 AKI was 9.714 when USS≥2 (95% CI 1.145-82.390). The AUC of independent USS in the diagnosis of AKI was 0.687 (95% CI 0.618-0.757, P<0.001), the specificity was 65.7% and the sensitivity was 61.9%. The AUC of USS combined with Bun, sCr, UA in the diagnosis of AKI was 0.794 (95% CI 0.608-0.980, P<0.05), the specificity was 82.4%, and the sensitivity was 88.9%. Conclusions:There wasan increased likelihood of renal AKI or stage 3 AKI while USS≥2,and whose combination with Bun, sCr and UA will improve the diagnostic efficiency of AKI.

Objective:To study the distribution and antibiotics resistance of the main pathogens of neonatal purulent meningitis in different regions of China.Methods:A retrospective descriptive clinical epidemiological study was conducted in children with neonatal purulent meningitis which admitted to 18 tertiary hospitals in different regions of China between January 2015 to December 2019. The test results of blood and cerebrospinal fluid, and drug sensitivity test results of the main pathogens were collected. The distributions of pathogenic bacteria in children with neonatal purulent meningitis in preterm and term infants, early and late onset infants, in Zhejiang Province and other regions outside Zhejiang Province, and in Wenzhou region and other regions of Zhejiang Province were analyzed. The chi-square test was used for statistical analysis.Results:A total of 210 neonatal purulent meningitis cases were collected. The common pathogens were Escherichia coli ( E. coli)(41.4%(87/210)) and Streptococcus agalactiae ( S. agalactiae)(27.1%(57/210)). The proportion of Gram-negative bacteria in preterm infants (77.6%(45/58)) with neonatal purulent meningitis was higher than that in term infants (47.4%(72/152)), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=15.54, P=0.001). There were no significant differences in the constituent ratios of E. coli (36.5%(31/85) vs 44.8%(56/125)) and S. agalactiae (24.7%(21/85) vs 28.8%(36/125)) between early onset and late onset cases (both P>0.05). The most common pathogen was E. coli in different regions, with 46.7%(64/137) in Zhejiang Province and 31.5%(23/73) in other regions outside Zhejiang Province. In Zhejiang Province, S. agalactiae was detected in 49 out of 137 cases (35.8%), which was significantly higher than other regions outside Zhejiang Province (11.0%(8/73)). The proportions of Klebsiella pneumoniae, and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus in other regions outside Zhejiang Province (17.8%(13/73) and 16.4%(12/73)) were both higher than those in Zhejiang Province (2.9%(4/137) and 5.1%(7/137)). The differences were all statistically significant ( χ2=14.82, 12.26 and 7.43, respectively, all P<0.05). The proportion of Gram-positive bacteria in Wenzhou City (60.8%(31/51)) was higher than that in other regions in Zhejiang Province (38.4%(33/86)), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=6.46, P=0.011). E. coli was sensitive to meropenem (0/45), and 74.4%(32/43) of them were resistant to ampicillin. E. coli had different degrees of resistance to other common cephalosporins, among which, cefotaxime had the highest resistance rate of 41.8%(23/55), followed by ceftriaxone (32.4%(23/71)). S. agalactiae was sensitive to penicillin, vancomycin and linezolid. Conclusions:The composition ratios of pathogenic bacteria of neonatal purulent meningitis are different in different regions of China. The most common pathogen is E. coli, which is sensitive to meropenem, while it has different degrees of resistance to other common cephalosporins, especially to cefotaxime.

Objective:Investigating the distribution of intestinal Akkermansia muciniphila (AKK) and explore abundance-effect in obesity obesity to provide potential dose effect for obesity intervention.Methods:Clinical data of 6 986 subjects including body mass index, waist circumference, and common confounders such as gender, age, diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and uric acid were collected from Guangdong Gut Microbiome Project in 2008. 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) sequencing data were used to estimate the genus abundance of AKK as well as its operational taxonomic unites (OTUs). Central obesity and overall obesity were diagnosed according to the criteria of China Obesity Working Group in 2002. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the OR (95% CI) of obesity with one-unite elevation of AKK. The dose effect of AKK on obesity was estimated by comparing the trend of ORs from the 1st to the 20th quantile. Results:A total of three AKK OTUs(AKK OTU1, AKK OTU2, AKK OTU3) were identified: AKK OTU1 and AKK OTU2 were distributed in more than 90% of the population, while AKK OTU3 was distributed at 21.7%; All the OTUs showed a"bimodal"distributional pattern and their correlations with common factors were variable. Disparities of the association with obesity were found between the OTUs and the AKK. AKK OTU1, AKK OTU2, and the genus level of AKK showed significant protective effects against obesity; The ORs (95% CI) were 0.95(0.93-0.98), 0.97(0.94-0.99), 0.93(0.91-0.96), respectively for central obesity; And ORs(95% CI) were 0.88(0.80-0.97), 0.98(0.93-1.02), 0.81(0.74-0.89), respectively for overall obesity. The results were similar after adjustment for common confounders. According to the calculation of dose-effect, the protect effects of AKK increased with accumulated abundance and the minimum effective dose on central obesity and overall obesity was 1.83% and 4.98%, respectively. Conclusion:AKK is a protective factor for obesity, but the dose-effect of AKK and the strain-differences should be considered in the future interventional study.

Objective:To analyze the relationship between physical indicators and blood pressure or fasting plasma glucose levels in the young-old and oldest-old.Methods:Totally 1 516 subjects from the Guangxi Natural Longevity Cohort were screened in this study and physical examination parameters included body mass index(BMI), waist circumference(WC), waist-to-height ratio(WHtR), fasting plasma glucose(FPG)and blood pressure, and the correlations between them were analyzed.Results:The overweight elderly and overweight young elderly groups had an increased risk of concurrent hypertension and impaired fasting glucose, compared with both elderly people with normal BMI and young elderly people with normal BMI( OR=2.66, 95% CI: 1.90-3.72; OR=3.03, 95% CI: 2.11-4.34). Elderly people with general obesity and young elderly people with general obesity were more likely to have hypertension( OR=5.25, 95% CI: 2.07-13.28; OR=4.75, 95% CI: 1.84-12.21), impaired fasting glucose( OR=2.95, 95% CI: 1.00-8.69; OR=3.06, 95% CI: 1.04-9.02), and concurrent hypertension and impaired fasting glucose( OR=7.94, 95% CI: 3.04-20.72; OR=8.68, 95% CI: 3.28-22.94), whereas underweight young elderly had a reduced risk of hypertension( OR=0.27, 95% CI: 0.09-0.80). Elderly people in the central obesity group(WC)showed increased risk of hypertension( OR=1.39, 95% CI: 1.04-1.84)and concurrent hypertension and impaired fasting glucose( OR=2.39, 95% CI: 1.75-3.27), compared with those in the non-central obesity group.Young elderly people with central obesity had increased risk of hypertension( OR=1.46, 95% CI: 1.07-2.00), impaired fasting glucose( OR=1.62, 95% CI: 1.14-2.28), and concurrent hypertension and impaired fasting glucose( OR=3.03, 95% CI: 2.13-4.32); both elderly people and young elderly people in the central obesity group(WHtR)had increased risk of hypertension( OR=1.35, 95% CI: 1.03-1.76; OR=1.55, 95% CI: 1.13-2.14), impaired fasting glucose( OR=1.42, 95% CI: 1.04-1.94; OR=1.62, 95% CI: 1.13-2.31), and concurrent hypertension and impaired fasting glucose( OR=2.20, 95% CI: 1.60-3.02; OR=3.22, 95% CI: 2.14-4.84). In the elderly group, BMI was correlated with diastolic blood pressure and WHtR was correlated with the fasting blood glucose level. Conclusions:The levels of fasting plasma glucose and blood pressure increase with elevated physical indicator values(BMI, WC, WHtR)in the Guangxi elderly population, and the risk of developing hypertension, impaired fasting glucose, and concurrent hypertension and impaired fasting glucose increases in elderly patients with general obesity and central obesity, with a higher risk in low-aged elderly patients.

Objective To investigate serum levels of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2),high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP),complement component C1q (C1q) and homocysteine(HCY) in patients with Alzheimer's disease(AD),in order to provide a basis for establishing laboratory markers in AD patients.Methods One hundred AD patients and one hundred healthy controls from Beijing Hospital were selected.Serum levels of Lp-PLA2,C1q,hs-CRP and HCY were determined using a biochemistry analyzer.Serum levels of amyloid β-protein 40(Aβ40)and Aβ42 were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.Results Serum levels of Aβ40,Aβ42,Lp-PLA2,hs-CRP,C1 q and HCY were higher in AD patients than in the control group[(66.0±14.0) pmol/L vs.(7.1±8.2) pmol/L,(7.2±1.4) pmol/L vs.(1.9±1.7) pmol/L,(510.6±140.1)U/L vs.(419.0±91.8) U/L,(2.8±3.4) mg/L vs.(1.2±0.7) mg/L,(218.0±58.4) mg/L vs.(194.8 ± 27.7) mg/L and (18.8 ± 9.3) μmol/L vs.(14.9 ± 5.2) μmol/L,all P ＜ 0.01],and the differences were greater in female subjects than in male subjectss.Conclusions High serum levels of Lp-PLA2,C1q,hs-CRP and HCY may be associated with Alzheimer's disease,while the exact relationships need to be further investigated.

Objective To explore the potential genetic variants related with late-onset Alzheimer's disease(LOAD),and to broaden the AD genetic susceptibility factor profile.Methods We targetedly sequenced four lipids metabolism related genes including apolipoprotein E(APOE),sortilin-related receptor gene (SORL 1),apolipoprotein C-I (APOC1) and clusterin (CLU),validated these candidate variants in patients with LOAD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI)and the controls with normal cognitive function,and made a bioinformatic analysis.Results The mutation in the allele of CLU rs117389184,a low-frequency single nucleotide polymorphism,would increase the risk of LOAD and MCI[OR (95 ％ CI):3.56 (1.08-4.84),P =0.026;OR (95 ％ CI):3.06 (0.98-4.03),P =0.026],suggesting CLU rs117389184 gene variant was associated with cognitive impairment.This variation could affect CLU gene expression by interfering with the binding of transcription factors.Conclusions CLU rs117389184 is a new genetic risk variant for LOAD and MCI.

Objective To explore the efficacy of the single versus combination drug therapies for benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH) combined with overactive bladder(OAB).Methods A total of 471 outpatients with BPH and OAB meeting the inclusion/exclusion criteria were enrolled in this prospective cohort study from March 2012 to October 2015.Patients were divided into two groups:(1) the single alpha-blocker treatment group (prostate volume ＜ 30 ml),and (2) the 5 alpha reductase inhibitors(5-ARIs) plus alpha-blocker combination treatment group(prostate volume ≥ 30 ml).The 318 patients were treated with alpha blockers for 4 weeks,and then received a continuing alpha-blocker treatment for 8 weeks if IPSS score changes were less than 30％ (i.e.single alpha-blocker treatment group).And 153 patients were treated with 5-ARIs for 12 weeks,then received 5-ARIs plus alpha-blocker combination treatment for another 4 weeks(a total of 16 weeks)if IPSS score changes were less than 30 ％ (i.e.combination treatment group).The improvements of post-voiding residual(PVR),PV,maximum urinary flow rate(Qmax),international prostate symptom score(IPSS),overactive bladder symptom score (OABSS),quality of life (QOL),urine storage period symptom score (USPSS) and voiding symptom score(VSS)were compared between the two groups.Results The values of IPSS,OABSS,QOL,USPSS and VSS index in the two groups were improved after treatment as compared with pre-treatment(all P≤0.05).Patients in combination treatment group had little improvement in PVR and Qmax after treatment.The OAB symptom remission rates of BPH patients with OAB in single alpha-blocker treatment group were 70.5％ (206/292)and 78.6％ (165/210)after 4 and 12 weeks of treatment respectively.The OAB symptoms remission rates of BPH patients with OAB in combination treatment group were 54.5 ％ (64/122) and 67.1％ (53/79) after 12 and 16 weeks of treatment respectively.Conclusions Both single alpha-blocker treatment and alpha-blocker plus 5ARIs combination treatment,which identification was based on prostate volume,have good effects on BPH patients with OAB.The single alpha-blocker treatment can improve PVR and Qmax,and the alpha-blockers plus 5ARIs combination treatment can improve the prostate volume in BPH patients with OAB.

Objective: To explore the influencing factors affecting the cognitive impairment of the elderly population in China. Methods: A stratified multi-stage cluster sampling was used in 6 provinces (autonomous administrative regions and municipalities) to select the sample. A total 24 000 urban and rural residents aged 60 years and above received a set of standardized questionnaire interview, physical examinations, laboratory test of lipid and glucose levels of blood and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype. The primary screening of cognitive function was assessed by using the Chinese Version of Ascertain Dementia 8, and then suspicious cognitive impairment cases with more than two abnormal results would receive the further cognitive function assessment by using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). 1 300 cases with cognitive impairment and 2 600 controls without cognitive impairment were recruited and matched according to their age, gender and resident area in a 1∶2 case-control study. The conditional logistic regression model was used to analyze the association between relevant factors and cognitive impairment. Results: Factors negatively associated with cognitive impairment and their OR (95%CI) values were primary or middle school as 0.63 (0.51-0.77), high school and above as 0.59 (0.39-0.88), daily neighborhood communication as 0.61 (0.50-0.75), weekly participating in social activities 0.59 (0.44-0.79), daily tea drinking as 0.71 (0.58-0.88) and doing regular exercise as 0.71 (0.57-0.88), reading newspaper (occasional: 0.50 (0.37-0.67); frequent: 0.40 (0.28-0.57)), playing majiang or cards (occasional: 0.51 (0.34-0.74); frequent: 0.50 (0.36-0.68)) respectively. Factors positively associated with cognitive impairment and their OR (95%CI) values were APOE-ε4 heterozygote as 1.31 (1.08-1.58), homozygote as 2.74 (1.52-5.00), diabetes onset before 50 years of age and after as 9.03 (3.07-33.60) and 4.40 (3.18-6.17), stroke as 1.90 (1.35-2.69), asthma as 1.95 (1.11-3.42) respectively. Conclusion APOE-ε4 alleles, lower educational level, stroke, asthma, diabetes are risk factors of cognitive impairment in the elderly. Keeping a healthy lifestyle and preventing chronic diseases in the whole life course could significantly reduce the incidence of cognitive impairment in the elderly.