Objective:To explore the application of C-reactive protein(CRP) to prealbumin (PA) ratio(CRP/PA) for diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of sepsis.Methods:By a retrospective study, a total of 95 sepsis patients (sepsis group) and 100 local infection patients(non-sepsis group) treated in Dongying People′s Hospital from September 2021 to September 2022 were enrolled. Sepsis patients were divided into survival group(57 cases) and death group (38 cases) according to the 28-day outcome. The clinical data were collected and CRP/PA was calculated. Multivariate Logistic regression and Cox regression were used to analyze the relationship between various indicators and the occurrence and prognosis of sepsis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of CRP/PA for sepsis. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to evaluate the prognostic value of different CRP/PA ratios for patients with sepsis.Results:The systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, prealbumin were lower and heart rate, respiratory rate, CRP, CRP/PA, procalcitonin were higher in the sepsis group compared to the non-sepsis group: (117.27 ± 11.65) mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa) vs. (123.26 ± 10.71) mmHg, (69.42 ± 8.58) mmHg vs. (75.44 ± 6.53) mmHg, (174.09 ± 24.77) g/L vs. (207.13 ± 34.31) g/L, (97.87 ± 12.73) bpm vs. (86.90 ± 10.19) bpm, 22.0(20.00, 25.00) times/min vs. 21.00(19.00, 23.00) times/min, (93.96 ± 19.64) mg/L vs. (77.56 ± 22.54) mg/L, 0.54(0.44, 0.65) vs. 0.37(0.28, 0.46), 3.35(2.16, 4.17) μg/L vs. 1.52(0.81, 2.16) μg/L, there were statistical differences ( P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that CRP/PA and procalcitonin were risk factors for sepsis ( P<0.05). The results of ROC curve showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of CRP/PA in diagnosis of sepsis was 0.821, the specificity and sensitivity was 76.0% and 93.7%, respectively. The diastolic blood pressure, prealbumin, neutrophil were higher and the heart rate, respiratory rate, CRP, CRP/PA, lymphocytes, procalcitonin were lower in the survival group compared to the death group: (71.76 ± 8.86) mmHg vs. (67.86 ± 8.10) mmHg, (181.46 ± 24.35) g/L vs. (163.05 ± 21.28) g/L, (63.46 ± 9.88) × 10 9/L vs.(57.13 ± 8.64) × 10 9/L, (95.68 ± 13.48) times/min vs. (101.16 ± 10.88) times/min, 22.00(19.50, 24.00) times/min vs. 24.00(20.00, 28.00) times/min, (88.09 ± 19.35) mg/L vs. (102.76 ± 16.75) mg/L, 0.46(0.41, 0.58) vs. 0.63(0.55, 0.72), 21.00(16.00, 30.00) ×10 9/L vs. 29.50(18.00, 37.30) ×10 9/L, 2.94(2.10, 3.97) μg/L vs. 3.82(2.21, 4.77) μg/L, there were statistical differences ( P<0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that CRP/PA and procalcitonin were independent risk factors for the prognosis of sepsis ( P<0.05). The AUC of CRP/PA in predicting the prognosis of sepsis was 0.827, the specificity and sensitivity was 92.1% and 63.8%, respectively. Grouped by the cut-off of CRP/PA (0.48), the 28-day mortality rate of patients in the CRP/PA>0.48 was significantly higher than that of patients in the CRP/PA≤0.48, there was statistical difference ( P<0.01). Conclusions:CRP/PA ratio can be used as an index for diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of sepsis.

Objective:To investigate the current situation of the use of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) for portal hypertension, which should aid the development of TIPS in China.Methods:The China Portal Hypertension Alliance (CHESS) initiated this study that comprehensively investigated the basic situation of TIPS for portal hypertension in China through network research. The survey included the following: the number of surgical cases, main indications, the development of Early-TIPS, TIPS for portal vein cavernous transformation, collateral circulation embolization, intraoperative portal pressure gradient measurement, commonly used stent types, conventional anticoagulation and time, postoperative follow-up, obstacles, and the application of domestic instruments.Results:According to the survey, a total of 13 527 TIPS operations were carried out in 545 hospitals participating in the survey in 2021, and 94.1% of the hospital had the habit of routine follow-up after TIPS. Most hospitals believed that the main indications of TIPS were the control of acute bleeding (42.6%) and the prevention of rebleeding (40.7%). 48.1% of the teams carried out early or priority TIPS, 53.0% of the teams carried out TIPS for the cavernous transformation of the portal vein, and 81.0% chose routine embolization of collateral circulation during operation. Most of them used coils and biological glue as embolic materials, and 78.5% of the team routinely performed intraoperative portal pressure gradient measurements. In selecting TIPS stents, 57.1% of the hospitals woulel choose Viator-specific stents, 57.2% woulel choose conventional anticoagulation after TIPS, and the duration of anticoagulation was between 3-6 months (55.4%). The limitation of TIPS surgery was mainly due to cost (72.3%) and insufficient understanding of doctors in related departments (77.4%). Most teams accepted the domestic instruments used in TIPS (92.7%).Conclusions:This survey shows that TIPS treatment is an essential part of treating portal hypertension in China. The total number of TIPS cases is far from that of patients with portal hypertension. In the future, it is still necessary to popularize TIPS technology and further standardize surgical indications, routine operations, and instrument application.

Objective:To explore the efficacy and adverse reactions of nimotuzumab combined with induction chemotherapy (IC) based on albumin-bound paclitaxel plus cisplatin (TP regimen) for patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC).Methods:Clinical data were collected from 65 patients with LA-HNSCC (stages Ⅲ/Ⅳ A/Ⅳ B; excluding nasopharyngeal carcinoma) who received 2-3 cycles of IC followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in the Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University from January 2018 to June 2022. Based on the IC regimen, these patients were categorized into a nimotuzumab combined with TP (Nimo-TP) group ( n = 34) and a TP group ( n = 31), and their short-term efficacy [i.e., the objective response rate (ORR)], survival outcomes [e.g., overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS)], and adverse reactions were compared. Additionally, factors affecting their survival outcomes were analyzed. Results:There were statistically significant differences in 1- and 2-year DMFS between both groups (90.4% vs. 69.5%, 90.4% vs. 66.0%, χ2=1.81, P < 0.05), so did the ORRs after IC and CRT of both groups (after IC: 67.6% vs. 41.9%, χ2=4.34, P = 0.037; after CRT: 88.2% vs. 67.7%, χ2=4.03, P = 0.045). However, there was no statistically significant difference in the 2-year OS, PFS, and LRFS between both groups ( P > 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that nimotuzumab combined with TP-based IC served as an independent prognostic factor for DMFS ( HR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.07-0.97, P = 0.045), while complete/partial response after IC acted as an independent prognostic factor for both PFS and local relapse-free survival ( HR = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.17-0.76, P = 0.008; HR = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.11-0.69, P = 0.006). Notably, adding nimotuzumab did not aggravate the adverse reactions in the patients during IC and CRT( P > 0.05). Conclusions:Nimotuzumab combined with TP-based induction chemotherapy followed by CRT significantly improved the DMFS of LA-HNSCC patients, exhibiting high safety. However, such therapy failed to significantly improve their OS, PFS, and LRRFS, and, thus, further research is required.

Objective To monitor the susceptibility of clinical isolates to antimicrobial agents in tertiary hospitals in major regions of China in 2022.Methods Clinical isolates from 58 hospitals in China were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using a unified protocol based on disc diffusion method or automated testing systems.Results were interpreted using the 2022 Clinical &Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)breakpoints.Results A total of 318 013 clinical isolates were collected from January 1,2022 to December 31,2022,of which 29.5％were gram-positive and 70.5％were gram-negative.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains in Staphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermidis and other coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species(excluding Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Staphylococcus schleiferi)was 28.3％,76.7％and 77.9％,respectively.Overall,94.0％of MRSA strains were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and 90.8％of MRSE strains were susceptible to rifampicin.No vancomycin-resistant strains were found.Enterococcus faecalis showed significantly lower resistance rates to most antimicrobial agents tested than Enterococcus faecium.A few vancomycin-resistant strains were identified in both E.faecalis and E.faecium.The prevalence of penicillin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae was 94.2％in the isolates from children and 95.7％in the isolates from adults.The resistance rate to carbapenems was lower than 13.1％in most Enterobacterales species except for Klebsiella,21.7％-23.1％of which were resistant to carbapenems.Most Enterobacterales isolates were highly susceptible to tigecycline,colistin and polymyxin B,with resistance rates ranging from 0.1％to 13.3％.The prevalence of meropenem-resistant strains decreased from 23.5％in 2019 to 18.0％in 2022 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and decreased from 79.0％in 2019 to 72.5％in 2022 in Acinetobacter baumannii.Conclusions The resistance of clinical isolates to the commonly used antimicrobial agents is still increasing in tertiary hospitals.However,the prevalence of important carbapenem-resistant organisms such as carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa,and A.baumannii showed a downward trend in recent years.This finding suggests that the strategy of combining antimicrobial resistance surveillance with multidisciplinary concerted action works well in curbing the spread of resistant bacteria.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect and mechanism of Scutellaria Baicalensis polysaccharides on intestinal immunity in mice with ulcerative colitis （UC）. MethodsC57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to blank group， model group， mesalazine group and Scutellaria Baicalensis polysaccharides low-dose， medium-dose and high-dose groups （n=10 mice/group）. The daily status of mice was observed and the disease activity index （DAI） score was recorded. The expression of cytokines including IL-6， IL-17 and IL-23 in serum was detected by ELISA. After the mice were sacrificed， HE was used to observe the intestinal mucosal damage in mice， and the colonic tissue damage index （TDI） score was recorded. Western blot and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression levels of Janus kinase 2 （JAK2）， signal transducer and activator of transcription （STAT3）， p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 proteins. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the DAI score of the model group was significantly increased， the contents of IL-6， IL-17 and IL-23 in serum were significantly increased， the ratio of p-JAK2/JAK2 and p-STAT3/STAT3 in colon tissue was significantly increased， and the expression levels of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 were significantly increased. Compared with the model group， the DAI score of mice in each administration group was significantly decreased. The contents of IL-6， IL-17 and IL-23 in serum were decreased， the TDI score was decreased， the ratio of p-JAK2/JAK2 and p-STAT3/STAT3 in colon tissue was decreased， and the expression of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 was decreased. ConclusionScutellaria Baicalensis polysaccharides may improve the inflammatory effect of UC mice through JAK2/STAT3 pathway and IL-23/IL-17 inflammatory axis.

Objective:To explore the current status of surgery for portal hypertension to grasp current status and future development of surgery in China.Methods:This study is jointly sponsored by China Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Specialist Alliance & Portal Hypertension Alliance in China (CHESS).Comprehensive surveying is conducted for basic domestic situations of surgery for portal hypertension, including case load, surgical approaches, management of postoperative complications, primary effects, existing confusion and obstacles, liver transplantation(LT), laparoscopic procedures and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt(TIPS), etc.Results:A total of 8 512 cases of portal hypertension surgery are performed at 378 hospitals nationwide in 2021.Splenectomy plus devascularization predominated(53.0%)and laparoscopy accounted for 76.1%.Primary goal is preventing rebleeding(67.0%) and 72.8% of hospitals used preventive anticoagulants after conventional surgery.And 80.7% of teams believe that the formation of postoperative portal vein thrombosis is a surgical dilemma and 65.3% of hospitals practiced both laparoscopy and TIPS.The major reasons for patients with portal hypertension not receiving LT are due to a lack of qualifications for LT(69.3%)and economic factors(69.0%).Conclusions:Surgery is an integral part of management of portal hypertension in China.However, it is imperative to further standardize the grasp of surgical indications, the handling of surgical operation and the management of postoperative complications.Moreover, prospective, multi-center randomized controlled clinical studies should be performed.

Objective: To analyze the efficacy, safety, and long-term prognosis of intermediate-dose cytarabine (Ara-c) regimen in the treatment of children with refractory risk organ involvement Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH). Methods: Clinical data of 17 children with multisystem and risk organ involvement LCH who failed the first-line therapy and were treated with intermediate-dose Ara-c (250 mg/m², twice daily) regimen in the Hematology Center, Beijing Children's Hospital from January 2013 to December 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. In addition to the basic treatment of vindesine and dexamethasone, the patients received two regimens: regimen A: the intermediate-dose Ara-c combined with cladribine and regimen B: the intermediate-dose Ara-c alone. The efficacy, safety and prognosis of the two regimens were analyzed. Results: Among all 17 patients, there were 11 males and 6 females, with the diagnosis age of 2.1 (1.6, 2.7) years. Ten children received regimen A, all of them achieved active disease-better (AD-B) after 8 courses of induction therapy. The disease activity scores (DAS) decreased from 5.5 (3.0, 9.0) to 1.0 (0, 2.3). Seven children received regimen B, and 6 of them achieved AD-B after 8 courses of induction therapy. The DAS decreased from 4.0 (2.0, 4.0) to 1.0 (0, 2.0). The follow-up time was 6.2 (4.9,7.2) and 5.2 (3.7,5.8) years in group A and B. The 5-year overall survival rate was 100.0% in both groups, and the 5-year event free survival rate was (88.9±10.5)% and (85.7±13.2)% in group A and B. Grade 3 or 4 myelosuppression was observed in 8 patients in group A and 2 patients in group B. Conclusions: The intermediate-dose Ara-c regimen (with or without cladribine) is effective and safe for patients with refractory high-risk LCH, with a good long-term prognosis.
Male ; Female ; Child ; Humans ; Cytarabine/adverse effects* ; Cladribine/adverse effects* ; Retrospective Studies ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/adverse effects* ; Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell/drug therapy* ; Prognosis

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM).Methods:The clinical data of 64 MM patients who received ASCT in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from October 2015 to March 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical characteristics, therapeutic effects and adverse reactions of the patients were summarized.Results:Of the 64 patients, 42 were male and 22 were female; the median age was 54 years old (37-69 years old). The median number of CD34 + cells collected from 46 patients in the CE (cyclophosphamide, etoposide) regimen mobilization group and 17 patients in the plerixafor mobilization group were 7.50×10 6/kg [(1.15-24.73)×10 6/kg] and 4.54×10 6/kg [(0.75-10.40)×10 6/kg], and the difference was statistically significant ( Z = 3.02, P = 0.024). Hematopoietic reconstitution was successful in all 64 patients, and the median time for white blood cell and platelet engraftment was 11 d (8-13 d) and 11 d (8-15 d), respectively. The patients' pretreatment regimens were all high-dose melphalan, the median white blood cell and platelet engraftment time of 29 patients in the oral group were 11 d (8-13 d) and 11 d (8-15 d), respectively, the median white blood cell and platelet engraftment time of 35 patients in the intravenous infusion group were 11 d (8-12 d) and 11 d (8-15 d), respectively, and there were no statistical differences (both P > 0.05). The ≥CR rate was 48.4% (31/64) before transplantation and 70.3% (45/64) three months after transplantation, and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2 = 6.35, P = 0.012). The median follow-up time of all patients was 27 months (2-67 months). The 3-year OS and PFS rates were 77.6% and 54.9%, and the median OS and PFS time were 67 and 52 months. The median hospitalization time was 20 d (15-37 d). There was no transplantation-related mortality, and the main adverse reactions were gastrointestinal reactions (100.0%, 64/64), grade 4 thrombocytopenia (98.4%, 63/64), grade 4 neutropenia, and agranulocytosis with fever (40.6%, 26/64). Conclusions:ASCT is effective for MM patients suitable for transplantation, which can further improve the remission rate and remission depth, prolong the PFS and OS time of patients, and the adverse reactions are controllable.

Objective:To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of reinfection of 2019-nCoV and influencing factors, and provide evidence for effective prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic.Methods:The incidence data of COVID-19 in Ningbo from January 1, 2020 to November 30, 2022 were collected from the infectious disease surveillance system of Chinese information system for disease control and prevention. The incidence of reinfection of 2019-nCoV was investigated by using questionnaire. logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the influences of gender, age, time interval from the first infection, history of underlying disease, 2019-nCoV vaccination dose and disease severity on the reinfection.Results:A total of 897 previous 2019-nCoV infection cases were investigated, of which 115 experienced the reinfection of 2019-nCoV, the reinfection rate was 12.82%. The interval between the two infections M( Q1, Q3) was 1 052 (504, 1 056) days. Univariate analysis showed that age, 2019-nCoV vaccination dose, history of underlying disease, type of 2019-nCoV variant causing the first infection, time interval from the first infection and severity of the first infection were associated with the reinfection rate (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the risk for reinfection in age group 30- years was higher than that in age group ≥60 years ( OR=2.10, 95% CI: 1.11-3.97). No reinfection occurred in those with time interval from the first infection of <6 months, and the risk for reinfection was higher in those with the time interval of ≥12 months than in those with the time interval of 6- months ( OR=6.68, 95% CI: 3.46-12.90). The risk for reinfection was higher in the common or mild cases than in the asymptomatic cases ( OR=2.64, 95% CI: 1.18-5.88; OR=2.79, 95% CI: 1.27-6.11). Conclusion:The time interval from the first infection was an important influencing factor for the reinfection of 2019-nCoV, and the probability of the reinfection within 6 months was low.

Objective To investigate the expression of topoisomeraseⅡα (TOP2α) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its role in predicting prognosis of HCC patients. Methods We used HCC-related datasets in UALCAN, HCCDB, and cBioPortal databases to analyze the expression and mutation of TOP2α and its co-expressed genes in HCC tissues. GO function and KEGG pathway enrichment of TOP2α and its co-expressed genes were identified. The TIMER database was used to analyze infiltration levels of immune cells in HCC. The impacts of TOP2α and its co-expression genes and the infiltrated immune cells on the survival of HCC patients were assayed by Kaplan-Meier plotter analysis. Results TOP2α and its co-expression genes were highly expressed in HCC (P< 0.001) and detrimental to overall survival of HCC patients (P< 0.001). TOP2α and its co-expression genes were mainly involved in cell mitosis and proliferation, and cell cycle pathway (ID: hsa04110, P = 0.001945). TOP2α and its co-expression genes were mutated in HCC and the mutations were significantly detrimental to overall survival (P = 0.0247) and disease-free survival (P = 0.0265) of HCC patients. High TOP2α expression was positively correlated with the infiltration of B cell (r = 0.459, P< 0.01), CD8⁺ T cell (r = 0.312, P< 0.01), CD4⁺ T cell (r = 0.370, P< 0.01), macrophage (r = 0.459, P< 0.01), neutrophil (r = 0.405, P< 0.01), and dendritic cell (r = 0.473, P< 0.01) in HCC. The CD8⁺ T cell infiltration significantly prolonged the 3- and 5-year survival of HCC patients (all P< 0.05), and CD4⁺ T cell infiltration significantly shortened the 3-, 5-, and 10-year survival of HCC patients (all P< 0.05). ConclusionTOP2α may be an oncogene, which was associated with poor prognosis of HCC patients and could be used as a biomarker for the prognostic prediction of HCC.
Humans ; Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics* ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; Computational Biology ; Liver Neoplasms/genetics* ; Prognosis ; DNA Topoisomerases, Type II/genetics*