Risk factors of poor early prognosis in the treatment of COVID-19 with nematevir and ritonavir tablets and the establishment of prediction model / 药学实践杂志

Objective To explore risk factors of poor early prognosis in the treatment of COVID-19 by nematevir and ritonavir tablets Paxlovid and establish the prediction model to provide reference for improving the effect of such patients. Methods 92 inpatients of COVID-19 treated with Paxlovid in three military tertiary hospital in southern Fujian from January 2023 to March 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical indicators of 92 inpatients were collected for univariate and multivariate analysis by single factor and multiple factors and the independent risk factors of poor early prognosis in Paxlovid were screened out. Logistic model equation was transformed to construct the combined predictors, and ROC curve was used to determine the area under the curve (AUC) and the optimal critical value of the combined predictors. Results Among 92 patients, 31 (33.70%) developed poor early prognosis, including 11 deaths (35.48%), 17 critical cases (54.84%) and 3 severe cases (9.68%). Multi-factor Logistic regression analysis showed that the disease days, lymphocyte count, aspartate aminotransferase(AST), C reactive protein(CRP) and ventilator-assisted ventilation were independent risk factors for poor early prognosis in Paxlovid. A formula for calculating the combined predictors (Y) was established as Ycombinedpredictors=7.875Xdisease days+126.188Xlymphocyte count+1.438XAST+XCRP+220.500Xventilator-assisted ventilation based on the above independent risk factors, and the ROC curve was drawn. With the maximum area under the ROC curve of the combined predictors being 0.939, the prediction value was best, and the optimal critical value of the ROC curve corresponding to the maximum Youden index (0.756) was 447.920.Theoretical accuracy of the model was 89.10%. Conclusion The disease days, lymphocyte count, AST, CRP and ventilator-assisted ventilation were independent risk factors for poor early prognosis in Paxlovid. Combined predictors could be calculated by the above risk factors before medication. The efficiency should be improved by taking more active treatment, including combining with other anti-COVID-19 drugs when the prediction result exceeds 447.920.

NR4A1 suppresses cisplatin-induced ferroptosis in renal proximal tubular epithelial cells by up-regulating the expression of NRF2 / 中华肾脏病杂志

Objective:To explore the role and mechanism of nuclear receptor subfamily 4 group A member 1 ( NR4A1) in suppressing cisplatin nephrotoxicity. Methods:The expression of NR4A1 gene in renal cell subpopulations was analyzed using the "Tabula-muris" single cell transcriptome sequencing database. NR4A1 gene was over-expressed by lentivirus infection in HK-2 cell line and primary renal proximal tubular epithelial cells. Cell counting kit-8 was used to detect the cytotoxicity of cisplatin. The cell death ratio was analyzed using propidium iodide (PI) staining by flow cytometry. The expression of NR4A1 and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 ( NRF2) was detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR and Western blotting. Ferroptosis was analyzed by detecting the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), oxidized glutathione (GSSG) and lipid reactive oxygen species (ROS). Results:The single cell transcriptome sequencing database showed that NR4A1 gene was the lowest expression in renal proximal tubular epithelial cell subsets. Cisplatin (50 μmol/L or 100 μmol/L) could significantly induce MDA, GSSG and lipid ROS production in renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (all P<0.01), and higher cisplatin concentration accompanied with a more increase of MDA, GSSG and lipid ROS. Compared with the control HK-2 cells, the lipid ROS content and iron ion content of HK-2 cells over-expressing NR4A1 were significantly lower (all P<0.01), and the over-expression of NR4A1 inhibited cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity and ferroptosis in renal proximal tubular epithelial cells. Mechanistically, NR4A1 up-regulated the expression of anti-ferroptosis gene NRF2 in proximal renal tubular epithelial cells ( P<0.01). Furthermore, single cell data analysis showed that, similar to the expression of NR4A1 in renal tissue subsets, NRF2 was also the lowest in renal proximal tubular epithelial cells. Conclusions:Cisplatin can induce ferroptosis of renal proximal tubular epithelial cells in a dose-dependent manner. NR4A1 can inhibit cisplatin-induced ferroptosis by up-regulating NRF2 in renal proximal tubular epithelial cells, thereby alleviating the cytotoxicity of cisplatin.

Assessment of supra-arch branches bypass on cerebral oxygen saturation and carotid hemodynamics in patients with Stanford type B aortic dissection / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Objective:To evaluate the effects of supra-arch branches bypass on cerebral oxygen saturation and hemodynamics in patients with Stanford type B aortic dissection.Methods:From January to December 2018, consecutive 27 patients with Stanford type B aortic dissection were enrolled in the study. All patients received hybrid treatment, including supra-arch branches bypass(right axillary artery-left common carotid artery-left subclavian artery) and thoracic endovascular aortic repaire(TEVAR). All the operations were performed by the same surgical team. The left and right cerebral oxygen saturation were measured after anesthesia(T1), left carotid artery occlusion(T2) and after operation(T3); peak systolic velocity(PSV) and resistance index(RI) of left and right carotid arteries were measured before(t1) and after operation(t2).Results:The left cerebral oxygen saturation was 0.62 ±0.01, 0.54±0.01 and 0.62±0.01 at T1, T2 and T3, respectively. There was significant difference between T2 and T1 and T3( P=0.002, P=0.001), but there was no significant difference between T1 and T3. The PSV of left carotid artery at t1 and t2 were(0.91±0.11)m/s and(0.76±0.09)m/s respectively, with no significant difference( P= 0.191). The RI of left carotid artery at t1 and t2 were 0.83±0.06 and 0.93±0.13 respectively, with no significant difference( P= 0.575). Conclusion:If one side of carotid artery was blocked for a short time during supra-arch branches bypass, the cerebral oxygen saturation would be decreased temporarily, but the changes of cerebral oxygen metabolism could be completely restored after operation. However, the hemodynamics of carotid artery would not change significantly. In the hybrid treatment strategy for the patients with aortic dissection Stanford type B, blocking bilateral carotid arteries can be avoided. Making the right axillary artery-left common carotid artery-left subclavian artery shunt is a safe and effective choice.

Development and validation of a multivariate risk model for distant metastasis of advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To develop a model based on the clinical variables for evaluating the risk of distant metastasis in patients with advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).@*METHODS@#From September,2007 to June,2015,a total of 238 consecutive patients with biopsy-proven NPC in stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ(M0) based on the AJCC TNM staging manual were enrolled in this study,including 106 male and 34 female patients with a median age of 45 years (range 18-68 years).In this cohort,126 patients received concurrent chemoradiotherapy,and 24 received chemotherapy and radiotherapy,and 40 had induction chemotherapy.We used the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method to select the most significant features for establishing the model for assessing the risks of distant metastasis.@*RESULTS@#Among the 18 clinical variables tested,5 were significantly associated with distant metastasis in advanced NPC,including plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA,neutrophil/lymphocytes (NLR),VCA-IgA,concurrent chemoradiotherapy,and induction chemotherapy.Based on these 5 clinical variables,we established the following model:risk score=1.73×EBV DNA+0.54×NLR+0.38×VCA-IgA-0.95×concurrent chemoradiotherapy-2.37×induction chemotherapy+0.51.The cutoff point of this model was-0.62,which classified the patients into high-risk and low-risk groups for distant metastasis.This model showed a good performance in predicting distant metastasis in patients with advanced NPC (<0.01).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The model we established herein can be used for evaluating the risks of distant metastasis in patients with advanced NPC and provides assistance in the clinical decision-making on individualized treatment strategy.

Feasibility and safety of paclitaxel-eluting balloon for the treatment of de novo coronary lesions / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective@#To evaluate the safety and feasibility of treating de novo coronary lesions with paclitaxel-eluting balloon.@*Methods@#This is a retrospective study, which enrolled 76 patients with 80 de novo coronary lesions treated with paclitaxel-eluting balloons(<30% residual stenosis and there was no blood flow limited dissection after pretreatment) from April 2015 to November 2016 in Guangdong general hospital. The data of basic characteristics,procedures,devices and follow-up information were retrieved and analyzed. The primary endpoint was the composite of cardiac death, recurrent myocardial infarction and target lesion revascularization.@*Results@#(1)The age was (63.3±10.3) years. There were 68.4%(52/76) acute coronary syndrome patients, prevalence of type 2 diabetes was 36.8%(28/76), and 64.5%(49/76)patients with at least one high bleeding risk. (2)The lesion length was (17.4±7.6)mm, and the stenosis was (88.1±8.2)%.The reference vessel diameter≥2.75 mm accounted for 51.2% (41/80), and bifurcation stenosis accounted for 67.5%(54/80). (3)53.7%(43/80) lesions were pretreated with scoring balloon to optimize plaque modification. The paclitaxel-eluting balloon length and diameter were (22.3±5.5)mm and (2.74±0.52)mm.The residual stenosis was (12.3±10.3)%. Procedural success was 88.8%(71/80).Bail-out stenting rate was 5.0%(4/80). (4)The median follow-up duration was 12(6, 25) months. Primary endpoint occurred in 3 cases (3.9%), including 2 cardiac deaths(1 patient died of recurrent myocardial infarction, and 1 patient died of acute heart failure induced by severe mitral insufficiency), and one patient receivedtarget lesion revascularization.@*Conclusion@#In case of no more than 30% residual stenosis and no blood flow limited dissection after lesion pretreatment,it is safe and feasible to treat de novo coronary lesionsusing paclitaxel-eluting balloon.

Therapeutic effect of tripterysium glycosides combined with isotretinoin in cysticacne and its effect on related indicators / 中国生化药物杂志

Objective To investigate the effect of tripterysium glycosides combined with isotretinoin in cysticacne and its effect on serum inflammatory factors, insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA).Methods 118 cases of cysticacne patients were divided into observation group (n=59) and control group (n=59) according to the random number table method.Patients in the control group were treated with isotretinoin capsule, while the observation group were treated with tripterysium glycosides tablets on the basis of the control group.The course of treatment was 8 weeks in two groups.Results The total efficiency of the observation group (89.83%) was higher than the control group (71.19%) (P<0.05); the number of cyst after treatment in the observation group were less than the control group (P<0.05);the serum IL-2 and IL-4 levels in the observation group after treatment reduced, and lower than the control group (P<0.05);the serum IGF-1 and DHEA levels in the observation group after treatment reduced, and lower than the control group (P <0.05); the recurrence rate of the observation group (11.86%) was lower than the control group (30.51%) (P<0.05);the adverse reactions in two groups had no statistically significant.Conclusion Tripterysium glycosides combined with isotretinoin capsule has obvious curative effect in the treatment of cysticacne patients, and can reduce the serum IL-2, IL-4 levels and IGF-1 and DHEA levels, with lower recurrence rate, fewer adverse reactions.

Standardization of Pharmaceutical Care in Endocrine Department by Tracking Table Design for Clinical Drug Therapy / 中国药师

Objective:To improve the quality and efficiency of pharmaceutical care of clinical pharmacists by standardizing phar-maceutical care process using tracking table design for clinical drug therapy. Methods: The experience and skills of pharmaceutical care performed by clinical pharmacists in endocrinology department were summarized and the tracking table for clinical drug therapy was designed, which could provide information for patients clearly and concisely, and make the process of pharmaceutical care more system-atical. Results:After using the tracking table, clinical pharmacists improved work efficiency significantly. In addition, the average hospitalization, average hospitalization expenses and drug proportion significantly reduced resulting in higher satisfaction of patients. Conclusion:The standardized pharmaceutical care process performed by clinical pharmacists in endocrinology department makes phar-maceutical care more specific, comprehensive and convenient.

The clinical efficacy of supra-arch branches bypass combined with endovascular aortic repair for aortic diseases / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Objective To summarize the effect of supra-arch branches bypass combined with endovascular aortic repair for aortic diseases.Methods From January 2012 to August 2015,120 cases of thoracic aortic diseases (aortic dissection 103,aortic aneurysm 16,penetrating aortic ulcer 1) received hybrid operation in Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute.Vascular bypass was established among the brachiocephalic arteries,followed by endovascular repair through femoral artery either one-stage or two-stage.Patients were followed up for 3-24 months.Results Technical success was achieved among all the patients.Five patients died after the operation(one patient had retrograde aortic dissection,2 patients had pericardial tamponade,one patient had apnea,and one patient had respiratory and cardiac arrest.The death rate is 4.1％),4 patients had stroke,among them,symptoms were relieved in three patients,one patient was not cured.Total 92 patients were followed-up and had no symptoms of up-limb ischemia or dizziness.CT scan showed bypass graft and endovascular stent patency.6 patients had endoleak (type Ⅰ b 2 cases,type Ⅱ 3 cases,and type Ⅲ 1 case),distal aortic dissection occurred in one patient,three patients had mild contrast agent leakage around the distal endovascular stent,type A aortic dissection occurred in one patient,there were no late stage death.Conclusion Supraarch branches bypass combined with endovascular aortic repair for treating aortic disease is minimally invasive,safe,and can reduce the incidence of postoperative complications.

Inflammatory burden interacts with conventional cardiovascular risk factors in patients with psoriatic arthritis: a cross-sectional study / 中华风湿病学杂志

Objective To examine the distribution of systemic inflammation and risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) by comparing with healthy controls.Methods Forty PsA patients and 44 controls were recruited into this cross-sectional study.We evaluated the disease activity and severity [erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR),C reactive protein(CRP) and Disease Activity Score (DAS)28],functional ability in patients with predominant axial involvement [Bath AS disease activity index (BASDAI) and Bath AS functional index (BASH)],traditional CVD risk factors and inflammation between these two groups of patients.Then,we compared risk factors for CVD between 40 consecutive PsA patients and 44 controls,adjusted for body mass index (BMI).The frequencies were compared using chi-square tests for categorical variables.Student's t-tests or Mann-Whitney U-tests were used forcontinuous variables where appropriate.Association between the traditionaland metabolic risk factors and the hs-CRP level were assessed using Spearman correlations.Finally,we also assessed the role of inflammation on the CVD risk factor by using a BMI and hs-CRP-adjusted model.Results The BMI of PsA patients was significantly higher than that of the controls.After adjusting for the BMI,PsA patients had a higher prevalence of hypertension (OR=5.615,95％CI 1.844-17.099) and diabetes mellitus (OR=10.655,95％CI 1.150-98.683) than the controls.PsA patients had significantly increased systolic and diastolic blood pressures [(SBP) and (DBP)],total cholesterol (TC)/high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL),insulin resistance,inflammatory markers (hsCRP,white cell count and platelet) and decreased HDL compared to the controls.As excepted,the hsCRP level [4.0 (2.1-13.9) vs 1.7 (1.3-2.2)],platelet and white cell counts were significantly increased in the PsA group reflecting underlying inflammation.Further adjustment for hsCRP level rendered the differences in the prevalence of hypertension (OR=3.544,95％CI 1.151-10.914);but the DBP,HDL and sugar levels were non-significantly different between the two groups,while the differences in other parameters were significant.Conclusion The data support the hypothesis that PsA may be associated with hypertension,obesity and dyslipidemia because of the shared inflammation pathway.

Effect of P53 inhibitors and microtubule inhibitors on nuclear translocation of glucocorticoid receptor in psoriatic epidermal keratinocytes / 中国免疫学杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of P53 inhibitors and microtubule inhibitors on nuclear translocation of glucocorticoid receptor in psoriatic epidermal keratinocytes.Methods: Isolate and culture psoriatic and normal epidermal keratinocytes.The keratinocytes were incubated with P53 inhibitors and microtubule inhibitors with or without vascular endothelial growth factor( VEGF) ,and then detected the distribution of GR by indirect immunofluorescence.Results:VEGF induced nuclear trans-location of GR in normal keratinocytes, and the P53 inhibitor restrained VEGF induced nuclear export of GR in normal keratinocytes.The nuclear translocation score of the keratinocytes cultured with VEGF was significantly lower than that of keratinocytes cultured without VEGF(P<0.05).The microtubule inhibitors could completely detained GR of normal epidermal keratinocytes in the cytoplasm,and there′s no significantly increased of the level of GR in the cytoplasm after putting VEGF into the normal epidermal kera-tinocytes.While the microtubule inhibitors and P53 inhibitors co-cultured, there will be a small amount of GR into the keratinocyte nuclei.Conclusion:Microtubule mediated uptake of GR,P53 participated nuclear export of GR.

UV-induced red fluorescence on facial part of patients with acne vulgaris and seborrheic dermatitis: a fluorescence spectrum study / 中华医学美学美容杂志

Objective To measure the fluorescence spectral information of UVRF in the facial skin of patients with acne vulgaris and seborrheic dermatitis and to comprehend the optical properties of UVRF.Methods The lesions were squeezed to extract the sebaceous secretions containing UVRF in the facial skin.Ocean Optics USB2000 +F02243 Spectrometer and the 308nm excimer laser were used as an excitation light source to measure the signal of the LIF spectrum of UVRF in 6 acne vulgaris and 4 seborrheic dermatitis patients' facial part,compared with protoporphyrin Ⅸ.Results 1-4 peaks were detected in 10 patients' UVRF specimen respectively.The fluorescence spectra's characteristic peak of UVRF in 10 patients was at 680 nm.Protoporphyrin Ⅸ was at 688 nm and more gentle and generous than UVRF's characteristic peak.Conclusions LIF system can be used to detect the fluorescence spectroscopy of UVRF.UVRF has similar spectral characteristics to protoporphyrin Ⅸ,but it is not the same species.

Case-control study of factors associated with aortic dissection DeBakey type Ⅲ / 实用医学杂志

Objectives To investigate the recurrence risk factors and the protective factors of aortic dissection (AD) DeBakey type Ⅲ. Methods 43 patients with AD DeBakey type Ⅲ who were in Guangdong General Hospital from May 2014 to September 2014, were enrolled as the case group, while 27 volunteers exclude AD as the control group. Blood chemistries and other information obtained immediately after admissions , χ2 test or T test was used for univariate analysis of independent samples. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to screen patients with recurrence risk factors or protective factors. Results The prevalence of hypertension (93.02%vs. 18.52%, P = 0.000) and proportion of smokers (34.88% vs. 11.11%, P = 0.027) were significantly higher in case group than control group. Logistic regression analysis showed that hypertension (OR=5.148, 95%CI= [2.209~13.058], P=0.001) and albumin level (OR=0.709, 95%CI = [0.541~0.929], P=0.013) were significantly associated with recurrence of aortic dissection DeBakey type Ⅲ. Conclusion Hypertension is an independent risk factor for recurrence of aortic dissection DeBakey type Ⅲ, and albumin level is a protective factor.

Prevalence and impact of concomitant coronary artery disease in aged patients with Stanford type B aortic dissection / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Objective To evaluate the prevalence and impact of coronary artery disease (CAD) in aged patients with Stanford type B aortic dissection(AD).Methods From January 2008 to December 2011,CAG was routinely performed before aortography and thoracic aortic repair(TEVAR) to determine the prevalence of concomitant CAD in 200 consecutive Stanford type B AD patients who were older than 50 years.All patients received 1 year follow-up.Adverse events were compared between patients with and without concomitant CAD.Data analysis by SPSS 17.0 statistical software,using Student t test,Chi-square test and Fisher exact test.Results CAG showed 53 patients (26.5％) had CAD.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that male gender(OR =4.415,95％ CI:1.131-17.237,P =0.033) and age (OR =1.061,95％ CI:1.017-1.108,P =0.006) were independent predictors of Stanford type BAD coexisted with CAD.Age was also independent predictor of multi-vessel disease(MVD) and/or left main disease(LMD) (OR =1.096,95％ CI:1.009-1.191,P =0.023).At 30-day follow-up,there was no difference in the incidence of adverse events between patients with and without concomitant CAD.Patients with concomitant CAD showed higher incidence of myocardial infarction[3 (5.66％) vs.0(0),P =0.018] and stroke [4 (7.55 ％) vs.1 (0.68 ％),P =0.018].Conclusion The prevalence of CAD in aged patients with Stanford type BAD is relatively high.Concomitant CAD is associated with higher risk of cardio-cerebrovascular ischemic events while dose not increase the risk of adverse aorta related events.

Impact of simultaneous renal artery and coronary artery stenting on cardiac and renal function in patients with renal artery stenosis and coronary artery disease / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the impact of simultaneous percutaneous transluminal renal artery stenting (PTRAS) and percutaneous coronary artery interventions (PCI) on cardiac and renal function in patients with renal artery stenosis (RAS) and coronary artery disease (CAD), and explore the factors affecting the long-term prognosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This retrospective cohort study enrolled 169 patients with RAS and CAD from January 2006 to January 2010, 149 patients were intervened with PTRAS and PCI simultaneously (combined group) and the remaining 20 patients were treated with PCI (PCI group). All patients were followed up for at least 2 years. Clinical data including blood pressure, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), echocardiography and major adverse events were obtained.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The average stenotic ratio of the left and right renal artery in PCI group were significantly lower than those in combined group (both P < 0.01). After 2 years, there was a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure compared to baseline level in the combined group (P < 0.01). In the PCI group, both systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were significantly lower during follow-up than at the baseline level (both P < 0.01) . Echocardiography examination showed that left ventricular mass index (LVMI) during follow up was significantly lower than the baseline value in both groups, and the reduction extent in the combined group was larger than in PCI group (-55.6 g/m(2) vs.-12.8 g/m(2), P < 0.01) . In the combined group, the eGFR value decreased from (44.7 ± 17.4) ml×min(-1)×1.73 m(-2) to (41.7 ± 18.9) ml×min(-1)×1.73 m(-2) (P < 0.01). eGFR level remained unchanged in PCI group (P > 0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that baseline renal dysfunction was not significantly related to the long-term adverse prognosis in combined group (HR = 0.986, P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Simultaneous PTRAS and PCI are safe and effective for treating patients with RAS and CAD. Simultaneous PTRAS and PCI are beneficial on controlling blood pressure and reducing left ventricular mass index but has no impact on renal function change.</p>

Procalcitonin could be a reliable marker in differential diagnosis of post-implantation syndrome and infection after percutaneous endovascular aortic repair / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is an emerging treatment modality, which has been rapidly embraced by clinicians treating thoracic aortic disease. However, the clinical manifestations of systemic inflammatory response after TEVAR as post-implantation syndrome (PIS) resemble the perioperative infection. This study aimed to evaluate changes and diagnostic value of procalcitonin (PCT) and other traditional inflammatory markers for infections after TEVAR.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We conducted a prospective clinical study that enrolled 162 consecutive aortic dissection cases, who underwent TEVAR in our institution between July 2011 and November 2012. The PCT, C-response protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and blood routine examination were monitored before the operation and on days 1, 2, 3 and 5 after the operation. The diagnosis of infection was confirmed by the infection control committee with reference to Hospital Acquired Infection Diagnostic Criteria Assessment, released by the Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Post endovascular repair of thoracic aorta, PCT changes significantly at different time points (χ(2) = 13.225, P = 0.021), without significant difference between the PIS group and the control group (0.24 ± 0.04 vs.0.26 ± 0.10, P = 0.804). PCT values were significantly higher in the first day after TEVAR than the preoperative levels (0.18 ± 0.03 vs. 0.11 ± 0.02, P < 0.001). Compared with PIS patients, the level of PCT, CRP, White blood cell (WBC) and neutrophil (NEU) in the infection patients elevated significantly (relatively χ(2) = 6.062, P = 0.048; χ(2) = 6.081, P = 0.048; χ(2) = 11.030, P = 0.004; χ(2) = 14.632, P = 0.001). According to the ROC analysis, the PCT levels in the first day after TEVAR (AUC = 0.785, P = 0.012) had better predictive values of infection than WBC, NEU CRP and ESR (AUC = 0.720, P = 0.040; AUC = 0.715, P = 0.045; AUC = 0.663, P = 0.274; AUC = 0.502, P = 0.991). The best predictive index was the changes of PCT between preoperative and postoperative (PCT), which possess AUC as 0.803 (P = 0.014). And PCT = 0.055 could be considered as an infection diagnosis cutoff value with a sensitivity of 83.3% and specificity 69.0%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>PCT provides better diagnostic value of infection compared with other inflammatory markers. The potential applications of PCT in differential diagnosis of PIS and infection after percutaneous TEVAR deserve further studies.</p>

Association of circulating Treg cells with disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the changes in the circulating levels of Treg cells in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and their associations with the disease activity.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The fraction of circulating CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ Treg cells in 40 active RA patients and 40 healthy controls were determined by flow cytometry. The serum levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the expression of Foxp3 mRNA was detected with real-time PCR. The correlation of the changes in the fraction of Treg cells and the disease activity of RA was analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>RA patients showed a significantly lower level of circulating Treg cells than the control subjects [(5.36∓1.55)% vs (7.49∓1.46)%, P<0.01]. The expression of Foxp3 mRNA (P<0.01) and serum IL-10 level (P=0.000) were significantly lower, whereas TGF-β1 significantly higher (P=0.000) in RA patients than in the controls. Spearman analysis showed that serum level of IL-10 but not TGF-β1 was correlated to the fraction of Treg cells and Foxp3 mRNA expression, but the fraction of Treg cells was not correlated to such indices of disease activity as tender joint counts, swollen joint counts, visual analog scale, HAQ, disease activity score in 28 joints, ESR, or CRP, nor to RA self-antibodies (including RF and anti-CCP antibodies).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>A lower fraction and dysfunction of circulating Treg cells might be involved in the pathologies of RA, and a higher disease activity is associated with a greater reduction of Treg cells.</p>

The efficacy of rhTNFR:Fc and its effect on osteopontin in the collagen-induced arthritis mice model / 中华风湿病学杂志

Objective To investigate the protection effects of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-α receptor Ⅱ :IgG Fc fusion protein for injection (rhTNFR:Fc) on rats with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) and analyze osteopontin (OPN) changes following therapy in order to understand its primary mechanism of action. Methods CIA was induced by bovine Ⅱ collagen (B Ⅱ C) injection. Rats were treated with rhTNFR:Fc from the 13th day after the first injection of B Ⅱ C till the 36th day. The anterior-posterior diameters of ankle joints and weight were measured weekly. The pathological score was evaluated by HE staining and toluidine blue staining. The blood plasma TNF-α and OPN levels were measured by ELISA and the histology expression was evaluated by immuno-histochemistry. Comparisons between groups were performed with one-way ANOVA. Results Quantitative analysis showed pathological score in the model group and treatment group was significantly reduced in joint pathology (8.2±1.0 vs 4.8±1.4, P<0.05). The mean plasma levels of TNF-α and OPN values were (713±146) pg/ml, (4.3±0.6) ng/ml respectively in the model group,but those of the treatment group were (68±20) pg/ml, (4.2±0.6) ng/ml. Serum TNF-α values were significantly different (P<0.05) between the two groups, while no significant difference was found in the value of plasma OPN (P=0.688) between the two groups. rhTNFR:Fc could reduce the cells OPN expression in the interface layer of the synovium and cartilage (P<0.05). Conclusion Pathology scores and ELISA results haveshown that rhTNFR:Fc has good therapeutic efficacy. It can significantly reduce the bone and cartilage damage of CIA mouse model, and can significantly reduce the expression of OPN in the sliding joints, thereby delay disease progression. However, it can not reduce the expression of OPN in the peripheral blood plasma.OPN may be involved in bone destruction and resorption rather than in inflammatory process.

The Application of the Student-centered Teaching Mode in the Teaching of Clinic Medicine / 中华医学教育探索杂志

The article has studied the application and the student-centered teaching mode in clinic medicine teaching and discussed how to cultivate students' self-learning ability and life-time learning skills by means of internet teaching,problem-base learning,case-studying and question-discussion.It has also pointed out that compared with the traditional teaching mode this teaching mode has advantages in cultivating innovative,pioneering and practical medical talents.

Training of Evidence Based Medicine Thinking for Medical Students in Clinical Teaching / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Methods:188 students majorting in clinical medicine were randomly divided into two groups:the experimental group with evidence based medicine(EBM)teaching method and the control group with traditional teaching method.Results:The experimental group was better than the control group in results of theory examination and skill test,writing medical record,analyzing condition of patients and the level of student's satisfaction.Conclusions:EBM thinking training is practicable in clinical teaching.

Investigation of clinical outcomes of percutaneous carotid artery stenting / 中国介入心脏病学杂志

Objective To investigate the safety and feasibility of carotid artery stenting (CAS) and evaluate its clinical outcomes. Methods From July 1998 to December 2003, 30 consecutive patients with 32 lesions underwent extracranial CAS procedures. Thirteen patients had a history of stroke or TIAs, 22 were hypertensive, 11 were diabetic and 8 had history of MI. Neurological assessment, Carotid duplex ultrasound, carotid and intracranial angiography were done before CAS in all patients. All the cases were done percutanously from femoral arteries and stenting was applied in all procedures. Carotid duplex ultrasound, cardiac and neurological elevation were performed post procedure. Results 30 patients (26 male and 4 female) underwent a total of 32 CAS procedures. Total 32 self-expandable stents and 1 tubular stent were implanted in all the cases. Direct stenting technique was applied in 9 cases. The other 21 procedures were performed with distal filtration supporting devices. The device can not be delivered due to tortuous target vessel in one case (success rate 95%) and CAS success rate was 97%. The particles were found in all filter baskets. Four patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting 1 month later post CAS without perioperative neurological and cardiac events. One patient had contralateral cerebral hemorrhage during CAS and died three days later. Another patient died three days after CAS due to acute pulmonary edema. No restenosis was found by means of carotid duplex ultrasound during the follow-up (3-60 months) study. Conclusion CAS is safe and feasible in preventing ischemic stroke. This new alternative has satisfied clinical outcomes in managing cardiac and neurological ischemic diseases. Operative embolic complication can be potentially prevented by neurological protective device.