Advances in conditioning regimens for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia / 中华器官移植杂志

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is a sole viable treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). As the median age of AML is approaching 68 years and the global population is aging, allo-HSCT for is becoming more vital for elderly AML patients (60 years and over). Conditioning regimen is important in determining the clinical outcomes of post-allo-HSCT patients.This review summarized the classic and latest conditioning regimens and evaluated their respective clinical outcomes.Clinicians may appreciate the advantages of each conditioning regimen and formulate optimal options for elderly AML patients.

Study on population pharmacokinetics of dabigatran in elderly patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To analyze influential factors for dabigatran exposure in elderly patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. METHODS The clinical information of 75 elderly patients diagnosed with non-valvular atrial fibrillation was collected from our hospital in Jan. 2019-Jun. 2020. One or two steady-state blood drug concentration samples were collected from each patient. NONMEM 7.2.0 software was used to establish a population pharmacokinetics model of dabigatran； the effects of different covariates on the apparent clearance of dabigatran were investigated， and the final model was verified by goodness of fit and Bootstrap method； NONMEM 7.2.0 software was used to analyze the drug exposure of ordinary elderly patients and elderly patients after taking dabigatran ester in different disease states. RESULTS Totally 122 blood concentration samples of dabigatran were collected. Advanced age， creatinine clearance and history of chronic heart failure were screened out as three significant covariates that influenced the clearance of dabigatran in elderly patients. The exposure of population with advanced age increased by about 50% compared with the general elderly， the exposure of population with history of chronic heart failure increased by nearly 30% compared with population without， and the exposure of population with moderate and severe renal injury increased by about 30% and 80% compared with mild. CONCLUSIONS Advanced age， renal injury and history of chronic heart failure are influential factors for elevated systemic exposure of dabigatran.

Clinical outcomes of reverse shoulder arthroplasty for the treatment of failed fixation of proximal humeral fracrtures in the elderly patients / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the clinical outcomes of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty as a revision procedure for the failed fixation of proximal humeral fractures in the elderly patients.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed on 8 patients with failed internal fixation of proximal humeral fractures from May 2014 to March 2020, including 3 males and 5 females, aged from 65 to 75 years old. All 8 patients underwent reverse total shoulder arthroplasty, and the mean time between initial fixation and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty ranged from 8 to 16 months. Range of motion(ROM), University of California at Los Angeles(UCLA) shoulder score, visual analogue scale (VAS), self-rating anxiety scale(SAS), and Constant-Murley score of shoulder function were assessed pre-operatively and at the last follow-up. Complications relating to the surgery were recorded.@*RESULTS@#All 8 patients successfully followed up. The mean follow-up after reverse total shoulder arhroplasty ranged from 16 to 28 months. The range of motion (forward flexion, external rotation, abduction and internal rotation) of the affected shoulder was significantly improved after surgery, and the post-operative VAS, SAS and UCLA scores were also significantly improved. For the Constant-Murley score of shoulder joint function, the total scores and the subscores of pain, daily activities, range of motion and strength test at the last follow-up were all significantly improved. Scapular glenoid notch was observed in patient, which was evaluated as grade 1 on imaging. All the other patients did not develop specific or non-specific complications.@*CONCLUSION@#Reverse total shoulder arhroplasty is an appropriate treatment as a revision surgery for failed fixation of proximal humeral fractures. It has shown satisfactory clinical outcomes, accelerating the rehabilitation of shoulder function and improving the quality of life.

Effect of Dexmedetomidine on Maintaining Perioperative Hemodynamic Stability in Elderly Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

Objective Dexmedetomidine is a highly selective alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonist with sedative and analgesic properties but without respiratory depression effect and has been widely used in perioperative anesthesia. Here we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of dexmedetomidine on maintaining perioperative hemodynamic stability in elderly patients.Methods PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang Data were searched for randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) on the application of dexmedetomidine in maintaining perioperative hemodynamic stability in elderly patients from their inception to September, 2021. The standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were employed to analyze the data. The random-effect model was used for the potential clinical inconsistency.Results A total of 12 RCTs with 833 elderly patients (dexmedetomidine group, 546 patients; control group, 287 patients) were included. There was no significant increase in perioperative heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in the dexmedetomidine group before and during the operation. In addition, the variations of hemodynamic indexes including HR, MAP, SBP (systolic blood pressure), and DBP were significantly lower in the dexmedetomidine group compared with the control group (HR: SMD = -0.87, 95% CI: -1.13 to -0.62; MAP: SMD = -1.12, 95% CI: -1.60 to -0.63; SBP: SMD = -1.27, 95% CI: -2.26 to -0.27; DBP: SMD = -0.96, 95% CI: -1.33 to -0.59). Subgroup analysis found that with the prolongation of 1.0 μg/kg dexmedetomidine infusion, the patient's heart rate declined in a time-dependent way.Conclusion Dexmedetomidine provides more stable hemodynamics during perioperative period in elderly patients. However, further well-conducted trials are required to assess the effective and safer doses of dexmedetomidine in elderly patients.

Study on pharmaceutical care model for drug-related problems in elderly patients based on comprehensive medication management review / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To explore the pharmaceutical care model for elderly patients with drug-related problems （DRPs） based on the comprehensive medication management review （CMMR）， and to observe the effect of pharmaceutical care under the model. METHODS The pharmaceutical care new model for elderly patients was established by concerning CMMR guidelines in Australia. In other words， clinical pharmacists receive medical care through referral by health practitioners and active consultation by patients or their caregivers. Visits were made by a combination of face-to-face and telephone interviews. Follow-up was carried out in the form of outpatient follow-up， telephone follow-up， appointment， and home guidance to know about the treatment of DRPs by healthcare practitioners or patients.Under this model， the occurrence status and classification of DRPs in elderly patients were studied through cross-sectional investigation. The effect of pharmaceutical care was evaluated from the aspects of hospitalization rate， adverse drug reaction （ADR） incidence，medication compliance， the number of medications， blood lipid level， etc.， through self-before-after comparison. RESULTS In this study， a patient-centered， evaluation-intervention-reevaluation closed-loop pharmaceutical care model was formed. Among 317 study subjects， the average number of DRPs was 1.03 （0-7） cases. Compared before and after the intervention， the number of drug types increased from 2.00（0.00，3.00） to 2.00（1.00，3.00）， but the level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterin in patients decreased from 3.48 （2.58， 4.29） mmol/L to 3.11 （2.29，3.81） mmol/L （P＜0.05）. There was no statistical significance in hospitalization rate， ADR incidence within or medication compliance. CONCLUSIONS CMMR-based pharmaceutical care model can effectively identify and manage the patients’ DRPs and reduce the level of blood lipid.

Research progress of rapid surgery for hip fracture in elderly patients / 中国修复重建外科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To review the research progress of rapid surgery for hip fracture in elderly patients.@*METHODS@#The published studies, expert consensus, and guidelines at home and abroad were systematically summarized from the aspects of the characteristics of aging population, the benefits of rapid surgery, the disadvantages of delayed surgery, and the recommendations of current guidelines, so as to further guide clinical practice.@*RESULTS@#Hip fracture is a common fracture type in the elderly population. As elderly patients generally have poor physique and often have a variety of underlying diseases, such as hypostatic pneumonia, bedsore, lower limb vein thrombosis, and other complications in conservative treatment, its disability rate and mortality are high, so surgical treatment is the first choice. At present, most relevant studies and expert consensus and guidelines at home and abroad support rapid surgery, that is, preoperative examination should be started immediately after admission, and adverse factors such as taking anticoagulant drugs, serious cardiovascular diseases, and severe anemia should be clearly and actively corrected, and surgery should be completed within 48 hours after admission as far as possible. Rapid surgery can not only significantly reduce the mortality of patients, but also reduce the length of hospital stay and the incidence of perioperative cognitive impairment, which is conducive to the recovery of patients with pain during hospitalization and postoperative function, and improve the prognosis of patients.@*CONCLUSION@#In order to avoid many problems caused by delayed surgery, the elderly patients with hip fracture should be operated as soon as possible under the condition of actively correcting the adverse factors. Comprehensive evaluation and preparation, the development of an individualized surgical plan, and the formation of a multidisciplinary medical team can reduce surgical risks and improve effectiveness.

Effects of bilateral erector spinae plane block for posterior lumbar spine surgery in elderly patients / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVES@#With the rapid development of aging population, the number of elderly patients undergoing posterior lumbar spine surgery continues to increase. Lumbar spine surgery could cause moderate to severe postoperative pain, and the conventional opioid-based analgesia techniques have many side effects, which are barriers to the recovery after surgery of the elderly. Previous studies have demonstrated that erector spinae plane block (ESPB) could bring about favorable analgesia in spinal surgery. As far as the elderly are concerned, the analgesic and recovery effects of ESPB on posterior lumbar spine surgery are not completely clear. This study aims to observe the effects of bilateral ESPB on elderly patients undergoing posterior lumbar spine surgery, and to improve the anesthesia techniques.@*METHODS@#A total of 70 elderly patients of both sex, who were selected from May 2020 to November 2021, scheduled for elective posterior lumbar spine surgery, and in the age of 60-79 years, with American Society of Anesthesiologists class Ⅱ-Ⅲ, were divided into a ESPB group and a control (C) group using a random number table method, with 35 patients each. Before general anesthesia induction, 20 mL 0.4% ropivacaine was injected to the transverse process of L3 or L4 bilaterally in the ESPB group and only saline in the C group. The score of Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) indicating pain at rest and on movement within 48 h after operation, time of first patient control analgesia (PCA), cumulative consumptions of sufentanil within 48 hours, Leeds Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire (LSEQ) scores on the morning of day 1 and day 2 after operation, Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) scores at 24 and 48 h after operation, full diet intake times, perioperative adverse reactions such as intraoperative hypotension, postoperative dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and constipation were compared between the 2 groups.@*RESULTS@#A total of 70 patients were enrolled and 62 subjects completed the study, including 32 in the ESPB group and 30 in the C group. Compared with the C group, the postoperative NRS scores at rest at 2, 4, 6, and 12 h and on movementat at 2, 4, and 6 h were lower, time of first PCA was later, sufentanil consumptions were significantly decreased during 0-12 h and 12-24 h after operation, LSEQ scores on the morning of day 1 and QoR-15 scores at 24 and 48 h after operation were higher, full diet intakes achieved earlier in the ESPB group (all P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the incidences of intraoperative hypotension, postoperative dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and constipation between the 2 groups (all P>0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Providing favorable analgesic effects with reduced opioids consumption, bilateral ESPB for posterior lumbar spine surgery in the elderly patients could also improve postoperative sleep quality, promote gastrointestinal functional restoration, and enhance recovery with few adverse reactions.

Effects of acute normovolemic hemodilution combined with intraoperative recycled autotransfusion on blood transfusion volume and coagulation function in elderly patients undergoing cardiac surgery / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To explore the effects of acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) combined with intraoperative recycled autotransfusion on blood transfusion volume and coagulation function in elderly patients undergoing cardiac surgery. 【Methods】 A total of 94 elderly patients undergoing cardiac surgery in the hospital were enrolled and randomly divided into observation group (n=47) and control group (n=47) between March 2020 and March 2022. The observation group was given ANH combined with intraoperative recycled autotransfusion, while control group was given routine allogeneic transfusion. The blood transfusion volume, oxygenation status, immune function, inflammatory indexes and adverse reactions in the two groups were compared. 【Results】 The banked blood transfusion volume was less in observation group than control group [(1.73±0.43) U vs (5.71±1.71) U, P<0.05]. At 6 h after surgery, blood oxygen saturation (SvO2) level was higher [(74.59±7.20) % vs (67.22±6.19) %], while oxygen uptake rate (ERO2) level was lower[(0.29±0.06) % vs (0.34±0.05) %] in observation group than control group (P<0.05). At day 1 after surgery, levels of CD3+, CD4+, CD4+ /CD8+ and natural killer cells (NK) were higher [(65.11±5.14) %, (46.93±5.17) %, (1.86±0.30), (8.35±1.23) % vs (57.45±7.24) %, (43.58±4.85) %, (1.47±0.36)%, (7.34±1.38) %], while CD8+ was lower [(25.17±4.01) % vs (30.39±5.06) %] in observation group than control group (P<0.05). At day 1 after surgery, levels of serum interleukin 6/8 (IL-6/8) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were lower in observation group than control group [(104.51±12.55) ng/L vs (125.81±14.96) ng/L, (351.42±52.86) ng/L vs (394.27±55.78) ng/L, (254.93±49.94) ng/L vs (323.60±52.63) ng/L, P<0.05]. The incidence of adverse reactions was lower in observation group than control group (4.26% vs 17.02%), P<0.05. 【Conclusion】 Recycled autotransfusion can reduce allogeneic transfusion volume in elderly patients undergoing cardiac surgery. There is no difference in the effects on blood routine or coagulation function between recycled autotransfusion and allogeneic transfusion. Compared with allogeneic transfusion, recycled autotransfusion can significantly improve oxygenation status, relieve immunosuppression and inflammation response, and reduce the risk of adverse reactions.

Risk Factors of Clopidogrel Resistance in the Elderly Patients with Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To explore the risk factors of clopidogrel resistance (CR) in the elderly patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and to provide evidence for the antiplatelet therapy. Methods A total of 223 elderly patients (≥80 years old) with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease treated in the Department of Geriatrics in the Peking University People's Hospital from January 18,2013 to November 30,2019 and meeting the inclusion criteria were enrolled in this study.The clinical data and laboratory test results were collected,including clinical disease,drug use,physical examination,complete blood cell analysis,biochemical indicators,and thromboelastogram (TEG).The rate of platelet inhibition induced by adenosine diphosphate was calculated according to the TEG.We assigned the patients into a CR group (n=84) and a control group (n=139) to analyze the incidence and influence factors of CR in the elderly patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Results The incidence of CR was 37.7% in the elderly patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.The CR group had lower hemoglobin (t=3.533,P=0.001) and higher hypertension prevalence rate (χ2=6.581,P=0.006),proportion of multiple drugs (χ2=3.332,P=0.048),body mass index (BMI) (t=-2.181,P=0.030),total cholesterol (t=-2.264,P=0.025),triglycerides (Z=-2.937,P=0.003),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (t=-2.347,P=0.020),and proportion of women (χ2=5.562,P=0.014) than the control group.The results of multivariate Logistic regression showed that hemoglobin (OR=0.962,P<0.001),BMI (OR=1.154,P=0.003),and LDL-C (OR=1.688,P=0.018) were the factors influencing CR in the elderly patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Conclusion Hemoglobin,BMI,and LDL-C may be independent factors associated with the occurrence of CR in the elderly patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Evaluation value of Karnofsky performance score for prognosis of elderly patients with sepsis / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the prognostic value of Karnofsky performance scores (KPS) in elderly patients with sepsis, so as provide a basis for clinical evaluation of the condition, prognosis and corresponding treatment measures.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted to collect the general information, clinical data, and follow-up data of limb motor function status and self-care ability of elderly patients with sepsis who were hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit of our hospital from January 2018 to June 2021. Patients were divided into the survival group and death group according to whether they survived the hospitalization. Statistical analysis was performed using t-test, chi-square test, and Mann-Whitney test. The KPS score before admission, disease severity scores (APACHEⅡ and SOFA), serum procalcitonin (PCT), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and arterial blood lactate level on admission were compared between the two groups. Then, the factors with significance in univariate analysis were analyzed by Logistic regression method, the independent risk factors for predicting in-hospital mortality were determined, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to evaluate the prognostic value of KPS score in elderly patients with sepsis.Results:A total of 135 patients were collected. There were 85 males and 50 females, 60 died and 75 survived during hospitalization, with a mortality rate of 44.4%. The preadmission KPS score of elderly patients with sepsis in the death group was significantly lower than that in the survival group [30 (30, 40) vs. 70 (50, 90), P<0.001]. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that KPS score ( OR=0.938, 95% CI: 0.914-0.963, P<0.001), SOFA score ( OR=1.255, 95% CI: 1.066-1.451, P=0.002) and arterial blood lactate ( OR=1.219, 95% CI: 1.059-1.404, P=0.006) were independent risk factors for predicting the prognosis during hospitalization. ROC curve analysis of mortality showed that compared with SOFA score and blood lactate, the area under the curve of KPS score was the largest, with AUC of 0.830 (95% CI: 0.756-0.890, P<0.001). In addition, the combination of KPS, SOFA and blood lactate had a greater predictive value for the prognosis of elderly patients with sepsis than that of the single index, with an AUC of 0.883 (95% CI: 0.826-0.940, P<0.001). Conclusions:The lower the KPS score, the worse the prognosis of elderly patients with sepsis. The KPS score can be used as a clinical indicator to predict the prognosis of elderly patients with sepsis.

Establishment of a risk prediction model for acute upper gastrointestinal rebleeding in elderly patients / 中华危重病急救医学

Objective:To establish a prediction model of acute upper gastrointestinal rebleeding (AUGIRB) for elderly patients by combining and applying multiple indicators.Methods:A retrospective observational study was conducted. The clinical data of 161 elderly patients (age ≥ 65 years old) who suffered from acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (AUGIB) and who were hospitalized in Shanghai General Hospital from July 2018 to December 2020 were recorded. The patients were divided into the rebleeding group (31 cases) and the non-rebleeding group (130 cases) according to whether gastrointestinal rebleeding occurred. Univariate analysis was adopted to screen AUGIRB-related risk factors and Logistic regression analysis was used to screen independent predictors of AUGIRB so that a predictive model was constructed. Based on the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve), the predictive ability of the prediction model for AUGIRB was evaluated, the optimal cut-off value was determined, and the odds ratio ( OR) and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated. Bootstrap resampling technology was used to validate the predictive ability of the model. Results:Univariate Logistic analysis showed that oral anticoagulant drugs, oral antiplatelet drugs, albumin (ALB), platelet count (PLT), Glasgow-Blatchford bleeding score (GBS), D-dimer, fibrinogen (FIB), and international normalized ratio (INR) all had a significant effect on the occurrence of AUGIRB among elderly patients. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the oral antiplatelet drugs ( OR = 11.150, 95% CI was 1.888-65.852, P < 0.05) and GBS score ( OR = 2.503, 95% CI was 1.523-4.114, P < 0.05) were the independent risk factors of AUGIRB among elderly patients, while the ALB ( OR = 0.764, 95% CI was 0.626-0.932, P < 0.05) and FIB ( OR = 0.065, 95% CI was 0.011-0.370, P < 0.05) were the protective factors of AUGIRB among elderly patients. The AUC of the above four indexes joint prediction model was 0.979. The verification results of the model showed that the consistency index (C-index) of the model was 0.986. Conclusion:The prediction model fitted in this research has a high prediction accuracy and it also has a certain reference value for the judgment of elderly patients who suffer from AUGIRB.

Diagnosis and surgical treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism in the elderly people / 中华内分泌外科杂志

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of PHPT in elderly patients, as well as the safety and effectiveness of surgical treatment.Methods:179 patients with PHPT treated from Jan. 2000 to Dec. 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. They were divided into elderly group ( n=51) and non-elderly group ( n=128) according to whether they were over 60 years old at the time of operation. The clinical data of symptoms, complications, preoperative and postoperative blood calcium, phosphorus, ALP, PTH, surgical cure rate and complication rate of the two groups were analyzed retrospectively. T-test was used for measurement data comparison. χ2 test was used for enumeration data comparison and single factor analysis. Logistic regression analysis (forward method) was used for multivariate analysis. Results:The proportion of non-specific symptoms in the elderly group, including fatigue, dizziness, loss of appetite, memory decline, was higher than that in the non-elderly group (21.6% vs 8.6%, P=0.019) . Elderly patients had lower blood ALP level[ (163.4±229.8) U/L vs (325.9±449.2) U/L, P=0.016], higher proportion of preoperative hypertension (47.1% vs 21.1%, P=0.001) , diabetes (31.4% vs 10.9%, P=0.001) , coronary heart disease (13.7% vs 3.1%, P=0.013) and tumor (13.7% vs 3.9%, P=0.025) . High proportion of non-specific symptoms was related to higher blood calcium [ OR=4.936 (95% CI 1.126-21.637) , P=0.034] and lower blood phosphorus[ OR=0.011 (95% CI 0.000-0.650) , P=0.030]. Between the two groups there was no significant difference in cure rate (94.1% vs 96.1%, P=0.564) or complication rate (27.5% vs 44.5%, P=0.127) . Conclusions:The surgical treatment of elderly patients with PHPT also has high effectiveness and safety. More attention should be paid to surgical diagnosis and treatment of elderly patients.

A study on personalized nutritional intervention based on nutritional assessment in long-term continuous nursing for elderly postoperative colorectal cancer patients / 中华临床营养杂志

Object:To explore the role of personalized nutritional intervention based on nutritional assessment in long-term continuous nursing of elderly postoperative colorectal cancer patients.Methods:Elderly patients with colorectal cancer who received radical surgery in a tertiary hospital in Beijing were screened from January 2021 to January 2022 and a total of 100 patients at nutritional risk (defined as with a Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 [NRS 2002] score ≥ 3) were included in the study. Patients were stratified by age and then divided into control and intervention groups with 50 cases in each. The control group received regular health guidance and follow-up visits at postoperative outpatient clinics while the intervention group received personalized nutritional intervention based on nutritional assessment additionally. The intervention period was 12 months. Nutritional indicators including body mass index (BMI), upper arm circumference, grip strength and hemoglobin, as well as albumin and quality of life (QoL), are compared between the two groups.Results:Compared with the control group, the intervention group showed significantly better results of BMI [(18.46±0.53) vs (16.9±0.77)], upper arm circumference [(25.09±1.41)cm vs (23.49±1.45)cm], grip strength [(28.34±8.00)kg vs (23.97±7.19)kg], HGB [(135.10±9.27)g/L vs (106.40±8.73)g/L] and ALB [(41.62±3.41)g/L vs (28.62±2.38)g/L, all P < 0.01]. The intervention group also had significantly higher scores in physical [(20.96±2.03) vs (15.66±0.82)], emotional [(21.48±1.64) vs (15.76±1.00)], social [(23.44±1.67) vs (15.96±0.99)], and functional [(20.74±1.74) vs (5.46±0.97)] domains of QoL (all P<0.01). Conclusion:In elderly patients with colorectal cancer after radical resection, personalized nutritional intervention based on nutritional assessment can effectively control nutritional indicators, help reduce the incidence of malnutrition, improve postoperative quality of life, and inform the establishment of standardized process in nutrition management.

The clinical outcomes of elderly acute leukemia patients receiving allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and application of comprehensive nursing care / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To investigate the clinical outcomes of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in elderly patients with acute leukemia and the role of comprehensive nursing. 【Methods】 The data of 52 elderly patients with acute leukemia during the treatment of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation were collected. According to the characteristics of elderly patients, 52 patients were given comprehensive nursing measures such as psychological, protective isolation, dietary management and specialized nursing. Stem cell engraftment, transplant complications and survival rates were observed in patients with comprehensive nursing support. 【Results】 All patients received comprehensive care. Of the 52 patients, 49 (94.2%) achieved neutrophil engraftment, with a median engraftment time of 12 days (9~19 days), and 45 patients (86.5%) achieved platelet engraftment with a median engraftment time of 13 days (9~35 days). The cumulative incidence of Ⅱ-Ⅳ°acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was 26.9%, and the cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD was 28.5%. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection occurred in 15 cases, with a cumulative incidence rate of 37.5%, and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection occurred in 5 cases, with a cumulative incidence rate of 9.9%. Bloodstream bacterial infection occurred in 8 patients with a cumulative incidence of 9.6%. With a median follow-up of 226 days (71~2 365 days), 39 patients survived and 13 died. The 1-year overall survival (OS) was 71.4%, and the OS and disease free survival (DFS) of patients with negative minimal residual disease (MRD) were both 100%. OS and DFS in MRD positive group were 59.2% and 48.1%, respectively. 【Conclusion】 Elderly patients with acute leukemia who receive allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can also achieve long-term survival. Taking targeted preventive and nursing measures can ensure the success rate of transplantation.

Analysis of the Efficacy of Immunotherapy in Elderly Patients with Lung Cancer / 中国肺癌杂志

BACKGROUND@#Immunotherapy represented by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has become the standard treatment for patients with non-oncogenic advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). While lung cancer is most prevalent in elderly patients, these patients are rarely included in pivotal clinical trial studies. We aimed to describe the efficacy and safety of immunotherapy for elderly patients in the "real-world".@*METHODS@#The data of older NSCLC patients and younger patients who received immunotherapy between July 2018 to October 2021 were retrospectively analyzed and the objective response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS) in different age groups (less than 60 years old was defined as the young group, 60 years-74 years old was the young old group, 75 years old and above was the old old group) were compared. And the impact of different clinical characteristics on treatment response and prognosis were analyzed in each age subgroup.@*RESULTS@#A total of 21 young patients, 70 young old patients and 15 old old patients were included in this study, with ORR of 33.3%, 52.8% and 53.3%, respectively, without statistically significant difference (P=0.284). The median PFS was 9.1 mon, 7.6 mon and 10.9 mon, respectively, without statistically significant difference (P=0.654). Further analysis of the predictors of immunotherapy in each subgroup revealed that patients in the young old group and young group who received immunotherapy in the first line had a longer PFS. The difference of the incidence of adverse events was not statistically significant among the three groups (P>0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The efficacy and safety of immunotherapy in elderly patients were similar to those in younger patients, and PFS was superior in the first-line immunotherapy. Further prospective studies are still needed to explore predictors of immunotherapy in elderly NSCLC patients.

PEID with bone-chisel technique in the treatment of unilateral lumber lateral recess stenosis: A curative effect study in elderly patients / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

【Objective】 To investigate the effect of decompression technique with bone-chisel under percutaneous spinal endoscopy through transforaminal approach in elderly patients with unilateral lateral recess stenosis （ULLRS）. 【Methods】 We enrolled 46 old patients with ULLRS who underwent percutaneous spinal endoscopy through transforaminal approach assisted with bone-chisel technique from March 2017 to July 2019. The visual analogue scale （VAS） score of low back pain and leg pain， the Oswestry dysfunction index （ODI）， and the modified MacNab score before and after operation were obtained. We also recorded preoperative and postoperative sagittal diameter measured by computer tomography （CT） to evaluate decompression of the lateral recess. All the patients were followed up for at least 1 year for complications. 【Results】 All the 46 patients were followed up for 17 to 42 months. Dural tear occurred in one case， transient nerve root irritation in two cases， and there were no other complications. The low back pain VAS score， lower limb pain VAS score， and ODI index of all the patients were significantly improved in the last follow-up （P<0.05）. The results of the modified MacNab efficacy evaluation at the last follow-up revealed that the excellent and good rate was 91.3% （excellent in 38， good in 4， and fair in 4）. The sagittal diameter （mm） of the bony lateral recess 1 year after surgery increased by an average of 55.8%， which was significantly better than that before surgery （t=6.354， 4.22±1.25 vs. 2.71±0.57， P<0.001）. 【Conclusion】 Percutaneous spinal endoscopy through transforaminal foramen approach combined with bone-chisel technique is effective in treating ULLRS in elderly patients.

Clinical characteristics and outcome of COVID-19 in elderly patients / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

【Objective】 To investigate the clinical characteristics， treatment and outcome of elderly patients with COVID-19. 【Methods】 We made a retrospective analysis of the clinical data of elderly patients with COVID-19 admitted by the National Anti-epidemic Medical Team of The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University in Department of the seventh ward of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University between February 9 and March 15， 2020. We fully extracted the patients’ demographics， epidemiological characteristics， clinical manifestations， laboratory examination， imaging performance， treatment and outcomes. 【Results】 In this study we included a total of 30 patients（18 males and 12 females）， with an average age of（71.1±14.4） years. Their underlying diseases included cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases（23 patients）， chronic pulmonary disease（3 patients）， digestive disease（2 patients）， diabetes mellitus（3 patients）， and chronic kidney disease（1 patients）. Before admission， 22 patients received oral medication. The initial symptoms were fever and cough. The peak body temperature averaged（38.4±0.6）℃ The mean time from symptom onset to hospitalization was 15.0±7.7 days. The clinical classification was mainly severe type in 26 patients（87%）. Laboratory examination revealed lower lymphocyte count（0.7±0.2）×109/L， and higher blood D-D dimer lever（6.9±13）μg/L. Serum lactate dehydrogenase（LDH） significantly increased（310±136）U/L. Serum C-reactive protein（61±52）mg/L and erythrocyte sedimentation rate（ESR）（66±38）mmol/L slightly increased. Imaging performance revealed that diffuse lesions were located in bilateral pulmonary parenchyma（22 patients） and in single pulmonary parenchyma（7 patients）. Ground-glass opacity was found in all the patients， and the average number of CT examination during hospitalization was 3.5±1.3. Viral load revealed that nucleic acid in nasopharyngeal swabs of 30 patients was all positive， nucleic acid in the feces of 6 patients was positive， and nucleic acid in nasopharyngeal swab of 1 patient was positive， whose nucleic acid in alveolar lavage fluid was negative. Serum IgG antibody level was（157.5±29.2）AU/mL and IgM antibody level was（69.0±148.7）AU/mL. Complications included ARDS in 5 patients， AKI in 5 patients， cardiac injury in 3 patients， shock in 2 patients， nosocomial infection in 3 patients， coagulation disorder in 3 patients， and gastrointestinal bleeding in 3 patients. Finally， 5 patients received non-invasive mechanical ventilation and 2 patients received invasive mechanical ventilation. Another 2 patients underwent CRRT and 1 patient received CRRT plus ECMO. Of the 3 patients with critical type， 2 died and 1 survived. There were 25 patients who turned from severe type into normal type/light type， and 1 patient finally died（turned from severe type into critical type）. In the end， 15 patients were cured and discharged. The average time of viral nucleic acid from positive to negative was 12.4±5.6 and the average time of lesion absorption in computer tomography was 16.9±5.8 days. The total hospital stay was 22.9±8.1 days， and the 28-day mortality rate was 6.7%. 【Conclusion】 COVID-19 in elderly patients is mostly severe and its initial symptoms are still fever and cough. Patients should be immediately hospitalized when symptoms develop. The time of viral nucleic acid transformation and imaging improvement is longer than that of others. The mortality in critically ill patients is higher than that of others. Clinicians should pay more attention to the elderly people.

Effect of early rehabilitation exercise on blood pressure of elderly patients with septic shock: a single-center, prospective, randomized controlled study / 中华危重病急救医学

Objective:To observe the effect of early rehabilitation exercise on blood pressure of elderly patients with septic shock.Methods:A single-center, prospective, randomized controlled study was conducted in elderly patients with septic shock who were hospitalized in the department of critical care medicine of Huangshan Shoukang Hospital (High-tech Zone Central Hospital of Huangshan) from December 2018 to November 2020. According to the principle of simple random, all patients were divided into control group and intervention group. Both groups were treated with lower limb barometry to prevent deep vein thrombosis, 3 times a day, 30 minutes each time. After comprehensive treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU), the severity of patients was gradually improved, the hemodynamics was relatively stable, and the norepinephrine was reduced to 0.5 μg·kg -1·min -1. The control group continued to receive lower limb barometric treatment without rehabilitation training, while the intervention group began rehabilitation training when the dose of norepinephrine was reduced to 0.5 μg·kg -1·min -1. The duration of norepinephrine use, the length of ICU stay, and the occurrence of adverse events during rehabilitation training in intervention group was recorded. Results:Seventy-two patients were included in the final analysis, 35 in intervention group and 37 in control group. There was no significant difference in gender, age, Oxford acute severity of illness score (OASIS), acute physiology and chronic health evaluationⅡ (APACHEⅡ), mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 3 times and underlying diseases between two groups. Compared with control group, the length of ICU stay and duration of dose of norepinephrine ≤0.5 μg·kg -1·min -1 in intervention group were significantly shorter [length of ICU stay (hours): 193.0 (145.5, 312.0) vs. 242.5 (180.0, 483.5), P < 0.05; duration of dose of norepinephrine ≤0.5 μg·kg -1·min -1 (hours): 120.0 (72.0, 144.0) vs. 144.5 (120.0, 192.0), Z = 2.976, P = 0.003]. In intervention group, 35 patients did not show acute myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, syncope, central venous catheter detachment, and gastric tube detachment during the rehabilitation period, except 1 patient suffered from naked hematuria due to urinary catheter traction, which disappeared the next day after symptomatic treatment. Conclusion:The early rehabilitation exercise was beneficial to the recovery of autonomic blood pressure in elderly patients with septic shock, shorten the time of norepinephrine use and ICU stay.

Exploratory Research on Factors Related to Difficulty in Decision Making in Elderly Patients with Cancer

Objective: The purpose of this study is to clarify the characteristics of cases where decision-making is difficult and how the medical staff can deal with them in the medical field. Method: Seven oncology physicians were interviewed. The survey items include cases where decision-making is difficult, how to deal with them, and decision support. Category analysis was performed based on verbatim records. Results: First, the cases where decision-making is difficult were divided into two categories: patient factors and environmental factors. The former is further divided into two subcategories: “personal factors” include personality and, intellectual ability and “factors due to diseases and aging” that included flailing of body parts and dementia. Further, there were three categories of medical staff’s strategies: assessment, response skills, and environmental approach. Discussion: In providing information to patients, it is necessary to respond according to the patient’s intellectual state environmental factors to promote understanding. Specifically, it is effective to use patient-specific explanations, target planning, and nudges.

Evaluation of the prognostic ability of serum uric acid for elderly acute coronary syndrome patients with diabetes mellitus: a prospective cohort study / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

OBJECTIVES@#This study evaluated the prognostic power of serum uric acid (UA) in predicting adverse events in elderly acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients with diabetes mellitus (DM).@*METHODS@#The analysis involved 718 ACS patients ‍>80 years old whose general clinical data and baseline blood biochemical indicators were collected prospectively from January 2006 to December 2012. These patients were classified into two groups based on DM status, and then followed up after discharge. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for major adverse cardiac event (MACE) rates and all-cause mortality. Multivariate Cox regression was performed to analyze the relationship between UA level and long-term clinical prognosis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were analyzed to predict the cutoff value of UA in elderly ACS patients with DM. There were 242 and 476 patients in the DM and non-DM (NDM) groups, respectively, and the follow-up time after discharge was 40‒120 months (median, 63 months; interquartile range, 51‒74 months).@*RESULTS@#The all-cause mortality, cardiac mortality, and MACE rates in both DM and NDM patients were higher than those in the control group (@*CONCLUSIONS@#Serum UA level is a strong independent predictor of long-term all-cause death and MACE in elderly ACS patients with DM.