Risk factors for delayed bleeding after intestinal polypectomy in children / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To investigate the clinical characteristics and risk factors of delayed bleeding after intestinal polypectomy in children, and to provide a theoretical basis for clinical surgical intervention of intestinal polyps.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 2 456 children with intestinal polyps who underwent endoscopic high-frequency electrocoagulation loop resection in the Endoscopy Center of Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from January 2014 to December 2021. According to the presence or absence of delayed bleeding after surgery, they were divided into bleeding group with 79 children and non-bleeding group with 2 377 children. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the risk factors for delayed bleeding. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to investigate the value of various indicators in predicting delayed bleeding.@*RESULTS@#Of all 2 456 children, 79 (3.22%) experienced delayed bleeding, among whom 5 children with severe delayed bleeding underwent emergency colonoscopy for hemostasis and 74 received conservative treatment, and successful hemostasis was achieved for all children. There were significant differences between the bleeding and non-bleeding groups in age, body mass index, constipation rate, location of lesion, time of endoscopic procedure, resection method (P<0.05). Children with a diameter of polyps of 6-10 mm and >20 mm were more likely to develop delayed bleeding after resection (P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that endoscopic operation time, polyp diameter, and resection method were significantly associated with delayed bleeding (P<0.05). The ROC curve analysis showed that the endoscopic operation time, polyp diameter, and resection method had a good value in predicting delayed bleeding after intestinal polypectomy, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.706, 0.688, and 0.627, respectively.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Endoscopic high-frequency electrocoagulation loop resection has a lower incidence of delayed bleeding in children with intestinal polyps, and the endoscopic operation time, polyp diameter, and resection method are closely associated with the occurrence of postoperative delayed bleeding.

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of small molecule inhibitors of cathepsin L / 药学学报

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute infectious disease caused by the new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, which has led to serious worldwide economic burden. Due to the continuous emergence of variants, vaccines and monoclonal antibodies are only partial effective against infections caused by distinct strains of SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, it is still of great importance to call for the development of broad-spectrum and effective small molecule drugs to combat both current and future outbreaks triggered by SARS-CoV-2. Cathepsin L (CatL) cleaves the spike glycoprotein (S) of SARS-CoV-2, playing an indispensable role in enhancing virus entry into host cells. Therefore CatL is one of the ideal targets for the development of pan-coronavirus inhibitor-based drugs. In this study, a CatL enzyme inhibitor screening model was established based on fluorescein labeled substrate. Two CatL inhibitors IMB 6290 and IMB 8014 with low cytotoxicity were obtained through high-throughput screening, the half inhibition concentrations (IC50) of which were 11.53 ± 0.68 and 1.56 ± 1.10 μmol·L-1, respectively. SDS-PAGE and cell-cell fusion experiments confirmed that the compounds inhibited the hydrolysis of S protein by CatL in a concentration-dependent manner. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) detection showed that both compounds exhibited moderate binding affinity with CatL. Molecular docking revealed the binding mode between the compound and the CatL active pocket. The pseudovirus experiment further confirmed the inhibitory effects of IMB 8014 on the S protein mediated entry process. In vitro pharmacokinetic evaluation indicated that the compounds had relatively good drug-likeness properties. Our research suggested that these two compounds have the potential to be further developed as antiviral drugs for COVID-19 treatment.

Association between index finger and ring finger length ratios and polymorphism of homeobox A11 gene locus among Ningxia college students / 解剖学报

Objective To investigate the association between the index finger and ring finger length ratio (2D ∶ 4D) and of four loci (rs6461992‚ rs6968828‚ rs7801581‚ rs17427875) polymorphism of homeobox (HOX) A11 gene among Ningxia college students. Methods Digit camera was used to collect frontal hand photos of 667 Han college students (348 males and 319 females) from Ningxia province; Image analysis software was used to mark the anatomical points and measure finger lengths of the index and ring fingers of both hands; multiplex PCR was used to detect each locus polymorphisms of HOXA11 gene; statistical software was used to compare and analyze the differences and associations of 2D ∶4D and gene polymorphisms between different genders. Results Among Ningxia Han college students‚ both left hand and right hand 2D ∶ 4D were significantly higher in females than those of in males (all P< 0. 05)‚ and there were no significant sex differences in right-left hand 2D ∶4D; the genotypes and allele frequencies of rs7801581 locus of HOXA11 gene differed significantly between genders (all P < 0. 05)‚ and none of the other locus polymorphisms showed any significant sex differences; only female left hand 2D ∶4D was significantly associated with rs6461992 locus genotype in the relationship between 2D ∶4D and HOXA11 polymorphisms (P<0. 05). Conclusion There were significant sex differences in 2D ∶ 4D among Han college students in Ningxia‚ and the rs6461992 locus polymorphism of HOXA11 gene may be associated with the formation of 2D ∶4D in females.

Advances in the study of ω-3 PUFA in heart failure / 中国临床药理学与治疗学

Free fatty acids, as important energy metabolism substrates for the heart, play an important role in various cardiovascular diseases; ω-3 PUFA, as an important branch of free fatty acids, has been confirmed by more and more researches to be closely related to cardiovascular diseases. Heart failure, as a common cardiovascular problem, seriously affects people's quality of life. Studies have shown that ω-3 PUFA plays a significant role in the development of heart failure. In this paper, we try to review the metabolism, pathogenesis and therapeutic significance of ω-3 PUFA in heart failure.

The application of positron emission tomography in the research and development of central nervous system drugs / 中国临床药理学与治疗学

Positron emission tomography (PET) now plays an important role in the research and development (R&D) of central nervous system (CNS) drugs. PET could characterize the biodistribution, pharmacokinetics, and receptor binding of CNS drugs quantitatively. The present review summarized the quantitative methods of PET used in the pharmacokinetics and receptor occupancy analysis of CNS drugs. Moreover, the present review listed various applications of PET supporting R&D of CNS drugs, which could provide a new direction for the R&D of CNS drugs.

Function of Cortactin/N-cadherin signal axis in pathological myocardial hypertrophy / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the regulatory effect of Cortaetin on pathological myocardial hypertrophy induced by isoprenaline (ISO) and the underlying mechanism. Methods ISO was used to stimulate neonatal rat cardiomyocytes for 24 h, and myocardial hypertrophy model was established at the cellular level. C57BL/6 mice were injected subcutaneously with ISO for one week to establish myocardial hypertrophy model at animal level. RT-qPCR was used to detect the changes of mRNA and Western blot was used to detect the changes of relative protein content. Immunofluorescence was used to measure the subcellular location of Cortaetin and the change of its expression. The overex-pression of Cortaetin by adenovirus infection and the knockdown of Cortaetin by transfection of small interfering RNA were studied. Results On the cellular and animal levels, ISO-induced myocardial hypertrophy models were successfully established, and it was observed that ISO caused the decrease of Cortaetin and N-cadherin protein levels. Overexpression of Cortaetin could reverse the decrease of N-cadherin protein level and myocardial hypertrophy caused by ISO. Knockdown of Cortaetin showed the opposite effect. Conclusion Cortaetin, in combination with N-cadherin, may play a role in combating myocardial hypertrophy by enhancing the connections between cardiomyocytes.

Mechanism of ellagic acid improving cognitive dysfunction in APP/PS double transgenic mice based on PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β signaling pathway / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the effect of ellagic acid (EA) on cognitive function in APP/PS 1 double- transgenic mice, and to explore the regulatory mechanism of ellagic acid on the level of oxidative stress in the hippocampus of double-transgenic mice based on the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/glycogen synthase kinase-3 (PI3K/AKT/GSK-3 β) signaling pathway. Methods Thirty-two SPF-grade 6-month-old APP/PS 1 double transgenic mice were randomly divided into four groups, namely, APP/PS 1 group, APP/PS1 + EA group, APP/PS1 + LY294002 group, APP/PS 1 + EA + LY294002 group, with eight mice in each group, and eight SPF-grade C57BL/6J wild type mice ( Wild type) were selected as the blank control group. The APP/PS 1 + EA group was given 50 mg · kg

A Study on the Cultivation Path of Professional Spirit of Medical Students into Ideological and Political Courses in Post-epidemic Era / 中国医学伦理学

In the post-epidemic era, medical workers have more responsibilities and the medical environment is becoming increasingly complex, so more exquisite medical technology and higher-level professionalism are needed. In the post-epidemic era, medical students’ cognition of the value of life itself, their reflection on the ethical relationship between life individuals and their understanding of the ethical relationship between freedom and responsibility make it more significance to strengthen the cultivation of professional spirit. The ideological and political course is the key course to implement the fundamental task of cultivating people with virtue. Integrating the professional principle education of "Life is the highest", highlighting the philosophical thinking education and strengthening the great anti-epidemic spirit education in the ideological and political course is an effective way to cultivate the professionalism of medical students in the post-epidemic era.

The Construction and Improvement of the Protection System for the Rights and Interests of Human Subjects in Trial Institutions from the Ethical Perspective: Taking a Hospital in Anhui Province as an Example / 中国医学伦理学

This paper took a hospital in Anhui province as an example, aimed at the problems existing in the protection of human subjects’ rights and interests in China, and put forward relevant suggestions from the ethical perspective. The suggestions included shaping the international vision, playing the core role of ethics committee, strengthening the construction of legal and regulatory protection mechanism, setting up the human research protection committee and actively promoting the construction of subject protection system. These measures will effectively promote the construction and improvement of the rights and interests protection system of human subjects in China.

Humanistic Care for the Prevention of Perioperative Hypothermia in the Elderly / 中国医学伦理学

The intervention and prevention of perioperative hypothermia is not only reflected in the technical level, but also reveals the important role of humanistic care in the whole intervention work. If perioperative patients have hypothermia, it is likely to cause a series of complications such as postoperative shivering, which seriously threatens the life safety of patients. Prevention and intervention was based on a comprehensive understanding of the causes and hazards of hypothermia, especially the impact on the lives of the elderly. Effective supervision was implemented in the whole process of operation, such as dynamic monitoring of vital signs including body temperature, followed by room temperature regulation, body temperature protection and preoperative and postoperative psychological nursing. At this time, the sense of responsibility, good humanistic care of medical staff are of positive significance to effectively prevent and reduce the probability of perioperative hypothermia and accelerate the postoperative rehabilitation of patients.

Research on the Path of Integrating the Life View of "Human Life is Most Important" in Traditional Chinese Medicine into Medical Ethics Education for Medical Students / 中国医学伦理学

The life view of "human life is the most important" in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) originates from the people-oriented theory of Chinese traditional culture, the benevolence thought of Confucianism, the rebirth thought of Taoism and the compassion thought of Buddhism. Taking the life view of "human life is the most important" as the starting point, it has formed medical ethics thoughts such as the social responsibility of saving the world, the medical practice purpose of treating all patients equally, the meticulous working attitude, the diligent and tireless learning attitude, and the exploration spirit of widely exploring the medical roots, which still has important educational significance. Therefore, the life view of "human life is the most important" should be integrated into the medical ethics education of medical students, and the medical ethics literacy of medical students should be improved through the following ways: strengthen the vocational ideal education of saving the dying and healing the wounded, and enhance the sense of social responsibility of medical students; consolidate the theme of life first classroom education and improve the professional identity of medical students; enrich and innovate the practice forms of protecting life, pay attention to the practicality of medical ethics education.

Research on the Significance and Path of Standardizing Patients’ Obligations from the Perspective of Building the Community of Doctor-patient / 中国医学伦理学

One of the crux of the problem of doctor-patient relationship is the uneven division of rights and obligations between doctors and patients. Among them, it is significantly essential to emphasize the patient’s obligation as a weak point. The reasons cover many aspects. On the one hand, it is of great significance to standardize patient obligations: the definition of patients’ obligations is better health protection for patients; the emphasis on patients’ obligations is the moral support for doctors’ responsibilities; the fulfillment of patients’ obligations promotes the win-win interests of doctors and patients. On the other hand, the current situation of standardizing patients’ obligations is not optimistic: the provisions of patients’ obligations in existing laws and regulations are not ideal; the current ethical discussion on patient obligations also needs to be deepened. Therefore, in order to standardize patients’ obligations, build harmonious doctor-patient relationship and build a community of doctor-patient, this paper put forward specific suggestions from three aspects: improving laws and regulations, standardizing the management of medical institutions and enhancing patients’ literacy.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity and their associations with sleep duration among primary and secondary school students in Gansu Province / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To investigate the prevalence of overweight/obesity and its associations with sleep duration among children and adolescents aged 6-17 in Gansu Province, so as to formulate tailored prevention and control strategies and intervention measures.@*Methods@#Using a multi stage stratified cluster random sampling method, a questionnaire survey and physical examination were conducted among 2 172 students aged 6-17 from 2 monitoring points in Gansu Province from May to July 2022. Using Chi square test to analyze the inter group differences in the detection rates of overweight and obesity and the composition of sleep duration, and using Logistic regression model to analyze the correlation between overweight and obesity and sleep duration.@*Results@#The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 10.45% and 6.86%, respectively. The average sleep duration was ( 8.28 ±1.66)h/d. The detection rate of overweight was high among high school students aged 16-17 and those with sleep duration<8 h/d ( χ 2=12.51, 19.32, 14.96), while the detection rate of obesity was high among male and non residential students ( χ 2= 5.89 , 9.59)( P ＜0.05). For both boys and girls, the rates of overweight and obesity among primary school students increased with the decrease in sleep duration ( χ 2=38.84, 9.80, 19.61, 41.60, P <0.05). The rates of obesity in boys were higher than girls across varying sleep durations among the general population (sleep duration <8 h/d: 6.07%, 11.11%, 8~<9 h/d: 5.76%, 6.09 %, 9~<10 h/d: 6.02%, 8.19 %, ≥10 h/d: 4.04%, 6.90%). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that insufficient sleep duration among primary school students was positively associated with the risk of overweight and obesity, and adequate sleep duration among high school students was negatively associated with the risk of overweight and obesity (sleep duration 8~<9 h/d: OR primary school students = 1.89 , 9~< 10 h/d: OR primary school students =1.54, 8~<9 h/d: OR high school students =0.30, P <0.05).@*Conclusions@#Insufficient sleep is a risk factor for overweight and obesity among primary and secondary school students at monitoring sites in Gansu Province. Prevention strategies and interventions should be developed for different populations to ensure adequate sleep duration and reduce the risk of overweight and obesity among primary and secondary school students.

Reduced expression of semaphorin 3A in osteoclasts causes lymphatic expansion in a Gorham-Stout disease (GSD) mouse model / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

Gorham-Stout disease (GSD) is a sporadic chronic disease characterized by progressive bone dissolution, absorption, and disappearance along with lymphatic vessel infiltration in bone-marrow cavities. Although the osteolytic mechanism of GSD has been widely studied, the cause of lymphatic hyperplasia in GSD is rarely investigated. In this study, by comparing the RNA expression profile of osteoclasts (OCs) with that of OC precursors (OCPs) by RNA sequencing, we identified a new factor, semaphorin 3A (Sema3A), which is an osteoprotective factor involved in the lymphatic expansion of GSD. Compared to OCPs, OCs enhanced the growth, migration, and tube formation of lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs), in which the expression of Sema3A is low compared to that in OCPs. In the presence of recombinant Sema3A, the growth, migration, and tube formation of LECs were inhibited, further confirming the inhibitory effect of Sema3A on LECs in vitro. Using an LEC-induced GSD mouse model, the effect of Sema3A was examined by injecting lentivirus-expressing Sema3A into the tibiae in vivo. We found that the overexpression of Sema3A in tibiae suppressed the expansion of LECs and alleviated bone loss, whereas the injection of lentivirus expressing Sema3A short hairpin RNA (shRNA) into the tibiae caused GSD-like phenotypes. Histological staining further demonstrated that OCs decreased and osteocalcin increased after Sema3A lentiviral treatment, compared with the control. Based on the above results, we propose that reduced Sema3A in OCs is one of the mechanisms contributing to the pathogeneses of GSD and that expressing Sema3A represents a new approach for the treatment of GSD.

Artificial liver support therapy for patients with pre-liver failure / 临床肝胆病杂志

Liver failure is a common clinical syndrome of severe liver disease with rapid progression and high mortality. Therefore， early intervention in pre-liver failure or “golden window” is of great significance in improving the prognosis of patients. Hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure and alcohol-related acute-on-chronic liver failure are the main topics of studies on pre-liver failure. This article discusses the pathogenesis of pre-liver failure and artificial liver support therapy， so as to guide the reasonable and affective applications of artificial liver technology in clinical practice， promote related studies， and thereby reduce the mortality rate of patients with liver failure.

A case-crossover study on the impact of air pollution on the number of pediatric respiratory outpatient and emergency visits in a hospital in Shanghai / 公共卫生与预防医学

Objective To investigate the correlation between the concentration of air pollutants (PM10, SO2, NO2) and the number of outpatient and emergency visits for pediatric respiratory diseases in a general hospital in Shanghai. Methods Data including pediatric respiratory disease outpatient and emergency visits in a hospital in Pudong New Area of Shanghai from May 1, 2013 to March 20, 2022 were collected. Daily concentration of air pollutants including PM10, SO2 and NO2 and meteorological data in Pudong New Area during the same period were collected. A case-crossover study with distributed lag non-linear model was conducted to explore the correlation between air pollutants (PM10, SO2, NO2) and the number of outpatient and emergency visits for pediatric respiratory diseases. Results The concentrations of PM10, SO2 and NO2 were positively with the number of outpatient and emergency visits for pediatric respiratory diseases. The strongest cumulative effect was observed on six days lag (Lag0-5) for PM10. For a 10 μg/m3 increase of the concentrations of PM10, the corresponding increase of cumulative pediatric respiratory disease outpatients was 1.10% (95%CI:0.97%, 1.23%) in Lag0-5. The strongest cumulative effect was observed on eight days lag (Lag0-7) for SO2 and NO2. For a 10 μg /m3 increase of the concentrations of SO2 and NO2, the corresponding increase of cumulative pediatric respiratory disease outpatients was 5.64% (95%CI:5.16%, 6.13%) and 5.41% (95%CI:5.15%, 5.66%) in Lag 0-7, respectively. The association of PM10 and SO2 with the number of pediatric respiratory disease visits in males was significantly stronger than that in females. The impact of PM10 on the number of pediatric respiratory disease visits in children aged 0-6 was higher than that in children aged 7-14, while the impact of SO2 and NO2 on the number of pediatric respiratory disease visits in children aged 7-14 was higher than that in children aged 0-6. Conclusion The concentration of ambient PM10, SO2, and NO2 is positively correlated with outpatient and emergency visits for pediatric respiratory diseases, with obvious lag and cumulative effect. Boys and children aged 0-6 are more susceptible to the hazard of air pollution.

A new pyrazine from Hypecoum erectum L / 药学学报

Four pyrazines were isolated from the n-butanol fraction of Hypecoum erectum L. by using various chromatographic methods, including MCI gel, ODS, silica gel and semi-preparative HPLC. The structures of the isolated compounds were identified as hyperectpyrazin A (1), 1′S-(6-methylpyrazin-2-yl)-ethane-1′,2′-diol (2), 2-hydroxymethyl-6-methylpyrazin (3) and pyrazine-2-carboxylic acid (4) by spectroscopy methods (1D NMR, 2D NMR, UV, IR, MS, etc.). The absolute configuration of compound 2 was determined by using the Mo2(OAc)4 induced CD analysis for the first time. Compound 1 was a new compound, compounds 2-4 were isolated from H. erectum for the first time. Compounds 1-4 were evaluated for their inhibition against acetylcholinesterase and nitric oxide generation induced by lipopolysaccharide-RAW264.7 macrophage cells. At a concentration of 50 μmol·L-1, compounds 2 and 4 displayed inhibitory effects on acetylcholinesterase with the inhibition rates of 44.40% and 43.99%, respectively.

Current situation and related factors of occupational stress of employees of a petrochemical enterprise / 环境与职业医学

Background Occupational stress has become one of the main factors affecting people's physical and mental health, and there are many sources of occupational stress in petrochemical enterprises. Objective To evaluate the current situation of occupational stress and its related factors among employees in a petrochemical enterprise, and to provide a scientific basis for reduing the risk of occupational stress among employees in petrochemical enterprises. Methods In June 2022, a cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted in a petrochemical enterprise in Hainan, including a general information questionnaire for basic information, the Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) for occupational stress, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for sleep quality. Chi-square test was used to compare differences in positive occupational stress by demographic characteristics, occupational characteristics, behavior, and occupational disease hazards. Logistic regression was employed to evaluate factors associated with occupational stress. Results Of the 1129 questionnaire distributed, a total of 999 valid questionnaire were returned,with a valid recovery rate of 88.5%. The positive rate of occupational stress among employees in the petrochemical enterprise was 29.5%. There were statistically significant differences in the positive rate of occupational stress among the employees grouped by gender, age, marital status, body mass index (BMI), monthly income, length of service, smoking, weekly working hours, type of work, working mode, sleep quality, noise exposure, and high temperature exposure (P<0.05). In terms of positive occupational stress among subcategories: workers being male (vs. female), working ＞40 h per week (vs. ≤40 h per week), regular day shift (vs. shift work), smoking (vs. not smoking), with exposure to noise and heat (vs. without such exposure), and having poor sleep quality (vs. good sleep quality) reported higher positive occupational stress rates (P＜0.05). The results of pairwise comparison showed that the positive rate of occupational stress in divorced (50.0%) or married (32.0%) workers was higher than that in single (27.1%) workers, and higher in operation workers (30.6%) than in other types of work (20.5%) (P＜0.05). The trend chi-square results showed that the positive rate of occupational stress increased linearly with the increase of age, length of service, BMI, or monthly income (P＜0.05). The results of logistic regression analysis after adjustment showed that workers who worked ＞40 h a week had a higher risk of occupational stress than those who worked ≤40 h a week, and the OR (95%CI) was 1.909 (1.135, 3.211); the workers of other types of work had a lower risk of reporting occupational stress than operation workers, and the OR (95%CI) was 0.513 (0.272, 0.968); the workers with noise exposure had a higher risk of occupational stress than the workers without, and the OR (95%CI) was 2.457 (1.070, 5.642). Conclusion The positive rate of occupational stress among employees in this petrochemical enterprise is high. Among them, operators, working hours per week＞40 h, and noise exposure may increase the incidence of occupational stress. The enterprise should actively take measures to reduce the occurrence of occupational stress among employees.

Value of serum interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α in early diagnosis of severe acute pancreatitis / 临床肝胆病杂志

Objective To investigate the value of serum cytokines in the early diagnosis of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), and to improve the accuracy of the diagnosis of SAP by establishing a mathematical model with composite indices based on LASSO algorithm. Methods A total of 130 patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) who attended Changshu First People's Hospital from January 2019 to June 2022 were enrolled, among whom there were 73 SAP patients and 57 non-SAP patients.Peripheral serum samples were collected from all patients, and Luminex xMAP liquid chip technique was used to measure 13 serum cytokines.Meanwhile, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation Ⅱ(APACHE Ⅱ), Bedside Index for Severity in Acute Pancreatitis (BISAP), and Computed Tomography Severity Index (CTSI) scores were determined for all patients.The Kolmogorov-Smirnov method was used for normality test; the independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups.Furthermore, the binary logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the effect of cytokines on SAP, and the linear regression analysis was used to investigate the correlation between cytokines and SAP severity.The partial correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between cytokines and SAP severity score after adjustment for covariates[age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and history of hypertension and diabetes].The LASSO algorithm was used to establish a mathematical model with composite indices; the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to assess the performance of serum cytokines in the clinical diagnosis of SAP, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was calculated. Results Compared with the SAP group, the non-SAP group had significantly lower APACHE Ⅱ, BISAP, CTSI, and modified Marshall scores (all P < 0.001).Compared with the non-SAP group, the SAP group had significantly higher levels of interferon-γ(IFN-γ), interleukin-6(IL-6), interleukin-8, and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and a significantly lower level of interleukin-12(all P < 0.05).The logistic regression analysis showed that IFN-γ(odds ratio[ OR ]=1.190, 95% confidence interval[ CI ]: 1.036-1.367, P =0.014), IL-6 ( OR =1.148, 95% CI : 1.070-1.231, P < 0.001), and TNF-α ( OR =1.100, 95% CI : 1.048-1.155, P < 0.001) were independent influencing factors for SAP.The partial correlation analysis showed that after adjustment for sex, age, BMI, and history of chronic diseases (diabetes and hypertension), the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were positively correlated with APACHE Ⅱ score in SAP patients (IL-6: r =0.503, P < 0.001;TNF-α: r =0.557, P < 0.001).The linear regression analysis showed that the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were associated with APACHE Ⅱ score in SAP patients (IL-6: β =0.049, P =0.044;TNF-α: β =0.054, P =0.046), and there was an interaction between IL-6 and TNF-α, which affected APACHE Ⅱ score.The ROC curve analysis showed that the risk score based on IL-6 and TNF-α using LASSO algorithm had the largest AUC of 0.925 in distinguishing SAP from non-SAP, while IL-6 or TNF-α alone had an AUC of 0.885 and 0.878, respectively.The partial correlation analysis showed that after adjustment for sex, age, BMI, and history of chronic diseases (diabetes and hypertension), the risk score was positively correlated with APACHE Ⅱ score in SAP patients ( r =0.565, P < 0.001). Conclusion The serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α can reflect the severity of AP.The risk score combining serum IL-6 and TNF-α can significantly improve the accuracy of the early diagnosis of SAP, which has an important clinical value in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of SAP.

Clinical features of idiopathic non-cirrhotic portal hypertension: An analysis of 74 patients / 临床肝胆病杂志

Objective Idiopathic non-cirrhotic portal hypertension (INCPH) is a rare cause of portal hypertension, and this study aims to analyze the clinical features of patients with INCPH, and to assist in diagnosis and differential diagnosis. Methods A total of 74 patients who were hospitalized in Beijing YouAn Hospital from January 2019 to July 2022 and were diagnosed with INCPH were enrolled, and 332 patients with liver cirrhosis who were hospitalized during the same period of time were enrolled as control group. Demographic data, laboratory markers, gastroscopy, liver elasticity, pathological examination, and complications were recorded and compared between the two groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to investigate the ability of liver stiffness measurement (LSM), aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), and fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) in the differential diagnosis of INCPH, and the DeLong test was used to compare the area under the ROC curve (AUC). The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Results Among the patients with INCPH, 46.55% had no obvious symptoms at disease onset and 43.24% were misdiagnosed with liver cirrhosis. Compared with the patients with liver cirrhosis, the patients with INCPH had a significantly higher proportion of patients with gastrointestinal bleeding (62.16% vs 41.27%, χ 2 =10.67, P < 0.01) and a significantly lower proportion of patients with moderate-to-severe ascites (16.21% vs 29.82%, χ 2 =34.98, P < 0.01), and there were few patients with hepatic encephalopathy. As for pathology, 89.19% (66/74) of the INCPH patients manifested as typical occlusive portal vein disease. The statistical analysis showed that compared with the patients with liver cirrhosis, the patients with INCPH had significantly better liver function parameters, MELD score, and Child-Pugh score and significantly lower LSM [9.05(7.18-12.33) vs 25.32(16.21-47.23), Z =-8.41, P < 0.01], APRI score [0.70(0.41-1.28) vs 1.35(0.80-2.39), Z =-6.21, P < 0.01], and FIB-4 index [2.99(1.62-4.81) vs 6.68(4.06-10.42), Z =-8.39, P < 0.01]. LSM, FIB-4, and APRI had a good ability in differentiating INCPH from liver cirrhosis, and in particular, LSM had an AUC of up to 0.92 (95% confidence interval: 0.87-0.96), with a sensitivity of 92.68% and a specificity of 81.60%. Conclusion INCPH patients tend to have an insidious onset, a relatively high incidence rate of portal hypertension-related complications, and relatively good liver function, especially the patients with LSM < 14.5 kPa. The possibility of INCPH should be considered for such patients in clinical practice.