Effects of Acute Ingestion of Caffeine Capsules on Muscle Strength and Muscle Endurance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This study aimed to explore the effects of acute ingestion of caffeine capsules on muscle strength and muscle endurance. We searched the PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, Scopus, and EBSCO databases. Data were pooled using the weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval. Fourteen studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The acute ingestion of caffeine capsules significantly improved muscle strength (WMD, 7.09, p < 0.00001) and muscle endurance (WMD, 1.37; p < 0.00001), especially in males (muscle strength, WMD, 7.59, p < 0.00001; muscle endurance, WMD, 1.40, p < 0.00001). Subgroup analyses showed that ≥ 6 mg/kg body weight of caffeine (WMD, 6.35, p < 0.00001) and ingesting caffeine 45 min pre-exercise (WMD, 8.61, p < 0.00001) were more effective in improving muscle strength, with the acute ingestion of caffeine capsules having a greater effect on lower body muscle strength (WMD, 10.19, p < 0.00001). In addition, the acute ingestion of caffeine capsules had a greater effect in moderate-intensity muscle endurance tests (WMD, 1.76, p < 0.00001). An acute ingestion of caffeine capsules significantly improved muscle strength and muscle endurance in the upper body and lower body of males.

Comparison of the Measurement Properties of EQ-5D-5L and SF-6Dv2 in COVID-19 Patients in China.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There are limited studies comparing the health utility values of EQ-5D-5L and SF-6Dv2 within the same patient cohorts. The widespread transmission and recurring infections associated with Omicron variants amid the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in substantial health detriments and increased utilisation of health care resources. This highlights the crucial need to assess the loss in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Therefore, this study aims to compare the ceiling and floor effects, agreement, correlation and responsiveness between EQ-5D-5L and SF-6Dv2 based on COVID-19 patients during the Omicron outbreak in China. METHODS: We recruited 694 COVID-19 patients across mainland China to participant in an online questionnaire survey from January to February 2023. The questionnaire encompassed queries concerning the sociodemographic and health details of the participants, who were requested to recollect their health status during and after experiencing COVID-19 using the EQ-5D-5L and SF-6Dv2 questionnaires. Epanechnikov kernel density plots were used to visualise the ceiling and floor effects for both instruments. Agreement was assessed by Bland-Altman graph and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Correlation was evaluated using linear regression, Pearson's correlation and Spearman's correlation. The standardised response mean (SRM) and relative efficiency (RE) were used to examine the responsiveness of EQ-5D-5L and SF-6Dv2 at detecting the health improvement after COVID-19 infection and the difference in dichotomous health indicators. RESULTS: In total, 648 valid responses from patients aged 35.6 ± 15.0 years were involved in analysis. The EQ-5D-5L utility indices were 0.58 ± 0.33 and 0.92 ± 0.14 during and after COVID-19 infection, respectively, which were significantly higher than indices of the SF-6Dv2 utility (0.43 ± 0.31 and 0.81 ± 0.19, p < 0.001). A ceiling effect of EQ-5D-5L larger than that of SF-6Dv2 was observed during COVID-19 infection (49.5% vs 21.6%). Intraclass correlation coefficients between EQ-5D-5L and SF-6Dv2 during and after COVID-19 infection were 0.69 and 0.55, respectively. The utility indices of EQ-5D-5L and SF-6Dv2 were highly correlated, with Pearson's correlation coefficients of 0.76 and 0.70 (p < 0.001) during and after COVID-19 infection, respectively. The spearman's correlations were moderate to high between dimensions of EQ-5D-5L and SF-6Dv2 (p < 0.01). Both EQ-5D-5L and SF-6Dv2 were responsive to detect health improvement after COVID-19 and the differences in dichotomous health indicators. CONCLUSIONS: The utility indices generated by EQ-5D-5L and SF-6Dv2 in COVID-19 patients demonstrate strong correlation and responsiveness. However, the agreement between these two instruments does not reach a satisfactory level. Consequently, these two measures cannot be used interchangeably. In situations where apprehensions about ceiling effects affecting outcome measurement arise, it is advisable to consider SF-6Dv2 as a preferable outcome measure for studies on patients with COVID-19.

Neurosteroids: A potential target for neuropsychiatric disorders.

Neurosteroids are steroids produced by endocrine glands and subsequently entering the brain, and also include steroids synthesis in the brain. It has been widely known that neurosteroids influence many neurological functions, including neuronal signaling, synaptic adaptations, and neuroprotective effects. In addition, abnormality in the synthesis and function of neurosteroids has been closely linked to neuropsychiatric disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), schizophrenia (SZ), and epilepsy. Given their important role in brain pathophysiology and disorders, neurosteroids offer potential therapeutic targets for a variety of neuropsychiatric diseases, and that therapeutic strategies targeting neurosteroids probably exert beneficial effects. We therefore summarized the role of neurosteroids in brain physiology and neuropsychiatric disorders, and introduced the recent findings of synthetic neurosteroid analogues for potential treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders, thereby providing insights for further research in the future.

Does Physical Activity Affect Clinical Symptoms and the Quality of Life of Mild-Infected Individuals with COVID-19 in China? A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have identified the links between physical activity (PA), clinical symptoms, and the quality of life (QoL) among mildly infected individuals with COVID-19. This cross-sectional study aims to evaluate how PA levels before infections affect the infectious symptoms and the QoL in mildly infected patients with COVID-19. METHODS: An online questionnaire link including participants' sociodemographic and anthropometric characteristics, clinical symptoms during the COVID-19 infectious period, the QoL of the worst symptomatic day, and PA in the last seven days before COVID-19 infections was disclosed. Logistic regression and multiple linear regression analyses were applied to assess the relationships between PA levels in the last seven days before infections and COVID-19-related outcomes. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Compared to the low-PA-level group, the moderate-PA-level group presented a higher risk of headaches (OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.03 to 1.75, and p = 0.03) and the high-PA-level group presented a higher risk of muscle/body aches (OR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.04 to 1.93, and p = 0.03). The adjusted linear regression analysis showed that no associations were found between PA levels in the last seven days before infections and the QoL index value on the worst symptomatic day (moderate-PA-level group: ß = -0.04, and p = 0.08; high-PA-level group: ß = -0.04, and p = 0.17). However, for the mobility and usual activities dimensions of EQ-5D-5L, the lower-PA-level group had a lower burden of QoL than the higher-PA-level group did on the worst-symptomatic day. CONCLUSIONS: Among mildly infected patients with COVID-19, a higher PA level is associated with a higher risk of experiencing clinical symptoms and a lower QoL.

Factors influencing adherence to lifestyle prescriptions among patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A qualitative study using the health action process approach framework.

Background and objective: Lifestyle modifications aimed at weight loss have been introduced as a cornerstone of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) management. However, very few patients follow the doctor's prescription to change their lifestyle to achieve weight loss in the real world. The purpose of this study was to use the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) model to examine the factors that affect adherence to lifestyle prescriptions among patients with NAFLD. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients with NAFLD. Reflexive thematic analysis and framework analysis were used to determine naturally identified themes and allocate them to theoretically driven domains. Results: Thirty adult patients with NAFLD were interviewed, and the identified themes were mapped directly onto the constructs of the HAPA model. This study revealed that key barriers to adhering to lifestyle prescriptions are related to the coping strategy and outcome expectation constructs of the HAPA model. For physical activity, conditional limits, lack of time, symptoms such as fatigue and poor physical fitness, and fear of sports injury are the primary barriers. Barriers to diet are mainly diet environment, mental stress, and food cravings. Key facilitators for adherence to lifestyle prescriptions include developing simple and specific action plans, coping strategies to flexibly deal with obstacles and difficulties, receiving regular feedback from doctors to improve self-efficacy, and using regular tests and behavior recording to enhance action control. Conclusions: Future lifestyle intervention programs should pay particular attention to the planning, self-efficacy, and action control-related constructors of the HAPA model to promote the adherence of patients with NAFLD to lifestyle prescriptions.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of vaccination against COVID-19 in China.

Introduction: Since September 2020, Chinese populations aged > 3 years have been encouraged to receive a two-dose inoculation with vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the current vaccination strategy amongst the general population in mainland China from a societal perspective. Methods: In this study, we construct a decision tree with Markov models to compare the economic and health consequences of the current vaccination strategy versus a no-vaccination scenario, over a time horizon of one year and an annual discount rate of 5%. Transition probabilities, health utilities, healthcare costs, and productivity losses are estimated from literature. Outcome measures include infection rates, death rates, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and costs. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) is then calculated to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the current vaccination strategy, and both one-way deterministic sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) are applied to assess the impact of uncertainties on results. Results: Our simulation indicates that compared with a no-vaccination scenario, vaccination amongst the general population in mainland China would reduce the infection rate from 100% to 45.3% and decrease the death rate from 6.8% to 3.1%. Consequently, the strategy will lead to a saving of 37,664.77 CNY (US$5,256.70) and a gain of 0.50 QALYs per person per year on average (lifetime QALY and productivity loss due to immature death are included). The cost-saving for each QALY gain is 74,895.69 CNY (US$10,452.85). Result of the PSA indicates that vaccination is the dominating strategy with a probability of 97.9%, and the strategy is cost-effective with a probability of 98.5% when the willingness-to-pay (WTP) is 72,000 CNY (US$10,048.71) per QALY. Conclusion: Compared with a no-vaccination scenario, vaccination among the general population in mainland China is the dominating strategy from a societal perspective. The conclusion is considered robust in the sensitivity analyses.

Etomidate elicits anti-tumor capacity by disrupting the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading malignancy of the digestive system, especially in China. Although radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and transarterial chemoembolization have achieved tremendous success, surgical resection remains the primary treatment for HCC patients. Recent studies have shown that intravenous anesthetic drugs may affect the malignant behaviors of tumor cells, ultimately leading to differences in the postoperative prognosis of patients. Etomidate is one of the most widely used intravenous anesthetic drugs for the induction and maintenance of anesthesia in tumor patients undergoing surgery. However, the effects and underlying mechanisms of etomidate on HCC cells have not yet been characterized. Our study indicated that etomidate significantly impedes the malignant progression of HCC cells. Mechanistically, etomidate inhibits phosphorylation and, ultimately, the activity of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) by competing with ATP for binding to the ATP-binding pocket of JAK2. Thus, it suppresses the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in HCC cells to exert its anti-tumor efficacy. Herein, we provide preclinical evidence that etomidate is the optimal choice for surgical treatment of HCC patients.

Modeling the effects of vaccination, nucleic acid testing, and face mask wearing interventions against COVID-19 in large sports events.

The transmission of SARS-CoV-2 leads to devastating COVID-19 infections around the world, which has affected both human health and the development of industries dependent on social gatherings. Sports events are one of the subgroups facing great challenges. The uncertainty of COVID-19 transmission in large-scale sports events is a great barrier to decision-making with regard to reopening auditoriums. Policymakers and health experts are trying to figure out better policies to balance audience experiences and COVID-19 infection control. In this study, we employed the generalized SEIR model in conjunction with the Wells-Riley model to estimate the effects of vaccination, nucleic acid testing, and face mask wearing on audience infection control during the 2021 Chinese Football Association Super League from 20 April to 5 August. The generalized SEIR modeling showed that if the general population were vaccinated by inactive vaccines at an efficiency of 0.78, the total number of infectious people during this time period would decrease from 43,455 to 6,417. We assumed that the general population had the same odds ratio of entering the sports stadiums and becoming the audience. Their infection probabilities in the stadium were further estimated by the Wells-Riley model. The results showed that if all of the 30,000 seats in the stadium were filled by the audience, 371 audience members would have become infected during the 116 football games in the 2021 season. The independent use of vaccination and nucleic acid testing would have decreased this number to 79 and 118, respectively. The combined use of nucleic acid testing and vaccination or face mask wearing would have decreased this number to 14 and 34, respectively. The combined use of all three strategies could have further decreased this number to 0. According to the modeling results, policymakers can consider the combined use of vaccination, nucleic acid testing, and face mask wearing to protect audiences from infection when holding sports events, which could create a balance between audience experiences and COVID-19 infection control.

The Relationship between Health-Related Fitness and Quality of Life in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

BACKGROUND: It is well known that patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) suffer from impaired quality of life (QoL) and decreased health-related fitness. Studies on the relationship between them have been scarce. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was performed in 104 NAFLD patients. Liver fat content and fibrosis were assessed using transient elastography. Health-related fitness was measured by fitness test. VO2max was determined by YMCA submaximal cycle ergometer test. Body composition was tested by bioimpedance analysis. QoL was evaluated using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36). RESULTS: Most patients had severe liver steatosis without significant fibrosis. Most of them exhibited poor health-related fitness. Multiple linear regression analyses demonstrated that body compositions (waist circumference, hip circumference, percent body fat, percent skeletal muscle, visceral fat area) dependently contributed to QoL (health transition, role limitation due to physical problem, general health, physical functioning and vitality). VO2max was positively related with physical functioning. CONCLUSION: For NAFLD patients, decreased health-related fitness was associated with impaired QoL both in the physical and mental dimension. Our results indicate that visceral fat together with muscle mass and VO2max could serve as individual exercise intervention targets to improve QoL.

Effects of different exercise types on visceral fat in young individuals with obesity aged 6-24 years old: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: The prevalence of pediatric obesity remains high all over the world. Various exercise interventions have been applied to decrease the visceral fat in young individuals with obesity. But the evidence remains controversial on the effect of the exercise on visceral fat. Moreover, it is unclear which type of the exercise is the most effective for young individuals with overweight or obesity to reduce visceral fat. Objective: The objective of this review and meta-analysis is to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of different exercise interventions on visceral fat in young individuals with overweight or obesity. Methods: Four databases consisting of PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, and Cochrane Library were searched prior to May 2022. Fifteen studies with a total of 30 data points involving 1,134 participants were included in this meta-analysis. And the interventions were limited to 4 exercise types [i.e., aerobic exercise (AE), resistance exercise (RE), aerobic exercise combined with resistance exercise (CE), and high-intensity interval training (HIIT)]. Data Synthesis: The results showed that AE (Standardized Mean Difference = -0.32; 95% CI = -0.50 to -0.13; p = 0.0007; I2 = 37%) and HIIT (SMD = -0.59; 95% CI = -0.87 to -0.31; p < 0.0001; I2 = 0%) had a significant reduction effect on visceral fat. And the effect of HIIT seemed better than AE. However, RE (SMD = -0.58; 95% CI = -1.34 to 0.17; p = 0.13; I2 = 76%) and CE (SMD = -0.21; 95% CI = -0.81 to 0.38; p = 0.48; I2 = 63%) had a non-significant effect on visceral fat decline. Additionally, compared with the control group, exercise interventions had a significant effect on reducing visceral fat in adolescents (SMD = -0.54; 95% CI = -0.82 to -0.26; p = 0.0001; I2 = 64%) and young adults (SMD = -0.42; 95% CI = -0.69 to -0.15; p = 0.003; I2 = 0%) rather than children (SMD = -0.15; 95% CI = -0.32 to 0.02; p = 0.08; I2 = 0%). And the gender-based subgroup analysis indicated that the effectiveness of the exercise on the reduction of visceral fat was more significant in males (SMD = -1.27; 95% CI = -1.67 to -0.87; p < 0.00001; I2 = 0%) than that in females (SMD = -0.31; 95% CI = -0.48 to -0.14; p = 0.0004; I2 = 0%). Conclusion: This review and meta-analysis demonstrates that exercise interventions are efficient to decrease visceral fat in adolescents (12-18 years old) and young adults (18-24 years old). Among different exercise types, AE and HIIT are helpful for young individuals with overweight or obesity to reduce visceral fat and HIIT appears to be the most effective exercise intervention. In addition, the effect of exercise interventions on the consumption of visceral fat is more significant in males than that in females. Systematic Review Registration: [http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO], identifier [CRD42022310878].

Athlete students lead a healthier life than their non-athlete peers: A cross-sectional study of health behaviors, depression, and perceived health status among university students.

Some studies show that athlete students are more likely to engage in health-risk behaviors with negative health consequences, while others suggest that they lead a healthier life than their non-athlete peers. Given these inconsistent results, this study aims to compare health behaviors, depression, and perceived health status between athlete and non-athlete students, and explore the associations between health behaviors and health outcomes. An online questionnaire survey including Heath Habits Scale for five health-risk behaviors and five health-promoting behaviors, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and 5-point scale for perceived health status was conducted in Beijing Sports University in March 2021. Data from 372 athlete students and 252 non-athlete students aging from 18 to 22 were included in this study. Chi-squared tests and t-tests were used to determine differences between athlete and non-athlete samples, and logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations of health behaviors with depression and perceived health status. The significance level was p < 0.05. The results show that compared with non-athlete students, athlete students perform better in health habits (10.01 vs. 8.27), report lower proportion of depression (44.6% vs. 54.4%) and higher proportion of good health (77.2% vs. 55.6%). Health behaviors, such as getting adequate sleeping, participating in vigorous physical activity, overeating, and smoking, were significantly associated with health outcomes of athlete students. The findings may contribute to the better understanding of health behaviors in athlete students and warrant continued attention on mental health and health habits in this population.

MicroRNAs in Methamphetamine-Induced Neurotoxicity and Addiction.

Methamphetamine (METH) abuse remains a significant public health concern globally owing to its strong addictive properties. Prolonged abuse of the drug causes irreversible damage to the central nervous system. To date, no efficient pharmacological interventions are available, primarily due to the unclear mechanisms underlying METH action in the brain. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified to play critical roles in various cellular processes. The expression levels of some miRNAs are altered after METH administration, which may influence the transcription of target genes to regulate METH toxicity or addiction. This review summarizes the miRNAs in the context of METH use, discussing their role in the reward effect and neurotoxic sequelae. Better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in METH would be helpful for the development of new therapeutic strategies in reducing the harm of the drug.

Comorbidity combinations in schizophrenia inpatients and their associations with service utilization: A medical record-based analysis using association rule mining.

BACKGROUND: Comorbidities are common among patients with schizophrenia yet the prevalence of comorbidity combinations and their associations with inpatient service utilization and readmission have been scarcely explored. METHODS: Data were extracted from discharge summaries of patients whose primary diagnosis was schizophrenia spectrum disorders (ICD-10: F20-F29). We identified 30 most frequent comorbidities in patients' secondary diagnoses and then used the association rule mining (ARM) method to derive comorbidity combinations associated with length of stay (LOS), daily expense and one-year readmission. RESULTS: The study included data from 8252 patients. The top five most common comorbidities were extrapyramidal syndrome (EPS, 44.58%), constipation (31.63%), common cold (21.80%), hyperlipidemia (20.99%) and tachycardia (19.13%). Most comorbidity combinations identified by ARM were significantly associated with longer LOS (≥70 days), few were associated with higher daily expenses, and fewer with readmission. The 3-way combination of common cold, hyperlipidemia and fatty liver had the strongest association with longer LOS (adjusted OR (aOR): 3.38, 95% CI: 2.12-5.38). The combination of EPS and mild cognitive disorder was associated with higher daily expense (≥700 RMB) (aOR: 1.67, 95% CI: 1.20-2.31). The combination of constipation, tachycardia and fatty liver were associated with higher 1-year readmission (aOR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.03-4.09). CONCLUSION: EPS, constipation, and tachycardia were among the most commonly reported comorbidities in schizophrenia patients in Beijing, China. Specific groups of comorbidities may contribute to higher inpatient psychiatric service utilization and readmission. The mechanism behind the associations and potential interventions to optimize service use warrant further investigation.

Association of Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity with Depression in Sport University Students.

BACKGROUND: Sports university students are usually expected to lead an active life and have a lower risk of depression. Therefore, there are few studies on depression and its risk factors among this population. This study aimed to investigate depression and its association with sedentary behavior and physical activity in sports university students. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among undergraduates majoring in physical education in a sports university in Beijing in March 2021. Students were asked about sociodemographic information, domain-specific sedentary behavior, physical activity, and depression (using a nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire). Chi-squared test and logistic regression were carried out to analyze the data. RESULTS: Among a total of 584 participants, the detection rate of depression was 49.1%. The median of total sedentary time was 7.29 h per day. After adjusting for covariates, recreational screen time (OR = 1.540, p = 0.035), sedentary time spent completing schoolwork (OR = 0.658, p = 0.038), and participation in vigorous physical activity everyday (OR = 0.415, p = 0.001) and a few times per week (OR = 0.423, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with depression. CONCLUSIONS: Sports university students are not immune to depression and inactive lifestyles. Excessive recreational screen time may have an adverse effect on depression, which is somewhat independent of physical activity.

Emergence agitation after intraoperative neurolytic celiac plexus block with alcohol: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Emergence agitation after general anesthesia may cause several undesirable events in the clinic during patient anesthesia recovery, and acute alcohol intoxication, while rare in surgery, is one of the risk factors. CASE PRESENTATION: A 66-year-old male patient was found to have pancreatic tail neoplasm upon computed tomography (CT) examination. The surgeon planned to resect the pancreatic tail under general anesthesia. However, the surgeon found extensive tumor metastasis in the abdominal cavity, and thus performed a neurolytic celiac plexus block (NCPB) with 40 ml 95% ethyl alcohol and finished the surgery in approximately 1 h. Twenty minutes later, the patient was extubated and developed significant emergence agitation in the postoperative care unit, characterized by restlessness, uncontrollable movements, confusion and disorientation. The patient was flushed and febrile with an alcohol smell in his breath and was unable to follow commands. Patient symptoms were suspected to be due to acute alcohol intoxication. Thus, the patient was given 40 mg of propofol intravenously. Following treatment, the patient recovered with less confusion and disorientation after approximately 10 min. After treatment with propofol twice more, he regained consciousness, was calm and cooperative, had no pain, and could obey instructions approximately 1 h and 40 min following the last treatment. Following this treatment, the patient was transferred to the inpatient ward and felt well. CONCLUSIONS: It is paramount to correctly identify the underlying cause of emergence agitation in order to successfully manage patient symptoms, since treatment plans vary between different etiological causes. Emergence agitation may be due to acute alcohol intoxication after intraoperative use of alcohol.

A sequence analysis of hospitalization patterns and service utilization in patients with major psychiatric disorders in China.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the long-term inpatient service cost and utilization of psychiatric patients may provide insight into service demand for these patients and guide the design of targeted mental health programs. This study assesses 3-year hospitalization patterns and quantifies service utilization intensity of psychiatric patients in Beijing, China. METHODS: We identified patients admitted for one of three major psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar and depressive disorders) between January 1 and December 31, 2013 in Beijing, China. Inpatient admissions during the following 3 years were extracted and analyzed using sequence analysis. Clinical characteristics, psychiatric and non-psychiatric service use of included patients were analyzed. RESULTS: The study included 3443 patients (7657 hospitalizations). The patient hospitalization sequences were grouped into 4 clusters: short stay (N = 2741 (79.61% of patients), who had 126,911 or 26.82% of the hospital days within the sample), repeated long stay (N = 404 (11.73%), 76,915 (16.26%) days), long-term stay (N = 101 (2.93%), 59,909 (12.66%) days) and permanent stay (N = 197 (5.72%), 209,402 (44.26%) days). Length and frequency of hospitalization, as well as readmission rates were significantly different across the 4 clusters. Over the 3-year period, hospitalization days per year decreased for patients in the short stay and repeated long stay clusters. Patients with schizophrenia (1705 (49.52%)) had 78.4% of cumulative psychiatric stays, with 11.14% of them in the permanent stay cluster. Among patients with depression, 23.11% had non-psychiatric hospitalizations, and on average 46.65% of their total inpatient expenses were for non-psychiatric care, the highest among three diagnostic groups. CONCLUSION: Hospitalization patterns varied significantly among psychiatric patients and across diagnostic categories. The high psychiatric care service use of the long-term and permanent stay patients underlines the need for evidence-based interventions to reduce cost and improve care quality.

Factors associated with 30-day and 1-year readmission among psychiatric inpatients in Beijing China: a retrospective, medical record-based analysis.

BACKGROUND: Psychiatric readmissions negatively impact patients and their families while increasing healthcare costs. This study aimed at investigating factors associated with psychiatric readmissions within 30 days and 1 year of the index admissions and exploring the possibilities of monitoring and improving psychiatric care quality in China. METHODS: Data on index admission, subsequent admission(s), clinical and hospital-related factors were extracted in the inpatient medical record database covering 10 secondary and tertiary psychiatric hospitals in Beijing, China. Logistic regressions were used to examine the associations between 30-day and 1-year readmissions plus frequent readmissions (≥3 times/year), and clinical variables as well as hospital characteristics. RESULTS: The 30-day and 1-year psychiatric readmission rates were 16.69% (1289/7724) and 33.79% (2492/7374) respectively. 746/2492 patients (29.34%) were readmitted 3 times or more within a year (frequent readmissions). Factors significantly associated with the risk of both 30-day and 1-year readmission were residing in an urban area, having medical comorbidities, previous psychiatric admission(s), length of stay > 60 days in the index admission and being treated in tertiary hospitals (p < 0.001). Male patients were more likely to have frequent readmissions (OR 1.30, 95%CI 1.04-1.64). Receiving electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was significantly associated with a lower risk of 30-day readmission (OR 0.72, 95%CI 0.56-0.91) and frequent readmissions (OR 0.60, 95%CI 0.40-0.91). CONCLUSION: More than 30% of the psychiatric inpatients were readmitted within 1 year. Urban residents, those with medical comorbidities and previous psychiatric admission(s) or a longer length of stay were more likely to be readmitted, and men are more likely to be frequently readmitted. ECT treatment may reduce the likelihood of 30-day readmission and frequent admissions. Targeted interventions should be designed and piloted to effectively monitor and reduce psychiatric readmissions.

Hospitalization Pattern, Inpatient Service Utilization and Quality of Care in Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Sequence Analysis of Discharge Medical Records.

AIMS: To identify and group hospitalization trajectory of alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients and its associations with service utilization, healthcare quality and hospital-level variations. METHODS: Inpatients with AUD as the primary diagnosis from 2012 to 2014 in Beijing, China, were identified. Their discharge medical records were extracted and analyzed using the sequence analysis and the cluster analysis. RESULTS: Eight-hundred thirty-one patients were included, and their hospitalization patterns were grouped into four clusters: short stay (n = 565 (67.99%)), mean psychiatric length of stay in 3 years: (32.25 ± 18.69), repeated short stay (n = 211 (25.39%), 137.76 ± 88.8 days), repeated long stay (n = 41 (4.93%), 405.44 ± 146.54 days), permanent stay (n = 14 (1.68%), 818.14 ± 225.22 days). The latter two clusters (6.61% patients) used 37.26% of the total psychiatric hospital days and 33.65% of the total psychiatric hospitalization expenses. All the patients in the permanent stay cluster and 41.77% of the patients in the short stay cluster were readmitted at least once within 3 years. Two-hundred thirty-four patients (28.16%) were admitted at least once for non-psychiatric reasons, primarily for diseases of circulatory and digestive systems. Cluster composition varied significantly among different hospitals. CONCLUSION: Hospitalization pattern of patients with AUD varies greatly, and while most (>2/3) hospitalizations were short stay, those with repeated long stay and permanent stay used more than one third of the hospital days and expenses. Our findings suggest interventions targeting at certain patients may be more effective in reducing resource utilization.