Refining safety considerations for intradialytic blood flow restriction exercise. Commentary on “Concerns on the application of blood-flow restriction resistance exercise and thrombosis risk in hemodialysis patients”

I read with great interest the article“Concerns on the application of blood flow restriction resistance exercise and thrombosis risk in hemodialysis patients”by Correa et al.1 The study presents complementary data from a previous randomized controlled trial,2 exploring the application of intradialytic blood flow restriction exercise for hemodialysis patients.

Hemoperfusion and continuous veno-venous hemodiafiltration for eliminating chlorfenapyr in poisoning patients

Chlorfenapyr is a liposoluble insecticide belonging to the pyrrole family.Chlorfenapyr is activated when the N-ethoxymethyl side chain breaks,forming a toxic metabolite,which uncouples oxidative phosphorylation in the mitochondria,inhibits the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP),and leads to the death of cells and targe organisms.[1] Symptoms of chlorfenapyr poisoning in patients are mild and atypical in the early stage,especially in patients receiving low dose exposure;however,such cases are rare and may be ignored by physicians,often leading to delayed treatment.[2,3].

Focusing on the tetra-partite synapse in Parkinson’s disease research using human patient-derived neurons

Parkinson’s disease(PD)was first described as a neurological disease by Dr.James Parkinson in 1817 as a“shaking palsy”.Since that time,much more is known about the pathophysiology of PD yet the disease is still uncurable.The hallmark of the disease is often considered Lewy body neural inclusions in the substantia nigra pars compacta and other brain areas,although not all patients have these inclusions.The patients exhibit massive neuronal cell loss in the substantia nigra pars compacta,which is associated with the motor symptoms of tremor,bradykinesia,rigidity,and postural instability.PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease with a prevalence of around 1%of individuals over the age of 60.

Molecular Characterization of Coxsackievirus B1 Strains Isolated from Patients with Hand Foot and Mouth Disease in Yunnan,Southwest China

Coxsackievirus(CV)B belongs to the species Enterovirus B,genus Enterovirus of the family Picornaviridae.Enterovirus B(EV-B)includes 63 serotypes:CVB1-6;CVA9;echoviruses E1-7,9,11-21,24-27,and 29-33;EV-B69,EV-B 73-75,EV-B77-88,EV-B 93,EV-B 97-101,EV-B 106-107.

Aggressive fluid management may be associated with disease progression in suspected sepsis patients admitted to the intensive care unit: a retrospective cohort study

Sepsis is a lethal condition characterized by multiple organ dysfunction due to disrupted host responses to severe infections.[1]Aff ected patients often have a Sequential Organ Failure Assessment(SOFA)score≥2.[2]Patients with a SOFA score<2 and at least one of the following were considered as“suspected sepsis”:(1)quick SOFA(qSOFA)score≥2;(2)SOFA score=1;or(3)National Early Warning Score(NEWS)4-6.[3]Compared with studies on fluid resuscitation in sepsis patients,there are few studies on fluid management in patients with suspected sepsis.Therefore,we conducted a retrospective cohort study to evaluate the relationship between fluid management and disease progression in suspected sepsis patients.

The association between C-reactive protein to albumin ratio and 6-month neurological outcome in patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest

The global incidence rates of in-hospital cardiac arrest(IHCA)range from1.2 to 9.0 per1,000 hospitalized patients,as per the National Cardiac Arrest Database.[1] While IHCAs tend to exhibit superior 30-day survival rates relative to out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) due to situational advantages,such as immediate access to medical personnel and treatments.

Association of cardiometabolic multimorbidity with all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality among Chinese hypertensive patients

BACKGROUND Hypertension usually clusters with multiple comorbidities.However,the association between cardiometabolic multimorbidity(CMM)and mortality in hypertensive patients is unclear.This study aimed to investigate the association between CMM and all-cause and cardiovascular disease(CVD)mortality in Chinese patients with hypertension.METHODS The data used in this study were from the China National Survey for Determinants of Detection and Treatment Status of Hypertensive Patients with Multiple Risk Factors(CONSIDER),which comprised 5006 participants aged 19–91 years.CMM was defined as the presence of one or more of the following morbidities:diabetes mellitus,dyslipidemia,chronic kidney disease,coronary heart disease,and stroke.Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate the hazard ratios(HR)with 95%CI to determine the association between the number of CMMs and both all-cause and CVD mortality.RESULTS Among 5006 participants[mean age:58.6±10.4 years,50%women(2509 participants)],76.4%of participants had at least one comorbidity.The mortality rate was 4.57,4.76,8.48,and 16.04 deaths per 1000 person-years in hypertensive patients without any comorbidity and with one,two,and three or more morbidities,respectively.In the fully adjusted model,hypertensive participants with two cardiometabolic diseases(HR=1.52,95%CI:1.09–2.13)and those with three or more cardiometabolic diseases(HR=2.44,95%CI:1.71–3.48)had a significantly elevated risk of all-cause mortality.The findings were similar for CVD mortality but with a greater increase in risk magnitude.CONCLUSIONS In this study,three-fourths of hypertensive patients had CMM.Clustering with two or more comorbidities was associated with a significant increase in the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among hypertensive patients,suggesting more intensive treatment and control in this high-risk patient group.

Association of prealbumin with short-term and long-term outcomes in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND Prealbumin is considered to be a useful indicator of nutritional status. Furthermore, it has been found to be associated with severities and prognosis of a range of diseases. However, limited data on the association of baseline prealbumin level with outcomes of patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI) are available.METHODS We analyzed 2313 patients admitted for acute STEMI between October 2013 and December 2020. In-hospital outcomes and mortality during the 49 months(interquartile range: 26–73 months) follow-up period were compared between patients with the low prealbumin level(< 170 mg/L) and those with the high prealbumin level(≥ 170 mg/L).RESULTS A total of 114 patients(4.9%) died during hospitalization. After propensity score matching, patients with the low prealbumin level than those with the high prealbumin level experienced higher incidences of heart failure with Killip class Ⅲ(9.9%vs. 4.4%, P = 0.034), cardiovascular death(8.4% vs. 3.4%, P = 0.035) and the composite of major adverse cardiovascular events(19.2%vs. 10.3%, P = 0.012). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified that the low prealbumin level(< 170 mg/L) was an independent predictor of in-hospital major adverse cardiovascular events(odds ratio = 1.918, 95% CI: 1.250–2.942, P = 0.003). The cutoff value of prealbumin level for predicting in-hospital death was 170 mg/L(area under the curve = 0.703, 95% CI: 0.651–0.754, P< 0.001;sensitivity = 0.544, specificity = 0.794). However, after multivariate adjustment of possible confounders, baseline prealbumin level(170 mg/L) was no longer independently associated with 49-month cardiovascular death. After propensity score matching, Kaplan-Meier survival curves revealed consistent results.CONCLUSIONS Decreased prealbumin level closely related to unfavorable short-term outcomes. However, after multivariate adjustment and controlling for baseline differences, baseline prealbumin level was not independently associated with an increased risk of long-term cardiovascular mortality in STEMI patients.

Predictive value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in coronary chronic total occlusion patients

BACKGROUND The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio(NLR)has been reported as a novel predictor for atherosclerosis and car-diovascular outcomes.This study aimed to determine the effects of NLR on long-term clinical outcomes of chronic total occlusion(CTO)patients.METHODS A total of 670 patients with CTO who met the inclusion criteria were included at the end of the follow-up period.Patients were divided into tertiles according to their baseline NLR levels at admission:low(n=223),intermediate(n=223),and high(n=224).The incidence of major adverse cardiac events(MACEs)during the follow-up period,including all-cause death,nonfatal myocardial infarction(MI),or ischemia-driven revascularization,were compared among the three groups.RESULTS Major adverse cardiac events were observed in 27 patients(12.1%)in the low tertile,40(17.9%)in the intermediate tertile,and 61(27.2%)in the high NLR tertile(P<0.001).Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated a significantly higher incidence of MACE,ischemia-driven coronary revascularization,non-fatal MI,and mortality in patients within the high tertile than those in the low and intermediate groups(all P<0.001).Multivariable COX regression analysis showed that the high tertile of baseline NLR level showed a strong association with the risk of MACE(hazard ratio[HR]=2.21;95%confidence interval[CI]:1.21-4.03;P=0.009),ischemia-driven coronary revascularization(HR=3.19;95%CI:1.56-6.52;P=0.001),MI(HR=2.61;95%CI:1.35-5.03;P=0.043)and mortality(HR=3.78;95%CI:1.65-8.77;P=0.001).CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that NLR is an inexpensive and readily available biomarker that can independently pre-dict cardiovascular risk in patients with CTO.

Multimorbidity and mortality among older patients with coronary heart disease in Shenzhen,China

BACKGROUND The current understanding of the magnitude and consequences of multimorbidity in Chinese older adults with coronary heart disease(CHD)is insufficient.We aimed to assess the association and population-attributable fractions(PAFs)between multimorbidity and mortality among hospitalized older patients who were diagnosed with CHD in Shenzhen,China.METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort study of older Chinese patients(aged≥65 years)who were diagnosed with CHD.Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the associations between multimorbidity and all-cause and cardiovascular disease(CVD)mortality.We also calculated the PAFs.RESULTS The study comprised 76,455 older hospitalized patients who were diagnosed with CHD between January 1,2016,and August 31,2022.Among them,70,217(91.9%)had multimorbidity,defined as the presence of at least one of the predefined 14 chronic conditions.Those with cancer,hemorrhagic stroke and chronic liver disease had the worst overall death risk,with adjusted HRs(95%CIs)of 4.05(3.77,4.38),2.22(1.94,2.53),and 1.85(1.63,2.11),respectively.For CVD mortality,the highest risk was observed for hemorrhagic stroke,ischemic stroke,and chronic kidney disease;the corresponding adjusted HRs(95%CIs)were 3.24(2.77,3.79),1.91(1.79,2.04),and 1.81(1.64,1.99),respectively.All-cause mortality was mostly attributable to cancer,heart failure and ischemic stroke,with PAFs of 11.8,10.2,and 9.1,respectively.As for CVD mortality,the leading PAFs were heart failure,ischemic stroke and diabetes;the corresponding PAFs were 18.0,15.7,and 6.1,respectively.CONCLUSIONS Multimorbidity was common and had a significant impact on mortality among older patients with CHD in Shenzhen,China.Cancer,heart failure,ischemic stroke and diabetes are the primary contributors to PAFs.Therefore,prioritizing improved treatment and management of these comorbidities is essential for the survival prognosis of CHD patients from a holistic public health perspective.

The effect of fasting plasma glucose on in-hospital mortality after acute myocardial infarction in patients with and without diabetes:findings from a prospective,nationwide,and multicenter registry

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the predictive value of fasting plasma glucose(FPG)for in-hospital mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction(AMI)with different glucose metabolism status.METHODS We selected 5,308 participants with AMI from the prospective,nationwide,multicenter CAMI registry,of which 2,081 were diabetic and 3,227 were nondiabetic.Patients were divided into high FPG and low FPG groups according to the optim-al cutoff values of FPG to predict in-hospital mortality for diabetic and nondiabetic cohorts,respectively.The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality.RESULTS Overall,94 diabetic patients(4.5%)and 131 nondiabetic patients(4.1%)died during hospitalization,and the optimal FPG thresholds for predicting in-hospital death of the two cohorts were 13.2 mmol/L and 6.4 mmol/L,respectively.Compared with individuals who had low FPG,those with high FPG were significantly associated with higher in-hospital mortality in diabet-ic cohort(10.1%vs.2.8%;odds ratio[OR]=3.862,95%confidence interval[CI]:2.542-5.869)and nondiabetic cohort(7.4%vs.1.7%;HR=4.542,95%CI:3.041-6.782).After adjusting the potential confounders,this significant association was not changed.Further-more,FPG as a continuous variable was positively associated with in-hospital mortality in single-variable and multivariable models regardless of diabetic status.Adding FPG to the original model showed a significant improvement in C-statistic and net reclassification in diabetic and nondiabetic cohorts.CONCLUSIONS This large-scale registry indicated that there is a strong positive association between FPG and in-hospital mor-tality in AMI patients with and without diabetes.FPG might be useful to stratify patients with AMI.

Updates of developments in interventional therapy for elderly patients with cardiovascular diseases

Cardiovascular diseases(CVD)are the leading cause of death in the world and one of the most common diseases in the elderly,with high prevalence and poor prognosis,which seriously affect the health of the elder patients.One report showed that global deaths from CVD increased from 12.4 million in 1990 to 19.8 million in 2022,reflecting the global population growth and aging,as well as the impact of metabolic,environmental,and behavioral risks.[1]With the progress of aging population,the burden of CVD in the elderly in China has increased year by year,and factors including multiple complications,organ function decline,and high complication rate have made the interventional treatment of CVD in the elderly one of the difficulties and focuses in the field of cardiology in China.

Heterogeneous body compositions and all-cause mortality in acute coronary syndrome patients:a ten-year retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND The association of different body components,including lean mass and body fat,with the risk of death in acute coronary syndrome(ACS)patients are unclear.METHODS We enrolled adults diagnosed with ACS at our center between January 2011 and December 2012 and obtained fol-low-up outcomes via telephone questionnaires.We used restricted cubic splines(RCS)with the Cox proportional hazards model to analyze the associations between body mass index(BMI),predicted lean mass index(LMI),predicted body fat percentage(BF),and the value of LMI/BF with 10-year mortality.We also examined the secondary outcome of death during hospitalization.RESULTS During the maximum 10-year follow-up of 1398 patients,331 deaths(23.6%)occurred,and a U-shaped relationship was found between BMI and death risk(P_(nonlinearity)=0.03).After adjusting for age and history of diabetes,the overweight group(24≤BMI<28 kg/m^(2))had the lowest mortality(HR=0.53,95%CI:0.29-0.99).Predicted LMI and LMI/BF had an inverse linear relationship with a 10-year death risk(P_(nonlinearity)=0.24 and P_(nonlinearity)=0.38,respectively),while an increase in BF was associ-ated with increased mortality(P_(nonlinearity)=0.64).During hospitalization,31 deaths(2.2%)were recorded,and the associations of the indicators with in-hospital mortality were consistent with the long-term outcome analyses.CONCLUSION Our study provides new insight into the“obesity paradox”in ACS patients,highlighting the importance of considering body composition heterogeneity.Predicted LMI and BF may serve as useful tools for assessing nutritional status and predicting the prognosis of ACS,based on their linear associations with all-cause mortality.

Comparative utility of vestibular function tests in patients with peripheral and central vestibular dysfunction

Background: Bithermal caloric irrigation, video head impulse test(vHIT), and rotational testing are commonly used to assess peripheral vestibular function, but the relative clinical utility of each test in differentiating patients with peripheral vestibulopathy is debated.Objectives: To determine whether(1) the combination of two or more vestibular tests enhances diagnostic utility over a single test;(2) abnormal test results on vestibular tests correlate with one another.Methods: Retrospective analysis of data collected from multidisciplinary vestibular clinics at two academic medical centers from 2016 to 2022.Results: 150 patients(54.10 ± 15.09 years, 88 females) were included. No individual test was significantly better at predicting the presence of peripheral vestibular damage(p > 0.05). vHIT test results improved significantly when combined with either the caloric test(p = 0.007) or rotary chair test(p = 0.039). Caloric and rotational testing had high sensitivity(74.65% and 76.06%, respectively) and specificity(83.54% and 78.48%, respectively). vHIT demonstrated excellent specificity(89.87%) but poor sensitivity(47.89%). Caloric, vHIT, and rotary chair tests results did not correlate with one another(p > 0.05).Conclusions: Vestibular function tests have comparable diagnostic utility, yet each offers unique advantages. Caloric and rotational testing may be best suited for screening peripheral damage and vHIT may function ideally as a confirmatory test.

Development and validation of a model integrating clinical and coronary lesion-based functional assessment for longterm risk prediction in PCI patients

OBJECTIVES To establish a scoring system combining the ACEF score and the quantitative blood flow ratio(QFR) to improve the long-term risk prediction of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI).METHODS In this population-based cohort study, a total of 46 features, including patient clinical and coronary lesion characteristics, were assessed for analysis through machine learning models. The ACEF-QFR scoring system was developed using 1263consecutive cases of CAD patients after PCI in PANDA Ⅲ trial database. The newly developed score was then validated on the other remaining 542 patients in the cohort.RESULTS In both the Random Forest Model and the Deep Surv Model, age, renal function(creatinine), cardiac function(LVEF)and post-PCI coronary physiological index(QFR) were identified and confirmed to be significant predictive factors for 2-year adverse cardiac events. The ACEF-QFR score was constructed based on the developmental dataset and computed as age(years)/EF(%) + 1(if creatinine ≥ 2.0 mg/d L) + 1(if post-PCI QFR ≤ 0.92). The performance of the ACEF-QFR scoring system was preliminarily evaluated in the developmental dataset, and then further explored in the validation dataset. The ACEF-QFR score showed superior discrimination(C-statistic = 0.651;95% CI: 0.611-0.691, P < 0.05 versus post-PCI physiological index and other commonly used risk scores) and excellent calibration(Hosmer–Lemeshow χ^(2)= 7.070;P = 0.529) for predicting 2-year patient-oriented composite endpoint(POCE). The good prognostic value of the ACEF-QFR score was further validated by multivariable Cox regression and Kaplan–Meier analysis(adjusted HR = 1.89;95% CI: 1.18–3.04;log-rank P < 0.01) after stratified the patients into high-risk group and low-risk group.CONCLUSIONS An improved scoring system combining clinical and coronary lesion-based functional variables(ACEF-QFR)was developed, and its ability for prognostic prediction in patients with PCI was further validated to be significantly better than the post-PCI physiological index and other commonly used risk scores.

Investigating the Influence of Glaucoma on the Quality of Life among Adult Patients

Background: Research exploring the influence of glaucoma on quality of life has gained momentum in recent years. Numerous studies have investigated the multifaceted aspects of quality of life in glaucoma patients, utilizing various assessment tools and methodologies. Objective: To determine the influence that glaucoma has on the quality of life among adult patients. Study site: kitwe teaching eye hospital, Zambia. Method: It was a cross-sectional study that was conducted from 30th June 2022 to 17th April 2023. The study included 106 diagnosed glaucoma patients who were above the age of 55 years. Data was collected using validated 25-item national eye institute visual function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25). The data was analyzed using SPSS version 26 and Microsoft excel to present frequencies and percentages that generated graphical presentation. Results: 62% of the participants worry about their eye sight most of the time, 26% sometimes and 12% a little time. 9% of the participants had little difficulty to read ordinary prints, 14% moderate difficulties and 58% extremely difficult. 40% of the participants could drive despite glaucoma damaging their eyes while 60% could not. Majority of the patients said it was difficult noticing things around them while walking or sitted in one place. There was a significant difference between effects of glaucoma on patients and the existing relationship between glaucoma and quality of life (ANOVA, p = 0.019 and ANOVA, p = 0.023). Conclusion: This study has demonstrated the magnitude of impact that glaucoma has on the Quality of Life (QoL) in diagnosed patients and the relationship between glaucoma and the Quality of Life. Due to the progressive visual loss, the amount of activities these patients would perform is negatively affected especially where social and economic activities are concerned which also affects their monthly earnings for those living in middle to low-income countries. Therefore, social welfare and psycho-social institutions need to increase their support for these glaucoma patients.

Low RBC counts predict high on-treatment platelet reactivity in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention and treated with clopidogrel

Dear Editor,Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of deaths worldwide,with coronary artery disease(CAD)accounting for approximately 50%of its mortality.Dual antiplatelet therapy,including aspirin and a P2Y12 inhibitor,is the most important treatment for CAD patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)to prevent recurrent ischemic events and cardiac death.Clopidogrel is one of the commonly used P2Y12 inhibitors.However,up to 30%of patients treated with a standard dose of clopidogrel present with high on-treatment platelet reactivity(HOPR),which is associated with the increased ischemic risks[1].The causes of HOPR are multifactorial and complex.

A long-term histological research on human frontalis muscle flap specimens from recurrent blepharoptosis patients

Dear Editor,We present two patients with recurrent severe blepharoptosis after frontalis muscle(FM)flap suspension.Here we describe long-term histological changes of the FM flaps observed in revision surgeries.FM flap suspension is widely applied in treating severe ptosis with poor levator function(<4 mm),and its effect is relatively stable and lasting[1].FM flap suspension is reliable and recurrent cases are observed only occasionally.Since longterm research about FM flap is rare,we investigated tissue samples of revision surgery flaps which could reflect trends of morphological changes within the functioning FM flaps to some extent.

Anesthesia,Anesthetics,and Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction in Elderly Patients

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction(POCD)remains a major issue that worsens the prognosis of elderly surgery patients.This article reviews the current research on the effect of different anesthesia methods and commonly utilized anesthetics on the incidence of POCD in elderly patients,aiming to provide an understanding of the underlying mechanisms contributing to this condition and facilitate the development of more reasonable anesthesia protocols,ultimately reducing the incidence of POCD in elderly surgery patients.

Patient satisfaction and follow-up adherence to glaucoma case management clinic in China

AIM:To assess glaucoma patient satisfaction and follow-up adherence in case management and identify associated predictors to improve healthcare quality and patient outcomes.METHODS:In this cross-sectional study,a total of 119 patients completed a Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire-18 and a sociodemographic questionnaire.Clinical data was obtained from the case management system.Follow-up adherence was defined as completing each follow-up within±30d of the scheduled time set by ophthalmologists during the study period.RESULTS:Average satisfaction scored 78.65±7,with an average of 4.39±0.58 across the seven dimensions.Age negatively correlated with satisfaction(P=0.008),whilst patients with follow-up duration of 2 or more years reported higher satisfaction(P=0.045).Multivariate logistics regression analysis revealed that longer follow-up durations were associated with lower follow-up adherence(OR=0.97,95%CI,0.95-1.00,P=0.044).Additionally,patients with suspected glaucoma(OR=2.72,95%CI,1.03-7.20,P=0.044)and those with an annual income over 100000 Chinese yuan demonstrated higher adherence(OR=5.57,95%CI,1.00-30.89,P=0.049).CONCLUSION:The case management model proves effective for glaucoma patients,with positive adherence rates.The implementation of this model can be optimized in the future based on the identified factors and extended to glaucoma patients in more hospitals.