Development and validation of the risk score for estimating suicide attempt in patients with major depressive disorder.

Early identification of high-risk patients with Major depressive disorder (MDD) having suicide attempts (SAs) is essential for timely targeted and tailored psychological interventions and medications. This study aimed to develop and validate a web-based dynamic nomogram as a personalized predictor of SA in MDD patients. A dynamic nomogram was developed using data collected from 1718 patients in China. The dynamic model was established based on a machine learning-based regression technique in the training cohort. We validated the nomogram internally using 1000 bootstrap replications. The nomogram performance was assessed using estimates of discrimination (via the concordance index) and calibration (calibration plots). The nomogram incorporated five predictors, including Hamilton anxiety rating scale (odds ratio [OR]: 1.255), marital status (OR: 0.618), clinical global impressions (OR: 2.242), anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (OR: 1.002), and systolic pressure levels (OR: 1.037). The model demonstrated good overall discrimination (Harrell's C-index = 0.823). Using decision curve analysis, this model also demonstrated good clinical applicability. An online web server was constructed ( https://odywong.shinyapps.io/PRSM/ ) to facilitate the use of the nomogram. Based on these results, our study developed a nomogram to predict SA in MDD patients. The application of this nomogram may help for patients and clinicians to make decisions.

[Research summary of chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of Panax notoginseng and predictive analysis on its Q-markers].

Panax notoginseng contains triterpene saponins, flavonoids, amino acids, polysaccharides, volatile oil and other active components, which have the effects of promoting blood circulation, stopping bleeding, removing blood stasis, etc. This study summarized the herbal research, chemical constituents and main pharmacological activities of P. notoginseng, and based on the theory of Q-markers of traditional Chinese medicine, predicted and analyzed the Q-markers of P. notoginseng from the aspects of plant kinship, efficacy, drug properties, measurability of chemical components, etc. It was found that ginsenosides Rg_1, Re, and Rb_1 with specific content ratio, ginsenosides Rb_2, Rb_3, Rc, Rd, Rh_2, and Rg_3, notoginseng R_1, dencichine and quercetin could be used as potential Q-markers of P. notoginseng, which facilitated the formulation of quality standards reflecting the efficacy of P. notoginseng.

[Clinical effect of different immunosuppressive treatment regimens in children with ocular myasthenia gravis: a retrospective analysis]. / å„¿ç«¥çœ¼è‚Œåž‹é‡ç—‡è‚Œæ— åŠ›ä¸åŒå ç–«æŠ‘åˆ¶å‰‚æ²»ç–—æ–¹æ¡ˆçš„å›žé¡¾æ€§åˆ†æž.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical effect of different immunosuppressive treatment regimens in children with ocular myasthenia gravis (OMG). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 130 children with OMG who were treated in the Department of Neurology, Jiangxi Children's Hospital, from February 2018 to February 2023. According to the treatment regimen, they were divided into four groups: glucocorticoid (GC) group (n=29), mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) group (GC+MMF; n=33), methotrexate (MTX) group (GC+MTX; n=30), and tacrolimus (FK506) group (GC+FK506; n=38). Treatment outcomes and adverse reactions were compared among the groups. RESULTS: After 3 months of treatment, the FK506 group had significantly lower scores of Myasthenia Gravis Quantitative Scale and Myasthenia Gravis-Specific Activities of Daily Living than the other three groups (P<0.05). After 3 months of treatment, the FK506 group had a significantly lower dose of prednisone than the GC group, and after 6 and 9 months of treatment, the MMF, MTX, and FK506 groups had a significantly lower dose of prednisone than the GC group (P<0.05). After 12 months of treatment, the MMF, MTX, and FK506 groups had a significantly lower incidence rate of GC-related adverse reactions than the GC group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: For children with OMG, the addition of various immunosuppressants can reduce the dosage of GC and adverse reactions. Among them, FK506 shows superior efficacy compared to other immunosuppressants in the early treatment of OMG.

The role of SARC-F scale in predicting progression risk of COVID-19 in elderly patients: a prospective cohort study in Wuhan.

BACKGROUND: Since the outbreak of COVID-19, it has been documented that old age and underlying illnesses are associated with poor prognosis among COVID-19 patients. However, it is unknown whether sarcopenia, a common geriatric syndrome, is associated with poor prognosis among older COVID-19 patients. The aim of our prospective cohort study is to investigate the association between sarcopenia risk and severe disease among COVID-19 patients aged ≥60 years. METHOD: A prospective cohort study of 114 hospitalized older patients (≥60 years) with confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia between 7 February, 2020 and 6 April, 2020. Epidemiological, socio-demographic, clinical and laboratory data on admission and outcome data were extracted from electronic medical records. All patients were assessed for sarcopenia on admission using the SARC-F scale and the outcome was the development of the severe disease within 60 days. We used the Cox proportional hazards model to identify the association between sarcopenia and progression of disease defined as severe cases in a total of 2908 person-days. RESULT: Of 114 patients (mean age 69.52 ± 7.25 years, 50% woman), 38 (33%) had a high risk of sarcopenia while 76 (67%) did not. We found that 43 (38%) patients progressed to severe cases. COVID-19 patients with higher risk sarcopenia were more likely to develop severe disease than those without (68% versus 22%, p < 0.001). After adjustment for demographic and clinical factors, higher risk sarcopenia was associated with a higher hazard of severe condition [hazard ratio = 2.87 (95% CI, 1.33-6.16)]. CONCLUSION: We found that COVID-19 patients with higher sarcopenia risk were more likely to develop severe condition. A clinician-friendly assessment of sarcopenia could help in early warning of older patients at high-risk with severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

Screening for carotid atherosclerosis: development and validation of a high-precision risk scoring tool.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis (CAS), especially among seniors, and develop a precise risk assessment tool to facilitate screening and early intervention for high-risk individuals. Methods: A comprehensive approach was employed, integrating traditional epidemiological methods with advanced machine learning techniques, including support vector machines, XGBoost, decision trees, random forests, and logistic regression. Results: Among 1,515 participants, CAS prevalence reached 57.4%, concentrated within older individuals. Positive correlations were identified with age, systolic blood pressure, a history of hypertension, male gender, and total cholesterol. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) emerged as a protective factor against CAS, with total cholesterol and HDL levels proving significant predictors. Conclusions: This research illuminates the risk factors linked to CAS and introduces a validated risk scoring tool, highlighted by the logistic classifier's consistent performance during training and testing. This tool shows potential for pinpointing high-risk individuals in community health programs, streamlining screening and intervention by clinical physicians. By stressing the significance of managing cholesterol levels, especially HDL, our findings provide actionable insights for CAS prevention. Nonetheless, rigorous validation is paramount to guarantee its practicality and efficacy in real-world scenarios.

Biomarkers and the outcomes of ischemic stroke.

Biomarkers are measurable substances that could be used as objective indicators for disease diagnosis, responses to treatments, and outcomes predictions. In this review, we summarized the data on a number of important biomarkers including glutamate, S100B, glial fibrillary acidic protein, receptor for advanced glycation end-products, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, von willebrand factor, matrix metalloproteinase-9, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-a, activated protein C, copeptin, neuron-specific enolase, tau protein, gamma aminobutyric acid, blood glucose, endothelial progenitor cells, and circulating CD34-positive cells that could be potentially used to indicate the disease burden and/or predict clinical outcome of ischemic stroke. We examined the relationship between specific biomarkers and disease burden and outcomes and discussed the potential mechanisms underlying the relationship. The clinical significance and implications of these biomarkers were also discussed.

Prognostic factors for acute vertebrobasilar artery occlusion-reperfusion: a multicenter retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to analyze the long-term prognostic factors in acute vertebrobasilar artery occlusion (VBAO) patients treated with endovascular treatment (EVT). METHODS: This study was performed using the acute posterior circulation ischemic stroke registry database from 21 stroke centers in 18 cities in China and retrospectively included consecutive patients aged 18 years or older with an acute, symptomatic, radiologically confirmed VBAO who were treated with EVT between December 2015 and December 2018. Favorable clinical outcomes were evaluated by machine-learning methods. A clinical signature was constructed in the training cohort using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression and was validated in the validation cohort. RESULTS: From 28 potential factors, 7 variables were independent prognostic factors and were included in the model: Modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (M) [odds ratio (OR): 2.900; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.566-5.370], age (A) (OR, 0.977; 95% CI: 0.961-0.993), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (N) (13-27 vs. ≤12: OR, 0.491; 95% CI: 0.275-0.876; ≥28 vs. ≤12: OR, 0.148; 95% CI: 0.076-0.289), atrial fibrillation (A) (OR, 2.383; 95% CI: 1.444-3.933), Glasgow Coma Scale (G) (OR, 2.339; 95% CI: 1.383-3.957), endovascular stent-retriever thrombectomy (E) (stent-retriever vs. aspiration: OR, 0.375; 95% CI: 0.156-0.902), and estimated time of onset of the occlusion to groin puncture (Time) (OR, 0.950; 95% CI: 0.909-0.993) (abbreviated as MANAGE Time). In the internal validation set, this model was well calibrated with good discrimination [C-index (95% CI)=0.790 (0.755-0.826)]. A calculator based on the model can be found online ( http://ody-wong.shinyapps.io/1yearFCO/ ). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that optimizing for EVT, along with specific risk stratification, may improve long-term prognosis. However, a larger prospective study is needed to confirm the findings.

A Dynamic Nomogram to Predict the 3-Month Unfavorable Outcome of Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Purpose: Despite receiving standard-of-care treatments, a significant proportion of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) are left with long-term functional impairment. Therefore, an easy-to-use tool for predicting of unfavorable outcome following AIS plays an important role in clinical practice. This study was aimed to develop a dynamic nomogram to predict the 3-month unfavorable outcome for AIS patients. Methods: This was a prospective observational study conducted in consecutive patients with AIS admitted to our stroke center between September 2019 and June 2020. Baseline demographic, clinical, and laboratory information were obtained. The primary outcome was evaluated with modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores at 3 months. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression was used to select the optimal predictive factors. Multiple logistics regression was performed to establish the nomogram. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was applied to assess the clinical utility of the nomogram. The calibration and discrimination property of the nomogram was validated by calibration plots and concordance index. Results: A total of 93 eligible patients were enrolled: 28 (30.1%) patients had unfavorable outcome (mRS >2). Glycosylated hemoglobin (OR, 1.541; 95% CI, 1.051-2.261), the Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score (ASPECTS) (OR, 0.635; 95% CI, 0.463-0.871), and National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) (OR 1.484; 95% CI, 1.155-1.907) were significant predictors of the poor outcome of patients with AIS and included into the nomogram model. The nomogram showed good calibration and discrimination. C-index was 0.891 (95% CI, 0.854-0.928). DCA confirmed the clinical usefulness of the model. The dynamic nomogram can be obtained at the website: https://odywong.shinyapps.io/DBT_21/. Conclusion: The dynamic nomogram, comprised of glycosylated hemoglobin, ASPECTS, and NIHSS score at day 14, may be able to predict the 3-month unfavorable outcome for AIS patients.

Real-time tracking of ER turnover during ERLAD by a rhenium complex via lifetime imaging.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) degradation by autophagy (ER-phagy) is a recently revealed selective autophagy pathway that plays important roles in organelle turnover and protein degradation, but the biological functions of ER-phagy are largely unknown. Here, we present an ER-targeting Re(I) tricarbonyl complex (Re-ERLAD) that can accumulate in the ER, induce ER-to-lysosome-associated degradation (ERLAD) upon visible light irradiation, and label ER buds and track their morphological alterations during ER-phagy. The emission of Re-ERLAD is sensitive to viscosity, which is a key parameter reflecting the amount of unfolded protein in the ER. Quantitative detection using two-photon fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy shows that ER viscosity initially increases and then decreases during ERLAD, which reveals that ERLAD is a pathway for alleviating ER stress caused by unfolded proteins. In conclusion, our work presents the first specific photoinducer and tracker of ERLAD, which can be used in studying the regulatory mechanism and function of this process.

Solitary primary pulmonary synovial sarcoma: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Synovial sarcoma (SS) is an uncommon and highly malignant soft tissue sarcoma in the clinic, with primary pulmonary SS (PPSS) being extremely rare. Here, we describe the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment of a solitary PPSS case confirmed via surgical resection and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). CASE SUMMARY: A 33-year-old man was admitted because of intermittent coughing and hemoptysis for one month, with lung shadows observed for two years. Whole-body positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) revealed a solitary mass in the upper lobe of the right lung, with uneven radioactivity uptake and a maximum standardized uptake value of 5.6. The greyish-yellow specimen obtained following thoracoscopic resection was covered with small multi-nodulated structures and consisted of soft tissue. Hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed spindle-shaped malignant tumor cells. Immunohistochemistry indicated these tumor cells were CD99 and BCL-2-positive. Furthermore, the FISH test revealed synovial sarcoma translocation genetic reassortment, which confirmed the diagnosis of SS. CONCLUSION: PPSS is extremely rare and tends to be misdiagnosed as many primary pulmonary diseases. PET-CT, histologic analysis, and FISH tests can be used to differentiate PPSS from other diseases. Surgical resection is regularly recommended for the treatment of solitary PPSS and is helpful for improving the prognosis.

Microbiologic risk factors of recurrent choledocholithiasis post-endoscopic sphincterotomy.

BACKGROUND: Choledocholithiasis is a severe disorder that affects a significant portion of the world's population. Treatment using endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) has become widespread; however, recurrence post-EST is relatively common. The bile microbiome has a profound influence on the recurrence of choledocholithiasis in patients after EST; however, the key pathogens and their functions in the biliary tract remain unclear. AIM: To investigate the biliary microbial characteristics of patients with recurrent choledocholithiasis post-EST, using next-generation sequencing. METHODS: This cohort study included 43 patients, who presented with choledocholithiasis at the Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital between May and June 2020. The patients had undergone EST or endoscopic papillary balloon dilation and were followed up for over a year. They were divided into either the stable or recurrent groups. We collected bile samples and extracted microbial DNA for analysis through next-generation sequencing. Resulting sequences were analyzed for core microbiome and statistical differences between the diagnosis groups; they were examined using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway hierarchy level using analysis of variance. Correlation between the key genera and metabolic pathways in bile, were analyzed using Pearson's correlation test. RESULTS: The results revealed distinct clustering of biliary microbiota in recurrent choledocholithiasis. Higher relative abundances (RAs) of Fusobacterium and Neisseria (56.61% ± 14.81% vs 3.47% ± 1.10%, 8.95% ± 3.42% vs 0.69% ± 0.32%, respectively) and the absence of Lactobacillus were observed in the bile of patients with recurrent disease, compared to that in stable patients. Construction of a microbiological co-occurrence network revealed a mutual relationship among Fusobacterium, Neisseria, and Leptotrichia, and an antagonistic relationship among Lactobacillales, Fusobacteriales, and Clostridiales. Functional prediction of biliary microbiome revealed that the loss of transcription and metabolic abilities may lead to recurrent choledocholithiasis. Furthermore, the prediction model based on the RA of Lactobacillales in the bile was effective in identifying the risk of recurrent choledocholithiasis (P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: We demonstrated differences in the bile microbiome of patients with recurrent choledocholithiasis compared to that in patients with stable disease, thereby adding to the current knowledge on its microbiologic etiology.

A Nomogram to Predict Lifestyle Factors for Recurrence of Large-Vessel Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND: Stroke is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in China. Recurrent stroke (RS) could occur in a significant portion of patients with ischemic stroke with devastating consequence. METHODS: To investigate the association between lifestyle and the risk of RS in Chinese patients with acute large-vessel ischemic stroke (ALVIS). A total of 258 patients with ALVIS were recruited in the study (median age 63 years, 30.6% female), and followed for a median of 366 days. The primary outcomes were first RS. Cox Regression and Akaike information criterion were used to establish the best-fit nomograms. RESULTS: During follow-up, 38 of 258 (14.7%) participants had the primary endpoint event. After adjusting for confounding factors in multivariate Cox regression analysis, healthy lifestyles, including bland diet (hazard ratio [HR], 0.365; 95% CI, 0.138-0.965), daily fruit consumption (HR, 0.474; 95% CI, 0.238-0.945), good sleep (HR, 0.364; 95% CI, 0.180-0.739), housework: HR (0.461; 95% CI, 0.200-1.065), and HDL (HR, 0.329; 95% CI, 0.130-0.831) were associated with significantly decreased risk for RS after ALVIS, while smoking was associated with a substantial increase in RS risk (HR, 2.590; 95% CI, 1.340-5.005) and included into the nomogram. A weighted point (from 0 to 100) was given to each risk factor, and the total points could be used to predict the probability of RS for the patient. CONCLUSION: The nomogram shows that healthy lifestyles (bland diet, daily fruit consumption, good sleep, cigarette cessation, and housework) were important for reducing RS in patients with ALVIS.

CD34+ cells and endothelial progenitor cell subpopulations are associated with cerebral small vessel disease burden.

Background: Endothelial dysfunction is considered to be involved in the pathogenesis of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). Endothelial progenitor cells are associated with endothelial dysfunction. The present study was designed to investigate the correlation between the populations of circulating CD34-positive cells and endothelial progenitor cells and CSVD burden. Methodology & results: A total of 364 patients with confirmed diagnosis of CSVD were included in this prospective study. Multiple ordinal logistic regression analyses showed that subjects with higher CSVD burden had significantly decreased circulating CD34+ cell level (odds ratio [OR], 0.42; p = 0.034) and significantly increased levels of circulating CD34+CD133+CD309+ and CD34+CD133+ cells (OR 1.07, p = 0.031; OR 1.03, p = 0.001, respectively), compared with patients with lower CSVD burden. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the levels of circulating CD34+ cells, CD34+CD133+CD309+ cells and CD34+CD133+ cells may be used as potential biomarkers to monitor the disease progression of CSVD.

Risk factors for in-hospital mortality among acute ischemic stroke patients in China: a nationwide prospective study.

Objective: We aimed to investigate factors related to in-hospital mortality (IHM) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients.Methods: We prospectively investigated 827,314 patients who were admitted within 7 days of AIS between August 2015 and July 2019. Demographic characteristics, risk factors, and clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients were assessed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors associated with IHM.Results: The IHM rate in this study was 0.5% in women and 0.3% in men. Factors associated with IHM in AIS included diabetes (odds ratio [OR] 1.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.43), female (OR 0.84, 95%CI 0.74-0.96), hypertension (OR 1.16, 95%CI 1.01-1.34), atrial fib/flutter (OR 1.51, 95%CI 1.29-1.77), other heart disease (OR1.43, 95%CI 1.23-1.67), prior myocardial infarction (OR 2.00, 95%CI 1.54-2.60), antiplatelet therapies (OR 0.71, 95%CI 0.60-0.84), gastrointestinal bleeding (OR 3.54, 95%CI 2.83-4.44), pulmonary embolism (OR 2.53, 95%CI1.41-4.53), dysphagia(OR7.32, 95%CI6.23-8.61), glycosylated hemoglobin (OR1.05, 95%CI 1.02-1.09), serum creatinine (OR 1.001, 95%CI 1.001-1.002), urea nitrogen (OR 1.10, 95%CI 1.08-1.12), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (4-5 vs. 0-4: OR 3.58; ≥15 vs. 0-4: OR 8.78), stroke rehabilitation (OR 0.27, 95%CI 0.23-0.30), age (third IQR vs. first IQR: OR 1.57; fourth IQR vs. first IQR: OR 2.23), and in-hospital stroke/TIArecurrence (OR 2.38, 95%CI 2.03-2.78).Conclusions: The findings from this study may help clinicians control the risk of IHM better for patients with AIS.

A Dynamic Nomogram for 3-Month Prognosis for Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients After Endovascular Therapy: A Pooled Analysis in Southern China.

Cerebral edema (CDE) is a common complication in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and can reduce the benefit of endovascular therapy (EVT). To determine whether certain risk factors are associated with a poor prognosis mediated by CDE after EVT. The 759 patients with anterior circulation stroke treated by EVT at three comprehensive stroke centers in China from January 2014 to October 2020 were analyzed. Patients underwent follow-up for 3 months after inclusion. The primary endpoint was a measure of a poor prognosis (modified Rankin Scale score ≥ 3) at 3 months assessed in all patients receiving EVT. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and multivariate logistic regression were used to select variables for the prognostic nomogram. Based on these variables, the nomogram was established and validated. In addition, structural equation modeling was used to explore the pathways linking CDE and a poor prognosis. Seven predictors were identified, namely, diabetes, age, baseline Alberta Stroke Program Early CT score, modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score, early angiogenic CDE, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, and collateral circulation. The nomogram consisting of these variables showed the best performance, with a large area under the curve in both the internal validation set (0.850; sensitivity, 0.737; specificity, 0.887) and external validation set (0.875; sensitivity, 0.752; specificity, 0.878). In addition, CDE (total path coefficient = 0.24, P < 0.001) served as a significant moderator. A nomogram for predicting a poor prognosis after EVT in AIS patients was established and validated with CDE as a moderator.

Effect of Huoxiang Zhengqi Pill on Early Neurological Deterioration in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke Undergoing Recanalization Therapy and Predictive Effect of Essen Score.

Early neurologic deterioration (END) in the acute phase of ischemic stroke is a serious clinical event, which is closely related to poor prognosis. Therefore, it is important to identify presentation features that predict END and take relevant treatment measures, as they could help to prevent the deterioration of high-risk patients. The prospective intervention study was carried out from January 2018 to December 2019. We included consecutive patients hospitalized for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) within 6 hours of onset. Patients were randomly assigned (1 : 1) to recanalization therapy plus Huoxiang Zhengqi Pill (HXZQ) (intervention group) or standard recanalization therapy alone (control group). The primary outcome was the development of END according to predefined criteria within the first 1 week of stroke onset. Poisson regression was used to identify predictors for END. Of the 155 patients enrolled in the study (age, 63 ± 11 years; 28.4% female), 20 (12.9%) developed END. Univariate analysis showed that the use of HXZQ and Essen stroke risk score (ESRS) (low risk group) were protective factors for END, while advanced age was a risk factor for END. However, in multivariate analysis, only ESRS (OR, 0.232; 95%CI, 0.058-0.928; P=0.039) and the use of HXZQ (OR, 0.297; 95%CI, 0.096-0.917; P=0.035) were statistically significant. ESRS can be used as the prediction factor of END. HXZQ has small side effects and wide indication. It could be used in the treatment of AIS.

Peripheral blood CD4+ cell counts but not CD3+ and CD8+ cell counts are reduced in SARS-CoV-2 infection.

BACKGROUND: The world is facing the global spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). T cell-induced immune responses during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection have rarely been reported. METHODS: We use cell counting chips and PCR arrays to offer the first insights into the T cell involved in the course of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. All consecutive patients with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection treated at the designated hospital between January 2020 and February 2020 were recruited for the study, and cases were confirmed by real-time RT-PCR. Baseline characteristics for inpatients were prospectively collected and analyzed. RESULTS: 96 patients with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection in our center were screened for inclusion in the study. The median age of the patients was 39.0 years, and 47 (49.0%) were female. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that only the CD4+ cell counts were significantly lower in the infection group and slightly higher in the control group. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed good discrimination power between subjects with and subjects without infection. LIMITATIONS: This is a single-center study of patients with a specific ethnic background and lacks a mechanism. CONCLUSIONS: These findings imply the importance of CD4+ T cells (but not CD8+ and CD3+ T cells) in SARS-CoV-2 infection associated pneumonia and indicate that CD4+ T cells might be important for the control of SARS-CoV-2.

Essen Stroke Risk Score Predicts Carotid Atherosclerosis in Chinese Community Populations.

BACKGROUND: Carotid atherosclerosis (CA) is closely related to stroke, and Framingham Risk Score (FRS) has been used for CA risk evaluation. However, FRS could only be used for subjects of up to 74 years old. The present study was to determine if Essen Stroke Risk Score (ESRS) could be used to estimate CA risk in community populations without age limits. METHODS: In the present prospective multi-community screening study, we evaluated the prevalence of CA using high-resolution ultrasound in 521 males and 1039 females (35 to 91 years old). Both FRS and ESRS were calculated for the subjects. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictive values of FRS and ESRS for CA in these subjects. RESULTS: Ultrasound data showed that CA was present in 56.2% of the participants (total of 1560). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that ESRS was associated with CA with odds ratio (OR): 1.34 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.12-1.60, p=0.001). Central obesity (OR: 1.40, CI: 1.07-1.83, p=0.015), female (OR: 0.55, CI: 0.39-0.77, p <0.001) and age (OR: 2.63, CI: 2.27-3.06, p <0.001) were also associated with CA. Based on the estimated area under curve (AUC), FRS (AUC 0.775) was better than ESRS (AUC 0.693) (z statistic 6.774, p <0.001) for CA prediction for individuals of ≤74 years old. However, receiver operating characteristic analysis showed ESRS was a good CA predictor for all subjects (AUC of 0.715). CONCLUSION: ESRS could be used as an alternative to FRS to predict CA in community population of all age.