Correlation of nerve function and prognosis with common serum biochemical indicators in patients with ACI after alteplase intravenous thrombolysis / 中华老年心脑血管病杂志

Objective To explore the correlation of nerve function and prognosis with serum uric acid(UA),homocysteine(Hcy)and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)in patients with acute cerebral infarction(ACI)after alteplase intravenous thrombolysis.Methods A total of 220 ACI patients undergoing thrombolysis in Changsha First Hospital ICU between January 2020 and December 2022 were enrolled,and according to mRS score at 3 months after thrombolysis,they were divided into poor prognosis group(mRS score＞2,91 cases)and good prognosis group(mRS score ≤2,129 cases).The serum levels of UA,Hcy and LDL-C were compared between the two groups.The correlation between the three indexes and score of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS),and their predictive value for poor prognosis were analyzed.Results At 1 and 3 d after thrombolysis,the serum levels of UA,Hcy and LDL-C and NIHSS score were sig-nificantly decreased in both groups,and the serum levels of UA and Hcy and NIHSS score at 3 d after thrombolysis were significantly lower than those at 1 d(P＜0.05).The poor prognosis group had obviously higher serum levels of UA,Hcy and LDL-C and NIHSS score at 1 and 3 d after thrombolysis than the good prognosis group(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Pearson correlation analysis showed that the serum levels of UA,Hcy and LDL-C were positively correlated with NIHSS score at 1 and 3 d after thrombolysis(P＜0.01).ROC curve analysis indicated that the AUC values of UA,Hcy and LDL-C at 1 d after thrombolysis for predicting poor prognosis were 0.707(95％CI:0.639-0.776),0.800(95％CI:0.739-0.860)and 0.624(95％CI:0.550-0.698),respectively,while the values of them at 3 d after thrombolysis were 0.655(95％CI:0.583-0.726),0.730(95％CI:0.664-0.795)and 0.573(95％CI:0.497-0.649),respectively.Conclusion In ACI patients after thrombolysis,the serum levels of UA,Hcy and LDL-C are increased in those with poor prognosis,and are associated with the severity of nerve injury.The levels at 1 d after throm-bolysis have good predictive value for poor prognosis.

Chemical constituents from the leaves of Cyclocarya paliurus and their α-glucosidase inhibitory activities / 中成药

AIM To study the chemical constituents from the leaves of Cyanocarya paliurus(Batalin)Iljinskaja and their α-glucosidase inhibitory activities.METHODS The 95%ethanol extract from the leaves of C.paliurus was isolated and purified by macroporous resin,silica gel,Sephadex LH-20,polyamide,C18 reversed-phase silica gel and semi-preparative HPLC,then the structures of obtained compounds were identified by physicochemical properties and spectral data.Their α-glucosidase inhibitory activities were evaluated by PNPG.RESULTS Fifteen compounds were isolated and identified as cyclopaloside C(1),cyclopaloside A(2),juglanosides E(3),vaccinin A(4),ent-murin A(5),kaempferol 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside(6),kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(7),kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucuronide methyl ester(8),kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucuronide ethyl ester(9),kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucuronide butyl ester(10),quercetin-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside(11)quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(12),quercetin-3-O-β-D-galactopyranoside(13),quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucuronide butyl ester(14),dihydrokaempferol(15).The IC50 value of total extracts ihibited α-glucosidase was(1.83±0.04)μg/mL,and the IC50 values of compounds 1,4-5 were(29.48±1.86),(0.50±0.07),(0.71±0.07)μmol/L,respectively.CONCLUSION Compound 1 is a new tetrahydronaphthalene glycoside.Compounds 4-5,8-10 and 14 are isolated from the leaves of C.paliurus for the first time.Compounds 4-5 are relatively rare flavonoid lignans with potential inhibitory activities against α-glucosidase.

Characteristics and Risk Factors of Functional Dyspepsia Fulfilling the Rome IV Criteria Overlapping With Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and Functional Constipation in South China

Background/Aims@#Functional dyspepsia (FD) overlapping with other gastrointestinal disorders are quite common. The characteristics of FD overlap in Chinese population with latest Rome IV criteria were unclear. This large-scale outpatient-based study assessed the characteristics of FD overlap in South China. @*Methods@#Consecutive FD patients visited the Gastroenterology Clinic at 2 tertiary medical centers in Hangzhou, China who fulfilled the Rome IV criteria were enrolled. Complete questionnaires related to the gastrointestinal symptoms (Rome IV criteria), Reflux Disease Questionnaire, anxiety and depression, quality of sleep and life, and demographic information were collected. @*Results@#Among the total of 3281 FD patients, 50.69% overlapped with gastroesophageal reflux disease, 21.46% overlapped with irritable bowel syndrome, 6.03% overlapped with functional constipation. FD overlap had higher proportion of single/divorced/widowed rate, high education level, being employed, drinking, night shift, unhealthy dietary habit than FD only (P < 0.05). They had higher frequency of consultation and economic burden, as well as lower scores in quality of life (P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression showed that increasing age, female, low body mass index, history of gastroenteritis, anxiety, depression, and poor sleep quality were independent risk factors for FD overlap. @*Conclusions@#FD overlap was quite common in China with high economic burden and poor quality of life, FD patients with history of gastroenteritis, anxiety, depression, and poor sleep quality were more likely to have overlap disorders. Awareness of the physical and psychosocial stressors in overlapping condition would help optimize the management of FD overlap in clinical practice.

Global leadership initiative on malnutrition(GLIM)criteria in the diagnosis and treatment of malnutrition in patients with colorectal cancer / 肠外与肠内营养

Objective:This study aims to evaluate the incidence of postoperative malnutrition in colorectal cancer patients who underwent curative colorectal cancer surgery using the Golbal Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition(GLIM)criteria,and to explore the impact of malnutrition defined by the GLIM criteria on short-term clinical outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer.Method:We included a prospective cohort of 171 patients who underwent curative colorectal cancer surgery in Chongqing JiuLongpo People's Hospital from September 2022 to May 2023.Nutritional Risk Screening 2002(NRS 2002)was used for nutritional risk screening and GLIM criteria was used for the diagnosis of malnutrition.To compare the short-term postoperative clinical outcomes between the well-nourished group and the malnourished group under the GLIM criteria.Logistic regression analysis was conducted to analyze the risk factors of postoperative complications.Result:Among the included cases,nutritional screening data showed that 74(43.27％)patients were considered to be at risk of malnutrition(NRS 2002≥3),while based on GLIM criteria,63 patients(36.84％)were diagnosed as malnutrition.Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that GLIM-defined malnutrition was associated with total postoperative complications[odds ratio:2.075(95％CI:1.292～3.333),P=0.002].Multivariat analysis showed that women,BMI＜18.5kg/m2,smoking history,low differentiation of tumor,sarcopenia,laparotomy,low prealbumin,were independent risk factors for total postoperative complications.Conclusions:The nutritional diagnosis based on the GLIM criteria can effectively reflect the preoperative nutritional status of patients with colorectal cancer.GLIM-defined preoperative malnutrition can predict the risk of short-term complications in colorectal cancer patients who underwent curative colorectal cancersurgery.

Half effective dose of propofol sedation inhibiting response to inserted gastroscope with Dixon sequential method in eldly patients / 国际外科学杂志

Objective:To study the half effective dose of propofol inhibiting pharyngeal response of elderly patients to inserted gastroscope under anesthesia by Dixon sequential method.Methods:In this prospective study, 31 elderly patients aged 75 to 84 years who planned to undergo painless gastroscopy at the Digestive Endoscopy Center of Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from March to June 2021 were enrolled, American Society of Anesthesiologists class Ⅰ-Ⅱ. The heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), peripheral pulse oxygen saturation (SpO 2) were monitored. The propofol dose started at 1.1 mg/kg (the first patient), and the gap dose was 0.1 mg/kg. The sequential dose given to the patient increased by 0.1 mg/kg if the pharyngeal response to inserted gastroscope of the previous patient was not considered inhibited or decreased by 0.1 mg/kg if the pharyngeal response was inhibited, the positive pharyngeal response-inhibited pharyngeal response was regarded as one crossover, and this study stopped after the seventh crossover. The change of MAP, HR and SpO 2 prior to anesthesia, insertion of gastroscope, 2 minutes after insertion, after gastroscopy was recorded. Nausea and vomiting, cough and swallowing, and body movement were also recorded. The measurement data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation ( ± s), and the changes at different time points were compared by repeated measurement data ANOVA. Results:The half effective dose of propofol inhibiting pharyngeal response to inserted gastroscope was (1.11±0.16) mg/kg. The MAP prior to anesthesia, insertion of gastroscope, 2 minutes after insertion, after gastroscopy were (105.05±13.39) mmHg, (90.48±10.98) mmHg, (90.48±11.11) mmHg, (82.68±9.98) mmHg, respectively, and the MAP at each observation point after administration was significantly lower than that before anesthesia, the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The HR prior to anesthesia, insertion of gastroscope, 2 minutes after insertion, after gastroscopy were 77.26±12.67, 72.81±10.39, 72.90±11.63, 68.32±9.42, respectively, and the HR at each observation point after administration was significantly lower than that before sedation, the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The SpO 2 prior to anesthesia, insertion of gastroscope, 2 minutes after insertion, after gastroscopy were (96.48±1.81)%, (98.65±1.31)%, (97.36±2.14)%, (96.48±1.81)%, respectively, and the SpO 2 prior to anesthesia was statistically significant compared with insertion of gastroscope ( P<0.001), the SpO 2 of 2 minutes after insertion, and after gastroscopy were significant differences compared with insertion of gastroscope ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Half effective dose of propofol for inhibiting pharyngeal response to inserted gastroscope under anesthesia by Dixon sequential method was determined as (1.11±0.16)mg/kg .

Predictive value of amplitude integrated electroencephalogram combined with EEG monitoring PAV for short-term prognosis of patients with SACI / 中华老年心脑血管病杂志

Objective To explore the value of amplitude integrated electroencephalogram(aEEG)combined with electroencephalogram monitoring α percentage variation(PAV)in evaluating the short-term prognosis of patients with severe acute cerebral infarction(SACI).Methods A total of 212 SACI patients hospitalized in our ICU from January 2020 to December 2022 were recruited and then divided into poor prognosis group(93 cases)and good prognosis group(119 cases)ac-cording to the mRS score at 90 d.The differences in aEEG and PAV were observed between the two groups.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to observe the relationship of aEEG and PAV with poor prognosis.ROC curve was plotted to analyze the clinical value of aEEG and PAV in predicting the prognosis of SACI patients.Results The incidence of poor prognosis was 43.9％in 212 patients at the 90th day.The patients from the poor prognosis group had significantly higher aEEG score but lower PAV than those in the good prognosis group(P＜0.01).Multivari-ate logistic regression analysis showed that aEEG was a risk factor for poor prognosis(OR=1.403,95％CI:1.114-3.287,P=0.011),and PAV was a protective factor for poor prognosis(OR=0.714,95％CI:0.591-0.837,P=0.006).ROC curve results revealed that PAV had a high-er sensitivity,specificity and AUC value than aEEG in predicting poor prognosis of SACI pa-tients,and their combination obtained better sensitivity,specificity and AUC value than aEEG or PAV alone in the prediction(P＜0.01).Conclusion The combined use of aEEG and PAV has high clinical value in predicting the prognosis of SACI patients.

Application of electrical stimulation, biofeedback, and radiofrequency therapy in combination for the treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction / 中国基层医药

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of electrical stimulation, biofeedback, and radiofrequency therapy in combination for the treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction.Methods:A total of 144 patients with pelvic floor dysfunction who received treatment in Lianyungang Maternal and Child Health Hospital from June 2020 to June 2022 were included in this prospective randomized controlled study. They were randomly assigned to undergo electrical stimulation combined with biofeedback (electrical stimulation group, n = 48), treatment with a novel radiofrequency technique (radiofrequency therapy group, n = 48), or electrical stimulation, biofeedback, and treatment with a novel radiofrequency technique (combined group, n = 48). Pelvic floor dysfunction, stress urinary incontinence, and pelvic floor myofascial pain were compared among the three groups. Pelvic organ prolapse quantification was compared among the three groups before and after treatment. Quality of life was evaluated. Results:The effective rates of treatment against pelvic floor dysfunction, stress urinary incontinence, and pelvic floor myofascial pain in the combined group were 95.83% (46/48), 97.92% (47/48), and 93.75% (45/48), respectively, which were significantly higher than 79.17% (38/48), 79.17% (38/48), 77.08% (37/48) in the radiofrequency group, and 75.00% (36/48), 77.08% (37/48), 72.92% (35/48) in the electrical stimulation group ( χ2 = 8.40, 9.77, 7.66, all P < 0.05). After treatment, the severity of pelvic organ prolapse in the combined group was significantly milder than that in the novel radiofrequency technique group and electrical stimulation group (both P < 0.05). The scores of the pelvic floor dysfunction questionnaire and urinary incontinence questionnaire in the combined group were significantly lower than those in the radiofrequency therapy group and the electrical stimulation group (both P < 0.05). Conclusion:Electrical stimulation, biofeedback, and radiofrequency therapy in combination can greatly strengthen the muscle strength of the pelvic floor, relieve urinary incontinence, reduce pelvic floor myofascial pain, and improve the quality of life of patients with pelvic floor dysfunction.

Impact of CSF3R Mutation on Treatment Response and Survival of Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the expression of CSF3R mutation in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and analyze its clinical characteristics and prognosis.@*METHODS@#A retrospective study was conducted in 212 patients with AML who were newly diagnosed in the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from January 1th 2018 to June 30th 2021, including 22 patients with CSF3R mutations as mutation group and 190 patients with CSF3R wild type ［66 cases of them were screened by propensity score matching (PSM), as control group］. The early efficacy and survival between the two groups were compared.@*RESULTS@#The median age of patients in the mutation group was 50(17-73) years old, and the ratio of male to female was 1.2:1 The main types were AML with maturation (11 cases) and acute myelomonocytic leukemia (9 cases). Prognostic stratification was carried out according to the risk stratification system of the European leukemia network in 2017, with 16 cases (72.73%) in the middle and high-risk group. At the initial diagnosis, the median count of white blood cell (WBC) was 44.75(1.30-368.71)×109/L, among which 15 cases (68.18%) were >10×109/L, and the median count of platelet (PLT) was 24(4-55)×109/L. CSF3R T618I (68.18%) was a common mutation site, which had concomitant gene mutations, in which CEBPA mutation was the most common (10 cases, 45.45%), but only existed in CSF3R T618I mutation. The CR/CRi rate was 68.18% and 71.21% in the mutant group and the control group (P >0.05), the median over all survival time was 15 months and 9 months (P >0.05), and the median disease-free survival time was 8 months and 4 months (P >0.05), respectively.@*CONCLUSION@#Most AML patients with CSF3R mutation are middle-aged patients, the main types are AML with maturation and acute myelomonocytic leukemia, and most of them have middle and high-risk prognosis. CSF3R mutation may not be an independent prognostic marker for newly diagnosed AML patients.

Comparision of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation between Children with Thalassemia of Different Ages / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the difference of therapeutic effects on children with thalassemia at different age after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.@*METHODS@#The clinical data of children with thalassemia treated in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The children were divided into 2-5 years old group and 6-12 years old group. The success rate of implantation, transplant-related mortality, GVHD incidence, and other transplant-related complications, as well as thalassemia-free survival (TFS) were compared between the two groups.@*RESULTS@#The incidence of GVHD, hemorrhagic cystitis and severe oral mucositis after transplantation in the 2-5 years old group were significantly lower than those in the 6-12 years old group, while there was no statistically significant difference in the TFS between the two groups.@*CONCLUSION@#Children in the low age (2-5 years old) group show fewer complications and higher quality of life after transplantation, therefore, stem cell transplantation at 2-5 years old is more conducive to rehabilitation of the children with thalassemia.

Identification of human LDHC4 as a potential target for anticancer drug discovery

One of the distinct hallmarks of cancer cells is aerobic glycolysis (Warburg effect). Lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) is thought to play a key role in aerobic glycolysis and has been extensively studied, while lactate dehydrogenase C (LDHC), an isoform of LDHA, has received much less attention. Here we showed that human LDHC was significantly expressed in lung cancer tissues, overexpression of Ldhc in mice could promote tumor growth, and knock-down of LDHC could inhibit the proliferation of lung cancer A549 cells. We solved the first crystal structure of human LDHC4 and found that the active-site loop of LDHC4 adopted a distinct conformation compared to LDHA4 and lactate dehydrogenase B4 (LDHB4). Moreover, we found that (ethylamino) (oxo)acetic acid shows about 10 times selective inhibition against LDHC4 over LDHA4 and LDHB4. Our studies suggest that LDHC4 is a potential target for anticancer drug discovery and (ethylamino) (oxo)acetic acid provides a good start to develop lead compounds for selective drugs targeting LDHC4.

Application of Wei nasal jet tube in painless gastroscopy in patients over age 60 / 中华消化内镜杂志

To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of Wei nasal jet tube (WNJT) in painless gastroscopy in patients over age of 60, 80 patients aged 60 years or older scheduled for gastroscopy under propofol mono-sedation in Beijing Friendship Hospital were divided into WNJT group ( n=40) and nasal cannula group ( n=40) according to the random number table method from January to June 2021. The main observation indicator was the difference in the incidence of hypoxemia between the two groups, the secondary observation indicators included the lowest pulse blood oxygen saturation (SpO 2), interventions related to hypoxemia, adverse events such as body movement, cough, epistaxis, sore throat, and the satisfaction of physicians, anesthetists and patients. The results showed that the procedure time and total dosage of propofol were no significant differences between the two groups ( P>0.05). Compared with the nasal cannula group, the incidence of hypoxemia in the WNJT group was significantly lower [2.5% (1/40) VS 25.0% (10/40), χ2=8.538, P=0.003], the lowest SpO 2 was significantly higher (97.7%±2.5% VS 92.6%±5.8%, t=5.093, P<0.001), and the use of jaw lift was reduced [5.0% (2/40) VS 35.0% (14/40), χ2=11.250, P=0.001]. The adverse events were not significantly different between the two groups ( P>0.05), but no case of epistaxis and sore throat occurred in the nasal cannula group. The two groups were comparable in terms of the satisfaction of patients, anesthetists and physicians ( P>0.05). In conclusion, WNJT can be used safely during gastroscopy with propofol mono-sedation in patients over 60 years old, with less incidence of hypoxemia and the number of airway interventions. But violent operation should be avoided to reduce the incidence of epistaxis and sore throat.

Change in intestinal flora after treatment in children with focal epilepsy / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the difference in intestinal flora between children with focal epilepsy and healthy children and the change in intestinal flora after treatment in children with epilepsy.@*METHODS@#A total of 10 children with newly diagnosed focal epilepsy were recruited as the case group and were all treated with oxcarbazepine alone. Their clinical data were recorded. Fecal specimens before treatment and after 3 months of treatment were collected. Fourteen aged-matched healthy children were recruited as the control group. Total bacterial DNA was extracted from the fecal specimens for 16S rDNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis.@*RESULTS@#After 3 months of carbamazepine treatment, the seizure frequency was reduced by >50% in the case group. At the phylum level, the abundance of Actinobacteria in the case group before treatment was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05), and it was reduced after treatment (P<0.05). At the genus level, the abundances of Escherichia/Shigella, Streptococcus, Collinsella, and Megamonas in the case group before treatment were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05), and the abundances of these bacteria decreased significantly after treatment (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#There is a significant difference in intestinal flora between children with focal epilepsy and healthy children. Oxcarbazepine can significantly improve the symptoms and intestinal flora in children with epilepsy.

Sagittal Radiographic Parameters of the Spine in Three Physiological Postures Characterized Using a Slot Scanner and Their Potential Implications on Spinal Weight-Bearing Properties

Methods@#We recruited young patients with nonspecific low back pain for <3 months, who were otherwise healthy. Each patient had EOS images taken in the flexed, erect and extended positions, in random order, as well as magnetic resonance imaging to assess for disk degeneration. Angular and disk height measurements were performed and compared in all three postures using paired t-tests. Changes in disk height relative to the erect posture were caclulated to determine the alignment-specific load-bearing area of each FSU. @*Results@#Eighty-three patients (415 lumbar intervertebral disks) were studied. Significant alignment changes were found between all three postures at L1/2, and only between erect and flexion at the other FSUs. Disk height measurements showed that the neutral axis of the spine, marked by zones where disk heights did not change, varied between postures and was level specific. The load-bearing areas were also found to be more anterior in flexion and more posterior in extension, with the erect spine resembling the extended spine to a greater extent. @*Conclusions@#Load-bearing areas of the lumbar spine are sagittal alignment-specific and level-specific. This may imply that, depending on the surgical realignment strategy, attention should be paid not just to placing an intervertebral cage “as anterior as possible” for generating lordosis, but also on optimizing load-bearing in the lumbar spine.

Quantitative Analysis on Immunophenotype of CD34 / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the quantitative expression of immunophenotype of CD34@*METHODS@#Multi-parameter flow cytometry (FCM) was used to detect the proportion and mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of each antigen of bone marrow CD34@*RESULTS@#Bone marrow blast cell proportion (P<0.01), RBC level (P<0.01), and Hb level (P<0.05) of high-risk MDS patients were higher, while EPO level (P<0.05) was lower than those of low-risk patients. The proportion of CD34@*CONCLUSION@#The immunophenotype of CD34

Pathway to Holistic Care of Psychiatric Illness in National Servicemen Presenting in Primary Healthcare

@#This is a case study of a 22-year-old National Serviceman presenting with the main complaint of insomnia. This case demonstrates possible gaps in the integration of care between public and National Service healthcare. We illustrate a pathway which primary physicians may use to improve communication with National Service healthcare.

Clinical Significance of Truncated Mutant ΔJBP of TET2 Gene in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To the clinical characteristics and prognostic value of the patients with complete deletion of TET_JBP domain (ΔJBP) in TET2 acute myeloid leukemia (AML).@*METHODS@#Next Generation Sequencing technology was used to determine the mutations of 34 AML-related genes (including TET2 gene). The I-TASSER tool was used to predict the tertiary structure of the full-length TET2 protein and TET_JBP structure deletion.@*RESULTS@#Among 38 AML patients with TET2 mutations, 22(57.9%) showed truncation mutations, of which 16 (72.7%) produced TET2ΔJBP truncation mutants. Protein structure prediction showed that the deletion of TET_JBP domain lead to the significant changes of tertiary structure in TET2 protein. Compared with the patients in non-ΔJBP group, the age of patients in ΔJBP group were older (63 vs 54 years old, P=0.047), and the occurrence rate of CEBPA double mutation (CEBPA@*CONCLUSION@#AML patients with TET2ΔJBP truncation mutant shows lower CR rate, shorter EFS and OS after induction chemotherapy, which may be related to the poor prognosis, and co-mutation with CEBPA

Perception of nurses on the practice environment: Experience from Malaysia

@#Introduction: Positive professional practice environments are crucial to safeguard a healthy and safe working conditions for health workforce, including nurses; so as to ensure provision of quality healthcare and safety of patient. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study to assess nurses’ perceptions towards nursing practice environment and factors associated with their perceptions. A validated Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PESNWI) questionnaire was administered to nurses working in two Ministry of Health hospitals. The questionnaire comprises of five subscales: Participation, Foundation, Managers Support, Workforce Adequacy and Physician/Nurse Relations. Mean scores of >2.50 were considered as favourable, and ≤2.50 were considered as unfavourable. Simple linear and multiple linear regression analysis were employed to identify factors associated with their perceptions. Analysis was carried out using STATA version 14.0. Results: A total of 366 respondents took part in the study, with a response rate of 98.4%. Majority were working shift (89.6%) and working extended hours (62.3%). In general, the nursing practice environments were rated as favourable. Overall mean score was 2.90±0.03 and four out of five subscales’ mean scores were >2.50. Foundation for quality nursing care was perceived as the most favourable subscale, while workforce adequacy was perceived as the least favourable. There were statistically significant association between working extended hours, doing double shift and working during day off with perceived unfavourable workforce adequacy. Conclusion: Nursing practice environment was perceived as favourable in the studied hospitals. Policy makers, service providers, and hospital managers could explore further on human resource planning and management of nursing personnel to tackle the issue of nurse staffing in the country.

Screening for congenital heart disease in a Singapore neonatal unit

INTRODUCTION@#Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of infant mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a neonatal screening programme for CHD before the introduction of pulse oximetry.@*METHODS@#This was a retrospective review of live births in the period 2003-2012. Cases of CHD were detected through prenatal ultrasonography and/or postnatal examination, and confirmed using two-dimensional echocardiography. Data was rigorously checked against multiple sources. The antenatal detection rate, sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and likelihood ratios of the screening programme were analysed for all cases of CHD and critical CHD.@*RESULTS@#The incidence of CHD was 9.7 per 1,000 live births. The commonest CHD was ventricular septal defect (54.8%). The antenatal detection rate was three times higher in the critical CHD group (64.0%) compared to the group as a whole (21.1%). The sensitivity and specificity of screening was 64.5% and 99.7% for all CHD, and 92.9% and 99.1% for the critical CHD group, respectively. The positive likelihood ratio was 215 and 103, while the negative likelihood ratio was 0.36 and 0.07 for all CHD and critical CHD, respectively.@*CONCLUSION@#The CHD screening programme had excellent specificity but limited sensitivity. The high positive likelihood ratios indicate that where sufficient risk factors for CHD are present, a positive result effectively confirms the presence of CHD. The low negative likelihood ratio for critical CHD indicates that, where prior suspicion for critical CHD is low, a negative result is reassuring.

Evaluation of left lateral position I-scope endotracheal intubation for optimization of preoperative anesthesia time before endoscopic submucosal dissection / 中华消化内镜杂志

Objective:To evaluate left lateral position I-scope tracheal intubation for optimizing anesthesia time during the patient′s general anesthesia before endoscopic submucosal dissection.Methods:A total of 150 patients with early upper gastrointestinal cancer were enrolled in the study for endoscopic submucosal dissection in Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from March to December 2018. Patients were randomly divided into three groups with 50 patients in each group. The SL group underwent I-scope tracheal intubation in the left lateral position, SS group underwent I-scope tracheal intubation in the supine position, and MS group underwent Macintosh laryngoscope tracheal intubation in the supine position. Preoperative non-essential anesthesia time (the time between successful intubation and operation), attempts for tracheal intubation and complications related to intubation were analyzed.Results:The preoperative non-essential anesthesia time was 8.55±2.16 min in SL group, 10.44±2.43 min in SS group, and 10.56±3.20 min in MS group, with significant difference among three groups ( F=9.08, P<0.001), and the time in SL group was shorter than that in SS group ( P<0.001) and MS group ( P<0.001). However, there was no statistical difference in non-essential anesthesia time between the SS group and MS group ( P=0.819). The success rate of first attempt intubation was 96.0% (48/50) in SL group, 90.0% (45/50) in SS group, and 92.0% (46/50) in MS group, with no significant differences among three groups ( χ2=2.601, P=0.627). The incidences of cough and expectoration, dry mouth and mucosal injury showed no statistical differences among three groups during transference to the ward after tracheal catheter removal (all P>0.05). The incidence of sore throat in MS group (38.0%, 19/50) was higher than that in SL group (18.0%, 9/50, P<0.05) and SS group (18.0%, 9/50, P<0.05), while the difference was not statistically significant between SL group and SS group ( P>0.05). Conclusion:I-scope tracheal intubation in the left lateral position may shorten the preoperative anesthesia time in patients undergoing general anesthesia for the operation in the left lateral position, and optimize overall anesthesia time.

Effect of Signal Transduction Pathway Gene Mutations on the One- course Induced Remission Rate and Analysis of Clinical Characteristics in Patients with CBF-AML / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effect of other gene mutations outside the fusion gene on the first complete remission (CR) induced by one course of induction chemotherapy in patients with core binding factor-associated acute myeloid leukemia (CBF-AML).@*METHODS@#DNA was extracted from bone marrow or peripheral blood samples of newly diagnosed CBF-AML patients admitted to the Hematology Department of the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from January 2015 to January 2019. Next-generation sequencing was used for detection of 34 kinds of hematologic malignancy-related gene mutations in patients with CBF-AML, the effect of related gene mutations on the first complete remission (CR) rate in one course of induction chemotherapy was analyzed by combineation with clinical characteristics.@*RESULTS@#34 kinds of genes in bone marrow or peripheral blood of 43 patients were detected by high throughput sequencing and the gene mutations were detected in 16 out of 34 genes. The mutation rate of KIT gene was the highest (48.8%), followed by NRAS (16.3%), ASXL1 (16.3%), TET2 (11.6%), CSF3R (9.3%), FLT3 (9.3%), KRAS (7.0%). The detection rates of mutations in different functional genes were as follows: genes related with signal transduction pathway (KIT, FLT3, CSF3R, KRAS, NRAS, JAK2, CALR, SH2B3, CBL) had the highest mutation frequency (72.1% (31/43); epigenetic modification gene mutation frequency was 30.2% (13/43), including ASXL1, TET2, BCOR); transcriptional regulation gene mutation frequency was 7.0% (3/43), including ETV6, RUNX1, GATA2). Splicing factor related gene mutation frequency was 2.3% (1/43), including ZRSR2). The CR rate was 74.4% after one course of induction chemotherapy. At first diagnosis, patients with low expression of WT1 (the median value of WT1 was 788.9) were more likely to get CR (P=0.032) and the RFS of patients who got CR after one course of induction chemotherapy was significantly longer than that of patients without CR [7.6 (2.2-44.1) versus 5.8 (1-19.4), (P=0.048)]. The rate of CR in the signal transduction pathway gene mutation group was significantly lower than that in non-mutation group (64.5% vs 100%) (P=0.045), while the level of serum hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (HBDH) was significantly higher than that in non-mutation group [(418 (154-2702) vs 246 (110-1068)] (P=0.032). There was no difference in CD56 expression between the two groups (P=0.053), which was limited to the difference between (≥20%) expression and non-expression. (P=0.048).@*CONCLUSION@#CBF-AML patients with signal transduction pathway gene mutation are often accompanied by high HBDH level and CD56 expression, moreover, the remission rate induced by one course of treatment is low.