Clinical features of bacterial liver abscess in the context of coronavirus disease 2019 in Changchun， China / 临床肝胆病杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical and epidemiological features of patients with bacterial liver abscess during the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 （COVID－19） in Changchun， China. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for 37 411 patients who were discharged from The First Hospital of Jilin University from March 1 to June 30 in 2022， and finally 135 patients with bacterial liver abscess were included for analysis. Related clinical data were collected to summarize their clinical features， and these patients were compared with the patients with bacterial liver abscess in 2019－2021 in terms of disease onset and pathogen. The Kruskal－Wallis H test was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups， and the chi－square test was used for comparison of categorical data between multiple groups. ResultsThe patients with bacterial liver abscess accounted for 0.36% of the patients admitted to our hospital during the same period of time， which showed varying degrees of increase compared with the previous years （χ2=32.081， P<0.001）. The 135 patients with bacterial liver abscess had a mean hospital stay of 11 （6－18） days， which was longer than that in the previous years （H=9.223， P=0.026）. The patients with bacterial liver abscess had higher levels of white blood cell count and C－reactive protein （CRP） than the previous years （H=14.150 and 8.736， P=0.003 and 0.033）. Among the 135 patients， 69 （51.11%） received blood culture， and the results showed sterile growth （59.42%）， Klebsiella pneumoniae （30.43%）， Escherichia coli （4.35%）， Bacteroides fragilis （1.45%）， Enterococcus faecium （1.45%）， Staphylococcus epidermidis （1.45%）， and Klebsiella oxytoca （1.45%）. Among the 135 patients， 90 （66.67%） received pus culture， and the results showed Klebsiella pneumoniae （72.22%）， sterile growth （14.44%）， Escherichia coli （4.44%）， Enterococcus faecium （2.22%）， Pseudomonas aeruginosa （2.22%）， Acinetobacter baumannii （1.11%）， Klebsiella aerogenes （1.11%）， Klebsiella oxytoca （1.11%）， and Enterococcus casseliflavus （1.11%）. Of all 135 patients， 127 （94.07%） were improved and cured after anti－infective therapy and ultrasound－guided abscess puncture and drainage， and 3 patients （2.22%） died during hospitalization. ConclusionDuring the outbreak of COVID－19 in Changchun， there are increases in the number of patients with liver abscess in our hospital， the length of hospital stay， and the levels of white blood cell count and CRP， with Klebsiella pneumoniae as the main pathogen， and most patients are improved after treatment.

A novel fluorescent digitonin derivative for non-invasive skin cholesterol detection: potential application in atherosclerosis screening.

There is a great demand for the rapid and non-invasive atherosclerosis screening method. Cholesterol content in the epidermis of the skin is an early biomarker for atherosclerosis. Risk assessment of atherosclerosis can be achieved by measuring cholesterol in the epidermis. Here, we synthesised a new fluorescent digitonin derivative (FDD) for the non-invasive detection of skin cholesterol. The results of fluorescence spectroscopy studies indicated that the probe exhibited desirable selectivity for cholesterol. The proof-of-concept preclinical study confirmed that FDD can detect different concentrations of skin cholesterol; patients diagnosed with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and the at-risk atherosclerosis group exhibited higher skin cholesterol content than the normal group. The area under the ROC curve for distinguishing the normal/disease group was 0.9228 (95% confidence interval, 0.8938 to 0.9518), and the area under the ROC curve for distinguishing the normal/risk group was 0.9422 (95% confidence interval, 0.9178 to 0.9665). We anticipate that this non-invasive skin cholesterol test may be used as a risk assessment tool for atherosclerosis screening in a large population for further examination and intervention in high-risk populations.

Comparisons and reference of dental education between the United Kingdom and China / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Dental education in United Kingdom has been amongst the best in the world with years of experience.General Dental Council (GDC) is the sole competent authority for dentistry in the UK.GDC produces guidance on dental education and lead the inspections and monitoring for dental schools.Postgraduate Dental Deans are responsible for the provision and quality management of the education and training of dental graduates during 2 years' foundation training and 3-5 years' specialty training.There are similarities between UK dental education system and Chinese system in school education and continuing education.It is worthy of reference for the dental education in China in terms of the training system of dental residents and specialists in the United kingdom.