Sodium, potassium intake, and all-cause mortality: confusion and new findings

BACKGROUND

The World Health Organization (WHO) has established recommended daily intakes for sodium and potassium. However, there is currently some controversy regarding the association between sodium intake, potassium intake, the sodium-to-potassium ratio, and overall mortality. To assess the correlations between sodium intake, potassium intake, the sodium-to-potassium ratio, and overall mortality, as well as the potential differences in sodium and potassium intake thresholds among different population groups, we analyzed data from NHANES 2003-2018.

METHODS

NHANES is an observational cohort study that estimates sodium and potassium intake through one or two 24-h dietary recalls. Hazard ratios (HR) for overall mortality were calculated using multivariable adjusted Cox models accounting for sampling design. A total of 13855 out of 26288 participants were included in the final analysis. Restricted cubic spline analyses were used to examine the relationship between sodium intake, potassium intake, and overall mortality. If non-linearity was detected, we employed a recursive algorithm to calculate inflection points.

RESULTS

Based on one or two 24-h dietary recalls, the sample consisted of 13,855 participants, representing a non-institutionalized population aged 40-80 years, totaling 11,348,771 person-months of mean follow-up 99.395 months. Daily sodium intake and daily potassium intake were inversely associated with all-cause mortality. Restrictive cubic spline analysis showed non-linear relationships between daily sodium intake, potassium intake, sodium-potassium ratio, and total mortality. The inflection point for daily sodium intake was 3133 mg/d, and the inflection point for daily potassium intake was 3501 mg/d, and the inflection point for daily sodium-potassium ratio intake was 1.203 mg/mg/d. In subgroup analyses, a significant interaction was found between age and high sodium intake, which was further confirmed by the smooth curves that showed a U-shaped relationship between sodium intake and all-cause mortality in the elderly population, with a inflection point of 3634 mg/d.

CONCLUSION

Nonlinear associations of daily sodium intake, daily potassium intake and daily sodium-potassium ratio intake with all-cause mortality were observed in American individuals. The inflection point for daily sodium intake was 3133 mg/d. And the inflection point for daily sodium intake was 3634 mg/d in elderly population. The inflection point for daily potassium intake was 3501 mg/d. The inflection point for daily sodium-potassium ratio intake was 1.203 mg/mg/d, respectively, A healthy diet should be based on reasonable sodium intake and include an appropriate sodium-to-potassium ratio.

The Role of Cancer in the Risk of Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality: A Nationwide Prospective Cohort Study

Objectives: Evidence on cardiovascular-related and all-cause mortality risks in a wide range of cancer survivors is scarce but needed to inform prevention and management. Methods: We performed a nationwide prospective cohort study using information from the Continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the United States and the linked mortality follow-up files, available for public access. A propensity score-matched analysis with a 1:1 ratio was conducted to reduce the baseline differences between participants with and without cancer. The relationship between cancer status and the cardiovascular-related and all-cause mortality risk was examined using weighted Cox proportional hazards regression. Independent stratification analysis and cancer-specific analyses were also performed. Results: The study sample included 44,342 participants, aged 20-85, interviewed between 1999 and 2018. Of these, 4,149 participants had cancer. All-cause death occurred in 6,655 participants, of whom 2,053 died from cardiovascular causes. Propensity-score matching identified 4,149 matched pairs of patients. A fully adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression showed that cancer was linked to an elevated risk of cardiovascular-related and all-cause mortality both before and after propensity score matching. Stratification analysis and cancer-specific analyses confirmed robustness of results. Conclusion: Our study confirmed that cancer was strongly linked to cardiovascular-related and all-cause mortality, even after adjusting for other factors that could impact a risk, including the American Heart Association (AHA)'s Life's Simple 7 cardiovascular health score, age, sex, ethnicity, marital status, income, and education level.

Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Automated Applicator Digitization for Fully-Automated Gynecological High-Dose Rate Brachytherapy Treatment Planning

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

To automate the digitization of plastic and titanium applicators used in interstitial and hybrid gynecological (GYN) computed tomography (CT)-based high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy procedures to accelerate the planning and reduce the potential for planning errors. Our hypothesis is that artificial intelligence can accurately automate the identification and digitization of plastic and titanium applicators used in HDR brachytherapy.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Forty-eight patients who had received GYN procedures (7 tandem/ring: plastic applicators, 41 interstitial: titanium needles) were selected retrospectively. Patients were randomly split into training (n = 40) and test (n = 8) sets for this study. DICOM images and digitized needles from delivered plans were converted to 3D binary format. The points from each needle were transformed to individual contours and combined into a single binary mask using custom software. Using nnU-Net, a self-configuring deep convolutional neural network, 2D and 3D U-Net architectures were trained and ensembled. With the CT image as input, the nnU-Net model learned features to automatically segment the needle contours. Lastly, a 3D U-Net model was trained using 5 of the 7 tandem/ring cases (plastic applicators), with two reserved to evaluate this automated digitization. The models' performance was evaluated using the Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) and identification rate for individual needles.

RESULTS

The model trained on 40 patients performed well on titanium needle cases [mean (+/- std. dev.) DSC = 0.738+/-0.034], but did not perform well on the tandem/ring cases [DSC = 0.408] in the test set. This model automatically identified 100% (54 out of 54) titanium needles but missed all plastic applicators from tandem/ring cases. Training a model with only a limited number of tandem/ring (plastic applicators) cases greatly improved segmentation accuracy [mean DSC = 0.646] for tandem/ring test cases. This model which was trained using only tandem/ring cases, automatically identified 7 out of 7 needles (100% vs 0% with previous model) from cases in the test set.

CONCLUSION

The nnU-Net can automatically detect HDR needles with high confidence. Using applicator-specific identification models may improve digitization accuracy. Further evaluation of these tools on larger datasets will confirm the findings of this study.

Nonlocal Near-Field Radiative Heat Transfer by Transdimensional Plasmonics

Using transdimensional plasmonic materials (TDPM) within the framework of fluctuational electrodynamics, we demonstrate nonlocality in dielectric response alters near-field heat transfer at gap sizes on the order of hundreds of nanometers. Our theoretical study reveals that, opposite to the local model prediction, propagating waves can transport energy through the TDPM. However, energy transport by polaritons at shorter separations is reduced due to the metallic response of TDPM stronger than that predicted by the local model. Our experiments conducted for a configuration with a silica sphere and a doped silicon plate coated with an ultrathin layer of platinum as the TDPM show good agreement with the nonlocal near-field radiation theory. Our experimental work in conjunction with the nonlocal theory has important implications in thermophotovoltaic energy conversion, thermal management applications with metal coatings, and quantum-optical structures.

Preparation of Nanocomposites for Antibacterial Orthodontic Invisible Appliance Based on Piezoelectric Catalysis

Compared to fixed orthodontic appliances with brackets, thermoplastic invisible orthodontic aligners offer several advantages, such as high aesthetic performance, good comfort, and convenient oral health maintenance, and are widely used in orthodontic fields. However, prolonged use of thermoplastic invisible aligners may lead to demineralization and even caries in most patients' teeth, as they enclose the tooth surface for an extended period. To address this issue, we have created PETG composites that contain piezoelectric barium titanate nanoparticles (BaTiO₃NPs) to obtain antibacterial properties. First, we prepared piezoelectric composites by incorporating varying amounts of BaTiO₃NPs into PETG matrix material. The composites were then characterized using techniques such as SEM, XRD, and Raman spectroscopy, which confirmed the successful synthesis of the composites. We cultivated biofilms of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) on the surface of the nanocomposites under both polarized and unpolarized conditions. We then activated piezoelectric charges by subjecting the nanocomposites to 10 Hz cyclic mechanical vibration. The interactions between the biofilms and materials were evaluated by measuring the biofilm biomass. The addition of piezoelectric nanoparticles had a noticeable antibacterial effect on both the unpolarized and polarized conditions. Under polarized conditions, nanocomposites demonstrated a greater antibacterial effect than under unpolarized conditions. Additionally, as the concentration of BaTiO₃NPs increased, the antibacterial rate also increased, with the surface antibacterial rate reaching 67.39% (30 wt% BaTiO₃NPs). These findings have the potential for application in wearable, invisible appliances to improve clinical services and reduce the need for cleaning methods.

Association between hysterectomy status and stroke risk and cause-specific and all-cause mortality: evidence from the 2005-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Background

Prior research on women who had hysterectomies has shown mixed results on whether or not hysterectomies increased the incidence of stroke and cause-specific or all-cause mortality.

Methods

Using information from the Continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the United States, including linked mortality follow-up files available for public access, a multicycle cross-sectional design mortality linkage study was performed.

Results

Conducted during the years 2005-2018, the study sample included 14,214 female participants ranging in age from 20 to 85 years. The relationship between the hysterectomy status and the risk of stroke and cause-specific and all-cause mortality was examined using a series of weighted logistic regressions and Cox proportional hazards regressions, respectively. The presence of a hysterectomy was consistently linked to an elevated risk of stroke using weighted logistic regression models. The hysterectomy status, however, consistently showed no effect on survival by adjusted weighted Cox regression analysis.

Conclusion

Our study found a significant association between hysterectomy and stroke, even after adjusting for other factors that could impact risk, such as the American Heart Association (AHA)'s Life's Simple 7 cardiovascular health score and variables of age, ethnicity, marital status, income, education, and depression severity.

Chronic intermittent ethanol exposure disrupts stress-related tripartite communication to impact affect-related behavioral selection in male rats

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is characterized by loss of intake control, increased anxiety, and susceptibility to relapse inducing stressors. Both astrocytes and neurons contribute to behavioral and hormonal consequences of chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) exposure in animal models. Details on how CIE disrupts hypothalamic neuro-glial communication, which mediates stress responses are lacking. We conducted a behavioral battery (grooming, open field, reactivity to a single, uncued foot-shock, intermittent-access two-bottle choice ethanol drinking) followed by Ca²⁺ imaging in ex-vivo slices of paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) from male rats exposed to CIE vapor or air-exposed controls. Ca²⁺ signals were evaluated in response to norepinephrine (NE) with or without selective α-adrenergic receptor (αAR) or GluN2B-containing N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonists, followed by dexamethasone (DEX) to mock a pharmacological stress response. Expectedly, CIE rats had altered anxiety-like, rearing, grooming, and drinking behaviors. Importantly, NE-mediated reductions in Ca²⁺ event frequency were blunted in both CIE neurons and astrocytes. Administration of the selective α1AR antagonist, prazosin, reversed this CIE-induced dysfunction in both cell types. Additionally, the pharmacological stress protocol reversed the altered basal Ca²⁺ signaling profile of CIE astrocytes. Signaling changes in astrocytes in response to NE were correlated with anxiety-like behaviors, such as the grooming:rearing ratio, suggesting tripartite synaptic function plays a role in switching between exploratory and stress-coping behavior. These data show how CIE exposure causes persistent changes to PVN neuro-glial function and provides the groundwork for how these physiological changes manifest in behavioral selection.

Association between socioeconomic status and arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk and cause-specific and all-cause mortality: Data from the 2005-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Background

Morbidity and mortality of arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) varied according to socioeconomic status (SES), and evidence on the association between SES and ASCVD risk, and cause-specific and all-cause mortality was nevertheless lacking in large-scale or population-based studies.

Methods

A multicycle cross-sectional design and mortality linkage study was conducted using data from Continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the United States, including public use linked mortality follow-up files through December 31, 2019. Poverty income ratio (PIR) served as a SES index. A series of weighted Logistic regressions and Cox proportional hazards regressions were used to investigate the association between the SES and the risk of ASCVD and mortality, respectively.

Results

The study sample was comprised of 30,040 participants aged 20-85 years old during the 2005-2018 period. Weighted Logistic regression models consistently indicated significant relationship between people experiencing poverty and increased risk of ASCVD, and linear trend tests were all statistically significant (all P for trend < 0.001). Additionally, weighted Cox regression analysis consistently demonstrated that the hazards of cause-specific and all-cause mortality increased, with the decrease of each additional income level, and trend analyses indicated similar results (all P for trend < 0.001).

Conclusions

Our study confirmed that the SES was strongly linked to living with ASCVD, and cause-specific and all-cause mortality, even after adjusting for other factors that could impact risk, such as the American Heart Association (AHA)'s Life's Simple 7 cardiovascular health score and variables of age, sex, marital status, education, and depression severity.

The Analysis of the Power Law Feature in Complex Networks

Consensus about the universality of the power law feature in complex networks is experiencing widespread challenges. In this paper, we propose a generic theoretical framework in order to examine the power law property. First, we study a class of birth-and-death networks that are more common than BA networks in the real world, and then we calculate their degree distributions; the results show that the tails of their degree distributions exhibit a distinct power law feature. Second, we suggest that in the real world two important factors-network size and node disappearance probability-will affect the analysis of power law characteristics in observation networks. Finally, we suggest that an effective way of detecting the power law property is to observe the asymptotic (limiting) behavior of the degree distribution within its effective intervals.

Association between level of depression and coronary heart disease, stroke risk and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: Data from the 2005-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Research on the association between level of depression and coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke risk, and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality is lacking in large-scale or population-based studies incorporating cardiovascular disease (CVD) endpoints. We aim to assess the relationship between the level of a person's depression and their risk of CHD, stroke, and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Utilizing data from the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), multicycle cross-sectional design and mortality linkage studies were conducted. The study sample included 30918 participants aged 20-85 years old during the 2005-2018 period. Depression was assessed using the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), with scores of 5, 10, 15, and 20 being the cut-off points for mild, moderate, moderately severe, and severe depression, respectively. A series of weighted logistic regression analyses and Cox proportional hazards models were utilized to examine the relationship between the level of depression with the risk of CHD, stroke, all-cause, and cardiovascular mortality. Trend analyses were conducted by entering the level of depression as a continuous variable and rerunning the corresponding regression models. Weighted logistic regression models consistently indicated a statistically significant association between the level of depression and increased risk of CHD and stroke, and those linear trend tests were statistically significant (P for trend < 0.001). Furthermore, weighted Cox regression analyses consistently indicated that participants who had a more severe degree of depression were at a higher risk of all-cause death, and trend analyses suggested similar results (P for trend < 0.001). Another weighted Cox regression analysis also consistently indicated that except for severe depression, the hazard of cardiovascular death was increased with each additional level increase of depression. Our study confirmed that the level of depression was strongly associated with CHD, stroke, and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, even after accounting for other factors that could impact risk, including variables of age, gender, ethnicity, income, education, body mass index (BMI), marital, and smoking status.

Heart failure across the range of preserved ejection fraction in United States clinical practice

Introduction

Recent clinical trials of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) have observed varying patient profiles by ejection fraction (EF), with attenuation of treatment benefits as EF increases. In routine clinical practice, the degree to which patients hospitalized for HF with EF≥60% may differ from those with lower EF is unknown.

Purpose

To compare patient characteristics, treatment patterns, and clinical outcomes across the range of EF among patients hospitalized for HFpEF.

Methods

Using the Humedica electronic medical records database between Jan 2010 and Dec 2020, patients hospitalized for a primary diagnosis of HF with EF&gt;40% and who were haemodynamically stable at admission, without concurrent acute coronary syndrome or end-stage renal disease, and treated with intravenous (IV) diuretic agents within 48 h of admission were identified. Patient characteristics, treatment patterns, and clinical outcomes were compared by EF ranges of 41–49%, 50–59%, and ≥60%.

Results

Of 47,026 patients hospitalized with HFpEF, 6,335 (13%) had EF 41–49%, 18,603 (40%) had EF 50–59%, and 22,088 (47%) had EF≥60%. Across all 3 groups, patients were similar with respect to age (median 77 years for each group), race (83–84% White, 12–13% Black), systolic blood pressure (137–138 mmHg at admission), and eGFR (63–64 mL/min/1.73 m2 at admission). With progressively higher EF group, the proportion of women increased (45% vs 54% vs 65%) and median NT-proBNP decreased (4,221 vs 2,945 vs 2,234 pg/mL). Patients with EF ≥60% had the lowest rates of coronary artery disease and atrial fibrillation, and the highest rates of chronic pulmonary disease (Figure 1, Panel A). Discharge medications were generally similar, with exception of less beta-blocker use and more calcium channel blocker use among those with EF ≥60% (Figure 1, Panel B). Discharge use of angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor and sodium glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor therapies were each &lt;1% in all groups. Hospital length of stay (median 4 days for each group) and in-hospital mortality (1.1–1.3%) were similar across groups, but rates of in-hospital acute respiratory failure were higher among patients with EF ≥60% (27% vs 230-25% for lower EF groups). Rates of 30-day and 12-month post-discharge clinical events were high irrespective of EF, without meaningful differences between groups (Figure 2).

Conclusion

In a contemporary real-world population of US patients hospitalized for HF with EF &gt;40%, nearly half had an EF≥60%. While clinical profiles and discharge medications varied, post-discharge outcomes were similarly poor irrespective of EF. There remain important opportunities to improve the care and outcomes for patients with HF across the range of preserved ejection fraction.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Private company. Main funding source(s): MyoKardia, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Bristol Myers Squibb

[Clinical characteristics of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection and factors associated with co-infections in children]

Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection and analyze the factors associated with co-infections with other pathogens in children, and provide evidence for improvement of community acquired pneumonia (CAP) prevention and control in children. Methods: Based on the surveillance of hospitalized acute respiratory infections cases conducted in Soochow University Affiliated Children's Hospital (SCH), the CAP cases aged <16 years hospitalized in SCH between 2018 and 2021 were screened. The pathogenic test results of the cases were obtained through the laboratory information system, and their basic information, underlying conditions, and clinical characteristics were collected using a standardized questionnaire. The differences in clinical characteristics between M. pneumoniae infection and bacterial or viral infection and the effect of the co-infection of M. pneumoniae with other pathogens on clinical severity in the cases were analyzed; logistic regression was used to analyze the factors associated with the co-infections with other pathogens. Results: A total of 8 274 hospitalized CAP cases met the inclusion criteria. Among them, 2 184 were positive for M. pneumoniae (26.4%). The M. pneumoniae positivity rate increased with age (P<0.001), and it was higher in girls (P<0.001) and in summer and autumn (P<0.001). There were statistically significant differences in the incidence of wheezing, shortness of breath, wheezing sounds and visible lamellar faint shadow on chest radiographs, as well as fever and hospitalization days among M. pneumoniae, bacterial, and viral infection cases (all P<0.05). In the cases aged <60 months years, co-infection cases had higher rates of wheezing, gurgling with sputum and stridor; and in the cases aged ≥60 months, co-infection cases had a higher rate of shortness of breath (all P<0.05). Multifactorial logistic regression analysis showed that being boys (aOR=1.38,95%CI:1.15-1.67), being aged <6 months (aOR=3.30,95%CI:2.25-4.89), 6-23 months (aOR=3.44,95%CI:2.63-4.51), 24-47 months (aOR=2.50,95%CI:1.90-3.30) and 48-71 months (aOR=1.77,95%CI:1.32-2.37), and history of respiratory infection within 3 months (aOR=1.28,95%CI:1.06-1.55) were factors associated with co-infections of M. pneumoniae with other pathogens. Conclusions: M. pneumoniae was the leading pathogen in children hospitalized due to CAP. M. pneumoniae infections could cause fever for longer days compared with bacterial or viral infections; M. pneumoniae was often co-detected with virus or bacteria. Being boys, being aged <72 months and history of respiratory infection within 3 months were associated factors for co-infections.

Development of Older Adult Food Insecurity Index to Assess Food Insecurity of Older Adults

OBJECTIVES

Quantifying the number of older adults that are food insecure in a specific geographic area is critical in developing and scaling public health prevention and response programs at the local level. However, current estimates of older adult food insecurity only consider financial constraints, following the same methodology as the general population, even though the drivers for older adults are different and multidimensional. This study aims to build a general approach to quantify the food-insecurity among older adults at the local level, using publicly available data that can be easily obtained across the country.

METHODS

13 risk factors for food insecurity among older adults were identified leveraging existing studies, following the Social Ecological Model (SEM), and the weighted impact of each factor was determined. Publicly available data sources were identified for each factor, ZIP code level data was compared to national averages, and the weighted data for each factor were aggregated to determine the overall food insecurity at the local level.

RESULTS

Based on the averaged odds ratios across all the studies, of the 13 risk factors, beyond financial constraints, having a disability was the most impactful factor and distance to the nearest grocery store was the least impactful. A ZIP code level model of Honolulu County was developed as an example to demonstrate the approach, showing that food insecurity among older adults in the county was 2.5 times that which was reported from the Current Population Survey (16.5% versus 6.5%).

CONCLUSION

This evidence-based model considered factors that impact food insecurity among older adults across all the spheres of the SEM. The drivers of food insecurity among older adults are different than the drivers for the general population, resulting in a higher percentage of older adults being food insecure than currently reported.

Efficacy of surgical navigation in zygomaticomaxillary complex fractures: randomized controlled trial

Accurate reduction is of vital importance in the treatment of zygomaticomaxillary complex (ZMC) fractures. Computer-assisted navigation systems (CANS) have been employed in ZMC fractures to improve the accuracy of surgical reduction. However, randomized controlled trials on this subject are rare and the benefits of CANS remain controversial. The aim of this study was to compare reduction errors between navigation-aided and conventional surgical treatment for ZMC fractures. Thirty-eight patients with unilateral type B ZMC fractures were enrolled. Preoperative computed tomography data were imported into ProPlan software for virtual surgical planning. Open reduction and internal fixation was performed with CANS (experimental group) or without CANS (control group). Postoperative computed tomography scans were obtained to examine the difference between surgical planning and the actual postoperative outcome, namely reduction errors. The median translational reduction errors in the X, Y, and Z axes were 0.80 mm, 0.40 mm, and 0.80 mm, respectively, in the experimental group and 0.53 mm, 0.86 mm, and 0.83 mm, respectively, in the control group (P > 0.05). The median rotational reduction errors in pitch, roll, and yaw were 0.92°, 2.47°, and 1.54°, respectively, in the experimental group and 1.45°, 3.68°, and 0.76°, respectively, in the control group (P > 0.05). In conclusion, compared with conventional reduction surgery, navigation-aided surgery showed no significant improvement in reduction accuracy in the treatment of type B ZMC fractures (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, registration number ChiCTR1800015559).

[Short-term efficacy of anti-IgE monoclonal antibody in patients with recurrent chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps combined with asthma]

Objective: To investigate the short-term efficacy of anti-IgE monoclonal antibody (Omalizumab) in the treatment of recurrent chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) complicated with asthma. Methods: Patients with recurrent CRSwNP and comorbid asthma in Beijing TongRen Hospital from May to December of 2020 were continuously recruited and received a 4-month therapy of stable background treatment plus Omalizumab. Results of visual analog scales (VAS) of nasal symptoms, sino-nasal outcome test-22 (SNOT 22) and nasal polyp scores were collected at baseline and post-treatment (1, 2, 3 and 4 months after treatment). Blood routine tests, total nasal resistances (TNR), minimum cross-sectional areas (MCA), total nasal cavity volumes (NCV), forced expiratory volumes in one second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) and adverse events were collected at baseline and 4 months after treatment. All results were evaluated for short-term efficacy of Omalizumab. GraphPad Prism 8.2.1 was used for statistic analysis. Results: Ten patients were collected, including 3 males and 7 females, aged (41.13±12.64) years old (x¯±s). Compared to results at baseline, the VAS scores of nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, hyposmia and headache after 4 months treatment were significantly decreased (1.80±1.48 vs 6.70±2.83, 2.40±1.27 vs 6.40±3.44, 2.70±2.91 vs 8.20±2.25, 0.60±1.08 vs 3.60±2.72, t value was 5.045, 4.243, 5.312, 3.402, respectively, all P<0.01). The scores of SNOT-22 (25.6±20 vs 61.3±33.32, t=4.127, P=0.002 6), nasal polyp scores (2.20±0.92 vs 4.60±0.84, t=9.000, P<0.01) and the count and percentage of eosinophils in peripheral blood were significantly decreased ((94.10±97.78)×10⁹/L vs (360.00±210.80)×10⁹/L, (32.90±27.06)% vs (64.40±20.73)%, t value was 3.678, 2.957, respectively, all P<0.05). NCV (0-5 cm and 0-7 cm) of patients were improved from baseline ((12.62±2.84) cm³ vs (10.40±2.09) cm³, (27.50±14.15) cm³ vs (16.81±6.40) cm³, t value was 2.371, 2.445, respectively, all P<0.05). Conclusions: The 4-month treatment of Omalizumab can significantly improve the nasal symptoms and quality of life of patients with recurrent CRSwNP complicated with asthma, shrink nasal polyps size and reduce the number of peripheral blood eosinophils. Omalizumab can be used as an alternative therapy for refractory CRSwNP patients in the future.

[Diagnostic efficacy for predicting intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas with high grade dysplasia or invasive carcinoma based on the surgery indications in different guidelines]

Objective: To evaluate the performance of the European Evidence-based Guidelines on Pancreatic Cystic Neoplasms (EEGPCN)(2018) and International Association of Pancreatology(IAP) Guideline(Version 2017) in predicting high grade dysplasia/invasive carcinoma-intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm(HGD/INV-IPMN). Methods: A retrospective analysis of 363 patients,who underwent surgical resection in Changhai Hospital affiliated to Navy Medical University from January 2012 to December 2018 and were pathologically identified as (intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm, IPMN),was performed. The patients,including 230 males and 133 females,aging (61.7±10.1) years(range:19 to 83 years). The proportion of HGD/INV-IPMN who met with the absolute indication(AI) of EEGPCN and high risk stigma(HRS) of IAP were compared. The binary Logistic regression analysis was used to find the independent risk factors of HGD/INV-IPMN.Eight combinations of risk factors derived from relative indication/worrisome feature or risk factors in this study,were made to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy. The area under curve(AUC) of receiver operating characteristics was used to evaluate the the cutoff value of risk factors(①CA19-9≥37 U/ml,②diameter of main pancreatic duct 5.0-9.9 mm,③enhancing mural nodule<5 mm,④(acute) pancreatiti,⑤^acyst diameter ≥40 mm,⑤^bcyst diameter ≥30 mm, ⑥thickened or enhancing cyst walls,⑦neutrophile granulocyte to lymphocyte ratio(NLR)≥2, ⑧cyst located in head, uncinate or neck,⑨carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA) ≥5 μg/L) number for predicting HGD/INV-IPMN.The accuracy,sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value,true positive,true negative,false positive,false negative,positive likelihood ratio,negative likelihood ratio,Youden index and F1 score were calculated. Results: Ninety-two patients(49.5%) of 186 ones who met AI and 85 patients(48.3%) of 176 ones who met HRS were respectively confirmed as HGD/INV-IPMN. In those patients who were not met AI,tumor location,thickened/enhancing cyst wall,CA19-9 elevated,NLR≥2 and CEA elevated were significantly (P<0.05) correlated with HGD/INV-IPMN. And tumor location(head/uncinate/neck vs. body/tail,OR=3.284,95%CI:1.268-8.503,P=0.014),thickened/enhancement cyst wall (with vs.without,OR=2.713,95%CI:1.177-6.252,P=0.019),CA19-9(≥37 U/L vs.<37 U/L, OR=5.086,95%CI:2.05-12.62,P<0.01) and NLR(≥2 vs.<2,OR=2.380,95%CI:1.043-5.434,P=0.039) were the independent risk factors of HGD/INV-IPMN. Patients with ≥4 risk factors of 9 in combination Ⅷ(①②③④⑤^b⑥⑦⑧⑨) were diagnosed as HGD/INV-IPMN with the moderate accuracy(71.0%),moderate sensitivity (62.0%) and moderate specificity (73.0%). Patients with ≥4 risk factors of 9 in Combination Ⅶ(①②③④⑤^a⑥⑦⑧⑨) were diagnosed as HGD/INV-IPMN with the highest specificity(83.0%) and patients with ≥3 risk factors of 8 in combination Ⅵ(①②③④⑤^b⑥⑧⑨) were diagnosed as HGD/INV-IPMN with the highest sensitivity(74.0%). The AUC for diagnosis of HGD/INV-IPMN in combination Ⅵ,Ⅶ and Ⅷ were 0.72,0.75 and 0.75,respectively. Older patients and younger patients could respectively refer to combination Ⅶ and combination Ⅵ to improve the management of IPMN. Conclusions: Patients who meet AI of EEGPCN should undertake resection, otherwise the method we explored is recommended. The method of improvement for diagnosis of HGD/INV-IPMN is relatively applicable and efficient for decision-making of surgery, especially for younger patients with decreasing of missed diagnosis and elder patients with decreasing of misdiagnosis.