Endoscopic mask innovation and protective measures changes during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic: Experience from a Chinese hepato-biliary-pancreatic unit

Endoscopy is widely used as a clinical diagnosis and treatment method for certain hepatobiliary and pancreatic diseases. However, due to the distinctive epidemiological characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the virus causing coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), healthcare providers are exposed to the patient's respiratory and gastrointestinal fluids, rendering endoscopy a high risk for transmitting a nosocomial infection. This article introduces preventive measures for endoscopic treatment enacted in our medical center during COVID-19, including the adjustment of indications, the application of endoscope protective equipment, the design and application of endoscopic masks and splash-proof films, and novel recommendations for bedside endoscope pre-sterilization.     

Association of stressful life events with accelerated bone loss in older men: the osteoporotic fractures in men (MrOS) study

Summary

Prior studies suggest an association between stressful life events and fractures that may be mediated by BMD. In the current study, risk of accelerated hip BMD loss was higher in older men with any type of stressful life event and increased with the number of types of stressful life events.

Introduction

Prior studies suggest that stressful life events may increase adverse health outcomes, including falls and possibly fractures. The current study builds on these findings and examines whether stressful life events are associated with increased bone loss.

Methods

Four thousand three hundred eighty-eight men aged ≥65 years in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men study completed total hip bone mineral density (BMD) measures at baseline and visit 2, approximately 4.6 years later, and self-reported stressful life events data mid-way between baseline and visit 2, and at visit 2. We used linear regression to model the association of stressful life events with concurrent annualized total hip BMD loss, and log binomial regression or Poisson regression to model risk of concurrent accelerated BMD loss (>1 SD more than mean annualized change).

Results

Men (75.3 %) reported ≥1 type of stressful life event, including 43.3 % with ≥2 types of stressful life events. Mean annualized BMD loss was ?0.36 % (SD 0.88), and 13.9 % of men were categorized with accelerated BMD loss (about 5.7 % or more total loss). Rate of annualized BMD loss increased with the number of types of stressful life events after adjustment for age (p?p?=?0.07). Multivariable-adjusted risk of accelerated BMD loss increased with the number of types of stressful life events (RR, 1.10 [95 % confidence interval (CI), 1.04–1.16]) per increase of one type of stressful life event). Fracture risk was not significantly different between stressful life event-accelerated bone loss subgroups (p?=?0.08).

Conclusions

In these older men, stressful life events were associated with a small, dose-related increase in risk of concurrent accelerated hip bone loss. Low frequency of fractures limited assessment of whether rapid bone loss mediates any association of stressful life events with incident fractures. Future studies are needed to confirm these findings and to investigate the mechanism that may underlie this association.     

Functional analysis of SEMA3A variants identified in Chinese patients with isolated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism

Isolated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH) is a rare disorder characterized by impaired sexual development and infertility, caused by the deficiency of hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons. IHH is named Kallmann's syndrome (KS) or normosmic IHH (nIHH) when associated with a defective or normal sense of smell. Variants in SEMA3A have been recently identified in patients with KS. In this study, we screened SEMA3A variants in a cohort of Chinese patients with IHH by whole exome sequencing. Three novel heterozygous SEMA3A variants (R197Q, R617Q and V458I) were identified in two nIHH and one KS patients, respectively. Functional studies indicated that R197Q and R617Q variants were ineffective in activating the phosphorylation of FAK (focal adhesion kinase) in GN11 cells, despite normal production and secretion in HEK293T cells. The V458I SEMA3A had defect in secretion as it was not detected in the conditioned medium from HEK293T cells. Compared with wild type SEMA3A protein, all three SEMA3A mutant proteins were ineffective in inducing the migration of GN11 cells. Our study further showed the contribution of SEMA3A loss-of-function variants to the pathogenesis of IHH.     

特需病房护理信息系统应用中的问题分析及对策

目的对特需病房护理信息系统应用中出现的问题进行总结,探讨解决方法。方法2017年1—2月总结特需病房护理信息系统应用中的问题并分析原因,2017年3月起实施改进措施,包括:加强护士培训和质量控制、与医生密切合作、增强对医嘱的审核能力、双人核对医嘱、文字交接班、建立病房口服药品登记等。比较改进前后的护理质量相关指标。结果实施改进措施后,护士每日电脑操作耗时减少,护士发现及纠正问题医嘱的数量增加,给药错误防范次数增加,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论对特需病房护理信息系统实施改进措施有效提高了护士工作效率,预防和减少护理差错发生。     

经阴道超声评价不孕症患者子宫内膜容受性的研究进展

随着辅助生殖技术的发展,应用体外受精一胚胎移值（IVF-EI）对小孕症患者的诊治取得了很大的进展,胚胎质量和子宫内膜容受性是决定不孕症患着治疗成败的两个关键因素,用于评价子宫内膜的方法很多,如免疫组化法、内膜活检等,而经阴道超声以其简便、无创、可重复性等优点成为不孕症诊治中评估子宫内膜容受性的常规方法。     

二维血流显像技术与彩色多普勒在颈动脉疾病诊断中的应用比较

目的比较二维血流显像技术（B-Flow）与彩色多普勒血流显像（CDFI）和能量多普勒（PDI）在颈动脉疾病诊断中的应用价值。方法对160例颈动脉疾病患者分别进行CDFI、PDI及B-Flow技术检查,对比分析。其中41例患者进行了数字减影血管造影（DSA）检查。结果B-Flow技术是一种新型血管疾病影像学检查方法,具有更高帧频、高分辨率和全景显像功能,能同时显示血流和背景组织结构,B-Flow与CDFI、PDI结合使用,可提高异常图像显示率;对于颈动脉狭窄和闭塞的判断与DSA结果比较,B-Flow技术与DSA相关性明显高于后两者。结论B-Flow显像技术较CDFI及PDI显像在颈动脉疾病中的应用范围更广,可以弥补CDFI、PDI显像上的不足。