To investigate the association between quantitative retinal vascular parameters and coronary artery disease (CAD) and to evaluate the efficacy of a retinal phenotype-based diagnostic model as a non-invasive tool for early CAD screening.

A retrospective cross-sectional study.

A single-centre study conducted at the Cardiovascular Center of Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, China, between January and October 2024.

417 patients with suspected angina undergoing their first coronary angiography (CAG) were enrolled. Inclusion criteria were age >18 years and high-quality fundus photography within 24 hours pre-CAG. Major exclusions were prior coronary interventions, severe systemic/valvular heart diseases and ocular conditions impairing retinal vascular visualisation.

The primary outcome was the association between quantitative retinal vascular parameters and the presence of CAD (defined as ≥50% stenosis). Secondary outcomes included the diagnostic performance area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of three predictive models: one based on quantitative retinal vascular parameters alone, one based on traditional risk factors and a combined model integrating both retinal and clinical variables.

This study enrolled 417 patients undergoing initial CAG. Compared with non-CAD controls (n=190), patients with CAD (n=227) had higher prevalence of hypertension, dyslipidaemia and diabetes, along with elevated levels of fasting blood glucose, lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)), triglyceride (TG) and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) (all p

Our findings, derived from an artificial intelligence-based fully automated quantitative retinal vascular parameters measurement method, revealed that multiple quantitative fundus parameters—including FD, VD and other morphological parameters were significantly associated with CAD risk. The CAD diagnostic model we developed demonstrates strong performance and high interpretability, making it suitable for early CAD screening and diagnosis.

This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of patients with urinary calculi in China, where prior KAP research on this condition is lacking.

A cross-sectional study was conducted.

The study was carried out in Jiangsu Province between August and September 2024.

Patients diagnosed with urinary calculi were included, with 440 valid questionnaires analysed (65.9% male).

Primary outcomes were KAP scores (knowledge: 0–30, attitude: 6–30, practice: 7–35). Secondary outcomes included structural equation modelling (SEM) analysing relationships between KAP domains.

Mean scores were 10.63±3.73 (knowledge), 22.37±4.16 (attitude) and 22.40±5.36 (practice). SEM revealed direct effects of knowledge on attitude (β=0.652, p

Patients with urinary calculi tended to demonstrate limited knowledge but moderate attitudes and practices towards their condition. These findings suggest potential gaps in patient understanding and indicate that educational approaches may play a role in supporting urinary calculi management.

Depression is a common complication of stroke that adversely affects functional recovery. Although a wide range of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions are used in clinical practice, evidence regarding their comparative efficacy and acceptability remains inconclusive. Therefore, we will conduct the first systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) to compare and rank available interventions for post-stroke depression (PSD).

The findings will be reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols guidelines. In this systematic review and network meta-analysis, we will search PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform from database inception to 1 September 2025 to identify published and unpublished randomised controlled trials (RCTs). We will include studies comparing pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, or any control conditions as monotherapy for the treatment of patients with PSD. We will assess the certainty of evidence using the Confidence in Network Meta-Analysis framework. The primary outcomes will be the change score on depression scales from baseline to the end of treatment (efficacy) and all-cause discontinuation (acceptability). Secondary outcomes will include quality of life, cognitive and neurological function scores, anxiety and sleep quality. Two reviewers will independently screen and select eligible studies based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Risk of bias in all RCTs included in the NMA will be assessed using the revised Cochrane Risk of Bias tool (RoB 2). A frequentist NMA will be conducted in Stata and R. Meta-regression and sensitivity analyses will be performed to assess robustness.

This NMA does not need ethical approval, as the data used here are based on aggregated data in the public domain. Findings from the analysis will provide an overview and information on the relative efficacy and acceptability of non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments in PSD. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication.

CRD420251136670

Previous studies suggest Ireland has the smallest osteoporosis treatment in Europe and very little inappropriate prescribing, in contrast to our experience. In this study, we examine the osteoporosis treatment gap in Ireland by assessing the prevalence of appropriate and inappropriate prescribing in 2 subgroups of the Irish dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) Health Informatics Prediction (HIP) Project. Treatment eligibility was defined using established intervention thresholds, including prior fracture, femoral-neck T-score ≤–2.5, glucocorticoid use, or Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) major osteoporotic fracture risk ≥20% or hip fracture risk ≥3%.

Secondary cross-sectional analysis of a subgroup of the DXA HIP Project Cohort.

3 hospitals in the West of Ireland. DXA referrals come from primary care providers, hospital consultants and the osteoporosis service.

5564 participants of a previously described convenience cohort including: (i) 3474 subjects referred for a DXA scan, and (ii) 2090 patients who completed a DXA scan.

82.4% were female with a mean age of 66.6 years, 59.6% of whom had a prior fracture. Prescribing data of calcium and vitamin D were available for 3738 (67.2%) subjects, and osteoporosis medication for 4157 (74.7%) subjects. Prescribing information was available for more than 99% of the DXA group, but just over 50% of the referral group. When examined in aggregate, the treatment gap is 6% for calcium and vitamin D and 38% for osteoporosis medication, in line with prior publications. However, among those with prescribing information and at least one indication for treatment, only 58.3% were prescribed calcium and vitamin D and 39.1% an osteoporosis medication. Furthermore, among patients without a clear indication for treatment, 50.6% were prescribed calcium and vitamin D, and 32.5% an osteoporosis medication.

These data suggest the majority of patients with osteoporosis or at high risk of fracture in Ireland today do not receive appropriate osteoporosis treatment, while inappropriate prescribing is substantial. These findings suggest that the true treatment gap in Ireland is substantially larger than aggregate estimates imply.

Intensive care unit (ICU) visiting restrictions in hospitals, implemented due to infection control and other factors, limited contact between patients and family members, affecting patients’ well-being and clinical outcomes. With the evolution of voice-cloning based on artificial intelligence (AI) technology, it has become possible for health providers to communicate with critically ill patients using highly similar synthetic voices of their loved ones during ICU care. This current randomised, controlled trial will explore the effect of voice-cloning care on improving mental health outcomes for critically ill patients, with ICU-acquired anxiety as the primary indicator.

This study will enrol 234 adult ICU patients, who are expected to require mechanical ventilation for over 24 hours and an ICU stay exceeding 72 hours. Participants will be randomly assigned to two groups. The control group will receive standardised communication as part of usual ICU care, while the intervention group will receive Speech-to-Speech Voice-Cloning Care (SVCC) in addition to standard ICU care. The SVCC interventions involve nurses using a participant’s family member’s cloned voice to deliver pre-set communication scripts during awakening, soothing and preparation for endotracheal tube removal. The primary outcome is expected to lead to improvements in ICU-acquired anxiety for the intervention group, measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Secondary outcomes include ICU-acquired depression, the incidence of delirium, the mean duration of mechanical ventilation and the average length of ICU stay.

This protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Peking Union Medical College Hospital (Approval Number: K-6842). The protocol version number is 1.2 and the version date is 8 October 2024. Study findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at national and international conferences.

ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT06743321.

We aimed to better understand patients’ perspectives on Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) treatment to develop tailored interventions for improving adherence.

We conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured, in-depth interviews from September to December 2024.

The study was conducted at a large, university-affiliated healthcare centre which provides comprehensive health check-up services to a geographically diverse adult population.

Individuals aged between 35 and 65 years old who had tested positive for H. pylori infection by 13C urea breath test in two consecutive annual health screenings and who had received their most recent H. pylori screening results within the past 6 months were enrolled.

Of the 23 participants involved in this study, 13 (56.5%) were male, with age ranging from 39 to 62 years. Five key themes emerged from the analysis: (1) Participants perceived H. pylori as common but not serious, with limited understanding of its association with gastric cancer, (2) Physician recommendations and familial concerns acted as primary cues to treatment initiation, (3) Barriers included low perceived severity, reinfection concerns, side effects, time constraints and absence of symptoms or family history, (4) Adherence was challenged by treatment side effects and lack of follow-up testing and (5) Despite low treatment completion, participants reported engaging in preventive behaviours such as using separate utensils and reducing dining out.

Barriers to H. pylori eradication among health screening populations are multifaceted, involving informational deficits, cultural dining norms and logistical hurdles. Interventions should enhance physician-patient communication, emphasise follow-up testing and address misconceptions about reinfection and disease risk. Strengthening general practitioners’ capacity for evidence-based H. pylori management and integrating post-screening educational support are essential for improving eradication rates and reducing infection-related morbidity.

Osteoporosis (OP) is a systemic skeletal disorder that increases fragility and susceptibility to fractures. Despite the availability of teriparatide for the treatment of patients with acute fractures with better efficacy, its long-term daily injection and high cost limit its broader use among a wider patient population, especially for those living in low- and middle-income countries. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a novel sequential treatment with teriparatide daily for 6 months followed by denosumab every 6 months for another 18 months, in comparison with denosumab monotherapy every 6 months for 24 months, in reducing the risk of fractures in patients with newly diagnosed osteoporotic fractures. The study will also explore the possible difference between two sequential treatments (shifting to denosumab treatment at 6 or 12 months) in their effect on increasing bone mineral density (BMD).

This study is designed as a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial among 2478 patients with newly diagnosed osteoporotic fractures from 58 hospitals across China. Participants will be randomly assigned in a 10:10:1 ratio to three treatment groups: 24 months of denosumab monotherapy, early sequential treatment (teriparatide for 6 months followed by denosumab for 18 months) and late sequential treatment (teriparatide for 12 months followed by denosumab for 12 months). The primary outcome is the incidence of vertebral fractures over 24 months of treatment. Secondary outcomes include changes in BMD at the lumbar spine, total hip and femoral neck, changes in bone turnover markers (β-carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen and procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide), treatment adherence and cost-effectiveness. Follow-up assessments are scheduled at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months post-randomisation for primary and secondary outcomes, and biannually afterwards for the primary outcome.

The study protocol has been registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and has received ethical approval from the Peking Union Medical College Hospital Medical Science Research Ethics Committee (1-22PJ939). The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed scientific journals.

NCT05866029.

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a widely used renal replacement therapy for chronic kidney disease patients, yet malnutrition remains a common complication linked to poor outcomes. Nearly 40% of PD patients in China are malnourished, with serum albumin levels below 35 g/L. Amino acid-based peritoneal dialysis solutions (AA-PDS), which replace glucose with amino acids as the osmotic agent, have been used globally for decades to improve nutrition and reduce peritoneal damage, but they were introduced to mainland China only in 2022. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of AA-PDS in improving nutritional status and clinical outcomes among malnourished PD patients in mainland China, providing a potential new therapeutic option for this population.

This multicentre, open-label, prospective, parallel-controlled study will enrol patients with end-stage kidney disease who were stable on PD for more than 3 months. A total of 500 eligible patients will be divided into the intervention group undergoing PD once every morning using 2.0 L of amino acid (15) PD solution and the control group using conventional PD solution (lactate) in a 4:1 ratio based on their willingness and clinical needs. Our primary outcome is serum albumin, while other nutritional indicators, including serum prealbumin, serum transferrin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and ultrafiltration volumes are considered secondary outcomes. Information such as demographics, clinical and biochemical characteristics, examination indicators, anthropometry measurements and Subjective Global Assessment scores will be collected at baseline, 1 month, 3 month and 6 month follow-up. Statistical analysis will be conducted using SAS V.9.4 or higher versions. All statistical tests are conducted through the two-tailed test, and a p value≤0.05 will be considered statistically significant. The description of quantitative indicators will be used in calculating the number of cases, mean, SD, median and IQR method. The classification indicators will be used to describe the number of cases and percentages (frequency and frequency rate).

This multicentre study obtained ethical approval from the lead ethics committee at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (approval no.: 2024-KLS-379-02). Additionally, each participating site provided local ethical approval or a formal waiver, as required by their institutional policies. The results will be reported in a peer-reviewed journal and a relevant academic conference.

ChiCTR2400090896.

Acute pain following pulmonary surgery can affect the recovery process of patients. The use of intrathecal morphine (ITM) injections offers a long-lasting analgesic effect, but its clinical application remains controversial. This study aims to investigate the impact of combining bupivacaine with ITM injections on the quality of postoperative recovery in patients who have undergone pulmonary surgery.

This multicentre, randomised, double-blind, controlled trial will enrol 254 patients undergoing elective lung surgery, who will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either group IT (receiving an intrathecal injection of 3 mg bupivacaine and 0.25 mg morphine before general anaesthesia induction) or the control group (C group). The primary outcome includes postoperative recovery quality on day 1 (quality of recovery, QoR-15), with secondary outcomes encompassing postoperative recovery quality on days 2 and 3 (QoR-15), pain scores within 72 hours postoperatively, analgesic rescue, intraoperative haemodynamic parameters, opioid consumption, postoperative adverse reactions, recovery metrics, complications, chronic pain incidence and sleep quality.

The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications. This study protocol (V.2.0, 30 October 2024) involves human participants and has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University (number 2024-08-02-2), Taicang Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University (number 2025 SR-041) and Yichang Central People’s Hospital (number 2024-513-02). Each individual who agrees to participate in the research will provide written informed consent after the objectives and procedures of this study are explained to them.

ChiCTR2400092935. Registered on 26 November 2024.

To estimate tuberculosis (TB) incidence trends in the high-altitude Xizang, China, and to explore the key intervention strategies on achieving the WHO 2030 TB control target.

We developed a susceptible–exposed–infectious–recovered transmission model using routinely reported TB surveillance data from 2004 to 2022. Scenario-based simulations were conducted to project future TB incidence under alternative intervention strategies. Model assumptions are as follows: (1) a stable population, (2) lifelong vaccine-induced immunity, (3) infectiousness of active TB cases, (4) relapse risk after recovery and (5) homogeneous mixing within the population.

Seven prefectures of Xizang Autonomous Region on the Tibetan Plateau, China.

An estimated population of approximately 3 million individuals residing in Xizang.

We assessed the epidemiological impact of four interventions implemented independently: increasing vaccine efficacy rate, reducing transmission rates of susceptible individuals, decreasing progression rate from latent TB infection to active disease and reducing relapse rate among successfully treated patients, compared with continuation of current control measures.

The estimated basic reproduction number (R₀ ) for TB in Xizang was 0.39 (95% CI 0.21 to 0.71) in the absence of additional interventions, which was the highest among all regions of China. Model simulations indicated that all four evaluated interventions were each likely to reduce TB incidence, but only reducing the latent-to-active TB progression had a substantial effect. A 50% reduction in the progression rate was predicted to lower TB incidence from 66.56 (62.00–70.11) to 40.54 (37.15–43.77) cases per 100 000 population, meeting the WHO 2030 TB control target.

Targeted management of individuals with latent TB infection should be strengthened to substantially reduce TB transmission in high-altitude areas.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the lower limbs has a significantly higher incidence among elderly populations than that observed in other types of fractures, prolonged immobilisation and the systemic inflammatory response triggered by preoperative pain are the main risk factors. Liposomal bupivacaine (LB) single-injection pericapsular nerve group (PENG) block has demonstrated effective analgesia both before and after surgery, while preserving motor function in patients with hip fracture. Although regional nerve block is a well-established component of preoperative multimodal analgesia, its potential role and underlying mechanisms in the prevention of DVT in elderly patients with hip fracture remain largely unexplored.

This study will be conducted as a double-blind, randomised, sham-controlled, prospective clinical trial. On admission, a total of 132 participants will be randomly assigned using block randomisation to receive either treatment group (LB single-injection PENG block) or sham group (saline solution single-injection PENG block). The primary outcome was the incidence of DVT, while secondary outcomes included perioperative inflammatory and immune-related stress levels and functional-based pain scores.

This study protocol complies with the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) 2013 guidelines and has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Shunde Hospital, Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Approval No KY-2025005). The raw data are planned to be made publicly available on the ResMan raw data–sharing platform (IPD sharing platform) of the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry in December 2027 and can be accessed at http://www.medresman.org.cn.

ChiCTR2500100799.

To assess the association between ambient ozone (O₃) exposure and semen quality among men with unhealthy behaviours and low income.

A case-control study was conducted from February 2024 to January 2025, in which male participants aged 18–45 years were recruited from Foshan, and following propensity score matching, a total of 820 participants were included in the final analysis.

The evaluated the association between O₃ exposure during the 70–90 days, 10–14 days, 0–9 days and 0–90 days prior to semen collection and semen quality using stepwise conditional logistic regression analyses, and restricted cubic splines were incorporated into the models.

O₃ exposure during the 70–90 days and 0–90 days preceding semen sample collection was significantly associated with an increased risk of low semen quality, with ORs of 1.020 (95% CI 1.003 to 1.039) and 1.056 (95% CI 1.008 to 1.108), respectively. Additionally, O₃ exposure during the 0–90-days period showed a significant positive association with abnormal sperm concentration. A non-linear relationship between O₃ exposure and sperm concentration was also observed. Notably, O₃ exposure during the 0–9 days before semen collection was inversely associated with the risk of low semen quality. Subgroup analyses across age, lifestyle factors and socioeconomic strata revealed no significant effect modifications.

This study found that O₃ exposure during the 70–90 days and 0–90 days before sampling was associated with reduced semen quality in men with unhealthy behaviours and low income.