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Background: Serum ferritin (SF), as an acute-phase response protein, is used to reflect the degree of oxidative stress and systemic inflammatory responses. This study was designed to assess the effect of elevated SF levels on the severity of acute pancreatitis (AP).Methods: From January 2013 to December 2020, 200 consecutive patients with AP were retrospectively reviewed to analyze the relationships among the etiologies of pancreatitis, the severity of the disease and SF levels. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and logistic regression analysis were used to assess whether elevated SF levels could predict the onset of organ failure in AP.Results: 92 (46%) had high SF levels (> 275 ng/ml). SF levels were not associated with the etiology of AP disease. Among patients with high SF levels, there was a significant increase in the proportion of patients with severe AP (23.1% vs. 76.9%) and a higher proportion of systemic inflammatory response scores (25.9% vs. 44.6%) in comparison to patients with normal SF levels. The area under the ROC curve for SF in predicting persistent organ failure was 0.812 [95% confidence interval 0.721-0.904].Conclusions: F concentrations were positively correlated with the severity of AP, and quantitative assessment of SF can predict disease severity and organ failure in patients with AP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prone position ventilation is a widely used lung protection ventilation strategy. The strategy is more convenient to implement in children compared to adults. Due to the precise mechanism of improving oxygenation function, development of pediatric prone ventilation technology has been largely focused on children with acute respiratory distress syndrome. There is a paucity of high-quality studies investigating the effects of prone position ventilation after pediatric cardiac surgery. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of prone position ventilation in infants who develop postoperative acute lung injury after surgery for congenital heart disease.Methods: A single-center, randomized controlled trial of pediatric patients with acute lung injury after surgery for congenital heart disease who will receive prone position ventilation or usual care (control group). A total of 68 children will be enrolled according to the inclusion criteria. The main outcome measures will be lung compliance and oxygenation index. The secondary outcomes will be duration of mechanical ventilation, length of stay in cardiac intensive care unit, reintubation rate, and complication rate.Discussion: This study will investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of prone position ventilation techniques in children who develop postoperative acute lung injury after surgery for congenital heart disease. The results may help inform strategies to improve airway management after surgery for congenital heart disease.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04607993 . Initially registered on 29 October 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Soft pancreas is widely recognized as an important risk factor for the development of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF). Although fatty pancreas (FP) has not been formally defined as a cause of pancreatic fistula, existing research has shown that it can increase the incidence of POPF by increasing pancreatic tenderness; therefore, it may be a potential risk factor. This study aimed to discern whether FP was associated with POPF. Method: Two reviewers independently performed literature searches from five electronic databases. According to the established inclusion criteria, we extracted necessary data from the studies that met the criteria for further analysis. We pooled the odds ratios (ORs) from individual studies using a random-effects model to investigate the associations between POPF and the prognosis of FP. Result: A total of 11 studies involving 2484 individuals were included. The pooled prevalence of POPF was 18% (95% CI: 12-24%). Body mass index (BMI) was associated with a significantly increased risk of POPF (OR=3.55; 95% CI: 1.83, 6.86; P=0.0002; I²=0). FP was obviously associated with the occurrence of POPF (OR=3.75; 95% CI: 1.64, 8.58; P=0.002; I²=78). Conclusion: FP is closely associated with the development of POPF, and the early identification of these high-risk patients can help to reduce the incidence of POPF. Systematic Review Registration: The Registration URL link is (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/). The ID is "CRD42021265141". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore whether self‐efficacy has any positive or negative mediating effects between family functioning and quality of life among elders with chronic diseases. Design: A cross‐sectional study. Methods: Questionnaires were collected from 516 community‐dwelling elderly individuals with chronic diseases using a convenience sampling method. The questionnaires included the Self‐efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease Six‐Item Scale, the Family Adaptation Partnership Growth Affection Resolve Index and the MOS 36‐Item Short Form Health Survey. Results: Family functioning and self‐efficacy impacted the quality of life of community‐dwelling elderly individuals with chronic diseases. Family functioning was mediated by self‐efficacy and had an indirect impact on quality of life. The mediating effect accounted for 62.50% of the total effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low‐grade inflammation occurs in some patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, the exact inflammatory markers of IBS and the relationship of these markers with IBS subtypes and symptoms are poorly defined. Peroxiredoxin 1 (PRDX1) plays an important role in inflammatory responses, including intestinal inflammation. We investigated whether PRDX1 is associated with the diagnosis, subtypes, and symptom severity of IBS. Methods: A total of 177 IBS patients and 174 sex‐ and age‐matched healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. The PRDX1 levels in the sera and colonic mucosa of the participants were detected by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays and immunohistochemistry. The severity of IBS symptoms was assessed using the IBS Severity Scoring System (SSS) questionnaire. Results: The PRDX1 levels in the sera (F = 71.81, P <.001) and colonic mucosa (F = 5.359, P <.001) of postinfectious (PI‐IBS) and diarrhea‐predominant IBS (IBS‐D) groups were significantly higher than those of the other three IBS subtypes and HC group. The PRDX1 level in the serum and colonic mucosa of IBS‐D (serum, P <.01, mucosa, P <.001) and PI‐IBS (serum, P <.05, mucosa, P <.001) groups with the most severe symptoms was significantly higher than that in the groups with mild and moderate symptoms. Correlation analysis revealed that in patients with IBS‐D (P <.001) and PI‐IBS (P <.05), the levels of PRDX1 and TNF‐α in sera had a significant positive correlation with IBS‐SSS. Conclusion: Elevated PRDX1 in the serum and colon mucosa may be closely related to the progression of IBS (especially IBS‐D and PI‐IBS) and the expression of gastrointestinal symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]