Background. Evidence regarding the relationship between serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels and in-hospital mortality in acute aortic dissection (AAD) patients is extremely limited. We aimed to investigate the relationship between LDH and in-hospital mortality in AAD patients. Methods. The present study was a retrospective observational study. A total of 1526 participants with acute aortic dissection were involved in a hospital in China from January 2014 to December 2018. The target-independent variable was LDH measured at baseline, and the dependent was all-cause mortality during hospitalization. Covariates involved in this study included age, gender, body mass index (BMI), hypertension, diabetes, smoking, stroke, atherosclerosis, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), white blood cell (WBC), hemoglobin (Hb), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), albumin (ALB), creatinine (Cr), symptom, type of AAD (Stanford), and management. Results. The average age of 1526 selected participants was 52.72 ± 11.94 years old, and about 80.41% of them were male. The result of the fully adjusted model showed LDH was positively associated with in-hospital mortality in AAD patients after adjusting confounders (OR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.13). A nonlinear relationship was detected between LDH and in-hospital mortality in AAD patients after adjusting for potential confounders (age, gender, BMI, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, atherosclerosis, smoking, symptom, SBP, DBP, WBC, Hb, ALT, AST, ALB, Cr, type of AAD (Stanford), and management), whose point was 557. The effect sizes and the confidence intervals of the left and right sides of the inflection point were 0.90 (0.74–1.10) and 1.12 (1.06–1.19), respectively. Subgroup analysis in participants showed that the relationship between LDH and in-hospital mortality was stable, and all of the P value for the interaction in different subgroup were more than 0.05. Conclusions. The relationship between LDH and in-hospital mortality in AAD patients is nonlinear. LDH was positively related with in-hospital mortality when LDH is more than 557.

Background. Evidence regarding the relationship between synthetic house-tree-person (S-HTP) drawing test and depression in cancer patients is limited. The aim of this study was to explore the applicability and validity of S-HTP drawing test in cancer patients suffering from depression. Methods. As a population based cross-sectional study, 167 patients with cancer were enrolled in a hospital in China from December 2015 to December 2017. Self-edited general information questionnaire, self-rating depression scale (SDS), and the S-HTP drawing test were completed by all participants. Results. The average age of 167 selected participants was 52.92 ± 10.43 years old, and about 58.7% (98/167) of them were male. On SDS, depression rate was found in 34.1% (27/167) cancer patients. The logistic regression equation was established by using the depression drawing characteristics as the independent variables and the evaluation results from SDS as the dependent variable and 9 drawing characteristics employed in the regression equation (χ2 = 68.657, P < 0.001. Nagelkerke R² = 0.466). Correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between S-HTP drawing test and SDS for depression state of cancer patients (p < 0.01). Conclusions. There are interrater reliability and test-retest reliability between S-HTP drawing test and SDS. The S-HTP drawing test could help in screening depression in cancer patients.

Background: This work explored the prognostic prediction capabilities of ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) in patients suffering from acute aortic dissection (AAD). Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis using electronic health records. This study included AAD patients admitted to the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 2015 to December 2018 in ≤24 h from the onset of symptoms to hospital admission. The levels of IMA were recorded upon admittance and the final was the all-cause mortality during hospitalization. Results: This study enrolled 731 AAD patients. Among who, 160 passed away in the course of medication while 571 of them survived. Those who passed away exhibited higher levels of IMA (94.35 ± 26.84 vs. 69.14 ± 14.70, p < 0.001) than the survivors. Following the adjustment confounders, the fully adjusted model showed IMA to be an independent forecastor for in-hospital mortality for AAD patients (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.08–1.13, p < 0.001). Analysis based on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) revealed that 79.35 μ/ml was the best threshold of IMA level. The area under the curve (AUC) based on this IMA level was 0.854 (95% CI 0.822–0.898) while the specificity and sensitivity to anticipate in-hospital death were 84.8 and 80.6%, respectively. Conclusion: Admission IMA was an independent forecastor for in-hospital mortality among people suffering from AAD.

Background. Triglyceride/high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL‐c) ratio varies with vascular and other metabolic diseases. However, its role in acute type B aortic dissection is not well understood. In the current study, we evaluated the relationship between TG/HDL‐c ratio and in‐hospital mortality in type B aortic dissection. Methods. We performed a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients between January 2015 and December 2018, by targeting dependent (TG/HDL‐c ratio) and independent (in‐hospital mortality) variables. TG/HDL‐c ratio was determined as a division of TG levels by HDL‐c levels. Results. Of 523 patients in the study, we found a mean age of 55.00 ± 11.74 years, 15.68% of them being female. A fully‐adjusted model revealed a positive relationship between TG/HDL‐c ratio and in‐hospital mortality in acute type B aortic dissection after adjusting confounders (OR = 2.08, 95% CI 1.32 to 3.27). This relationship was also nonlinear, with a point of 2.05. OR values (and confidence intervals) for the right (>2.05) and left (≤2.05) sides of the inflection point were 1.0 (0.580‐1.26, P = 0.983) and 3.17 (1.54‐6.57, P = 0.001), respectively. Conclusions. The TG/HDL‐c ratio and in‐hospital mortality in type B AAD have a nonlinear relationship among Chinese population. This ratio increased in‐hospital mortality when it is less than 2.05.

The synthetic house-tree-person (S-HTP) drawing test is a projective measure primarily designed to assess specific complex personality traits. It is widely used in general psychological problems and mental illness such as psychological crisis intervention. Applicability and validity of S-HTP drawing test in cancer patients suffering from anxiety are still unclear and there are no reports on such research. The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of anxiety in cancer patients and to investigate the applicability of S-HTP drawing test in such patients. Self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and the S-HTP drawing test were applied to 167 cancer patients (58.7% male; 41.3% female), 52.92±10.43 years old. On SAS, anxiety rate was found in 16.17% cancer patients. Using the evaluation results from SAS as the dependent variable and the anxiety drawing characteristics as the independent variables, the logistic regression equation was established, and 9 drawing features were employed in the regression equation (χ2=56.982, P≤0.001, Nagelkerke R2=0.492). It is concluded that there is a positive correlation between S-HTP drawing test and SAS for anxiety state of cancer patients (p<0.01). S-HTP drawing test and SAS have interrater reliability and test-retest reliability. Our findings indicate that the S-HTP drawing test could help in screening anxiety in cancer patients.