ObjectiveTo explore the current situation， causes， and countermeasures of medical disputes in a tertiary A comprehensive hospital in Xi’an from 2018 to 2023. MethodsA total of 804 medical dispute cases that had been processed in a tertiary A hospital in Xi’an from January 2018 to December 2023 were collected. The occurrence， current characteristics， and cause distribution of medical disputes were retrospectively analyzed. ResultsThe cumulative incidence rate of medical disputes was 4.408/100，000， and the compensation rate was 31.59% （254/804）. The incidence and compensation rate of medical disputes showed an overall increasing trend year by year from 2018 to 2023 （P<0.05）. The proportion of deceased patients in dispute cases in the past 6 years showed an increasing trend annually （χ²=30.396， P=0.011）. Medical dispute cases mainly came from hospitalized patients （65.17%） and patients undergoing surgical treatment （55.35%）， and the top five departments with medical dispute cases were the hepatobiliary surgery department， cardiovascular medicine department， obstetrics and gynecology department， emergency department， and gastroenterology department. The number of in-hospital mediations showed a decreasing trend annually， while the number of people’s mediations showed an increasing trend annually from 2018 to 2023 （χ²=34.523， P<0.001）. The top five causes of medical disputes in this hospital were surgical/operational complications （29.10%）， disease condition assessment/disease diagnosis （10.45%）， diagnosis and treatment plan （9.45%）， diagnosis and treatment effectiveness （8.83%）， and medical insurance reimbursement （7.59%）. ConclusionThe number of medical disputes and compensation cases in comprehensive hospitals is increasing annually， and high-risk departments such as the surgical department and emergency department need to be given high attention. The handling of medical disputes has shown diversification， with people’s mediation gradually taking the dominant position. The causes of medical disputes mainly concentrated on diagnosis and treatment technology， doctor-patient communication， medical insurance， and other aspects. It is necessary to continuously improve the level of clinical diagnosis and treatment technology， strengthen doctor-patient communication， improve the medical insurance system， strengthen hospital connotation management， alleviate doctor-patient conflicts， and builds a harmonious doctor-patient relationship.

ObjectiveBased on analytic hierarchy process（AHP）-criteria importance through intercriteria correlation（CRITIC） hybrid weighting method， grey relational analysis and backpropagation artificial neural network（BP-ANN）， to optimize the water extraction process of Qizhi prescription， so as to provide an experimental basis for optimization of the preparation process of this prescription and the establishment of quality standards. MethodsL₉（3⁴） orthogonal test was employed， and the AHP-CRITIC hybrid weighting method was utilized to determine the weight coefficients of the quality fractions of various components， including astragaloside Ⅳ， polygalaxanthone Ⅲ， calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside， tenuifolin， and 3，6′-disinapoylsucrose， as well as the dry extract yield. The comprehensive score of each factor level combination in the orthogonal test were calculated as evaluation indicator to select the optimal extraction process parameters. The effects of extraction times， extraction time， and solvent dosage on the aqueous extraction process of the formula were investigated through intuitive analysis， variance analysis， and grey relational analysis. Meanwhile， a BP-ANN model was established to reverse-predict the optimal extraction process parameters of Qizhi prescription， and the optimized process parameters were validated. ResultsThe weight coefficients of the five index components（astragaloside Ⅳ， tenuifolin， calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside， polygalaxanthone Ⅲ， and 3，6′-disinapoylsucrose） and dry extract yield were 25.7%， 20.82%， 16.41%， 12.45%， 15.96% and 8.67%， respectively. The optimized extraction process parameters were extracted 3 times with 8， 6， 6 times the amount of water， each time for 1 h. The network prediction results of BP-ANN test samples were consistent with the orthogonal test results， and the mean square error（MSE） of the predicted and measured values of the network was <1%. The water extraction process of Qizhi prescription analyzed and predicted by relevant mathematical models was stable and feasible， which could effectively improve the extraction efficiency of the active ingredients of Astragali Radix and Polygalae Radix， and the average comprehensive score of the validation test was 90.85 with the relative standard deviation（RSD） of 1.55%. ConclusionThis study establishes a water extraction process for compound Qizhi granules， and the optimized extraction process can effectively improve the extraction efficiency of active ingredients， which provides useful references for the optimization of preparation process and the establishment of quality standards for other clinical experience formulas.

The alternative pathway (AP) of the complement system is a key contributor to the pathogenesis of several diseases including paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), C3 glomerular disease (C3G) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Complement factor B (CFB) is a trypsin-like serine protein that circulates in the human bloodstream in a latent form. As a key node of the alternative pathway, it is an important target for the treatment of diseases mediated by the complement system. With the successful launch of iptacopan, the CFB small molecule inhibitors has become a current research hotspot, a number of domestic and foreign pharmaceutical companies are actively developing CFB small molecule inhibitors. In this paper, the research progress of CFB small molecule inhibitors in recent years is systematically summarized, the representative compounds and their activities are introduced according to structural types and design ideas, so as to provide reference and ideas for the subsequent research on CFB small molecule inhibitors.

In view of the few studies on the influence of Armillaria spp. infection on the content of the chemical components in different parts of Polyporus umbellatus sclerotia, this study determined the biomass of P. umbellatus sclerotia and the contents of ergosterol, polyporusterone A, polyporusterone B and polysaccharide in the separated cavity wall of the sclerotia and the uninfected part of the sclerotia in different harvesting years under the conditions of A. gallica and A. mellea infection respectively. According to the difference of content and dynamic changes of the polysaccharide and the steroid substances, the superior Armillaria sp. was screened to obtain the best harvest years of P. umbellatus. Using HPLC and UV-VIS spectrophotometry methods, the contents of ergosterol, polyporusterone A, polyporusterone B and polysaccharide in P. umbellatus sclerotia infected by the two Armillaria spp. in different years were determined. In addition, the differentially expressed genes related to P. umbellatus polysaccharide synthesis were screened according to the transcriptomic data of different parts of P. umbellatus after A. mellea infection. With the increase of years, the biomass of sclerotia infected by different Armillaria spp. had significant differences, and there were significant differences in the four components of sclerotia. The four components of the separated cavity wall of the sclerotia were significantly higher than those of the uninfected part. The best harvest time was the third year after cultivation. Transcriptomic analysis showed that the infection of Armillaria spp. could significantly promote polysaccharide synthesis, which provided a basis for polysaccharide content determination at the molecular level. The study clarified the influence of different Armillaria spp. infection on the accumulation of chemical components of P. umbellatus sclerotia, laying a foundation for exploring the symbiosis mechanism and provided a scientific clue for screening superior Armillaria sp. and guiding the artificial cultivation of P. umbellatus sclerotia.

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and osteoporosis (OP) are two very common metabolic diseases. A growing body of experimental evidence supports a pathophysiological link between MAFLD and OP. MAFLD is often associated with the development of OP. Rutaecarpine (RUT) is one of the main active components of Chinese medicine Euodiae Fructus. Our previous studies have demonstrated that RUT has lipid-lowering, anti-inflammatory and anti-atherosclerotic effects, and can improve the OP of rats. However, whether RUT can improve both fatty liver and OP symptoms of MAFLD mice at the same time remains to be investigated. In this study, we used C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 4 months to construct a MAFLD model, and gave the mice a low dose (5 mg·kg^-1) and a high dose (15 mg·kg^-1) of RUT by gavage for 4 weeks. The effects of RUT on liver steatosis and bone metabolism were then evaluated at the end of the experiment [this experiment was approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (approval number: IMB-20190124D₃03)]. The results showed that RUT treatment significantly reduced hepatic steatosis and lipid accumulation, and significantly reduced bone loss and promoted bone formation. In summary, this study shows that RUT has an effect of improving fatty liver and OP in MAFLD mice.

ObjectiveTo clarify the graded quantitative diagnostic characteristics of lung qi deficiency syndrome in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD） based on latent class analysis combined with a hidden structure model. MethodsClinical data， including the four diagnostic methods of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， were collected from 745 COPD patients with lung qi deficiency syndrome. Latent class modeling was performed using R 4.1.2 software， and each patient was classified into one of three severity categories （mild， moderate， or severe） based on probabilistic parameterization， parameter estimation， and model fitting. A database was established for different severity levels of lung qi deficiency syndrome. Based on this， Lantern 5.0 software was used to construct hidden structure models for mild， moderate， and severe lung qi deficiency syndrome， and syndrome differentiation rules were developed through comprehensive clustering. ResultsA latent class model was constructed using 28 symptoms and signs with a frequency greater than 10%. Considering TCM theory and model simplicity， the optimal model was determined when the number of latent classes was three， categorizing lung qi deficiency syndrome into mild （298 cases）， moderate （164 cases）， and severe （283 cases）. Hidden structure models were separately developed for each severity level， and syndrome differentiation rules were established. A comparison of common symptoms in the syndrome differentiation rules for mild and moderate lung qi deficiency syndrome showed no statistically significant differences in diagnostic values and weights （P＞0.05）， leading to their combined analysis and the development of a unified syndrome differentiation rule. Value and weight of quantitative diagnosis of mild-to-moderate lung qi deficiency syndrome were as followed： shortness of breath （diagnostic value 9.3， diagnostic weight 86.92%）， dyspnea on exertion （8.2， 76.64%）， low voice and reluctance to speak （6.7， 62.62%）， poor appetite （4.0， 37.38%）， loose stools （4.0， 37.38%）， weak cough sound （2.9， 27.10%）， wheezing （2.3， 21.50%）， fatigue （1.8， 16.82%）， spontaneous sweating （1.7， 15.89%）， susceptibility to colds （1.6， 14.95%）， swollen tongue （1.4， 13.08%）， teeth marks on the tongue edge （1.2， 11.21%）， deep pulse （1.6， 14.95%）， with a diagnostic threshold of 10.3. Value and weight of quantitative diagnosis of severe lung qi deficiency syndrome were as followed： weak cough sound （15.1， 61.13%）， soreness and weakness of the waist and knees （12.6， 51.01%）， shortness of breath （11.1， 44.94%）， low voice and reluctance to speak （8.3， 33.60%）， frequent nocturia （6.1， 24.70%）， spontaneous sweating （3.7， 14.98%）， susceptibility to colds （3.5， 14.17%）， teeth marks on the tongue edge （7.8， 31.58%）， pale tongue body （1.9， 7.69%）， white tongue coating （5.5， 22.27%）， thin pulse （1.5， 6.07%）， with a diagnostic threshold of 23.7. ConclusionThe combination of latent class analysis and a hideen structure model effectively clarified the graded quantitative diagnostic characteristics of lung qi deficiency syndrome， providing a reference for the quantitative diagnosis of other fundamental syndromes in TCM.

Visual electrophysiology measurements have become a routine method of functional examination in ophthalmology. Small animal visual electrophysiology is an important tool for exploring the functionality of the visual system in small animals, finding widespread applications in neuroscience and drug research and development. This guide aims to offer a standardized operational guide for the operation of visual electrophysiological norms in small animals to ensure the accuracy and repeatability of the test. The study emphasizes different types of visual electrophysiological tests, such as electroretinogram(ERG)and visual evoked potential(VEP), evoked in small animals, and their application in different disease models. Detailed descriptions are provided regarding the selection and preparation of experimental animals, including the requirements of animal species, anesthesia methods and test environment. In terms of operational procedures, this guide highlights the correct electrode placement, the selection of stimulus parameters, and the key steps for signal acquisition and processing. According to different animal models, the corresponding operation suggestions were provided, and the troubleshooting methods of common problems were introduced. Beyond fundamental operations, this guide also focuses on the interpretation and reporting of test results. It explains various types of electrophysiological waveforms. In summary, this operational specification for small animal visual electrophysiology provides a comprehensive and detailed framework for researchers to ensure the standardization and reliability of tests. By following these guidelines, researchers can effectively utilize small animal visual electrophysiology techniques to gain insight into the function and abnormalities of the visual system.

Objective To evaluate the performance of the artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled snail identification system for recognition of Oncomelania hupensis robertsoni and Tricula in schistosomiasis-endemic areas of Yunnan Province. Methods Fifty O. hupensis robertsoni and 50 Tricula samples were collected from Yongbei Township, Yongsheng County, Lijiang City, a schistosomiasis-endemic area in Yunnan Province in May 2024. A total of 100 snail sample images were captured with smartphones, including front-view images of 25 O. hupensis robertsoni and 25 Tricula samples (upward shell opening) and back-view images of 25 O. hupensis robertsoni and 25 Tricula samples (downward shell opening). Snail samples were identified as O. hupensis robertsoni or Tricula by schistosomiasis control experts with a deputy senior professional title and above according to image quality and morphological characteristics. A standard dataset for snail image classification was created, and served as a gold standard for recognition of snail samples. A total of 100 snail sample images were recognized with the AI-enabled intelligent snail identification system based on a WeChat mini program in smartphones. Schistosomiasis control professionals were randomly sampled from stations of schistosomisis prevention and control and centers for disease control and prevention in 18 schistosomiasis-endemic counties (districts, cities) of Yunnan Province, for artificial identification of 100 snail sample images. All professionals are assigned to two groups according the median years of snail survey experiences, and the effect of years of snail survey experiences on O. hupensis robertsoni sample image recognition was evaluated. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted, and the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, Youden’s index and the area under the curve (AUC) of the AI-enabled intelligent snail identification system and artificial identification were calculated for recognition of snail sample images. The snail sample image recognition results of AI-enabled intelligent snail identification system and artificial identification were compared with the gold standard, and the internal consistency of artificial identification results was evaluated with the Cronbach’s coefficient alpha. Results A total of 54 schistosomiasis control professionals were sampled for artificial identification of snail sample image recognition, with a response rate of 100% (54/54), and the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, Youden’s index, and AUC of artificial identification were 90%, 86%, 94%, 0.80 and 0.90 for recognition of snail sample images, respectively. The overall Cronbach’s coefficient alpha of artificial identification was 0.768 for recognition of snail sample images, and the Cronbach’s coefficient alpha was 0.916 for recognition of O. hupensis robertsoni snail sample images and 0.925 for recognition of Tricula snail sample images. The overall accuracy of artificial identification was 90% for recognition of snail sample images, and there was no significant difference in the accuracy of artificial identification for recognition of O. hupensis robertsoni (86%) and Tricula snail sample images (94%) (χ² = 1.778, P > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the accuracy of artificial identification for recognition of snail sample images with upward (88%) and downward shell openings (92%) (χ² = 0.444, P > 0.05), and there was a significant difference in the accuracy of artificial identification for recognition of snail sample images between schistosomiasis control professionals with snail survey experiences of 6 years and less (75%) and more than 6 years (90%) (χ² = 7.792, P < 0.05). The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and AUC of the AI-enabled intelligent snail identification system were 88%, 100%, 76% and 0.88 for recognition of O. hupensis robertsoni snail sample images, and there was no significant difference in the accuracy of recognition of O. hupensis robertsoni snail sample images between the AI-enabled intelligent snail identification system and artificial identification (χ² = 0.204, P > 0.05). In addition, there was no significant difference in the accuracy of artificial identification for recognition of snail sample images with upward (90%) and downward shell openings (86%) (χ² = 0.379, P > 0.05), and there was a significant difference in the accuracy of artificial identification for recognition of snail sample images between schistosomiasis control professionals with snail survey experiences of 6 years and less and more than 6 years (χ² = 5.604, P_adjusted < 0.025). Conclusions The accuracy of recognition of snail sample images is comparable between the AI-enabled intelligent snail identification system and artificial identification by schistosomiasis control professionals, and the AI-enabled intelligent snail identification system is feasible for recognition of O. hupensis robertsoni and Tricula in Yunnan Province.

Objective To investigate the changes in the prevalence of Babesia microti infections, spleen morphology and proportions of splenic immune cells in BALB/c mice following intravenous and intraperitoneal injections, so as to provide insights into unraveling the immune regulatory mechanisms of Babesia infections. Methods Laboratory - maintained B. microti strains were prepared into whole blood samples with 10% prevalence of B. microti infection. A total of 75 BALB/c mice were randomly divided into three groups, including the normal control group, intravenous injection group, and intraperitoneal injection group, of 25 mice in each group. Mice in the intravenous and intraperitoneal injection groups were administered 100 μL of whole blood samples with 10% prevalence of B. microti infection, with the day of injection recorded as d0, and animals in the normal control group were given no treatments. Blood was sampled from mice in each group via the tail tip on d7, d14, d21, d28 and d35, and prepared into thin-film blood smears, and B. microti infection was observed in red blood cells. Five mice were randomly sampled from each group and sacrificed on d7, d14, d21, d28 and d35, and spleen was collected for measurement of spleen size and weight. In addition, splenic cells were isolated, and the proportions of CD3e⁺ T cells, CD45R⁺ B cells, CD49b⁺ nature killer (NK) cells, and F4/80⁺ macrophages were detected in CD45⁺ lymphocytes using flow cytometry. Results The prevalence of B. microti infection in the intravenous (22.80%) and intraperitoneal injection groups (44.82%) peaked on d7 (χ² = 8.141, P < 0.01) and then rapidly decreased, and no parasites were observed on d35. The longest mouse spleen length [(32.91 ± 2.20) mm] and width [(9.82 ± 0.43) mm], and the greatest weight [(0.78 ± 0.10) g] were found on d14 in the intravenous injection group, and the longest spleen length [(32.42 ± 3.21) mm] and width [(10.25 ± 0.73) mm], and the greatest weight [(0.73 ± 0.09) g] were seen in the intra-peritoneal injection group on d21, d7 and d14, respectively. There were significant differences among the intravenous injection group, intraperitoneal injection group and the normal control group in terms of spleen length (F = 10.310, P < 0.05), width (F = 9.824, P < 0.05), and weight (F = 10.672, P < 0.05) on d21, and the mouse spleen length, width and weight were all significantly greater in the intraperitoneal injection group than in the intravenous injection group (allP values < 0.05). The proportions of splenic CD3e⁺ T cells [(60.60 ± 6.20)% and (39.68 ± 7.62)%], CD45R⁺ B cells [(43.32 ± 2.08)% and (49.53 ± 4.90)%], CD49b⁺ NK cells [(6.88 ± 1.34)% and (7.71 ± 1.59)%], and F4/80⁺ macrophages [(2.21 ± 0.29)% and (3.80 ± 0.35)%] peaked on d14, d21, d21 and d14 in the intravenous and intraperitoneal injection groups, respectively. There were significant differences in the proportions of CD3e⁺ T cells (F = 16.730, P < 0.05) and F4/80⁺ macrophages (F = 15.941, P < 0.05) among the intravenous injection group, intraperitoneal injection group and normal control group on d14, and a higher proportion of CD3e⁺ T cells and a lower proportion of F4/80⁺ macrophages were detected in the intravenous injection group than in the intraperitoneal injection group (both P values < 0.01). There were significant differences among the intravenous injection group, intraperitoneal injection group and normal control group on d21 in terms of proportions of splenic CD3e⁺ T cells (F = 9.252, P < 0.05), CD45R⁺ B cells (F = 14.349, P < 0.05), CD49b⁺ NK cells (F = 13.436,P < 0.05), and F4/80⁺ macrophages (F = 8.180, P < 0.05), and a higher proportion of CD3e⁺ T cells and lower proportions of CD45R⁺ B cells and F4/80⁺ macrophages were detected in the intravenous injection group than in the intraperitoneal injection group (all P values < 0.01). In addition, there was a significant difference in the proportion of CD3e⁺ T cells among the intravenous injection group, intraperitoneal injection group and normal control group on d28 (F = 9.772,P < 0.05), and a lower proportion of CD3e⁺ T cells was found in the intravenous injection group than in the intraperitoneal injection group (P < 0.01). Conclusions Both intraperitoneal and intravenous routes are effective to induce B. microti infections in BALB/c mice, and the prevalence of B. microti infections is higher in BALB/c mice through the intraperitoneal route than through the intravenous route. Intraperitoneal and intravenous injections with B. microti cause diverse spleen morphologies and proportions of splenic immune cells in mice, indicating routes of B. microti infections cause different impacts on immune response mechanisms in mice.

Fundus photography in small animals holds great significance for studying alterations in the structure and function of retinal blood vessels. However, the absence of uniform operating practices can lead to inconsistencies and incomparability of data. To address this issue, this study aims to develop a standard operation guide for fundus photography in small animals. It will provide researchers with standardized operation procedures and accurate data analysis methods to ensure high accuracy and reproducibility in data collection and analysis. The adoption of these guidelines enables a high level of data consistency while providing more precise results than traditional methods. This guideline bridges the gap in the lack of standard operating norms for fundus photography in small animals, offering researchers a reliable operational framework. This guideline not only helps to improve the accuracy and comparability of data, but also provides strong support for retinal vascular research in clinical practice.