Debates persist regarding the efficacy and safety of azvudine, particularly its real-world outcomes. This study involved patients aged ≥60 years who were admitted to 25 hospitals in mainland China with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between December 1, 2022, and February 28, 2023. Efficacy outcomes were all-cause mortality during hospitalization, the proportion of patients discharged with recovery, time to nucleic acid-negative conversion (T _NANC), time to symptom improvement (T _SI), and time of hospital stay (T _HS). Safety was also assessed. Among the 5884 participants identified, 1999 received azvudine, and 1999 matched controls were included after exclusion and propensity score matching. Azvudine recipients exhibited lower all-cause mortality compared with controls in the overall population (13.3% vs. 17.1%, RR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.67-0.90; P = 0.001) and in the severe subgroup (25.7% vs. 33.7%; RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.66-0.88; P < 0.001). A higher proportion of patients discharged with recovery, and a shorter T _NANC were associated with azvudine recipients, especially in the severe subgroup. The incidence of adverse events in azvudine recipients was comparable to that in the control group (2.3% vs. 1.7%, P = 0.170). In conclusion, azvudine showed efficacy and safety in older patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the SARS-CoV-2 omicron wave in China.

Empathy is crucial for communication and survival for individuals. Whether empathy in pain contagion shows sex differences and its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we report that pain contagion can occur in stranger female rats, but not in stranger males. Blocking oxytocin receptors in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) suppressed pain contagion in female strangers, while oxytocin administration induced pain contagion in male strangers. In vitro, corticosterone reduces neuronal activation by oxytocin. During male stranger interactions, higher corticosterone decreased oxytocin receptor-positive neuronal activity in the ACC, suppressing pain contagion. These findings highlight the role of oxytocin in pain contagion and suggest that sex differences in empathy may be determined by the balance of oxytocin and corticosterone in the ACC. This study suggests an approach for the treatment of certain mental disorders associated with abnormal empathy, such as autism and depression.
Animals ; Oxytocin/pharmacology* ; Gyrus Cinguli/drug effects* ; Male ; Female ; Corticosterone/pharmacology* ; Empathy/drug effects* ; Sex Characteristics ; Receptors, Oxytocin/antagonists & inhibitors* ; Pain/psychology* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Neurons/metabolism*

Objective: To establish and validate a whole blood (WB) supply model, thereby providing practical experience for the clinical application of WB in domestic trauma emergency care and informing the development of a wartime blood supply system for the military. Methods: A “10×24” WB supply model was established by formulating blood collection protocols, storage standards, and transfusion criteria. Multiple WB samples were tested under specific storage conditions to assess key indicators at different time points, including red blood cell (RBC), white blood cell (WBC), and platelet counts, hemoglobin concentration, coagulation parameters (PT, APTT, TT, FIB), coagulation factor activity, thromboelastography (TEG) parameters, and electrolyte levels. Additionally, clinical data from hemorrhagic patients who met the criteria for WB transfusion and were admitted between March and July 2024 were analyzed to evaluate WB transfusion volume. Results: RBC counts and hemoglobin levels remained stable in WB stored at 4℃ for up to 10 days. However, platelet counts and coagulation function (PT, APTT) significantly declined with prolonged storage, while potassium levels increased. From March to July 2024, the model was successfully applied to 23 patients with acute hemorrhage, with a median WB transfusion volume of 543 mL. A detailed case study of a severe traumatic hemorrhagic shock patient was reported, who was successfully treated with 5.5 units of refrigerated WB combined with component blood. Conclusion: The “10×24” WB supply model demonstrated acceptable changes in critical quality parameters under strict management and a 10-day rotation cycle. This model effectively supports the treatment of acute hemorrhage and holds promise for integration into the future wartime blood supply system of the military.

Objective To investigate the effect of right stellate ganglion block(SGB)on postoper-ative shoulder pain in patients receiving laparoscopic cholecystectomy(LC).Methods A total of 104 pa-tients scheduled for LC from April to August 2022,32 males and 72 females,aged 18-64 years,ASA phys-ical status Ⅰ orⅡ,were selected and randomized into two groups:the stellate ganglion block group(group S,n = 51)and the control group(group C,n = 53).Immediately after intubation,0.2%ropivacaine 4 ml was used for ultrasound-guided right SGB in group S,and saline 4 ml was injected at the same site in group C.The number of cases of post-laparoscopic shoulder pain(PLSP)and the duration of PLSP were re-corded within 48 hours after operation.The VAS pain scores of PLSP were recorded to assess the level of PLSP immediately after operation(T1),2 hours after operation(T2),6 hours after operation(T3),12 hours after operation(T4),24 hours after operation(T5),and 48 hours after operation(T6).The number of effective compressions of the PCIA pump and the salvage analgesia were recorded.The adverse reactions such as nausea,vomiting,and abdominal distension were recorded.Results The incidence of PLSP and the rate of patients with PLSP lasting more than 10 hours in group S was significantly lower than those in group C(P＜0.05),and the degree of PLSP in group S was significantly lower than that in group C at T3-T5(P＜0.05).The number of effective compressions of the PCIA pump and the salvage analgesia rate in group S was significantly lower than those in group C(P＜0.05).The incidence of nausea in group S was significantly lower than that in group C(P＜0.05).Conclusion Right stellate ganglion block can reduce the incidence of PLSP in patients receiving LC,relieve the pain degree of PLSP,and reduce the incidence of adverse reactions.

Objectives:To establish a comprehensive system of Cardiovascular Academic Performance Evaluation(CAPE)and rank global TOP100 medical institutions in the fields of cardiovascular diseases(CVD). Methods:CVD-related terms were extracted from Medical Subject Headings(MeSH),Embase thesaurus(EMtrees)and International Classification of Diseases(ICD)by CVD-related professionals,as well as by librarians and information professionals.Terminology databases(named as Fuwai Subject Headings)were established,and nine sub-disciplines were proposed,including ischemic heart diseases,hypertension,vascular diseases,arrhythmia,pulmonary vascular diseases,heart failure,congenital heart diseases,cardiomyopathy,and valvular heart diseases.The mapping patterns of sub-discipline,cardiovascular terminology and entry terms were pre-defined.The CVD-related research literature published from January 1,2016 to December 31,2022 were retrieved from Web of Science,PubMed and Scopus.Based on this,metadata were fused and duplicates were excluded.Fuwai Subject Headings were searched and matched into four respects for each literature,including subject words,titles,keywords,and abstracts,which was used to generate an information table of"Position—CVD terminology—Frequency",and to calculate CVD correlation scores and sub-discipline scores.We standardized the names of medical institutions and scholars,and make a ranking system for CAPE based on original articles with strong cardiovascular correlation(correlation score≥4).When evaluating the science and technological performance for Chinese hospitals in cardiovascular diseases,National Natural Science Foundation Projects,authorized invention patents,prize achievements,research platforms,and registered data of drug clinical trials in Center for Drug Evaluation(CDE)were considered besides research papers. Results:During 2016 and 2022,1 545 103 CVD research literatures were found worldwide.After excluding meeting abstracts,books,biographies,news,videos,audio texts,retracted publications,and corrections,1 178 019 CVD research literatures were further evaluated.518 058 literatures were indexed as"strongly correlated to CVD"using Fuwai Subject Headings.Besides papers,other data sources were also collected,including 11 143 CVD-related Natural Science Foundation Projects,19 382 CVD-related effective authorized invention patents,103 CVD-related national prize achievements,24 CVD-related national research platforms,and 2 084 CDE registered data of CVD-related drug clinical trials.Research teams from nine sub-disciplines reviewed and validated research literature in respective fields,and classification rules of corresponding sub-disciplines were created and improved based on their opinions.Finally,eleven individual indexes were chosen to construct CAPE system for ranking global TOP100 medical institutions in overall CVD field and TOP30 in nine sub-disciplines.From 2016 to 2022,the number of cardiovascular disease research papers published by Chinese institutes has increased by 123.5%,with a total of approximately 76.8 thousands papers published(about 30 papers per day on average),ranked the second under the United States(approximately 114.1 thousands papers).However,the proportion of papers published by the Chinese Journal Citation Reports(JCR)and the Chinese Academy of Sciences only ranked eighth in the world.In the comprehensive academic performance of original cardiovascular research papers in global hospitals from 2020 to 2022,only two Chinese medical institutions ranked in the TOP20 as evaluated by CAPE system. Conclusions:Based on multi-source data from 2016 to 2022,CAPE initiated to establish a cardiovascular academic performance evaluation system.

Objective To explore the mechanism of tumor-associated fibroblasts(CAFs)for regulating proliferation and migration of prostate cancer(PCa)cells.Methods We conducted a bioinformatics analysis to identify miRNAs with high expression in PCa.The proliferation,migration and hsa-miR-18b-5p expression levels were observed in PCa cells co-cultured with CAFs.We further examined hsa-miR-18b-5p expression level in 20 pairs of PCa and adjacent tissue samples and in different PCa cell lines and normal epithelial cells using RT-qPCR.In PCa cell lines C4-2 and LNCAPNC,the effects of transfection with a hsa-miR-18b-5p inhibitor on cell proliferation,migration,invasion,drug resistance,apoptosis and cell cycle were evaluated,and the effects of has-miR-18b-5p knockdown on C4-2 cell xenograft growth and mouse survival were observed in nude mice.Dual luciferase reporter gene assay was used to validate the targeting relationship between hsa-miR-18b-5p and its target genes,whose expressions were detected in PCa cells using RT-qPCR and Western blotting.Results The expression of hsa-miR-18b-5p was significantly increased in the co-culture of CAFs and PCa cell lines,which exhibited significantly enhanced proliferation and migration abilities.Transfection with has-miR-18b-5p inhibitor strongly attenuated the effect of CAFs for promoting proliferation and migration of PCa cells,and in C4-2 and LNCAP cells cultured alone,inhibition of hsa-miR-18b-5p obviously suppressed cell proliferation,migration,invasion,and drug resistance.In the tumor-bearing mice,hsa-miR-18b-5p knockdown in the transplanted cells significantly inhibited xenograft growth and increased the survival time of the mice.Target gene prediction suggested that FBXL3 was a potential target of hsa-miR-18b-5p,and dual luciferase reporter gene confirmed a binding site between them.In C4-2 and LNCAP cells,hsa-miR-18b-5p knockdown resulted in significantly increased expression levels of FBXL3.Conclusion CAFs promotes proliferation and migration of PCa cells by up-regulating hsa-miR-18b-5p to suppress FBXL3 expression.

Objective:To investigate the surgical situations and perioperative outcome of pancreaticoduodenectomy in Jiangsu Province and the influencing factors for postoperative 90-day mortality.Methods:The retrospective case-control study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 2 886 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy in 21 large tertiary hospitals of Jiangsu Quality Control Center for Pancreatic Diseases, including The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, from March 2021 to December 2022 were collected. There were 1 732 males and 1 154 females, aged 65(57,71)years. Under the framework of the Jiangsu Provincial Pancreatic Disease Quality Control Project, the Jiangsu Quality Control Center for Pancreatic Diseases adopted a multi-center registration research method to establish a provincial electronic database for pancrea-ticoduodenectomy. Observation indicators: (1) clinical characteristics; (2) intraoperative and post-operative conditions; (3) influencing factors for 90-day mortality after pancreaticoduodenectomy. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M( Q1, Q3) or M(IQR), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were expressed as absolute numbers or constituent ratio, and comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test, continuity correction chi-square test and Fisher exact probability. Maximal Youden index method was used to determine the cutoff value of continuous variables. Univariate analysis was performed using the corresponding statistical methods based on data types. Multivariate analysis was performed using the Logistic multiple regression model. Results:(1) Clinical characteristics. Of the 2 886 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy, there were 1 175 and 1 711 cases in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Of the 21 hospitals, 8 hospitals had an average annual surgical volume of <36 cases for pancreaticoduodenectomy, 10 hospitals had an average annual surgical volume of 36-119 cases, and 3 hospitals had an average annual surgical volume of ≥120 cases. There were 2 584 cases performed pancreaticoduodenectomy in thirteen hospitals with an average annual surgical volume of ≥36 cases, accounting for 89.536%(2 584/2 886)of the total cases. There were 1 357 cases performed pancrea-ticoduodenectomy in three hospitals with an average annual surgical volume of ≥120 cases, accounting for 47.020%(1 357/2 886) of the total cases. (2) Intraoperative and postoperative conditions. Of the 2 886 patients, the surgical approach was open surgery in 2 397 cases, minimally invasive surgery in 488 cases, and it is unknown in 1 case. The pylorus was preserved in 871 cases, not preserved in 1 952 cases, and it is unknown in 63 cases. Combined organ resection was performed in 305 cases (including vascular resection in 209 cases), not combined organ resection in 2 579 cases, and it is unknown in 2 cases. The operation time of 2 885 patients was 290(115)minutes, the volume of intra-operative blood loss of 2 882 patients was 240(250)mL, and the intraoperative blood transfusion rate of 2 880 patients was 27.153%(782/2 880). Of the 2 886 patients, the invasive treatment rate was 11.342%(327/2 883), the unplanned Intensive Care Unit (ICU) treatment rate was 3.087%(89/2 883), the reoperation rate was 1.590%(45/2 830), the duration of postoperative hospital stay was 17(11)days, the hospitalization mortality rate was 0.798%(23/2 882), and the failure rate of rescue data in 2 083 cases with severe complications was 6.529%(19/291). There were 2 477 patients receiving postoperative 90-day follow-up, with the 90-day mortality of 2.705%(67/2477). The total incidence rate of complication in 2 886 patients was 58.997%(1 423/2 412). The incidence rate of severe complication was 13.970%(291/2 083). The comprehensive complication index was 8.7(22.6) in 2 078 patients. (3) Influencing factors for 90-day mortality after pancreaticoduodenectomy. Results of multivariate analysis showed that age ≥ 70 years, postoperative invasive treatment, and unplanned ICU treatment were independent risk factors for 90-day mortality after pancreaticoduodenectomy ( odds ratio=2.403, 2.609, 16.141, 95% confidence interval as 1.281-4.510, 1.298-5.244, 7.119-36.596, P<0.05). Average annual surgical volume ≥36 cases in the hospital was an independent protective factor for 90-day mortality after pancreaticoduodenectomy ( odds ratio=0.368, 95% confidence interval as 0.168-0.808, P<0.05). Conclusions:Pancreaticoduodenectomy in Jiangsu Province is highly con-centrated in some hospitals, with a high incidence of postoperative complications, and the risk of postoperative 90-day mortality is significant higher than that of hospitallization mortality. Age ≥ 70 years, postoperative invasive treatment, and unplanned ICU treatment are independent risk factors for 90-day motality after pancreaticoduodenectomy, and average annual surgical volume ≥36 cases in the hospital is an independent protective factor.

Circular RNA(circRNA)represents a unique class of closed-loop structured non-coding RNAs involved in various biological processes such as cell proliferation,differentiation,and apopto-sis.They play a significant role in the development of numerous diseases,and also serve as poten-tial biomarkers and therapeutic targets.To explore the impact of circRNA on viral replication,this study performed an omics measurement and analysis of circRNA differential expression in MC38 cells infected with HY12 enterovirus.It was found that,following HY12 virus infection,the ex-pressionlevels of 570 circRNAs were upregulated,while 381 circRNAs were downregulated.A-mong the upregulated circRNAs,the significantly upregulated circRNA mmu_circ_0001083 was selected for further investigation into its association with HY12 infection and its impact on viral replication.The results indicated that after HY12 virus infection,the expression of host circRNA mmu_circ_0001083 significantly increased,and its expression level was dependent on the virus dos-age and time.Compared to normal MC38 cells infected with the HY12 virus,cells with knocked down expression of circRNA mmu_circ_0001083 showed reduced expression of the 2C protein and significantly lower viral titers.Conversely,after HY12 virus infection in MC38 cells with overexpressed circRNA mmu_circ_0001083,there was an increase in the expression of the 2C pro-tein and a significant rise in viral titers.These results suggest that the upregulation of host cir-cRNA mmu_circ_0001083 is significantly positively correlated with the replication of HY12 virus,meaning mmu_circ_0001083 plays a positive regulatory role in the replication of HY12.This find-ing lays a foundation for future in-depth studies on the regulatory mechanisms of circRNA on viral replication.

A recombinant enzyme-mediated nucleic acid amplification(RAA)technology combined with colloidal gold test strips was developed for the rapid detection of bovine enterovirus(BEV).Using the highly conserved BEV 5'UTR as the target sequence,the primers were designed and screened.Downstream primer labeled with biotin at the 5'end and the probe labeled with 6-FAM at the 5'end were used to establish the RT-RAA method.The test strips were assembled by using mouse-derived anti-6-FAM monoclonal antibody as the gold standard antibody,with a streptavidin encapsulated in the detection line and sheep anti-mouse IgG encapsulated in the quality control line.A RT-RAA-LFD method was established by combing RAA technique with the prepared later-al flow device test strips for the detection of bovine enterovirus nucleic acids.The specificity,sensi-tivity,repeatability,and clinical application of the method are also evaluated.The results showed that the optimal primer concentration of this method was 5 μmol/L,and the amplification of BEV nucleic acids was accomplished by reacting at 35 ℃ for 8 min with the lowest detection limit of 101 copies/μL.No cross-reactivity with bovine viral diarrhea virus,bovine parvovirus,and foot-and-mouth disease virus was observed.The efficacy for the prepared test strips was at least for 90 d kept at 4 ℃.Detection of 74 clinical samples yielded a similar result compared with RT-PCR method.The above results demonstrated that the BEV RT-RAA-LFD method established in this study has high sensitivity,specificity,and more convenient to use,which is suitable for clinical de-tection on-site and provides a new technical tool for the diagnosis and epidemiological investigation of BEV infection.

Abstract: Objective To express Mycobacterium tuberculosis Rv2626c protein in Escherichia coli (E. coli) and study the antigenicity of the purified recombinant Rv2626c protein. Methods The amino acid sequence of Rv2626c protein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv strain (accession number: CCP45424.1) in GenBank was retrieved and converted into the corresponding DNA sequence according to the codon preference of E. coli. This DNA sequence was synthesized and cloned into pET24a(+) plasmid to construct pET24a(+)-Rv2626c recombinant plasmid. This plasmid was transformed into E. coli BL21(DE3) cells, and the expression of Rv2626c protein was induced under various conditions of isopropyl β-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) concentrations, temperature, and period. The recombinant Rv2626c protein was identified by SDS-PAGE and Western Blot. The recombinant Rv2626c protein was purified by nickel chelate affinity chromatography and used to immunize violet blue rabbits to prepare anti-Rv2626c anti-serum. The specificity and titer of the serum were respectively detected by Western Blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results The recombinant plasmid pET24a(+)-Rv2626c was successfully constructed. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that recombinant Rv2626c was expressed in the recombinant plasmid transformed E. coli with IPTG induction, with a molecular weight of about 14 500, and the size was consistent with the expectation. The optimal expression condition for recombinant Rv2626c protein was at 31 ℃ with 1.0 mmol/L IPTG for 6 hours. The target protein was mainly present in a soluble form, which was consistent with the results of Western blot. The hyperimmunized serum with recombinant Rv2626c protein vaccination showed good specificity, with a titer of 1∶ 256 000 detected by ELISA. Conclusions Mycobacterium tuberculosis Rv2626c protein is successfully expressed in E. coli, and the purified protein has good purity and antigenic activity, laying the foundation for further reveals of its biological functions.