OBJECTIVE To explore the mechanism Baitouweng Decoction on mice with vulvovaginal candidiasis(VVC)based on phosphoinositide 3-kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B(AKT)-hypoxia-inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α)pathway.METHODS Female SPF-grade Kunming mice were injected subcutaneously with estradiol benzoate and vaginally inoculated with Candida albicans suspension to establish a VVC mouse model.The mice with successful modeling were randomly divided into model group,high-,me-dium-,and low-dose Baitouweng Decoction groups(23.4,11.7,and 5.85 g·kg-1),and fluconazole group(0.02 g·kg-1),with 20 mice in each group.Another 20 mice were injected with estradiol benzoate as control group.Treatment started the day after success-ful model establishment and continued for 14 days.Two hours after the last administration,the number of neutrophils in vaginal lavage fluid was examined with Papanicolaou stain.The HE staining method was used to observe the morphology of vaginal tissue.ELISA was used to measure the levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleo-tide phosphate oxidase 2(NOX2),reactive oxygen species(ROS),su-peroxide dismutase(SOD),malondialdehyde(MDA)in the vaginal tissues.The mRNA expression levels of PI3K,AKT and HIF-1α were detected using qPCR.Western blot was employed to evaluate the protein expression of p-PI3K,PI3K,p-AKT,AKT,and HIF-1α in vaginal tissue.RESULTS Compared to the control group,the model group exhibited a significant increase in neutrophils in va-ginal lavage fluid(P<0.001);the vaginal mucosal layer was severely desquamated and a large number of inflammatory cells infiltrated.Additionally,there was an elevation in NOX2,ROS,and MDA levels in vaginal tissue(P<0.001),while SOD content decreased(P<0.001).Furthermore,the mRNA expression of PI3K,AKT and HIF-1α was reduced along with decreased protein ex-pression of p-PI3K/PI3K,p-AKT/AKT,and HIF-1α(P<0.001).In comparison to the model group,both high-dose and medi-um-dose groups treated with Baitouweng Decoction demonstrated a significant decrease in neutrophil count in lavage fluid(P<0.01,P<0.001);the condition of the vaginal mucosa improved to varying degrees.Moreover,the levels of ROS and MDA in vaginal tissue were reduced(P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.001),the activity of NOX2 was decreased(P<0.01,P<0.001),and the activity of SOD was increased(P<0.01,P<0.001).The high-dose group showed that,the mRNA expression of PI3K,AKT,and HIF-1α in vaginal tissue was increased(P<0.001),the ratios of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-AKT/AKT,and the protein expression of HIF-1α were increased(P<0.001).CONCLUSION Baitouweng Decoction has a therapeutic effect on VVC,and its mechanism of action may be related to the PI3K/AKT-HIF-1α signal pathway.

Objective:To explore the diagnostic value of improved 18F-prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-1007 PET-CT score (referred to as PSMA score) and multi parameter magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) prostate imaging reporting and data system (PI-RADS) score (referred to as PI-RADS score) for primary prostate cancer (PCa). Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted. The imaging and clinical data of 134 suspected PCa patients underwent 18F-PSMA-1007 PET-CT and mpMRI examinations at Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital from July 2018 to May 2023 were collected. Pathological diagnosis showed 92 cases of PCa and 42 cases of benign prostatic lesions. The clinical and imaging parameters, as well as the distribution of patients with two scores, were compared between the two groups. The blind diagnosis of benign and malignant lesions was made based on the improved PSMA score (dividing 1 point into 1a and 1b points, 1b, 2 and 3 points were diagnosed as PCa), PI-RADS score (3, 4 and 5 points were diagnosed as PCa) and the combination of the two (diagnosed as PCa when either PSMA score ≥ 1b point or PI-RADS score ≥ 4 points was met). The indicators of the diagnostic efficiency of PSMA score, PI-RADS score and the combination of the two for PCa were calculated. Using pathological results as the gold standard, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of PSMA score, PI-RADS score and the combination of the two for diagnosing PCa was drawn, and the diagnostic efficiency of the 3 methods was analyzed. Results:The age, serum prostate-specific antigen, and maximum standard uptake value of PET-CT in the PCa group were higher than those in the benign prostatic lesion group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, false negative rate, false positive rate, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of PSMA score for diagnosing PCa were 91.30% (84/92), 80.95% (34/42), 88.06% (118/134), 8.70% (8/92), 19.05% (8/42), 91.30% (84/92), and 80.95% (34/42), respectively; those of PI-RADS score were 93.48% (86/92), 61.90% (26/42), 83.58% (112/134), 61.90% (26/42), 38.10% (16/42), 84.31% (86/102), and 81.25% (26/32), respectively; those of the combination of the two were 97.83% (90/92), 88.10% (37/42), 94.78% (127/134), 2.17% (2/92), 11.90% (5/42), 94.74% (90/95), and 94.87% (37/39), respectively. The differences in specificity, accuracy, false negative rate, and false positive rate among the 3 methods were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of PSMA score, PI-RADS score and the combination of the two for diagnosing PCa were 0.930 (95% CI: 0.872-0.967), 0.935 (95% CI: 0.826-0.939) and 0.959 (95% CI: 0.910-0.986), respectively, and the differences between each two methods were statistically significant (all P < 0.05); the sensitivity of PSMA score, PI-RADS score and the combination of the two was 90.11%, 89.13% and 98.09%, and the specificity was 90.48%, 90.48% and 92.09%. Conclusions:Compared with the PI-RADS score, the improved PSMA score can improve the specificity and accuracy of PCa diagnosis, and decrease the false negative and false positive rates; the diagnostic efficiency of the combination of the two is superior.

Purpose: This study aims to elucidate the longitudinal alterations in frailty and health-related quality of life experienced by elderly patients undergoing surgical treatment for esophageal cancer. Additionally, it seeks to ascertain the impact of preoperative frailty on postoperative health-related quality of life over time. Methods: 131 patients were included in the prospective study. Patients' frailty and health-related quality-of-life were assessed utilizing the Tilburg and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 at preoperative, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months, postoperatively. Statistical analyses were performed using generalized estimating equations, repeated-measures analysis of variance, and linear mixed models (LMMs). Results: Out of 131 patients, 28.2% had frailty before surgery, and the prevalence of frailty consistently higher after surgery compared with baseline (67.9%, 51.9%, and 39.7%). There was no significant change in frailty scores in preoperative frail patients within 3 months following surgery (p = .496, p < .999, p < .999); whereas in preoperative non-frail patients, the frailty scores increased at 1 week (p < .001) and then decreased at 1 month (p = .014), followed by no change at 3 months. In addition, preoperative frail patients had significantly worse global quality-of-life (β = −4.24 (−8.31; −.18), p = .041), physical functioning (β = −9.87 (−14.59; −5.16), p < .001), role functioning (β = −10.04 (−15.76; −4.33), p = .001), and social functioning (β = −8.58 (−15.49; −1.68), p = .015), compared with non-frail patients. Conclusions A significant proportion of participants exhibited a high prevalence of preoperative frailty. These patients, who were preoperatively frail, exhibited a marked reduction in health-related quality-of-life, a more gradual recovery across various functional domains, and an increased symptom burden during the follow-up period. Therefore, it is crucial to meticulously identify and closely monitor patients with preoperative frailty for any changes in their postoperative physiology, role, and social functioning.

Background Previous studies using meta-analysis to explore the relationship between air pollution exposure and ischemic stroke (IS) mostly focus on particulate matter-related themes, few include gaseous pollutants in the study, and subgroup analyses of factors such as different lag days, seasons, and genders are rarely been reported. Objective To quantitatively evaluate the relationships between short-term exposures to 6 common air pollutants, including fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), inhalable particulate matter (PM₁₀), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and ozone (O₃), and the incidence of IS. Methods A systematic search was conducted to collect literature studying the 6 common air pollutants and IS published up to May 1, 2022 in 6 databases (China Journal Full-text Database, China Biology Medicine Disc, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase). Literature quality evaluation was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Stata 16.0 software was used to conduct meta-analysis including heterogeneity test, combined effect size, meta-regression, subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias test. Results A total of 33 articles were qualified for inclusion. The total number of samples included in the literature was 7195631. The meta-analysis results showed that short-term exposures to PM_2.5 (OR=1.0082, 95%CI: 1.0049−1.0116), PM₁₀ (OR=1.0017, 95%CI: 1.0008−1.0026), CO (OR=1.0328, 95%CI: 1.0231−1.0426), NO₂ (OR=1.0150, 95%CI: 1.0079−1.0222), SO₂ (OR=1.0158, 95%CI: 1.0078-1.0238), and O₃ (OR=1.0017, 95%CI: 1.0003−1.0032) were associated with an increased risk of IS. PM₁₀ and O₃ increased the risk of IS in both lag0 and lag1, while PM_2.5, CO, NO₂, and SO₂ all showed an associated increased risk of IS only in lag0. The results of sensitivity analysis showed stable results for all pollutants studied, and there was no publication bias in the literature on the association of the remaining five pollutants with IS incidence except for the PM_2.5-related literature. Conclusion Short-term exposures to PM_2.5, PM₁₀, CO, NO₂, SO₂, and O₃ may increase the incidence of IS, with this risk showing the most significant level on the day of IS onset.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between KRAS, NRAS and BRAF V600E gene mutations and the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with colorectal cancer.Methods:Specimens from 217 patients with colorectal cancer who underwent surgical resection and were pathologically confirmed in Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital from January 2020 to December 2021 were selected, and the clinical data of the patients were retrospectively analyzed. The mutation status of KRAS, NRAS and BRAF V600E genes were detected in the paraffin specimens of surgically-resected tissues by direct sequencing. The mutation rates of KRAS, NRAS and BRAF V600E were compared among patients with different clinicopathological characteristics.Results:The mutation rates of KRAS, NRAS and BRAF V600E in 217 patients with colorectal cancer were 48.4% (105/217), 4.1% (9/217) and 3.7% (8/217), of which 1 patient (0.5%) had both KRAS and NRAS mutations. NRAS gene mutation was not correlated with gender, age, tumor size, tumor location, pathological type, degree of differentiation, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, TNM stage, hemangioma thrombus/nerve invasion (all P>0.05); KRAS mutation rate in patients ≥ 60 year old was higher than that in patients < 60 year old [55.3% (63/114) vs. 40.8% (42/103), χ2 = 4.55, P = 0.033),and there was no correlation between KRAS gene mutation and other clinicopathological features (all P > 0.05); the mutation rate of BRAF V600E gene in colorectal cancerpatients with distant metastasis was higher than that in patients without distant metastasis [16.7% (4/24) vs. 2.1% (4/193), P = 0.006], and there was no correlation between BRAF V600E gene mutation and other clinicopathological features (all P > 0.05). Conclusions:Older colorectal cancer patients may be prone to KRAS gene mutation, and the BRAF V600E gene mutation rate is higher in patients with distant metastasis, and there is no correlation between NRAS gene mutation and clinicopathological characteristics.

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy and safety of intra-articular injection of platelet rich plasma and hyaluronic acid in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.Methods:The relevant literatures including the randomized control study of intra-articular injection of platelet rich plasma and hyaluronic acid in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis published from January 2010 to December 2021 were searched. The bias risk of the included literatures was evaluated by Revman 5.3 software, and the data were processed and analyzed by Stata 16.0 software. The weighted mean difference ( WMD) was calculated for the difference ofefficacy indexes, and the difference was compared by t-test. The odds ratio ( OR) was calculated for the difference of safety index, and the difference was compared by t-test. Results:① A total of 10 literatures were included, all of which were in English. ② A total of 921 patients were included in the study, of which 479 patients were treated with intra-articular injection of platelet rich plasma and 442 patients were treated with intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid. ③ Comparing the VAS scores of platelet rich plasma injection and hyaluronic acid injection, the visual analogue scale (VAS) scores of platelet rich plasma injection patients were significantly lower than those of hyaluronic acid injection patients after 6 and 12 months of injection treatment, and the difference was statistically significant [ WMD(95% CI)=-0.66(-1.25, -0.77), P=0.029; WMD(95% CI)= -0.90(-1.51, -0.29), P=0.004]. ④ The specific performance was that the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain score of patients injected with platelet rich plasma after 6 and 12 months of injection treatment was significantly lower than that of patients injected with hyaluronic acid [ WMD(95% CI)=-0.76(-1.06, 0.45), P<0.001; WMD(95% CI)=-1.35(-2.05, -0.65), P<0.01]; After 3, 6 and 12 months of injection treatment, the WOMAC stiffness score of patients injected with platelet rich plasma was significantly lower than that of patients injected with hyaluronic acid [( WMD(95% CI)=-0.37(-0.66, -0.08), P=0.011; WMD(95% CI)=-0.30(-0.57, -0.04), P=0.023; WMD(95% CI)=-0.62(-0.92, -0.33), P<0.001]; After 3, 6 and 12 months of injection treatment, the WOMAC function score of patients injected with platelet rich plasma was significantly lower than that of patients injected with hyaluronic acid [ WMD(95% CI)=-1.90 (-2.53, -1.27), P<0.001; WMD(95% CI)=-5.77(-9.20, -2.34), P=0.001; WMD(95% CI)=-5.72(-8.62, -2.82), P<0.001]. ⑤There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between the two intra-articular injection methods [ OR(95% CI)=1.28(0.68, 2.42), P=0.440]. Conclusion:Compared with intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid, the short-term clinical efficacy of injection of platelet rich plasma is equivalent to that of injection of hyaluronic acid, but the long-term clinical efficacy is better, and the safety of the two methods is similiar.

Objective:To analyze the causes, clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of drug-induced liver injury (DILI).Methods:The general information, medication history, clinical classification, grade of liver injury and clinical outcome of 384 patients with drug-induced liver injury admitted in Changjiang River Hospital during January 2014 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Among 384 cases of drug-induced liver injury, there were 191 cases aged ≥60 (49.7%). The top three drugs inducing liver injury were antibiotics, anti-tuberculosis drugs and immune-enhancing Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) decoction, accounting for 40.6%(156/384), 20.3%(78/384)and 15.6% (60/384), respectively. In 60 cases of TCM decoction-induced liver injury, 39 cases were cholestatic liver injury (65.0%,39/60), 11 cases were hepatocellular liver injury (18.3%,11/60) and 10 were mixed liver injury (16.7%,10/60) (χ 2=40.650, P<0.01). In 44 cases of DILI caused by anti-cancer chemotherapeutic drugs, 25 cases were hepatocellular liver injury (56.8%,25/44), 12 cases were cholestatic liver injury (27.3%,12/44) and 7 cases were mixed liver injury (15.9%,7/44) (χ 2=17.659, P<0.01). The proportion of treatment failure in patients with grade 4 liver injury was 5/10 and the proportion of mortality in patients with grade 5 liver injury was 8/8, which were significantly higher than those with lower grade liver injury (χ 2=157.218, P<0.01; χ 2=320.917, P<0.01). Conclusion:The development of drug-induced liver injury and its clinical classification are related to the types of drug, and the prognosis of drug-induced liver injury is depended on the degree of liver injury.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between positive rate and titer of hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) and CD4 + T lymphocyte count level in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients after hepatitis B virus (HBV) exposure. Methods:A total of 4 893 HIV-infected patients were admitted to Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from January 2010 to December 2018. The demographic data, HIV-related diagnosis, treatment information, CD4 + T lymphocyte count and serum markers of HBV infection of HIV infected patients were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were grouped according to the CD4 + T lymphocyte count and serum markers of HBV infection, and the differences of anti-HBs positive rate and HBV exposure rate in patients with different CD4 + T lymphocyte counts were compared.The differences of CD4 + T lymphocyte count in patients with different titer of anti-HBs were compared. Statistical analysis was performed using chi-square test, analysis of variance or t test. Results:Patients with HIV infection were divided into CD4 + T lymphocyte count<200/μL group (3 293 cases), 200-500/μL group (1 200 cases) and CD4 + T lymphocyte count>500/μL group (400 cases). The HBV exposure rates in the three groups were 78.0%(2 569/3 293), 77.0%(924/1 200) and 76.2%(305/400), respectively. The anti-HBs positive rates were 38.2%(1 258/3 293), 53.8%(645/1 200) and 62.5%(250/400), respectively. The anti-HBs titers were (120.00±36.45) IU/L, (148.00±26.40) IU/L and (212.00±92.08) IU/L, respectively. The exposure rates of HBV in the three groups were similar ( χ2=0.992, P=0.609), but the positive rates and titers of anti-HBs were significantly different ( χ2=146.779 and F=45.362, respectively, both P<0.01). When the patients were grouped by anti-HBs titer, 2 740 cases were divided into anti-HBs negative group (<10 IU/L), 1 220 cases in low anti-HBs group (10-99 IU/L), 693 cases in medium anti-HBs group (100-499 IU/L) and 240 cases in high anti-HBs group (≥500 IU/L). The CD4 + T lymphocyte count levels of the four groups were (150.00±8.42)/μL, (185.00±7.08)/μL, (243.00±12.07)/μL and (308.00±22.60)/μL, respectively. The overall CD4 + T lymphocyte count levels among the four groups were significantly different ( F=68.479, P<0.01). Among the 90 HIV infected patients who received anti-retroviral therapy (ART), the anti-HBs titer increased from (91.96±21.87) IU/L to (200.76±56.43) IU/L after treatment, and the anti-HBs level before and after treatment was significantly different ( t=-2.542, P=0.035). Among 208 patients with negative HBV markers, no patients had hepatitis B surface antigen switched to positive when monitored for an interval time of (26.2±5.3) months. Conclusions:The risk of HBV exposure in patients with HIV infection is not significantly related to the disease stage, but the positive rate and titer of anti-HBs are significantly positively correlated with CD4 + T lymphocyte count level. The monitoring of anti-HBs and the serum markers of HBV infection in the same individual is conducive to the in-depth understanding of the protective effect of anti-HBs and the scientific evaluation of the risk of infection after HBV exposure.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors associated with death among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Methods:A total of 217 COVID-19 patients admitted to Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University from December 29, 2019 to January 31, 2020 were enrolled. The general conditions, clinical symptoms, comorbidities, laboratory test indicators and clinical outcomes of the COVID-19 patients were analyzed. According to prognosis, the COVID-19 patients were divided into the death group and the survival group, and the clinical manifestations and laboratory examination results of the two groups were compared by t test and chi-square test. The binary logistics regression model was used to analyze the risk factors related to death. Results:Among the 217 COVID-19 cases, 124 were males and 93 were females, as of March 4, 2020, 25 died and 192 survived, with the mortality of 11.5%. Eighty-nine patients (41.0%) had confirmed history of exposure to the Huanan seafood market or had close contact with another patient with confirmed COVID-19. Among the patients who died, 21(84.0%) were male, 21(84.0%) had comorbidities, 15(60.0%) had more than three types of clinical symptoms, 14(56.0%) had alaine aminotransferase or aspartate aminotransferase>1.5 upper limit of normal (ULN), 13(52.0%) had creatinine (Cr) >104 μmol/L, and 18(72.0%) had procalcitonin (PCT) >0.05 μg/L, whereas the above indicators among the survival patients were 103(53.6%), 95(49.5%), 92(47.9%), 23(12.0%), 14(7.3%) and 47(24.5%), respectively. The differences of the above indicators between the two groups were all statistically significant ( χ2=11.506, 7.889, 14.897, 30.307, 40.585 and 23.807, respectively, all P<0.01). The multivariate analysis results showed that age≥65 years old (odds ratio ( OR)=5.968, 95% confidence interval ( CI)1.991-17.888, P=0.001), male ( OR=6.009, 95% CI 2.504-14.422, P<0.01), comorbidities ( OR=7.152, 95% CI 2.058-24.851, P=0.002), having more than three types of clinical symptoms ( OR=7.944, 95% CI 2.280-27.676, P=0.001), alanine aminotransferase or aspartate aminotransferase>1.5×ULN ( OR=9.552, 95% CI 3.760-24.269, P<0.01), Cr>104 μmol/L ( OR=11.458, 95% CI 4.289-30.613, P<0.01), lactic acid dehydrogenase (LDH)>243 U/L ( OR=7.591, 95% CI 1.683-34.249, P=0.008) and PCT>0.05 μg/L( OR=12.410, 95% CI 4.433-34.744, P<0.01) were risk factors for death among COVID-19 infection patients. Conclusion:For elderly male COVID-19 patients with comorbidities, impaired liver and kidney functions, elevated LDH and PCT are early warning signs for disease deterioration.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of the early activity on preventing deep vein thrombosis after joint replacement. Methods A total of 90 patients who undergone skeleton and knee joint replacement from January 2014 to January 2015 were randomly divid-ed into the observation group and the control group (with 45 cases in each group)according to the random number table method.The control group were given routine nursing care to prevent thrombosis,while the observation group were given intervention nursing,namely implementa-tion of early activities.The related symptoms of deep venous thrombosis and D-dimer level of high blood coagulation state of plasma of the two groups were observed and compared before and after treatment.Results The symptoms of deep vein thrombosis of the observation group in the early postoperative period were less than that of the control group,and the difference was significant(P <0.05).The D-dimer level of the observation group was lower than that of the control group 7 days after the operation with a significant difference (P <0.05).Conclusion Systematic nursing intervention of early activities can significantly reduce the related symptoms of forming deep vein thrombosis after joint re-placement.In addition,it has an apparent effect on lowing the high blood coagulation state and preventing deep vein thrombosis.