Objective To investigate the predictive value of preoperative combined detection of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and prothrombin time-international normalized ratio to albumin ratio (PTAR) for early abdominal infection after liver transplantation. Methods Clinical data of 287 recipients who underwent liver transplantation at the Liver Transplant Center of Beijing Friendship Hospital, Affiliated to Capital Medical University, from January 2020 to April 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into infection group (n=60) and non-infection group (n=227) based on whether abdominal infection occurred within 30 days after surgery. The distribution characteristics of pathogens and infection time in infected patients were analyzed. Spearman correlation analysis was used to assess the correlation between NLR, PTAR, Child-Pugh score and preoperative model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors for abdominal infection. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted for NLR, PTAR, and the combined prediction model to evaluate their predictive efficacy for abdominal infection after liver transplantation. Based on the cutoff value of the combined model, recipients were divided into low-risk and high-risk groups, and Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to compare the cumulative incidence of abdominal infection within 30 days after surgery between the two groups. Results Among the 287 recipients who underwent liver transplantation, 60 developed bacterial or fungal abdominal infections postoperatively. A total of 86 strains were isolated from infected patients, with Gram-negative bacteria accounting for 58%, Gram-positive bacteria for 36%, and fungi for 5%. Preoperative NLR and PTAR were positively correlated with Child-Pugh and MELD scores (all 1 > r > 0, P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative NLR, preoperative PTAR, postoperative ICU stay duration and postoperative biliary leakage were risk factors for abdominal infection within 30 days after surgery. The area under the curve (AUC) for NLR, PTAR, Child-Pugh score and MELD score were 0.771, 0.735, 0.650 and 0.741, respectively. The AUC for the combined NLR and PTAR prediction model was 0.824 (95% confidence interval: 0.763-0.885, P < 0.001), with a cutoff value of 0.168. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the cumulative incidence of abdominal infection within 30 days after surgery was lower in the low-risk group than in the high-risk group, with statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). Conclusions Preoperative NLR and PTAR are independent risk factors for abdominal infection within 30 days after liver transplantation. The combined prediction model of NLR and PTAR may effectively identify high-risk recipients for early abdominal infection after liver transplantation, providing basis for early intervention.

Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are a class of RNA molecules with little or no protein-coding potential. Emerging evidence indicates that ncRNAs are frequently dysregulated and play pivotal roles in the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer. Their aberrant expression can arise from chromosomal abnormalities, dysregulated transcriptional control, and epigenetic modifications. ncRNAs function as protein scaffolds or molecular decoys to modulate interactions between proteins and other biomolecules, thereby regulating gene expression and contributing to pancreatic cancer progression. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms underlying ncRNA dysregulation in pancreatic cancer, emphasize the biological significance of ncRNA-protein interactions, and highlight their clinical relevance. A deeper understanding of ncRNA-protein interactions is essential to elucidate molecular mechanisms and advance translational research in pancreatic cancer.
Humans ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/metabolism* ; RNA, Untranslated/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/genetics*

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of human biological dressing (human acellular dermal matrix) transplantation in the management of refractory wounds among middle-aged and elderly patients. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted involving 104 middle-aged and elderly patients (74 males, 30 females; aged 56-95 years) with refractory wounds treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from January 2023 to December 2024. Following debridement, wound areas ranged from 1.0 to 48.0 cm². All patients received vacuum sealing drainage for 7 days, followed by human biological dressing transplantation. Subsequently, depending on the wound condition and the patient's preference, autologous skin grafting (ASG) or wound dressing changes were employed to promote wound healing. Outcome measures included: post-human biological dressing coverage of exposed tendons/bones and occurrence of tendon infection/osteomyelitis; survival rate of ASG at postoperative day 7; healing time in patients managed with wound dressing changes alone; patient satisfaction; and changes in pain intensity, sleep disturbance, and anxiety scores assessed before and 1 month after human biological dressing transplantation using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale. RESULTS: After human biological dressing transplantation, 103 patients exhibited robust granulation tissue formation achieving complete coverage of the exposed tendons/bones, with no instances of tendon/bone necrosis, infection, or osteomyelitis. Among these, 51 patients underwent successful ASG at (44.4±13.0) d post-human biological dressing transplantation (success rate 100.00%), 52 patients achieved primary wound healing through dressing changes alone within (62.6±13.4) d post-human biological dressing transplantation. One patient experienced human biological dressing dissolution and detachment due to gluteal wound infection, resulting in non-healing. The overall cure rate was 99.04%. Patient satisfaction survey showed that 95 patients were very satisfied, 8 were satisfied, and 1 was dissatisfied (satisfaction rate 99.04%). Pain, sleep disturbance, and anxiety scores at 1 month post-human biological dressing transplantation were significantly reduced compared to pre-transplantation scores (all P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Human biological dressing transplantation demonstrate excellent outcomes in treating refractory wounds in middle-aged and elderly patients and can serve as an effective therapeutic strategy for managing refractory wounds.
Humans ; Aged ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Aged, 80 and over ; Retrospective Studies ; Wound Healing ; Biological Dressings ; Skin Transplantation ; Acellular Dermis ; Wounds and Injuries/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome

Hypertrophic scar is a fibrous hyperplastic disorder that arises from skin injuries. The current therapeutic modalities are constrained by the dense and rigid scar tissue which impedes effective drug delivery. Additionally, insufficient autophagic activity in fibroblasts hinders their apoptosis, leading to excessive matrix deposition. Here, we developed an active microneedle (MN) system to overcome these challenges by integrating micromotor-driven drug delivery with autophagy regulation to remodel the scar microenvironment. Specifically, sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were introduced into the MNs as a built-in engine to generate CO₂ bubbles, thereby enabling enhanced lateral and vertical drug diffusion into dense scar tissue. The system concurrently encapsulated curcumin (Cur), an autophagy activator, and triamcinolone acetonide (TA), synergistically inducing fibroblast apoptosis by upregulating autophagic activity. In vitro studies demonstrated that active MNs achieved efficient drug penetration within isolated scar tissue. The rabbit hypertrophic scar model revealed that TA-Cur MNs significantly reduced the scar elevation index, suppressed collagen I and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) expression, and elevated LC3 protein levels. These findings highlight the potential of the active MN system as an efficacious platform for autonomous augmented drug delivery and autophagy-targeted therapy in fibrotic disorder treatments.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of HBV infection on pre- and postpartum health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in pregnant women. METHODS: A prospective matched cohort consisting of 70 HBV-infected and 70 healthy pregnant women was recruited from the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University between April 17 and September 25, 2023. HRQoL of the participants was assessed at 16-24 weeks of gestation, between 32 weeks and delivery, and 5-13 weeks postpartum. Mixed linear models were used for evaluating temporal trends of HRQoL changes, and univariate ANOVA with multiple linear regression was used to identify the predictors of HRQoL. RESULTS: Compared with healthy pregnant women, HBV-infected pregnant women had consistently lower total HRQoL scores across all the 3 intervals, with the lowest scores observed between 32 weeks of gestation and delivery, during which these women had significantly reduced mental component scores (74.27±13.43 vs 80.21±12.9, P=0.009) and postpartum mental (76.52±16.19 vs 85.02±6.51, P<0.001) and physical component scale scores (77.17±14.71 vs 83.09±10.1, P=0.009). HBV infection was identified as an independent risk factor affecting HRQoL during late pregnancy and postpartum periods. Additional independent risk factors for postpartum HRQoL reduction included self-pay medical expenses, spouse's neutral attitude toward the current pregnancy, and preexisting comorbidities (all P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS HRQoL of pregnant women deteriorates progressively in late pregnancy, and HBV infection exacerbates reductions of physical function and role emotion in late pregnancy and after delivery, suggesting the importance of targeted interventions for financial burdens, partner support and comorbid conditions to improve HRQoL of pregnant women with HBV infection.
Humans ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Quality of Life ; Prospective Studies ; Postpartum Period ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/psychology* ; Adult ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious

ObjectiveTo explore the possible mechanism of the treatment of dry eye with liver-meridian constraint-heat syndrome by Runmu Xiaoyao Powder （润目逍遥散） by miR-146a-5p and interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 1/tumour necrosis factor receptor associated factor 6/nuclear factor-κB （IRAK1/TRAF6/NF-κB） signalling pathway. MethodsEighty C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into normal group， model group， agonist group， inhibitor group， sodium hyaluronate group， and Runmu Xiaoyao Powder high-， medium-， and low-dose groups， with 10 mice in each group. Except for the normal group， the mice of dry eye with liver-meridian constraint-heat syndrome were modeled by using benzalkonium chloride solution eye drops combined with chronic pain stimulation. Beginning on the 30th day of modelling， mice in Runmu Xiaoyao Powder high-， medium-， and low-dose groups were given 29， 14.5， and 7.25 g/kg of Runmu Xiaoyao Powder respectively twice daily by gavage； mice in sodium hyaluronate group were given 5 μl of sodium hyaluronate drops twice daily； mice in the agonist group were given 2 nmol of agomir-146a-5p drops in each eye at a time， and those in the inhibitor group were given 5 nmol of antagomir-146a-5p drops in each eye， with every other day， 3 times per week； mice in the normal and model groups were gavaged with deionised water at 1 ml/（100 g·d）. The intervention was continued for 14 days in each group， and mice in each group were examined for tear secretion， tear film rupture time， corneal fluorescein staining， and irritability scores on the day following the last intervention； HE staining was used to observe the pathological conditions of the cornea and lacrimal glands in each group； corneal and lacrimal gland inflammatory factors， such as interleukin 1β （IL-1β）， tumour necrosis factor α （TNF-α）， miR-146a-5p expression， were examined； matrix metalloproteinase 3 （MMP-3） and matrix metalloproteinase 9 （MMP-9） expression in cornea， IRAK1， TRAF6， nuclear factor κB p65 （NF-κB p65） protein and mRNA expression in cornea and lacrimal gland， and phosphorylated nuclear factor κB p65 （p-NF-κB p65） protein expression were detected. ResultsCompared with the normal group， mice in the model group showed reduced tear secretion， shorter tear film rupture time， higher irritability score （P＜0.05）， and pathological examination showed staining in the centre of the cornea， obvious corneal damage， increased volume of lacrimal gland follicular cells， disordered arrangement， a large number of inflammatory cell infiltration， and increased neovascularisation； corneal and lacrimal gland tissues showed elevated expression of IL-1β and TNF-α， decreased expression of miR -146a-5p， elevated expression of IRAK1， TRAF6， NF-κB p65， p-NF-κB p65 protein and IRAK1， TRAF6， NF-κB p65 mRNA， and elevated expression of MMP-3， MMP-9 protein in the cornea （P＜0.05）. Compared with the model group， all of the above indexes were significantly improved in high-dose group of Runmu Xiaoyao Powder， while some indexes were improved in the sodium hyaluronate group and the middle- and low-dose Runmu Xiaoyao Powder groups （P＜0.05）. Compared with the model group， corneal and lacrimal IRAK1 and TRAF6 mRNA and IRAK1， TRAF6 and p-NF-κB p65 protein expression decreased in the agonist group； compared with the inhibitor group， IRAK1， TRAF6， NF-κB p65 mRNA and protein expression in the cornea and lacrimal gland in the Runmu Xiaoyao Powder groups decreased （P＜0.05）. ConclusionRunmu Xiaoyao Powder can negatively regulate the IRAK1/TRAF6/NF-κB signalling pathway in the cornea and lacrimal gland of mice with dry eye of liver-meridian constraint-heat syndrome by up-regulation of miR-146a-5p， so as to inhibit inflammatory response and reduce the damage of the ocular surface tissues， and the high doses group showed the best effect.

OBJECTIVE To explore the application effects of the multi-disciplinary treatment （MDT）-based continuous pharmaceutical care system in patients undergoing anti-infection treatment. METHODS This research team innovatively developed an MDT continuous pharmaceutical care system， which was applied to cases of anti-infection treatment following MDT due to infection， aiming to innovate the continuous medication supervision model. A retrospective analysis method was used to collect data from 150 patients in the intensive care unit who underwent conventional anti-infection MDT consultations from January to October 2021 in Banan Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University， serving as the control group， and 130 patients in the intensive care unit who were under the MDT continuous pharmaceutical care system from January to October 2022 were selected as the intervention group. The general information of the patients， the information continuous tracking management， the outcomes of anti- infection treatment， adverse drug reactions， antibacterial drug management indicators， and the degree of satisfaction of relevant medical staff with the clinical pharmacists’ pharmaceutical services were compared between the two groups. RESULTS Comparison of general information between the two groups showed no statistically significant differences （P＞0.05）. The proportion of continuous tracking management in the intervention group was significantly higher than in the control group （P＜0.01）， and the differences in the initiators and reasons for continuous tracking management between the two groups were statistically significant （P＜0.05）. The intervention group had better outcomes in anti-infection treatment compared to the control group （P＜0.05）. The antibacterial drug management indicators （total length of hospital stay， duration of antibacterial drug use， total drug costs， and amount of antibacterial drugs used） in the intervention group were significantly lower than in the control group， while overall degree of satisfaction among medical staff was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group （P＜0.05）. No statistically significant differences were found in adverse reaction occurrence and antibacterial drug costs between the two groups （P＞0.05）. CONCLUSIONS The application of this system in patients who underwent anti-infection treatment after MDT can achieve continuous multi-disciplinary tracking management with clinical pharmacists at the core， which is beneficial for promoting the follow-up efficiency of the MDT team， raising the quality of clinical pharmacists’ pharmaceutical services， strengthening treatment outcomes， and promoting the rational use of antibacterial drugs in clinical practice.

The occurrence of benign prostate hyperplasia(BPH)was related to disrupted sex steroid hormones,and metformin(Met)had a clinical response to sex steroid hormone-related gynaecological disease.How-ever,whether Met exerts an antiproliferative effect on BPH via sex steroid hormones remains unclear.Here,our clinical study showed that along with prostatic epithelial cell(PEC)proliferation,sex steroid hormones were dysregulated in the serum and prostate of BPH patients.As the major contributor to dysregulated sex steroid hormones,elevated dihydrotestosterone(DHT)had a significant positive rela-tionship with the clinical characteristics of BPH patients.Activation of adenosine 5'-monophosphate(AMP)-activated protein kinase(AMPK)by Met restored dysregulated sex steroid hormone homeostasis and exerted antiproliferative effects against DHT-induced proliferation by inhibiting the formation of androgen receptor(AR)-mediated Yes-associated protein(YAP1)-TEA domain transcription factor(TEAD4)heterodimers.Met's anti-proliferative effects were blocked by AMPK inhibitor or YAP1 over-expression in DHT-cultured BPH-1 cells.Our findings indicated that Met would be a promising clinical therapeutic approach for BPH by inhibiting dysregulated steroid hormone-induced PEC proliferation.

Clinical pharmacists participated in the anti-infection treatment of a patient with Bartonella henselae meningitis.According to the clinical manifestations and the quantitative metagenomic second-generation sequencing(mNGS)of cerebrospinal fluid,the patient was diagnosed as Bartonella henselae infection.According to the relevant clinical guidelines and foreign case treatment reports,it is recommended to use minocycline hydrochloride capsule oral treatment combined with rifampicin injection.Follow-up treatment of the patient was dynamically adjusted based on the reexamination results of cerebrospinal fluid and related inflammatory indicators.In the treatment process,clinical pharmacists give full play to their professional expertise,provide the patient with individualized pharmaceutical care,optimize anti-infection programs,and further promote clinical rational drug use.

Objective:To analyze the current situation of middle-level cadres in functional departments of scientific research institutes and to construct a job competency model for middle-level cadre.Methods:A cluster random sampling method was used to conduct a questionnaire survey in March 2022 on the satisfaction level of middle-level cadres in the functional departments of the Institute of Blood Transfusion of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences,a mid-level cadre competency questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data among functional department personnel of scientific research institutes affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College.The principal component analysis method was used to extract factors,and the maximum variance rotation method was used to conduct exploratory factor analysis to construct a competency model.Results:The Middle-level cadres in scientific research institutes had problems such as old age,traditional management style,etc.The competency model of middle-level cadres in functional departments of scientific research institutes included 3 main competencies:responsibility taking ability,communication ability and learning execution ability,and 34 competency factors.Conclusion:The competency model of middle-level cadres in functional departments of scientific research institutes can provide basis and reference for the selection and appointment,education and training,performance management and career planning of middle-level cadres in scientific research institutes.