It is believed that the head and facial orifices are connected with the brain's spirit and the spirits of the five organs. Their functions， including vision， hearing， smell， taste， and speech， are manifestations of the activity of the spirit. Furthermore， head and facial orifice disorders are interrelated with spirit disorders， forming a cause-and-effect relationship. Acupuncture has a regulatory effect on the spirit. Based on this， acupuncture for regulating the spirit in treating head and facial orifice disorders is proposed. This includes regulating the brain's spirit to treat functional disorders， regulating the heart's spirit to clarify the functions of governing substances， regulating the organ's spirit to benefit the orifices and enhance the communication of the spirit， and regulating the liver's spirit to promote the flow of Qi （气） and relieve stagnation， thereby providing a framework for acupuncture to treat head and facial orifice disorders.

It is regarded that the disease location of refractory facial paralysis is in the channel sinews of the face， with its primary pathogenesis characterized by a combination of deficiency and stasis of the channel sinews. The integration of repeated shallow needling method and fire acupuncture can first remove stagnation within the channel sinews， and second utilize the warming effect of fire to reinforce yang， stimulate meridian qi， and nourish the channel sinews. This approach balances both supplementation and drainage manipulation， aligning with the underlying pathogenesis of deficiency and stasis combination. In clinical practice， diagnostic methods should be applied flexibly to accurately identify the affected channel sinews. The severity of facial symptoms， the size and mobility of the paralyzed facial muscles， as well as the depth and size of the reactive points identified through palpation， should be considered when determining the extent of the condition. By adjusting the appropriate level of stimulation， the fire acupuncture with repeated shallow needling method could effectively improve facial muscle morphology and function， promoting recovery from the disease.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of Schistosoma japonicum infections in wild rodents in schistosomiasis-endemic areas of China, so as to provide insights into formulation of technical guidelines for monitoring of and the precise control strategy for S. japonicum infections in wild rodents during the elimination phase. Methods Two administrative villages where schistosomiasis was historically highly prevalent were selected each from Dongzhi County, Anhui Province, and Duchang County, Jiangxi Province as study villages. Wild rodents were captured from study villages with baited traps or cages at night in June and September, 2021. The number of rodents captured was recorded, and the rodent species was characterized based on morphologi-cal characteristics. Liver tissues were sampled from captured rodents for macroscopical observation of the presence of egg granu- lomas, and S. japonicum infection was detected simultaneously using liver tissue homogenate microscopy, examinations of mesenteric tissues for parasites, and modified Kato-Katz thick smear technique (Kato-Katz technique). A positive S. japonicum infection was defined as detection of S. japonicum eggs or adult worms by any of these methods. The rate of wild rodent capture and prevalence of S. japonicum infections in wild rodents were compared in different study villages and at different time periods, and the detection of S. japonicum infections in wild rodents was compared by different assays. Results The overall rate of wild ro- dent capture was 8.28% (237/2 861) in Dongzhi County, and the wild rodent capture rates were 9.24% (133/1 439) and 7.31% (104/1 422) in two study villages (χ² = 3.503, P = 0.061), and were 8.59% (121/1 409) and 7.99% (116/1 452) in June and September, 2021, respectively (χ² = 0.337, P = 0.561). The overall rate of wild rodent capture was 3.72% (77/2 072) in Duchang County, and the wild rodent capture rates were 6.91% (67/970) and 0.91% (10/1 102) in two study villages (χ² = 51.901, P < 0.001), and were 4.13% (39/945) and 3.37% (38/1 127) in June and September, 2021, respectively (χ² = 0.815, P = 0.365). Rattus norvegicus was the predominant rodent species captured in both counties, accounting for 70.04% (166/237) of all captured wild rodents in Dongzhi County and 88.31% (68/77) in Duchang County. No S. japonicum infection was detected in wild rodents captured in Duchang County. Nevertheless, the overall prevalence of S. japonicum infections was 51.05% (121/237) in wild rodents captured in Dongzhi County, with prevalence rates of 50.38% (67/133) and 51.92% (54/104) in two study villages (χ² = 0.098, P = 0.755), and 54.31% (63/116) and 47.93% (58/121) in September and June, 2021, respectively (χ² = 0.964, P = 0.326). Of 237 wild rodents captured in Dongzhi County, there were 140 (59.07%) rodents with visible hepatic egg granulomas, 117 (49.47%) tested positive for S. japonicum eggs by liver tissue homogenate microscopy, 34 (14.35%) tested positive for S. japonicum eggs with Kato-Katz technique; however, no adult S. japonicum worms were detected in mesenteric tissues. In addition, hepatic egg granulomas were found in all wild rodents tested positive for S. japonicum eggs with liver tissue homogenate microscopy. Conclusions The rate of wild rodent capture and prevalence of S. japonicum infection in wild rodents vary greatly in schistosomiasis-endemic areas of China, and the prevalence of S. japonicum infection is slightly higher in wild rodents captured in autumn than in summer. Liver tissue is recommended as the preferred sample for surveillance of S. japonicum infection in wild rodents, and a combination of macroscopical observation of hepatic egg granulomas and liver tissue homogenate microscopy may be a standard method for surveillance of S. japonicum infection in wild rodents.

Humans ; Aged ; Lung Diseases ; Pneumonia/drug therapy* ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones/therapeutic use* ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/drug therapy* ; Administration, Inhalation ; Community-Acquired Infections/drug therapy*

Objective To investigate the effects of dimethyl itaconate(DMI)on the secretion of pro-inflammatory factors in dendritic cells(DCs)and on the interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein(IRBP)1-20-specific T helper 17(Th17)cells in mice with experimental autoimmune uveitis(EAU).Methods Bilateral femur and tibia of C57BL/6J mice were isolated to obtain bone marrow cells,and these bone marrow cells were directionally induced with granulocyte macrophage-colony-stimulating factor(GM-CSF)and interleukin(IL)-4 to differentiate DCs.After 6 days,DCs were ran-domly divided into the DMI group and the phosphate-buffered saline(PBS)group.Cells in the DMI group were pretreated with 250 μmol·L-1 DMI,and cells in the PBS group were pretreated with the same volume of PBS for 3 hours.After-wards,100 μg·L-1 lipopolysaccharide was added in the every group to stimulate cells for 24 hours.The relative mRNA ex-pression levels of IL-6,IL-1 β,and IL-23 in DCs were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR).The EAU model was constructed by actively immunizing mice with IRBP1-20,Freund's incomplete adjuvant,and my-cobacterium tuberculosis H37RA.Thirteen days after immunization,T cells in the spleen and lymph node isolated from EAU mice were cocultured with DMI-treatedor PBS-treated DCs in the medium containing IRBP1-20.They polarized toward Th17 cells.The percentage of Th17 cells in the cocultured cells was detected by flow cytometry.The IL-17 level in the coculture supernatant was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).qRT-PCR was performed to detect the relative mRNA expression levels of retinoid-related orphan receptor gamma t(RORγt),IL-17,IL-23R,and GM-CSF in the cocultured cells.Results qRT-PCR analysis revealed that the relative mRNA expression levels of IL-6,IL-1β,and IL-23 in the DMI group were significantly lower thanthose in the PBS group(all P＜0.05).Flow cytometry analysis showed that the proportion of Th17 cells in the cocultured cells in the DMI group was significantly lower than that in the PBS group(P＜0.05).ELISA analysis exhibited that the IL-17 level in the coculture supernatant in the DMI group was significantly lower than that in the PBS group(P＜0.05).The relative mRNA expression levels of IL-17,ROR-γt,IL-23R and GM-CSF in cocultured cells in the DMI group significantly decreased compared with the PBS group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion DMI can reduce the expression of IL-6,IL-1β and IL-23 in DCs,thus negatively modulating the responses of IRBP1-20-specific Th17 cells.

Background and Purpose:The early prediction of local tumor progression-free survival(LTPFS)after radiofrequency ablation(RFA)for colorectal cancer(CRC)lung metastases has significant clinical importance.The application of radiomics in the prediction of tumor prognosis has been explored.This study aimed to construct a radiomics-based nomogram for predicting LTPFS after RFA in CRC patients with lung metastases.Methods:This study retrospectively analyzed 172 CRC patients with 401 lung metastases admitted to Department of Interventional Radiology,Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center from August 2016 to January 2019.This study was reviewed by the medical ethics committee of Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center(ethics number:2402291-24).After augmentation of pre-ablation and immediate post-ablation computed tomography(CT)images,the target metastases and ablation regions were segmented manually to extract the radiomic features.Maximum relevance and minimum redundancy algorithm(MRMRA)and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)regression models were applied for feature selection.The clinical model,the radiomics model,and the fusion model were constructed based on the selected radiomic features and clinical variables screened by the multivariate analysis.The Harrell concordance index(C-index)and area under receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves(AUC)were calculated to evaluate the prediction performance.Finally,the corresponding nomogram of the best model was drawn.Results:Among all the lung metastases,102(25.4%)had final recurrence,and 299(74.6%)had complete response(CR).The median follow-up time was 21 months(95%CI:19.466-22.534),and the LTPFS rates at 1,2,and 3 years after RFA were 76.5%(95%CI:72.0-80.4),72.1%(95%CI:66.6-76.9)and 69.9%(95%CI:64.0-75.1).In both the training and test dataset,the fusion model based on the final 12 radiomic features through the LASSO regression and 4 clinical variables screened by multivariate analysis achieved the highest AUC values for LTPFS,with C-index values of 0.890(95%CI:0.854-0.927)and 0.843(95%CI:0.768-0.916),respectively.Conclusion:The fusion model based on radiomic features and clinical variables is feasible for predicting LTPFS after RFA of CRC patients with lung metastases,whose performance is superior to the single radiomic and clinical model.At the same time,the nomogram of the fusion model can intuitively predict the prognosis of CRC patients with lung metastases after RFA,thus assisting clinicians in developing individualized follow-up review plans for patients and adjusting treatment strategies flexibly.

Background::To address the need for immunotherapy in patients with advanced primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), combination with radiotherapy (RT) has emerged as a promising strategy. In preclinical studies, irradiated tumors released tumor antigens to synergistically increase the antitumor effect of immunotherapy. Hence, we investigated whether RT enhances the efficacy of anti-programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) inhibitors in advanced HCC in real-world practice.Methods::Between August 2018 and June 2021, 172 patients with advanced primary HCC were enrolled in the tertiary center (Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University); 95 were treated with a combination of RT and the inhibitor of PD-1 (RT-PD1 cohort), and 77 were administered anti-PD-1 therapy (PD1 cohort). The first cycle of PD-1 inhibitors was administered within 60 days or concurrently with RT. Propensity score matching for bias reduction was used to evaluate the clinical outcomes.Results::Among 71 propensity-matched pairs, median progression-free survival was 5.7 months in the RT-PD1 cohort vs. 2.9 months in the PD1 cohort ( P <0.001). Median overall survival was 20.9 months in the RT-PD1 cohort vs. 11.2 months in the PD1 cohort ( P = 0.018). Compared with patients in the PD1 cohort, patients in the RT-PD1 cohort had significantly higher objective response rates (40.8%, 29/71 vs. 19.7%, 14/71, P = 0.006) and disease control rates (62.0%, 44/71 vs. 31.0%, 22/71, P <0.001). The incidences of toxic effects were not significantly different between the two cohorts. Conclusions::RT plus anti-PD-1 therapy is well tolerated. RT enhances the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy in patients with advanced primary HCC by improving survival outcomes without increased toxic effects.

Objective To develop an effective method for delivering VEGF and CD47 double-modified exosomes to treat renal damage induced by heat stroke so as to reduce and repair renal damage.Methods A plasmid fusion-expressing VEGF and CD47 targeting renal injury was constructed,transfected into rat bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs),and then fusion-exosomes were isolated and extracted.Transmission electron microscopy,nanoparticle tracking analysis,and Western blotting were used to identify the obtained exosomes.Rats were intravenously injected with 200 μg of DiD-labeled unmodified exosomes,VEGF-modified exosomes and VEGF-CD47 double-modified exosomes,respectively,through the tail vein,and the effects of exosomes on the kidneys were detected and analyzed using a small animal in vivo imaging instrument.A total of 60 SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups,with 10 rats in each group,that is,blank control group (group A),heat stroke-induced renal injury model receiving PBS in 12,24 and 36 h after modelling (group B),empty plasmid group (group C),Exos group (group D),ExosVEGF group (group E) and ExosVEGF-CD47.Kidney tissue and blood samples were collected in 72 h after 3 times of treatment.Pathological changes in kidney tissue were observed at the tissue level and the damage were scored.Changes in serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN)and serum creatinine (Scr)levels were detected to evaluate the therapeutic effect.Western blotting and qRT-PCR were used to analyze the expression of the pro-inflammatory factors TNF-α and NF-κB,the proliferation regulatory signaling molecules Ki67,FGF2,pAMPK and pERK,and the fibrosis regulatory molecule FGF23,in order to comprehensively analyze the effects on proliferation and inhibition of fibrosis.Results BMMSCs and ExosVEGF-CD47 were successfully isolated and characterized,and a rat model of acute kidney injury was effectively constructed.Higher fluorescence intensity was found in the kidney tissue of the Exos VEGF-CD47group than the Exos-Ctrl group and Exos VEGF group (P<0.05).In 72 h after treatment,the ExosVEGF-CD47 group had significantly lower serum BUN and Scr levels (P<0.0001),and notably lower Tubular casts score (P<0.0001),decreased levels of pro-inflammatory factors TNF-α and NF-κB (P<0.0001),up-regulated Ki67 and FGF2 expression (P<0.05),and down-regulated FGF23 expression (P<0.0001)when compared with the AKI+Exos group and AKI+ExosVEGF group.Conclusion VEGF and CD47 show promise in targeting acute kidney injury induced by heat stroke,effectively mitigate damage and facilitate repair,which may be due to exosome-mediated inhibition of renal tissue inflammation,promotion of proliferation,and inhibition of fibrosis.

Objective To observe the effect of multi-modal hand hygiene(HH)intervention on HH compliance,as well as the relationship between HH compliance and the healthcare-associated(HA)case infection incidence.Methods From 2014 to 2022,the infection control team in a tertiary first-class hospital implemented multi-modal HH intervention for health care workers(HCWs).The changing trend of HH monitoring data,the correlation be-tween HH compliance rate and HA case infection incidence were analyzed retrospectively.Results The consump-tion of HH products in the wards showed a stable upward trend;HH compliance rate increased from 64.98％in 2014 to 85.01％in 2022(P＜0.001),and HA case infection incidence decreased from 1.21％to 0.83％(P＜0.05).HH compliance rate was negatively correlated with HA case infection incidence(r=-0.369,P=0.027).HH compliance rates in different regions and job posts in each quarter were increased(P＜0.001).For 5 different HH moments in each quarter,HH compliance rate fluctuated slightly before sterile manipulation and after touching patient;presented rising trend after touching surroundings around patient,and decreased before touching patient and after touching patient's body fluid since 2020(P＜0.001).Conclusion Multi-modal HH intervention can im-prove the HH compliance of HCWs,improving their HH awareness is conducive to reducing HA case infection incidence.

Objective:To investigate the expression of KCTD8 gene in breast ductal carcinoma and its correlation with clinical factors and prognosis.Methods:Immunohistochemistry technology(IHC)were employed to detect protein expression levels of KCTD8 in 27 pairs of breast ductal carci-noma and its paired adjacent tissues.Analyzing the correlation between changes in KCTD8 expres-sion of protein and clinical factors using statistical techniques.RNA expression and methylation data of breast cancer(including intraductal cancer)were analysed from TCGA database.Result:The pro-tein expression of KCTD8 gene in 27 pairs of breast ductal carcinoma tissues showed a decreasing trend compared to adjacent tissues(P＜0.05),and the decreased expression level of protein was cor-related with the tumor size of patients(P＜0.05).The analysis results of the TCGA database indicate that the expression and hypemethylation of KCTD 8 gene in breast cancer(including intraductal can-cer)tissues affected the prognosis of patients.Conclusion:The reduced protein expression level of KCTD8 gene in breast ductal carcinoma may be involved in the development and affect the prog-nosis of patients.