Clinical microbiology tests play an important role in the etiological diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases, monitoring and alerting of nosocomial infection, rational use of drugs and drug sensitivity monitoring.Microbiology laboratory should strengthen the application and popularization of techniques for rapid diagnosis and point-of-care diagnosis, and intensify the quality control.With patients-oriented principle, microbiology laboratory should enhance the communications with clinicians to better serve the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases.

Diabetic retinopathy(DR)is one of the most common and severe microvascular complications in diabetic patients and has become one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. With the continuous rise in the prevalence of diabetes, in-depth exploration of the pathogenesis of DR and effective intervention measures is of great clinical significance. The mechanistic target of rapamycin(mTOR), as a protein kinase, is widely involved in cellular processes such as growth, metabolism, and autophagy. Research indicates that the mTOR signaling pathway plays a crucial regulatory role in the pathological progression of DR, and its abnormal activity can disrupt retinal cell autophagy function, thereby accelerating cellular damage and disease progression. Autophagy, as an important regulatory mechanism for cellular homeostasis, maintains cellular functional balance by clearing damaged organelles and protein aggregates. This article provides a systematic review of the structural and functional aspects of the mTOR signaling pathway, the molecular regulatory mechanisms of autophagy, and their roles in retinal pathological changes. By summarizing current research findings, the article aims to clarify the key regulatory role of the mTOR-autophagy axis in DR, providing theoretical support for elucidating the molecular pathogenesis of DR and offering potential targets and research directions for developing novel targeted therapeutic strategies, thereby holding significant scientific and clinical value.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and mechanism of atractylodin on inflammatory injury of periodontal tissue and alveolar bone loss in periodontitis rats. METHODS A total of 144 SD rats were divided into control group （intragastric and intraperitoneal injection of normal saline）， model group （intragastric and intraperitoneal injection of normal saline）， atractylodin low-dose， medium-dose and high-dose groups （intraperitoneal injection of 6.665， 13.33， and 26.66 mg/kg atractylodin）， metronidazole group （positive control group， intragastric injection of 0.05 g/kg metronidazole， intraperitoneal injection of normal saline）， AMD3100 [stromal cell-derived factor-1 （SDF-1）/CXC chemokine receptor-4 （CXCR4） pathway inhibitor] group （intragastric injection of 1 mg/kg AMD3100， intraperitoneal injection of normal saline）， atractylodin high-dose+AMD 3100 group （intraperitoneal injection of 26.66 mg/kg atractylodin， intragastric injection of 1 mg/kg AMD3100）， with 18 rats in each group. Except for the control group， all other groups of rats were inoculated with Porphyromonas gingivalis to construct a periodontitis model. After successful modeling， they were given relevant medicine or normal saline， once a day， for 4 consecutive weeks. The gingival index of rats was detected； the levels of interleukin-6 （IL-6） and tumor necrosis factor α （TNF-α） in rat serum were also determined； alveolar bone resorption， periodontal histopathologic changes and the number of osteoclasts were detected by methylene blue staining， HE staining and TRAP staining， respectively. The expressions of osteoprotegerin （OPG）， receptor activator of NF-κB ligand （RANKL）， SDF-1 and CXCR4 proteins were determined. RESULTS Compared with the control group， serious pathological injury of periodontal tissue was found in the model group， the gingival index， the levels of IL-6 and TNF- α， alveolar bone absorption value， the number of osteoclasts， and the expression of RANKL protein were all increased significantly （P＜0.05）， while the expressions of OPG， SDF-1 and CXCR4 proteins were decreased significantly （P＜0.05）. Compared with the model group， pathological injury of periodontal tissue in rats was reduced； the gingival index， the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α， alveolar bone resorption value， osteoclast number and RANKL protein expression were decreased significantly， while protein expressions of OPG， SDF-1 and CXCR4 were increased significantly in atractylodin low-dose， medium-dose and high-dose groups and metronidazole group （P＜0.05）. The change trend of corresponding indexes in the AMD3100 group was opposite to the above （P＜0.05）. AMD3100 attenuated the inhibitory effect of high-dose atractylodin on inflammatory response and alveolar bone loss in rats with periodontitis （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Atractylodin may improve the inflammatory response and alveolar bone loss in periodontitis rats by activating the SDF-1/CXCR4 signaling pathway.

Background At present, high level of depression is a serious problem in medical staff and may affect their immune function. The role of psychological resilience between depression and immunity cannot be ignored. However, it is still lack of research report in this area. Objective To explore the mediating effect of psychological resilience on the association between depression and humoral immunological biomarkers in medical staff. Methods A total of 108 medical staff from a tertiary hospital in Henan Province were selected using stratified cluster sampling from September 2022 to December 2022. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 were used to evaluate their psychological resilience and depression. Serum immunoglobulin (Ig) M (IgM), IgG, IgA, complement 3 (C3), and complement 4 (C4) were detected in fasting venous blood samples. Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, independent-samples t-test, and One-way ANOVA were used for comparisons among different demographic groups. Spearman correlation was used to evaluate correlations among measured variables. PROCESS plug-in was used to verify potential mediating effect of psychological resilience on the relationship between depression and humoral immunological biomarkers. Results The M (P₂₅, P₇₅) score of psychological resilience was 65.50 (53.25, 75.00) in the participating medical staff. The ratios of low, medium, and high levels of psychological resilience were 2.78% (3/108), 51.85% (56/108), and 45.37% (49/108), respectively. The M (P₂₅, P₇₅) score of depression was 6.00 (2.00, 8.00). The positive rate of depression was 61.11% (66/108). The correlation analysis results showed that psychological resilience was negatively correlated with depression and serum complement C3 (r=−0.416 and −0.309, P＜0.01), positively correlated with serum IgG and serum IgA (r=0.302 and 0.517, P＜0.01); optimism, self-improvement, and resilience were negatively correlated with depression (r=−0.387, −0.446, and −0.312, P<0.01), positively correlated with IgG (r=0.194, 0.284, and 0.239, P<0.05), and positively correlated with IgA (r=0.377, 0.378, and 0.444, P<0.01), respectively; resilience was negatively correlated with C3 (r=−0.304, P<0.01), and depression was negatively correlated with serum IgG and serum IgA (r=−0.516 and −0.522, P＜0.01), positively correlated with serum complement C3 (r=0.195, P＜0.05). The mediating effect test showed that psychological resilience showed mediating effects on the relationship between depression and serum IgA and serum complement C3, with mediating effect values of −0.148 (95%CI: −0.051, −0.012) and 0.111 (95%CI: 0.001, 0.010), and their mediating effect ratios were 28.30% and 56.92%. Conclusion The mental health status of the target medical staff is not optimistic. Depression is associated with changes in some humoral immunological biomarkers. Psychological resilience can mediate the correlations between depression and humoral immunological biomarkers. The managers should take measures to improve the levels of psychological resilience and promote the physical and mental health of medical staff.

Keratoconus(KC)is a progressive disease characterized by gradual corneal thinning and ectasia, resulting in irregular astigmatism, myopia, and mild to severe visual impairment. Although the pathogenesis of KC is still unclear, twin studies and family-based studies have identified that the occurrence of KC is closely related to genetic factors. First-degree relatives of KC patients including their parents, siblings and offspring are very important for the family aggregation analysis and polygenic analysis of diseases. This review summarized the current situation of clinical and genetic research about first-degree relatives of KC patients, hoping to deepen the understanding of clinical manifestations and genetic characteristics of first-degree relatives of KC, and to provide new ideas for exploring the role of genetic and environmental factors in the pathogenesis of KC.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of multistep breathing training combined with acupoint plastering on the treatment of patients with occupational coal worker's pneumoconiosis(CWP). METHODS: Eighty cases of male occupational CWP patients were selected as the research subject using convenient sampling method. They were divided into control group(40 cases) and treatment group(40 cases) according to random number table method. The control group was given conventional treatment, while the treatment group received multistep respiratory training combined with acupoint plastering for 12 weeks based on conventional symptomatic treatment. Before and after treatment, clinical curative effect, pulmonary function, immune function, the total score of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Assessment Test(CAT) Questionnaire and 6 minutes walk distance(6 MWDS) in two groups were observed. RESULTS: Before treatment, there was no statistical difference on forced vital capacity(FVC), ratio of forced expiratory volume in one second(FEV_1)/FVC, lymphocyte cluster of differentiation(CD) 4~+/CD8~+ ratio, percentage of natural killer cells(NK), total CAT scores and 6 MWD(P>0.05). After treatment, the FVC, FEV_1/FVC ratio and lymphocyte CD4~+/CD8~+ ratio increased [median: 78.3% vs 80.7%, 68.7% vs 72.5%, 1.16 vs 2.00, P<0.01], 6 MWD was increased [(430.6±45.9) vs(494.8±58.7) m, P<0.01], and CAT total score was decreased [(18.1±5.6) vs(15.5±5.3) points, P<0.01] in the treatment group compared with the control group. There was no significant difference in NK cell percentage between the two groups(P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Multistep respiratory training combined with acupoint plastering can alleviate the clinical symptoms such as cough, and shortness of breath of patients with CWP, improve their lung function, regulate the function of immunity, as well as improve sports endurance.

Diabetic retinopathy(DR)is one of the common causes of visual impairment and blindness in adults, which is caused by various pathogenesis. Although the mechanism of DR has not been elucidated yet, the destruction of blood-retinal barrier is a key process. As a highly endothelial-specific factor in promoting the growth of vascular endothelial cell, vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)plays a crucial role in the formation of pathological retinal neovascularization and the destruction of blood-retinal barrier. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of blood-retinal barrier damage promoted by VEGF is critical for exploring the pathogenesis of DR. In this study, the underlying relationship between VEGF and the mechanism of blood-retinal barrier damage, including retinal vascular endothelial cell permeability, vascular inflammatory response, apoptosis, oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage and endoplasmic reticulum stress, with a view to providing a reference for the study in VEGF in the pathogenesis of blood-retinal barrier damage in DR.

OBJECTIVE: To prepare doxorubicin-loased heparinized magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MMSNs-HP) and investigate their drug release profile and anticancer activity in vitro. METHODS: Amino-modified MMSNs was synthesized by combining phase transfer method with sol-gel method firstly. Then heparin was conjugated with the above nanoparticles via carbodiimide chemistry to form MMSNs-HP. Finally, the following experiments were performed, such as loading/release of doxorubicin into/from MMSNs-HP in vitro, cellular uptake of MMSNs-HP by hepatoma cell HepG2 and cell cytotoxicity of doxorubicin-loaded MMSNs-HP. RESULTS: MMSNs-HP was able to delay the release of doxorubicin significantly, penetrate into tumor cells, kill HepG2 cell, and inhibit the proliferation of HepG2 cells induced by basic fibroblast HepG2 cells (bFGF). CONCLUSION: MMSNs-HP is a potential drug carrier for the delivery of antitumor drugs.

OBJECTIVE: To purify superoxide dismutase from fresh pig blood by using definite molecular weight polyacylic acid sodium (PAAS) as dispersant, explore the effect of different molecular weight of polyacylic acid sodium on SOD activity, and compare the new process with the traditional process to determine the optimum molecular weight of polyacylic acid sodium for purification of SOD from blood. METHODS: Low, medium, and high molecular weight polyacylic acid sodium were used as highly efficient electrolyte with copper chloride as enzyme activator agent to improve the traditional blood purification technology via the key steps such as hemolysis, thermal alteration, cold acetone precipitation, ultrafiltration concentration, filtration chromatography and ion exchange chromatography. RESULTS: High purity enzyme was obtained, the enzyme activity was up to 5585 and 6 148 U · mg-1, and the product yields were 15.2% and 11.5%, respectively. The activity recoveries were 55.2% and 45.8% resectively after purification. SDS-PAGE showed a single stripe, and the subunit's molecular was around 16 × 103. Different molecular weight of PAAS played inconsistent role in the process of purification of SOD. PAAS with a solid content of 3.45% and a hemolysis volume of 20% was suitable for the purification of blood SOD. CONCLUSION: Low molecular weight PAAS is suitable as a polymer electrolyte to purify blood SOD, while the medium and high molecular weight PAAS are not appropriate for industrialized purification.

BACKGROUND: Traditional Chinese medicine has certain value and significance in the treatment of ischemic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases by regulating the ischemia-hypoxia microenvironment and improving the survival rate and differentiation rate of stem cells. OBJECTIVE: To sort out and analyze the research progress of traditional Chinese medicine on regulating ischemia-hypoxia microenvironment intervention on proliferation, differentiation, aging and autophagy of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in recent years. METHODS: The full-text database of Chinese journals, PubMed and Wanfang were retrieved with the keywords of “bone mesenchymal stem cells, ischemia-hypoxia microenvironment, proliferation, differentiation, aging” in English or “bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, ischemia and hypoxia, proliferation, differentiation, aging” in Chinese for articles regarding effects of ischemia and hypoxia microenvironment on survival rate and differentiation rate of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells published from 2002 to 2019. Fifty-five articles were selected for review, including 22 Chinese articles and 33 English articles. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The ischemia-hypoxia microenvironment is the important reason for the low survival rate and differentiation rate of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. There are many adverse reactions in the intervention of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells with gene modification or cell molecules and drugs, which have become difficult problems to be solved in modern medicine. Exploring the internal relationship between microenvironment and stem cells using single or active components of traditional Chinese medicine combined with RNA transcriptomics is a new way to improve the viability of stem cells.