Objective:To investigate the potential causes of the rising epidemic of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) in Weifang, Shandong province.Methods:The temporal trend of SFTS epidemic was segmented using Joinpoint regression analysis. Changes in epidemiological characteristics across different periods were compared, and correlation analysis was conducted to identify meteorological factors influencing the epidemic trend.Results:Joinpoint regression revealed two distinct periods for SFTS epidemic in Weifang: 2015-2021 and 2022-2024. No significant trend was observed during 2015-2021 ( P=0.634), while a sharp annual increase of 46.69% occurred from 2022 to 2024 ( P=0.006). Spatial autocorrelation analysis demonstrated a global Moran’s I of 0.42 ( Z=8.55, P<0.001) for 2015-2021, with 15 high-high clustering areas identified. For 2022-2024, the global Moran’s I decreased to 0.37 ( Z=7.31, P<0.001), with 13 high-high clusters, including newly emerging hotspots in Anqiu and Zhucheng in the southeastern region. High-risk populations remained individuals aged ≥50 in mountainous and hilly areas, with a marked rise in incidence in these groups. The male-to-female ratio of cases was higher in plain areas than in mountainous/hilly regions. Autumn (September-November) temperatures from the preceding year showed a positive correlation with annual case numbers ( P=0.004, r=0.82). The linear regression expression is y=40.61x-580.78 (y is the annual incidence, and x is the average daily temperature of last autumn). Conclusions:The SFTS epidemic in Weifang is showing a rising trend. There is a linear correlation between the temperature of the previous autumn and the scale of SFTS epidemic in the following year. This correlation allows for predicting the subsequent year′s epidemic, thereby enabling early warning of SFTS.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effectiveness of additional anti-rotation steel plate assisted intramedullary nail technology in treatment of aseptic femoral non-union patients. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 21 patients with aseptic femoral non-union who admitted between September 2020 and October 2024 and treated with additional anti-rotation steel plate assisted intramedullary nail technology. There were 17 males and 4 females, aged 25-67 years (mean, 44 years). There were 19 cases of femoral anterograde intramedullary nail fixation, 1 case of femoral retrograde intramedullary nail fixation, and 1 case of steel plate fixation with fatigue fracture. There were 9 cases of hypertrophic non-union and 12 cases of atrophic non-union. All patients had varying degrees of fracture end atrophy/sclerosis. Among them, 20 patients who were fixed with intramedullary nails underwent removal of soft tissue and hardened bone at the fracture end, and cortical treatment resulted in the appearance of "chili sign" at the fracture end. Iliac bone grafting and anti-rotation steel plate fixation were performed. One patient with steel plate fixation was removed the steel palte and fixed with a retrograde intramedullary nail, while the hardened bone at the fracture end was removed, iliac bone grafting and anti-rotation steel plate fixation were performed. Postoperative follow-up observation included the incision healing, maximum knee flexion range of motion, bone healing, length of lower limbs, and subjective satisfaction. The lower extremity functional scale (LEFS) score was used to evaluate the lower limb function. RESULTS: All incisions healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 7-26 months (mean, 15.5 months). At last follow-up, the femoral fracture healed with the obvious callus formation at the fracture end; the maximum knee flexion range of motion was 95°-127° (mean, 112.67°). The LEFS score increased from 29.9±6.7 before operation to 75.9±3.0 at last follow-up, and the difference was significant (t=-29.622, P<0.001). Except for 1 patient who underwent intramedullary nail dynamic treatment before operation and had a lower limb shortening of about 0.9 cm, the other patients had bilateral lower limbs of equal length. All patients had no postoperative infections, mal-union of fractures, deep vein thrombosis, joint stiffness, or other complications. CONCLUSION The use of additional anti-rotation steel plate assisted intramedullary nail technology in the treatment of aseptic femoral non-union not only overcomes the drawbacks of insufficient stability at the fracture end of intramedullary nails, but also overcomes the shortcomings of biased fixation with steel plates. It has the advantages of minimal trauma, effective maintenance of fracture stability, and ideal postoperative functional recovery, making it an effective treatment for aseptic femoral non-union.
Humans ; Male ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary/instrumentation* ; Female ; Bone Plates ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Femoral Fractures/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Bone Nails ; Aged ; Fractures, Ununited/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome ; Bone Transplantation/methods* ; Steel ; Fracture Healing

ObjectiveTo explore the clinical characteristics and risk factors for 30-day mortality in hospitalized patients with bloodstream infections (BSI) caused by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP). MethodsData were obtained retrospectively from the electronic medical records of inpatients at a tertiary A-grade hospital in Shanghai from January 2016 to December 2023. The collected variables included age, gender, department, surgical treatment, empirical antibiotic therapy, Pitt Bacteremia score (PBS), Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), INCREMENT-CPE score (ICS), length of hospital stay, the time from CRKP-BSI to discharge and, etc. The follow-up period ended upon discharge, with the follow-up outcomes defined as in-hospital mortality or discharge. The endpoint was defined as death within 30 days (including day 30) caused by CRKP-BSI or infection-related complications. Patients who survived within 30 days after CRKP-BSI were classified into the survival group, while those who died within 30 days were classified into the death group. Independent risk factors for 30-day mortality in patients with CRKP-BSI were analyzed using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis. ResultsA total of 71 hospitalized patients with CRKP-BSI, comprising 51 males and 20 females, with an average age of (65.12±18.25) years, were included during the study period. The M (P₂₅, P₇₅) of hospital stay were 37.00 (24.00, 56.00) days, and M (P₂₅, P₇₅) of the duration from CRKP-BSI to discharge or death were 18.00 (7.00, 35.00) days. There were 20 deaths (28.17%) in the death group and 51 survivors (71.83%) in the survival group. The results of multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the ICS as an independent risk factor for 30-day mortality in CRKP-BSI patients (HR=1.379, 95%CI: 1.137‒1.671, P=0.001). Each 1-point increase in the ICS was associated with a 37.9% increase in the risk of mortality. ConclusionThe ICS is found to be a risk factor for 30-day mortality in patients with CRKP-BSI, which may facilitate the prediction for the risk of 30-day mortality and thereby support clinical decision-making for patients with CRKP-BSI.

Objective:To investigate the potential causes of the rising epidemic of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) in Weifang, Shandong province.Methods:The temporal trend of SFTS epidemic was segmented using Joinpoint regression analysis. Changes in epidemiological characteristics across different periods were compared, and correlation analysis was conducted to identify meteorological factors influencing the epidemic trend.Results:Joinpoint regression revealed two distinct periods for SFTS epidemic in Weifang: 2015-2021 and 2022-2024. No significant trend was observed during 2015-2021 ( P=0.634), while a sharp annual increase of 46.69% occurred from 2022 to 2024 ( P=0.006). Spatial autocorrelation analysis demonstrated a global Moran’s I of 0.42 ( Z=8.55, P<0.001) for 2015-2021, with 15 high-high clustering areas identified. For 2022-2024, the global Moran’s I decreased to 0.37 ( Z=7.31, P<0.001), with 13 high-high clusters, including newly emerging hotspots in Anqiu and Zhucheng in the southeastern region. High-risk populations remained individuals aged ≥50 in mountainous and hilly areas, with a marked rise in incidence in these groups. The male-to-female ratio of cases was higher in plain areas than in mountainous/hilly regions. Autumn (September-November) temperatures from the preceding year showed a positive correlation with annual case numbers ( P=0.004, r=0.82). The linear regression expression is y=40.61x-580.78 (y is the annual incidence, and x is the average daily temperature of last autumn). Conclusions:The SFTS epidemic in Weifang is showing a rising trend. There is a linear correlation between the temperature of the previous autumn and the scale of SFTS epidemic in the following year. This correlation allows for predicting the subsequent year′s epidemic, thereby enabling early warning of SFTS.

Objective To evaluate the ability of average nucleotide identity(ANI)and 16S rDNA technology on the identification of Salmonella.Methods The genomes and corresponding serovars of global Salmonella were downloaded in batch from the GenBank database.The classical strains of Salmonella were used as typing strains.The ANI analysis was conducted by the fastANI software according to the silent parameters.The species and serovars of Salmonella were identified by their 16S rDNA using the online software SpeciesFinder.Results Among the downloaded 2 306 genomes,1 767 strains of Salmonella had 178 serovars,with 323 strains(18.3%)of Salmonella Typhimurium and 300 strains(17.0%)of Salmonella Enteritidis being the most common.The ANI analysis showed that with a 95%threshold,only 30 strains(1.3%)of Salmonella were assigned to a specific subspecies,while the remaining 2 276 strains(98.7%)of Salmonella could be assigned to 2-5 subspecies.When the threshold was 97%,all 2 306 strains(100%)of Salmonella could be assigned to a specific subspecies.Based on the analysis of 16S rDNA,only 1 072 strains(46.5%)of Salmonella were identified,of which 95.2%(1 021/1 072)of Salmonella subspecies were completely consistent with the results of ANI(≥97%)analysis.Only 2.4%(19/784)of Salmonella strains showed consistent results with known serovars.Conclusion ANI is more suitable for the identification of Salmonella species and subspecies,and ANI≥97%can be used as the identification standard for Salmonella subspecies.The sensitivity of 16S rDNA for the identification of Salmonella still needs to be improved.

Objective To analyze the prevalence and molecular characteristics of global Salmonella Typhimurium.Method The ge-nome and the corresponding serovars as well as meta-information of global Salmonella were downloaded in batch from the National Cen-ter for Biotechnology Information(NCBI)database using the online softwares,ResFinder,PlasmidFinder,Mobile Element Finder and MLST,to analyze the distribution of antibiotic resistant genes(ARGs),plasmids,mobile genetic elements(MGEs)and the sequence types(STs)among S.Typhimurium strains.Results A total of 101 ARGs were detected in 323 strains of S.Typhimurium,among which the most common was aac(6')-Iaa(322/323,99.69％),followed by sul2(155/323,47.99％),aph(3")-Ib(128/323,39.63％),aph(6)-Id(127/323,39.32％),tet(B)(109/323,33.75％),and blaTEM-1B(106/323,32.82％).Totally,36 plasmids were identified,among which IncFⅡ(S)(110/323,34.06％)and IncFⅠB(S)(108/323,33.44％)were the most common.Moreo-ver,376 MGEs were found,including 367 insertion sequences and nine transposons,among which MITEEc1(322/323,99.69％)and ISSen1(308/323,95.36％)were the most popular.Furthermore,323 strains of S.Typhimurium were assigned into 32 different STs,a-mong which,ST19(157/323,48.61％)and ST34(105/323,32.51％)were the most common accounting for over 82％.Among 115 strains of S.Typhimurium from human,18 STs were identified including ST19(52/115,45.22％)and ST34(39/115,33.91％)which were the most common.Conclusion S.Typhimurium carried multiple types of ARGs,in addition to the wide distribution of a large number of insertion sequences and plasmids,whch provide favorable conditions for the spread of drug resistance.Therefore,the meas-ures of prevention and control against the infection from this bacterium should be strengthened.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a prevalent malignant tumor often leading to liver metastasis and mortality. Despite some success with PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy, the response rate for colon cancer patients remains relatively low. This is closely related to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment mediated by tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Our previous work identified that a phosphoglycerate mutase 1 (PGAM1) allosteric inhibitor, HKB99, exerts a range of anti-tumor activities in lung cancer. Here, we found that upregulation of PGAM1 correlates with increased levels of M2-like tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in human colon cancer samples, particularly in liver metastatic tissues. HKB99 suppressed tumor growth and metastasis in cell culture and syngeneic tumor models. M2-polarization, induced by colon cancer cell co-culture, was reversed by HKB99. Conversely, the increased migration of colon cancer cells by M2-TAMs was remarkably restrained by HKB99. Notably, a decrease in TAM infiltration was required for the HKB99-mediated anti-tumor effect, along with an increase in CD8⁺ T cell infiltration. Moreover, HKB99 improved the efficacy of anti-PD-1 treatment in syngeneic tumors. Overall, this study highlights HKB99's inhibitory activity in TAM-mediated colon cancer progression. Targeting PGAM1 could lead to novel therapeutic strategies and enhance the effectiveness of existing immunotherapies for colon cancer.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has become an indispensable weapon against high-risk resectable cancers, which benefits from tumor downstaging. However, the utility of chemotherapeutics alone as a neoadjuvant agent is incapable of generating durable therapeutic benefits to prevent postsurgical tumor metastasis and recurrence. Herein, a tactical nanomissile (TALE), equipped with a guidance system (PD-L1 monoclonal antibody), ammunition (mitoxantrone, Mit), and projectile bodies (tertiary amines modified azobenzene derivatives), is designed as a neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy setting, which aims at targeting tumor cells, and fast-releasing Mit owing to the intracellular azoreductase, thereby inducing immunogenic tumor cells death, and forming an in situ tumor vaccine containing damage-associated molecular patterns and multiple tumor antigen epitopes to mobilize the immune system. The formed in situ tumor vaccine can recruit and activate antigen-presenting cells, and ultimately increase the infiltration of CD8⁺ T cells while reversing the immunosuppression microenvironment. Moreover, this approach provokes a robust systemic immune response and immunological memory, as evidenced by preventing 83.3% of mice from postsurgical metastasis or recurrence in the B16-F10 tumor mouse model. Collectively, our results highlight the potential of TALE as a neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy paradigm that can not only debulk tumors but generate a long-term immunosurveillance to maximize the durable benefits of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of regorafenib in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma after failure of sorafenib from the perspective of Chinese health system. METHODS Based on a phase Ⅲ trial（RESORCE）， the partition survival model （PSM） and Markov model were constructed. The cycle was set as four weeks， the duration of the study lasted for lifetime， the annual discount rate was 5%. Drug cost data was obtained from yaozhi.com， other cost data were obtained from Anhui Provincial Medical Insurance Bureau and related literature， and utility values were obtained from literature. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio （ICER） was used as the evaluation index， and the value of willingness to pay （WTP） was three times of China’s gross domestic product （GDP） per capita in 2022； one-way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were used to verify the robustness of the basic analysis results. RESULTS The incremental cost of regorafenib group versus placebo group in PSM and Markov model was 112 116.95 yuan and 96 617.19 yuan， respectively. The incremental effectiveness was 0.31 QALYs and 0.32 QALYs， respectively. The ICERs were 360 751.01 yuan/QALY and 301 114.45 yuan/QALY， which were both greater than the value of WTP； regorafenib was not cost-effective. Results of one-way sensitivity analysis showed that the utility of progression-free survival and progressive disease， the unit cost of regorafenib had the greatest influence on the results， but ICER was always greater than the WTP within the floating range of each parameter. Under the WTP of 3 times China’s per capita GDP in 2022， the probabilities of regorafenib with cost-effectiveness were 0.8% （PSM） and 11.4% （Markov）. CONCLUSIONS Under the WTP of 3 times the per capita GDP of China， regorafenib is not cost-effective in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma after failure of sorafenib treatment， compared with placebo.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of sequential plate internal fixation in the correction of Madelung deformity after ulnar osteotomy and shortening. METHODS: The clinical data of 13 patients with Madelung deformity admitted between September 2015 and July 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 5 males and 8 females with an average age of 18.3 years ranging from 17 to 23 years. The disease duration ranged from 12 to 24 months, with an average of 17 months. Three cases had a clear history of trauma. All patients had external radial deviation deformity and limited movement of the ulnar deviation, and the ulnar impact pain was significant during ulnar deviation movement; 9 patients had limited wrist joint supination movement, and the supination movement was normal. In the first stage, ulnar osteotomy and shortening combined with external fixator were used to correct wrist deformity in 13 patients. After operation, bone transfer was performed 6 times per day, with adjustments made every 4 hours, which was 1 mm per day. After the osteotomy was in place, the ulnar plate internal fixation was performed to reconstruct the ulnar stability in the second stage. The Cooney wrist joint score was used to assess the pain, function, range of motion, flexion and extension range of motion, and grip strength of the wrist joint before operation and before the removal of internal fixator. The subjective feeling and appearance satisfaction of patients were recorded. RESULTS: After the second-stage operation, all the 13 patients were followed up 10-22 months, with an average of 15 months. The deformity of wrist joint disappeared after operation, and the flexion, extension, and ulnar deviation were basically normal. There was no complication such as ulnar impingement sign, nonunion or infection. Wrist function, pain, and range of motion were significantly improved after operation, except for 1 patient who had no significant improvement in rotation and pain. The ulnar internal fixator was removed at 10-18 months after the second-stage operation. The scores of pain, function, range of motion, flexion and extension range of motion, and grip strength in the Cooney wrist score before removal of internal fixator significantly improved when compared with those before operation ( P<0.05). Subjective and appearance satisfaction of patients were excellent in 9 cases, good in 3 cases, and fair in 1 case. CONCLUSION Ulnar osteotomy and shortening with sequential plate internal fixation for correction of Madelung deformity, with mild postoperative pain, can effectively avoid bone nonunion, improve wrist joint function, and have significant effectiveness.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Adolescent ; Retrospective Studies ; Ulna/surgery* ; Osteochondrodysplasias ; Radius Fractures/surgery* ; Wrist Joint/surgery* ; Osteotomy ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Treatment Outcome