Background::Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a type of highly invasive breast cancer with a poor prognosis. According to new research, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a significant role in the progression of cancer. Although the role of lncRNAs in breast cancer has been well reported, few studies have focused on TNBC. This study aimed to explore the biological function and clinical significance of forkhead box C1 promoter upstream transcript (FOXCUT) in triple-negative breast cancer.Methods::Based on a bioinformatic analysis of the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) database, we detected that the lncRNA FOXCUT was overexpressed in TNBC tissues, which was further validated in an external cohort of tissues from the General Surgery Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. The functions of FOXCUT in proliferation, migration, and invasion were detected in vitro or in vivo. Luciferase assays and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) were performed to reveal that FOXCUT acted as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for the microRNA miR-24-3p and consequently inhibited the degradation of p38. Results::lncRNA FOXCUT was markedly highly expressed in breast cancer, which was associated with poor prognosis in some cases. Knockdown of FOXCUT significantly inhibited cancer growth and metastasis in vitro or in vivo. Mechanistically, FOXCUT competitively bounded to miR-24-3p to prevent the degradation of p38, which might act as an oncogene in breast cancer. Conclusion::Collectively, this research revealed a novel FOXCUT/miR-24-3p/p38 axis that affected breast cancer progression and suggested that the lncRNA FOXCUT could be a diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for breast cancer.

Objective:To investigate the application value of metagenomic next-genera-tion sequencing (mNGS) in pathogenic diagnosis of suspected infected severe acute pancreatitis (SAP).Methods:The prospective study was conducted. The clinical data of 25 patients with suspected infected SAP who were admitted to the Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from May to September 2023 were collected. Upper limb venous blood samples of all the patients were collected for both of mNGS and routine pathogen microbial culture. Observation indicators: (1) grouping situations of the enrolled patients; (2) comparison of the diagnostic efficiency of mNGS and routine pathogen microbial culture; (3) results of peripheral blood pathogen microbial testing and peri-pancreatic effusion microbial culture; (4) testing time and cost. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was conducted using the independent sample t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M( Q1, Q3). Count data were expressed as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test. Results:(1) Grouping situations of the enrolled patients. A total of 25 patients were selected for eligibility. There were 18 males and 7 females, aged 48(40,59)years. The duration of hospital stay of 25 patients was 30(20,50)days. The etiologies of 25 patients included 14 cases of hyperlipidemic pancreatitis, 8 cases of biliary pancreatitis, 1 case of alcohol-induced acute pancreatitis, and 2 cases of pancreatitis caused by other causes. Of the 25 patients, there were 17 cases with infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) including 7 cases of death, and 8 cases with sterile pancreatic necrosis including no death. (2) Comparison of the diagnostic efficiency of mNGS and routine pathogen microbial culture. The positive rates of mNGS and routine pathogen microbial culture in diagnosis of suspected infected SAP were 72.0%(18/25) and 32.0%(8/25), respectively, showing a significant difference between them ( χ2=8.01, P<0.05). The sensitivity and negative predic-tive value of mNGS and routine pathogen microbial culture in diagnosis of IPN were 94.1%(16/17), 35.3%(6/17) and 85.7%(6/7), 35.3%(6/17), showing significant differences between them ( χ2=12.88, 5.04, P<0.05). The specificity and positive predictive value of mNGS and routine pathogen microbial culture in diagnosis of IPN were 75.0%(6/8), 75.0%(6/8) and 88.9%(16/18), 75.0%(6/8), showing no significant difference between them ( χ2=0, 0.82, P>0.05). (3) Results of peripheral blood pathogen microbial testing and peripancreatic effusion microbial culture. Of the 17 patients with IPN, 36 strains of pathogenic bacteria were detected by mNGS, and 6 strains were detected by routine pathogen microbial culture. There were 16 of 17 patients with IPN showing positive mNGS pathogenic testing, of which 13 cases were consistent with the pathogenic testing results of peri-pancreatic effusion microbial culture, showing a consistency rate of 76.5%(13/17). There were 6 pati-ents with IPN showing positive routine pathogen microbial culture, with a consistency rate of 35.3%(6/17) to peripancreatic effusion microbial culture. (4) Testing time and cost. Testing time of mNGS and routine pathogen microbial culture were (43±17)hours and (111±36)hours, showing a signifi-cant difference between them ( t=9.31, P<0.05). Testing cost of mNGS was (2 267±0)yuan/case, accoun-ting for 1.7% of the hospitalization expenses of (133 759±120 744)yuan/case. Testing cost of routine pathogen microbial culture was (240±0)yuan/case, accounting of 0.2% of the hospitalization expenses. Conclusion:mNGS has important value for early pathogenic diagnosis of suspected infected SAP, and has a high timeliness.

Objective:The status quo and related factors of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in multiple parts of men who have sex with men (MSM) in Tianjin were analyzed.Methods:Using the cross-sectional survey method, a total of 600 MSM were recruited in Tianjin from September to December 2023, including 200 (18-26 years old), 300 (27-45 years old), and 100 (≥46 years old) stratificaed by age group. Questionnaire survey was used to collect knowledge and behavioral information related to demography and STD prevention and treatment. Exfoliated cells from genital, perianal and oral cavity were collected for HPV typing detection. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the related factors of HPV infection.Results:The infection rate of HPV was 53.67% (322/600) in MSM, with high-risk type as 41.17% (247/600), low-risk type as 27.17% (163/600). The infection rate of HPV in both multiple and single types was 26.83% (161/600).The infection rates of genotypes covered by nine-valent HPV vaccine, quadrivalent HPV vaccine and bivalent HPV vaccine were 36.83% (221/600), 25.17% (151/600) and 9.50% (57/600), respectively.The infection rates of genital HPV, high-risk or low-risk types were 24.67% (148/600), 16.67% (100/600) and 11.00% (66/600), respectively. The infection rates of perianal HPV, high-risk or low-risk types were 42.00% (252/600), 30.17% (181/600) and 20.50% (123/600), respectively. The infection rates of oral HPV high-risk and low-risk types were 3.17% (19/600), 2.33% (14/600) and 1.17% (7/600), respectively. Divorce or widowhood (a OR=2.38, 95% CI: 1.26-4.50), history of homosexual anal intercourse in the past 6 months (a OR=2.28, 95% CI: 1.00-5.50), and use of dependent drugs (including new psychoactive substances) (a OR=1.62, 95% CI: 1.02-2.58) were risk factors for genital HPV infection. College degree/university degree or above (a OR=0.36, 95% CI: 0.16-0.81) was a protective factor for perianal HPV infection, and a history of drug dependence (a OR=1.85, 95% CI: 1.19-2.88) was a risk factor. Conclusions:MSM in Tianjin was a high-risk group for HPV infection, and the HPV infection in the perianal area was more severe than in the genital area and oral area.Marital status, education level, history of homosexual anal sex in the past 6 months, and history of drug dependence were related factors of HPV infection among MSM.

Background and Aims:Accurate early pathogen diagnosis is a breakthrough for improving the prognosis of infectious pancreatic necrosis(IPN)patients.However,there is currently a lack of efficient methods for early identification of IPN in clinical settings.This study was performed to assess the application value of next-generation sequencing technology based on metagenomic capture(MetaCAP)in the pathogen diagnosis of IPN. Methods:A prospective study was conducted on 29 patients suspected of having acute necrotizing pancreatitis at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University between January and July 2024.Blood samples were tested using MetaCAP and conventional pathogen culture.The results of peritoneal fluid pathogen culture were used as the gold standard to compare the diagnostic efficacy of the two methods. Results:Due to three cases lacking peritoneal fluid culture results,a total of 26 cases were included in the final analysis.The overall mortality rate was 23.1％(6/26).During hospitalization,9 cases(34.6％)were diagnosed with IPN.The sensitivity and negative predictive value of MetaCAP for diagnosing IPN were significantly higher than those of conventional pathogen culture(77.8％vs.11.1％,P=0.031;86.7％vs.65.2％,P=0.032),while the differences in specificity(76.5％vs.88.2％,P=0.689)and positive predictive value(63.6％vs.33.3％,P=0.347)between the two methods were not statistically significant.The average detection time for MetaCAP was 33(20-49)h,while microbial culture took 125(45-142)h,with a significant difference(P＜0.001).The average cost for blood MetaCAP testing was 2 500 yuan per case,but it accounted for only 1.19％of the average hospitalization cost. Conclusion:MetaCAP has significant value in the early pathogen diagnosis of IPN,with a shorter detection time,good testing efficacy,and health-economic value,demonstrating a promising clinical application prospect.

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by the host's uncontrolled response to infection, and is one of the main causes of death in critically ill patients. Sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) is associated with the poor prognosis of sepsis patients, and its pathogenesis is complex and still unclear to this day.Mitochondrial dynamics is crucial for maintaining the normal morphology, quantity, number and function of mitochondria, which is a new research hotspot in recent years. Mitochondrial dynamics disorder is involved in the occurrence and development of SA-AKI by regulating renal tubular dysfunction, which is expected to become new therapeutic targets. Deeply exploring the role of mitochondrial dynamic disorders in the pathogenesis of SA-AKI will help to find more effective treatment methods, thereby improving the success rate of rescue in SA-AKI patients.

Objective:To establish an HPLC method for benzyl benzoate related substances and propose revision suggestions for the quality standard of this excipient.Methods:Phenylsilane bond and silica gel were used as fill-ers,and methanol-1％acetic acid(60:40)was used as the mobile phase at the flow rate of 1.0 mL·min-1.The detection wavelength was 254 nm and the injection amount was 20 μL.Results:Based on the results of the de-struction test and taking into account the separation requirements,the chromatographic conditions for benzyl benzo-ate related substances were confirmed and methodological validation was conducted.The detection limits for benzoic acid and benzaldehyde in related substances were 0.2 μg·mL-1 and 0.01 μg·mL-1.The correction factors for benzoic acid and benzaldehyde were 1.0 and 0.1,respectively.According to the newly established method,six batches of benzyl benzoate samples from four enterprises were inspected for related substances,and benzaldehyde was detected with content from 0.02％to 0.1％.The total amount of impurities was from 0.02％to 0.9％.Conclusion:The newly established method can be added to the quality standards of benzyl benzoate,and different impurity limits can be formulated according to the different administration routes in order to better control drug quality.

Objective:To explore the factors affecting and improvement recommendations about the congealing temperature of benzyl benzoate as pharmaceutical excipient by the method in the Chinese pharmacopoeia.Methods:The influence of seven factors such as measuring device,sample size,melting temperature,condensation tempera-ture,stop stirring time,stirring frequency and reading of congealing temperature on the determination of congealing temperature of benzyl benzoate was investigated.Results:The key factor for determination of benzyl benzoate con-gealing temperature was the stop stirring time,which was more reasonable when the sample temperature drops to constant or starts to rise slightly was reasonable.Conclusion:The improved method has better accuracy and repeat-ability,and is suitable for the measuring the congealing temperature of pharmaceutical excipient benzyl benzoate.

Abstract Allergic diseases can occur in all systems of the body, covering the whole life cycle, from children to adults and to old age, can be lifelong onset and even fatal in severe cases. Children account for the largest proportion of the victims of allergic disease, Children s allergies start from scratch, ranging from mild to severe, from less to more, from single to multiple systems and systemic performance, so the prevention and treatment of allergic diseases in children is of great importance, which can not only prevent high risk allergic conditions from developing into allergic diseases, but also further block the process of allergy. At present, there is no consensus on the management system of allergic children in kindergartens and primary schools. The "Consensus on Allergy Management and Prevention in Kindergartens and Primary Schools", which includes the organizational structure, system construction and management of allergic children, provides evidence informed recommendations for the long term comprehensive management of allergic children in kindergartens and primary schools, and provides a basis for the establishment of the prevention system for allergic children.

Candida albicans is the most abundant fungal species in oral cavity. As a smart opportunistic pathogen, it increases the virulence by switching its forms from yeasts to hyphae and becomes the major pathogenic agent for oral candidiasis. However, the overuse of current clinical antifungals and lack of new types of drugs highlight the challenges in the antifungal treatments because of the drug resistance and side effects. Anti-virulence strategy is proved as a practical way to develop new types of anti-infective drugs. Here, seven artemisinins, including artemisinin, dihydroartemisinin, artemisinic acid, dihydroartemisinic acid, artesunate, artemether and arteether, were employed to target at the hyphal development, the most important virulence factor of C. albicans. Artemisinins failed to affect the growth, but significantly inhibited the hyphal development of C. albicans, including the clinical azole resistant isolates, and reduced their damage to oral epithelial cells, while arteether showed the strongest activities. The transcriptome suggested that arteether could affect the energy metabolism of C. albicans. Seven artemisinins were then proved to significantly inhibit the productions of ATP and cAMP, while reduced the hyphal inhibition on RAS1 overexpression strain indicating that artemisinins regulated the Ras1-cAMP-Efg1 pathway to inhibit the hyphal development. Importantly, arteether significantly inhibited the fungal burden and infections with no systemic toxicity in the murine oropharyngeal candidiasis models in vivo caused by both fluconazole sensitive and resistant strains. Our results for the first time indicated that artemisinins can be potential antifungal compounds against C. albicans infections by targeting at its hyphal development.
Animals ; Mice ; Candida albicans ; Candidiasis, Oral/drug therapy* ; Antifungal Agents/pharmacology* ; Hyphae ; Artemisinins/pharmacology*

Objective:To investigate the cognitive status of nurses at different levels of comprehensive hospitals in Zhuhai regarding dysphagia in the elderly and analyze its influencing factors.Methods:Using the convenient sampling method, a total of 554 nurses from departments with frequent dysphagia in 8 general hospitals in Zhuhai were selected as the research objects from June to July 2021. The Self-made General Data Questionnaire and Questionnaire of Nurses' Cognition of Dysphagia in the Elderly were used to investigate. Multiple stepwise linear regression analysis was used to analyze the factors influencing nurses' cognition of dysphagia in the elderly. A total of 554 questionnaires were collected in this study, of which 515 were valid, with an effective rate of 92.96%.Results:The total cognitive score of 515 elderly nurses with dysphagia was 94.64 (87.50, 100.00). Multiple stepwise linear regression analysis showed that hospital level, frequency of dysphagia knowledge training, and initial education background of nurses were the influencing factors for nurses' cognition of dysphagia in the elderly ( P<0.05) . Conclusions:The higher the hospital level, the more the training times and the higher the initial education background of nurses, the higher the cognition level of elderly patients with dysphagia.