Objective:To discuss the effect of downregulating of high mobility group box protein 2(HMGB2)expression on the biological behavior of the liver cancer cells and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)process,and to clarify its mechanism.Methods:The human liver cancer LM3 cells at logarithmic growth phase were divided into negative control group and HMGB2 RNA interference group(HMGB2 siRNA group);the cells in two groups were transfected with RNA oligonucleotides(RNA oligos)with irrelevant sequences and RNA oligos designed to knock down HMGB2,and the Lipofectamine 2000 was regarded as the vector.The expression levels of HMGB2 mRNA and protein in the cells in two groups were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)and Western blotting methods;cell scratch assay and Transwell chamber assay were used to detect the migration and invasion abilities of the cells in two groups;the expression levels of E-cadherin,N-cadherin,and Vimentin proteins and protein kinase B(AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR)pathway related proteins in the cells in two groups were detected by Western blotting method.Results:Compared with negative control group,the expression levels of HMGB2 mRNA and protein in the cells in HMGB2 siRNA group were significantly decreased(P<0.05),the cell scratch healing rate was significantly decreased(P<0.01),the number of invasion cells was significantly decreased(P<0.01),and the expression level of E-cadherin protein in the cells was significantly increased(P<0.01),while the expression levels of N-cadherin,Vimentin,mTOR,AKT,and phosphorylated AKT(p-AKT)proteins in the cells were significantly decreased(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Conclusion:Downregulating the expression of HMGB2 can reduce the migration and invasion abilities of the liver cancer LM3 cells and inhibit the EMT,and its mechanism may be related to regulating the expression of the AKT/mTOR pathway related proteins.

Objective:To explore the correlations of brain network functional connectivity (FC) alterations with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pathological biomarkers in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).Methods:A total of 39 patients with cognitive impairment, admitted to Department of Neurology, Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University from January 2020 to December 2022 were recruited; 23 patients were with AD and 16 with non-AD. Clinical data were compared between the 2 groups. Resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) data were collected, and FC differences between brain networks and FC differences within brain networks were compared by independent component analysis. Correlations of FC differences between brain networks and FC differences within brain networks with concentrations of β-amyloid protein 1-42 (Aβ 1-42) and Tau protein in CSF were analyzed. Results:Compared with the non-AD group, AD group had significantly lower Aβ 1-42 in CSF ( P<0.05). Compared with those in the non-AD group, FC alterations between the left frontoparietal network (lFPN) and anterior default mode network (aDMN) and between the visual network (VN) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), as well as FC alterations in lFPN, were significantly increased in AD group ( P<0.05). Compared with those in the non-AD group, FC alterations between lFPN and cerebellar network (CEN), and FC alterations in aDMN, sensorimotor network (SMN) and VN were significantly decreased in AD group ( P<0.05). In AD group, FC in SMN was positively correlated with total Tau and phosphorylated-Tau181 in CSF ( P<0.05); FC between VN and PCC was positively correlated with total Tau in CSF ( P<0.05). CSF Aβ 1-42 was positively correlated with FC alterations in aDMN and VN, but negatively correlated with FC in FPN ( P<0.05). Conclusion:In AD patients, characteristic changes in FC within and between multiple brain networks are noted, which are related to changes of Tau protein and Aβ 1-42 in CSF.

Objective To compare the therapeutic effects of manual reduction and machine reduction in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo(BPPV)at different ages.Methods Randomly select 300 patients clinically diagnosed with BPPV who visited the Hearing Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from April 2022 to December 2023.They were divided into young and middle-aged group of 170 cases(18-59 years old)and elderly group of 130 cases(≥60 years old)according to age.Each group was further divided equally into experimental group and control group based on the diagnosis and treatment methods adopted by the patients.The experimental group patients were treated with a benign paroxysmal positional vertigo diagnosis and treatment system(model/specification:SRM-Ⅳ)for machine reduction.The control group patients were treated with manual reduction.Compare the effective rate of reduction,reduction frequency,incidence of residual dizziness symptoms,and duration of each group.Results In young and middle-aged patients,the incidence and duration of residual dizziness symptoms after reduction in experimental group were significantly lower than those in control group(P<0.05),and there was no statistically significant difference in the effective rate and number of reductions(P>0.05).In elderly group,the reduction efficiency of experimental group was significantly higher than that of control group,and the reduction frequency was lower than that of the control group(P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence and duration of residual dizziness symptoms after reduction(P>0.05).Conclusion Machine reduction can significantly improve the reduction efficiency of elderly BPPV patients,significantly shorten the duration of residual dizziness after reduction treatment in young and middle-aged patients,and reduce its incidence.

BACKGROUND:Premature birth is a major global health problem associated with high mortality and morbidity.White matter injury is the most common brain injury in preterm infants.Salvia miltiorrhiza is a traditional herbal plant that is commonly used to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in Asian countries. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the therapeutic effect of Salvia miltiorrhiza on white matter injury in preterm infants. METHODS:Eighteen neonatal male Sprague-Dawley rats at 3-day gestational age were selected and randomized into normal group,white matter injury group,and Salvia miltiorrhiza group.Animal models of preterm white matter injury were established by permanent ligation of the right common carotid artery in the latter two groups.Rats in the Salvia miltiorrhiza group were given intraperitoneal injection of Salvia miltiorrhiza(5 mg/kg·d)for 7 consecutive days.Normal group and white matter injury group were given the same volume of PBS for intervention.On the 14th day after modeling,the rats were sacrificed.Brains were pathologically observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining under microscope,and the expression levels of myelin basic protein and CC1 in brain tissue were visualized using immunofluorescence.Furthermore,liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to analyze possible pathways for the action of Salvia miltiorrhiza. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:In the white matter injury group,the structure of the corpus callosum was irregular and the cells appeared swollen and necrotic.In addition,induction of white matter injury resulted in significantly reduced myelin formation,with irregular and loosely arranged nerve fibers and significantly decreased myelin sheaths.Interestingly,white matter injury rats treated with Salvia miltiorrhiza had reduced cellular swelling,reduced lesions,and increased myelin sheaths.The expression of myelin basic protein was closely related to myelin formation,and CC1 was a marker of myelin oligodendrocytes.Salvia miltiorrhiza significantly up-regulated the expressions of myelin basic protein and CC1 in white matter injury rats(P＜0.000 1),indicating that Salvia miltiorrhiza alleviated white matter injury.Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis showed that the therapeutic effect of Salvia miltiorrhiza in the rat model of white matter injury was closely related to the regulation of complement and coagulation cascades.To conclude,Salvia miltiorrhiza may be a potential therapeutic agent for treating preterm white matter injury.

Objective:To report the results of national surveillance on the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profile of clinical Gram-negative bacteria isolates from bloodstream infections in China in 2022.Methods:The clinical isolates of Gram-negative bacteria from blood cultures in member hospitals of national bloodstream infection Bacterial Resistant Investigation Collaborative System（BRICS）were collected during January 2022 to December 2022. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted by agar dilution or broth dilution methods recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute（CLSI）. WHONET 5.6 and SPSS 25.0 software were used to analyze the data.Results:During the study period，9 035 strains of Gram-negative bacteria were collected from 51 hospitals，of which 7 895（87.4%）were Enterobacteriaceae and 1 140（12.6%）were non-fermenting bacteria. The top 5 bacterial species were Escherichia coli（ n=4 510，49.9%）， Klebsiella pneumoniae（ n=2 340，25.9%）， Pseudomonas aeruginosa（ n=534，5.9%）， Acinetobacter baumannii complex（ n=405，4.5%）and Enterobacter cloacae（ n=327，3.6%）. The ESBLs-producing rates in Escherichia coli， Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus spp. were 47.1%（2 095/4 452），21.0%（427/2 033）and 41.1%（58/141），respectively. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli（CREC）and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae（CRKP）were 1.3%（58/4 510）and 13.1%（307/2 340）；62.1%（36/58）and 9.8%（30/307）of CREC and CRKP were resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam combination，respectively. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii（CRAB）complex was 59.5%（241/405），while less than 5% of Acinetobacter baumannii complex was resistant to tigecycline and polymyxin B. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa（CRPA）was 18.4%（98/534）. There were differences in the composition ratio of Gram-negative bacteria in bloodstream infections and the prevalence of main Gram-negative bacteria resistance among different regions，with statistically significant differences in the prevalence of CRKP and CRPA（ χ2=20.489 and 20.252， P<0.001）. The prevalence of CREC，CRKP，CRPA，CRAB，ESBLs-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were higher in provinicial hospitals than those in municipal hospitals（ χ2=11.953，81.183，10.404，5.915，12.415 and 6.459， P<0.01 or <0.05），while the prevalence of CRPA was higher in economically developed regions（per capita GDP ≥ 92 059 Yuan）than that in economically less-developed regions（per capita GDP <92 059 Yuan）（ χ2=6.240， P=0.012）. Conclusions:The proportion of Gram-negative bacteria in bloodstream infections shows an increasing trend，and Escherichia coli is ranked in the top，while the trend of CRKP decreases continuously with time. Decreasing trends are noted in ESBLs-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Low prevalence of carbapenem resistance in Escherichia coli and high prevalence in CRAB complex have been observed. The composition ratio and antibacterial spectrum of bloodstream infections in different regions of China are slightly different，and the proportion of main drug resistant bacteria in provincial hospitals is higher than those in municipal hospitals.

As a new quantitative analysis method of radiology image data, radiomics has been widely used in the diagnosis and treatment evaluation of various diseases especially malignant tumors, promoting the development of individualization and precision in disease diagnosis and treatment. In urolithiasis, radiomics is mainly used in the differential diagnosis of ureteral calculi, preoperative prediction of different calculus compositions, and prediction of efficacy of various treatment modalities. This paper introduced the basic workflow of radiomics, and reviewed its application progress in urolithiasis.

Objective To evaluate the application value of artificial intelligence mixed reality(AI-MR)technology in the planning of ultrasound-guided percutaneous nephrolithotomy(PCNL)for special types of complex upper urinary stones.Methods The prospective single-center,single-arm clinical study involved 15 patients with complex upper urinary stones undergoing ultrasound-guided PCNL during Aug.2022 and May 2023,including 9 male and 6 female,3 cases of pelvic ectopic kidney stones,5 cases of horseshoe kidney stones,3 cases of renal stones combined with spinal deformity,and 4 cases of transplant kidney stones.Based on preoperative computed tomography urography(CTU)data,digital three-dimensional reconstruction was performed,and AI-MR was used to project surgery-related three-dimensional images in real space to obtain"perspective"information of the surgical area.This facilitated preoperative design and planning,including target calyx,number of channels,and auxiliary measures.The compliance of target calyx and number of channels,stone clearance rate,total operation time,time required to establish the percutaneous renal channel,decrease in hemoglobin level,surgical complications,and postoperative hospital stay were analyzed.Results All 15 patients underwent preoperative planning using AI-MR and successfully completed one-stage ultrasound-guided PCNL.Based on the preoperative planning,we utilized S-PCNL alone or combined with Needle-perc or antegrade/retrograde FURS/RIRS.Among all patients,4 underwent single-channel S-PCNL,3 multi-channel S-PCNL,and 8 S-PCNL combined with Needle-perc or FURS.The compliance of target calyx and number of channels was 86.7％,the one-stage stone clearance rate was 80.0％,the average time for establishing the channel was(2.3±0.3)minutes,the average total operation time was(61.5±12.2)minutes,the mean decrease in hemoglobin level was(9.6±1.2)g/L,and the average postoperative hospital stay was(4.6±0.5)days.There were no Clavien-Dindo grade ≥ Ⅱ complications,such as blood transfusion,organ injury,or urosepsis.Conclusion Before surgery,AI-MR can be used to quantitatively analyze imaging data for patients with special types of complex upper urinary stones,which can achieve three-dimensional fluoroscopy effects,formulate surgical plans,optimize puncture paths,effectively avoid the risk of damage to surrounding organs,reduce complications,shorten treatment cycle and improve the first-stage stone clearance rate.

Objective:To analyze the genus, drug resistance/virulence and phylogenetic characteristics of Brucella strains isolated from brucellosis surveillance sentinels in Henan Province from 2013 to 2022, and provide baseline data for the surveillance, early warning and outbreak tracing of brucellosis. Methods:Blood samples were collected from patients with Brucella infection for strain isolation, culture and species identification, drug susceptibility test, whole genome sequencing, splicing and assembly, functional/virulence/resistance gene prediction analysis and phylogenetic tree drawing based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). Results:In 36 brucellosis patients, the majority were men (86.11%, 31/36), young adults aged 18-50 (88.89%, 32/36) and farmers/herdsmen (72.22%, 26/36). A total of 36 strains of Brucella melitensis were isolated, and average 1 305 functional proteins of 21 categories were predicted by strain genome; all the strains carried four main virulence factors (pmm, VirB group, BtpA/BtpB, BvrS/BvrR). The drug sensitivity rate was 100.00% to six types of antibiotics including levofloxacin, rifampicin, doxycycline, streptomycin, tetracycline and gentamicin, they showed different resistances to three antibiotics including compound trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin and ampicillin. The strains carried four types of resistance genes and two clusters of resistance genes, with four combinations of genotypes, the resistance mechanisms included antibiotic degradation/modification enzymes, resistant nodular cell differentiation (RND) efflux pumps, 16S/23S ribosomal rRNA binding site mutations, etc. The number of SNP differed in the genomes of 36 Brucellamelitensis strains ranged from 0 to 454 and phylogenetic tree was divided into three major branches, with relative branch distances between 0.000 0 and 0.498 6 for each strain. Conclusions:Human Brucellamelitensis strains isolated from surveillance sentinels in Henan from 2013 to 2022 carried multiple virulence and antibiotic resistance genes and had different drug resistance phenotypes. Single nucleotide polymorphism analysis and phylogenetic tree analysis showed significant differences in phylogenetic relationships among different strains.

Objective:To investigate the value of fibrinogen to albumin ratio (FAR), creatinine to albumin ratio (CAR) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in predicting the poor prognosis of hyperlipidemic acute pancreatitis (HLAP).Methods:Clinical data of HLAP patients admitted to the hospital from January 2021 to January and December 2023 were retrospectively collected. According to the prognosis, the patients were divided into two groups: good prognosis group and poor prognosis group.The independent risk factors of HLAP in different prognostic groups were obtained by multivariate Logistic regression analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to evaluate the prognostic value of FAR, CAR and PLR alone and in combination.Results:A total of 118 patients with HLAP were included, including 69 patients with good prognosis and 49 patients with poor prognosis.The difference of heart rate, lymphocyte, triglyceride, albumin, creatinine, urea nitrogen, blood calcium, blood glucose, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, fibrinogen, FAR, CAR, PLR, Bedside indicator of acute pancreatitis Severity score, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health status score, hospitalization time assessment between the two groups was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that FAR (odds ratio ( OR) = 25.949, 95% confidence interval (95% CI):3.190 ~ 211.080, P = 0.002), CAR ( OR = 1.453, 95% CI:1.095 ~ 1.928, P = 0.010) and PLR ( OR = 1.005, 95% CI: 1.001 ~ 1.009, P = 0.020) were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in HLAP patients. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of FAR, CAR and PLR to predict poor prognosis of HLAP patients were 0.823, 0.781 and 0.652, respectively.The AUC of FAR combined with CAR, FAR combined with PLR and CAR combined with PLR were 0.840, 0.845 and 0.849, respectively.The combined ability of FAR, CAR and PLR to predict poor prognosis in HLAP patients was (AUC=0.875,95% CI:0.814 ~ 0.937). When the cut-off value was 0.387, the sensitivity was 83.7%, and the specificity was 79.7%. Conclusions:The prognostic value of FAR, CAR and PLR in HLAP patients is better than that of single or pairwise combination.

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value Tamm-Horsfall protein(THP)and osteopontin(OPN)in serum and 24-hour urine for urolithiasis.Methods A total of 101 patients with urolithiasis who underwent flexible ureteroscopy lithotripsy at the Urology Department of Civil Aviation General Hospital from April 2020 to March 2023 were included as the stone group,and 50 healthy individuals were enrolled as the control group.The samples of serum and 24-hour urine samples were collected from both the groups,and the levels of THP and OPN were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between each biomarker and urolithiasis,and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were plotted to assess their diagnostic value.Results The stone group showed significantly lower THP levels(20.13[13.12,26.03]mg/d)and OPN levels(51.24[36.72,101.37]μg/d)in 24-hour urine,and THP levels(182.01[160.91,209.20]ng/mL)and OPN lev-els(18.76[15.72,22.48]ng/mL)in serum compared to the control group(all the P＜0.001).Binary Logistic regression analysis re-vealed that THP(OR=0.736,95％CI:0.606-0.895),OPN(OR=0.975,95％CI:0.958-0.993)and citrate(OR=0.067,95％CI:0.012-0.376)in 24-hour urine,and THP(OR=0.946,95％CI:0.908-0.986)and OPN(OR=0.896,95％CI:0.803-0.999)in ser-um were the protective factors for urolithiasis,while calcium level(OR=2.125,95％CI:1.243-3.633)24-hour urine was a risk factor(all the P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that the areas under the curve(AUCROC)for the individual diagnosis of urolithiasis were 0.846,0.809,0.786,0.823,0.748,and 0.755 for the above six biomarkers,respectively.The AUCROC for the combined diagnosis u-sing THP+OPN in serum,THP+OPN in 24-hour urine and all the six biomarkers were 0.882,0.920 and 0.984,respectively,indica-ting better diagnostic performance.Conclusion The combined detection of the THP and OPN levels in serum and 24-hour urine may have good diagnostic value for urolithiasis and serve as potential diagnostic biomarkers.