Objective: To explore the causal relationship between gut microbiota and upper urinary tract stones using Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis，and to investigate the potential mediating role of plasma metabolites. Methods: Data on gut microbiota，plasma metabolites，and upper urinary tract stones were obtained from publicly available Genome-wide Association Studies (GWAS).Bidirectional MR analysis was performed to examine the causal relationship between gut microbiota and upper urinary tract stones.Subsequently，a two-step MR approach was employed to determine whether gut microbiota contribute to upper urinary tract stones through plasma metabolites，and the mediating effects and mediator ratio were calculated.The inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was used as the primary analytical tool，supplemented by Bayesian weighted Mendelian randomization (BWMR)，MR-Egger，and weighted median (WM) analyses.Horizontal pleiotropy and heterogeneity tests were conducted to ensure the robustness of the findings. Results: Bidirectional MR analysis identified causal associations between 7 gut microbial taxa and 6 microbial metabolic pathways with upper urinary tract stones，while the development of upper urinary tract stones affected 13 gut microbial taxa and 5 metabolic pathways.Additionally，43 plasma metabolites (including 27 identified metabolites，8 unidentified metabolites，and 8 metabolite ratios) were causally associated with upper urinary tract stones.The two-step MR analysis identified 11 potential causal pathways.After metabolic pathways and unidentified metabolites were excluded，a causal link mediated by Bacteroides faecis between galactarate and upper urinary tract stones was confirmed，with a mediation proportion of 16.99% (95%CI：5.76%-33.95%，P=0.0371). Conclusion: This study establishes a causal relationship between parabacteroides and upper urinary tract stones，and elucidates the mediating role of galactarate，offering new insights into the pathogenesis and prevention strategies for upper urinary tract stones.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy of Maxing Loushi decoction in the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （AECOPD） with phlegm turbidity obstructing lung syndrome， and to investigate its effects on inflammatory factors， immune function， and the programmed death-1（PD-1）/programmed death-ligand 1 （PD-L1） signaling pathway. MethodsA randomized controlled study was conducted， enrolling 90 hospitalized patients with AECOPD and phlegm turbidity obstructing lung syndrome in the Respiratory and Emergency Departments of Dongzhimen Hospital， Beijing University of Chinese Medicine， from April 2024 to December 2024. Patients were randomly assigned to a control group and an observation group using a random number table， with 45 patients in each group. The control group received conventional Western medical treatment， while the observation group received additional Maxing Loushi decoction for 14 days. Clinical efficacy， COPD Assessment Test （CAT） score， modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale （mMRC）， 6-minute walk test （6MWT）， serum inflammatory factors， T lymphocyte subsets， and serum PD-1/PD-L1 levels were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. ResultsThe total clinical effective rate was 78.57% （33/42） in the control group and 95.35% （41/43） in the observation group， with the observation group showing significantly higher efficacy than that of the control group. The difference was statistically significant （χ² = 5.136， P<0.05）. After treatment， both groups showed significant reductions in CAT and mMRC scores （P<0.05， P<0.01） and significant increases in 6MWT compared to baseline （P<0.01）. The observation group demonstrated significantly greater improvements than the control group in this regard. Levels of inflammatory markers including C-reactive protein （CRP）， procalcitonin （PCT）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， monocyte chemoattractant protein-1（MCP-1）， and macrophage inflammatory protein-1α （MIP-1α） were significantly reduced in both groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with greater reductions in the observation group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. CD8⁺ levels were significantly reduced （P<0.01）， while CD3⁺， CD4⁺， and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ levels were significantly increased in both groups after treatment （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with more significant improvements observed in the observation group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Serum PD-1 levels were reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and PD-L1 levels were increased significantly in both groups after treatment （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with more pronounced changes in the observation group （P<0.05）. ConclusionMaxing Loushi decoction demonstrates definite therapeutic efficacy as an adjunctive treatment for patients with AECOPD and phlegm turbidity obstructing lung syndrome. It contributes to reducing serum inflammatory factors， improving immune function， and regulating the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND:The absence of blood vessels in tendon tissue makes tendon repair challenging.Therefore,improving tendon healing and raising the efficacy of stem cell and other therapeutic cell transplantation after tendon damage have become hotspots for research in both clinical and scientific contexts. OBJECTIVE:The stem cells and gelatin microcarrier scaffold were joined to form tissue engineered stem cells.Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells cultured in gelatin microcarriers were used to investigate the therapeutic impact and mode of action on tendinopathy healing in rats in vitro and In vivo. METHODS:(1)In vitro cell experiments:After seeding human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells with three-dimensional gelatin microcarriers,the cell vitality and survival were assessed.Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells conventionally cultured were cultured as controls.(2)In vivo experiment:Adult SD rats were randomly assigned to normal group,tendinopathy group,2D group(tendinopathy+conventional culture of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells),and 3D group(tendinopathy+gelatin microcarrier three-dimensional culture of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells),with 6 rats in each group.Four weeks after therapy,animal behavior tests and histopathologic morphology of the Achilles tendon was examined. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)In vitro cell experiments:the seeded human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells on gelatin microcarriers showed high viability and as time went on,the stem cell proliferation level grew.Compared with the control group,3D stem cell culture preserved cell viability.(2)In vivo experiment:Following a 4-week treatment,the 3D stem cell culture group showed a significant improvement in both functional recovery of the lower limbs and histopathological scores when compared to the tendinopathy group.The 2D stem cell culture group also showed improvement in tendinopathy injury,but its effect is not as much as the 3D stem cell culture group.(3)The outcomes demonstrate that human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells cultured with three-dimensional gelatin microcarrier can promote the repair and regeneration of tendon injury tissue,and the repair effect is better than that of conventional human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells.

Objective To develop and translate the Chinese listening self-efficacy questionnaire(C-LSEQ)and to test its reliability and validity.Methods A total of 172 subjects aged≥60 years with age-related hearing loss completed the C-LSEQ questionnaire via direct interviews.Pure tone hearing threshold test,Mandarin hearing in noise test,and the hearing handicap inventory for elderly-screening(HHIE-S)were evaluated.Twenty subjects were randomly selected from the original group to complete the C-LSEQ questionnaire in 2 weeks after the initial evaluation.Results ① Reliability:The Cronbach's a coefficients of the three sub-dimensions and the overall ques-tionnaire were all＞0.8,and the test-retest reliability coefficients of the three sub-dimensions and the overall ques-tionnaire were all＞0.9(P＜0.001).② Validity:The experts collectively evaluated the representativeness of the statements with good content validity.The convergent validity test showed that the composite reliability(CR)of the 2 sub-dimensions and the overall questionnaire were all＞0.7,and the average variance extracted(AVE)were all＞0.5.The CR value of the complex listening dimension was 0.655,and the AVE value was 0.937.The criterion validity test showed that the overall questionnaire and the three sub-dimensions of the C-LSEQ were significantly correlated with the pure-tone average,speech recognition thresholds in noise,and HHIE-S(P＜0.001).Conclusion The C-LSEQ exhibits stable structure,with good reliability and validity.It can be used to assess listen-ing self-efficacy in adults with hearing loss,especially in the elderly with age-related hearing loss.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy of Maxing Loushi decoction in the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （AECOPD） with phlegm turbidity obstructing lung syndrome， and to investigate its effects on inflammatory factors， immune function， and the programmed death-1（PD-1）/programmed death-ligand 1 （PD-L1） signaling pathway. MethodsA randomized controlled study was conducted， enrolling 90 hospitalized patients with AECOPD and phlegm turbidity obstructing lung syndrome in the Respiratory and Emergency Departments of Dongzhimen Hospital， Beijing University of Chinese Medicine， from April 2024 to December 2024. Patients were randomly assigned to a control group and an observation group using a random number table， with 45 patients in each group. The control group received conventional Western medical treatment， while the observation group received additional Maxing Loushi decoction for 14 days. Clinical efficacy， COPD Assessment Test （CAT） score， modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale （mMRC）， 6-minute walk test （6MWT）， serum inflammatory factors， T lymphocyte subsets， and serum PD-1/PD-L1 levels were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. ResultsThe total clinical effective rate was 78.57% （33/42） in the control group and 95.35% （41/43） in the observation group， with the observation group showing significantly higher efficacy than that of the control group. The difference was statistically significant （χ² = 5.136， P<0.05）. After treatment， both groups showed significant reductions in CAT and mMRC scores （P<0.05， P<0.01） and significant increases in 6MWT compared to baseline （P<0.01）. The observation group demonstrated significantly greater improvements than the control group in this regard. Levels of inflammatory markers including C-reactive protein （CRP）， procalcitonin （PCT）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， monocyte chemoattractant protein-1（MCP-1）， and macrophage inflammatory protein-1α （MIP-1α） were significantly reduced in both groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with greater reductions in the observation group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. CD8⁺ levels were significantly reduced （P<0.01）， while CD3⁺， CD4⁺， and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ levels were significantly increased in both groups after treatment （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with more significant improvements observed in the observation group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Serum PD-1 levels were reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and PD-L1 levels were increased significantly in both groups after treatment （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with more pronounced changes in the observation group （P<0.05）. ConclusionMaxing Loushi decoction demonstrates definite therapeutic efficacy as an adjunctive treatment for patients with AECOPD and phlegm turbidity obstructing lung syndrome. It contributes to reducing serum inflammatory factors， improving immune function， and regulating the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway.

This study was aimed at investigating the effectiveness of various host nucleic acid removal and non-specific amplifica-tion techniques in animal tissue samples,to increase the accuracy of pathogen identification in tissue samples.Simulated samples were prepared with a mixture of mouse lung tissue homogenates and Klebsiella pneumoniae fluids,and processed with six host nucleic acid removal kits and three non-specific amplification techniques.The effectiveness of each method in removing host DNA and enriching nucleic acids of pathogenic microorganisms was evaluated through real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and high-throughput se-quencing.For host nucleic acid removal techniques,the method of selective cleavage and quantitative degradation of host DNA(Com-plete5 kit)effectively decreased the host nucleic acid content in tissue samples and increased the relative abundance of pathogen nucleic acids.In contrast,the magnetic bead method for host DNA removal(Next microbiome DNA enrichment Kit kit)was less effec-tive.At lower pathogen concentrations(77 CFU/mL),the Vazyme kit was more effective than the other kits in removing host nucleic acids.Non-specific amplification techniques(MALBAC whole genome amplification,MDA isothermal amplification,and random primer amplification)were not applicable to tissue samples and were not effective in increasing the relative abundance of pathogen nucleic acids.Selective lysis and quantitative degradation of host DNA were suitable for processing tissue samples with high host back-ground and low pathogenic microorganism levels,whereas non-specific amplification methods were not applicable to tissue samples for pre-processing of macro-genome high-throughput sequencing.

Objective·To explore the effect of intermittent theta burst stimulation(iTBS)targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(DLPFC)on reducing craving in alcohol-dependent patients during the withdrawal period,as well as its impact on patients'emotions and cognitive functions.Methods·A total of 41 inpatients with alcohol dependence in the withdrawal period were recruited from the Addiction Department of Mental Health Center,Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine,and randomly assigned to the experimental group(20 patients)and the control group(21 patients).Both groups received routine inpatient treatment for alcohol-dependence.The experimental group received real iTBS stimulation targeting the left DLPFC on the basis of routine inpatient treatment,while the control group received sham stimulation with the same parameters.The intervention course lasted for 2 weeks,with a total of 10 sessions.The Visual Analogue Scale(VAS),Beck Depression Inventory(BDI),and Beck Anxiety Inventory(BAI)were used to measure the craving,anxiety,and depression of the patients before and after the intervention.The behavioral tasks of the detection task(DET),identification task(IDN),two back task(TWOB),the Groton maze learning task(GML),and international shopping list task(ISL)in the CogState software package were used to assess the cognitive processing speed,attention/vigilance,working memory,spatial problem-solving/error monitoring ability,and verbal learning and memory of the patients before and after the intervention.Results·Repeated measures ANOVA showed that the time effect[F=126.713,P＜0.001,partial η2(ηp2)=0.765]and interaction effect(F=7.080.P=0.011,ηp2=0.154)of the VAS scores in the two groups of patients were statistically significant.The time effect(F=9.114,P=0.004,ηp2=0.189),group effect(F=5.557,P=0.024,ηp2=0.125),and interaction effect(F=4.977,P=0.032,η2=0.113)of the TWOB score were all statistically significant.Only the time effects of BDI(F=45.273,P＜0.001,ηp2=0.578),BAI(F=31.432,P＜0.001,ηp2=0.473),GML(F=8.993,P=0.005,ηp2=0.209),and ISL(F=26.657,P＜0.001,ηp2=0.439)scores were statistically significant.There were no statistically significant effects of time,group,or interaction on the DET and IDN scores.Simple effect analysis showed that the VAS score of the real stimulation group was lower than that of the sham stimulation group after the intervention(F=8.805,P=0.005,ηp2=0.184),and the TWOB score of the real stimulation group was higher than that of the sham stimulation group(F=11.293,P=0.002,ηp2=0.225).Conclusion·Combining iTBS with routine inpatient treatment can enhance the efficacy of reducing alcohol craving in alcohol-dependent patients during the withdrawal period,and improve their working memory.

Objective:To report the nationwide surveillance results of pathogenic profiles and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Gram-positive bloodstream infections in China in 2023.Methods:The clinical isolates of Gram-posttive bacteria from blood cultures were collected in member hospitals of National Bloodstream Infection Bacterial Resistant Investigation Collaborative System（BRICS）during January to December 2023. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the dilution method recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute（CLSI）. Statistical analyses were conducted using WHONET 5.6 and SPSS 25.0 software.Results:A total of 4 385 Gram-positive bacterial isolates were obtained from 60 participating center. The top five pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus（ n=1 544，35.2%），coagulase-negative Staphylococci（ n=1 441，32.9%）， Enterococcus faecium（ n=574，13.1%）， Enterococcus faecalis（ n=385，8.8%），and α-hemolytic Streptococci（ n=187，4.3%）. The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus（MRSA）and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococci（MRCNS）was 26.2%（405/1 544）and 69.8%（1 006/1 441），respectively. Notably，all Staphylococci remained susceptible to glycopeptide or daptomycin. Staphylococcus aureus demonstrated excellent susceptibility（>97.0%）to cephalobiol，rifampicin，trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole，linezolid，minocycline，tigecycline，and eravacycline. No Enterococcus exhibiting resistance to linezolid were detected. Glycopeptide resistance was uncommon but more frequent in Enterococcus faecium（resistance to vancomycin and teicoplanin：both 1.7%）compared to Enterococcus faecalis（both 0.3%）. The detection rates of MRSA and MRCNS exhibited significant regional variations across the country（ χ2=17.674 and 148.650，respectively，both P<0.001）. No vancomycin-resistant Enterococci were detected in central China. Institutional comparison demonstrated higher prevalence of MRSA（ χ2=14.111， P<0.001）and MRCNS（ χ2=4.828， P=0.028）in provincial hospitals than that in municipal hospitals. Socioeconomic analysis identified elevated detection rates of both MRSA（ χ2=18.986， P<0.001）and MRCNS（ χ2=4.477， P=0.034）in less developed regions（per capita GDP

Objective:To report the results of bacterial resistant investigation collaborative system（BRICS）on the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profile of clinical Gram-negative bacteria isolates from bloodstream infections in China in 2023，and provide reference for clinical tretment of bloodstream infections and prevention and control of bacterial resistance.Methods:The clinical isolates of Gram-negative bacteria from blood cultures in member hospitals of BRICS were collected during January 2023 to December 2023. 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 were used to analyze the data.Results:During the study period，11 492 strains of Gram-negative bacteria were collected from 60 hospitals，of which 10 098（87.9%）were Enterobacterales and 1 394（12.1%）were non-fermentative bacteria. The top 5 bacterial species were Escherichia coli（50.0%）， Klebsiella pneumoniae（26.1%）， Pseudomonas aeruginosa（5.1%）， Acinetobacter baumannii complex（5.0%）and Enterobacter cloacae complex（4.1%）. The ESBL-producing rates in Escherichia coli， Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirablilis were 46.8%（2 685/5 741），18.3%（549/2 999）and 44.0%（77/175），respectively. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli（CREC）and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae（CRKP）were 1.3%（76/5 741）and 15.0%（450/2 999）；32.9%（25/76）and 78.0%（351/450）of CREC and CRKP were sensitive to ceftazidime/avibactam combination，respectively. 94.7%（72/76）and 90.2%（406/450）of CREC and CRKP were sensitive to aztreonam/avibactam combination. Furthermore，57.9%（44/76）and 79.1%（356/450）were sensitive to imipenem/relebactam combination. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii（CRAB）complex was 64.6%（370/573），while more than 80.0% of CRAB complex was sensitive to tigecycline，eravacycline and polymyxin B. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa（CRPA）was 17.0%（99/581）. There were differences in the composition ratio of Gram-negative bacteria in bloodstream infections and the prevalence of important Gram-negative bacteria resistance among different regions in China，with statistically significant differences in the prevalence of CREC，CRKP，CRPA and CRAB complex（ χ2=10.6，28.6，10.8 and 19.3， P<0.05）. The prevalence of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli， CREC，CRAB complex and CRKP were higher in provincial hospitals than those in municipal hospitals（ χ2=12.5，9.8，12.7 and 57.8，all P<0.01）. Conclusions:Gram-negative bacteria are the main pathogens causing bloodstream infections in China，and Escherichia coli is ranked in the top，while the trend of Klebsiella pneumoniae increases continuously with time. CRKP infection shows a slow upward trend，CREC infecton maintains a low prevalence level，and CRAB complex infection continues to exhibit a high prevalence rate. The composition and resistance patterns of pathogens causing bloodstream infections vary to some extent across different regions and levels of hospitals in China.

Objective:To explore the impact of the two-way referral model on compliance and prognosis in patients with heart failure.Methods:This bidirectional cohort study enrolled chronic heart failure (CHF) patients treated at Qilu Hospital of Shandong University or designated primary hospitals between March 2018 and March 2022. Patients were categorized into two groups based on referral status: two-way referral group (participating in the referral model with≥1 follow-up visit at primary hospitals) and the core hospital group (receiving treatment and follow-up exclusively at Qilu Hospital). Baseline clinical characteristics were collected and compared between groups. Patients underwent followed-up, with primary endpoints including follow-up rate, drug (β-blockers, angiotension converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI)/angiotensin Ⅱ receptor blockers (ARB)/angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI), sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists) utilization rate and target dose achievement rate. Secondary endpoints encompassed changes from baseline in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDd), and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), plus cardiovascular mortality and heart failure rehospitalization. Generalized linear mixed models analyzed longitudinal trends in LVEF, LVEDd, and NT-proBNP levels. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression evaluated LVEF recovery rates, supplemented by subgroup analyses. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors influencing target dose achievement rate for β-blockers and ACEI/ARB/ARNI therapies in CHF patients.Results:A total of 357 patients were enrolled, aged 53 (41, 63) years, including 256 males (71.7%). 157 patients were in the two-way referral group and 200 patients in the core hospital-treated group. Compared with the core hospital-treated group, the two-way referral group had lower baseline LVEF (28 (22, 34)% vs. 31 (23, 36)%, P=0.021) and systolic blood pressure (116 (104, 125) mmHg vs. 121 (109, 134) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa), P=0.010). The 12-month follow-up rate of the two-way referral group was higher than the core hospital-treated group (73.8% vs. 56.0%, P=0.004). No significant between-group differences were observed in drug utilization rate of β-blockers, ACEI/ARB/ARNI, or sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors during follow-up (all P>0.05), while mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists use showed a declining trend in both groups. Although the core hospital-treated group had higher target dose achievement rates for β-blockers (65.4% vs. 49.3%, P=0.042) and ACEI/ARB/ARNI (79.8% vs. 65.8%, P=0.046) than the two-way referral group, multivariate logistic regression indicated that the two-way referral model was not a negative predictor for these outcomes (all P>0.05). Both groups showed improved NT-proBNP, LVEDd, and LVEF from baseline (all P<0.001) with no significant difference in trends between groups (all P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the composite incidence (7.6% vs. 6.5%, P=0.674) and cumulative incidence (log-rank P=0.684) of cardiovascular death and heart failure rehospitalization at 12 months between two groups. Conclusion:The two-way referral model demonstrates advantages in improving medication adherence, drug utilization rates, and targetdoseachievement rates among CHF patients. This model not only promotes cardiac functional recovery but also reduces risks of cardiovascular mortality and heart failure rehospitalization, achieving comparable therapeutic and management outcomes to those observed in core hospital-treated patients.