Recently, there has been an increasing risk of importation of tropical diseases into China and the resultant re-transmission in the country with the in-depth implementation of the “Belt and Road” Initiative, which poses a serious threat to the national public health security. To effectively respond to the cross-border transmission risk of tropical diseases and facilitate the process towards tropical disease control and elimination in China and the countries along the “Belt and Road” Initiative, this article analyzes the current status and governance risks of major imported tropical diseases, cross-border joint prevention and control polices implemented for tropical diseases and challenges in the establishment of the joint prevention and control system for tropical diseases in China, and discusses the establishment and implementation path of the joint prevention and control system for tropical diseases in countries along the “Belt and Road” Initiative. This path covers the establishment of cross-border cooperation mechanisms, research and development and pilot production of Chinese public health products, and implementation of key cross-border tropical disease prevention and control projects. The establishment of this system will further improve Chinese prevention and control capabilities for key cross-border tropical diseases, build a demonstrative prevention and control model for tropical diseases, and promote international technical exchanges and cooperation of tropical diseases.

Cemental tear is a rare and indetectable condition unless obvious clinical signs present with the involvement of surrounding periodontal and periapical tissues. Due to its clinical manifestations similar to common dental issues, such as vertical root fracture, primary endodontic diseases, and periodontal diseases, as well as the low awareness of cemental tear for clinicians, misdiagnosis often occurs. The critical principle for cemental tear treatment is to remove torn fragments, and overlooking fragments leads to futile therapy, which could deteriorate the conditions of the affected teeth. Therefore, accurate diagnosis and subsequent appropriate interventions are vital for managing cemental tear. Novel diagnostic tools, including cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), microscopes, and enamel matrix derivatives, have improved early detection and management, enhancing tooth retention. The implementation of standardized diagnostic criteria and treatment protocols, combined with improved clinical awareness among dental professionals, serves to mitigate risks of diagnostic errors and suboptimal therapeutic interventions. This expert consensus reviewed the epidemiology, pathogenesis, potential predisposing factors, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of cemental tear, aiming to provide a clinical guideline and facilitate clinicians to have a better understanding of cemental tear.
Humans ; Dental Cementum/injuries* ; Consensus ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Tooth Fractures/therapy*

Schimke immuno-osseous dysplasia (SIOD)caused by SMARCAL1 gene mutations is a rare genetic disorder characterized by multi-system involvement, including T-cell dysfunction, skeletal dysplasia, disproportionate short stature, nephrotic syndrome, and kidney failure. This multidisciplinary consultation involved a 9-year-old boy with intrauterine growth retardation, presenting with short stature, T-cell lymphopenia, proteinuria, and degenerative bone and joint disease. Treatment primarily focused on symptomatic and supportive care. Through the multidisciplinary rare disease consultation, holistic support was provided to the patient, offering comprehensive care from various specialtiesx.We also aim to use this case report to enhance clinicians′ under-standing of SIOD and improve the management and treatment of rare diseases.

ObjectiveTo explore the evolution principles of symptoms including deficiency， phlegm and blood stasis， and of the functional near-infrared spectroscopy （fNIRS） cerebral hemodynamic characteristics at various stages in patients of Alzheimer's disease. MethodsA total of 497 patients with complaint of memory loss were included， and were divided into subjective cognitive decline （SCD） group （198 participants）， mild cognitive impairment （MCI） group （228 participants） and dementia （AD） group （71 participants）. Neuropsychological evaluation， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome investigation， and fNIRS data collection of prefrontal cortex were performed in each group. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the distribution of TCM syndromes and the difference of TCM syndrome scores in each group； logistic regression was used to analyze the influence of TCM syndromes on the incidence of the patients； association rules were used to analyze the TCM syndromes of the patients； the hemodynamic characteristics of fNIRS in the prefrontal cortex of each group were compared. ResultsKidney essence deficiency syndrome was the dominant syndrome in all stages of AD. There were statistically significant differences in the distribution frequency of kidney essence deficiency， phlegm turbidity obstructing orifices， blood stasis obstructing collaterals， qi and blood deficiency， heat toxin in the interior， and fu-organ stagnation and turbidity retention syndromes among the three groups （P＜0.01）， and the scores of kidney essence deficiency syndrome among the three groups were statistically significant （P＜0.01）. Logistic regression analysis showed that kidney essence deficiency， and qi and blood deficiency syndromes were the main risk factors for the SCD group （P＜0.05）， phlegm turbidity obstructing orifices syndrome was the main risk factor for the MCI group （P＜0.05）， and heat toxin in the interior， and fu-organ stagnation and turbidity retention syndromes were the main risk factors for the AD group （P＜0.05）. The association rule analysis showed that the combination of kidney essence deficiency plus phlegm turbidity obstructing orifices had the highest support （33.33%） in the SCD group， and the combination of kidney essence deficiency plus blood stasis obstructing collaterals had the highest support （32.90% and 52.13%） in both the MCI and AD group. The prefrontal fNIRS results showed that the mean ∆HbO₂ concentration in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex （LDLPFC） decreased sequentially among the three groups （P＜0.05）， and the mean ∆HbO₂ concentration in the LDLPFC was negatively correlated with the MoCA score among the three groups （r = -0.142， P＜0.05）. Further analysis showed that the mean ∆HbO₂ concentration in the LDLPFC of patients with kidney essence deficiency syndrome were statistically significant differences among the three groups （P＜0.05）. ConclusionKidney deficiency is the basis of the pathogenesis of AD， and the key brain area damaged is the LDLPFC. Turbid pathogens such as phlegm and blood stasis are the pathological factors that aggravate the disease， and the syndromes of AD show the evolution law of deficiency and excess as “kidney deficiency→phlegm turbidity→blood stasis→turbid toxin”. The changes in prefrontal hemodynamics based on fNIRS are consistent with the changes in the characteristics of symptoms， which can be used to assess the degree of cognitive impairment in AD patients.

Outpatient humanistic care refered to providing a full process of caring medical services to outpatients. In order to standardize the human caring services for outpatients in medical institutions, promote the comprehensive service level of outpatient services, and improve the patient′s medical experience, Chinese Association for Life Care issued the group standard of Management Norms for Human caring of Outpatients in April 2023. This standard clarified the relevant terms and definitions of human caring for outpatients, specified the basic requirements for human caring, the humanistic quality and care responsibilities of outpatient staff, the outpatient care environment and facilities, the outpatient care process and measures, and quality management. It designed standardized and personalized full process care service norms, providing references for medical institutions at all levels to promote the development of human caring for outpatients.

Objective:To summarize the clinical phenotype and genetic characteristics of deficiency in ELF4 gene X-linked (DEX).Methods:A case series study was conducted to retrospectively analyze the clinical data and genetic testing results of 2 cases of DEX treated at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the First Hospital of Jilin University from January 2023 to April 2024. And literature up to April 2024 was searched from the PubMed database, as well as CNKI and Wanfang databases, using keywords such as "ELF4 deficiency" "deficiency in ELF4, X-linked""ELF4 gene". The main clinical manifestations and genotypes of DEX were summarized.Results:Both patients were male, with onset ages of 3 months and 3 years, respectively. Both patients presented with recurrent oral ulcers and abdominal pain. And the laboratory examination showed a significant increase in inflammatory markers. Intestinal examinations showed multiple intestinal ulcers, and both patients developed intestinal fistulas. Whole exome sequencing found ELF4 c.799C>T, p Arg267Trp and ELF4 c. 248-7G>A, both maternal variants. Based on clinical and genetic results, DEX were diagnosed. In terms of treatment, both patients underwent surgical treatment during the acute phase of the disease and received anti-tumor necrosis factor α therapy, but recurrent gastrointestinal symptoms were still observed in Patient 1, while the clinical effect in Patient 2 was still acceptable. However, the inflammatory markers in both patients were not normal even after treatment. Literature review found 18 patients including 2 patients in this study, reported in 5 English articles and no Chinese reports. Thirteen patients had disease onset age before 5. The main clinical manifestations were fever (12/17), oral ulcers (14/18), abdominal pain (8/18), diarrhea (6/18), perianal ulcers (5/17), ileum ulcers (6/16), colon ulcers (7/16), skin involvement (7/17) and recurrent infections (7/18); laboratory examinations found increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (13/15) as well as C-reactive protein (9/9), and anemia (13/15); in terms of immunological function, there is a decrease in natural killer cells (9/15) as well as a decrease in class switching memory B cells (8/9). The main types of gene variantions were missense variantions (6/18), nonsense variantions (4/18) or frameshift variantions (3/18).Conclusions:DEX should be considered when an early-onset male patient manifested with recurrent fever, oral ulcers or mucosal ulcers, with elevated inflammatory markers, with or without recurrent infection. It is recommended to perform lymphocyte subsets analysis, gastrointestinal endoscopy and genetic testing to support the diagnosis.

OBJECTIVES: Nasopharyngeal cracinoma is a kind of head and neck malignant tumor with high incidence and high mortality. Due to the characteristics of local recurrence, distant metastasis, and drug resistance, the survival rate of patients after treatment is not high. Paclitaxel (PTX) is used as a chemotherapy drug in treating nasopharyngeal carcinoma, but nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells are easy to develop resistance to PTX. Inhibition of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) can overcome common signal redundancy and resistance in many cancers. This study aims to investigate the anti-tumor effect of ginkgolic acids C15꞉1 (C15:1) combined with PTX on nasopharyngeal carcinoma CNE-2Z cells and the mechanisms. METHODS: This experiment was divided into a control group (without drug), a C15:1 group (10, 30, 50, 70 μmol/L), a PTX group (5, 10, 20, 40 nmol/L), and a combination group. CNE-2Z cells were treated with the corresponding drugs in each group. The proliferation of CNE-2Z cells was evaluated by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT). Wound-healing assay and transwell chamber assay were used to determine the migration of CNE-2Z cells. Transwell chamber was applied to the impact of CNE-2Z cell invasion. Annexin V-FITC/PI staining was used to observe the effect on apoptosis of CNE-2Z cells. The changes of proteins involved in cell invasion, migration, and apoptosis after the combination of C15꞉1 and PTX treatment were analyzed by Western blotting. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the C15꞉1 group and the PTX group could inhibit the proliferation of CNE-2Z cells (all P<0.05). The cell survival rates of the C15꞉1 50 μmol/L combined with 5, 10, 20, or 40 nmol/L PTX group were lower than those of the single PTX group (all P<0.05), the combination index (CI) value was less than 1, suggesting that the combined treatment group had a synergistic effect. Compared with the 50 μmol/L C15꞉1 group and the 10 nmol/L PTX group, the combination group significantly inhibited the invasion and migration of CNE-2Z cells (all P<0.05). The results of Western blotting demonstrated that the combination group could significantly down-regulate Hsp90 client protein matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9. The results of double staining showed that compared with the 50 μmol/L C15꞉1 group and the 10 nmol/L PTX group, the apoptosis ratio of CNE-2Z cells in the combination group was higher (both P<0.05). The results of Western blotting suggested that the combination group could decrease the Hsp90 client proteins [Akt and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)] and increase the Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax). CONCLUSIONS The combination of C15꞉1 and PTX has a synergistic effect which can inhibit cell proliferation, invasion, and migration, and induce cell apoptosis. This effect may be related to the inhibition of Hsp90 activity by C15꞉1.
Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Paclitaxel/therapeutic use* ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Apoptosis ; Cell Proliferation ; Cell Line, Tumor

Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) has been widely used in predicting portal hypertension in clinical practice, and in recent years, spleen stiffness measurement (SSM) has also become a diagnostic tool. Studies have shown that SSM can predict portal hypertension and its complications such as esophagogastric variceal bleeding in patients with chronic liver diseases and assist in the risk stratification management of portal hypertension and esophagogastric variceal bleeding. It can accurately predict clinically significant portal hypertension, high-risk esophageal and gastric varices, decompensation rate, and mortality rate in patients with chronic liver diseases. At present, SSM data in most studies are obtained by detection using the liver equipment FibroScan Ⓡ (SSM@50 Hz). FibroScan Ⓡ 630 is a new scanner dedicated for SSM with a special mode for SSM (SSM@100 Hz). This article elaborates on the significance of SSM in predicting portal hypertension and briefly introduces the advantages and disadvantages of the new equipment for SSM.

Background The prevalence of malnutrition in older adults is high. Early use of appropriate screening scales for malnutrition risk and early intervention can effectively improve life quality of the elderly in communities. Objective To evaluate the risk of malnutrition among the community-dwelling elderly in a district of Shanghai and explore its influencing factors. Methods From October to December 2021, a total of 960 seniors aged 65 years and above in community committees (villages) of Minhang District were selected by stratified random sampling. Trained investigators conducted one-to-one interviews with included seniors using questionnaires. The questionnaires included the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), the Activity of Daily Living Scale (ADL), and the malnutrition risk assessment for elderly adults. Height, weight, waist circumference, and calf circumference were measured. Chi-square test and logistic regression were used to analyze potential influencing factors of malnutrition in the elderly. Results Among the 960 community-dwelling seniors of Minhang District, 13 (1.35%) were malnourished and 311 (32.40%) were at the risk of malnutrition. There were statistically significant differences in nutritional status across different categories of age, sex, monthly family income, education level, marital status, waist circumference, dental health status, activity of daily living, nutrition knowledge, suffering from chronic diseases, having > 3 chronic diseases, taking > 3 long-term prescriptions, depression symptoms, sleeping duration, daily outdoor activity time, number of daily food species (milk/soy products/fish/meat/poultry/eggs), daily intake of vegetables and fruits, daily consumption of cooking oil, frequency of physical exercise, frequency of smoking, and living alone (P < 0.05). The logistic regression analysis results showed that poor dental conditions, insufficient daily intake of milk/soy products/fish/meat/poultry/eggs (<3 kinds), insufficient daily intake of vegetables and fruits (<500 g), excessive daily consumption of cooking oil (>25 g), insufficient daily outdoor activities (<1 h·d⁻¹), living alone, low educational level (primary school and below), suffering from chronic diseases, having > 3 chronic diseases, taking > 3 long-term prescriptions, and being single/widowed/divorced were the main risk factors for nutritional abnormalities in the elderly (P< 0.05). Conclusion The elderly in Minhang District of Shanghai have a high malnutrition risk, and their nutritional status is affected by multiple factors, including poor dental status, irrational dietary structure, insufficient time for outdoor activities, suffering from chronic diseases, having > 3 chronic diseases, taking > 3 long-term prescriptions, low educational level, living alone, and being single/widowed/divorced.