Objective To explore the efficiency improvement in segmenting neural network with the application of Transformer + U-Net artificial intelligence (AI) and modeling with the application of Python scripts in three-dimensional (3D) printing brachytherapy. Methods A Transformer + U-Net AI neural network model was constructed, and Adam optimizer was used to ensure rapid gradient descent. Computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging data of patients were standardized and processed as self-made data sets. The training set was used to train AI and the optimal result weight parameters were saved. The test set was used to evaluate the AI ability. Python programming language was used to write an automated script to obtain the output segmentation image and convert it to the STL file for import. The source applicator and needle could be automatically modeled. The time of automatic segmentation and modeling and the time of manual segmentation and modeling were entered by two people, and the difference was verified by paired t-test. Results Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), mean intersection over union (MIOU), and Hausdorff distance (HD95) were used for evaluation. DSC was 0.9341, MIOU was 0.8762, and mean HD95 was 2.516. The mean time of manual segmentation was 1187 s, and the mean time of AI segmentation was 145 s (P < 0.01). The mean time of manual modeling was 321 s, and the mean time of modeling with Python automated scripts was 18 s (P < 0.01). Conclusion The application of Transformer + U-Net automatic segmentation and Python automated scripts can effectively improve work efficiency in the 3D printing brachytherapy for cervical cancer.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2019.01.013.].

Azvudine and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) are recommended for COVID-19 treatment in China, but their safety and efficacy in the elderly population are not fully known. In this multicenter, retrospective, cohort study, we identified 5131 elderly hospitalized COVID-19 patients from 32,864 COVID-19 patients admitted to nine hospitals in Henan Province, China, from December 5, 2022, to January 31, 2023. The primary outcome was all-cause death, and the secondary outcome was composite disease progression. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to control for confounding factors, including demographics, vaccination status, comorbidities, and laboratory tests. After 2:1 PSM, 1786 elderly patients receiving azvudine and 893 elderly patients receiving Paxlovid were included. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses revealed that compared with Paxlovid group, azvudine could significantly reduce the risk of all-cause death (log-rank P = 0.002; HR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.573-0.883, P = 0.002), but there was no difference in composite disease progression (log-rank P = 0.52; HR: 1.05, 95% CI: 0.877-1.260, P = 0.588). Four sensitivity analyses verified the robustness of above results. Subgroup analysis suggested that a greater benefit of azvudine over Paxlovid was observed in elderly patients with primary malignant tumors (P for interaction = 0.005, HR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.18-0.57) compared to patients without primary malignant tumors. Safety analysis revealed that azvudine treatment had a lower incidence of adverse events and higher lymphocyte levels than Paxlovid treatment. In conclusion, azvudine treatment is not inferior to Paxlovid treatment in terms of all-cause death, composite disease progression and adverse events in elderly hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of lower respiratory tract infections in infants and young children, as well as an important cause of respiratory tract infections in immunocompromised patients and the elderly, which poses a significant economic and social burden worldwide. In recent years, substantial progress has been made in understanding the structure and function of RSV proteins and the interactions between RSV with host factors which is helpful to the discovery of new therapeutic targets and the development of novel interventions. Although two vaccines and two monoclonal antibodies for RSV prevention have been approved, the antiviral treatment remains an unmet clinical need. In this review, we summarize the structure, protein functional properties, and pathological mechanisms of RSV and the current status of RSV drug development. In addition, remaining challenges and innovative ideas for RSV prevention and treatment have also been highlighted.

Objective:To understand the epidemiological characteristics and incidence trend of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) in China.Methods:The incidence data of SFTS in China from 2018 to 2021 were collected from Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System for a statistical and descriptive epidemiological analysis by using software such as Excel 2016, Joinpoint 5.0.2, SPSS 26.0, and GraphPad Prism 8.0, especially, the SFTS cases reported monthly by key provinces were analyzed.Results:From 2018 to 2021, a total of 8 835 SFTS cases were reported in 25 provinces and the annual incidence showed an upward trend. The distribution of SFTS cases showed clustering, but the cases were mainly sporadic ones. The cases began to increase in March, mainly occurred during April to October (96.79%,8 551/8 835), and peaked during May to July. The cases were mainly distributed in middle-aged and old farmers, and slight more cases were women. The average case fatality rate was 5.38%, which varied greatly with areas. The case fatality rate tended to increase with age.Conclusion:From 2018 to 2021, the epidemiological characteristics of SFTS in China remained stable, but the number of reported cases gradually increased and the distribution showed an expanding trend, to which close attention should be paid.

Objective:To validate and compare the value of the Status Epilepticus in Pediatric Severity Score (STEPSS) versus PEDSS in assessing the short-term prognosis of children with status epilepticus (SE).Methods:Clinical data of 152 children with SE hospitalized at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2020 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.According to the STEPSS and PEDSS scores, children with SE were scored and their prognosis was predicted.Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of the 2 scales in assessing the short-term prognosis of SE in children were plotted, and the area under the curve (AUC), optimal cut-off, sensitivity and specificity were calculated, thus validating and comparing the value of the STEPSS versus PEDSS in assessing the short-term prognosis of children with SE.Results:Of the 152 children with SE, 90 were male and 62 were female, with the age of (5.8±3.9) years (1 month to 15 years). There were 112 cases with good prognosis and 40 cases with poor prognosis, involving 13 deaths.The AUC of STEPSS and PEDSS scores in predicting the death in children with SE were 0.908(95% CI: 0.848-0.967) and 0.887(95% CI: 0.831-0.942), respectively, both with the optimal cut-off value of 4.The sensitivity of STEPSS and PEDSS scores in predicting the death in children with SE were 0.740 and 0.846, respectively, and the specificity were 0.745 and 0.835, respectively.There was no significant difference in predicting the death in children with SE between the 2 scales ( P>0.05). In predicting adverse outcomes, the AUC of the STEPSS and PEDSS scores were 0.869(95% CI: 0.800-0.937) and 0.926(95% CI: 0.873-0.979), respectively, both with the optimal cut-off value of 3.The sensitivity of STEPSS and PEDSS scores in predicting adverse outcomes in children with SE were 0.827 and 0.900, respectively, and the specificity were 0.732 and 0.866, respectively.There was significant difference in predicting the adverse outcomes in children with SE between the 2 scales ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Compared with the STEPSS, the PEDSS has a higher application in predicting the short-term treatment outcome of children with SE, which can be used as a routine method to assess the prognosis of children with SE.

Objective To compare the safety and clinical efficacy of lesion removal combined with percutaneous pedicle screw fixation with classical posterior lesion removal in the treatment of lumbar brucelli spondylitis(LBS)by unilateral biportal endoscopic technique with transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion(UBE-LIF)technique.Methods The clinical data of 32 patients with LBS admitted by the Department of Spine and Orthopedics of Gansu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2020 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed,and the clinical data of the 32 LBS patients were divided into 15 cases in the UBE-LIF group and 17 cases in the posterior group.The general data,surgery-related indexes,and postoperative pathological HE staining of the two groups were recorded and analyzed.The patients'clinical recovery was assessed according to their erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR)and C-reactive protein(CRP),low back pain visual analogue score(VAS),Japanese Orthopaedic Association(JOA)score,and Oswestry Dysfunction Index(ODI)preoperative,1 week after surgery,1,3,6 months and 1 year after surgery.Lumbar lordosis angle(LL)and intervertebral space height(DH)were measured by imaging before surgery and at the last follow-up,and intervertebral bone graft fusion was assessed using Suk grading criteria.Results Both groups successfully completed the operation and no serious postoperative complications occurred.There were no significant differences in gender,age,surgical segment,operation time,preoperative ESR and CRP,preoperative VAS,JOA score and ODI index,preoperative LL and DH(P＞0.05).The intraoperative blood loss,postoperative drainage,postoperative getting out of bed,and postoperative hospital stay in UBE-LIF group were significantly lower than those in the posterior group(P＜0.001).Pathological examination of diseased tissues was performed during surgery,all of which was consistent with brucellosis changes.Patients in both groups were followed up for 12-18 months,with an average of 14.8 months.The VAS,JOA score,and ODI index at all postoperative time points in the two groups were significantly improved compared with the preoperative period(P＜0.05).The difference between the two groups was significantly greater than that in the postoperative group:VAS score was lower in UBE-LIF group than in the posterior group(P＜0.01),CRP in both groups was higher than that in the preoperative group,and the elevation level was significantly lower in UBE-LIF group than in the posterior group(P＜0.001).There was no significant difference in ESR between the two groups compared with that before surgery(P＞0.05).There were no significant differences in VAS,JOA score,ODI index,CRP or ESR between the remaining time points after surgery(P＞0.05).At the last follow-up,imaging examination showed that the overall fusion rate of intervertebral bone graft in UBE-LIF group was 93.3％and 94.1％in the posterior group,without significant difference(x2=0.246,P=0.884).LL and DH were significantly improved in both groups compared with preoperative ones(P＜0.01),and the two groups did not significantly differ before and after surgery(P＞0.05).Conclusion Both surgical treatments for LBS are safe effect.Compared with posterior lesion removal bone graft fusion internal fixation,UBE-LIF technology combined with percutaneous pedicle screw internal fixation has the advantages of clear intraoperative vision,less blood loss,faster early postoperative recovery,and shorter postoperative hospital stay,and thus is a feasible surgical method for the minimally invasive treatment of LBS.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of modified Liuwei Dihuangtang in preventing and treating renal injury in diabetic kidney disease （DKD） via the angiotensin-converting enzyme 1 （ACE1）/angiotensin Ⅱ （AngⅡ）/angiotensin Ⅱ type 1 receptor （AT1R） axis. MethodFifty male SD rats were randomized into a normal group （n=8） and a modeling group （n=42）. The rats in the modeling group were fed with a high-sugar and high-fat diet for 6 weeks and intraperitoneally injected with 35 mg·kg^-1 streptozotocin （STZ） to establish the model of DKD. After successful modeling， the rats were randomized into model， traditional Chinese medicine （modified Liuwei Dihuangtang granules 21 g·kg^-1）， western medicine （losartan potassium， 33 mg·kg^-1）， and integrated Chinese and western medicine （losartan potassium 33 mg·kg^-1 combined with modified Liuwei Dihuangtang granules 21 g·kg^-1） groups. The levels of fasting blood glucose （FBG）， urinary protein （Up）， blood urea nitrogen （Bun）， and serum creatinine （SCr） were measured in each group after 8 consecutive weeks of drug intervention. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to determine the serum levels of ACE1， AngⅡ， and AT1R. Western blot was employed to measure the protein levels of ACE1， AngⅡ， and AT1R in the renal tissue. The pathological and morphological changes of the renal tissue were observed after hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， Masson staining， and periodic acid Schiff 's （PAS） staining. The fecal samples of rats in each group were collected for 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed elevated levels of Up， FBG， Bun， SCr， ACE1， AngⅡ， and AT1R （P<0.01）， serious lesions in the renal tissue， up-regulated protein levels of ACE1， AngⅡ， and AT1R （P<0.01）， increased Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes （F/B） ratio， decreased relative abundance of Lactobacillus， and increased relative abundance of Moralella and Bifidobacteria. Compared with the model group， drug intervention lowered the levels of Bun， SCr， ACE1， AngⅡ， and AT1R （P<0.01） and alleviated the pathological changes in the renal tissue. Chinese medicine and integrated Chinese and western medicine lowered the levels of Up and FBG （P<0.01）， and western medicine and integrated Chinese and western medicine down-regulated the protein levels of ACE1， AngⅡ， and AT1R. In addition， Chinese medicine down-regulated the protein levels of AngⅡ （P<0.01） as well as ACE1 and AT1R （P<0.05）. Chinese medicine and integrated Chinese and western medicine decreased the F/B ratio， and western medicine and Chinese medicine increased the relative abundance of Blautia. Chinese medicine and integrated Chinese and western medicine increased the relative abundance of Lactobacillus， Ruminococcus undetermined genera， and Bifidobacteria， decreased the relative abundance of Moralella， and increased the Chao 1 and Ace indexes （P<0.05）. Compared with the western medicine group， the integrated Chinese and western medicine group showed lowered levels of Up （P<0.01）， Bun （P<0.05）， and ACE1 and AT1R （P<0.01）， down-regulated protein levels of ACE1， AngⅡ， and AT1R （P<0.05）， alleviated pathological changes in the renal tissue， increased relative abundance of Bifidobacteria， and increased Chao 1 and Ace indexes （P<0.05）. ConclusionModified Liuwei Dihuangtang combined with losartan potassium can mitigate renal fibrosis by regulating the ACE1/AngⅡ/AT1R axis， increasing the relative abundance of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium， reducing the relative abundance of Moralella， improving the richness and evenness of intestinal flora， and alleviating pathological damage in the renal tissue.

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of subretinal fluid extraction combined with intravitreal conbercept and gas injection in treating polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy(PCV)complicated with serous retinal pigment epithelium detachment(sPED).Methods From July 2019 to February 2021,13 patients(13 eyes)with PCV complicated with sPED who were treated with subretinal fluid extraction combined with intravitreal injection of conbercept and gas in the Weifang Eye Hospital were selected.All affected eyes received at least 3 times(once a month)of intravitreal anti-vas-cular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)(ranibizumab)injections before the surgery,and the treatment was ineffective.The changes in best corrected visual acuity(BCVA),central retinal thickness(CRT),macular foveal PED height and width before and 1 week,1 month,3 months and 6 months after the operation were observed,and the intraoperative and postop-erative complications were recorded.Results The BCVA of the affected eyes 1 week after operation was better than that before operation,and the difference was statistically significant(Z=-3.237,P=0.001).The CRT of the affected eyes at 1 week,1 month,3 months and 6 months after the operation were thinner than that before the operation,and the differ-ence was statistically significant(Z=-3.180,-3.180,-3.110 and-3.180,P=0.001,0.001,0.002 and 0.001).The height and width of PED at 1 week,1 month,3 months and 6 months after the operation were lower than those before the operation,and the differences were statistically significant(all P＜0.05).Thirteen eyes received an average of(4.15±1.40)intravitreal injections(ranibizumab)before the surgery,and the treatment duration was(5.92±3.95)months(equivalent to one injection every 6 weeks).During the 6-month follow-up,13 eyes received an average of(2.31±1.97)intravitreal injections(conbercept)(equivalent to once every 10 weeks).Partial correlation analysis showed a weak positive correla-tion between the increase in BCVA and the decrease in CRT 6 months after operation(r=0.416,P=0.203).There was no significant correlation between the increase in BCVA and the changes in PED height and width 6 months after operation(r=0.218,0.209,P=0.520,0.538).At 1 month after the operation,9 eyes had PED recurrence or different degrees of retinal nerve subepithelial effusion,and PED improved after repeated intravitreal injection of conbercept.At 6 months after opera-tion,subfoveal PED completely disappeared in 3 eyes,and the retina was completely reattached.There was still active exu-dation in the retina of 1 eye.No systemic or severe ocular complications occurred in 13 eyes during the follow-up period.Conclusion Subretinal fluid extraction combined with intravitreal injection of conbercept and gas in the treatment of PCV complicated with sPED can safely and effectively reduce CRT,improve PED,and reduce the damage to the retina caused by long-term PED,but it has no significant effect on the improvement of BCVA at 6 months after the operation.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the compositional differences between Fructus Tritici Levis and Triticum aestivum， and to provide reference for identification and quality control of both. METHODS Twenty batches of Fructus Tritici Levis and three batches of T. aestivum were collected， and their fingerprints were acquired by high-performance liquid chromatography and the similarities were evaluated by the Evaluation System of Similarity of Chromatographic Fingerprints of Traditional Chinese Medicine （2012 version）. Cluster analysis （CA）， principal component analysis （PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis （OPLS-DA） were performed to analyze the difference of Fructus Tritici Levis and T. aestivum from different regions， and the differential components were screened. The contents of the six identified components in Fructus Tritici Levis and T. aestivum were determined. RESULTS The similarities of the fingerprints of Fructus Tritici Levis ranged from 0.928 to 0.996， and the relative similarities of T. aestivum with Fructus Tritici Levis ranged from 0.761 to 0.773. A total of 19 common peaks were calibrated， and six components including linolenic acid， linoleic acid， 5-heptadecylresorcinol， 5-nonadodecylresorcinol， 5- heneicosylresorcinol， and 5-tricosylresorcinol were identified. The results of CA and PCA showed that Fructus Tritici Levis and T. aestivum could be clearly distinguished； the distribution of Fructus Tritici Levis from Anhui province was relatively concentrated. The results of OPLS-DA showed that linolenic acid， linoleic acid， and other six unknown compounds were the differential components between Fructus Tritici Levis and T. aestivum. The average contents of the six identified components in Fructus Tritici Levis were 0.100 9， 1.094 0， 0.005 1， 0.030 9， 0.098 2，and 0.024 8 mg/g， respectively； the contents of linolenic acid and linoleic acid in Fructus Tritici Levis were significantly higher than those in T. aestivum （P＜0.05）.CONCLUSIONS The established qualitative and quantitative methods are simple and reliable， and can be used for the identification and quality evaluation of Fructus Tritici Levis and T. aestivum. The identified differential components， such as linolenic acid and linoleic acid， can also provide clues for the differentiation and pharmacological study of Fructus Tritici Levis and T. aestivum.