Background and purpose:Limited-stage(LS)-small cell esophageal carcinoma(SCEC),characterized by high aggressiveness and an extremely poor prognosis,lacks standardized staging systems due to its rarity.Consequently,no randomized controlled clinical trials exist to guide therapeutic strategies,necessitating reliance on extrapolated protocols from small cell lung cancer(SCLC)paradigms,though clinical outcomes remain dismal.This study aimed to analyse survival outcomes,prognostic factors,failure patterns and therapeutic strategies in patients with LS-SCEC.Methods:We conducted a retrospective single-center study of LS-SCEC patients diagnosed and treated at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center from January 2006 to June 2023.Clinicopathological data for diagnosis,staging and follow-up were rigorously collected.Patients with mixed esophageal tumors in whom small cell carcinoma was not the predominant histological component(＜50%)were excluded.Continuous variables were presented as x±s.Categorical variables were summarized as counts and percentages,with intergroup comparisons performed using χ2 test or Fisher's exact tests.Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method,and Cox regression was used to analyse factors related to prognosis.A two-sided P＜0.050 was considered statistically significant.A 1∶1 nearest-neighbour propensity score matching was applied to compare survival outcomes between patients undergoing radical chemoradiotherapy and those receiving radical surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy.Results:Of 261 eligible LS-SCEC patients included,the median follow-up duration was 72.7 months(95%CI:52.0-92.4),with a median cancer-specific survival(CSS)of 24.5 months(95%CI:19.7-29.3)and a 5-year CSS rate of 32.8%.The median progression-free survival(PFS)was 12.0 months(95%CI:10.7-13.3).Among these,67 patients remained recurrence-free,and 169 patients exhibited disease progression after first-line treatment.Distant metastasis was the predominant recurrence pattern(131 patients,77.5%),whereas locoregional recurrence occurred in only 38 patients(22.5%).The most frequent metastatic sites were liver(54 patients),followed by bone(25 patients),brain(24 patients),and lung(23 patients).The number of chemotherapy cycle and TNM stage(8th edition)were independent prognostic factors for CSS and PFS in LS-SCEC patients.Comparative analysis of radical surgery with adjuvant chemotherapy versus radical chemoradiotherapy revealed no statistically significant differences in CSS and PFS(P＞0.05),even after propensity score matching.Patients with cervical/upper thoracic tumors,longer tumor lengths,and advanced stages were more likely to receive chemoradiotherapy;additionally,the chemoradiotherapy group had a higher proportion of patients completing≥4 chemotherapy cycle.Conclusion:This large-sample retrospective study with comprehensive datasets and long-term follow-up demonstrated comparable survival outcomes between radical chemoradiotherapy and radical surgery plus adjuvant chemotherapy for LS-SCEC.A minimum of 4 chemotherapy cycle was associated with improved prognosis.SCEC is associated with a high risk of distant metastasis and marked heterogeneity.Therefore,the treatment of LS-SCEC should prioritize an individualized approach.

Objective To understand the current situation of healthcare-associated infection(HAI)in China,pro-vide data support and decision-making basis for formulating scientific and effective strategies for HAI prevention and control.Methods A nationwide cross-sectional survey on HAI was conducted among various types and levels of medical institutions in China according to a unified protocol of bedside surveys and case investigations.Results In 2024,a total of 5 736 medical institutions and 2 751 765 patients were surveyed.Among them,34 889 HAI cases were identified,with a prevalence rate of 1.27％.The number of HAI episodes was 38 032,and case prevalence rate was 1.38％.The prevalence rate of HAI in medical institutions in different regions of China ranged from 0.66％to 2.35％.Among medical institutions of different scales,those with a bed capacity of ≥900 had the high-est incidence of HAI,reaching 1.65％.The most common infection site was the lower respiratory tract(44.66％),followed by the urinary tract(12.94％),surgical site(9.32％),upper respiratory tract(7.02％),and bloodstream infection(5.78％).The top 3 departments with the highest HAI rates were the general intensive care unit(10.02％),department of neurosurgery(5.51％),and department(group)of hematology(5.34％).A total of 23 238 strains of HAI pathogens were detected,with 10 714 strains(46.10％)from lower respiratory tract speci-mens.The top 5 detected strains were Klebsiella pneumoniae(14.76％),Pseudomonas aeruginosa(13.33％),Escherichia coli(12.79％),Acinetobacter baumannii(9.23％),and Staphylococcus aureus(7.88％).231 944 pa-tients underwent class Ⅰ incision surgery were monitored,with 1 647 cases experienced surgical site infection,and the prevalence rate of surgical site infection was 0.71％.The number of patients who should undergo pathogen de-tection(patients receiving therapeutic and therapeutic combined prophylactic antimicrobial agents)was 715 179,while the actual number was 480 492,with a pathogen detection rate of 67.18％.425 225 patients received patho-genic detection before treatment,with a detection rate of 59.46％.Conclusion The overall HAI prevalence in Chi-na is lower,showing disparities among medical institutions of different regions and scales.Therefore,precise imple-mentation of measures is necessary for HAI prevention and control,with a focus on high-risk institutions and high-risk departments,key areas,and critical procedures.All levels of medical institutions should continuously reduce the incidence of HAI by strengthening monitoring,standardizing the use of antimicrobial agents,and reinforcing basic HAI prevention and control measures.

Objective To understand the current situation of healthcare-associated infection(HAI)in China,pro-vide data support and decision-making basis for formulating scientific and effective strategies for HAI prevention and control.Methods A nationwide cross-sectional survey on HAI was conducted among various types and levels of medical institutions in China according to a unified protocol of bedside surveys and case investigations.Results In 2024,a total of 5 736 medical institutions and 2 751 765 patients were surveyed.Among them,34 889 HAI cases were identified,with a prevalence rate of 1.27％.The number of HAI episodes was 38 032,and case prevalence rate was 1.38％.The prevalence rate of HAI in medical institutions in different regions of China ranged from 0.66％to 2.35％.Among medical institutions of different scales,those with a bed capacity of ≥900 had the high-est incidence of HAI,reaching 1.65％.The most common infection site was the lower respiratory tract(44.66％),followed by the urinary tract(12.94％),surgical site(9.32％),upper respiratory tract(7.02％),and bloodstream infection(5.78％).The top 3 departments with the highest HAI rates were the general intensive care unit(10.02％),department of neurosurgery(5.51％),and department(group)of hematology(5.34％).A total of 23 238 strains of HAI pathogens were detected,with 10 714 strains(46.10％)from lower respiratory tract speci-mens.The top 5 detected strains were Klebsiella pneumoniae(14.76％),Pseudomonas aeruginosa(13.33％),Escherichia coli(12.79％),Acinetobacter baumannii(9.23％),and Staphylococcus aureus(7.88％).231 944 pa-tients underwent class Ⅰ incision surgery were monitored,with 1 647 cases experienced surgical site infection,and the prevalence rate of surgical site infection was 0.71％.The number of patients who should undergo pathogen de-tection(patients receiving therapeutic and therapeutic combined prophylactic antimicrobial agents)was 715 179,while the actual number was 480 492,with a pathogen detection rate of 67.18％.425 225 patients received patho-genic detection before treatment,with a detection rate of 59.46％.Conclusion The overall HAI prevalence in Chi-na is lower,showing disparities among medical institutions of different regions and scales.Therefore,precise imple-mentation of measures is necessary for HAI prevention and control,with a focus on high-risk institutions and high-risk departments,key areas,and critical procedures.All levels of medical institutions should continuously reduce the incidence of HAI by strengthening monitoring,standardizing the use of antimicrobial agents,and reinforcing basic HAI prevention and control measures.

Background and purpose:Limited-stage(LS)-small cell esophageal carcinoma(SCEC),characterized by high aggressiveness and an extremely poor prognosis,lacks standardized staging systems due to its rarity.Consequently,no randomized controlled clinical trials exist to guide therapeutic strategies,necessitating reliance on extrapolated protocols from small cell lung cancer(SCLC)paradigms,though clinical outcomes remain dismal.This study aimed to analyse survival outcomes,prognostic factors,failure patterns and therapeutic strategies in patients with LS-SCEC.Methods:We conducted a retrospective single-center study of LS-SCEC patients diagnosed and treated at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center from January 2006 to June 2023.Clinicopathological data for diagnosis,staging and follow-up were rigorously collected.Patients with mixed esophageal tumors in whom small cell carcinoma was not the predominant histological component(＜50%)were excluded.Continuous variables were presented as x±s.Categorical variables were summarized as counts and percentages,with intergroup comparisons performed using χ2 test or Fisher's exact tests.Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method,and Cox regression was used to analyse factors related to prognosis.A two-sided P＜0.050 was considered statistically significant.A 1∶1 nearest-neighbour propensity score matching was applied to compare survival outcomes between patients undergoing radical chemoradiotherapy and those receiving radical surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy.Results:Of 261 eligible LS-SCEC patients included,the median follow-up duration was 72.7 months(95%CI:52.0-92.4),with a median cancer-specific survival(CSS)of 24.5 months(95%CI:19.7-29.3)and a 5-year CSS rate of 32.8%.The median progression-free survival(PFS)was 12.0 months(95%CI:10.7-13.3).Among these,67 patients remained recurrence-free,and 169 patients exhibited disease progression after first-line treatment.Distant metastasis was the predominant recurrence pattern(131 patients,77.5%),whereas locoregional recurrence occurred in only 38 patients(22.5%).The most frequent metastatic sites were liver(54 patients),followed by bone(25 patients),brain(24 patients),and lung(23 patients).The number of chemotherapy cycle and TNM stage(8th edition)were independent prognostic factors for CSS and PFS in LS-SCEC patients.Comparative analysis of radical surgery with adjuvant chemotherapy versus radical chemoradiotherapy revealed no statistically significant differences in CSS and PFS(P＞0.05),even after propensity score matching.Patients with cervical/upper thoracic tumors,longer tumor lengths,and advanced stages were more likely to receive chemoradiotherapy;additionally,the chemoradiotherapy group had a higher proportion of patients completing≥4 chemotherapy cycle.Conclusion:This large-sample retrospective study with comprehensive datasets and long-term follow-up demonstrated comparable survival outcomes between radical chemoradiotherapy and radical surgery plus adjuvant chemotherapy for LS-SCEC.A minimum of 4 chemotherapy cycle was associated with improved prognosis.SCEC is associated with a high risk of distant metastasis and marked heterogeneity.Therefore,the treatment of LS-SCEC should prioritize an individualized approach.

Chaihu Shugansan composed of Bupleuri Radix， Paeoniae Radix Alba， Chuanxiong Rhizoma， Aurantii Fructus， Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium， Cyperi Rhizoma， and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma has the effects of soothing liver， relieving depression， regulating Qi movement， and relieving pain. It is a classic formula for treating gastric distension recommended by doctors of later ages. This article systematically reviews the clinical application and basic experimental progress of Chaihu Shugansan in the treatment of functional dyspepsia. In modern clinical practice， Chaihu Shugansan and its modified formulas are used to treat functional dyspepsia， and they can be applied in combination with other formulas （Si Junzitang， Jinlingzisan， Zhizhuwan， etc.）， western medicine （domperidone tablets， deanxit， Saccharomyces boulardii， etc.）， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） acupuncture and other therapies. The results of clinical studies have shown that Chaihu Shugansan and its modified formulas can significantly reduce the Hamilton depression scale （HAMD） score， Hamilton anxiety scale （HAMA） score， and TCM syndrome score， ameliorate the symptoms， improve the quality of life， and decrease the recurrence rate. The experimental pharmacological studies have demonstrated that Chaihu Shugansan can inhibit the autophagy of Cajal interstitial cells， regulate the endoplasmic reticulum stress signaling pathway， and modulate the brain-gut peptide level to improve the gastrointestinal motility. Chaihu Shugansan can inhibit the expression of 5-hydroxytryptamine in the colon tissue and reduce the abdominal withdrawal reflex （AWR） score to improve visceral hypersensitivity. Furthermore， Chaihu Shugansan can lower the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α to repair duodenal mucosal inflammation. In addition， it can regulate intestinal flora to maintain intestinal flora balance. The main active ingredients such as saikosaponin， paeoniflorin， hesperidin， and naringin in Chaihu Shugansan can exert anti-inflammatory， antioxidant， and antimicrobial effects.

Objective:Under the guidance of evidence-based theory, the discharge preparation intervention plan for stroke patients was constructed, in order to provide a reference for improving the discharge preparation of stroke patients.Methods:To retrieve the relevant guidelines, consensus, literature and quality evaluation, summarize relevant evidence and evaluate the first draft of the intervention plan, implement two rounds of expert enquiry, according to the expert score and opinions, and improve the entries after the group discussion to form the final intervention plan.Results:In the two rounds of correspondence, the expert positive coefficient was 100%, the expert authority coefficient was 0.81 and 0.84 respectively, and the Kendall harmony coefficient of each entry was 0.165 and 0.453 respectively. The difference was statistical significant ( P<0.05). The ultimate in intervention plan included 6 primary entry, 23 secondary entries. Conclusions:The discharge preparation intervention plan for stroke patients constructed in this study is scientific, reliable and feasible, and is of great significance to improving the discharge preparation of stroke patients.

Objective:To identify the risk factors for early neurological complications after revascularization in adult patients with moyamoya disease.Methods:The medical records of patients of both sexes with moyamoya disease, aged 18-65 yr, of American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status Ⅱ or Ⅲ, who underwent revascularization in our hospital from January 2017 to June 2019, were retrospectively collected.According to the occurrence of early postoperative neurological complications, patients were divided into early postoperative neurological complication group and non-early postoperative neurological complication group.The factors such as patient′s age, gender, preoperative clinical symptoms, previous history of hypertension, history of diabetes, history of coronary heart disease, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status, methods of anesthesia, type of operation, anesthesia time, time for start of operation, operation time, intraoperative urine volume, times of intraoperative vasoactive drugs used, and time of the post-anaesthesia observation room (PACU) stay were collected.Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for postoperative early neurological complications.Results:A total of 510 adult patients with moyamoya disease underwent revascularization were enrolled in this study, and the incidence of early postoperative neurological complications was 9.0%.The results of logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative ischemia, intraoperative use of vasoactive drugs more than 3 times and PACU stay time>90 min were risk factors for postoperative neurological complications ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Preoperative ischemia, intraoperative use of vasoactive drugs >3 times and PACU stay time>90 min are risk factors for early neurological complications after revascularization in the patients with moyamoya disease.

Objective To explore the role of interleukin (IL)-38 in inhibiting inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in children and to investigate the potential molecular mechanisms.Methods From January 2014 to October 2017,67 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 115 patients with Crohn's disease (CD)admitted to Wuhan Children's Hospital were recruited,and 40 individuals with normal endoscopic findings were selected as control.Serum levels of IL-38 of IBD patients and healthy control were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Immunohistochemical staining (IHC) was used to detect the expression level of IL-38,nuclear factor κB (NF-κB),phosphorylated signal transduction and activator of transcription 3 (p-STAT3),C-reaction protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in the intestinal mucosa of IBD patients and healthy controls.The extent of disease,therapeutic agents and disease activity scores (Mayo score system for UC patients,Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI) for CD patients) were evaluated.IL-38-C57BL/6 transgenic mice model was established,and dextran sulfate sodium was used to induce IBD mice model.The intestinal inflammation levels were compared between the wild type IBD mice and IL-38 transgenic IBD mice.The levels of IL-38,NF-κB and p-STAT3 in intestinal mucosa of mice of different groups were determined by IHC.The ratio of CD4 + IL-17 + T helper (Th) 17 cells in peripheral blood of mice of different groups was detected by flow cytometry.Independent sample t test,chi square test and Pearson correlation were performed for statistical analysis.Results The results of ELISA showed that the serum levels of IL-38 of UC and CD patients were (6.1 ± 1.9) ng/L and (9.8 ±2.1) ng/L,respectively,which both were lower than that of healthy controls ((16.4 ± 2.7) ng/L),and the differences were statistically significant (t =23.107 and 15.853,both P ＜ 0.05).The results of IHC indicated that the levels of IL-38 in the intestinal mucosal tissues of UC and CD patients were 0.04 ± 0.01 and 0.03 ± 0.01,respectively,which were both lower than that of healthy controls (0.18 ± 0.02),and the differences were statistically significant (t =48.186 and 69.443,both P ＜ 0.05).The levels of NF-κB and p-STAT3 of UC and CD patients were 0.150 ± 0.030,0.160 ± 0.040 and 0.130 ±0.030,0.110 ±0.010,which were all higher than those of healthy controls (0.020 ±0.003 and 0.010 ± 0.002),and the differences were statistically significant (tUC =27.273 and 23.078,tCD =23.657 and 62.684;all P ＜ 0.05).The number of patients with disease at active phase,CRP level,ESR and disease activity scores of UC and CD patients with low IL-38 expression were all significantly higher than those of patients with high IL-38 expression (x2UC =11.552,tUC =7.118,8.991 and 7.086;x2CD =5.675,tCD =9.559,9.358 and 11.268;all P ＜ 0.05).The results of Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated that the level of IL-38 in the intestinal mucosal tissue of UC patients was negatively correlated with CRP,ESR and Mayo scores (r =-0.291,-0.672 and-0.639;all P ＜ 0.05).And the level of IL-38 in the intestinal mucosal tissue of CD patients was negatively correlated withCRP,ESRandCDAI (r=-0.559,-0.471 and-0.353;allP＜0.05).The IHC results showed that the levels of NF-κB and p-STAT3 of IL-38 transgenic IBD mice were lower than those of wild type IBD mice (0.14±0.02 vs.0.32 ±0.06,0.12 ±0.02 vs.0.44 ±0.07),and the differences were statistically significant (t =6.971 and 10.767,both P ＜ 0.05).The results of flow cytometry showed that the ratio of CD4 + IL.-17+ Th17 cells in the peripheral blood of IL-38 transgenic IBD mice was lower than that of wild type IBD mice (0.030±0.006 vs.0.280 ±0.050),and the difference was statistically significant (t =12.160,P ＜0.05).Conclusions The expression level of IL-38 significantly decreases in the intestinal mucosal tissues of IBD patients,while the level of NF-κB and p-STAT3 significantly increases.IL-38 may inhibit IBD by regulating NF-κB and p-STAT3 signaling pathway to alleviate intestinal immune reaction.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE), a zoonotic disease caused by Echinococcus granulosus at the larval stage, predominantly develops in the liver and lungs of intermediate hosts and eventually results in organ malfunction or even death. The interaction between E. granulosus and human body is incompletely understood. Exosomes are nanosized particles ubiquitously present in human body fluids. Exosomes carry biomolecules that facilitate communication between cells. To the best of our knowledge, the role of exosomes in patients with CE is not reported. Here, we isolated exosomes from the sera of patients with CE (CE-exo) and healthy donors and subjected them to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Proteomic analysis identified 49 proteins specifically expressed in CE-exo, including 4 proteins of parasitic origin. The most valuable parasitic proteins included tubulin alpha-1C chain and histone H4. And 8 proteins were differentially regulated in CE-exo (fold change>1.5), as analyzed with bioinformatic methods such as annotation and functional enrichment analyses. These findings may improve our understanding about the interaction between E. granulosus and human body, and may contribute to the diagnosis and prevention of CE.
Computational Biology ; Diagnosis ; Echinococcosis ; Echinococcus granulosus ; Echinococcus ; Exosomes ; Gene Ontology ; Histones ; Human Body ; Humans ; Liver ; Lung ; Mass Spectrometry ; Tissue Donors ; Tubulin ; Zoonoses

Objective To understand the current research of vancomycin against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) infection and to reflect major nations' scientific advances and influence in the field. Methods The literatures were searched from Web of Science citation database,using the term of"vancomycin"and"methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus"(1997—2016).The results were analyzed by bibliometric method concerning the numbers of literatures and citations. Results A total of 5 049 literatures were recorded in Web of Science.The total number of publications and citations was increased quickly from 1997 to 2016.The major type was journal article,about 84.492%.The most studies were on the aspects of microbiology and pharmacology.USA had the largest numbers of publications,accounting for 42.523% of all related publications. Most institutions were from USA,which had the highest number of publications with the highest quality.China ranked the seventh by the numbers of publications. Conclusion USA plays a leading role in this field and the research in China still lags behind its international peers.