Background Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important pathogen for both human bloodstream infections and mastitis in cows. However, little attention has been paid to the cross-host transmission of MRSA from cows to high-risk groups in China. Objective To determine the MRSA colonization rates among dairy cows and dairy farm workers in Xinjiang, identify the antibiotic resistance profiles and molecular characteristics of the isolates, and provide scientific evidence for the formulation of targeted infection control strategies. Method A cross-sectional survey combined with laboratory pathogen analysis was conducted. From June to August 2024, large-scale dairy farms in Xinjiang region were selected as study sites. Nasal swabs (n=96) and skin swabs (n=39) were collected from workers, and bovine nasal swab samples (n=109) were collected simultaneously. All samples were subjected to MRSA isolation, cultivation, and identification, followed by antibiotic susceptibility testing to characterize resistance phenotypes. Staphylococcus aureus protein A (Spa) typing was performed to determine strain genotypes and elucidate MRSA colonization rates and molecular epidemiological patterns. Results A total of 35 MRSA strains was successfully isolated from 244 samples. The MRSA colonization rates among dairy farm workers and dairy cows were 20.83% (20/96) and 12.84% (14/109), respectively, with an overall isolation rate of 14.34% (35/244). Among the workers, the nasal colonization rate was 16.67% (16/96), and the skin colonization rate was 12.82% (5/39). One worker exhibited MRSA colonization at multiple body sites. All MRSA strains were resistant to cefoxitin (100%, 35/35). The resistance rates to erythromycin and clindamycin were 42.86% (15/35) and 34.29% (12/35), respectively. Thirteen strains showed a multidrug-resistant phenotype, whereas all strains were susceptible to vancomycin. The MRSA isolates exhibited high genetic diversity, with 13 Spa types identified, among which t441 was the most prevalent (8 strains). Both t441 and t034 types were detected in samples from both the dairy cows and their handlers. These two Spa types also carried and stably inherited specific resistance combinations, including erythromycin–clindamycin–cefoxitin and ciprofloxacin–erythromycin–clindamycin–gentamicin–cefoxitin–tetracycline, and a statistically significant association was also observed between the two resistance profiles and the bacterial types (P < 0.001). In addition, one novel Spa type strain was identified. Conclusion MRSA colonization rates among dairy cows and dairy farm workers in Xinjiang are relatively high, with evidence of multi-site colonization. The isolates exhibit high levels of multidrug resistance and genetic diversity, indicating a potential risk of cross-host transmission.

Objective To compare the clinical outcomes of subxiphoid robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (SRATS) and intercostal robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (IRATS) in the treatment of anterior mediastinal tumors. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients with anterior mediastinal tumors who underwent robot-assisted surgery in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Gansu Provincial Hospital, from May 2020 to July 2022. According to the surgical approach, patients were divided into an SRATS group and an IRATS group. Perioperative data were compared between the two groups. Results A total of 87 patients were included. There were 41 patients in the SRATS group [23 males, 18 females; mean age, (44.51±11.28) years] and 46 patients in the IRATS group [21 males, 25 females; mean age, (46.67±8.76) years]. Compared with the IRATS group, the SRATS group had significantly less intraoperative blood loss [(24.41±6.67) mL vs. (37.93±9.23) mL, P<0.001], shorter postoperative drainage duration [(1.73±0.59) days vs. (2.54±0.50) days, P<0.001], lower postoperative drainage volume [(94.46±34.08) mLvs. (116.72±24.90) mL, P=0.001], lower visual analogue scale (VAS) pain scores on postoperative day 1 [(3.66±0.76) points vs. (4.15±0.84) points, P=0.005] and day 3 [(2.41±0.59) points vs. (2.89±0.82) points, P=0.003], shorter postoperative hospital stay [(4.12±0.81) days vs. (4.98±1.02) days, P<0.001], and lower hospitalization costs [(4.51±0.65) ten thousand yuan vs. (4.86±0.68) ten thousand yuan, P=0.020]. There were no statistical differences between the two groups in operative time or incidence of postoperative complications (P>0.05). Conclusion Both SRATS and IRATS are safe and effective for the treatment of anterior mediastinal tumors. However, SRATS is less invasive and more conducive to enhanced postoperative recovery.

Gastric cancer is a common malignant tumor of the digestive tract and can be classified as “fullness of the stomach”， “epigastric pain”， “noise” and other categories in the field of traditional Chinese medicine. Sijunzi decoction is composed of Panax ginseng， Poria cocos， Atractylodes macrocephala， and honey-fried Glycyrrhiza uralensis， and it has the effect of tonifying qi and strengthening the spleen. This article summarizes the active ingredients， mechanism of action， and clinical application research progress of Sijunzi decoction in treating gastric cancer. The results show that the main active ingredients of Sijunzi decoction include ginsenosides， atractylenolide， pachymic acid， glycyrrhizic acid， etc.； Sijunzi decoction and its effective ingredients can play an anti-gastric cancer role by inhibiting the proliferation of gastric cancer cell， inducing apoptosis of gastric cancer cell， enhancing gastric cancer cell chemotherapy sensitivity， and inhibiting invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer cell. In addition， Sijunzi decoction can enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy drugs， strengthen the immune function of the body and lower serum cancer marker levels during the clinical treatment of gastric cancer.

Objective To investigate the association of digit ratio with single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)at three loci(rs17576,rs3918249,rs9509)of matrix metallopeptidase 9(MMP-9)gene.Methods A total of 804 Ningxia Han youths(399 males and 405 females)were used as the study subjects.A digital camera was used to take frontal photographs of the hands,and image analysis software was used to mark the anatomical points and measure the lengths of each finger of both hands(2D,3D,4D,5D);Multiplexed PCR was used to detect the three polymorphic sites of the MMP-9 gene,SPSS 25.0 and R Studio software were used for data analysis and plotting.Results The 2D/3D(P＜0.05)and 2D/4D(left,P＜0.01,right,P＜0.05)of both hands,2D/5D(P＜0.01),3D/5D,4D/5D(P＜0.05)of the right hand,and 3D/4D(P＜0.05)of the left hand in female youths of Ningxia Han were significantly higher than those in males,Differences in genotypes and allele frequencies at all 3 loci of the MMP-9 gene were not statistically significant between genders(P＞0.05).Right hand 2D/4D was significantly associated with genotypes at the rs17576 and rs3918249 loci in male youths(P＜0.05).Conclusion MMP-9 gene SNPs(rs17576 and rs3918249)may be associated with the formation of 2D/4D of Ningxia Han male youths.

Grounded in the theory of "all marrows dominated by brain", this study explored the therapeutic mechanism of Zuogui Pills in modulating the oxytocin(OXT)/oxytocin receptor(OXTR) feed-forward loop in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis(PMOP). A PMOP rat model was established using ovariectomy, and 70 Sprague-Dawley female rats were randomly divided into the following groups: sham operation group, model group, estradiol group(17β-estradiol, 0.05 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)), Zuogui Pills low, medium, and high dose groups(0.2, 0.4, 0.8 g·kg~(-1)·d~(-1), respectively), and an antagonist group(atosiban 0.9 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) + 17β-estradiol 0.05 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) + Zuogui Pills 0.4 g·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)). After 12 weeks of model establishment, treatment was administered by gavage once daily for another 12 weeks, followed by sample collection. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to measure serum levels of estrogen(E_2), OXT, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase(TRACP-5b), and bone alkaline phosphatase(BALP). Histopathological changes in the left distal femur were observed through hematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining. Micro-computed tomography(micro-CT) was used to analyze the microstructure of the right distal femur. Western blot was employed to detect the expression levels of OXTR, small GTP-binding protein Ras, Raf1 proto-oncogene(Raf1), mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1/2(MEK1/2), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2(ERK1/2), and their phosphorylated forms in tibial tissues. Compared with the model group, the Zuogui Pills medium and high dose groups showed significantly increased levels of E_2, OXT, and BALP, with a notable decrease in TRACP-5b levels. Morphologically, the trabeculae in the left distal femur were more tightly arranged. The fibrous structure in the right distal femur was significantly improved in the Zuogui Pills high dose group. Additionally, the expression of OXTR, Ras, p-Raf1, p-MEK1/2, and p-ERK1/2 proteins in tibial tissues was significantly increased. The therapeutic effect of the Zuogui Pills high dose group was partially inhibited when an OXTR antagonist was administered. These findings suggest that Zuogui Pills can regulate the OXT/OXTR feed-forward loop, activate the phosphorylation of the downstream Ras/Raf1/MEK/ERK signaling pathway, and ultimately improve bone mineral density, thereby exerting therapeutic effects in PMOP.
Animals ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Female ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Oxytocin/genetics* ; Receptors, Oxytocin/genetics* ; Humans ; Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal/genetics* ; Bone and Bones/drug effects* ; Brain/drug effects* ; Bone Marrow/drug effects*

Objective To evaluate the ability of longitudinal changes in urinary extracellular domain of neurotrophin receptor p75(p75ECD)to serve as a prognostic biomarker of severity,progression and survival time in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS).Methods Forty patients with ALS attended follow-up appointments at 3-to 6-month interval,and 51 healthy control(HC)volunteers were recruited.The concentrations of urinary p75ECD were tested by a sandwich ELISA.The ALSFRS-r was used to quantify the severity of ALS.The change rate of urinary p75ECD(Δp75ECD)was calculated as the average monthly change during the period between the first and the last sampling.Results The concentration of urinary p75ECD was higher at the last follow-up than at baseline(P=0.002 3).Spearman analysis showed that there was a negative correlation between urinary p75ECD and ALSFRS-r score(r=-0.35,P=0.001 3);the course of ALS in the fast-changing Δp75ECD group was shorter than that in the slow-changing group(P=0.015 8);the Δp75ECD and course of ALS showed a negative correlation(r=-0.39,P=0.014),and the Δp75ECD in the fast-progression ALS group was significantly higher than in the slow-progression group(P=0.001 6).There was a positive correlation between Δp75ECD and progression in ALS patients(r=0.34,P=0.005).Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed a longer median survival time in those with slow-changing Δp75ECD(P=0.03).Conclusion The change rate of urinary p75ECD has shown great potential as a biomarker for the prognosis of the severity,progression and survival time of ALS.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of infections in hemodialysis patients so as to provide bases for prevention and control of the infections in the hemodialysis patients.METHODS The patients who underwent maintenance hemodialysis in blood purification rooms of the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University in the first two working days each month from 2018 to 2022 were recruited as the research subjects.The incidence of hemodialysis-related events among the hemodialysis patients,including intravenous use of antibiotics,positive blood culture,exacerbation of pus,redness or swellings emerging at vascular access sites,were prospectively investigated.RESULTS A total of 386 case-times of hemodialysis-related events were moni-tored in 2018-2022,including 20 case-times of bloodstream infections,354 case-times of intravenous use of antibi-otics and 12 case-times of exacerbation of pus,redness or swellings emerging at vascular access sites.The inci-dence of hemodialysis-induced events was 4.19 per 100 patients each month,the average incidence rate of blood-stream infections was 0.22 per 100 patients each month.The patients with tunneled central venous catheter were 40.69 times the risk of bloodstream infections as the patients with intestinal fistula(95％CI:9.725～361.703,P＜0.001).The incidence of bloodstream infections was decreased by 53.85％among the hemodialysis patients in 2022 as compared with that in 2018.Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant species of pathogens causing the bloodstream infections.CONCLUSIONS The hemodialysis patients are the population at high risk of infections.The incidence of bloodstream infections and other infections is higher among the patients with tunneled central venous catheters than among the patients with other types of vascular accesses.The monitoring of hemodi-alysis-related infection events may reduce the incidence of bloodstream infections.

Objective To explore the value of support vector machine(SVM)model based on gray matter volume(GMV)for identifying amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS),also to analyze the relevant brain regions.Methods MR 3D T1WI data of 60 ALS patients(ALS group)and 60 healthy volunteers(control group)were retrospectively analyzed.Taken GMV of each brain region obtained by voxel-based morphometry as the input features.F-score analysis was used to select feature with the highest classification accuracy to construct SVM model.Receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn to evaluate the efficacy of SVM model for identifying ALS,and top 10％was used as the weight threshold to obtain gray matter brain regions contributed the most to this model.Results SVM model constructed based on the top 40％GMV features had the highest classification accuracy(82.50％),with sensitivity,specificity and area under the curve(AUG)of 85.05％,80.40％and 0.890,respectively.The left precentral gyrus,left anterior cingulate gyrus and paracingulate gyrus,right middle temporal gyrus,opercular part of left inferior frontal gyrus,right dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus,left temporal pole:middle temporal gyrus,right superior occipital gyrus,orbital part of right middle frontal gyrus,right calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex,right fusiform gyrus were the top 1-10 gray matter brain regions contributed to this model.Conclusion ALS had specific GMV change pattern.SVM model based on GMV could be used to effectively identify ALS,while the left precentral gyrus was the most contributive brain region to this model.

Objective By comparing the prevalence and mortality of dementia among rural people in Xi'an in 1997 and 2014 to clarify the epidemiological changes of dementia among rural people in the city over 17 years.Methods In 1997 and 2014,people aged 55 and above in villages in Xi'an were selected by random cluster sampling method,and face-to-face questionnaire survey was conducted by combining centralized and home visits.Dementia and its subtypes were diagnosed by"the three-step method";the changes of dementia prevalence and mortality were compared between the two surveys.Results The prevalence of dementia among rural residents aged 55 and above in Xi'an was 3.49％in 1997,with age-gender standardized prevalence of 2.08％.In 2014,the prevalence of dementia was 4.25％,with age-gender standardized prevalence of 2.78％.Over the 17 years,the prevalence of dementia increased by 1.79 times(OR=1.79,95％CI:1.20-2.65,P=0.004),with a 1.9-fold increase in females and a 1.67-fold increase in males.The mortality of dementia patients was 61.76‰ and age-gender standardized mortality was 60.20‰ in 1997,while the mortality was 35.71‰ and age-gender standardized mortality was 34.18‰ in 2014.The mortality of dementia decreased by 33％over the 17 years(HR=0.33,95％CI:0.15-0.74,P=0.007).Conclusion The prevalence of dementia in rural areas of Xi'an increased significantly over the 17 years,but the mortality rate decreased,and this trend was more obvious in women.