ObjectiveTo investigate how Xiaoyao Shukun decoction （XYSKD） regulates the formation and release of neutrophil extracellular traps （NETs） via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signaling pathway， thereby reducing inflammation， inhibiting the excessive proliferation of fibroblasts in pelvic adhesion tissue， decreasing adhesion and fibrosis， and repairing the tissue damage in sequelae of pelvic inflammatory disease （SPID）. MethodsA total of 84 Wistar rats were randomly allocated into seven groups： blank， model， XYSKD （8 mg·kg^-1）， mTOR agonist （10 mg·kg^-1）， mTOR agonist + XYSKD （10 mg·kg^-1+8 mg·kg^-1）， mTOR inhibitor （2 mg·kg^-1）， and mTOR inhibitor + XYSKD （2 mg·kg^-1+8 mg·kg^-1）. The rat model of SPID was constructed by starvation， fatigue， and ascending Escherichia coli infection. After 14 days of drug intervention， the ultrastructure of fibroblasts in the pelvic adhesion tissue was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The general morphology of the uterus， fallopian tube， and ovary was observed by laparotomy. The levels of interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-17 （IL-17）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in the peritoneal flushing fluid were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The expression of myeloperoxidase （MPO） and citrullinated histone 3 （H3） in the fallopian tube was detected by immunofluorescence. Western blot and Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） were employed to determine the relative protein and mRNA levels， respectively， of neutrophil elastase （NE）， intercellular adhesion molecule-1 （CD54）， α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA）， H3， PI3K， and Akt. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group presented a large number of collagen fibers in bundles， numerous cytoplasmic folds of fibroblasts， reduced or absent mitochondrial cristae， and disordered and expanded endoplasmic reticulum. By laparotomy， extensive pelvic congestion， connective tissue hyperplasia， thickening and hardening of the tubal end near the uterus， and tubal and ovarian adhesion or cyst were observed in the model group. In addition， the model group showed raised levels of IL-1β， IL-17， and TNF-α in the peritoneal flushing fluid （P<0.01）， increased average fluorescence intensities of MPO and H3 （P<0.01）， and up-regulated protein and mRNA levels of NE， H3， CD54， PI3K， and Akt （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the mTOR agonist group showed increased fibroblasts and cytoplasmic folds， absence of mitochondrial cristae， endoplasmic reticulum dilation， and evident collagen fiber hyperplasia. Pelvic adhesions were observed to cause aggravated damage to the uterine， fallopian tube， and ovarian tissues. The levels of IL-1β， IL-17， and TNF-α in the peritoneal lavage fluid elevated （P<0.01） and the average fluorescence intensities of MPO and H3 enhanced （P<0.01） in the mTOR agonist group. In contrast， the XYSKD group and the mTOR inhibitor group showcased decreased fibroblasts and collagen fibers， alleviated mitochondrial crista loss and endoplasmic reticulum dilation， improved morphology and appearance of the uterine， fallopian tube， and ovarian tissues， lowered levels of IL-1β， IL-17， and TNF-α in the peritoneal lavage fluid （P<0.01）， decreased average fluorescence intensities of MPO and H3 （P<0.01）， and down-regulated protein and mRNA levels of NE， H3， CD54， PI3K， and Akt （P<0.05）. Compared with the mTOR agonist group， the mTOR agonist + XYSKD group showed alleviated pathological changes in the pelvic tissue， declined levels of IL-1β， IL-17， and TNF-α （P<0.01）， decreased average fluorescence intensities of MPO and H3 （P<0.01）， and down-regulated protein levels of NE， H3， CD54， α-SMA， p-PI3K/PI3K， and p-Akt/Akt （P<0.01） and mRNA levels of NE， H3， CD54， α-SMA， PI3K， and Akt （P<0.01）. Compared with the mTOR inhibitor group， the mTOR inhibitor + XYSKD group demonstrated reduced pathological severity of the pelvic tissue， reduced levels of IL-1β， IL-17， and TNF-α （P<0.01）， decreased average fluorescence intensities of MPO and H3 （P<0.01）， and down-regulated protein and mRNA levels of NE and CD54 （P<0.05）. ConclusionXYSKD can inhibit the excessive formation and release of NETs via PI3K/Akt/mTOR to ameliorate the inflammatory environment and reduce fibrosis and adhesion of the pelvic tissue， thereby playing a role in the treatment of SPID. It may exert the effects by lowering the levels of IL-1β， IL-17， and TNF-α and down-regulating the expression of NE， H3， CD54， α-SMA， PI3K， and Akt in the pelvic adhesion tissue.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the predictive value of early lactate/albumin ratio (LAR) combined with quick sequential organ failure assessment (qSOFA) for the 28-day prognosis of patients with sepsis caused by emergency community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). METHODS: The clinical data of patients with sepsis caused by CAP admitted to the department of emergency of Beijing Haidian Hospital from June 2021 to August 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, including gender, age, comorbidities, lactic acid (Lac), serum albumin (Alb), LAR, procalcitonin (PCT) within 1 hour, and 28-day prognosis. Patients were divided into two groups based on 28-day prognosis, and risk factors affecting patients' prognosis were analyzed using univariate and multivariate Cox regression methods. Patients were divided into two groups according to the best cut-off value of LAR, and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to analyze the 28-day cumulative survival of patients in each group. Time-dependent receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) were plotted to analyze the predictive value of sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II), and qSOFA+LAR score on the prognosis of patients with sepsis caused by CAP at 28 days. The area under the curve (AUC) was calculated and compared. RESULTS: A total of 116 patients with sepsis caused by CAP were included, of whom 80 survived at 28 days and 36 died, 28-day mortality of 31.0%. There were no statistically significant differences in age, gender, comorbidities, pH, platelet count, and fibrinogen between the survival and death groups, and there were significantly differences in blood urea nitrogen (BUN), white blood cell count (WBC), hemoglobin, Lac, Alb, PCT, D-dimer, LAR, as well as qSOFA score, SOFA score, and APACHE II score. Univariate Cox regression analyses showed that BUN, WBC, pH, Lac, Alb, PCT, LAR, qSOFA score, SOFA score, and APACHE II score were associated with mortality outcome. Multifactorial Cox regression analysis of the above variables showed that BUN, WBC, PCT, and APACHE II score were independent risk factors for 28-day death in the emergency department in patients with sepsis caused by CAP [hazard ratio (HR) were 1.081, 0.892, 1.034, and 1.135, respectively, all P < 0.05]. The best cut-off value of early LAR for predicting the 28-day prognosis of sepsis patients was 0.088, the Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that the 28-day cumulative survival rate of sepsis patients in the LAR ≤ 0.088 group was significantly higher than that in the LAR > 0.088 group [82.9% (63/76) vs. 42.5% (17/40), Log-Rank test: χ² = 22.51, P < 0.001]. The qSOFA+LAR score was calculated based on the LAR cut-off value and qSOFA score, and ROC curve analysis showed that the AUCs of SOFA score, APACHE II score, and qSOFA+LAR score for predicting 28-day death of patients with sepsis caued by CAP were 0.741, 0.774, and 0.709, respectively, with the AUC of qSOFA+LAR score slightly lower than those of SOFA score and APACHE II score, but there were no significantly differences. When the best cut-off value of qSOFA+LAR score was 1, the sensitivity was 63.9% and the specificity was 80.0%. CONCLUSION The qSOFA+LAR score has predictive value for the 28-day prognosis of patients with sepsis caused by CAP in the emergency department, its predictive value is comparable to the SOFA score and the APACHE II score, and it is more convenient for early use in the emergency department.
Emergency Service, Hospital/statistics & numerical data* ; Sepsis/etiology* ; Prognosis ; Community-Acquired Pneumonia/mortality* ; Organ Dysfunction Scores ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Lactic Acid/blood* ; Serum Albumin, Human/analysis* ; Biomarkers/blood* ; Retrospective Studies ; Hospital Mortality ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; APACHE ; Procalcitonin/blood* ; ROC Curve ; Area Under Curve ; Humans

A complete plant body consists of elements on different scales, including microscopic molecules, mesoscopic multicellular structures, and macroscopic tissues and organs, which are interconnected to form complex biological networks. The growth and development of plants involve the regulation of elements on different scales and their biological networks, which requires the coordinated operation of multiple molecules, cells, tissues, and organs. It is difficult to reveal the essence of multi-level life activities by a single method or technology. In recent years, the development of various novel imaging technologies has provided new approaches for revealing the complex life activities in plants. Using multi-modal imaging technologies to study the cross-scale network connections of plants from the microscopic, mesoscopic, and macroscopic levels is crucial for understanding the complex internal connections behind biological functions. This paper first summarizes multi-modal cross-scale imaging technologies, three-dimensional reconstruction, and image processing methods, outlines the basic framework of cross-scale network connection properties, and then summarizes the applications of multi-modal imaging technologies in elucidating plant multi-scale networks. Finally, this review systematically integrates the combined analysis of cross-scale 3D spatial structural data and single-cell omics, laying a theoretical foundation for the innovation of novel plant imaging technologies. Furthermore, it provides a new research paradigm for in-depth exploration of the interaction mechanisms among cross-scale elements and the principles of biological network connectivity in plant life activities.
Plants/metabolism* ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional/methods* ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods* ; Multimodal Imaging/methods* ; Plant Physiological Phenomena

Objective To develop and validate a scoring system to predict the possibility of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) conversion to laparotomy based on preoperative clinical data, and to establish a grading management model of surgery. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 9 414 patients who underwent LC at Renhe Hospital and Huashan Hospital from June 2013 to June 2018. The patients were divided into two groups: the LC group (9 246 patients who successfully underwent LC) and the conversion to laparotomy group (168 patients who required conversion to open surgery). The data of two groups were compared, and the risk factors affecting conversion to laparotomy were screened out by single factor analysis of Chi-square test. Then, the risk factors were analyzed by multiple Logistic regression, and the pre-coefficient of each variable of the risk factors was assigned according to the established conversion to laparotomy possibility function. After calculating the score of each case, the difference in the actual conversion rate of each group was compared. The area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was calculated to evaluate the performance of the scoring system. According to the scoring system, LC surgical grading management model was created and verified. Results The following factors were identified as significant risk factors for conversion to laparotomy (P < 0.001): body temperature ≥ 38.5℃, frequency of acute cholecystitis ≥3 times, maximum thickness of gallbladder wall ≥ 5 mm, gallbladder neck stone incarceration, diameter of common bile duct ≥8 mm, and surgical experience ≤50 cases were the risk factors for conversion to laparotomy (P < 0.001). A score >3 points was associated with a high risk of conversion to laparotomy. Conclusions The LC scoring system and surgical grading management are reliable and effective tools for predicting and reducing the conversion rate of LC to laparotomy.

Purpose To investigate the role of ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology(US-FNAC)in the diagnosis of breast cancer.Methods Fine needle aspiration cytology(FNAC)samples of 203 patients with breast cancer were selected and prepared by liquid-based cytology.The results of histopathology after neoadjuvant therapy were used as the gold standard to compare with the diagnostic results of FNAC samples,and then evaluated the diagnos-tic coincidence rate of FNAC samples.Results Of 203 axillary lymph node FNAC samples,111 cases were diagnosed as positive,38 cases were diagnosed as suspicious for positivity,and 54 cases were diagnosed as negative.The diag-nostic accuracy of FNAC was 85.2％,the sensitivity of FNAC was 98.0％,and the specificity of FNAC was 90.0％.Conclusion FNAC has high sensitivity and accuracy in the diagnosis of axillary lymph node metastasis.Sentinel lymph node biopsy is recommended for patients with negative FNAC but clinically and radiographically suspected lymph node metastasis.

Objective To explore the diagnostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose(FDG)PET/CT in primary pulmonary enteric adenocarcinoma.Methods The clinical and imaging data of 9 patients with primary pulmonary enteric adenocarcinoma who under-went 18F-FDG PET/CT examination were retrospectively analyzed,including lesion distribution,morphology,maximum standardized uptake value(SUVmax),clinical symptoms and signs,gastroscopy finding,puncture pathological results,and serum tumor markers[carbohydrate antigen 72-4(CA72-4),cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1(CYFRA21-1),carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA),carbo-hydrate antigen 199(CA199)].Results Pathological examination confirmed a diagnosis of primary pulmonary enteric adenocarcinoma after excluding gastrointestinal primary tumors through clinical evaluation.In all nine patients,18F-FDG PET/CT examination did not reveal any evidence of digestive system malignancies,and gastrointestinal microscopy was negative.Primary lesions were observed as masses or nodular types in 6 cases(5 in the left lung and 1 in the right lung),while 3 cases exhibited diffuse bilateral pulmonary involvement(manifested as multiple patchy opacities,nodules,ground-glass opacities,and consolidations).All pulmonary primary lesions showed increased 18F-FDG uptake,with SUVmax ranging from 2.7 to 12.8,mean 8.6±3.7.The six masses-or nodular-type primary lesions showed maximum diameters ranging from 2.1 to 10.5 cm,mean(5.23±3.06)cm.Four cases demonstrated hilar and mediastinal lymph node metastases,intrapulmonary metastases,and distant metastases,while 1 case showed only distant metastasis.Elevated levels of serum tumor markers were observed as follows:CA72-4 in 7 cases(10-273.3 U/mL),CEA in 7 cases(5-147.4 ng/mL),CA199 in 6 cases(31.22-4 364 U/mL),and CYFRA21-1 in 5 cases(8.31-99.7 ng/mL).Conclusion When pathological biopsy of a pulmonary lesion suggests primary pulmonary enteric adenocarcinoma after excluding gastrointestinal primary tumors,and 18F-FDG PET/CT shows no gastrointestinal masses,this may support the diagnosis of primary pulmonary enteric adenocarcinoma.

Purpose To investigate the role of ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology(US-FNAC)in the diagnosis of breast cancer.Methods Fine needle aspiration cytology(FNAC)samples of 203 patients with breast cancer were selected and prepared by liquid-based cytology.The results of histopathology after neoadjuvant therapy were used as the gold standard to compare with the diagnostic results of FNAC samples,and then evaluated the diagnos-tic coincidence rate of FNAC samples.Results Of 203 axillary lymph node FNAC samples,111 cases were diagnosed as positive,38 cases were diagnosed as suspicious for positivity,and 54 cases were diagnosed as negative.The diag-nostic accuracy of FNAC was 85.2％,the sensitivity of FNAC was 98.0％,and the specificity of FNAC was 90.0％.Conclusion FNAC has high sensitivity and accuracy in the diagnosis of axillary lymph node metastasis.Sentinel lymph node biopsy is recommended for patients with negative FNAC but clinically and radiographically suspected lymph node metastasis.

Objective To explore the diagnostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose(FDG)PET/CT in primary pulmonary enteric adenocarcinoma.Methods The clinical and imaging data of 9 patients with primary pulmonary enteric adenocarcinoma who under-went 18F-FDG PET/CT examination were retrospectively analyzed,including lesion distribution,morphology,maximum standardized uptake value(SUVmax),clinical symptoms and signs,gastroscopy finding,puncture pathological results,and serum tumor markers[carbohydrate antigen 72-4(CA72-4),cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1(CYFRA21-1),carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA),carbo-hydrate antigen 199(CA199)].Results Pathological examination confirmed a diagnosis of primary pulmonary enteric adenocarcinoma after excluding gastrointestinal primary tumors through clinical evaluation.In all nine patients,18F-FDG PET/CT examination did not reveal any evidence of digestive system malignancies,and gastrointestinal microscopy was negative.Primary lesions were observed as masses or nodular types in 6 cases(5 in the left lung and 1 in the right lung),while 3 cases exhibited diffuse bilateral pulmonary involvement(manifested as multiple patchy opacities,nodules,ground-glass opacities,and consolidations).All pulmonary primary lesions showed increased 18F-FDG uptake,with SUVmax ranging from 2.7 to 12.8,mean 8.6±3.7.The six masses-or nodular-type primary lesions showed maximum diameters ranging from 2.1 to 10.5 cm,mean(5.23±3.06)cm.Four cases demonstrated hilar and mediastinal lymph node metastases,intrapulmonary metastases,and distant metastases,while 1 case showed only distant metastasis.Elevated levels of serum tumor markers were observed as follows:CA72-4 in 7 cases(10-273.3 U/mL),CEA in 7 cases(5-147.4 ng/mL),CA199 in 6 cases(31.22-4 364 U/mL),and CYFRA21-1 in 5 cases(8.31-99.7 ng/mL).Conclusion When pathological biopsy of a pulmonary lesion suggests primary pulmonary enteric adenocarcinoma after excluding gastrointestinal primary tumors,and 18F-FDG PET/CT shows no gastrointestinal masses,this may support the diagnosis of primary pulmonary enteric adenocarcinoma.

Objective Some colorectal cancer patients still face high recurrence rates and poor prognoses even after they have undergone the surgical treatment of radical resection.Identifying potential biochemical markers and therapeutic targets for the prognostic evaluation of patients undergoing radical resection of colorectal cancer is crucial for improving their clinical outcomes.Recently,it has been reported that the T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain protein 3(Tim-3)and its ligand galactose lectin 9(galectin-9)play crucial roles in immune dysfunction caused by various tumors,such as colorectal cancer.However,their expressions,biological functions,and prognostic value in colorectal cancer are still unclear.This study aims to investigate the relationship between Tim-3 and galectin-9 expression levels and the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of patients undergoing radical resection of colorectal cancer.Methods A total of 171 patients who underwent radical resection of colorectal cancer at Chengdu Fifth People's Hospital between February 2018 and March 2019 were selected.Immunohistochemistry was performed to assess the expression levels of Tim-3 and galectin-9 in the cancer tissue samples and the paracancerous tissue samples of the patients.The relationship between Tim-3 and galectin-9 expression levels and the baseline clinical parameters of the patients was analyzed accordingly.Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to assess the association between Tim-3 and galectin-9 expression levels and the relapse-free survival(RFS)and the overall survival(OS)of colorectal cancer patients.Cox regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with adverse prognosis in the patients.Results The immunohistochemical results showed that the high expression levels of Tim-3 and galectin-9 were observed in 70.18%(120/171)and 32.16%(55/171),respectively,of the colorectal cancer tissues,whereas the low expression levels were 29.82%(51/171)and 67.84%(116/171),respectively.Furthermore,the expression score of Tim-3 was significantly higher in colorectal cancer tissues than that in the paracancerous tissues,while the expression score of galectin-9 was lower than that in the paracancerous tissues(P＜0.05).Further analysis revealed that the expression of Tim-3 and galectin-9 was associated with the depth of tumor infiltration,vascular infiltration,and clinical staging(P＜0.05).During the follow-up period of 14-63 months,7 out of 171 patients were lost to follow-up.Among the remaining patients,49 and 112 cases presented abnormally low expression of Tim-3 and galectin-9,respectively,whereas 115 and 52 cases presented high expression of Tim-3 and galectin-9,respectively.Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that patients with high Tim-3 expression in colorectal cancer tissues had significantly lower RFS and OS than those with low expression did(RFS:log-rank=22.66,P＜0.001;OS:log-rank=19.71,P＜0.001).Conversely,patients with low galectin-9 expression had significantly lower RFS and OS than those with high expression did(RFS:log-rank=19.45,P＜0.001;OS:log-rank=22.24,P＜0.001).Cox multivariate analysis indicated that TNM stage Ⅲ(HR=2.26,95%CI:1.20-5.68),high expression of Tim-3(HR=0.80,95%CI:0.33-0.91),and low expression of galectin-9(HR=1.80,95%CI:1.33-4.70)were independent risk factors affecting RFS and OS in patients(P＜0.05).Conclusion Aberrant expression of Tim-3 and galectin-9 is observed in colorectal cancer tissues.High expression of Tim-3 and low expression of galectin-9 are closely associated with adverse clinico-pathological characteristics and prognosis.They are identified as independent influencing factors that may trigger adverse prognostic events in patients.These findings suggest that Tim-3 and galectin-9 have potential as new therapeutic targets and clinical indicators.

Objective:To understand molecular characteristics and antibiotic resistance of Clostridioides ( C.) difficile isolated from children in China, and provide data support the development of disease risk assessment and burden studies. Methods:A total of 155 strains of C. difficile isolated from children aged <12 years in 14 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) in China from 2010 to 2023 were used for the analyses on molecular characteristics and antibiotic resistance of C. difficile by PCR and drug susceptibility test. Results:A total of 26 sequence types (STs) and 18 ribotypes (RTs) were identified in the 155 C. difficile isolates, in which ST3 (20.65%), ST54 (16.13%), ST35 (12.90%), and RT012/ICDC007 (14.84%), RT001/ICDC001 (11.61%), RT046/ICDC018 (8.39%) were the most common. One highly virulent strain with RT078 and 27 non-toxin-producing strains were also found; the predominant toxin gene was tcdA+ tcdB+ cdt-. All the strains were sensitive to metronidazole and vancomycin, and there were 29 multidrug-resistant strains, in which 1 strain was resistant to all the seven antibiotics except for vancomycin and metronidazole. Conclusions:Molecular characteristics and antibiotic resistance of C. difficile in children were similar to those in whole population in China, but there were regional distribution differences. It is necessary to strengthen the routine drug-resistance surveillance for C. difficile infection in children in China.