Objective To evaluate the clinical characteristics of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients with peripheral lung masses (PLMs), and to assess the diagnostic utility of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in differentiating benign and malignant PLMs. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 69 patients with PLM treated in Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center from January 2020 to December 2023. All patients underwent percutaneous biopsy, and were categorized into benign group (n＝36) and malignant group (n＝33). 25 patients were HIV-positive and 44 patients were HIV-negative. The clinical features and CEUS parameters in patients were compared across these groups. Results Patients with malignant masses were significantly older than those with benign masses (P＜0.05). In the malignant group, HIV-negative patients exhibited significantly larger tumor diameters compared to HIV-positive patients (P＜0.05); in the HIV-positive patients, no significant difference in tumor size was observed between benign and malignant masses. 19 patients underwent CEUS. 10 malignant masses, irrespective of HIV status (10 positive and 9 negative), commonly presented with indistinct margins, delayed enhancement, heterogeneous perfusion, and delayed peak enhancement on CEUS. 9 benign masses showed earlier peak enhancement compared to 10 malignant masses (P＜0.05); no significant differences were observed in the initiation and washout time of enhancement between benign and malignant masses. In HIV-positive patients, 5 benign masses frequently demonstrated discrepancies between CEUS findings and pathological results. Conclusions The clinical and CEUS characteristics were different between benign and malignant PLMs. However, CEUS shows limited accuracy in distinguishing benign and malignant PLMs, underscoring the need for pathological confirmation.

Objective: To investigate the timing of puberty onset among primary school students, so as to provide the reference data for early identification of children with suspected precocious puberty. Methods: A study was conducted from October 23 to November 7, 2023, involving 10 225 students(5 412 boys, 4 813 girls) from grade 1 to 6 of four campuses in Meiling Primary School in Yangzhou. Breast development in girls and external genitalia in boys was assessed via visual inspection and palpation, with pubertal stages classified using the Tanner staging method. Puberty onset timing was determined based on age/sex reference values from Chinese Han children s pubertal milestone indicators. Descriptive analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0. Results: The median age for testicular volume reaching 4 mL in boys was 10.49 years, while the median age for breast development onset in girls was 9.70 years. Among boys with testicular volume ≥4 mL, 16.6%( n =217) were identified as suspected early puberty cases; among girls with Tanner stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ, 123(9.4%) and 165(18.5%) showed earlier breast development than the reference range. Overall, 14.4% of students exhibited suspected precocious puberty. Conclusion The onset age of puberty for girls in primary schools of Yangzhou aligns with findings from other regions, while boys show earlier pubertal initiation.

BACKGROUND: The FAVOR (Comparison of Quantitative Flow Ratio Guided and Angiography Guided Percutaneous Intervention in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease) III China trial demonstrated that percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) lesion selection using quantitative flow ratio (QFR) measurement, a novel angiography-based approach for estimating fractional flow reserve, improved two-year clinical outcomes compared with standard angiography guidance. This study aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of QFR-guided PCI from the perspective of the current Chinese healthcare system. METHODS: This study is a pre-specified analysis of the FAVOR III China trial, which included 3825 patients randomized between December 25, 2018, and January 19, 2020, from 26 centers in China. Patients with stable or unstable angina pectoris or those ≥72 hours post-myocardial infarction who had at least one lesion with a diameter stenosis between 50% and 90% in a coronary artery with a ≥2.5 mm reference vessel diameter by visual assessment were randomized to a QFR-guided strategy or an angiography-guided strategy with 1:1 ratio. During the two-year follow-up, data were collected on clinical outcomes, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), estimated costs of index procedure hospitalization, outpatient cardiovascular medication use, and rehospitalization due to major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). The primary analysis calculated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) as the cost per MACCE avoided. An ICER of ¥10,000/MACCE event avoided was considered economically attractive in China. RESULTS: At two years, the QFR-guided group demonstrated a reduced rate of MACCE compared to the angiography-guided group (10.8% vs . 14.7%, P <0.01). Total two-year costs were similar between the groups (¥50,803 ± 21,121 vs . ¥50,685 ± 23,495, P = 0.87). The ICER for the QFR-guided strategy was ¥3055 per MACCE avoided, and the probability of QFR being economically attractive was 64% at a willingness-to-pay threshold of ¥10,000/MACCE avoided. Sensitivity analysis showed that QFR-guided PCI would become cost-saving if the cost of QFR were below ¥3682 (current cost: ¥3800). Cost-utility analysis yielded an ICER of ¥56,163 per QALY gained, with a 53% probability of being cost-effective at a willingness-to-pay threshold of ¥85,000 per QALY gained. CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing PCI, a QFR-guided strategy appears economically attractive compared to angiographic guidance from the perspective of the Chinese healthcare system. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT03656848.
Humans ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Coronary Angiography/methods* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Coronary Artery Disease/surgery* ; Quality-Adjusted Life Years ; Fractional Flow Reserve, Myocardial/physiology*

Medical institutions, with their clinical practice foundation and abundant human use experience data, have become important carriers for the inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and the "cradles" of the preparation of new TCM. To effectively promote the transformation of new TCM originating from the TCM clinical practice in medical institutions and establish an effective evaluation index system for the transformation of new TCM conforming to the characteristics of TCM, consensus experts adopted the literature research, questionnaire survey, Delphi method, etc. By focusing on the policy and technical evaluation of new TCM originating from the TCM clinical practice in medical institutions, a comprehensive evaluation from the dimensions of drug safety, efficacy, feasibility, and characteristic advantages was conducted, thus forming a comprehensive evaluation system with four primary indicators and 37 secondary indicators. The expert consensus reached aims to encourage medical institutions at all levels to continuously improve the high-quality research and development and transformation of new TCM originating from the TCM clinical practice in medical institutions and targeted at clinical needs, so as to provide a decision-making basis for the preparation, selection, cultivation, and transformation of new TCM for medical institutions, improve the development efficiency of new TCM, and precisely respond to the public medication needs.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional/standards* ; Humans ; Consensus ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the characteristics of gut microbiota changes in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) undergoing induction chemotherapy and to explore the relationship between infectious complications and gut microbiota. METHODS: Fecal samples were collected from 37 newly diagnosed AML patients at four time points: before induction chemotherapy, during chemotherapy, during the neutropenic phase, and during the recovery phase. Metagenomic sequencing was used to analyze the dynamic changes in gut microbiota. Correlation analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between changes in gut microbiota and the occurrence of infectious complications. RESULTS: During chemotherapy, the gut microbiota α-diversity (Shannon index) of AML patients exhibited significant fluctuations. Specifically, the diversity decreased significantly during induction chemotherapy, further declined during the neutropenic phase (P < 0.05, compared to baseline), and gradually recovered during the recovery phase, though not fully returning to baseline levels.The abundances of beneficial bacteria, such as Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, gradually decreased during chemotherapy, whereas the abundances of opportunistic pathogens, including Enterococcus, Klebsiella, and Escherichia coli, progressively increased.Analysis of the dynamic changes in gut microbiota of seven patients with bloodstream infections revealed that the bloodstream infection pathogens could be detected in the gut microbiota of the corresponding patients, with their abundance gradually increasing during the course of infection. This finding suggests that bloodstream infections may be associated with opportunistic pathogens originating from the gut microbiota.Compared to non-infected patients, the baseline samples of infected patients showed a significantly lower relative abundance of Bacteroidetes (P < 0.05). Regression analysis indicated that Bacteroidetes abundance is an independent predictive factor for infectious complications (P < 0.05, OR =13.143). CONCLUSION During induction chemotherapy in AML patients, gut microbiota α-diversity fluctuates significantly, and the abundance of opportunistic pathogens increase, which may be associated with bloodstream infections. Patients with lower baseline Bacteroidetes abundance are more prone to infections, and its abundance can serve as an independent predictor of infectious complications.
Humans ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/microbiology* ; Induction Chemotherapy ; Feces/microbiology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged

Oroxylin A (OA), a natural compound extracted from Scutellaria baicalensis, demonstrates preventive potential against ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), the most prevalent cancer worldwide with increasing incidence. Utilizing SKH-1 hairless mice exposed to UVB, this study showed that OA delayed NMSC onset and alleviated acute skin damage. Mechanistic investigations revealed its dual action: inhibiting inflammation and enhancing nucleotide excision repair (NER) by stabilizing XPA, a crucial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) repair protein. This stabilization occurred through OA's interaction with glucose-regulated protein 94 (GRP94), which disrupted murine double minute 2 (MDM2)-mediated XPA ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. By maintaining XPA levels, OA expedited photoproduct clearance and diminished genomic instability, ultimately impeding NMSC development. These findings suggest OA as a promising chemopreventive agent targeting the GRP94/MDM2-XPA axis to counteract UVB-induced carcinogenesis.
Animals ; Ultraviolet Rays/adverse effects* ; Skin Neoplasms/prevention & control* ; Flavonoids/pharmacology* ; Mice ; Xeroderma Pigmentosum Group A Protein/genetics* ; Humans ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-mdm2/genetics* ; DNA Repair/drug effects* ; Scutellaria baicalensis/chemistry* ; Mice, Hairless ; Skin/radiation effects*

The online and offline hybrid teaching model of evidence-based medicine (EBM) is currently in the stage of development. Previous teaching focused on the teaching process in the classroom, and did not organically combine all the course contents before, during, and after class. The BOPPPS model can be used to establish coherence and integrity in the EBM teaching process. Considering the discipline characteristics and teaching objectives of EBM, this study initially explored and designed a BOPPPS-based online and offline hybrid teaching model. Taking the "diagnostic evidence" module as an example, the teaching implementation details were introduced. A pre-designed questionnaire was used to conduct baseline survey and follow-up survey on students before and after class to evaluate the teaching model and effect. The surveys showed that half of the students (77/154) preferred the new online and offline hybrid teaching model of EBM. The students found that all aspects of BOPPPS teaching were generally acceptable and satisfactory. Compared with before teaching, the students' proficiency in EBM was significantly improved after the teaching ( P<0.001), particularly in their ability to retrieve literature and evaluate the quality of evidence, which is of great significance for expanding their knowledge and clinical thinking.

OBJECTIVE To review the current research progress on pharmacoeconomics evaluation related to spinal muscular atrophy （SMA）， in order to provide valuable insights for clinical treatment， screening and medical insurance payment decision- making. METHODS A computerized search was conducted across multiple databases including PubMed， Web of Science， Embase， Scopus， Cochrane Library， EBSCOhost， CNKI， VIP， CBM and Wanfang database as well as other important health technology assessment （HTA） websites， such as National Institute for Health and Care Research，International Society of Technology Assessment in Health Care， Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality， etc. The pharmacoeconomics evaluation studies related to SMA were collected from the inception to December 31st， 2023. The literature/reports were rigorously screened based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria by two researchers， and the essential information from the included literature/ reports was extracted using Excel 2019. The quality of the included literature/reports was evaluated by Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards 2022. RESULTS Finally， 9 articles and 15 HTA reports were included， with overall good quality of literature， but poor quality of HTA reports. There were a total of 24 studies on the pharmacoeconomics evaluation of SMA， including treatment options such as nusinersen sodium， sovaprevir， risperidone， and best supportive therapy.The review results showed that nusinersen sodium was not cost-effective in the treatment of SMA； there was no consensus on the economic viability of treatment options such as risperidone and sovaprevir； newborn/prenatal screening combined withmedication therapy was cost-effective. CONCLUSIONS newborn/prenatal screening combined with SMA medication therapy demonstrates economic advantages. It is suggested to further investigate the cost-effectiveness of new SMA drugs and SMA screening in China， taking localization parameters and medical insurance prices into account， and gradually incorporate SMA screening into the scope of neonatal genetic disease detection， in order to alleviate the financial burden of patients’ families and healthcare systems.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD） is one of the most common complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM）. Cell death caused by iron-lipid disorder is a new mode of regulating programmed cell death， which is characterized by lipid peroxidation induced by the accumulation of lipid reactive oxygen species and excessive accumulation of iron ions induced by iron metabolism disorders. Among them， iron homeostasis disorder and metabolic pathway disorder are the main causes of iron-lipid disorder， which play an important role in a variety of pathological processes related to cell death. Because the liver is an important organ for iron storage and lipid metabolism， iron-lipid disorder is an ideal target for liver disease， and inhibition of iron-lipid disorder may become a new strategy for the treatment of NAFLD. However， the pathogenic relationship and mechanism between NAFLD and iron-lipid disorder have not been fully elucidated. Based on the complex molecular regulation mechanism of iron-lipid disorder， by expounding the role of iron-lipid disorder in NAFLD and its related mechanism， this paper summarizes the research status of traditional Chinese medicine on the target treatment of NAFLD in recent years， so as to provide a new perspective and point out a new direction for the treatment of NAFLD in the future.

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of 8-ring assisted traction in endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), a total of 13 patients with 15 gastric lesions who underwent 8-ring traction-assisted ESD in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from July 2021 to January 2022 were included in the retrospective cohort study. All patients successfully completed the operation. The median procedure time was 56 min, and the dissected area per unit time was 0.20±0.02 cm 2/min. The en bloc resection rate, the complete resection rate and the curative resection rate were 93.3% (14/15), 80.0% (12/15) and 80.0% (12/15), respectively. There were no ESD-related complications, such as delayed bleeding or intraperative and postoperative perforation. No deaths occurred. As a novel internal traction technology, 8-ring traction method is simple to operate, providing a good field of vision during ESD to improve the dissection efficiency and reduce complications, which is worthy of further clinical research and promotion.