OBJECTIVE: Observational studies have found associations between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's dementia (AD) and vascular dementia (VD); however, these findings are inconsistent. It remains unclear whether these associations are causal. METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis by systematically searching for observational studies on the association between IBD and dementia. Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis based on summary genome-wide association studies (GWASs) was performed. Genetic correlation and Bayesian co-localization analyses were used to provide robust genetic evidence. RESULTS: Ten observational studies involving 80,565,688 participants were included in this meta-analysis. IBD was significantly associated with dementia (risk ratio [ RR] =1.36, 95% CI = 1.04-1.78; I ² = 84.8%) and VD ( RR = 2.60, 95% CI = 1.18-5.70; only one study), but not with AD ( RR = 2.00, 95% CI = 0.96-4.13; I ² = 99.8%). MR analyses did not supported significant causal associations of IBD with dementia (dementia: odds ratio [ OR] = 1.01, 95% CI = 0.98-1.03; AD: OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.95-1.01; VD: OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.97-1.07). In addition, genetic correlation and co-localization analyses did not reveal any genetic associations between IBD and dementia. CONCLUSION Our study did not provide genetic evidence for a causal association between IBD and dementia risk. The increased risk of dementia observed in observational studies may be attributed to unobserved confounding factors or detection bias.
Humans ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/complications* ; Dementia/etiology* ; Observational Studies as Topic ; Genome-Wide Association Study

Objective To examine the changing prevalence and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Burkholderia cepacia in 52 hospitals across China from 2015 to 2021.Methods A total of 9 261 strains of B.cepacia were collected from 52 hospitals between January 1,2015 and December 31,2021.Antimicrobial susceptibility of the strains was tested using Kirby-Bauer method or automated antimicrobial susceptibility testing systems according to a unified protocol.The results were interpreted according to the breakpoints released in the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)guidelines(2023 edition).Results A total of 9 261 strains of B.cepacia were isolated from all age groups,especially elderly patients.The proportion was 11.1％(1 032 strains)in children,significantly lower than the proportion in adults.About half(46.5％,4 310/9 261)of the strains were isolated from patients at least 60 years old and 42.3％(3 919/9 261)of the strains were isolated from young adults.Most isolates(71.1％)were isolated from sputum and respiratory secretions,followed by urine(10.7％)and blood samples(8.1％).B.cepacia isolates were highly susceptible to the five antimicrobial agents recommended in the CLSI M100 document(33rd edition,2023).B.cepacia isolates showed relatively higher resistance rates to meropenem and levofloxacin.However,the resistance rates to ceftazidime,trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole,and minocycline remained below 8.1％.The percentage of B.cepacia strains resistant to levofloxacin was the highest compared to other antibiotics in any of the three age groups(from 12.4％in the patients＜18 years old to 20.6％in the patients aged 60 years or older).Conclusions B.cepacia is one of the clinically important non-fermenting gram-negative bacteria.Accurate and timely reporting of antimicrobial susceptibility test results and ongoing antimicrobial resistance surveillance are helpful for rational prescription of antimicrobial agents and proper prevention and control of nosocomial infections.

Objective:To apply statistical process control (SPC) techniques to the quality assurance of non-normal radiotherapy plans through Johnson transformation, establishing patient-specific tolerance and action limits based on treatment sites and dose/distance assessment criteria, thereby enhancing the intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) verification accuracy and dose delivery precision.Methods:In this study, 951 gamma analysis data of patient-specific quality assurance (PSQA) executed on the Halcyon accelerator platform were selected and categorized into six groups based on treatment sites, including brain (102 cases), head and neck (100 cases), breast (229 cases), lung (154 cases), esophagus (223 cases), and pelvic (143 cases) groups. The six groups of data were statistically analyzed through Anderson-Darling normality tests ( α = 0.05) using Minitab 21 software. Non-normal data were transformed into normal data through Johnson transformation and then were used to establish treatment site-specific tolerance and action limits, which were compared with the Shewhart control charts based on normal distributions. Results:The PSQA result of the six groups all exhibited non-normal distributions ( P < 0.05). Through Johnson transformation, the tolerance and action limits for the head and neck, breast, lung, esophagus, and pelvic areas under the 3%/2 mm criterion ranged from 95.13% to 96.16% and 94.19% to 95.91%, respectively. In contrast, the tolerance and action limits ranged from 91.15% to 94.86% and 89.94% to 94.78% under the 2%/2 mm criterion. Directly applying Shewhart control charts without normality assumptions yielded higher tolerance limits compared to the application of Johnson transformation, increasing the false positive rate in the non-normal PSQA process. Conclusions:Applying the SPC techniques directly to a non-normal process can lead to an increased false alarm rate and wrong process interpretation. The SPC techniques combined with Johnson transformation enable more effective monitoring of a non-normal PSQA process, facilitating timely identification of potential factors that may lead to an out-of-control process based on the treatment site-specific limits.

Objective To explore the pathophysiological molecular mechanism of the up-regulation of CircPDS5B level involved in premature birth.Methods The placental tissues of full-term infants(Group 1,gestational age≥37 weeks),late premature infants(Group 2,34 weeks≤gestational age<37 weeks),premature infants(Group 3,32 weeks

Objective To summarize the changing prevalence of carbapenem resistance in Enterobacterales based on the data of CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program from 2015 to 2021 for improving antimicrobial treatment in clinical practice.Methods Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using a commercial automated susceptibility testing system according to the unified CHINET protocol.The results were interpreted according to the breakpoints of the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)M100 31st ed in 2021.Results Over the seven-year period(2015-2021),the overall prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales(CRE)was 9.43％(62 342/661 235).The prevalence of CRE strains in Klebsiella pneumoniae,Citrobacter freundii,and Enterobacter cloacae was 22.38％,9.73％,and 8.47％,respectively.The prevalence of CRE strains in Escherichia coli was 1.99％.A few CRE strains were also identified in Salmonella and Shigella.The CRE strains were mainly isolated from respiratory specimens(44.23±2.80)％,followed by blood(20.88±3.40)％and urine(18.40±3.45)％.Intensive care units(ICUs)were the major source of the CRE strains(27.43±5.20)％.CRE strains were resistant to all the β-lactam antibiotics tested and most non-β-lactam antimicrobial agents.The CRE strains were relatively susceptible to tigecycline and polymyxins with low resistance rates.Conclusions The prevalence of CRE strains was increasing from 2015 to 2021.CRE strains were highly resistant to most of the antibacterial drugs used in clinical practice.Clinicians should prescribe antimicrobial agents rationally.Hospitals should strengthen antibiotic stewardship in key clinical settings such as ICUs,and take effective infection control measures to curb CRE outbreak and epidemic in hospitals.

Objective To characterize the changing species distribution and antibiotic resistance profiles of respiratory isolates in hospitals participating in the CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program from 2015 to 2021.Methods Commercial automated antimicrobial susceptibility testing systems and disk diffusion method were used to test the susceptibility of respiratory bacterial isolates to antimicrobial agents following the standardized technical protocol established by the CHINET program.Results A total of 589 746 respiratory isolates were collected from 2015 to 2021.Overall,82.6％of the isolates were Gram-negative bacteria and 17.4％were Gram-positive bacteria.The bacterial isolates from outpatients and inpatients accounted for(6.0±0.9)％and(94.0±0.1)％,respectively.The top microorganisms were Klebsiella spp.,Acinetobacter spp.,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Staphylococcus aureus,Haemophilus spp.,Stenotrophomonas maltophilia,Escherichia coli,and Streptococcus pneumoniae.Each microorganism was isolated from significantly more males than from females(P＜0.05).The overall prevalence of methicillin-resistant S.aureus(MRSA)was 39.9％.The prevalence of penicillin-resistant S.pneumoniae was 1.4％.The prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase(ESBL)-producing E.coli and K.pneumoniae was 67.8％and 41.3％,respectively.The overall prevalence of carbapenem-resistant E.coli,K.pneumoniae,Enterobacter cloacae,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and Acinetobacter baumannii was 3.7％,20.8％,9.4％,29.8％,and 73.3％,respectively.The prevalence of β-lactamase was 96.1％in Moraxella catarrhalis and 60.0％in Haemophilus influenzae.The H.influenzae isolates from children(＜18 years)showed significantly higher resistance rates to β-lactam antibiotics than the isolates from adults(P＜0.05).Conclusions Gram-negative bacteria are still predominant in respiratory isolates associated with serious antibiotic resistance.Antimicrobial resistance surveillance should be strengthened in clinical practice to support accurate etiological diagnosis and appropriate antimicrobial therapy based on antimicrobial susceptibility testing results.

Aim To explore the neuroprotective effects of salidroside on Parkinson's disease(PD)through modulation of inflammatory responses and the underly-ing mechanisms.Methods Mice were divided into five groups:healthy control group,1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine(MPTP)disease group,low-dose Rhodioloside intervention group,medium-dose salidroside intervention group,and high-dose salidro-side intervention group.MPTP-induced PD mouse model was established,and salidroside intervention was administered.Behavioral changes,inflammatory cyto-kine levels,autophagy-related protein expression,and neurons were observed through histological analysis and immunohistochemical staining.Results After MPTP treatment,mice exhibited significant behavioral chan-ges,increased pro-inflammatory cytokines,decreased anti-inflammatory cytokines,reduced autophagy-related proteins,and evident pyroptosis.Salidroside interven-tion alleviated these changes in a dose-dependent man-ner.Conclusions Salidroside exerts neuroprotective effects on PD by alleviating inflammatory responses and promoting autophagy,thereby protecting neurons.

Objective:To analyze the genetic characteristics of the VWF gene c.7332G＞A nonsense mutation and explore its molecular pathogenesis.Methods:Phenotypic diagnosis of the proband was performed using VWF:Ag,VWF:RCo,FⅧ:C and multimeric analysis.The probands were genotyped by NGS whole-exome sequencing,and the sequencing results were validated by sanger sequencing.The family members were genotyped by Sanger sequencing.The VWF gene c.7332G＞A nonsense mutant plasmid was constructed.After transfection,the function of VWF gene c.7332G＞A mutant plasmid was verified at cell level in vitro.The mRNA level was detected by qRT-PCR,and the expression level of protein was detected by Western blot,the function of multimerization was verified by the multimeric analysis.Results:VWF:Ag and VWF:RCo were all less than 3％in the proband,and the multimeric analysis showed multimer deficiency.The proband was diagnosed as type 3 VWD.The homozygous nonsense mutation of VWF gene c.7332G＞A was detected by gene sequencing.The VWF mRNA level of the mutant plasmid was decreased,and the VWF protein expression in the cell supernatant was decreased,the mutant protein was truncated and the function of VWF multimerization was impaired.Conclusion:A homozygous mutation in exon 43 of VWF gene,c.7332G＞A,was responsible for the probands type 3 VWD in the proband.The mutation caused a decrease in the relative level of VWF mRNA and protein,and impaired the function of VWF multimerization.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an increasingly widespread sleep-breathing disordered disease, and is an independent risk factor for many high-risk chronic diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, arrhythmias and diabetes, which is potentially fatal. The key to the prevention and treatment of OSA is early diagnosis and treatment, so the assessment and diagnostic technologies of OSA have become a research hotspot. This paper reviews the research progresses of severity assessment parameters and diagnostic technologies of OSA, and discusses their future development trends. In terms of severity assessment parameters of OSA, apnea hypopnea index (AHI), as the gold standard, together with the percentage of duration of apnea hypopnea (AH%), lowest oxygen saturation (LSpO₂), heart rate variability (HRV), oxygen desaturation index (ODI) and the emerging biomarkers, constitute a multi-dimensional evaluation system. Specifically, the AHI, which measures the frequency of sleep respiratory events per hour, does not fully reflect the patients’ overall sleep quality or the extent of their daytime functional impairments. To address this limitation, the AH%, which measures the proportion of the entire sleep cycle affected by apneas and hypopneas, deepens our understanding of the impact on sleep quality. The LSpO₂ plays a critical role in highlighting the potential severe hypoxic episodes during sleep, while the HRV offers a different perspective by analyzing the fluctuations in heart rate thereby revealing the activity of the autonomic nervous system. The ODI provides a direct and objective measure of patients’ nocturnal oxygenation stability by calculating the number of desaturation events per hour, and the biomarkers offers novel insights into the diagnosis and management of OSA, and fosters the development of more precise and tailored OSA therapeutic strategies. In terms of diagnostic techniques of OSA, the standardized questionnaire and Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) is a simple and effective method for preliminary screening of OSA, and the polysomnography (PSG) which is based on recording multiple physiological signals stands for gold standard, but it has limitations of complex operations, high costs and inconvenience. As a convenient alternative, the home sleep apnea testing (HSAT) allows patients to monitor their sleep with simplified equipment in the comfort of their own homes, and the cardiopulmonary coupling (CPC) offers a minimal version that simply analyzes the electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. As an emerging diagnostic technology of OSA, machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) adeptly pinpoint respiratory incidents and expose delicate physiological changes, thus casting new light on the diagnostic approach to OSA. In addition, imaging examination utilizes detailed visual representations of the airway’s structure and assists in recognizing structural abnormalities that may result in obstructed airways, while sound monitoring technology records and analyzes snoring and breathing sounds to detect the condition subtly, and thus further expands our medical diagnostic toolkit. As for the future development directions, it can be predicted that interdisciplinary integrated researches, the construction of personalized diagnosis and treatment models, and the popularization of high-tech in clinical applications will become the development trends in the field of OSA evaluation and diagnosis.

Objective:To apply statistical process control (SPC) techniques to the quality assurance of non-normal radiotherapy plans through Johnson transformation, establishing patient-specific tolerance and action limits based on treatment sites and dose/distance assessment criteria, thereby enhancing the intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) verification accuracy and dose delivery precision.Methods:In this study, 951 gamma analysis data of patient-specific quality assurance (PSQA) executed on the Halcyon accelerator platform were selected and categorized into six groups based on treatment sites, including brain (102 cases), head and neck (100 cases), breast (229 cases), lung (154 cases), esophagus (223 cases), and pelvic (143 cases) groups. The six groups of data were statistically analyzed through Anderson-Darling normality tests ( α = 0.05) using Minitab 21 software. Non-normal data were transformed into normal data through Johnson transformation and then were used to establish treatment site-specific tolerance and action limits, which were compared with the Shewhart control charts based on normal distributions. Results:The PSQA result of the six groups all exhibited non-normal distributions ( P < 0.05). Through Johnson transformation, the tolerance and action limits for the head and neck, breast, lung, esophagus, and pelvic areas under the 3%/2 mm criterion ranged from 95.13% to 96.16% and 94.19% to 95.91%, respectively. In contrast, the tolerance and action limits ranged from 91.15% to 94.86% and 89.94% to 94.78% under the 2%/2 mm criterion. Directly applying Shewhart control charts without normality assumptions yielded higher tolerance limits compared to the application of Johnson transformation, increasing the false positive rate in the non-normal PSQA process. Conclusions:Applying the SPC techniques directly to a non-normal process can lead to an increased false alarm rate and wrong process interpretation. The SPC techniques combined with Johnson transformation enable more effective monitoring of a non-normal PSQA process, facilitating timely identification of potential factors that may lead to an out-of-control process based on the treatment site-specific limits.