Objective:To identify and validate secreted effector proteins of Chlamydia psittaci ( C. psittaci) through bioinformatic prediction and experimental verification, and to characterize their subcellular localization in host cells. Methods:Potential effector proteins were predicted using bioinformatics tools. Candidate effectors were fused to β-lactamase through the constructed expression vectors, and these vectors were transformed into C. psittaci. The secretion of these candidate effectors was evaluated by β-lactamase translocation assays. Eukaryotic expression vectors of confirmed effectors were transfected into host cells to determine their intracellular localization patterns. Results:Bioinformatic analysis identified 29 candidate effector proteins. Experimental validation confirmed the secretion of five effectors, with four exhibiting cytoplasmic localization and one displaying nuclear localization in host cells.Conclusion:This study characterizes five novel C. psittaci secreted effector proteins, providing critical insights for investigating the molecular pathogenesis of psittacosis.

Objective:To explore the relationship between early fecal calprotectin (FC) level and the long-term efficacy of infliximab (IFX) in the treatment of Crohn′s disease (CD) and predictive the value.Methods:From January 2018 to December 2023, at the First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, the clinical data of patients with moderate-to-severe CD who received IFX as first-line therapy were retrospectively collected. The main outcomes were clinical and endoscopic remission at week 52 after IFX treatment, and the secondary outcome was clinical response at week 14 after IFX treatment. The predictive value of FC levels at week 0 (at baseline when first administered) and week 14 of treatment was evaluated for the clinical and endoscopic remission at week 52 after IFX treatment. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to investigate the factors predicting endoscopic remission. The optimal cutoff value was calculated, model was established, the data was divided into training set and validation set at a ratio of 7∶3 using the random number table method and the corresponding column chart was drawn. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and calibration curve were used to evaluate the discrimination and calibration of the model, respectively. Mann-Whitney U test was used for statistical comparison. Results:A total of 165 patients with CD were enrolled, of whom 150 cases (90.9%) achieved clinical response after induction therapy, and 15 cases (9.1%) were primary non-response. Among the 150 patients with clinical response, 112 cases (74.7%) achieved clinical remission at week 52 after treatment, while 38 cases (25.3%) did not achieve clinical remission. Endoscopic evaluation was performed at week 52 after treatment in 139 patients, of whom 54 cases (38.8%) achieved endoscopic remission and 85 cases (61.2%) did not. At week 14 of treatment, there was no statistically significant difference in FC level between the patients achieved and did not achieve clinical response (263.24 (93.96, 675.28) μg/g vs. 556.35 (245.77, 953.56) μg/g, P>0.05). At week 52 after treatment, the FC level of patients who achieved clinical remission was lower than that of patients did not achieve(103.20(44.11, 456.57) μg/g vs. 531.26(222.06, 998.40) μg/g) and the decreased value of FC at week 52 and week 0 after treatment of patients achieved clinical remission was more than that of patients did not achieve clinical remission (443.34 (82.25, 788.95) μg/g vs. 269.91 (-79.20, 522.54) μg/g), and the differences were statistically significant ( U=1 078.00, 2 677.00; P<0.001, =0.018). At week 52 after treatment, the FC level of patients achieved endoscopic remission was lower than that of patients did not achieve endoscopic remission (52.80(31.93, 83.47) μg/g vs. 506.18(217.44, 778.02) μg/g), and the decreased value of FC at week 52 and week 0 after treatment of patients achieved endoscopic remission was more than that of patients did not achieve endoscopic remission (428.85(140.20, 863.60) μg/g vs. 309.61(-62.37, 683.82) μg/g), and the differences were statistically significant ( U=500.00, 2 812.00; P<0.001, =0.025). The FC level at week 14 of treatment could predict the clinical and endoscopic remission at week 52 after treatment (area under the curve (AUC) =0.663, 0.773; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.566 to 0.760, 0.694 to 0.852; P=0.006, <0.001). The optimal cutoff value of FC at week 14 of treatment for predicting endoscopic remission at week 52 after treatment was 246.13 μg/g, with a sensitivity of 0.741 and a specificity of 0.671. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that FC ≤ 246.13 μg/g at week 14 of treatment ( OR=4.576, 95% CI: 2.021 to 10.363, P<0.001), baseline albumin ( OR=1.093, 95% CI: 1.006 to 1.188, P=0.035), and baseline platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) ( OR=0.995, 95% CI: 0.990 to 1.000, P=0.046) were independent influencing factors of endoscopic remission at week 52 after treatment. A predictive model for endoscopic remission at week 52 after IFX treatment was established based on FC ≤ 246.13 μg/g at week 14 of treatment, baseline albumin and PLR. The results of ROC analysis showed that this model had good discriminative ability, with an AUC of 0.780 (95% CI: 0.700 to 0.878) in the validation set, with a sensitivity of 0.812 and a specificity of 0.760. The results of calibration curve analysis demonstrated that the average absolute error of the prediction model in the validation set was 0.038, and the consistency between the predicted probability and the actual probability was good. Conclusion:FC ≤ 246.13 g/g at week 14 of IFX treatment has good predictive value for endoscopic remission at week 52 after treatment in CD patients.

Objective:To explore the correlations between the monocytes/high-density lipoprotein ratio (MHR), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and all-cause mortality in patients undergoing maintenance peritoneal dialysis (PD), and to provide references for clinical prevention and treatment strategies.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 336 PD patients who were treated in the Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University from June 2014 to August 2023. According to the survival status of the patients during the follow-up period, they were divided into the death group ( n=55) and the survival group ( n=281). The differences in clinical data, blood routine, laboratory biochemical indicators, monocyte count, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and ALP indicators between the two groups were collected and compared. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to screen the risk factors for all-cause mortality in PD patients, and Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between the survival time of patients and related indicators. Results:In this study, there were 55 patients who died of all causes. The causes of death were cardiovascular events in 26 cases (47.27%), gastrointestinal bleeding in 3 cases (5.45%), infection in 7 cases (12.73%), multiple organ failure in 8 cases (14.55%), and unexplained death in 11 cases (20.00%). There was no statistically significant difference in gender, age, weight, serum parathyroid hormone (PTH), and total cholesterol (TC) between the death group and the survival group (all P>0.05). The treatment time, neutrophil count, red blood cell volume distribution width (RDW), ALP, blood uric acid (UA), blood calcium, MHR and creatinine in the death group were all higher than those in the survival group (all P<0.05), while the lymphocyte count was lower than that in the survival group ( P<0.05). The Cox risk model showed that MHR, ALP, treatment duration, neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, RDW, UA, and creatinine were independent risk factors for all-cause mortality in PD patients ( OR=1.578, 2.881, 1.021, 1.122, 1.476, 2.231, 1.018, 1.008, all P<0.05); Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the survival time of PD patients was negatively correlated with MHR and ALP ( r=-0.305, -0.246, all P<0.05). Conclusions:The levels of MHR and ALP are closely related to the risk of all-cause mortality in PD patients and are independent risk factors for all-cause mortality in patients.

Objective:To explore the correlations between the monocytes/high-density lipoprotein ratio (MHR), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and all-cause mortality in patients undergoing maintenance peritoneal dialysis (PD), and to provide references for clinical prevention and treatment strategies.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 336 PD patients who were treated in the Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University from June 2014 to August 2023. According to the survival status of the patients during the follow-up period, they were divided into the death group ( n=55) and the survival group ( n=281). The differences in clinical data, blood routine, laboratory biochemical indicators, monocyte count, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and ALP indicators between the two groups were collected and compared. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to screen the risk factors for all-cause mortality in PD patients, and Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between the survival time of patients and related indicators. Results:In this study, there were 55 patients who died of all causes. The causes of death were cardiovascular events in 26 cases (47.27%), gastrointestinal bleeding in 3 cases (5.45%), infection in 7 cases (12.73%), multiple organ failure in 8 cases (14.55%), and unexplained death in 11 cases (20.00%). There was no statistically significant difference in gender, age, weight, serum parathyroid hormone (PTH), and total cholesterol (TC) between the death group and the survival group (all P>0.05). The treatment time, neutrophil count, red blood cell volume distribution width (RDW), ALP, blood uric acid (UA), blood calcium, MHR and creatinine in the death group were all higher than those in the survival group (all P<0.05), while the lymphocyte count was lower than that in the survival group ( P<0.05). The Cox risk model showed that MHR, ALP, treatment duration, neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, RDW, UA, and creatinine were independent risk factors for all-cause mortality in PD patients ( OR=1.578, 2.881, 1.021, 1.122, 1.476, 2.231, 1.018, 1.008, all P<0.05); Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the survival time of PD patients was negatively correlated with MHR and ALP ( r=-0.305, -0.246, all P<0.05). Conclusions:The levels of MHR and ALP are closely related to the risk of all-cause mortality in PD patients and are independent risk factors for all-cause mortality in patients.

Objective:To identify and validate secreted effector proteins of Chlamydia psittaci ( C. psittaci) through bioinformatic prediction and experimental verification, and to characterize their subcellular localization in host cells. Methods:Potential effector proteins were predicted using bioinformatics tools. Candidate effectors were fused to β-lactamase through the constructed expression vectors, and these vectors were transformed into C. psittaci. The secretion of these candidate effectors was evaluated by β-lactamase translocation assays. Eukaryotic expression vectors of confirmed effectors were transfected into host cells to determine their intracellular localization patterns. Results:Bioinformatic analysis identified 29 candidate effector proteins. Experimental validation confirmed the secretion of five effectors, with four exhibiting cytoplasmic localization and one displaying nuclear localization in host cells.Conclusion:This study characterizes five novel C. psittaci secreted effector proteins, providing critical insights for investigating the molecular pathogenesis of psittacosis.

Objective:To explore the relationship between early fecal calprotectin (FC) level and the long-term efficacy of infliximab (IFX) in the treatment of Crohn′s disease (CD) and predictive the value.Methods:From January 2018 to December 2023, at the First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, the clinical data of patients with moderate-to-severe CD who received IFX as first-line therapy were retrospectively collected. The main outcomes were clinical and endoscopic remission at week 52 after IFX treatment, and the secondary outcome was clinical response at week 14 after IFX treatment. The predictive value of FC levels at week 0 (at baseline when first administered) and week 14 of treatment was evaluated for the clinical and endoscopic remission at week 52 after IFX treatment. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to investigate the factors predicting endoscopic remission. The optimal cutoff value was calculated, model was established, the data was divided into training set and validation set at a ratio of 7∶3 using the random number table method and the corresponding column chart was drawn. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and calibration curve were used to evaluate the discrimination and calibration of the model, respectively. Mann-Whitney U test was used for statistical comparison. Results:A total of 165 patients with CD were enrolled, of whom 150 cases (90.9%) achieved clinical response after induction therapy, and 15 cases (9.1%) were primary non-response. Among the 150 patients with clinical response, 112 cases (74.7%) achieved clinical remission at week 52 after treatment, while 38 cases (25.3%) did not achieve clinical remission. Endoscopic evaluation was performed at week 52 after treatment in 139 patients, of whom 54 cases (38.8%) achieved endoscopic remission and 85 cases (61.2%) did not. At week 14 of treatment, there was no statistically significant difference in FC level between the patients achieved and did not achieve clinical response (263.24 (93.96, 675.28) μg/g vs. 556.35 (245.77, 953.56) μg/g, P>0.05). At week 52 after treatment, the FC level of patients who achieved clinical remission was lower than that of patients did not achieve(103.20(44.11, 456.57) μg/g vs. 531.26(222.06, 998.40) μg/g) and the decreased value of FC at week 52 and week 0 after treatment of patients achieved clinical remission was more than that of patients did not achieve clinical remission (443.34 (82.25, 788.95) μg/g vs. 269.91 (-79.20, 522.54) μg/g), and the differences were statistically significant ( U=1 078.00, 2 677.00; P<0.001, =0.018). At week 52 after treatment, the FC level of patients achieved endoscopic remission was lower than that of patients did not achieve endoscopic remission (52.80(31.93, 83.47) μg/g vs. 506.18(217.44, 778.02) μg/g), and the decreased value of FC at week 52 and week 0 after treatment of patients achieved endoscopic remission was more than that of patients did not achieve endoscopic remission (428.85(140.20, 863.60) μg/g vs. 309.61(-62.37, 683.82) μg/g), and the differences were statistically significant ( U=500.00, 2 812.00; P<0.001, =0.025). The FC level at week 14 of treatment could predict the clinical and endoscopic remission at week 52 after treatment (area under the curve (AUC) =0.663, 0.773; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.566 to 0.760, 0.694 to 0.852; P=0.006, <0.001). The optimal cutoff value of FC at week 14 of treatment for predicting endoscopic remission at week 52 after treatment was 246.13 μg/g, with a sensitivity of 0.741 and a specificity of 0.671. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that FC ≤ 246.13 μg/g at week 14 of treatment ( OR=4.576, 95% CI: 2.021 to 10.363, P<0.001), baseline albumin ( OR=1.093, 95% CI: 1.006 to 1.188, P=0.035), and baseline platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) ( OR=0.995, 95% CI: 0.990 to 1.000, P=0.046) were independent influencing factors of endoscopic remission at week 52 after treatment. A predictive model for endoscopic remission at week 52 after IFX treatment was established based on FC ≤ 246.13 μg/g at week 14 of treatment, baseline albumin and PLR. The results of ROC analysis showed that this model had good discriminative ability, with an AUC of 0.780 (95% CI: 0.700 to 0.878) in the validation set, with a sensitivity of 0.812 and a specificity of 0.760. The results of calibration curve analysis demonstrated that the average absolute error of the prediction model in the validation set was 0.038, and the consistency between the predicted probability and the actual probability was good. Conclusion:FC ≤ 246.13 g/g at week 14 of IFX treatment has good predictive value for endoscopic remission at week 52 after treatment in CD patients.

Objective:To explore the correlation between the initial estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and all-cause mortality in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing urgent-start peritoneal dialysis (USPD).Methods:The clinical data of 380 ESRD patients undergoing USPD from January 2013 to June 2023 in Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University were retrospective analyzed. According to the median initial eGFR of 6.25 ml/(min·1.73 m 2), the patients were divided into low eGFR group with eGFR<6.25 ml/(min·1.73 m 2) and high eGFR group with eGFR ≥6.25 ml/(min·1.73 m 2), with 190 patients in each group. The baseline characteristics and hematological indexes within 48 h before USPD were compared between the two groups. The patients were followed up until death or until June 30, 2023, and all-cause mortality was recorded. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to evaluate the accumulated survival rate. Multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to identify the independent risk factors for all-cause mortality in ESRD patients undergoing USPD, with subgroup analyses based on age, gender and diabetes. Results:The median follow-up time was 40.7 (21.7, 59.0) months, 112 patients died, with a total mortality rate of 29.5% (112/380). The blood potassium, blood phosphorus, urea nitrogen, uric acid, parathyroid hormone and dialysis age in high eGFR group were significantly lower than those in low eGFR group: (4.1 ± 0.7) mmol/L vs. (4.5 ± 0.8) mmol/L, (1.6 ± 0.4) mmol/L vs. (1.9 ± 0.6) mmol/L, (21.8 ± 7.2) mmol/L vs. (29.7 ± 11.0) mmol/L, (359.8 ± 99.4) μmol/L vs. (429.4 ± 116.9) μmol/L, 242.2 (151.5, 398.3) ng/L vs. 281.7 (189.1, 487.2) ng/L and 36.1 (18.8, 54.0) months vs. 43.7 (28.8, 68.2) months, the diabetes rate, hemoglobin, platelet count, blood chloride, fasting blood glucose and mortality rate were significantly higher than those in low eGFR group: 20.0% (38/190) vs. 11.6% (22/190), (100.6 ± 18.2) g/L vs. (96.1 ± 20.0) g/L, (207.7 ± 72.6) × 10 9/L vs. (192.4 ± 65.6) × 10 9/L, (100.6 ± 4.1) mmol/L vs. (99.4 ± 4.7) mmol/L, (5.9 ± 2.3) mmol/L vs. (5.5 ± 1.9) mmol/L and 34.2% (65/190) vs. 24.7% (47/190), and there were statistical differences ( P<0.01 or< 0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis result showed that the all-cause mortality rate in high eGFR group was significantly higher than that in low eGFR group, and there was statistical difference (log-rank χ2 = 6.64, P<0.01). After adjusting for gender, age and confounding factors, multivariate Cox regression analysis result showed that elevated eGFR, increased mean corpuscular volume and elevated fasting blood glucose were independent risk factors for all-cause mortality in ESRD patients undergoing USPD ( HR = 1.14, 1.04 and 1.15; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.26, 1.01 to 1.08 and 1.03 to 1.29; P<0.01 or<0.05), while female was an independent protective factor ( HR = 0.59, 95% CI 0.38 to 0.92, P<0.05). Subgroup analysis result showed a consistent effect of eGFR on mortality in ESRD patients undergoing USPD. Conclusions:Higher initial eGFR in ESRD patients undergoing USPD is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality.

Purpose/Significance To investigate the effectiveness of experiential teaching in perinatal healthcare management contin-uing education.Method/Process The perinatal healthcare team of Peking Union Medical College Hospital holds a four-day experiential learning program for 30 maternity-related medical staffs from China.Through the self-administered experiential teaching questionnaire(ETQ)and satisfaction questionnaire,the researchers analyze the participants'post-teaching skill acquisition,clinical application abil-ity and educational needs,as well as their satisfaction with course content,course duration,teaching design,classroom atmosphere,and teaching format,which are quantified with Likert scale.Result/Conclusion The experiential teaching mode shows good teaching effects in perinatal healthcare management continuing education,and has higher application value.In the future,the researchers should combine it with theoretical teaching and carry out more comprehensive and structured periodic learning classes throughout the country,so as to im-prove both the theoretical foundation and practical ability of healthcare workers for better healthcare services for pregnant women.

Objective:To observe the effect of wrist-ankle acupuncture combined with electroacupuncture on neurological function and limb motor function in patients with ischemic stroke. Methods:A total of 106 eligible subjects were divided into a treatment group and a control group according to the random number table method,with 53 cases in each group.Patients in the control group were treated with conventional rehabilitation.The treatment group was treated with wrist-ankle acupuncture and electroacupuncture in addition to the treatment used in the control group.The National Institute of Heath stroke scale(NIHSS)score,Fugl-Meyer assessment scale score,Berg balance scale score,lower limb main nerve conduction velocity,and total response rate were compared between the two groups. Results:The total response rate of the treatment group was higher than that of the control group(P<0.05).After treatment,the NIHSS score,Fugl-Meyer assessment scale score,and Berg balance scale score of the two groups were improved compared with those before treatment(P<0.05),and the treatment group was significantly better than the control group(P<0.05).After treatment,only the conduction velocity of femoral nerve in the control group was better than that before treatment(P<0.05),and the conduction velocity of femoral nerve,tibial nerve,sural nerve,and common peroneal nerve in the treatment group was better than that before treatment(P<0.05),and was better than that in the control group(P<0.05). Conclusion:Wrist-ankle acupuncture and electroacupuncture combined with conventional rehabilitation therapy can significantly improve nerve and muscle function and the motor and living ability of patients with ischemic stroke,and its therapeutic effect is superior to that of conventional rehabilitation therapy alone.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between triglyceride glucos (TyG), C-reaction protein/albumin (CRP/Alb), 25-hydroxy vitamin D[25(OH)D] and the prognosis of patients with continous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD).Methods:A total of 220 CAPD patients in the Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University from January 2017 to March 2020 were prospectively selected and divided into death group and survival group according to the 6-month prognosis. The peritoneal urea clearance index (Kt/V urea), TyG, CRP/Alb, 25(OH)D were compared between the two groups. Logistic regression was used to analyze the prognostic factors of CAPD patients. The predictive value of TyG, CRP/Alb and 25(OH)D on the prognosis of CAPD patients was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results:After 3 months and 6 months of dialysis, the peritoneal Kt/V urea in the death group [(1.21±0.18)ml/(s·1.73 m 2), (1.02±0.14)ml/(s·1.73 m 2)] was significantly lower than that in the survival group [(1.57±0.40)ml/(s·1.73 m 2), (1.49±0.42)ml/(s·1.73 m 2)] (all P<0.05). After 3 months and 6 months of dialysis, the TyG [(8.79±0.86), (9.24±1.03)] and CRP/Alb [(4.98±0.94)×10 -4, (5.14±1.39)×10 -4] in the death group were higher than those in the survival group [(8.03±0.60), (7.26±0.93), (3.57±1.19)×10 -4, (3.07±0.88)×10 -4], while the 25(OH)D [(19.14±2.29)ng/ml, (17.79±3.17)ng/ml] was lower than that of survival group [(22.67±3.03)ng/ml, (24.31±2.51)ng/ml] (all P<0.05). TyG and CRP/Alb at 3 months and 6 months of dialysis were negatively correlated with Kt/V urea, while the 25(OH)D was positively correlated with Kt/V urea (all P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that Kt/Vurea, TyG, CRP/Alb and 25(OH)D were associated with prognosis in the two groups after 3 and 6 months of dialysis (all P<0.05). The AUC of TyG, CRP/Alb and 25(OH)D at 6 months of dialysis combined to predict the prognosis of CAPD patients was the highest, which was 0.911. Conclusions:TyG, CRP/Alb and 25(OH)D are associated with all-cause mortality in CAPD patients. High TyG and CRP/Alb and low 25(OH)D suggest a higher risk of all-cause mortality. Combined detection of all indicators can effectively predict the prognosis of CAPD, which is convenient for early clinical intervention.