OBJECTIVE To investigate the in vitro inhibitory mechanism of allicin against carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae(CRKP).METHODS The standard microbroth dilution method was employed to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC)of allicin against the experimental CRKP.Growth curve experiments were conducted to verify the relationship between allicin concentration and antibacterial action.RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)was performed on allicin-treated CRKP and a normal control group to explore the molecular mecha-nism of allicin inhibiting CRKP growth.RESULTS The MIC of allicin against CRKP was 140 mg/ml.A total of 1 775 differentially expressed genes were screened from the normal control group and the allicin-treated group,with 845 genes upregulated and 930 genes downregulated.The expression of bacterial phosphotransferase system(PTS)genes showed significant differences between the control group and the treated group(P＜0.05),and the expression levels of EIIA-EIID genes decreased(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION Based on the analysis of RNA-seq re-sults,it is found that allicin may inhibits the growth of CRKP by disrupting its sugar transport system,thereby affecting its biofilm formation.

Keratoconus(KC)is a blinding eye disease caused by a variety of factors, with its pathogenesis still not well understood. In recent years, it has been discovered that sex hormones and prolactin-induced protein(PIP)have a profound impact on the cornea, with more noticeable changes when there are abnormalities in their body content. It has been found that various sex hormone receptors are distributed in the cornea. Based on this, this article reviews a multitude of studies on how sex hormones and PIP affect the cornea, along with relevant clinical research. It has been observed that sex hormones and PIP also play a role in KC patients and influence the occurrence and progression of KC. Additionally, it has been noted that pregnant and lactating women may be more susceptible to KC. Sex hormones and PIP have the potential to become new diagnostic and therapeutic targets. This article not only provides new insights but also offers important references for clinical practice.

Keratoconus(KC)is a blinding eye disease caused by a variety of factors, with its pathogenesis still not well understood. In recent years, it has been discovered that sex hormones and prolactin-induced protein(PIP)have a profound impact on the cornea, with more noticeable changes when there are abnormalities in their body content. It has been found that various sex hormone receptors are distributed in the cornea. Based on this, this article reviews a multitude of studies on how sex hormones and PIP affect the cornea, along with relevant clinical research. It has been observed that sex hormones and PIP also play a role in KC patients and influence the occurrence and progression of KC. Additionally, it has been noted that pregnant and lactating women may be more susceptible to KC. Sex hormones and PIP have the potential to become new diagnostic and therapeutic targets. This article not only provides new insights but also offers important references for clinical practice.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the in vitro inhibitory mechanism of allicin against carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae(CRKP).METHODS The standard microbroth dilution method was employed to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC)of allicin against the experimental CRKP.Growth curve experiments were conducted to verify the relationship between allicin concentration and antibacterial action.RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)was performed on allicin-treated CRKP and a normal control group to explore the molecular mecha-nism of allicin inhibiting CRKP growth.RESULTS The MIC of allicin against CRKP was 140 mg/ml.A total of 1 775 differentially expressed genes were screened from the normal control group and the allicin-treated group,with 845 genes upregulated and 930 genes downregulated.The expression of bacterial phosphotransferase system(PTS)genes showed significant differences between the control group and the treated group(P＜0.05),and the expression levels of EIIA-EIID genes decreased(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION Based on the analysis of RNA-seq re-sults,it is found that allicin may inhibits the growth of CRKP by disrupting its sugar transport system,thereby affecting its biofilm formation.

Objective To evaluate the influence of the wearing position of dosimeters outside lead aprons on effective dose estimation for interventional radiology workers, analyze the differences between single and double dosimeter methods in effective dose estimation, and provide a reference for the personal dose monitoring of interventional radiology workers. Methods This study employed a combined approach of on-site monitoring and Monte Carlo simulation to evaluate the impact of the wearing position of dosimeters outside lead aprons on effective dose estimation, as well as the differences between effective doses measured using single and double dosimeters. Interventional radiology workers wore dosimeters at three positions: the neck outside the lead collar, the left chest outside the lead apron, and inside the lead apron. Effective doses were estimated using the single and double dosimeter methods specified in GBZ 128-2019 Specifications for individual monitoring of occupational external exposure, and the impact of different wearing positions on the estimation results was compared. Geant4 Monte Carlo simulations were used to model dose distributions at the neck outside the lead collar and at the left chest outside the lead apron for operators performing cardiovascular interventions under tube voltages of 70, 80, 90, and 100 kVp and exposure angles of posteroanterior (PA), anteroposterior (AP), and left anterior oblique 45° (LAO45°) positions. The study assessed the impact of dosimeter wearing position on effective dose estimation. Results Monte Carlo simulations demonstrated that neck doses consistently exceeded left chest doses across different tube voltages and exposure angles, with neck-to-chest dose ratios of 0.80-0.90. Under identical tube voltage conditions, AP showed the highest doses, followed by LAO45°, and PA demonstrated the lowest doses. The single and double dosimeter methods exhibited consistent patterns in effective dose estimation. Single dosimeter method generally yielded higher effective doses with relative deviations of 9.9% to 83%, though these deviations decreased under high tube voltages. Field monitoring data indicated that most interventional radiology workers maintained relative deviations between single and double dosimeter calculations below 6%, with neck-to-chest dose ratios of 0.95-1.1. The estimation patterns remained consistent across both methods, though single dosimeter method showed slightly higher results. Conclusion Under PA, AP, or LAO45°, the doses at the neck consistently exceeded those at the left chest. Therefore, when wearing lead protective equipment, the dosimeter should be properly positioned at the neck outside the lead collar to accurately reflect the radiation doses of surgeons. Some interventional radiology workers improperly positioned the dosimeter (intended at the neck outside the lead collar) at the left chest outside the lead apron, and this may result in an underestimation of the effective dose.

Objective:To observe and analyze the influencing factors for the prognosis of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drug treatment in patients with macular neovascularization (MNV) under 45 years old.Methods:A retrospective clinical case study. A total of 89 MNV patients with 96 eyes who were diagnosed and treated with anti-VEGF drugs in Department of Ophthalmology of The Second Hospital of Lanzhou University from January 2020 to January 2024 were included in the study. The ages of all patients were <45 years old. All patients underwent best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) examinations; 49 eyes underwent OCT angiography (OCTA) examination. The BCVA examination was carried out using the international standard visual acuity chart and was converted into the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) visual acuity for statistics. The macular foveal thickness (CMT) was measured using an OCT instrument. The size of the MNV lesion was measured using the software of the OCTA self-contained device. The affected eyes were given intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF drugs once, and then the drugs were administered as needed after evaluation. The follow-up time after treatment was ≥6 months. During the follow-up, relevant examinations were performed using the same equipment and methods as before treatment. The last follow-up was taken as the time point for efficacy evaluation. According to the OCT image characteristics of the MNV lesions, the affected eyes were divided into the fibrous scar group and the non-fibrous scar group, with 52 (54.16%, 52/96) and 44 (45.83%, 44/96) eyes respectively. Comparing the CMT and BCVA at the last follow-up with those at the baseline, the affected eyes were divided into the CMT reduction group, the CMT increase group, the BCVA improvement group and the BCVA reduction group, with 66 (68.75%, 66/96), 30 (31.25%, 30/96) eyes and 74 (77.08%, 74/96), 22 (22.92%, 22/96) eyes respectively. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for the comparison of non-normally distributed measurement data between groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the independent factors affecting the prognosis of MNV patients. Results:There were no statistically significant differences in the age ( Z=-0.928) and gender composition ratio ( χ2= 0.123) between the fibrous scar group and the non-fibrous scar group ( P>0.05); there were statistically significant differences in the number of eyes with a follow-up time of ≥36 months and <36 months ( χ2= 3.906, P=0.048); there were statistically significant differences in the size of the MNV lesions ( Z=-2.385, P=0.017); there were statistically significant differences in the number of eyes with different vascular network morphologies ( χ2=12.936, P=0.001). Before treatment and at the last follow-up, the CMT of the affected eyes was 267.50 (237.25, 311.75) μm and 242.00 (217.25, 275.75) μm respectively; logMAR BCVA was 0.20 (0.10, 0.50) and 0.35 (0.16, 0.60) logMAR respectively. There were statistically significant differences in the CMT and logMAR BCVA before treatment and at the last follow-up ( Z=-3.311, -1.984; P=0.001, 0.047). There were statistically significant differences in different ages ( Z=-2.284), myopic diopter ( χ2=7.437), etiology ( χ2=6.956), and disease course ( Z=-1.687) between the CMT reduction group and the CMT increase group ( P<0.05). There were statistically significant differences in the number of eyes with different subjective feelings between the BCVA improvement group and the BCVA reduction group ( χ2=10.133, P<0.05). The results of logistic regression analysis showed that the etiology was an independent risk factor for CMT thickening. Conclusions:Age, etiology, myopic diopter, disease course, follow-up time, lesion size and the morphology of the neovascular network are the influencing factors for the prognosis of anti-VEGF drug treatment in MNV patients under 45 years old. The etiology is an independent risk factor for CMT increase.

Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a disease in which apnea and hypopnea occur during sleep, and the main symptoms are sleep snoring. OSAHS is not only closely related to the occurrence of various eye diseases, but also the severity of OSAHS can affect the progression of related eye diseases. At present, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is an effective means to treat OSAHS, and the progression of related eye diseases has been improved correspondingly after CPAP treatment. In the future, it is necessary to further study the pathogenesis of OSAHS and enrich the research evidence of the association between OSAHS and eye diseases, so as to provide more comprehensive theoretical evidence for the prevention and treatment of OSAHS-related eye diseases.

Objective:To observe and analyze the influencing factors for the prognosis of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drug treatment in patients with macular neovascularization (MNV) under 45 years old.Methods:A retrospective clinical case study. A total of 89 MNV patients with 96 eyes who were diagnosed and treated with anti-VEGF drugs in Department of Ophthalmology of The Second Hospital of Lanzhou University from January 2020 to January 2024 were included in the study. The ages of all patients were <45 years old. All patients underwent best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) examinations; 49 eyes underwent OCT angiography (OCTA) examination. The BCVA examination was carried out using the international standard visual acuity chart and was converted into the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) visual acuity for statistics. The macular foveal thickness (CMT) was measured using an OCT instrument. The size of the MNV lesion was measured using the software of the OCTA self-contained device. The affected eyes were given intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF drugs once, and then the drugs were administered as needed after evaluation. The follow-up time after treatment was ≥6 months. During the follow-up, relevant examinations were performed using the same equipment and methods as before treatment. The last follow-up was taken as the time point for efficacy evaluation. According to the OCT image characteristics of the MNV lesions, the affected eyes were divided into the fibrous scar group and the non-fibrous scar group, with 52 (54.16%, 52/96) and 44 (45.83%, 44/96) eyes respectively. Comparing the CMT and BCVA at the last follow-up with those at the baseline, the affected eyes were divided into the CMT reduction group, the CMT increase group, the BCVA improvement group and the BCVA reduction group, with 66 (68.75%, 66/96), 30 (31.25%, 30/96) eyes and 74 (77.08%, 74/96), 22 (22.92%, 22/96) eyes respectively. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for the comparison of non-normally distributed measurement data between groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the independent factors affecting the prognosis of MNV patients. Results:There were no statistically significant differences in the age ( Z=-0.928) and gender composition ratio ( χ2= 0.123) between the fibrous scar group and the non-fibrous scar group ( P>0.05); there were statistically significant differences in the number of eyes with a follow-up time of ≥36 months and <36 months ( χ2= 3.906, P=0.048); there were statistically significant differences in the size of the MNV lesions ( Z=-2.385, P=0.017); there were statistically significant differences in the number of eyes with different vascular network morphologies ( χ2=12.936, P=0.001). Before treatment and at the last follow-up, the CMT of the affected eyes was 267.50 (237.25, 311.75) μm and 242.00 (217.25, 275.75) μm respectively; logMAR BCVA was 0.20 (0.10, 0.50) and 0.35 (0.16, 0.60) logMAR respectively. There were statistically significant differences in the CMT and logMAR BCVA before treatment and at the last follow-up ( Z=-3.311, -1.984; P=0.001, 0.047). There were statistically significant differences in different ages ( Z=-2.284), myopic diopter ( χ2=7.437), etiology ( χ2=6.956), and disease course ( Z=-1.687) between the CMT reduction group and the CMT increase group ( P<0.05). There were statistically significant differences in the number of eyes with different subjective feelings between the BCVA improvement group and the BCVA reduction group ( χ2=10.133, P<0.05). The results of logistic regression analysis showed that the etiology was an independent risk factor for CMT thickening. Conclusions:Age, etiology, myopic diopter, disease course, follow-up time, lesion size and the morphology of the neovascular network are the influencing factors for the prognosis of anti-VEGF drug treatment in MNV patients under 45 years old. The etiology is an independent risk factor for CMT increase.

Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a disease in which apnea and hypopnea occur during sleep, and the main symptoms are sleep snoring. OSAHS is not only closely related to the occurrence of various eye diseases, but also the severity of OSAHS can affect the progression of related eye diseases. At present, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is an effective means to treat OSAHS, and the progression of related eye diseases has been improved correspondingly after CPAP treatment. In the future, it is necessary to further study the pathogenesis of OSAHS and enrich the research evidence of the association between OSAHS and eye diseases, so as to provide more comprehensive theoretical evidence for the prevention and treatment of OSAHS-related eye diseases.

Objective:To explore the relationship between blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio and frailty in the elderly aged ≥65 years in 8 longevity areas in China.Methods:Participants were recruited from the Healthy Aging and Biomarkers Cohort Study. Based on baseline information about blood urea nitrogen and risk for frailty obtained at follow-up of the participants, blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio was classified according to quintiles, Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to analyze the association between blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio and frailty.Results:A total of 1 562 participants aged (81.0±17.0) years were included, in whom 814 (52.1%) were men, and 258 frailty events occurred during a mean follow-up of (3.73±1.43) years. Cox proportional hazards model showed that after adjusting for relevant confounders, compared with the participants in the lowest quintile group ( Q1), the risk for frailty decreased by 36%, 44%, and 40% in the participants in the third quintile group ( Q3), the fourth quintile group ( Q4) and the highest quintile group ( Q5) respectively [hazard ratio ( HR)=0.64, 95% CI: 0.43-0.94; HR=0.56, 95% CI: 0.38-0.84; HR=0.60, 95% CI: 0.41-0.88]. The risk for frailty decreased by 20% for every unit standard deviation increase in blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio ( HR=0.80, 95% CI: 0.70-0.91). Moreover, blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio and the risk for frailty showed a nearly linear dose-response relationship. Conclusions:The increase in blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio was associated with higher risk for frailty. Maintaining high blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio is important for the prevention of frailty in the elderly.