ObjectiveThe malaria parasites remodel the host erythrocyte structure by exporting parasite proteins that interact with the membrane skeleton proteins of red blood cells (RBCs), facilitating their intracellular survival and pathogenicity. Skeleton-binding protein 1 (SBP1) is a conserved exported protein across Plasmodium species. In Plasmodium falciparum, SBP1 has been reported to interact with erythrocyte membrane skeleton proteins 4.1R and spectrin, while its contribution to erythrocyte remodeling and parasite virulence in Plasmodium berghei (Pb) remains unclear. This study aims to determine whether PbSBP1 associates with the host cytoskeletal protein 4.1R and to investigate its role in the remodeling of host RBCs and the pathogenicity of Plasmodium berghei. MethodsIn Plasmodium berghei, the relationship between PbSBP1 and the erythrocyte cytoskeletal protein 4.1R was examined using co-immunoprecipitation. A Pbsbp1 gene knockout mutant of Plasmodium berghei (Pbsbp1∆) was generated based on the principle of double crossover homologous recombination. The deformability of erythrocytes infected with Pbsbp1∆ parasites was assessed using microfluidic methods. Microchannels with an array of cylindrical pillars were used to detect modifications in infected RBC deformability. The infected RBCs were squashed between the rows and recovered between the columns and the transit velocity (μm/s) of infected RBCs travelling through the microchannel was recorded. The component of the erythrocyte membrane skeleton junctional complex, tropomodulin (TMOD), was fluorescently labeled, and the cytoskeletal network of infected erythrocytes was imaged using super-resolution stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) to analyze ultrastructural changes in the cytoskeleton of wild-type (WT) and Pbsbp1∆-infected erythrocytes. Actin-based junctional complexes were displayed as individual clusters by the labeled TMOD in the STORM images, and the cluster densities and distances between adjacent clusters of infected RBCs were calculated. Additionally, rodent malaria models (BALB/c mice) and experimental cerebral malaria models (C57BL/6 mice) were employed to monitor the growth of Pbsbp1∆ and WT parasites during the intraerythrocytic stage and their capacity to induce cerebral malaria in mice. ResultsPbSBP1 may participate in the remodeling of infected erythrocytes through direct or indirect interaction with the erythrocyte cytoskeletal protein 4.1R. Microfluidic assays revealed that the deformability of erythrocytes infected with Pbsbp1∆ parasites was significantly enhanced compared to those infected with WT parasites. STORM imaging further demonstrated that the ultrastructure of the erythrocyte cytoskeleton in Pbsbp1∆-infected cells was altered relative to that in WT-infected erythrocytes. The distances between nearest neighbors of clusters had a tendency to increase while the cluster densities were decreased in Pbsbp1∆-infected RBCs compared to WT-infected RBCs. Subsequent phenotypic analysis indicated that the growth rate of Pbsbp1∆ parasites during the intraerythrocytic stage was significantly slower than that of WT parasites, and their ability to induce cerebral malaria in mice was also attenuated. These findings suggest that PbSBP1 is involved in the remodeling of the erythrocyte membrane skeleton, likely through its direct or indirect interaction with protein 4.1R, thereby regulating the deformability of infected erythrocytes and influencing the pathogenicity of the blood-stage parasites. ConclusionThis study establishes a role for PbSBP1 in host erythrocyte remodeling and parasite virulence, providing new research strategies for the prevention and treatment of malaria.

Ultrasonic bone-cutting instruments have gained traction in open and minimally invasive spine surgery because of their selective bone-cutting capability while preserving adjacent soft-tissue structures. However, their use in uniportal endoscopic spine surgery has not been reported in the peer-reviewed literature. This technical note describes a uniportal endoscopic surgical technique that uses an ultrasonic osteotome for uniportal endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion (U-ELIF) and reports preliminary outcomes. Specifically, we describe the technical nuances of ultrasonic osteotome use in U-ELIF and evaluate its feasibility and safety, with an emphasis on minimizing complications.

Objective: To analyze the time-related factors influencing daily blood donation attendance at fixed donation sites in Nanjing and the heterogeneity among sites, and to provide evidence for optimizing site layout and operational management. Methods: Based on daily attendance data from 17 fixed donation sites in Nanjing for the full year of 2025, matched with contemporaneous meteorological and air quality data, a two-stage negative binomial generalized linear mixed model (NB-GLMM) was constructed. In the second stage, site-level static characteristics (number of scenic spots, daily operating hours, number of shopping malls, public transport stops, hospitals, universities, and residential buildings) were additionally incorporated. Model comparison was performed using Akaike information criterion (AIC). Significance of random effects was tested by likelihood ratio test, and site-specific random effects were extracted using empirical Bayes estimation. Robustness of the results was verified through residual diagnostics and multiple sensitivity analyses. Results: The first-stage model showed that rainfall was associated with lower attendance (IRR=0.943, P<0.001); holidays were associated with higher attendance (IRR=1.162, P<0.001); Saturdays and Sundays showed higher attendance than Mondays, with the strongest association on Sundays (IRR=1.195, P<0.001). Temperature exhibited a non-linear relationship (linear term P=0.051, quadratic term P=0.036). The joint results of the linear and quadratic terms for temperature suggested a nonlinear relationship between attendance and temperature. After introducing static characteristics in the second stage, the number of scenic spots (IRR=1.372, P=0.008) and daily operating hours (IRR=1.823, P<0.001) were found to be positively associated with attendance, while the numbers of shopping malls, public transport stops, hospitals, universities, and residential buildings showed no significant effects. Conclusion: Daily blood donation attendance at fixed sites in Nanjing is influenced by multiple factors including weather, day of the week, holidays, and site surroundings. Substantial heterogeneity exists among different sites; extended operating hours and more nearby scenic spots are associated with increased attendance.

Objective:To develop and assess a deep learning-based model for automatic segmentation of organs at risk (OARs) in postoperative brachytherapy for endometrial carcinoma (EC).Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on the computed tomography (CT) images of 108 EC patients who received high-dose-rate (HDR) 192Ir intracavitary vaginal-cuff brachytherapy (VCB) at the Peking University Third Hospital from November 2021 to October 2022. Then, the rectum, colon, small intestine, and bladder in these images were manually segmented. These patients were randomly divided into two groups using a random number table: 90 cases for training the 3D no-new-U-Net (nnU-Net) segmentation model and 18 cases for model testing. The precision and clinical applicability of the automatic segmentation model were assessed using geometric indexes including Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), Hausdorff distance (HD), and mean surface distance (MSD), as well as dose-volume parameters (DVPs) including the minimum dose to 0.1, 1.0, and 2.0 cm 3 of OARs that received the highest irradiation doses ( D0.1 cm 3, D1.0 cm 3, and D2.0 cm 3). Results:The 3D nnU-Net model yielded mean DSC values of 0.90, 0.85, 0.88, and 0.95, respectively for the segmentations of the rectum, colon, small bowel, and bladder, all of which were better than those of the 3D U-Net and V-Net models. The differences among the three models were statistically significant ( F = 21.78, 24.33, 36.00, 20.11, P < 0.001). The 3D nnU-Net exhibited statistically significant differences in HD values for the colon, small intestine, and bladder segmentations among the three method ( F = 17.33, 24.11, 6.33, P < 0.05). The 3D nnU-Net model yielded lower MSD values for the segmentations of all organs compared to the control model, with statistically significant differences ( F = 29.78, 27.11, 27.11, 14.78, P < 0.001). No statistically significant difference was found in all DVPs between the 3D nnU-Net model-based and manual segmentations ( P > 0.05). Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated great consistency between the 3D nnU-Net and manual segmentations. Conclusions:The 3D nnU-Net-based model exhibits high geometric accuracy and dosimetric consistency with manual segmentation of OARs in brachytherapy, holding potential to improve clinical efficiency.

Objective To investigate the impact of county-level"Unified ECG Network"construction on the treatment efficiency and clinical outcomes of patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI).Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of STEMI patients from Beichuan County and Yanting County in Mianyang City,and Jiange County in Guangyuan City,Sichuan Province,during the 18 months before(128 cases)and 18 months after(187 cases)the establishment of the"Unified ECG Network."Differences in demographic characteristics,treatment efficiency,therapeutic methods,and clinical outcomes between the two groups were compared.Results There was no statistically significant difference in general demographic characteristics between the two groups(all P＞0.05).Compared with the pre-construction group,the post-construction group showed significantly shorter times in initial ECG completion[5(3,7)min vs.6(4,8)min],initial ECG diagnosis[3(2,4)min vs.5(2,6)min],first medical contact to preliminary diagnosis[10(9,12)min vs.13(11,15)min],network hospital door-in-door-out time[21(19,23)min vs.26(23,30)min],and first medical contact to wire-crossing time[(94.82±11.87)min vs.(107.97±18.39)min](allP＜0.001).The proportion of patients bypassing the emergency department and coronary care unit significantly increased(64.17％vs.32.81％,P＜0.001).The proportion of patients undergoing emergency percutaneous coronary intervention significantly increased(72.73％vs.51.56％,P＜0.001),while the proportions of thrombolytic therapy and non-reperfusion therapy significantly decreased(both P＜0.05).Additionally,in-hospital mortality rate,Killip class≥Ⅱ proportion,incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events,and average length of hospital stay were all significantly reduced(all P＜0.05).There were no statistically significant differences among the three county-level chest pain centers in terms of major treatment efficiency,therapeutic strategies,or clinical outcomes(all P＞0.05).Conclusions The construction of the county-level"Unified ECG Network"can significantly improve the treatment efficiency of STEMI patients,optimize reperfusion therapy strategies,improve clinical outcomes,and demonstrate substantial clinical promotion value.

Objective:To analyze and predict the biological properties and function of Treponema pallidum OmpH protein by bioinformatics methods, purify the target protein, and prepare polyclonal antibodies. Methods:From January 2024 to February 2025, the research team from the Department of Clinical Laboratory at The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Traditional Chinese Medical College (Hunan Province Directly Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medical Hospital) conducted a study employing integrative approaches combining bioinformatics analysis with animal experimentation. During this investigation, the coding sequence of the T. pallidum outer membrane protein H (TpOmpH) was systematically retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database. And the bioinformatics tools, such as Protparam, Protscale,SignalP 6.0,NetNGlyc-1.0,TMHMM2.0,NetPhos-3.1,SOPMA,AlphaFold3,IEDB,STRING,C-immsim were used to analyze and predict the biological and immunological characteristics of TpOmpH protein. The full length of TpOmpH gene was synthesized and was cloned into the pET28a to construct the recombinant plasmid pET28a-TpOmpH. The the expression of target protein was induced by IPTG and was purified using affinity chromatography. The TpOmpH protein was used to immunize mice and the anti-serum was harvested, then the titer of antibody was detected. Results:TpOmpH is a hydrophobic outer membrane protein with a molecular weight of 19.7 kDa and strong stability. The TpOmpH protein is located outside the cell membrane and contains 11 serine, 4 threonine, and 1 tyrosine phosphorylation site, but no glycosylation sites. The 77.91% of the amino acids in TpOmpH protein are alpha helix, 8.72% are extended strand, 10.47% are random coils, and 2.91% are beta turns. The tertiary structure predicted by AlphaFold3 is in its optimal state. The TpOmpH protein has 4 CTL epitopes, 4 linear epitopes, and 5 spatial epitopes. The TpOmpH protein can interact with Tp92,MutS,SurA,TPANIC_0600 and other proteins which may be involved in Tp invasion. TpOmpH protein can induce an increase in B cell count, antibody content, Th cell count, NK cell count, as well as the expression of various cytokines. High purity TpOmpH protein was obtained through Ni 2+ affinity chromatography, which is consistent with the theoretical molecular weight. TpOmpH protein can induce mice to secrete polyclonal antibodies with antibody titers higher than 1∶10 000. Conclusion:TpOmpH protein is a hydrophobic protein located on the outer membrane of Tp, can induce mice to secrete high titer antibodies, which providing experimental basis for the pathogenesis of Tp and vaccine development.

Objective To investigate the anatomical characteristics and clinical efficacy of femoral tunnel reconstruction in arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament(ACL)reconstruction.Methods A total of 96 ACL tear patients treated at Guilin Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine from September 2018 to October 2023 were selected as subjects.All underwent autologous peroneus longus tendon(PLT)grafting through a posteromedial approach,with femoral tunnel creation using an axial angle of 45° combined with a sagittal angle≥60°.Graft length,diameter,and tunnel dimensions were recorded in operative measurements.Coronal angle,tilt angle,and tunnel exit position measurements were measured before and after surgery.Anterior tibial distance,along with changes in International Knee Documentation Committee(IKDC),Lysholm,and Tegner scores were compared between preoperative and final follow-up.Results The average anterior tibial distance decreased from preoperative(5.8±2.3)mm to postoperative(3.3±1.6)mm.The mean IKDC score increased from(45.3±6.8)points to(85.7±5.2)points,the mean Lysholm score rose from(52.1±7.4)points to(89.6±4.9)points,and the Tegner score improved from(2.3±0.6)points to(6.5±1.1)points,with statistically significant(P＜0.001).Conclusion Axial angle 45° combined with sagittal angle ≥60° drilling constructs femoral tunnels ≥ 36mm in length,which align with PLT grafting characteristics,can effectively restore patient's knee stability and motor function.

AIM:To explore the efficacy and safe-ty of fecal microbiota transplantation combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs)for malig-nant tumor patients with failed multi line anti-tu-mor treatment and concomitant cachexia,and to explore the changes in blood immunity and intesti-nal microbial environment in patients.METHODS:Five patients with malignant tumors who failed multi line anti-tumor treatment were enrolled and treated with ICIs combined with fecal microbiota transplantation.The efficacy was evaluated every 2-3 cycles,and adverse reactions were observed.Fe-cal 16srRNA gene sequencing and serum immuno-logical indicators were dynamically detected.RE-SULTS:Except for one patient who died 2.5 months after transplantation due to excessive tumor bur-den at enrollment,the overall survival of the re-maining four patients were extended(7.4,8.3,28.5,52.3 months).One patient with multiple intra-cranial metastases of lung adenocarcinoma signifi-cantly reduced the intracranial metastasis after in-testinal microbiota transplantation and almost dis-appeared.The serum IL-2,IL-10,TGF-β and other indicators of patients increased rapidly and then slowly decreased with the increase of transplanta-tion time,and finally were higher than before trans-plantation,with statistical differences.16srRNA gene sequencing analysis revealed significant differ-ences in the overall distribution of gut microbiota in patients after transplantation,gradually ap-proaching healthy transplant donors.All patients did not experience grade 2 or above adverse reac-tions,and the safety was good.CONCLUSION:For patients with malignant tumors,the combination of fecal microbiota transplantation and immuno-therapy may improve their quality of life,serum im-mune environment,and intestinal microbiota com-position,have a positive impact on survival progno-sis,and are safe and controllable,opening up new treatment methods for end-stage patients.

Objective To summarize the clinical and genetic characteristics of children with sodium taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide(NTCP)deficiency.Methods Clinical data of children with NTCP deficiency diagnosed and treated at the First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province from July 2022 to March 2025 were retrospectively analyzed.Results A total of 14 children were included(6 males,8 females),all with normal growth and development.Reasons for initial consultation included elevated serum bile acids in 7 cases,jaundice in 4 cases,cholestatic hepatitis in 1 case,and one case each of pneumonia and cow's milk protein allergy.At the first visit,all patients had elevated serum total bile acids beyond the normal range,with a mean of 152.5 μmol/L.Elevated alanine aminotransferase was observed in 1 case,elevated aspartate aminotransferase in 2 cases,and elevated total bilirubin in 10 cases.Genetic sequencing revealed that all children carried the homozygous SLC10A1 variant c.800C>T(p.Ser267Phe),classified as likely pathogenic.Conclusions NTCP deficiency often lacks obvious clinical symptoms and signs.Some children present with transient hyperbilirubinemia,cholestasis,or other liver function abnormalities.Persistent isolated elevation of serum bile acids warrants suspicion for this disease.Biallelic pathogenic variants in SLC10A1 constitute the basis for definitive diagnosis.There is no specific treatment for this disease,and management is mainly symptomatic.

Objective To explore the distribution patterns of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndromes in patients with metabolic syndrome caused by antipsychotic drugs.Methods A standardized TCM syndrome survey was performed to collect diagnostic information from 160 patients diagnosed with metabolic syndrome due to antipsychotic drug use.Subsequent frequency analysis,cluster analysis,and Bayesian network analysis were carried out.The syndrome pattern distribution was ultimately determined through relevant literatures and expert opinions.Results Five TCM syndromes were identified through frequency,cluster,and Bayesian network analyses.The most common syndrome was qi deficiency with phlegm-dampness(30％),followed by spleen deficiency with phlegm-Heat(23.75％),qi and yin deficiency Pattern(21.88％),yin deficiency with damp-heat(17.50％),and stomach fire hyperactivity pattern(6.88％).Conclusion The pathogenesis of antipsychotics-induced metabolic syndrome involves a complex interplay of deficiency and excess factors.The primary disease is mainly located at the spleen and stomach,with involvement of the liver,kidney,and heart.Pathogenic factors include qi deficiency,yin deficiency,dampness,heat,pathogenic fire,and phlegm.