Objective:To construct a thyroid nodule segmentation model using ultrasound dynamic images and explore its potential for assisting in the screening of thyroid nodules.Methods:A total of 126 patients with thyroid nodules（comprising 150 nodules）who were diagnosed and treated at Xuzhou Cancer Hospital from April 2024 to December 2024 were prospectively enrolled. Two-dimensional ultrasound was performed to capture short-axis and long-axis video images of thyroid nodules，forming a dynamic ultrasound image dataset. The dataset was divided into training，validation，and test sets in a ratio of 6∶1∶3. After the training loss curve converged，the model that performed well on the validation set was selected for testing. Three-fold cross-validation was employed for training and testing. All 300 ultrasound videos were divided into three subsets. In each experiment，two subsets were used as the training set，and one subset was used as the test set to evaluate the model's generalization ability. A collaborative spatiotemporal diffusion model was established based on the dynamic trends and tissue texture details of thyroid nodules. Six widely used segmentation metrics were employed to evaluate the model's application capabilities.Results:The study included 126 patients with 150 thyroid nodules，300 dynamic ultrasound images，and video lengths of 3-4 seconds per nodule，resulting in 12 312 segmented images. The size of the thyroid nodules was（10.7 ± 10.6）mm（transverse diameter）×（8.4 ± 6.3）mm（anteroposterior diameter）. Among the nodules，62（41.3%）had clear boundaries，while 88（58.7%）had indistinct boundaries；61（40.7%）exhibited regular shapes，while 89（59.3%）were irregular；66（44.0%）had a taller-than-wide aspect ratio；and 70（46.7%）showed microcalcifications. The collaborative diffusion model based on dynamic ultrasound image segmentation achieved the following scores：a Jaccard score of（69.22 ± 0.03）%，a Dice score of（79.16 ± 0.18）%，a Precision score of（86.70 ± 0.17）%，a Recall score of（77.82 ± 0.04）%，an Sα score of（85.26 ± 0.01）%，and an Eθmn score of（90.58 ± 0.17）%. Compared to other models，this model demonstrated significant improvements across all evaluation metrics，achieving the highest values in each metric with increments of over 8% and 1%，respectively. Conclusions:The collaborative diffusion model with a dynamic controller，constructed based on dynamic ultrasound images of thyroid nodules，demonstrates excellent performance in ultrasound image segmentation. It improves the accuracy of thyroid nodule screening，thereby providing a valuable auxiliary diagnostic tool for clinical practice.

Objective To analyze the distribution and drug resistance patterns of pathogenic bacteria in bile and blood cultures obtained from patients with biliary stones accompanied by acute biliary tract infection,to evaluate the clinical appropriate-ness of antibiotic use based on drug sensitivity results,and to provide evidence for empirical antibiotic treatment in such patients.Methods The clinical data of 161 patients with biliary calculi complicated by acute biliary tract infection who were admitted to the First People's Hospital of Neijiang from 2017 to 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.The results of microbial culture,drug sensitivity analysis,and patient characteristics were assessed to evaluate the appropriateness of clinical antimicrobial therapy.Results Among the 161 patients with positive cultures,212 strains of pathogenic bacteria were detected.The predominant patho-gens were Escherichia coli,Klebsiella pneumoniae subspecies,and Enterococcus faecium.Age and underlying diseases significantly affected the distribution of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae subspecies.Within the gram-negative bacterial group,Esche-richia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae subspecies exhibited higher drug resistance to commonly used broad-spectrum penicillin,third-generation cephalosporin and quinolones but lower resistance rates to piperacillin and tazobactam;furthermore,elderly indi-viduals aged ≥65 years showed higher resistance rates to ceftriaxone than those under age 65 while people with drug exposure history had higher ceftazidime resistance rates that were statistically significant.In contrast to Enterococcus faecalis which displayed low antimicrobial resistance rates for most drugs tested in this study,Enterococcus faecium demonstrated high levels of antibiotic resistance;however,both Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium exhibited zero-resistance rates against vancomycin and tigecycline although this may be attributed to their small sample size in our study cohort.Finally,we found that empirical anti-in-fective drugs,as well as target anti-infective drugs,were not prescribed rationally among these patients due mainly to inappropriate combinations of antibiotics or incorrect dosages.Conclusions The predominant pathogens in patients with acute biliary tract infection are gram-negative bacteria,Gram-positive bacteria,and fungi;however,the potential involvement of anaerobic bacteria should not be overlooked.Vancomycin exhibits sensitivity against gram-positive bacteria,yet the overall rationality of antibiotic usage remains suboptimal.Enhanced clinical testing for pathogenic microorganisms is imperative in the management of biliary stones accompanied by acute biliary tract infection.In contrast,clinical pharmacists should provide comprehensive training on anti-infective drugs to clinicians to facilitate their judicious selection of antibiotics based on drug sensitivity results and prevent the e-mergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Objective:To summarize the tools and applications of functionality appreciation assessment.Methods:A computerized search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, VIP, and China Biology Medicine disc for literature related to functionality appreciation assessment tools and their applications, with the time frame from database inception to May 12, 2024.Results:A total of 26 articles were included. Functionality appreciation was found to be associated with demographic, physiological, psychological, and social health factors. Functionality appreciation assessment tools demonstrated good psychometric properties across different cultural backgrounds and populations.Conclusions:Functionality appreciation exerts multidimensional benefits on physical and psychological health. However, the available functionality appreciation assessment tools are limited in variety. Future research should further explore the applicability of these tools in different populations in China.

Objective:To summarize the tools and applications of functionality appreciation assessment.Methods:A computerized search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, VIP, and China Biology Medicine disc for literature related to functionality appreciation assessment tools and their applications, with the time frame from database inception to May 12, 2024.Results:A total of 26 articles were included. Functionality appreciation was found to be associated with demographic, physiological, psychological, and social health factors. Functionality appreciation assessment tools demonstrated good psychometric properties across different cultural backgrounds and populations.Conclusions:Functionality appreciation exerts multidimensional benefits on physical and psychological health. However, the available functionality appreciation assessment tools are limited in variety. Future research should further explore the applicability of these tools in different populations in China.

Objective To analyze the distribution and drug resistance patterns of pathogenic bacteria in bile and blood cultures obtained from patients with biliary stones accompanied by acute biliary tract infection,to evaluate the clinical appropriate-ness of antibiotic use based on drug sensitivity results,and to provide evidence for empirical antibiotic treatment in such patients.Methods The clinical data of 161 patients with biliary calculi complicated by acute biliary tract infection who were admitted to the First People's Hospital of Neijiang from 2017 to 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.The results of microbial culture,drug sensitivity analysis,and patient characteristics were assessed to evaluate the appropriateness of clinical antimicrobial therapy.Results Among the 161 patients with positive cultures,212 strains of pathogenic bacteria were detected.The predominant patho-gens were Escherichia coli,Klebsiella pneumoniae subspecies,and Enterococcus faecium.Age and underlying diseases significantly affected the distribution of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae subspecies.Within the gram-negative bacterial group,Esche-richia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae subspecies exhibited higher drug resistance to commonly used broad-spectrum penicillin,third-generation cephalosporin and quinolones but lower resistance rates to piperacillin and tazobactam;furthermore,elderly indi-viduals aged ≥65 years showed higher resistance rates to ceftriaxone than those under age 65 while people with drug exposure history had higher ceftazidime resistance rates that were statistically significant.In contrast to Enterococcus faecalis which displayed low antimicrobial resistance rates for most drugs tested in this study,Enterococcus faecium demonstrated high levels of antibiotic resistance;however,both Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium exhibited zero-resistance rates against vancomycin and tigecycline although this may be attributed to their small sample size in our study cohort.Finally,we found that empirical anti-in-fective drugs,as well as target anti-infective drugs,were not prescribed rationally among these patients due mainly to inappropriate combinations of antibiotics or incorrect dosages.Conclusions The predominant pathogens in patients with acute biliary tract infection are gram-negative bacteria,Gram-positive bacteria,and fungi;however,the potential involvement of anaerobic bacteria should not be overlooked.Vancomycin exhibits sensitivity against gram-positive bacteria,yet the overall rationality of antibiotic usage remains suboptimal.Enhanced clinical testing for pathogenic microorganisms is imperative in the management of biliary stones accompanied by acute biliary tract infection.In contrast,clinical pharmacists should provide comprehensive training on anti-infective drugs to clinicians to facilitate their judicious selection of antibiotics based on drug sensitivity results and prevent the e-mergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Objective:To construct a thyroid nodule segmentation model using ultrasound dynamic images and explore its potential for assisting in the screening of thyroid nodules.Methods:A total of 126 patients with thyroid nodules（comprising 150 nodules）who were diagnosed and treated at Xuzhou Cancer Hospital from April 2024 to December 2024 were prospectively enrolled. Two-dimensional ultrasound was performed to capture short-axis and long-axis video images of thyroid nodules，forming a dynamic ultrasound image dataset. The dataset was divided into training，validation，and test sets in a ratio of 6∶1∶3. After the training loss curve converged，the model that performed well on the validation set was selected for testing. Three-fold cross-validation was employed for training and testing. All 300 ultrasound videos were divided into three subsets. In each experiment，two subsets were used as the training set，and one subset was used as the test set to evaluate the model's generalization ability. A collaborative spatiotemporal diffusion model was established based on the dynamic trends and tissue texture details of thyroid nodules. Six widely used segmentation metrics were employed to evaluate the model's application capabilities.Results:The study included 126 patients with 150 thyroid nodules，300 dynamic ultrasound images，and video lengths of 3-4 seconds per nodule，resulting in 12 312 segmented images. The size of the thyroid nodules was（10.7 ± 10.6）mm（transverse diameter）×（8.4 ± 6.3）mm（anteroposterior diameter）. Among the nodules，62（41.3%）had clear boundaries，while 88（58.7%）had indistinct boundaries；61（40.7%）exhibited regular shapes，while 89（59.3%）were irregular；66（44.0%）had a taller-than-wide aspect ratio；and 70（46.7%）showed microcalcifications. The collaborative diffusion model based on dynamic ultrasound image segmentation achieved the following scores：a Jaccard score of（69.22 ± 0.03）%，a Dice score of（79.16 ± 0.18）%，a Precision score of（86.70 ± 0.17）%，a Recall score of（77.82 ± 0.04）%，an Sα score of（85.26 ± 0.01）%，and an Eθmn score of（90.58 ± 0.17）%. Compared to other models，this model demonstrated significant improvements across all evaluation metrics，achieving the highest values in each metric with increments of over 8% and 1%，respectively. Conclusions:The collaborative diffusion model with a dynamic controller，constructed based on dynamic ultrasound images of thyroid nodules，demonstrates excellent performance in ultrasound image segmentation. It improves the accuracy of thyroid nodule screening，thereby providing a valuable auxiliary diagnostic tool for clinical practice.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of Sushen Jiubao decoction in the treatment of acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma and its effect on Th1/Th2 factors.Methods Ninety-eight patients with acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma treated in Sishengbianji Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Zhejiang Chinese Medical University from February 2022 to May 2023 were selected and divided into treatment group and control group according to random number table method,with 49 cases in each group.The control group was given conventional treatment such as oxygen inhalation and atomization,and the treatment group was additionally treated with Sushen Jiubao decoctionon based on the treatment of control group.The clinical efficacy,TCM syndrome score,pulmonary function indicators[forced expiratory volume in first second(FEV1),peak expiratory flow(PEF)],and laboratory indicators[interleukin(IL)-4,IL-13,interferon-γ(IFN-γ),immunoglobulin E(IgE)].Results The total effective rate of treatment group was significantly higher than that of control group(χ2=9.287,P=0.010).After treatment,the TCM syndrome scores,serum IL-4,IL-13 and IgE levels of two groups were significantly lower than before treatment,and FEV1,PEF and IFN-γ were significantly higher than before treatment(P<0.05).The TCM syndrome score,serum IL-4,IL-13 and IgE levels in treatment group were significantly lower than those in control group,and FEV1,PEF and IFN-γ were significantly higher than those in control group(P<0.05).Conclusion Sushen Jiubao decoction can significantly improve clinical efficacy,reduce the level of inflammatory factors,and improve pulmonary function in the treatment of acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma.

"Biochemical Engineering Experiment" is a compulsory curriculum for the concentrated practical teaching of biotechnology majors in Hunan University of Science and Engineering. It is also an experimental curriculum for improving the overall quality of bioengineering students under the context of "Emerging Engineering Education". The course includes comprehensive experiments and designable experiments, and the contents of which are designed by combining the local characteristic resources of Yongzhou, the research platform and the characteristics of the talents with engineering background. In the teaching practice, methods such as heuristic teaching, research cases-embedded teaching and interactive teaching are comprehensively used to boost students' interest in learning and stimulate their innovative thinking and application capability. Through curriculum examination and post-class investigation, it was found that the students' abilities of knowledge transfer and application were significantly improved, and they achieved excellent performances in discipline competitions and approved project proposals. The practice and continuous improvement of this course may facilitate fostering high-level innovative and application-oriented talents of biotechnology majors.
Humans ; Curriculum ; Students ; Learning ; Bioengineering ; Biomedical Engineering

Objective:To explore the risk factors for depression in patients with cognitive impairment and construct a prediction model to preliminarily validate the predictive performance of the model, aiming to provide medical and nursing staff with a screening tool for high-risk groups.Methods:From January 2020 to December 2021, convenience sampling was used to select 1 130 patients with cognitive impairment admitted to the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University as the research subject. The research subjects were divided into a modeling group ( n=791) and a validation group ( n=339) at a ratio of 7∶3. The influencing factors of depression in patients with cognitive impairment were determined using binomial Logistic regression and a risk prediction model was established. The predictive performance of the prediction model was tested using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results:The incidence of depression in 1 130 patients with cognitive impairment was 51.3% (580/1 130). Binomial Logistic regression analysis showed that the influencing factors for depression in patients included age, Activities of Daily Living Scale score, Hamilton Anxiety Scale score, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score, and Lewy Body Composite Risk score ( P<0.05). In the modeling group, the area under the ROC curve was 0.921, the Youden index was 0.716, the sensitivity was 0.834, the specificity was 0.882, and the prediction accuracy was 0.858. In the validation group, the area under the ROC curve was 0.896, the Youden index was 0.651, the sensitivity was 0.824, the specificity was 0.827, and the prediction accuracy was 0.825. Conclusions:The depression risk prediction model can effectively predict the risk of depression in patients with cognitive impairment, and can provide a screening tool for high-risk groups for medical and nursing staff.

Conjunctival melanoma (CM) is a rare and fatal malignant eye tumor. In this study, we deciphered a novel anti-CM mechanism of a natural tetracyclic compound named as cucurbitacin B (CuB). We found that CuB remarkably inhibited the proliferation of CM cells including CM-AS16, CRMM1, CRMM2 and CM2005.1, without toxicity to normal cells. CuB can also induce CM cells G2/M cell cycle arrest. RNA-seq screening identified KIF20A, a key downstream effector of FOXM1 pathway, was abolished by CuB treatment. Further target identification by activity-based protein profiling chemoproteomic approach revealed that GRP78 is a potential target of CuB. Several lines of evidence demonstrated that CuB interacted with GRP78 and bound with a K _d value of 0.11 μmol/L. Furthermore, ATPase activity evaluation showed that CuB suppressed GRP78 both in human recombinant GRP78 protein and cellular lysates. Knockdown of the GRP78 gene significantly induced the downregulation of FOXM1 and related pathway proteins including KIF20A, underlying an interesting therapeutic perspective. Finally, CuB significantly inhibited tumor progression in NCG mice without causing obvious side effects in vivo. Taken together, our current work proved that GRP78-FOXM1-KIF20A as a promising pathway for CM therapy, and the traditional medicine CuB as a candidate drug to hinder this pathway.