Objective To investigate the clinical significance of serum B cell activating factor(BAFF)and complement lytic factor Bb in patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy(IMN),as well as their correlation with the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio(UACR).Methods A total of 204 IMN patients were enrolled as the study group,and 100 healthy individuals undergoing physical examinations during the same period served as the control group.Serum levels of BAFF,Bb,and UACR were measured and compared between the two groups.Pearson correlation analysis was performed to assess the associations among serum BAFF,Bb,and UACR.The patients in the study group were followed up for 12 months and stratified into a favorable prognosis group and a poor prognosis group(defined as no remission)based on disease remission status.Demographic and clinical characteristics,as well as serum BAFF and Bb levels,were compared between the two outcome groups.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify independent predictors of poor prognosis in IMN patients.Receiver operating char-acteristic(ROC)curve analysis was employed to evaluate the predictive value of these indicators for poor prognosis.Results The levels of BAFF,Bb,and UACR in the research group were significantly higher than those in the con-trol group(P<0.05).Pearson correlation analysis revealed that both BAFF and Bb were positively correlated with UACR(r=0.716 and 0.543,respectively;P<0.05).After one year of follow-up,a total of 200 patients completed the study,among whom 46 experienced poor prognosis.Based on the follow-up outcomes,patients were categorized into a poor prognosis group(n=46)and a good prognosis group(n=154).The poor prognosis group exhibited significantly higher levels of serum creatinine,24-hour urinary protein,BAFF,and Bb,as well as lower eGFR values,compared to the good prognosis group(P<0.05).Multivariate regression analysis identified 24-hour urinary protein,BAFF,and Bb as independent risk factors for poor prognosis in patients with IMN,whereas eGFR was identified as a protective factor(P<0.05).ROC curve analysis demonstrated that the combined assessment of 24-hour urinary protein,eGFR,BAFF,and Bb yielded a higher AUC value for predicting poor prognosis in IMN patients than any single indicator alone(Z=4.145,3.908,4.308,3.864;P<0.05).Conclusions The serum levels of BAFF and Bb in patients with IMN are significantly elevated and positively correlated with the UACR.The combi-nation of 24-hour urinary protein excretion and eGFR demonstrates high predictive value for poor prognosis in these patients.These findings suggest that BAFF and Bb may serve as potential biomarkers for prognostic assessment in IMN,and the integrated measurement of multiple parameters could provide a more comprehensive clinical basis for disease management.

Objective To investigate the temporal and spatial relationship between autophagosome formation during spermatid deformation and lipid droplet distribution in seminiferous tubules,thereby providing insights into the en-ergy sources underlying spermiogenesis.Methods Healthy adult wild-type male mice were used in this study.The expression profile of the autophagy marker microtubule-associated protein light chain 3(LC3)in the testis was ex-amined using immunohistochemical staining and Western blot.The ultrastructural features of autophagosomes were observed via transmission electron microscopy.Lipid droplets in the seminiferous tubules were visualized by Oil Red O staining,and the relationship between lipid metabolism and energy dynamics was assessed by measuring ATP content and ATPase activity.Results Autophagosomes were detected in deforming spermatids and Sertoli cells.LC3 was predominantly expressed in the cytoplasm of elongating spermatids,with increasing levels found from stages Ⅱ to Ⅳ.Concurrently,lipid droplets within these cells also increased,peaking in spermatids and residual bodies during stagesⅦ-Ⅷ,followed by a decline.In contrast,lipid droplets in Sertoli cells remained markedly in-creased during stages Ⅸ-Ⅰ and low during stages Ⅱ-Ⅷ.The change of ATP levels in the seminiferous tubules showed a similar pattern as Sertoli cell lipid content,whereas ATPase activity showed an inverse trend.All these changes displayed a clear stage-dependent manner.Conclusions During spermatid elongation in mice LC3 expres-sion,autophagosome formation,lipid droplet accumulation in both spermatozoa and Sertoli cells,as well as ATP and ATPase levels in seminiferous tubules exhibit a tightly coordinated spatiotemporal relationship.These findings suggest that autophagy and lipid metabolism synergistically contribute to the energy supply required for the extensive cellular remodeling that occurs during spermiogenesis.

Objective To investigate the clinical significance of serum B cell activating factor(BAFF)and complement lytic factor Bb in patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy(IMN),as well as their correlation with the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio(UACR).Methods A total of 204 IMN patients were enrolled as the study group,and 100 healthy individuals undergoing physical examinations during the same period served as the control group.Serum levels of BAFF,Bb,and UACR were measured and compared between the two groups.Pearson correlation analysis was performed to assess the associations among serum BAFF,Bb,and UACR.The patients in the study group were followed up for 12 months and stratified into a favorable prognosis group and a poor prognosis group(defined as no remission)based on disease remission status.Demographic and clinical characteristics,as well as serum BAFF and Bb levels,were compared between the two outcome groups.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify independent predictors of poor prognosis in IMN patients.Receiver operating char-acteristic(ROC)curve analysis was employed to evaluate the predictive value of these indicators for poor prognosis.Results The levels of BAFF,Bb,and UACR in the research group were significantly higher than those in the con-trol group(P<0.05).Pearson correlation analysis revealed that both BAFF and Bb were positively correlated with UACR(r=0.716 and 0.543,respectively;P<0.05).After one year of follow-up,a total of 200 patients completed the study,among whom 46 experienced poor prognosis.Based on the follow-up outcomes,patients were categorized into a poor prognosis group(n=46)and a good prognosis group(n=154).The poor prognosis group exhibited significantly higher levels of serum creatinine,24-hour urinary protein,BAFF,and Bb,as well as lower eGFR values,compared to the good prognosis group(P<0.05).Multivariate regression analysis identified 24-hour urinary protein,BAFF,and Bb as independent risk factors for poor prognosis in patients with IMN,whereas eGFR was identified as a protective factor(P<0.05).ROC curve analysis demonstrated that the combined assessment of 24-hour urinary protein,eGFR,BAFF,and Bb yielded a higher AUC value for predicting poor prognosis in IMN patients than any single indicator alone(Z=4.145,3.908,4.308,3.864;P<0.05).Conclusions The serum levels of BAFF and Bb in patients with IMN are significantly elevated and positively correlated with the UACR.The combi-nation of 24-hour urinary protein excretion and eGFR demonstrates high predictive value for poor prognosis in these patients.These findings suggest that BAFF and Bb may serve as potential biomarkers for prognostic assessment in IMN,and the integrated measurement of multiple parameters could provide a more comprehensive clinical basis for disease management.

OBJECTIVE To explore the diagnostic value of combined detection of droplet digital polymerase chain reaction(ddPCR),C-reactive protein(CRP),procalcitonin(PCT)and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR)for bacterial bloodstream infections.METHODS Patients with suspected bloodstream infections admitted to Jiangbin Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from Jan.2023 to Jun.2024 were selected as the study subjects,with a total of 993 specimens from 543 patients included.Based on ddPCR and blood culture(BC)results,the pa-tients were divided into BC+and/or ddPCR+group(424 specimens)and ddPCR-/BC-group(569 specimens).The bacterial species detected by ddPCR were further classified into single infection group(258 speci-mens),mixed infection group(160 specimens)and ddPCR-group(575 specimens).The levels of CRP,PCT and NLR were compared among the groups.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of ddPCR,CRP,PCT and NLR separately and in combination for bacterial bloodstream in-fections.RESULTS The levels of CRP,PCT and NLR in the BC+and/or ddPCR+group were 71.61(37.00,108.81)mg/L,1.74(0.47,7.93)ng/ml and 9.82(5.53,18.07),respectively,which were higher than those in the ddPCR-/BC-group(P＜0.001).I n the ddPCR mixed infection group,the levels of CRP and PCT were 88.02(42.90,112.39)mg/L and 2.83(0.89,12.35)ng/ml,respectively,which were higher than those in the single infection group(P＜0.05).The qualitative results of ddPCR were better at predicting bloodstream infec-tions(OR=15.279,95％CI:6.525～35.776,P＜0.001).According to ROC curve analysis,ddPCR had the lar-gest area under the curve(AUC)among the single detection indicator(0.759),followed by PCT(0.732).The AUC for the combination of ddPCR qualitative results with CRP,PCT and NLR was 0.830,indicating that the di-agnostic performance of the combined detection was better than that of any single indicator.CONCLUSIONS The combination of ddPCR with PCT,CRP and NLR can improve the accuracy of diagnosing bacterial bloodstream in-fections.Compared with BC,ddPCR has higher sensitivity and can quickly identify the types and concentrations of pathogens in bloodstream infections.

Objective Based on the general belief that the tongue characteristics of blood stasis constitution is"purple tongue,tortuous sublingual vessels",this study systematically summarized blood stasis tongue characteristics using artificial intelligence image processing combined with expert evaluation.Methods A physical questionnaire survey was conducted on 1275 college students,and 100 cases were randomly selected from the blood stasis constitution group and the mild constitution group.After collecting the tongue images,Unet,OpenCV,YOLOv5 and YOLOv8 algorithms combined with expert evaluation method were used to extract and analyze the tongue features of the two groups.By comparing the differences of tongue image characteristics between the blood stasis constitution group and the mild constitution group,the tongue characteristics of blood stasis constitution were systematically summarized.Results Compared with the mild constitution group,the proportion of light dark tongue and light purple tongue in the blood stasis constitution group was significantly higher(P＜0.05).The I value,L value and a value of the tongue area 1 in the blood stasis constitution group were significantly larger(P＜0.01,P＜0.05).The S value and a value of area 2 and area 3 were significantly larger(P＜0.05),and the I value,L value,a value and b value of area 5 were significantly smaller(P＜0.01,P＜0.05).Compared with the mild constitution group,the proportion of tooth marks tongue in the blood stasis constitution group was significantly higher(P＜0.01),the proportion of cracked tongue in the blood stasis constitution group was significantly larger(P＜0.05),and the number of tooth marks,crack area,relative height of crack and relative width of crack in the blood stasis constitution group were significantly larger(P＜0.01,P＜0.05).Compared with the mild constitution group,the I value,L value,a value and b value of tongue coating area 1 in the blood stasis constitution group were significantly larger(P＜0.01,P＜0.05),the I value,L value,S value,a value and b value of tongue coating area 2 were significantly larger(P＜0.01,P＜0.05),the I value,S value,a value and b value of tongue coating area 3 were significantly larger(P＜0.01,P＜0.05),the b value of tongue coating area 4 was significantly larger(P＜0.05),the S value,a value and b value of tongue coating area 5 were significantly larger(P＜0.01,P＜0.05).The proportion of thick tongue coating and greasy tongue coating in the blood stasis group was significantly higher than that in the gentleness group(P＜0.05).Compared with the mild constitution group,the proportion of tortuous,thickened and nodular sublingual collaterals in the blood stasis constitution group was significantly larger(P＜0.01,P＜0.05).The a value,I value,S value,b value and relative width of sublingual collaterals in the blood stasis constitution group were significantly larger(P＜0.01,P＜0.05).Conclusion On the basis of the general belief that the characteristics of blood stasis constitution tongue are dark purple tongue and dark purple sublingual collaterals/varicose veins/thickening,blood stasis constitution people also have new tongue characteristics,such as redder tips and edges,more teeth marks and fissures,thicker and greasier coatings,and yellow fur.These findings offer new insights for"to identify the constitution of traditional Chinese medicine and prevent diseases by observing the tongue manifestation".

As new evidence emerges, treatment strategies toward the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B are evolving. In 2019, a panel of national hepatologists published a Consensus Statement on the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B. Currently, an international group of hepatologists has been assembled to evaluate research since the publication of the original consensus, and to collaboratively develop the updated statements. The 2.0 Consensus was aimed to update the original consensus with the latest available studies, and provide a comprehensive overview of the current relevant scientific literatures regarding functional cure of hepatitis B, with a particular focus on issues that are not yet fully clarified. These cover the definition of functional cure of hepatitis B, its mechanisms and barriers, the effective strategies and treatment roadmap to achieve this endpoint, in particular new surrogate biomarkers used to measure efficacy or to predict response, and the appropriate approach to pursuing a functional cure in special populations, the development of emerging antivirals and immunomodulators with potential for curing hepatitis B. The statements are primarily intended to offer international guidance for clinicians in their practice to enhance the functional cure rate of chronic hepatitis B.

OBJECTIVE To explore the diagnostic value of combined detection of droplet digital polymerase chain reaction(ddPCR),C-reactive protein(CRP),procalcitonin(PCT)and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR)for bacterial bloodstream infections.METHODS Patients with suspected bloodstream infections admitted to Jiangbin Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from Jan.2023 to Jun.2024 were selected as the study subjects,with a total of 993 specimens from 543 patients included.Based on ddPCR and blood culture(BC)results,the pa-tients were divided into BC+and/or ddPCR+group(424 specimens)and ddPCR-/BC-group(569 specimens).The bacterial species detected by ddPCR were further classified into single infection group(258 speci-mens),mixed infection group(160 specimens)and ddPCR-group(575 specimens).The levels of CRP,PCT and NLR were compared among the groups.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of ddPCR,CRP,PCT and NLR separately and in combination for bacterial bloodstream in-fections.RESULTS The levels of CRP,PCT and NLR in the BC+and/or ddPCR+group were 71.61(37.00,108.81)mg/L,1.74(0.47,7.93)ng/ml and 9.82(5.53,18.07),respectively,which were higher than those in the ddPCR-/BC-group(P＜0.001).I n the ddPCR mixed infection group,the levels of CRP and PCT were 88.02(42.90,112.39)mg/L and 2.83(0.89,12.35)ng/ml,respectively,which were higher than those in the single infection group(P＜0.05).The qualitative results of ddPCR were better at predicting bloodstream infec-tions(OR=15.279,95％CI:6.525～35.776,P＜0.001).According to ROC curve analysis,ddPCR had the lar-gest area under the curve(AUC)among the single detection indicator(0.759),followed by PCT(0.732).The AUC for the combination of ddPCR qualitative results with CRP,PCT and NLR was 0.830,indicating that the di-agnostic performance of the combined detection was better than that of any single indicator.CONCLUSIONS The combination of ddPCR with PCT,CRP and NLR can improve the accuracy of diagnosing bacterial bloodstream in-fections.Compared with BC,ddPCR has higher sensitivity and can quickly identify the types and concentrations of pathogens in bloodstream infections.

As new evidence emerges, treatment strategies toward the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B are evolving. In 2019, a panel of national hepatologists published a Consensus Statement on the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B. Currently, an international group of hepatologists has been assembled to evaluate research since the publication of the original consensus, and to collaboratively develop the updated statements. The 2.0 Consensus was aimed to update the original consensus with the latest available studies, and provide a comprehensive overview of the current relevant scientific literatures regarding functional cure of hepatitis B, with a particular focus on issues that are not yet fully clarified. These cover the definition of functional cure of hepatitis B, its mechanisms and barriers, the effective strategies and treatment roadmap to achieve this endpoint, in particular new surrogate biomarkers used to measure efficacy or to predict response, and the appropriate approach to pursuing a functional cure in special populations, the development of emerging antivirals and immunomodulators with potential for curing hepatitis B. The statements are primarily intended to offer international guidance for clinicians in their practice to enhance the functional cure rate of chronic hepatitis B.

As new evidence emerges, treatment strategies toward the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B are evolving. In 2019, a panel of national hepatologists published a Consensus Statement on the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B. Currently, an international group of hepatologists has been assembled to evaluate research since the publication of the original consensus, and to collaboratively develop the updated statements. The 2.0 Consensus was aimed to update the original consensus with the latest available studies, and provide a comprehensive overview of the current relevant scientific literatures regarding functional cure of hepatitis B, with a particular focus on issues that are not yet fully clarified. These cover the definition of functional cure of hepatitis B, its mechanisms and barriers, the effective strategies and treatment roadmap to achieve this endpoint, in particular new surrogate biomarkers used to measure efficacy or to predict response, and the appropriate approach to pursuing a functional cure in special populations, the development of emerging antivirals and immunomodulators with potential for curing hepatitis B. The statements are primarily intended to offer international guidance for clinicians in their practice to enhance the functional cure rate of chronic hepatitis B.