Clinical death refers to the permanent cessation of life functions. This article reviews the definition of clinical death and the various scenarios in which it occurs, classifies the process of clinical death, and discusses the criteria for determining uncontrollable cardiac death, controllable cardiac death and the criteria and workflow for determining brain death. It elaborates on the relationship between brain death and death, and proposes the areas to note when standardizing the medical documentation of death cases. Based on this, it introduces the content of the management system and workflow construction for death determination in medical institutions, including management structure, personnel qualifications, document norms, quality control system and training mechanism. Paying attention to the construction of the management system and workflow for death determination in medical institutions is of great significance for ensuring medical quality and safety, promoting the healthy development of organ donation, and maintaining the seriousness of legal and ethical practices.

AIM:To elucidate the pharmacody-namic and network pharmacological mechanisms of total flavonoids of Carthamus tinctorius L.,to ex-plore their key targets and related pathways,and to clarify their mechanism of action against hepatic fibrosis.METHODS:The total flavonoids of Cartha-mus tinctorius L.were determined by LC-MS/MS and analysed for their compositions;the active in-gredients were screened by TCMSP database,SWISS ADME database and literature search;the targets related to total flavonoids of Carthamus tinctorius L.were screened by Swiss Target Predic-tion database;and the targets related to hepatic fi-brosis were screened by GeneCards database;the anti-hepatic fibrosis targets of total flavonoids of Carthamus tinctorius L.were obtained by taking the intersection of Venny.2.1.0;the protein interac-tions were analysed by STRING database;the visu-alization analysis was carried out by Cytoscape soft-ware;the GO function and KEGG pathway analysis was carried out by Metascape platform;and molec-ular docking was verified by using AutoDock soft-ware for the core targets and active ingredients.The mechanism of anti-hepatic fibrosis of total fla-vonoids of Carthamus tinctorius L.was verified by animal model and in vitro cell experiments.RE-SULTS:A total of 41 flavonoid components were identified in Carthamus tinctorius L.Through the network pharmacological analysis,149 anti-hepatic fibrosis targets of total flavonoids of Carthamus tinctorius L.were obtained,including 23 core tar-gets.The GO enrichment analyses involved a total of three aspects,namely,biological process(BP),cellular component(CC),and molecular function(MF).KEGG enrichment results showed that PI3K/Akt and MAPK are pathways involved in the devel-opment of hepatic fibrosis.Molecular docking veri-fied that the active ingredients Quercetin,Acacetin and Glabridin were tightly bound to Akt1 and HI-FIA,respectively.In animal model experiments,it was observed by HE and Masson staining that fibro-plasia was reduced,collagen deposition was re-duced,inflammatory cell infiltration was reduced,and fibrotic liver tissues were improved in total fla-vonoids of Carthamus tinctorius L.administration group.In isolated cell experiments:Western blot-ting results suggested that total flavonoids of Car-thamus tinctorius L.could decrease the hepatic fi-brosis marker factor α-SMA,Collagen1(P＜0.01)and PI3K,Akt protein expression(P＜0.01).CONCLU-SION:Total flavonoids of Carthamus tinctorius L.ex-erted anti-hepatic fibrosis effects through multi-components,multi-targets and multi-pathways,and their mechanism of action may be achieved by regulating the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway.

Objective:To investigate the value of transrectal shear-wave elastography(SWE)quantitative parameters and Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System(PI-RADS)v2.1 scores in combined diagnosis for clinically significant prostate cancer(csPCa).Methods:A total of 80 patients with suspected PCa who admitted to Affiliated Santai Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College from January to December 2023 were prospectively enrolled,who were divided into csPCa group(52 cases)and non-csPCa group(28 cases)based on the results of pathological diagnosis.All patients underwent combined examination of SWE and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI),and pathological validation with systematic puncture.The SWE was used to quantitatively obtain the maximum value(Emax),mean value(Emean),and standard deviation(SD)of Young's modulus of lesions,and the MRI morphologic assessment was conducted according to PI-RADS v 2.1 standard.A multivariate logistic regression was used to construct a combined diagnostic model,which stability was verified by Bootstrap resampling.The area under curve(AUC)values of the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were compared between single parameters and the combined diagnosis.Results:In the 80 patients with suspected prostate cancer,pathological confirmation showed 52 cases(65.0%)were csPCa,and 28 cases(35.0%)were non-csPCa.SWE-Emax values of the csPCa group and the non-csPCa group were respectively 68.5 kPa and 32.4 kPa,and csPCa group was significantly higher than non-csPCa group,with statistically significant differences(Z=6.731,P<0.001).The PI-RADS scores of csPCa group was 4.5 points,and that of non-csPCa group was 2.9 points,and the points of csPCa group was significantly higher than that of non-csPCa group,and the difference was significant(t=9.782,P<0.05).Spearman analysis revealed a strongly positive correlation between SWE-Emax and PI-RADS scores(r=0.83,P<0.001),and a negative correlation between SWE-Emax and apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)values(r=-0.71,P<0.001).The AUC value of combined diagnosis reached to 0.943(95%CI:0.898-0.988),which was significantly better than 0.891 of single SWE-Emax or 0.854 of single PI-RADS(Delong test P<0.05),and the sensitivity and specificity of combined diagnosis were respectively 96.2%and 85.7%.In addition,the diagnostic specificity increased to 93.8%when the combined threshold was set at PI-RADS≥4 and Emax≥48.5 kPa.Conclusion:SWE quantitative parameters and PI-RADS scores have significant complementary value in diagnosing csPCa.The combined diagnosis can effectively enhance the discriminative efficacy for PCa lesions with Gleason scores≥3+4 by integrating tumor stiffness and morphological heterogeneity features,which can provide an innovative imaging fusion strategy for precise stratification of patients in the gray zone of prostate-specific antigen(PSA).

The proband was a 32-year-old female patient who sought medical attention for over 9 months of pregnancy, reduced fetal movement, and discomfort in the lower abdomen. The proband and her father had normal activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time, decreased fibrinogen activity and antigen levels, and prolonged thrombin time, whereas the test results of her mother were normal. Ultrasonography showed intermuscular vein thrombosis in the left calf of the proband. Peripheral blood DNA was extracted from the proband and her parents, and Sanger sequencing was performed to detect the base sequences of the FGA, FGB, and FGG genes. The proband and her father had heterozygous missense mutations in exon 6 c.615A > C (p. Leu205Phe) and exon 8 c.1121A > C (p. Tyr374Ser) of the FGG gene. Bioinformatics analysis suggested that the two gene mutations may be the pathogenic mechanism of this congenital hypodysfibrinogenemia family.

Aim To systematically analyze the risk factors for comorbid ischemic cardiovascular and cerebrovas-cular diseases using principal component analysis.It seeks to identify key risk factors influencing comorbidity and to con-struct a predictive model to serve as a screening tool for the prevention and management of comorbidities.Methods This retrospective study included patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease from December 1,2009 to June 30,2020,at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University,using data from the hospital's integrated coronary heart dis-ease prevention platform.Patients were divided into two groups:those with both cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disea-ses and those with only coronary artery disease based on inclusion and exclusion criteria.Clinical indicators during hospi-tal admission were collected.The sample was randomly divided into a modeling set and a validation set in a 7∶3 ratio.In the modeling set,principal component analysis was used to explore the distribution differences in risk factors between the comorbid group and the single-disease group.By analyzing factor load contributions,the most significant variables were i-dentified.Logistic regression was then used to construct a predictive model,and a nomogram was generated.The model's predictive ability and robustness were evaluated in the validation set.Results A total of 11 808 participants were included,with 2 781(23.6%)in the comorbid group and 9 027(76.4%)in the coronary heart disease-only group.Compared with the single-disease group,the comorbid group had a higher average age,a greater proportion of females,and higher systolic blood pressure levels at admission(P<0.001).Additionally,thelevelsof hemoglobin,platelet distri-bution width,low density lipoprotein,and blood sodium were significantly higher in the comorbid group(P<0.05).A total of 8 265 participants were randomly assigned to the modeling set.Principal component analysis identified seven key factors with factor load contributions greater than 5:sodium level,systolic blood pressure,diastolic blood pressure,age,hemoglobin concentration,platelet distribution width,and total bilirubin level.Using these factors,a nomogram was con-structed via Logistic regression.The nomogram's area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for predicting co-morbid ischemic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases was 0.630(95%CI:0.600～0.768,P<0.001).A total of 3 543 participants were randomly assigned to the validation set.In the validation set,the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.628.Conclusion Elevated sodium level,higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure at admission,older age,increased hemoglobin concentration,higher platelet distribution width,and lower total bilirubin level are risk factors for comorbid ischemic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.The nomogram constructed has clinical value for screening patients with such comorbidities.

Objective To explore the dietary nutrition status and nutritional intervention strategy of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods Among the 1 332 patients with AD diagnosed at Xijing Hospital from January 2021 to December 2023 were enrolled as the study subjects. The dietary intake data of patients were collected through questionnaire surveys and dietary reviews. During the study period, 30 patients did not complete the intervention due to withdrawal or loss of follow-up. Based on the actual number of people who completed the intervention, AD patients were randomly divided into intervention group (n=651, individualized nutritional intervention strategy) and control group (n=651, routine nutritional intervention), and both groups were intervened for 3 months. The cognitive function (MMSE score and MoCA score), nutritional status (MNA scale, NRS-2002 scale), and quality of life (GQOL-74) of the two groups of AD patients were compared to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention strategies. Results A total of 1 332 questionnaires were distributed, and 1 302 valid questionnaires were finally recovered, with an effective recovery rate of 97.75% (1 302/1 332). The survey results showed that there were no statistical differences in baseline characteristics and dietary nutrition status between the two groups of AD patients before intervention (P>0.05). After nutritional intervention, the cognitive function, quality of life, and nutritional status of patients in the intervention group were significantly improved. The MMSE score, MoCA score, MNA score, and GQOL-74 score of the intervention group were significantly higher than those of the control group, while the NRS-2002 score was lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Nutritional intervention strategy has a significant effect on improving nutritional status, cognitive function, and quality of life of AD patients.

The implementation of the "Regulations on Organ Donation and Transplantation" (hereinafter referred to as the new "Regulations") and supporting documents has laid a solid foundation for improving the organ donation and transplantation work system in accordance with laws and regulations. In order to better publicize, implement, and carry out the new "Regulations" and supporting documents, and in response to the problems and challenges encountered in actual work, combined with the development of the national human organ donation and transplantation work system and the national work on determination of brain death, this article analyzes and discusses the construction of hospitals' organ donation and transplantation work systems and the systematic multidisciplinary collaboration mechanism for organ donation, as well as several issues that need attention by the ethics committees for organ transplantation. The aim is to provide references for the construction of ethics committees for organ transplantation in China and to promote the continuous and healthy development of China's organ donation and transplantation cause.

Objective To analyze the effects of the histone deacetylase inhibitor suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid(SAHA)on the secondary metabolites of the entomopathogenic fungus Samsoniella hepiali CDB9-31 using thin-layer chromatography(TLC)and high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC).Methods The fermentation products of Samsoniella hepiali CDB9-31 treated with epigenetic modifiers were separated and purified using methods such as silica gel column chromatography,Sephadex column chromatography and reversed-phase column chromatography.The structures of the compounds were elucidated using modern spectroscopic analysis methods.The antimicrobial activity of the obtained monomeric compounds was determined using the filter paper disc diffusion method.Results The TLC and HPLC analyses of its fermentation extracts revealed that SAHA could induce the strain to produce more diverse array of secondary metabolites,and 11 monomeric compounds were isolated and identified as follows:N'-phenyloctanediamide(1),5-Phenylcarbamoyl-pentanoic(2),ergosterol(3),5,8-Epidioxy-5α,8α-ergosta-6,22E-diene-3β-ol(4),1-monolinolein(5),(4E,8E)-2-N-(2-Hydro-xypalmitoyl)-1-O-(β-D-glucopyranosyl)-9-methyl-4,8-sphingadienine(6),Ergosterol peroxide 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(7),(22E,24R)-7,22-diene-3β,5α,6β-ergostatriol(8),(2S,2'R,3R,4E,8E)-N-2'-Hydroxyhexadecanoyl-2-amion-9-methyl-4,8-octadecadiene-1,3-diol(9),Adenosine(10),D-Glulopyranose(11).Compounds 1 and 2 were derivatives of SAHA,and it was speculated that the special metabolic environment of CDB9-31 caused the biotransformation of SAHA.Except for compound 3,all other compounds were isolated from this genus for the first time.The antibacterial activity results showed that six of these compounds exhibited varying degrees of inhibitory effects against at least one pathogenic bacterium.Conclusion This study has enriched the chemical diversity of secondary metabolites from the entomopathogenic fungus Samsoniella hepiali.

Objective To investigate the effect of obstructive sleep apnea(OSA)on behavioral problems in children and the association between them.Methods A simple random sampling method was used to select 100 children aged 4 to 12 years for the case group.All of them were diagnosed with OSA through overnight polysomnography at the Sleep Medicine Center,West China Fourth Hospital,Sichuan University between October 2022 and October 2023.An additional 100 children without snoring symptoms and clinically evaluated and confirmed as not having OSA were enrolled as the control group.General demographic data of the participants were collected.The Caregiver Report Form of the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist(CBCL)was used for behavioral problem assessment,and polysomnography data were collected.The chi-square/t test was used to analyze the inter-group differences in general data,the total score of behavioral problems,and scores for each dimension.Linear regression was performed to analyze the relationship between OSA and the total score for children's behavioral problems and those for the different dimensions.Logistic regression was applied to analyze the relationship between the obstructive apnoea-hypopnea index(OAHI)and behavioral problems in children with OSA.A logistic regression model integrating the OAHI×sex interaction term was constructed to evaluate the moderating effect of sex on the association between OAHI and behavioral problems.Results No significant differences were observed in general demographic data between the case and control groups.The total score for behavioral problems and those for each dimension were higher in the case group than those in the control group,with the total score of the case group being 24.60±1.55 and that of the control group being 8.85±0.75(P<0.001).The results of the linear regression analysis showed a positive association between OSA and both the total score for behavioral problems(b=16.01;95%CI,12.56-19.47)and those for each dimension.The results of the logistic regression analysis showed that,after adjusting for covariates,OAHI was a risk factor for behavioral problems in children with OSA(odds ratio[OR]=1.17;95%CI,1.04-1.31).After stratification by sex and adjustment for covariates,the OR value of the effect of OAHI on behavioral problems was slightly higher in female participants(1.57)than that in male participants(1.21).The interaction effect analysis showed that sex moderated the association between OAHI and behavioral problems(OR=1.64;95%CI,1.02-2.64;P=0.04).Conclusion Children with OSA are prone to developing behavioral problems.OAHI is a risk factor for behavioral problems in children with OSA,with a potentially greater effect observed in girls.