Objective To evaluate the application value of prone-position ultrasound in assessing retrorenal colon among patients scheduled for percutaneous nephrolithotomy(PCNL).Methods A total of 651 patients scheduled for PCNL were enrolled.All patients underwent preoperative supine-position computed tomography(CT)and prone-position ultrasound to assess retrorenal colon.Retro-renal colon was defined as segment of the colon located posterior to the kidney,with its inferior mar-gin extending beyond the lower pole of the kidney.The degree of coverage was classified as mild(≤3.0 cm),moderate(＞3.0 cm without extending beyond the renal hilum)and severe(extending be-yond the renal hilum).Patients diagnosed with retrorenal colon by ultrasound underwent further eval-uation using prone-position CT.Concordance between ultrasound and supine-position or prone-posi-tion CT in diagnosing and classifying retrorenal colon was compared,and the impact on puncture pathway selection and surgical approach was analyzed.Results Among 651 patients,prone-position ultrasound identified retrorenal colon in 57 patients,including 43 mild cases,11 moderate cases,and 3 severe cases.Prone-position CT identified retrorenal colon in 55 patients,including 42 mild cases,10 moderate cases,and 3 severe cases.Supine CT identified retrorenal colon in 26 patients,inclu-ding 23 mild cases,2 moderate cases,and 1 severe case.The detection rate of retrorenal colon by supine CT was significantly lower than that by prone-position ultrasound(P＜0.05).In 12 patients(4 mild cases,7 moderate cases,1 severe case),the puncture pathway was modified based on ultra-sound diagnosis,and 2 patients with severe involvement underwent a change in surgical approach.Conclusion Prone-position ultrasound demonstrates good agreement with prone-position CT in the assessment of retrorenal colon.

OBJECTIVE To explore the clinical value of metagenomic next generation sequencing(mNGS)in detec-tion of pathogens from the patients with pulmonary infection.METHODS The clinical data were collected from 103 patients with pulmonary infection who were treated in respiratory and critical care medicine department of Gansu Province People's Hospital from Jun.2021 to Jun.2023.The pathogens were detected from all of the patients with the use of mNGS for bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF)and traditional cultures(including sputum culture and BALF culture).The positive rates,consistency,distribution,efficacy and curative effects were observed and sys-tematically compared between the two detection methods.RESULTS Totally 122 strains of bacteria,47 strains of fungi,94 strains of viruses,3 strains of Mycoplasma and 2 strains of Chlamydia were detected from the 103 pa-tients by mNGS,as compared with only 45 strains of bacteria and 20 strains of fungi that were detected by the tra-ditional culture method.The positive rate of detection of pathogens was 89.32％by mNGS,higher than 38.83％of the traditional culture method(P＜0.001).There was certain difference in the distribution of pathogens be-tween the two detection method,the two detection method showed the poor consistency of detection efficacy,and the effect of targeted drug therapy based on the mNGS-detected pathogens was higher than that of the mNGS-negative empirical therapy(P＜0.001).In addition,some of drug resistance genes could be detected by mNGS.CONCLUSIONS The mNGS shows remarkable higher efficacy in detection of the pathogens causing pul-monary infections than the traditional culture method and can detect various types of pathogens.The effect of the targeted drug therapy based on the pathogens detected by mNGS is remarkable.It plays an imorptant role in guid-ing the clinical diagnosis and treatment of the patients with pulmonary infections.

OBJECTIVE To explore the clinical value of metagenomic next generation sequencing(mNGS)in detec-tion of pathogens from the patients with pulmonary infection.METHODS The clinical data were collected from 103 patients with pulmonary infection who were treated in respiratory and critical care medicine department of Gansu Province People's Hospital from Jun.2021 to Jun.2023.The pathogens were detected from all of the patients with the use of mNGS for bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF)and traditional cultures(including sputum culture and BALF culture).The positive rates,consistency,distribution,efficacy and curative effects were observed and sys-tematically compared between the two detection methods.RESULTS Totally 122 strains of bacteria,47 strains of fungi,94 strains of viruses,3 strains of Mycoplasma and 2 strains of Chlamydia were detected from the 103 pa-tients by mNGS,as compared with only 45 strains of bacteria and 20 strains of fungi that were detected by the tra-ditional culture method.The positive rate of detection of pathogens was 89.32％by mNGS,higher than 38.83％of the traditional culture method(P＜0.001).There was certain difference in the distribution of pathogens be-tween the two detection method,the two detection method showed the poor consistency of detection efficacy,and the effect of targeted drug therapy based on the mNGS-detected pathogens was higher than that of the mNGS-negative empirical therapy(P＜0.001).In addition,some of drug resistance genes could be detected by mNGS.CONCLUSIONS The mNGS shows remarkable higher efficacy in detection of the pathogens causing pul-monary infections than the traditional culture method and can detect various types of pathogens.The effect of the targeted drug therapy based on the pathogens detected by mNGS is remarkable.It plays an imorptant role in guid-ing the clinical diagnosis and treatment of the patients with pulmonary infections.

OBJECTIVE To provide reference for improving the rational use of antimicrobial drugs in primary township medical institutions. METHODS Based on the county prescription pre-review center， a team led by anti-infective clinical pharmacists constructed the management mode for the use of antimicrobial drugs in county-level medical communities with clinical pharmacists as the main team by finding out the main problems in the use of antimicrobial drugs in primary township medical institutions， providing feedback on the problems， organizing relevant training for the problems， improving the customization rules of the prescription pre-review software， implementing the automatic interception and pharmacist online prescription review and other measures. Data on the use of antimicrobial drugs were collected and compared in the 15 primary township medical institutions between January-June in 2022 （before the implementation of the mode） and January-June in 2023 （after the implementation of the mode）. RESULTS Compared with before the implementation of the mode， the utilization rate of antimicrobial drugs in outpatients of primary township medical institutions decreased from 24.97% before the implementation of the mode to 19.39% after the implementation of the mode； the utilization rate of antimicrobial injection in outpatients decreased from 66.10% to 46.80%； the utilization rate of intravenous drip of antimicrobial drugs in outpatients decreased from 52.33% to 40.35%； the rates of combined use of antimicrobial drugs in outpatients decreased from 12.70% to 8.19%； the reasonable rate of antimicrobial prescribing in outpatients increased from 55.28% to 73.93%. After the implementation of the mode， the proportion of antimicrobial prescriptions for each diagnosis was basically the same as before； the defined daily dose system （DDDs） and proportion of a few antimicrobial drugs changed compared with before according to the anatomical therapeutic chemical classification of drugs， among which DDDs of lincomycin， gentamicin and other drugs declined significantly； DDDs of antimicrobial drugs for each classification was basically the same as before according to AWaRe classification. CONCLUSIONS The management mode of the use of antimicrobial drugs led by anti-infective clinical pharmacists is constructed in the prescription pre-reviewing center of county-level medical communities， which can effectively improve the rational use of antimicrobial drugs in the primary township medical institutions.

Carbohydrates,with complex and diverse structures,exist widely in animals,plants,and microorganisms.Carbohydrates have a wide range of pharmacological activities,especially in anticoagulation,antithrombotic,blood lipid regula-tion,and immune function regulation.With the deepening of the research of carbohydrate drugs and the application of modern an-alytical technology,the detection of chemical structure,molecular weight and molecular weight distribution,and related sub-stances(impurities)of carbohydrate drugs has been developed rapidly.In this paper,the progress of carbohydrate drugs in ex-traction technology,separation and purification technology,composition analysis,content determination,and structural analysis in recent years was briefly reviewed,which provided some guidance for developing and quality control of carbohydrate drugs.

Objective:To explore the effect of ultraviolet-C (UV-C) combined with Kangfuxin liquid wet compress and oxygen blowing method on the post chemotherapy oral mucositis (OM) in patients with hematological malignancies.Methods:From January 2022 to February 2023, convenience sampling was used to select 120 patients with post chemotherapy OM in the Department of Hematology of the Affiliated Huai'an First People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. The patients were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, with 60 cases in each group. The control group received Kangfuxin liquid wet compress, while the observation group carried out a combination of UV-C irradiation and oxygen oral blowing method on the basis of the control group. This study compared the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score before and two days after treatment, the healing status of OM after treatment on the 5th day, and the healing time of OM between the two groups of patients.Results:A total of 108 patients completed the study, with 52 in the control group and 56 in the observation group. After two days of treatment, the VAS scores of both groups of patients were lower than those before treatment, and those of the observation group were lower than those of the control group, with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05). On the 5th day of treatment, the healing rate of OM in the observation group was higher than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (χ 2=5.425, P<0.05). The healing time of OM in the observation group was shorter than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant ( t=2.458, P<0.05) . Conclusions:The combination of UV-C, Kangfuxin liquid and oxygen blowing method can alleviate pain, improve the healing rate of OM, and shorten the healing time of post chemotherapy OM in patients with hematological malignancies, which is worthy of clinical promotion.

Objective To compare artificial intelligence-assisted diagnostic system and conventional manual CT image interpretation for detection of positive pulmonary nodules and differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules, and to provide a reference for the application of artificial intelligence in clinical screening for lung cancer. Methods Patients who underwent chest CT scans for pulmonary nodules from March 2019 to December 2023 were enrolled. The CT images were subjected to artificial intelligence-based and conventional manual CT image interpretation. The pathological examination results of pulmonary lesions served as a gold standard for comparison of artificial intelligence-based and conventional manual CT image interpretation in detection rate of positive pulmonary nodules and differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules. Results A total of 327 positive pulmonary nodules were identified in 207 patients. The detection rate of positive pulmonary nodules was significantly higher with artificial intelligence-based CT image interpretation than with conventional manual CT image interpretation (95.72% vs. 86.85%; χ²=16.16, P < 0.01). Moreover, artificial intelligence-based CT image interpretation showed significantly higher detection rates for solid (χ²=7.71, P < 0.01) and ground-glass pulmonary nodules (χ²=5.80, P < 0.05) than conventional manual CT image interpretation. The detection rates for pulmonary nodules with < 1 cm (χ²=4.97, P < 0.05), 1 to < 2 cm (χ²=7.04, P < 0.01), and 2 to < 3 cm (χ²=4.91, P < 0.05) diameters were significantly higher with artificial intelligence-based CT image interpretation than with conventional manual CT image interpretation. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy for differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules were 98.08%, 91.53%, 95.33%, 96.43%, and 95.71% with artificial intelligence-based CT image interpretation and 91.34%, 77.97%, 87.96%, 32.62%, and 86.50% with conventional CT image interpretation. The sensitivity (χ²=4.70, P < 0.05), specificity (χ²=4.20, P < 0.05), negative predictive value (χ²=65.28, P < 0.01), and accuracy (χ²=8.52, P < 0.01) were significantly higher with artificial intelligence-based CT image interpretation than with conventional manual CT image interpretation. However, there was no significant difference in the positive predictive value (χ²=3.80, P > 0.05). Conclusion Compared with conventional manual CT image interpretation, artificial intelligence-assisted diagnostic system for CT image interpretation can significantly increase the detection rate of positive pulmonary nodules and improve the efficiency of differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules, so it deserves widespread applications in physical examination and early screening for lung cancer.

Objective To compare artificial intelligence-assisted diagnostic system and conventional manual CT image interpretation for detection of positive pulmonary nodules and differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules, and to provide a reference for the application of artificial intelligence in clinical screening for lung cancer. Methods Patients who underwent chest CT scans for pulmonary nodules from March 2019 to December 2023 were enrolled. The CT images were subjected to artificial intelligence-based and conventional manual CT image interpretation. The pathological examination results of pulmonary lesions served as a gold standard for comparison of artificial intelligence-based and conventional manual CT image interpretation in detection rate of positive pulmonary nodules and differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules. Results A total of 327 positive pulmonary nodules were identified in 207 patients. The detection rate of positive pulmonary nodules was significantly higher with artificial intelligence-based CT image interpretation than with conventional manual CT image interpretation (95.72% vs. 86.85%; χ²=16.16, P < 0.01). Moreover, artificial intelligence-based CT image interpretation showed significantly higher detection rates for solid (χ²=7.71, P < 0.01) and ground-glass pulmonary nodules (χ²=5.80, P < 0.05) than conventional manual CT image interpretation. The detection rates for pulmonary nodules with < 1 cm (χ²=4.97, P < 0.05), 1 to < 2 cm (χ²=7.04, P < 0.01), and 2 to < 3 cm (χ²=4.91, P < 0.05) diameters were significantly higher with artificial intelligence-based CT image interpretation than with conventional manual CT image interpretation. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy for differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules were 98.08%, 91.53%, 95.33%, 96.43%, and 95.71% with artificial intelligence-based CT image interpretation and 91.34%, 77.97%, 87.96%, 32.62%, and 86.50% with conventional CT image interpretation. The sensitivity (χ²=4.70, P < 0.05), specificity (χ²=4.20, P < 0.05), negative predictive value (χ²=65.28, P < 0.01), and accuracy (χ²=8.52, P < 0.01) were significantly higher with artificial intelligence-based CT image interpretation than with conventional manual CT image interpretation. However, there was no significant difference in the positive predictive value (χ²=3.80, P > 0.05). Conclusion Compared with conventional manual CT image interpretation, artificial intelligence-assisted diagnostic system for CT image interpretation can significantly increase the detection rate of positive pulmonary nodules and improve the efficiency of differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules, so it deserves widespread applications in physical examination and early screening for lung cancer.

Objective:To investigate the safety and feasibility of the CHESS endoscpic ruler (CHESS ruler), and the consistency between the measured values and the interpretation values by endoscopic physician experience.Methods:From January 2021 to January 2022, a total of 105 liver cirrhosis patients with portal hypertension were prospectively enrolled from General Hospital, Xixia Branch Hospital, Ningnan Hospital of People′s Hospital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (29 cases), and the First People′s Hospital of Yinchuan (25 cases), General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University (18 cases), Wuzhong People′s Hospital (10 cases), the Fifth People′s Hospital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (10 cases), Shizuishan Second People′s Hospital (6 cases), Yinchuan Second People′s Hospital (5 cases), and Zhongwei People′s Hospital (2 cases) 8 hospitals. The clinical characteristics of all the patients, including gender, age, nationality, etiolog of liver cirrhosis, and Child-Pugh classification of liver function were recorded. A big gastroesophageal varices was defined as diameter of varices ≥5 mm. Endoscopist (associated chief physician) performed gastroscopy according to the routine gastroscopy procedures, and the diameter of the biggest esophageal varices was measured by experience and images were collected, and then objective measurement was with the CHESS ruler and images were collected. The diameter of esophageal varices of 10 randomly selected patients (random number table method) was determined by 6 endoscopists (attending physician or associated chief physician) with experience or measured by CHESS ruler. Kappa test was used to test the consistency in the diameter of esophageal varices between measured values by CHESS ruler and the interpretation values by endoscopic physician experience.Results:Among 105 liver cirrhosis patients with portal hypertension, male 65 cases and female 40 cases, aged (54.8±12.2) years old, Han nationality 82 cases, Hui nationality 21 cases and Mongolian nationality 2 cases. The etiology of liver cirrhosis included chronic hepatitis B (79 cases), alcoholic liver disease (7 cases), autoimmune hepatitis (7 cases), chronic hepatitis C (2 cases), and other etiology (10 cases). Liver function of 32 cases was Child-Pugh A, Child-Pugh B 57 cases, and Child-Pugh C 16 cases. All 105 liver cirrhosis patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension were successfully measured the diameter of gastroesophageal varices by CHESS ruler, and the success rate of application of CHESS ruler was 100.0% (105/105). The procedure time from the CHESS ruler into the body to the exit of the body after measurement was (3.50±2.55) min. No complications happened in all the patients during measurement. Among 105 liver cirrhosis patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension, 96 cases (91.4%) were recognized as big gastroesophageal varices by the endoscopists. Totally 93 cases (88.6%) were considered as big gastroesophageal varices by CHESS ruler. Eight cases were recognized as big gastroesophageal varices by the endoscopist, however not by the CHESS ruler; 5 cases were recognized as big gastroesophageal varices by the CHESS ruler, but not by the endoscopists; 4 cases were not recognized as big gastroesophageal varices both by the endoscopists and CHESS ruler; 88 cases were recognized as big gastroesophageal varices both by the endoscopists and CHESS ruler. The missed diagnostic rate of big gastroesophageal varices by the endoscopists experience was 5.4% (5/93), and the Kappa value of consistency coefficient between the measurement by the CHESS ruler and the interpretation by endoscopists experience was 0.31 (95% confidence interval 0.03 to 0.60). The overall Kappa value of consistency coefficient by 6 endoscopists measured by CHESS ruler in big gastroesophageal varices diagnosis was 0.77 (95% confidence interval 0.61 to 0.93).Conclusion:As an objective measurement tool, CHESS ruler can make up for the deficiency of subjective judgment by endoscopists, accurately measure the diameter of gastroesophageal varices, and is highly feasible and safe.

The number of investigator initiated research (IIR) is increasing. But the recognition and management of IIR in China is still in its infancy, and there is a lack of specific and operable guidance for the implementation process. Based on our practical experiences, previous literature reports, and current policy regulations, the authors took prospective IIR as an example to summarize the implementation process of IIR into 14 steps, which are as the following: study initiation, ethical review, study registration, study filing, case report form design, database establishment, standard operating procedure making, investigator training, informed consent, data collection, data entry, data verification, data locking and data archiving.