Objective: To investigate the effect of neurite outgrowth inhibitor extracellular peptide residues 1-40 (NEP1-40) combined with poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and gelatin electrospun fiber membrane on facial nerve repair in rats. Methods: According to the principle of random grouping, 108 male SD rats were divided into four groups (n = 27 in each group, approved by the ethics committee), namely, the sham group, control group, PLGA group, and NEP1-40 + PLGA group. A facial nerve fracture model was established for all of the groups except for the sham group. The control group received no further treatment, the PLGA group and the NEP1-40+PLGA group were supported by PLGA membrane, and the NEP1-40+PLGA group received one immediate local injection of NEP1-40 (5 μg/μL) at a dose of 10 μL. Facial nerve function analysis, electrophysiological examination, transmission electron microscope observation, HE staining, and immunohistochemical staining of myelin marker S100β and axonal marker β3-tubulin were used to evaluate the recovery of injured facial nerves of rats at 2, 4 and 8 weeks. Results : At 8 weeks, the facial nerve function score of the NEP1-40+PLGA group was better than that of the control group and PLGA group (P < 0.001), and facial nerve function was significantly restored. Electrophysiological examination of nerve action potentials at the injured facial nerve showed that the amplitude in the NEP1-40+PLGA group was higher than that of the control group and PLGA group (P < 0.001), but there was no significant difference in latency and conduction velocity results between the groups (P > 0.05). At 2, 4, and 8 weeks, transmission electron microscopy showed that the number of myelinated nerve fibers and myelin sheath thickness in the cross-section of the injured facial nerve in the NEP1-40+PLGA group were greater than those in the other groups (P < 0.05). At 8 weeks, HE staining showed that the facial nerves in the control group had partially recovered, but the overall cell distribution was uneven and the boundary with surrounding tissues was slightly blurred. In contrast, the NEP1-40+PLGA group had a relatively uniform cell distribution and a clearer boundary with surrounding tissues. At 2, 4, and 8 weeks, the immunohistochemical results showed that in the cross-section of the injuried facial nerve, NEP1-40 increased the expression of neural markers S100 β and β3-tubulin, especially β3-tubulin, which was close to normal levels (P > 0.05) Conclusion NEP1-40 is beneficial for the generation of new myelin sheaths and axons at the site of injury, and it can promote the repair and regeneration of injured facial nerves to a certain extent, thus accelerating the recovery of injured nerve function.

Atopic dermatitis （AD） is a common pruritic and chronic inflammatory dermatosis in clinical practice and is one of the diseases responding specifically to traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. With the launch of biological agents and small molecule drugs and the development and implementation of guidelines of diagnosis and treatment， clinical pathways of treatment of moderate to severe AD， and consensus on the whole-process management of AD， the clinical efficacy of moderate to severe AD has been significantly improved. However， there are still many unmet clinical needs that require more effective methods to meet. In response to the Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Facilitating the Inheritance， Innovation， and Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the spirit of the National Conference on TCM， the China Association of Chinese Medicine organized more than 20 experts in TCM dermatology， Western medicine dermatology， interdisciplinary fields， and industries to discuss the difficulties and advantages of TCM in the treatment of AD. TCM treatment for AD can not only improve rash and relieve itching but also solve many concomitant syndromes. The abundant external treatment methods of TCM have advantages for different special populations and rash characteristics. The concept of treating disease before its onset in TCM is in line with the chronic disease management mode of prevention and treatment of atopic march and prevention of recurrence. In addition， TCM therapy can reduce the use of topical glucocorticoids and has good safety. Regarding the comorbidity of AD， equal emphasis on TCM and Western medicine and multidisciplinary joint treatment should be advocated to achieve maximum benefit for patients. The exchange of TCM and Western medicine has clarified the positioning and advantages of TCM intervention in AD， providing guidance for clinical and scientific research.

In order to further promote the standardization of the integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine treatment of atopic dermatitis(AD),the team of Professor Chen Dacan,who is honored as the Qihuang Scholar,developed the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine in Atopic Dermatitis(hereinafter referred to as Guidelines for AD).This paper detailed the process of development of Guidelines for AD,and analyzed the characteristics of Guidelines for AD,as well as the difficulties and countermeasures encountered during such a time.The development of Guidelines for AD follows the methodology of international guidelines for clinical trial.Experts specializing in various disciplines,such as traditional Chinese medicine,western medicine,integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine,and methodology,composed an expert group and a working group.On the basis of systematic literature research,the clinic experiences of frontline experts were well-summarized,and the draft of Guidelines for AD was formed after several meetings and discussions.In the process of developing Guidelines for AD,quite a number of problems were encountered,and the project team found the corresponding countermeasures after analyzing these problems.The countermeasures became the characteristics of Guidelines for AD:the integration of traditional Chinese medicine therapies and western medicine therapies,and the evaluation of the evidence of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine solved the problem of traditional Chinese and western medicine diagnosis and treatment of AD lacking standardization;the adequately combination of the evidence with the experience of clinical practice solved the problems of the low overall level and the insufficiency of traditional Chinese medicine evidence for AD;the establishment of management goals and strategies for AD after taking the advantages of both traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine into account was in line with the international treatment and management concepts;the formulation of individualized traditional Chinese and western medicine therapy based on the integration of traditional Chinese medicine therapy and western medicine therapy met the clinical needs of patients with different characteristics of AD.The development process of Guidelines for AD and the analysis of problems and countermeasures during such a time will provide reference and reflection for the subsequent establishment of clinical guidelines for the integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine in other diseases.

A 51-year-old male presented to Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, on September 30, 2024, with a 2-month history of cough and a 1-week history of fever. He had a medical history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The patient developed a paroxysmal cough in mid-July 2024, accompanied by a small amount of white phlegm and no fever. Despite treatment at a local community hospital, his symptoms persisted. After treatment at another local hospital on August 13, his cough improved. On September 23, the patient developed an unexplained fever. On September 25, a lump appeared below the left popliteal fossa and enlarged, prompting admission to our hospital. The patient presented with fever for one week and was found to have multiple abscesses in the lungs, buttocks, popliteal fossa, and other areas. Inflammatory markers (white blood cell count, neutrophil count, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin) were significantly elevated. Imaging and pathological findings were consistent with infection. Cultures grew Nocardia spp. Matria assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry suggested Nocardia veterana (confidence 80%), whereas 16S rRNA gene sequencing identified Nocardia nova. Both species belong to the Nocardia nova complex, which cannot be reliably differentiated by mass spectrometry alone. After admission, empirical antibacterial therapy was initiated with piperacillin-tazobactam and enrofloxacin, supplemented by antiretroviral therapy for HIV, Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia prophylaxis, gastric protection, nebulization, antihistamines, and correction of fluid and electrolyte imbalances. Local drainage of the left popliteal abscess was performed. On October 13, based on the pathogenic results from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and pus, the diagnosis was disseminated nocardiosis. The antibiotic regimen was adjusted to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and imipenem, after which the patient became afebrile. At discharge, the patient was afebrile with stable vital signs. The left popliteal abscess had decreased in size. Inflammatory markers showed a continuous downward trend. The patient was discharged on continued antibiotic therapy.

A 51-year-old male presented to Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, on September 30, 2024, with a 2-month history of cough and a 1-week history of fever. He had a medical history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The patient developed a paroxysmal cough in mid-July 2024, accompanied by a small amount of white phlegm and no fever. Despite treatment at a local community hospital, his symptoms persisted. After treatment at another local hospital on August 13, his cough improved. On September 23, the patient developed an unexplained fever. On September 25, a lump appeared below the left popliteal fossa and enlarged, prompting admission to our hospital. The patient presented with fever for one week and was found to have multiple abscesses in the lungs, buttocks, popliteal fossa, and other areas. Inflammatory markers (white blood cell count, neutrophil count, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin) were significantly elevated. Imaging and pathological findings were consistent with infection. Cultures grew Nocardia spp. Matria assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry suggested Nocardia veterana (confidence 80%), whereas 16S rRNA gene sequencing identified Nocardia nova. Both species belong to the Nocardia nova complex, which cannot be reliably differentiated by mass spectrometry alone. After admission, empirical antibacterial therapy was initiated with piperacillin-tazobactam and enrofloxacin, supplemented by antiretroviral therapy for HIV, Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia prophylaxis, gastric protection, nebulization, antihistamines, and correction of fluid and electrolyte imbalances. Local drainage of the left popliteal abscess was performed. On October 13, based on the pathogenic results from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and pus, the diagnosis was disseminated nocardiosis. The antibiotic regimen was adjusted to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and imipenem, after which the patient became afebrile. At discharge, the patient was afebrile with stable vital signs. The left popliteal abscess had decreased in size. Inflammatory markers showed a continuous downward trend. The patient was discharged on continued antibiotic therapy.

Objective:Analyze the isolation and antimicrobial resistance of Candida auris.Methods:Using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, 10 clinically isolated strains of Candida auris were identified in Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University between September and December 2023. Additionally, their resistance to multiple antifungal drugs, specimen source, and patient prognosis were analyzed. Results:All 10 isolates were identified as Candida auris by mass spectrometry. The drug sensitivity test showed that 10 strains were resistant to fluconazole, 3 strains were resistant to amphotericin B, and all were sensitive to Echinocandins. The samples came from various sources; except for 2 patients who were in good condition, 1 patient with stable condition were discharged, and 1 patient died, the remaining 6 patients voluntarily discharged due to worsening of their condition. Conclusions:Candida auris can be identified by mass spectrometry. It was found that Candida auris had high resistance to fluconazole and no resistance to echinocanthin.

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic performance of radiomics model based on contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS) in predicting pathological complete response(pCR) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy(nCRT) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer(LARC).Methods:One hundred and six patients with LARC who underwent total mesorectal excision after nCRT between April 2018 and April 2023 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University were retrospectively included, the patients were randomly divided into a training set of 63(14 pCR patients) and a validation set of 43(12 pCR patients) in a 6∶4 ratios. Radiomics features were extracted from the tumors′ region of interest of CEUS images based on PyRadiomics. Intra-class correlation coefficient(ICC), Mann-Whitney U test, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO) algorithms were used to reduce features dimension. Finally, 7 radiomics features relevanted to pCR were selected to construct an ultrasomics model using elastic network regression, based on the R language. A combined model was constructed by jointing clinical feature. The performance of the models was assessed with the area under the ROC curve(AUC). Results:The AUC of the ultrasomics model and the combined model was 0.695(95% CI=0.532-0.859) and 0.726(95% CI=0.584-0.868) respectively in the training set. The AUC of the ultrasomics model and the combined model was 0.763(95% CI=0.625-0.902) and 0.790(95% CI=0.653-0.928) respectively in the validation set. Both univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses showed that CA199( P<0.05) and ultrasomics score( P<0.001) could be an independent predictor of pCR after nCRT in patients with LARC. Conclusions:The CEUS-based radiomics scores has certain predictive value for whether LARC patients achieve pCR after nCRT, and may provide a non-invasive imaging biomarker for predicting LARC patients achieve pCR after nCRT.

Gastric cancer (GC) is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Thus, early diagnosis is important to improve disease prognosis. Endoscopic assessment represents the most reliable imaging method for GC diagnosis; however, it is semi-invasive and costly and heavily depends on the skills of the endoscopist, which limit its clinical applicability.Therefore, the search for new sensitive biomarkers for the early detection of GC using noninvasive sampling collection methods has attracted much attention among scientists.Urine is considered an ideal biofluid, as it is readily accessible, less complex, and relatively stable than plasma and serum. Over the years, substantial progress has been made in screening for potential urinary biomarkers for GC. This review explores the possible applications and limitations of urinary biomarkers in GC detection and diagnosis.

Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to explore the functions and potential mechanism of miR-451a in breast cancer (BC). Methods: Quantitative reverse transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to analyze the expression of miR-451a in human normal mammary cells (MCF-10A) and BC cells. Colony formation assay, terminal-deoxynucleoitidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling assay and transwell assays were conducted to validate the effect of miR-451a on proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of BC cells, respectively. RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays were applied to investigate the upstream and downstream mechanisms of miR-451a in BC cells. Results: MiR-451a was expressed at a low level in BC cells. Overexpression of miR-451a repressed BC cells proliferation, migration and invasion. Moreover, long non-coding RNA AC092127.1 acted as a sponge of miR-451a to enhance the expression level of AE binding protein 2 (AEBP2) that was demonstrated to be the target gene of miR-451a in BC cells. Finally, rescue experiments validated that miR-451a and AEBP2 involved in AC092127.1-mediated BC cell growth, migration and invasion. Conclusion In a word, AC092127.1/miR-451a/AEBP2 axis contributes to BC cell growth, migration and invasion. Our results may help to find novel potential targets for BC treatment.

Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to explore the functions and potential mechanism of miR-451a in breast cancer (BC). Methods: Quantitative reverse transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to analyze the expression of miR-451a in human normal mammary cells (MCF-10A) and BC cells. Colony formation assay, terminal-deoxynucleoitidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling assay and transwell assays were conducted to validate the effect of miR-451a on proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of BC cells, respectively. RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays were applied to investigate the upstream and downstream mechanisms of miR-451a in BC cells. Results: MiR-451a was expressed at a low level in BC cells. Overexpression of miR-451a repressed BC cells proliferation, migration and invasion. Moreover, long non-coding RNA AC092127.1 acted as a sponge of miR-451a to enhance the expression level of AE binding protein 2 (AEBP2) that was demonstrated to be the target gene of miR-451a in BC cells. Finally, rescue experiments validated that miR-451a and AEBP2 involved in AC092127.1-mediated BC cell growth, migration and invasion. Conclusion In a word, AC092127.1/miR-451a/AEBP2 axis contributes to BC cell growth, migration and invasion. Our results may help to find novel potential targets for BC treatment.