With the development of artificial intelligence， machine learning has shown great potential in the field of medical health. Machine learning conducts a comprehensive analysis of patient data including clinical features， blood tests， and imaging examinations and establishes corresponding mathematical models to achieve the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and the prediction of disease conditions， thereby guiding disease management. With reference to the latest research findings， this article reviews the application of machine learning in chronic hepatitis C and related research advances.

【Objective】 To investigate the population data of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections among voluntary blood donors in Guangzhou between 2012 and 2022, and analyze its characteristics and trends, so as to provide valuable data for formulating targeted prevention and ensuring blood safety. 【Methods】 Voluntary blood donors samples from 2012 to 2022 were screened for p24 antigen and anti-HIV by two ELISA diagnostic kits and HIV RNA by nucleic acid test(NAT). The reactive blood samples were sent to the Disease Control and Prevention Center of Guangzhou for anti-HIV confirmatory test by Western blot. The population characteristics of blood donors with confirmed-positive HIV were subsequently analyzed. 【Results】 There were a total of 3 351 596 blood samples from voluntary blood donors in Guangzhou from 2012 to 2022, of which 708 samples were confirmed-positive of anti-HIV, with a total positive rate of 21.12/100 000, showing a decreasing trend (P<0.05). 1) The positive rates of age groups from high to low were 25-34 year old group, 35-44 year old group, 18-24 year old group, and≥45 year old group. The differences among various groups are statistically significant; 2) The anti-HIV positive rate of first-time blood donors (39.23/100 000) was significantly higher than that of repeat blood donors (10.78/100 000) (P<0.05); 3) The anti-HIV positive rate of male blood donors was 30.45/100 000, which was significantly higher than that of female blood donors (3.46/100 000); 4) The anti-HIV positive rate of individual blood donors (32.18/100 000) was higher than that of group blood donors (9.10/100 000) (P<0.05). 【Conclusion】 From 2012 to 2022, the confirmed-positive rate of anti-HIV among voluntary blood donors in Guangzhou showed a downward trend, which was significantly correlated with the implementation of voluntary blood donation and AIDS prevention policies. Young blood donors are of high risk of HIV, and it is necessary to enhance publicity and education on AIDS prevention through multiple channels among young population. Given that the anti-HIV positive rate of first-time blood donors is much higher than that of repeat blood donors, it is recommended to further optimize the health consultation and physical examination process before blood donation, and take multiple measures to screen high-risk behavior groups. Besides, more efforts should be made to promote publicity and education on AIDS prevention among regular blood donors. It is also important to recruit blood donors from low-risk groups and inform the donors about confidential unit exclusion.

Lipotoxicity is a pivotal factor that initiates and exacerbates liver injury and is involved in the development of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). However, there are few reported lipotoxicity inhibitors. Here, we identified a natural anti-lipotoxicity candidate, HN-001, from the marine fungus Aspergillus sp. C1. HN-001 dose- and time- dependently reversed palmitic acid (PA)-induced hepatocyte death. This protection was associated with IRE-1α-mediated XBP-1 splicing inhibition, which resulted in suppression of XBP-1s nuclear translocation and transcriptional regulation. Knockdown of XBP-1s attenuated lipotoxicity, but no additional ameliorative effect of HN-001 on lipotoxicity was observed in XBP-1s knockdown hepatocytes. Notably, the ER stress and lipotoxicity amelioration was associated with PLA2. Both HN-001 and the PLA2 inhibitor MAFP inhibited PLA2 activity, reduced lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) level, subsequently ameliorated lipotoxicity. In contrast, overexpression of PLA2 caused exacerbation of lipotoxicity and weakened the anti-lipotoxic effects of HN-001. Additionally, HN-001 treatment suppressed the downstream pro-apoptotic JNK pathway. In vivo, chronic administration of HN-001 (i.p.) in mice alleviated all manifestations of MAFLD, including hepatic steatosis, liver injury, inflammation, and fibrogenesis. These effects were correlated with PLA2/IRE-1α/XBP-1s axis and JNK signaling suppression. These data indicate that HN-001 has therapeutic potential for MAFLD because it suppresses lipotoxicity, and provide a natural structural basis for developing anti-MAFLD candidates.

Objective:To elucidate the epidemiological characteristics and changing trends of liver failure in order to provide evidence-based strategies for prevention and treatment.Methods:The epidemiological information of inpatients with liver failure admitted and treated at Beijing You'an Hospital from 2012 to 2021 was retrospectively collected. The trend test was used to analyze age, gender, as well as the year-by-year changes in the underlying acute and chronic etiology of acute liver failure (ALF), sub-acute liver failure (SALF), acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), and chronic liver failure (CLF).Results:During the study period, information on a total of 8512 inpatients, aged 51.3±13.5 years and mainly male (71.9%) with liver failure, was collected. The highest to lowest proportions of liver failure types were ACLF 4 023 (47.3%), CLF 3 571(42.0%), SALF 670 (7.9%), and ALF 248 (2.9%). The top five causes of liver failure in the overall population, accounting for 87.6% of the total, were hepatitis B 3 199 (37.58%), alcoholic liver disease 2 237 (26.28%), cryptogenic liver disease 906(10.61%), hepatitis B + alcoholic liver disease 603 (7.08%), drugs 488 (5.73%), The top three etiologies of patients with different types of liver failure were acute etiologies for acute liver failure (ALF), followed by drugs 107 (43.1%), hepatitis B 47(19.0%), and unknown etiology 36 (14.5%); sub-acute liver failure (SALF), followed by drugs 381(56.9%), unknown etiology 106 (15.8%), and sepsis 56 (8.4%); and acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), followed by drugs 2 092(52.0%), alcoholic liver disease 813(20.2%), and cryptogenic liver disease 398(9.9%); and chronic etiologies for chronic liver failure (CLF), followed by alcoholic liver disease 1 410(39.5%), hepatitis B 1 028(28.8%), and cryptogenic liver disease 364(10.2%). Longitudinal analysis showed that the average age of patients with liver failure increased year by year, but the sex ratio trend did not change significantly, with male patients predominating throughout. The proportion of drug-induced liver failure in patients with ALF and SALF increased year by year, and the difference in the trend test was statistically significant ( P < 0.05). The proportion of patients with chronic etiologies of ACLF and CLF decreased year by year among hepatitis B, while the proportion of alcoholic liver disease, autoimmune liver disease, and cryptogenic liver disease increased year by year (the difference was statistically significant, P < 0.05). Conclusion:The etiological spectrum of liver failure is changing in our country. Although hepatitis B is still the main cause of liver failure, its proportion shows a decreasing trend year by year, with the exception of ACLF, which is no longer the primary etiology of other types of liver failure, while drug-induced liver disease, alcoholic liver disease, autoimmune liver disease, and cryptogenic liver disease are increasing year by year and will become the focus of liver disease prevention and treatment in the future.

Objective To observe the effect of enteral nutrition with fish collagen oligopeptide on operative prognosis of patients with emergency complex hand trauma.Methods A total of 122 patients who suffered from complex hand trauma and were operated in the emergency department were retrospectively analyzed.Patients were given early enteral nutritional support after the operation,and were divided into two groups according to different formulations.The control group(60 patients)was given balance nutrients and whey protein,and the experimental group(62 patients)was given fish collagen oligopeptide on the same enteral nutrition formula.Clinical data were compared between the two groups,including hemoglobin(Hb),lymphocyte count(Lym),neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio(NLR),albumin(ALB),prealbumin(PA),alanine transaminase(ALT),aspartate transaminase(AST),urea nitrogen(BUN),creatinine(Cr),triglyceride(TG),total cholesterol(TC)and low density lipoprotein-C(LDL-C)before and after treatment.The length of hospital stay and the incidence of postoperative infectious complications were compared between the two groups of patients.Results Compared with before treatment,Hb,ALB,liver and kidney function and lipid metabolism indexes of the control group and the experimental group had no significant changes after nutritional treatment,and PA and Lym were significantly increased,and NLR was significantly decreased.After nutritional treatment,compared with the control group,NLR was decreased more significantly in the experimental group(P<0.01).The incidence of infectious complications was lower in the experimental group than that in the control group,and the length of hospitalization was significantly shortened(P<0.05).Conclusion Early enteral nutrition supplemented with fish collagen oligopeptide in patients with emergency complex hand trauma can promote prealbumin synthesis,reduce the incidence of inflammation and wound infection,and shorten hospital stay.

Recently, malaria incidence has sharply resurgence in the border area of northern Myanmar, with the parasite incidence rate in 2023 being 21.47 times (95% CI: 18.84-24.48) that of 2019 in Kachin State's Razan and nearby areas. This resurgence caused the number of imported malaria cases to increase from 188 in 2019 to 398 in 2023 in Yunnan Province. In addition to the impact of military conflict, the border malaria joint prevention and control cooperation mechanism and malaria control measures established between China and Myanmar have failed to be implemented effectively due to the impact of the international COVID-19 epidemic. Hence, it is recommended that relevant departments evaluate the quality and effectiveness of the current cross-border transmission measures for malaria in the China-Myanmar border area from a technical perspective, and provide a large demand for primaquine, which can block the spread of malaria and cure vivax malaria, in response to the current prevalent characteristics of vivax malaria predominating in northern Myanmar. Moreover, to effectively reduce the mortality of imported malaria patients and prevent re-importation and transmission, it is necessary to enhance clinical physicians' knowledge, awareness, and vigilance regarding malaria diagnosis and treatment in the Yunnan border region, as well as China's ability and quality of appropriate response to imported malaria.

Objective To explore the predictive value of the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, energy metabolism and serum thyroid hormone levels on the severity and prognosis of patients with liver failure and their correlation. Methods This study collected clinicopathological data from 60 liver failure patients, e.g., end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, energy metabolism, and serum thyroid hormone levels. The χ 2 test was performed to analyze the categorical variables, while the Mann-Whitney U test and independent sample t test were performed to assess the continuous variables between the two groups. Spearman correlation coefficient test was used to evaluate correlation of each index. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the optimal cut-off points of serum total triiodothyronine (TT3) and free triiodothyronine (FT3) levels in predicting prognosis of the patients. Results The rates of low TT3 and FT3 levels in liver failure patients were 78.2% and 69.1%, respectively, whereas the low TT3 rates were 95.2% and 67.6% and the low FT3 rates were 90.5% and 55.9% in survival and non-survival groups of patients, respectively (both P < 0.05). Moreover, the MELD score was significantly higher in the non-survival patients than in survival patients [26.0(21.0-29.0) vs 21.0 (19.0-24.0), Z =-3.396, P =0.001], while TT3 and FT3 levels were significantly lower in the non-survival patients than in the survival patients [0.69(0.62-0.73) vs 0.83(0.69-0.94) and 2.17(1.99-2.31) vs 2.54(2.12-2.86), respectively; Z =-2.884、-2.876, all P < 0.01]. The MELD score was negatively associated with serum TT3, FT3, and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels and the respiratory quotient (RQ) ( r =-0.487、-0.329、-0.422、-0.350, all P < 0.01), whereas the RQ was associated with serum TT3 and FT3 levels ( r =0.271、0.265, all P < 0.05). The optimal cutoff values in predicting the severity and survival of patients was 0.75 nmol/L and 2.37pmol/L with the sensitivity values of 67.6% and 64.7% and the specificity of 90.5% and 81.0%, respectively. Conclusion Abnormal thyroid hormone levels and low respiratory quotient could be used to predict the severity and prognosis of patients with liver failure.

Chinese Society of Hepatology and Chinese Society of Infectious Diseases, Chinese Medical Association update the guidelines for the prevention and treatment of chronic hepatitis B (version 2022) in 2022. The latest guidelines recommend more extensive screening and more active antiviral treating for hepatitis B virus infection. This article interprets the essential updates in the guidelines to help deepen understanding and better guide the clinical practice.
Humans ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/drug therapy* ; Hepatitis B/drug therapy* ; Hepatitis B virus ; Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use* ; Gastroenterology

Objective To investigate the ability of combined baseline serum markers, i.e., HBV DNA, HBV RNA, HBsAg, and HBcrAg, to predict HBeAg seroconversion in patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) treated by nucleos(t)ide analogues. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for 83 HBeAg-positive patients selected as subjects from the prospective CHB follow-up cohort established by Difficult & Complicated Liver Diseases and Artificial Liver Center, Beijing YouAn Hospital, Capital Medical University, from June 2007 to July 2008, and the baseline serum levels of HBV DNA, HBV RNA, HBsAg, and HBcrAg were analyzed. The t -test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The Spearman method was used for correlation analysis. A Cox regression model was established to calculate HBeAg seroconversion prediction score, and the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the ability of combined markers in predicting HBeAg seroconversion. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate cumulative seroconversion rate in each group, and the Log-rank test was used for comparison between groups. Results For the 83 HBeAg-positive patients, the median follow-up time was 108 months, and 44.58%(37/83) of these patients achieved HBeAg seroconversion. Compared with the non-seroconversion group, the HBeAg seroconversion group had significantly lower baseline serum levels of HBV DNA [6.23(1.99-9.28) log 10 IU/mL vs 7.69(2.05-8.96) log 10 IU/mL, Z =-2.345, P =0.019] and HBV RNA [4.81(1.40-7.53) log 10 copies/mL vs 6.22(2.00-8.49) log 10 copies/mL, Z =-1.702, P =0.010], and there were no significant differences in the levels of HBsAg and HBcrAg between the two groups ( P > 0.05). The Cox regression equation constructed based on the above serum markers showed a median score of 0.95(range 0.37-3.45) for predicting HBeAg seroconversion. In the total population, the combined score was negatively correlated with HBsAg, HBV DNA, HBV RNA, and HBcrAg ( r =-0.697, -0.787, -0.990, and -0.819, all P < 0.001). Based on the median prediction score, the patients were divided into high HBeAg seroconversion group and low HBeAg seroconversion group; as for the prediction of HBeAg seroconversion rate at 36, 60, and 84 months, the high HBeAg seroconversion group had a seroconversion rate of 43.90%, 51.20%, and 63.10%, respectively, while the low HBeAg seroconversion group had a seroconversion rate of 9.60%, 17.00%, and 19.8%, respectively, and there was a significant difference between the two groups ( χ 2 =11.6, P < 0.001). Conclusion The combined prediction score based on baseline serum HBV markers can predict HBeAg seroconversion in CHB patients treated by nucleos(t)ide analogues.

Objective To investigate the consistency between Shengxiang (S) and Xinbo (X) real-time PCR methods in the quantification of HBV RNA. Methods In the prospective follow-up cohort of 108 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients established from July 2007 to August 2008, 20 patients with HBeAg seroconversion were selected, and 20 patients without seroconversion were selected by propensity score matching at a ratio of 1∶ 1. The two quantification methods from S and X companies were used, and a retrospective analysis was performed for HBV RNA in serum samples at baseline and weeks 12, 24, and 48. The paired t -test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data. The Pearson correlation coefficient, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and the Bland-Altman method were used to evaluate the consistency of the two quantification methods. Results A total of 132 serum samples were tested by S reagent, and 154 were tested by X reagent; the detection rate of HBV RNA was 100% by both reagents. A total of 131 serum samples were tested by both reagents, with 34 samples at baseline and 29, 35, and 33 samples, respectively, at weeks 12, 24, and 48 of follow-up; at these four time points, the HBV RNA quantification data detected by X reagent were significantly higher than those detected by S reagent (5.75±1.64/5.43±1.73/5.13±1.54/4.76±1.55 log 10 copies/mL vs 4.80±1.48/4.52±1.53/4.10±1.50/3.92± 1.43 log 10 copies/mL, t =8.348, t =5.341, Z =-5.086, Z =-4.762, all P < 0.001). The correlation analysis of the two methods showed a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.915 (95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 0.836-0.957) and an ICC of 0.771(95% CI : -0.021 to 0.931) at baseline, a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.849(95% CI : 0.701-0.927) and an ICC of 0.733(95% CI : 0.138-0.902) at week 12, a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.951(95% CI : 0.905-0.975) and an ICC of 0.776(95% CI : -0.058 to 0.942) at week 24, and a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.933(95% CI : 0.867-0.967) and an ICC of 0.804(95% CI : -0.014 to 0.944) at week 48 (all P < 0.05). The Bland-Altman analysis showed that the difference of 96.18%(126/131) samples tested by the two methods was within the mean difference±1.96 standard deviation. Conclusion HBV RNA quantification by X reagent is higher than that by S reagent, while the two real-time PCR quantification methods show a good consistency in CHB patients with HBeAg seroconversion and those without seroconversion.