ObjectiveTo characterize the features of the gut microbiome and its association with clinical prognosis in patients with intermediate and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） treated with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization （TACE） combined with targeted therapy and immunotherapy. MethodsThis retrospective study enrolled patients with intermediate and advanced HCC who received TACE combined with targeted therapy and immunotherapy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from February 2025 to July 2025. Baseline clinical data and fecal samples were collected from all enrolled patients before the index hospitalization and treatment. Patients were stratified using two independent criteria： ① a good-prognosis group and a poor-prognosis group， based on whether progression-free survival （PFS） reached 6 months； ② a response group and a non-response group， based on tumor response to the first TACE assessed by the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors （mRECIST）. Metagenomic sequencing was performed on fecal samples. Bioinformatic analysis was conducted to evaluate the diversity and compositional differences of intestinal bacterial and fungal communities between groups in each stratification， and to screen for prognosis-associated characteristic microbial taxa. ResultsA total of 61 patients met the inclusion criteria. Analysis of α-diversity and β-diversity showed no statistically significant differences in bacterial and fungal diversity between groups under either stratification strategy （P＞ 0.05）. At the bacterial level， Lactobacillus johnsonii （prognosis stratification： P=0.048； response stratification： P=0.043）， Bifidobacterium dentium （prognosis stratification： P=0.004； response stratification： P=0.030） and Clostridioides difficile （prognosis stratification： P=0.017； response stratification： P=0.016） were significantly enriched in both the good prognosis group and the response group. At the fungal level， Cryptococcus decaguttatus （P=0.045）， Puccinia striiformis （P=0.002）， and Kwoniella quercicola （P=0.015） were enriched in the good‑prognosis group； Kwoniella bestiolae （P=0.037） was enriched in the response group； and Akanthomyces muscarius （P=0.024） was enriched in the non-response group. Survival analysis based on the common differential bacterial abundance in both groupings showed a significant correlation between the abundance of Bifidobacterium dentium and patient prognosis. ConclusionDifferences in the gut microbiota are associated with the prognosis of patients with intermediate and advanced HCC treated with TACE combined with targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Bifidobacterium dentium may serve as a potential predictive biomarker for the efficacy of this combination regimen， and represents a potential intervention target to modulate treatment response. Differences in gut fungal communities are also potentially associated with the prognosis of intermediate and advanced HCC patients receiving TACE combined with targeted therapy and immunotherapy.

Abstract Respiratory diseases represent prevalent conditions that pose a significant threat to public health. The pathogenesis of these diseases is complex involving a variety of cells and cytokines. Cell culture technology serves as a fundamental tool for investigating pathological mechanisms and drug efficacy. However, traditional monolayer cell culture fail to mimic the intricate cell-cell interactions, limiting its applicability. In contrast, cell co-culture offers a more physiologically relevant approach by closely mimicking the multicellular microenvironment. This advancement provides a robust model for elucidating pathological pathways and evaluating pharmacological interventions in respiratory diseases. In this review, the applications of cell co-culture technologies in common respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, lung cancer, asthma, and pneumonia are summarized, in order to propose strategies for the prevention and treatment of these diseases.

Paraplegia caused by spinal cord injury is a serious neurological complication, for which surgery is currently the main treatment method. Due to different surgical approaches, patients are usually expected to maintain a passive prone position for a long time or switch between the supine and prone positions. Affected by multiple factors such as neurogenic sensory disorders, pathological changes in muscle tone and operative duration, the risk of intraoperative acquired pressure injury (IAPI) is significantly increased. Current clinical prevention strategies for IAPI in these patients predominantly focus on localized pressure relief during positioning, lacking systematic, standardized comprehensive prevention protocols or evidence-based guidelines. To address it, Department of Nursing, Orthopedics Branch, China International Exchange and Promotive Association for Medical and Health Care, Spinal Trauma Professional Committee, Orthopedics Branch, Chinese Medical Doctor Association, Nursing Group of Spine and Spinal Cord Professional Committee of Chinese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine organized experts in relevant fields to formulate Guideline for the prevention of intraoperative acquired pressure injury in paraplegic patients with spinal cord injury ( version 2025), based on evidence-based medical evidence and latest research results and clinical practice at home and abroad. Eleven recommendations were put forward from the aspects of preoperative risk assessment, intraoperative prevention strategies, postoperative handover and monitoring, and supportive mechanisms for IAPI prevention, aiming to standardize the prevention measures and management strategies of IAPI in paraplegic patients with spinal cord injury and accelerate the recovery of patients and improve the therapeutic effect.

This consensus was developed by the Orthodontic Society of the Chinese Stomatological Association to provide a systematic, scientific, and practical guideline for informed consent in orthodontic care. Orthodontic treatment is typically lengthy, highly individualized, and involves multiple factors such as growth and development, occlusal function, and facial esthetics. Rapid technological advances and diverse risk profiles make the traditional reliance on orthodontist experience or institutional templates insufficient to ensure patients′ full understanding and autonomous decision-making. To address this, the expert panel conducted extensive reviews of domestic and international guidelines, analyzed representative dispute cases, and performed multicenter patient-clinician surveys. Using a multi-round Delphi method, the group established a standardized informed consent framework covering the initial consultation, treatment, and retention phases. The consensus emphasizes that informed consent is not only a fundamental legal and ethical requirement but also a key step in building trust, improving patient compliance, and enhancing treatment satisfaction. Orthodontists should clearly and comprehensively explain treatment plans, potential risks, uncertainties, and associated costs, while respecting the autonomy of patients or guardians, and maintain continuous communication and dynamic evaluation throughout the treatment process. The release of this consensus provides unified and authoritative guidance for clinical orthodontics, helping to standardize informed consent, enhance its transparency, safeguard patient rights, reduce medical risks, and promote high-quality, sustainable development of orthodontic practice.

Objective:To explore the feasibility of transvaginal core needle biopsy for pelvic masses under finger guidance during a vagino-recto-abdominal examination.Methods:The clinicopathological data and follow-up information of 29 patients with pelvic masses who underwent transvaginal core needle biopsy under finger guidance during a vagino-recto-abdominal examination at Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University from January 2020 to July 2024 were collected, and the safety and diagnostic accuracy of the procedure were retrospectively analyzed.Results:(1) A total of 29 patients with pelvic masses were enrolled in this study, with a median age of 50 years (range: 29-73 years), and a median tumor diameter of 3.9 cm (range: 2.7-13.3 cm). Among these patients, 7 were newly diagnosed, and 22 were follow-up. The pre-procedure disease types included 21 patients (72%, 21/29) cervical cancer, 6 patients (21%, 6/29) epithelial ovarian cancer, and 2 patients (7%, 2/29) other suspected gynecologic tumors. (2) Among 29 patients with pelvic masses, 8 cases (28%, 8/29) were diagnosed with benign diseases according to core needle biopsy pathological findings, and 1 case suggested possible residual cervical cancer in the parametrial region by contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging after radical chemoradiotherapy 3 months, while the result of core needle biopsy for this patient was negative, with follow-up after 1 year revealed progression of the lesion in the right parametrial area. Another patient underwent fine-needle aspiration cytology, which suggested gastrointestinal stromal tumor, requiring differentiation from endometriosis, and core needle biopsy pathology confirmed endometriosis, with follow-up at 6 months revealed no evidence of malignancy in this patient. The remaining 6 patients with benign diagnoses had follow-up periods exceeding 1 year without imaging or clinical evidence of local lesion progression or malignancy. Among the 21 patients (72%, 21/29) diagnosed with malignant tumors by core needle biopsy, 14 cases were suspected cases of residual or recurrent cervical cancer, 6 cases had advanced ovarian cancer, and 1 case had rectal cancer metastasis, with all biopsy diagnoses being consistent with preoperative clinical findings and imaging results. The overall diagnostic accuracy of the core needle biopsy was 97% (28/29). Among the 7 newly diagnosed patients, the diagnostic accuracy was 7/7, while it was 95% (21/22) for the 22 follow-up patients, with no statistically significant difference observed between the two groups ( P=1.000). (3) All 29 patients with pelvic masses successfully underwent transvaginal core needle biopsy guided by vagino-recto-abdominal examination. Among them, 28 cases (97%, 28/29) reported tolerable pain during the procedure, while 1 case (3%, 1/29) experienced transient syncope at the end of the procedure due to pain, which resolved within seconds. Vaginal bleeding exceeding 50 ml occurred in 3 patients (10%, 3/29) during paracervical tissue sampling, with the maximum blood loss being 150 ml, and hemorrhage was successfully controlled using vaginal tamponade. The overall incidence of adverse events during the core needle biopsy procedure was 14% (4/29). Conclusion:Transvaginal core needle biopsy for pelvic masses guided by vagino-recto-abdominal examination is a simple, safe, and accurate diagnostic method, suitable for patients with gynecologic malignancies, non-gynecologic malignancies suspected of pelvic mass metastasis, and other benign pelvic lesions.

Objective:To explore the feasibility and efficacy of left ventricular decompression in pediatric patients supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation（ECMO）.Methods:The clinical data of 15 children who underwent left ventricular decompression during ECMO in the cardiac intensive care unit（CICU）of Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center from February 2021 to August 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Among the 15 patients，there were 8 males and 7 females,with a median age of 1.1 years old（20 days to 15 years old）and a median weight of 8.5（3.1 to 38.0）kg. Cardiac pathologies varied，including hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy(1 case),left coronary artery abnormalities originating from the pulmonary artery（3 cases），aortic coarctation with ventricular septal defect（1 case），complete transposition of great arteries with ventricular septal defect（1 case），ventricular septal defect with severe mitral valve insufficiency（1 case），fulminant myocarditis（5 cases），tetralogy of Fallot（1 case），ascending aortic aneurysm with aortic valve insufficiency（1 case），and Kawasaki disease complicated with giant aneurysm（1 case）. The venous-arterial ECMO mode was used in all 15 children,9 cases were intubated centrally and 6 cases were intubated peripherally. The reasons for ECMO：low cardiac output（8 cases），cardiogenic shock（5 cases），and frequent ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation（2 cases）. Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed in 3 cases. The median duration of mechanical ventilation was 248 (142-590) h,the median CICU stay was 18 (7-26) d,and the median hospital stay was 28 (7-37) d. Of the 15 children,7 cases underwent emergency left ventricular decompression through a small sternal incision,with a mean decompression time of ECMO-assisted 12.2(9-22) h，and 8 cases underwent selective left ventricular decompression through a median sternal incision. Left ventricular systolic function improved significantly after decompression in all 15 patients，of whom 12 cases were successfully withdrew off ECMO and 10 cases of them survived.Conclusion:Left ventricular decompression can improve the cardiac dysfunction in children with ECMO，reduce the occurrence of complications，and increase the success rate and survival rate of ECMO.

Salmonella,an important foodborne pathogen,is responsible for numerous diseases in both humans and animals.We conducted a genome-wide analysis of Salmonella isolates from diarrheal and foodborne infection cases in Gansu Province between 2021 and 2023.A total of 163 Salmonella strains were collected and subjected to biochemical identification,followed by serological typing,whole-genome sequencing,and bioinformatics characterization.The results revealed 27 distinct serotypes,among which Sal-monella typhimurium variant(S.4,[5],12∶1∶-),Salmonella enteritidis,and Salmonella enterica London were predominant.Notably,the serotype distribution exhibited significant variation across sample sources.Multilocus sequence typing(MLST)classified the iso-lates into 27 sequence types(STs),among which ST34,ST11,ST155,and ST19 had the highest prevalence.The MLST profiles dem-onstrated strong concordance with serological classifications.For Salmonella,we detected a total of 17 673 virulence genes in 374 cat-egories,carrying multiple virulence islands.Some strains carried virulence plasmid genes,among which 45 strains of Salmonella enter-itidis had higher types and numbers of virulence factors detected than other serotypes of Salmonella.Antimicrobial resistance profiling identified 69 resistance genes conferring resistance to 13 classes of antimicrobial agents,and multidrug resistance patterns were preva-lent among isolates.Plasmid characterization revealed 35 plasmid types,some containing antimicrobial resistance determinants.Addi-tionally,three disinfectant resistance genes were identified.This study highlights the extensive diversity of Salmonella serotypes and STs in Gansu Province and the complex repertoire of virulence and resistance genes.The emergence of disinfectant resistance genes un-derscores challenges in conventional disinfection protocols.These findings provide critical insights for refining Salmonella surveillance and control strategies in public health and food safety contexts.

Objective To analyze the reverse mechano-electric effect of the layered structure of articular cartilage and its influencing factors.Methods The cartilage samples were classified according to their physiological thickness(approximately 0.4 mm for the upper layer,1 mm for the middle layer,and 0.6 mm for the lower layer).Through a non-contact external electric field testing method,how different influencing factors affected the reverse mechano-electric effect of articular cartilage was analyzed.Results When the electric field spacing decreased,water content increased,and in vitro time decreased,the displacement of normal layered cartilage in a non-contact electric field increased by 18,10,15 μm,respectively.In the case of simulated arthritis defects,as the defect depth and radius increased,the overall deviation deflection of articular cartilage gradually decreased by about 7 μm.Conclusions The three-layer cartilage differed in their reverse mechano-electricity effects,showing the greatest deflection in the middle layer at 90％water content,under 7 mm electric field spacing,and after 12 hours ex vivo.

Clinical management of atopic dermatitis (AD) is challenged by its susceptibility to recurrence, side effects, and high costs. We found that Portulaca oleracea L.-derived nanovesicles (PDNV) exert anti-inflammatory effects by modulating macrophage M1/M2 polarization. These effects were achieved through pathways including inhibition of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and stimulator of interferon genes (STING) protein expression in diseased tissues, demonstrating their potential to ameliorate AD symptoms. To increase the transdermal permeation of PDNV, dissolvable microneedles composed primarily of hyaluronic acid (HA) were developed as an adjunctive means of delivery. Meanwhile, polysaccharides of Portulaca oleracea L., which were synergistic with PDNV, were used as microneedle constituent materials to enhance the mechanical properties and physical stability of HA. This new means of delivery significantly improves the treatment of AD and also provides new options for the efficient utilization of plant extracellular vesicles and the treatment of AD. In addition, transcriptomic analysis of PDNV showed that the mRNAs of Portulaca oleracea L. are closest to those of ferns, which may shed light on related evolutionary and plant species identification studies.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of avitinib for suppressing NLRP3 inflammasome activation and alleviating septic shock and explore the underlying mechanism. METHODS: Mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM), human monocytic leukemia cell line THP-1, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated from healthy volunteers were pre-treated with avitinib, followed by activation of the canonical NLRP3 inflammasome using agonists including nigericin, monosodium urate (MSU) crystals, or adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Non-canonical NLRP3 inflammasome activation was induced via intracellular transfection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Western blotting was used to detect the secretory protein markers of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and assess pyroptosis, and the levels of inflammatory cytokines in cell culture supernatant were determined with ELISA. In a mouse model of LPS-induced septic shock, the effect of avitinib treatment on the levels of inflammatory cytokines in serum and peritoneal lavage fluid were examined with ELISA, and survival curves of the mice were plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Avitinib significantly inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation in multiple cell types, and dose-dependently reduced IL-1β secretion and caspase-1 cleavage while suppressing GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis without obviously affecting IL-6 or TNF-α levels. In the mouse models of LPS-induced septic shock, avitinib significantly lowered IL-1β levels in serum and peritoneal fluid and extended survival time of the mice. CONCLUSIONS Avitinib suppresses NLRP3 inflammasome activation and alleviates septic shock in mice.
Animals ; Shock, Septic/metabolism* ; Mice ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein ; Inflammasomes/drug effects* ; Humans ; Macrophages/metabolism* ; Interleukin-1beta/metabolism* ; Lipopolysaccharides