Objective:To analyze the relationship between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR) and the levels of inflammatory factors in peripheral blood and the brain injuries of suppurative meningitis in neonates (NPM) and the value of joint prediction of hydrocephalus.Methods:Ninety-five children with NPM diagnosed and treated in the Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical College from January 2020 to December 2022 were retrospectively selected, including 31 children with non-cerebral parenchymal injury (group A), accounting for 32.63%(31/95); 36 children with parenchymal injury and no hydrocephalus (group B), accounting for 37.89%(36/95); 28 children with brain parenchymal injury and hydrocephalus (group C), accounting for 29.47%(28/95). The clinical data, peripheral blood levels of NLR, interleukin 6(IL-6), hyper-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) were compared among the three groups, and the influencing factors of hydrocephalus were analyzed by Logistic regression. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the value of changes(△, representing the absolute value of the difference between the corresponding indexes and 3 d after admission) in NLR, hs-CRP, IL-6 and PCT in predicting hydrocephalus in NPM alone and combination.Results:The incidence of respiratory failure and convulsion and the levels of NLR, hs-CRP, IL-6 and PCT in the group C were higher than those in the group B and A: 42.86%(12/28) vs. 13.89%(5/36), 6.45%(2/31); 42.86%(12/28) vs. 16.67%(6/36), 3.23%(1/31); 3.91 ± 0.71 vs. 3.12 ± 0.64, 2.16 ± 0.58; (98.21 ± 10.17) mg/L vs. (86.74 ± 9.30), (75.18 ± 8.42) mg/L; (40.73 ± 7.88) ng/L vs. (31.26 ± 6.45), (25.01 ± 5.19) ng/L; (13.26 ± 2.04) ng/L vs (11.83 ± 1.91), (9.45 ± 1.67) ng/L; the levels of NLR, hs-CRP, IL-6 and PCT in the group B were higher than those in the group A, there were statistical differences ( P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that the levels of peripheral blood NLR and serum hs-CRP, IL-6 and PCT at admission were independent risk factors for hydrocephalus in children with NPM ( P<0.05). The △NLR, △hs-CRP, △IL-6 and △PCT of the children with hydrocephalus were lower than those without hydrocephalus: 0.73 ± 0.24 vs. 1.02 ± 0.31, (42.73 ± 13.08) mg/L vs. (69.56 ± 18.19) mg/L, (13.43 ± 4.22) ng/L vs. (19.86 ± 6.43) ng/L, (4.35 ± 1.34) ng/L vs. (6.58 ± 2.03) ng/L, there were statistical differences ( P<0.05). ROC curve analysis results showed that the AUC of △NLR, △hs-CRP, △IL-6 and △PCT combined to predict hydrocephalus in children with NPM was 0.903, which was greater than each single index ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The levels of NLR, hs-CRP, IL-6 and PCT in peripheral blood of children with NPM are significantly correlated with brain injuries, and have certain predictive efficacy in predicting the risk of hydrocephalus.

Objective To observe the value of prenatal ultrasound evaluation on morphology of Sylvian fissure(SF)during the second and third trimesters for screening fetal abnormal cerebral cortical development.Methods Totally 876 fetuses in the second and third trimesters were retrospectively included.Prenatal ultrasound was performed to observe the morphology of fetal SF and whether there was complicated abnormalities of the development of cerebral cortical and other structures.Then prenatal ultrasound was regularly reexamined,and the pregnancy outcome,while the growth and development of newborns were followed up.Results Among 876 fetuses,normal SF morphology was observed in 861 fetuses(861/876,98.29％),while 11 fetuses(11/876,1.26％)had delayed SF development(normal SF morphology but inconsistent with gestational week)and 4 fetuses(4/876,0.46％)had abnormal SF morphology,all complicated with abnormal cerebral cortical development and/or intracranial and extracranial structural malformations,and reexamination of prenatal ultrasound showed that SF morphology was consistent with the gestational week in 4 fetuses,SF morphology still did not match the gestational week in 4 fetuses,and SF morphology was still abnormal in 2 fetuses.Among these 15 fetuses,6 were successfully born and grew well after followed up until 10-15 months,4 were induced labor,while the rest 4(3 with delayed SF development and 1 with abnormal SF morphology)complicated with other severe malformations and 1 with abnormal SF morphology were induced labor or lost to follow-up,hence not undergoing ultrasound re-examination.Conclusion Prenatal ultrasound evaluation on SF morphology during the second and third trimesters had important value for screening fetal abnormal cerebral cortical development.

With obesity rates climbing worldwide, metabolic and bariatric surgery has evolved over seven decades into a pivotal therapeutic approach for treating severe obesity and related disorders. Recent research highlights that new anti-diabetic and weight-loss drugs, especially GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA), are catalyzing a paradigm shift in obesity management. Within this context, the key scientific challenge in metabolic surgery is thoroughly investigating how pharmacological interventions and surgical procedures work together in weight management, especially evaluating if new drugs can match bariatric surgery's long-term effectiveness, complication management, and metabolic changes. Resolving this interdisciplinary debate will influence precision medicine in obesity treatment and reshape future multidisciplinary care models for metabolic disorders.

Objective:To explore the effects and potential mechanisms of cell growth regulator 1 ( CGREF1) with an EF hand domain in colorectal cancer proliferation and migration. Methods:Fifty paraffin specimens of colorectal cancer tissues and corresponding paracancerous tissues were selected from January 2023 to January 2024 from the Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University for analysis, and TCGA, GDSC, KMPLOT and STRING databases were used to explore the expression, prognosis, immune microenvironment, drug sensitivity and related signaling pathway functions of CGREF1 in colorectal cancer. Tissue and cellular expression levels of CGREF1 were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR. Lentiviral-mediated CGREF1 overexpression in SW-620 cells (OE- CGREF1 vs NC groups) was functionally characterized through CCK-8 proliferation assays, colony formation tests, and scratch wound healing migration assays, with mechanistic investigation via Western blot analysis of apoptosis markers, invasion-related proteins, and RAS/RAF/ERK pathway components. In vivo tumorigenicity was assessed by subcutaneous injection of control or CGREF1-overexpressing SW620 cells in nude mice ( n=3 per group) with tumor growth monitoring. Software of GraphPad Prism 9 was used for statistical analysis of experimental data. Results:CGREF1CGREF1RASERK Studies based on databases, clinical samples and colorectal cancer cell line analyses demonstrated that CGREF1 is downregulated in colorectal cancer, where low CGREF1 expression showed positive correlation with tumor diameter and invasion depth. CGREF1 is closely related to tumor immune infiltration microenvironment and sensitivity to multiple anti-tumor drugs. Overexpression of CGREF1 promoted cell apoptosis while inhibiting cell proliferation, invasion and migration. Overexpression of CGREF1 downregulated the expression levels of RAS, ERK and P-P38/MAPK pathway proteins. CGREF1 inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Conclusion:CGREF1 can inhibit the proliferation, colony formation, and migration of CRC cells through the RAS/ERK/MAPK pathway.

ObjectiveTo investigate a suspected outbreak of healthcare-associated infection with carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) in a geriatric emergency ward, and to provide references for the prevention and control of multidrug-resistant bacteria in a hospital in Shanghai. MethodsOn-site epidemiological investigation, combined with environmental hygiene monitoring and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) molecular typing method, were adopted to investigate a suspected outbreak of CRKP infection in the geriatric emergency ward of a hospital from October to November 2022, aiming at finding out factors caused the outbreak before taking corresponding control measures. ResultsA total of 3 cases of healthcare-associated CRKP infection were identified, of which 2 cases were homologous to a previous case of community-associated CRKP infection. What’s more, the 2 cases lived in the same ward with the latter and with adjacent beds, but the third case was non-homologous to the community-associated infection case. A total of 46 samples were collected from the environmental surfaces and the hands of healthcare workers, of which 7 samples tested positive for CRKP and were identical to the strains from the 2 healthcare-associated infection cases and the 1 community-associated infection case, originating from the bedrails, bedside tables, surface of non-invasive ventilator, bed curtains and panels of monitoring equipment, with a detection rate of 15.22%. But none of the 11 samples from the hands of healthcare workers tested positive for CRKP. The outbreak was effectively controlled after taking specific prevention and control measures such as strengthening personnel management, intensifying environmental cleaning and disinfection and strictly enforcing hand hygiene among healthcare workers. Subsequently, no similar new cases were reported during the 14-day follow-up period. ConclusionIncomplete environmental cleaning and disinfection, as well as inadequate enforcement of hand hygiene among heatheare workers may have contributed to the suspected outbreak of CRKP in the geriatric emergency ward. Early warning and timely investigation of suspected outbreaks of multidrug-resistant bacteria are crucial for preventing and controlling such outbreaks in hospitals.

Objective:To analyze the relationship between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR) and the levels of inflammatory factors in peripheral blood and the brain injuries of suppurative meningitis in neonates (NPM) and the value of joint prediction of hydrocephalus.Methods:Ninety-five children with NPM diagnosed and treated in the Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical College from January 2020 to December 2022 were retrospectively selected, including 31 children with non-cerebral parenchymal injury (group A), accounting for 32.63%(31/95); 36 children with parenchymal injury and no hydrocephalus (group B), accounting for 37.89%(36/95); 28 children with brain parenchymal injury and hydrocephalus (group C), accounting for 29.47%(28/95). The clinical data, peripheral blood levels of NLR, interleukin 6(IL-6), hyper-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) were compared among the three groups, and the influencing factors of hydrocephalus were analyzed by Logistic regression. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the value of changes(△, representing the absolute value of the difference between the corresponding indexes and 3 d after admission) in NLR, hs-CRP, IL-6 and PCT in predicting hydrocephalus in NPM alone and combination.Results:The incidence of respiratory failure and convulsion and the levels of NLR, hs-CRP, IL-6 and PCT in the group C were higher than those in the group B and A: 42.86%(12/28) vs. 13.89%(5/36), 6.45%(2/31); 42.86%(12/28) vs. 16.67%(6/36), 3.23%(1/31); 3.91 ± 0.71 vs. 3.12 ± 0.64, 2.16 ± 0.58; (98.21 ± 10.17) mg/L vs. (86.74 ± 9.30), (75.18 ± 8.42) mg/L; (40.73 ± 7.88) ng/L vs. (31.26 ± 6.45), (25.01 ± 5.19) ng/L; (13.26 ± 2.04) ng/L vs (11.83 ± 1.91), (9.45 ± 1.67) ng/L; the levels of NLR, hs-CRP, IL-6 and PCT in the group B were higher than those in the group A, there were statistical differences ( P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that the levels of peripheral blood NLR and serum hs-CRP, IL-6 and PCT at admission were independent risk factors for hydrocephalus in children with NPM ( P<0.05). The △NLR, △hs-CRP, △IL-6 and △PCT of the children with hydrocephalus were lower than those without hydrocephalus: 0.73 ± 0.24 vs. 1.02 ± 0.31, (42.73 ± 13.08) mg/L vs. (69.56 ± 18.19) mg/L, (13.43 ± 4.22) ng/L vs. (19.86 ± 6.43) ng/L, (4.35 ± 1.34) ng/L vs. (6.58 ± 2.03) ng/L, there were statistical differences ( P<0.05). ROC curve analysis results showed that the AUC of △NLR, △hs-CRP, △IL-6 and △PCT combined to predict hydrocephalus in children with NPM was 0.903, which was greater than each single index ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The levels of NLR, hs-CRP, IL-6 and PCT in peripheral blood of children with NPM are significantly correlated with brain injuries, and have certain predictive efficacy in predicting the risk of hydrocephalus.

Objective To observe the value of prenatal ultrasound evaluation on morphology of Sylvian fissure(SF)during the second and third trimesters for screening fetal abnormal cerebral cortical development.Methods Totally 876 fetuses in the second and third trimesters were retrospectively included.Prenatal ultrasound was performed to observe the morphology of fetal SF and whether there was complicated abnormalities of the development of cerebral cortical and other structures.Then prenatal ultrasound was regularly reexamined,and the pregnancy outcome,while the growth and development of newborns were followed up.Results Among 876 fetuses,normal SF morphology was observed in 861 fetuses(861/876,98.29％),while 11 fetuses(11/876,1.26％)had delayed SF development(normal SF morphology but inconsistent with gestational week)and 4 fetuses(4/876,0.46％)had abnormal SF morphology,all complicated with abnormal cerebral cortical development and/or intracranial and extracranial structural malformations,and reexamination of prenatal ultrasound showed that SF morphology was consistent with the gestational week in 4 fetuses,SF morphology still did not match the gestational week in 4 fetuses,and SF morphology was still abnormal in 2 fetuses.Among these 15 fetuses,6 were successfully born and grew well after followed up until 10-15 months,4 were induced labor,while the rest 4(3 with delayed SF development and 1 with abnormal SF morphology)complicated with other severe malformations and 1 with abnormal SF morphology were induced labor or lost to follow-up,hence not undergoing ultrasound re-examination.Conclusion Prenatal ultrasound evaluation on SF morphology during the second and third trimesters had important value for screening fetal abnormal cerebral cortical development.

Objective To explore prenatal ultrasonic characteristics of fetal Currarino syndrome(CS)and methods for prenatal diagnosis of CS.Methods Two fetuses with CS confirmed by genetic examination were retrospectively analyzed,while 6 CS fetuses with complete prenatal ultrasonic data in literature were reviewed.Prenatal ultrasonic characteristics of CS fetuses and the method for prenatal diagnosis of CS were discussed.Results Among 8 CS fetuses diagnosed with prenatal ultrasound,4 were female singletons with a clear family history of CS,and MNX1 gene mutation was found in 1 fetus.The other 4 fetuses were 2 pairs of male monochorionic twins,all with MNX1 gene mutation.Among 8 CS fetuses,complete triad(sacral agenesis abnormalities,anorectal malformation and presacral mass)were displayed only in 2 fetuses,while all 8 had sacral agenesis abnormalities and 6(6/8,75.00％)were detected with prenatal ultrasound,6 had low location of conus medullaris and 2(2/6,33.33％)detected with prenatal ultrasound.Conclusion Prenatal ultrasound was the first choice for non-invasive diagnosis of fetal CS.When one of sacral agenesis abnormalities,anorectal malformation and presacral mass was found with prenatal ultrasound,the possibility of CS should be considered,and fetal MRI,genetic examination and prenatal genetic counselling should be recommended if necessary.

Chemical cleaning and disinfection are crucial steps for eliminating infection in root canal treatment.However,irrigant selection or irrigation procedures are far from clear.The vapor lock effect in the apical region has yet to be solved,impeding irrigation efficacy and resulting in residual infections and compromised treatment outcomes.Additionally,ambiguous clinical indications for root canal medication and non-standardized dressing protocols must be clarified.Inappropriate intracanal medication may present side effects and jeopardize the therapeutic outcomes.Indeed,clinicians have been aware of these concerns for years.Based on the current evidence of studies,this article reviews the properties of various irrigants and intracanal medicaments and elucidates their effectiveness and interactions.The evolution of different kinetic irrigation methods,their effects,limitations,the paradigm shift,current indications,and effective operational procedures regarding intracanal medication are also discussed.This expert consensus aims to establish the clinical operation guidelines for root canal irrigation and a position statement on intracanal medication,thus facilitating a better understanding of infection control,standardizing clinical practice,and ultimately improving the success of endodontic therapy.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a leading cause of dementia in the elderly. Mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase 1 (MKP-1) plays a neuroprotective role in AD. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of MKP-1 on AD have not been extensively studied. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level, thereby repressing mRNA translation. Here, we reported that the microRNA-429-3p (miR-429-3p) was significantly increased in the brain of APP23/PS45 AD model mice and N2A^APP AD model cells. We further found that miR-429-3p could downregulate MKP-1 expression by directly binding to its 3'-untranslated region (3' UTR). Inhibition of miR-429-3p by its antagomir (A-miR-429) restored the expression of MKP-1 to a control level and consequently reduced the amyloidogenic processing of APP and Aβ accumulation. More importantly, intranasal administration of A-miR-429 successfully ameliorated the deficits of hippocampal CA1 long-term potentiation and spatial learning and memory in AD model mice by suppressing extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2)-mediated GluA1 hyperphosphorylation at Ser831 site, thereby increasing the surface expression of GluA1-containing α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors (AMPARs). Together, these results demonstrate that inhibiting miR-429-3p to upregulate MKP-1 effectively improves cognitive and synaptic functions in AD model mice, suggesting that miR-429/MKP-1 pathway may be a novel therapeutic target for AD treatment.