Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and influencing factors of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) in Zhejiang Province from 2019 to 2023, so as to provide the reference for strengthening SFTS prevention and control. Methods: Data on laboratory-confirmed SFTS cases in Zhejiang Province from 2019 to 2023 were collected through the Infectious Disease Reporting Information System of Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System. Meteorological data, geographic environment and socioeconomic factors during the same period were collected from the fifth-generation European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, Geospatial Data Cloud, and Zhejiang Statistical Yearbook, respectively. Descriptive epidemiological methods were used to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of SFTS from 2019 to 2023, and a Bayesian spatio-temporal model was constructed to analyze the influencing factors of SFTS incidence. Results: A total of 578 SFTS cases were reported in Zhejiang Province from 2019 to 2023, with an annual average incidence of 0.23/105. The peak period was from May to July, accounting for 52.60%. There were 309 males and 269 females, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.15∶1. The cases were mainly aged 50-<80 years, farmers, and in rural areas, accounting for 82.53%, 77.34%, and 75.43%, respectively. Taizhou City and Shaoxing City reported more SFTS cases, while Shaoxing City and Zhoushan City had higher annual average incidences of SFTS. The Bayesian spatio-temporal interaction model showed good goodness of fit. The results showed that mean temperature (RR=1.626, 95%CI: 1.111-2.378) and mean wind speed (RR=1.814, 95%CI: 1.321-2.492) were positively correlated with SFTS risk, while altitude (RR=0.432, 95%CI: 0.230-0.829) and population density (RR=0.443, 95%CI: 0.207-0.964) were negatively correlated with SFTS risk. Conclusions SFTS in Zhejiang Province peaks from May to July. Middle-aged and elderly people and farmers are high-risk populations. Taizhou City, Shaoxing City, and Zhoushan City are high-incidence areas. Mean temperature, mean wind speed, altitude, and population density can all affect the risk of SFTS incidence.

Introduction: Malaysian adults consume an average of 2892 mg of sodium daily, exceeding the recommended <2000 mg/day. In response, Malaysia implemented mandatory sodium labelling in 2022; however, compliance with regulatory limits remains uncertain, as discrepancies between laboratory-analysed and label-declared sodium values have been reported internationally. Given the limited local evidence, this study examined sodium labelling compliance in selected processed and ultra-processed foods. Methods: A total of 52 products, including salted packaged nuts, commercially packaged biscuits, and canned fish, of which 8 bore the Healthier Choice Logo (HCL), were analysed. Sodium content was determined using flame atomic absorption spectroscopy, following dry ashing and nitric acid digestion. Compliance was assessed using the <120% regulatory tolerance criterion, primarily applied for enforcement purposes. Results: Only three out of the eight products (37.5%) met the regulatory tolerance criterion for sodium labelling compliance: almond (94.8 vs. 103.6 mg/100 g; label-declared vs. laboratory-analysed sodium), raisin biscuit (245.4 vs. 286.8 mg/100 g), and canned mackerel in tomato sauce (337.0 vs. 365.6 mg/100 g). The remaining products (62.5%) had higher laboratory-analysed sodium than declared. Sodium content did not differ significantly across categories. HCL products generally had lower sodium content than non-HCL products across all categories, although differences were not statistically significant for sweet cookies and canned fish. As HCL certification is voluntary, non-HCL products were also assessed against HCL nutrient criteria; none met all criteria. Conclusion: These findings highlight the need for more rigorous regulatory enforcement and periodic laboratory verification to ensure sodium labelling compliance in Malaysia.

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), particularly Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), including heart failure (HF) and coronary artery disease (CAD), are major chronic disorders associated with population aging. Their frequent coexistence in clinical practice suggests that they may not progress independently, but may instead be linked through bidirectional pathological communication within the brain-heart axis. Epidemiological evidence underscores this clinical burden: systematic reviews and meta-analyses have reported pooled relative risks for dementia of approximately 1.27 among individuals with a history of CAD and 1.60 among those with HF, while the pooled prevalence of cognitive impairment and dementia in patients with HF has been estimated at approximately 41.42% and 19.79%, respectively. This review synthesizes current evidence on the mechanistic links, disease-state manifestations, biomarkers, and potential therapeutic strategies involved in the comorbidity between NDs and CVDs from the perspective of the brain-heart axis. The brain and heart communicate through autonomic, neuroendocrine, neuroimmune, vascular, and humoral pathways. Sympathetic activation, parasympathetic withdrawal, vagal dysfunction, cerebral hypoperfusion, endothelial injury, blood-brain barrier (BBB) alterations, peripheral immune activation, and circulating inflammatory mediators may jointly contribute to cross-organ pathological signaling. Oxidative stress and inflammatory response are not specific to the brain-heart axis; rather, they may act as candidate amplifying processes within this network. Mitochondrial dysfunction and NADPH oxidase activation can increase the generation of reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species, which may activate nuclear factor-κB, the NLRP3 inflammasome, and mitogen-activated protein kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinase signaling. These pathways can promote the release of interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor‑α, and other inflammatory mediators, which may in turn aggravate mitochondrial injury, endothelial dysfunction, immune cell activation, and further oxidant generation. Cytokines, chemokines, oxidized lipids, mitochondrial DNA, damage-associated molecular patterns, and extracellular vesicles may transmit these signals between the cardiovascular and central nervous systems, whereas autonomic reflexes provide an additional route for bidirectional amplification. Distinct disease states illustrate different manifestations of this network. The association between AD and CVDs may involve vascular risk factors, impaired amyloid-β clearance, abnormal cholesterol homeostasis, cerebral microvascular injury, neuroinflammation, and endothelial dysfunction. HF-related cognitive impairment may be linked to reduced cardiac output, recurrent cerebral hypoperfusion, hypoxia-related signaling, BBB dysfunction, circulating inflammation, and impaired autonomic feedback. In PD, cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction and abnormalities in heart rate and blood pressure regulation may interact with vascular injury, reduced cerebral perfusion, inflammation, and oxidative stress. However, the relationship between PD and CAD remains heterogeneous and may be modified by age, ethnicity, medication use, metabolic factors, and coexisting diseases. Biomarker evaluation should therefore move beyond isolated indicators. Traditional markers, including malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, glutathione, C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6, reflect systemic oxidative or inflammatory burden but lack sufficient specificity to distinguish primary neurodegeneration, cardiovascular injury, or a comorbid state involving both. Greater clinical value may be obtained from cross-system panels that combine oxidative stress and inflammatory markers with cardiac stress or injury biomarkers, such as N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide; glial or neuronal biomarkers, such as glial fibrillary acidic protein and neurofilament light chain; BBB- or endothelial injury-related biomarkers; and omics-derived candidates, including microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, DNA methylation signatures, metabolites, and proteins. Multi-omics integration and artificial intelligence-assisted analysis may support risk stratification, disease monitoring, and prediction of treatment response. However, these approaches require standardized analytical platforms, validation in independent cohorts, and careful distinction between associative findings and causal mechanisms. Potential interventions include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, mitochondria-targeted, and multi-target combination strategies, together with emerging approaches such as nanodelivery, CRISPR/Cas9- or CRISPR/dCas9-based regulation, mesenchymal stem cell-mediated mitochondrial transfer, and ergothioneine supplementation. Nevertheless, most available evidence is indirect, preclinical, or derived from other disease indications, and no single drug or technology can currently be regarded as specific to brain-heart axis comorbidity. The clinical relevance of these strategies will depend on whether they can be matched to dominant pathological phenotypes and improve both neurological and cardiovascular outcomes. Overall, comorbidity between NDs and CVDs is more appropriately understood as a heterogeneous cross-organ regulatory network than as a disorder driven by a single pathway. Future research should prioritize multicenter longitudinal cohorts, standardized clinical phenotyping, validation of cross-system biomarker panels, and mechanism-guided interventions in clearly defined patient subgroups, with integrated assessment of cognitive function, cardiovascular events, quality of life, long-term safety, and treatment response.

Objective To explore the advantages and limitations of different evaluation methods for medical quality.Methods The rank sum ratio method(RSR),rank sum ratio method after principal component analysis(RSR-after-PCA),and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution(TOPSIS)were used to comprehensively evaluate the surgical medical quality in a hospital,respectively.The results of the three evaluation methods were compared.Results The result of Kendall's coefficient of concordance showed high consistency among the three evaluation methods(Kendall's W=0.879,χ2=26.364,P=0.003),although there were significant differences in the evaluation outcomes for some departments.Conclusion Each evaluation method is capable of objectively evaluating the overall situation of a department,but it also has certain limitations and scope of application.The appropriate method should be selected based on the purpose of analysis and data distribution.The evaluation indexes in hospitals are dispersed,but may be correlated to some extent.RSR-after-PCA can overcome these problems and is more suitable for the comprehensive evaluation of multiple indexes in hospitals.

Objective To evaluate the feasibility and safety of a domestically developed,single-arm single-port robotic system for performing complex gynecological surgeries under extreme conditions,such as ultra-remote locations and high-altitude environments.Methods In November and December 2024,a surgeon on the campus of West China Second Hospital,Sichuan University in Chengdu remotely manipulated a domestically developed single-arm,single-port robotic surgical system via a high-speed,low-latency communication network to perform two telesurgical procedures.The first procedure was a transumbilical single-port robot-assisted laparoscopic total hysterectomy,bilateral salpingectomy,and left ovarian cystectomy on a patient with multiple uterine fibroids at the Maternity and Child Health Hospital of Xizang Autonomous Region(distance between Chengdu and Lhasa>2 000 km and altitude difference>3 000 m).The second procedure was a transumbilical single-port robot-assisted laparoscopic total hysterectomy,bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy,and sentinel lymph node biopsy on a patient with FIGO stage IA endometrial cancer at Zhujiang Hospital,Southern Medical University in Guangzhou(the distance between Chengdu and Guangzhou>1 500 km).Perioperative data were collected and analyzed.Results Both procedures were successfully completed without conversion to laparotomy or the use of additional auxiliary ports.The operative times for the Chengdu-Lhasa and Chengdu-Guangzhou surgeries were 90 minutes and 135 minutes,respectively,with estimated blood loss≤50 mL in both cases.The intraoperative bidirectional network latency remained around 40 ms,and the total end-to-end latency was less than 60 ms.The surgeon reported no perceptible delay in instrumental response.Both patients recovered well postoperatively,and no surgery-related complications or disease recurrence were observed during follow-up until July 2025.Conclusion This study provides preliminary evidence supporting the feasibility and safety of a domestically developed single-arm,single-port robotic system for performing complex gynecological surgeries in ultra-remote and high-altitude settings.This technical approach offers a promising solution to address geographic disparities in access to high-quality medical resources and demonstrates significant potential for improving the availability of advanced minimally invasive surgery in remote areas and regions of special settings.

Objective To investigate the protective effects of secretomes released by three-dimensional cultured mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)on neurons subjected to seawater immersion(SW)and stretch injury(SI),and to provide new insights into neuronal repair following SW combined with traumatic brain injury(TBI).Methods MSCs were cultured using the hanging drop method,and the conditioned medium(CM)containing MSCs secretomes was collected.A cellular model combining SW with SI was established using mouse hippocampal neuronal cells(HT22 cells).HT22 cells were randomly assigned to five groups:control,SI,SI+SW,SI+CM,and SI+SW+CM groups.Cell viability was assessed using the CCK-8 assay,apoptosis rate was measured by flow cytometry,cell migration ability was evaluated by scratch assay,and the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-2-associated protein(Bax),and ferroptosis-related proteins long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase 4(ACSL4)and cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2)were detected by Western blotting.Results Immersion in 15%seawater for 12 h significantly decreased HT22 cell viability(P<0.05).The CCK-8 assay indicated that cell viability in both the SI and SI+SW groups was significantly lower than that in control group after 12 h of treatment(P<0.05).Treatment with CM containing MSCs secretomes significantly increased cell viability in SI+CM group compared to SI group(P<0.0001),and in SI+SW+CM group compared to SI+SW group(P<0.001).Flow cytometry results revealed that the apoptosis rate in SI and SI+SW groups was significantly higher than that in control group(P<0.05 or P<0.001),while in SI+CM group was lower than that in SI group(P<0.05),and in SI+SW+CM group was lower than that in SI+SW group(P<0.05).Western blotting showed that compared to control group,SI and SI+SW groups exhibited reduced Bcl-2 expression level(P<0.01 or P<0.0001)and increased expression levels of Bax,ACSL4,and COX-2(P<0.01 or P<0.0001).Compared to SI group,the SI+CM group displayed increased Bcl-2 expression level(P<0.05)and decreased expression levels of Bax,ACSL4,and COX-2(P<0.05).Compared to SI+SW group,SI+SW+CM group exhibited increased Bcl-2 expression level(P<0.01)and decreased expression levels of Bax,ACSL4,and COX-2(P<0.01 or P<0.001).Scratch assay results demonstrated that at both 12 h and 24 h,the cell migration rate in SI and SI+SW groups was significantly lower than that in control group(P<0.01 or P<0.0001),while the migration rate in SI+CM group was significantly higher than that in SI group(P<0.0001 or P<0.01),and the migration rate in SI+SW+CM group was significantly higher than that in SI+SW group(P<0.0001).Conclusion Secretomes derived from MSCs cultured using the hanging drop method can alleviate neuronal damage caused by SW and TBI,potentially offering a therapeutic approach for SW combined with TBI.

Objective To investigate the characteristics of changes in hepatitis B surface antigen(HBsAg),hepatitis B virus(HBV)deoxyribonucleic acid(DNA),and alanine aminotransferase(ALT)levels following the cessation of nucleos(t)ide analogues(NAs)therapy in hepatitis B e antigen(HBeAg)-negative chronic hepatitis B(CHB)patients with baseline HBsAg levels<1000 IU/ml.Methods This retrospective cohort study analyzed 73 HBeAg-negative CHB patients treated at the Fifth Medical Centre of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2020 to June 2023.Patients were divided into 3 groups according to baseline HBsAg level and discontinuation strategy:HBsAg-negative discontinuation group(n=14),HBsAg-positive discontinuation group(n=25),and HBsAg-positive continuation group(n=34).All patients were followed for 48 weeks.Baseline clinical characteristics and changes in virological and hepatic biochemical indicators during follow-up were compared among the 3 groups.Univariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the correlation between clinical indicators and HBV DNA reappearance in HBsAg-positive discontinuation group,and between clinical indicators and HBsAg decline>0.5 log IU/ml in this group.Results There were no significant differences in the baseline levels of gender,age,albumin,and total bilirubin among the 3 groups(P>0.05).The baseline direct bilirubin level was significantly higher in HBsAg-positive discontinuation group than that in other groups(P<0.05),while the lymphocyte counts were significantly higher in HBsAg-negative discontinuation group(P<0.05).During the 48-week follow-up period,the HBV DNA reappearance rate in HBsAg-positive discontinuation group(72.0%)was significantly higher than that in other groups(P<0.001).There was no significant difference in the incidence of ALT elevation among the three groups(P=0.260).The proportion of patients with HBsAg decline>0.5 log IU/ml in HBsAg-positive discontinuation group(24.0%)was significantly higher than that in HBsAg-positive continuation group(5.9%,P<0.05).The proportion of patients with HBsAg increase>0.5 log IU/ml in HBsAg-positive discontinuation group(12.0%)was also significantly higher than that in HBsAg-positive continuation group(0%,P<0.05).Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed no significant association between the analyzed clinical indicators and HBsAg decline(P>0.05).Conclusions Discontinuation of NAs therapy in HBsAg-negative patients demonstrates high safety,with sustained HBsAg negativity post-cessation and low risks of viral relapse and liver function abnormalities.For HBsAg-positive patients,discontinuation may promote HBsAg decline in some individuals but is associated with risks of HBV DNA reappearance and HBsAg elevation.The decision to discontinue therapy should be comprehensively evaluated based on patients'baseline HBsAg levels and clinical characteristics.

Objective:To investigate the effect of ultrasound-guided scalp nerve block (SNB) combined with dexmedetomidine on cerebral blood flow after craniotomy in patients with acute traumatic brain injury (TBI).Methods:A randomized controlled design was conducted. Patients aged 25-65 years, with ASA physical status I–III and Glasgow Coma Scale scores of 9-12, who underwent craniotomy for acute TBI at Kunshan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital between January 2024 and February 2025 were selected. Patients with unstable vital signs, cranial tumors, cardiovascular diseases, local anesthetic allergies, or infections at the puncture site were excluded. Using a random number table, patients were divided into two groups: the ultrasound-guided SNB combined with dexmedetomidine group (SD group) and the dexmedetomidine-alone group (D group). General clinical data, peak systolic velocity (PSV), mean blood flow velocity (MBFV), intracranial pressure (ICP), S100 calcium-binding protein beta (S-100β protein), neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels, and postoperative complications were compared. Dynamic changes in PSV and MBFV were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance, while inter-group comparisons used independent sample t-tests. Results:A total of 79 patients were included, with 40 in the SD group and 39 in the D group. There were no significant differences in general clinical data between the two groups (all P>0.05). In the D group, PSV and MBFV at T 1 and T 2 were significantly higher than at T0 [(125.04±20.43) cm/s vs. (126.83±21.76) cm/s vs. (110.63±18.49) cm/s, P=0.001; (61.75±8.34) cm/s vs. (62.81±8.54) cm/s vs. (57.82±6.93) cm/s, P=0.017], whereas no significant differences were observed in the SD group (all P>0.05). PSV, MBFV, ICP, S-100β protein, and NSE levels at T1 and T2 in the SD group were lower than those in the D group (all P<0.05). The incidence of postoperative hypertension, agitation, and the use rate of vasoactive drugs were also lower in the SD group compared to the D group (all P<0.05). Conclusion:The application of ultrasound-guided SNB combined with dexmedetomidine in TBI patients after craniotomy can help stabilize cerebral blood flow and ICP, mitigate neuronal injury, and reduce the incidence of postoperative complications.

Objective To investigate the impact of anticentromere antibody(ACA)on the clinical features and prognosis of patients with primary biliary cholangitis(PBC)by comparing clinical classification,ursodeoxycholic acid(UDCA)response,GLOBE score,and UK-PBC score between ACA-positive PBC patients and ACA-negative PBC patients.Methods A total of 749 patients who were admitted to Beijing Ditan Hospital,Capital Medical University,from August 2013 to December 2022 and were diagnosed with PBC were enrolled and divided into ACA-positive group with 147 patients and ACA-negative group with 602 patients.According to their conditions on admission,the two groups were compared in terms of the distribution of clinical types,i.e.,chronic progression-type PBC,portal hypertension-type PBC,and standard jaundice/liver failure-type PBC.There were 261 patients with complete data after 1-year follow-up,among whom there were 53 patients with positive ACA and 208 with negative ACA.A statistical analysis was performed,and propensity score matching was performed based on sex and age at a ratio of 1∶2.The two groups were compared in terms of 1-year UDCA response rate,GLOBE score,and UK-PBC score before and after matching.The independent-samples 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.Results Compared with the ACA-negative group,the ACA-positive group had a significantly higher age(61.28±10.35 years vs 56.74±12.17 years,t=4.164,P<0.001),a significantly higher proportion of female patients(93.9%vs 77.6%,χ2=20.221,P<0.001),a significantly higher proportion of patients with portal hypertension(48.3%vs 27.6%,χ2=23.289,P<0.001),and a significantly lower proportion of patients with jaundice/liver failure(24.5%vs 38.5%,χ2=10.205,P<0.001).After 1-year follow-up,for the 261 PBC patients with complete data,there was no significant difference in UDCA response rate before propensity score matching between the ACA-positive group and the ACA-negative group(41.5%vs 41.8%,P>0.05),and there was a significant difference in the proportion of patients with a GLOBE score of>0.3 between the ACA-positive group and the ACA-negative group(92.5%vs 80.3%,χ2=3.935,P=0.047).There were 53 patients in the ACA-positive group and 106 patients in the ACA-negative group after propensity score matching,and there were no significant differences between the two groups in UDCA response rate,GLOBE score,and UK-PBC score(all P>0.05).Conclusion ACA-positive patients tend to have an older age,with a higher proportion of female patients or patients with portal hypertension,while there is a relatively low proportion of patients with jaundice/liver failure.Positive ACA has no significant impact on UDCA response rate,GLOBE score,and UK-PBC score.

Objective:To investigate and analyze the predictive value of inhibin A (INHA), galectin-13 (Gal-13), leucine rich alpha-2-glycoprotein 1 (LRG1) in serum for adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) .Methods:From Jan. 2022 to Dec. 2023, 87 GDM pregnant women admitted to Obstetrics Department of Shanxi Children’s Hospital were included as the study group, and were assigned into a good outcome group ( n=54) and an adverse outcome group ( n=33) based on pregnancy outcomes. Meantime, another 87 healthy pregnant women who underwent normal prenatal examinations at our hospital and had no complications were selected as the control group. ELISA method was applied to detect serum levels of INHA, LRG1, and Gal-13. Multiple factor Logistic regression model was constructed to analyze the factors affecting adverse pregnancy outcomes in GDM pregnant women. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were applied to evaluate the efficacy of the three methods in predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes in GDM pregnant women. Results:Compared with the control group, the levels of INHA and LRG1 in the serum of pregnant women in the study group were obviously higher, and the level of Gal-13 in the serum was obviously lower ( P<0.05). Compared with the good outcome group, the adverse outcome group showed an increase in serum INHA and LRG1 levels and a decrease in serum Gal-13 level ( P<0.05). Elevated levels of serum INHA and LRG1 were risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes in GDM pregnant women, while elevated level of serum Gal-13 was a protective factor ( P<0.05). The AUC values for predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes in GDM pregnant women based solely on serum INHA, Gal-13, and LRG1 levels were 0.859, 0.850, and 0.841, respectively. The AUC predicted by the combination of the three factors was 0.978, which was better than the individual predictions of serum INHA, Gal-13, and LRG1 ( Zcombination-HA=2.378, Z combination-Gal-13=3.193, Zcombination-LRG1=3.050, P=0.017, 0.001, 0.002) . Conclusions:Serum levels of INHA and LRG1 are elevated in GDM pregnant women, while serum level of Gal-13 is decreased. All three are potential factors that affect the pregnancy outcomes of GDM pregnant women, and the combination of the three shows higher efficacy in predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes in GDM pregnant women.