Objective: To elucidate the biological basis of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes from the perspective of “same syndrome, different diseases” in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), liver cirrhosis (LC), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), thereby providing a complementary approach for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic liver diseases (CLD). Methods: To investigate the dynamic characteristics of TCM syndromes in CLD, transcriptomic profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was performed from patients with CHB, LC, or HCC presenting with three TCM syndromes: liver gallbladder dampness heat syndrome (LGDHS), liver depression spleen deficiency syndrome (LDSDS), and liver kidney Yin deficiency syndrome (LKYDS). These participants were recruited at Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine between August 1, 2018 and December 31, 2021. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using the random variance model (RVM) F test with false discovery rate (FDR) correction. Principal component analysis (PCA) and unsupervised hierarchical clustering were applied to visualize sample grouping. Dynamic network biomarkers (DNB) analysis was employed to detect critical transition stages during syndrome evolution, followed by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses to characterize the functional roles and pathway involvement of the DNB members. Random forest (RF) analysis and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (AUC) were used to rank the importance of candidate genes. External validation was performed using microarray data from an independent CLD cohort (GSE89377) and RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma (TCGA-LIHC) dataset. Additionally, reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed on an independent cohort of LC patients to validate the expression levels of the candidate genes. Results: The study included a total of 132 participants. DNB analysis identified LDSDS stage as a critical tipping point during TCM syndrome evolution across CHB, LC, and HCC. The phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K-AKT) signaling pathway was consistently enriched in the DNB analysis across all three types of CLD, suggesting its potential involvement in the critical transition of TCM syndromes. Among the 24 core DNB members of the PI3K-AKT pathway, four genes—integrin subunit beta 1 (ITGB1), collagen type IV alpha 1 chain (COL4A1), collagen type IV alpha 2 chain (COL4A2), and DNA damage inducible transcript 3 (DDIT3)—were identified by RF analysis (Gini score > 1) and ROC analysis. ROC analysis demonstrated high discriminative ability for distinguishing LGDHS from LKYDS in CHB patients, with AUC of 0.7891 for ITGB1, 0.7070 for COL4A1, 0.7148 for COL4A2, and 0.8945 for DDIT3. In the independent CLD cohort (GSE89377), all four genes showed significant stepwise upregulation from normal to CHB, LC, and HCC (all P < 0.05). In the TCGA-LIHC dataset, their expression progressively increased with tumor stage. RT-qPCR validation in an independent LC cohort (30 LGDHS vs. 30 LKYDS) confirmed that ITGB1, COL4A2, and DDIT3 were significantly upregulated in LKYDS compared with LGDHS (P = 0.0152, 0.0186, and 0.0247, respectively), whereas COL4A1 showed a non-significant upward trend (P = 0.1201). Conclusion This study introduces a novel approach to understanding the molecular features underlying TCM syndrome evolution in CLD. The PI3K-AKT pathway and four identified genes (ITGB1, COL4A1, COL4A2, and DDIT3) play crucial roles in the transition from excess (LGDHS) to deficiency (LKYDS) via the critical LDSDS stage. These findings offer potential quantitative biomarkers and therapeutic targets for TCM syndrome differentiation and may help arrest syndrome progression in CLD.

Objective To investigate the epidemiology of elderly respiratory tract infection (RTI) cases in a hospital in Xuzhou region from 2020 to 2022. Methods The cases of RTI patients in a hospital were screened from May 2020 to December 2022, and 548 cases that met the criteria were included in the study. Patient case data were analyzed for symptoms, pathogen distribution, and differences in patient distribution under different screening conditions (age, disease, and season). Results More than 90.00% of the included RTI patients presented with symptoms of cough, sputum, wet rales and pleural effusion was less common. The top three comorbidities were cardiovascular disease (153 patients, 27.92%), cerebrovascular disease (133 patients, 24.27%), and gastrointestinal disease (105 patients, 19.16%).All 548 elderly patients tested positive for respiratory pathogens (100.00%). There were 540 cases of single pathogen infection (98.54%) and 8 cases of mixed infection (1.46%). The top five single pathogen infections were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (92 cases, 16.76%), Escherichia coli (78 cases, 14.21%), drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (69 cases, 12.57%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (65 cases, 11.84%), and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (46 cases, 8.38%). The highest detection rate of respiratory pathogens was found in patients >90 years old, whose main pathogens were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The next highest rates of pathogen detection were found in patients aged 86-91 and 81-85 years, unlike patients >90 years, who had a higher rate of Escherichia coli detection. Unlike other age groups, patients <75 years old had a higher percentage of influenza B virus detection. The highest incidence of pneumonia was found in 45.62% (250 cases). Escherichia coli had the highest detection rate in acute bronchitis/episodes and pneumonia, respiratory syncytial virus had the highest detection rate in wheezing bronchitis, Klebsiella pneumoniae had the highest detection rate in bronchopneumonia, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa had the highest detection rate in fever. The highest detection rate of pathogens was found in fall (36.50%), followed by spring (27.01%). The distribution of pathogen infections in all seasons was matched with the results of pathogenicity testing. Streptococcus oxysporus had the highest number of infections in the fall (χ²=20.33, P<0.001). Conclusion Elderly respiratory tract infections in this region are most common in patients over 90 years old, with the highest incidence of pneumonia and high incidence in fall, and the pathogens are mainly Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Attention to distinguish the above characteristics can provide some support for early diagnosis and treatment of respiratory infections in the elderly in this region.

Objective:To explore the characteristics of brain structure and morphology changes in patients with chronic knee osteoarthritis(OA).Method:Voxel-based morphometry(VBM)analysis,surface-based morphometry(SBM)analysis and structural covariance networks(SCN)based on gray matter volume were used to exam the differences in brain structure and morphology between patients with chronic knee osteoarthritis(KO A)and healthy control(HC).Result:①VBM analysis:Compared with HC subjects,chronic KOA patients showed a significant reduction in gray matter volume of the left temporal pole as the central region(voxels level,P＜0.001;cluster level,P=0.049,FWE correction,voxels size=833).②SBM analysis:Compared with HC subjects,the sulcus depth in the pars opercularis of the left inferior frontal gyrus decreased significantly in patients with chronic KOA(voxels level,P＜0.001;cluster level,P=0.003,FWE correction,voxels size=293).③SCN analysis:Compared with HC subjects,the SCN constructed based on local gray matter volume in patients with chronic KOA was more robust than that in healthy controls(P=0.032).Conclusion:Chronic KOA patients have structural abnormalities in the brain,providing a new insights into the potential impact of chronic KOA on the central nervous system.

Objective To independently design a protective restraint band used for the interventional catheter bed and to evaluate its application effect.Methods The self-designed restraint belt consisted of a restraint belt body,first movable band and second movable band.A total of 200 patients,who received interventional operation at the Affiliated Run Run Shaw Hospital,School of Medicine of Zhejiang University of China from October 2022 to March 2023,were collected for this study.The patients were divided into the study group(n=100,using the self-designed restraint belt)and the control group(n=100,not using the self-designed restraint belt).The duration of surgical interruption due to patient's factors and the incidence of restraint belt-related adverse events were compared between the two groups.Results The duration of surgical interruption of the study group was(0.26±0.12)min,which was significantly shorter than(1.46±0.50)min in the control group,the difference was statistically significant(t=-23.570,P＜0.01).The incidence of restraint belt-related adverse events in the study group and the control group was 0％and 7％respectively,the difference was statistically significant(x2=6.380,P=0.012).Conclusion The protective restraint band used for the interventional catheter bed can reduce the incidence of restraint belt-related adverse events and improve surgical efficiency.

OBJECTIVE To optimize the venipuncture disinfection procedures for the patients with psoriasis by modifying the skin pretreatment,number of times of disinfection and action time,evaluate the disinfection effects before and after the modification and observe the impact on skin barrier function.METHODS A total of 78 patients with psoriasis who were hospitalized in Air Force Medical Center of Special Medicine from Jan.2024 to Mar.2025 were enrolled in the study and were randomly divided into the control group and the study group,with 39 cases in each group.Both groups were disinfected with povidone iodine swabs.The control group was treated with a single clockwise spiral wipe centered on the puncture site,and the total time of embrocation and drying time was 60 s;the study group was treated with the modified disinfection method'pretreatment-bidirectional disinfec-tion-120-second drying',which was unidirectional wiping of puncture site skin of hand back with sterile swab in-filtrating with normal saline,a single clockwise spiral wipe centered on the puncture site,counter-clockwise wipe for two times,the total time of embrocation and drying 120 s in total.The skin specimens were collected from the puncture sites for culture and identification of pathogens before the disinfection and after the drying,and the trans-epidermal water loss(TEWL)volume was detected by TewameterTM 300 instrument.RESULTS Totally 16 types of pathogens were isolated from the two groups of patients before the disinfection,among which Staphylococcus spp was dominant.The bacterial colony counts were[26.00(8.00,74.00)]CFU/cm2 in the study group before the disinfection,[41.00(13.00,94.00)]CFU/cm2 in the control group,and there was no significant difference(P=0.081).The bacterial colony counts of the two groups were lower after the disinfection and drying than before the disinfection(P＜0.001),and the bacterial colony counts of the study group were[0.00(0.00,1.00)]CFU/cm2,lower than[1.00(0.00,4.00)]CFU/cm2 of the control group(P=0.042).The TEWL value of the two groups was greater after the disinfection than before the disinfection(P＜0.001),however,there was no between-group difference(P=0.933).CONCLUSION The modified disinfection procedure has more advantages in eradicating pathogens without increasing damage to skin barrier,it provides safer disinfection plans for the patients with psoriasis and is worthy to be promoted in the hospital.

Druggability evaluation is one of the core processes in new drug development, yet the inaccuracy and high cost of existing in vitro liver models have been a major technical bottleneck, leading to an increasing demand from the pharmaceutical industry for reliable in vitro liver models to enhance the efficiency of new drug research and development. Traditional animal models and in vitro 2D culture models have their limitations in simulating in vivo physiological and pathological conditions, making it challenging to accurately predict drug efficacy and safety. With the advancement of microfluidic technology, in vitro cell culture, and biosensor technology, liver-on-a-chip (LOC) has garnered increasing attention in the field of new drug development in recent years, and is expected to become a powerful tool for addressing the challenges in druggability evaluation. While introducing the construction technology of LOC, this article mainly summarizes the research and application of existing LOC from the perspectives of disease model construction, drug metabolism research, and drug safety evaluation. Furthermore, it analyzes the role of LOC in druggability evaluation and discusses the current challenges and prospects in this field.

Objective:To screen the Alzheimer's disease(AD)-related genes and construct its diagnostic model using bioinformatics technology and machine learning(ML)algorithms,to discuss the immunological characteristics of AD patients,and to provide novel biomarkers for AD diagnosis.Methods:The AD-related gene expression dataset GSE125583 was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database.Differentially expressed genes(DEGs)were identified through differential analysis.Gene Ontology(GO)functional enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)signaling pathway enrichment analyses were performed to explore the biological functions and signaling pathways of DEGs.A protein-protein interaction(PPI)network was constructed,and hub genes were screened using Cytoscape software combined with three ML algorithms:Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator(LASSO),eXtreme Gradient Boosting(XGBoost),and Random Forest(RF).The screened hub genes were utilized to build an AD diagnostic model via RF,followed by feature importance ranking.The model's efficacy and key genes were evaluated using a test set.Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis(ssGSEA)was used for immune cell infiltration analysis between AD group and control group.Results:Differential analysis identified 1 287 DEGs.The GO functional enrichment analysis results revealed that DEGs were primarily involved in biological functions related to neural signaling,synapses,and vesicles.KEGG signaling pathway enrichment analysis indicated significant enrichment of DEGs in ion transport,neurotransmitter,and ligand-gated channel pathways.Nine overlapping hub genes were screened by the three ML algorithms.In the AD diagnostic model,the top four key genes with highest diagnostic performance were adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide 1(ADCYAP1),brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF),platelet-derived growth factor receptor β(PDGFRB),and C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4(CXCR4),with corresponding area under the curve(AUC)values of 0.852,0.795,0.820,and 0.756,respectively.The model achieved an AUC of 0.828,accuracy of 81.25%,sensitivity of 84.40%,and specificity of 71.43%.The immune cell infiltration analysis results demonstrated higher infiltration of macrophages,monocytes,natural killer(NK)cells,and lymphocytes in AD tissue.Among these,NK/natural killer T(NKT)cells and plasmacytoid dendritic cells showed significant correlations with the four key genes(P<0.05).Conclusion:The feature genes screened based on bioinformatics and ML exhibit diagnostic potential for AD.Genes such as ADCYAP1 may serve as potential biomarkers for AD diagnosis,offering significant implications for early prevention and treatment.

Objective To investigate the effects of cucurbitacin B (CucB) on alleviating skin lesions and inflammation in psoriasis mice via the cGAS-STING signaling pathway. Methods The expression of genes associated with the cGAS-STING signaling pathway in psoriatic lesions and non-lesional skin was analyzed, and hallmark gene set enrichment analysis was performed. The cytotoxicity of CucB on BMDMs was evaluated using the CCK-8 assay. The expression levels of genes and proteins related to the cGAS-STING signaling pathway, along with the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, were measured at different concentrations of CucB using quantitative PCR, Western blotting, and ELISA. Imiquimod-induced psoriasis BALB/c mice were divided into four groups: normal group, model group, low-dose CucB group [0.1 mg/ (kg.d)], and high-dose CucB group [0.4 mg/ (kg.d)], with five mice per group. PASI scoring was performed to assess the severity of psoriasis after 6 days of treatment, and HE staining was conducted to observe pathological damage. Meanwhile, the mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines and their secretion were detected by qPCR and ELISA. Results Most cGAS-STING signaling-related genes were upregulated in lesional skin of psoriasis patients, and the hallmark gene set enrichment analysis revealed that the most significantly upregulated genes were primarily associated with immune response signaling pathways. CucB inhibited dsDNA-induced phosphorylation of interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) and STING proteins in both bone-marrow derived macrophages(BMDMs) and THP-1 cells. CucB also suppressed dsDNA-induced mRNA expression of IFNB1, TNF, IFIT1, CXCL10, ISG15, and reduced the secretion of cytokines such as IFN-β, IL-1β, and TNF-α in THP-1 cells. In the imiquimod-induced psoriasis mouse model, CucB treatment reduced psoriatic symptoms, alleviated skin lesions, and attenuated inflammation. ELISA and qPCR results showed that CucB significantly reduced serum secretion levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β, as well as the mRNA levels of IL23A, IL1B, IL6, TNF, and IFNB1. Conclusion CucB inhibits cytoplasmic DNA-induced activationc of the GAS-STING pathway. CucB significantly attenuates skin lesions and inflammation in IMQ-induced psoriatic mice, and the potential molecular mechanism may be related to the down-regulation of the cGAS-STING pathway.
Animals ; Psoriasis/pathology* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Membrane Proteins/genetics* ; Mice ; Nucleotidyltransferases/genetics* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Skin/metabolism* ; Triterpenes/therapeutic use* ; Humans ; Cytokines/metabolism* ; Inflammation/drug therapy* ; Male

Objective:Surgical site infection (SSI) is a common health care-related infection after gastrointestinal surgery. Once SSI occurs after surgery, it can significantly prolong the postoperative hospital stay, increase the cost burden of patients and society, and even endanger the life safety of patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical phenotypes of gastrointestinal surgery, identify the clinical characteristics of SSI, and provide reference for the prevention of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery.Methods:This is a multicenter prospective cohort study that collected clinical data from all adult patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery from March 2021 to February 2022 at 42 hospitals in China, including baseline and perioperative characteristics. Based on the variables associated with SSI, latent class analysis (LCA) was used to explore the population characteristics of SSI.Results:In total, 16 087 patients were included in the study, of whom 345 (2.1%) developed SSI. LCA analysis revealed that patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery were classified into four clinical phenotypes, including α (3851), β (1538), γ (6387), and δ (4311). Type α had minimal abnormality on related system functions (ASA score > 2: 4.5% [173/3851]), and mainly underwent appendix surgery (98.9% [3808/3851]). The postoperative SSI incidence of type α was 0.4% (16/3,851), which belonged to the group of SSI low risk. The abnormality of system functions of type β (ASA score > 2: 17.4% [268/1538]) was worse than that of type α. Type β mainly underwent stomach surgery (72.4% [1113/1538]), and its incidence of postoperative SSI was 1.2% (18/1538), belonging to the group of SSI medium risk. The ASA score of type γ (ASA score > 2: 18.0% [1148/6387]) was comparable to that of type β. Type γ mainly received colorectal surgery (colon surgery: 40.1% [2562/6387]; rectal surgery: 33.6%[2143/6387]), and its incidence of postoperative SSI was 1.7% (106/6387), belonging to the group of SSI medium risk. Type δ (ASA score > 2: 23.5%[1015/4311]) was the most serious type with the highest proportion of open surgery. Type δ mainly underwent small intestine (54.0%[2327/4311]) and stomach surgery (32.3% [1392/4311]) and had the highest incidence of SSI (4.8% [205/4311]) and the highest mortality rate (0.6% [24/4311]), belonging to the group of SSI high risk. Compared with type α and β, the median length of hospital stay (α, β, γ, and δ: 5.0 days, 9.6 days, 13.0 days, and 16.0 days, P<0.001) and postoperative hospital stay (α, β, γ, and δ: 4.0days, 6.0days, 8.3 days, and 10.0 days, P<0.001) of type γ and δ were significantly increased, and the median medical costs (α, β, γ, and δ: 14 178.7 yuan, 39 514.2 yuan, 62 893.0 yuan and 57 266.6 yuan, P<0.001) were also significantly increased. Conclusion:LCA analysis elucidated four clinical phenotypes of patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery. Type α had a low risk of SSI. Type β and γ had a medium risk of SSI, and type δ had a high risk of SSI.

This article summarizes the experience of providing remote nursing care for a pediatric patient with severe burns using augmented reality(AR)technology.Key nursing points include:to establish a remote management team to enhance multidisciplinary collaboration;to conduct remote nursing ward rounds to provide real-time guidance for clinical nursing practice;to remotely guide PICC(Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter)insertions and conduct precise fluid management;to remotely assess ward environments and provide guidance on disinfection and isolation measures;to alleviate pediatric pain through comprehensive management measures.After meticulous care and treatment,the patient's condition stabilized after 23 days,and the patient was transferred to a specialized hospital for continued treatment requiring skin grafting.