Objective To construct and compare logistic regression and decision tree models for predicting systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) in patients with type B aortic dissection (TBAD) after interventional surgery. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data of TBAD patients at Peking University Shenzhen Hospital from 2020 to 2024. The patients were divided into a SIRS group and a non SIRS group based on whether SIRS occurred within 24 hours after surgery. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of SIRS occurrence in TBAD intervention patients, and a decision tree model was constructed using SPSS Modeler to compare the predictive performance of the two models. Results A total of 742 patients with TBAD were included, including 579 males and 163 females, aged 27-97 (58.85±10.79) years. Within 24 hours after intervention, a total of 506 patients developed SIRS, with an incidence rate of 68.19%. Logistic regression analysis showed that the extensive involvement of the dissection, the surgical time≥2 hours, PET coated stents implanted, serum creatinine, white blood cell count, C-reactive protein, monocyte (MONO), neutrophil count levels elevated, estimated glomerular filtration rate and decreased albumin levels were independent risk factors for SIRS (P<0.05). The decision tree model selected a total of 10 explanatory variables and 6 layers with 37 nodes, among which MONO was the most important predictor. The area under the decision tree model curve was 0.829 [95%CI (0.800, 0.856)], which was better than the logistic regression model's 0.690 [95%CI (0.655, 0.723)], and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). Conclusion The incidence of SIRS after TBAD intervention is high, and the decision tree model has better predictive performance than logistic regression. It can identify high-risk patients with higher accuracy and provide a practical tool for early clinical intervention.

Background Large-for-gestational-age (LGA) births are associated with adverse perinatal outcomes and increased risks of offspring obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular diseases later in life. Beyond traditional risk factors, exposure to environmental factors, especially fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), before and during pregnancy may contribute to excessive fetal growth; however, the roles of specific chemical constituents and critical exposure windows remain unclear. Objective To examine the associations between maternal exposures to PM_2.5 and its chemical constituents before and during pregnancy and the risk of delivering LGA infants. Methods Singleton pregnancies from the National Free Preconception Health Examination Project between 2010 and 2014 were included. Individual exposures to PM_2.5 and its constituents were estimated for preconception and pregnancy windows using geocoded residential addresses. The associations of single and mixed exposures with LGA risk were analyzed using generalized linear models (GLMs) and qg-computation. Results Exposures to PM_2.5 and its major chemical constituents were significantly associated with an increased LGA risk, with differences in effect magnitude across components. Secondary inorganic aerosols showed the strongest associations. For full-pregnancy exposure, nitrate (OR=1.330, 95%CI: 1.313, 1.347), ammonium (OR=1.279, 95%CI: 1.263, 1.295), and sulfate (OR=1.242, 95%CI: 1.227, 1.257) had larger effects on LGA risk than black carbon and organic matter. Analysis by exposure window indicated that the month preceding conception and the third trimester of pregnancy were critical exposure windows for susceptibility, while the strongest effect was observed for full-pregnancy exposure, suggesting a cumulative effect over time. Mixed exposure analysis further showed that nitrate and sulfate consistently accounted for the main positive contributions across different time windows. Conclusion Maternal exposures to PM_2.5 and its chemical components before and during pregnancy are associated with an elevated LGA risk. Nitrate and sulfate show consistent and strong associations across pregnancy stages, underscoring the importance of component composition and exposure timing in fetal overgrowth.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism by which Luoshi Neiyi prescription treats endometriosis （EMs） through the Toll-like receptor 4 （TLR4）/nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB） signaling pathway. MethodsAnimal experiments were conducted with 50 female SD rats， which were randomized into a sham operation group （10 rats） and a modeling group （40 rats）. An autologous endometrial transplantation method was used for the modeling of EMs. The 36 successfully modeled rats were randomly allocated into four groups （n=9 each）： The model group， the low-dose （7.87 g·kg^-1） Luoshi Neiyi prescription group， the high-dose （15.74 g·kg^-1） Luoshi Neiyi prescription group， and the dienogest （0.20 mg·kg^-1） group. The physiological status and ectopic lesion volumes of rats in each group were observed. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the morphology of the eutopic endometrial tissue. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was employed to measure the levels of inflammatory factors including interleukin-1β （IL-1β） and prostaglandin E₂ （PGE₂） in the serum of EMs rats. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 （MMP-9） and vascular endothelial growth factor A （VEGFA） in the eutopic endometrial tissue. Western blot was adopted to determine the protein levels of TLR4， myeloid differentiation factor 88 （MyD88）， phosphorylated nuclear factor-κB （p-NF-κB）/NF-κB， MMP-9， and VEGFA in the eutopic endometrial tissue. In the cell experiments， the cell-counting kit-8 （CCK-8） assay was employed to screen the optimal concentration of Luoshi Neiyi prescription-containing serum， and a scratch assay was performed to assess the migration ability of iheESCs cells. Interventions with Luoshi Neiyi prescription-containing serum， resatorvid （TAK-242， a TLR4 inhibitor）， and lipopolysaccharides （LPS， a TLR4 agonist） were conducted， and Western blot was used to detect the expression of proteins related to the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. ResultsThis experiment successfully replicated 36 EMs rat models. Compared with the sham operation group， the model group exhibited visible ectopic lesions on the abdominal wall and an increase in the writhing response score （P<0.01）. Furthermore， HE staining revealed the model group exhibited a thickened eutopic epithelium， stromal cell disarrangement， and evident infiltration of inflammatory cells. In addition， the model group showed elevated serum levels of IL-1β and PGE₂ （P<0.05， P<0.01）， increased positive expression of MMP-9 and VEGFA in the ectopic endometrial tissue （P<0.01）， and up-regulated protein levels of TLR4， MyD88， p-NF-κB/NF-κB， MMP-9， and VEGFA in the ectopic endometrial tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all treatment groups exhibited a reduction in the ectopic lesion volume （P<0.01）. Furthermore， the writhing response scores were decreased in the high-dose Luoshi Neiyi prescription group and the dienogest group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The pathological state of the ectopic endometrial tissue was alleviated to varying degrees in the treatment groups. Low-dose Luoshi Neiyi prescription reduced serum PGE₂ levels， and high-dose Luoshi Neiyi prescription and dienogest decreased serum IL-1β and PGE₂ levels in EMs rats （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The treatment groups showed decreased positive expression of MMP-9 and VEGFA in the ectopic endometrial tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01） and down-regulated protein levels of TLR4， MyD88， p-NF-κB/NF-κB， MMP-9， and VEGFA in the ectopic endometrial tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The cell experiments showed that 5%， 10%， and 20% Luoshi Neiyi prescription-containing sera significantly reduced the viability and inhibited the migration of iheESCs. Compared with the control group， 5%， 10%， and 20% Luoshi Neiyi prescription-containing serum groups and the TAK-242 group showed reduced protein levels of TLR4， MyD88， p-NF-κB/NF-κB， MMP-9， and VEGFA （P<0.01）. Compared with the control group， the LPS group showed increased expression of the above proteins （P<0.01）. Compared with the LPS group， the LPS+5%， 10%， and 20% Luoshi Neiyi prescription-containing serum groups showed reduced expression of the above proteins （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionLuoshi Neiyi prescription may modulate the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway to reduce the inflammatory response and histopathological damage in the eutopic endometrium and suppress the adhesive， invasive， and angiogenic biological processes in the ectopic endometrial tissue， thereby exerting its therapeutic effect on EMs.

Breviscapine （Bre）， the effective flavonoid fraction extracted from Erigeron breviscapus ， contains more than 90% scutellarin. It exerts pharmacological effects including cardiovascular protection， neuroprotection， anti-tumor activity and immunomodulation. Nevertheless， Bre has several drawbacks such as low solubility， low permeability， poor stability and short half-life， which greatly restrict its clinical application. Novel drug delivery systems （NDDS） are carriers that integrate multi-dimensional technologies including solubilization， penetration enhancement， sustained/controlled release and targeted delivery to achieve efficient drug delivery. This paper systematically summarizes the research progress of Bre-NDDS， which mainly covers oral preparations （sustained/controlled-release drug delivery systems， immediate-release drug delivery systems）， injectable preparations （liposomes， solid lipid nanoparticles， lipid emulsions， polymeric nanoparticles， polymeric micelles）， mucosal delivery systems （nasal mucosal drug delivery systems， buccal mucosal drug delivery systems， pulmonary mucosal drug delivery systems） and transdermal delivery systems. The preparation routes as well as in vitro and in vivo performances of various Bre-NDDS are analyzed. The design principles for NDDS based on pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics are put forward， which can provide scientific evidence for the research， development and industrialization of high-efficiency and safe new Bre preparations.

Triatoma rubrofasciata is currently the most widely distributed species of Triatoma worldwide, and it is also widespread in southern China. T. rubrofasciata has been proven to transmit Trypanosoma cruzi, and is one of vectors transmitting Chagas disease, which poses a potential risk for transmission of imported Chagas disease in China. Findings from latest studies have shown that T. rubrofasciata naturally infects T. lewisi, T. conorhini, and T. rangeli, which undoubtedly increases significant risks of and challenges to trypanosomiasis control in China. This article briefly describes the species of T. rubrofasciata-transmitted trypanosomes, and summarizes the epidemiological characteristics of trypanosomiasis, so as to provide insights into T. rubrofasciata-transmitted trypanosomiasis surveillance and control, and prevention of trypanosomiasis development and transmission in China.

Background: Adrenocortical hormones, particularly 11-oxygenated androgens, are pivotal in female reproductive health and fertility. Standardized detection kits and population-specific reference intervals are lacking in China, hindering related clinical applications. Methods: A HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) pipeline was developed, rigorously validated, and applied to simultaneously quantify corticosterone, cortisone, cortisol, 18-OH cortisol, androstenedione (A4), 11β-hydroxyandrostenedione (11-OH A4), dehydroepiandrosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in serum samples from 455 reproductive-aged women (18–45 yrs) in Guangxi, China. Age-dependent concentration trends were analyzed, and reference intervals stratified by age (2.5th to 97.5th percentiles) were established. Correlations with body-composition metrics, ethnicity, and the menstrual cycle were investigated. Results: The HPLC-MS/MS method demonstrated high precision (intra- and inter-assay CVs < 15%), accuracy, and sensitivity. All eight hormones exhibited significant age-related declines (P < 0.001 for seven hormones; P = 0.001 for 11-OH A4). Notably, 11-OH A4 levels were significantly lower in the 35–45-yr (3.05 nmol/L) and 25–34-yr (3.09 nmol/L) age groups than in the 18–24-yr (3.57 nmol/L) age group, whereas no significant difference was observed between the 35–45-yr and 25–34-yr age groups. Weak negative correlations were observed between the body mass index and corticosterone and cortisone levels, whereas ethnicity and the menstrual cycle showed no significant associations with hormone levels. Conclusions We developed an HPLC-MS/MS-based method for simultaneously quantifying eight adrenocortical hormones, including 11-OH A4, and defined age-specific reference intervals for reproductive-aged Chinese women. These findings advance the clinical utility of adrenocortical hormones in diagnosing and managing reproductive disorders.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of sex on phenotypic stability in mouse models of chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) induced by cyclophosphamide (CYP) or paclitaxel (PTX), and to explore potential mechanisms underlying phenotypic heterogeneity in female mice. MethodsTwenty-eight wild-type specific pathogen-free (SPF) C57BL/6J mice (half male and half female) aged 6-8 weeks were selected for synchronous back hair removal. On the 9th day after hair removal (T0), the mice were randomly divided into a wild-type female CYP group, a wild-type male CYP group, a female negative control group and a male negative control group. Mice in the CYP groups were intraperitoneally injected with a single dose of 120 mg/kg CYP, and mice in the negative control groups were intraperitoneally injected with the same volume of normal saline. Subsequently, the phenotypic changes of the CIA model induced by CYP were continuously observed and photographed. Eleven 6-week-old SPF female C57BL/6J mice underwent bilateral ovariectomy (OVX group). Following successful surgery, these mice and five XY (Sry⁻) mice bred from Four Core Genotypes breeding stock were used to establish the chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) model using the same protocol. Serum was collected from mice in the OVX group, wild-type female CYP group, and wild-type male CYP group on T7 after CYP administration for steroid hormone analysis by mass spectrometry to evaluate the effects of gonadal estrogen and sex chromosome background changes on the stability of the CYP-induced female alopecic phenotype. Finally, twenty SPF C57BL/6J mice aged 6-8 weeks (half male and half female) were randomly divided into a PTX low-dose group and a PTX high-dose group. On the 9th day after simultaneous hair removal, PTX was injected intraperitoneally at a single dose of 80 mg/kg or 120 mg/kg, respectively. Mice from the PTX low-dose group and the PTX high-dose group were continuously observed and photographed to compare the intra-group consistency of the phenotypes of female and male mice. Six SPF C57BL/6J mice (half male and half female) aged 6-8 weeks were used to repeat the construction method of the PTX low-dose group, and the hair follicle histological examination was performed at T0, T4, T7, T14 and T21, respectively, to observe the damage caused by PTX to hair follicle regeneration. ResultsThe phenotypes of CYP-induced male CIA mice are stable and reproducible. There are obvious individual differences in the alopecia phenotype in the CYP-induced female CIA model mice, which may be mainly caused by the differences in the relevant estrogens in the estrous cycle. The difference between OVX+CYP group and XY (Sry⁻) +CYP group disappeared, suggesting that ovarian-derived hormones and XY (Sry⁻) sex chromosome background may be involved in the formation of phenotypic heterogeneity of CYP-induced alopecia in female mice. The mice in the high-dose PTX group and the low-dose PTX group showed a relatively consistent alopecia and regrowth process, and there was no significant sex difference. ConclusionCYP-induced CIA is strongly influenced by sex, and ovariectomy or alteration of the sex chromosome background can improve the consistency of CYP-induced alopecic phenotypes in female mice. PTX-induced CIA shows good phenotypic consistency in both female and male mice, indicating broad applicability across sexes. Taken together, the choice of animal sex in CIA model construction, mechanistic studies, and evaluation of anti-alopecia interventions should take into account the type of chemotherapeutic agent, the study objective, and the required degree of phenotypic stability. Sex should therefore be considered an important variable in model standardization and interpretation of experimental findings.

Objective:To establish a rapid and accurate duplex real-time fluorescent reverse transcription-recombinase polymerase amplification/recombinase-aided amplification（RT-RPA/RAA）detection method for identification and differentiation of Nipah virus（NiV），Langya virus（LayV），Mojiang virus（MoJV），and Cedar virus（CedV）.Methods:First，specific primers and probes were designed targeting the conserved L gene regions of NiV and LayV，as well as the conserved N gene regions of MoJV and CedV，respectively. The four viruses were divided into two groups for duplex detection. Subsequently，the optimal primer and probe combinations were screened by comparing the amplification efficiency of different primer pair combinations（F1/R1，F1/R2，F2/R1，F2/R2）. The reaction temperature was optimized through temperature gradient settings from 37 ℃ to 42 ℃，and the amounts of primers and probes were optimized to establish the duplex real-time fluorescent RT-RPA/RAA detection system. Finally，the detection performance was evaluated through specificity，sensitivity，and stability tests，as well as clinical sample validation.Results:The selected primer pairs（NiV primer pair F2/R1，LayV primer pair F1/R1，MoJV primer pair F2/R2，and CedV primer pair F2/R2）all demonstrated optimal amplification efficiency when combined with their corresponding probes. The optimal annealing temperature was 39 ℃，and the minimum detection limit was 101-102 copies/μl. The method could effectively distinguish target viruses from other non-target viruses，and repeated experiments showed good stability（ R2> 0.90）. Additionally，detection results for Malaysian NiV strains and various clinical samples were consistent with the Taqman multiplex qRT-PCR method. Conclusion:The duplex real-time fluorescent RT-RPA/RAA detection method successfully established in this study can rapidly and accurately identify and differentiate four important henipavirus-like viruses：NiV，LayV，MoJV，and CedV. It features simple operation，rapid reaction，high specificity，and good stability，providing an effective molecular detection tool for rapid field diagnosis，surveillance，and control of these zoonotic viruses.

Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics and key points of diagnosis and treatment in children with TCF3::HLF fusion gene-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).Methods:A case series study was conducted. Clinical data of 8 children diagnosed with TCF3::HLF positive ALL at the Hematology Center of Beijing Children′s Hospital, Capital Medical University and the Hematology Oncology Department of Henan Children′s Hospital between January 2019 and January 2024 were collected. Descriptive analysis was performed on their clinical features, laboratory findings, treatment regimens and prognosis.Results:The cohort included 8 children (3 males and 5 females) with the age of 5.5 (3.5, 7.0) years. Bone pain was the primary clinical manifestation in 4 cases, with multi-site skeletal involvement in 4 cases, hypercalcemia in 5 cases, and coagulation abnormalities in 6 cases. Immunophenotyping revealed common B-cell lineage with myeloid markers in 7 cases and common B-cell phenotype in 1 case. All 8 children were positive for the TCF3::HLF fusion gene. Regarding treatment, 1 case abandoned therapy after diagnosis, while the remaining 7 cases received chemotherapy following the Chinese Children′s Leukemia Group-ALL2018 high-risk protocol. Only 1 case achieved minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity by day 33 of induction therapy. Among the 3 cases with MRD negativity before consolidation therapy, 1 case achieved it via conventional chemotherapy, while 2 cases required additional agents (venetoclax or blinatumomab). One case failed to achieve MRD negativity after consolidation therapy and later discontinued treatment (survival periods: 7months).Of the 4 cases who achieved MRD negativity after consolidation, 2 cases received conventional chemotherapy and 2 cases achieved negativity following chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CART). All 4 cases underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Two cases in the CART combined with HSCT group survived as of the last follow-up (survival periods: 22 and 13 months). In the conventional chemotherapy combined HSCT group, 1 case relapsed and died (survival: 38 months), and 1 case died from transplant complications (survival: 11 months). The other 2 cases achieved MRD negativity before consolidation therapy but did not receive regular subsequent chemotherapy. After MRD recurrence, they underwent CART therapy without HSCT and remained alive at the last follow-up (survival periods: 49 and 12 months).Conclusions:Children with TCF3::HLF positive ALL often present with bone destruction accompanied by hypercalcemia and coagulopathy at initial diagnosis. This subtype of ALL shows poor response to conventional chemotherapy regimens, characterized by low early remission rates and high relapse risk even after HSCT. Better therapeutic outcomes have been observed with small molecule targeted drugs, immunotherapy and CART therapy.

Objective:To investigate the reference intervals of serum uric acid levels in normal-weight children and analyze the factors influencing these levels.Methods:In this cross-sectional study, clinical data were collected from 7 910 normal-weight children, aged 1 month to 15 years, who underwent health check-ups at the Children′s Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine between August 2013 and August 2023. Data included sex, age, pubertal signs, blood pressure, and serum uric acid levels. The participants were categorized into 4 age groups: 1-<12 months, 1-<6 years, 6-<11 years, and 11-<16 years, and were further analyzed by sex. The P5 and P95 percentiles of uric acid values were defined as the lower and upper limits of the reference interval, respectively. Correlation analysis and partial correlation analysis were used to assess the relationship between uric acid and other variables such as age, body mass index Z value, and Tanner stage. Multivariate linear regression was used to compare uric acid levels across gender and age groups, respectively. Results:Among the 7 910 children, the distribution across age groups was as follows: 562 (317 boys) in 1-<12 months, 4 120 (2 366 boys) in 1-<6 years, 2 357 (1 432 boys) in 6-<11 years, and 871 (536 boys) in 11-<16 years, the uric acid levels in boys were significantly higher than those in girls ( P<0.05). Uric acid levels exhibited a positive correlation with age ( r=0.47 , 0.20, both P<0.001), and a weak positive correlation with BMI Z-scores(both r=0.11, P<0.001). Among participants aged 6-<11 years and 11-<16 years, uric acid levels in boys were positively correlated with Tanner stage ( r=0.10, 0.27, both P<0.05), but no significant correlation was observed in girls (all P>0.05). The uric acid levels were significantly higher in boys than in girls in the 1-<12 months, 1-<6 years and 11-<16 years age groups (all P<0.05), but no significant gender difference was found in the 6-<11 years groups ( P>0.05). Uric acid levels exhibited statistically significant variations among age groups ( P<0.001). The reference intervals of uric acid values were as follows in 1-<12 months age group, 157-335 μmol/L for boys and 160-315 μmol/L for girls; in 1-<6 years age group, 180-359 μmol/L for boys and 180-355 μmol/L for girls; in 6-<11 years group, 190-375 μmol/L; in 11-<16 years age group, 237-480 μmol/L for boys and 218-410 μmol/L for girls. Conclusions:Reference intervals for uric acid varying significantly across different pediatric age groups. Sex, and pubertal development status are closely related to uric acid levels.