Objective To investigate the association between lifestyle and risk of heart disease and diabetes in the elderly population in Xi'an City. Methods From January 2021 to January 2024, a staged cluster sampling method was used to investigate the lifestyle and the occurrence of heart disease and diabetes in elderly population aged 60 years and above in the communities of Xi'an. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between lifestyle and the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Results A total of 413 elderly people were investigated, of which 31.96% had heart disease, 27.12% had diabetes, and 10.90% had diabetes with heart disease. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age, BMI, family history, sweet food preference, smoking, and sitting and lying for a long time were risk factors for diabetes in the elderly population (P<0.05). Age, BMI, family history, history of diabetes, preference for salted products, smoking, drinking, and sitting and lying for a long time were risk factors for heart disease in the elderly population (P<0.05). Conclusion The incidence rates of heart disease and diabetes are high in the elderly population in Xi'an City. The risk of diabetes is related to unhealthy lifestyles such as sweet food preference, smoking, and sitting and lying for a long time, while heart disease is related to unhealthy lifestyles such as preference for salted products, smoking, drinking, and sitting and lying for a long time.

Due to the difficulty of overcoming the abnormal epidermal barriers and addressing S. aureus infections without disrupting indigenous skin microbiota, effective treatment of bacterial infection atopic dermatitis (AD) remains a significant clinical challenge. Skin microbiota-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) shows protentional for skin disease treatment, but the lack of antimicrobial activity and limited skin penetration hamper their application in bacterial infection AD treatment. Here, we developed novel nanoantibiotics by loading Lev into S. epidermidis-derived EVs (Lev@SE-EVs), with supreme antimicrobial activity, regulating epidermal immune responses and enhanced epidermal barrier functionality. The nanoantibiotics were further integrated into hyaluronic acid-based microneedle (MN) for efficient transdermal delivery of therapeutic agents and effectively treating bacterial infection in AD. Upon insertion into the skin, the rapidly released Lev@SE-EVs from MN are uptake by S. aureus in a selective manner, fibroblasts, and surrounding immune cells to exert therapeutic effects in the infected dermal layer, resulting in mitigated skin inflammation, reduced S. aureus burden and increased dermis repair. Notably, Lev@SE-EVs induce IL-17A⁺ CD8⁺ T-cell accumulation in the skin in an unrelated inflammation manner, which may represent heterologous protection. This EVs-integrated MN assisted Lev@SE-EVs to alleviate skin inflammation, repair skin, and provide an effective and safe therapeutic approach for bacterial infection AD treatment.

In modern society, people are increasingly exposed to chronic stress, leading to various mental disorders. However, the activities of brain regions, especially neural firing patterns related to specific behaviors, remain unclear. In this study, we introduce a novel approach, NeuroSync, which integrates open-field behavioral testing with electrophysiological recordings from emotion-related brain regions, specifically the central amygdala and the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, to explore the mechanisms of negative emotions induced by chronic stress in mice. By applying machine vision techniques, we quantified behaviors in the open field, and signal processing algorithms elucidated the neural underpinnings of the observed behaviors. Synchronizing behavioral and electrophysiological data revealed significant correlations between neural firing patterns and stress-related behaviors, providing insights into real-time brain activity underlying behavioral responses. This research combines deep learning and machine learning to synchronize high-resolution video and electrophysiological data, offering new insights into neural-behavioral dynamics under chronic stress conditions.
Animals ; Mice ; Male ; Emotions/physiology* ; Stress, Psychological/physiopathology* ; Action Potentials/physiology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Behavior, Animal/physiology* ; Machine Learning ; Amygdala/physiopathology* ; Neurons/physiology* ; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus/physiopathology* ; Brain/physiology*

To characterize the genomes of different emm-type group A Streptococcus (GAS), their virulence genes and drug resistance profiles in Tianjin City from 2011 to 2024. After PCR, a total of 42 strains with different years and emm types were selected for whole genome sequencing and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST), and the core genomes were used to generate a phylogenetic tree, after which the virulence genes and resistance genes were identified and analyzed, followed by the drug susceptibility test. In this study, the GAS strains were dominated by emm1 (50.0%) and emm12 (40.4%), and the MLST phenotypes were categorized into six types: ST36 (40.4%), ST1274 (26.1%), ST28 (23.8%), ST921 (4.7%), ST46 (2.3%), and ST403 (2.3%). There was a high consistency between their emm-types and ST types. A total of 68 virulence genes were detected in the genomes of 42 GAS strains, involving functional genes encoding exotoxin, bacterial adhesion, extracellular enzymes, etc. The virulence genes they carried were significantly different between emm1-type and emm12-type strains, such as speA. At the same time, the carrying rates of some virulence genes in the same emm-type strains changed with time, such as hyl. The resistance genes were basically the same among different emm-type strains except for the vanSE gene detected in all emm12 strains. The results of drug sensitivity showed that the GAS strains isolated in Tianjin City from 2011 to 2024 were sensitive to penicillin, cefazolin, chloramphenicol, vancomycin, and levofloxacin, while the resistance rates to erythromycin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, and clindamycin ranged from 88.5% to 100.0%, and there was a certain degree of consistency between the resistance phenotypes and the detected resistance genes. Overall, the main emm types and evolutionary features of GAS in Tianjin City from 2011 to 2024 were consistent with the dominant types in China, and the carrying rate of virulence genes and drug resistance genes differed significantly among different emm-type strains, and there were continuous evolution and variation in the prevalence of virulence genes in GAS.

Objective:To compare the short-term outcomes of arthroscopic suture bridge technique versus those of arthroscopic tie knot technique in the treatment of tibial avulsion fractures of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the 53 patients with ACL tibial avulsion fracture who had been treated arthroscopically at Department of Sports Medicine, Wuhai People's Hospital between February 2018 and February 2024. There were 31 males and 22 females, with an age of (48.2±5.1) years. The left knee was affected in 27 cases and the right knee in 26 cases. According to the Meyers-Mckeever classification, 32 cases were of type Ⅱ and 21 cases of type Ⅲ. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to different fixation methods: 20 cases were fixed by the arthroscopic tie knot technique (the tie knot group) and 33 cases by the arthroscopic suture bridge technique (the suture bridge group). The operation time and fracture healing time were recorded and compared between the 2 groups. At preoperation, 3 and 6 months after operation, and the last follow-up, the knee pain was evaluated by visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score, the knee stability (side to side disparity) by a KT-1000 arthrometer, and the knee function by The International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective score, Lysholm score, knee range of motion, and activities of daily living (ADL) scale. Comparisons were made between and within the 2 groups.Results:The differences in the general preoperative data were not statistically significant between the 2 groups, indicating comparability ( P>0.05). The tie knot group and the suture bridge group were followed up respectively for (13.9±2.1) and (14.5±2.1) months. The surgical time for the suture bridge group [(66.9±8.4) min] was significantly longer than that for the tie knot group [(51.2±6.3) min] ( P<0.05). At 3 months after operation, the VAS pain score [(1.2±0.2) points], side to side disparity [(2.5±0.6) mm], IKDC subjective score [(89.6±1.6) points], Lysholm score [(88.0±1.4) points], knee range of motion (132.1°±2.1°), and ADL score [(88.8±3.3) points] in the suture bridge group were significantly better than those in the tie knot group [(2.1±0.3) points, (3.0±0.9) mm, (87.0±1.4) points, (84.0±1.6) points, 102.1°±2.1°, and (80.3±3.4) points] ( P<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in VAS pain score, side to side disparity, IKDC subjective score, Lysholm score, knee range of motion or ADL score between the 2 groups at 6 months after operation or at the last follow-up ( P>0.05). Statistically significant differences were observed between all time points for VAS pain scores, side-to-side disparity, IKDC subjective scores, Lysholm scores, knee range of motion, and ADL scores in all patients ( P<0.05). No incision infection, nerve injury or other complications occurred in the 2 groups after operation. Conclusions:Both arthroscopic suture bridge technique and arthroscopic tie knot technique are safe and effective intervention options for avulsion fractures of the ACL tibial insertion. The suture bridge technique, with its stable biomechanical properties, can significantly accelerate the process of early postoperative knee function recovery to shorten the recovery period. However, it requires longer surgical time.

Compared with conventional transdermal drug delivery systems, dissolving microneedles significantly enhance drug bioavailability by penetrating the stratum corneum barrier and achieving intradermal drug delivery. In order to improve the transdermal bioavailability of dexmedetomidine hydrochloride, in this study, a novel microneedle delivery system was developed for dexmedetomidine hydrochloride based on 3D printing combined with micro-molding. By systematically optimizing the microneedle geometrical parameters, array arrangement, and preparation process parameters, we determined the optimal ratio of drug-carrying matrix as 15% PVP (polyvinyl pyrrolidone) K90. The microneedles exhibited significant drug loading gradients, with mean content of (209.99±27.56) μg/patch, (405.31±30.31) μg/patch, and (621.61±34.43) μg/patch. They showed a regular pyramidal structure under SEM and handheld electron microscopy, and their mechanical strength allowed effective penetration into the stratum corneum. The surface contact angles were all < 90°, indicating excellent hydrophilicity. The microneedles dissolved completely within 10 min after skin insertion, achieving a cumulative release rate of 90% (Higuchi model, r=0.996) during 2 hours of in vitro transdermal permeation. The cytotoxicity test and hemolysis test verified good biocompatibility. Pharmacodynamic evaluation showed that the microneedle group demonstrated pain-relieving effect within 15 min, with the pain threshold at the time point of 60 min being 3 times that in the transdermal cream group. The microneedle system developed in this study not only offers an efficient drug delivery option for patients but also establishes an innovative platform for rapid percutaneous delivery of hydrophilic drugs, demonstrating significant potential in perioperative pain management.
Dexmedetomidine/pharmacokinetics* ; Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Needles ; Drug Delivery Systems/methods* ; Administration, Cutaneous ; Animals ; Microinjections/instrumentation* ; Skin Absorption ; Skin/metabolism*

Synthetic biology is a crucial tool for the development of the bio-industry and bio-economy, representing a significant aspect of new quality productive forces. As a core course for graduate students in bioengineering, Synthetic Biology plays a vital role in ensuring the supply of essential talents for the development of the bio-industry in the new era. To better serve regional economic development and provide high-level talents for China's progress in the bio-industry, we analyzed typical issues encountered in the past teaching activities, set up a multi-disciplinary teaching team, optimized the course contents, adjusted the teaching mode, and mobilized students' learning interest. With the application of scientific research project as the starting point, we guided students to think and discuss deeply through the simulation of application writing and project defense, which improved students' critical thinking and innovative thinking. With industrialization as a focus, we explored a new training model combining production, education, and research through the joint practice base of the university and enterprises introduced typical cases of biomanufacturing to encourage students to engage in scientific research. The teaching reform significantly enhances the comprehensive abilities and national sentiments of graduate students. This paper hopes to serve as a reference for colleagues engaged in teaching in this field.
Synthetic Biology/education* ; Teaching ; China ; Humans

ObjectivesTo summarize the clinical and pathological features of patients with congenital liver fibrosis （CHF）， and to investigate the differences in clinical and pathological features between patients in different age groups. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinicopathological data of 26 patients with pathologically confirmed CHF in China-Japan Friendship Hospital from August 2005 to June 2023， and the patients were stratified by age to investigate the clinical and pathological features of patients in different age groups. ResultsAmong the 26 patients， there were 12 male patients and 14 female patients， with an age of onset of 4 — 61 years. There were 19 patients with portal hypertension type （73.08%）， 2 patients with cholangitis type （7.69%）， 4 patients with mixed type （15.38%）， and 1 patient with occult type （3.85%）. Of all 26 patients， 4 had unknown clinical symptoms， and among the 22 patients with clear clinical symptoms， 10 （45.45%） attended the hospital due to upper gastrointestinal bleeding caused by portal hypertension. Pathological manifestations included roughly normal liver parenchyma separated by fibrous septa in the portal area， with the presence of abnormal reactive bile duct hyperplasia. Denser fibrous septa and a lack of portal veins with the corresponding caliber were observed in 4 pediatric patients with disease onset before the age of 10 years， with a significant reduction or even disappearance of compensatory thin-walled blood vessels. ConclusionPortal hypertension-type CHF is the most common type in clinical practice. Patients with an early age of onset have certain histopathological features of the liver， with the presence of serious complications associated with portal hypertension. Therefore， liver biopsy should be performed for patients suspected of CHF in clinical practice， and genetic testing should be performed when necessary. Early identification and diagnosis are of great importance for improving the prognosis of patients.