Objective: To analyze the school tuberculosis (TB) outbreaks and preventive treatment in Hefei from 2022 to 2024, so as to provide reference for TB prevention and control in schools. Methods: Data were collected on all school based TB outbreaks occurring during 2022-2024 in Hefei, defined as ≥2 epidemiologically linked TB cases within the same school during a single semester. Statistical analyses were performed using the Chi square test. Results: Close contacts exhibited significantly higher TB incidence (2.88%) and latent mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (LTBI) rates (13.80%) in the school TB outbreaks, compared to non close contacts (0.12% and 2.63%, respectively). Among close contacts, secondary school students showed lower TB incidence (0.48%) and LTBI prevalence (3.42%) than both primary school or younger children (0.68%, 6.95%) and college students ( 0.78% , 6.50%), with statistically significant differences ( χ 2=360.91, 6.37; 791.71, 102.03, all P <0.05). The proportion of LTBI individuals recommended for preventive therapy was higher in primary school or younger groups (98.59%) than in secondary (95.25%) or college students (86.34%) ( χ 2=25.86, P <0.01). However, among those recommended, close contacts had higher uptake (85.82%) and completion rates (87.25%) of preventive therapy than non close contacts (69.63% and 70.57%); similarly, secondary school students demonstrated higher uptake (91.21%) and completion rates (86.45%) compared to primary school or younger (88.57%, 83.87%) and college students (57.28%, 64.08%) ( χ 2=30.52, 26.72; 125.17, 38.84, all P <0.01). Subsequent TB incidence among LTBI close contacts (13.30%) and among those who did not complete preventive therapy (22.73%) were significantly higher than among non close contacts (2.80%, 2.41%), respectively ( χ 2=32.19, 13.87, both P <0.05). Conclusions In school TB outbreaks, close contacts face higher LTBI prevalence and subsequent TB risk than non close contacts. College students show notably low adherence to preventive therapy. It is necessary to take targeted measures to improve the compliance of preventive measures among students.

Objective To explore the diagnosis and treatment strategies for elderly patients with ground-glass opacity (GGO). Methods The imaging features and postoperative pathological findings of the elderly patients with pulmonary GGO receiving surgery in our hospital from 2017 to 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into an elderly patient group and a non-elderly patient group based on their age. Results Finally 575 patients were included in the study. There were 281 elderly patients, including 83 males and 198 females, with an average age of (67.0±5.3) years. There were 294 non-elderly patients, including 88 males and 206 females, with an average age of (49.1±7.3) years. Compared with the non-elderly patients, elderly GGO patients showed the following distinct clinical features: long observation time for lesions (P=0.001), high proportion of rough edges of GGO (P<0.001), significant pleural signs (P＜0.001) and bronchial signs (P＜0.001), and high proportion of type Ⅱ-Ⅳ GGO (P<0.001), lobectomy type (P=0.013), and invasive lesions reported in postoperative pathology (P<0.001). There was no statistical difference in the average hospital stay between the two groups (P=0.106). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that GGO diameter and GGO type were the main factors affecting the operation. Observation time, GGO diameter, GGO type and pleural signs were the main influencing factors for postoperative pathological infiltrative lesions. The cut-off value of GGO diameter in predicting infiltrating lesions was 10.5 mm in the elderly patients group. Conclusion The size and type of GGO are important factors in predicting invasive lesions and selecting surgical methods. Elderly patients with radiographic manifestations of type Ⅱ-Ⅳ GGO lesions with a diameter greater than 10.5 mm should be closely followed up.

The CDH23 gene is a pathogenic mutant gene of the USH1D subtype in Usher syndrome.In this study,two wild-type Cdh23 full-length plasmids(～16 kb)with different promoters were construc-ted,and fluorinated polyethylene imine(FPEI)was used as a delivery vector to transfect the house ear institute-organ of corti 1(HEI-OC1)and the optimal expression plasmid was obtained by evaluating the transfection efficiency in vitro.Firstly,the results of the synthesis of FPEI were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy to prove the successful synthesis of FPEI.After that,the plas-mid encapsulation ability of FPEI and the surface potential and hydration diameter of the formed comple-xes were characterized by agarose gel blocking assay,Zeta potential assay,and dynamic light scattering assay.It was found that FPEI had good plasmid encapsulation ability,and the FPEI plasmid complexes were all positively charged at high mass ratio,with the distribution of particle sizes in the range of 100-300 nm.The low cytotoxicity and high transfection efficiency of FPEI in HEI-OC1 cells were verified by Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8)and flow cytometry.Comparing FPEI with Lipofectamine 3000 and differ-ent quality PEI(25K,40K)transfection reagents,the transfection efficiency of FPEI was found to be significantly better than that of the traditional transfection reagents.Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)and Western blot results showed that the CAG promoter was better than the CMV promoter,which could be used as the optimal expression plasmid for the subsequent in vivo experi-ments.In addition,it was verified by cellular immunofluorescence that CDH23 was mainly distributed in the cytoplasm after overexpression.The above results demonstrated that FPEI can be used as an efficient delivery vector for in vitro overexpression of large genes represented by Cdh23,which provides an impor-tant experimental basis for subsequent in vivo gene therapy of USH1D syndrome.

Objective:To investigate the effects of wheat-grain moxibustion at the Guanyuan point on testosterone(T)synthe-sis and the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal(HPG)axis in naturally aged mice.Methods:We fed 40 twelve-month-old SPF male C57BL/6J mice with a normal diet for 3 months,randomized them into a moxibustion and an aged group of an equal number,and se-lected 7 four-month-old ones as young controls.We treated the animals of the moxibustion group by wheat-grain moxibustion at the Guanyuan point,once 5 moxibustion sticks,qd,5 times a week,and fed those of the aged group normally,all for 12 weeks.After treatment,we obtained the testicular index of the mice,observed the histomorphology of the testis tissue by HE staining,measured the contents of T in the testis,gonadotropin-releasing hormone(GnRH)in the hypothalamus and total T(tT),free T(fT),luteinizing hormone(LH)and follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH)in the serum by ELISA,and determined the expressions of silence information regulator-1(SIRT1),P53,glutathione peroxidase(GPX4)and cholesterol side-chain?cleavage enzym e(CYP11A1)in the testis by Western blot.Results:Compared with the young controls,the mice in the aged group showed obviously losing and dull hair,energy declination,loose structure of the spermatogenic tubule with different degrees of cell loss and rupture,reduced testicular index,and ev-ident aging phenotype.In comparison with the aged mice,the animals of the moxibustion group were fairly energetic and exhibited dis-tinct structure of the spermatogenic tubules,orderly arranged and highly differentiated cells at all levels,significantly increased T lev-el,up-regulated expressions of SIRT1,GPX4 and CYP11 A1,and down-regulated expression of P53 in testis tissue,and elevated levels of GnRH,FSH,LH,tT and fT in the HPG axis.Conclusion:Wheat-grain moxibustion at the Guanyuan point protects testosterone synthesis in the testis tissue of naturally aged mice,promotes negative feedback regulation of the HPG axis,and improves low testoster-one.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of capecitabine metronomic chemotherapy combined with aromatase inhibitor(AI)versus AI monotherapy as first-line treatment for hormone receptor-positive(HR+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative(HER2-)metastatic breast cancer,thereby providing evidence-based support for clinical therapeutic decision-making and healthcare policy formulation.METHODS Based on the MECCA trial,a partitioned survival model was constructed using a 4-week cycle length to simulate outcomes over patients'lifetime.The model outputs included total costs,quality-adjusted life year(QALY),and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio(ICER).Sensitivity analyses were performed to validate the robustness of base-case results,while scenario analyses examined the cost-effectiveness of both treatment strategies under 10-year,20-year,and lifetime time horizons.RESULTS With the willingness-to-pay(WTP)threshold set at 1 times China's 2024 per capita gross domestic product(GDP)(95 749 yuan/QALY),patients receiving capecitabine metronomic chemotherapy combined with AI regimen gained incremental utility(0.66 QALYs)while incurring higher costs,with ICER of 27 684.85 yuan/QALY.Results of the one-way sensitivity analysis showed that factors with significant impacts on ICER included the cost discount rate,drug costs of the capecitabine metronomic chemotherapy combined with AI group,utility value in the progression-free survival state,follow-up costs,and treatment costs in the subsequent stable phase.Probabilistic sensitivity analysis indicated that when the WTP threshold≥49 250 yuan/QALY,the capecitabine metronomic chemotherapy combined with AI regimen had a 100%probability of being cost-effective.Scenario analysis results demonstrated that capecitabine metronomic chemotherapy combined with AI regimen was more cost-effective than the AI alone regimen across 10-year,20-year,and lifetime study horizons.CONCLUSIONS Under the premise that the WTP threshold is set at 1 times China's per capita GDP in 2024,capecitabine metronomic chemotherapy combined with AI regimen is more cost-effective than the AI alone regimen as the first-line treatment for HR+/HER2-metastatic breast cancer.

Aim To evaluate the role of the glucose transporter protein 1(GLUT1)-dependent glycolytic in the attenuation of oxygen-glucose deprivation-reoxygen-ation(OGD/R)injury in HK-2 cells by dexmedetomi-dine(Dex).Methods C57/BL6 mice were random-ly divided into three groups(n=6),namely,sham operation group(Sham group),renal ischemia reper-fusion group(I/R group)and Dex group(I/R+Dex group).Serum creatinine(Cr)and urea nitrogen(BUN)were measured,while the levels of key glyco-lytic enzymes HK2,PFKFB3 and GLUT1 were meas-ured.HK-2 cells were cultured and randomised into seven groups(n=6),which was treated with OGD/R,overexpression or interference with GLUT1,Dex and glycolysis inhibitor 2-DG.CCK-8 and LDH activi-ty were used to detect cellular damage.Glycolysis lev-els were detected by lactate and ECAR.The inflamma-tory level was reflected by qRT-PCR for IL-6 and TNF-α.qRT-PCR and Western blot were performed to de-tect the levels of GLUT1,HK2,and PFKFB3.Results Dex significantly ameliorated kidney injury and HK-2 cell injury(P＜0.05).Dex inhibited the OGD/R-induced rise in lactate and extracellular acidification rate(ECAR),as evidenced by suppression of the ex-pression of GLUT1,HK2 and PFKFB3(P＜0.05).In vitro experiments showed that GLUT1 knockdown sig-nificantly improved OGD/R-induced cellular damage.Lactate,ECAR,glycolysis-related mRNAs and pro-teins were inhibited by GLUT1 knockdown(P＜0.05).Significantly,there were no significant differ-ences in above indexes after Dex treatment based on GLUT1 knockdown.Overexpression of GLUT1 abroga-ted the protective effects of Dex,while reversing the inhibitory effects of Dex on the expression of GLUT1,HK2,and PFKFB3(P＜0.05).Conclusions Dexmedetomidine attenuates OGD/R induced injury in HK-2 cells by inhibiting GLUT1-dependent glycolysis.

Objective:To explore the impact of different nutritional statuses on the prognosis of elderly patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis(IPF), and to provide a basis for early intervention of the nutritional status of elderly IPF patients.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 237 elderly patients clinically diagnosed with IPF who were admitted to the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from January 2018 to May 2024.The GLIM criteria were applied to diagnose malnutrition and classify its severity.The patients were divided into two groups: those without nutritional risk(Group A)and those with nutritional risk(Group B). Group B was further subdivided into three subgroups: patients with only nutritional risk(Subgroup B1), those with moderate malnutrition(Subgroup B2), and those with severe malnutrition(Subgroup B3). The study observed the clinical characteristics of elderly IPF patients and the impact of nutritional factors on hospital admission frequency, activities of daily living(ADL), and all-cause mortality.Results:A total of 237 patients was included, with 129 patients(54.43%)in Group A and 108 patients(45.57%)in Group B. Among them, there were 34 patients(14.35%)in Subgroup B1, 57 patients(24.05%)in Subgroup B2, and 17 patients(7.17%)in Subgroup B3.The number of hospitalizations was significantly higher in both Group B and Subgroup B3 compared to Group A(both P < 0.05). However, no significant differences were found in the number of hospitalizations between Subgroup B1 or Subgroup B2 and Group A. There was no significant difference in the reduction of ADL between Group B(including all its subgroups)and Group A. The risk of mortality significantly increased with the increase in the severity of malnutrition(all P<0.05). After adjusting for factors such as gender, age, polypharmacy, home oxygen therapy, self-care ability, days of hospital stay, number of hospitalizations, pulmonary function, and inflammatory factors, nutritional risk and the degree of malnutrition remained independent risk factors for all-cause mortality in elderly IPF patients. Conclusions:A significant proportion of elderly IPF patients were found to have nutritional risk or malnutrition.The number of hospitalizations was significantly correlated with the nutritional status of these patients.After adjusting for multiple relevant factors, nutritional risk and the severity of malnutrition remained independent risk factors for mortality in elderly IPF patients.Therefore, greater emphasis should be placed on nutritional assessment and early nutritional intervention in the management of elderly IPF patients, so as to prevent and reduce the occurrence of nutrition-related adverse events.

The CDH23 gene is a pathogenic mutant gene of the USH1D subtype in Usher syndrome.In this study,two wild-type Cdh23 full-length plasmids(～16 kb)with different promoters were construc-ted,and fluorinated polyethylene imine(FPEI)was used as a delivery vector to transfect the house ear institute-organ of corti 1(HEI-OC1)and the optimal expression plasmid was obtained by evaluating the transfection efficiency in vitro.Firstly,the results of the synthesis of FPEI were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy to prove the successful synthesis of FPEI.After that,the plas-mid encapsulation ability of FPEI and the surface potential and hydration diameter of the formed comple-xes were characterized by agarose gel blocking assay,Zeta potential assay,and dynamic light scattering assay.It was found that FPEI had good plasmid encapsulation ability,and the FPEI plasmid complexes were all positively charged at high mass ratio,with the distribution of particle sizes in the range of 100-300 nm.The low cytotoxicity and high transfection efficiency of FPEI in HEI-OC1 cells were verified by Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8)and flow cytometry.Comparing FPEI with Lipofectamine 3000 and differ-ent quality PEI(25K,40K)transfection reagents,the transfection efficiency of FPEI was found to be significantly better than that of the traditional transfection reagents.Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)and Western blot results showed that the CAG promoter was better than the CMV promoter,which could be used as the optimal expression plasmid for the subsequent in vivo experi-ments.In addition,it was verified by cellular immunofluorescence that CDH23 was mainly distributed in the cytoplasm after overexpression.The above results demonstrated that FPEI can be used as an efficient delivery vector for in vitro overexpression of large genes represented by Cdh23,which provides an impor-tant experimental basis for subsequent in vivo gene therapy of USH1D syndrome.

Objective:To explore the impact of different nutritional statuses on the prognosis of elderly patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis(IPF), and to provide a basis for early intervention of the nutritional status of elderly IPF patients.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 237 elderly patients clinically diagnosed with IPF who were admitted to the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from January 2018 to May 2024.The GLIM criteria were applied to diagnose malnutrition and classify its severity.The patients were divided into two groups: those without nutritional risk(Group A)and those with nutritional risk(Group B). Group B was further subdivided into three subgroups: patients with only nutritional risk(Subgroup B1), those with moderate malnutrition(Subgroup B2), and those with severe malnutrition(Subgroup B3). The study observed the clinical characteristics of elderly IPF patients and the impact of nutritional factors on hospital admission frequency, activities of daily living(ADL), and all-cause mortality.Results:A total of 237 patients was included, with 129 patients(54.43%)in Group A and 108 patients(45.57%)in Group B. Among them, there were 34 patients(14.35%)in Subgroup B1, 57 patients(24.05%)in Subgroup B2, and 17 patients(7.17%)in Subgroup B3.The number of hospitalizations was significantly higher in both Group B and Subgroup B3 compared to Group A(both P < 0.05). However, no significant differences were found in the number of hospitalizations between Subgroup B1 or Subgroup B2 and Group A. There was no significant difference in the reduction of ADL between Group B(including all its subgroups)and Group A. The risk of mortality significantly increased with the increase in the severity of malnutrition(all P<0.05). After adjusting for factors such as gender, age, polypharmacy, home oxygen therapy, self-care ability, days of hospital stay, number of hospitalizations, pulmonary function, and inflammatory factors, nutritional risk and the degree of malnutrition remained independent risk factors for all-cause mortality in elderly IPF patients. Conclusions:A significant proportion of elderly IPF patients were found to have nutritional risk or malnutrition.The number of hospitalizations was significantly correlated with the nutritional status of these patients.After adjusting for multiple relevant factors, nutritional risk and the severity of malnutrition remained independent risk factors for mortality in elderly IPF patients.Therefore, greater emphasis should be placed on nutritional assessment and early nutritional intervention in the management of elderly IPF patients, so as to prevent and reduce the occurrence of nutrition-related adverse events.

Objective:To analyze the predictive role of WT1 expression levels pre-and early post-transplantation on relapse and overall survival(OS)in patients with acute myeloid leukemia(AML)undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(allo-HSCT)during their first complete remission(CR1).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 107 adult AML patients who underwent allo-HSCT during their CR1 at our center between May 2012 and December 2021.The predictive role of bone marrow WT1 expression levels before transplantation and at 3 and 6 months post-transplantation on relapse and OS was explored in combination with relevant clinical factors.Results:The median follow-up time for the 107 patients was 70(range:11-117)months.Among the patients,15 cases died.Kaplan-Meier survial analysis showed that the 3-year overall survival(OS)rate was 85.0％.20 patients experienced relapse,with a median time to relapse of 8(range:0.5-44)months and a l-year cumulative relapse rate of 13.1％.The overall median value of WT1 before transplantation,3 months after transplantation,and 6 months after transplantation was 0.26％(range:0％-23.64％),with an upper quartile value of 0.74％.No statistically significant differences in WT1 expression levels were observed among the pre-transplantation,3-month post-transplantation,and 6-month post-transplantation time points(P=0.227).Univariate analysis showed that patients with WT1 levels＞0.74％at 3 months post-transplantation had a higher 1-year relapse rate(P=0.029)and lower 3-year OS rate(P＜0.001)compared to patients with WT1 levels ≤0.74％.Other significant factors affecting 1-year relapse included stem cell source(P=0.041)and chronic graft-versus-host disease(cGVHD)(P=0.013).For 3-year OS,additional influencing factors were genetic high risk(P=0.048)and stem cell source(P=0.016).Multivariate analysis revealed that WT1 level＞0.74％at 3 months post-transplantation had a trend to affect 1-year relapse rate(HR=3.309,95％CI:0.958-11.431,P=0.058),while the absence of cGVHD was an independent risk factor for 1-year relapse(HR=3.473,95％CI:0.749-16.100,P=0.037).Only WT1 level＞0.74％at 3 months post-transplantation was an independent risk factor for 3-year OS(HR=6.886,95％CI:2.402-19.738,P＜0.001).Conclusion:High WT1 expression level at 3 months post-transplantation in AML patients undergoing allo-HSCT during CR1 affects the 1-year relapse rate and 3-year OS,and is an independent risk factor affecting 3-year OS.These findings suggest that dynamic monitoring of WT1 expression levels has certain value in prognostic assessment of AML patients who received allo-HSCT during CR1.