Objective To study the spatial distribution of the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in Hubei Province and its influencing factors, so as to improve the theoretical basis for scientific development of tuberculosis prevention and control measures in the future. Methods The data of reported incidence of tuberculosis and related influencing factors in various counties and districts of Hubei Province in 2020 were collected. Global Moran's I index, hotspot analysis and geographically weighted regression (GWR) model analysis were used to calculate the spatial autocorrelation of the incidence of tuberculosis, and to analyze the influencing factors affecting the incidence rate of tuberculosis. Results There were obvious regional differences in the space distribution of the incidence rate of tuberculosis. Hot spot analysis showed positive spatial correlation and obvious clustering. The GWR model (AICc=784.251) in this study had higher AICc value compared to the ordinary least squares regression (OLS) model (AICc=804.2585). The GWR model showed that the increase in the proportion of the population aged 65 and above and the proportion of the ethnic minority population had a significant promoting effect on the increase of the incidence rate of tuberculosis, and there was significant spatial heterogeneity. The effect of PM_2.5 concentration on the incidence rate of pulmonary tuberculosis varied in different regions, and the degree of effect was also different. Conclusion The proportion of people aged 65 and above and the proportion of ethnic minorities may significantly influence the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis. The effect of PM_2.5 concentration varies in different regions, so targeted measures should be formulated according to the situation in different regions.

Flexible conductive fibers have been widely applied in wearable flexible sensing. However, exposed wearable flexible sensors based on liquid metal (LM) are prone to abrasion and significant conductivity degradation. This study presented a high-sensitivity LM conductive fiber with integration of strain sensing, electrical heating, and thermochromic capabilities, which was fabricated by coating eutectic gallium-indium (EGaIn) onto spandex fibers modified with waterborne polyurethane (WPU), followed by thermal curing to form a protective polyurethane sheath. This fiber, designated as Spandex/WPU/EGaIn/Polyurethane (SWEP), exhibits a four-layer coaxial structure: spandex core, WPU modification layer, LM conductive layer, and polyurethane protective sheath. The SWEP fiber had a diameter of (458.3 ± 10.4) μm, linear density of (2.37 ± 0.15) g/m, and uniform EGaIn coating. The fiber had excellent conductivity with an average value of (3 716.9 ± 594.2) S/m. The strain sensing performance was particularly noteworthy. A 5 cm × 5 cm woven fabric was fabricated using polyester warp yarns and SWEP weft yarns. The fabric exhibited satisfactory moisture permeability [(536.06 ± 33.15) g/(m ²·h)] and maintained stable thermochromic performance after repeated heating cycles. This advanced conductive fiber development is expected to significantly promote LM applications in wearable electronics and smart textile systems.
Wearable Electronic Devices ; Polyurethanes/chemistry* ; Electric Conductivity ; Gallium/chemistry* ; Metals/chemistry*

Objective:To investigate the impact of immunosuppressive therapy on the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection and cytokine levels in pediatric patients with kidney diseases.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 40 hospitalized pediatric patients who were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection at the 900th Hospital of PLA Joint Logistic Support Force from December 2022 to February 2023. Based on their immunosuppressive status prior to SARS-CoV-2 infection, these patients were categorized into immunosuppressive group and non-immunosuppressive group. Independent sample t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and χ2 test were employed to compare the clinical baseline characteristics and laboratory data, the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the levels of cytokines between the 2 groups. Results:Among the 40 patients, 11 were in the immunosuppressive group (aged 13 (8, 14) years, 9 males and 2 females) and 29 in the non-immunosuppressive group (aged 2 (1, 4) years, 15 males and 14 females). In the immunosuppressive group, 2 were asymptomatic cases, 8 were mild cases, and 1 was moderate case, and there was no severe or critical cases. In the non-immunosuppressive group, 8 were mild cases, 5 were moderate, 15 were severe cases, 1 was critical case, and no asymptomatic cases. The underlying diseases in the immunosuppressive group included nephrotic syndrome (6 cases), IgA vasculitis nephritis (2 cases), lupus nephritis (1 case), post-renal transplantation (1 case), and renal failure (1 case), with a mean total immunosuppression score (TIS) of (3.6±1.4) points. In the non-immunosuppressive group, 2 patients had a history of epilepsy, and the remaining 27 cases had no underlying conditions, all with TIS scores of 0. Compared to the children in the non-immunosuppressive group, those in the immunosuppressive group were more likely to exhibit asymptomatic or mild infection, with lower risks of severe disease, cytokine storm, fever, and cough, but a higher risk of fatigue ( OR=1.22, 2.66, 0.48, 0.12, 0.12, 0.13, 1.22; 95% CI 0.93-1.62, 0.99-7.15, 0.33-0.70, 0.03-0.57, 0.03-0.57, 0.03-0.65, 0.93-1.62; all P<0.05). The levels of cytokine IL-6, interferon-α and interferon-γ in the immunosuppressive group were all lower than those in the non-immunosuppressive group ( Z=2.23, 2.51, 2.92, respectively; all P<0.05). Conclusion:Pediatric patients with kidney diseases receiving appropriate immunosuppressive therapy may mitigate the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection by suppressing the expression of cytokines.

Objective:Using bacterial culture as the gold standard, to evaluate the agreement of rapid antigen detection test (RADT) and rapid nucleic acid test (RNAT) in diagnosing group A Streptococcus (GAS) pharyngitis in pediatric outpatients, and assess their potential clinical utility. Methods:This cross-sectional study prospectively collected throat swab specimens and clinical data of 338 children diagnosed with acute pharyngitis at the Department of Outpatient Beijing Children′s Hospital, Capital Medical University, between July 2023 and February 2024. The specimens were tested for GAS bacterial culture, RADT and RNAT. Using bacterial culture results as the reference standard, Kappa consistency analysis was performed to assess the diagnostic concordance between RADT and RNAT. Chi-square test was used to compare clinical characteristics between cases diagnosed by different methods.Results:In the 338 children diagnosed with pharyngitis, 195 were male and 143 were female, with an age at the visit of 7.4 (5.9, 7.4) years. The positivive rates for GAS detection were 25.7% (87/338) by bacterial culture, 20.7% (70/338) by RADT, and 41.7% (141/338) by RNAT. In terms of diagnostic performance, RADT exhibited a higher specificity (96.8% (243/251)) and better agreement with bacterial culture results ( κ=0.73), whereas RNAT showed greater sensitivity (95.4% (83/87)) but lower specificity (76.9% (193/251)) and moderate agreement ( κ=0.61). Among the 87 children with positive bacterial culture for GAS, 56 were male and 31 were female, with an age at visit of 7.3 (6.2, 8.8) years. Clinically, body temperature predominantly ranged from 38.1 to 39.0 ℃ in 48 cases (55.2%), and common accompanying symptoms included sore throat 62 cases (71.3%), cough 33 cases (37.9%), and cervical lymphadenopathy or tenderness 16 cases (18.4%). On physical examination, tonsillar enlargement was present in 73 cases (83.9%) and exudate in 37 cases (42.5%). The McIsaac score was most frequently 4 points, observed in 37 cases (42.5%). Laboratory tests showed a peripheral white blood cell (WBC) count of 14.5 (12.3, 18.7)×10?/L and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration of 22.0 (10.1, 41.4) mg/L. There were no statistically significant differences in the proportion of fever, sore throat, cough, tender cervical lymphadenopathy, tonsillar exudates, or tonsillar enlargement, nor in WBC count or CRP, among children who tested positive by RADT, RNAT, or bacterial culture (all P>0.05). Conclusions:Compared with bacterial culture,the RADT demonstrates higher specificity, while the RNAT exhibits greater sensitivity. Both methods show good concordance with culture results and may serve as effective adjunctive tools for the early screening of GAS pharyngitis.

Objective To investigate the relationship between serum CXC chemokine ligands(CXCLs)and CC chemokine ligands(CCLs)expression and myocardial injury in patients with sepsis.Methods A total of 114 patients with sepsis who visited the hospital from October 2022 to March 2024 were selected as the re-search subjects.They were divided into the non-myocardial injury group(n=89)and the combined myocardial injury group(n=25)according to whether the patients had myocardial injury.Detection and compared two groups of clinical data,CXCLs(CXCL8,CXCL10,CXCL12,CXCL16)and CCLs(CCL2,CCL4,CCL20)ex-pression.The risk factors of myocardial injury in patients with sepsis were screened out through Spearman and Pearson correlation test,univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis.Results The proportions of severe sepsis and diabetes in the combined myocardial injury group were significantly higher than those in the non-myocardial injury group,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The expression of CX-CL8,CXCL10,CXCL12 and CXCL16 in the combined myocardial injury group were significantly higher than those in the non-myocardial injury group,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The ex-pression of CCL2,CCL4 and CCL20 in the combined myocardial injury group were significantly higher than those in the non-myocardial injury group,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Spearman and Pearson correlation analysis indicated that the combined diabetes,severe sepsis,and the expression of CX-CL8,CXCL10,CXCL12,CXCL16,CCL2,CCL4,and CCL20 were all positively correlated with myocardial inju-ry in patients with sepsis(P<0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that CXCL12,CX-CL16,CCL2,CCL4,and CCL20 were all important risk factors for myocardial injury in patients with sepsis(P<0.05).The results of receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that CXCL12,CXCL16,CCL2,CCL4,and CCL20 alone and in combination all had certain predictive efficacy for myocardial injury in patients with sepsis.Conclusion Sepsis patients with higher expression of CXCLs and CCLs may be more likely to be complicated with myocardial injury.Close monitoring of serum CXCLs and CCLs expression in sepsis patients has certain clinical significance for accurately predicting the occurrence of myocardial injury in patients.

Objective:To compare the efficacy of body posture combined with pharmacotherapy and pharmacotherapy alone in the treatment of chronic subdural hematoma(CSDH).Methods:Firstly, retrospective case series study was conducted. Thirty cases of CSDH that had received body posture combined with pharmacotherapy at Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University from December 2016 to October 2020 were studied retrospectively. Twenty-seven patients were male, and 3 patients were female. The age of patients ( M(IQR)) was 66(16) years (range:28 to 84). Nineteen patients had unilateral hematoma, and 11 patients had bilateral hematoma. All patients received pharmacotherapy and body posture therapy that was to raise their lower limbs 20 to 30 cm with leg lift pad and get abdominal compressed with customized abdominal belt in supine position. Patients were required to maintain the body posture as much as possible, with the maximum to 16 to 18 hours per day. Patients with unilateral hematoma should tilt the head to the affected side and avoid tilting it to the opposite side. For patients with bilateral hematoma, there was no need for head lateralization. Patient were treated with oral dexamethasone and atorvastatin simultaneously. The preliminary efficacy of body posture combined with pharmacotherapy was determined by hematoma improvement rate which was analyzed by Clopper-Pearson method. Then, the multi-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial had carried out in 9 medical centers from August 2020 to November 2021. The stratified block randomization method was adopted. Patients were randomized in a ratio of 1∶1 to either receive pharmacotherapy alone(the control group) or body posture combined with pharmacotherapy(the experiment group) for 3 months and followed up for 6 months. Effective treatment was defined as complete absorption of hematoma, or the hematoma volume decreased by more than 10 ml and Markwalder grading scale score had improved by more than 1 point compared to the baseline. The efficacy rate and surgery conversion rate at 3 months and recurrence at 6 months were observed. Comparison between groups was performed with paired sample t test, Mann-Whitney U test, χ2 test, corrected χ2 test, or Fisher exact probability method. Logistic regression was used to compare the effective rate and operation rate between the two groups. Results:In the respective study, 30 patients completed follow-up 13 to 353 days after treatment. At the last follow-up, the incidence of almost complete absorption or significantly absorption of hematoma (hematoma volume was significantly reduced accompanied by symptom improvement) was 93.3%. The 95% CI for the incidence that analyzed by the Clopper-Pearson method was 77.9% to 99.2%. One hundred and six patients were enrolled in the multicenter study. Fifty-five patients underwent body posture combined with pharmacotherapy. The age was 74(17) years (range:26 to 92). Thirty-nine patients were males and 16 were females. Fifty-one patients underwent pharmacotherapy alone. The age was 69(12) years (range:48 to 84). Thirty-seven patients were males and 14 were females. The length of body posture recorded in diary card was (15.7±2.3) hours(range:7.6 to 19.3 hours). The efficacy rate in the body posture combined with pharmacotherapy group and pharmacotherapy alone group were 83.6% (46/55) and 56.9% (29/51), respectively at 3 months. The result of the logistic regression analysis showed that the efficacy of body posture combined with pharmacotherapy group was better than that of pharmacotherapy alone group ( OR=3.88,95% CI:1.57 to 9.58, P=0.003). Surgery rate in the body posture combined with pharmacotherapy group and pharmacotherapy alone group were 5.5% (3/55) and 21.6% (11/51) respectively. The result of Logistic regression showed that the pharmacotherapy alone group was more likely to be converted to surgery ( OR=0.21,95% CI:0.05 to 0.80, P=0.023). At the 6 months, no recurrence of cases was found in the body posture combined with pharmacotherapy group. However, the recurrence rate of pharmacotherapy alone group was 6.3% (3/48), there was no significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusion:The effect of body posture combined with pharmacotherapy for chronic subdural hematoma is better than that of pharmacotherapy alone.

Purpose To evaluate the efficacy of ultra-high field 5.0T MRI combined with histogram analysis for diagnosing prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia.Materials and Methods This retrospective analysis included data from 63 patients with prostatic diseases at the Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital from January to May 2024,comprising 31 cases of prostate cancer and 32 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia.MRI sequences included T2WI,T1WI,diffusion-weighted imaging,intravoxel incoherent motion and T2 mapping.Histogram data of apparent diffusion coefficient,true diffusion coefficient,pseudo-diffusion coefficient,perfusion fraction and T2 relaxation time were calculated,and diagnostic efficacy was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve.Results In prostate cancer,the 10th percentile,the 90th percentile,mean,median,and minimum values of histogram parameters from apparent diffusion coefficient,true diffusion coefficient,pseudo-diffusion coefficient,perfusion fraction and T2 mapping were significantly lower than those of benign prostatic hyperplasia(Z=-6.036--3.368,all P<0.05).Notably,the combined model of apparent diffusion coefficient,intravoxel incoherent motion and T2 mapping parameters achieved an the area under the curve of 0.987,with sensitivity and specificity of 96.77%and 96.87%,respectively.Conclusion This study confirms that 5.0T MRI histogram analysis technique demonstrates significant diagnostic efficacy in differentiating prostate cancer from benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Objective To determine the body weights and blood physiological and biochemical indicators in the Macaca mulatta brevicaudus(M.m.brevicaudus),to provide a reference for the breeding of experimental animals.Methods A total of 180 wild M.m.brevicaudus(female and male)from the South Bay Macaque Reserve in Lingshui were selected as the research subjects.Body weights were measured using electronic scales and blood samples were collected.Routine blood indicators(red blood cell count,hemoglobin,white blood cell count,and platelet count)were detected using an automated blood cell analyzer,and biochemical indicators(alanine aminotransferase,aspartate aminotransferase,glucose,blood urea nitrogen)were measured using an automated biochemical analyzer.Data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 software for descriptive statistics,and differences in body weights and blood indicators between sexes and age groups were compared using t-tests.Results Adult male wild M.m.brevicaudus were significantly heavier than females(P＜0.05);however,there were no significant differences in complete blood cell counts between female and male macaques(P＞0.05).In terms of blood biochemical indicators,lactate dehydrogenase and total bilirubin levels differed significantly between female and male M.m.brevicaudus(P＜0.05),but there were no significant differences in any other biochemical indicators.Conclusions This study established baseline data on the body weights and blood physiological and biochemical indicators of wild M.m.brevicaudus,providing a reference for their future breeding as experimental animals.

Purpose To evaluate the efficacy of ultra-high field 5.0T MRI combined with histogram analysis for diagnosing prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia.Materials and Methods This retrospective analysis included data from 63 patients with prostatic diseases at the Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital from January to May 2024,comprising 31 cases of prostate cancer and 32 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia.MRI sequences included T2WI,T1WI,diffusion-weighted imaging,intravoxel incoherent motion and T2 mapping.Histogram data of apparent diffusion coefficient,true diffusion coefficient,pseudo-diffusion coefficient,perfusion fraction and T2 relaxation time were calculated,and diagnostic efficacy was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve.Results In prostate cancer,the 10th percentile,the 90th percentile,mean,median,and minimum values of histogram parameters from apparent diffusion coefficient,true diffusion coefficient,pseudo-diffusion coefficient,perfusion fraction and T2 mapping were significantly lower than those of benign prostatic hyperplasia(Z=-6.036--3.368,all P<0.05).Notably,the combined model of apparent diffusion coefficient,intravoxel incoherent motion and T2 mapping parameters achieved an the area under the curve of 0.987,with sensitivity and specificity of 96.77%and 96.87%,respectively.Conclusion This study confirms that 5.0T MRI histogram analysis technique demonstrates significant diagnostic efficacy in differentiating prostate cancer from benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Objective To determine the body weights and blood physiological and biochemical indicators in the Macaca mulatta brevicaudus(M.m.brevicaudus),to provide a reference for the breeding of experimental animals.Methods A total of 180 wild M.m.brevicaudus(female and male)from the South Bay Macaque Reserve in Lingshui were selected as the research subjects.Body weights were measured using electronic scales and blood samples were collected.Routine blood indicators(red blood cell count,hemoglobin,white blood cell count,and platelet count)were detected using an automated blood cell analyzer,and biochemical indicators(alanine aminotransferase,aspartate aminotransferase,glucose,blood urea nitrogen)were measured using an automated biochemical analyzer.Data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 software for descriptive statistics,and differences in body weights and blood indicators between sexes and age groups were compared using t-tests.Results Adult male wild M.m.brevicaudus were significantly heavier than females(P＜0.05);however,there were no significant differences in complete blood cell counts between female and male macaques(P＞0.05).In terms of blood biochemical indicators,lactate dehydrogenase and total bilirubin levels differed significantly between female and male M.m.brevicaudus(P＜0.05),but there were no significant differences in any other biochemical indicators.Conclusions This study established baseline data on the body weights and blood physiological and biochemical indicators of wild M.m.brevicaudus,providing a reference for their future breeding as experimental animals.