Licochalcone E is a chalcone isolated from Glycyrrhiza uralensis and G. inflata Batal. This study explored the effect of licochalcone E on improving hepatic steatosis in obese mice and evaluated the role of licochalcone E in regulating lipid accumulation in hepatocytes. In vitro, oleic acid–induced hepatocytes were treated with licochalcone E to investigate its effect on lipid metabolic pathways. In animal experiments, male C57BL/6 mice were fed with a high-fat diet (HFD) and treated with licochalcone E by intraperitoneal injection for 12 weeks to assess its effects on biochemical indexes and hepatic steatosis. Furthermore, mice were fed a methionine/choline-deficient (MCD) diet and administered licochalcone E, followed by evaluation of liver fibrosis. Licochalcone E effectively reduced body weight, epididymal and inguinal fat weight, and adipocyte size in HFD-induced obese mice. Licochalcone E treatment of obese mice also reduced hepatic lipid accumulation and improved hepatocyte steatosis. Licochalcone E regulated the expression of lipogenesis- and lipolysis-related genes in the livers of obese mice and increased AMPK phosphorylation and Sirt1 expression in the liver. Licochalcone E also attenuated hepatic inflammation and oxidative stress in obese mice. Furthermore, treatment of MCD-induced mice with licochalcone E reduced the number of lipid vacuoles and the extent of fibrosis and inhibited liver inflammation. In FL83B hepatocytes, licochalcone E could regulate lipogenesis and lipolysis, and increase the phosphorylation of AMPK and ACC. These findings provide new insights into the role of licochalcone E in regulating lipid metabolism and preventing hepatic steatosis.

OBJECTIVE: Blood culture remains the gold standard for diagnosing bloodstream infections. Clinical laboratories must ensure the quality of blood culture processes from receipt to obtaining definitive results. We examined laboratory analytical indicators associated with positive blood culture results. METHODS: Blood cultures collected from Peking Union Medical College Hospital between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2022, were retrospectively analyzed. The mode of transportation (piping logistics delivery vs. staff), source of blood cultures (outpatient/emergency department vs. inpatient department), rotation of personnel, and time of reception (8:00-19:59 vs. 20:00-07:59) were compared between blood culture-positive and -negative results. RESULTS: Between 2020 and 2022, the total positive rate of blood culture was 8.07%. The positive rate of blood cultures in the outpatient/emergency department was significantly higher than that in the inpatient department (12.46% vs. 5.83%; P < 0.0001). The time-to-detection of blood cultures was significantly affected by the delivery mode and personnel rotation. The blood culture positive rate of the total pre-analytical time within 1 h was significantly higher than that within 1-2 h or > 2 h ( P < 0.0170). CONCLUSION Laboratory analytical indicators such as patient source, transportation mode, and personnel rotation significantly impacted the positive detection rate or time of blood culture.
Blood Culture/statistics & numerical data* ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Emergency Service, Hospital/statistics & numerical data*

OBJECTIVE: Pseudomonas aeruginosa( P. aeruginosa) is a prevalent pathogenic bacterium involved in meningitis; however, the virulence factors contributing to this disease remain poorly understood. METHODS: The virulence of the P. aeruginosa A584, isolated from meningitis samples, was evaluated by constructing in vitro blood-brain barrier and in vivo systemic infection models. qPCR, whole-genome sequencing, and drug efflux assays of A584 were performed to analyze the virulence factors. RESULTS: Genomic sequencing showed that A584 formed a phylogenetic cluster with the reference strains NY7610, DDRC3, Pa58, and Pa124. Its genome includes abundant virulence factors, such as hemolysin, the Type IV secretion system, and pyoverdine. A584 is a multidrug-resistant strain, and its wide-spectrum resistance is associated with enhanced drug efflux. Moreover, this strain caused significantly more severe damage to the blood-brain barrier than the standard strain, PAO1. qPCR assays further revealed the downregulation of the blood-brain barrier-associated proteins Claudin-5 and Occludin by A584. During systemic infection, A584 exhibited a higher capacity of brain colonization than PAO1 (37.1 × 10 ⁶ CFU/g brain versus 2.5 × 10 ⁶ CFU/g brain), leading to higher levels of the pro-inflammatory factors IL-1β and TNF-α. CONCLUSION This study sheds light on the virulence factors of P. aeruginosa involved in meningitis.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa/genetics* ; Virulence Factors/metabolism* ; Animals ; Virulence ; Mice ; Pseudomonas Infections/microbiology* ; Blood-Brain Barrier/microbiology* ; Humans ; Female

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality based on the 10-year population-based multicenter prospective study. METHODS: A general population-based multicenter prospective study was conducted at four sites in rural China between 2013 and 2023. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic spline analyses were used to assess the association between BMI and mortality. Stratified analyses were performed based on the individual characteristics of the participants. RESULTS: Overall, 19,107 participants with a sum of 163,095 person-years were included and 1,910 participants died. The underweight (< 18.5 kg/m ²) presented an increase in all-cause mortality (adjusted hazards ratio [ aHR] = 2.00, 95% confidence interval [ CI]: 1.66-2.41), while overweight (≥ 24.0 to < 28.0 kg/m ²) and obesity (≥ 28.0 kg/m ²) presented a decrease with an aHR of 0.61 (95% CI: 0.52-0.73) and 0.51 (95% CI: 0.37-0.70), respectively. Overweight ( aHR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.67-0.86) and mild obesity ( aHR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.59-0.87) had a positive impact on mortality in people older than 60 years. All-cause mortality decreased rapidly until reaching a BMI of 25.7 kg/m ² ( aHR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.98) and increased slightly above that value, indicating a U-shaped association. The beneficial impact of being overweight on mortality was robust in most subgroups and sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION This study provides additional evidence that overweight and mild obesity may be inversely related to the risk of death in individuals older than 60 years. Therefore, it is essential to consider age differences when formulating health and weight management strategies.
Humans ; Body Mass Index ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Aged ; Follow-Up Studies ; Adult ; Mortality ; Cause of Death ; Obesity/mortality* ; Overweight/mortality*

In recent years,the incidence and mortality of heatstroke have been increasing annually alongside global warming,with a marked rise in cases exhibiting atypical symptoms.To address the increasingly complex challenges in heatstroke prevention and treatment,Heatstroke Prevention and Treatment Research Center of Chinese PLA,Expert Group of Heatstroke Prevention and Treatment of Chinese PLA,and Chinese PLA Professional Committee of Critical Care Medicine have jointly developed this guideline(2025 edition).Utilizing the Grading of Recommendations Assessment,Development and Evaluation(GRADE)system,Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation(AGREE)criteria,and Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in Healthcare(RIGHT)standards,and based on the 2015 draft"Expert Consensus on the Standardized Diagnosis and Treatment of Heatstroke"and the 2019"Chinese Expert Consensus on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Heatstroke",this guideline has been crafted.This guideline provides 25 evidence-based recommendations to guide the prevention,treatment and research of heatstroke,which thoroughly covers 8 critical domains:clinical classification,pathophysiological mechanisms,clinical manifestations,diagnostic criteria,differential diagnosis,treatment protocols,rehabilitation and return to work,and prevention.

Artificial intelligence(AI)has emerged as a cutting-edge technology leading the future and is a key engine for China's development.In the innovation and research of medical devices,AI has provided critical support in the areas of intelligent diagnostic assistance,intelligent therapeutic assis-tance,intelligent monitoring,life support,et al.Ma-chine learning-enabled device software functions(ML-DSFs)have become an essential component of many medical devices.Recently,the United States Food and Drug Administration(FDA)released a draft guidance titled"Marketing Submission Rec-ommendations for a Predetermined Change Con-trol Plan for Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learn-ing(AI/ML)-Enabled Device Software Functions(Draft)."that aimed to provide a forward-looking approach to foster the development of ML medical devices.By supporting iterative updates through modifications,this approach ensures the continu-ous safety and effectiveness of the devices.This guidance represents the latest in regulatory direc-tion and is especially beneficial for enhancing the quality and efficiency of clinical trials for AI prod-ucts.Therefore,we plan to provide a detailed intro-duction and interpretation of the guidance,with the aim of learning from international advanced regulatory concepts and experiences to promote the development of ML-DSFs with more profound international influence.

Objective:The aim of this study is to investigate the main active substances of Qilin pills by high performance liq-uid chromatogre-electrostatic field orbitrap mass spectrometry(HPLC-Q-Orbitrap/MS),and explore the mechanism of its action in the treatment of asthenozoospermia by combining network pharmacology and molecular docking.Methods:(1)Qilin pills were quantita-tively and qualitatively analyzed by HPLC-Q-Orbitrap/MS.(2)The top 100 compounds in Qilin pills were screened by content analy-sis and SwissADME,and their targets were predicted.The asthenozoospermia targets were searched through the database.And a"pro-tein-protein interaction"(PPI)network was constructed.KEGG and GO analysis was performed using the DAVID database.And a"drug-target-pathway"network was constructed.(3)SailVina was used for molecular docking.Results:(1)A total of 1 275 known components were found and ranked in Qilin pills by HPLC-Q-Orbitrap/MS analysis.(2)The top 100 compounds in Qilin pills predicted a total of 1 053 targets and 184 potential therapeutic targets for asthenozoospermia.KEGG pathway analysis and GO analysis showed that the treatment of asthenozoospermia by Qilin pills may be related to the steroid hormone synthesis pathway,the response to steroid hormones,the chromosomal region of cells and the activity of steroid hydroxylase.The mechanism of Qilin pills in treating as-thenozoospermia may be related to regulating the synthesis,metabolism and reaction process of sex hormone in the body.(3)The mo-lecular docking results of its key targets(CYP19A1,ESR1,HSP90AA1,p53,HIF1α and BCL2)showed that the key active ingredi-ents M030,M039,M043,M050,M055 and M073 of Qilin pills had spontaneous binding.It had a binding energy of less than-5 kJ/mol.Conclusion:The material basis of Qilin pills has been explored by this study.And the mechanism of action of Qilin pills in the treatment of asthenozoospermia is highly bound to the expression and response process of steroid hormones,which provides a theoretical basis for the clinical application of Qilin pills.

With the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence(GAI)technologies,their widespread application in academic research and writing is continuously expanding the boundaries of sci-entific inquiry.However,this trend has also raised a series of ethical and regulatory challenges,inclu-ding issues related to authorship,content authenticity,citation accuracy,and accountability.In light of the growing involvement of AI in generating academic content,establishing an open,controllable,and trustworthy ethical governance framework has become a key task for safeguarding research integrity and maintaining trust within the academic community.This expert consensus outlines ethical requirements across key stages of AI-assisted academic writing-including topic selection,data management,citation practices,and authorship attribution.It aims to clarify the boundaries and ethical obligations surrounding AI use in academic writing,ensuring that technological tools enhance efficiency without compromising in-tegrity.The goal is to provide guidance and institutional support for building a responsible and sustainable research ecosystem.

In recent years,the incidence and mortality of heatstroke have been increasing annually alongside global warming,with a marked rise in cases exhibiting atypical symptoms.To address the increasingly complex challenges in heatstroke prevention and treatment,Heatstroke Prevention and Treatment Research Center of Chinese PLA,Expert Group of Heatstroke Prevention and Treatment of Chinese PLA,and Chinese PLA Professional Committee of Critical Care Medicine have jointly developed this guideline(2025 edition).Utilizing the Grading of Recommendations Assessment,Development and Evaluation(GRADE)system,Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation(AGREE)criteria,and Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in Healthcare(RIGHT)standards,and based on the 2015 draft"Expert Consensus on the Standardized Diagnosis and Treatment of Heatstroke"and the 2019"Chinese Expert Consensus on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Heatstroke",this guideline has been crafted.This guideline provides 25 evidence-based recommendations to guide the prevention,treatment and research of heatstroke,which thoroughly covers 8 critical domains:clinical classification,pathophysiological mechanisms,clinical manifestations,diagnostic criteria,differential diagnosis,treatment protocols,rehabilitation and return to work,and prevention.

Artificial intelligence(AI)has emerged as a cutting-edge technology leading the future and is a key engine for China's development.In the innovation and research of medical devices,AI has provided critical support in the areas of intelligent diagnostic assistance,intelligent therapeutic assis-tance,intelligent monitoring,life support,et al.Ma-chine learning-enabled device software functions(ML-DSFs)have become an essential component of many medical devices.Recently,the United States Food and Drug Administration(FDA)released a draft guidance titled"Marketing Submission Rec-ommendations for a Predetermined Change Con-trol Plan for Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learn-ing(AI/ML)-Enabled Device Software Functions(Draft)."that aimed to provide a forward-looking approach to foster the development of ML medical devices.By supporting iterative updates through modifications,this approach ensures the continu-ous safety and effectiveness of the devices.This guidance represents the latest in regulatory direc-tion and is especially beneficial for enhancing the quality and efficiency of clinical trials for AI prod-ucts.Therefore,we plan to provide a detailed intro-duction and interpretation of the guidance,with the aim of learning from international advanced regulatory concepts and experiences to promote the development of ML-DSFs with more profound international influence.