Objective:To investigate the effects of Vibrio vulnificus ( Vv) quorum-sensing protein LuxS on the homeostasis of pulmonary innate immune cells in sepsis-induced acute lung injury. Methods:This study constructed luxS knockout and complemented Vv strains. The time required for wild type, luxS knockout, and complemented Vv strains to grow to an absorbance of 600 nm in liquid medium was measured using a spectrophotometer. Iron-overloaded mice were intraperitoneally infected with 1×10 5 CFU of the above three kinds of Vv strains, respectively. Clinical scoring for sepsis-induced dyspnea was used to evaluate the respiratory quality in mice. At 7 h after infection, the pathological changes in lung tissues were observed by HE staining; the bacterial loads in lung tissues were measured; the single-cell suspension of lung tissues was analyzed by flow cytometry. Uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) was used to reduce the dimension of the distribution of CD45 + immune cells in lung tissues of mice in the PBS control group and infection groups with different strains. The frequency and absolute number of innate immune cells in lung tissues were analyzed by multicolor flow cytometry. One-way analysis of variance and t test were used for statistical analysis. Results:There was no significant difference in the growth rate of wild type, luxS knockout, and complemented Vv strains in liquid medium. Compared with the mice infected with the wild type or complemented strain, the mice infected with the luxS knockout strain exhibited overall alleviated respiratory difficulty, decreased inflammatory cell infiltration in lung tissues, and reduced bacterial load in lung tissues ( P<0.05). Besides, there was no significant difference in clinical respiratory scores, inflammatory cell infiltration, or bacterial loads between the mice infected with the complemented strain and wild type strain. UMAP analysis showed that compared with the mice infected with the luxS knockout strain, the mice infected with the wild type or complemented strain showed increased proportions of neutrophils and eosinophils in lung tissues. Results of multicolor flow cytometry analysis further verified that the proportions of neutrophils and eosinophils were significantly lower in the mice infected with the luxS knockout strain than in the mice infected with wild type or complemented strain ( P<0.01, P<0.000 1), while the proportion of alveolar macrophages was significantly higher as compared with that in the mice infected with wild type or complemented strain ( P<0.01). Conclusion:During Vv infection, LuxS may promote acute lung injury by affecting the homeostasis of neutrophils, eosinophils and resident macrophages in lung tissues.

Objective To investigate the differences in pathological changes and immune responses of human airway organoids at different stages of differentiation following respiratory syncytial virus(RSV)infection.Methods Models of human fetal lung organoids(FLO)and induced airway organoids(iAO)were established to simulate immature and mature airway epithelium.Immunofluorescence staining,electron microscopy,and quantitative polymerase chain reaction(Q-PCR)were used to confirm the successful construction of the lung organoid models.Human lung organoids were infected with RSV,and samples were collected at 6 and 48 hours post-infection.The immune characteristics of immature and mature RSV-infected organoids were assessed using immunofluorescence staining,droplet digital PCR(DDPCR),and Q-PCR.Results We successfully generated FLO expressing both the progenitor markers sex determining region Y-box transcription factor 2(SOX2)and sex determining region Y-box transcription factor 9(SOX9),as well as iAO containing basal cells,ciliated cells,club cells,and goblet cells.In addition,organoid models of RSV infection were established.DDPCR results showed that,at the initial stage of RSV infection,the viral load in iAO was significantly higher than that in FLO(P＜0.001).However,at 48 hours post-infection,the viral load in iAO was lower than that in FLO(P＜0.05).Q-PCR results indicated that the expression of RSV infection receptor genes,including epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR),insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor(IGF1R),and nucleolin(NCL),was significantly higher in iAO compared to that in FLO(P＜0.001).RSV infection led to an increase in the expression levels of immune factors,including interleukin 6(ILL-6),interleukin 8(CXCL8),interferon α(IFN-α),granulocyte colony-stimulating factor(G-CSF),granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor(GM-CSF),and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α),in iAO compared to those in FLO,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion The expression of RSV infection receptor proteins increases with airway maturation,and mature airway epithelial cells exhibit a stronger immune response than immature ones do,effectively inhibiting RSV replication.

This paper reports a case of disseminated infection caused by Fusarium solani in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia after transplantation.Fusariun solani was cultured from the patient's blood as well as foot and ocular secretion.Anti-infection treatment was not effective.Combined with literature review,characteristics,clini-cal diagnosis,and treatment strategies of Fusarium disseminated infection were analyzed,aiming to assist the early detection,early diagnosis,and early treatment in clinical practice.

This paper reports a case of disseminated infection caused by Fusarium solani in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia after transplantation.Fusariun solani was cultured from the patient's blood as well as foot and ocular secretion.Anti-infection treatment was not effective.Combined with literature review,characteristics,clini-cal diagnosis,and treatment strategies of Fusarium disseminated infection were analyzed,aiming to assist the early detection,early diagnosis,and early treatment in clinical practice.

Objective:To investigate the effects of Vibrio vulnificus ( Vv) quorum-sensing protein LuxS on the homeostasis of pulmonary innate immune cells in sepsis-induced acute lung injury. Methods:This study constructed luxS knockout and complemented Vv strains. The time required for wild type, luxS knockout, and complemented Vv strains to grow to an absorbance of 600 nm in liquid medium was measured using a spectrophotometer. Iron-overloaded mice were intraperitoneally infected with 1×10 5 CFU of the above three kinds of Vv strains, respectively. Clinical scoring for sepsis-induced dyspnea was used to evaluate the respiratory quality in mice. At 7 h after infection, the pathological changes in lung tissues were observed by HE staining; the bacterial loads in lung tissues were measured; the single-cell suspension of lung tissues was analyzed by flow cytometry. Uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) was used to reduce the dimension of the distribution of CD45 + immune cells in lung tissues of mice in the PBS control group and infection groups with different strains. The frequency and absolute number of innate immune cells in lung tissues were analyzed by multicolor flow cytometry. One-way analysis of variance and t test were used for statistical analysis. Results:There was no significant difference in the growth rate of wild type, luxS knockout, and complemented Vv strains in liquid medium. Compared with the mice infected with the wild type or complemented strain, the mice infected with the luxS knockout strain exhibited overall alleviated respiratory difficulty, decreased inflammatory cell infiltration in lung tissues, and reduced bacterial load in lung tissues ( P<0.05). Besides, there was no significant difference in clinical respiratory scores, inflammatory cell infiltration, or bacterial loads between the mice infected with the complemented strain and wild type strain. UMAP analysis showed that compared with the mice infected with the luxS knockout strain, the mice infected with the wild type or complemented strain showed increased proportions of neutrophils and eosinophils in lung tissues. Results of multicolor flow cytometry analysis further verified that the proportions of neutrophils and eosinophils were significantly lower in the mice infected with the luxS knockout strain than in the mice infected with wild type or complemented strain ( P<0.01, P<0.000 1), while the proportion of alveolar macrophages was significantly higher as compared with that in the mice infected with wild type or complemented strain ( P<0.01). Conclusion:During Vv infection, LuxS may promote acute lung injury by affecting the homeostasis of neutrophils, eosinophils and resident macrophages in lung tissues.

Objective To investigate the risk factors of postoperative fecal contamination in children pa-tients with Hirschsprung's disease(HSCR),and to construct and evaluate the risk predictive model.Methods The clinical data in 377 children patients with HSCR in 3 class 3A hospitals in Guangxi from Janu-ary 2016 to June 2021were retrospectively analyzed by adopting the convenience sampling method.The pa-tients were divided into the modeling group(n=264)and testing model group(n=113)with a ratio of 7∶3.The risk factors of postoperative fecal soiling were analyzed by the single factor and multiple factors,and the risk predictive model was constructed.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to detect the discriminative ability of the model and the H-L test was used to determine the goodness of fit of the mod-el.The model was prospectively validated in 21 children patients with HSCR from August to December 2021.Results Among 377 children patients with HSCR,the fecal soiling occurred in 131 cases with a incidence rate of 34.75％.The constructed predictive model of fecal contamination risk after HSCR operation:logit(P)=-2.385+1.697 × special type of megacolon+0.929 × Soave+0.105 × length of bowel resection+2.065 × il-literate caregivers+0.808 × caregivers'implementation of postoperative diet+0.867 × postoperative defecation training by caregivers.The area under the curve(AUC)in the modeling group was 0.849,the Yoden index was 0.53,the optimal critical value of the model was 0.32,the sensitivity was 76.00％,and the specificity was 77.00％.The H-L test,X2=6.649,P=0.575.AUC of the testing model group was 0.736,the sensitivity was 81.25％,and the specificity was 78.46％.The prospective validation results showed that the sensitivity and specificity of the model were 66.67％and 100％respectively.Conclusion The constructed model has good i-dentification and predictive ability.

Objective:To analyze the status of respiratory pathogen detection and the clinical features in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP). Methods:A prospective, multicenter study was conducted to collect clinical data, including medical history, laboratory examinations and multiplex PCR tests of children diagnosed with MPP from 4 hospitals in China between November 15 th and December 20 th, 2023. The multiplex PCR results and clinical characteristics of MPP children in different regions were analyzed. The children were divided into severe and mild groups according to the severity of the disease. Patients in the severe group were further divided into Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) alone and Multi-pathogen co-detection groups based on whether other pathogens were detected besides MP, to analyze the influence of respiratory pathogen co-detection rate on the severity of the disease. Mann-Whitney rank sum test and Chi-square test were used to compare data between independent groups. Results:A total of 298 children, 136 males and 162 females, were enrolled in this study, including 204 children in the severe group with an onset age of 7.0 (6.0, 8.0) years, and 94 children in the mild group with an onset age of 6.5 (4.0, 7.8) years. The level of C-reactive protein, D-dimer, lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) were significantly higher (10.0 (5.0, 18.0) vs. 5.0 (5.0, 7.5) mg/L, 0.6 (0.4, 1.1) vs. 0.5 (0.3, 0.6) mg/L, 337 (286, 431) vs. 314 (271, 393) U/L, Z=2.02, 2.50, 3.05, all P<0.05), and the length of hospitalization was significantly longer in the severe group compared with those in mild group (6.0 (6.0, 7.0) vs. 5.0 (4.0, 6.0) d, Z=4.37, P<0.05). The time from onset to admission in severe MPP children was significantly shorter than that in mild MPP children (6.0 (5.0, 9.5) vs. 9.0 (7.0, 13.0) d, Z=2.23, P=0.026). All patients completed the multiplex PCR test, with 142 cases (47.7%) MPP children detected with 21 pathogens including adenovirus 25 cases (8.4%), human coronavirus 23 cases (7.7%), rhinovirus 21 cases (7.0%), Streptococcus pneumoniae 21 cases (7.0%), influenza A virus 18 cases (6.0%). The pathogens with the highest detection rates in Tianjin, Shanghai, Wenzhou and Chengdu were Staphylococcus aureus at 10.7% (8/75), adenovirus at 13.0% (10/77), adenovirus at 15.3% (9/59), and both rhinovirus and Haemophilus influenzae at 11.5% (10/87) each. The multi-pathogen co-detection rate in severe MPP children was significantly higher than that in mild MPP group (52.9% (108/204) vs. 36.2% (34/94), χ2=10.62, P=0.005). Among severe MPP children, there are 89 cases in the multi-pathogen co-detection group and 73 cases in the simple MPP group. The levels of LDH, D-dimer and neutrophil counts in the multi-pathogen co-detection group were significantly higher than those in the simple MPP group (348 (284, 422) vs. 307 (270, 358) U/L, 0.8 (0.5, 1.5) vs. 0.6 (0.4, 1.0) mg/L, 4.99 (3.66, 6.89)×10 9vs. 4.06 (2.91, 5.65)×10 9/L, Z=5.17, 4.99, 6.11, all P<0.05). Conclusions:The co-detection rate of respiratory pathogens, LDH and D-dimer in children with severe MPP were higher than those with mild MPP. Among severe MPP children the stress response of children in co-detection group was more serious than that of children with simple MPP.

Objective:To explore the application of photoplethysmography (iPPG) for contactless vital signs monitoring in the intensive care unit (ICU).Methods:Ten tracheostomy patients in intensive care had their heart rate, oxygen saturation, and diastolic and systolic pressures monitored using iPPG technology and a 24-hour bedside monitor. The readings included periods at rest, during turning, during suctioning, and when undergoing vigorous physical therapy and occupational therapy. The monitoring lasted 3 consecutive days. The data collected by the two methods were compared to analyze the accuracy of the contactless vital signs monitoring system.Results:The oxygen saturation readings of the two systems showed no significant differences. The heart rates, diastolic pressures, and systolic pressures did, however, differ significantly.Conclusions:In the situations tested, contactless monitoring of oxygen saturation is effective, but there is still significant room for improvement in the three indicators of heart rate, systolic pressure, and diastolic pressure.

Objective:To analyze the clinical and molecular genetic characteristics of a Chinese family with congenital cataract-microcornea syndrome.Methods:The method of pedigree investigation was adopted.A Chinese Han family with congenital cataract-microcornea syndrome was recruited in Xiamen Eye Center of Xiamen University.All the family members received detailed ophthalmologic examination including the best corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure measurement by handheld applanation tonometry, slit lamp biomicroscopy, color fundus photography, B-scan ultrasonography, corneal diameter, anterior segment optical coherence tomography, ultrasound biomicroscopy, corneal endoscopy, and corneal topography.Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral venous blood from some patients and unaffected family members.Targeted high-throughput DNA sequencing was performed on the proband.The sequencing chip contained 188 known pathogenic genes related to lens abnormalities.Suspected pathogenic genes were verified by Sanger sequencing in phenotypically normal family members to identify the co-segregation and the disease-causing gene.Bioinformatics analysis was performed to analyze the pathogenicity of variants by REVEL.Conserved protein domains were analyzed by InterPro.Physicochemical property of the mutant protein was analyzed by ProtParam.The deleteriousness of the protein was predicted by PolyPhen-2.Homology of the variants in pathogenic gene was analyzed by NCBI website to compare the conservation among various species.This study followed the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Xiamen Eye Center of Xiamen University (No.XMYKZX-LW-2009-003).Written informed consent was obtained from each subject prior to entering the study cohort.Results:There were 39 members of 4 generations in this family including 11 patients with an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern.Clinical features of the patients included congenital cataract and microcornea.No obvious abnormality was found in ophthalmic and general examination.A heterozygous mutation c. 61C>T in the CRYAA gene was found, resulting in the mutation of the amino acid from arginine to tryptophan (p.Arg21Trp) at position 21, consistent with co-segregation.The number of cationic cluster in the mutant protein decreased, and the hydrophilicity and stability were reduced.The variant was predicted to be deleterious and was highly conserved in multiple species. Conclusions:A novel heterozygous mutation c.61C>T p. Arg21Trp in CRYAA gene is considered as the causal gene of this family.It is the first time this variant has been reported in China.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between the down-regulation expression of sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) in proliferating hepatocytes and the response to antiviral therapy of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients.Methods:Sixty-eight hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive CHB patients admitted to the Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from January 2011 to March 2015 were included. Basic information and laboratory data were collected. Based on the baseline (before antiviral treatment) inflammatory activity (G), the patients were divided into ≤G2 group and >G2 group. Twelve liver puncture tissue samples were selected from each group for NTCP and Ki67 immunofluorescence staining.The proportion of Ki67-positive cells was calculated, and the staining of NTCP was scored. Five pairs of tissue specimens of patients who had hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection were diagnosed with focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) and underwent nodular resection surgery from March 2014 to March 2017 were collected.Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expressions of Ki67, NTCP and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in each tissue specimen, and the proportion of staining positive cells or the staining intensity was calculated. Statistical analysis was performed by Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test or Spearman correlation analysis. Results:The proportion of Ki67-positive cells (6.75%(6.20%, 8.16%))in five liver FNH tissues with HBV infection was significantly higher than that in adjacent non-FNH tissues (0.75%(0.66%, 1.20%)), while the immunohistochemical scores of NTCP and HBsAg (3.00 (1.00, 3.00) and 2.00 (1.00, 2.00), respectively) were both significantly lower than those in adjacent non-FNH tissues (8.00 (8.00, 9.00) and 8.00 (6.00, 8.00), respectively), the differences were all statistically significant ( Z=-2.611, -2.424 and -2.635, respectively, P=0.009, 0.015 and 0.008, respectively). There were 37 patients in >G2 group, and 31 patients in ≤G2 group. After six months of antiviral treatment, CHB patients with persistent inflammation in >G2 group obtained a better virological response, with serum HBV DNA and HBeAg showing a greater decline ((0.71±0.14) lg IU/mL and (0.92±0.13) lg IU/mL, respectively) than those in ≤G2 group ((0.54±0.30) lg IU/mL and (0.49±0.65) lg IU/mL, respectively) ( Z=-3.048 and -2.666, respectively, P=0.002 and 0.008, respectively). The proportion of Ki67-positive cells in the specimens of >G2 group (4.34%(1.84%, 8.77%)) was significantly higher than that of ≤G2 group (0.34%(0, 0.80%)) ( Z=-3.640, P<0.01), and the immunohistochemical staining score of NTCP (1.00 (0, 3.25)) was significantly lower than that of ≤G2 group (6.00 (4.00, 8.00)) ( Z=-3.012, P=0.003). Spearman correlation analysis showed that the NTCP immunohistochemical score was negatively correlated with the proportion of Ki67-positive cells ( r=-0.512, P=0.01). Conclusions:CHB patients with persistent inflammationare often accompanied by more active hepatocyte proliferation and low membrane NTCP expression, which is not conducive to HBV reinfection. It may facilitate these patients to obtain better virological response.