BACKGROUND: The effect of the interval between previous Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication and rescue treatment on therapeutic outcomes remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between eradication rates and treatment interval durations in H. pylori infections. METHODS: This prospective observational study was conducted from December 2021 to February 2023 at six tertiary hospitals in Shandong, China. We recruited patients who were positive for H. pylori infection and required rescue treatment. Demographic information, previous times of eradication therapy, last eradication therapy date, and history of antibiotic use data were collected. The patients were divided into four groups based on the rescue treatment interval length: Group A, ≥4 weeks and ≤3 months; Group B, >3 and ≤6 months; Group C, >6 and ≤12 months; and Group D, >12 months. The primary outcome was the eradication rate of H. pylori . Drug compliance and adverse events (AEs) were also assessed. Pearson's χ2 test or Fisher's exact test was used to compare eradication rates between groups. RESULTS: A total of 670 patients were enrolled in this study. The intention-to-treat (ITT) eradication rates were 88.3% (158/179) in Group A, 89.6% (120/134) in Group B, 89.1% (123/138) in Group C, and 87.7% (192/219) in Group D. The per-protocol (PP) eradication rates were 92.9% (156/168) in Group A, 94.5% (120/127) in Group B, 94.5% (121/128) in Group C, and 93.6% (190/203) in Group D. There was no statistically significant difference in the eradication rates between groups in either the ITT ( P = 0.949) or PP analysis ( P = 0.921). No significant differences were observed in the incidence of AEs ( P = 0.934) or drug compliance ( P = 0.849) between groups. CONCLUSION: The interval duration of rescue treatment had no significant effect on H. pylori eradication rates or the incidence of AEs. REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT05173493.
Humans ; Helicobacter Infections/drug therapy* ; Helicobacter pylori/pathogenicity* ; Male ; Female ; Prospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/adverse effects* ; Adult ; Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Proton Pump Inhibitors/therapeutic use*

Objective To analyze the impact of the National Centralized Drug Procurement Policy(hereinafter referred to as the"centralized procurement policy")on the utilization of breast cancer treatment drugs in a specialized cancer hospital.Methods The defined daily dose(DDD)method was used to compare the daily drug cost(DDC),drug utilization frequency(DDDs),and affordability of letrozole,anastrozole,and capecitabine before and after the implementation of the centralized pro-curement policy in a tertiary specialized cancer hospital in Guangzhou.Results and Conclusion After the policy implementa-tion,the DDC of all three drugs decreased.The out-of-pocket DDC for the selected drugs remained stable or decreased,while the out-of-pocket DDC for both originator drugs and generic drugs increased,with a more pronounced increase for originator drugs.The proportion of DDDs for the selected drugs increased post-policy.The centralized procurement policy not only reduced the prices of selected drugs but also drove down the prices of generic and originator drugs.It is recommended to further expand the scope of centralized procurement for anticancer drugs and the types of cancers covered,as well as to establish a transitional mech-anism for medical insurance payment standards.

Objective To explore the efficiency improvement in segmenting neural network with the application of Transformer + U-Net artificial intelligence (AI) and modeling with the application of Python scripts in three-dimensional (3D) printing brachytherapy. Methods A Transformer + U-Net AI neural network model was constructed, and Adam optimizer was used to ensure rapid gradient descent. Computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging data of patients were standardized and processed as self-made data sets. The training set was used to train AI and the optimal result weight parameters were saved. The test set was used to evaluate the AI ability. Python programming language was used to write an automated script to obtain the output segmentation image and convert it to the STL file for import. The source applicator and needle could be automatically modeled. The time of automatic segmentation and modeling and the time of manual segmentation and modeling were entered by two people, and the difference was verified by paired t-test. Results Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), mean intersection over union (MIOU), and Hausdorff distance (HD95) were used for evaluation. DSC was 0.9341, MIOU was 0.8762, and mean HD95 was 2.516. The mean time of manual segmentation was 1187 s, and the mean time of AI segmentation was 145 s (P < 0.01). The mean time of manual modeling was 321 s, and the mean time of modeling with Python automated scripts was 18 s (P < 0.01). Conclusion The application of Transformer + U-Net automatic segmentation and Python automated scripts can effectively improve work efficiency in the 3D printing brachytherapy for cervical cancer.

Objective To analyze the impact of the National Centralized Drug Procurement Policy(hereinafter referred to as the"centralized procurement policy")on the utilization of breast cancer treatment drugs in a specialized cancer hospital.Methods The defined daily dose(DDD)method was used to compare the daily drug cost(DDC),drug utilization frequency(DDDs),and affordability of letrozole,anastrozole,and capecitabine before and after the implementation of the centralized pro-curement policy in a tertiary specialized cancer hospital in Guangzhou.Results and Conclusion After the policy implementa-tion,the DDC of all three drugs decreased.The out-of-pocket DDC for the selected drugs remained stable or decreased,while the out-of-pocket DDC for both originator drugs and generic drugs increased,with a more pronounced increase for originator drugs.The proportion of DDDs for the selected drugs increased post-policy.The centralized procurement policy not only reduced the prices of selected drugs but also drove down the prices of generic and originator drugs.It is recommended to further expand the scope of centralized procurement for anticancer drugs and the types of cancers covered,as well as to establish a transitional mech-anism for medical insurance payment standards.

The blood products industry,both domestically and internationally,exhibits distinct features in product research,development,and technological innovation.International companies possess extensive expertise in developing immunoglobulins,coagulation factors,and recombinant plasma protein products,demonstrating continuous advancements-particularly in specific immunoglobulin development,long-acting formulation optimization,and manufacturing process improvements.In recent years,Chinese enterprises have also achieved notable progress in related fields,especially in immunoglobulin process refinement and the development of novel recombinant coagulation factor products.However,there remains significant scope for improvement in areas such as the application of recombinant protein technologies,efficient utilization of plasma resources,and the adoption of advanced manufacturing techniques.Additional challenges include the accumulation of patented technologies,the supply of critical raw materials,and access to comprehensive epidemiological data.Driven by ongoing advances in gene recombination technologies,innovations in drug delivery systems,digital transformation,and the rise of personalized medicine,the blood products industry is poised for broader development prospects.To foster sustained and stable domestic industry growth and enhance global competitiveness,Chinese blood product enterprises should intensify their technological accumulation,upgrade manufacturing processes,and optimize plasma resource utilization.

The blood products industry,both domestically and internationally,exhibits distinct features in product research,development,and technological innovation.International companies possess extensive expertise in developing immunoglobulins,coagulation factors,and recombinant plasma protein products,demonstrating continuous advancements-particularly in specific immunoglobulin development,long-acting formulation optimization,and manufacturing process improvements.In recent years,Chinese enterprises have also achieved notable progress in related fields,especially in immunoglobulin process refinement and the development of novel recombinant coagulation factor products.However,there remains significant scope for improvement in areas such as the application of recombinant protein technologies,efficient utilization of plasma resources,and the adoption of advanced manufacturing techniques.Additional challenges include the accumulation of patented technologies,the supply of critical raw materials,and access to comprehensive epidemiological data.Driven by ongoing advances in gene recombination technologies,innovations in drug delivery systems,digital transformation,and the rise of personalized medicine,the blood products industry is poised for broader development prospects.To foster sustained and stable domestic industry growth and enhance global competitiveness,Chinese blood product enterprises should intensify their technological accumulation,upgrade manufacturing processes,and optimize plasma resource utilization.

Objective As important components in the microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),hepatic stellate cells(HSCs)and hydrogen sulfide(H2S)participate in various biological processes that regulate the development and progression of HCC.Through the co-culture of HSCs and HCC cells,this article aims to investigate the role and mechanism of HSCs in regulating the apoptosis of HCC cells by secreting H2S.Methods The HSC cell line(LX-2)and HCC cell lines(HepG2 and PLC/PRF/5)were used for experiment.RT-qPCR and Western Blot(WB)were used to measure the mRNA and protein expression levels of cystathionine γ-lyase(CSE),a key synthase for H2S;ELISA was used to measure the concentration of H2S in supernatant;next-generation sequencing,cell immunofluorescence assay,chromatin immunoprecipitation(ChIP),and WB were used to measure the JNK/JunB-TNFSF14 signaling pathway genes,binding sites,and related proteins after HepG2 cells were treated by H2S.LX-2 cells were co-cultured with HepG2 or PLC/PRF/5 cells in a Transwell chamber;CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry were used to measure the viability and apoptosis of HCC cells,and WB was used to measure the H2S-TNFSF14 signaling pathway-related proteins.All cell experiments were repeated three times.The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups;a one-way analysis of variance or the analysis of variance with repeated measures was used for comparison between multiple groups,and the Dunnett-t test was used for further comparison between two groups.Results LX-2 cells synthesized H2S mainly through CSE,and the concentration of H2S in supernatant of LX-2 cells gradually increased over time(22.89±0.08 pg/mL vs 28.29±0.15 pg/mL vs 36.19±1.90 pg/mL,F=79.63,P<0.05).In LX-2 cells,the mRNA expression level of CSE was significantly higher than that of CBS and MPST(1.008±0.13 vs 0.320±0.014 vs 0.05±0.02,F=80.84,P<0.05).When CSE was inhibited by PPG,the concentration of H2S decreased with the increase in the concentration of PPG(P<0.05).LX-2 cells were co-cultured with HepG2 or PLC/PRF/5 cells,and over the time of culture,there were significant reductions in the viability of HepG2 cells(87.48%±0.82%vs 70.48%±0.641%vs 52.89%±0.57%vs 45.20%±0.69%,F=1 517.13,P<0.001)and PLC/PRF/5 cells(92.41%±0.48%vs 74.10%±0.73%vs 53.70%±0.60%vs 44.00%±0.27%,F=2626.21,P<0.001)and significant increases in the apoptosis of HepG2 cells(12.88%±0.64%vs 15.5%±0.16%vs 18.43%±0.37%vs 13.01%±0.58%,F=142.15,P<0.001)and PLC/PRF/5 cells(8.51±0.05 vs 12.80±0.33 vs 15.59±0.21 vs 10.72±0.30,F=676.40,P<0.001),with the most significant changes on day 3.Next-generation sequencing showed that endogenous H2S and NaHS(endogenous H2S donor)were involved in regulating the expression of various genes in HepG2 cells.By releasing H2S,NaHS and LX2 activated the JNK/JunB signaling pathway and upregulated the expression of the apoptosis gene TNFSF14 in HCC cells,with increased binding between p-JunB and the transcriptional regulatory regions of the TNFSF14 gene.Conclusion In the microenvironment of HCC,HSCs activate the JNK/JunB signaling pathway in HCC cells through the signal molecules CSE/H2S,and there is an increase in the expression of TNFSF14,thereby promoting the apoptosis of HCC cells.

Objective:To analyze the proportion of patients with acute primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) after the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients undergoing glaucoma surgery and the factors influencing morbidity.Methods:A cross-sectional study was performed.The cluster sampling method was used to collect 141 glaucoma patients hospitalized for glaucoma surgery after the outbreak of COVID-19 in Xuzhou First People's Hospital from December 16, 2022, to January 16, 2023, and 231 glaucoma patients hospitalized for surgery in the same 1-month period from 2019 to 2020, 2020 to 2021, 2021 to 2022 through the hospital information system.Ninety-two eyes of 92 patients with acute PACG after the outbreak were selected as a study group, and 21 eyes of 21 patients with acute PACG hospitalized during the same 1-month period from 2021 to 2022 were selected as a control group.The proportion of patients with different types of glaucoma during the observation period was analyzed.The proportion of patients with acute PACG and the clinical characteristics of acute PACG were analyzed, including age, sex, visual acuity, intraocular pressure (IOP), and anterior chamber angle status.Epidemiological data such as the use of anti-cold medications, and changes in living habits and moods (including daily water intake and anxiety) of patients after COVID-19 infection were obtained by telephone follow-up.Anxiety levels of patients in the study group were assessed using the Hospital Depression and Anxiety Scale (HADS).The triggering factors of acute PACG attack after the COVID-19 outbreak were analyzed.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Xuzhou First People's Hospital (No.xyyll[2023]114).Written informed consent was obtained from each subject.Results:The proportion of acute PACG patients in Xuzhou First People's Hospital within one month after the outbreak in 2022 to 2023 increased significantly compared with the same period in 2021 to 2022, 2020 to 2021 and 2019 to 2020, and the differences were statistically significant ( χ2=31.066, 33.331, 20.804; all at P<0.001).There was no statistical significance in the distribution of the number of eyes with different grades of visual acuity, IOP, the number of eyes with IOP ≥30 mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa), and the distribution of the number of eyes with different anterior chamber angles between the two groups (all at P>0.05).Patients in the control group had no history of COVID-19 infection or use of cold medicines at disease onset.During disease onset, all 92 (100%) patients in the study group had positive COVID-19 nucleic acid test results, of which 57 (61.96%) patients had a history of oral anti-cold medication use.During the same period, 49 (100%) hospitalized patients with other types of glaucoma had positive COVID-19 nucleic acid test results, of which 20 (40.82%) patients had a history of oral cold medication.There was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of patients taking oral cold drugs between acute PACG and other types of glaucoma in the study group ( χ2=5.764, P=0.016).During the outbreak of COVID-19, the study group reported that the daily water intake had increased to varying degrees than before.In the study group, 76 patients had anxiety, accounting for 82.6%.Multiple linear regression analysis showed that IOP=19.052+ 0.009×daily water intake+ 0.858×HADS score ( R2=0.780), and the standardized coefficients of daily water intake and HADS score were 0.542 and 0.452, respectively.Daily water intake had a greater effect on IOP than HADS score. Conclusions:The proportion of acute PACG patients among hospitalized surgical glaucoma patients increased significantly after the COVID-19 outbreak, which is related to risk factors such as oral anti-cold medications containing vasoconstrictors or antihistamines, increased daily water intake, anxiety and other lifestyle, and mood changes.

Endo-periodontal lesions(EPLs)involve both the periodontium and pulp tissue and have complicated etiologies and pathogenic mechanisms,including unique anatomical and microbiological characteristics and multiple contributing factors.This etiological complexity leads to difficulties in determining patient prognosis,posing great challenges in clinical practice.Furthermore,EPL-affected teeth require multidisciplinary therapy,including periodontal therapy,endodontic therapy and others,but there is still much debate about the appropriate timing of periodontal therapy and root canal therapy.By compiling the most recent findings on the etiology,pathogenesis,clinical characteristics,diagnosis,therapy,and prognosis of EPL-affected teeth,this consensus sought to support clinicians in making the best possible treatment decisions based on both biological and clinical evidence.

Background and objective Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths.Non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)is the most common pathological subtype,with adenocarcinoma being the predominant type.FAT atypical cadherin 1(FAT1)is a receptor-like protein with a high frequency of mutations in lung adenocarcinoma.The protein encoded by FAT1 plays a crucial role in processes such as cell adhesion,proliferation,and differentiation.This study aims to investigate the expression of FAT1 in lung adenocarcinoma and its relationship with immune infiltration.Methods Gene expression levels and relevant clinical information of 513 lung adenocarcinoma samples and 397 adjacent lung samples were obtained through The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)and Genotype-Tissue Expression(GTEx)data.The mRNA expression levels of the FAT1 gene in lung adenocarcinoma tissues were analyzed,along with its association with the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma patients.Pathway enrichment analysis was conducted to explore the signaling pathways regulated by the FAT1 gene.Immu-noblotting was used to detect the differential expression of FAT1 in lung epithelial cells and various lung cancer cell lines,while immunohistochemistry was employed to assess FAT1 expression in lung cancer and adjacent tissues.Results FAT1 gene muta-tions were identified in 14%of lung adenocarcinoma patients.TCGA database data revealed significantly higher FAT1 mRNA expression in lung adenocarcinoma tissues compared to adjacent lung tissues.Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated lower survival rates in lung adenocarcinoma patients with higher FAT gene expression.Pathway enrichment analysis suggested the involve-ment of FAT1 in tumor development pathways,and its expression was closely associated with immune cell infiltration.Immu-nohistochemical validation demonstrated significantly higher expression of FAT1 in cancer tissues compared to adjacent lung tissues.Conclusion FAT1 mRNA is highly expressed in lung adenocarcinoma tissues,and elevated FAT1 mRNA expression is associated with poor prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma patients.FAT1 may serve as a potential biomarker for lung cancer.