OBJECTIVES: To investigate the etiological characteristics of bacterial meningitis (BM) in infants aged <90 days. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the etiology and outcomes of BM in infants aged <90 days admitted to five collaborating hospitals between January 2007 and December 2021. The overall etiological profile was described, and pathogen distributions were compared across different age groups, regions, and years. The prognosis of BM caused by common pathogens was also evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 197 infants with bacteriologically confirmed BM were included. The most common pathogens were Escherichia coli (E. coli) (72 cases, 36.5%), group B Streptococcus (GBS) (49 cases, 24.9%), and Listeria monocytogenes (LM) (11 cases, 5.6%). The detection rate of E. coli was significantly higher in the neonatal group than in the infant group (40.2% vs 18.2%, P<0.05). E. coli was the predominant pathogen in Beijing (31.7%) and Kunming (54.1%), while GBS and E. coli were equally prevalent in Shenzhen (33.3%). From 2018 to 2021, the detection rates of E. coli were 46.4%, 47.2%, 45.2%, and 36.8%, respectively, whereas those of GBS were 25.0%, 27.8%, 22.6%, and 31.6%. No significant difference was observed in the overall complication rates among BM cases caused by E. coli, GBS, and LM (P>0.05). However, ventriculitis and hydrocephalus were more frequent in LM meningitis than in GBS meningitis (P<0.017). CONCLUSIONS E. coli is the most common pathogen in BM among young infants, particularly neonates. GBS is predominant in Shenzhen, with an increasing trend. LM meningitis accounts for a notable proportion of cases and is associated with poorer outcomes.
Humans ; Meningitis, Bacterial/microbiology* ; Infant ; Retrospective Studies ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Female

Traumatic supraorbital fissure syndrome (TSOFS) is a symptom complex caused by nerve entrapment in the supraorbital fissure after skull base trauma. If the compressed cranial nerve in the supraorbital fissure is not decompressed surgically, ptosis, diplopia and eye movement disorder may exist for a long time and seriously affect the patients′ quality of life. Since its overall incidence is not high, it is not familiarized with the majority of neurosurgeons and some TSOFS may be complicated with skull base vascular injury. If the supraorbital fissure surgery is performed without treatment of vascular injury, it may cause massive hemorrhage, and disability and even life-threatening in severe cases. At present, there is no consensus or guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of TSOFS that can be referred to both domestically and internationally. To improve the understanding of TSOFS among clinical physicians and establish standardized diagnosis and treatment plans, the Skull Base Trauma Group of the Neurorepair Professional Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, Neurotrauma Group of the Neurosurgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, Neurotrauma Group of the Traumatology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, and Editorial Committee of Chinese Journal of Trauma organized relevant experts to formulate Chinese expert consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic supraorbital fissure syndrome ( version 2024) based on evidence of evidence-based medicine and clinical experience of diagnosis and treatment. This consensus puts forward 12 recommendations on the diagnosis, classification, treatment, efficacy evaluation and follow-up of TSOFS, aiming to provide references for neurosurgeons from hospitals of all levels to standardize the diagnosis and treatment of TSOFS.

Patients with severe trauma require an extremely timely treatment and transfusion plays an irreplaceable role in the emergency treatment of such patients. An increasing number of evidence-based medicinal evidences and clinical practices suggest that patients with severe traumatic bleeding benefit from early transfusion of low-titer group O whole blood or hemostatic resuscitation with red blood cells, plasma and platelet of a balanced ratio. However, the current domestic mode of blood supply cannot fully meet the requirements of timely and effective blood transfusion for emergency treatment of patients with severe trauma in clinical practice. In order to solve the key problems in blood supply and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma, Branch of Clinical Transfusion Medicine of Chinese Medical Association, Group for Trauma Emergency Care and Multiple Injuries of Trauma Branch of Chinese Medical Association, Young Scholar Group of Disaster Medicine Branch of Chinese Medical Association organized domestic experts of blood transfusion medicine and trauma treatment to jointly formulate Chinese expert consensus on blood support mode and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma patients ( version 2024). Based on the evidence-based medical evidence and Delphi method of expert consultation and voting, 10 recommendations were put forward from two aspects of blood support mode and transfusion strategies, aiming to provide a reference for transfusion resuscitation in the emergency treatment of severe trauma and further improve the success rate of treatment of patients with severe trauma.

Purpose To investigate the expression of fork-head box protein A1(FOXA1)in esophageal squamous cell car-cinoma(ESCC)and its association with clinicopathologic char-acteristics and prognosis.Methods Immunohistochemistry was used to detect FOXA1 protein expression in 532 cases of esopha-geal squamous cell carcinoma.The correlation between FOXA1 protein expression and clinicopathologic features and prognosis of patients was analyzed.Results In 532 cases of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma,183 cases overexpressed FOXA1 pro-tein(34.4％).FOXA1 overexpression was associated with ES-CC vascular infiltration(P=0.032),poorly differentiation(P=0.032),and tumor size(P＜0.001).The overall survival(OS)and disease free survival(DFS)of patients with stage Ⅰ+Ⅱ esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with high FOXA1 ex-pression tended to be poor(OS:P=0.094;DFS:P=0.107).In ESCC patients with survival longer than 24 months,the high FOXA1 expression group had significantly shorter OS and DFS(OS:P=0.048;DFS:P=0.047).Multivariate survival anal-ysis showed that the depth of tumor invasion was an independent prognostic factor affecting the prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.Conclusion FOXA1 is overexpressed in e-sophageal squamous cell carcinoma,and its high expression is related to tumor size,vascular infiltration and poorly differentia-tion.Patients with high FOXA1 expression tended to have poor prognosis in OS and DFS.When OS and DFS≥24 months,high FOXA1 expression may be used as a reference indicator for poor prognosis in ESCC patients.

Background::In the clinic, practitioners encounter many patients with an abnormal pattern of dense punctate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signal in the basal ganglia, a phenomenon known as "cheese sign". This sign is reported as common in cerebrovascular diseases, dementia, and old age. Recently, cheese sign has been speculated to consist of dense perivascular space (PVS). This study aimed to assess the lesion types of cheese sign and analyze the correlation between this sign and vascular disease risk factors.Methods::A total of 812 patients from Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) dementia cohort were enrolled. We analyzed the relationship between cheese sign and vascular risk. For assessing cheese sign and defining its degree, the abnormal punctate signals were classified into basal ganglia hyperintensity (BGH), PVS, lacunae/infarctions and microbleeds, and counted separately. Each type of lesion was rated on a four-level scale, and then the sum was calculated; this total was defined as the cheese sign score. Fazekas and Age-Related White Matter Changes (ARWMC) scores were used to evaluate the paraventricular, deep, and subcortical gray/white matter hyperintensities.Results::A total of 118 patients (14.5%) in this dementia cohort were found to have cheese sign. Age (odds ratio [OR]: 1.090, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.064-1.120, P <0.001), hypertension (OR: 1.828, 95% CI: 1.123-2.983, P = 0.014), and stroke (OR: 1.901, 95% CI: 1.092-3.259, P = 0.025) were risk factors for cheese sign. There was no significant relationship between diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and cheese sign. The main components of cheese sign were BGH, PVS, and lacunae/infarction. The proportion of PVS increased with cheese sign severity. Conclusions::The risk factors for cheese sign were hypertension, age, and stroke. Cheese sign consists of BGH, PVS, and lacunae/infarction.

Traumatic cerebrospinal fluid leakage commonly presents in traumatic brain injury patients, and it may lead to complications such as meningitis, ventriculitis, brain abscess, subdural hematoma or tension pneumocephalus. When misdiagnosed or inappropriately treated, traumatic cerebrospinal fluid leakage may result in severe complications and may be life-threatening. Some traumatic cerebrospinal fluid leakage has concealed manifestations and is prone to misdiagnosis. Due to different sites and mechanisms of trauma and degree of cerebrospinal fluid leak, treatments for traumatic cerebrospinal fluid leakage varies greatly. Hence, the Craniocerebral Trauma Professional Group of Neurosurgery Branch of Chinese Medical Association and the Neurological Injury Professional Group of Trauma Branch of Chinese Medical Association organized relevant experts to formulate the " Chinese expert consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic cerebrospinal fluid leakage in adults ( version 2023)" based on existing clinical evidence and experience. The consensus consisted of 16 recommendations, covering the leakage diagnosis, localization, treatments, and intracranial infection prevention, so as to standardize the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic cerebrospinal fluid leakage and improve the overall prognosis of the patients.

Objective:To assess the impact of the general education course entitled " The Basics of Radiation Protection" on enhancing undergraduates′ awareness of radiation safety, a questionnaire was utilized. Additionally, this study aims to propose novel strategies for improving health literacy among undergraduates, fostering the development of innovative, talented individuals with reasonable knowledge structures and strong practical abilities.Methods:From 2021 to 2022, 127 undergraduates from all colleges of Shandong University took the general course" The Basics of Radiation Protection". To compare the learning effects of the medical and non-medical students, invitations to participate in this study were extended to 101 (79.5%) students from School of Medicine and School of Electrical Engineering. A questionnaire survey was conducted to determine and compare the changes in the students’ basic cognition of radiation safety and protection before and after learning the course. The aim was to evaluate the teaching effectiveness and significance of the course.Results:From 2021 to 2022, 94 undergraduates from School of Medicine and School of Electrical Engineering accepted the invitation and voluntarily completed questionnaires twicely, accounting for 74.0% of the total number of selected students. The questionnaire survey showed that through course learning, the cognitive level of radiation protection among college students had significantly improved. The Likert quantification scores befroe taking the course were 3.59±1.35, 3.81±1.17, 3.45±1.16, 4.11±1.13, 3.62±1.05, 3.98±1.24 and after completing the course 4.94±0.32, 4.87±0.32, 4.96±0.21, 4.98±0.15, 4.81±0.39, 4.98±0.15, respectively, with the difference being statistically significant ( t=6.55, 5.50, 9.10, 5.36, 7.60, 5.34, P< 0.05). Further analysis revealed that different professional backgrounds affected students′ understanding of radiation safety and protection: before learning this course, medical students were superior to electrical engineering students in their knowledge of ionizing radiation ( t=5.69, 4.06, 6.46, 6.27, 7.78, P < 0.001). After taking the course, the cognitive level of students from both majors had considerably improved, but there was no significant difference ( P> 0.05). Feedback on the course learning showed that the awareness of " routine radiation protection" had significantly improved (96.8%), pseudoscience and pseudoinformation could be identified (93.6%), " nuclear power" -related fears had been dispelled (95.7%), and the concept of " cherishing life" had been effectively established (91.5%). Conclusions:The general education course " The Basics of Radiation Protection" has effectively improved the students′ awareness of radiation safety, strengthened their knowledge regarding radiation safety and protection, and provided a new avenue for cultivating innovative talents on a well-structured knowledge base. The course would be worth further promoting and applying in the education of undergraduates with different backgrounds and taking different majors.

OX40 is a costimulatory receptor that is expressed primarily on activated CD4⁺, CD8⁺, and regulatory T cells. The ligation of OX40 to its sole ligand OX40L potentiates T cell expansion, differentiation, and activation and also promotes dendritic cells to mature to enhance their cytokine production. Therefore, the use of agonistic anti-OX40 antibodies for cancer immunotherapy has gained great interest. However, most of the agonistic anti-OX40 antibodies in the clinic are OX40L-competitive and show limited efficacy. Here, we discovered that BGB-A445, a non-ligand-competitive agonistic anti-OX40 antibody currently under clinical investigation, induced optimal T cell activation without impairing dendritic cell function. In addition, BGB-A445 dose-dependently and significantly depleted regulatory T cells in vitro and in vivo via antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. In the MC38 syngeneic model established in humanized OX40 knock-in mice, BGB-A445 demonstrated robust and dose-dependent antitumor efficacy, whereas the ligand-competitive anti-OX40 antibody showed antitumor efficacy characterized by a hook effect. Furthermore, BGB-A445 demonstrated a strong combination antitumor effect with an anti-PD-1 antibody. Taken together, our findings show that BGB-A445, which does not block OX40-OX40L interaction in contrast to clinical-stage anti-OX40 antibodies, shows superior immune-stimulating effects and antitumor efficacy and thus warrants further clinical investigation.
Mice ; Animals ; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor/physiology* ; Receptors, OX40 ; Membrane Glycoproteins ; Ligands ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology* ; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology*