ObjectiveTo obtain the epidemiological characteristics of re-positive cases infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Pudong New Area from March to July 2022, including clinical manifestations, duration of a negative nucleic acid conversion after tested for re-positive, and length of time from the discharge of the initial infection to the most recent re-positivity, so as to provide a scientific basis for the prevention and control of COVID-19. MethodsA questionnaire survey was conducted among the re-positive cases infected with SARS-CoV-2 after discharged from hospital/quarantine facility in Pudong New Area, and descriptive epidemiological methods were used for characteristics analysis. ResultsA total of 2 422 re-positive cases met the inclusive and exclusive criteria, with males accounting for 61.02%. The age distribution mainly fell between 18 and <60 years old, accounting for 62.39%. Clinical manifestations were predominantly asymptomatic (72.15%), followed by cough (12.03%) and sore throat (6.58%). Among the stratified randomized sample of 416 individuals, there were statistically significant differences in symptoms (χ²=262.667, P<0.001), clinical typing (χ²=12.996, P=0.001), and duration of a negative nucleic acid conversion (χ²=142.578, P<0.001) between the initial positive and re-positive instances. Besides, statistically significant differences in symptoms (χ²=13.696, P=0.016) and self-perception of the severity of re-infection (χ²=7.923, P=0.048) between the initial and re-positive cases were observed by different genders. ConclusionAmong re-positive cases, males experienced milder symptoms compared to females, and the self-perception of symptoms during re-positivity is milder than that in the initial positive infection. The length of time for negative nucleic acid conversion during the initial positive period is shorter than that during the re-positive period.

Objective To understand the current status of radiation diagnosis and treatment resources and their use in Taiyuan City, China, and provide data support for optimizing resource allocation and standardizing diagnosis and treatment. Methods A census-based approach was implemented using a standardized questionnaire to collect basic information on radiation diagnosis and treatment institutions in Taiyuan City. The number and use frequency of radiation diagnosis and treatment resources were calculated based on the resident population of Taiyuan City at the end of 2023. Results There were a total of 562 radiation diagnosis and treatment institutions in Taiyuan City, with 3970 workers and 1354 pieces of equipment. The numbers of radiation diagnosis and treatment institutions, workers, and equipment per 1 000 000 population were 103, 728, and 248, respectively. There were significant differences in radiation diagnosis and treatment resources among different districts and counties. There were 526 (93.59%) radiation diagnosis and treatment institutions and 25 (96.15%) tertiary hospitals in the six urban districts. All institutions offering nuclear medicine diagnosis and treatment and radiotherapy were located in the urban districts. There were substantial disparities among hospitals of different levels. The average numbers of radiation workers and equipment were in the order of tertiary hospitals (99.42, 17.15) > secondary hospitals (13.31, 4.62) > primary and unrated hospitals (1.43, 1.38). The frequency of radiation diagnosis and treatment in tertiary hospitals was 112 149 per hospital, which is 5 times that of secondary hospitals and 44 times that of primary and unrated hospitals. The use frequency of radiation diagnosis and treatment was 975.79 per 1000 population. The use frequency was 941.12 per 1000 population for X-ray diagnosis, 21.68 per 1000 population for interventional radiology, 8.70 per 1000 population for nuclear medicine diagnosis, 2.33 per 1000 population for nuclear medicine treatment, and 1.95 per 1000 population for radiotherapy. Conclusion There are abundant radiation diagnosis and treatment resources in Taiyuan City. The use frequency of radiation diagnosis and treatment has reached the level of Class II medical and health care regions, and there remains considerable room for growth and improvement. At present, the distribution of radiation diagnosis and treatment resources and services is unbalanced among different districts and counties as well as among institutions of different levels, mainly concentrated in urban districts and tertiary hospitals. The health administrative department needs to make overall plans and allocate resources scientifically.

Objective To analyze the effects of national centralized volume-based procurement(CVBP)on hospitaliza-tion expenses of patients undergoing artificial joint replacement under the Diagnosis-Related Group(DRG)payment model in a public hospital,and to provide evidence for advancing reforms in high-value medical consumables and healthcare payment sys-tems.Methods Data from patients undergoing artificial joint replacement in a tertiary public hospital in 2022 were collected.Statistical analysis was used to assess the surplus and deficit of DRG year-end settlements for these cases.By comparing cost com-positions across different medical insurance types,differences in total inpatient medical expenses,out-of-pocket payments,per-sonal medical insurance account expenditures,and pooled fund reimbursements were evaluated before and after CVBP implemen-tation.Results Following CVBP implementation,the sample hospital demonstrated significant improvements in reducing medical costs,alleviating patient financial burdens,and optimizing medical insurance fund utilization.Under the DRG payment model,operational performance remained stable.Post-CVBP,total hospitalization expenses,patient out-of-pocket payments,and pooled fund reimbursements all decreased significantly(P＜0.001).Conclusion The practice of centralized procurement of artificial joints can be extended to other high-value medical consumables,continuously promoting the reform of the medical and health sys-tem,and ultimately achieving mutually beneficial and sustainable development among healthcare providers,insurers,and patients.

In order to study the effects of prostaglandin D2(PGD2)on cow bone marrow-derived macrophages induced by E.coli,cultured cow bone marrow-derived macrophages were taken as the research object.The effects of endogenous and exogenous PGD2 on the secretion and phagocytosis of E.coli induced proinflammatory cytokines(IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α)in macrophages were ana-lyzed.The results showed that the synthesis of PGD2 in macrophages induced by E.coli is depend-ent on the natural pattern recognition receptors TLR2,TLR4 and NLRP3.Inhibition of endogenous PGD2can down-regulate the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines(IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α)in E.coli induced macrophages(P＜0.001),and inhibition of endogenous PGD2 can enhance the kill-ing function of macrophages to a certain extent(P＜0.01).In addition,exogenous PGD2 could up-regulate the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines(IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α)in macrophages af-ter E.coli stimulation(P＜0.01),and exogenous PGD2 could weaken the killing function of mac-rophages within a certain concentration range(P＜0.01).Results indicated that PGD2 had certain effects on the secretion of cytokines and phagocytosis and killing function of macrophages induced by E.coli.

To screen new antigens for novel tuberculosis(TB)vaccine research,we used bioinformatics to predict the B and T cell epitopes of Rv2318,and evaluated the immunogenicity of Rv2318 and its T/B epitope peptides(Rv2318p).The recombinant plas-mids pET32a-Rv2318 and pET32a-Rv2318p were constructed through gene synthesis methods.The recombinant proteins were ex-pressed in a prokaryotic system and purified with nickel affinity chromatography.Proteins were identified with SDS-PAGE and western blotting.BALB/c mice were immunized subcutaneously with the recombinant proteins to evaluate immunogenicity.Sera were collected,and antigen specific antibody titers were evaluated with ELISA.Splenocytes were isolated,and cytokines and T cell proliferation were analyzed with ELISA and flow cytometry,respectively.Rv2318 included two epitope fragments,aa10-130 and 350-410.SDS-PAGE and western blotting indicated that the target proteins were expressed and purified correctly,and their relative molecular weights were-approximately 68 kD and 42 kD,respectively.Rv2318 and Rv2318p induced stronger humoral immune responses than observed in the control groups(P<0.000 1,n=6).Compared with Rv2318,Rv2318p showed significantly greater enhancement of specific IgG and IgG subclass antibodies(P<0.000 1,n=6).In addition,Rv2318p increased the ratio of IgG2a/IgG1,thus indicating that it primarily induced a cellular immune response biased toward the Th1 type.Cytokine experiments revealed that IFN-γ,IL-2,IL-6,and IL-4 significantly increased after immunization with Rv2318p(P all<0.01,n=6),particularly Th1 type cytokines(IFN-γ and IL-2).Furthermore,Rv2318 increased the expression of only IL-2 and IL-6,particularly IL-6(P all<0.01,n=6).Although Rv2318 in-duced more IFN-γ,we observed no significant difference between Rv2318 and PBS immunized mice.Importantly,Rv2318p stimu-lated mice to express IFN-γ at 842 pg/mL,approximately 3 times the level elicited by Rv2318.Whereas both proteins increased the proportions of CD4+and CD8+T cells,Rv2318p promoted greater proliferation of T lymphocytes.These data indicated that both Rv2318 and its epitope peptides enhanced humoral and cellular immune responses,whereas the epitope peptides notably triggered a stronger Th1 type cellular response.In conclusion,the recombinant protein Rv2318 and its epitope peptides showed favorable immunogenicity,and the immunogenicity of Rv2318p was superior to that of Rv2318.This study provides a theoretical basis for TB vaccine development.

This study was aimed at analyzing the epidemiological and drug resistance characteristics of tuberculosis at a desig-nated tuberculosis hospital in Hunan Province in 2024.Patients diagnosed with TB at the hospital between April and October 2024 were included in the study.Demographic data,clinical information,and drug sensitivity test results were collected from the hospital′s electronic medical record system.Descriptive statistics,the chi-square test,and logistic regression were used to analyze the epidemic characteristics,drug resistance characteristics,and factors influencing tuberculosis.Whole genome sequencing of isolates was per-formed,and lineage classification and drug resistance gene mutations were detected with TB-Profiler.The male-to-female ratio was 2.72∶1,and the median age was 56(IQR:43-66)years.Among the 391 patients,most were farmers(46.8%,183/391)and were pri-marily from Changsha(41.1%,162/391).Significant differences were observed in sex and occupation between pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB)and extrapulmonary tuberculosis(EPTB).The overall prevalence of any type of drug resistance of tuberculosis was 33.25%,and the multidrug resistance TB(MDR-TB)and poly-drug resistance(PR-TB)rates were 14.23%and 4.35%,respectively.The re-sistance rates to rifampicin(RIF),isoniazid(INH),ethambutol(EMB),and streptomycin(SM)were 17.90%,22.25%,6.39%,and 20.20%,respectively.Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that both diabetes(OR:2.295,95%CI:1.082-4.866)and retreatment(OR:17.822,95%CI:8.343-38.072)were risk factors for developing MDR-TB.Lineage 2(L2)strains accounted for 64.40%(136/191),whereas lineage 4(L4)accounted for 28.80%(55/191).The most common drug resistance mutations were katG Ser315Thr(62.50%,20/32)for INH,rpoB Ser450Leu(50.00%,12/24)for RIF,embB Met306Val(55.56%,5/9)for EMB,and rpsL Lys43Arg(80.95%,34/42)for SM.In conclusion,TB drug resistance was found to be a serious problem at a designated tu-berculosis hospital in Hunan in 2024.Strengthening the treatment and management of patients infected with L2 strains,those with co-morbid diabetes,and retreatment cases is crucial for preventing and controlling the emergence of drug-resistant TB.

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of nuclear pore membrane protein 121(POM121)in head and neck mucosal melanoma(HNMM)and its effect on the migration and invasion of HNMM cells.Methods The cancer tissues from 63 patients with HNMM and 20 adjacent normal oral epithelial tissues who were treated in the Harbin Cancer Hos-pital of Harbin Medical University from March 1,2011 to March 30,2015 were collected,and the expression of POM121 was detected by immunohistochemistry.The relationship between the expression of POM121 and the clinicopathological features of HNMM patients and its effect on the prognosis of patients were analyzed.Western blot was used to detect the expression of POM121 in HNMM cells(MM9H-1 cells)and human oral epithelial cells(human oral keratinocytes,HOK cells).After knocking down POM121 with small in-terfering RNA(siRNA),the effects on the migration and invasion of HNMM cells were detected by Scratch assay and Transwell assay.Results Immunohistochemistry showed that expression of POM121 was significantly higher in HNMM tissues than that in adjacent tissues(P<0.001).The expression of POM121 was associated with tumor size and stage(P<0.05).Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the disease-free survival(DFS)and overall survival(OS)of patients with low expression of POM121 were significantly longer than those with high expression of POM121.Cox regression analysis showed that POM121 expression,AJCC stage and lymph node metasta-sis were influencing factors for OS and DFS of HNMM patients(P<0.05).Western blot results showed that the expression of POM121 protein in MM9H-1 cells was significantly higher than that in HOK cells(P<0.05).After knocking down POM121,the cell migration rate and cell invasion ability were significantly reduced(P<0.001).Conclusion POM121 is highly expressed in HNMM tissues and cells,and down-regulation of POM121 significantly inhibits the migration and invasion of HNMM cells.

Escherichia coli(E.coli)is a key pathogenic bacterium responsible for postpartum endo-metritis,with its colonization in the reproductive tract closely associated with endometrial damage and disruption of the ovarian cycle.This ultimately leads to infertility,causing significant economic losses to the dairy industry.Macrophages play a pivotal role in the inflammatory response.This study aims to investigate the mRNA expression profile of bovine bone marrow-derived macropha-ges following E.coli infection using RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)technology.Additionally,it seeks to identify the biological functions and signaling pathways of differentially expressed genes(DEGs)through Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analyses.The results demonstrated that E.coli infection induced differential expression of 4 522 genes,with 2 141 upregulated and 2 381 downregulated.These genes were primarily asso-ciated with inflammatory responses,where TLR2,TLR4,NLRP3,and PTGS2 played pivotal roles.PGD2 synthesis was mediated by TLR2,TLR4,and NLRP3.Transcriptome sequencing of bovine bone marrow-derived macrophages infected with E.coli and treated with a PGD2 inhibitor revealed a marked downregulation of TLR2 and TLR4 gene expression.qPCR validation results were highly consistent with the RNA-seq findings.This study elucidates the interactive regulatory roles of TLR2,TLR4,and NLRP3 in conjunction with PGD2,which collectively modulate bovine endome-tritis.These findings offer significant molecular insights that enhance our understanding of the pathological mechanisms underlying bovine endometritis,thereby informing its prevention and treatment strategies.

Objective To investigate and analyze the epidemiological characteristics and the causes of a suspected outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii(CRAB)infection,and provide basis for healthcare-asso-ciated infection(HAI)prevention and control.Methods Information of 3 patients with CRAB positive culture from the respiratory intensive care unit(RICU)of a hospital in May 2024 was collected.Microbiological sampling was performed in patients' ward environment,and the specimens were cultured and strains were identified.CRAB strains detected from the environment and patients were performed whole genome sequencing(WGS).Multiple de-partments jointly formulated and implemented comprehensive infection control measures,and the effectiveness were evaluated.Results CRAB was cultured from specimens of sputum and bedside office mice of 3 patients.WGS de-tection showed that ST2158 and ST1791 resistance genes were detected from both sputum and bedside office mice of 2 patients.After comprehensive assessment,2 patients were confirmed with HAI and 1 patient was confirmed with colonization,ruling out an outbreak of HAI.A total of 24 environmental specimens were taken for environmental hygiene monitoring,with a CRAB detection rate of 58.33％.CRAB detected from bedside mice and patients' spu-tum specimen had consistent CRAB drug susceptibility testing results.After implementing measures such as in-creasing the frequency of cleaning and disinfection of ward environment,strengthening the implementation of hand hygiene,and enhancing the supervision of department personnel as well as HAI prevention and control training,HAI was effectively controlled.Conclusion The possible transmission route of this suspected CRAB outbreak in RICU is the contamination of office mice,which caused healthcare workers carrying CRAB in their hands,leading to cross infection due to poor hand hygiene implementation of healthcare workers.Strengthening the cleaning and dis-infection of environmental surface and the management of hand hygiene of healthcare workers are key measures to prevent CRAB HAI.

Objective The aim of this study was to analyze the incidence,mortality,and epidemiological trends of malignant tumors in the cancer registration areas of Qinghai Province and provide a reference for the prevention and control strategies and meas-ures of malignant tumors.Methods According to the quality control standards for cancer registration,the data on malignant tumor in-cidence and mortality from 8 national cancer registration areas in Qinghai Province from 2014 to 2021 were collated.The crude inci-dence/mortality,age-standardized incidence/mortality rate by Chinese standard population(ASIRC/ASMRC)and World standard population(ASIRW/ASMRW),the cumulative rates(0-74 years old),and the age-specific incidence/mortality of malignant tumors were calculated for different sexes and regions.The Joinpoint 4.9.0.0 software was used to calculate the average annual percentage change(AAPC)and conduct trend analysis.Results The crude incidence of malignant tumors in the cancer registration areas of Qinghai Province from 2014 to 2021 was 221.25/100,000(243.31/100,000 for males and 198.68/100,000 for females),the ASIRC was 199.48/100,000(229.13/100,000 for males and 173.34/100,000 for females),the ASIRW was 196.38/100,000(228.32/100,000 for males and 167.97/100,000 for females).The cumulative rate for those aged 0-74 years was 21.57％;the crude mortali-ty of malignant tumors was 131.90/100,000(163.86/100,000 for males and 99.20/100,000 for females),the ASMRC was 121.07/100,000(157.33/100,000 for males and 87.45/100,000 for females),the ASMRW was 120.53/100,000(157.54/100,000 for males and 86.31/100,000 for females),and the cumulative rate for those aged 0-74 years was 12.79％.The crude incidence,ASIRC,ASIRW,crude mortality,ASMRC and ASMRW were all higher in males than those in females.Both the crude incidence and mortality of malignant tumors increased with age.The crude incidence rate increased rapidly after age 45,peaked in the 80-84 age group(2,352.29 per 100,000),and declined slightly in the 85+age group.The crude mortality increased rapidly after age 50,peaked in the 85+age group(2,305.44 per 100,000).The crude incidence(AAPC=5.68％,95％CI:3.48％-7.93％,P＜0.05)and erude mortality(AAPC=3.67％,95％CI:2.44％-4.91％,P＜0.05)of malignant tumors showed an overall upward trend from 2014 to 2021.The ASIRC(AAPC=-0.12％,95％CI:-3.70％-3.59％,P＞0.05)remained stable,while the ASMRC(AAPC=-2.81％,95％CI:-3.28％--2.03％,P＜0.05)showed a downward trend.The top five malignant tumors in terms of crude incidence were stom-ach cancer,lung cancer,liver cancer,female breast cancer,and cervical cancer,respectively;the top five malignant tumors in terms of crude mortality were stomach cancer,lung cancer,liver cancer,esophagus cancer,and colorectal cancer,respectively.Conclusion From 2014 to 2021,the incidence and mortality of malignant tumors in the Qinghai Province cancerregistration areas showed an in-creasing trend,with higher rates in males than those in females.It is recommended that targeted prevention and control measures should be implemented for people aged 45 and older,with stomach cancer,liver cancer,and cervical cancer as key cancers.