ObjectiveTo investigate the regulatory effects and underlying mechanisms of Liuhuang Zhike prescription （LHZK） on blood glucose in type 2 diabetic db/db mice based on the AMP-activated protein kinase/protein kinase B/glycogen synthase kinase-3β （AMPK/Akt/GSK-3β） signaling pathway. MethodsDb/db mice were used as the model animals， and db/m mice served as the blank control. Forty db/db mice were randomly divided into the model group， metformin group （0.14 g·kg^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose （4.11， 8.21， 16.43 g·kg^-1） LHZK groups， with 8 mice in each group. The db/db mice in the metformin and LHZK groups were administered the corresponding drugs by gavage， while the blank control and model groups were given distilled water by gavage once daily for 8 consecutive weeks. Food intake， water consumption， body weight， and fasting blood glucose （FBG） were measured weekly. An automatic biochemical analyzer was used to determine glycated serum protein （GSP）， serum triglycerides （TG）， total cholesterol （TC）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） levels. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe pathological morphological changes in the liver and pancreatic tissues. Oil red O staining was used to assess lipid accumulation in liver tissue. The anthrone colorimetric method was used to determine hepatic glycogen content. Real-time quantitative PCR （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of insulin receptor substrate-1 （IRS-1）， Akt2， phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase （PEPCK）， and glucose-6-phosphatase （G6Pase） in liver tissue. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of AMPKα， phosphorylated AMPKα （p-AMPKα）， GSK-3β， p-GSK-3β， glycogen synthase （GS）， and phosphorylated GS （p-GS） in liver tissue. ResultsCompared with the blank control group， the model group showed significantly increased food intake， water consumption， body weight， FBG， and GSP levels （P<0.01）. Pancreatic islets exhibited marked parenchymal cell hyperplasia and interstitial inflammatory cell infiltration. Liver tissue showed obvious steatosis， accompanied by a compensatory increase in hepatic glycogen content （P<0.01）. Hepatic G6Pase mRNA expression was increased， while IRS-1 and Akt2 mRNA expression levels were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. The p-AMPKα/AMPKα protein expression ratio showed a decreasing trend， whereas the p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β and p-GS/GS protein expression ratios were significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， food intake and water consumption showed decreasing trends in all treatment groups. Food intake was significantly reduced in the low- and high-dose LHZK groups and in the metformin group （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and water consumption was significantly reduced in the low-dose LHZK group and in the metformin group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. No statistically significant differences in body weight were observed among the LHZK groups， whereas body weight in the metformin group was significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. FBG showed a decreasing trend in all treatment groups， with significant decreases in the low-dose LHZK group and the metformin group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. GSP levels were significantly reduced in the low-dose LHZK group and in the metformin group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Hepatic steatosis and pancreatic pathological injury were alleviated to varying degrees in all treatment groups. Hepatic glycogen content further increased in all treatment groups， with significant increases in the medium- and high-dose LHZK groups （P<0.05）. Real-time PCR results showed that all treatment groups downregulated the mRNA expression of G6Pase and PEPCK in the liver tissues of db/db mice， with significant downregulation of PEPCK mRNA in the low-dose LHZK and metformin groups （P<0.01）. Meanwhile， all treatment groups upregulated IRS-1 and Akt2 mRNA expression， with the most pronounced upregulation observed in the medium-dose LHZK group （P<0.01）. The p-AMPKα/AMPKα protein expression ratio was significantly increased in the low- and medium-dose LHZK groups （P<0.01）. The p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β protein expression ratio was significantly increased in all treatment groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）， whereas the p-GS/GS protein expression ratio was significantly decreased in all treatment groups （P<0.01）. ConclusionLHZK effectively reduces FBG and GSP levels in type 2 diabetic mice and improves hepatic steatosis and pancreatic islet pathological injury. Its hypoglycemic mechanism may be associated with regulation of the AMPK/Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway and promotion of hepatic glycogen synthesis.

Cemental tear is a rare and indetectable condition unless obvious clinical signs present with the involvement of surrounding periodontal and periapical tissues. Due to its clinical manifestations similar to common dental issues, such as vertical root fracture, primary endodontic diseases, and periodontal diseases, as well as the low awareness of cemental tear for clinicians, misdiagnosis often occurs. The critical principle for cemental tear treatment is to remove torn fragments, and overlooking fragments leads to futile therapy, which could deteriorate the conditions of the affected teeth. Therefore, accurate diagnosis and subsequent appropriate interventions are vital for managing cemental tear. Novel diagnostic tools, including cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), microscopes, and enamel matrix derivatives, have improved early detection and management, enhancing tooth retention. The implementation of standardized diagnostic criteria and treatment protocols, combined with improved clinical awareness among dental professionals, serves to mitigate risks of diagnostic errors and suboptimal therapeutic interventions. This expert consensus reviewed the epidemiology, pathogenesis, potential predisposing factors, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of cemental tear, aiming to provide a clinical guideline and facilitate clinicians to have a better understanding of cemental tear.
Humans ; Dental Cementum/injuries* ; Consensus ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Tooth Fractures/therapy*

Objective:To develop an ultrasound multi-view fusion recognition model and evaluate its clinical value in diagnosing fetal conotruncal defects (CTD).Methods:This prospective study collected cardiac ultrasound images from fetuses at 20-32 weeks of gestation undergoing prenatal ultrasound at Dongguan Maternal and Child Health Hospital between September 2022 and May 2024. The case group comprised fetuses diagnosed with CTD, while controls with normal cardiac structures were collected at a 1∶2 ratio. Both groups were divided into modeling training and validation sets at a 3∶1 ratio. One optimal standard image each from the four-chamber view, left ventricular outflow tract view, right ventricular outflow tract view, and three vessels and trachea view was included per fetus. A deep learning-based multi-view fusion recognition model was developed to differentiate normal conotruncal anatomy from CTD. Model performance was validated against post-abortion pathology or postnatal echocardiography results. SAS software was used for statistical analysis to calculate the sensitivity and specificity of three fusion models (based on positivity in any two, three, or four views, and were designated as Fusion Model 1, Fusion Model 2, and Fusion Model 3, respectively), with the optimal model determined by the maximum Youden index. Senior, intermediate, and junior prenatal sonologists independently diagnosed cases in the validation set under blinding conditions. Their diagnostic results were compared with those of the optimal model. Paired Chi-square test (Cochran's Q test) was employed to compare the differences between the diagnostic accuracy rates of sonologists at different experience levels and the sensitivity of the optimal model, thereby analyzing the auxiliary diagnostic value of the multi-view fusion recognition model. Results:The study included 88 CTD cases, excluding six cases (non-CTD diagnosed by post-abortion pathology or postnatal echocardiography or poor image quality), divided into 60 training and 22 validation cases (12 tetralogy of Fallot, four double outlet right ventricle, three transposition of great arteries, three persistent truncus arteriosus). The control group included 176 cases, excluding 15 cases (other cardiac abnormalities confirmed postnatally or poor image quality after re-evaluation), divided into 120 training and 41 validation cases. The sensitivities of Fusion Model 1, Fusion Model 2, and Fusion Mudel 3 were 0.86, 0.64, and 0.27, while their specificities were 0.76, 0.95, and 1.00, respectively. Fusion Model 1 demonstrated the highest Youden index (0.62) and was selected as optimal. Its diagnostic sensitivity showed no significant difference from senior sonologists [86% vs. 91% (20/22), Bonferroni-corrected P>0.999], but was significantly higher than intermediate [55% (12/22), Bonferroni-corrected P=0.049] and junior sonologists [32% (7/22), Bonferroni-corrected P=0.003]. Conclusion:The deep learning multi-view fusion model achieved diagnostic performance comparable to senior sonologists, demonstrating potential value in assisting CTD diagnosis, training less experienced sonologists, and supporting research and education.

Objective:To understand the characteristics of faculty in high-level public health schools in China, and analyze the differences in age, area and school level.Methods:Based on the internet information, the faculty information of 18 high-level public health schools was collected for a descriptive analysis on faculty characteristics.Results:There were 1 642 faculty members in the schools of public health in China, in whom 51.8% were women, 92.8% had doctorate, 32.4% had postdoctoral experience and 56.8% were former students staying to teach. The average age of the faculty members was (45.6±9.8) years. Meanwhile the top three study subjects were epidemiology and health statistics (31.0%), occupational health and environmental sanitation (16.5%), and health toxicology (16.3%). In the faculty members aged >40 years, 90.2% had doctorate, 62.6% were former students staying to teach, and 24.7% had no educational background of public health. The proportions of faculty members aged ≤40 years in the three groups mentioned above were 98.2%, 45.8% and 39.1% respectively. In terms of study subject, big data study were mainly conducted in the schools with top subject ranking and the schools in developed areas.Conclusions:The public health faculty was characterized by cross education background and high capability. The study subjects and sub-disciplines varied with schools and areas.

Objective:To explore the implementation effectiveness of clinical faculty teaching qualification and admission assessment program based on Miller's competency model.Methods:Action research method was adopted in combination with quantitative and qualitative analysis. The assessment scores were analyzed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 clinical teachers who participated in the assessment. Interview data were analyzed and themes were extracted based on the three-level coding method of qualitative research. The statistical functions in Excel were used to analyze the scores of six teaching components such as written tests, lesson plans, and presentations. Categorical data were expressed as frequency and percentage.Results:A total of 93.07% (188/202) of teachers passed the assessment and obtained teaching qualification certificates for clinical teaching in all relevant components. Qualitative analysis identified three main themes. The first theme was that teaching qualification and admission assessment enhanced teachers' understanding of clinical teaching standards and teacher/teaching community. The second theme was that teaching qualification and admission assessment provided clinical teachers with scenario demonstration of independent learning, peer communication, and teaching feedback and reflection. The third theme was the need for further strengthening of pre-assessment training.Conclusions:Teaching qualification and admission assessment contributes to the in-depth understanding of clinical teaching standards among clinical faculty and promotes the construction of teaching communities, thereby laying a foundation for enhancing the teaching capabilities of clinical teachers.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of nebulized inhalation of recombinant human interferon (IFN) α1b injection in the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) associated lower respiratory tract infections (pneumonia and bronchiolitis) in children.Methods:A randomized, double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled add-on design was used.Children with pneumonia or bronchiolitis aged 2 months to 5 years who tested positive for RSV antigen within 72 hours of onset from 30 clinical trial sites including Beijing Children′s Hospital, Capital Medical University between February 2021 and December 2022 were included in this study and randomly divided into 2 groups at a ratio of 1∶1 based on a stratified-block method.Both groups received basic treatments such as cough control, asthma relieving, expectorant treatment, fever reduction, oxygen therapy, etc.The experimental group received additional nebulized inhalation of IFN α1b injection at a dose of 2.0 μg/(kg·time), twice a day.The control group received nebulized inhalation of placebo twice a day.Clinical efficacy was evaluated based on indicators such as the duration of clinical symptoms and signs, and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the median and 95% CI of the duration of clinical symptoms and signs.The Log-rank test was used to compared data between groups.Safety was assessed through the incidence of adverse reactions and laboratory tests, and the Chi-square test was used to analyze the difference between groups. Results:There were 123 children in the experimental group and 122 children in the control group.The median durations of all the 5 clinical symptoms and signs [including shortness of breath, wheezing, dyspnea (visible retractions), decreased transcutaneous oxygen saturation, and abnormal mental state] in the experimental group after treatment were slightly shortened than those in the control group [2.7 d(95% CI: 1.9-3.0 d)] vs.[2.9 d(95% CI: 2.6-3.6 d), P=0.027].The improvement in dyspnea (retractions) was especially pronounced in the experimental group, with a relief rate of 50.0% (0, 100%) on the first day of administration[compared with 0 (0, 50.0%) in the control group ( Z=2.002, P=0.025)].The median duration of dyspnea in the experimental group was nearly 1 day shorter than that in the control group [1.0 d(95% CI: 0.7-1.7 d) vs.1.8 d(95% CI: 1.0-2.5 d), P=0.046].There were no significant difference in hospital stay [6.0(5.0, 8.0) d vs.6.5(5.0, 8.0) d, Z=0.675, P=0.500], oxygen therapy duration [32.0(14.0, 96.3) h vs.39.0 (24.0, 83.2) h, Z=0.094, P=0.925], the recovery rate from clinical symptoms during treatment [(105/106, 99.1%) vs.(96/101, 95.0%)], and recurrence rate [(0/106, 0) vs.(2/101, 2.0%)] between the 2 groups (all P>0.05).However, the above-mentioned four indicators in the experimental group showed a trend of clinical benefits.The quantitative virus detection results showed that the RSV viral load in both groups decreased after treatment compared to before treatment.After 2 days of treatment, the decline rate of RSV viral load from the baseline was 0.90 lg copies/(mL·d) in the experimental group and 0.25 lg copies/(mL·d)in the control group, with a statistically significant difference ( P<0.05).Furthermore, there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the 2 groups ( P>0.05).Importantly, no drug-related serious adverse reactions occurred in both groups. Conclusions:The nebulized inhalation therapy of IFN α1b demonstrates efficacy and safety in treating pediatric RSV associated lower respiratory tract infections.It particularly offers outstanding clinical therapeutic value for severe children.

Objective:To summarize and analyze the literature on the application of the Sherlock 3CG Tip Confirmation System (TCS) in peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) placement, providing evidence for clinical practice and related research using Sherlock 3CG TCS.Methods:A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, and VIP databases, with the retrieval period covering database inception to November 20, 2023. Two researchers independently extracted data from the included studies, including author, publication year, country, study type, study population, sample size, outcome indicators, and the definition of optimal tip position.Results:A total of 18 studies were included. The primary study population consisted of adults requiring PICC placement, with only one study focusing on children. Outcome indicators evaluated the system 's effectiveness, safety, accuracy, cost-effectiveness, and ease of use. Conclusions:Sherlock 3CG TCS demonstrates good effectiveness and safety, improves the accuracy of PICC tip positioning, is convenient and easy to use, reduces patient burden and healthcare costs, and enhances the confidence and satisfaction of catheter placement personnel. Further large-sample, multicenter randomized controlled trials are needed to validate these findings.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of nebulized inhalation of recombinant human interferon (IFN) α1b injection in the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) associated lower respiratory tract infections (pneumonia and bronchiolitis) in children.Methods:A randomized, double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled add-on design was used.Children with pneumonia or bronchiolitis aged 2 months to 5 years who tested positive for RSV antigen within 72 hours of onset from 30 clinical trial sites including Beijing Children′s Hospital, Capital Medical University between February 2021 and December 2022 were included in this study and randomly divided into 2 groups at a ratio of 1∶1 based on a stratified-block method.Both groups received basic treatments such as cough control, asthma relieving, expectorant treatment, fever reduction, oxygen therapy, etc.The experimental group received additional nebulized inhalation of IFN α1b injection at a dose of 2.0 μg/(kg·time), twice a day.The control group received nebulized inhalation of placebo twice a day.Clinical efficacy was evaluated based on indicators such as the duration of clinical symptoms and signs, and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the median and 95% CI of the duration of clinical symptoms and signs.The Log-rank test was used to compared data between groups.Safety was assessed through the incidence of adverse reactions and laboratory tests, and the Chi-square test was used to analyze the difference between groups. Results:There were 123 children in the experimental group and 122 children in the control group.The median durations of all the 5 clinical symptoms and signs [including shortness of breath, wheezing, dyspnea (visible retractions), decreased transcutaneous oxygen saturation, and abnormal mental state] in the experimental group after treatment were slightly shortened than those in the control group [2.7 d(95% CI: 1.9-3.0 d)] vs.[2.9 d(95% CI: 2.6-3.6 d), P=0.027].The improvement in dyspnea (retractions) was especially pronounced in the experimental group, with a relief rate of 50.0% (0, 100%) on the first day of administration[compared with 0 (0, 50.0%) in the control group ( Z=2.002, P=0.025)].The median duration of dyspnea in the experimental group was nearly 1 day shorter than that in the control group [1.0 d(95% CI: 0.7-1.7 d) vs.1.8 d(95% CI: 1.0-2.5 d), P=0.046].There were no significant difference in hospital stay [6.0(5.0, 8.0) d vs.6.5(5.0, 8.0) d, Z=0.675, P=0.500], oxygen therapy duration [32.0(14.0, 96.3) h vs.39.0 (24.0, 83.2) h, Z=0.094, P=0.925], the recovery rate from clinical symptoms during treatment [(105/106, 99.1%) vs.(96/101, 95.0%)], and recurrence rate [(0/106, 0) vs.(2/101, 2.0%)] between the 2 groups (all P>0.05).However, the above-mentioned four indicators in the experimental group showed a trend of clinical benefits.The quantitative virus detection results showed that the RSV viral load in both groups decreased after treatment compared to before treatment.After 2 days of treatment, the decline rate of RSV viral load from the baseline was 0.90 lg copies/(mL·d) in the experimental group and 0.25 lg copies/(mL·d)in the control group, with a statistically significant difference ( P<0.05).Furthermore, there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the 2 groups ( P>0.05).Importantly, no drug-related serious adverse reactions occurred in both groups. Conclusions:The nebulized inhalation therapy of IFN α1b demonstrates efficacy and safety in treating pediatric RSV associated lower respiratory tract infections.It particularly offers outstanding clinical therapeutic value for severe children.

Objective:To understand the characteristics of faculty in high-level public health schools in China, and analyze the differences in age, area and school level.Methods:Based on the internet information, the faculty information of 18 high-level public health schools was collected for a descriptive analysis on faculty characteristics.Results:There were 1 642 faculty members in the schools of public health in China, in whom 51.8% were women, 92.8% had doctorate, 32.4% had postdoctoral experience and 56.8% were former students staying to teach. The average age of the faculty members was (45.6±9.8) years. Meanwhile the top three study subjects were epidemiology and health statistics (31.0%), occupational health and environmental sanitation (16.5%), and health toxicology (16.3%). In the faculty members aged >40 years, 90.2% had doctorate, 62.6% were former students staying to teach, and 24.7% had no educational background of public health. The proportions of faculty members aged ≤40 years in the three groups mentioned above were 98.2%, 45.8% and 39.1% respectively. In terms of study subject, big data study were mainly conducted in the schools with top subject ranking and the schools in developed areas.Conclusions:The public health faculty was characterized by cross education background and high capability. The study subjects and sub-disciplines varied with schools and areas.