OBJECTIVE To systematically review the status on pharmacist competency assessment tools both domestically and internationally， providing a theoretical basis for constructing scientific and applicable pharmacist competency assessment tools in China. METHODS Through literature review and comparative analysis， 15 representative domestic and international pharmacist competency assessment tools were systematically summarized， and their theoretical foundations， core dimensions， methodological characteristics and practical applications were compared and implications were given. RESULTS &CONCLUSIONS International research has established relatively mature evaluation systems. Represented by those developed from the United Kingdom， the United States， and the International Pharmaceutical Federation， these assessment tools demonstrate scientific structure， wide application， and dynamic and international applicability. While domestic research has progressed in sub-specialties such as clinical pharmacists， licensed pharmacists and pediatric pharmacists， it still faces challenges including insufficient standardization， inadequate validation， delayed updates， and limitations in practical application. The reasons for the disparities in assessment tools between China and other countries include differences in pharmaceutical care models， varying pharmacist training systems， cultural and social background factors， as well as differences in industry management and international influence. Based on this， the author suggests promoting the development and research of assessment tools for pharmacist job competency in China from four aspects： mechanism construction， system refinement， standardization development， and practical implementation.

OBJECTIVE To formulate Guidelines for the standardized implementation of pharmacist-managed clinics （ 2026 edition ） in response to the challenges faced by such clinics in China， including uneven development， large discrepancies in service specifications， insufficient patient awareness， and limited medical insurance coverage. METHODS Led by the Pharmaceutical Affairs Professional Committee of the Chinese Hospital Association， the Evidence-based Pharmacy Professional Committee of the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association， and the Hospital Pharmacy Professional Committee of the Cross-strait Medical and Health Exchange Association， a total of 19 domestic hospital pharmacy experts were organized. Through a systematic review of national policies and literature research， current practical experience was summarized. Consensus on the contents of the guidelines was reached after in-depth discussions. RESULTS &CONCLUSIONS The guidelines covered five sections： definition and connotation of pharmacist-managed clinics， establishment requirements， implementation and management， post competency， and practical research. Firstly， the definition and connotation included three operational forms of pharmacist-managed clinics （independent mode， physician-pharmacist joint mode， and online pharmacist-managed clinic mode） and classified service modes （specialty-specific， drug-specific， and disease-specific pharmacist-managed clinics）. The establishment requirements were further refined， covering system construction （pharmaceutical service management system， quality control and assessment mechanism）， personnel qualifications （professional credentials， continuing education and professional training， etc）， service recipients， as well as service venues and facilities. Subsequently， the implementation and management of pharmacist-managed clinics were proposed， involving service procedures， intervention measures， documentation and records， patient education and follow-up， humanistic care， as well as risk management and quality control. Finally， post competency encompassed the competency requirements for pharmacists providing services in pharmacist-managed clinics， as well as the suggestions on teaching methods； practical research encouraged the conduct of high-quality pharmaceutical practice in the setting of pharmacist-managed clinics. The guidelines provide valuable guidance for the standardized implementation of pharmacist-managed clinics in China in terms of establishment， management， teaching， and research， fill the guideline gap in this field， and can promote the high-quality development of pharmacist-managed clinics.

ObjectiveTo investigate the expression of prefrontal cortical neurons， methyltransferase-like 3 （METTL3）， fat mass and obesity-associated gene （FTO）， and AlkB homolog 5 （ALKBH5） proteins in a mouse model of post-traumatic stress disorder （PTSD）. MethodsA PTSD mouse model was established using a single prolonged stress and foot shock stimulation （SPSS） method. The despair， anxiety， and learning and memory functions of PTSD mice were assessed through the open field test， Y-maze test， and forced swimming test. Neuronal damage was detected via HE and Nissl staining. The expression levels of METTL3， FTO， ALKBH5， and neuronal nuclear protein （NEUN） were assessed by Western blot and immunofluorescence staining. ResultsCompared to control group， PTSD mice subjected to SPSS exhibited signs of despair， anxiety， and impaired learning and memory. HE and Nissl staining results showed neuronal damage in the prefrontal cortex of PTSD mice. Western blot and immunofluorescence staining results showed that the expression of the m6A-related proteins METTL3 and FTO decreased， while the expression of ALKBH5 increased in the prefrontal cortex. Additionally， NEUN protein levels showed a declining trend. ConclusionThe pathogenesis of PTSD may be associated with neuronal damage in the prefrontal cortex and alterations in m6A methylation proteins.

ObjectiveTo investigate the optimal termination time for acupuncture in treating patients with acute peripheral facial paralysis and its cost-effectiveness. MethodsA total of 120 eligible patients with acute-stage peri-pheral facial paralysis were randomly assigned to either the mild dysfunction termination group and the complete recovery termination group， with 60 patients in each group. Both groups received the standard acupuncture treatment protocol. Treatment in the mild dysfunction termination group was terminated when the Sunnybrook facial grade scale （SFGS） score first reached or exceeded 83 points， while that in the complete recovery termination group was terminated when the SFGS score first reached or exceeded 95 points. Assessments were conducted before treatment， 6 and 12 months after onset. SFGS， facial disability index （FDI） including physical function （FDIp） and social function （FDIs）， self-rating anxiety scale （SAS）， and self-rating depression scale （SDS） scores were assessed before treatment， and 6 and 12 months after onset. Any acupuncture-related adverse events during treatment were recorded for safety evaluation. Treatment sessions and medical costs including direct costs， indirect costs， insurance coverage， total societal costs， and patient out-of-pocket expenses were also recorded， and an economic evaluation was conducted including cost-effectiveness ratio （CER） and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio （ICER）. ResultsUltimately， 56 patients in the mild dysfunction termination group and 55 in the complete recovery termination group completed the follow-up. At 6 and 12 months after onset， SFGS and FDIp scores in both groups improved significantly while FDIs， SAS and SDS scores decreased （P＜0.05）. Comparison of scores between groups 6 months and 12 months after onset showed no statistically significant differences （P＞0.05）. During the trial， the incidence of adverse events was 13.3% （8/60） in the mild dysfunction termination group and 18.3% （11/60） in the complete recovery termination group， with no statistically significant difference （P＞0.05）. The number of treatment sessions， total social costs， and out-of-pocket expenses in the mild dysfunction termination group were significantly lower than those in the complete recovery termination group （P＜0.05）. The CER of the mild dysfunction termination group in SFGS， FDIp， FDIs， SAS， and SDS scores was lower than that of the complete recovery termination group. The ICER analysis showed that continuing treatment until full recovery incurred an additional cost of 573.30 CNY/point in SFGS improvement， whereas 1-point improvement in FDIp， FDIs， SAS， and SDS required 21,355.25 CNY， 1779.60 CNY， 3713.96 CNY， and 2755.52 CNY， respectively. ConclusionFor acupuncture in treating acute peripheral facial palsy， terminating treatment when mild dysfunction is achieved yields long-term efficacy comparable to that of continuing treatment until complete recovery， while significantly reducing medical costs and socioeconomic burden.

Dendritic cells (DCs) serve as the primary antigen-presenting cells in autoimmune diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and exhibit distinct signaling profiles due to antigenic diversity. Type II collagen (CII) has been recognized as an RA-specific antigen; however, little is known about CII-stimulated DCs, limiting the development of RA-specific therapeutic interventions. In this study, we show that CII-stimulated DCs display a preferential gene expression profile associated with migration, offering a new perspective for targeting DC migration in RA treatment. Then, saikosaponin D (SSD) was identified as a compound capable of blocking CII-induced DC migration and effectively ameliorating arthritis. Optineurin (OPTN) is further revealed as a potential SSD target, with Optn deletion impairing CII-pulsed DC migration without affecting maturation. Function analyses uncover that OPTN prevents the proteasomal transport and ubiquitin-dependent degradation of C-C chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7), a pivotal chemokine receptor in DC migration. Optn-deficient DCs exhibit reduced CCR7 expression, leading to slower migration in CII-surrounded environment, thus alleviating arthritis progression. Our findings underscore the significance of antigen-specific DC activation in RA and suggest OPTN is a crucial regulator of CII-specific DC migration. OPTN emerges as a promising drug target for RA, potentially offering significant value for the therapeutic management of RA.

BACKGROUND: The transcription factor POU2F1 regulates the expression levels of microRNAs in neoplasia. However, the miR-29b1/a cluster modulated by POU2F1 in gastric cancer (GC) remains unknown. METHODS: Gene expression in GC cells was evaluated using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR), western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and RNA in situ hybridization. Co-immunoprecipitation was performed to evaluate protein interactions. Transwell migration and invasion assays were performed to investigate the biological behavior of GC cells. MiR-29b1/a cluster promoter analysis and luciferase activity assay for the 3'-UTR study were performed in GC cells. In vivo tumor metastasis was evaluated in nude mice. RESULTS: POU2F1 is overexpressed in GC cell lines and binds to the miR-29b1/a cluster promoter. POU2F1 is upregulated, whereas mature miR-29b-3p and miR-29a-3p are downregulated in GC tissues. POU2F1 promotes GC metastasis by inhibiting miR-29b-3p or miR-29a-3p expression in vitro and in vivo . Furthermore, PIK3R1 and/or PIK3R3 are direct targets of miR-29b-3p and/or miR-29a-3p , and the ectopic expression of PIK3R1 or PIK3R3 reverses the suppressive effect of mature miR-29b-3p and/or miR-29a-3p on GC cell metastasis and invasion. Additionally, the interaction of PIK3R1 with PIK3R3 promotes migration and invasion, and miR-29b-3p , miR-29a-3p , PIK3R1 , and PIK3R3 regulate migration and invasion via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) pathway in GC cells. In addition, POU2F1 , PIK3R1 , and PIK3R3 expression levels negatively correlated with miR-29b-3p and miR-29a-3p expression levels in GC tissue samples. CONCLUSIONS The POU2F1 - miR-29b-3p / miR-29a-3p-PIK3R1 / PIK3R1 signaling axis regulates tumor progression and may be a promising therapeutic target for GC.
MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement/physiology* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; Animals ; Mice ; Octamer Transcription Factor-1/metabolism* ; Mice, Nude ; Class Ia Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/metabolism* ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/genetics* ; Male ; Immunohistochemistry ; Female

Objective:To characterize the epidemiology of respiratory syndrome across healthcare facilities of different types and tiers in Beijing City, to compare pathogen-testing modalities and their associations with adverse outcomes, and to identify key factors associated with progression to severe illness, thereby informing regional prevention, control, and clinical optimization.Methods:The multicenter observational cohort study was performed using outpatient and emergency department data from five sentinel hospitals in Beijing (Beijing Xiaotangshan Hospital, Beijing Chaoyang District Shuangqiao Hospital, Beijing Haidian Hospital, Beijing You′an Hospital, Capital Medical University (Beijing You′an Hospital), and Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University (Beijing Ditan Hospital)) from October 1st, 2023 to April 9th, 2025. Dual-target (two-plex) and triple-target (three-plex) respiratory specimens were collected. Demographic characteristics, visit information, pathogen-testing modalities and results were collected, and the epidemiologic features of patients who progressed to severe illness between the influenza high-incidence season (December to May) and the non-influenza season (June to November) were compared. Categorical variables were analyzed using the chi-square test. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate associations between covariates and risk of progression to severe illness.Results:Among the 192 131 cases, patients visited at Beijing You′an Hospital were concentrated in the 16 to 44 year age group, accounting for 66.79%(32 532/48 708). Beijing Xiaotangshan Hospital had a broad age distribution, with older adults comprising up to 22.35% (885/3 960). Of the 47 349 respiratory specimens across the five hospitals, Beijing You′an Hospital had the highest positivity rate for dual-target testing (46.76%(1 585/3 390)), while Beijing Haidian Hospital conducted the largest number of this tests ( n=12 514). For triple-target testing, Beijing You′an Hospital again had the highest positivity rate (45.03%(2 835/6 296)), whereas Beijing Ditan Hospital tested the most specimens ( n=12 011; positivity rate was 29.73%(3 571/12 011)). The influenza season within the same period (November 2023 to January 2024) exhibited a bimodal pattern, with alternating circulation of influenza viruses and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Among 32 744 outpatients/emergency patients who progressed to severe illness, significant seasonal differences were observed by sex, age, comorbidity status, and infection type ( χ2=6.60, 189.24, 32.71 and 189.99, respectively; all P<0.05). After adjustment for sex, age group, comorbidities, and infection type, testing modality remained significantly associated with risk of progression (dual-target testing, odds ratio ( OR)=0.116, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 0.111 to 0.122, P<0.001); no testing, OR=0.063, 95% CI 0.060 to 0.065, P<0.001). Conclusions:The epidemiological pattern of respiratory pathogens undergo significant changes after October 2023, which is characterized by alternating waves of influenza viruses and SARS-CoV-2 with pronounced seasonality and diversity. Substantial inter-hospital differences are observed in testing modalities and positivity rates. Risk of progression to severe illness varies significantly by sex, age, comorbidity burden, and infection type, and is closely associated with the testing modality. These findings support strengthening multiplex pathogen testing and targeted surveillance of high-risk groups to improve early identification and precise control of febrile-respiratory syndromes.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and therapeutic effect of perioral myoclonia with absences (PMA), in order to improve the clinicians′ understanding of the disease.Methods:The clinical manifestations during seizures, as well as interictal and ictal electroencephalogram (EEG) features of 3 PMA patients admitted to the Epilepsy Unit, Neurology Center, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University from May to October 2024 were analyzed. The clinical manifestations, EEG characteristics, differential diagnosis, treatment experience of PMA patients were summarized by retrospective analysis combined with previous literature review.Results:The onset age of these 3 PMA cases was 15, 15, and 7 years, respectively. The prominent manifestation of seizure was perioral myoclonus without disturbance of consciousness. The duration of seizures was brief, less than 10 seconds. PMA can occur several times a day and was prone to present as continuous state of perioral myoclonus. Three patients had rare generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS). The seizures could be controlled by sodium valproate, lamotrigine, levetiracetam, or combined treatment. Fifteen literatures about PMA were retrieved (4 in Chinese and 11 in English). A total of 31 patients (including these 3 patients) were included in the study, of whom 17 were males and 14 were females. The onset age was from 9 months to 34 [7.63 (2.19, 11.00)] years. Perioral myoclonus with varying degrees of disturbance of consciousness was the main seizure type, and 12 patients exhibited continuous state of perioral myoclonus, 24 patients had GTCS. Eight patients had a history of fever convulsion, 6 patients had mental or learning disabilities, and 11 patients had a family history of epilepsy or febrile convulsion. The ictal EEG showed around 3 Hz generalized spike-wave/multiple spike-wave discharges accompanied with synchronous myoelectric bursts. There were no specific abnormalities in physical examination of nervous system and cranial imaging in all the patients. Ten patients were initially diagnosed as focal epilepsy. Nine patients′ seizures were increased or worsened due to improper medication. Valproate, lamotrigine and levetiracetam were the main treatments of PMA, and the seizures of 21 patients were effectively controlled.Conclusions:PMA is clinically characterized by perioral myoclonia with varying degrees of disturbance of consciousness and is easy to be misdiagnosed as focal epilepsy, so it is necessary to use video EEG combined with synchronous electromyography to confirm the diagnosis. PMA should be treated with broad-spectrum antiseizure drugs.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect and mechanism of Jingangteng capsules in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD）. METHODS Thirty-two SD rats were randomly divided into normal group and modeling group. The modeling group was fed a high-fat diet to establish a NAFLD model. The successfully modeled rats were then randomly divided into model group， atorvastatin group[positive control， 2 mg/（kg·d）]， and Jingangteng capsules low- and high-dose groups [0.63 and 2.52 mg/（kg·d）]， with 6 rats in each group. The pathological changes of the liver were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and oil red O staining. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to determine the serum levels of triglycerides （TG）， total cholesterol （TC）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， alanine transaminase （ALT）， aspartate transaminase （AST）， tumour necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， IL-6， IL-18. 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing and metabolomics techniques were applied to explore the effects of Jingangteng capsules on gut microbiota and metabolisms in NAFLD rats. Based on the E-mail：591146765@qq.com metabolomics results， Western blot analysis was performed to detect proteins related to the nuclear factor kappa-B （NF-κB）/NOD-like receptor family protein 3 （NLRP3） signaling pathway in the livers of NAFLD rats. RESULTS The experimental results showed that Jingangteng capsules could significantly reduce the serum levels of TG， TC， LDL-C， AST， ALT， TNF-α， IL-1β， IL-6， IL-18， while increased the level of HDL-C， and alleviated the hepatic cellular steatosis and inflammatory infiltration in NAFLD rats. They could regulate the gut microbiota disorders in NAFLD rats， significantly increased the relative abundance of Romboutsia and Oscillospira， and significantly decreased the relative abundance of Blautia （P＜0.05）. They also regulated metabolic disorders primarily by affecting secondary bile acid biosynthesis， fatty acid degradation， O-antigen nucleotide sugar biosynthesis， etc. Results of Western blot assay showed that they significantly reduced the phosphorylation levels of NF-κB p65 and NF-κB inhibitor α， and the protein expression levels of NLRP3， caspase-1 and ASC （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS Jingangteng capsules could improve inflammation， lipid accumulation and liver injury in NAFLD rats， regulate the disorders of gut microbiota and metabolisms， and inhibit NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway. Their therapeutic effects against NAFLD are mediated through the inhibition of the NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway.

Objective:This study evaluates the horizontal sound localization ability of young and middle-aged individuals with symmetric sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in noisy environments. It also examines the impact of hearing loss severity and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) on localization accuracy.Methods:In this cross-sectional study, conducted from April 2023 to April 2024, 135 young and middle-aged patients (73 males and 62 females, aged 18-60 years) with SNHL who sought care at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, were categorized into mild, moderate, and moderate-to-severe hearing loss groups (45 per group), with 45 normal-hearing controls (23 males and 22 females, aged 20-60 years). Participants completed localization tasks in quiet and noisy environments with SNR levels of 5 dB, 0 dB, -5 dB, and-10 dB. Root mean square error (RMSE) was used to measure localization accuracy. Repeated measures ANOVA assessed the effects of hearing loss and SNR on RMSE, while, Pearson correlation evaluated the relationship between binaural 4-frequency pure-tone average (4fPTA) and RMSE. Multiple linear regression analyzed the predictive role of 4fPTA and age.Results:(1) Two-way repeated measures ANOVA showed that both hearing loss severity and SNR significantly affected RMSE ( F=92.67, P<0.01; F=430.29, P<0.01), with a significant interaction between the two factors( F=92.67, P<0.01). (2) RMSE increased with hearing loss severity. At SNRs of 5 dB, 0 dB, and-5 dB, the moderate-to-severe group had significantly higher RMSE than the mild and moderate groups ( P<0.01). No significant differences were found between mild and moderate groups ( P=0.53, 0.57, 0.22). At-10 dB SNR, significant differences were observed across all groups ( P<0.01). (3) RMSE increased non-linearly as SNR decreased. Mean RMSE values under quiet conditions and at SNRs of 5 dB, 0 dB, -5 dB, and-10 dB were (7.43±5.01)°, (9.80±5.74)°, (11.60±6.22)°, (14.56±7.07)°, and (18.74±8.02)°, respectively. (4) RMSE was significantly positively correlated with binaural 4fPTA ( r=0.54-0.58, P<0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the binaural average 4fPTA significantly predicted RMSE ( P<0.01), explaining 30.5%-34.1% of RMSE variance. Age did not significantly contribute to RMSE variation. Conclusions:The degree of hearing loss and background noise SNR significantly affect horizontal sound localization in young and middle-aged SNHL patients. RMSE increases with hearing loss severity and decreases with higher SNR. The interaction between hearing loss and SNR is significant, and RMSE correlates with binaural 4fPTA. However, the regression model based on 4fPTA and age explains only part of the RMSE variance, suggesting other contributing factors.