Objective This study conducted a dynamic network analysis of the symptoms in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)at different postoperative time points,aiming to explore evolving core symptoms and provide a basis for developing precise clinical symptom management programs.Methods A longitudinal study was carried out involving 370 HCC patients who underwent surgical treatment at a hospital in Kunming city between February and December 2024.Questionnaires were administered on postoperative day 2(T1)and day 7(T2),using the Chinese version of the Memory Symptom Assessment Scale.Symptom networks of 18 symptoms were constructed for both time points using R software to explore core symptoms and their interconnections.A network comparison test was also performed to assess differences between the 2 time points.Results All 370 patients completed the questionnaire at T1,and 357 valid responses were collected at T2,yielding a response rate of 96.49％.At T1,"feeling nervous"had the highest centrality(rs=1.29),while at T2,"feeling sad"was most central(rs=1.11).Overall strength of the symptom networks showed that notable changes were observed in the edge weights between symptoms(P=0.01).Conclusion While the overall structure of early postoperative symptoms in HCC patients remained relatively stable over time,the core symptoms shifted."Feeling nervous"emerged as the central symptom at T1,whereas"feeling sad"became predominant.Digestive-related symptoms are progressively more closely linked over time.Healthcare professionals should dynamically assess patients' early postoperative psychological symptoms and digestive system related symptoms,and focus on intervening with symptoms of tension and sadness.

Objective To investigate the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profiles of clinically isolated Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis in hospitals across China from 2015 to 2021,and provide evidence for rational use of antimicrobial agents.Methods Data of H.influenzae and M.catarrhalis strains isolated from 2015 to 2021 in CHINET program were collected for analysis,and antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by disc diffusion method or automated systems according to the uniform protocol of CHINET.The results were interpreted according to the CLSI breakpoints in 2022.Beta-lactamases was detected by using nitrocefin disk.Results From 2015 to 2021,a total of 43 642 strains of Haemophilus species were isolated,accounting for 2.91％of the total clinical isolates and 4.07％of Gram-negative bacteria in CHINET program.Among the 40 437 strains of H.influenzae,66.89％were isolated from children and 33.11％were isolated from adults.More than 90％of the H.influenzae strains were isolated from respiratory tract specimens.The prevalence of β-lactamase was 53.79％in H.influenzae strains.The H.influenzae strains isolated from children showed higher resistance rate than the strains isolated from adults.Overall,779 strains of H.influenzae did not produce β-lactamase but were resistant to ampicillin(BLNAR).Beta-lactamase-producing strains showed significantly higher resistance rates to these antimicrobial agents than the β-lactamase-nonproducing strains.Of the 16 191 M.catarrhalis strains,80.06％were isolated from children and 19.94％isolated from adults.M.catarrhalis strains were mostly susceptible to both amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and cefuroxime,evidenced by resistance rate lower than 2.0％.Conclusions The emergence of antibiotic-resistant H.influenzae due to β-lactamase production poses a challenge for clinical anti-infective treatment.Therefore,it is very important to implement antibiotic resistance surveillance for H.influenzae and guide rational antibiotic use.All local clinical microbiology laboratories should actively improve antibiotic susceptibility testing and strengthen antibiotic resistance surveillance for H.influenzae.

Objective:To investigate the contributing factors to elevated blood pressure in borderline cases during medical selection for recruitment of Air Force flying cadets in order to enhance the accuracy of selection.Methods:Blood pressure was measured among 2 350 male high school graduates in the 2022 re-selection phase of medical selection of Air Force flying cadets. None of the participants had a family history of hypertension according to previous health checkups. Identified through blood pressure measurement, subjects with borderline hypertension were assigned to an intervention group (self-intervention with personalized correction plans) and a control group (self-intervention alone) using a random number table. Standardized blood pressure measurements and comprehensive medical history reviews were performed to compare pre- and post-intervention outcomes across the 2 groups, followed by an investigation into the causative mechanisms of elevated blood pressure.Results:Among the 102 cases of borderline hypertension (51 per group) identified, primary contributing factors included the white-coat phenomenon (41.2%), pre-examination physical activity (17.6%), pre-examination medications (3.9%) and poor sleep quality (35.3%). No significant differences in systolic blood pressure (SBP) or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were observed between the 2 groups at baseline (both P>0.05). After interventions, the intervention group showed significantly lower SBP ( t=3.13, P=0.002) and DBP ( t=7.68, P<0.001) than the control group. Both groups exhibited reductions in SBP and DBP from baseline ( t=6.63, 8.97, 4.13, 2.03, P<0.001, <0.001, <0.001, =0.043). The percentage of students with normal blood pressure was 96.1% (49/51) in the intervention group and 78.4% (40/51) in the control group. Conclusions:Transient blood pressure elevation in selection settings primarily stems from the white-coat phenomenon, physical exertion, medications and sleep disturbances. Standardizing blood pressure measurement protocols and addressing transient factors can help avoid unwarranted disqualifications and ensure the accuracy of selection.

Objective:To compare the efficacy of 18F-AlF-1, 4, 7-triazacyclononane-1, 4, 7-triacetic acid (NOTA)-octreotide (OC) PET/CT and MRI in detecting liver metastases (LM) of neuroendocrine neoplasm (NENLM). Methods:18F-AlF-NOTA-OC PET/CT and MRI findings (dynamic contrast enhanced MRI and diffusion weighted imaging) of 44 patients (26 males, 18 females, age (53.8±13.4) years) with neuroendocrine neoplasm (NEN) confirmed by pathological or clinical follow-up in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from July 2021 to December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the size of LM, patients were divided into 3 groups with long diameter ≤1 cm, 1 cm< long diameter ≤2 cm and long diameter >2 cm. According to the 2019 WHO pathological grade, patients were divided into G1, G2, G3 and neuroendocrine carcinoma groups. McNemar χ2 test was used to compare the difference in detecting LM and lesions between the two methods. Results:The detection rate of 18F-AlF-NOTA-OC PET/CT and MRI in patients with NENLM was 95.45%(42/44). Among 44 patients, 227 lesions were detected by PET/CT and 303 were detected by MRI. Based on lesion analysis ( n=307), the detection rate of 18F-AlF-NOTA-OC PET/CT for NENLM was lower than that of MRI (73.94%(227/307) vs 98.70%(303/307); χ2=66.96, P<0.001). For NENLM with long diameter ≤1 cm, 1 cm < long diameter ≤2 cm, long diameter >2 cm, the detection rates of MRI were higher than those of 18F-AlF-NOTA-OC PET/CT (98.72%(77/78), 93.55%(116/124), 97.35%(110/113) vs 47.44%(37/78), 73.39%(91/124), 87.61%(99/113); χ2 values: 5.88-36.21, all P<0.05). Conclusions:Compared with 18F-AlF-NOTA-OC PET/CT, MRI has a higher detection rate for NENLM with different long diameters of NEN, especially for lesions with long diameter≤1 cm.

Probiotics are natural systems bridging synthetic biology, physical biotechnology, and immunology, initiating innate and adaptive anti-tumor immune activity. We previously constructed an all-in-one engineered food-grade probiotic Lactococcus lactis (FOLactis) which could boost the crosstalk among different immune cells such as dendritic cells (DCs), natural killer cells, and T cells. Herein, considering the limited clinical efficacy of naked personalized neoantigen peptide vaccines, we decorate FOLactis with tumor antigens by employing a Plug-and-Display system comprising membrane-inserted peptides. Intranodal injection of FOLactis coated with neoantigen peptides (Ag-FOLactis) induces robust DCs presentation and neoantigen-specific cellular immunity. Notably, Ag-FOLactis not only triggers a 45-fold rise in the quantity of locally reactive neoantigen-specific T cells but also induces epitope spreading in both subcutaneous and metastatic tumor-bearing models, leading to potent inhibition of tumor growth. These findings imply that Ag-FOLactis represents a powerful platform to rapidly and easily display antigens, facilitating the development of a bio-activated platform for personalized therapy.

Human naïve pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) hold great promise for embryonic development studies. Existing induction and culture strategies for these cells, heavily dependent on MEK inhibitors, lead to widespread DNA hypomethylation, aberrant imprinting loss, and genomic instability during extended culture. Here, employing high-content analysis alongside a bifluorescence reporter system indicative of human naïve pluripotency, we screened over 1,600 chemicals and identified seven promising candidates. From these, we developed four optimized media-LAY, LADY, LUDY, and LKPY-that effectively induce and sustain PSCs in the naïve state. Notably, cells reset or cultured in these media, especially in the LAY system, demonstrate improved genome-wide DNA methylation status closely resembling that of pre-implantation counterparts, with partially restored imprinting and significantly enhanced genomic stability. Overall, our study contributes advancements to naïve pluripotency induction and long-term maintenance, providing insights for further applications of naïve PSCs.
Humans ; DNA Methylation/drug effects* ; Genomic Instability ; Pluripotent Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Cell Culture Techniques/methods* ; Cells, Cultured

Processing for deodorization is widely used in the production of animal-derived Chinese medicinal materials. In this study, Heracles Neo ultra-fast gas-phase electronic nose combined with chemometrics was employed to analyze the overall odor difference of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum(focusing on that derived from Cervus nippon Temminck in this study) before and after processing. The results showed that the electronic nose effectively distinguished between the medicinal materials and decoction pieces of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum. HS-GC-MS was used to identify and quantify the volatile components in the medicinal materials and decoction pieces of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum, and 35 and 37 volatile components were detected in the medicinal materials and decoction pieces, respectively. The medicinal materials and decoction pieces contained 28 common volatile components contributing to the odor of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum. The odor activity value(OAV) of each volatile component was calculated based on the olfactory threshold and relative content. The results showed that there were 17 key odor substances such as isovaleraldehyde, 2-methylbutanal, isobutyraldehyde, hexanal, and methanethiol in the medicinal materials and decoction pieces of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum. All of them had bad odor and were the main source of the odor of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum. The results of principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) showed that there were significant differences in volatile components between the medicinal materials and decoction pieces of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum. Based on the thresholds of P<0.05 and Variable Importance in Projection(VIP)>1, 21 differential volatile odor components were screened out. Among them, isopentanol, isovaleraldehyde, 2-methylbutanal, n-nonanal, and dimethylamine were the key differential odor compounds between the medicinal materials and decoction pieces of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum. The odor compounds and their relative content reduced, and some flavor substances such as esters were produced after processing with wine, which was the main reason for the reduction of the odor after processing of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum.
Odorants/analysis* ; Electronic Nose ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Animals ; Volatile Organic Compounds/analysis* ; Deer ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry*

This paper aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of action of the Yiqi Fumai Formula(YQFM), a kind of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), on mice with experimental heart failure based on the "heart-gut axis" theory. Based on the network pharmacology integrated with the group collaboration algorithm, the active ingredients were screened, a "component-target-disease" network was constructed, and the potential pathways regulated by the formula were predicted and analyzed. Next, the model of experimental heart failure was established by intraperitoneal injection of adriamycin at a single high dose(15 mg·kg~(-1)) in BALB/c mice. After intraperitoneal injection of YQFM(lyophilized) at 7.90, 15.80, and 31.55 mg·d~(-1) for 7 d, the protective effects of the formula on cardiac function were evaluated using indicators such as ultrasonic electrocardiography and myocardial injury markers. Combined with inflammatory factors in the cardiac and colorectal tissue, as well as targeted assays, the relevant indicators of potential pathways were verified. Meanwhile, 16S rDNA sequencing was performed on mouse fecal samples using the Illumina platform to detect changes in gut flora and analyze differential metabolic pathways. The results show that the administration of injectable YQFM(lyophilized) for 7 d significantly increased the left ventricular end-systolic internal diameter, fractional shortening, and ejection fraction of cardiac tissue of mice with experimental heart failure(P<0.05). Moreover, markers of myocardial injury were significantly decreased(P<0.05), indicating improved cardiac function, along with significantly suppressed inflammatory responses in cardiac and intestinal tissue(P<0.05). Additionally, the species of causative organisms was decreased, and the homeostasis of gut flora was improved, involving a modulatory effect on PI3K-Akt signaling pathway-related inflammation in cardiac and colorectal tissue. In conclusion, YQFM can affect the "heart-gut axis" immunity through the homeostasis of the gut flora, thereby exerting a therapeutic effect on heart failure. This finding provides a reference for the combination of TCM and western medicine to prevent and treat heart failure based on the "heart-gut axis" theory.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Heart Failure/microbiology* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Male ; Disease Models, Animal ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Heart/physiopathology* ; Humans ; Signal Transduction/drug effects*

Early identification of adolescent depression requires objective biomarkers. This study investigated the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) activation patterns and mismatch negativity (MMN) characteristics in adolescents with first-episode mild-to-moderate depression. We enrolled 33 patients and 33 matched healthy controls, measuring oxyhemoglobin (Oxy-Hb) concentration in the frontal cortex during verbal fluency tasks via fNIRS, and recording MMN latency/amplitude at Fz/Cz electrodes using event-related potentials (ERP). Compared with healthy controls, the depression group showed significantly prolonged MMN latency [Fz: (227.88 ± 31.08) ms vs. (208.70 ± 25.35) ms, P < 0.01; Cz: (223.73 ± 29.03) ms vs. (204.18 ± 22.43) ms, P < 0.01], and obviously reduced Fz amplitude [(2.42 ± 2.18) μV vs. (5.65 ± 5.59) μV, P = 0.03]. A significant positive correlation was observed between MMN latencies at Fz and Cz electrodes ( P < 0.01). Oxy-Hb in left frontopolar prefrontal channels (CH15/17) was significantly decreased in patient group ( P < 0.05). Our findings suggest that adolescents with depression exhibit hypofunction in the left prefrontal cortex and impaired automatic sensory processing. The combined application of fNIRS and ERP techniques may provide an objective basis for early clinical identification.
Humans ; Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared/methods* ; Adolescent ; Prefrontal Cortex/physiopathology* ; Evoked Potentials/physiology* ; Depression/physiopathology* ; Female ; Male ; Oxyhemoglobins ; Electroencephalography

The aim of this study was to investigate the trend in testicular volume changes after orchiopexy in children with cryptorchidism. The clinical data of 854 children with cryptorchidism who underwent orchiopexy between January 2013 and December 2016 in Shenzhen Children's Hospital (Shenzhen, China) were retrospectively analyzed. The mean (standard deviation) age of the patients was 2.8 (2.5) years, and the duration of follow-up ranged from 1 year to 5 years. Ultrasonography was conducted preoperatively and postoperatively. The variables analyzed included age at the time of surgery, type of surgical procedure, laterality, preoperative testicular position, preoperative and postoperative testicular volumes, and the testicular volume ratio of them. The average testicular volumes preoperatively and at 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, and 5 years postoperatively were 0.27 ml, 0.38 ml, 0.53 ml, 0.87 ml, and 1.00 ml, respectively ( P < 0.001). The corresponding testicular volume ratios were 0.67, 0.76, 0.80, 0.83, and 0.84 ( P < 0.001). The mean volume of the undescended testes was significantly smaller than the mean normative value ( P < 0.001, lower than the 10 th percentile). The postoperative testicular volumes in children with cryptorchidism were generally lower than those in healthy boys but were still greater than the 10 th percentile and exhibited an increasing trend. The older the child is at the time of surgery, the larger the gap in volume between the affected and normal testes. Although testicular volume tends to gradually increase after orchiopexy for cryptorchidism, it could not normalizes. Earlier surgery results in affected testicular volumes closer to those of healthy boys.
Humans ; Male ; Cryptorchidism/diagnostic imaging* ; Orchiopexy ; Child, Preschool ; Testis/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Organ Size ; Ultrasonography ; Infant ; Child ; Postoperative Period ; Follow-Up Studies