Hepatic encephalopathy(HE)is a common complication of severe liver disease in the end stage,and it is urgently needed to improve the rate of effective treatment and clarify the pathogenesis of HE.The liver is a crucial hub for immune regulation,and disruption of immune homeostasis is a key factor in the pathological mechanisms of HE.As the main metabolites of intestinal flora,short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs)play a vital role in the biological processes of both innate and adaptive immunity and can regulate the proliferation and differentiation of immune cells maintain the homeostasis of intestinal microenvironment and the integrity of barrier function.Studies have shown that SCFAs participate in bidirectional and dynamic interactions with the liver-gut-brain axis through immunomodulatory pathways,thereby playing an important role in the diagnosis,treatment,and prognostic evaluation of HE.Starting from the immunoregulatory effect of SCFAs,this article summarizes and analyzes the crosstalk relationship between SCFAs and the liver-gut-brain axis and the significance of SCFAs in the diagnosis and treatment of HE,in order to provide new ideas for optimizing clinical prevention and treatment strategies.

Objective To evaluate the technical feasibility and safety of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery(VATS)without chest tube placement for infants with congenital pulmonary airway malformation(CPAM).Methods Clinical data of 145 infants with CPAM treated by VATS from May 2019 to August 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.Six cases had a chest tube placement at the end of the surgery,while 139 cases did not.Among them,there were 99 segmental lobectomies,36 lobectomies,and 4 lobectomies and segmental lobectomies.Clinical efficacy and postoperative complications were observed.Results All the 145 patients underwent resection by VATS without conversion to thoracotomy.There was no mortality during the perioperative period.In the 139 cases without chest tube placement at the end of surgery,the operation time was(42.0±16.6)min,and the intraoperative blood loss was(2.7±2.0)ml.The were 6 cases who were given indwelling drainage tube for pneumothorax or pleural effusion after surgery,the rate of re-catheterization being 4.3％.The remaining 133 cases had chest X-ray review on the third day after routine surgery.Among them,8 cases had mild pneumothorax(lung compression＜20％)on the surgical side,which did not require further treatment.Before discharge,chest X-ray re-examination showed that pneumothorax was basically absorbed.All the patients were discharged with uneventful recovery,and the hospital stay was(6.6±1.3)d.Conclusion VATS without chest tube placement is a safe and feasible surgical procedure for some selective infants with congenital pulmonary airway malformation.

Objective To summarize the changing prevalence of carbapenem resistance in Enterobacterales based on the data of CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program from 2015 to 2021 for improving antimicrobial treatment in clinical practice.Methods Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using a commercial automated susceptibility testing system according to the unified CHINET protocol.The results were interpreted according to the breakpoints of the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)M100 31st ed in 2021.Results Over the seven-year period(2015-2021),the overall prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales(CRE)was 9.43％(62 342/661 235).The prevalence of CRE strains in Klebsiella pneumoniae,Citrobacter freundii,and Enterobacter cloacae was 22.38％,9.73％,and 8.47％,respectively.The prevalence of CRE strains in Escherichia coli was 1.99％.A few CRE strains were also identified in Salmonella and Shigella.The CRE strains were mainly isolated from respiratory specimens(44.23±2.80)％,followed by blood(20.88±3.40)％and urine(18.40±3.45)％.Intensive care units(ICUs)were the major source of the CRE strains(27.43±5.20)％.CRE strains were resistant to all the β-lactam antibiotics tested and most non-β-lactam antimicrobial agents.The CRE strains were relatively susceptible to tigecycline and polymyxins with low resistance rates.Conclusions The prevalence of CRE strains was increasing from 2015 to 2021.CRE strains were highly resistant to most of the antibacterial drugs used in clinical practice.Clinicians should prescribe antimicrobial agents rationally.Hospitals should strengthen antibiotic stewardship in key clinical settings such as ICUs,and take effective infection control measures to curb CRE outbreak and epidemic in hospitals.

Objective To characterize the changing species distribution and antibiotic resistance profiles of respiratory isolates in hospitals participating in the CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program from 2015 to 2021.Methods Commercial automated antimicrobial susceptibility testing systems and disk diffusion method were used to test the susceptibility of respiratory bacterial isolates to antimicrobial agents following the standardized technical protocol established by the CHINET program.Results A total of 589 746 respiratory isolates were collected from 2015 to 2021.Overall,82.6％of the isolates were Gram-negative bacteria and 17.4％were Gram-positive bacteria.The bacterial isolates from outpatients and inpatients accounted for(6.0±0.9)％and(94.0±0.1)％,respectively.The top microorganisms were Klebsiella spp.,Acinetobacter spp.,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Staphylococcus aureus,Haemophilus spp.,Stenotrophomonas maltophilia,Escherichia coli,and Streptococcus pneumoniae.Each microorganism was isolated from significantly more males than from females(P＜0.05).The overall prevalence of methicillin-resistant S.aureus(MRSA)was 39.9％.The prevalence of penicillin-resistant S.pneumoniae was 1.4％.The prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase(ESBL)-producing E.coli and K.pneumoniae was 67.8％and 41.3％,respectively.The overall prevalence of carbapenem-resistant E.coli,K.pneumoniae,Enterobacter cloacae,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and Acinetobacter baumannii was 3.7％,20.8％,9.4％,29.8％,and 73.3％,respectively.The prevalence of β-lactamase was 96.1％in Moraxella catarrhalis and 60.0％in Haemophilus influenzae.The H.influenzae isolates from children(＜18 years)showed significantly higher resistance rates to β-lactam antibiotics than the isolates from adults(P＜0.05).Conclusions Gram-negative bacteria are still predominant in respiratory isolates associated with serious antibiotic resistance.Antimicrobial resistance surveillance should be strengthened in clinical practice to support accurate etiological diagnosis and appropriate antimicrobial therapy based on antimicrobial susceptibility testing results.

Objective To investigate the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profiles of common pathogens isolated from cerebrospinal fluid(CSF)in CHINET program from 2015 to 2021.Methods The bacterial strains isolated from CSF were identified in accordance with clinical microbiology practice standards.Antimicrobial susceptibility test was conducted using Kirby-Bauer method and automated systems per the unified CHINET protocol.Results A total of 14 014 bacterial strains were isolated from CSF samples from 2015 to 2021,including the strains isolated from inpatients(95.3％)and from outpatient and emergency care patients(4.7％).Overall,19.6％of the isolates were from children and 80.4％were from adults.Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria accounted for 68.0％and 32.0％,respectively.Coagulase negative Staphylococcus accounted for 73.0％of the total Gram-positive bacterial isolates.The prevalence of MRSA was 38.2％in children and 45.6％in adults.The prevalence of MRCNS was 67.6％in adults and 69.5％in children.A small number of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium(2.2％)and linezolid-resistant Enterococcus faecalis(3.1％)were isolated from adult patients.The resistance rates of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae to ceftriaxone were 52.2％and 76.4％in children,70.5％and 63.5％in adults.The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant E.coli and K.pneumoniae(CRKP)was 1.3％and 47.7％in children,6.4％and 47.9％in adults.The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii(CRAB)and Pseudomonas aeruginosa(CRPA)was 74.0％and 37.1％in children,81.7％and 39.9％in adults.Conclusions The data derived from antimicrobial resistance surveillance are crucial for clinicians to make evidence-based decisions regarding antibiotic therapy.Attention should be paid to the Gram-negative bacteria,especially CRKP and CRAB in central nervous system(CNS)infections.Ongoing antimicrobial resistance surveillance is helpful for optimizing antibiotic use in CNS infections.

Objective To investigate the antimicrobial resistance of clinical isolates from elderly patients(≥65 years)in major medical institutions across China.Methods Bacterial strains were isolated from elderly patients in 52 hospitals participating in the CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program during the period from 2015 to 2021.Antimicrobial susceptibility test was carried out by disk diffusion method and automated systems according to the same CHINET protocol.The data were interpreted in accordance with the breakpoints recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)in 2021.Results A total of 514 715 nonduplicate clinical isolates were collected from elderly patients in 52 hospitals from January 1,2015 to December 31,2021.The number of isolates accounted for 34.3％of the total number of clinical isolates from all patients.Overall,21.8％of the 514 715 strains were gram-positive bacteria,and 78.2％were gram-negative bacteria.Majority(90.9％)of the strains were isolated from inpatients.About 42.9％of the strains were isolated from respiratory specimens,and 22.9％were isolated from urine.More than half(60.7％)of the strains were isolated from male patients,and 39.3％isolated from females.About 51.1％of the strains were isolated from patients aged 65-＜75 years.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains(MRSA)was 38.8％in 32 190 strains of Staphylococcus aureus.No vancomycin-or linezolid-resistant strains were found.The resistance rate of E.faecalis to most antibiotics was significantly lower than that of Enterococcus faecium,but a few vancomycin-resistant strains(0.2％,1.5％)and linezolid-resistant strains(3.4％,0.3％)were found in E.faecalis and E.faecium.The prevalence of penicillin-susceptible S.pneumoniae(PSSP),penicillin-intermediate S.pneumoniae(PISP),and penicillin-resistant S.pneumoniae(PRSP)was 94.3％,4.0％,and 1.7％in nonmeningitis S.pneumoniae isolates.The resistance rates of Klebsiella spp.(Klebsiella pneumoniae 93.2％)to imipenem and meropenem were 20.9％and 22.3％,respectively.Other Enterobacterales species were highly sensitive to carbapenem antibiotics.Only 1.7％-7.8％of other Enterobacterales strains were resistant to carbapenems.The resistance rates of Acinetobacter spp.(Acinetobacter baumannii 90.6％)to imipenem and meropenem were 68.4％and 70.6％respectively,while 28.5％and 24.3％of P.aeruginosa strains were resistant to imipenem and meropenem,respectively.Conclusions The number of clinical isolates from elderly patients is increasing year by year,especially in the 65-＜75 age group.Respiratory tract isolates were more prevalent in male elderly patients,and urinary tract isolates were more prevalent in female elderly patients.Klebsiella isolates were increasingly resistant to multiple antimicrobial agents,especially carbapenems.Antimicrobial resistance surveillance is helpful for accurate empirical antimicrobial therapy in elderly patients.

OBJECTIVE To explore the characteristics and influencing factors of immune-related adverse events （irAEs） induced by tislelizumab in patients with liver cancer. METHODS A retrospective cohort of 203 liver cancer patients treated with tislelizumab in Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital from May 2022 to March 2024 was included. These patients were divided into an irAEs group （58 cases） and a non-irAEs group （145 cases）. Clinical data were collected and compared between the two groups. A multivariate logistic regression model was employed to analyze factors influencing the occurrence of irAEs and establish a predictive model. The receiver operator characteristic （ROC） curve was plotted to evaluate the predictive value of the model for the occurrence of irAEs. The correlation between irAEs and overall survival （OS） as well as progression free survival （PFS） in patients was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS The irAEs induced by tislelizumab in liver cancer patients were predominantly grade 1-2 （89.71%）， mainly manifesting as hematological toxicity （42.65%） and hepatotoxicity （20.59%）， and mostly occurred within 1-12 cycles after tislelizumab treatment. Compared with liver cancer patients without underlying liver diseases， those with chronic hepatitis B had a higher incidence of irAEs. Statistically significant differences were observed between the irAEs and non-irAEs groups in terms of the number of patients with a China Liver Cancer Staging （CNLC） stage ≥Ⅱ， white blood cell count， neutrophil count， systemic immune-inflammation index （SII）， and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio （NLR） （P＜0.05）. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that CNLC stage ≥Ⅱ was an independent risk factor for the occurrence of irAEs （P＝0.027）. The ROC curve indicated that neutrophil count， white blood cell count， NLR， and SII all demonstrated certain predictive potential for the occurrence of irAEs （with area under the curve values of 0.614， 0.592，0.591， and 0.589， respectively）. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed no statistically significant differences in PFS and OS between the irAEs and non-irAEs groups， among patients with different grades of irAEs， and among irAEs patients with different CNLC stages （P＞0.05）. CONCLUSION The irAEs induced by tislelizumab in liver cancer patients are relatively mild （grade 1-2），mainly manifesting as hematological toxicity and hepatotoxicity. Liver cancer patients with concurrent chronic hepatitis B are at a higher risk of developing irAEs. CNLC stage ≥Ⅱ is an independent risk factor for irAEs induced by tislelizumab. Neutrophil count， white blood cell count， NLR， and SII have certain predictive value for the occurrence of irAEs.

Objective:To explore the prognostic value of serum free light chain in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients.Methods:Retrospective cohort study was conducted. One hundred and fifty-six newly diagnosed chronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL) patients in the first affiliated hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2016 to December 2020 were included in the retrospective analysis. Among them, there were 106 males and 50 females, with a median age of 60.7 (53.4, 66.0) years old.Serum sample was collected, serum free light chains were detected, and patients were divided into a treatment group (106 cases) and a follow-up group (50 cases) based on the presence of treatment indications.The threshold of serum free light chain(sFLC) was defined by the reference range of the instruction manual and ROC curve. Three indicators were used, including sFLCR, sFLC(κ+λ) and sFLC(κ-λ). Patients were divided into normal sFLCR group ( n=61)and abnormal group( n=95), as well as sFLC (κ+λ) low value group ( n=88) and high value group ( n=68), and sFLC (κ-λ) low value group ( n=64) and high value group ( n=92).The abnormal group and high value group were enrolled as the experimental group, while the normal group and low value group were enrolled as control group. Chi-square test and Fisher′s exact test were used to compare the clinical data, cytogenetics, and molecular biology characteristics of patients in two groups, Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the median treatment-free survival (TFS) of the patients, and Cox regression was used to screen the prognostic factors of the patients. Results:The proportion of Rai stage Ⅰ-Ⅳ ( χ2=8.16, P<0.05 and χ2=7.63, P<0.05 and χ2=5.45, P<0.05), Binet stage B-C( χ2=4.11, P<0.05 and χ2=9.43, P<0.05 and χ2=7.34, P<0.05), β 2-microglobulin>3.5 mg/L( χ2=5.13, P<0.05 and χ2=18.3, P<0.05 and χ2=12, P<0.05), ATM gene mutation rate( χ2=6.21, P<0.05 and χ2=4.88, P<0.05 and χ2=5.19, P<0.05), and immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (IGHV) mutation free rate ( χ2=18.9, P<0.05 and χ2=24.6, P<0.05 and χ2=10.4, P<0.05)in the experimental group were significantly higher than that in control group 1 ( P<0.05). Multivariate analysis indicated that sFLC(κ+λ) ( HR=1.615,95% CI 1.012-2.576, P=0.044), β 2-microglobulin>3.5 mg/L( HR=2.103,95% CI 1.356-3.262, P=0.001) and TP53 deletion and/or mutation( HR=1.892,95% CI 1.082-3.308, P=0.025) were independent prognostic factors affecting the patients time to first treatment(TFT). Conclusions:Serum free light chains can predict the risk of early treatment and have good prognostic significance in newly diagnosed CLL patients.

Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological features, diagnosis, and prognosis of aggressive natural killer-cell leukemia (ANKL).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 27 ANKL patients treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from 2014 to 2024. Their clinical data, histomorphology, and immunophenotype were reviewed. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to evaluate the overall survival (OS), and COX regression analysis was performed to identify prognostic factors affecting OS.Results:Among the 27 patients, 18 were male and 9 were female, with a male-to-female ratio of 2∶1. The age ranged from 15-75 years, with a median age of 42.0 (28.5, 54.5) years. Fever and splenomegaly were the most common signs and symptoms. Most patients presented with pancytopenia, coagulation abnormalities, and liver dysfunction; and all patients had elevated EBV loads. Microscopically, 16 cases showed marked to hypercellular bone marrow proliferation, with predominant interstitial infiltration (15 cases, 55.6%), followed by sinusoidal infiltration (3 cases), diffuse infiltration (6 cases, 22.2%), mixed infiltration (interstitial and focal, 3 cases, 11.1%), focal infiltration (2 cases, 7.4%), and nodular infiltration (1 case, 3.7%). The proportion of tumor cells among nucleated cells ranged from 2% to 80%, with a median of 30%. The tumor cells displayed variable morphology. Hemophagocytosis was observed in 23 cases. Immunohistochemistry revealed that all cases expressed CD56, with mostly expressing cytotoxic molecules (granzyme B, TIA-1). The Ki-67 proliferative index ranged from 50% to 90%. CD56-EBER dual staining showed that NK cells were the primary targets of the virus. Reticulin staining showed increased fibrosis. By flow cytometry, all cases were positive for CD2 but negative for surface CD3 (sCD3), CD4, CD5 and CD57. Among them, 21 cases (95.5%) exhibited a typical phenotype of strong CD56 expression (CD56str+) with CD16 negativity (CD16-), while only one case (4.5%) showed CD16 positivity (CD16+) with dim CD56 expression (CD56dim). In killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) analysis, 6 out of 17 patients (6/17) demonstrated monoclonal expression, including CD158a (4/6), CD158i (1/6), and CD158e (1/6); the remaining 11 cases (11/17) showed complete absence of KIR expression. All tested cases (17/17) were negative for T-cell receptor (TCR) protein expression. Follow-up period was from 257 days, 1 patient was lost to follow-up, and the remaining 26 patients died. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that OS was significantly longer in patients who received chemotherapy compared to those who did not ( P<0.05). Univariate Cox proportional hazards model analysis indicated that age, bone marrow proliferation, proportion of tumor cells among nucleated cells, absolute neutrophil count, platelet count, and triglycerides and bilirubin levels significantly affected OS ( P<0.05). Multivariate COX regression analysis identified triglycerides and bilirubin levels as independent prognostic factors for OS. Conclusion:Aggressive natural killer-cell leukemia is a rare lymphoid malignancy with very poor prognosis. Tumor cells exhibit significant morphological variation, and bone marrow infiltration patterns are diverse. Accurate recognition, early diagnosis, and timely chemotherapy are critical to improving the prognosis of patients with ANKL.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and long-term outcomes of fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (FCR) in treatment-na?ve patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) .Methods:Clinical data from 68 CLL/SLL patients treated with FCR at Jiangsu Province Hospital (August 2008–May 2021) were retrospectively analyzed to assess efficacy, safety, and survival outcomes.Results:Among 68 patients [46 males, 22 females; median age 55 (47, 60) years], 13.1% (8/61) had a complex karyotype, 32.3% (20/62) had immunoglobulin heavy variable region mutated (IGHV-M) type, 6.6% (4/61) had del (17p), and 14.8% (8/54) had del (11q). Patients received a median of 6 (4, 6) FCR cycles. The overall response rate was 88.2% (60/68), including 47.0% (32/68) complete remissions. Over a median follow-up of 82 (59, 98) months, 66.2% (45/68) experienced disease progression. Median progression-free survival was 56 (21, 123) months, while median overall survival was not reached. The 5- and 10-year PFS rates were 42.6% (95% CI: 31.9–56.8% ) and 28.7% (95% CI: 19.0–43.4% ), respectively. Poor PFS was associated with del (17p) ( HR=5.04, 95% CI: 1.72–14.74, P=0.003), del (11q) ( HR=5.27, 95% CI: 2.11–13.15, P<0.001), IGHV unmutated (IGHV-UM) ( HR=4.11, 95% CI: 1.72–9.79, P=0.001), complex karyotype (CK) ( HR=3.53, 95% CI: 1.58–7.85, P=0.002), β 2-microglobulin >3.5 mg/L ( HR=2.87, 95% CI: 1.37–6.01, P=0.005). In multivariate analysis, IGHV-UM remained an independent predictor of PFS ( HR=8.63, 95% CI: 1.09–68.40, P=0.042). Sixteen patients with IGHV-M and lacking del (17p) or CK had a median PFS of 123 (58,123) months and a 5-year PFS rate of 70.7% (95% CI: 49.7–99.1% ), reaching a plateau after 5 years with no recurrences by 10 years. Common grade 3–4 adverse events included hematologic toxicity (44.1%, 30/68), infection (36.7%, 25/68), and liver dysfunction (4.4%, 3/68). Among 25 patients receiving single-agent BTK inhibitors after FCR progression, median follow-up was 45 (26, 64) months; 36% (9/25) experienced disease progression, with a median PFS time of 55 (27, 55) months. Conclusion:First-line FCR provides durable long-term benefits for patients with IGHV-M CLL without del (17p) or CK.