Objective: To investigate the incidence of occult hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) in spouses of asymptomatic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infected individuals in Shenzhen, China, and to analyze their serological and molecular characteristics and possible transmission routes, so as to propose refined strategies for blood safety. Methods: After rapid screening for HBsAg at the blood collection sites, samples from HBsAg-positive blood donors and their concurrently donating spouses were collected. All samples were tested for hepatitis B serological markers by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLI). Simultaneously, HBV nucleic acid extractiona, nested PCR amplification, gene sequencing of S and BCP/PC regions and qPCR were conducted. Results: A total of 112 samples were collected, including 56 from HBsAg positive donors and 56 from their spouses. All donors were confirmed as HBsAg+/DNA+/anti-HBc+, indicative of asymptomatic chronic hepatitis (CHB) infection. Among their 56 spouses, 11 (19.6%) were identified as HBV DNA+. The prevalence was higher in males (23.1%) than in females (16.7%). Six spouses (10.8%) had OBI, three of whom (5.4%) were negative in routine blood screening tests. The residual risk of HBV were estimated as 1∶127 (95%CI, 1∶356 to 1∶66). Among infected couples, immune escape mutation (E164D) and glycosylation mutations (I126T and T131N/M133T) were identified. Furthermore, sequence analysis suggested partner-to-partner transmission in eight cases. Conclusion: A substantial proportion (19.6%) of spouses of asymptomatic HBV infected donors were HBV-positve, with an OBI prevalence of 10.9%. Among these, 5.4% were negative in routine tests. To ensure blood safety, we recommend that spouses of HBV infected individuals be deferred from blood donation.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to use 3D prin-ting technology based on the principle of stereo lithography apparatus (SLA) to shape dental lithium disilicate ceramics and study the effects of different slurry proportions on the microstructure and properties of heat-treated samples. METHODS: The experimental group comprised lithium disilicate ceramics manufactured through SLA 3D printing, and the control group comprised lithium disilicate ceramics (IPS e.max CAD) fabricated through commercial milling. An array of different particle sizes of lithium disilicate ceramic powder materials (nano and micron) was selected for mixing with photocurable acrylate resin. The proportion of experimental raw materials was adjusted to prepare five groups of ceramic slurries for 3D printing (Groups S1-S5) on the basis of rheological properties, stability, and other factors. Printing, debonding, and sintering were conducted on the experimental group with the optimal ratio, followed by measurements of microstructure, crystallographic information, shrinkage, and mechanical properties. RESULTS: Five groups of lithium disilicate ceramic slurries were prepared, of which two groups with high solid content (75%) (Groups S2 and S3) were selected for 3D printing. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy results showed that lithium disilicate was the main crystalline phase in Groups S2 and S3, and its microstructure was slender, uniform, and compact. The average grain sizes of Groups S2 and S3 were (559.79±84.58) nm and (388.26±61.49) nm, respectively (P<0.05). Energy spectroscopy revealed that the samples in the two groups contained a high proportion of Si and O elements. After heat treatment, the shrinkage rate of the two groups of ceramic samples was 18.00%-20.71%. Test results revealed no statistical difference in all mechanical properties between Groups S2 and S3 (P>0.05). The flexural strengths of Groups S2 and S3 were (231.79±21.71) MPa and (214.86±46.64) MPa, respectively, which were lower than that of the IPS e.max CAD group (P<0.05). The elasticity modulus of Groups S2 and S3 were (87.40±12.99) GPa and (92.87±19.76) GPa, respectively, which did not significantly differ from that of the IPS e.max CAD group (P>0.05). The Vickers hardness values of Groups S2 and S3 were (6.53±0.19) GPa and (6.25±0.12) GPa, respectively, which were higher than that of the IPS e.max CAD group (P<0.05). The fracture toughness values of Groups S2 and S3 were (1.57±0.28) MPa·m^0.5 and (1.38±0.17) MPa·m^0.5, respectively, which did not significantly differ from that of the IPS e.max CAD group (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS The combination of lithium disilicate ceramic powders with different particle sizes can yield a slurry with high solid content (75%) and suitable viscosity and stability. The dental lithium disilicate ceramic material is successfully prepared by using 3D printing technology. The 3D-printed samples show a small shrinkage rate after heat treatment. Their microstructure conforms to the crystal phase of lithium disilicate ceramics, and their mechanical properties are close to those of milled lithium disilicate ceramics.
Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Dental Porcelain/chemistry* ; Ceramics/chemistry* ; Materials Testing ; Particle Size

Compared with conventional transdermal drug delivery systems, dissolving microneedles significantly enhance drug bioavailability by penetrating the stratum corneum barrier and achieving intradermal drug delivery. In order to improve the transdermal bioavailability of dexmedetomidine hydrochloride, in this study, a novel microneedle delivery system was developed for dexmedetomidine hydrochloride based on 3D printing combined with micro-molding. By systematically optimizing the microneedle geometrical parameters, array arrangement, and preparation process parameters, we determined the optimal ratio of drug-carrying matrix as 15% PVP (polyvinyl pyrrolidone) K90. The microneedles exhibited significant drug loading gradients, with mean content of (209.99±27.56) μg/patch, (405.31±30.31) μg/patch, and (621.61±34.43) μg/patch. They showed a regular pyramidal structure under SEM and handheld electron microscopy, and their mechanical strength allowed effective penetration into the stratum corneum. The surface contact angles were all < 90°, indicating excellent hydrophilicity. The microneedles dissolved completely within 10 min after skin insertion, achieving a cumulative release rate of 90% (Higuchi model, r=0.996) during 2 hours of in vitro transdermal permeation. The cytotoxicity test and hemolysis test verified good biocompatibility. Pharmacodynamic evaluation showed that the microneedle group demonstrated pain-relieving effect within 15 min, with the pain threshold at the time point of 60 min being 3 times that in the transdermal cream group. The microneedle system developed in this study not only offers an efficient drug delivery option for patients but also establishes an innovative platform for rapid percutaneous delivery of hydrophilic drugs, demonstrating significant potential in perioperative pain management.
Dexmedetomidine/pharmacokinetics* ; Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Needles ; Drug Delivery Systems/methods* ; Administration, Cutaneous ; Animals ; Microinjections/instrumentation* ; Skin Absorption ; Skin/metabolism*

Objective : To investigate the effects of cinnamaldehyde(CA) on the growth, metastasis and apoptosis of human endometriosis(EMs) cells and to explore whether the mechanism is related to ribosomal protein S7(RPS7) expression. Methods : Endometriosis cells were divided into control group, CA group, sh-NC group, CA+sh-RPS7 group. Effects of CA on cell growth in human endometriotic cells were determined using Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8) and colony formation assay. Effects of CA on cell metastasis were performed by motility assay and Transwell assay. Effects of CA on cell apoptosis were evaluated by Hoechst 33258 staining and flow cytometry. Meanwhile, the levels of PCNA, E-cadherin, Vimentin, Bax and Bcl-2 were evaluated using Western blot in human endometriotic cells with treatment CA. The expression of RPS7 was detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot assay. The RPS7 overexpression of human endometriotic cells was established by cell transfection. CA-mediated effects on cell proliferation and apoptosis were determined by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry in human endometriotic cells with RPS7 overexpression. Results : CA repressed cell growth as well as down-regulated PCNA. The half inhibitory concentration(IC50) value was 53.60 μmol/L after 24 h treatment, and colony formation rate was 25.32%. Additionally, CA inhibited metastasis which was associated with downregulated Vimentin and upregulated E-cadherin. The relative migration rates were 35% and 29% as well as invasion rate was 40%. Further, CA induced apoptosis by cell cycle G2/M phase arrest and cell apoptosis rate was 25.1%, which related to the up-regulation of of Bax and the down-regulation of Bcl-2. CA inhibited the expression of RPS7 and overexpression of RPS7 promoted cell proliferation and suppressed apoptosis in CA-mediated cells. Conclusion CA inhibits cell growth, metastasis, and induces cell apoptosis by downregulating the expression of RPS7.

Objective:To investigate the patterns of mutation evolution in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) during treatment and the possible clinical significances.Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted. A total of 103 AML patients who were hospitalized at the Affiliated Yuebei People's Hospital of Medical College of Shantou University from November 2019 to August 2021 and underwent high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology to detect the mutations of 128 AML-related genes in bone marrow samples were selected. Based on the NGS results, the somatic gene mutations in samples of patients collected at initial diagnosis (73 cases), complete remission (CR) (30 cases), non-remission (NR) (23 cases), and recurrence (12 cases) were analyzed, and the targeted drugs involved in the gene mutations detected in NR and recurrence samples were summarized.Results:The median age [ M ( Q1, Q3)] of onset for 103 patients was 58 (48, 66) years, including 64 males (61%) and 39 females (39%); 86 cases (83%) were primary AML, and 17 cases (17%) were secondary AML; at the initial diagnosis, 51 cases (50%) had normal karyotypes, 34 cases (33%) had abnormalities, and 18 cases (17.5%) were unknown. Compared with the CR samples, the mutation frequencies of FLT3 [29% (21/73) vs. 3% (1/30)], NPM1 [27% (20/73) vs. 3% (1/30)], NRAS [22% (16/73) vs. 3% (1/30)], and IDH2 [14% (10/73) vs. 0 (0/30)] were all higher in the initial diagnosis samples, and the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05); compared with the initial diagnosis sample, the median number of gene mutations in each CR sample was lower [4 (2, 5) vs. 7 (5, 9)], and the difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.001). However, there was no statistically significant difference in the median number of gene mutations in each patient between the initial diagnosis samples and the NR samples, the initial diagnosis samples and the recurrence samples, and the NR samples and the recurrence samples (all P > 0.05). Analysis of 14 patients with NGS data at initial diagnosis and CR showed that the same gene mutations could be detected at initial diagnosis and CR, such as DNAH23 (3 cases), USH2A (3 cases), etc; partial gene mutations were detected at initial diagnosis but were not detected at CR, including NRAS (5 cases), FLT3 (3 cases), ANKRD26 (3 cases), NPM1 (3 cases), ETV6 (3 cases), etc; ARID1B (1 case) and DNMT3A (1 case) were negative for mutations at initial diagnosis but positive upon reaching CR. Analysis of 14 patients with NGS data at initial diagnosis and NR showed that most gene mutations persisted at initial diagnosis and NR, such as DNMT3A (5 cases), NRAS (5 cases), KRAS (3 cases), RUNX1 (3 cases), etc; the mutant genes detected at initial diagnosis but not detected at NR included USH2A (2 cases), PCLO (2 cases), ATM (2 cases), FAT1 (2 cases), etc; partial gene mutations were not detected at initial diagnosis but were detected at NR, such as FAT1 (2 cases), TCF3 (2 cases), etc. Analysis of 5 patients with NGS data at CR and recurrence showed that some gene mutations were detected at both CR and recurrence, such as BCORL1 (1 case), ARID2 (1 case), SETD2 (1 case), VEGFC (1 case), etc; FLT1 (1 case) and GNAS (1 case) gene mutations were detected at CR but not detected at recurrence; at recurrence, some gene mutations that were not detected at CR were also detected, such as ANKRD26 (1 case), WT1 (1 case), etc. Among the 23 NR samples and 12 recurrence samples, the targets of drugs approved by US Food and Drug Administration or in clinical trials were detected in 14 (61%) and 5 (42%) samples respectively, including IDH1, IDH2, FLT3, KIT, KRAS, NRAS, SF3B1, U2AF1, and SRSF2. Conclusions:The number of gene mutations in AML patients during CR is significantly less than that at initial diagnosis, some gene mutations disappear when CR is achieved through treatment, but the majority of gene mutations persist during the treatment period, including NR and recurrence, suggesting that monitoring through NGS technology can help understand the evolution of gene mutations during AML treatment and discover the potential therapeutic targets.

Mastitis is one of the common and prevalent diseases in dairy cows,and the natural prod-uct daidzein is a kind of natural flavonoids with a wide range of pharmacological and anti-inflam-matory effects.However,the effect of daidzein on mastitis in dairy cows has not been reported.Therefore,in this study,we explored the effects of daidzein on LPS-induced inflammatory response and tight junction damage in dairy mammary epithelial cells Firstly,we pretreated the MAC-T cell line using different concentrations of daidzein,and it was clarified that daidzein below 200 μmol/L had no effect on the cell activity.Next,we examined the production of pro-inflammatory mediators in LPS-stimulated MAC-T cell lines using qRT-PCR,and clarified that daidzein could reduce the production of pro-inflammatory mediators in a concentration-dependent manner.Subsequently,af-ter the expression of Occludin,Claudin3 and ZO-1 was detected by immunofluorescence and West-ern Blot,it was clear that daidzein could alleviate MAC-T cell intercellular tight junction injury.Fi-nally,it was demonstrated that daidzein significantly inhibited LPS-induced activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway within MAC-T using network pharmacological analysis and Western Blot.The above results suggest that daidzein can inhibit LPS-induced inflammatory response and tight junc-tion damage in mammary epithelial cells of cows by suppressing the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway.The present study provides a theoretical basis for the alleviation of mastitis by natural products and further expands the pharmacological effects of daidzein.

Objective:To analyze the trends of preterm birth among women of advanced maternal age in Haidian District, Beijing from 2013 to 2022.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the birth registration data in Haidian District, Beijing, from January 2013 to December 2022, focusing on the records of women aged ≥35 who delivered between 22 and 44 weeks of gestation. The Joinpoint regression model was used to analyze the time trends of preterm birth rates among women of advanced maternal age in the Haidian District. Interrupted time series (ITS) analysis was applied to quantitatively evaluate the transient and long-term effects of China's universal two-child policy on the preterm birth rate among women of advanced maternal age.Results:(1) A total of 70 640 birth registration records from 68 587 women were finally included. The number of women giving birth peaked between 2016 and 2018 (8 158, 9 906, and 8 914 cases, respectively). The proportion of permanent residents in Beijing gradually decreased from 53.7% (2 175/4 049) in 2013 to 42.0% (4 160/9 906) in 2017 and then increased to over 98% between 2019 and 2022 [98.8% (7 828/7 925), 99.1% (6 283/6 340), 99.3% (5 970/6 014), and 99.5% (6 371/6 404), respectively]. (2) Among the 68 587 women, 57 339 (83.6%) were delivered at tertiary hospitals, and 35 496 (51.8%) were delivered by cesarean section. The proportion of multiple births increased slowly from 2.4% (236/9 906) in 2017 to 3.5% (225/6 404) in 2022. From 2013 to 2015, primiparous women accounted for the majority. Subsequently, the proportion of multiparous women increased annually, reaching 71.6% (6 385/8 914) in 2018 before gradually decreasing to 56.2% (3 600/6 404) in 2022. (3) A total of 70 640 live births were delivered. The highest number of deliveries was in 2017, with 10 139 cases. From 2013 to 2022, 36 995 male infants and 33 645 female infants were born, with preterm birth rates of 10.6% (3 914/36 995) and 9.4% (3 123/33 645), respectively. (4) Among the 70 640 infants, there were 124 extremely preterm infants (0.2%), 773 very preterm infants (1.1%), and 6 140 late preterm infants (8.7%), accounting for 1.8%, 11.0%, and 87.3% of all preterm infants (7 037 cases), respectively. (5) The optimal fitting results of Joinpoint regression indicated that the preterm birth rate showed a declining trend from 2013 to 2017 ( APC=－4.4%, 95% CI: -13.0% to -0.2%); with 2017 as the turning point, the preterm birth rate exhibited an upward trend from 2017 to 2022 ( APC=4.5%, 95% CI: 1.6% to 13.0%). (6) The results of ITS analysis revealed that the preterm birth rate instantly decreased by 0.79% ( β2=－0.79, P=0.026) in the month when the universal two-child policy took effect. In comparison, it increased by an average of 0.03% per month ( β3=0.07, P=0.001) after the implementation of the policy. After adjusting for the proportion of multiple births, the preterm birth rate significantly decreased before the policy took effect ( β1=－0.06, P=0.003), but increased by an average of 0.01% per month ( β3=0.07, P<0.001) after the policy took effect. There was no statistical significance in the transient impact of the policy on the preterm birth rate in this district ( β2=0.80, P=0.145). Conclusions:From 2013 to 2022, the preterm birth rates among women of advanced maternal age in Haidian District exhibit a "V"-shaped pattern with the implementation of the two-child policy as the turning point. It is necessary to continue strengthening maternal health care for women of advanced maternal age and ensure the targeted provision of related services to address the issue of increased preterm birth rates following the enforcement of the two-child policy.

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic value of non-targeted detection of metabolic fingerprinting in pulmonary nodules and to analyze the clinical effective model of multi-omics for assessing the malignant risk of pulmonary nodules.Methods:A total of 73 patients who underwent chest CT and completed pathological diagnosis and non-targeted detection of metabolic fingerprinting at Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University from November 2021 to October 2024 were selected as the research subjects. According to the postoperative histopathological diagnosis, the patients were divided into the lung malignant nodule group (61 cases) and the lung benign nodule group (12 cases). General clinical data of the patients, including sex, age, smoking history, and family history of tumors, as well as imaging data, including nodule density, nodule size, nodule location, nodule number, and special imaging manifestations (spiculation, lobulation, vacuole sign, vascular convergence sign, etc.), and non-targeted detection of metabolic fingerprinting results were collected. The above data were compared between the two groups of patients, and the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to evaluate the predictive value of each model. Results:There were statistically significant differences in age ( t=4.41, P<0.001), nodule size ( Z=2.67, P=0.008), nodule density ( χ2=4.64, P=0.031), and spiculation ( χ2=7.67, P=0.006) between the lung malignant nodule group and the lung benign nodule group. There were no statistically significant differences in sex, smoking history, family history of lung cancer, nodule number, nodule location, lobulation, vacuole sign, vascular convergence sign, pleural indentation sign, calcification sign, bronchial truncation sign, vascular supply sign, and bronchial air sign (all P>0.05). The number of non-targeted detection of metabolic fingerprinting high-risk patients in the lung malignant nodule group (36 cases) was significantly higher than that in the lung benign nodule group (0 case) ( χ2=13.97, P<0.001). ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of the Brock model combined with non-targeted detection of metabolic fingerprinting was 0.930 (95% CI: 0.872-0.988), which was greater than that of the Brock model (0.856, 95% CI: 0.769-0.942, Z=0.27, P=0.040) and non-targeted detection of metabolic fingerprinting (0.768, 95% CI: 0.650-0.887, Z=0.30, P=0.004) alone. Conclusions:Non-targeted detection of metabolic fingerprinting risk assessment may serve as a non-invasive method to assist the Brock model in the diagnosis of pulmonary nodules and has good application value. The combination of the Brock model and non-targeted detection of metabolic fingerprinting can more accurately distinguish the benign and malignant nature of pulmonary nodules.

Objective To analyze the current status and hotspots of domestic research on traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)in treating chronic refractory wounds(CRW)over the past 10 years using bibliometric and visualized analysis methods.Methods Articles about TCM therapy for CRW issued by the core periodicals in recent 10 years were retrieved from CNKI,Wanfang and VIP databases.The parameters of annual issued papers,authors,institutions and keywords of the articles were counted with the bibliometric methods.And then the statistical results were presented as visualized graphs by using VOSviewer and CiteSpace software.Results A total of 404 articles were included in the study,and 313 institutions and 1 340 scholars participated in the research on the treatment of CRW with TCM.However,there was limited collaboration between the authors and institutions.Research hotspots mainly focused on the efficacy of TCM external therapies for diabetic foot and pressure ulcers,and discussions on syndrome differentiation,treatment principles and methods about internal treatment by various medical experts.The development and application of Chinese patent medicines,exploration of TCM medication patterns,and the evidence-based medical research on TCM are future research trends in the treatment of CRW with TCM.Conclusion Research on TCM treatment of CRW has attracted significant attention in recent years,but academic barriers exist between the authors and institutions.In the future,it is necessary to promote multicenter research collaboration,strengthen the exploration of experiences in acupoint selection,and conduct higher-level research,thus to provide more compelling evidence and enhance the efficacy of TCM in treating CRW.

Objective To investigate the indications,therapeutic effects,and compatibility patterns of modified Sini San formulas.Methods Modified Sini San formulas recorded in the Selected Compilation of Encyclopedia of Chinese Medicinal Formulas were retrieved.Frequency analysis,cluster analysis,and association rule mining were performed on the herbs of Sini San modified formulas.Results A total of 34 modified Sini San formulas were included,involving 127 additional medicinals.Analysis of the properties,flavors,and meridian tropism of the top 30 high-frequency additional medicinals,including Chuanxiong Rhizoma,Angelicae Sinensis Radix,Scutellariae Radix,Cortex Magnoliae Officinalis,Rehmanniae Radix,Rhei Radix et Rhizoma,Poria,Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma,Cyperi Rhizoma,Pinelliae Rhizoma,Atractylodis Rhizoma,and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium,revealed that the additional medicinals were predominantly warm in nature,bitter in flavor,and acted the spleen meridian.Cluster analysis yielded six categories of medicinal combinations.Association rule mining identified that Sini San was frequently prescribed by combining with single herbs of Chuanxiong Rhizoma,Angelicae Sinensis Radix,and Rehmanniae Radix,or with herbal groups of Chuanxiong Rhizoma-Angelicae Sinensis Radix,Angelicae Sinensis Radix-Rehmanniae Radix,Angelicae Sinensis Radix-Persicae Semen,Angelicae Sinensis Radix-Carthami Flos,Platycodonis Radix-Chuanxiong Rhizoma,and Carthami Flos-Persicae Semen-Angelicae Sinensis Radix.Conclusion Later physicians have expanded the application of Sini San after modification to treat externally contracted diseases with exterior syndrome,epidemic diseases,abdominal masses,eye disorders,and other conditions.Sini San is often used in combination with formulas such as Taohong Siwu Decoction and Yueju Pills.Commonly-paired additional medicinals fall into six primary categories corresponding to its expanded therapeutic applications,i.e.,stasis-resolving,blood-activating,exterior-releasing,qi-regulating,deficiency-supplementing,and purgative medicinals.The analytical results may provide new insights for modern clinical applications-pharmacological research on Sini San.