Objective:To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and trends of preterm births in China using medical institution survey data, thereby providing epidemiological data support for perinatal care.Methods:Based on a nationwide sampling survey on healthcare quality data from 2017 to 2022, this study included 3 547, 4 436, 4 513, 4 535, 5 068, and 5 790 medical institutions, with 7 039 107, 8 926 441, 9 006 420, 7 051 984, 7 311 862, and 7 354 062 parturient women, respectively. The overall rates of preterm birth (live births at 28 to 36 +6 weeks of gestation/overall live births) and early preterm birth (live births at 28 to <34 weeks of gestation/overall live births) were calculated at the national level, across diverse provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and for various levels of medical institutions. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze the influence of maternal characteristics and medical institution characteristics on the rates of preterm birth and early preterm birth. Results:From 2017 to 2022, both the preterm birth rate and the early preterm birth rate in China showed a continuous increase. The preterm birth rate rose from 5.13% (363 036/7 079 454) in 2017 to 6.56% (487 150/7 424 734) in 2022, and the early preterm birth rate increased from 1.32% (118 021/8 971 870) in 2018 to 1.43% (106 157/7 424 734) in 2022. These rates showed an overall increasing trend in private, secondary public specialty, and general hospitals. In tertiary public specialty hospitals, these rates fluctuated around 8.0% and 2.0% from the year 2018, respectively, while in tertiary public general hospitals, these rates peaked in 2020 at 8.63% (205 570/2 381 523) and 2.19% (52 197/2 381 523), respectively. Compared with 2017, by 2022, the preterm birth rate had increased to varying degrees in all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, except for Henan Province [preterm birth rate in 2017 was 6.22% (27 173/437 187); preterm birth rate in 2022 was 5.83% (37 604/645 104)]. As for the early preterm birth rate, it showed a decline in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Henan, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Xinjiang, Yunnan, and Zhejiang, but had increased to varying degrees in all other provinces , autonomous regions, municipalities and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps across the country. The grade and location of medical institutions both had a significant impact on the preterm birth rate and early preterm birth rate (both P<0.05). For every 1% increase in the proportions of multiparous women, women of advanced maternal age, or twin pregnancies, the preterm birth rate increased by 0.014%, 0.042%, and 0.763%, and the early preterm birth rate increased by 0.004%, 0.013%, and 0.239%, respectively (all P<0.05). Conclusion:From 2017 to 2022, the preterm birth rate and early preterm birth rate in China have continued to rise, reflecting the dual challenges of changing characteristics in the childbearing population and the uneven distribution of medical and health resources faced by maternal and child healthcare in China.

Objective:To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and trends of preterm births in China using medical institution survey data, thereby providing epidemiological data support for perinatal care.Methods:Based on a nationwide sampling survey on healthcare quality data from 2017 to 2022, this study included 3 547, 4 436, 4 513, 4 535, 5 068, and 5 790 medical institutions, with 7 039 107, 8 926 441, 9 006 420, 7 051 984, 7 311 862, and 7 354 062 parturient women, respectively. The overall rates of preterm birth (live births at 28 to 36 +6 weeks of gestation/overall live births) and early preterm birth (live births at 28 to <34 weeks of gestation/overall live births) were calculated at the national level, across diverse provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and for various levels of medical institutions. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze the influence of maternal characteristics and medical institution characteristics on the rates of preterm birth and early preterm birth. Results:From 2017 to 2022, both the preterm birth rate and the early preterm birth rate in China showed a continuous increase. The preterm birth rate rose from 5.13% (363 036/7 079 454) in 2017 to 6.56% (487 150/7 424 734) in 2022, and the early preterm birth rate increased from 1.32% (118 021/8 971 870) in 2018 to 1.43% (106 157/7 424 734) in 2022. These rates showed an overall increasing trend in private, secondary public specialty, and general hospitals. In tertiary public specialty hospitals, these rates fluctuated around 8.0% and 2.0% from the year 2018, respectively, while in tertiary public general hospitals, these rates peaked in 2020 at 8.63% (205 570/2 381 523) and 2.19% (52 197/2 381 523), respectively. Compared with 2017, by 2022, the preterm birth rate had increased to varying degrees in all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, except for Henan Province [preterm birth rate in 2017 was 6.22% (27 173/437 187); preterm birth rate in 2022 was 5.83% (37 604/645 104)]. As for the early preterm birth rate, it showed a decline in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Henan, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Xinjiang, Yunnan, and Zhejiang, but had increased to varying degrees in all other provinces , autonomous regions, municipalities and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps across the country. The grade and location of medical institutions both had a significant impact on the preterm birth rate and early preterm birth rate (both P<0.05). For every 1% increase in the proportions of multiparous women, women of advanced maternal age, or twin pregnancies, the preterm birth rate increased by 0.014%, 0.042%, and 0.763%, and the early preterm birth rate increased by 0.004%, 0.013%, and 0.239%, respectively (all P<0.05). Conclusion:From 2017 to 2022, the preterm birth rate and early preterm birth rate in China have continued to rise, reflecting the dual challenges of changing characteristics in the childbearing population and the uneven distribution of medical and health resources faced by maternal and child healthcare in China.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effect of electroacupuncture (EA) in improving early enteral nutrition tolerance in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) under the concept of accelerated rehabilitation, and to explore the related mechanism based on the changes in autonomic nerve characteristics. METHODS: A total of 42 patients with AP were randomized into an observation group (21 cases, 1 case dropped out) and a control group (21 cases, 1 case dropped out). The control group received standard basic treatment for AP. On the basis of the treatment in the control group, EA was applied in the observation group, bilateral Zusanli (ST36), Yixian point (Extra), Tianshu (ST25), Neiguan (PC6) and Zhongwan (CV12) were selected as the main points, and the supplementary points were selected according to syndrome differentiation. Ipsilateral Zusanli (ST36) and Yixian point (Extra) were connected to EA, using discontinuous wave, in frequency of 2 Hz, 30 min a time, once a day for 6 continuous days. The enteral nutrition tolerance score was observed before treatment and after 3 and 5 days of treatment; the visual analogue scale (VAS) score for abdominal pain was observed before treatment and after 3 days of treatment; the time of reaching the feeding goal and hospital stay was recorded; the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and amylase were measured before treatment and after 5 days of treatment; the heart rate variability (HRV) indexes (standard deviation of NN intervals [SDNN], average standard deviation of NN intervals [SDANN], root mean square of successive NN interval differences [rMSSD], low frequency [LF] and high frequency [HF], ratio of low frequency to high frequency [LF/HF]) were monitored in the two groups. RESULTS: After 3 and 5 days of treatment, the enteral nutrition tolerance scores were decreased compared with those before treatment in both groups (P<0.01), the reductions in the observation group were larger than those in the control group (P<0.01). After 3 days of treatment, the VAS scores for abdominal pain were decreased compared with those before treatment in both groups (P<0.01), the reduction in the observation group was larger than that in the control group (P<0.01). The time of reaching the feeding goal and hospital stay in the observation group was shorter than that in the control group (P<0.05). After 5 days of treatment, the CRP and amylase levels were decreased compared with those before treatment in both groups (P<0.01), the reduction of CRP level in the observation group was larger than that in the control group (P<0.01). In the observation group, SDNN, SDANN and LF/HF were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05, P<0.01), while rMSSD was higher than that in the control group (P<0.01). SDNN, SDANN and LF/HF were positively correlated with the enteral nutrition tolerance scores after 3 and 5 days of treatment (P<0.05), while rMSSD was negatively correlated with the enteral nutrition tolerance scores after 3 and 5 days of treatment (P<0.01). CONCLUSION Electroacupuncture can improve enteral nutrition tolerance in patients with AP by regulating autonomic nervous function, alleviating the inflammation, promoting accelerated recovery, and reducing the length of hospital stay.
Humans ; Electroacupuncture ; Male ; Female ; Enteral Nutrition ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Pancreatitis/physiopathology* ; Aged ; Acupuncture Points ; Young Adult ; Acute Disease/therapy* ; Autonomic Pathways/physiopathology*

In recent years, due to the development of radiotherapy technology and nuclear energy, people have paid more and more attention to the various effects of ionizing radiation on organisms. Ionizing radiation can induce protein, DNA and other biological macromolecules to damage, resulting in apoptosis, senescence, cancer and a series of changes. For a long time, it has been believed that the main target of ionizing radiation damage is DNA in the nucleus. However, it has been reported in recent years that ionizing radiation has both direct and indirect effects, and the theory of ROS damage in the indirect effects believes that ionizing radiation has target uncertainty, so it is not comprehensive enough to evaluate only the DNA damage in the nucleus. It has been reported that ionizing radiation can cause damage to organelles as well as damage to cells. Mitochondria are important damaged organelles because mitochondria occupy as much as 30% of the entire cell volume in the cytoplasm, which contains DNA and related enzymes that are closely related to cellular ATP synthesis, aerobic respiration and other life activities. What is more noteworthy is that mitochondria are the only organelles in which DNA exists in the human body, which makes researchers pay attention to various damage to mitochondrial DNA caused by ionizing radiation (such as double-strand breaks, base mismatching, and fragment loss). Although these damages also occur in the nucleus, mitochondrial DNA is more severely damaged than nuclear DNA due to its lack of histone protection, so mitochondria are important targets of ionizing radiation damage in addition to the nucleus. Mitochondrial DNA is not protected by histones and has little repair ability. When exposed to ionizing radiation, common deletions occur at an increased frequency and are passed on to offspring. For large-scale mitochondrial DNA damage, mitochondria indirectly compensate for the amount of damaged DNA by increasing the number of DNA copies and maintaining the normal function of mitochondrial DNA. Mitochondria are in a state of oxidative stress after exposure to ionizing radiation, and this oxidative stress will promote the change in mitochondrial function. When mitochondria are damaged, the activity of proteins related to aerobic respiration decreases, and oxidative respiration is inhibited to a certain extent. At the same time, a large amount of active superoxide anions are continuously produced to stimulate mitochondrial oxidative stress, and the signal of such damage is transmitted to the surrounding mitochondria, resulting in a cascade of damage reaction, which further activates the signalling pathway between mitochondria and nucleus. The cell nucleus is also in a state of oxidative stress, and finally, the level of free radicals is high, causing secondary damage to the genetic material DNA of mitochondria and nucleus. In this paper, the damage effects of ionizing radiation on mitochondria are reviewed, to provide a new idea for radiation protection.

ObjectiveTo explore the quantity-quality transfer process of medicinal materials， decoction pieces and standard decoction of Haliotidis Concha（Haliotis discus hannai） by analyzing the physical phase and compositional changes， so as to provide references for the effective control of its quality. MethodsA total of 20 batches of Haliotidis Concha（H. discus hannai） from different habitats were collected and prepared into corresponding calcined products and standard decoction， and the content of CaCO₃ of the three samples were determined and the extract yield and transfer rate of CaCO₃ were calculated. The changes in elemental composition and their relative contents were investigated by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry（XRF）， X-ray diffraction（XRD） was used to study the changes in the phase compositions of the three samples and to establish their respective XRD specific chromatogram. Fourier transform infrared spectrometry（FTIR） was used to study the changes in the chemical composition and content changes of the three samples and to establish their respective FTIR specific chromatogram， while combining hierarchical cluster analysis（HCA）， principal component analysis（PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） to find the common and differential characteristics， in order to explore the quantity-quality transfer relationship in the preparation process of standard decoction of Haliotidis Concha（H. discus hannai）. ResultsThe CaCO₃ contents of the 20 batches of medicinal materials， decoction pieces and standard decoction of Haliotidis Concha（H. discus hannai） were 93.87%-98.95%， 96.02%-99.97% and 38.29%-51.96%， respectively， and the extract yield of standard decoction was 1.71%-2.37%， and the CaCO₃ transfer rate of decoction pieces-standard decoction was 0.68%-1.27%. XRF results showed that the elemental species and their relative contents contained in Haliotidis Concha and its calcined products had a high degree of similarity， and although there was no obvious difference in the elemental species contained in decoction pieces and standard decoction， the difference in the relative contents was obvious， which was mainly reflected in the decrease of the relative content of element Ca and the increase of the relative content of element Na. XRD results showed that Haliotidis Concha mainly contained CaCO₃ of aragonite and calcite， while calcined Haliotidis Concha only contained CaCO₃ of calcite， and standard decoction mainly contained CaCO₃ of calcite and Na₂CO₃ of natrite. FTIR results showed that there were internal vibrations of O-H， C-H， C=O， HCO₃^- and CO₃^2- groups in Haliotidis Concha， while O-H， HCO₃^- and CO₃^2- groups existed in the calcined products and standard decoction. ConclusionThe changes of Haliotidis Concha and calcined Haliotidis Concha are mainly the increase of CaCO₃ content， the transformation of CaCO₃ aragonite crystal form to calcite crystal form and the absence of organic components after calcination， and the changes of calcined products and standard decoction are mainly the decrease of CaCO₃ content and the increase of Na₂CO₃ relative content. The method established in the study is applicable to the quality control of the shellfish medicines-decoction pieces- standard decoction， which provides a new idea for the study of quality control of dispensing granules of shellfish medicines.

ObjectiveTo explore the quantity-quality transfer process of medicinal materials， decoction pieces and standard decoction of Haliotidis Concha（Haliotis discus hannai） by analyzing the physical phase and compositional changes， so as to provide references for the effective control of its quality. MethodsA total of 20 batches of Haliotidis Concha（H. discus hannai） from different habitats were collected and prepared into corresponding calcined products and standard decoction， and the content of CaCO₃ of the three samples were determined and the extract yield and transfer rate of CaCO₃ were calculated. The changes in elemental composition and their relative contents were investigated by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry（XRF）， X-ray diffraction（XRD） was used to study the changes in the phase compositions of the three samples and to establish their respective XRD specific chromatogram. Fourier transform infrared spectrometry（FTIR） was used to study the changes in the chemical composition and content changes of the three samples and to establish their respective FTIR specific chromatogram， while combining hierarchical cluster analysis（HCA）， principal component analysis（PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） to find the common and differential characteristics， in order to explore the quantity-quality transfer relationship in the preparation process of standard decoction of Haliotidis Concha（H. discus hannai）. ResultsThe CaCO₃ contents of the 20 batches of medicinal materials， decoction pieces and standard decoction of Haliotidis Concha（H. discus hannai） were 93.87%-98.95%， 96.02%-99.97% and 38.29%-51.96%， respectively， and the extract yield of standard decoction was 1.71%-2.37%， and the CaCO₃ transfer rate of decoction pieces-standard decoction was 0.68%-1.27%. XRF results showed that the elemental species and their relative contents contained in Haliotidis Concha and its calcined products had a high degree of similarity， and although there was no obvious difference in the elemental species contained in decoction pieces and standard decoction， the difference in the relative contents was obvious， which was mainly reflected in the decrease of the relative content of element Ca and the increase of the relative content of element Na. XRD results showed that Haliotidis Concha mainly contained CaCO₃ of aragonite and calcite， while calcined Haliotidis Concha only contained CaCO₃ of calcite， and standard decoction mainly contained CaCO₃ of calcite and Na₂CO₃ of natrite. FTIR results showed that there were internal vibrations of O-H， C-H， C=O， HCO₃^- and CO₃^2- groups in Haliotidis Concha， while O-H， HCO₃^- and CO₃^2- groups existed in the calcined products and standard decoction. ConclusionThe changes of Haliotidis Concha and calcined Haliotidis Concha are mainly the increase of CaCO₃ content， the transformation of CaCO₃ aragonite crystal form to calcite crystal form and the absence of organic components after calcination， and the changes of calcined products and standard decoction are mainly the decrease of CaCO₃ content and the increase of Na₂CO₃ relative content. The method established in the study is applicable to the quality control of the shellfish medicines-decoction pieces- standard decoction， which provides a new idea for the study of quality control of dispensing granules of shellfish medicines.

Vacuum compression molding (VCM) is a novel technology supporting the research and development of pharmaceutical solid dispersions. It is widely applied due to its precision and convenience in sample preparation. This technology integrates the principles of heating, melting, cooling, and vacuum compression to transform solid powders into shaped solids directly. By selecting different molds, temperatures, and pressures, researchers can prepare samples with diverse characteristics. This paper presents an overview of the equipment composition and working principles of VCM technology, demonstrating its distinct advantages in the formulation screening process of amorphous solid dispersions through comparative analysis with hot melt extrusion using case studies, and introduces its applications in the development of drug delivery systems and rheological characterization analysis, with a perspective on the future development of its functions.

Pediatric tumors differ significantly from adult cancers, possessing unique developmental origins, histological features, and molecular genetic changes. With the rapid advancement of multi-omics technologies, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and epigenetic analyses, the molecular characteristics of pediatric tumors have been extensively revealed, providing new possibilities for precision medicine. Concurrently, the integration of artificial intelligence and digital pathology has effectively enhanced diagnostic accuracy, presenting a broad scope for future development. While this progress positively impacts the pathological diagnosis of pediatric tumors, it also presents challenges related to data complexity, technology integration, and the promotion of clinical applications. This article aims to discuss the influence of molecular and artificial intelligence, as well as multimodal integrated pathological models on diagnosis and prognostic prediction of pediatric tumor, with the goal of fostering further exploration and in-depth research.

Pediatric tumors differ significantly from adult cancers, possessing unique developmental origins, histological features, and molecular genetic changes. With the rapid advancement of multi-omics technologies, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and epigenetic analyses, the molecular characteristics of pediatric tumors have been extensively revealed, providing new possibilities for precision medicine. Concurrently, the integration of artificial intelligence and digital pathology has effectively enhanced diagnostic accuracy, presenting a broad scope for future development. While this progress positively impacts the pathological diagnosis of pediatric tumors, it also presents challenges related to data complexity, technology integration, and the promotion of clinical applications. This article aims to discuss the influence of molecular and artificial intelligence, as well as multimodal integrated pathological models on diagnosis and prognostic prediction of pediatric tumor, with the goal of fostering further exploration and in-depth research.

Objective To investigate the correlation of the distribution patterns of stem-branch circuit qi at birth and at conception of children with the predisposition to pediatric epilepsy.Methods A case-control study was conducted in 1 113 children with epilepsy(case group)and 2 346 non-epilepsy children(control group)who sought medical consultation in the Pediatric Outpatient Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine at the same period.Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used to analyze the circuit qi endowment of children between the two groups at conception and at birth.Results(1)The analysis of the circuit qi distribution at birth showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the distribution of dominant qi between the case group and the control group at birth(P＜0.05).The initial qi(the first circuit qi in the theory of six climatic factors)accounted for the most(215 cases,19.30％)and the sixth qi accounted for the least(145 cases,13.0％).There was no significant difference in the distribution of suiyun(yearly evolutive phase),dominant circuit(regular yearly evolutive phase),guest circuit(alterable yearly evolutive phase),guest qi(alterable yearly circuit qi)and sitian(the first half of the alterable yearly circuit qi)at birth(P＞0.05).The results of binary logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of predisposition to epilepsy in the children was increased when the children were born in the Chinese lunar year of Ren(OR=1.444,95％CI:1.055-1.975),at the initial qi(OR=1.363,95％CI:1.057-1.757)and at the fifth qi(OR=1.378,95％CI:1.065-1.783).(2)The analysis on the distribution of circuit qi at conception showed that there was no significant difference in the distribution of suiyun and sitian-zaiquan semiannual circuit qi between the case group and the control group(P＞0.05).Binary logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of predisposition to epilepsy in the children was increased when pregnancy in the suiyun of taimu-taimu(OR=1.866,95％CI:1.142-3.048)and at sitian semiannual circuit qi of shaoyang minister fire and zaiquan semiannual circuit qi of jueyin wind-wood(OR=1.672,95％CI:1.004-2.786).Conclusion There is a certain correlation between circuit qi endowment and the prevalence of pediatric epilepsy.