Background: and Purpose Vertebrobasilar fusiform aneurysms (VBFAs) carry substantial morbidity and mortality, but optimal management for unruptured VBFAs remains unclear. We compared the safety and efficacy of conservative management (CM), stent-assisted coiling (SAC), and flow diverters (FDs) in patients with unruptured VBFAs, focusing on long-term prognosis. Methods: This study included data from a nationwide Chinese cohort of patients with vertebrobasilar dissecting aneurysms. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) balanced confounders across groups. The primary outcome was poor prognosis (modified Rankin Scale score >2). Secondary outcomes included aneurysm rupture, ischemic stroke, compression symptoms, and VBFA-related deaths. Logistic regression estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. Results: Among 1,115 patients with unruptured VBFAs, 838 (median age, 54 years; 655 men) were included. After IPTW, baseline characteristics were balanced. Median follow-up was 54 months. FD was associated with a lower risk of poor prognosis than CM (OR, 0.48 [95% CI, 0.30 to 0.77]; p=0.002), with no difference between CM and SAC. FD also reduced aneurysm rupture (OR, 0.20 [95% CI, 0.07 to 0.60]; p=0.004) and compression symptoms (OR, 0.30 [95% CI, 0.13 to 0.68]; p=0.004) versus CM. Time-to-event analyses further revealed significant differences in vertebral artery lesions and Type I–II VBFAs, whereas no significant differences were observed in basilar or vertebrobasilar junction lesions or in Type III–IV VBFAs. Conclusions Compared with CM, FD was associated with improved long-term outcomes in unruptured VBFAs, particularly in vertebral artery lesions and Type I–II VBFAs, although residual confounding cannot be excluded.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness and safety of coblopasvir hydrochloride combined with sofosbuvir （CLP/SOF） in the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C （CHC） and those with genotype 3b in terms of virologic response rate， changes in liver and renal function parameters， and adverse events， and to provide a reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment. MethodsThe patients with CHC who were admitted to Maanshan Fourth People’s Hospital from March 1， 2023 to July 31， 2024 were enrolled and treated with CLP/SOF for a course of 12 weeks. Follow-up assessments were conducted at weeks 4， 8， and 12 of treatment and at 12 weeks after the end of treatment， and related data were collected， including HCV RNA， routine blood test results， and liver and renal function parameters. Sustained virologic response at 12 weeks after treatment （SVR12） and safety profile were evaluated. The Friedman test was used for comparison of liver and renal function parameters， routine blood test results， and liver fibrosis score at different time points. ResultsA total of 107 CHC patients treated with CLP/SOF were enrolled， with an age of 22 — 92 years， and there were 55 male patients. The predominant genotypes were 1b （46.73%） and 3b （28.97%）. Comorbidities mainly included liver cirrhosis （15 patients）， fatty liver disease （27 patients）， syphilis （15 patients）， HBV infection （8 patients）， and HIV infection （2 patients）. The overall SVR12 rate was 100% （107/107）， with an SVR12 rate of 100% for subgroups with different genotypes and those with liver cirrhosis， fatty liver disease， syphilis， HBV infection， or HIV infection. The patients with HCV genotype 3b comorbid with liver cirrhosis， fatty liver disease， syphilis， HBV infection， hypertension or diabetes also achieved an SVR12 rate of 100%. After CLP/SOF treatment， the patients showed significant reductions in the levels of the liver function parameters alanine aminotransferase， aspartate aminotransferase， total bilirubin， and hemoglobin （all P<0.001） and significant reductions in the liver fibrosis scores fibrosis-4 and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index （both P<0.001）. The median creatinine level was 66 μmol/L before treatment， which decreased to 52 μmol/L at week 12 of treatment （P<0.001）. No adverse events were reported. ConclusionPatients with CHC achieve a high SVR12 rate and significant improvements in liver function parameters and liver fibrosis markers after treatment with the CLP/SOF regimen， and this regimen has no significant impact on renal function and shows a favorable safety profile. Therefore， it holds promise for clinical application.

Objective A scoping review of studies related to the burden on family carers of haemodialysis patients was conducted with the aim of comprehensively dissecting the current state of research in this area and informing subsequent studies.Methods A scope review reporting framework was used to search the CNKI,China Biomedical Literature Database,Vip Database,Wanfang Database,Chinese Medical Journal Full Text Database,PubMed,CINAHL,Web of Science,Cochrane Library,Scopus,and Embase,with a timeframe for searching the database from its construction to 29 March 2025.The included literature was summarised and analysed.Results A total of 25 papers were included,of which 21 reported scores/incidence of family carer burden,with overall results dominated by mild to moderate burden,involving 5 tools for assessing family carer burden,influencing factors(including demographic,disease-related,psychosocial,economic social,caregiving factors)and 6 other aspects.Intervention covers peer support groups,the 5-A model of self-management,health behaviours teaching,problem-focused strategies,etc.Conclusion The burden of family caregivers of haemodialysis patients at home and abroad is a common problem,which is affected by many factors,and it is urgent to carry out multi-centre,large-sample longitudinal studies and family-centred intervention studies in the future,so as to reduce the adverse effects of the burden of family caregivers,and to improve the patients' adherence to the treatment as well as the physical and mental health of the family caregivers.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the selection strategy for recipient vessels in free flap reconstruction of head and neck defects.METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted on 96 patients who underwent 99 free flap reconstructions for head and neck defects between January 2020 and December 2024.Recipient vessel selection,flap survival,and postoperative complications were analyzed based on defect location and flap type.RESULTS In 99 cases microvessel anastomosis,the recipient arteries were superior thyroid artery in 49 branches,facial artery in 28 branches,superficial temporal artery in 14 branches,lingual artery in 5 branches.external carotid artery in 1 branch,transverse cervical artery in 1 branch,and superior laryngeal artery in 1 branch.Venous anastomosis was performed in 104 branches,with 94 cases in 1 venous anastomosis and 5 cases in 2 venous anastomoses.The recipient veins selected were facial vein in 62 branches,external jugular vein in 21 branches,superficial temporal vein in 12 branches,retromandibular vein in 3 branches,middle thyroid vein in 2 branches,internal jugular vein in 2 branches,middle temporal vein in 1 branch,and superior thyroid vein in 1 branch.Complete flap necrosis occurred in 5 cases,and partial necrosis occurred in 4 cases.When the recipient vessels were deficient,the lingual artery was chosen in 3 cases,the facial artery in 1 case,the external jugular vein in 3 cases,the internal jugular vein with end-to-side anastomosis in 1 case,and the common facial vein with end-to-side anastomosis in 1 case.CONCLUSION In free flap reconstruction for head and neck defects,the superior thyroid artery,facial artery,and superficial temporal artery are commonly used as recipient arteries,while the facial vein,external jugular vein,and superficial temporal vein are frequently selected as recipient veins.When recipient vessels are scarce,the ipsilateral lingual artery,transverse cervical artery,and main trunk of the internal jugular vein can serve as alternative recipient vessels.

Objective A scoping review of studies related to the burden on family carers of haemodialysis patients was conducted with the aim of comprehensively dissecting the current state of research in this area and informing subsequent studies.Methods A scope review reporting framework was used to search the CNKI,China Biomedical Literature Database,Vip Database,Wanfang Database,Chinese Medical Journal Full Text Database,PubMed,CINAHL,Web of Science,Cochrane Library,Scopus,and Embase,with a timeframe for searching the database from its construction to 29 March 2025.The included literature was summarised and analysed.Results A total of 25 papers were included,of which 21 reported scores/incidence of family carer burden,with overall results dominated by mild to moderate burden,involving 5 tools for assessing family carer burden,influencing factors(including demographic,disease-related,psychosocial,economic social,caregiving factors)and 6 other aspects.Intervention covers peer support groups,the 5-A model of self-management,health behaviours teaching,problem-focused strategies,etc.Conclusion The burden of family caregivers of haemodialysis patients at home and abroad is a common problem,which is affected by many factors,and it is urgent to carry out multi-centre,large-sample longitudinal studies and family-centred intervention studies in the future,so as to reduce the adverse effects of the burden of family caregivers,and to improve the patients' adherence to the treatment as well as the physical and mental health of the family caregivers.

Objective:To study the effects of aluminum exposure on learning and memory and the expression of nerve growth factor(NGF)in the hippocampus of offspring rats,and to investigate the mechanism by which aluminum impairs learning and memory function.Methods:Forty pregnant Wistar rats were randomly assigned to the Control group(Control),low-dose Al group(Al-L),medium-dose Al group(Al-M)and high-dose Al group(Al-H).The off-spring rats were fed with Al through breast milk from birth to weaning,while the rats in the control group were fed with distilled water.The maternal rats Al-L,Al-M and Al-H groups drank distilled water solution containing 2.0,4.0 and 8.0 g/L AlCl3,respectively.After weaning,the offspring rats in the aluminum exposure group drank distilled water so-lution containing 2.0,4.0 and 8.0 g/L AlCl3 by themselves until the 90th day after birth to establish the offspring rat model of subchronic aluminum exposure.After aluminum exposure,the shuttle box test was used to detect the learning and memory ability of offspring rats,and the body weight of offspring rats and hippocampus were weighed to evaluate the effect of aluminum exposure.The expression of nerve growth factor(NGF)protein in hippocampus of offspring rats was detected by Western blot,and the expression of NGF mRNA in hippocampus of offspring rats was detected by real time RT-PCR.Results:The body weight of offspring rats in Al-H group was significantly lower than that in the other three dose groups.In the shuttle box test,compared with the control group,the active avoidance response and passive avoid-ance response of the offspring rats in the aluminum exposure group showed a downward trend with the increase of alumi-num exposure dose,indicating that the learning and memory ability of the offspring rats in the aluminum exposure group was impaired.Compared with the control group,the NGF protein content and NGF mRNA expression in the hippocam-pus of offspring rats in the aluminum exposure group were significantly decreased.Conclusion:Subchronic aluminum exposure down-regulates the expression of NGF in the hippocampus,which may cause learning and memory impairment in offspring rats.

OBJECTIVE To observe the characteristics of outer membrane vesicles(OMVs)of 1 strain of hypervir-ulent Klebsiella pneumoniae(hvKp)11492.METHODS The hvKp11492,one of major clones of hvKp that were i-solated from patients with bloodstream infection in the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital,was chosen as the research subject.The strain was identified by means of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ioniza-tion time of flight mass spectrometry and whole genome sequencing.The hvKp1 1492-OMVs were separated and purified by high speed centrifugation in combination with polymer precipitation,the morphology and particle size of the hvKp11492-OMVs were identified by transmission electron microscopy(TEM)and nanoparticle tracking a-nalysis(NTA),the proteomic characteristics were analyzed through bicinchoninic acid assay(BCA)and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS)series technique,and the virulence genes were detected by PCR.RESULTS The hvKp11492-OMVs were displayed differently in size,round or oval,and complete double-layer membrane vesicles on TEM.The result of NTA showed that the average particle size of the hvKp1 1492-OMVs was 270 nm.The protein content of hvKp11492-OMVs was(2.448±0.975)μg/μl.The result of subcellular lo-calization indicated that the protein included plasmosin,intracellular membrane protein,periplasmic protein,ex-tracellular membrane protein and nuclear region protein,which were found,by the annotation of GO database,to participate in the biological processes such as oxidation-reduction,interpretation,and metabolism.The hvKp11492-OMVs contained various proteins such as GDP-L-fucose synthetase,iron ion transporter protein and ferritin that were associated with pathogenicity.In addition,the hvKp1 1492-OMVs carried with iutA,iroN,iucA and rmpA virulence genes.CONCLUSIONS The morphologic characteristics,size and proteomic characteris-tics of the hvKp11492-OMVs are identified in the study.It is concluded that the hvKp11492-OMVs carry with va-rious proteins and genes that are association with the virulence and pathogenicity.

Objective:To explore the feasibility and effect on the reconstruction of whole hand degloving injury by transfer of nerved tissue flaps in staged surgery.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on the clinical data of 5 patients who suffered whole hand degloving injury and underwent staged reconstructive surgery with nerved tissue flaps, from December 2018 to December 2022 in the Department of Hand Surgery, Longgang Orthopaedics Hospital of Shenzhen. The patients were 4 males and 1 female, aged 22-45 years. Two of the whole-hand degloved injuries were left hands and 3 of right. Two patients had the whole-hand degloving injury combined with a fracture of distal phalangeal tuberosity, and 1 was complicated with partial rupture of the extensor tendon insertion. Areas of the whole hand degloving injury ranged from 215 cm 2 to 480 cm 2, the size of the hallux nail flaps for reconstruction of thumbs ranged from 54 cm 2 to 104 cm 2, the size of the hallux nail flaps for reconstruction of index fingers ranged from 65 cm 2 to 133 cm 2, and the size of the flaps for reconstruction of all the defects of hands ranged from 119 cm 2 to 255 cm 2. In primary surgery, the thumbs, index fingers and the first webs were reconstructed with bilateral hallux nail flaps to shape the appearance and gain the sensation function. Meanwhile, a single and large defect was created from the defects of hand by bundling up the middle, ring and little fingers together with the all the defects in both palmar and dorsal hand. Then an anterolateral thigh flap (ALTF) was used to have the created single defect wrapped together. Donor sites of the bilateral hallux nail flap were reconstructed with a lobulated ALTF from the other side or with bilateral peroneal artery perforator flaps. Donor sites of the ALTF and peroneal artery perforator flap were pulled and sutured. After the hallux nail flaps and ALTFs of the affected hands had survived and stabilised, multiple staged surgery were then carried out to firstly reconstruct the ring and little fingers, and followed by the middle and ring fingers in turns from the artificial syndactyly created in the primary surgery. In the final stage of surgery, skin of the radial side of middle and ring finger-pulps and the ulnar little finger-pulp were replaced by lateral toe flaps to reconstruct the sensations of the main sensory zones of middle, ring and little finger-pulps. Thereafter, the shape, TPD and finger extension and flexions were observed and evaluated through the postoperative follow-up, at the outpatient clinic according to the Evaluation Standard of Thumb and Finger Reconstruction Function of the Hand Surgery Society of the Chinese Medical Association. The appearance and function of the donor sites in both feet were evaluated with the Maryland foot score. Results:All flaps survived after surgery. Postoperative follow-up lasted up to 14 to 48 months after the last surgery. The appearance of fingers was satisfactory with good function. TPD of thumbs and index finger-pulps had achieved up to 6-8 mm, and 3-8 mm in the main sensory zones of middle, ring and little finger-pulps. TPD in the non-major sensory zones of middle, ring and little finger-pulps was found at 10-14 mm, which scored 13 to 14 and rated as excellent according to the Evaluation Standard of Thumb and Finger Reconstruction Function of the Hand Surgery Society of the Chinese Medical Association. Only a linear scar left in the donor site of thigh. As the appearance of the flaps on the feet was not bloated and there was no obvious abnormality in walking and running, therefore the function of feet scored up to 96 to 97 and rated excellent according to the Maryland foot score.Conclusion:A multi-staged reconstruction of a whole hand degloving injury with nerved tissue flaps not only achieves satisfactory digital and hand appearance, but also with good function. There is no obvious effect on the appearance and function of the donor sites. This surgical strategy is novel in the reconstruction of a whole hand degloving injury.

Objective:To determine the levels of interleukin-2 (IL-22) and interleukin-26 (IL-26) in pleural effusion and serum in patients with tuberculous pleurisy, and analyze the diagnostic value of their combination for tuberculous pleurisy.Methods:From January 2016 to December 2023, 310 patients with tuberculous pleurisy admitted to Xi′an Hi-tech Hospital were included as the study group, and another 310 patients with non tuberculous pleurisy were regarded as the control group. The pleural effusion and serum samples of hospitalized patients were collected. Serum samples were collected from patients at 2 months after treatment for testing of IL-22 and IL-26 levels. The diagnostic value and correlation of IL-22 and IL-26 levels in pleural effusion and serum were analyzed.Results:Compared with the control group, the levels of pleural effusion and serum IL-26 and IL-22 in the study group were increased: (84.68 ± 12.17) ng/L vs. (69.33 ± 9.82) ng/L, (82.45 ± 11.75) ng/L vs. (39.53 ± 5.66) ng/L and (74.38 ± 10.57) ng/L vs. (53.32 ± 7.54) ng/L, (21.45 ± 3.14) ng/L vs. (14.45 ± 2.05) ng/L, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.01). Compared with before treatment, serum IL-26 and IL-22 levels decreased after treatment: (61.66 ± 8.72) ng/L vs. (74.38 ± 10.57) ng/L, (17.38 ± 2.59) ng/L vs. (21.45 ± 3.14) ng/L, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.01). The AUC of IL-26 and IL-22 in pleural effusion and serum samples in the diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy was 0.895, 0.820, 0.929 and 0.893, respectively. The AUC of IL-26 and IL-22 combined detection in pleural effusion and serum samples in the diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy was 0.964 and 0.970, respectively. Pleural effusion IL-26 was positively correlated with serum IL-26 ( r = 0.733, P<0.01) and positively correlated with pleural effusion IL-22 ( r = 0.544, P<0.01); pleural effusion IL-22 was positively correlated with serum IL-22 ( r = 0.532, P<0.01); serum IL-22 was positively correlated with serum IL-26 ( r = 0.619, P<0.01). Conclusions:The levels of IL-22 and IL-26 in pleural effusion and serum of patients with tuberculous pleurisy are elevated, and the two may jointly participate in the immune regulation of tuberculous pleurisy. It can be used as one of the biochemical diagnostic methods for patients with tuberculous pleurisy.

ObjectiveTo reveal the active substances and mechanisms of modified Qing'e formula （MQEF） in delaying skin photoaging by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-TOF-MS），network pharmacology， and cell experiments. MethodsUPLC-Q-TOF-MS and a literature review were employed to analyze the transdermally absorbed components in mice after the topical application of MQEF. The potential targets of MQEF in treating skin photoaging were retrieved from databases.The compound-potential target network and protein-protein interaction network were constructed to screen the key components and core targets. A photoaging cell model was established by irradiating HaCaT cells with medium-wave ultraviolet B （UVB）. The safe doses of bakuchiol （BAK） and salvianolic acid B （SAB） for treating HaCaT cells and the effects of BAK and SAB on the viability of cells exposed to UVB irradiation were determined by the cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） method.The reactive oxygen species （ROS） fluorescent probe was used to measure the ROS production in the cells treated with BAK and SAB.The expression levels of genes related to oxidative stress，inflammation，collagen metabolism，and circadian rhythm clock were measured by Real-time PCR. ResultsA total of 24 transdermally absorbed components of MQEF were identified，which acted on 367 potential targets，and 417 targets related to skin photoaging were screened out，among which 47 common targets were predicted as the targets of MQEF in treating skin photoaging. MQEF exerted the anti-photoaging effect via key components such as BAK and SAB，which acted on core proteins such as serine/threonine kinase 1 （Akt1） and mitogen-activated protein kinase 3 （MAPK3） and intervened in core pathways such as the tumor necrosis factor （TNF） and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathways.Compared with the model group，the administration of BAK and SAB increased the survival rate of HaCaT cells （P<0.01），down-regulated the mRNA levels of cyclooxygenase-2 （COX-2），interleukin-6 （IL-6），tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α），matrix metalloproteinase-1 （MMP-1），and matrix metalloproteinase-9 （MMP-9） （P<0.01），and up-regulated the mRNA levels of heme oxygenase-1 （HO-1） and NAD（P）H quinone dehydrogenase 1 （NQO-1） （P<0.05，P<0.01） in photoaged HaCaT cells.In addition，it eliminated excess ROS production induced by UVB and up-regulated the mRNA levels of brain and muscle ARNT-like 1 （BMAL1） and circadian locomotor output cycles kaput （CLOCK） associated with circadian clock （P<0.05，P<0.01）. ConclusionMQEF delays skin photoaging through the coordinated effects of various components，multiple targets，and diverse pathways.The key components BAK and SAB in MQEF exhibit anti-photoaging properties，which involve inhibiting oxidative stress，preventing collagen degradation，mitigating inflammation，and maintaining normal skin circadian rhythms by regulating clock gene expression.