Pulmonary siderosis caused by iron and its compound dust is prone to misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis due to its insidious exposure pathways and non-specific imaging manifestations. This study analyzes the occupational histories and clinical data of six patients with occupational pulmonary siderosis diagnosed at Qingdao Central Hospital between January 2017 and December 2023, summarizes its characteristics, and evaluates the value of AI-assisted diagnosis. All six patients were male, with five being welders. The median dust exposure duration was 9.4 years, and the median latency period was 8.4 years. The main symptoms were chest tightness, cough, and shortness of breath. High-kilovolt chest radiographs were negative in four cases and showed thickened bronchovascular markings in two cases. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) revealed centrilobular nodules and tree-in-bud opacities in all cases. Pulmonary siderosis caused by iron and its compound dust is characterized by mild symptoms and a favorable prognosis. Comprehensive assessment and HRCT are crucial for early diagnosis. The development of AI models could enhance diagnostic recognition efficiency and promote precision diagnosis in the future.

Objective To elucidate how the overexpression of cystathionine-β-synthase(CBS)plays an antihypertensive role by affecting peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α(PGC-1α)expression.Methods The adeno-associated viruses(AAVs),ones that overexpressed CBS,and another knocked down PGC-1α,were injected into the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus(PVN)of spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHRs).The rats'blood pressure was monitored,and the level of norepinephrine(NE)was examined by ELISA;PVN inflammatory response,oxidative stress and tyrosine hydroxylase(TH)expression were detected with RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence.Results PVN overexpression of CBS could increase the transcription level of CBS(by 3.8 times,P＜0.05)and PGC-1α(by 1.6 times,P＜0.05)in PVN of SHR.PVN overexpression of CBS could reduce blood pressure in SHR(from 177.81 mmHg to 128.77 mmHg,P＜0.001),but PVN knockdown of PGC-1αweakened such effect(from 128.77 mmHg to 152.79 mmHg,P＜0.05).PVN overexpression of CBS could alleviate PVN inflammatory response and oxidative stress,but this effect was weakened or even eliminated when knocking down PGC-1α was performed at the same time.Conclusion PVN overexpression of CBS can reduce blood pressure in SHR,and this effect may be achieved by increasing the transcriptional level of PGC-1α,alleviating PVN inflammatory response,oxidative stress,and improving sympathetic nerve excitation.

Objective To elucidate how the overexpression of cystathionine-β-synthase(CBS)plays an antihypertensive role by affecting peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α(PGC-1α)expression.Methods The adeno-associated viruses(AAVs),ones that overexpressed CBS,and another knocked down PGC-1α,were injected into the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus(PVN)of spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHRs).The rats'blood pressure was monitored,and the level of norepinephrine(NE)was examined by ELISA;PVN inflammatory response,oxidative stress and tyrosine hydroxylase(TH)expression were detected with RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence.Results PVN overexpression of CBS could increase the transcription level of CBS(by 3.8 times,P＜0.05)and PGC-1α(by 1.6 times,P＜0.05)in PVN of SHR.PVN overexpression of CBS could reduce blood pressure in SHR(from 177.81 mmHg to 128.77 mmHg,P＜0.001),but PVN knockdown of PGC-1αweakened such effect(from 128.77 mmHg to 152.79 mmHg,P＜0.05).PVN overexpression of CBS could alleviate PVN inflammatory response and oxidative stress,but this effect was weakened or even eliminated when knocking down PGC-1α was performed at the same time.Conclusion PVN overexpression of CBS can reduce blood pressure in SHR,and this effect may be achieved by increasing the transcriptional level of PGC-1α,alleviating PVN inflammatory response,oxidative stress,and improving sympathetic nerve excitation.

AIM:To investigate the mechanism by which muscle segment homeobox 2(Msx2)regulates the differentiation of outer enamel epithelial cells in the enamel organ.METHODS:Tissue paraffin sections were prepared and subjected to hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining to analyze the effect of Msx2 deficiency on the differentiation status of epithelial cells in the enamel organ at the morphological level.At the ultrastructural level,alterations in cell structure were analyzed.The intermediate steps mediating cell differentiation were identified.Transcriptome sequencing analysis was performed to validate the molecular mechanisms underlying the observed phenomena.RESULTS:Msx2 deficiency was innovatively found to induce severe squamous epithelial hyperplasia in outer enamel epithelial cells of enamel organ,accompanied by dynamic restructuring of the cell cytoskeleton and alterations in cell adhesion at the ultrastructure level.As a transcriptional repressor,the loss of Msx2 expression results in significant increases(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01)in the mRNA expression levels of integrin β2(Itgβ2),ItgαM,Itgα4,Rac family small GTPase 2(Rac2),Rac/Cdc42 guanine nucleo-tide exchange factor 6(Arhgef6)and protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type C(Ptprc).CONCLUSION:Msx2 regu-lates cytoskeleton structure and cell-cell interaction through the Rho GTPases signaling pathway,thereby influencing the differentiation state of outer enamel epithelial cells.This study reveals the mechanism through which Msx2 regulates the differentiation of outer enamel epithelial cells,providing a theoretical foundation for the prevention and treatment of enam-el-related clinical dental diseases.

Objective To understand the current situation of healthcare-associated infection(HAI)in China,pro-vide data support and decision-making basis for formulating scientific and effective strategies for HAI prevention and control.Methods A nationwide cross-sectional survey on HAI was conducted among various types and levels of medical institutions in China according to a unified protocol of bedside surveys and case investigations.Results In 2024,a total of 5 736 medical institutions and 2 751 765 patients were surveyed.Among them,34 889 HAI cases were identified,with a prevalence rate of 1.27％.The number of HAI episodes was 38 032,and case prevalence rate was 1.38％.The prevalence rate of HAI in medical institutions in different regions of China ranged from 0.66％to 2.35％.Among medical institutions of different scales,those with a bed capacity of ≥900 had the high-est incidence of HAI,reaching 1.65％.The most common infection site was the lower respiratory tract(44.66％),followed by the urinary tract(12.94％),surgical site(9.32％),upper respiratory tract(7.02％),and bloodstream infection(5.78％).The top 3 departments with the highest HAI rates were the general intensive care unit(10.02％),department of neurosurgery(5.51％),and department(group)of hematology(5.34％).A total of 23 238 strains of HAI pathogens were detected,with 10 714 strains(46.10％)from lower respiratory tract speci-mens.The top 5 detected strains were Klebsiella pneumoniae(14.76％),Pseudomonas aeruginosa(13.33％),Escherichia coli(12.79％),Acinetobacter baumannii(9.23％),and Staphylococcus aureus(7.88％).231 944 pa-tients underwent class Ⅰ incision surgery were monitored,with 1 647 cases experienced surgical site infection,and the prevalence rate of surgical site infection was 0.71％.The number of patients who should undergo pathogen de-tection(patients receiving therapeutic and therapeutic combined prophylactic antimicrobial agents)was 715 179,while the actual number was 480 492,with a pathogen detection rate of 67.18％.425 225 patients received patho-genic detection before treatment,with a detection rate of 59.46％.Conclusion The overall HAI prevalence in Chi-na is lower,showing disparities among medical institutions of different regions and scales.Therefore,precise imple-mentation of measures is necessary for HAI prevention and control,with a focus on high-risk institutions and high-risk departments,key areas,and critical procedures.All levels of medical institutions should continuously reduce the incidence of HAI by strengthening monitoring,standardizing the use of antimicrobial agents,and reinforcing basic HAI prevention and control measures.

Objective:To develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-based platelet review strategy to identify abnormal platelet histograms with no significant difference between initial impedance platelet count (PLT-I) and PLT-F results.Methods:This study included 5 119 routine blood analysis in Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University and its Ganzhou branch from July 2023 and March 2024. Specimens exhibiting abnormal platelet histograms and an initial platelet count >40×10?/L underwent review using the fluorescent platelet count (PLT-F) channel. Consistency of the results was defined as a difference between impedance platelet count (PLT-I) and PLT-F less than ±20% of the PLT-F results. A deep learning model was developed using platelet and red blood cell histogram data from a training set of 3 807 specimens. The model′s diagnostic performance was evaluated on an independent external validation set ( n=805) using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Changes in the number of reviewed samples and sample turnaround time were analyzed to assess its clinical utility. Results:The deep learning model based on platelet and red blood cell histograms achieved an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.854 in the training set. At a cutoff value of 0.1, the sensitivity was 0.954 and specificity was 0.358. The model could reduce review by 16.80% (190/1 131). In the validation set, the AUC was 0.805, with a sensitivity of 0.955 and specificity of 0.307, corresponding to a reduction of 17.41% (47/270) in reviewed specimens.Conclusion:The platelet review prediction model developed based on deep learning technology can efficiently identify samples with consistent results before and after review, reducing unnecessary reviews and shortening specimen testing time, thereby improving the efficiency of platelet test.

Objective To understand the current situation of healthcare-associated infection(HAI)in China,pro-vide data support and decision-making basis for formulating scientific and effective strategies for HAI prevention and control.Methods A nationwide cross-sectional survey on HAI was conducted among various types and levels of medical institutions in China according to a unified protocol of bedside surveys and case investigations.Results In 2024,a total of 5 736 medical institutions and 2 751 765 patients were surveyed.Among them,34 889 HAI cases were identified,with a prevalence rate of 1.27％.The number of HAI episodes was 38 032,and case prevalence rate was 1.38％.The prevalence rate of HAI in medical institutions in different regions of China ranged from 0.66％to 2.35％.Among medical institutions of different scales,those with a bed capacity of ≥900 had the high-est incidence of HAI,reaching 1.65％.The most common infection site was the lower respiratory tract(44.66％),followed by the urinary tract(12.94％),surgical site(9.32％),upper respiratory tract(7.02％),and bloodstream infection(5.78％).The top 3 departments with the highest HAI rates were the general intensive care unit(10.02％),department of neurosurgery(5.51％),and department(group)of hematology(5.34％).A total of 23 238 strains of HAI pathogens were detected,with 10 714 strains(46.10％)from lower respiratory tract speci-mens.The top 5 detected strains were Klebsiella pneumoniae(14.76％),Pseudomonas aeruginosa(13.33％),Escherichia coli(12.79％),Acinetobacter baumannii(9.23％),and Staphylococcus aureus(7.88％).231 944 pa-tients underwent class Ⅰ incision surgery were monitored,with 1 647 cases experienced surgical site infection,and the prevalence rate of surgical site infection was 0.71％.The number of patients who should undergo pathogen de-tection(patients receiving therapeutic and therapeutic combined prophylactic antimicrobial agents)was 715 179,while the actual number was 480 492,with a pathogen detection rate of 67.18％.425 225 patients received patho-genic detection before treatment,with a detection rate of 59.46％.Conclusion The overall HAI prevalence in Chi-na is lower,showing disparities among medical institutions of different regions and scales.Therefore,precise imple-mentation of measures is necessary for HAI prevention and control,with a focus on high-risk institutions and high-risk departments,key areas,and critical procedures.All levels of medical institutions should continuously reduce the incidence of HAI by strengthening monitoring,standardizing the use of antimicrobial agents,and reinforcing basic HAI prevention and control measures.

ObjectiveTo explore the effects of different dosage forms of Kaixinsan （KXS） on the morphology and function of mitochondria in rat models of Alzheimer's disease （AD） and potential mechanisms of action. MethodsMale SD rats were randomly assigned to a sham group， model group， treatment groups receiving KXS decoction， powders， and granules （3.08 g·kg^-1）， as well as donepezil group （0.51×10^-3 g·kg^-1）， with 10 rats in each group. AD model was created using intracerebroventricular injection of streptozocin （STZ）. After 30 days of administration， behavioral assessments were conducted， and mitochondrial morphology was observed using transmission electron microscopy. Mitochondrial respiratory chain complex content was measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Changes in mitochondrial membrane potential were measured via JC-1 staining， and superoxide dismutase （SOD） activity and reactive oxygen species （ROS） levels were measured via biochemical assays. The mRNA expression of adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK）， peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1α （PGC-1α）， and silent information regulator 3 （SIRT3） was detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）， and Western blot was used to examine the protein expression levels of optic atrophy protein1 （OPA1）， mitochondrial fission protein 1 （FIS1）， AMPK， p-AMPK， PGC-1α， and SIRT3. ResultsCompared with the sham group， rats in the model group had significantly lower recognition index， spontaneous alternation rate， escape latency， number of platform crossings， time spent in the target quadrant， and percentage of distance traveled in the target quadrant distance （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Significant mitochondrial damage was observed in the hippocampal tissue， with a marked decrease in mitochondrial respiratory chain complex content （P<0.01） and reduced mitochondrial membrane potential （P<0.05）. Additionally， the SOD activity was reduced， while ROS levels were elevated （P<0.01）. The mRNA expression of PGC-1α and SIRT3 was significantly downregulated （P<0.01）， along with decreased protein expression levels of OPA1， p-AMPK/AMPK， PGC-1α， and SIRT3， whereas FIS1 protein expression was significantly upregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， rats in KXS-treated groups （various dosage forms） showed significant improvement in behavioral indexes （P<0.05， P<0.01）， reduced hippocampal mitochondrial damage， and more organized mitochondrial cristae. Mitochondrial respiratory chain complex content was significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and mitochondrial membrane potentials were elevated （P<0.05）. SOD activity was elevated， and ROS levels were significantly reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Furthermore， the mRNA expression of PGC-1α and SIRT3 was upregulated， with increased protein levels of OPA1， p-AMPK/AMPK， PGC-1α， and SIRT3， while FIS1 protein expression levels were significantly reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Across the KXS-treated groups， the granule group showed a higher spontaneous alternation rate than the decoction and powder groups （P<0.05）. ConclusionKXS decoction， powders， and granules can improve the learning and memory ability of rats， with granules being the most effective. The mechanism of action may involve activation of the AMPK/PGC-1α/SIRT3 signaling pathway， improvement of the mitochondrial function， and subsequent amelioration of the brain energy metabolism disorders.

ObjectiveTo explore the effects of different dosage forms of Kaixinsan （KXS） on the morphology and function of mitochondria in rat models of Alzheimer's disease （AD） and potential mechanisms of action. MethodsMale SD rats were randomly assigned to a sham group， model group， treatment groups receiving KXS decoction， powders， and granules （3.08 g·kg^-1）， as well as donepezil group （0.51×10^-3 g·kg^-1）， with 10 rats in each group. AD model was created using intracerebroventricular injection of streptozocin （STZ）. After 30 days of administration， behavioral assessments were conducted， and mitochondrial morphology was observed using transmission electron microscopy. Mitochondrial respiratory chain complex content was measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Changes in mitochondrial membrane potential were measured via JC-1 staining， and superoxide dismutase （SOD） activity and reactive oxygen species （ROS） levels were measured via biochemical assays. The mRNA expression of adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK）， peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1α （PGC-1α）， and silent information regulator 3 （SIRT3） was detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）， and Western blot was used to examine the protein expression levels of optic atrophy protein1 （OPA1）， mitochondrial fission protein 1 （FIS1）， AMPK， p-AMPK， PGC-1α， and SIRT3. ResultsCompared with the sham group， rats in the model group had significantly lower recognition index， spontaneous alternation rate， escape latency， number of platform crossings， time spent in the target quadrant， and percentage of distance traveled in the target quadrant distance （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Significant mitochondrial damage was observed in the hippocampal tissue， with a marked decrease in mitochondrial respiratory chain complex content （P<0.01） and reduced mitochondrial membrane potential （P<0.05）. Additionally， the SOD activity was reduced， while ROS levels were elevated （P<0.01）. The mRNA expression of PGC-1α and SIRT3 was significantly downregulated （P<0.01）， along with decreased protein expression levels of OPA1， p-AMPK/AMPK， PGC-1α， and SIRT3， whereas FIS1 protein expression was significantly upregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， rats in KXS-treated groups （various dosage forms） showed significant improvement in behavioral indexes （P<0.05， P<0.01）， reduced hippocampal mitochondrial damage， and more organized mitochondrial cristae. Mitochondrial respiratory chain complex content was significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and mitochondrial membrane potentials were elevated （P<0.05）. SOD activity was elevated， and ROS levels were significantly reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Furthermore， the mRNA expression of PGC-1α and SIRT3 was upregulated， with increased protein levels of OPA1， p-AMPK/AMPK， PGC-1α， and SIRT3， while FIS1 protein expression levels were significantly reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Across the KXS-treated groups， the granule group showed a higher spontaneous alternation rate than the decoction and powder groups （P<0.05）. ConclusionKXS decoction， powders， and granules can improve the learning and memory ability of rats， with granules being the most effective. The mechanism of action may involve activation of the AMPK/PGC-1α/SIRT3 signaling pathway， improvement of the mitochondrial function， and subsequent amelioration of the brain energy metabolism disorders.

Objective:To investigate the improvement effect of the freeze-dried garlic powder on acute myocardial ischemia and its effect on phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase/protein kinase B/nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (PI3K/Akt/Nrf2) signaling pathway.Methods:SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group, model group, positive drug group, and garlic freeze-dried powder low-, medium-, and high-dosage groups using a random number table method, with 12 rats in each group. The garlic freeze-dried powder low-, medium-, and high-dosage groups were orally administered with 0.58, 1.16, and 2.32 g/kg of garlic freeze-dried powder solution, the positive reference drug group was orally administered with 0.26 g/kg of compound Danshen tablet solution, and the model group and sham-operation group were orally administered with equal volumes of distilled water once a day for 14 consecutive days. Except for the sham-operation group, all other groups were prepared with acute myocardial ischemia models in rats by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery. Electrocardiogram testing was performed. The incidence of ventricular premature beats, ventricular tachycardia, and ventricular fibrillation in each group was counted. Myocardial infarction was observed through TTC staining, and the myocardial infarction rate was calculated; serum creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), LDH, cardiac troponin T (cTnT), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), SOD, MDA, IL-1β, TNF-α levels were detected, and Western blot was used to detect myocardial tissue p-PI3K, p-Akt, Nrf2, HO-1 and Keap1 proteins.Results:Compared with the model group, the incidence of premature ventricular contractions, ventricular tachycardia, and ventricular fibrillation in rats in each treatment group was reduced. Compared with the model group, the positive drug group and garlic freeze-dried powder medium- and high-dosage groups showed a decrease in myocardial infarction rate in rats ( P<0.05); compared with the model group, the levels of serum T-AOC and SOD in each treatment group increased ( P<0.05 or P<0.01), while the level of MDA decreased ( P<0.05 or P<0.01); the levels of CK, LDH, cTnT, IL-1β, and TNF-α in the serum of rats in the positive drug group and garlic freeze-dried powder high-dosage group decreased ( P<0.05 or P<0.01), while the expressions of p-PI3K, p-Akt, Nrf2, and HO-1 proteins in myocardial tissue increased ( P<0.05 or P<0.01), and the expression of Keap1 protein decreased ( P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusions:Garlic freeze-dried powder can improve acute myocardial ischemia of rats by reducing the release of serum myocardial enzymes and exerting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The mechanism may be related to regulating PI3K/Akt/Nrf2 signaling pathway.