OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and mechanisms of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. in improving sleep. METHODS Network pharmacology was employed to identify the active components of L. ruthenicum and their associated disease targets， followed by enrichment analysis. A caffeine‑induced zebrafish model of sleep deprivation was established ， and the zebrafish were treated with L. ruthenicum Murr. extract （LRME） at concentrations of 0.1， 0.2 and 0.4 mg/mL， respectively； 24 h later， behavioral changes of zebrafish and pathological alterations in brain neurons were subsequently observed. The levels of inflammatory factors [interleukin-6 （IL-6）， IL-1β， IL-10， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）]， oxidative stress markers [superoxide dismutase （SOD）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px）， catalase （CAT）]， and neurotransmitters [5- hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， γ-aminobutyric acid （GABA）， glutamic acid （Glu）， dopamine （DA）， and norepinephrine （NE）] were measured. The protein expression levels of protein kinase B1 （AKT1）， phosphorylated AKT1 （p-AKT1）， epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）， B-cell lymphoma 2 （Bcl-2）， sarcoma proto-oncogene，non-receptor tyrosine kinase （SRC）， and heat shock protein 90α family class A member 1 （HSP90AA1） in the zebrafish were also determined. RESULTS A total of 12 active components and 176 intersecting disease targets were identified through network pharmacology analysis. Among these， apigenin， naringenin and others were recognized as core active compounds， while AKT1， EGFR and others served as key targets； EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance signaling pathway was identified as the critical pathway. The sleep improvement rates in zebrafish of LRME low-， medium-， and high-dose groups were 54.60%， 69.03% and 77.97%， 开发。E-mail：hjp_yft@163.com respectively， while the inhibition ratios of locomotor distance were 0.57， 0.83 and 0.95， respectively. Compared with the model group， the number of resting counts， resting time and resting distance were significantly increased/extended in LRME medium- and high-dose groups （P＜0.05）. Neuronal damage in the brain was alleviated. Additionally， the levels of IL-6， IL-1β， TNF-α， MDA， Glu， DA and NE， as well as the protein expression levels of AKT1， p-AKT1， EGFR， SRC and HSP90AA1， were markedly reduced （P＜0.05）， while the levels of IL-10， SOD， GSH-Px， CAT， 5-HT and GABA， as well as Bcl-2 protein expression， were significantly elevated （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS L. ruthenicum Murr. demonstrates sleep-improving effects， and its specific mechanism may be related to the regulation of inflammatory responses， oxidative stress， neurotransmitter balance， and the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo analyze the epidemiological characteristics of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among newly detained populations in eastern China, to identify high-risk groups, and to provide a scientific basis for formulating tuberculosis prevention and control strategies in the prison system. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among the newly admitted detainees in two prisons in eastern China in 2022. Data on demographic characteristics, behavioral risk factors and previous disease history of the research subjects were collected through a structured questionnaire survey. The LTBI status of the detainees was determined using the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) method. Lasso regression was used to screen variables, followed by multivariate logistic regression analysis to investigate the influencing factors of LTBI. ResultsA total of 305 detainees were included in the study. The median age of detainees was 35 (31, 43) years. The study population was predominantly male (67.21%), of Han ethnicity (95.41%), had a junior or senior high school education (59.34%), and was unemployed (31.80%). A history of smoking was reported by 52.79% of participants, while 57.70% reported no alcohol consumption. The majority had no history of hypertension (85.90%), diabetes mellitus (93.77%), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (97.38%), familial genetic diseases (95.08%), surgery or trauma (73.77%), drug use (92.79%), or hepatitis (93.77%). The LTBI rate was 14.75%. After comparing the demographic characteristics of LTBI and non-infected groups, it was found that smoking history (χ²=7.40, P=0.025), drug use history (χ²=5.49, P=0.019), and HIV infection (χ²=8.12, P=0.004) were statistically correlated with LTBI infection. The results of multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that smoking [adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=4.08, 95%CI: 1.60‒10.42, P=0.003], HIV infection (aOR=11.57, 95%CI: 2.50‒53.51, P=0.002) and drug use (aOR=3.04, 95%CI: 1.02‒9.09, P=0.046) were risk factors for LTBI. ConclusionThe LTBI rate among newly detainees in two prisons in eastern China is slightly lower than that among long-term detainees. Early screening and intervention should be implemented for newly detainees, with particular attention focused on high-risk groups such as those with a history of smoking, HIV infection, or drug use.

Objective: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) among residents aged 60 years and older in Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province from 2013 to 2022, so as to provide the evidence for the improvement of PTB prevention and control measures in this population. Methods: Data of PTB cases aged 60 years and older in Yangzhou City from 2013 to 2022 were collected from the Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System. The temporal, population, and regional distribution characteristics of PTB cases were analyzed using the descriptive epidemiological method. Results: A total of 8 726 PTB cases aged 60 years and older were registered in Yangzhou City from 2013 to 2022, including 4 167 cases positive for pathogenic tests, with a positive rate of 47.75%. The registered incidence rates and the positive rates of pathogenic tests of PTB among residents aged 60 years and older in Yangzhou City showed downward trends from 2013 to 2022 (both P<0.05). The average annual registered incidence rate of PTB was 83.95/105, and the average annual registered incidence rate of PTB positive for pathogenic tests was 40.09/105. The average annual registered incidence rate of PTB in males was higher than that in females (138.57/105 vs. 31.76/105, P<0.05). The registered incidence rate of PTB showed an increasing trend with age (P<0.05), with the highest rate observed in the age group of 75-<80 years (110.37/105). The top three regions with the highest average annual registered incidence rates of PTB were Jiangdu District (94.34/105), Baoying County (91.61/105) and Hanjiang District (84.93/105). Conclusions The registered incidence of PTB among residents aged 60 years and older in Yangzhou City showed a downward trend from 2013 to 2022. Particular attention should be payed to males, residents aged 75- <80 years, and the elderly in Jiangdu District and Baoying County.

Objective:To evaluate the utility of ultrasonographic monitoring of the rectus femoris muscle—specifically, the rates of change in thickness and cross-sectional area (CSA)—in assessing nutritional status and long-term functional outcomes in patients with sepsis.Methods:In this prospective observational study, sepsis patients admitted to the ICU of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University between October 2023 and October 2024 were classified by nutritional status at discharge using the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria. Differences in serial ultrasound-measured rectus femoris thickness and CSA on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 were compared between malnourished and non-malnourished groups. The predictive value of these ultrasound parameters for malnutrition was analyzed. Functional prognosis was assessed using the Sarcopenia Assessment Scale, Short Physical Performance Battery, and Manual Muscle Testing, with correlations to muscle changes examined.Results:Of the 71 enrolled patients (median age 73.00 [ IQR: 61.00–80.00]; 47.89% female, 52.11% male), those with malnutrition showed significantly greater variation rates in rectus femoris thickness and CSA on days 3, 5, and 7 compared to the non-malnourished group ( P < 0.05). ROC analysis revealed that the day-7 CSA variation rate had the highest predictive value for malnutrition (AUC = 0.817, 95% CI: 0.713-0.930). These muscle variation rates also correlated strongly with conventional nutritional markers such as BMI, albumin, and urea. Similarly, patients with impaired functional outcomes exhibited higher variation rates in muscle parameters on days 3, 5, and 7 ( P < 0.05), with the day-7 CSA variation rate being most predictive of functional prognosis (AUC = 0.749, 95% CI: 0.632-0.867). Conclusions:Ultrasonographic assessment of rectus femoris thickness and CSA variation rates provides a valuable tool for evaluating nutritional status and predicting functional prognosis in sepsis patients, outperforming traditional biomarkers. This method shows promise for guiding individualized nutrition support and rehabilitation strategies to improve long-term outcomes.

Sexual dimorphism in the brain underlies behavioral differences between sexes. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a complex nucleus that differs between males and females, but the sexual dimorphism in cytoarchitecture and the connectome of its oval subdivision (ovBNST) remains largely unexplored. By combining snRNA-seq and transgenic labeling, we found a higher density of ovBNST proenkephalin (ovBNST^PENK) neurons in male than female mice. Anatomically, we virally mapped the efferents and afferents of ovBNST^PENK neurons, finding reciprocally dimorphic connections with the hypothalamus and striatum. Gene enrichment analysis suggests that ovBNST^PENK neurons are modulated by the upstream dopamine pathway. Functionally, by applying caspase-3-mediated depletion of ovBNST^PENK neurons, we found that loss of these neurons enhanced locomotor activity in male but not female mice, without altering the anxiety-like phenotypes in either sex. Our study may pave the way for a better understanding of the anatomical and functional profiles of ovBNST^PENK neurons from a sexually dimorphic perspective.
Animals ; Male ; Female ; Septal Nuclei/physiology* ; Sex Characteristics ; Neurons/physiology* ; Enkephalins/metabolism* ; Mice ; Mice, Transgenic ; Protein Precursors/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neural Pathways/physiology*

This study summarizes Professor Qin Zhenhua's clinical experience in treating cutaneous pruritus using a modified self-prescribed formula,Yinqiao Xingzi Decoction.Following the viewpoints from the classical Chinese medical literature and after years of clinical practice,Professor Qin proposes that the onset of cutaneous pruritus is often associated with the attack of exogenous pathogens,disharmony of qi and blood,or debility due to prolonged illness.The disease primarily involves the skin,with the fundamental pathogenesis of pathogens stagnating in the muscular superficies.Clinically,the treatment is frequently conducted from the perspective of fire-heat syndrome,and the therapeutic methods of clearing heat and removing toxins,releasing muscles and dispersing pathogens from the superficies,and dispelling wind to relieve itching are utilized.The approaches aim to cool heat in the blood,expel pathogens from the muscular layer,eliminate heat for stopping itching,and extinguish wind for calming the skin.The basic prescription,Yinqiao Xingzi Decoction(composed of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos,Forsythiae Fructus,Armeniacae Semen Amarum,Arnebiae Radix,Tribuli Fructus,Dictamni Cortex,Kochiae Fructus,and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma),is used by modification depending on the predominance of pathogenic factors of wind,heat,dryness,or dampness-toxins,and according to the various syndromes like blood-heat,yin deficiency,or qi-blood deficiency.Yinqiao Xingzi Decoction is applicable to cutaneous pruritus with the most of clinical common syndrome types,but it is unsuitable for cases caused by yang deficiency or qi stagnation with blood stasis.

Objective:To analyze the prognostic factors of patients with liver cirrhosis and portal vein thrombosis (PVT), and to construct a prognostic prediction model based on machine learning methods.Methods:The clinical data of 388 patients with liver cirrhosis and PVT admitted to the Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from January 2022 to April 2024 were retrospectively collected and analyzed, including 243 males and 145 females, aged (56.9±10.9) years. A total of 388 patients were randomly divided into the training set ( n=310) and the testing set ( n=78) in a 4∶1 ratio. The Boruta algorithm was used to screen the key features in the training set, and then four machine learning algorithms, including random forest, support vector machine, generalized linear model and Bayesian, were used to establish a survival prediction model. Model performance was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of the test set and the training set. The patients were followed up for 1 year for survival. Sort the importance of features based on the SHAP value. Results:There were 250 patients (80.6%) who survived and 60 (19.4%) who died. The model for end-stage liver disease score, total bilirubin, serum creatinine, prothrombin time, international normalized ratio, D-dimer, white blood cell count, severe ascites ratio, and Child-Pugh grade C ratio of liver function in the death group were higher than those in the survival group, and the red blood cell count and hematocrit were lower than those in the survival group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The areas under the ROC curve for predicting survival by random forest, support vector machine, generalized linear model and Bayesian model were 0.92, 0.78, 0.81 and 0.71 in the training set, and the area under the ROC curve in the testing set were 0.81, 0.72, 0.67 and 0.68, respectively. Random forest had the best prediction performance, with an accuracy of 81.7%, a sensitivity of 84.6%, and a specificity of 76.9% in the testing set. In the analysis of the importance of characteristic parameters of the random forest model, total bilirubin, red blood cells, hematocrit, serum creatinine, ascites classification, etc. had a relatively high contribution to the model. Conclusion:In the survival prediction model of patients with liver cirrhosis and PVT based on machine learning algorithm, the random forest model had high prediction performance, and total bilirubin may be the most important factor affecting the survival prognosis of patients.

OBJECTIVE To retrospectively investigate the incidence of surgical site infection(SSI),distribution and drug resistance of pathogens in 53 hospitals of Suzhou area from 2020 to 2023 so as to provide strategies for pre-vention and control of the hospital-associated infections in Suzhou area.METHODS The data regarding the SSI,distribution and drug resistance of pathogens were statistically analyzed through Suzhou City Regional Hospital In-fection Surveillance Platform.RESULTS The incidence of SSI was 0.24％among the 53 hospitals from 2020 to 2023.Staphylococcus aureus,Enterococcus faecalis,Staphylococcus epidermidis,Enterococcus faecium and Staphylococcus haemolyticus ranked the top 5 species of gram-positive bacteria;Escherichia coli,Klebsiella pneumoniae,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Enterobacter cloacae and Acinetobacter baumannii ranked the top 5 spe-cies of gram-negative bacteria.There were significant differences in the distributions of S.aureus,K.pneumoniae and A.baumannii in the superficial,deep and organ cavities(P＜0.05).The isolation rate of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii(CRAB)was 69.23％,and the isolation rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus au-reus(MRSA)was 42.14％.The drug resistance rate of the S.aureus strains to oxacillin reached up to 40.24％;the drug resistance rates of the A.baumannii to imipenem and meropenem reached up 63.00％and 65.80％,re-spectively.The drug resistance rates of the K.pneumoniae strains to imipenem and meropenem approximated to 30％,and the drug resistance rate to tigecycline was 19.84％.CONCLUSIONS The total incidence of SSI shows a downward trend in the 53 hospitals of Suzhou area.The S.aureus is the major species of pathogens,and some of the pathogens show high drug resistance rates.

Galectin-9 (Gal-9), a member of the β-galactoside-binding lectin family, is widely expressed in various tissues and cells. It can specifically bind to multiple glycoprotein receptors, including the receptors of Tim-3, CD44, 4-1BB/CD137, and Dectin-1, thereby regulating the activity of immune cells and participating in crucial physiological and pathological processes such as immune regulation and tumor development. Given its role in immunomodulation, Gal-9 is considered a potential target for immunotherapy, showing promising prospects in the treatment of various diseases, including autoimmune disorders, transplantation rejection, pregnancy complications, inflammation, infection, and cancer. This review summarizes the biological effects mediated by Gal-9 upon binding to its receptors, which may help to explore the potential application value of Gal-9 in clinical diagnosis and therapy.

Objective:To explore the modulating effect of match-type of reward on social attention in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).Methods:From August 2023 to September 2024, twenty children with ASD and twenty typical development (TD) children peers matched to age, gender and intelligence were recruited from several rehabilitation institutions and a primary school in Hefei, Anhui province, and participated in the experiments. All children with ASD were assessed by autism behavior checklist (ABC). All children completed the reward learning task, reward learning test and visual search training on the first day and the visual search test on the second day. SMI-red eye tracking system was used to collect the children's eye tracking features. Two-way analysis of variance and t-test were utilized to examine search time and search accuracy rate using SPSS 26.0 and GraphPad Prism 8 softwares. Results:All children successfully passed the reward learning test.However, the accuracy of children with ASD was significantly lower than TD peers (96.68% vs 99.32%, Z=2.25, P<0.05). In visual search training, both ASD and TD children spent less time searching the high-reward face than the low-reward face (ASD children: (484.67±136.80)ms vs (527.09±126.90)ms, t=-2.56, P=0.02, TD children: (453.82±176.17)ms vs (511.66±187.14)ms, t=-3.41, P<0.01). During the visual search test, enhanced attention capture were observed in both groups when singleton distractor matched with high reward characteristics compared to the low reward(feature-match: ASD children(451.82±121.13)ms vs (511.67±134.99)ms, t=-2.51, P=0.02; TD children(364.79±92.83)ms vs (465.53±146.95)ms, t=-4.22, P<0.01. Relation-match: ASD children(513.67±215.03)ms vs (446.53±148.00)ms, t=-2.22, P=0.04, TD children(464.00±194.55)ms vs (410.58±184.47)ms, t=3.93, P<0.01). Conclusion:The feature-match relationship can regulate the social attention of children with ASD.