Tropical diseases, the transmission of which is affected by multiple natural and social factors, pose a great challenge to global public health, notably in African countries. During the past several decades, China and African countries have continuously collaborated for the control of neglected tropical diseases and malaria, which has become an important part of global South-to-South cooperation and global health governance. This article reviews the history of China-Africa cooperation for tropical diseases control, summarizes the experiences and achievements over the past decade, analyzes the current challenges in the coopera tion, and proposes future recommendations. The China-Africa cooperation has achieved significant progress in the control of tropical diseases, such as malaria, schistosomiasis, and filariasis, and established a China-Africa cooperation network for tropical diseases control. Through the "Three-Step" strategy of China-Africa cooperation, the effectiveness of China's integrated control strategies has been validated in Africa, and the application of China's tropical disease control technologies has been promoted in African disease-epidemic countries. Currently, China-Africa collaboration, however, still experiences multiple realistic challenges, such as insufficient resources, difficulty in technology transfer, and weak primary healthcare systems. In the future, both sides are recommended to further strengthen policy coordination, deepen technological cooperation, innovate cooperation models, aiming to continuously promote the high-quality development of China-Africa cooperation for tropical diseases control.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of Clonorchis sinensis human infections in Congjiang County, Guizhou Province in 2023, so as to provide insights into formulation of the clonorchiasis control strategy. Methods Congjiang County was divided into eastern, western, southern, northern and central areas according to the geographical locations, and one township was randomly sampled from each area. Then, each administrative village was randomly sampled from each township, and 200 permanent residents over 3 years of age were randomly sampled from each village. Participants’ stool samples were collected for detection of C. sinensis eggs with the Kato-Katz technique (two slides for each stool sample), and the prevalence and intensity of C. sinensis infections were calculated. In addition, the risk factors of clonorchiasis were identified among participants using a questionnaire survey. Results A total of 1 001 residents were included, and the prevalence of C. sinensis infections was 16.28% (163/1 001), with mild infections as the predominant category of infection intensity [73.01% (119/163)]. The prevalence rates of C. sinensis human infections were 30.50% (61/200), 1.50% (3/200), 30.35% (61/201), 12.50% (25/200), and 6.50% (13/200) at five survey sites, respectively (χ² = 107.03, P < 0.05), and there was a significant difference in the prevalence of C. sinensis infections between men [22.44% (112/499)] and women [10.16% (51/502)] (χ² = 27.71, P < 0.05). The prevalence of C. sinensis infections was relatively high among participants at ages of 60 to 70 years [26.14% (23/88)], public servants [46.15% (6/13)], and Han ethnic participants [33.33% (5/15)]. The prevalence of C. sinensis infections was higher among participants with a habit of consuming raw or un-dercooked freshwater fish and shrimp [22.06% (90/408)] than among those without the habit [12.31% (73/593)] (χ² = 16.85, P < 0.05), and there was no significant difference in the prevalence of C. sinensis infections between participants with [13.99% (41/293)] and without separation of raw and cooked chopping boards [17.23% (122/708)] (χ² = 1.59, P > 0.05). In addition, the prevalence of C. sinensis infections was 8.70% (2/23) and 16.46% (161/978) among participants with and without fever complicated by discomfort in the right upper abdomen during the past half year (χ² = 0.99, P > 0.05). Conclusions The prevalence of C. sinensis human infections was high in Congjiang County, Guizhou Province in 2023, and infections predominantly occurred among young and middle-aged men. Intensified health education among high-risk residents and alteration of dietary habits of consuming raw or undercooked freshwater fish or shrimp are recommended to reduce the prevalence of C. sinensis human infections.

Medical ethics aims to address moral issues in medical practice. When analyzing the right and wrong in medicine， it emphatically interprets “what medicine ought to be” and focuses on how physicians should act correctly. Hence， highly directive ethical theories such as deontology and utilitarianism have become the fundamental theories for medical decision-making. Nevertheless， as the concentrated embodiment of medical ethical values， virtue ethics also constitutes an important component of medical ethics. Drawing on Julia Annas’s creative development of virtue ethics theories regarding “right action” and “right emotion，” which is based on the distinction between “virtue learners” and “virtue possessors，” this paper provides a new theoretical perspective and practical approach for bridging the divide between heteronomy and autonomy in medical ethics， enhancing the care for medical staff’s emotions in medical ethics education， and promoting mutual understanding and communication between physicians and patients.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy of the Yiqi Yangyin Huoxue prescription （YYHP） in the treatment of cathartic colon （CC） and its effects on fecal short-chain fatty acids （SCFAs）， and to explore the correlations among CC severity indicators and between these indicators and patient history. MethodsAccording to the inclusion and exclusion criteria， 98 patients meeting the diagnostic criteria of both traditional Chinese and Western medicine for CC with the syndrome of Qi-Yin deficiency complicated by blood stasis were randomly assigned to an observation group and a control group. The observation group received YYHP granules， while the control group received lactulose. Both medications were administered twice daily， one sachet each time， half an hour after breakfast and dinner， with a treatment course of 8 weeks. The primary constipation symptom score， Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life （PAC-QOL） score， and TCM syndrome score were assessed before and after treatment and at the 8^th week after the end of treatment. The overall clinical effective rate， as well as the efficacy attenuation index and degree， were evaluated. Fecal SCFA levels were measured using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS）. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to explore the correlations among CC severity indicators and between these indicators and patient history. ResultsThe overall clinical effective rate in the observation group （95.83%） was higher than that in the control group （78.72%） （P<0.05）. After treatment， the total scores for primary constipation symptoms， PAC-QOL， and TCM syndromes decreased in both groups （P<0.05）， with more significant reductions in the observation group （P<0.05）. The severity of all primary constipation symptoms was alleviated in both groups （P<0.05）. In terms of "excessive straining and difficult defecation"， "anal heaviness， incomplete evacuation， and bloating sensation"， "abdominal distension"， and "defecation frequency"， the observation group showed better efficacy than the control group （P<0.05）. Scores of the four PAC-QOL dimensions and the scores and severity of primary and secondary TCM symptoms were reduced in both groups （P<0.05）， with more significant reductions in the observation group （P<0.05）. After treatment， acetic acid， propionic acid， butyric acid， and total SCFAs in the observation group increased significantly （P<0.05）. The efficacy attenuation index and degree in the observation group were lower than those in the control group （P<0.05）. No severe adverse reactions occurred in either group， and there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups. Positive correlations of varying degrees were observed among the total scores of primary constipation symptoms， PAC-QOL， and TCM syndromes， as well as between these scores and the history of stimulant laxative use， disease duration， and age. ConclusionYYHP can effectively alleviate the primary constipation symptoms in CC patients， improve quality of life， and ameliorate TCM syndromes， with good safety. It also has the advantage of a lower rebound degree after drug withdrawal， and its mechanism may be related to increasing fecal SCFA levels. Long-term abuse of stimulant laxatives may aggravate the severity of CC and prolong the disease course.

[Objective] To determine the correlation between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) inspection of spirit classification and the severity grade of depression based on facial features, offering insights for intelligent intergrated TCM and western medicine diagnosis of depression. [Methods] Using the Audio-Visual Emotion Challenge and Workshop (AVEC 2014) public dataset on depression, which conclude 150 interview videos, the samples were classified according to the TCM inspection of spirit classification: Deshen (得神, presence of spirit), Shaoshen (少神, insufficiency of spirit), and Shenluan (神乱, confusion of spirit). Meanwhile, based on Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) score for the severity grade of depression, the samples were divided into minimal (0 – 13, Q1), mild (14 – 19, Q2), moderate (20 – 28, Q3), and severe (29 – 63, Q4). Sixty-eight landmarks were extracted with a ResNet-50 network, and the feature extracion mode was stadardized. Random forest and support vectior machine (SVM) classifiers were used to predict TCM inspection of spirit classification and the severity grade of depression, respectively. A Chi-square test and Apriori association rule mining were then applied to quantify and explore the relationships. [Results] The analysis revealed a statistically significant and moderately strong association between TCM spirit classification and the severity grade of depression, as confirmed by a Chi-square test (χ2 = 14.04, P = 0.029) with a Cramer’s V effect size of 0.243. Further exploration using association rule mining identified the most compelling rule: “moderate depression (Q3) → Shenluan”. This rule demonstrated a support level of 5%, indicating this specific co-occurrence was present in 5% of the cohort. Crucially, it achieved a high Confidence of 86%, meaning that among patients diagnosed with Q3, 86% exhibited the Shenluan pattern according to TCM assessment. The substantial Lift of 2.37 signifies that the observed likelihood of Shenluan manifesting in Q3 patients is 2.37 times higher than would be expected by chance if these states were independent—compelling evidence of a highly non-random association. Consequently, Shenluan emerges as a distinct and core TCM diagnostic manifestation strongly linked to Q3, forming a clinically significant phenotype within this patient subgroup. [Conclusion] Automated facial analysis can serve as a common lens for TCM and western psychological assessments align in the diagnosis of depression. The inspection of spirit decline trajectory parallels worsening depression, supporting early screening and stratified intervention, and providing a reference for the intelligent assistance of integrated TCM and western medicine in the diagnosis of depression.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of human soil-transmitted nematode infections in Congjiang County, Guizhou Province in 2023, so as to provide insights into soil-transmitted nematodiasis prevention and control in the county. Methods Congjiang County was divided into 5 areas according to geographical locations, and one township was randomly sampled from each area, followed by one administrative village randomly sampled from each township as the survey site. Two hundred permanent residents without deworming during the past three months were randomly sampled from each survey site using the random cluster sampling method. Participants’ fecal samples were collected, soil-transmitted nematode eggs were detected using the KatoKatz technique and the prevalence of human soil-transmitted nematode infections was compared among participants. Mild, moderate and severe soil-transmitted nematode infections were classified according to eggs per gram (EPG), and the proportions of mild, moderate and severe infections were estimated. In addition, participants’ family status and household sanitary toilets construction were investigated using questionnaires. Results A total of 1 001 participants were included at 5 survey sites in Congjiang County, and the overall prevalence of soil-transmitted nematode infections was 19.08% (191/1 001). The prevalence rates of Ascaris lumbricoides and hookworm infections were 2.30% (23/1 001) and 1.90% (19/1 001), with all egg-positives identified as mild infections, and the prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis infections was 0.10% (1/1 001). The prevalence of Trichuris trichiura infections was 15.78% (158/1 001) among participants, and there was a significant difference in the prevalence among survey villages (χ² = 123.345, P < 0.001), with the highest prevalence detected in Liujia Village (39.00%), followed by in Longjiang Village (18.00%). There was an age-specific prevalence rate of T. trichiura infections among participants (χ² = 166.050, P < 0.001), and the highest prevalence was detected among participants at ages of 10 to 19 years (48.19%), followed by at ages of over 70 years (14.53%) and 50 to 59 years (13.04%). There was an occupation-specific prevalence rate of T. trichiura infections among participants (χ² = 74.134, P < 0.001), and the highest prevalence was detected among students (32.32%), followed by among workers/migrant workers (10.34%) and farmers (10.12%). There was an educational level-specific prevalence rate of T. trichiura infections among participants (χ² = 28.761, P < 0.001), and the highest prevalence was detected among participants with an educational level of primary school (21.60%), followed by among illiterate participants (12.03%). There was an ethnicity-specific prevalence rate of T. trichiura infections among participants (χ² = 42.193, P < 0.001). The proportions of mild, moderate and severe T. trichiura infections were 76.58% (121/158), 14.56% (23/158) and 3.16% (5/158), and all severe infections were identified among primary school students. T. trichiura infections were detected in 123 families, and there were 27 families (21.95%) in which two and more family members were identified with T. trichiura infections. A total of 1 001 valid questionnaires were recovered, and the prevalence rates of T. trichiura infections were 14.69% (139/964) and 34.55% (19/55) in families with and without sanitary toilets (χ² = 15.410, P < 0.001). Conclusions The prevalence of soil-transmitted nematode infections was relatively high in Congjiang County, Guizhou Province in 2023, and the T. trichiura infections was notably serious. Intensified soil-transmitted nematodiasis control measures are recommended targeting primary school students, middle-aged and elderly farmers and migrant workers.

In cases where a tracheal injury exceeds half the length of the adult trachea or one-third of the length of the child trachea, it becomes difficult to perform end-to-end anastomosis after tracheal resection due to excessive tension at the anastomosis site. In such cases, tracheal replacement therapy is required. Advances in tissue engineering technology have led to the development of tissue engineering tracheal substitutes, which have promising applications. Hydrogels, which are highly hydrated and possess a good three-dimensional network structure, biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, biodegradability, and modifiability, have had wide applications in the field of tissue engineering. This article provides a review of the characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, and effects of various hydrogels commonly used in tissue engineering trachea in recent years. Additionally, the article discusses and offers prospects for the future application of hydrogels in the field of tissue engineering trachea.

Objective: To explore the association between mental health and muscle strength among Chinese adolescents aged 13- 18, providing a theoretical foundation and intervention strategies for mental health promotion. Methods: Data were obtained from the 2019 Chinese National Survey on Students Constitution and Health, including 98 631 Chinese adolescents aged 13- 18. Psychological distress was assessed by using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), and mental well being was measured with the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well being Scale (WEMWBS). Based on the gender and age specific Z scores of various test items [grip strength, standing long jump, pull ups (for males), and sit ups (for females)], muscle strength index (MSI) was constructed to evaluate the comprehensive level of muscle strength in adolescents. According to the Dual factor Model (DFM) of mental health, participants were categorized into four groups:troubled, symptomatic but content, vulnerable, and complete mental health. Gender differences were analyzed by using Chi-square tests, trends were tested with Cochran-Armitage tests, and multinomial Logistic regression models were applied to assess associations between muscle strength and mental health among adolescents. Results: In 2019, 37.4% of Chinese adolescents aged 13-18 were reported of high mental distress, and 59.9% were reported of low mental well being. Boys had significantly lower rates of high mental distress (35.3%) and low mental well being (55.6%) compared to girls (39.4%, 64.3%), and the differences were of statistical significance ( χ 2=176.13, 780.42, both P <0.05). In 2019, the rate of complete mental health among adolescents showed a downward trend with increasing age ( χ 2 trend = 258.47) and a gradual upward trend with increasing muscle strength levels ( χ 2 trend =123.14)，and both boys and girls exhibited similar trends ( χ 2 trend =103.83, 168.46; 57.00 , 67.34) (all P <0.05). The results of the unordered multiclass Logistic regression model showed that after controlling for confounding factors such as age and gender, when the completely pathological group as a reference, for every 1 unit increase in MSI in adolescents, the likelihood of being in a completely mental health state increased by 29% ( OR = 1.29); for every unit increase in the Z-score for pull ups, the likelihood of being in a completely mental health state increased by 6% ( OR =1.06) among boys; for every 1 unit increase in sit up Z score, the likelihood of being in a completely mental health state increased by 19% ( OR =1.19) among girls (all P <0.05). Conclusions The mental health status of Chinese adolescents is not good enough. Muscle strength is positively associated with mental health.

Mitochondria are abundant in hepatocytes and play an important role in the normal operation of the liver. Mitochondrial division/fusion is two biological processes that maintain the dynamic balance of mitochondria， and it is closely associated with the change of cell function and the development and progression of diseases. Balance of mitochondrial division/fusion is of key significance in the treatment of many diseases. Recent studies have shown that abnormal mitochondrial division/fusion plays a significant role in fatty liver disease， hepatitis， liver fibrosis， and liver cancer， which are the four stages of the progression of liver diseases， and the therapeutic targets based on the regulation of such abnormalities are constantly being identified. By reviewing the role of mitochondrial division/fusion in different stages of liver disease， this article further demonstrates the role of mitochondrial division/fusion mechanism in chronic liver diseases and also provides a scientific basis for more ideas on the treatment， remission or even reversal of liver disease progression based on mitochondrial division/fusion.

Medical institutions, with their clinical practice foundation and abundant human use experience data, have become important carriers for the inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and the "cradles" of the preparation of new TCM. To effectively promote the transformation of new TCM originating from the TCM clinical practice in medical institutions and establish an effective evaluation index system for the transformation of new TCM conforming to the characteristics of TCM, consensus experts adopted the literature research, questionnaire survey, Delphi method, etc. By focusing on the policy and technical evaluation of new TCM originating from the TCM clinical practice in medical institutions, a comprehensive evaluation from the dimensions of drug safety, efficacy, feasibility, and characteristic advantages was conducted, thus forming a comprehensive evaluation system with four primary indicators and 37 secondary indicators. The expert consensus reached aims to encourage medical institutions at all levels to continuously improve the high-quality research and development and transformation of new TCM originating from the TCM clinical practice in medical institutions and targeted at clinical needs, so as to provide a decision-making basis for the preparation, selection, cultivation, and transformation of new TCM for medical institutions, improve the development efficiency of new TCM, and precisely respond to the public medication needs.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional/standards* ; Humans ; Consensus ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Surveys and Questionnaires