Testicular histology based on testicular biopsy is an important factor for determining appropriate testicular sperm extraction surgery and predicting sperm retrieval outcomes in patients with azoospermia. Therefore, we developed a deep learning (DL) model to establish the associations between testicular grayscale ultrasound images and testicular histology. We retrospectively included two-dimensional testicular grayscale ultrasound from patients with azoospermia (353 men with 4357 images between July 2017 and December 2021 in The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China) to develop a DL model. We obtained testicular histology during conventional testicular sperm extraction. Our DL model was trained based on ultrasound images or fusion data (ultrasound images fused with the corresponding testicular volume) to distinguish spermatozoa presence in pathology (SPP) and spermatozoa absence in pathology (SAP) and to classify maturation arrest (MA) and Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS) in patients with SAP. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were used to analyze model performance. DL based on images achieved an AUC of 0.922 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.908-0.935), a sensitivity of 80.9%, a specificity of 84.6%, and an accuracy of 83.5% in predicting SPP (including normal spermatogenesis and hypospermatogenesis) and SAP (including MA and SCOS). In the identification of SCOS and MA, DL on fusion data yielded better diagnostic performance with an AUC of 0.979 (95% CI: 0.969-0.989), a sensitivity of 89.7%, a specificity of 97.1%, and an accuracy of 92.1%. Our study provides a noninvasive method to predict testicular histology for patients with azoospermia, which would avoid unnecessary testicular biopsy.
Humans ; Male ; Azoospermia/diagnostic imaging* ; Deep Learning ; Testis/pathology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult ; Ultrasonography/methods* ; Sperm Retrieval ; Sertoli Cell-Only Syndrome/diagnostic imaging*

Objective To explore the diagnostic value of exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for cystic fibrosis (CF). Methods A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and SinoMed databases up to August 7, 2024. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected for data extraction and quality assessment. The quality of included studies was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), and the risk of bias and applicability of included prediction model studies were assessed by the prediction model risk of bias assessment tool (PROBAST). Results A total of 10 studies were included, among which 5 studies only identified specific exhaled VOCs in CF patients, and another 5 developed 7 CF risk prediction models based on the identification of VOCs in CF. The included studies reported a total of 75 exhaled VOCs, most of which belonged to the categories of acylcarnitines, aldehydes, acids, and esters. Most models (n=6, 85.7%) only included exhaled VOCs as predictive factors, and only one model included factors other than VOCs, including forced expiratory flow at 75% of forced vital capacity (FEF75) and modified Medical Research Council scale for the assessment of dyspnea (mMRC). The accuracy of the models ranged from 77% to 100%, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve ranged from 0.771 to 0.988. None of the included studies provided information on the calibration of the models. The results of the Prediction Model Risk of Bias Assessment Tool (PROBAST) showed that the overall bias risk of all predictive model studies was high, and the overall applicability was unclear. Conclusion The exhaled VOCs reported in the included studies showed significant heterogeneity, and more research is needed to explore specific compounds for CF. In addition, risk prediction models based on exhaled VOCs have certain value in the diagnosis of CF, but the overall bias risk is relatively high and needs further optimization from aspects such as model construction and validation.

Objective:To compare clinical characteristics,treatment patterns and physiological indicators in bipolar disorder(BD)patients with different age of onset.Methods:Totally 380 patients with DSM-5 BD were se-lected in this study.Psychiatrists diagnosed the patients using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview.The clinical information questionnaire and the Global Assessment of Functioning scale were utilized to collected clinical characteristics,treatment status,and physiological indicators.The onset age of BD was divided into 21 and 35 years as cut-off points.Multivariate logistic regression and linear regression were used to analyze related factors.Results:Among the 380 patients with BD,199 cases were early-onset group(52.4％),121 cases were middle-onset group(31.8％),and 60 cases were late-onset group(15.8％).There were 26.6％of patients in the early-onset group in-itially diagnosed as depression,23.1％in the middle-onset group,and 11.7％in the late-onset group.Multivariate analysis revealed that compared to the early-onset group of BD,the middle-onset(OR=2.22)and late-onset(OR=4.99)groups had more risk to experience depressive episodes,and the late-onset group(OR=6.74)had 6.74 times of risk to suffer from bipolar Ⅱ disorder.Additionally,patients in the middle-onset(β=-1.52)and late-on-set(β=-4.29)groups had shorter durations of delayed treatment,and those in the middle-onset(β=-1.62)and late-onset(β=-3.14)groups had fewer hospitalizations.Uric acid levels were lower in both the middle-onset(β=-28.39)and late-onset(β=-31.47)groups,and total cholesterol level was lower in the middle-onset group(β=-0.23).Conclusion:Patients with BD in different age of onset show significant differences in clinical charac-teristics,treatment conditions and physiological indicators.

Objective To investigate the incidence rate,clinical characteristics,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen,China.Methods Led by Shenzhen Children's Hospital,the Shenzhen Neonatal Data Collaboration Network organized 21 institutions to collect 36 cases of neonatal stroke from January 2020 to December 2022.The incidence,clinical characteristics,treatment,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen were analyzed.Results The incidence rate of neonatal stroke in 21 hospitals from 2020 to 2022 was 1/15 137,1/6 060,and 1/7 704,respectively.Ischemic stroke accounted for 75％(27/36);boys accounted for 64％(23/36).Among the 36 neonates,31(86％)had disease onset within 3 days after birth,and 19(53％)had convulsion as the initial presentation.Cerebral MRI showed that 22 neonates(61％)had left cerebral infarction and 13(36％)had basal ganglia infarction.Magnetic resonance angiography was performed for 12 neonates,among whom 9(75％)had involvement of the middle cerebral artery.Electroencephalography was performed for 29 neonates,with sharp waves in 21 neonates(72％)and seizures in 10 neonates(34％).Symptomatic/supportive treatment varied across different hospitals.Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment was performed for 12 neonates(33％,12/36),with a mean score of(32±4)points.The prognosis of 27 neonates was followed up to around 12 months of age,with 44％(12/27)of the neonates having a good prognosis.Conclusions Ischemic stroke is the main type of neonatal stroke,often with convulsions as the initial presentation,involvement of the middle cerebral artery,sharp waves on electroencephalography,and a relatively low neurodevelopment score.Symptomatic/supportive treatment is the main treatment method,and some neonates tend to have a poor prognosis.

Streptococcus parasuis(S.parasuis)is a close relative of S.suis and can cause meningi-tis,pneumonia or systemic symptoms in affected animals.In this paper,the dominant strain was i-solated from diseased pigs with pneumonia in Jilin,China,and the isolated strain was identified as S.parasuis by 16S rRNA,it was named WYF-8B.Resistance was tested by the susceptibility tablet diffusion method,and WYF-8B was resistant to bacitracin,sulfamethoxoprim,lincomycin,erythro-mycin,fosfamycin,azithromycin,penicillin,doxycycline,cotrimotrixazole,sulfamisoxazole,cipro-floxacin,enrofloxacin,tetracycline,benzoxacillin,gentamicin,efazolin,and ampicillin.It was highly sensitive to florfenicol,chloramphenicol.Iochemical identification revealed that WYF-8B could fer-ment salicylic acid,maltose,lactose,sucrose,oxaesin,and glucose;nonfermentable mannitol,urea,raffinose,xylose,arabinose,and sorbitol.Using the second-generation whole-genome sequencing technology to study the WYF-8B resistant genotype,it was found that it carried the macrolide anti-biotic resistance genes Mef(E)and ErmB;resistance genes pbp2b,pbp1a,and pbp2x to β-lactam antibiotics;resistance genes gyrA,parC,and grlB to fluoroquinolones;resistance genes ANT(6)-Ia,AAC(6')-Ie-APH(2')-Ia,ANT(9)-Ia,APH(3')-Ⅲa to aminoglycoside antibiotics;re-sistance groups lnuB,lmrC,lmrD against lincomide antibiotics;resistance gene tetM to tetracy-cline antibiotics;the resistance gene of bacitracin,bcrA.The results found that the resistance phe-notype matches the resistance genotype of the sequencing results.The study of WYF-8B virulence factors found that WYF-8B carried 13 virulence factors(pavA,fbp 54,clpP,cps 4,cps 4 I,wbtB,cps,sI,tufA,galE,hasC,groEL,wrbtL,wbbtF),which mainly acted to promote bacterial diffu-sion,transfer,settlement,antiphagocytosis and immune evasion.The results of drug sensitivity test provide a reference for the study of clinical medication of S.parasuis,and drug resistance pheno-type and virulence factors lay the foundation for the research and development of new drugs and vaccines.

The over expression of p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)is considered a crucial pathway leading to myocardial fibrosis(MF)in the development of heart failure(HF).Traditional Chinese medicine active ingredients,compounds,and patent medicines have significant advantages in preventing and treating collagen accumulation,inhibiting the process of myocardial fibrosis,improving the degree of heart failure,and enhancing cardiac function by regulating p38-MAPK.This article summarizes recent research on traditional Chinese medicine's treatment of HF MF through the p38-MAPK signaling pathway with the aim to provide new potential targets for preventing and treating HF MF.

The over expression of p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)is considered a crucial pathway leading to myocardial fibrosis(MF)in the development of heart failure(HF).Traditional Chinese medicine active ingredients,compounds,and patent medicines have significant advantages in preventing and treating collagen accumulation,inhibiting the process of myocardial fibrosis,improving the degree of heart failure,and enhancing cardiac function by regulating p38-MAPK.This article summarizes recent research on traditional Chinese medicine's treatment of HF MF through the p38-MAPK signaling pathway with the aim to provide new potential targets for preventing and treating HF MF.

Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)and myasthenia gravis(MG)are two distinct autoimmune diseases.Compared with the general population,the incidence of RA is notably higher among patients with MG.Similarly,the rate of MG in patients diagnosed with RA is also significantly increased.In this report,we presented an elderly female patient with a history usage of long-term glucocorticoid and con-ventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs(csDMARDs),whose RA symptoms remained inadequately controlled.She later exhibited drooping of the right eyelid and double vision,leading to a diagnosis of ocular myasthenia gravis(OMG).Then,we made a literature review and found that the RA patients with co-existing MG were relatively more common in middle-aged and elderly women,and most of them did not have thymoma.Thymoma wasn't found in our patient,which was consistent with the cli-nical characteristics of RA complicated with MG reported in previous reports.In addition,there was li-mited treatment experience in patients with both RA and MG.The treatment stratergies for RA or MG in-cluded glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants.Among the 18 patients we analyzed,8 patients expe-rienced relief after csDMARDs,while other 8 patients received biologics or targeted DMARDs,including tumor necrosis factor inhibitors(TNFi)in 5 cases,JAK inhibitors in 2 cases,and B-cell depletion thera-py(rituximab)in 2 cases.What called for special attention was that one RA patient was diagnosed with MG after using 23 months of methotrexate and 6 weeks of etanercept(TNFi),with rituximab 1 000 mg for the first time,followed by 500 mg every 6 months,and finally both RA and MG were well controlled.For the patient in this study,MG symptoms improved with increased dosage of prednisone.In order to tapper the dose of glucocorticoid,it was necessary for more potent immunosuppressant for both RA and MG.Given her history of cardiac conditions,JAK inhibitors were not considered,and due to the uncer-tain efficacy of TNFi,we chose to administer low-dose rituximab(100 mg).Subsequent follow-up re-vealed stable conditions for both RA and MG,allowing for discontinuance of glucocorticoid after 5 months.It reflected the potential efficacy and cost-effectiveness of low-dose,long-interval rituximab in treating RA patients combined with MG,while it also minimized infection risks.However,the duration for subsequent infusions remained uncertain and required further observation.In conclusion,RA com-bined with MG is rare.For patients exhibiting poor responses to csDMARDs,low-dose,long-interval rituximab might be a promising treatment option.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the protective effect and mechanism of Kuntai (KT) Capsule on angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced hypertension in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. METHODS: Fifty-four rats were randomly divided into 6 groups according to a random number table, 9 in each group: control, OVX sham+Ang II, OVX, OVX+Ang II, OVX+Ang II +E₂, and OVX+Ang II +KT. OVX rats model was constructed by retroperitoneal bilateral ovariectomy. After 4 weeks of pretreatment with KT Capsule [0.8 g/(kg·d) and 17- β -estradiol (E₂, 1.2 mg/(kg·d)] respectively, Ang II was injected into a micro-osmotic pump with a syringe to establish a hypertensive rat model. Blood pressure of rat tail artery was measured in a wake state of rats using a non-invasive sphygmomanometer. Blood pressure changes were compared between the intervention groups (OVX+Ang II +KT, OVX+Ang II +E₂) and the negative control group (OVX+Ang II). Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) level and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were detected respectively. The expressions of oxidative stress-related protein superoxide dismutase2 (SOD2) and anti-thioredoxin (TRX), autophagy marker protein [beclin1, light chain (LC) 3 II/I ratio and autophagy canonical pathway protein phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/serine/threonine kinase (AKT)-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)] were evaluated by Western blotting. RESULTS: Compared with the OVX+Ang II group, the systolic blood pressure of OVX+Ang II +KT group was significantly lowered (P<0.05) but not the diastolic blood pressure. Besides, SOD2 and TRX protein levels in mycardial tissues were significantly reduced in the OVX+Ang II +KT group compared with the OVX+Ang II group (P<0.05). Oxidative stress serum markers MDA and SOD were down- and up-regulated in the OVX+Ang II +KT group, respectively (P<0.05). Compared with OVX+Ang II group, the levels of cardiac proteins beclin-1 and LC3II/LC3 I in OVX+Ang II +KT group were also up-regulated (P<0.05), and the expression levels of p-PI3K, p-AKT and mTOR protein were down-regulated (P<0.05). CONCLUSION KT could protect blood pressure of Ang II-induced OVX rats by inhibiting oxidative stress and up-regulating protective autophagy.
Female ; Rats ; Animals ; Humans ; Angiotensin II ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; Hypertension/drug therapy* ; Estradiol/pharmacology* ; Superoxide Dismutase ; Ovariectomy ; Mammals/metabolism*

ObjectiveTo obtain the status of latent tuberculosis infection （LTBI） among tuberculosis （TB）-related health-care workers （HCWs） in Shanghai， and to explore the risk factors related to TB infection. MethodsA multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted by recruiting medical workers from multiple designated TB hospitals， centers for disease control and prevention， and community health service centers in Shanghai. Each subject was required to complete a questionnaire and to provide a blood sample for TB infection test. Univariate and multivariate analysis ware made in order to find risk factors relating to TB infection. ResultsA total of 165 medical workers were recruited， and the proportion of TB infection was 16.36% （95%CI： 11.49%‒22.76%）. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that clinical doctors and nurses （adjusted OR=9.756， 95%CI： 1.790‒53.188）， laboratory staffs （adjusted OR=78.975， 95%CI： 8.749‒712.918）， and nursing and cleaning workers （adjusted OR=89.920， 95%CI： 3.111‒2 598.930） had higher risk of TB infection. ConclusionThe overall LTBI prevalence among TB-related HCWs is low. However， working as doctors， nurses， laboratory staffs， nursing workers and cleaning workers are risk factors of TB infection. TB-related HCWs who work at hospitals are at risk of TB infection comparing to medical staffs who work outside hospitals.