BACKGROUND:The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase(PI3K/AKT)signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in regulating osteoclast activation,which is essential for maintaining bone homeostasis.Bone destruction in osteoarticular tuberculosis is caused by aberrant osteoclastogenesis induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.However,the role of the PI3K signaling pathway in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-induced aberrant osteoclastogenesis remains unclear. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effects and mechanisms of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway inhibitor BYL-719 on aberrant osteoclastogenesis induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. METHODS:RAW264.7 cells were infected with bovine Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacillus calmette-cuerin vaccine,and Ag85B was used for cellular immunofluorescence staining.The cell counting kit-8 assay was employed to determine the safe concentration of BYL-719.There were four groups in the experiment:blank control group,BYL-719 group,BCG group,and BCG+BYL-719 group.Under the induction of receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand,the effects of BYL-719 on post-infection osteoclast differentiation and fusion were explored through tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining and phalloidin staining.RT-PCR and western blot were used to detect the expression of osteoclast-related genes and proteins,and further investigate the mechanism of action. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Immunofluorescence staining showed that RAW264.7 cells phagocytosed Mycobacterium tuberculosis.Cell counting kit-8 data indicated that 40 nmol/L BYL-719 was non-toxic to cells.Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining and phalloidin staining showed that BYL-719 inhibited the generation and fusion ability of osteoclasts following infection.RT-PCR and western blot results also indicated that BYL-719 suppressed the upregulation of osteoclast-specific genes(including c-Fos,NFATc1,matrix metalloproteinase 9,and CtsK)induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection(P<0.05).Western blot and immunofluorescence staining revealed that BYL-719 inhibited excessive osteoclast differentiation induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis by downregulating the expression of IκBα-p65.To conclude,BYL-719 inhibits aberrant osteoclastogenesis induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis through the downregulation of IκBα/p65.Therefore,the IκBα/p65 signaling pathway is a potential therapeutic target for osteoarticular tuberculosis,and BYL-719 holds potential value for the preventing and amelioration of bone destruction in osteoarticular tuberculosis.BYL-719 has the potential to prevent and ameliorate bone destruction in osteoarticular tuberculosis.

Problem: Despite the widespread use of designated quarantine hotels to minimize the transmission of COVID-19 from imported cases, there is scant literature on the infrastructure and operational requirements of such facilities. Context: Travellers to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) (China) were required to undergo quarantine in designated hotels for up to 21 days. Prior to operation, all these hotels were modified and hotel staff received structured training in infection control practices. Action: We conducted retrospective reviews of the procedures and operational protocols that were followed to convert and manage commercial hotels as quarantine hotels during the early part of the pandemic. We also reviewed the training provided and compliance monitoring. Finally, we reviewed intra-hotel outbreak investigations that were conducted between April 2021 and June 2022. Outcome: Designated quarantine hotels received 842 510 quarantined travellers from December 2020 to October 2022. Ten outbreaks were reported, affecting 28 guests (0.003%) and two staff. Prompt epidemiological investigation and action stopped further transmission. Discussion: In Hong Kong SAR (China), designated quarantine hotels successfully minimized COVID-19 transmission from imported cases to the community and should be considered as part of integrated response plans for future pandemics. Based on our COVID-19 pandemic experience, we recommend specifying requirements for quarantine centres and hotels to ensure adequate ventilation inside guest rooms and corridors, functioning drainage systems and the adoption of stringent infection control practices. We also recommend the installation of closed-circuit television cameras in all common areas to support compliance monitoring and outbreak investigation.

This study was aimed at establishing a sensitive and specific sandwich ELISA detection method for Brucella.We screened monoclonal capture antibodies and detection antibodies for Brucella detection,and optimized and determined the opti-mal antibody coating time and concentration,as well as the optimal blocking solution,blocking time,and yin-yang critical val-ue.The specificity of this method was verified by examination of other bacteria prone to cross-reacting with Brucella.The sen-sitivity of the method was verified by detection of a gradient dilution of inactivated Brucella.Moreover,the sandwich ELISA detection results were compared with test tube agglutination and qPCR results.The selected capture antibody was 4A12,and the selected detection antibody was 6C12.Experimental analysis indicated that the optimal coating concentration for the 4A12 capture antibody was 5 μg/mL,and the optimal dilution ratio for the 6C12 detection antibody was 1∶2000.The optimal coating conditions were overnight at 4℃,and blocking with 5％skim milk powder for 2 hours.The established double antibody sand-wich ELISA method reacted with only Brucella but not other bacteria,thus demonstrating the method's good specificity.Inac-tivated Brucella solution was still detectable after dilution to 1 × 105 CFU/mL,thus demonstrating the method's good sensitiv-ity.The intra-and inter batch coefficients of variation were both below 10％,thus indicating the method's good repeatability.Thus,this study successfully established a dual antibody sandwich ELISA method for Brucella detection,which has good spe-cificity and sensitivity,and might provide an effective approach for the precise diagnosis and effective prevention and control of brucellosis.

Objective:To investigate the value of biparametric-MRI (bpMRI) based peritumoral radiomics for preoperative prediction of extraprostatic extension (EPE) in prostate cancer (PCa).Methods:In this cross-sectional study, consecutive bpMRI of patients undergoing prostatectomy for PCa were retrospectively collected from the First Medical Center (center 1) and the Third Medical Center (center 2) of Chinese PLA General Hospital. A total of 274 patients were finally enrolled. Patients at center 1 from January 2020 to December 2022 were randomly divided into a training set (149 cases) and an internal validation set (63 cases) by stratified random sampling. Patients at center 2 from January 2023 to March 2024 were assigned to the external test set (62 cases). Patients were categorized into EPE-positive group and EPE-negative group according to pathological assessment postoperatively. In the training set, there were 49 cases in EPE-positive group and 100 cases in EPE-negative group. In the internal validation set, there were 26 cases in EPE-positive group and 37 cases in EPE-negative group. In the external test set, there were 22 cases in EPE-positive group and 40 cases in EPE-negative group. Axial T 2WI and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) images were manually annotated to obtain index lesion regions of interest (ROIs), with the peritumoral ROIs subsequently delineated by semi-automatic segmentation technique. Radiomics features were extracted from intra-tumoral, peri-tumoral, and intra-tumoral plus peri-tumoral ROIs. The training set data was employed to select and optimize features to build the radiomics models. The logistic regression analysis was used to develop radiomics, clinical, and integrated models. The predictive performance was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) in the external test set, and compared by the DeLong test. The sensitivity and specificity were compared by the exact McNemar test. Results:In the external test set, the peri-tumoral radiomics model based on bpMRI showed the highest performance in evaluating EPE, with an AUC of 0.739 (95% CI 0.611-0.842), which was identified as the optimal radiomics model. EPE grade ( OR=6.151, 95% CI 3.371-11.226, P<0.001) was incorporated into the clinical model, with an AUC of 0.780 (95% CI 0.657-0.875) in the external test set. The integrated model had an AUC of 0.817 (95% CI 0.698-0.904) in the external test set. There was no statistically significant difference in comparisons of AUCs among the three models (all P>0.05). The sensitivity of the integrated model (68.2%) showed no significant difference from those of the clinical model and the optimal radiomics model (77.3% and 86.4%, respectively; P=0.500 and P=0.289). However, the specificity of the integrated model (85.0%) was significantly higher than those of the clinical model (67.5%, P=0.016) and the optimal radiomics model (50.0%, P<0.001). Conclusion:A bpMRI-based peritumoral radiomics integrating clinical model demonstrates high performance for preoperative prediction of EPE in PCa.

Objective To explore the value of CT signs and quantitative parameters of artificial intelligence (AI) in predicting the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for colorectal cancer. Methods A total of 349 colorectal cancer patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy at Cangzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine in Hebei Province from January 2022 to January 2025 were selected and and divided into the effective group (n = 267) and the ineffective group (n = 82) according to the evaluation criteria for the efficacy of solid tumors. Conduct a CT examination and extract AI quantitative parameters from the CT images based on the lesion. The data were analyzed using SPSS21.0 software, Logistic regression was used to screen the influencing factors of ineffective neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with colorectal cancer, and separate and combined models of CT signs and AI quantitative parameters were established. The predictive effect of the model was verified by using the ROC curve, calibration curve and decision curve. Results Compared with the effective group, the proportion of regular tumor morphology and the proportion of non-enlarged lymph nodesin the ineffective group were smaller. The tumor volume, peak value and entropy value were larger (P < 0.05). Multivariable analysis showed that irregular shape (OR= 4.216), presence of lymph node enlargement (OR = 8.998), larger tumor volume (OR = 1.109), higher average CT value (OR = 1.120), elevated peak value (OR = 2.528), and increased entropy value (OR = 1.390) were independent risk factors for ineffective neoadjuvant chemotherapy in colorectal cancer (P < 0.05). The areas under the ROC curves of the individual and combined models of CT signs and AI quantitative parameters were 0.777, 0.818, and 0.877, respectively(P < 0.05). The calibration curve showed a Brier score of 0.091. The decision curve showed that the threshold was between 0.10 and 0.85, and the combined model achieved a relatively high net clinical benefit. Conclusion CT signs combined with AI quantitative parameters has a predictive value for the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in colorectal cancer. To provide evidence-based basis for clinical screening of the population benefiting from chemotherapy and optimization of treatment strategies.

To clarify the current situation of ketosis in dairy cattle on large-scale pastures in China and provide new insights,a questionnaire survey was conducted to analyze the incidence,preven-tion,treatment methods,and associated costs of ketosis in 79 large-scale pastures.The results showed that the average incidence of ketosis in dairy cows was 3.97％,with a cure rate of 92.40％.The order of importance of methods for preventing and controlling ketosis was as follows:feed for-mulation optimization＞blood ketone monitoring＞negative energy balance monitoring＞feed in-take monitoring＞milk yield monitoring.The most important treatment methods are intravenous glucose＞propylene glycol butyl phosphate＞vitamins＞choline.The most important diagnostic methods are blood ketone testing＞milk ketone testing＞negative energy balance testing＞clinical symptoms＞blood glucose testing.Economic analysis revealed that treatment costs were lower on larger farms and higher milk yields farms.Continuous optimization of feeding management,preven-tion,and control measures should be implemented on large-scale farms in China to reduce the oc-currence of ketosis in dairy cows.Additionally,more effective diagnostic and treatment methods should be employed to improve the cure rate and overall farm income.

Objective:To learn about the clinical manifestations, laboratory test results, and prognosis of patients with acute and chronic brucellosis, and to provide a scientific basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to collect the clinical data of 776 patients with brucellosis admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2013 to December 2023. The patients were divided into acute phase group and chronic phase group according to the course of disease. Their clinical manifestations, laboratory test results, and prognosis were compared and analyzed between the two groups.Results:Out of 776 patients with brucellosis, 649 were in the acute phase group and 127 were in the chronic phase group. Male accounted for 71.6% (556/776). The age was (44.91 ± 0.60) years old, mainly concentrated in the age range of 46 - 60 years old (38.0%, 295/776). Farmers were the main occupation, accounting for 58.4% (453/776). The disease occurred in all months of the year, with autumn being the peak period (33.9%, 263/776). The primary clinical manifestations were fever (64.7%, 502/776) and fatigue (40.5%, 314/776). The incidence rates of fever and fatigue in the acute phase group were higher than those in the chronic phase group [70.4% (457/649) vs. 35.4% (45/127), 42.5% (276/649) vs. 29.9% (38/127)], with statistically significant differences ( χ2 = 56.91, 7.01, P < 0.05). Complications of the osteoarticular system were the most common, accounting for 47.8% (371/776). Abnormal results of blood routine examinations were mainly characterized by decreased hemoglobin, decreased lymphocytes, and decreased white blood cells, accounting for 53.7% (417/776), 32.6% (253/776), and 22.6% (175/776), respectively. The incidence rate of decreased hemoglobin in the acute phase group was higher than that in the chronic phase group [63.5% (412/649) vs. 3.9% (5/127)], with a statistically significant difference ( χ2 = 151.49, P < 0.001). The remaining abnormal laboratory test results were mainly characterized by elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, elevated C-reactive protein, and elevated aspartate aminotransferase, accounting for 75.1% (583/776), 50.6% (393/776), and 39.8% (309/776), respectively. The incidence rates of elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and elevated aspartate aminotransferase in the acute phase group were higher than those in the chronic phase group [77.8% (505/649) vs. 61.4% (78/127), 43.3% (281/649) vs. 22.0% (28/127)], with statistically significant differences ( χ2 = 15.28, 20.02, P < 0.001). The overall positive rate of Brucella blood culture was 57.5% (446/776), and there was a statistically significant difference in blood culture between the two groups ( χ2 = 17.08, P = 0.002). The positive rate of blood culture in the acute phase group was higher than that in the chronic phase group [60.1% (390/649) vs. 44.1% (56/127)]. Ninety-four point three percent (732/776) of patients were treated with antibiotics, with rifampicin + doxycycline as the main treatment regimen (45.2%, 331/732). The median of antibiotic types used in the acute and chronic phase groups were 3 and 4, respectively. The overall incidence rate of adverse drug reactions was 3.8% (28/732). Eighty-seven point five percent (625/714) of patients improved or recovered after treatment, while 12.5% (89/714) did not recover or experienced relapse. Conclusions:The main clinical manifestations of brucellosis patients are fever and fatigue, with a higher incidence of complications in the osteoarticular system, and a better prognosis. The incidence of fever, fatigue, decreased hemoglobin, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, elevated aspartate aminotransferase, and positive Brucella blood culture in patients in the acute phase are higher, and the types of antibiotics used are fewer than those in patients in the chronic phase.

To clarify the current situation of ketosis in dairy cattle on large-scale pastures in China and provide new insights,a questionnaire survey was conducted to analyze the incidence,preven-tion,treatment methods,and associated costs of ketosis in 79 large-scale pastures.The results showed that the average incidence of ketosis in dairy cows was 3.97％,with a cure rate of 92.40％.The order of importance of methods for preventing and controlling ketosis was as follows:feed for-mulation optimization＞blood ketone monitoring＞negative energy balance monitoring＞feed in-take monitoring＞milk yield monitoring.The most important treatment methods are intravenous glucose＞propylene glycol butyl phosphate＞vitamins＞choline.The most important diagnostic methods are blood ketone testing＞milk ketone testing＞negative energy balance testing＞clinical symptoms＞blood glucose testing.Economic analysis revealed that treatment costs were lower on larger farms and higher milk yields farms.Continuous optimization of feeding management,preven-tion,and control measures should be implemented on large-scale farms in China to reduce the oc-currence of ketosis in dairy cows.Additionally,more effective diagnostic and treatment methods should be employed to improve the cure rate and overall farm income.

This study was aimed at establishing a sensitive and specific sandwich ELISA detection method for Brucella.We screened monoclonal capture antibodies and detection antibodies for Brucella detection,and optimized and determined the opti-mal antibody coating time and concentration,as well as the optimal blocking solution,blocking time,and yin-yang critical val-ue.The specificity of this method was verified by examination of other bacteria prone to cross-reacting with Brucella.The sen-sitivity of the method was verified by detection of a gradient dilution of inactivated Brucella.Moreover,the sandwich ELISA detection results were compared with test tube agglutination and qPCR results.The selected capture antibody was 4A12,and the selected detection antibody was 6C12.Experimental analysis indicated that the optimal coating concentration for the 4A12 capture antibody was 5 μg/mL,and the optimal dilution ratio for the 6C12 detection antibody was 1∶2000.The optimal coating conditions were overnight at 4℃,and blocking with 5％skim milk powder for 2 hours.The established double antibody sand-wich ELISA method reacted with only Brucella but not other bacteria,thus demonstrating the method's good specificity.Inac-tivated Brucella solution was still detectable after dilution to 1 × 105 CFU/mL,thus demonstrating the method's good sensitiv-ity.The intra-and inter batch coefficients of variation were both below 10％,thus indicating the method's good repeatability.Thus,this study successfully established a dual antibody sandwich ELISA method for Brucella detection,which has good spe-cificity and sensitivity,and might provide an effective approach for the precise diagnosis and effective prevention and control of brucellosis.

Objective:To learn about the clinical manifestations, laboratory test results, and prognosis of patients with acute and chronic brucellosis, and to provide a scientific basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to collect the clinical data of 776 patients with brucellosis admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2013 to December 2023. The patients were divided into acute phase group and chronic phase group according to the course of disease. Their clinical manifestations, laboratory test results, and prognosis were compared and analyzed between the two groups.Results:Out of 776 patients with brucellosis, 649 were in the acute phase group and 127 were in the chronic phase group. Male accounted for 71.6% (556/776). The age was (44.91 ± 0.60) years old, mainly concentrated in the age range of 46 - 60 years old (38.0%, 295/776). Farmers were the main occupation, accounting for 58.4% (453/776). The disease occurred in all months of the year, with autumn being the peak period (33.9%, 263/776). The primary clinical manifestations were fever (64.7%, 502/776) and fatigue (40.5%, 314/776). The incidence rates of fever and fatigue in the acute phase group were higher than those in the chronic phase group [70.4% (457/649) vs. 35.4% (45/127), 42.5% (276/649) vs. 29.9% (38/127)], with statistically significant differences ( χ2 = 56.91, 7.01, P < 0.05). Complications of the osteoarticular system were the most common, accounting for 47.8% (371/776). Abnormal results of blood routine examinations were mainly characterized by decreased hemoglobin, decreased lymphocytes, and decreased white blood cells, accounting for 53.7% (417/776), 32.6% (253/776), and 22.6% (175/776), respectively. The incidence rate of decreased hemoglobin in the acute phase group was higher than that in the chronic phase group [63.5% (412/649) vs. 3.9% (5/127)], with a statistically significant difference ( χ2 = 151.49, P < 0.001). The remaining abnormal laboratory test results were mainly characterized by elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, elevated C-reactive protein, and elevated aspartate aminotransferase, accounting for 75.1% (583/776), 50.6% (393/776), and 39.8% (309/776), respectively. The incidence rates of elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and elevated aspartate aminotransferase in the acute phase group were higher than those in the chronic phase group [77.8% (505/649) vs. 61.4% (78/127), 43.3% (281/649) vs. 22.0% (28/127)], with statistically significant differences ( χ2 = 15.28, 20.02, P < 0.001). The overall positive rate of Brucella blood culture was 57.5% (446/776), and there was a statistically significant difference in blood culture between the two groups ( χ2 = 17.08, P = 0.002). The positive rate of blood culture in the acute phase group was higher than that in the chronic phase group [60.1% (390/649) vs. 44.1% (56/127)]. Ninety-four point three percent (732/776) of patients were treated with antibiotics, with rifampicin + doxycycline as the main treatment regimen (45.2%, 331/732). The median of antibiotic types used in the acute and chronic phase groups were 3 and 4, respectively. The overall incidence rate of adverse drug reactions was 3.8% (28/732). Eighty-seven point five percent (625/714) of patients improved or recovered after treatment, while 12.5% (89/714) did not recover or experienced relapse. Conclusions:The main clinical manifestations of brucellosis patients are fever and fatigue, with a higher incidence of complications in the osteoarticular system, and a better prognosis. The incidence of fever, fatigue, decreased hemoglobin, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, elevated aspartate aminotransferase, and positive Brucella blood culture in patients in the acute phase are higher, and the types of antibiotics used are fewer than those in patients in the chronic phase.