Aromatic Chinese medicinal essential oils are volatile oils extracted from aromatic Chinese herbs， which can prevent and treat respiratory infectious diseases through multiple synergistic mechanisms including pathogen inhibition， immune regulation， and inflammatory response regulation. Essential oils are primarily used externally on the body to prevent infections and alleviate symptoms through methods like inhalation， smearing， topical application， bathing， gargling or as a suppository. They can also be utilized in the environment for disinfection and air purification， through methods like diffusion， vaporization， or spraying. The external application of essential oils extracted from Chinese aromatic herbs has the advantages of convenience， quick absorption， and simultaneous influence on both the body and mind. However， there are still challenges and deficiencies in aspects such as the positioning of functions， indications， safety， and the research on the mechanism of action. It has been proposed to combine the theory of aromatic Chinese medicinals with the characteristics of essential oils， and formulate prescriptions of Chinese medicinal essential oils under the principles of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation， and prevent and treat respiratory infectious diseases efficiently， accurately， and safely， thereby expanding the clinical application of aromatic Chinese medicinals and the preventive theory of traditional Chinese medicine.

Objective:To develop and validate a clinical warning model for severe pediatric community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) using electronic health records.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted, analyzing clinical data of 15 750 children hospitalized for CAP at Wuhan Children′s Hospital between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2023. Patient data were randomly split into training and testing sets at a 7∶3 ratio. Six supervised machine learning models were constructed in the training set, optimized using five-fold cross-validation, and evaluated in the testing set. Model performance was assessed using ROC-AUC, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, calibration curves, and clinical decision curve analysis at optimal thresholds. The best-performing model was selected, and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) were used to interpret feature importance. A program interface was developed based on the model results, enabling integration into clinical decision support systems for automated early warning.Results:A total of 15 750 participants, ranging in age from 28 days to 18 years, were included in the study. The median age was 2 years [interquartile range (IQR): 0-4 years], with 9 555 males (60.67%) and 6 195 females (39.33%). Among them, 2 211 (14.04%) developed severe pneumonia. In the prediction models, XGB outperformed other models with an ROC-AUC of 0.884 (95% CI: 0.870-0.898), sensitivity (0.803, 95% CI: 0.772-0.832), specificity (0.828, 95% CI: 0.816-0.839). Calibration analysis showed strong agreement between predicted and observed risks (Brier score: 0.081, 95% CI: 0.075-0.086). The analysis based on the SHAP method revealed that respiratory rate, heart rate, T-lymphocyte subsets, and red blood cell volume distribution width-SD are predictive factors for severe progression of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children. Conclusion:An interpretable machine learning model was developed for the early detection and personalized treatment planning of severe CAP in children, providing valuable support to clinicians.

Objective:To develop and validate a clinical warning model for severe pediatric community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) using electronic health records.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted, analyzing clinical data of 15 750 children hospitalized for CAP at Wuhan Children′s Hospital between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2023. Patient data were randomly split into training and testing sets at a 7∶3 ratio. Six supervised machine learning models were constructed in the training set, optimized using five-fold cross-validation, and evaluated in the testing set. Model performance was assessed using ROC-AUC, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, calibration curves, and clinical decision curve analysis at optimal thresholds. The best-performing model was selected, and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) were used to interpret feature importance. A program interface was developed based on the model results, enabling integration into clinical decision support systems for automated early warning.Results:A total of 15 750 participants, ranging in age from 28 days to 18 years, were included in the study. The median age was 2 years [interquartile range (IQR): 0-4 years], with 9 555 males (60.67%) and 6 195 females (39.33%). Among them, 2 211 (14.04%) developed severe pneumonia. In the prediction models, XGB outperformed other models with an ROC-AUC of 0.884 (95% CI: 0.870-0.898), sensitivity (0.803, 95% CI: 0.772-0.832), specificity (0.828, 95% CI: 0.816-0.839). Calibration analysis showed strong agreement between predicted and observed risks (Brier score: 0.081, 95% CI: 0.075-0.086). The analysis based on the SHAP method revealed that respiratory rate, heart rate, T-lymphocyte subsets, and red blood cell volume distribution width-SD are predictive factors for severe progression of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children. Conclusion:An interpretable machine learning model was developed for the early detection and personalized treatment planning of severe CAP in children, providing valuable support to clinicians.

Mossy cells(MC)are a type of astrocyte that make up a large percentage of the cells in the hippocampal dentate gyrus(DG).However,its structure,function and role in neurological disorders remain largely unclear.Changes in local circuit inputs to MC during seizures alter the excitatory-inhibitory homeostatic balance of the loop,leading to changes in disease.The net inhibitory effect on the hippocampal network exerted by surviving MC,thus providing protection against seizures.Furthermore,increased expression of c-fos protein in MC enhances memory for novelty and also improves cognitive performance by reducing anxiety.This article reviews the role of MC in the dentate gyrus loop and its value in disease management.

Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics of children carrying the m.8344A>G variant of MT-TK gene.Methods:A case series study was conducted to retrospectively collect data of 22 children with mitochondrial disease caused by MT-TK gene m.8344A>G variation who were treated at the Department of Neurology of Beijing Children′s Hospital of Capital Medical University from January 2012 to January 2024. Their clinical data, laboratory tests, muscle pathology, genetic testing, and the follow-up results were analyzed. Pearson correlation analysis was used for correlation analysis.Results:Among the 22 children, there were 13 boys and 9 girls. The age of onset was 5.00 (2.75, 9.00) years. Fifteen children had myoclonic epilepsy with ragged-red fibers (MERRF), 3 had Leigh syndrome (LS), and 4 had LS-MERRF overlap syndrome (LS-MERRF). Myoclonus presented and worsened progressively in all 15 MERRF children, with 10 as the initial symptom and 5 developing progressively during the disease course. Myoclonus was predominantly focal, worsening with fine motor tasks or stress. Electroencephalogram monitoring in the 15 MERRF children revealed myoclonic seizures in 10 children, with 6 classified as myoclonic epilepsy, and 4 as subcortical myoclonus. Two children had generalized myoclonic seizures, and 1 each had absence seizures and generalized seizures. Twelve children had cerebellar ataxia, 10 children exhibited exercise intolerance, and 8 children had muscle weakness. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed periventricular white matter involvement in 1 child and bilateral hippocampal involvement in 1 child, likely due to frequent seizures. All 3 children with LS exhibited developmental regressions, accompanied with 2 symptoms include cerebellar ataxia, muscle weakness, and dysphagia. The clinical manifestations of 4 LS-MERRF overlap children presented with combined features of MERRF and LS. Cranial MRI in the 7 LS and LS-MERRF children showed brainstem involvement (all affecting the midbrain) in 6 children and basal ganglia involvement in 4 children. Among the 22 children, 12 had m.8344A>G variant levels >90%, 3 had >80%-90%, 4 had >70%-80%, and 3 had >60%-70%. Higher variant level correlated with the LS phenotype and earlier onset age ( r=0.47, -0.50; P=0.018 and 0.029, respectively). Sanger sequencing in 19 mothers revealed m.8344A>G variations in 18, with 4 showing exercise intolerance. Follow-up of 13 children on antimyoclonic treatment showed>75% reduction in seizures with levetiracetam monotherapy in 2 children, with combination therapy required in others. Most achieved >50% seizures reduction within 2 years, but the effectiveness declined with disease progression. Conclusions:The m.8344A>G variant is rare, with MERRF being the most common phenotype, while LS and LS-MERRF are less common. Children with higher ratio of the m.8344A>G variant are more likely to present LS phenotype. Myoclonus, primarily focal, is a key feature, with levetiracetam as the first-line treatment and benzodiazepines recommended for refractory cases.

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of the novel prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted PET imaging agent 18F-AlF-P16-093 in combination with multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) for prostate cancer (PCa), and to explore its application in guiding transperineal puncture biopsy. Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical and pathological data of 36 patients diagnosed as PCa (age: 68-76 years) who underwent 18F-AlF-P16-093 PET/CT and mpMRI examinations at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from August 2023 to March 2024. The entire prostate was divided into 12 regions based on biopsy localization. Imaging evaluations were performed using PET/CT and mpMRI at the lesion level, with biopsy pathology as the gold standard. The correlations between mpMRI scores, PET/CT scores and pathological diagnosis results were evaluated by Phi coefficient analysis. Diagnostic efficacy was assessed by ROC curve analysis. Logistic regression was used to determine the impact of bleeding on image interpretation. Results:18F-AlF-P16-093 PET/CT showed a moderate positive correlation with pathological diagnosis result ( Phi=0.415, P<0.001), which was superior to mpMRI ( Phi=0.338, P<0.001). The diagnostic efficacy of PET single-modality model was superior to mpMRI in all indicators. The combination of 18F-AlF-P16-093 PET/CT with mpMRI significantly improved diagnostic specificity and positive predictive value, with the diagnostic specificity of the PET+ T 2 weighted imaging (WI)+ diffusion WI (DWI) and PET+ T 2WI+ DWI+ apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) combinations exceeding 90%, and the positive predictive value exceeding 80%. Bleeding did not significantly affect the diagnosis of PCa by mpMRI and PET/CT (odds ratio ( OR): 0.463-0.785, all P>0.05). Conclusion:18F-AlF-P16-093 PET/CT is superior to mpMRI in the detection and diagnostic efficacy of PCa lesions, and the combination of 18F-AlF-P16-093 PET with mpMRI can further improve diagnostic specificity and positive predictive value, which is of guiding significance for targeted prostate biopsy.

Objective:To systematically evaluate the relationship between thiazide diuretics and the risk of hip fracture in the elderly patients.Methods:The relevant databases at home and abroad were searched up to December 31, 2023 and case-control studies and cohort studies on the relationship between thiazide diuretics and the risk of hip fractures in the elderly patients were collected. Quality of the enrolled studies was evaluated by bias risk assessment tool of Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). RevMan 5.4 software was used for meta-analysis on related outcome indicators, and the effect sizes were odds ratio ( OR) and the 95% confidence interval ( CI). Funnel plots, Egger′s method and Begg′s method were performed using Stata 15.1 software to analyze the inclusion literature for publication bias. Results:A total of 18 studies were enrolled in the study, including 7 case-control studies and 11 cohort studies and involving 175 200 patients in the trial group (thiazide diuretics) and 1 574 989 in the control group (placebo or other medications). All 18 studies scored ≥5 on the NOS (15 articles of high quality and 3 articles of medium quality). The meta-analysis results indicated that the risk of hip fractures in the trial group was lower than that in the control group ( OR=0.82, 95% CI: 0.75-0.89, P<0.001). Subgroup analyses by study type and gender both revealed that thiazide diuretics were associated with a reduced risk of hip fractures in the elderly (adjusted OR in case-control studies was 0.78, 95% CI: 0.72-0.84, P<0.001; adjusted OR in cohort studies was 0.83, 95% CI: 0.74-0.93, P=0.002; adjusted OR in female was 0.78, 95% CI: 0.72-0.85, P<0.001; adjusted OR in male was 0.73, 95% CI: 0.68-0.80, P<0.001). The subgroup analysis of 11 large-sample studies (≥2 000 cases) indicated that thiazide diuretics were associated with a reduced risk of hip fractures in the elderly (adjusted OR=0.79, 95% CI: 0.72-0.87, P<0.001). However, 6 small-sample studies did not find the similar correlation. A combined analysis of studies that rigorously controlled for confounding factors revealed that thiazide diuretics were associated with a lower risk of hip fractures in the elderly ( OR=0.79, 95% CI: 0.74-0.84, P<0.001), and the combined results showed no heterogeneity ( P=0.72, I2=0%). Conclusions:Thiazide diuretics were associated with a reduced risk of hip fractures in the elderly patients. Based on a comprehensive assessment of the risks and benefits of medication for elderly patients, clinicians may prioritize thiazide diuretics as a component of combination therapy for eligible patients, which may be beneficial in reducing their risk of hip fractures.

Objective:To systematically evaluate the relationship between thiazide diuretics and the risk of hip fracture in the elderly patients.Methods:The relevant databases at home and abroad were searched up to December 31, 2023 and case-control studies and cohort studies on the relationship between thiazide diuretics and the risk of hip fractures in the elderly patients were collected. Quality of the enrolled studies was evaluated by bias risk assessment tool of Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). RevMan 5.4 software was used for meta-analysis on related outcome indicators, and the effect sizes were odds ratio ( OR) and the 95% confidence interval ( CI). Funnel plots, Egger′s method and Begg′s method were performed using Stata 15.1 software to analyze the inclusion literature for publication bias. Results:A total of 18 studies were enrolled in the study, including 7 case-control studies and 11 cohort studies and involving 175 200 patients in the trial group (thiazide diuretics) and 1 574 989 in the control group (placebo or other medications). All 18 studies scored ≥5 on the NOS (15 articles of high quality and 3 articles of medium quality). The meta-analysis results indicated that the risk of hip fractures in the trial group was lower than that in the control group ( OR=0.82, 95% CI: 0.75-0.89, P<0.001). Subgroup analyses by study type and gender both revealed that thiazide diuretics were associated with a reduced risk of hip fractures in the elderly (adjusted OR in case-control studies was 0.78, 95% CI: 0.72-0.84, P<0.001; adjusted OR in cohort studies was 0.83, 95% CI: 0.74-0.93, P=0.002; adjusted OR in female was 0.78, 95% CI: 0.72-0.85, P<0.001; adjusted OR in male was 0.73, 95% CI: 0.68-0.80, P<0.001). The subgroup analysis of 11 large-sample studies (≥2 000 cases) indicated that thiazide diuretics were associated with a reduced risk of hip fractures in the elderly (adjusted OR=0.79, 95% CI: 0.72-0.87, P<0.001). However, 6 small-sample studies did not find the similar correlation. A combined analysis of studies that rigorously controlled for confounding factors revealed that thiazide diuretics were associated with a lower risk of hip fractures in the elderly ( OR=0.79, 95% CI: 0.74-0.84, P<0.001), and the combined results showed no heterogeneity ( P=0.72, I2=0%). Conclusions:Thiazide diuretics were associated with a reduced risk of hip fractures in the elderly patients. Based on a comprehensive assessment of the risks and benefits of medication for elderly patients, clinicians may prioritize thiazide diuretics as a component of combination therapy for eligible patients, which may be beneficial in reducing their risk of hip fractures.

Objective:To develop an improved wireless intelligent capsule cystoscope (WCE)for dynamic detection of bladder mucosa in a pig model.Methods:The WCE was introduced into a healthy experimental pig that under general anesthesia via urethra by applying an improved device. Multi-angle images of the bladder mucosa were then obtained by controlling the position of capsule cystoscope with an external magnetic field system. The shutter speed of the WCE was 2.5 fps and was automatically converted to 1.5 fps 30 minutes after initiation. The Vue software was utilized to download the shoot pictures which were former received by a computer via wireless transmission. The pig was roused and sent to the pigpen, without limitations in moving. The improved WCE was connected with a 2 cm thread. 12 hours later, the dilated sheath was inserted again, and the capsule was removed by a foreign body forceps under observation of a ureteroscopy.Results:The WCE was successfully placed and removed from the pig's bladder with the application of the improved devices. Over 20 thousand images that with 60K pixels of bladder mucosa were captured by the WCE at various angles within 12 hours, which revealed the process of urine filling and excreting in a time-dependent way. No notable adverse effects (bleeding, urinary tract injury, etc) were noted during the process of cystoscope placement, image acquisition, transmission, and removal.Conclusion:This study developed a novel WCE that could dynamically, intelligently and accurately monitor all aspects of the pig bladder mucosa, and has preferable application prospect.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of thoracic duct repair in the treatment of iatrogenic thoracic duct injury in thyroid surgery.Methods:Clinical data of 2 759 cases with lymph nodes metastasis from papillary thyroid carcinomas at two tertiary referral academic medical centers, viz. Tongji Hospital of Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University were retrospectively analyzed, of which 69 cases encountered injured thoracic duct. Thirty patients received thoracic duct ligation (ligation group) before Jun. 2016, and thirty-nine with direct suture repair of lacerated duct (repair group). Age, sex, cervical clearance surgery, lymph node dissection, lymph node metastasis, whether lymph nodes were invaded extracapsular, chest catheter injection into venous points, and operation time were recorded.Results:In the thoracic duct direct suture repair group, 39 patients with a mean age of (43.2±9.3) successfully performed intraoperative thoracic duct sutures and only one patient developed CL postoperatively. In the thoracic duct ligation group, 30 ducts with a mean age of (49.5±10.0) were successfully ligated during the operation, and 5 (16.7 %) still developed CL after operations, with the highest daily drainage volume of more than 500 ml, and the median duration of chylous leakage of 3 days. The incidence of CL in the thoracic duct direct suture repair group was significantly lower than that in the ligation group (0 vs 16.7%, P=0.013), and the length of hospital stay in the repair group was also significantly shorter (6.1 (6.0,6.5) vs 10.0 (9.0,10.0) day, Z=-7.21, P=0.014) .There was no significant difference in operation time between the two groups (110.9±8.7 vs 109.3±7.9, t=0.82, P=0.421) . Conclusion:Compared with thoracic duct ligation, thoracic duct direct suture repair in patients with intraoperative thoracic duct injury may be an effective method to reduce postoperative CL.