Given the increasing concern regarding antibacterial resistance, the antimicrobial properties of naphthoquinones have recently attracted significant attention. While 1,4-naphthoquinone and its derivatives have been extensively studied, the antibacterial properties of 5,8-dihydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives remain relatively unexplored. This study presents a comprehensive in vitro and in vivo analysis of the antibacterial activity of 35 naturally sourced and chemically synthesized derivatives of 5,8-dihydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone. Kirby-Bauer antibiotic testing identified three compounds with activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), with one compound (PNP-02) demonstrating activity comparable to vancomycin in minimum inhibitory concentration, minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and time-kill assays. Microscopic and biochemical analyses revealed that PNP-02 adversely affects the cell wall and cell membrane of MRSA. Mechanistic investigations, including proteomic sequencing analyses, Western blotting, and RT-qPCR assays, indicated that PNP-02 compromises cell membrane integrity by inhibiting arginine biosynthesis and pyrimidine metabolism pathways, thereby increasing membrane permeability and inducing bacterial death. In an in vivo mouse model of skin wound healing, PNP-02 exhibited antibacterial efficacy similar to vancomycin. The compound demonstrated low toxicity to cultured human cells and in hemolysis assays and remained stable during serum incubation. These findings suggest that PNP-02 possesses promising bioactivity against MRSA and represents a potential novel antibacterial agent.
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus/genetics* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/chemistry* ; Naphthoquinones/administration & dosage* ; Animals ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Mice ; Humans ; Staphylococcal Infections/microbiology* ; Molecular Structure

The importance of gait assessment in the rehabilitation of cancer patients is gradually being recognized. However, quantitative analysis of balance ability in cancer patients is still limited. A total of 102 cancer patients meeting the inclusion criteria were recruited from Hefei Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Their balance ability was evaluated using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Gait data were collected by an electronic walkway and an IMU sensor system, including spatial-temporal and kinematic gait features such as step length, cadence, support time, and range of motion. Recursive feature elimination was used for feature selection. Ridge, Elastic Net, SVR, RF, and AdaBoost models were used to predict balance ability scores. Five-fold cross-validation was used to evaluate the performance of these models. Results show that the SVR model achieves the best performance with fifteen features (RMSE=3.22, R ²=0.91), followed by Ridge (RMSE=3.63, R ²=0.89). A method for evaluating balance ability based on gait features is proposed, providing a quantitative tool for personalized rehabilitation interventions in cancer patients.
Humans ; Postural Balance ; Neoplasms/rehabilitation* ; Gait ; Gait Analysis ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Female

Objective To analyze clinical characteristics and therapeutic strategies for patients with Trichosporon asahii(T.asahii)bloodstream infection(BSI),and provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment for such disease.Methods Diagnosis and treatment process of a patient with T.asahii BSI were reported.China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),Wanfang,PubMed,and Web of Science databases were retrieved using key-words:"Trichosporon asahii"and"bloodstream infection".Patients'age,gender,underlying diseases,immune status,treatment,and clinical outcome as well as antimicrobial susceptibility testing results of T.asahii were ana-lyzed retrospectively.Results The leukemia patient developed T.asahii BSI during chemotherapy,and showed clinical improvement after treatment with fluconazole+flucytosine.A total of 44 cases(43 from literature plus this index case)were analyzed.Among these cases,28 were males,the median age was 54.5 years old.The underlying diseases were predominantly hematological diseases.Catheter,urinary tract,and skin were identified as concurrent culture-positive sites.Azoles exhibited good antimicrobial activity in vitro,with voriconazole showing the strongest activity and associated with significantly higher survival rates.Under the guidance of antimicrobial susceptibility tes-ting results,patients with fluconazole treatment had a higher survival rate.At minimum inhibitory concentrations(MICs)of 4-8 μg/mL of fluconazole,fluconazole combined with other agents was predominantly required.Am-photericin B demonstrated good in vitro activity,but the overall survival rate of patients was low when amphotericin B was used as monotherapy without azoles.Catheters removal,surgical intervention,and neutrophil recovery were influencing factors for enhanced survival rates.Conclusion BSI caused by T.asahii primarily occurs in patients with hematological diseases,with neutropenia being a high-risk factor.Infection sites at catheter,urinary tract,and skin may be infection sources.Clearing the source of infection and promoting the recovery of neutrophils can help to improve survival rates of patients.For voriconazole-intolerant patients,fluconazole monotherapy or in combination with flucytosine/amphotericin B can be used alternatively based on antimicrobial susceptibility testing results.

The rising prevalence of allergic diseases imposes a significant burden on healthcare resources and socio-economic systems. Allergen testing plays a critical role in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of allergic diseases. However, its application in clinical practice still faces numerous challenges. This article reviews the current status of allergen testing in clinical settings and discusses the challenges in managing allergic diseases. Additionally, it provides recommendations for improving medical education on allergen testing and promoting standardized clinical management of allergic diseases.

Objective:To investigate the changes in and correlations between melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) and androgen levels in the serum of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), aiming to provide a novel research perspective for its diagnosis.Methods:A cross-sectional study. A total of 307 subjects were enrolled from the physical examination center and endocrinology clinic of the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University from June 2023 to June 2024. The cohort comprised 114 healthy controls and 193 patients with PCOS, diagnosed according to the Rotterdam criteria. The patients were grouped into four phenotypes: Phenotype A (hyperandrogenemia [HA]+ovulatory dysfunction [OA]+polycystic ovarian morphology [PCOM], n=44), Phenotype B (HA+OA, n=50), Phenotype C (HA+PCOM, n=46), and Phenotype D (OA+PCOM, n=53). Clinical data were collected for all subjects. Serum MCH levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The relationship between MCH and androgen-related risk factors for PCOS was analyzed using Spearman partial correlation analysis and stepwise multiple linear hierarchical regression. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze factors influencing PCOS onset. The diagnostic value of MCH for PCOS was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results:There were no significant differences in age and height between the healthy control group and the PCOS phenotypic groups (both P>0.05). MCH levels [17.63 (12.69, 22.00), 17.31 (11.05, 20.09), 17.82 (11.47, 19.40), 16.50 (11.14, 19.41) μg/L vs. 12.14 (9.78, 15.05) μg/L], homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, fasting plasma glucose, fasting serum lisulin, body mass index, and weight were significantly higher across all four PCOS phenotypes (A, B, C, and D) than in healthy controls (all P<0.05), whereas sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) contents were significantly lower ( P<0.05). Free androgen index (FAI), total testosterone (TES) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels were significantly higher in PCOS phenotypes A, B, and C than in the control group and PCOS phenotype D (all P<0.05). Spearman partial correlation analysis revealed no significant correlation between MCH and TES, DHEA, or FAI in healthy controls and patients with non-HA PCOS (all P>0.05). However, in PCOS patients with HA, MCH showed a significant positive correlation with TES and DHEA ( r=0.227 and 0.196, respectively; both P<0.05), but not FAI ( P>0.05). Stepwise multiple linear hierarchical regression analysis showed that MCH was positively correlated with TES, DHEA and luteinizing hormone and negatively correlated with SHBG (all P<0.05). Binary logistic regression indicated that an increase in MCH may be a potential risk factor for PCOS occurrence ( OR=1.113, 95% CI 1.012-1.224, P=0.028). ROC analysis showed that MCH has diagnostic value for PCOS ( P<0.05), with an area under the curve of 0.713. Conclusion:Serum MCH is closely related to FAI, TES, and DHEA levels in PCOS patients and may play an important role in the etiology and progression of the syndrome.

Objective To observe hierarchical differences in brain functional networks in unilateral mesial temporal lobe epilepsy(mTLE)patients with different outcomes after surgery.Methods A total of 69 unilateral mTLE patients who underwent resection of epileptogenic lesion on the affected side were retrospectively enrolled.Based on Engel classification 1 year after surgery,the patients were divided into seizure free(SF)group and non-seizure free(NSF)group.Functional connectivity gradient analysis was employed to extract principal gradient explaining the highest variance on preoperative resting-state functional MRI(rs-fMRI),then the whole-brain gradient characteristics and principal gradient values within specific functional networks were compared between groups.Results Principal gradient connected default mode network(DMN)with sensorimotor network(SMN)along a continuous axis.Compared to SF group,NSF group showed a contracted gradient range at both ends(DMN and SMN)of the functional network and weakened hierarchical differentiation,and principal gradient value of DMN was higher,while that of SMN was lower than those in SF group(both P＜0.05).Conclusion Hierarchical differences in brain functional networks in unilateral mTLE patients with different outcomes after surgery mainly present as enhanced DMN and weakened SMN in NSF ones,and the latter two might serve as important neuroimaging markers for evaluating postoperative seizure recurrence.

Objective:To evaluate the left atrial structure and function in patients with non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy（NOHCM）and atrial fibrillation（AF）using four-dimensional automatic left atrial quantification（4D Auto LAQ）technology，and to explore the correlation between left atrial remodeling and AF.Methods:Ninety patients with NOHCM treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from May 2023 to September 2024 were prospectively selected and divided into AF group（ n=27）and non-AF group（ n=63）according to whether they had AF. Clinical data of all enrolled patients were collected，and two-dimensional，color Doppler，and tissue Doppler ultrasound parameters were measured. 4D Auto LAQ technology was used to obtain left atrial volume and strain parameters. Inter-group comparison，univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis，and repeatability test were used to analyze the data. Results:Compared with non-AF group，left atrial maximum volume index（LAVImax），left atrial minimum volume index（LAVImin）and left atrial pre-systolic volume index（LAVIpreA）were increased in the AF group，but left atrial total ejection fraction（LAEF），left atrial passive ejection fraction（LApEF），left atrial active ejection fraction（LAaEF）and the absolute values of left atrial reservoir longitudinal and circumferential strains（LASr，LASr-c），left atrial conduit longitudinal and circumferential strains（LAScd，LAScd-c）and left atrial contraction longitudinal and circumferential strains（LASct，LASct-c）were decreased（all P<0.05）. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that LAVImin was independently associated with AF（ OR=0.837， P<0.001）. Conclusions:4D Auto LAQ can quantitatively evaluate the left atrial structure and function in patients with NOHCM and AF，and LAVImin is independently associated with the presence of AF.

Objective:To explore the value of three-dimensional automatic right ventricular quantitive analysis（3D Auto RVQ）technology in predicting the improvement of left ventricular ejection fraction（LVEF）in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction（HFrEF）.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 89 HFrEF patients admitted to the Cardiology Department of Central China Fuwai Hospital of Zhengzhou University from April 2022 to June 2024. All patients received medication treatment and were further divided into heart failure with improved ejection fraction（HFimpEF）group and non HFimpEF group based on changes detected by echocardiography in LVEF after treatment. The clinical data，biological indicators，and medication treatment status of patients were collected，routine echocardiographic parameters and right ventricular strain parameters were measured，3D right ventricular ejection fraction（3D-RVEF），3D right ventricular stroke volume index（3D-RVSVI），3D right ventricular end-diastolic volume index（3D-RVEDVI），3D right ventricular end-systolic volume index（3D-RVESVI），3D tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion（3D-TAPSE），and 3D right ventricular fractional area change（3D-RVFAC）were measured using 3D Auto RVQ technology. The differences of the above parameters between the two groups were compared. The ROC curve was used to analyze the predictive efficiency of right ventricular parameters for HFimpEF，and the area under ROC curve（AUC）was calculated and compared. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the predictive value of right ventricular parameters for HFimpEF.Results:Compared with the non HFimpEF group，the HFimpEF group had a younger age，shorter heart failure course，a smaller proportion of males，New York Heart Association（NYHA）functional class ≥Ⅲ，and patients with concomitant coronary heart disease. The baseline LVEF，absolute value of two dimensional right ventricular global longitudinal strain（2D-RVGLS），3D-RVEF，3D-TAPSE，and 3D-RVSVI were higher in the HFimpEF group（all P<0.05）. ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of 3D-RVEF for predicting HFimpEF was 0.858，and the predictive efficiency was higher than other right ventricular parameters. According to the Yoden index，the optimal cutoff value for predicting HFimpEF based on 3D-RVEF was 36.2%，with a corresponding sensitivity of 84.0% and specificity of 75.0%. After adjusting for clinical and other echocardiographic parameters，the logistic regression model showed that 3D-RVEF was an independent predictor of HFimpEF（ OR=1.435，95% CI=1.145-1.800， P<0.05）. Conclusions:The 3D-RVEF evaluated by 3D Auto RVQ technology has high predictive value for HFimpEF，which can provide a reference for clinical treatment，thereby improving the prognosis of HFrEF patients.

Objective:To evaluate the left atrial function in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy（HCM）combined with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction（HFpEF）using four-dimensional automated left atrial quantification（4D Auto LAQ）technology，and to investigate the independent factors affecting patients with HCM combined with HFpEF.Methods:One hundred HCM patients with left ventricular ejection fraction（LVEF）≥ 50% who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from September 2023 to March 2025 were prospectively selected. There were 50 cases in the HFpEF group and 50 cases in the non-HF group. The clinical data and conventional ultrasound parameters of HCM patients were collected. The 4D Auto LAQ technology was applied to obtain the four-dimensional volume and strain parameters of the left atrium，including the minimum left atrial volume（LAVmin），the maximum left atrial volume（LAVmax），the maximum left atrial volume index（LAVImax），the pre-atrial contraction volume（LAVpreA），the left atrial emptying volume（LAEV），the left atrial ejection fraction（LAEF），the longitudinal and circumferential strains in the left atrial reservoir period（LASr，LASr-c），the longitudinal and circumferential strains in the left atrial conduit period（LAScd，LAScd-c），the longitudinal and circumferential strains in the left atrial contraction period（LASct，LASct-c），and the minimum left atrial volume index（LAVImin）. The differences in the above parameters between the two groups were compared. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the independent influencing factors in HCM patients with HFpEF. The intraclass correlation coefficient was used to test the repeatability of the 4D Auto LAQ parameters.Results:Compared with the non-HF group，LAVmin，LAVmax，LAVpreA，LAVImin，and LAVImax increased，while LAEF，LASr，LAScd，LASct，LASr-c，LAScd-c，and LASct-c decreased in the HFpEF group（all P<0.05）. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that LASr was the strongest independent influencing factor in patients with HCM combined with HFpEF（ OR=0.255， P=0.003）. The consistency test showed that the intraclass correlation coefficients of each parameters of 4D Auto LAQ were all>0.7，the consistency was good. Conclusions:4D Auto LAQ technology can be used to evaluate left atrial function in patients with HCM combined with HFpEF，and LASr is the strongest independent influence factor in patients with HCM combined with HFpEF.

Objective To observe the value of ultrasound combined with hematologic tests for diagnosing acute complicated appendicitis.Methods Data of 225 patients with acute appendicitis confirmed by surgery and postoperative pathology were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into acute complicated appendicitis group(complicated group,n=33)and acute uncomplicated appendicitis group(uncomplicated group,n=192)based on operational and post operation pathological findings.Clinical data,hematologic test results and ultrasound findings before operation were compared between groups.Multivariate logistic regression was used to construct a combination model for diagnosing acute complicated appendicitis.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve and area under the curve(AUC)were used to evaluate the diagnostic value of predictive factor alone and their combination for diagnosing acute complicated appendicitis,which were then compared with DeLong test.Results Compared with uncomplicated group,patients in complicated group were older,with higher proportion of fever and vomiting,higher level of C reactive protein(CRP)and of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR),larger external diameters of appendix,also higher proportion of appendiceal intracavitary fecalith and periappendiceal abscess(all P＜0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that elevated serum CRP and NLR,increased external diameter of appendix and periappendiceal abscess were all predictive factors of acute complicated appendicitis(all P＜0.05).The diagnostic efficiency of logistic regression model constructed based on the above factors(AUC=0.854)was higher than that of each single predictive factor alone(Z=2.548-4.527,all P＜0.05).Conclusion Ultrasound combined with hematologic tests had high value for diagnosing acute complicated appendicitis.