ObjectiveTo explore the clinical value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing（mNGS） in patients with sepsis admitted to the Emergency Intensive Care Unit（EICU），evaluate its role in guiding precision antimicrobial therapy， and to identify key factors influencing mNGS positivity and patient prognosis. MethodsThis retrospective study analyzed clinical data from 524 patients with sepsis admitted to the EICU of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital， Sun Yat-sen University， from November 2020 to October 2024. The positive detection rate， pathogen spectrum， and concordance between mNGS and conventional culture were compared. Factors including infection site， underlying diseases， and immune status associated with mNGS positivity were evaluated. The impact of adjusting antimicrobial therapy based on mNGS results on patient prognosis was also analyzed. ResultsThe positive detection rate of mNGS was significantly higher than that of conventional culture （85.11% vs. 47.14%， P ＜ 0.001）. mNGS enabled rapid identification of rare pathogens and mixed infections， with higher positivity observed in immunosuppressed patients and those with hematological disorders （P ＜ 0.05）. Adjustment of antimicrobial therapy based on mNGS results showed no significant difference in short-term clinical response； however， 28-day mortality differed significantly among groups （adjusted group 39.1%， non-adjusted group 76.3%， supportive group 31.4%； χ²= 22.44， P ＜ 0.001）. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified age and mechanical ventilation as independent factors associated with pathogen positivity. Age， coronary heart disease， SOFA score， bilirubin level， and the use of mechanical ventilation and vasoactive drugs were independent risk factors for 28-day mortality， whereas platelet count and renal function showed protective associations. Patients whose antimicrobial therapy was adjusted based on mNGS results demonstrated a trend toward clinical improvement， shorter antibiotic duration， faster fever resolution， and lower 28-day case fatality rate. ConclusionmNGS demonstrates high sensitivity and broad pathogen coverage for etiological diagnosis in EICU sepsis patients and provides critical support for precision antimicrobial therapy. Patient age， underlying diseases， disease severity， and organ function are key determinants of pathogen detection and short-term prognosis， offering valuable guidance for risk stratification and optimization of therapeutic strategies.

Apoptosis ; Autophagy ; Ferroptosis ; Iron/metabolism* ; Sequestosome-1 Protein/metabolism* ; Ubiquitin-Specific Proteases/metabolism*

Background/Aims: The aim of this study was to analyze the chronological changes in postoperative complications in surgical ulcerative colitis patients over the past decade in China and to investigate the potential parameters that contributed to the changes. Methods: Ulcerative colitis patients who underwent surgery during 2008–2017 were retrospectively enrolled from 13 hospitals in China. Postoperative complications were compared among different operation years. Risk factors for complications were identified by logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 446 surgical ulcerative colitis patients were analyzed. Fewer short-term complications (24.8% vs. 41.0%, P=0.001) and more laparoscopic surgeries (66.4% vs. 25.0%, P<0.001) were found among patients who received surgery during 2014–2017 than 2008–2013. Logistic regression suggested that independent protective factors against short-term complications were a higher preoperative body mass index (odds ratio [OR], 0.870; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.785–0.964; P=0.008), laparoscopic surgery (OR, 0.391; 95% CI, 0.217–0.705; P=0.002) and elective surgery (OR, 0.213; 95% CI, 0.067–0.675; P=0.009). The chronological decrease in short-term complications was associated with an increase in laparoscopic surgery. Conclusions Our data revealed a downward trend of short-term postoperative complications among surgical ulcerative colitis patients in China during the past decade, which may be due to the promotion of minimally invasive techniques among Chinese surgeons.

Multiple sclerosis(MS) shows the pathological characteristics of "inflammatory injury of white matter" and "myelin repair disability" in the central nervous system(CNS). It is very essential for MS treatment and reduction of disease burden to strengthen repair, improve function, and reduce disability. Accordingly, different from the simple immunosuppression, we believe that key to strengthening remyelination and maintaining the "damage-repair" homeostasis of tissue is to change the current one-way immunosuppression strategy and achieve the "moderate pro-inflammation-effective inflammation removal" homeostasis. Traditional Chinese medicine shows huge potential in this strategy. Through literature research, this study summarized the research on remyelination, discussed the "mode-rate pro-inflammation-effective inflammation removal" homeostasis and the "damage-repair" homeostasis based on microglia, and summed up the key links in remyelination in MS. This review is expected to lay a theoretical basis for improving the function of MS patients and guide the application of traditional Chinese medicine.
Humans ; Multiple Sclerosis/pathology* ; Remyelination/physiology* ; Myelin Sheath/pathology* ; Inflammation/drug therapy* ; Homeostasis

The iron and inflammation homeostasis are closely coupled, forming an integrated functional unit under physiological conditions. "Iron transport balance" has become the key mechanism to maintain iron homeostasis through bidirectional regulation of iron uptake and release and dynamic management of transmembrane concentration. It is also the physiological basis for the inflammatory balance between promotion and resolution. Under pathological conditions, represented by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), disturbed iron transportation was highly involved in almost every step of inflammatory diseases. Therefore, the iron transporting rebalancing provides the mechanistic basis and effective approach for the normalization of inflammatory microenvironment. Macrophage is the key regulator of inflammation homeostasis and determinant for iron transport balance. Unfortunately, the current clinical transformation based on iron transport balance theory has still been insufficient. Sometimes, this strategy even showed high complexity and contradiction, severely restricting its clinical application. By summarizing the theoretical research progress of iron transport balance, especially its relevance to macrophage phenotypic polarization, this review aims to explore the therapeutic value in inflammation intervention by targeting iron transporting balance. This review will provide the necessary knowledge and hints for the research and development of candidate drugs in treating inflammatory diseases.

The use of the big data analytics technology to collect, summarize and analyze medical big data is effective to precisely mine and explore the underlying information, which greatly facilitates medical science research and clinical practices. Currently, the medical big data analytics technology mainly includes artificial intelligence, databases and programming languages, which have been widely employed in medical imaging, disease risk prediction, disease control, healthcare management, follow-up, and drug and therapy development. This review summarizes the currently available medical big data analytics technologies and their applications, with aims to facilitate the related studies.

Obiective:To investigate the design, the key points of surgery and the outcome of short-term follow-up of hemi-elbow-arthroplastic bionic total humeral prosthesis by using 3D-print.Methods:The clinical data of 8 patients with humerus malignant tumor who underwent total humerus resection and a 3D-printed auxiliary hemi-elbow-arthroplastic total humeral prosthesis replacement from March 2018 to March 2020 at Peking University People's Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The operative data, oncological outcome, complication profiles of prosthesis and functional status of all 8 patients were also analyzed. There were 3 males and 5 females with a mean age of 5-37 years. Histological diagnosis included 5 cases of osteosarcoma, 2 cases of Ewing's sarcoma and 1 case of chondrosarcoma.Results:The time for production of the prosthesis was (9.8±2.7) d, the operation time was (209±23) min and intraoperative hemorrhage was (569±173) ml. All the prostheses were implanted successfully and no patients experienced intraoperative complications. While 2 patients had postoperative complications, 1 case of temporary palsy of radial nerve and 1 case of local recurrence. LARS artificial ligament or hernia patch was used to reconstruct joint capsule and tendon-ligament attached around the elbow and shoulder joint. The flexion and extension of the elbow was (118±15)° (100-140°) and (11±9)° (0-25°), and the abduction and anteflexion of the shoulder was (28±12)° (15-50°) and (26±9)° (15-40°), respectively. The postoperative Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS)-93 scale score was (24.1±1.5) scores. The median follow-up time was 17 months (12-32 months), 7 patients had disease-free survival and 1 patient survived with tumor.Conclusions:The novel 3D-printed total humeral prosthesis with hemi-elbow-arthroplasty has a good perioperative safety, which is effective in restoring the function of elbow joint, solving the problem of stress concentration of ulnar marrow lever of total elbow joint prosthesis and lowering long-term wear rate and loosening rate of prosthesis.

BACKGROUND: Bendamustine was approved in China on May 26th, 2019 by the National Medical Product Administration for the treatment of indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The current study was the registration trial and the first reported evaluation of the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of bendamustine in Chinese adult patients with indolent B-cell NHL following relapse after chemotherapy and rituximab treatment. METHODS: This was a prospective, multicenter, open-label, single-arm, phase 3 study (NCT01596621; C18083/3076) with a 2-year follow-up period. Eligible patients received bendamustine hydrochloride 120 mg/m2 infused intravenously on days 1 and 2 of each 21-day treatment cycle for at least six planned cycles (and up to eight cycles). The primary endpoint was the overall response rate (ORR); and secondary endpoints were duration of response (DoR), progression-free survival (PFS), safety, and pharmacokinetics. Patients were classified according to their best overall response after initiation of therapy. Proportions of patients in each response category (complete response [CR], partial response [PR], stable disease, or progressive disease) were summarized along with a two-sided binomial exact 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the ORR. RESULTS: A total of 102 patients were enrolled from 20 centers between August 6th, 2012, and June 18th, 2015. At the time of the primary analysis, the ORR was 73% (95% CI: 63%-81%) per Independent Review Committee (IRC) including 19% CR and 54% PR. With the follow-up period, the median DoR was 16.2 months by IRC and 13.4 months by investigator assessment; the median PFS was 18.6 months and 15.3 months, respectively. The most common non-hematologic adverse events (AEs) were gastrointestinal toxicity, pyrexia, and rash. Grade 3/4 neutropenia was reported in 76% of patients. Serious AEs were reported in 29 patients and five patients died during the study. Pharmacokinetic analysis indicated that the characteristics of bendamustine and its metabolites M3 and M4 were generally consistent with those reported for other ethnicities. CONCLUSION: Bendamustine is an active and effective therapy in Chinese patients with relapsed, indolent B-cell NHL, with a comparable risk/benefit relationship to that reported in North American patients. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT01596621; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01596621.
Adult ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; Bendamustine Hydrochloride/therapeutic use* ; China ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin/drug therapy* ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/drug therapy* ; Prospective Studies ; Rituximab/therapeutic use*

Complete healing of the intestinal mucosa is the most ideal goal in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The intestinal mucosa healing not only significantly alters the course of the disease and relieves clinical symptoms, but also markedly reduces the occurrence of complications and prevents recurrence of IBD. As chronic inflammation associated with peptic ulcer damage is the main pathological feature of IBD, clinical treatment is mainly based on anti-inflammatory therapy, but such therapy cannot promote the healing of the intestinal mucosa of patients. Therefore, how to achieve long-term remission of IBD is still an urgent challenge. In the process of intestinal mucosal repair, the polarization of macrophages maintains the homeostasis of the intestinal microenvironment, which is a representative process that promotes mucosal inflammatory-repair. It is a key part of initiating tissue regeneration that should not be underestimated. In this paper, we reviewed the literature of the past decade, focusing on the promotion of intestinal mucosal healing in IBD. The discussion will highlight the importance and feasibility of regulating macrophages to promote intestinal mucosal repair. Following this thought, we discuss the shortcomings of current clinical treatments and summarize the relevant drugs which have potential to promote intestinal mucosal repair. The aim is to provide effective potential drugs and therapeutic targets for the treatment of IBD.

Purpose: This study assessed the correlation between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) biomarkers and the eighth American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system and the prognostic values of IgG antibodies against replication and transcription activator (Rta-IgG), IgA antibodies against Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 1, and BamH1 Z transactivator (Zta-IgA) in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. Materials and Methods: Serum EBV antibody levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 435 newly diagnosed stage III-IVA NPC patients administered intensity-modulated radiation therapy±chemotherapy. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Results: Rta-IgG and Zta-IgA levels were positively correlated with the N category and clinical stage. Patients with high Rta-IgG levels (> 29.07 U/mL) showed a significantly inferior prognosis as indicated by PFS (77% vs. 89.8%, p=0.004), distant metastasis–free survival (DMFS) (88.3% vs. 95.8%, p=0.021), and local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) (91.2% vs. 98.3%, p=0.009). High Rta-IgG levels were also significantly associated with inferior PFS and LRFS in multivariable analyses. In the low-level EBV DNA group (≤ 1,500 copies/mL), patients with high Rta-IgG levels had significantly inferior PFS and DMFS (both p < 0.05). However, in the high-level EBV DNA group, Rta-IgG levels were not significantly associated with PFS, DMFS, and LRFS. In the advanced T category (T3-4) subgroup, high Rta-IgG levels were also significantly associated with inferior PFS, DMFS, and LRFS (both p < 0.05). Conclusion Rta-IgG and Zta-IgA levels were strongly correlated with the TNM classification. Rta-IgG level was a negative prognostic factor in locoregionally advanced NPC patients, especially those with advanced T category or low EBV DNA level.