Objective:To explore the risk factors of fungal infection in patients with upper urinary tract calculi after surgery and construct a risk prediction nomograph model.Methods:The clinical data of 2 329 patients who had undergone upper urinary calculus surgery in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2019 to December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the presence or absence of fungal infection within 3 months after surgery, the patients were divided into fungal infection group (n=97) and non-fungal infection group (n=2 232). Univariate logistic regression analysis and LASSO regression were used to screen the potential influencing factors. The enrolled patients were randomly divided into a training set (n=1 630) and a validation set (n=699) at a ratio of 7∶3. Based on the training set, multivariate logistic stepwise regression was used to screen independent risk factors and to construct a nomogram. Based on the validation set, ROC curve, calibration curve and decision curve were drawn to evaluate the model's differentiation, accuracy and clinical applicability.Results:Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that female gender, age, diabetes mellitus, history of malignant tumor, long-term bedridden disease, long-term use of immunosuppressants, hemoglobin on admission, serum creatinine, uric acid, white blood cell count on admission, neutrophil count on admission, degree of hydronephrosis, preoperative indwelling ureteral stent, duration of surgery, postoperative fever within 48 hours, white blood cell count, neutrophil count, CRP, urinary catheter indwelling time, length of hospital stay, use of carbapenem antibiotics, the duration of antibiotic use and the duration of postoperative ureteral stent indwelling were related to fungal infection. screening after upper urinary calculi surgery ( P<0.05). Univariate logistic regression results were screened after LASSO regression. Multivariate logistic stepwise regression analysis for the training set showed that age ( OR=1.041, 95% CI 1.017-1.066, P=0.001), diabetes( OR=3.138, 95% CI 1.517-6.492, P=0.002), long-term bed-rest ( OR=10.627, 95% CI 3.671-30.767, P<0.001), history of malignant tumor( OR=11.934, 95% CI 5.473-26.022, P<0.001), white blood cell count on admission( OR=1.276, 95% CI 1.134-1.436, P<0.001), postoperative fever within 48 hours ( OR=3.940, 95% CI 1.956-7.937, P<0.001), use of carbapenem antibiotics( OR=5.826, 95% CI 2.783-12.196, P<0.001), length of hospital stay( OR=1.201, 95% CI 1.131-1.277, P<0.001), and postoperative retention time of ureteral stent( OR=1.205, 95% CI 1.104-1.315, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for fungal infection after upper urinary calculi surgery.The nomogram model was constructed based on independent risk factors. The results of ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of the nomogram model in the prediction validation set was 0.955(95% CI 0.926-0.984). The calibration curve of the model was well fitted to the ideal curve. The results of decision curve analysis proved that the net benefit rate of the prediction model within the threshold range was higher than the two extreme lines when the threshold probability was <86%, indicating that the model was of good clinical applicability. Conclusions:Age, diabetes, history of malignant tumor, long-term bed-rest disease, white blood cell count on admission, postoperative fever within 48 hours, use of carbapenem antibiotics, length of hospital stay, and postoperative retention time of ureteral stent are independent risk factors for fungal infection in patients with upper urinary calculi after surgery. The model constructed in this study has good predictive ability and clinical applicability for the risk of fungal infection in patients with upper urinary calculi after surgery.

OBJECTIVE To investigate a suspected outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae(CRKP)infection in the intensive care unit of a traditional Chinese medicine hospital,identify the source of infec-tion and transmission routes,and provide a basis for prevention and control of CRKP infection.METHODS Epide-miological investigations were conducted on five patients with CRKP infections or colonization who were identi-fied in Jul.2024 at Suiyang County Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.Samples were collected from pa-tients,the ward environments,and hand surfaces to detect CRKP.Fourteen CRKP isolates were selected for car-bapenemase gene testing,and homology analysis was performed by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus polymerase chain reaction(ERIC-PCR)and multilocus sequence typing(MLST).RESULTS The median age of the five cases was 73 years,and all had undergone multiple invasive procedures.Environmental monitoring showed a CRKP positive rate of 26.35％,with CRKP isolates detected on the hands of healthcare workers,surfaces in the wards and medical equipment surfaces.Genetic analysis showed that all 14 CRKP strains carried the KPC resist-ance gene;except for case 1,other strains carried the VIM gene.MLST identified CRKP of all strains as sequence type 48(ST48);while ERIC-PCR revealed two distinct genotypes:genotype A for case 1 and genotype B for the other cases and environmental isolates.After strengthening patient isolation and group treatment,strictly cleaning and disinfecting the ward environments and medical equipment,and strictly implementing hand hygiene,the infec-tion was effectively controlled.CONCLUSIONS Inadequate disinfection of the ward environments and medical e-quipment and poor compliance with hand hygiene are the main contributors to the suspected CRKP outbreak.Ho-mology analysis suggests the existence of two independent transmission chains.Timely identification and manage-ment of the infection sources,interruption of transmission routes,protection of susceptible individuals and imple-mentation of comprehensive infection control measures are essential for effective outbreak control.

OBJECTIVE To investigate a suspected outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae(CRKP)infection in the intensive care unit of a traditional Chinese medicine hospital,identify the source of infec-tion and transmission routes,and provide a basis for prevention and control of CRKP infection.METHODS Epide-miological investigations were conducted on five patients with CRKP infections or colonization who were identi-fied in Jul.2024 at Suiyang County Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.Samples were collected from pa-tients,the ward environments,and hand surfaces to detect CRKP.Fourteen CRKP isolates were selected for car-bapenemase gene testing,and homology analysis was performed by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus polymerase chain reaction(ERIC-PCR)and multilocus sequence typing(MLST).RESULTS The median age of the five cases was 73 years,and all had undergone multiple invasive procedures.Environmental monitoring showed a CRKP positive rate of 26.35％,with CRKP isolates detected on the hands of healthcare workers,surfaces in the wards and medical equipment surfaces.Genetic analysis showed that all 14 CRKP strains carried the KPC resist-ance gene;except for case 1,other strains carried the VIM gene.MLST identified CRKP of all strains as sequence type 48(ST48);while ERIC-PCR revealed two distinct genotypes:genotype A for case 1 and genotype B for the other cases and environmental isolates.After strengthening patient isolation and group treatment,strictly cleaning and disinfecting the ward environments and medical equipment,and strictly implementing hand hygiene,the infec-tion was effectively controlled.CONCLUSIONS Inadequate disinfection of the ward environments and medical e-quipment and poor compliance with hand hygiene are the main contributors to the suspected CRKP outbreak.Ho-mology analysis suggests the existence of two independent transmission chains.Timely identification and manage-ment of the infection sources,interruption of transmission routes,protection of susceptible individuals and imple-mentation of comprehensive infection control measures are essential for effective outbreak control.

Objective:To explore the risk factors of fungal infection in patients with upper urinary tract calculi after surgery and construct a risk prediction nomograph model.Methods:The clinical data of 2 329 patients who had undergone upper urinary calculus surgery in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2019 to December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the presence or absence of fungal infection within 3 months after surgery, the patients were divided into fungal infection group (n=97) and non-fungal infection group (n=2 232). Univariate logistic regression analysis and LASSO regression were used to screen the potential influencing factors. The enrolled patients were randomly divided into a training set (n=1 630) and a validation set (n=699) at a ratio of 7∶3. Based on the training set, multivariate logistic stepwise regression was used to screen independent risk factors and to construct a nomogram. Based on the validation set, ROC curve, calibration curve and decision curve were drawn to evaluate the model's differentiation, accuracy and clinical applicability.Results:Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that female gender, age, diabetes mellitus, history of malignant tumor, long-term bedridden disease, long-term use of immunosuppressants, hemoglobin on admission, serum creatinine, uric acid, white blood cell count on admission, neutrophil count on admission, degree of hydronephrosis, preoperative indwelling ureteral stent, duration of surgery, postoperative fever within 48 hours, white blood cell count, neutrophil count, CRP, urinary catheter indwelling time, length of hospital stay, use of carbapenem antibiotics, the duration of antibiotic use and the duration of postoperative ureteral stent indwelling were related to fungal infection. screening after upper urinary calculi surgery ( P<0.05). Univariate logistic regression results were screened after LASSO regression. Multivariate logistic stepwise regression analysis for the training set showed that age ( OR=1.041, 95% CI 1.017-1.066, P=0.001), diabetes( OR=3.138, 95% CI 1.517-6.492, P=0.002), long-term bed-rest ( OR=10.627, 95% CI 3.671-30.767, P<0.001), history of malignant tumor( OR=11.934, 95% CI 5.473-26.022, P<0.001), white blood cell count on admission( OR=1.276, 95% CI 1.134-1.436, P<0.001), postoperative fever within 48 hours ( OR=3.940, 95% CI 1.956-7.937, P<0.001), use of carbapenem antibiotics( OR=5.826, 95% CI 2.783-12.196, P<0.001), length of hospital stay( OR=1.201, 95% CI 1.131-1.277, P<0.001), and postoperative retention time of ureteral stent( OR=1.205, 95% CI 1.104-1.315, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for fungal infection after upper urinary calculi surgery.The nomogram model was constructed based on independent risk factors. The results of ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of the nomogram model in the prediction validation set was 0.955(95% CI 0.926-0.984). The calibration curve of the model was well fitted to the ideal curve. The results of decision curve analysis proved that the net benefit rate of the prediction model within the threshold range was higher than the two extreme lines when the threshold probability was <86%, indicating that the model was of good clinical applicability. Conclusions:Age, diabetes, history of malignant tumor, long-term bed-rest disease, white blood cell count on admission, postoperative fever within 48 hours, use of carbapenem antibiotics, length of hospital stay, and postoperative retention time of ureteral stent are independent risk factors for fungal infection in patients with upper urinary calculi after surgery. The model constructed in this study has good predictive ability and clinical applicability for the risk of fungal infection in patients with upper urinary calculi after surgery.

OBJECTIVE To explore the effects of SMAD2/3 expression on radiotherapy and chemotherapy sensitivity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC)cells.METHODS The expression of SMAD2/3 was detected by immunofluorescence staining in the tissues of NPC,Western blot and qRT-PCR were used to detect the expression of SMAD2/3 in four human NPC cell lines(CNE-2,5-8F,Hone1,HK-1)and two human normal nasopharyngeal epithelial cells(HNEpC,NP69).The CNE-2 cell line(shSMAD2/3)and its control cell line(shSMAD2/3-NC)were constructed by lentiviral transfection.The transfected cells were treated with 4 Gy irradiation,10 μmol/L cisplatin chemotherapy and 4 Gy irradiation plus 10 μmol/L cisplatin chemotherapy respectively.The cell proliferation activity was detected by colony formation assay,the ability of cell migration was detected by scratch test,the ability of cell invasion was detected by Transwell test,and the phosphorylation level of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway was detected by Western blot.Then,PI3K agonist 740 Y-P was added to the experiment.RESULTS SMA2D/3 were highly expressed in NPC tissues and cell lines(all P<0.05).Compared with shSMAD2/3-NC cells,shSMAD2/3 cells were more sensitive to radiotherapy and chemotherapy,and their proliferation,migration and invasion were significantly inhibited(all P<0.05).The phosphorylation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway was significantly decreased in shSMAD2/3 cells(all P<0.05).740 Y-P significantly increased the phosphorylation levels of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in the shSMAD2/3 group cells,effectively reversing the inhibition of cell viability by SMAD2/3 knockdown,and reducing the sensitivity of cells to radiotherapy and chemotherapy(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION SMAD2/3 is highly expressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma,and down-regulation of SMAD2/3 expression increases the of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines to radiotherapy and chemotherapy by reducing the phosphorylation levels of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.

Objective    To explore the application value of machine learning models in predicting postoperative survival of patients with thoracic squamous esophageal cancer. Methods    The clinical data of 369 patients with thoracic esophageal squamous carcinoma who underwent radical esophageal cancer surgery at the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital from January 2014 to September 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 279 (75.6%) males and 90 (24.4%) females aged 41-78 years. The patients were randomly divided into a training set (259 patients) and a test set (110 patients) with a ratio of 7 : 3. Variable screening was performed by selecting the best subset of features. Six machine learning models were constructed on this basis and validated in an independent test set. The  performance of the models' predictions was evaluated by area under the curve (AUC), accuracy and logarithmic loss, and the fit of the models was reflected by calibration curves. The best model was selected as the final model. Risk stratification was performed using X-tile, and survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test. Results    The 5-year postoperative survival rate of the patients was 67.5%. All clinicopathological characteristics of patients between the two groups in the training and test sets were not statistically different (P>0.05). A total of seven variables, including hypertension, history of smoking, history of alcohol consumption, degree of tissue differentiation, pN stage, vascular invasion and nerve invasion, were included for modelling. The AUC values for each model in the independent test set were: decision tree (AUC=0.796), support vector machine (AUC=0.829), random forest (AUC=0.831), logistic regression (AUC=0.838), gradient boosting machine (AUC=0.846), and XGBoost (AUC=0.853). The XGBoost model was finally selected as the best model, and risk stratification was performed on the training and test sets. Patients in the training and test sets were divided into a low risk group, an intermediate risk group and a high risk group, respectively. In both data sets, the differences in surgical prognosis among three groups were statistically significant (P<0.001). Conclusion    Machine learning models have high value in predicting postoperative prognosis of thoracic squamous esophageal cancer. The XGBoost model outperforms common machine learning methods in predicting 5-year survival of patients with thoracic squamous esophageal cancer, and it has high utility and reliability.

Background and Objectives: Sheep-induced pluripotent stem cells (siPSCs) have low reprogramming efficiency, thereby hampering their use in biotechnology and agriculture. Several studies have shown that some microRNAs play an important role in promoting somatic reprogramming in mouse and human. In this study, we investigated the effect of miR-200c-141 on somatic reprogramming in sheep and explored the mechanism of promoting the reprogramming. Methods: and Results: The lentivirus system driven by tetracycline (TET)-on carrying Oct4, Sox2, c-Myc, Klf4, Nanog, Lin28, hTERT, and SV40LT (OSKMNLST) could reprogram sheep kidney cells into pluripotent cells. Overexpression of miR-200c-141 in combination with OSKMNLST could significantly improve the efficiency of sheep iPSC generation (p＜0.01). Sheep iPSCs derived from miR-200c-141 showed embryonic stem cell (ESC)-like pluripotent properties, were positive for alkaline phosphatase and some pluripotent markers by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and immunofluorescence, and were able to differentiate into three germ layers in vitro. Oar-miR-200c was transfected into HEK293FT cells and was able to target the zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) 3’UTR using dual luciferase reporting analysis. Overexpression of oar-miR-200c in SKCs significantly reduced the expression of ZEB1, but increased the expression of E-cadherin by qRT-PCR and western blotting analysis. Conclusions These results suggest that miR-200c-141 can promote the reprogramming of sheep somatic cells to iPSCs, and oar-miR-200c targeted ZEB1 3’UTR, significantly decreased expression of ZEB1, and increased expression of E-cadherin. Oar-miR-200c may improve the MET process by affecting the TGF-β signaling pathway, thus improving the efficiency of somatic cell reprogramming in sheep.

Objective    To explore the association between preoperative, perioperative parameters, especially estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) after modified extended Morrow procedure. Methods    A total of 300 hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) patients who underwent modified extended Morrow procedure in our hospital from January 2012 to March 2018 were collected. There were 197 (65.67%) males and 103 (34.33%) females with an average age of 43.54±13.81 years. Heart rhythm was continuously monitored during hospitalization. The patients were divided into a POAF group (n=68) and a non-POAF group (n=232). The general data, perioperative parameters and echocardiographic results were collected by consulting medical records for statistical analysis. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the risk factors for POAF. Results    Overall incidence of POAF during hospitalization was 22.67% (68/300). Compared with patients without POAF, patients with POAF were older, had higher incidence of chest pain and syncope, lower level of preoperative eGFR, higher body mass index and heart function classification (NYHA), larger preoperative left atrial diameter and left ventricular end diastolic diameter, and longer ventilator-assisted time, ICU stay and postoperative hospital stay. Age, heart function classification (NYHA)≥Ⅲ, hypertension, syncope history and eGFR were independent risk factors for POAF. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of eGFR was 0.731 (95%CI 0.677-0.780, P<0.001), and the sensitivity and specificity were 82.4% and 57.8%, respectively. Conclusion    Increased age, high preoperative heart function classification (NYHA), hypertension, preoperative syncope history and decreased eGFR are independent risk factors for POAF in HOCM patients who underwent surgical septal myectomy. Preoperative decreased eGFR can moderately predict the occurrence of POAF after modified extended Morrow procedure.

Objective:To investigate the computed tomography (CT) features of gastric neuroendocrine neoplasm (GNEN).Methods:The retrospective and descriptive method was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 30 GNEN patients who were admitted to two domestic medical centers (13 cases in Wenzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and 17 cases in Wenzhou People′s Hospital) from January 2010 to December 2018 were collected. There were 23 males and 7 females, aged (62±4)years, with a range from 27 to 78 years. The patients underwent abdominal CT plain scan and dynamic enhancement scan. Two associate chief radiologists with more than 20 years of work experience observed and analyzed all the images respectively. Observation indicators: (1) CT examination; (2) treatment and postoperative pathological examination; (3) follow-up. Follow-up was conducted using outpatient examination and telephone interview to detect the survival of patients up to December 2018. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD. Measurement data with skewed distribution were described as M (range). Results:(1) CT examination: of the 30 patients, 14 had the tumor located in the fundus of stomach, 10 had the the tumor located in the body of stomach, and 6 had the tumor located in the antrum. The tumor was elliptical in 18 cases and irregular in 12 cases. There were 15 cases of endogenous type, 13 cases of exogenous type, and 2 cases of intramural type. Patients with G1 neuroendocrine tumor had the maximum diameter of (6.8±1.6)cm, of which 4 cases had the maximum diameter less than 5.0 cm and 4 cases had the maximum diameter of 5.0 to 10.0 cm. Patients with G2 neuroendocrine tumor had the maximum diameter of (8.3±2.7)cm, of which 1 case had the maximum diameter less than 5.0 cm, 4 cases had the maximum diameter of 5.0 to 10.0 cm, and 2 cases had the maximum diameter greater than 10.0 cm. Patients with G3 neuroendocrine carcinoma had the maximum diameter of (17.8±2.2)cm, of which 6 cases had the maximum diameter of 5.0 to 10.0 cm and 9 cases had the maximum diameter more than 10.0 cm. The tumor showed swelling growth in 14 cases and invasive growth in 16 cases. The tumor boundary was clear in 14 cases and unclear in 16 cases. CT plain scan showed homogeneous tumor density in 10 cases and heterogeneous density in 20 cases. Nine patients had iso-density in the tumor parenchymal part, and the CT value was (34.0±3.5)HU. In the 18 cases of low density, the CT value was (16.6±1.4)HU. In the 3 cases of high density, the CT value was (45.3±3.6)HU. Of the 30 patients, 21 cases had small punctate or small round necrotic cyst lesions in the tumor, 10 cases had mesenteric lymph node, peritoneum, liver metastasis and adjacent omentum invasion; 17 cases had abdominal effusion. In the CT enhancement examination, 12 cases showed mild enhancement, and the CT value was (56.5±6.3)HU; 15 cases showed moderate enhancement, and the CT value was (66.0±5.4)HU; 3 cases showed significant enhancement, and the CT value was (76.6±5.8)HU. Seven cases showed homogeneous enhancement and 23 cases had heterogeneous enhancement. There were 8 cases with tortuous vessels. (2) Treatment and postoperative pathological examination: of the 30 patients, 10 cases with mesenteric lymph nodes, peritoneum, liver metastasis and adjacent omentum invasion underwent radical total gastrectomy; 14 cases without surrounding tissue invasion or metastasis underwent radical subtotal gastrectomy; 6 cases with tumor diameter less than 4.0 cm and without surrounding tissue invasion or metastasis underwent endoscopic resection. All the 30 patients were confirmed GNEN by postoperative pathological examination, including 8 cases of G1 neuroendocrine tumor, 7 cases of G2 neuroendocrine tumor, and 15 cases of G3 neuroendocrine carcinoma. Results of immunohistochemical staining showed that 30 patients were positive for synaptophysin, 23 were positive for chromogranin A, and 9 were positive for cytokeratin. (3) Follow-up: all the 30 patients were followed up for 10-80 months, with a median follow-up time of 39 months. The 5-year survival rate of 30 patients was 43.3% (13/30). The 5-year survival rates were 6/8, 3/7 and 4/15 of patients with G1 neuroendocrine tumor, G2 neuroendocrine carcinoma, and G3 neuroendocrine carcinoma.Conclusions:GNEN has the main manifestation as abdominal pain, with G3 as pathological classification, which is common in fundus and body of stomach. The CT findings of GNEN are characterized by swelling or infiltrating growth and round or irregular low-density masses. Tumors are prone to cystic transformation, and showed the mildly to moderately heterogeneous enhancement.

Objective: To investigate the current status and real performance of the detection of RUNX1-RUNX1T1 fusion transcript levels and WT1 transcript levels in China through interlaboratory comparison. Methods: Peking University People’s Hospital (PKUPH) prepared the samples for comparison. That is, the fresh RUNX1-RUNX1T1 positive (+) bone morrow nucleated cells were serially diluted with RUNX1-RUNX1T1 negative (-) nucleated cells from different patients. Totally 23 sets with 14 different samples per set were prepared. TRIzol reagent was added in each tube and thoroughly mixed with cells for homogenization. Each laboratory simultaneously tested RUNX1-RUNX1T1 and WT1 transcript levels of one set of samples by real-time quantitative PCR method. All transcript levels were reported as the percentage of RUNX1-RUNX1T1 or WT1 transcript copies/ABL copies. Spearman correlation coefficient between the reported transcript levels of each participated laboratory and those of PKUPH was calculated. Results: ①RUNX1-RUNX1T1 comparison: 9 samples were (+) and 5 were (-) , the false negative and positive rates of the 20 participated laboratories were 0 (0/180) and 5% (5/100) , respectively. The reported transcript levels of all 9 positive samples were different among laboratories. The median reported transcript levels of 9 positive samples were from 0.060% to 176.7%, which covered 3.5-log. The ratios of each sample’s highest to the lowest reported transcript levels were from 5.5 to 12.3 (one result which obviously deviated from other laboratories’ results was not included) , 85% (17/20) of the laboratories had correlation coefficient ≥0.98. ②WT1 comparison: The median reported transcript levels of all 14 samples were from 0.17% to 67.6%, which covered 2.6-log. The ratios of each sample’s highest to the lowest reported transcript levels were from 5.3-13.7, 62% (13/21) of the laboratories had correlation coefficient ≥0.98. ③ The relative relationship of the reported RUNX1-RUNX1T1 transcript levels between the participants and PKUPH was not always consistent with that of WT1 transcript levels. Both RUNX1-RUNX1T1 and WT1 transcript levels from 2 and 7 laboratories were individually lower than and higher than those of PKUPH, whereas for the rest 11 laboratories, one transcript level was higher than and the other was lower than that of PKUPH. Conclusion The reported RUNX1-RUNX1T1 and WT1 transcript levels were different among laboratories for the same sample. Most of the participated laboratories reported highly consistent result with that of PKUPH. The relationship between laboratories of the different transcript levels may not be the same.