BACKGROUND:Eupatilin,a flavonoid active component derived from Artemisia sinensis,has been reported to relieve inflammation and improve neurological scores in rats with subarachnoid hemorrhage,but its role and mechanism in learning and memory remain unclear.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effects of eupatilin on learning and memory abilities and P38 mitogen activated protein kinase(p38 MAPK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription-3(STAT3)pathway proteins in rats with subarachnoid hemorrhage.METHODS:A total of 50 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham surgery group,model group,eupatilin group,hesperetin group,eupatilin+hesperetin group,with 10 rats in each group.Except for the sham surgery group,the rats in the other groups were used to construct a subarachnoid hemorrhage model through intravascular perforation.Two hours after successful modeling,the eupatilin group was injected with 10 mg/kg eupatilin via the tail vein,the hesperetin group was injected with 50 mg/kg hesperetin(p38 MAPK/STAT3 signaling pathway activator)via the tail vein,the eupatilin+hesperetin group was injected with 10 mg/kg eupatilin and 50 mg/kg hesperetin via the tail vein,and the sham surgery group and the model group were injected with 10 mL/kg saline via the tail vein.The drug treatment lasted for 24 hours.The neurologic deficit score and Morris water maze experiment were applied to detect the neurological function and learning and memory abilities of rats.Hematoxylin-eosin staining was performed to detect the histopathological changes of the hippocampus.TUNEL method was used to detect neuronal apoptosis.Immunohistochemical staining was conducted to detect the number of doublecortin-positive cells in hippocampal tissue.Western blot was applied to detect the expression of p38 MAPK/STAT3 protein in hippocampal tissue.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the sham surgery group,rats in the model group had lower neurological deficit scores,learning and memory abilities,and number of doublecortin-positive cells(P<0.05),and higher neuronal apoptosis rate and protein expression of p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK and p-STAT3/STAT3(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,rats in the eupatilin group showed higher neurological deficit scores,learning and memory abilities,and number of doublecortin-positive cells(P<0.05),and lower neuronal apoptosis rate and protein expression of p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK and p-STAT3/STAT3(P<0.05),while those in the nerolone group showed lower neurological deficit scores,learning and memory abilities,and number of doublecortin-positive cells(P<0.05),and higher neuronal apoptosis rate and protein expression of p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK and p-STAT3/STAT3(P<0.05).Compared with the eupatilin group,rats in the eupatilin+hesperetin group had lower neurological deficit scores,learning memory abilities,and number of doublecortin-positive cells(P<0.05),and higher neuronal apoptosis rate and protein expression of p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK and p-STAT3/STAT3(P<0.05).Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that compared with the model group,the nerve cells were more neatly arranged in the eupatilin group,disorganized in the hesperetin group,and arranged in a similar way to the model group in the eupatilin+hesperetin group.To conclude,eupatilin may improve learning and memory abilities of rats with subarachnoid hemorrhage by inhibiting the p38 MAPK/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Objective This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial resistance profiles of bacterial strains isolated from pediatric intensive care units(PICU)in China for better antimicrobial therapy.Methods Clinical isolates were collected from 17 institutions,including tertiary care children's hospitals and pediatric department of tertiary general hospitals in China from January 1,2020 to December 31,2022.Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out according to a unified protocol using Kirby-Bauer method or automated systems.Results were interpreted according to the breakpoints released by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)in 2020.Results A total of 10 688 isolates were collected,including gram-positive organisms(39.2％)and gram-negative organisms(60.8％).The top three organisms were S.aureus(13.6％,1 453/10 688),A.baumannii(10.0％,1 067/10 688),and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus(9.9％,1 058/10 688).Multi-drug resistant organisms(MDROs)were very common in children.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA),carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales(CRE),carbapenem-resistant E.coli,carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae(CRKP),carbapenem-resistant A.baumannii(CRAB),and carbapenem-resistant P.aeruginosa(CRPA)was 41.1％,19.4％,8.8％,30.9％,67.4％,and 28.8％,respectively.Overall,more than 50％of Enterobacteriales isolates were resistant to cephalosporins,while nearly 25％of Enterobacteriales isolates were resistant to carbapenems.MDROs were highly resistant to commonly used antibiotics.More than 80％of CRE and CRAB strains were resistant to all beta-lactam antibiotics.CRE and CRAB showed low resistance rates to tigecycline and polymyxin.CRPA showed lower resistance rates to piperacillin,beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations than the resistance rates to third and fourth generation cephalosporins.All of the Staphylococcus and Enterococcus isolates were susceptible to vancomycin and tigecycline.None of PRSP strains isolated from meningitis and nonmeningitis samples were resistant to rifampicin,vancomycin,or linezolid.The prevalence of β-lactamase-negative ampicillin-resistant(BLNAR)strains was 43.3％in Haemophilus influenzae.Conclusions MDROs were prevalent in PICU.It is necessary to establish an effective multidisciplinary team(MDT)to control the antimicrobial resistance.

Objective This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial resistance profiles of bacterial strains isolated from pediatric intensive care units(PICU)in China for better antimicrobial therapy.Methods Clinical isolates were collected from 17 institutions,including tertiary care children's hospitals and pediatric department of tertiary general hospitals in China from January 1,2020 to December 31,2022.Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out according to a unified protocol using Kirby-Bauer method or automated systems.Results were interpreted according to the breakpoints released by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)in 2020.Results A total of 10 688 isolates were collected,including gram-positive organisms(39.2％)and gram-negative organisms(60.8％).The top three organisms were S.aureus(13.6％,1 453/10 688),A.baumannii(10.0％,1 067/10 688),and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus(9.9％,1 058/10 688).Multi-drug resistant organisms(MDROs)were very common in children.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA),carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales(CRE),carbapenem-resistant E.coli,carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae(CRKP),carbapenem-resistant A.baumannii(CRAB),and carbapenem-resistant P.aeruginosa(CRPA)was 41.1％,19.4％,8.8％,30.9％,67.4％,and 28.8％,respectively.Overall,more than 50％of Enterobacteriales isolates were resistant to cephalosporins,while nearly 25％of Enterobacteriales isolates were resistant to carbapenems.MDROs were highly resistant to commonly used antibiotics.More than 80％of CRE and CRAB strains were resistant to all beta-lactam antibiotics.CRE and CRAB showed low resistance rates to tigecycline and polymyxin.CRPA showed lower resistance rates to piperacillin,beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations than the resistance rates to third and fourth generation cephalosporins.All of the Staphylococcus and Enterococcus isolates were susceptible to vancomycin and tigecycline.None of PRSP strains isolated from meningitis and nonmeningitis samples were resistant to rifampicin,vancomycin,or linezolid.The prevalence of β-lactamase-negative ampicillin-resistant(BLNAR)strains was 43.3％in Haemophilus influenzae.Conclusions MDROs were prevalent in PICU.It is necessary to establish an effective multidisciplinary team(MDT)to control the antimicrobial resistance.

BACKGROUND:Eupatilin,a flavonoid active component derived from Artemisia sinensis,has been reported to relieve inflammation and improve neurological scores in rats with subarachnoid hemorrhage,but its role and mechanism in learning and memory remain unclear.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effects of eupatilin on learning and memory abilities and P38 mitogen activated protein kinase(p38 MAPK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription-3(STAT3)pathway proteins in rats with subarachnoid hemorrhage.METHODS:A total of 50 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham surgery group,model group,eupatilin group,hesperetin group,eupatilin+hesperetin group,with 10 rats in each group.Except for the sham surgery group,the rats in the other groups were used to construct a subarachnoid hemorrhage model through intravascular perforation.Two hours after successful modeling,the eupatilin group was injected with 10 mg/kg eupatilin via the tail vein,the hesperetin group was injected with 50 mg/kg hesperetin(p38 MAPK/STAT3 signaling pathway activator)via the tail vein,the eupatilin+hesperetin group was injected with 10 mg/kg eupatilin and 50 mg/kg hesperetin via the tail vein,and the sham surgery group and the model group were injected with 10 mL/kg saline via the tail vein.The drug treatment lasted for 24 hours.The neurologic deficit score and Morris water maze experiment were applied to detect the neurological function and learning and memory abilities of rats.Hematoxylin-eosin staining was performed to detect the histopathological changes of the hippocampus.TUNEL method was used to detect neuronal apoptosis.Immunohistochemical staining was conducted to detect the number of doublecortin-positive cells in hippocampal tissue.Western blot was applied to detect the expression of p38 MAPK/STAT3 protein in hippocampal tissue.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the sham surgery group,rats in the model group had lower neurological deficit scores,learning and memory abilities,and number of doublecortin-positive cells(P<0.05),and higher neuronal apoptosis rate and protein expression of p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK and p-STAT3/STAT3(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,rats in the eupatilin group showed higher neurological deficit scores,learning and memory abilities,and number of doublecortin-positive cells(P<0.05),and lower neuronal apoptosis rate and protein expression of p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK and p-STAT3/STAT3(P<0.05),while those in the nerolone group showed lower neurological deficit scores,learning and memory abilities,and number of doublecortin-positive cells(P<0.05),and higher neuronal apoptosis rate and protein expression of p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK and p-STAT3/STAT3(P<0.05).Compared with the eupatilin group,rats in the eupatilin+hesperetin group had lower neurological deficit scores,learning memory abilities,and number of doublecortin-positive cells(P<0.05),and higher neuronal apoptosis rate and protein expression of p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK and p-STAT3/STAT3(P<0.05).Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that compared with the model group,the nerve cells were more neatly arranged in the eupatilin group,disorganized in the hesperetin group,and arranged in a similar way to the model group in the eupatilin+hesperetin group.To conclude,eupatilin may improve learning and memory abilities of rats with subarachnoid hemorrhage by inhibiting the p38 MAPK/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Barrett's esophagus(BE),a precancerous state of esophageal adenocarcinoma,poses a major challenge for prevention and treatment owing to its complex mechanism of inflammation-cancer transformation and the lack of effective clinical treatment and torsion strategies.Building upon the"preventing disease progression"theory,this study aimed to address the critical clinical challenge of intercepting the pathological progression during the inflammation-cancer transformation of BE by proposing an innovative"two critical nodes-three stages"pathomechanism framework.The pathogenesis of BE originates from liver depression and qi stagnation.The pathological progression evolves through two critical nodes:liver depression transforming into heat and heat transforming into blood stasis,representing a three-stage evolutionary pattern of qi stagnation,heat transformation,and blood stasis formation.Acidic bile salts,acting as a pathogenic toxin,permeate the entire process and catalyze carcinogenesis.Based on this understanding,the therapeutic principles of"treatment from the liver"and"truncation and torsion"were established,emphasizing stage-specific interventions.For the qi stagnation stage,treatment focuses on soothing the liver and regulating qi,as well as moistening,harmonizing,and descending the qi.This is achieved by combining modified Chaihu Shugan Powder with Xuanfu Daizhe Decoction,while using pungent and drying herbs cautiously and supplementing them with light and floral herbs.In the heat transformation stage,the strategy aims to clear the liver and drain heat while protecting yin and harmonizing the stomach,employing modified Huaganjian combined with Yiguanjian and supplemented with Jinlingzi Powder to clear depressed fire.For the blood stasis formation stage,treatment involves activating blood and resolving stasis,combined with supporting healthy qi and removing toxins.This is achieved using a modified Gexia Zhuyu Decoction,supplemented with Liujunzi Decoction,and additions such as Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae and turtle carapace to disperse nodules and reduce masses.This theoretical framework establishes a diagnostic and therapeutic model characterized by the integration of disease mechanisms with pathology and the mutual reference of macro-level signs with micro-level indicators.It provides a comprehensive clinical practice pathway,complete with principles,methods,formulas,and herbs,for the stage-specific interception of inflammation-cancer transformation in BE using traditional Chinese medicine.

Purpose To investigate the relationship between the expression of POSTN and NECTIN-3 in urothelial carcinoma(UC)and its clinicopathologic features and prognosis.Methods Clinical data of 115 UC patients were col-lected.EnVision two-step method was used for immunohistochemical analysis to determine the expression of POSTN and NECTIN-3 in UC and their correlation with clinicopathological features and prognosis.Transcriptomic data from TCGA database were used to analyze the correlation between the expression of POSTN and NECTIN-3 in bladder cancer and the pathological stage and prognosis of bladder cancer.qPCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression levels of POSTN and NECTIN-3 in tumor tissues and adjacent tissues of patients.Results TCGA database analysis showed that the expression level of NECTIN-3 in urinary bladder urothelial carcinoma(UBUC)was significantly lower than that in paracancer tissues,and POSTN expression was positively correlated with pathological stage.Prognostic a-nalysis showed that POSTN expression was negatively correlated with the overall survival of UBUC(P＞0.05),and NECTIN-3 expression was negatively correlated with disease-free survival of UBUC(P＞0.05).The experimental re-suits showed that patients with positive POSTN expression were more prone to perineural invasion[25 cases(86.2％)vs 4 cases(13.8％),P=0.019],vascular invasion[36 cases(83.7％)vs 7 cases(16.3％),P=0.007],and lymph node metastasis[24 cases(88.9％)vs 3 cases(11.1％),P=0.033].Additionally,the positive expression rate of POSTN in UBUC was significantly higher than that in upper tract urothelial carcinoma(UTUC)(75.0％vs 54.3％,P=0.028).Higher expression levels of POSTN and NECTIN-3 were associated with shorter overall survival,but the difference was not statistically significant(P＞0.05).Conclusion There is no significant correlation between NECTIN-3 and the clinicopathological features and prognosis of urothelial carcinoma,while the expression of POSTN is correlated with the invasive clinicopathological features of UC,which has certain suggestive significance for clinical stage and prognosis.

Objective:This study aims to analyze the focus and existing shortcomings of informal elderly care policy in China,and to provide references for policy system optimization.Methods:A two-dimensional analysis framework of"policy instruments-participating actors"was constructed and a content analysis method was applied to quantitatively analyze 34 relevant policy texts on informal elderly care(2011-2025),aiming to reveal the structural features and evolution logic of the policy system.Results:The policy evolution has undergone three stages,including institutional initiation,regulated development,and systematic deepening.In terms of policy tools,supply-side,environmental,and demand-side tools accounted for 39.6%,33.6%,and 26.8%,respectively,with the structure transitioning from a"supply-dominated"to a diversified synergistic model of"supply optimization+environmental empowerment+demand stimulation".In terms of participating actors,government departments(27.7%)played a dominant role,technology enterprises showed increased participation(20.6%),while family members remained underrepresented(9.2%).Conclusion:It is necessary to further optimize the structure of policy tool,strengthen social participation and family support systems,promote the deep integration of technology and humanistic care,and enhance the systematicness and effectiveness of the policy system.

Aim To perform high-throughput screen-ing of immunomodulatory traditional Chinese medicine(TCMs)based on an in vitro B cell differentiation-antibody secretion model,identifying active herbal candidates with immune-enhancing properties to pro-vide novel therapeutic options and theoretical support for influenza virus treatment in immunocompromised in-dividuals.Methods B cells were stimulated with dif-ferent concentrations of cytosine-phosphate-guanine oli-godeoxynucleotide 2006(CpG)and nterleukin-2(IL-2)to promote proliferation,differentiation,and anti-body secretion,and the effects of varying concentra-tions of the solvent DMSO were also evaluated.The op-timal conditions for the B cell differentiation-anti-body secretion model were determined based on the se-cretion levels of three antibody isotypes.The feasibility of the model was further validated using rapamycin,a known B cell function inhibitor.On this basis,a high-throughput screening platform for immunomodulatory a-gents was optimized and established.Subsequently,the immune-enhancing activity of 465 polarity extract from TCMs was evaluated.Results The optimal con-ditions for the model were determined as 2 mg·L-1 CpG,1.67 × 106 nkat·L-1 IL-2,and DMSO with a volume fraction of 0.1％.Rapamycin effectively inhib-ited B cell differentiation into plasmablast and signifi-cantly reduced antibody production,indicating the reli-ability of the model.Multiple rounds of screening re-vealed that the dichloromethane extract of licorice,the dichloromethane extract of Vinegar-processed Curcumae Rhizoma,the cyclohexane extract of Honey-prepared Radix Asteris,and the aqueous extract of Siphonostegia chinensis Benth were identified to significantly promote both B cell proliferation and differentiation and anti-body secretion at a concentration of 600 μg·L-1.Conclusion This study successfully optimizes an in vitro B cell differentiation-antibody secretion model and identifies several TCM extracts,including licorice,with potential immune-enhancing activity.

Background and Aims:Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma(ICC)is a highly malignant liver tumor,with an increasing incidence worldwide,particularly in Asia.Although radical surgical resection is currently the only potentially curative treatment,the high recurrence rate and low postoperative overall survival(OS)rate of ICC remain major clinical challenges.Adjuvant therapy(AT)and neoadjuvant therapy(NAT)are important strategies to reduce postoperative recurrence and prolong OS.Several studies have shown certain efficacy of these treatments.However,the specific efficacy and safety of combined NAT and AT in ICC treatment require further validation.This study was conducted to evaluate the value of combining NAT and AT in improving the therapeutic outcomes of ICC patients through a multicenter retrospective analysis,so as to provide scientific evidence for optimizing treatment strategies.Methods:The clinicopathologic data of 576 patients with ICC who underwent radical resection and were pathologically confirmed from 13 hospitals in China between December 2011 and December 2017 were retrospectively collected.Patients were grouped based on their treatment modality:NAT+AT group,AT group,and non-NAT/AT group.The three patient groups were matched pairwise in a 1∶1 ratio using propensity score matching(PSM)to balance baseline data.The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze OS and disease-free survival(DFS),and subgroup analyses were conducted according to the 8th edition of the AJCC TNM staging system.Results:A total of 395 ICC patients were included in the final analysis,with 42 patients(10.6%)in the NAT+AT group,62 patients(15.7%)in the AT group,and 291 patients(73.7%)in the non-NAT/AT group.Before PSM,significant differences were observed between groups in terms of CA19-9,liver function Child-Pugh classification,intraoperative blood loss,surgical margin,differentiation grade,vascular invasion,ECOG score,and lymph node dissection ratio(all P<0.05).After PSM,there were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the groups(all P>0.05).After matching,the median OS and DFS in the NAT+AT group were significantly better than in the AT and non-NAT/AT groups(both P<0.05),while there were no significant differences in OS and DFS between the AT and non-NAT/AT groups(both P>0.05).Subgroup analysis showed that in TNM stage I patients,DFS in the NAT+AT group was significantly better than in the non-NAT/AT group(P<0.05),but OS was not significantly different(P>0.05).In TNM stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ patients,both OS and DFS in the NAT+AT and AT groups were significantly better than in the non-NAT/AT group(both P<0.05),and DFS in the NAT+AT group was significantly better than in the AT group in TNM stage Ⅲ patients(P<0.05).Conclusion:NAT combined with AT provides better survival benefits for patients with locally advanced ICC,but its benefit for early-stage ICC patients is limited.However,the retrospective design and sample size limitations of this study may affect the stability of the results,and future large-sample,multicenter,prospective studies are needed for further validation.

Aim To perform high-throughput screen-ing of immunomodulatory traditional Chinese medicine(TCMs)based on an in vitro B cell differentiation-antibody secretion model,identifying active herbal candidates with immune-enhancing properties to pro-vide novel therapeutic options and theoretical support for influenza virus treatment in immunocompromised in-dividuals.Methods B cells were stimulated with dif-ferent concentrations of cytosine-phosphate-guanine oli-godeoxynucleotide 2006(CpG)and nterleukin-2(IL-2)to promote proliferation,differentiation,and anti-body secretion,and the effects of varying concentra-tions of the solvent DMSO were also evaluated.The op-timal conditions for the B cell differentiation-anti-body secretion model were determined based on the se-cretion levels of three antibody isotypes.The feasibility of the model was further validated using rapamycin,a known B cell function inhibitor.On this basis,a high-throughput screening platform for immunomodulatory a-gents was optimized and established.Subsequently,the immune-enhancing activity of 465 polarity extract from TCMs was evaluated.Results The optimal con-ditions for the model were determined as 2 mg·L-1 CpG,1.67 × 106 nkat·L-1 IL-2,and DMSO with a volume fraction of 0.1％.Rapamycin effectively inhib-ited B cell differentiation into plasmablast and signifi-cantly reduced antibody production,indicating the reli-ability of the model.Multiple rounds of screening re-vealed that the dichloromethane extract of licorice,the dichloromethane extract of Vinegar-processed Curcumae Rhizoma,the cyclohexane extract of Honey-prepared Radix Asteris,and the aqueous extract of Siphonostegia chinensis Benth were identified to significantly promote both B cell proliferation and differentiation and anti-body secretion at a concentration of 600 μg·L-1.Conclusion This study successfully optimizes an in vitro B cell differentiation-antibody secretion model and identifies several TCM extracts,including licorice,with potential immune-enhancing activity.