ObjectiveTo explore the construction of a machine learning model for the diagnosis of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes in chronic cough and the optimization of this model using the Voting ensemble algorithm. MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted using clinical data from 921 patients with chronic cough treated at the Respiratory Department of Dongfang Hospital， Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. After standardized processing， 84 clinical features were extracted to determine TCM syndrome types. A specialized dataset for TCM syndrome diagnosis in chronic cough was formed by selecting syndrome types with more than 50 cases. The synthetic minority over-sampling technique （SMOTE） was employed to balance the dataset. Four base models， logistic regression （LR）， decision tree （dt）， multilayer perceptron （MLP）， and Bagging， were constructed and integrated using a hard voting strategy to form a Voting ensemble model. Model performance was evaluated using accuracy， recall， precision， F1-score， receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve， area under the curve （AUC）， and confusion matrix. ResultsAmong the 921 cases， six syndrome types had over 50 cases each， phlegm-heat obstructing the lung （294 cases）， wind pathogen latent in the lung （103 cases）， cold-phlegm obstructing the lung （102 cases）， damp-heat stagnating in the lung （64 cases）， lung yang deficiency （54 cases）， and phlegm-damp obstructing the lung （53 cases）， yielding a total of 670 cases in the specialized dataset. High-frequency symptoms among these patients included cough， expectoration， odor-induced cough， throat itchiness， itch-induced cough， and cough triggered by cold wind. Among the four base models， the MLP model showed the best diagnostic performance （test accuracy： 0.9104； AUC： 0.9828）. Compared with the base models， the Voting ensemble model achieved superior performance with an accuracy of 0.9289 on the training set and 0.9253 on the test set， showing a minimal overfitting gap of 0.0036. It also achieved the highest AUC （0.9836） in the test set， outperforming all base models. The model exhi-bited especially strong diagnostic performance for damp-heat stagnating in the lung （AUC： 0.9984） and wind pathogen latent in the lung （AUC： 0.9970）. ConclusionThe Voting ensemble algorithm effectively integrates the strengths of multiple machine learning models， resulting in an optimized diagnostic model for TCM syndromes in chronic cough with high accuracy and enhanced generalization ability.

With reference to the teaching reform of standardized training cases based on organ systems, a teaching case writing team has been established, integrating the teaching experts in basic medicine, clinical medicine, humanities medicine, and other fields. Through collective lesson preparation and discussion, non-fictional comprehensive scenario writing techniques have been used based on organ systems and oriented by competency development, and the teaching cases for postgraduate students were written on the basis of real cases, which lays a solid foundation for the hierarchical and progressive cultivation and improvement of the quality of competency cultivation for postgraduate students through case teaching based on organ systems.

By identifying and analyzing the problems and difficulties in the implementation process of student stratification, goal stratification, practice stratification, and assessment stratification in standardized residency training, this article proposes to fully leverage the main role of professional bases in hierarchical and progressive teaching for standardized residency training and strengthen the specific responsibilities of professional base teaching groups in discussing hierarchical and progressive teaching plans, evaluation standards, and assessments. It is also necessary to scientifically implement student stratification, achieve consistent stratification goals, strengthen the training of hierarchical and progressive teaching concepts and teaching abilities for teachers, enhance the ability for homogeneous and hierarchical evaluation, and develop countermeasures that combine stage training goal process evaluation with dynamic personalized teaching by mentors, so as to provide a useful reference for further promoting the reform of standardized residency training using a hierarchical and progressive teaching model.

Aim To establish the fingerprint of raw bupleurum and vinegar bupleurum,investigate the difference in their anti-liver fibrosis effects,and ex-plore the relationship between the chemical composition of raw bupleurum and vinegar bupleurum and their an-ti-liver fibrosis efficacy.Methods The fingerprints of 10 batches of raw bupleuri and 10 batches of bupleuri were established by UPLC method.The liver fibrosis cell model in vitro was established by TGF-β induced LX-2 hepatic stellate cells.The liver fibrosis cell mod-el was analyzed with collagen type Ⅰ(col1a1)and α-smoothmuscleactin.The expression of α-SMA protein was used as the pharmacodynamic index.MetaboAna-lyst5.0 was used to screen the difference markers af-fecting the quality of raw bupledges and vinegar bu-pledges with VIP value＞1 as the criterion.Orthogo-nal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA)was used to screen the main components of raw bupleurum and vinegar bupleurum against liver fibro-sis.Results There were 18 peaks in the UPLC fin-gerprints of raw bupleurum and vinegar bupleurum,and the analysis results showed that there were nine main differences between raw bupleurum and vinegar bupleurum,among which peaks 9,7 and 6 could be considered as bupleurin d,bupleurin a and bupleurin f.The results of spectral effect relationship showed that the main components of bupleurum anti-liver fibrosis were peaks 11,12,14,15 and 18.Conclusions The established fingerprint method of raw bupleurum and vinegar bupleurum is simple and feasible,and the important components of anti-liver fibrosis activity are screened through the spectrum effect relationship,which provides a basis for clarifying the material basis of anti-liver fibrosis effect of raw bupleurum and vine-gar bupleurum.

Objective To monitor the susceptibility of clinical isolates to antimicrobial agents in tertiary hospitals in major regions of China in 2022.Methods Clinical isolates from 58 hospitals in China were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using a unified protocol based on disc diffusion method or automated testing systems.Results were interpreted using the 2022 Clinical &Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)breakpoints.Results A total of 318 013 clinical isolates were collected from January 1,2022 to December 31,2022,of which 29.5％were gram-positive and 70.5％were gram-negative.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains in Staphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermidis and other coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species(excluding Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Staphylococcus schleiferi)was 28.3％,76.7％and 77.9％,respectively.Overall,94.0％of MRSA strains were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and 90.8％of MRSE strains were susceptible to rifampicin.No vancomycin-resistant strains were found.Enterococcus faecalis showed significantly lower resistance rates to most antimicrobial agents tested than Enterococcus faecium.A few vancomycin-resistant strains were identified in both E.faecalis and E.faecium.The prevalence of penicillin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae was 94.2％in the isolates from children and 95.7％in the isolates from adults.The resistance rate to carbapenems was lower than 13.1％in most Enterobacterales species except for Klebsiella,21.7％-23.1％of which were resistant to carbapenems.Most Enterobacterales isolates were highly susceptible to tigecycline,colistin and polymyxin B,with resistance rates ranging from 0.1％to 13.3％.The prevalence of meropenem-resistant strains decreased from 23.5％in 2019 to 18.0％in 2022 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and decreased from 79.0％in 2019 to 72.5％in 2022 in Acinetobacter baumannii.Conclusions The resistance of clinical isolates to the commonly used antimicrobial agents is still increasing in tertiary hospitals.However,the prevalence of important carbapenem-resistant organisms such as carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa,and A.baumannii showed a downward trend in recent years.This finding suggests that the strategy of combining antimicrobial resistance surveillance with multidisciplinary concerted action works well in curbing the spread of resistant bacteria.

Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is a type of chronic autoimmune disease with unknown etiology and inflammatory syno-vitis.The occurrence and development of RA are closely related to intestinal mucosal immunity.Imbalance of intestinal flora,impaired intestinal barrier integrity,production of local autoantibodies and changes of immune cells in the lamina propria are all potential risks of RA.We explored the relationship between intestinal mucosal immunity and RA(gut-joint axis)in detail,with respect to provide novel thought and theoretical basis for the treatment of RA.

Objective To design a novel oxygenator to solve the existing problems of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(ECMO)machine in high transmembrane pressure difference,low efficiency of blood oxygen exchange and susceptibility to thrombosis.Methods The main body of the oxygenator vascular access flow field was gifted with a flat cylindrical shape.The topology of the vascular access was modeled in three dimensions,and the whole flow field was cut into a blood inlet section,an inlet buffer,a heat exchange zone,a blood oxygen exchange zone,an outlet buffer and a blood outlet section.The oxygenator was compared with Quadrox oxygenator by means of ANSYS FLUENT-based simulation and prototype experiments.Results Simulation calculations showed the oxygenator designed was comparable to the clinically used ones in general,and gained advantages in transmembrane pressure difference,blood oxygen exchange and flow uniformity.Experimental results indicated that the oxygenator behaved better than Quadrox oxygenator in transmembrane pressure difference and blood oxygen exchange.Conclusion The oxygenator has advantages in transmem-brane pressure difference,temperature change,blood oxygen ex-change and low probability of thrombosis.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(3):23-28]

Objective To develop a portable collection device of human exhaled breath condensate(EBC)based on natural breathing to meet the needs for rapid screening of human respiratory tract(especially lower respiratory tract)infections.Methods The device consisted of a refrigeration unit,a heat dissipation unit and a condensation unit.The refrigeration unit adopted a TES1-7102 thermoelectric Peltier cooler semiconductor as the refrigeration element;the heat dissipation unit was composed of a high thermal conductivity aluminum heat sink and a high-speed brushless cooling fan;the condensation unit was made up of a cold guide plate and a condenser,in which the cold guide plate was made of thin sheet of aluminum alloy,and the condenser was prepared by 3D printing technology and made of hydrophobic polylactic acid,with primary and secondary 2-stage guide grooves and an ultra-thin condensing surface.The performance of the device was verified in terms of cooling,thermal conductivity,condensation and human EBC collection and content analysis.Results Performance analysis showed that after refrigeration began the temperature difference between the condenser surface and the exhaled gas met the requirements of the condenser,and no obvious thermal resistance was found on the condensing surface so that large droplets could be formed rapidly and then be collected after the gas-liquid phase change of the exhaled gas on the condensing surface.Human EBC collection and content analysis indicated the device realized home self-collection of EBCs from people of all ages,and the concentrations of interleukins,C-reactive protein and other inflammation-related indexes and the pH value of the collected EBC samples were all correlated with respiratory infections in the subjects.Conclusion The device developed with easy operation avoids the discomfort of blowing collection and the risk of saliva contamination,and is worthy promoting for rapid diagnosis and dynamic monitoring of respiratory tract infection and other related diseases.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(8):32-37]

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of Xiaoyao San (XYS), a herbal medicine formula, on exercise capacity and liver mitochondrial metabolomics in a rat model of depression induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). METHODS: A total of 24 male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: control group (C), CUMS control group (M), Venlafaxine positive treatment group (V), and XYS treatment group (X). Depressive behaviour and exercise capacity of rats were assessed by body weight, sugar-water preference test, open field test, pole test, and rotarod test. The liver mitochondria metabolomics were analyzed by using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method. TCMSP database and GeneCards database were used to screen XYS for potential targets for depression, and GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed. RESULTS: Compared with C group, rats in M group showed significantly lower body weight, sugar water preference rate, number of crossing and rearing in the open field test, climbing down time in the pole test, and retention time on the rotarod test (P < 0.01). The above behaviors and exercise capacity indices were significantly modulated in rats in V and X groups compared with M group (P < 0.05, 0.01). Compared with C group, a total of 18 different metabolites were changed in the liver mitochondria of rats in M group. Nine different metabolites and six metabolic pathways were regulated in the liver mitochondria of rats in X group compared with M group. The results of network pharmacology showed that 88 intersecting targets for depression and XYS were obtained, among which 15 key targets such as IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF were predicted to be the main differential targets for the treatment of depression. Additionally, a total of 1 553 GO signaling pathways and 181 KEGG signaling pathways were identified, and the main biological pathways were AGE-RAGE signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, and calcium signaling pathway. CONCLUSION XYS treatment could improve depressive symptoms, enhance exercise capacity, positively regulate the changes of mitochondrial metabolites and improve energy metabolism in the liver of depressed rats. These findings suggest that XYS exerts antidepressant effects through multi-target and multi-pathway.

Objective To retrospectively investigate the efficacy of pelvic floor muscle training(PFMT)using APP-based home device in the real-world scenario.Methods A retrospective survey was conducted among 171 000 Chinese female users over 18 years old who freely registered APP and performed PFMT using a domestic manufactured home device from Oct 1,2019 to Mar 31,2021.The Patient Global Impression of Improvement(PGI-I)questionnaires concerning pelvic floor general condition,sexual satisfaction and other three major symptoms related to pelvic floor muscle laxity such as stress urinary incontinence(SUI),pelvic organ prolapse(POP),and vaginal laxity(VL)were broadcast public online for users to self-assess the improvement.The vaginal muscle strength values prior and post training recorded by APP were also reported.All data were collected anonymously for further stratified analysis.Results A total of 984 valid questionnaires were collected by systematic sampling.The PGI-I scores of pelvic floor general condition(P=0.000 1),sexual satisfaction(P=0.009),SUI(P=0.000 1),POP(P=0.044)and VL(P=0.034)were statistically significant in users who reported to use the device for 3 months or more compared with those less than 3 months.In addition,the increase of vaginal muscle strength was related to the improvement of PGI-I scores in SUI and POP with statistical significance.There were no significant difference in subgroups such as age,education,parity,and delivery mode.Conclusion The subjective benefit of pelvic floor function-related symptoms and the improvement of vaginal muscle strength could be observed after PFMT for three months or more using APP-based home device in Chinese women in the real-world scenario.