ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy and possible mechanism of Wei's Huoxue Tongluo Formula （韦氏活血通络方，WHTF） in treating atrophic-stage non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy （NAION） with qi deficiency and blood stasis. MethodsA total of 82 atrophic-stage NAION patients with qi deficiency and blood stasis were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group， with 41 cases in each group. The treatment group was given oral administration of WHTF twice a day plus acupoint injection of distilled water 2 ml at Taiyang （EX-HN5） once daily， while the control group received injection of compound anisodine injection 2 ml at Taiyang （EX-HN5） once daily and oral administration of WHTF placebo twice a day. Both groups received treatment for a course of 14 days. The best-corrected visual acuity （BCVA）， optic disc perfusion density （PD）， flux index （FI）， macular superficial PD， vascular density （VD）， and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores were compared between groups before treatment and on day 7 and day 14 of treatment. Additionally， mean defect （MD） and mean sensitivity （MS） of visual fields were measured before treatment and on day 14， along with safety evaluation. ResultsAfter treatment， both groups showed significant improvement in BCVA， visual field MD and MS， and TCM syndrome scores （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. On day 14 of treatment， the TCM syndrome score in the treatment group was significantly lower than that in the control group （P＜0.05）. There was no significant improvement in optic disc PD and FI， and macular superficial PD and VD after treatment in either group （P＞0.05） except that on day 7 the macular superficial foveal PD in the control group was significantly better than that in the treatment group （P＜0.05）. During the treatment period， no serious adverse events occurred in either group. ConclusionWHTF can improve the visual function indicators including visual acuity and visual field， as well as TCM syndrome scores in atrophic-stage NAION patients with qi deficiency and blood stasis. It shows clinical safety， although it does not appear to have a significant effect on optic disc or macular blood flow.

Objective:To investigate the differences in brain age and brain age gap (BAG) between patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (pDoC) and healthy controls (HC).Methods:A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed; 43 patients with pDoC admitted to Rehabilitation Medicine Center, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University from January 2020 to October 2022 were enrolled; 26 healthy volunteers recruited at the same time and 187 healthy subjects from the publicly available healthy control dataset Nathan Kline Institute-Rockland Sample (NKI-RS) were chosen as HC group. The clinical and imaging data of these subjects were collected. A brain age estimation model was constructed based on amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) for healthy individuals, and the pDoC group was used as the test set. A two-sample t-test was used to compare the brain age and BAG differences between the pDoC group and HC group. Pearson correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between BAG and coma recovery scale-revised (CRS-R) in the pDoC group. Results:The chronological age and estimated brain age in the HC group were (41.54±9.61) and (42.32±10.65) years, respectively, without significant difference ( t=-0.254, P=0.801). The chronological age and estimated brain age in the pDoC group were (49.91±12.03) and (62.79±15.00) years, respectively, with significant difference ( t=-4.341, P<0.001). The BAG in the HC and pDoC groups were (0.78±4.59) and (12.88±7.17) years, respectively, with significant difference ( t=-7.822, P<0.001). Correlation analysis results showed that in the pDoC patients, no correlation was noted between BAG and CRS-R score on the day of imaging scan or 6 months after the day of imaging scan ( r=0.090, P=0.738; r=0.205, P=0.674); no correlation was noted between BAG and difference in CRS-R score (difference value of CRS-R score 6 months after the day of imaging scan-CRS-R score on the day of imaging scan, r=0.246, P=0.687). Conclusion:Compared with the HC subjects, patients with pDoC exhibit an abnormal increase in brain age, suggesting that pDoC caused by severe brain injury may lead to accelerated brain aging.

Objective To understand the overall development of county-level Maternal and Child Healthcare(MCH)institutions in China in 2023,and to provide a basis for strengthening the standardisation and normative management of county-level MCH institutions in China.Methods Data from the National Monitoring Information System for MCH institutions were used to conduct descriptive analyses of the establishment of all county-level MCH institutions in China,the provision of outpatient and inpatient services,and statistical analyses of the rate of compliance with the construction of county-level MCH institutions throughout the country in accordance with the relevant standards.Results In 2023,there were 2 830 county-level administrative districts nationwide,with 2 683 county-level MCH institutions actually established,an establishment rate of 94.8%.The proportion of county-level MCH institutions that provide outpatient and inpatient services is 90.1%and 60.5%respectively,and the construction rate that meets the standards is 56.4%.Among them,the construction rate of county-level MCH institutions with a population of≥300 000 was 60.5%,with the highest rate(72.3%)in the western region and the lowest rate(26.3%)in the northeastern region.The construction rate of county-level MCH institutions for counties with populations of＜300 000 was 49.7%,with the highest rate in the eastern region(61.7%)and the lowest in the northeastern region(23.6%).Conclusion The overall development of MCH institutions at the county level in China is uneven,and the construction of institutions to meet the standards is unsatisfactory,especially in counties and districts with a population of＜300 000,where the construction and development of MCH institutions need to be continuously strengthened.

Objective To explore the role of X chromosome encoded epigenetic regulator UTX in NK cell-mediated anti-tumor activity.Methods Male Ncr1-iCre mice were crossed with female UTXfl/fl mice to generate F1 Ncr1-iCre+UTXfl/-male mice,which were further crossed with female UTXfl/fl mice to obtain male Ncr1-iCre-UTX fl/-control mice(M-Con)and NK-specific deletion of UTX male mice Ncr1-iCre+UTXfl/-(M-KO),as well as female Ncr1-iCre-UTXfl/fl control mice(F-Con)and UTX-deficient female mice Ncr1-iCre+UTXfl/fl(F-KO).UTX-deficient mice were injected with melanoma cell line B16F10 via tail vein to observe pulmonary metastatic tumor nodules.Moreover,flow cytometry was applied to detect the proportion and quantity of pulmonary NK cells(CD3-CD19-NK1.1+),maturation makers KLRG1 and CD11b,activation receptors NKG2D and CD69,and effector molecules,including perforin,granzyme B,CD107a,and IFN-γ.Then pulmonary NK cells were sorted and co-cultured with B16F10 cells,and the apoptosis of the melanoma cells was measured with flow cytometry.Results Compared with the M-Con mice,the M-KO mice presented less number of pulmonary tumor nodules(P<0.05),increased proportion and quantity of NK cells in the tumor microenvironment(P<0.01),though no obvious changes in the ratio of NK maturation makers KLRG1 to CD11b,enhanced expression level of cytotoxic molecule perforin(P<0.01),but no changes in the expression of effector molecule granzyme B,degranulation marker CD107a and cytokine IFN-γ in NK cells.Co-culture of NK cells and B16F10 cells promoted the apoptosis of tumor cells(P<0.05).Compared with the F-Con mice,the F-KO mice had no statistical difference in the number of pulmonary tumor nodules,but larger proportion and number of NK cells(P<0.05),decreased ratio of KLRG1 to CD11b(P<0.01),elevated level of perforin but decreased levels of granzyme B,CD107a and IFN-γ in NK cells(P<0.01).The co-culture of NK cells and B16F10 cells reduced the apoptosis of tumor cells in F-KO female mice(P<0.05).Conclusion NK-specific deletion of UTX regulates pulmonary metastasis of melanoma in a sex-dependent manner.

Objective:To evaluate the current situation of the protective effect of hearing protection device (HPD) worn by manufacturing workers and discuss their possible influencing factors.Methods:A total of 3634 noisy workers were surveyed and tested. The study conducted surveys of workers on the use of HPD. The 3M TM E-A-R Fit TM binaural verification system was used to measure the personal attenuation device (PAR) of workers wearing HPD. Results:The M ( Q1, Q3) of baseline PAR obtained by 3634 workers was 12 (2, 19) dB. There was a statistically significant difference in baseline PAR among the three types of HPDs ( H=336.39, P<0.01) . After pairwise comparison, it was found that the baseline PAR of workers wearing foam earplugs and earmuffs was higher than that of pre-molded earplugs ( P<0.01) . There were differences in baseline PAR among workers in different industries ( Z=359.73, P<0.01) . Education level, age of using HPD, types of HPDs, noise exposure intensity, with or without knowledge of correct methods, and comfort evaluation were the main factors affecting baseline PAR ( P<0.05) . There were 1536 workers (43.4%) failed the baseline PAR test. After the intervention, the median PAR increased significantly from 1 (0, 6) dB (baseline) to 18 (14, 22) dB (after the intervention) ( P<0.01) . The follow-up test found that the follow-up PAR of 328 workers was higher than the baseline PAR of the initial test, and the follow-up PAR was higher than the post-intervention PAR of the initial test ( P<0.01) . Conclusion:Under the conditions of this study, the protective effect of HPD was affected by factors such as incorrect understanding of wearing methods, exposure to high-intensity noise, low education level, a short period of time of HPD use and low comfort of hearing protectors. The protective effect could be improved through training, optimizing the wearing of hearing protector models, and follow-up interventions. Enterprises should use suitability verification to ensure the correct selection and wearing of noisy workers.

Objective:To evaluate the current situation of the protective effect of hearing protection device (HPD) worn by manufacturing workers and discuss their possible influencing factors.Methods:A total of 3634 noisy workers were surveyed and tested. The study conducted surveys of workers on the use of HPD. The 3M TM E-A-R Fit TM binaural verification system was used to measure the personal attenuation device (PAR) of workers wearing HPD. Results:The M ( Q1, Q3) of baseline PAR obtained by 3634 workers was 12 (2, 19) dB. There was a statistically significant difference in baseline PAR among the three types of HPDs ( H=336.39, P<0.01) . After pairwise comparison, it was found that the baseline PAR of workers wearing foam earplugs and earmuffs was higher than that of pre-molded earplugs ( P<0.01) . There were differences in baseline PAR among workers in different industries ( Z=359.73, P<0.01) . Education level, age of using HPD, types of HPDs, noise exposure intensity, with or without knowledge of correct methods, and comfort evaluation were the main factors affecting baseline PAR ( P<0.05) . There were 1536 workers (43.4%) failed the baseline PAR test. After the intervention, the median PAR increased significantly from 1 (0, 6) dB (baseline) to 18 (14, 22) dB (after the intervention) ( P<0.01) . The follow-up test found that the follow-up PAR of 328 workers was higher than the baseline PAR of the initial test, and the follow-up PAR was higher than the post-intervention PAR of the initial test ( P<0.01) . Conclusion:Under the conditions of this study, the protective effect of HPD was affected by factors such as incorrect understanding of wearing methods, exposure to high-intensity noise, low education level, a short period of time of HPD use and low comfort of hearing protectors. The protective effect could be improved through training, optimizing the wearing of hearing protector models, and follow-up interventions. Enterprises should use suitability verification to ensure the correct selection and wearing of noisy workers.

Objective:To explore the application effects of a method combining progressive case study and fishbone diagram in clinical teaching of interns in general surgery, and evaluate its impact on medical students' theoretical knowledge mastery, clinical practice ability development, and systematic thinking cultivation.Methods:Sixty undergraduate clinical medicine students who interned in the Department of General Surgery from July 2022 to December 2023 were selected as the research subjects and randomly divided into a control group ( n=30) and an observation group ( n=30). The control group received traditional case-based teaching through centralized lectures, group discussions, and review/Q&A sessions. The observation group received an integrated teaching approach combining progressive case study and fishbone diagram through the design of progressive cases and fishbone diagrams. Teaching effectiveness was evaluated through theoretical assessment, practical assessment, and teaching satisfaction survey. SPSS 22.0 was used for t-test and χ2 test. Results:The total score of theoretical assessments for the observation group interns was higher than that of the control group [(86.97±4.60) vs. (66.06±5.96), t=-17.79, P<0.001]. The differences in scores of diagnosis and treatment standards [(17.03±1.82) vs. (14.07±2.35)] and differential diagnosis [(12.85±1.42) vs. (8.92±2.37)] were particularly significant. In the practical assessments, the total score of the observation group interns [(90.19±5.04) vs. (68.63±4.30), t=-17.82, P<0.001] and their scores in individual assessments were higher than those of the control group, especially in acute abdomen evaluation [(18.23±1.72) vs. (14.37±2.05)], laparoscopic spatial positioning [(8.83±0.95) vs. (5.92±1.38)], and intraoperative emergency management [(8.95±0.97) vs. (6.05±1.23)]. The satisfaction scores of the observation group interns were higher than those of the control group ( P<0.001), with the greatest improvement in clinical thinking [(4.65±0.61) vs. (3.10±0.71)] and teacher-student interaction quality [(4.72±0.53) vs. (3.11±0.63)]. Conclusions:The teaching method combining progressive case study and fishbone diagram significantly improved interns' theoretical assessment scores, practical operation ability, and clinical decision-making level through the dynamic presentation of case evolution processes and the application of structured analysis tools, and also enhanced the teaching satisfaction.

Objective To analyze the differences in structural integrity of cerebral white matter fiber bundles in vegetative state(VS)patients with different prognoses,and to construct an early-stage prognostic prediction model for 1-year post-stabilization prognosis.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 52 VS patients admitted to the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University.Patients were stratified into good prognosis(n=22)and poor prognosis(n=30)at 1-year follow-up based on Coma Recovery Scale-Revised(CRS-R)scores.The fractional anisotropy values of cerebral white matter fiber bundles were derived from diffusion tensor imaging,and for the first time,the scores of the visual subscales of CRS-R were combined with FA values as input features for the prognostic model.To optimize model construction,the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression was employed for feature screening,and synthetic minority over-sampling technique for data balancing.The prognostic prediction model was subsequently developed using a support vector machine algorithm and validated via leave-one-out cross-validation.Model performance was evaluated using area under receiver operating characteristic curve,along with accuracy,sensitivity,specificity,and F1 score metrics.Results Following LASSO regression feature screening,the pontine crossing tract,medial lemniscus,tapetum,splenium of corpus callosum,and visual subscale scores were identified as key predictors.A multimodal SVM-based prediction model constructed with the above features could effectively predict the 1-year prognosis of VS patients,achieving a high predictive performance(AUC=0.894).Conclusion The SVM-based model integrating FA values of specific white matter fiber bundles and visual subscale scores demonstrates excellent predictive performance in predicting the 1-year prognosis of VS patients.

T cell factor 1（TCF-1）is a downstream transcription factor of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway，and plays an important role in the development，differentiation，and memory formation of T cells. Recent studies have shown that TCF-1 can regulate the formation and maintenance of stem-like memory T cells（Tscm），and has potential application value in evaluating the prognosis of tumor immunotherapy and as a target for tumor immunotherapy. This article reviews the regulatory effects of TCF-1 on the immune memory as well as stemness formation and maintenance of CD8 +T cells，summarizes the transcription network centered on TCF-1，and further elucidates the application and value of TCF-1 in tumor immunotherapy.

T cell factor 1（TCF-1）is a downstream transcription factor of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway，and plays an important role in the development，differentiation，and memory formation of T cells. Recent studies have shown that TCF-1 can regulate the formation and maintenance of stem-like memory T cells（Tscm），and has potential application value in evaluating the prognosis of tumor immunotherapy and as a target for tumor immunotherapy. This article reviews the regulatory effects of TCF-1 on the immune memory as well as stemness formation and maintenance of CD8 +T cells，summarizes the transcription network centered on TCF-1，and further elucidates the application and value of TCF-1 in tumor immunotherapy.