Background/Aims: Treatment indications for patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) remain contentious, particularly for patients with mild alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevation. We aimed to evaluate treatment effects in this patient population. Methods: This rollover study extended a placebo-controlled trial that enrolled non-cirrhotic patients with CHB and ALT levels below two times the upper limit of normal. Following 3 years of randomized intervention with either tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) or placebo, participants were rolled over to open-label TDF for 3 years. Liver biopsies were performed before and after the treatment to evaluate histopathological changes. Virological, biochemical, and serological outcomes were also assessed (NCT02463019). Results: Of 146 enrolled patients (median age 47 years, 80.8% male), 123 completed the study with paired biopsies. Overall, the Ishak fibrosis score decreased in 74 (60.2%), remained unchanged in 32 (26.0%), and increased in 17 (13.8%) patients (p<0.0001). The Knodell necroinflammation score decreased in 58 (47.2%), remained unchanged in 29 (23.6%), and increased in 36 (29.3%) patients (p=0.0038). The proportion of patients with an Ishak score ≥ 3 significantly decreased from 26.8% (n=33) to 9.8% (n=12) (p=0.0002). Histological improvements were more pronounced in patients switching from placebo. Virological and biochemical outcomes also improved in placebo switchers and remained stable in patients who continued TDF. However, serum HBsAg levels did not change and no patient cleared HBsAg. Conclusions In CHB patients with minimally raised ALT, favorable histopathological, biochemical, and virological outcomes were observed following 3-year TDF treatment, for both treatment-naïve patients and those already on therapy.

As the base of the three-tier rural health service network,primary health-care institutions are facing major bottlenecks,such as mismatches with residents'health service needs,shrinking capacity and serious patient losses.The formation of supply and demand service'stickiness'is a key path to promote patient primary care,maintain the sustainable development of the primary health service system,and improve the health of rural residents from a micro perspective,and it is also an important means to address the many challenges of the development of rural primary health care in the new era.Through the case study of X Township Health Center in Qianjiang District,Chongqing,this study found that the health centre was once caught in the difficulties of patient outflow,backward assessment and development restrictions,but in recent years,the institution has turned passivity into initiative,and gradually formed the service'stickiness'between supply and demand by optimizing the service contact process and improving the perceived quality of the residents.The formation of supply and demand'stickiness'is not only conducive to the retention of patients and the enhancement of health management,but also increases the income of primary health care institutions and promotes their sustainable development,which provides valuable practical experience for the transformation and development of primary health care.

Aging is comprehensively influenced by multiple fac-tors such as internal genes,cellular metabolism,external envi-ronment,and lifestyle habits.Among them,epigenetic regula-tion plays a core role.Epigenetic modifications,including DNA methylation,histone modification,heterochromatin remodeling,and non-coding RNA regulation,act in concert with the three-di-mensional genome architecture to precisely regulate gene expres-sion.This review elaborates on the factors influencing epigenetic regulation,as well as the mechanisms of how epigenetics affects the occurrence of organismal aging and the corresponding inter-vention strategies,providing relevant insights for uncovering the mechanisms of aging and preventing/treating aging-related disea-ses.

BACKGROUND:Related studies have shown that bone density,postoperative infection,adjacent vertebral fracture,and lumbar fascial edema may be risk factors for lingering pain after vertebroplasty.OBJECTIVE:To scrutinize the risk factors for lumbar fascia edema in osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures patients and investigate its influence on lingering pain after vertebroplasty.METHODS:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 204 osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures patients who underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty at the Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University from February to October 2022.Patients were categorized based on MRI findings into two groups:without lumbar fascia edema(84 cases)and with lumbar fascia edema(120 cases).Preoperative data,encompassing age,gender,height,weight,body mass index,bone density,serum total protein,serum albumin,inflammatory markers(C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate),degree of fracture compression,presence of prior compression fractures,fracture count,lumbar instability,and Japanese senile independence score were gathered.Postoperative follow-up recorded data such as the number of new vertebral fractures and visual analog scale scores were recorded.Logistic regression method was used to analyze the risk factors of lumbar fascial edema,and the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to determine whether the risk factors had relevant diagnostic significance.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Age,prior vertebral compression fractures,Japanese senile independence score score,and lumbar instability presence emerged as autonomous risk factors for lumbar fascia edema in osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures patients,with corresponding odds ratios of 2.76,1.70,2.56,and 4.74,respectively.(2)Employing a visual analog scale score of 4 at 1 month postoperatively to distinguish residual pain revealed 31 cases with residual pain in the lumbar fascia edema group,in contrast to only 8 cases in the non-fascia edema group(P＜0.01).(3)The fascia edema group exhibited a significantly higher visual analog scale score at 1 month postoperatively(2.12±1.35)compared to the group without fascia edema(1.67±1.08)(P＜0.01).(4)It is indicated that age,Japanese senile independence score,prior compression fractures,and lumbar instability presence independently contribute to lumbar fascia edema in osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures patients.Lumbar fascia edema emerges as a determinant of persistent pain in the lumbar region following percutaneous vertebroplasty in these patients.

Objective:To provide novel genetic biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis,bioinformatics analysis was used to screen differentially expressed genes and identify Hub genes in sepsis.Methods:Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database was used to retrieve gene expression datasets of sepsis and screen for differentially expressed genes(DEGs).Protein-protein interaction(PPI)network analysis,Gene Ontology(GO)analysis,and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis were used to clarify the molecular mechanism of DEGs,and Hub genes were screened.Results:A total of 361 DEGs were identified,including 163 up-regulated genes and 198 down-regulated genes.Enrichment analysis revealed that these DEGs were primarily involved in antigen processing and presentation,T cell biology,cell adhesion molecules,and T cell receptor signaling pathways.CD4,TP53,PTPRC,LCK,ITGAM,ZAP70,CD247,CD2,CD3E,and HSP90AB1 were determined as optimal diagnostic biomarkers for sepsis.Conclusions:This study elucidated 10 Hub genes(CD4,TP53,PTPRC,LCK,ITGAM,ZAP70,CD247,CD2,CD3E,and HSP90AB1)as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis.However,since the the generalizability of these Hub genes in patients with sepsis remains unvalidated,further experimental verification is still needed in the future.

AIM:To observe the effect of opioid-free anesthesia with esketamine on delirium after hip replacement surgery in elderly patients.METH-ODS:One hundred and fourteen elderly patients who underwent hip replacement were randomly di-vided into two groups:opioid-free anesthesia(OFA)group and opioid anesthesia(OA)group(n=57).During anesthesia induction and maintenance,es-ketamine was administered in OFA group,and that fentanyl and remifentanil were administered in OA group.Delirium was mainly recorded within 3 days after the surgeries,and the patients'delirium sta-tus was evaluated using the Chinese Revised Deliri-um Diagnostic Scale(CAM-CR).RESULTS:The pa-tients in OFA group had lower CAM-CR scores and delirium incidence compared to those in the OA group at 2 days after surgery.CONCLUSION:Opioid-free anesthesia based on esketamine can effective-ly reduce delirium after hip replacement in elderly patients.

Esophageal cancer(EC)is most commonly diagnosed in our country as an advanced esophageal cancer.With the continuous exploration and innovation of treatment methods,the comprehensive treatment scheme based on surgery is gradually improved.Immunotherapy is a new way to treat tumors in recent years.How to make better use of it in neoadjuvant therapy to create a better prognosis for EC is worth discussing.

This study was aimed at identifying the pathogenic bacteria responsible for the death of a young tiger at the Fujian Meihua Mountain South China Tiger Breeding Research Institute.Tissue samples from the lungs,liver,and intestines of the deceased tiger were collected,and the bacteria were cultured inasterile environment.The bacterial strains were characterized according to their morphological and molecular biological properties,including assessment of virulence genes and antibiotic resistance genes,mouse lethality tests,and antibiotic susceptibility evaluations.A predominant bacterial strain isolated from the liver of the deceased tiger was identified as enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli(ETEC)strain Tiger22513F.Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that the Tiger22513F strain exhibited close genetic similarity to the reference strain ETEC(MF919609.1),with 99.9%nucleotide similarity,and resided on the same evolutionary branch.The Tiger22513F strain contained 11 antibiotic resistance genes(tetA,sul1,sul3,cmlA,floR,blaTEM,blaSHV,blaCMY-2,qnrA,qnrS,and qnrD)along with five virulence genes(VT1,fyuA,tsh,iucD,and ST).Mouse lethality tests indicated significant pathogenicity toward mice,affecting primarily the lungs,liver,and intestines.Antibiotic susceptibility testing demonstrated that this strain exhibited resistance to various classes of beta-lactam antibiotics,as well as quinolones and aminoglycosides.This investigation successfully isolated a multi-drug resistant enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strain with pronounced pathogenicity from the liver of a deceased tiger;thus providing valuable scientific insights for clinical diagnosis,as well as prevention and control measures,against ETEC infections in South China tigers.

Esophageal cancer(EC)is most commonly diagnosed in our country as an advanced esophageal cancer.With the continuous exploration and innovation of treatment methods,the comprehensive treatment scheme based on surgery is gradually improved.Immunotherapy is a new way to treat tumors in recent years.How to make better use of it in neoadjuvant therapy to create a better prognosis for EC is worth discussing.

This study was aimed at identifying the pathogenic bacteria responsible for the death of a young tiger at the Fujian Meihua Mountain South China Tiger Breeding Research Institute.Tissue samples from the lungs,liver,and intestines of the deceased tiger were collected,and the bacteria were cultured inasterile environment.The bacterial strains were characterized according to their morphological and molecular biological properties,including assessment of virulence genes and antibiotic resistance genes,mouse lethality tests,and antibiotic susceptibility evaluations.A predominant bacterial strain isolated from the liver of the deceased tiger was identified as enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli(ETEC)strain Tiger22513F.Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that the Tiger22513F strain exhibited close genetic similarity to the reference strain ETEC(MF919609.1),with 99.9%nucleotide similarity,and resided on the same evolutionary branch.The Tiger22513F strain contained 11 antibiotic resistance genes(tetA,sul1,sul3,cmlA,floR,blaTEM,blaSHV,blaCMY-2,qnrA,qnrS,and qnrD)along with five virulence genes(VT1,fyuA,tsh,iucD,and ST).Mouse lethality tests indicated significant pathogenicity toward mice,affecting primarily the lungs,liver,and intestines.Antibiotic susceptibility testing demonstrated that this strain exhibited resistance to various classes of beta-lactam antibiotics,as well as quinolones and aminoglycosides.This investigation successfully isolated a multi-drug resistant enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strain with pronounced pathogenicity from the liver of a deceased tiger;thus providing valuable scientific insights for clinical diagnosis,as well as prevention and control measures,against ETEC infections in South China tigers.