Infection Prevention and Control(IPC)programs are crucial for prevention of hospital-associated infec-tions(HAIs),health and safety of patients and health care workers.The major task confronting the health care is to effectively carry out the IPC programs so as to raise the efficiency and quality of management of HAIs.In recent years,the rapid development of artificial intelligence(AI)technology has provided new ideas for the management of HAIs.The application and progress of research on application of AI technologies such as machine learning,nat-ural language processing and computer vision in surveillance,early warning,diagnosis,prevention and control,smart medical equipment and management of antibiotics were reviewed in the article.Meanwhile,the problems and challenges confronting the AI application,such as technical breakthroughs,data privacy and health care work-ers' acceptance,were also expounded.In the future,it is necessary to push forward the technology research and development,establish the safe and reliable data management system,increase the experience of health care work-ers and energize the interdisciplinary cooperation on IPC.

Panax ginseng, a perennial herbaceous plant and a representative of the Panax genus, is renowned for its exceptional medicinal value and economic benefits, often referred to as the “King of Herbs.” With the increasing market demand and the limited availability of suitable cultivation land, the issue of continuous cropping obstacles for P. ginseng has become increasingly prominent, directly hindering the sustainable development of the ginseng industry. This article summarizes the concept and hazards of continuous cropping obstacles and, drawing on the latest research, provides an in-depth analysis of the causes and response mechanisms. This work aims to establish a solid foundation for future research into the mechanisms of continuous cropping obstacles in P. ginseng.

Panax ginseng, a perennial herbaceous plant and a representative of the Panax genus, is renowned for its exceptional medicinal value and economic benefits, often referred to as the “King of Herbs.” With the increasing market demand and the limited availability of suitable cultivation land, the issue of continuous cropping obstacles for P. ginseng has become increasingly prominent, directly hindering the sustainable development of the ginseng industry. This article summarizes the concept and hazards of continuous cropping obstacles and, drawing on the latest research, provides an in-depth analysis of the causes and response mechanisms. This work aims to establish a solid foundation for future research into the mechanisms of continuous cropping obstacles in P. ginseng.

Panax ginseng, a perennial herbaceous plant and a representative of the Panax genus, is renowned for its exceptional medicinal value and economic benefits, often referred to as the “King of Herbs.” With the increasing market demand and the limited availability of suitable cultivation land, the issue of continuous cropping obstacles for P. ginseng has become increasingly prominent, directly hindering the sustainable development of the ginseng industry. This article summarizes the concept and hazards of continuous cropping obstacles and, drawing on the latest research, provides an in-depth analysis of the causes and response mechanisms. This work aims to establish a solid foundation for future research into the mechanisms of continuous cropping obstacles in P. ginseng.

Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics and trends of postoperative pneumonia(POP)in tertiary general hospitals in Jiangsu Province,and provide theoretical basis for carrying out targeted pre-vention and control measures.Methods Surgery patients from 22 tertiary general hospitals in 12 cities in north,central,and south of Jiangsu Province from January 1,2022 to December 31,2023 were chosen as studied subjects,occurrence of POP was analyzed and compared.Results A total of 848 274 surgical procedures were performed in 22 hospitals,and 3 606 cases of POP occurred,with an incidence of 0.43％.The incidence in 2023 was 0.37％,which was lower than that in 2022(0.49％),with statistically significant difference(P＜0.001).The top three de-partments with high incidence of POP were neurosurgery(6.71％),cardiothoracic surgery(2.91％),and general surgery(0.77％).Among hospitals of different grades,the incidence of POP in tertiary first-class hospitals was 0.44％,which was higher than that in other tertiary hospitals(0.37％).There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of POP between municipal and district/county hospitals(P＞0.05).The incidence of POP in hospitals with a bed:infection control full-time staff ratio＜200∶1 was lower than that in hospitals with the ratio ≥200∶1(0.39％vs 0.47％,P＜0.001),while the incidence of POP in hospitals with a proportion ≥30％of full-time staff being doctors was higher than that in hospitals with a proportion＜30％(0.45％vs 0.36％,P＜0.001).The incidence of POP in male patients was higher than that in female patients(0.62％vs 0.26％,P＜0.001).The incidence of POP in elderly patients aged≥65 was higher than that in patients aged＜65(0.73％vs 0.26％,P＜0.001).A total of 2 667 strains of infectious pathogens were detected,with the top three being Acine-tobacter baumannii,Klebsiella pneumoniae,and Pseudomonas aeruginosa,accounting for 28.95％,22.72％,and 15.45％,respectively.The detection rates of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii(CRAB),carba-penem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae(CRKP),and carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa(CRPA)were 60.75％,21.45％,and 32.28％,respectively.The detection rate of CRKP decreased in 2023 compared with 2022,with statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).Conclusion The overall incidence of POP in tertiary general hos-pitals in Jiangsu Province is relatively low,but there are significant differences among different hospitals.There-fore,perioperative prevention and control measures should be carried out based on the epidemiological characteristics of patients.

Infection Prevention and Control(IPC)programs are crucial for prevention of hospital-associated infec-tions(HAIs),health and safety of patients and health care workers.The major task confronting the health care is to effectively carry out the IPC programs so as to raise the efficiency and quality of management of HAIs.In recent years,the rapid development of artificial intelligence(AI)technology has provided new ideas for the management of HAIs.The application and progress of research on application of AI technologies such as machine learning,nat-ural language processing and computer vision in surveillance,early warning,diagnosis,prevention and control,smart medical equipment and management of antibiotics were reviewed in the article.Meanwhile,the problems and challenges confronting the AI application,such as technical breakthroughs,data privacy and health care work-ers' acceptance,were also expounded.In the future,it is necessary to push forward the technology research and development,establish the safe and reliable data management system,increase the experience of health care work-ers and energize the interdisciplinary cooperation on IPC.

Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics and trends of postoperative pneumonia(POP)in tertiary general hospitals in Jiangsu Province,and provide theoretical basis for carrying out targeted pre-vention and control measures.Methods Surgery patients from 22 tertiary general hospitals in 12 cities in north,central,and south of Jiangsu Province from January 1,2022 to December 31,2023 were chosen as studied subjects,occurrence of POP was analyzed and compared.Results A total of 848 274 surgical procedures were performed in 22 hospitals,and 3 606 cases of POP occurred,with an incidence of 0.43％.The incidence in 2023 was 0.37％,which was lower than that in 2022(0.49％),with statistically significant difference(P＜0.001).The top three de-partments with high incidence of POP were neurosurgery(6.71％),cardiothoracic surgery(2.91％),and general surgery(0.77％).Among hospitals of different grades,the incidence of POP in tertiary first-class hospitals was 0.44％,which was higher than that in other tertiary hospitals(0.37％).There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of POP between municipal and district/county hospitals(P＞0.05).The incidence of POP in hospitals with a bed:infection control full-time staff ratio＜200∶1 was lower than that in hospitals with the ratio ≥200∶1(0.39％vs 0.47％,P＜0.001),while the incidence of POP in hospitals with a proportion ≥30％of full-time staff being doctors was higher than that in hospitals with a proportion＜30％(0.45％vs 0.36％,P＜0.001).The incidence of POP in male patients was higher than that in female patients(0.62％vs 0.26％,P＜0.001).The incidence of POP in elderly patients aged≥65 was higher than that in patients aged＜65(0.73％vs 0.26％,P＜0.001).A total of 2 667 strains of infectious pathogens were detected,with the top three being Acine-tobacter baumannii,Klebsiella pneumoniae,and Pseudomonas aeruginosa,accounting for 28.95％,22.72％,and 15.45％,respectively.The detection rates of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii(CRAB),carba-penem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae(CRKP),and carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa(CRPA)were 60.75％,21.45％,and 32.28％,respectively.The detection rate of CRKP decreased in 2023 compared with 2022,with statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).Conclusion The overall incidence of POP in tertiary general hos-pitals in Jiangsu Province is relatively low,but there are significant differences among different hospitals.There-fore,perioperative prevention and control measures should be carried out based on the epidemiological characteristics of patients.

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic features of pulmonary sclerosing pneumocytoma (PSP) in needle biopsy specimens so as to improve the preoperative diagnostic accuracy and to prevent misdiagnoses.Methods:A total of 79 needle biopsy cases confirmed as PSP in surgical resection specimens were collected in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China from January 2015 to January 2023. A retrospective analysis was conducted to investigate the clinical, pathological, and immunohistochemical characteristics of PSP.Results:Among the 79 cases, there were 8 males and 71 females, with an age range of 14 to 67 years (median 47 years). Among the 79 needle biopsy cases of PSP, 5 cases were initially misdiagnosed as adenocarcinoma and 1 as carcinoid preoperatively, while the remaining 73 cases were correctly diagnosed. 84.8% (67/79) of the PSP presented with well-defined, homogeneous, solitary solid tumors on chest imaging. Morphologically, 26.6% (21/79) of the PSP mainly showed a single histological component, 67.1% (53/79) contained two histological components, and 6.3% (5/79) contained three histological components. There were no cases containing all four histological components simultaneously. The tumor was composed of cuboidal cells on the surface and round cells in the stroma and lacked significant cytological atypia and mitotic figures. Some cases exhibited variations in histology and cellular morphology, such as glandular spaces (58.2%, 46/79), sclerotic papillae (46.8%, 37/79), hypercellularity (16.5%, 13/79), and cytological atypia (24.1%, 19/79). Immunophenotyping indicated that both tumor cell types expressed TTF1, EMA and β-catenin, while surface cells expressed pan-cytokeratin and Napsin A, and stromal cells expressed vimentin. In some cases, ER and PR were also expressed.Conclusions:When diagnosing PSP in needle biopsy specimens, the key to avoiding misdiagnosis is recognizing the presence of dual-cell populations within the tumor. The useful clues include presence of cellular papillae, mild cellular atypia, morphological diversity, interstitial foam-like cell aggregates, and prominent background hemorrhage and sclerosis. The characteristic immunophenotype and middle-aged female predilection are also helpful for the diagnosis of PSP.

ObjectiveRoot rot is one of the most serious diseases in the cultivation and production of Atractylodes lancea. Trichoderma spp. are effective in the biocontrol of root rot without causing environmental pollution. This study aims to isolate and study a Trichoderma strain capable preventing and controlling root rot from the rhizosphere of A. lancea and to solve the problem of disease prevention and control in the planting and production of A. lancea. MethodTrichoderma T2204 was isolated by the dilution-coating method and identified by ITS sequencing. The inhibitory activities of T2204 and its volatiles against two pathogenic fungal strains were examined by dual-culture and co-culture experiments. The biocontrol potential of T2204 on root rot of A. lancea and the effect of T2204 on the accumulation of medicinal compounds in the rhizosphere of A. lancea were investigated by pot experiments and GC-MS， respectively. In addition， the optimal medium， photoperiod， temperature， pH， and carbon and nitrogen sources for the culture of T2204 were explored. ResultThe Trichoderma isolate T2204 was identified as T. citrinoviride and had direct inhibitory effects on two highly pathogenic strains causing root rot. In the dual-culture experiments with the two pathogenic strains， T2204 showcased the inhibition rates of 77.90% and 76.80%， respectively. In the co-culture experiments with the two pathogenic strains， the volatile organic compounds produced by T2204 showed the inhibition rates of 57.11% and 81.11%， respectively. The pot experiments showed that the survival rate of A. lancea seedlings infected by root rot reached 100% after inoculation with T2204 and was only 50% in the case without inoculation of T2204. After 150 days of cultivation， the dry weight and atractylodin content of the rhizome of A. lancea plants treated with T2204 increased by 32% （P<0.05） and 11%， respectively， compared with the untreated group. The optimal conditions for the growth of T2204 were PDA or PSA medium， photoperiod of 12 h dark/12 h light， 25-30 °C， pH 5-6， carbon sources of glucose， D-fructose， soluble starch， and maltose， and the nitrogen sources of ammonium sulfate and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate. The optimal conditions for the sporulation of T2204 were PSA or CMA medium， photoperiod of 12 h dark/12 h light， 20-30 °C， pH 8， carbon source of sucrose， and nitrogen source of sodium nitrate. ConclusionT2204 could improve the growth and root rot resistance of A. lancea and promote the accumulation of medicinal compounds. The findings laid a foundation for the industrialized production and application of T2204 in the production of A. lancea in the future.

ObjectiveIn recent years， with the sharp decline of wild resources in Arisaematis Rhizoma and Pinelliae Rhizoma and the immaturity of medicinal cultivation technology， their adulterants have appeared frequently in the market， and the main identifying characteristics have mostly disappeared in the circulation of medicinal materials. Therefore， there is an urgent need to establish a molecular identification method that can quickly and effectively identify the specificity of Arisaematis Rhizoma and Pinelliae Rhizoma. MethodAfter comparison of the rbcL sequences of Arisaematis Rhizoma，Pinelliae Rhizoma， and their adulterants， the specific enzyme cleavage sites Hae Ⅲ and Dra Ⅰ of Arisaematis Rhizoma and Pinelliae Rhizoma， respectively， were selected and identified by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism（PCR-RFLP）. The main system conditions of PCR-RFLP reaction were established and optimized， and their durability and the ability to detect genuine， adulterants， and mixed counterfeits were investigated. ResultThe PCR-RFLP identification method of Arisaematis Rhizoma and Pinelliae Rhizoma was established. After specific primer amplification， Arisaematis Rhizoma and Pinelliae Rhizoma could be digested by Hae Ⅲ and Dra Ⅰ-restricted endonucleases respectively， at annealing temperature of 54 ℃， the number of cycles of 35， and the amount of DNA template of 3-30 ng， producing two fragments or small cut fragments with a single band between 100-250 bp， whereas the mixed counterfeits were not cleaved and both showed a band at 250 bp. The method is highly accurate in identifying adulterants and mixed counterfeits of Arisaematis Rhizoma or Pinelliae Rhizoma. ConclusionThe PCR-RFLP method developed in this study allows for the rapid identification of Arisaematis Rhizoma and Pinelliae Rhizoma.