AIM:To investigate the application value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)time parameters in the classification diagnosis of choroidal space-occupying lesions.METHODS: Patients with choroidal space-occupying lesions who underwent CEUS at Xi'an People's Hospital(Xi'an Fourth Hospital)between June 2020 and January 2024 were enrolled. According to the final clinical diagnosis and pathological findings, the patients were divided into a benign group(choroidal hemangioma), a malignant group(choroidal melanoma), and a hemorrhage group(subchoroidal hemorrhage). CEUS characteristics and contrast parameters, including rise time(RT), time to peak(TP), and washout time(WT), as well as the incidence of adverse reactions, were analyzed to evaluate the diagnostic value of CEUS.RESULTS:A total of 120 patients(120 eyes)with choroidal space-occupying lesions were included, with 40 patients(40 eyes)in each group. The patients in the benign group were aged 45-70(mean age 57.5±12.4 )y, including 19 males and 21 females; those in the malignant group were aged 43-72(mean age 56.9±13.1 )y, including 23 males and 17 females; and those in the hemorrhage group were aged 40-61(mean age 54.4±9.7 )y, including 22 males and 18 females. The benign group predominantly exhibited homogeneous hyperenhancement with a “fast-in, slow-out”perfusion pattern, whereas the malignant group mainly showed heterogeneous hyperenhancement with a “fast-in, fast-out”perfusion pattern. No obvious enhancement was observed in the hemorrhage group, exhibiting a “no-in, no-out” perfusion pattern. Significant differences were found among the three groups in CEUS characteristics and quantitative parameters, whereas no significant difference was observed in the incidence of adverse reactions.CONCLUSION: CEUS can significantly improve the diagnostic accuracy of choroidal space-occupying lesions and may serve as a useful reference for clinical decision-making, with a favorable safety profile.

Objective To investigate the predictive value of quantitative parameters of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in evaluating kidneys from donation after brain death (DBD) for the occurrence of delayed graft function (DGF) in recipients. Methods The clinical data of 134 DBD donors and 202 corresponding kidneys and recipients were retrospective analyzed. The recipients were divided into DGF group (n=39) and non-DGF group (n=163) according to the renal function after kidney transplantation. Conventional ultrasound, CEUS parameters, and clinical data were compared between the two groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the optimal cut-off values for predicting DGF using CEUS parameters, clinical parameters, and their combination, based on the highest Youden index. The predictive ability of different parameters for DGF was evaluated. Results There were statistically significant differences in cortical peak intensity (PIc), medullary peak intensity (PIm), donor albumin (ALB), serum creatinine (Scr) after admission, and the Na⁺ concentration of recipients between the two groups (all P<0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) for predicting DGF using the combination of CEUS parameters PIc and PIm was 0.711, with an optimal cut-off value of 0.193 and a Youden index of 0.382. The AUC for predicting DGF using the combination of CEUS parameters PIc, PIm and clinical parameters was 0.808, with an optimal cut-off value of 0.191 and a Youden index of 0.517. The sensitivity and specificity were 0.769 and 0.613 for the former, and 0.769 and 0.748 for the latter, respectively. The AUC for predicting DGF using CEUS parameters PIc and PIm combined with clinical parameters was significantly higher than that using CEUS parameters PIc and PIm (P<0.05). Conclusions The CEUS quantitative parameters PIc and PIm have good predictive value in assessing kidneys from DBD donors for DGF in recipients, and the diagnostic efficacy is better when combined with clinical parameters.

ObjectiveTo analyze the temporal trend of knockdown resistance (kdr) gene mutations highly correlated with pyrethroid resistance in field populations of Aedes aegypti in Jinghong City of Yunnan Province, and to provide a scientific basis for formulating rational insecticide use strategies. MethodsAdult mosquito samples of Aedes aegypti from 2016 to 2023 and larvae mosquito samples from July 2022 to June 2023 were collected in Jinghong City of Yunnan Province. Allele specific PCR (AS-PCR) was used to measure kdr mutations at amino acid positions 989, 1016 and 1534 of the voltage-gated sodium ion channel (VGSC) gene. Data such as mutation rate and mutation allele frequency were calculated, SPSS software was used to perform trend chi square tests on mutation rate and mutation allele frequency with year and month, as well as comparison of mutation allele frequencies and genotype distributions between the dry and rainy seasons, thereby delineating the temporal trend of kdr gene mutations. ResultsAmong the 173 samples collected from 2016 to 2023, the mutation rates of S989P and V1016G were 100.00% for each year, while the mutation rate of F1534C ranged from 62.50% to 100.00%. The mutation rate and mutation allele frequency of F1534C were increased over the years (χ²=22.079, P<0.001; χ²=42.971, P<0.001). Concurrently, the proportion of the PPGGCC genotype was increased annually (χ²=60.790, P<0.001). Among the 288 samples collected from July 2022 to June 2023, the monthly mutation rates for S989P, V1016G, and F1534C were consistently 100.00%. There was only one type of mutation present, namely S989P+V1016G+F1534C. In the combinations of the three genotypes, the SPGGCC genotype accounted for 1.39% (4/288), the PPGGFC accounted for 2.78% (8/288), and the PPGGCC had the highest proportion at 95.83% (276/288). After tesiting the samples collected in August 2023, the mutation rates of 989, 1016 and 1534 sites of VGSC in females, males, and larvae of the same generation were all 100.00%. ConclusionSince 2016, the gene mutations at S989P and V1016G loci in the VGSC gene of wild Aedes aegypti in Jinghong City have remained consistently at 100.00%, while the mutation rate and mutant allele frequency of F1534C have increased year by year during the testing period. By 2023, the mutation rates at three loci in the VGSC gene of Aedes aegypti in Jinghong City had all reached 100.00%, and neither changes in insect developmental stage nor gender differences during transmission exerted a detectable impact on the mutation rates. In the control of Aedes aegypti in Jinghong City, the use of pyrethroid insecticides should be stopped or reduced, and regular monitoring of kdr genes should be carried out to promptly detect new mutations.

Objective:To explore the effect of Swanson theory combined with hand touch on the existential distress of patients with advanced lung cancer, in order to provide reference for clinical humanistic care.Methods:A non synchronous controlled study was conducted using convenience sampling to select advanced lung cancer patients admitted to the Oncology Department of the First People's Hospital of Yongkang City, Zhejiang Province from October 2023 to March 2024 as the control group, and advanced lung cancer patients admitted from April to October 2024 as the experimental group. The control group received routine care, while the experimental group received Swanson theory combined with hand touch intervention on the basis of routine care. The Existential Distress Scale (EDS) and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy- General (FACT-G) scores of the two groups were compared before and 2 weeks after intervention.Results:During the study period, there were 3 dropouts in the experimental group and 2 dropouts in the control group. Finally, 37 cases were included in the experimental group, including 16 males and 21 females, with an age of (62.35 ± 12.13) years. There were 38 cases in the control group, including 25 males and 13 females, with an age of (65.68 ± 13.46) years. After 2 weeks of intervention, the EDS score of the experimental group patients was (6.65 ± 2.89) points, while that of the control group was (8.16 ± 2.27) points. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( t = 2.52, P<0.05). After intervention, the social/family status dimension, emotional status dimension, and total score of FACT-G in the experimental group were (15.35 ± 4.18), (19.27 ± 3.54), and (57.46 ± 14.69) points, respectively, which were better than the control group's (13.08 ± 3.77), (16.53 ± 3.88), and (50.58 ± 11.86) points. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( t = - 2.47, - 3.20, - 2.24, all P<0.05). Conclusions:The combination of Swanson theory and hand touch can effectively reduce the existential distress of patients with advanced lung cancer, improve their quality of life, and embody the concept of nursing humanistic care into simple and safe intervention measures, providing reference for clinical humanistic care.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of crisaborole ointment 2% versus pimecrolimus cream 1% in the treatment of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in children aged 2 years or older.Methods:A multicenter, randomized, open-label, controlled clinical trial was conducted. A total of 120 pediatric patients aged 2 - 17 years with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis were enrolled from departments of dermatology of 8 hospitals in China between March 2022 and February 2023. The participants were randomly assigned in a 1∶1 ratio to the crisaborole group and the pimecrolimus group, and received the treatment with crisaborole ointment 2% and pimecrolimus cream 1% respectively, twice a day for 4 weeks. Visits were scheduled at baseline/on day 1, as well as on days 8, 15, and 29. The primary efficacy outcome was the percentage of patients achieving the Investigator's Static Global Assessment (ISGA) success (defined as clear [0] or almost clear [1] on the ISGA scale, combined with ≥ 2‐grade improvement from baseline) on day 29. The secondary efficacy outcomes included changes in the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) total scores from baseline to day 29, percentages of patients achieving ISGA improvement (defined as clear [0] or almost clear [1] on the ISGA scale), as well as changes in the Peak Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) scores, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) /Infants' Dermatology Life Quality Index (IDLQI) /Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) scores, and in the Dermatitis Family Impact (DFI) scores. Drug safety was evaluated according to the incidence of adverse events. Categorical data were compared using the chi-square test. Since measurement data did not follow a normal distribution, the rank sum test was used for comparisons of measurement data between groups.Results:A total of 106 children with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis were included in the per-protocol analysis set, with 52 in the crisaborole group (26 males and 26 females) and 54 in the pimecrolimus group (27 males and 27 females). There were no significant differences in age, disease duration, ISGA and EASI scores at baseline between the two groups (all P > 0.05). On day 29, 22 patients (42.31%) in the crisaborole group and 25 (46.30%) in the pimecrolimus group achieved ISGA success, with no significant difference between the two groups ( χ2 = 0.17, P = 0.68) ; 35 patients (67.31%) in the crisaborole group and 45 (83.33%) in the pimecrolimus group achieved ISGA improvement, also with no significant difference between the two groups ( χ2 = 3.68, P = 0.06) ; additionally, there were no significant differences in the EASI, pruritus NRS, DLQI/IDLQI/CDLQI, or DFI scores between the two groups (all P > 0.05). Adverse reactions to the two topical agents were mainly local reactions such as mild to moderate pain, itching, or worsening of itching, and no obvious systemic adverse reactions occurred. The incidence of drug-related adverse reactions was 46.15% (24 cases) in the crisaborole group and 37.04% (20 cases) in the pimecrolimus group, with no significant difference between the two groups ( χ2 = 0.91, P = 0.34) . Conclusion:The efficacy of crisaborole ointment 2% was comparable to that of pimecrolimus cream 1% in the treatment of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in children aged ≥ 2 years, and it yielded early and rapid improvement in the quality of life of patients and their families, with good safety and tolerability profiles.

Anxiety disorder is a major symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with a comorbidity rate of ~40%. However, the neural mechanisms of the emergence of anxiety in ASD remain unclear. In our study, we found that hyperactivity of basolateral amygdala (BLA) pyramidal neurons (PNs) in Shank3 InsG3680 knock-in (InsG3680^+/+) mice is involved in the development of anxiety. Electrophysiological results also showed increased excitatory input and decreased inhibitory input in BLA PNs. Chemogenetic inhibition of the excitability of PNs in the BLA rescued the anxiety phenotype of InsG3680^+/+ mice. Further study found that the diminished control of the BLA by medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and optogenetic activation of the mPFC-BLA pathway also had a rescue effect, which increased the feedforward inhibition of the BLA. Taken together, our results suggest that hyperactivity of the BLA and alteration of the mPFC-BLA circuitry are involved in anxiety in InsG3680^+/+ mice.
Animals ; Prefrontal Cortex/metabolism* ; Basolateral Nuclear Complex/metabolism* ; Mice ; Anxiety/metabolism* ; Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics* ; Male ; Gene Knock-In Techniques ; Pyramidal Cells/physiology* ; Mice, Transgenic ; Neural Pathways/physiopathology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Microfilament Proteins

Autism spectrum disorder(ASD),characterized by unknown etiology and high heterogeneity,ne-cessitates precise diagnostic and intervention strategies.Neuroimaging techniques have shown great promise in un-covering the neural mechanisms of ASD,providing a foundation for aided diagnosis and transcranial magnetic stim-ulation(TMS)interventions.This review highlights that integrating multimodal neuroimaging and developing indi-vidualized indices with developmental specificity can significantly improve the accuracy of ASD diagnosis and clas-sification.Furthermore,TMS interventions guided by functional connectivity derived from functional magnetic reso-nance imaging(fMRI)offer a personalized approach to ASD treatment.

Objective To review the clinical characteristics of Slackia exigua infections for improving the diagnosis and treatment.Methods We reviewed the clinical characteristics of a case of pulmonary abscess caused by Slackia exigua.The infection cases caused by Slackia exigua were searched and retrieved from PubMed,CNKI,and Wanfang databases,for the articles published during the period from January 1,2011 to December 31,2023.Results Among the 15 cases of Slackia exigua infection,84.6％(11/13)had underlying diseases.Hypertension was the most common underlying disease,reported in 54.5％(6/11)of patients.Fever was present in 73.3％(11/15)of patients.Oral diseases and abscess caused by Slackia exigua were found in 63.6％(7/11)and 60.0％(9/15)of patients,respectively.Mixed infection was identified in 33.3％(5/15)of patients.The bacterium was susceptible to penicillin,ampicillin-sulbactam,ceftriaxone,levofloxacin and clindamycin,but mostly(2/3)resistant to metronidazole.Conclusions Slackia exigua infection often originates from oral aspiration and can cause abscess.Beta-lactam antibiotics are preferred for treatment of Slackia exigua infections.More data are required to confirm whether metronidazole is effective.

Objective To investigate the relationship between serum trimethylamine oxide(TMAO),neurofilament light chain protein(NfL),peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α(PGC-1α)expression levels and short-term prognosis in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage(aSAH)patients.Method A total of 125 aSAH patients(aSAH group)and 125 healthy volunteers in the same period(control group)who were admitted in heji hospital affiliated to Changzhi Medical College from March 2020 to June 2023 were selected.The serum expression levels of TMAO,NfL and PGC-1α were compared between control group and aSAH group.The aSAH patients were followed up for 6 months after discharge.Their prognosis were evaluated using Glasgow Outcome Scale(GOS)and they were further divided into good prognosis and poor prognosis groups according to the GOS results.The serum expression levels of TMAO,NfL and PGC-1α were compared between the two groups.The poor prognosis influencing factors were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression analysis,the serum TMAO,NfL and PGC-1α value in predicting poor prognosis were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Result The expression levels of serum TMAO and PGC-1 α in the aSAH group were(2.63±0.36)μmol/L and(0.51±0.13)ng/mL,respectively,which were lower than those in the control group(3.18±0.57)μmol/L and(0.81±0.16)ng/mL(P<0.05).The expression level of serum NfL was significantly higher in the aSAH group(64.48±14.35 pg/mL)than in the control group(28.36±8.82 pg/mL)(P<0.05).Compared with the good prognosis group whose serum levels of TMAO and PGC-1 α were(2.80±0.80)μmol/L and(0.58±0.16)ng/mL,respectively,the poor prognosis group had significantly lower serum TMAO[(2.29±0.63)μmol/L]and PGC-1 α[(0.36±0.12)ng/mL](P<0.05).In contrast,poor prognosis group had a significantly higher level of NfL(76.70±15.61)pg/mL compared to good prognosis group(58.52±10.52)pg/mL(P<0.05).The proportion of patients with hypertension,patients with diabetes,patients with large or giant aneurysms,patients with Hunt Hess grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ,patients with onset to hospital time>12 h,and the level of C-reactive protein(CRP)were higher in the poor prognosis group than in the good prognosis group(P<0.05).Hunt Hess grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ,elevated serum CRP and NfL were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in aSAH patients(P<0.05),while elevated TMAO and PGC-1 α were protective factors(P<0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of serum TMAO,NfL,PGC-1 α,and their combined prediction of poor prognosis in aSAH patients were 0.726,0.830,0.862,and 0.956,respectively.The AUC of the combined detection was greater than that of each indicator detected separately.Conclusion Serum TMAO and PGC-1α are lowly expressed in aSAH patients,and serum NfL is highly expressed,which are related to the occurrence of short-term poor prognosis,the combined detection of the three indicators has a high predictive value for short-term poor prognosis in aSAH patients.