Objective:To study the correlation between the number of hemophagocytes and peripheral blood cells in bone marrow of patients with fever of unknown origin.Methods:A total of 465 patients with fever of unknown origin in our hospital from January 2019 to December 2021 were selected as the research objects,which was to reviewed retrospectively the correlation between the number of hemophagocytes and peripheral blood cells in bone marrow.Results:The positive rates of hemophagocytes detected in the three lines decreased group,the two lines decreased group,the one line decreased group,normal group of the three lines and at least one of the three lines increased group were 86.4％,62.1％,38.3％,34.6％and 33.3％,respectively.The number of hemophagocytes per unit area in the three lines decreased group was significantly higher than that in the other four groups(P＜0.001).The number of hemophagocytes per unit area in the two lines decreased group was higher than that in the one line decreased group,normal group of three lines and at least one of the three lines increased group(P＜0.01).There was no significant difference in the number of hemophagocytes per unit area between the group with a decreased number of one line and the other two groups with a normal number of three lines and the group with at least one increased number of three lines(P＞0.05).The missed rates of hemophagocytes in the five groups were 15.78％,22.03％,62.22％,77.78％and 53.84％,respectively.Conclusion:For patients with fever of unknown origin,especially those with obvious decrease in the number of three lines and two lines in peripheral blood cells,which should pay attention to the detection of hemophagocytes in bone marrow.Meanwhile,if the number of three lines was normal even at least one of the three lines increased,the presence of hemophagocytes in the bone marrow slice should be also carefully observed.

Objective:To explore the preventive effect of probiotics on postoperative intesti-nal obstruction in patients after gastrointestinal cancer surgery and to analyze their impact on the diversity of the gut microbiota.Methods:A prospective study was conducted involving 133 pa-tients who underwent gastrointestinal cancer surgery at the Shanxi Cancer Hospital's Department of Hepatobiliary pancereatogastric surgery from January 2021 to January 2022.Patients were ran-domly divided into two groups,Group A and Group B,using a simple randomization method based on coin toss,with Group A consisting of 74 cases and Group B of 59 cases.Group A received rou-tine postoperative management along with oral probiotic formulations,while Group B received only routine management.The study compared gastrointestinal functional recovery indicators,observed the counts of major gut microbiota before and 7 days after surgery,the degree of microbiota dys-biosis,and intestinal barrier function indicators such as diamine oxidase(DAO),D-lactic acid,and histidine decarboxylase(HDC)between the two groups,and compared the incidence of complica-tions such as intestinal obstruction.Result:(1)The time to first flatus,first bowel movement,re-sumption of oral intake,and hospital stay in Group A were significantly shorter than in Group B(P＜0.05);(2)Seven days postoperatively,the counts of Enterococcus and Escherichia coli in Group A were significantly lower than in Group B,while the counts of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus were higher in Group A(P＜0.05);(3)The degree of microbiota dysbiosis 7 days postoperatively was statistically significantly different between the two groups(P＜0.05);(4)Seven days postoperatively,the levels of DAO,D-lactic acid,and HDC increased in both groups,with Group A having lower lev-els than Group B(P＜0.05);(5)The overall incidence of complications in Group A was significantly lower than in Group B(4.05％vs 15.25％,P＜0.05).Conclusion:Oral administration of probiotics after gastrointestinal cancer surgery can significantly improve the intestinal microecological environ-ment,regulate the counts of gut microbiota,promote the protective function of the gastrointestinal mucosal barrier,effectively reduce the incidence of complications such as intestinal obstruction,and has significant clinical application value.

Objective To summarize the current situation of the implementation of the death case discussion system in county-level medical institutions and analyze the existing problems,to attempt to make suggestions for improvement.Methods Judgmental sampling method was used in this study.A self-made questionnaire was used to conduct field investigation on the im-plementation of the death case discussion system in 16 county-level medical institutions in Chongqing,and semi-structured inter-views were conducted with medical staff.Results All county-level medical institutions have established death case discussion system,but there are many differences in connotative quality.There are many problems in system implementation,such as unclear scope of death case discussion,formality,irregular discussion,poor quality of connotation and lack of systematic supervision.Conclusion As a core medical system,the death case discussion system is an important tool for medical quality management.The medical quality management and medical staff must place a high value on the significance of death case discussion.In order to enhance medical quality and ensure patient safety,we must adhere to the principles of openness and honesty,systematic criti-cism,non-recrimination and non-punishment to conduct death case discussion in time and standardize,keep a record of death case discussions and enhance supervision.

Objective To study the effects of dual-hemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation(Dual-tDCS)on upper limb motor function in chronic-phase stroke patients to provide theoretical references for neural mechanisms-based treatment of upper limb dysfunction.Methods Totally 24 chronic-phase stroke patients with upper limb motor dysfunction were selected from some hospital and divided into an experimental group(n=13)and a control group(n=11)the random number table.The control group was treated with tDCS pseudo-stimulation combined with conventional rehabilitation,while the experimental group was given with Dual-tDCS combined with conventional rehabilitation.The patient activities were assessed before and after treatment with Fugl-Meyer assessment upper limb scale(FMA-UL)and activities of daily living(ADL)scale.The changes of primary motor cortex(M1 area)and whole brain functional connectivity(FC)were compared before and after treatment.SPSS 24.0 statistical software was used for data analysis.Results After treatment,the two groups both had the FAM-UL and ADL scores increased significantly,and the experimental group had the scores statistically higher than those of the control group,and the differences were all statistically significant(P＜0.05).In the control group,the analysis on M1 area and whole brain FC after treatment indicated the FC decreased from M1 area at the unaffected side to midoccipital gyrus at the affected side and lingual gyrus and healthy angular gyrus at the unaffected side;there were no brain areas with changed FC found(P＜0.01).In the experimental group,the FC was lowered from M1 area at the unaffected side to cerebellum and cerebellar vermis at the unaffected side,while raised to precentral gyrus at the affected side(P＜0.01);the FC ascended from M1 area at the affected side to cerebellum and middle temporal gyrus at the affected side,while declined to precentral gyrus at the unaffected side(P＜0.01).Conclusion The neuromodulatory effect of Dual-tDCS on the brain improves FC in motor and non-motor-related brain areas in chronic-phase stroke patients,and may contribute to rehabilitation of upper limb motor dysfunction in chronic-phase stroke.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(2):67-73]

AIM:This study utilized CRISPR/Cas9 technology to create Retnlb floxp knock-in mice,followed by the application of the Cre-LoxP recombination system to generate intestinal epithelial-specific Retnlb gene knockout mice(Retnlb-CKO).This model was developed to investigate the pathogenic mechanisms of Retnlb in inflammatory bowel disease.METHODS:Female and male C57BL/6N mice,aged 8 weeks with the Retnlbflox/+genotype,were housed togeth-er for breeding.Offsprings were screened to identify those with the Retnlbflox/flox genotype.These mice were then crossed with Vil1-Cre transgenic mice,which express Cre recombinase specifically in intestinal epithelial cells,resulting in Retnlb-flox/+,Cre+mice.Subsequent crosses between Retnlbflox/+,Cre+mice and Retnlbflox/flox mice produced Retnlbflox/flox,Cre+mice(Retnlb-CKO).Six 8-week-old Retnlbflox/flox,Cre+mice and their littermate Retnlbflox/flox mice were selected for experiments.RT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry were used to assess Retnlb mRNA and protein levels in colonic epithelium.Phenotypic observa-tions included body length,weight,diet,and reproductive capability.Tissue-to-body weight ratios were calculated to ana-lyze growth and development.Intestinal barrier integrity and colonic expression of inflammatory factors were evaluated.RESULTS:The conditional gene knockout mouse model with specific deletion of Retnlb in intestinal epithelial cells was successfully established and validated through genetic identification,mRNA and protein analysis.Compared to Retnlbflox/flox mice,Retnlb-CKO mice exhibited no significant differences in body length,weight,diet,or reproductive capability.There were no differences in the ratios of heart,liver,spleen,lung,kidney,and colon weight to body weight,nor were there morphological differences in various tissues.However,the mRNA expression of tight junction proteins ZO-1,Occlu-din,and Claudin3 in colon tissues of Retnlb-CKO mice was significantly reduced(P<0.01).PAS staining and immunohis-tochemistry revealed a significant decrease in the number of goblet cells and lysozyme-positive cells in the colon tissues of Retnlb-CKO mice(P<0.01).HE staining showed no obvious pathological change in colon tissues of Retnlb-CKO mice.RT-qPCR further demonstrated a significant downregulation of pro-inflammatory factors NLRP3,interleukin-6(IL-6),IL-1β,and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)in colon tissues(P<0.01),along with significant downregulation of inflamma-tion signaling pathway proteins TLR4,MyD88,and NF-κB(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:A conditional colon epithelial cell Retnlb gene knockout mouse model was successfully constructed and validated.The absence of Retnlb in colon cells led to impaired intestinal barrier function,decreased mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory factors in colon tissue,and downregulation of mRNA expression of inflammatory pathway proteins TLR4,MyD88,and NF-κB.

Objective To investigate the causal relationship between walking pace(WP)with interver-tebral disc degeneration(IVDD)and low back pain(LBP)by using two-sample Mendelian randomisation(MR)analysis method.Methods A genome-wide association study database of WP,IVDD and LBP was ob-tained,and single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNP)strongly associated with exposure were obtained as the in-strumental variables.The two confounders of smoking and sedentary were conservatively removed,and the MR analyses were performed by inverse variance weighting(IVW),weighted median,and MR-Egger methods to assess the causal relationship between WP with IVDD and LBP.The consistency and accuracy of results were ensured by heterogeneity,diversity tests,MR-PRESSO and negative control.Results The I VW results showed a significant negative correlation between WP and IVDD(OR=0.348,95％CI:0.183-0.661,P=0.001)and vice versa(OR=0.972,95％CI:0.953-0.992,P=0.007).Meanwhile there was also a significant negative correlation between WP and LBP(OR=0.214,95％CI:0.119-0.385,P＜0.001),but no causal re-lationship was found between LBP and WP.Conclusion Faster WP could effectively prevent the occurrence of IVDD and LBP,and IVDD may contribute to the occurrence of slow walking.

Human brain banks use a standardized protocol to collect,process and store post-mortem human brains and related tissues,along with relevant clinical information,and to provide the tissue samples and data as a resource to foster neuroscience research according to a standardized operating protocols(SOP).Human brain bank serves as the foundation for neuroscience research and the diagnosis of neurological disorders,highlighting the crucial rule of ensuring the consistency of standardized quality for brain tissue samples.The first version of SOP in 2017 was published by the China Human Brain Bank Consortium.As members increases from different regions in China,a revised SOP was drafted by experts from the China Human Brain Bank Consortium to meet the growing demands for neuroscience research.The revised SOP places a strong emphasis on ethical standards,incorporates neuropathological evaluation of brain regions,and provides clarity on spinal cord sampling and pathological assessment.Notable enhancements in this updated version of the SOP include reinforced ethical guidelines,inclusion of matching controls in recruitment,and expansion of brain regions to be sampled for neuropathological evaluation.

Background/Aims: Low educational attainment is a well-established risk factor for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in developed areas. However, the association between educational attainment and the risk of NAFLD is less clear in China. Methods: A cross-sectional study including over 200,000 Chinese adults across mainland China was conducted. Information on education level and lifestyle factors were obtained through standard questionnaires, while NAFLD and advanced fibrosis were diagnosed using validated formulas. Outcomes included the risk of NAFLD in the general population and high probability of fibrosis among patients with NAFLD. Logistic regression analysis was employed to estimate the risk of NAFLD and fibrosis across education levels. A causal mediation model was used to explore the potential mediators. Results: Comparing with those receiving primary school education, the multi-adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for NAFLD were 1.28 (1.16 to 1.41) for men and 0.94 (0.89 to 0.99) for women with college education after accounting for body mass index. When considering waist circumference, the odds ratios (95% CIs) were 0.94 (0.86 to 1.04) for men and 0.88 (0.80 to 0.97) for women, respectively. The proportions mediated by general and central obesity were 51.00% and 68.04% for men, while for women the proportions were 48.58% and 32.58%, respectively. Furthermore, NAFLD patients with lower educational attainment showed an incremental increased risk of advanced fibrosis in both genders. Conclusions In China, a low education level was associated with a higher risk of prevalent NAFLD in women, as well as high probability of fibrosis in both genders.

Helicobacter pylori （Hp）， a spiral-shaped microaerophilic Gram-negative bacterium that has been classified as a class Ⅰ carcinogen by the World Health Organization， is associated with a variety of digestive system diseases. With the popularization of antibiotic therapy， Hp resistance has become the main reason for the failure of the eradication treatment of Hp. A variety of Chinese medicines have been proved to have anti-Hp effects， which are expected to serve as new options for the eradication of Hp. By reviewing the recent literature in China and abroad， we summarized the understanding of Chinese medicines in the treatment of Hp infection and elaborated on the mechanisms from two aspects： direct killing and indirect inhibition. On the one hand， Chinese medicines can directly kill Hp by inhibiting the growth， respiration， and metabolism of Hp， destroying the morphological structure of Hp， and inhibiting the formation of Hp biofilm. On the other hand， Chinese medicines can inhibit Hp by reducing Hp adhesion and colonization， regulating Hp-caused immune response， inhibiting Hp-caused inflammation， and alleviating the Hp-caused oxidative stress and gastric mucosal injury. Specifically， the indirect inhibition of Hp can be achieved via the following ways. Chinese medicines can reduce Hp adhesion and colonization by reducing Hp motility， inhibiting urease activity and the expression of related genes， and decreasing the production of adhesion proteins. They can regulate the Hp-caused immune responses by enhancing the immune protective response， modulating lysosomal function and immune cytokines， avoiding the immune evasion of Hp， and maintaining the balance between immunity and inflammation. Chinese medicines can inhibit Hp-caused inflammatory responses by inhibiting the release of inflammatory cytokines， down-regulating the expression of virulence factors， and regulating the targets and signaling pathways in the treatment of inflammation. In addition， Chinese medicines can alleviate the Hp-caused oxidative stress and gastric mucosal injury by improving the activities of antioxidant enzymes and oxidases， regulating the generation of reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen， and inhibiting inflammatory mediators. This article systematically introduces the mechanisms of Chinese medicines against Hp， aiming to provide a theoretical and scientific basis for the research and clinical application of Chinese medicines against Hp.