Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Septic shock is the primary cause of mortality in sepsis, with its core pathophysiological mechanism being severe ischemia and hypoxia in critical units—composed of microcirculation and the mitochondria of functional cells—resulting from disruptions in blood flow and oxygen flow following a dysregulated host response. Due to the systemically convergent yet clinically heterogeneous nature of the host response, current understanding and management strategies for hemodynamics remain inconsistent, often leading to inadequate resuscitation or overtreatment. To improve the quality of care, based on a systematic review of the "blood flow-oxygen flow" theory, an expert panel emphasizes reevaluating septic shock from an integrated perspective of blood flow and oxygen flow, and has formulated the Expert Consensus on Blood Flow and Oxygen Delivery Phenotyping and Clinical Management of Septic Shock (2025). The consensus proposes that clinical typing of blood flow-oxygen flow should comprehensively consider cardiac function, vascular tone, oxygen flow utilization status in critical units, and disease trajectory, while optimizing subtype identification by integrating host response phenotypes and artificial intelligence technologies. It advocates establishing a continuous assessment system through multi-site oxygen flow monitoring for organ perfusion, peripheral perfusion monitoring, and critical care ultrasound. Under the framework of the "critical care triangle", the consensus promotes the implementation of individualized, bundled management strategies, providing guidance for multiple management points to restore blood flow-oxygen flow matching, reduce the risk of organ failure, and decrease patient mortality.

Neurocritical care involves complex pathophysiological mechanisms, and its incidence is higher, injuries are more severe, and treatment is more challenging in high-altitude environments. This consensus, based on the latest domestic and international evidence-based medical data, establishes a standardized, goal-oriented framework for neurocritical care management applicable in high-altitude regions and nationwide. The consensus was developed following international standards for evidence quality assessment and underwent two rounds of Delphi expert consultation, resulting in 32 recommendation statements covering three parts: management systems, monitoring and assessment, and core strategies. Key updates include: advocating for the establishment of independent neurocritical care units and implementing precise tiered diagnosis and treatment based on the "Five Differences in Critical Care" concept; constructing a "trinity" multimodal brain monitoring system centered on cerebral blood flow, cerebral oxygenation, and brain function, emphasizing routine bedside transcranial Doppler ultrasound, cerebral oximetry, and continuous electroencephalography monitoring; shifting management strategies from mild hypothermia therapy to targeted temperature management, and defining the "446" target management pathway for the supercritical stage; emphasizing the assessment of static and dynamic cerebrovascular autoregulation functions through multimodal methods to achieve individualized optimal mean arterial pressure management; elevating cerebrospinal fluid management goals to the level of "glymphatic system" function maintenance; implementing a multidisciplinary collaborative, whole-process management model focusing on patients' long-term neurological functional outcomes; de-escalation criteria include multidimensional indicators such as recovery of brain structure, restoration of cerebrovascular autoregulation, improvement in cerebrospinal fluid dynamics, and reduction in biomarker levels; and integrating cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence into post-critical care management and rehabilitation planning. This consensus systematically integrates the entire process of neurocritical care management, reflecting the modern connotation of goal-oriented, dynamic, and multimodal integration in neurocritical care medicine. It aims to adapt to new trends such as deepening understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms, the integration of medicine and engineering, and the empowerment of artificial intelligence, thereby further advancing the discipline of critical care medicine.

Critically ill patients often experience significant skeletal muscle wasting due to prolonged bed rest, metabolic disorders, inflammatory responses and malnutrition, which affects the patient's mobility and may also lead to increased mortality. Timely and accurate assessment of muscle status is important for optimizing treatment strategies and improving patient prognosis. There are various limitations in the current methods of assessing muscle mass, and muscle ultrasound, as a noninvasive, convenient, low-cost and suitable technique for bedside monitoring, has received increasing attention for its application in muscle assessment of critically ill patients. However, there are still a number of challenges in its practical application, such as the lack of uniform standards for the measurement method, the high dependence on the operation, and the reproducibility of the data that needs to be optimized, and so on. The aim of this article is to systematize the research progress of muscle ultrasound in muscle assessment of critically ill patients, and to discuss the advantages and limitations of its clinical application, in order to provide a scientific basis for future research and clinical practice.
Humans ; Critical Illness ; Ultrasonography ; Muscle, Skeletal/diagnostic imaging*

Turning to critical illness is a common stage of various diseases and injuries before death. Patients usually have complex health conditions, while the treatment process involves a wide range of content, along with high requirements for doctor′s professionalism and multi-specialty teamwork, as well as a great demand for time-sensitive treatments. However, this is not matched with critical care professionals and the current state of medical care in China. Telemedicine, which shortens the distance of medical professionals and the gap of disease diagnosis and treatments in various regions through electronic information, can effectively solve the current problem. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a standardized, high-quality visualization telemedicine round system .Therefore, experts have been organized to search domestic and foreign literature on telemedicine round for critically ill patients and to form this consensus based on clinical experiences so as to further improve the level of critical care treatments in regions.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of case-based learning(CBL)-problem-based learning(PBL)-evidence-based medicine(EBM)integrated teaching method in the standardized training of nephrology resident physicians.Methods Sixty internal medicine trainees who were on a 2-month rotation in the Department of Nephrology between February 1st,2023 and August 31st,2023,were recruited and randomized 1∶1 into the CBL-PBL-EBM group and the CBL group.The scores of the two groups in the theoretical assessment,case analysis,and general skills were compared at the end of the rotation.Results There was no significant difference between experimental group and control group(45.21±3.67 vs 44.02±4.90,P＞0.05).The test scores of test groups were higher than those of control group(42.48±2.35 vs 38.45±3.24,P＜0.05),and the comprehensive scores were higher than those of control group(92.24±1.69 vs 89.21±1.56,P＜0.05).At the same time,the scores of the experimental group in independent learning,literature query ability,critical thinking,and induction and summary ability were al-so significantly better than those of the control group,with statistical significance(P＜0.05).Conclusion The CBL-PBL-EBM teaching method is better than the CBL teaching method,which can effectively achieve the training goals and enhance the overall competence of nephrology trainees.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of case-based learning(CBL)-problem-based learning(PBL)-evidence-based medicine(EBM)integrated teaching method in the standardized training of nephrology resident physicians.Methods Sixty internal medicine trainees who were on a 2-month rotation in the Department of Nephrology between February 1st,2023 and August 31st,2023,were recruited and randomized 1∶1 into the CBL-PBL-EBM group and the CBL group.The scores of the two groups in the theoretical assessment,case analysis,and general skills were compared at the end of the rotation.Results There was no significant difference between experimental group and control group(45.21±3.67 vs 44.02±4.90,P＞0.05).The test scores of test groups were higher than those of control group(42.48±2.35 vs 38.45±3.24,P＜0.05),and the comprehensive scores were higher than those of control group(92.24±1.69 vs 89.21±1.56,P＜0.05).At the same time,the scores of the experimental group in independent learning,literature query ability,critical thinking,and induction and summary ability were al-so significantly better than those of the control group,with statistical significance(P＜0.05).Conclusion The CBL-PBL-EBM teaching method is better than the CBL teaching method,which can effectively achieve the training goals and enhance the overall competence of nephrology trainees.

Turning to critical illness is a common stage of various diseases and injuries before death. Patients usually have complex health conditions, while the treatment process involves a wide range of content, along with high requirements for doctor′s professionalism and multi-specialty teamwork, as well as a great demand for time-sensitive treatments. However, this is not matched with critical care professionals and the current state of medical care in China. Telemedicine, which shortens the distance of medical professionals and the gap of disease diagnosis and treatments in various regions through electronic information, can effectively solve the current problem. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a standardized, high-quality visualization telemedicine round system .Therefore, experts have been organized to search domestic and foreign literature on telemedicine round for critically ill patients and to form this consensus based on clinical experiences so as to further improve the level of critical care treatments in regions.

Background/Aims: To evaluate the causal correlation between complement components and non-viral liver diseases and their potential use as druggable targets. Methods: We conducted Mendelian randomization (MR) to assess the causal role of circulating complements in the risk of non-viral liver diseases. A complement-centric protein interaction network was constructed to explore biological functions and identify potential therapeutic options. Results: In the MR analysis, genetically predicted levels of complement C1q C chain (C1QC) were positively associated with the risk of autoimmune hepatitis (odds ratio 1.125, 95% confidence interval 1.018–1.244), while complement factor H-related protein 5 (CFHR5) was positively associated with the risk of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC;1.193, 1.048– 1.357). On the other hand, CFHR1 (0.621, 0.497–0.776) and CFHR2 (0.824, 0.703–0.965) were inversely associated with the risk of alcohol-related cirrhosis. There were also significant inverse associations between C8 gamma chain (C8G) and PSC (0.832, 0.707–0.979), as well as the risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (1.167, 1.036–1.314). Additionally, C1S (0.111, 0.018–0.672), C7 (1.631, 1.190–2.236), and CFHR2 (1.279, 1.059–1.546) were significantly associated with the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. Proteins from the complement regulatory networks and various liver diseaserelated proteins share common biological processes. Furthermore, potential therapeutic drugs for various liver diseases were identified through drug repurposing based on the complement regulatory network. Conclusions Our study suggests that certain complement components, including C1S, C1QC, CFHR1, CFHR2, CFHR5, C7, and C8G, might play a role in non-viral liver diseases and could be potential targets for drug development.

Objective:To reveal the effect of β-sitosterol on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI) in rats and whether its mechanism is related to endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS).Methods:Fifty-three CIRI rats (CIRI models established by modified Longa method) were randomly divided into model group ( n=14), β-sitosterol low-dose group ( n=13), β-sitosterol medium-dose group ( n=13) and β-sitosterol high-dose group ( n=13); 12 rats underwent the same operation without blocking the middle cerebral artery were selected as sham-operated group. Rats in the sham-operated group and model group were given intragastric administration of 1 mL 5 g/L sodium carboxymethyl cellulose daily. Rats in the β-sitosterol low-dose group, β-sitosterol medium-dose group and β-sitosterol high-dose group were given intragastric administration of 1 mL β-sitosterol at 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg/d (dissolved in 5 g/L sodium carboxymethyl cellulose), respectively, for 14 consecutive d. Neurological function was evaluated according to Zea Longa 5 method. Rats were sacrificed and brain tissues were collected. Volume of cerebral infarction was measured by 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. Brain injury and neuronal apoptosis were evaluated by HE staining, Nissl staining and TUNEL. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents were detected by water-soluble tetrazolium 1 (WST-1) method, colorimetric method or thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method, respectively. The mRNA and protein expression levels of protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), inositol-requiring enzyme-1 (IRE-1), activated transcription factor-6 (ATF-6), glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) and Caspase-12 in the brain tissues were detected by qRT-PCR or Western blotting. Results:Compared with the sham-operated group, the model group had significantly increased neurological function score, cerebral infarction volume and TUNEL positive rate, decreased SOD and GSH-Px content, increased MDA content, and increased mRNA and protein expressions of PERK, IRE-1, ATF-6, GRP78, CHOP and Caspase-12 ( P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the β-sitosterol low-dose group, β-sitosterol medium-dose group and β-sitosterol high-dose group had significantly decreased neurological function score, cerebral infarction volume, and TUNEL positive rate, increased SOD and GSH-Px content, and decreased MDA content ( P<0.05); the β-sitosterol low-dose group, β-sitosterol medium-dose group and β-sitosterol high-dose group had significantly decreased mRNA and protein PERK expressions (mRNA: 2.17±0.17, 1.79±0.07 and 1.33±0.07; protein: 5.11±0.52, 2.91±0.26 and 1.98±0.17), IRE-1 expressions (mRNA: 1.75±0.18, 1.65±0.08 and 1.32±0.08; protein: 5.00±0.31, 4.05±0.27 and 1.98±0.14), ATF-6 expressions (mRNA: 2.24±0.12, 1.77±0.14 and 1.37±0.13; protein: 4.93±0.45, 4.04±0.30 and 3.10±0.20), GRP78 expressions (mRNA: 2.67±0.16, 2.11±0.16 and 1.69±0.11; protein: 5.02±0.38, 2.97±0.26 and 2.05±0.22), CHOP expressions (mRNA: 2.01±0.16, 1.70±0.19 and 1.40±0.10; protein: 4.92±0.39, 4.02±0.27 and 3.08±0.22) and Caspase-12 expressions (mRNA: 1.85±0.09, 1.61±0.09 and 1.30±0.09; protein: 3.03±0.20, 2.19±0.11 and 1.82±0.11) compared with the model group (mRNA: 2.99±0.28, 2.27±0.12, 2.57±0.21, 3.46±0.20, 2.50±0.23 and 2.35±0.16; protein: 6.98±0.48, 6.03±0.58, 5.98±0.63, 7.10±0.45, 6.00±0.53 and 5.02±0.43, P<0.05). Conclusion:β-sitosterol attenuates CIRI in rats, whose mechanism may be related to inhibition of ERS signal pathway.

Objective　To analyze the current situation and influencing factors of health-care seeking delay among pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Qingpu District of Shanghai from 2011 to 2022, and to provide a scientific basis for tuberculosis prevention and control. Methods　The data of pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Qingpu District of Shanghai from 2011 to 2022 was collected through the China Tuberculosis Information Management System to describe the distribution and change trend of the delay in health-care seeking. Univariate analysiswas performed using the chi-square (χ²) test, and the time trend of rates was tested with the trend chi-square (trend χ²) test. Multivariate logistic regression model analyzed the influencing factors of the delay in health-care seeking. Results　From 2011 to 2022, there were 3 488 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis in Qingpu District, with 1 438 patients experiencing health-care seeking delay. The median (quartile) number of days of delay was M (P25, P75) = 10 (2, 24) days, and the rate of health-care seeking delay was 41.23%. The annual rate of health-care seeking delay fluctuated between 33.88% and 50.45% from 2011 to 2022, with statistically significant differences between different years (χ²=38.355, P<0.001), and an upward trend in the health-care seeking delay rate was observed from 2020 to 2022 (χtrend²=13.290, P<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared to male, those under 25 years old, with local household registration, and detected through health check-ups, females (OR=1.21, 95%CI:1.04-1.41), those aged 45 to <65 (OR=1.36, 95%CI:1.06-1.75), intra-city migrants (OR=1.35, 95%CI:1.09-1.68), inter-provincial/overseas migrants (OR=1.50, 95%CI:1.23-1.83), and patients who directly sought medical care (OR=3.52, 95%CI:2.27-5.47), transfer treatment (OR=2.07,95%CI：1.31-3.25), referral (OR=2.16, 95%CI:1.36-3.44), follow-up (OR=3.07, 95%CI:1.74-5.44) patients with pulmonary tuberculosis were more likely to delay health-care, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Compared to sputum-positive patients, those with sputum-negative tests (OR=0.76, 95%CI: 0.59-0.97) were less likely to experience delayed health-care, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusions　Health-care seeking delay of pulmonary tuberculosis patients is relatively common in Qingpu District of Shanghai. Corresponding intervention measures should be adopted for risk factors and key populations to further improve the health-care seeking delay.