This study explores whether the current external quality assessment (EQA) level and acceptable bias for basic semen analysis in China are clinically useful. We collected data of semen EQA from Andrology laboratories in the Hunan Province (China) in 2022 and searched for data in the published literature from January 2000 to December 2023 in China. On the basis of these data, we analyzed the coefficients of variation and acceptable biases of different quality control materials for basic semen analysis through robust statistics. We compared these findings with quality specifications based on biological variation from optimal, desirable, and minimum levels of bias to seek a unified and more suitable semen EQA bias evaluation standard for China's national conditions. Different sources of semen quality control material exhibited considerable variation in acceptable biases among laboratories, ranging from 8.2% to 56.9%. A total of 50.0% of the laboratories met the minimum quality specifications for progressive motility (PR), whereas 100.0% and 75.0% of laboratories met only the minimum quality specifications for sperm concentration and total motility (nonprogressive [NP] + PR), respectively. The Z value for sperm concentration and PR+NP was equivalent to the desirable performance specification, whereas the Z value for PR was equivalent only to the minimum performance specification. This study highlights the feasibility of operating external quality assessment schemes for basic semen analysis using quality specifications based on biological variation. These specifications should be unified among external quality control (EQC) centers based on biological variation.
Semen Analysis/standards* ; Humans ; China ; Male ; Quality Control ; Sperm Motility ; Sperm Count/standards*

Apical microsurgery is accurate and minimally invasive, produces few complications, and has a success rate of more than 90%. However, due to the lack of awareness and understanding of apical microsurgery by dental general practitioners and even endodontists, many clinical problems remain to be overcome. The consensus has gathered well-known domestic experts to hold a series of special discussions and reached the consensus. This document specifies the indications, contraindications, preoperative preparations, operational procedures, complication prevention measures, and efficacy evaluation of apical microsurgery and is applicable to dentists who perform apical microsurgery after systematic training.
Microsurgery/standards* ; Humans ; Apicoectomy ; Contraindications, Procedure ; Tooth Apex/diagnostic imaging* ; Postoperative Complications/prevention & control* ; Consensus ; Treatment Outcome

Cemental tear is a rare and indetectable condition unless obvious clinical signs present with the involvement of surrounding periodontal and periapical tissues. Due to its clinical manifestations similar to common dental issues, such as vertical root fracture, primary endodontic diseases, and periodontal diseases, as well as the low awareness of cemental tear for clinicians, misdiagnosis often occurs. The critical principle for cemental tear treatment is to remove torn fragments, and overlooking fragments leads to futile therapy, which could deteriorate the conditions of the affected teeth. Therefore, accurate diagnosis and subsequent appropriate interventions are vital for managing cemental tear. Novel diagnostic tools, including cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), microscopes, and enamel matrix derivatives, have improved early detection and management, enhancing tooth retention. The implementation of standardized diagnostic criteria and treatment protocols, combined with improved clinical awareness among dental professionals, serves to mitigate risks of diagnostic errors and suboptimal therapeutic interventions. This expert consensus reviewed the epidemiology, pathogenesis, potential predisposing factors, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of cemental tear, aiming to provide a clinical guideline and facilitate clinicians to have a better understanding of cemental tear.
Humans ; Dental Cementum/injuries* ; Consensus ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Tooth Fractures/therapy*

Andrographolide sulfonate (AS) is a sulfonated derivative of andrographolide extracted from Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Nees, and has been approved for several decades in China. The present study aimed to investigate the novel therapeutic application and possible mechanisms of AS in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Results indicated that administration of AS by injection or gavage significantly reduced the paw swelling, improved body weights, and attenuated pathological changes in joints of rats with adjuvant-induced arthritis. Additionally, the levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-1β in the serum and ankle joints were reduced. Bioinformatics analysis, along with the spleen index and measurements of IL-17 and IL-10 levels, suggested a potential relationship between AS and Th17 cells under arthritic conditions. In vitro, AS was shown to block Th17 cell differentiation, as evidenced by the reduced percentages of CD4⁺ IL-17A⁺ T cells and decreased expression levels of RORγt, IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-21, and IL-22, without affecting the cell viability and apoptosis. This effect was attributed to the limited glycolysis, as indicated by metabolomics analysis, reduced glucose uptake, and pH measurements. Further investigation revealed that AS might bind to hexokinase2 (HK2) to down-regulate the protein levels of HK2 but not glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) or pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), and overexpression of HK2 reversed the inhibition of AS on Th17 cell differentiation. Furthermore, AS impaired the activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signals in vivo and in vitro, which was abolished by the addition of lactate. In conclusion, AS significantly improved adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) in rats by inhibiting glycolysis-mediated activation of PI3K/AKT to restrain Th17 cell differentiation.
Animals ; Th17 Cells/immunology* ; Diterpenes/pharmacology* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/metabolism* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/immunology* ; Glycolysis/drug effects* ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics* ; Rats ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Humans ; Andrographis paniculata/chemistry* ; Arthritis, Experimental/drug therapy* ; Interleukin-17/immunology* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects*

A case of adult spindle cell sarcoma with NTRK3-C22orf34 gene fusion is reported. The patient, a 35-year-old-male, developed lateral swelling of the right thigh without obvious inducement 7 months before admission and was not accompa-nied by limited movement. The patient was diagnosed with adult spindle cell sarcoma with NTRK3-C22orf34 gene fusion based on the medical history, imaging findings, histomorphology, immunohistochemistry and molecular phenotype. The patients underwent tumor resection without drug-targeted therapy and followed up for 8 months after tumor resection and survived without tumor. In recent years, the number of adult spindle cell sarcomas with neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor 3 (NTRK3) gene fusions have been increasing year by year, and most of them are difficult to diagnose based on HE sections due to the varied morphology and small number of these tumors. With the wide application of high-throughput sequencing in soft tissue tumors, the difficulty of diagnosis of spindle cell tumors with the NTRK fusion gene has decreased. High-throughput sequencing of the patient showed that NTRK3-C22orf34 (mutation abundance 5%) gene fusion combined with BRCA1 (mutation abundance 15%) rearrangement and deletion of CDKN2A and TP53 genes were found to be of definite or potential clinical significance. The morphologic spectrum of NTRK fusion spindle cell tumors, especially sarcomas, is still evolving. Treatment of NTRK fusion gene spindle cell tumors is based on surgical resection in combination with tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) inhibitors. The emergence of secondary or acquired resistance is primarily associated with point mutations associated with the structural domain of the kinase, and mutations may reduce the efficacy of TRK inhibitors.

Objective:To observe the genetic variation of SH2B3 in patients with myeloid neoplasms.Methods:The results of targeted DNA sequencing associated with myeloid neoplasms in the Department of Hematology,Xuanwu Hospital,Capital Medical University from November 2017 to November 2022 were retrospectively analyzed,and the patients with SH2B3 gene mutations were identified.The demographic and clinical data of these patients were collected,and characteristics of SH2B3 gene mutation,co-mutated genes and their correlations with diseases were analyzed.Results:The sequencing results were obtained from 1 005 patients,in which 19 patients were detected with SH2B3 gene mutation,including 18 missense mutations(94.74％),1 nonsense mutation(5.26％),and 10 patients with co-mutated genes(52.63％).Variant allele frequency(VAF)ranged from 0.03 to 0.66.The highest frequency mutation was p.Ile568Thr(5/19,26.32％),with an average VAF of 0.49,involving 1 case of MDS/MPN-RS(with SF3B1 mutation),1 case of MDS-U(with SF3B1 mutation),1 case of aplastic anemia with PNH clone(with PIGA and KMT2A mutations),2 cases of MDS-MLD(1 case with SETBP1 mutation).The other mutations included p.Ala567Thr in 2 cases(10.53％),p.Arg566Trp,p.Glu533Lys,p.Met437Arg,p.Arg425Cys,p.Glu314Lys,p.Arg308*,p.Gln294Glu,p.Arg282Gln,p.Arg175Gln,p.Gly86Cys,p.His55Asn and p.Gln54Pro in 1 case each.Conclusion:A wide distribution of genetic mutation sites and low recurrence of SH2B3 is observed in myeloid neoplasms,among of them,p.Ile568Thr mutation is detected with a higher incidence and often coexists with characteristic mutations of other diseases.

Endodontic diseases are a kind of chronic infectious oral disease.Common endodontic treatment concepts are based on the removal of inflamed or necrotic pulp tissue and the replacement by gutta-percha.However,it is very essential for endodontic treatment to debride the root canal system and prevent the root canal system from bacterial reinfection after root canal therapy(RCT).Recent research,encompassing bacterial etiology and advanced imaging techniques,contributes to our understanding of the root canal system's anatomy intricacies and the technique sensitivity of RCT.Success in RCT hinges on factors like patients,infection severity,root canal anatomy,and treatment techniques.Therefore,improving disease management is a key issue to combat endodontic diseases and cure periapical lesions.The clinical difficulty assessment system of RCT is established based on patient conditions,tooth conditions,root canal configuration,and root canal needing retreatment,and emphasizes pre-treatment risk assessment for optimal outcomes.The findings suggest that the presence of risk factors may correlate with the challenge of achieving the high standard required for RCT.These insights contribute not only to improve education but also aid practitioners in treatment planning and referral decision-making within the field of endodontics.

Objective To investigate the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)in the eNOS gene and genetic susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)in Hainan.Methods Blood samples were collected from SLE patients(SLE group,n=214)and healthy controls(control group,n=214)from January 2020 to December 2022 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical College and Hainan Provincial People's Hospital.The bases of eNOS gene rs3918188,rs1799983 and rs1007311 loci in each group were detected by SNaPshot sequencing technology.Logistic regression was used to analyze the correlation between genotypes,alleles and gene models(dominant model,recessive model,and overdominant model)of the above 3 target loci of the eNOS gene and genetic susceptibility to SLE.Haplotype analysis was conducted using HaploView 4.2 software to investigate the relationship between haploid and genetic susceptibility to SLE at each site.Results The results of logistic regression analysis revealed that the CC genotype and the C allele at rs3918188 locus were risk factors for genetic susceptibility to SLE(CC vs.AA:OR=2.449,P<0.05;C vs.A:OR=2.133,P<0.001).In recessive model at rs3918188 locus,CC genotype carriers had an increased risk of SLE development compared with AA+AC genotype carriers(OR=2.774,P<0.001).In contrast,in overdominant model at this locus,AC genotype carriers had a decreased risk of SLE occurrence compared with AA+CC genotype carriers(OR=0.385,P<0.001).In addition,polymorphisms of rs1799983 and rs1007311 were not associated with susceptibility to SLE in genotype,allele type and the 3 genetic models(P>0.05).Haplotype analysis revealed a strong linkage disequilibrium between the rs1007311 and rs1799983 loci of the eNOS gene,but no significant correlation was found between haplotype and genetic susceptibility to SLE(P>0.05).Conclusion The CC genotype and C allele at rs3918188 locus of eNOS gene may be risk factors for SLE in Hainan,while the risk of SLE occurrence is reduced in carriers of AC genotype under the overdominant model.

Objective To investigate the infection status and changing trend of hepatitis C virus(HCV)infection in hospitalized patients in medical institutions,and provide reference for formulating HCV infection prevention and control strategies.Methods HCV infection surveillance results from cross-sectional survey data reported to China Healthcare-associated Infection(HAI)Surveillance System in 2020 were summarized and analyzed,HCV positive was serum anti-HCV positive or HCV RNA positive,survey result was compared with the survey results from 2003.Results In 2020,1 071 368 inpatients in 1 573 hospitals were surveyed,738 535 of whom underwent HCV test,4 014 patients were infected with HCV,with a detection rate of 68.93％and a HCV positive rate of 0.54％.The positive rate of HCV in male and female patients were 0.60％and 0.48％,respectively,with a statistically sig-nificant difference(x2=47.18,P＜0.001).The HCV positive rate in the 50-＜60 age group was the highest(0.76％),followed by the 40-＜50 age group(0.71％).Difference among all age groups was statistically signifi-cant(x2=696.74,P＜0.001).In 2003,91 113 inpatients were surveyed.35 145 of whom underwent HCV test,resulting in a detection rate of 38.57％;775 patients were infected with HCV,with a positive rate of 2.21％.In 2020,HCV positive rates in hospitals of different scales were 0.46％-0.63％,with the highest in hospital with bed numbers ranging 600-899.Patients'HCV positive rates in hospitals of different scales was statistically signifi-cant(X2=35.34,P＜0.001).In 2020,12 provinces/municipalities had over 10 000 patients underwent HCV-rela-ted test,and HCV positive rates ranged 0.19％-0.81％,with the highest rate from Hainan Province.HCV posi-tive rates in different departments were 0.06％-0.82％,with the lowest positive rate in the department of pedia-trics and the highest in the department of internal medicine.In 2003 and 2020,HCV positive rates in the depart-ment of infectious diseases were the highest,being 7.95％and 3.48％,respectively.Followed by departments of orthopedics(7.72％),gastroenterology(3.77％),nephrology(3.57％)and general intensive care unit(ICU,3.10％)in 2003,as well as departments of gastroenterology(1.35％),nephrology(1.18％),endocrinology(0.91％),and general intensive care unit(ICU,0.79％)in 2020.Conclusion Compared with 2003,HCV positive rate decreased significantly in 2020.HCV infected patients were mainly from the department of infectious diseases,followed by departments of gastroenterology,nephrology and general ICU.HCV infection positive rate varies with gender,age,and region.