Objective: Previous studies have discovered a correlation between cigarette smoking and cortical thickness and surface area, but the causal relationship remains unclear. The objective of this investigation is to scrutinize the causal association between them. Methods: To derive summary statistics from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on cortical thickness, surface area, and four smoking behaviors: 1) age of initiation of regular smoking (AgeSmk); 2) smoking initiation (SmkInit); 3) smoking cessation (SmkCes); 4) cigarettes per day (CigDay). Linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC) was employed to examine genetic association analysis. Furthermore, for traits with significant genetic associations, Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were conducted. Results: The LDSC analysis revealed nominal genetic correlations between AgeSmk and right precentral surface area, left caudal anterior cingulate surface area, left cuneus surface area, left inferior parietal surface area, and right caudal anterior cingulate thickness, as well as between CigDay and left caudal middle frontal surface area, between SmkCes and left entorhinal thickness, and between SmkInit and left rostral anterior cingulate surface area, right rostral anterior cingulate thickness, and right superior frontal thickness (rg=-0.36–0.29, p<0.05). MR analysis showed a unidirectional causal association between left caudal middle frontal surface area and CigDay (βIVW=0.056, pBonferroni=2×10-4). Conclusion Left caudal middle frontal surface area has the potential to serve as a significant predictor of smoking behavior.

Objective: Previous studies have discovered a correlation between cigarette smoking and cortical thickness and surface area, but the causal relationship remains unclear. The objective of this investigation is to scrutinize the causal association between them. Methods: To derive summary statistics from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on cortical thickness, surface area, and four smoking behaviors: 1) age of initiation of regular smoking (AgeSmk); 2) smoking initiation (SmkInit); 3) smoking cessation (SmkCes); 4) cigarettes per day (CigDay). Linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC) was employed to examine genetic association analysis. Furthermore, for traits with significant genetic associations, Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were conducted. Results: The LDSC analysis revealed nominal genetic correlations between AgeSmk and right precentral surface area, left caudal anterior cingulate surface area, left cuneus surface area, left inferior parietal surface area, and right caudal anterior cingulate thickness, as well as between CigDay and left caudal middle frontal surface area, between SmkCes and left entorhinal thickness, and between SmkInit and left rostral anterior cingulate surface area, right rostral anterior cingulate thickness, and right superior frontal thickness (rg=-0.36–0.29, p<0.05). MR analysis showed a unidirectional causal association between left caudal middle frontal surface area and CigDay (βIVW=0.056, pBonferroni=2×10-4). Conclusion Left caudal middle frontal surface area has the potential to serve as a significant predictor of smoking behavior.

Objective: Previous studies have discovered a correlation between cigarette smoking and cortical thickness and surface area, but the causal relationship remains unclear. The objective of this investigation is to scrutinize the causal association between them. Methods: To derive summary statistics from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on cortical thickness, surface area, and four smoking behaviors: 1) age of initiation of regular smoking (AgeSmk); 2) smoking initiation (SmkInit); 3) smoking cessation (SmkCes); 4) cigarettes per day (CigDay). Linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC) was employed to examine genetic association analysis. Furthermore, for traits with significant genetic associations, Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were conducted. Results: The LDSC analysis revealed nominal genetic correlations between AgeSmk and right precentral surface area, left caudal anterior cingulate surface area, left cuneus surface area, left inferior parietal surface area, and right caudal anterior cingulate thickness, as well as between CigDay and left caudal middle frontal surface area, between SmkCes and left entorhinal thickness, and between SmkInit and left rostral anterior cingulate surface area, right rostral anterior cingulate thickness, and right superior frontal thickness (rg=-0.36–0.29, p<0.05). MR analysis showed a unidirectional causal association between left caudal middle frontal surface area and CigDay (βIVW=0.056, pBonferroni=2×10-4). Conclusion Left caudal middle frontal surface area has the potential to serve as a significant predictor of smoking behavior.

Objective: Previous studies have discovered a correlation between cigarette smoking and cortical thickness and surface area, but the causal relationship remains unclear. The objective of this investigation is to scrutinize the causal association between them. Methods: To derive summary statistics from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on cortical thickness, surface area, and four smoking behaviors: 1) age of initiation of regular smoking (AgeSmk); 2) smoking initiation (SmkInit); 3) smoking cessation (SmkCes); 4) cigarettes per day (CigDay). Linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC) was employed to examine genetic association analysis. Furthermore, for traits with significant genetic associations, Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were conducted. Results: The LDSC analysis revealed nominal genetic correlations between AgeSmk and right precentral surface area, left caudal anterior cingulate surface area, left cuneus surface area, left inferior parietal surface area, and right caudal anterior cingulate thickness, as well as between CigDay and left caudal middle frontal surface area, between SmkCes and left entorhinal thickness, and between SmkInit and left rostral anterior cingulate surface area, right rostral anterior cingulate thickness, and right superior frontal thickness (rg=-0.36–0.29, p<0.05). MR analysis showed a unidirectional causal association between left caudal middle frontal surface area and CigDay (βIVW=0.056, pBonferroni=2×10-4). Conclusion Left caudal middle frontal surface area has the potential to serve as a significant predictor of smoking behavior.

Objective: Previous studies have discovered a correlation between cigarette smoking and cortical thickness and surface area, but the causal relationship remains unclear. The objective of this investigation is to scrutinize the causal association between them. Methods: To derive summary statistics from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on cortical thickness, surface area, and four smoking behaviors: 1) age of initiation of regular smoking (AgeSmk); 2) smoking initiation (SmkInit); 3) smoking cessation (SmkCes); 4) cigarettes per day (CigDay). Linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC) was employed to examine genetic association analysis. Furthermore, for traits with significant genetic associations, Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were conducted. Results: The LDSC analysis revealed nominal genetic correlations between AgeSmk and right precentral surface area, left caudal anterior cingulate surface area, left cuneus surface area, left inferior parietal surface area, and right caudal anterior cingulate thickness, as well as between CigDay and left caudal middle frontal surface area, between SmkCes and left entorhinal thickness, and between SmkInit and left rostral anterior cingulate surface area, right rostral anterior cingulate thickness, and right superior frontal thickness (rg=-0.36–0.29, p<0.05). MR analysis showed a unidirectional causal association between left caudal middle frontal surface area and CigDay (βIVW=0.056, pBonferroni=2×10-4). Conclusion Left caudal middle frontal surface area has the potential to serve as a significant predictor of smoking behavior.

Here,5 important pathogens carried by ticks in Maanshan City,Anhui Province,China were identified.In to-tal,642 ticks were collected from 13 villages around Maanshan City and identified by morphological and mitochondrial COI genes.The 16S rRNA gene of Francisella tularensis,ssrA gene of Bartonella,16S rRNA,ompA and ompB genes of Rickett-sia,16S rRNA and gltA genes of Anaplasma,and groEL and rpoB genes of Coxiella were sequenced.Reference sequences were retrieved from a public database.Phylogenetic trees were constructed with MEG A1 1.0 software.In total,36 Rickettsiae isolates were detected in 640 Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks,which included 20 isolates of Rickettsia heilongjian-gensis,16 of Candidatus Rickettsia jingxinensis,2 of Ana-plasma bovis,and 186 of Coxiella-like endosymbiont.R.hei-longjiangensis HY2 detected in this study and Anhui B8 strain,Ca.R.jingxinensis QL3 and those from Shanxi Prov-ince and Jiangsu Province,A.bovis JX4 and those from Shanxi Province were clustered on the same branch.Overall,17 ticks had combined infections and none of the 5 bacteria were detected in two Amblyomma testudinarium ticks.This is the first report of Ca.R.jingxinensis detected in H.longicornis ticks from Anhui Province.It is recommended that the two types of Rickettsia that cause spotted fever and A.bovis should be reported to local health authorities to initiate appropriate prevention and control measures.

Objective:To explore the effect and safety of mesenchymal stem cell exosome microneedle introduction in the treatment of melasma.Methods:Thirty cases of female patients with stable melasma in the Department of Dermatology, Changsha Meilai Medical Beauty Hospital, aged (36±5) years and with a disease duration of (42.4±20.7) months, from July 2021 to July 2022, were retrospectively included. According to Fitzpatrick skin typing, 23 cases of type Ⅲ and 7 cases of type Ⅳ were included. All patients were locally anesthetized with lidocaine cream for 30 min, and rolled with a 0.5 mm needle in a zigzag pattern with even force, in the order of the right cheek, the left cheek, the forehead, the nose, the mandible, and the upper lip. During the rolling process, 3 ml of MSC exosome medical liquid wound dressing was applied to the facial skin, and after it was fully absorbed, exosome was locally readministered in the area of melasma. Treatment ended with a slight redness at the site of application. 1 MSC exosome wound dressing was appllied as a cold compress for 15 min after treatment. Treatment was given once every 2 weeks for 6 consecutive sessions. All the patients were followed up at 4 and 12 weeks after the last session, and the area and severity index of melasma (MASI) were scored before and after the treatment, the clinical efficiency and patient satisfaction rate and the incidence of adverse reactions were also counted.Results:At 4 and 12 weeks after the end of treatment, the skin color of all 30 patients was brighter than that before treatment, and no recurrence of melasma symptoms seen. At 12 weeks after the end of treatment, the decrease rate of MASI score was 66.1%, among which the decrease rate of MASI score in patients with type Ⅲ melasma was 63.9%, and the decrease rate of MASI score in patients with type Ⅳ melasma was 63.9%. Among the 30 patients, 1 case was cured, 25 cases showed obvious improved, 4 cases were improved, and no cases were ineffective, with an effective rate of 86.7% (26/30). Five patients were very satisfied, 18 patients were satisfied, 6 patients were generally satisfied, and 1 patient was dissatisfied; the patient satisfaction rate was 76.7% (23/30). No serious adverse reactions occurred in all patients.Conclusions:MSC exosome microneedle introduction is safe and effective in the treatment of melasma without serious adverse reactions.

Objective To investigate the impact of Pseudomonas aeruginosa(PA)infection on the function of pulmonary vascular endothelial cells,and explore the mechanism of this bacterium in exacerbating lung inflammation in mice.Methods Two hours after human lung microvascular endothelial cell(HULEC-5a)were infected with the PA strain PAO1,the mRNA levels of autophagy-related gene 5(ATG5),6-phosphofruc-to-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase 3(PFKFB3),and calcium adhesion protein 5(CDH5)were deter-mined by reverse transcription real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR).The protein levels of ATG5,PFKFB3,and vascular endothelial calcium adhesion protein(VE-cadherin)were detected by immunofluores-cence.After the expression of ATG5 and PFKFB3 was respectively knocked down by small interfering RNA(siRNA),RT-qPCR was employed to measure the mRNA levels of ATG5,PFKFB3,and CDH5,and immunofluorescence to detect the protein levels of PFKFB3 and VE-cadherin.In addition,the lactate assay kit was used to determine the level of lactate in the cells.After mice were infected with PAO1,lung inflammation was assessed through his-topathological section staining.Confocal microscopy was employed to capture and analyze fluorescence-labeled PFKFB3 and VE-cadherin in endothelial cells.Results Compared with the control group,the HULEC-5a cells infected with PAO1 showed up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of PFKFB3(all P<0.05),down-regulated mRNA level of CDH5(P =0.023),disrupted continuity and down-regulated protein level of VE-cadherin(P<0.001),and elevated lactate level(P =0.017).Compared with PAO1-infected HULEC-5a cells,knocking down PFKFB3 led to the up-regulated mRNA level of CDH5(P =0.043),lowered lactate level(P =0.047),and restored continuity of VE-cadherin;knocking down ATG5 led to up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of PFKFB3(P =0.013 and P =0.003),elevated lactate level(P =0.015),and down-regulated mRNA level of CDH5(P =0.020)and protein level of VE-cadherin(P =0.001).The HE staining results showed obvious red blood cell leakage,inflammatory cell infiltration,alveolar septal widening,and partial detachment of vascu-lar endothelial cells in the alveoli of PA-infected mice.Immunofluorescence staining showed up-regulated expres-sion of PFKFB3 and decreased fluorescence signal of VE-cadherin in endothelial cells of infected mice compared with normal mice.Conclusion PA may regulate the PFKFB3 pathway via AGT5 to disrupt the function of pulmo-nary vascular endothelial cells,thereby exacerbating the inflammation in the lungs of mice.

Objective To investigate the environmental contamination related to first patient with carbapenem-re-sistant Acinetobacter baumannii(CRAB)infection and the infection status of relevant patients in a newly established intensive care unit(ICU)of a hospital in Tibetan area,and analyze the transmission risk.Methods From the ad-mission in ICU of a patients who was first detected CRAB on November 15,2021 to the 60th day of hospitalization,all patients who stayed in ICU for＞48 hours were performed active screening on CRAB.On the 30th day and 60th day of the admission to the ICU of the first CRAB-infected patient,environment specimens were taken respectively 2 hours after high-frequency diagnostic and therapeutic activities but before disinfection,and after disinfection but before medical activities.CRAB was cultured with chromogenic culture medium.Results Among the 13 patients who were actively screened,1 case was CRAB positive,he was transferred from the ICU of a tertiary hospital to the ICU of this hospital on November 19th.On the 40th day of admission to the ICU,he had fever,increased frequency for sputum suction,and CRAB was detected.The drug sensitivity spectrum was similar to that of the first case,and he also stayed in the adjacent bed of the first case.64 environmental specimens were taken,and 9 were positive for CRAB,with a positive rate of 14.06％,8 sampling points such as the washbasin,door handle and bed rail were positive for CRAB after high-frequency diagnostic and therapeutic activities.After routine disinfection,CRAB was detected from the sink of the washbasin.Conclusion For the prevention and control of CRAB in the basic-level ICU in ethnic areas,it is feasible to conduct risk assessment on admitted patients and adopt bundled prevention and con-trol measures for high-risk patients upon admission.Attention should be paid to the contaminated areas(such as washbasin,door handle,and bed rail)as well as the effectiveness of disinfection of sink of washbasin.

Objective:To investigate the current situation of the use of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) for portal hypertension, which should aid the development of TIPS in China.Methods:The China Portal Hypertension Alliance (CHESS) initiated this study that comprehensively investigated the basic situation of TIPS for portal hypertension in China through network research. The survey included the following: the number of surgical cases, main indications, the development of Early-TIPS, TIPS for portal vein cavernous transformation, collateral circulation embolization, intraoperative portal pressure gradient measurement, commonly used stent types, conventional anticoagulation and time, postoperative follow-up, obstacles, and the application of domestic instruments.Results:According to the survey, a total of 13 527 TIPS operations were carried out in 545 hospitals participating in the survey in 2021, and 94.1% of the hospital had the habit of routine follow-up after TIPS. Most hospitals believed that the main indications of TIPS were the control of acute bleeding (42.6%) and the prevention of rebleeding (40.7%). 48.1% of the teams carried out early or priority TIPS, 53.0% of the teams carried out TIPS for the cavernous transformation of the portal vein, and 81.0% chose routine embolization of collateral circulation during operation. Most of them used coils and biological glue as embolic materials, and 78.5% of the team routinely performed intraoperative portal pressure gradient measurements. In selecting TIPS stents, 57.1% of the hospitals woulel choose Viator-specific stents, 57.2% woulel choose conventional anticoagulation after TIPS, and the duration of anticoagulation was between 3-6 months (55.4%). The limitation of TIPS surgery was mainly due to cost (72.3%) and insufficient understanding of doctors in related departments (77.4%). Most teams accepted the domestic instruments used in TIPS (92.7%).Conclusions:This survey shows that TIPS treatment is an essential part of treating portal hypertension in China. The total number of TIPS cases is far from that of patients with portal hypertension. In the future, it is still necessary to popularize TIPS technology and further standardize surgical indications, routine operations, and instrument application.