Objective To construct an index system for assessment of schistosomiasis transmission risk following natural disasters such as rainstorms, floods, earthquakes, mudslides, and landslides, so as to provide insights into rapid identification of schistosomiasis transmission risk post-disasters and formulation of targeted schistosomiasis control strategies. Methods An initial framework for the index system for assessment of schistosomiasis transmission risk following natural disasters was drafted through literature review, brainstorming, and focus group discussions. Two rounds of expert correspondence consultations were conducted using the Delphi method to refine and finalize the system, and the degrees of expert activeness, authority and endorse ment, and consensus were evaluated. In addition, the weights of each index were calculated using the analytic hierarchy process. Results A total of 18 experts participated in the consultation. The expert positive coefficients were 100.00% and 94.44% for two rounds of consultations, with authority coefficients of 0.92 and 0.94, respectively. The coefficients of coordination on the index importance, rationality and operability were 0.209, 0.185, 0.222 and 0.407, 0.214, 0.257 for two rounds of consultations, respectively, and all consistency tests were statistically significant (χ² = 246.771 to 505.278, all P values < 0.001). Following two rounds of expert consultations, an index system consisting of 6 first-level indicators, 15 second-level indicators, and 49 third-level indicators was ultimately constructed. In terms of first-level indicators, “disaster situation”, “previous epidemics”, “healthcare guarantee”, “response capacity” and “emergency recovery” had the highest weights, each at 18.18%. Regarding second-level indicators, “Schistosoma japonicum infections in animals”, “S. japonicum infections in snails” and “medical treatment” had the highest weights, each at 7.35%. In terms of third-level indicators, ten items had the highest weights, including “identification of schistosomiasis cases”, “detection of S. japonicum infections in wild feces”, “detection of S. japonicum infections in snails”, “reserves of schistosomiasis diagnostic/testing reagents and consumables”, “reserves of chemotherapy agents for human and animal schistosomiasis”, “reserves of cercariacides”, “periodical surveillance on schistosomiasis”, “identification of schistosomiasis transmission risk and timely response”, “normal provision of diagnosis and treatment services” and “post-disaster schistosomiasis surveillance”, each at 2.40%. Conclusion A scientific, systematic, and practical index system has been constructed for assessment of schistosomiasis transmission risk following natural disasters, which may provide insights into rapid post-disaster identification of schistosomiasis transmission risk, formulation of targeted schistosomiasis control strategies and optimization of resource allocation.

Objective:To reveal the differences in the transcriptome maps of brain tissues in mice subjected to Flash irradiation and conventional dose rate irradiation with electron beams and to explain the biological effect and mechanisms of Flash irradiation from multiple perspectives.Methods:Following the principle of grouping based on approximate body weights, 36 female C57BL/6J mice were divided into three groups, i. e., the control, conventional dose rate irradiation (CONV), and Flash irradiation (Flash) groups, with 12 mice in each group. Both the CONV and Flash groups received a single 15 Gy whole-brain irradiation with 9 MeV electron beams. At 3 d post-irradiation, the whole-brain tissue specimens were collected for hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining to observe pathological changes. At 1, 3, and 10 weeks post-irradiation, the motion function, cognitive ability, depression level, and spatial memory capacity of the mice were assessed using ethology. At 1 and 10 weeks after behavioral experiments, brain tissue samples were collected and snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen for reference-based transcriptome sequencing. Accordingly, the differences in the transcriptome maps of radiation-induced brain injury between CONV and Flash groups were analyzed.Results:The HE staining-based pathological result revealed that compared to the CONV group, the Flash group exhibited reduced glial cell hyperplasia and inflammatory cell infiltration in brain tissues. Ethological research result at 1 week post-irradiation showed that the CONV group manifested a significantly decreased total traveled distance compared to the control and Flash groups ( t = 5.51, 2.38, P < 0.05) and a significantly increased immobility time compared to the control group ( t = 3.60, P < 0.05). Ethological research result at 3 weeks post-irradiation indicated that compared to the CONV group, the Flash group displayed significantly alleviated cognitive impairment ( t = 3.35, P < 0.05) and reduced depression levels ( t = 2.39, P < 0.05). Ethological research result at 10 weeks post-irradiation demonstrated that the CONV group showed the worst cognitive performance, significantly differing from the control group ( t = 4.53, P < 0.05). Transcriptome sequencing result revealed that besides immune-related pathways, the Flash group also exhibited multiple upregulated metabolic pathways and fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-related pathways compared to the CONV group. Conclusions:Compared to conventional dose rate irradiation, Flash irradiation can effectively alleviate radiation-induced brain injury in mice. This effect is associated with various metabolic pathways (including amino acid metabolism) and FGF-related pathways besides immune pathways.

Objective:To investigate the radiation field distribution characteristics in a 9 MeV electron FLASH (e-FLASH) linear accelerator treatment room.Methods:The Geant4 Monte Carlo program was employed for physical simulating of the radiation field distribution inside and outside the treatment room under a single-beam delivery condition with a total dose of 50 Gy at the reference point and a dose rate of 250 Gy/s. High-sensitivity radiation detectors (AT1123) were used to validate the measurements at key points.Results:The dose rate at the reference point was approximately 9×10 11 μSv/h. Due to the scattering and shielding effects, the deviation of the attenuation rate from the inverse-square law was observed and the isodose lines exhibited spatial drift. Measured dose rates at key points showed good agreement with the simulation result, with a maximum deviation within 30%. Conclusions:The complex radiation field distribution can be effectively simulated using Geant4 in an e-FLASH treatment room. This indicated the Geant4 is not only applicable for the shielding calculations in e-FLASH radiotherapy facilities, but also for the design optimization through, reduction of trial-and-error iterations and engineering costs.

Objective:To reveal the differences in the transcriptome maps of brain tissues in mice subjected to Flash irradiation and conventional dose rate irradiation with electron beams and to explain the biological effect and mechanisms of Flash irradiation from multiple perspectives.Methods:Following the principle of grouping based on approximate body weights, 36 female C57BL/6J mice were divided into three groups, i. e., the control, conventional dose rate irradiation (CONV), and Flash irradiation (Flash) groups, with 12 mice in each group. Both the CONV and Flash groups received a single 15 Gy whole-brain irradiation with 9 MeV electron beams. At 3 d post-irradiation, the whole-brain tissue specimens were collected for hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining to observe pathological changes. At 1, 3, and 10 weeks post-irradiation, the motion function, cognitive ability, depression level, and spatial memory capacity of the mice were assessed using ethology. At 1 and 10 weeks after behavioral experiments, brain tissue samples were collected and snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen for reference-based transcriptome sequencing. Accordingly, the differences in the transcriptome maps of radiation-induced brain injury between CONV and Flash groups were analyzed.Results:The HE staining-based pathological result revealed that compared to the CONV group, the Flash group exhibited reduced glial cell hyperplasia and inflammatory cell infiltration in brain tissues. Ethological research result at 1 week post-irradiation showed that the CONV group manifested a significantly decreased total traveled distance compared to the control and Flash groups ( t = 5.51, 2.38, P < 0.05) and a significantly increased immobility time compared to the control group ( t = 3.60, P < 0.05). Ethological research result at 3 weeks post-irradiation indicated that compared to the CONV group, the Flash group displayed significantly alleviated cognitive impairment ( t = 3.35, P < 0.05) and reduced depression levels ( t = 2.39, P < 0.05). Ethological research result at 10 weeks post-irradiation demonstrated that the CONV group showed the worst cognitive performance, significantly differing from the control group ( t = 4.53, P < 0.05). Transcriptome sequencing result revealed that besides immune-related pathways, the Flash group also exhibited multiple upregulated metabolic pathways and fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-related pathways compared to the CONV group. Conclusions:Compared to conventional dose rate irradiation, Flash irradiation can effectively alleviate radiation-induced brain injury in mice. This effect is associated with various metabolic pathways (including amino acid metabolism) and FGF-related pathways besides immune pathways.

Objective:To investigate the radiation field distribution characteristics in a 9 MeV electron FLASH (e-FLASH) linear accelerator treatment room.Methods:The Geant4 Monte Carlo program was employed for physical simulating of the radiation field distribution inside and outside the treatment room under a single-beam delivery condition with a total dose of 50 Gy at the reference point and a dose rate of 250 Gy/s. High-sensitivity radiation detectors (AT1123) were used to validate the measurements at key points.Results:The dose rate at the reference point was approximately 9×10 11 μSv/h. Due to the scattering and shielding effects, the deviation of the attenuation rate from the inverse-square law was observed and the isodose lines exhibited spatial drift. Measured dose rates at key points showed good agreement with the simulation result, with a maximum deviation within 30%. Conclusions:The complex radiation field distribution can be effectively simulated using Geant4 in an e-FLASH treatment room. This indicated the Geant4 is not only applicable for the shielding calculations in e-FLASH radiotherapy facilities, but also for the design optimization through, reduction of trial-and-error iterations and engineering costs.

Objective:To investigate the effectiveness and feasibility of whole exome sequencing (WES), as a molecular diagnosis technique, for adult patients with genetic diseases.Methods:The present retrospective analysis included 445 adult patients (ages 18-80 years) with suspected genetic diseases who underwent whole exome sequencing (WES) from August 2021 to December 2022. The pathogenicity classification of each variant was assessed in accordance with the recommendations developed by the American Society of Medical Genetics and Genomics.Results:The overall positive rate of WES among adult patients with suspected genetic diseases was 28.08% (125/445). The highest positive rate was observed in the age group of 41-50 years (34.33%, 23/67). Among the diagnosed genetic diseases, those affecting the cardiovascular system (63.16%, 84/133), nervous system (18.05%, 24/133), and endocrine system (13.53%, 18/133) ranked as the top three. The most common genetic diseases identified through WES in adult patients were hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (18.80%, 25/133), dilated cardiomyopathy (16.54%, 22/133), Marfan syndrome (15.04%, 20/133), epilepsy (9.02%, 12/133), and familial hypercholesterolemia (4.51%, 6/133). The main causative genes identified included FBN1 (14.29%, 19/133), MYBPC3 (9.02%, 12/133), MYH7 (9.02%, 12/133), LDLR (3.76%, 5/133), TTN (3.76%, 5/133), and TNNI3 (3.01%, 4/133).Conclusion:Applying the WES technique in clinical practice can improve the diagnostic rate of adult genetic diseases, especially in adult patients with suspected genetic conditions involving the cardiovascular system, nervous system, and endocrine system.

ObjectiveTo investigate the regulatory effect of circular RNA circ_0120051 on the fibrotic phenotype of cardiac fibroblasts and the potential mechanism involved. MethodsThe expression of circ_0120051 and its host gene of solute carrier family 8 member A1（SLC8A1） mRNA in the myocardium of healthy organ donors （n=24） and heart failure （HF） patients （n=21） were assessed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （RT-qPCR） assay. RNA stability of circ_0120051 was identified by RNase R exonuclease digestion assay. The cytoplasmic and nuclear distribution of circ_0120051 in human cardiomyocyte AC16 was detected by RT-qPCR assay. The expression of fibrosis-related genes in mouse cardiac fibroblasts （mCFs） with adenovirus-mediated overexpression of circ_0120051 was detected by RT-qPCR and Western blot assay， respectively. The effect of overexpression of circ_0120051 on the migration activity of mCFs was evaluated by wound-healing assay. RNA co-immunoprecipitation （RIP） was conducted to detect the interaction between circ_0120051 and miR-144-3p. The binding site of miR-144-3p in the 3'-UTR of isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 （Idh2） mRNA was identified by the dual luciferase reporter gene assay. ResultsCirc_0120051 was significantly up-regulated in the myocardium of HF patients， while the mRNA expression of its host gene SLC8A1 was not changed. Circ_0120051 was mainly located in the cytoplasm of human AC16 cells. Results of RNase R exonuclease digestion revealed that circ_0120051 possesses the characteristic stability of circular RNA compared to the linear SLC8A1 mRNA. Overexpression of circ_0120051 could inhibit the expression of fibrosis-related gene in mCFs and mCFs migration. RIP assay confirmed the specific interaction between circ_0120051 and miR-144-3p. Transfection of miR-144-3p mimic could efficiently promote the expression of fibrosis-related genes in mCFs and reverse the inhibitory effect of circ_0120051 on the fibrotic phenotype of mCFs. Results of the dual luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed the interaction between miR-144-3p and the 3'-UTR of Idh2. Transfection of miR-144-3p transcriptionally inhibited Idh2 expression， and overexpression of circ_0120051 enhanced IDH2 expression in mCFs. MiR-144-3p mimic and Idh2 small interfering RNA （siRNA） could consistently reverse the inhibitory effects of circ_0120051 on fibrosis-related genes expression in mCFs and mCFs migration. ConclusionsCirc_0120051 inhibits the fibrotic phenotype of cardiac fibroblasts via sponging miR-144-3p to enhance the target gene of IDH2 expression.

Objective Based on the technology acceptance model,to explore the influence mechanism of technical support,perceived interactivity,perceived usefulness,perceived ease of use and perceived risk on medical staff's report intention on adverse events,and to provide path suggestions for improving medical staff's report intention adverse events.Methods The multi-stage sampling method was used to select 637 medical staffs of tertiary public hospitals in Hangzhou who used the information-based platform to report adverse events as the research respondents,and the self-developed scale of report intention on adverse events was used as the research tool,monofactor analysis were conducted by Wilcoxon rank-sum test,and the structural equation model was used to analyze the influence path of their report intention on adverse events.Results Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness have positive effects on medical staff's report intention on adverse events(β=0.264,0.658;P＜0.001);Perceived risk negatively affected the medical staff's report intention on adverse events(β=-0.143,P＜0.001).The indirect effects of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use on medical staff's report intention on adverse events are 0.538 and 0.205,respectively.Conclusion Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use plays a mediating role in perceived interactivity and medical staff's report intention on adverse events.

Objective Based on the technology acceptance model,to explore the influence mechanism of technical support,perceived interactivity,perceived usefulness,perceived ease of use and perceived risk on medical staff's report intention on adverse events,and to provide path suggestions for improving medical staff's report intention adverse events.Methods The multi-stage sampling method was used to select 637 medical staffs of tertiary public hospitals in Hangzhou who used the information-based platform to report adverse events as the research respondents,and the self-developed scale of report intention on adverse events was used as the research tool,monofactor analysis were conducted by Wilcoxon rank-sum test,and the structural equation model was used to analyze the influence path of their report intention on adverse events.Results Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness have positive effects on medical staff's report intention on adverse events(β=0.264,0.658;P＜0.001);Perceived risk negatively affected the medical staff's report intention on adverse events(β=-0.143,P＜0.001).The indirect effects of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use on medical staff's report intention on adverse events are 0.538 and 0.205,respectively.Conclusion Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use plays a mediating role in perceived interactivity and medical staff's report intention on adverse events.

Objective Based on the technology acceptance model,to explore the influence mechanism of technical support,perceived interactivity,perceived usefulness,perceived ease of use and perceived risk on medical staff's report intention on adverse events,and to provide path suggestions for improving medical staff's report intention adverse events.Methods The multi-stage sampling method was used to select 637 medical staffs of tertiary public hospitals in Hangzhou who used the information-based platform to report adverse events as the research respondents,and the self-developed scale of report intention on adverse events was used as the research tool,monofactor analysis were conducted by Wilcoxon rank-sum test,and the structural equation model was used to analyze the influence path of their report intention on adverse events.Results Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness have positive effects on medical staff's report intention on adverse events(β=0.264,0.658;P＜0.001);Perceived risk negatively affected the medical staff's report intention on adverse events(β=-0.143,P＜0.001).The indirect effects of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use on medical staff's report intention on adverse events are 0.538 and 0.205,respectively.Conclusion Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use plays a mediating role in perceived interactivity and medical staff's report intention on adverse events.