Methodological quality assessment is a pivotal link between primary studies and reliable evidence-based practice,and an essential pathway for operationalizing the core principles of the Guide on Methodological Standards in Pharmacoepidemiology(2nd edition).A prevalent challenge in practice,however,is the conflation of appraising methodological robustness(risk of bias assessment)with verifying reporting transparency(adherence to reporting guidelines).This paper systematically addresses this fundamental challenge,beginning with a clear distinction between the essence and boundaries of these two concepts.On this basis,the article provides a comprehensive review of mainstream quality assessment tools,covering the methodological features and evolutionary trajectory of numerous instruments for interventional(e.g.,RoB 2,ROBINS-I),observational(e.g.,NOS,the JBI/SIGN/NIH series),secondary(e.g.,AMSTAR 2),and other specific types of studies such as health economic evaluations.Furthermore,a complete case study is used to illustrate the practical application of the ROBINS-I tool.The paper's central thesis advocates for an"appraisal-informed design"philosophy,urging a conceptual shift from the retrospective critique of existing literature to the prospective quality control of new research by internalizing appraisal standards as design principles,while also exploring the emerging paradigm of artificial intelligence in assisting assessment.This paper provides a comprehensive methodological reference for researchers and practitioners to prudently select appropriate assessment tools and to conduct rigorous critical appraisals of pharmacoepidemiological evidence.

Aim To investigate the mechanism by which Aiweixin oral liquid(AWX)alleviates myocar-dial ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats through the reg-ulation of mitochondrial fusion and fission.Methods Seventy-two healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to six groups(n=12)using a ran-dom number table:sham surgery group,model group,low-dose AWX(1 mL·kg-1)group,medium-dose AWX(2 mL·kg-1)group,high-dose AWX(4 mL·kg-1)group,and positive control drug trimetazidine(10 mg·kg-1)group.A myocardial ischemia-reper-fusion injury(MIRI)model was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery of the rat heart,followed by 30 minutes of ischemia and 90 mi-nutes of reperfusion.In the sham surgery group,only a suture was placed without ligation.The rats in the treatment groups were pre-gavaged with AWX starting 10 days prior to the modeling procedure.Lead Ⅱ elec-trocardiograms were recorded before and after reperfu-sion in each group to observe the changes in electrocar-diographic parameters.The myocardial infarct size in each group was assessed using TTC staining.The his-topathological changes in myocardial tissue were exam-ined under a light microscope using hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining.The serum levels of adenosine triphosphate(ATP)and cardiac troponin I(cTnI)were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent as-say(ELISA).Superoxide dismutase(SOD)activity and the levels of malondialdehyde(MDA)and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)were determined using bio-chemical assay kits.The protein expression levels of dynamin-related protein 1(dynamin-relatedprotein 1,DRP1),mitochondrial fission factor(mitochondrial fis-sion factor,MFF),mitochondrial fission protein 1(mi-tochondrial fission protein 1,FIS1),mitofusin 1(mito-fusion-1,MFN1),and mitofusin 2(mitofusion-2,MFN2)were evaluated by Western blot analysis.Re-sults Compared with the sham group,the model group exhibited aggravated myocardial tissue pathological damage,an increased percentage of myocardial infarct size,decreased serum SOD activity and ATP levels,and significantly elevated levels of MDA,cTnI,and LDH activity.Additionally,the protein expression of mito-chondrial fission factors DRP1,MFF,and FIS1 was up-regulated,while the expression of fusion-related factors MFN1 and MFN2 was downregulated.Compared with the model group,Aiweixin oral liquid significantly alle-viated myocardial injury,reduced the percentage of my-ocardial infarct size,increased serum SOD activity and ATP levels,decreased MDA content and cTnI and LDH activity,downregulated the protein expression of mito-chondrial fission factors DRP1,MFF,and FIS1,and up-regulated the protein expression of fusion-related factors MFN1 and MFN2.Conclusion Aiweixin oral liquid alleviates myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats by regulating abnormal mitochondrial fusion and fis-sion.

OBJECTIVE T o explore the prevention and control measures for the hospital-acquired pulmonary mu-cormycosis caused by Cunninghamella bertholletiae.METHODS One case of patient with pulmonary mucormyco-sis caused by Cunninghamella bertholletiae who was treated in pediatric intensive care unit(PICU)of a three-A general hospital was enrolled in the study,the process of clinical diagnosis and treatment was summarized.A ret-rospective survey regarding four aspects including people,machine,materials and environment was conducted.The related factors leading to the hospital-acquired infections in the patient were analyzed.RESULTS The child was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia and underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation,the child was treated with various invasive procedures during the treatment period and was infected with pulmona-ry mucormycosis caused by the rare Cunninghamella bertholletiae.The occurrence of the pulmonary mucormyco-sis was associated with the poor management of medical textile,insufficient environmental cleaning and disinfec-tion and nonstandard invasive procedures.CONCLUSIONS The Cunninghamella bertholletiae infection is less com-mon,but the risk of death is high.It is necessary for the medical institutions to complete the prevention and con-trol measures and intensify the health care workers'capabilities in identification of the pathogenic fungus so as to reduce the incidence of pulmonary mucormycosis caused by the pathogen.

AIM To study the chemical constituents from the petroleum ether fraction of the roots of Gypsophila licentiana Hand.-Mazz.METHODS Silica gel,Sephadex LH-20 and semi-preparative HPLC were used for isolation and purification,then the structures of obtained compounds were identified by physicochemical properties and spectral data.RESULTS Eighteen compounds were isolated and identified as dibutyl phthalate(1),glyceryl arachidate(2),bis(2-ethylhexyl)terephthalate(3),9,12-octadecadienoic acid(Z,Z)-methyl ester(4),(3'S,4'S)-3'-acetoxy-4'-angeloyloxy-3',4'-dihydroseselin(5),3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-propanoic acid(6),bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate(7),2,2'-oxybis(1,4)-di-tert-butylbenzene(8),gypsogenin(9),3-keto,16α-hydroxy,24-noroleanolic acid(10),3-oxo-olean-12-en-28-oic acid(11),10-eicosenoic acid(12),hexacosanic acid(13),enniatin B(14),(R,Z)-21-methyl-8-pentatriacontene(15),ethyl gallate(16),stellarine A(17),pentacosane(18).CONCLUSION All compounds are isolated from this plant for the first time.

Aim To study the renal protective effect of balanophora polysaccharide(BPS)on diabetic nephrop-athy(DN)mice and explore the related mechanisms.Methods A DN mouse model was induced using a high-fat diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin(STZ),which was indicated by fasting blood glucose higher than 11.1 mmol·L-1,accompa-nied by diabetic symptoms such as polydipsia,polydia-gia,polyuria and weight loss,then BPS intervention was performed.Body weight and fasting blood glucose of each group mice were detected;automatic biochemical analyzer was used to detect blood creatinine(SCr),blood urea nitrogen(BUN),24 h urinary protein(24 h UP),triglycerides(TG),total cholesterol(TC),alanine aminotransferase(ALT)content;ELISA was applied to determine serum inflammatory factor interleukin-6(IL-6)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)level;HE and Masson staining were employed to observe renal his-topathological morphology;Western blot was used to de-tect Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4),myeloid differentiation factor 88(MyD88),nuclear factor κB(NF-κB)for pro-tein expression.Results Compared with the model group,after BPS,body weight and fasting blood glucose decreased(P＜0.01 or P＜0.05);SCr,BUN,24 h UP,TC,TG and ALT significantly decreased(P＜0.01 or P＜0.05);the levels of the proinflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-6 were significantly reduced(P＜0.01 or P＜0.05);renal tissue injury and fibrosis decreased;TLR4,MyD88,NF-κB protein expression significantly decreased(P＜0.01 or P＜0.05).Conclusion BPS has a protective effect on the kidneys of DN mice,re-ducing the blood glucose level,improving liver and kid-ney function,alleviating renal tissue damage and renal fibrosis,and reducing inflammation response.Its mecha-nism may be related to the regulation of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Methodological quality assessment is a pivotal link between primary studies and reliable evidence-based practice,and an essential pathway for operationalizing the core principles of the Guide on Methodological Standards in Pharmacoepidemiology(2nd edition).A prevalent challenge in practice,however,is the conflation of appraising methodological robustness(risk of bias assessment)with verifying reporting transparency(adherence to reporting guidelines).This paper systematically addresses this fundamental challenge,beginning with a clear distinction between the essence and boundaries of these two concepts.On this basis,the article provides a comprehensive review of mainstream quality assessment tools,covering the methodological features and evolutionary trajectory of numerous instruments for interventional(e.g.,RoB 2,ROBINS-I),observational(e.g.,NOS,the JBI/SIGN/NIH series),secondary(e.g.,AMSTAR 2),and other specific types of studies such as health economic evaluations.Furthermore,a complete case study is used to illustrate the practical application of the ROBINS-I tool.The paper's central thesis advocates for an"appraisal-informed design"philosophy,urging a conceptual shift from the retrospective critique of existing literature to the prospective quality control of new research by internalizing appraisal standards as design principles,while also exploring the emerging paradigm of artificial intelligence in assisting assessment.This paper provides a comprehensive methodological reference for researchers and practitioners to prudently select appropriate assessment tools and to conduct rigorous critical appraisals of pharmacoepidemiological evidence.

Aim To investigate the mechanism by which Aiweixin oral liquid(AWX)alleviates myocar-dial ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats through the reg-ulation of mitochondrial fusion and fission.Methods Seventy-two healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to six groups(n=12)using a ran-dom number table:sham surgery group,model group,low-dose AWX(1 mL·kg-1)group,medium-dose AWX(2 mL·kg-1)group,high-dose AWX(4 mL·kg-1)group,and positive control drug trimetazidine(10 mg·kg-1)group.A myocardial ischemia-reper-fusion injury(MIRI)model was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery of the rat heart,followed by 30 minutes of ischemia and 90 mi-nutes of reperfusion.In the sham surgery group,only a suture was placed without ligation.The rats in the treatment groups were pre-gavaged with AWX starting 10 days prior to the modeling procedure.Lead Ⅱ elec-trocardiograms were recorded before and after reperfu-sion in each group to observe the changes in electrocar-diographic parameters.The myocardial infarct size in each group was assessed using TTC staining.The his-topathological changes in myocardial tissue were exam-ined under a light microscope using hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining.The serum levels of adenosine triphosphate(ATP)and cardiac troponin I(cTnI)were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent as-say(ELISA).Superoxide dismutase(SOD)activity and the levels of malondialdehyde(MDA)and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)were determined using bio-chemical assay kits.The protein expression levels of dynamin-related protein 1(dynamin-relatedprotein 1,DRP1),mitochondrial fission factor(mitochondrial fis-sion factor,MFF),mitochondrial fission protein 1(mi-tochondrial fission protein 1,FIS1),mitofusin 1(mito-fusion-1,MFN1),and mitofusin 2(mitofusion-2,MFN2)were evaluated by Western blot analysis.Re-sults Compared with the sham group,the model group exhibited aggravated myocardial tissue pathological damage,an increased percentage of myocardial infarct size,decreased serum SOD activity and ATP levels,and significantly elevated levels of MDA,cTnI,and LDH activity.Additionally,the protein expression of mito-chondrial fission factors DRP1,MFF,and FIS1 was up-regulated,while the expression of fusion-related factors MFN1 and MFN2 was downregulated.Compared with the model group,Aiweixin oral liquid significantly alle-viated myocardial injury,reduced the percentage of my-ocardial infarct size,increased serum SOD activity and ATP levels,decreased MDA content and cTnI and LDH activity,downregulated the protein expression of mito-chondrial fission factors DRP1,MFF,and FIS1,and up-regulated the protein expression of fusion-related factors MFN1 and MFN2.Conclusion Aiweixin oral liquid alleviates myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats by regulating abnormal mitochondrial fusion and fis-sion.

Objective:To explore the correlation between serum ferritin(SF)levels and the efficacy of platelet transfusion in patients with malignant hematological diseases.Methods:Patients with malignant hematological diseases who received repeated transfusions of apheresis platelets in Department of Hematology of Aerospace Center Hospital in 2023 were selected.The platelet corrected count increment(CCI)was used to evaluate the efficacy of platelet transfusion.The correlations between sex,age,disease type,transplantation history,red blood cell transfusion history,and SF level and the efficacy of platelet transfusion were analyzed.Results:A total of 87 patients were included,with a cumulative 326 person-times platelet transfusions.As suggested by one-way analysis of variance,compared with the patients in the age groups of 24-45 years old and 46-66 years old,the patients in the age group of 2-23 years old had a better efficacy of platelet transfusion(P=0.004,P=0.004).There was no significant difference in the efficacy of platelet transfusion between the patients in the age group of 24-45 years old and those in the age group of 46-66 years old(P=0.876).Compared with the patients who had a history of red blood cell transfusion within 3 days,the patients without a history of red blood cell transfusion within 3 days had a better efficacy of platelet transfusion(P＜0.001).Compared with the groups with SF levels of 1.44-2.78 ng/L and＞2.78 ng/L,the group with SF levels＜1.44 ng/L had a better efficacy of platelet transfusion(P=0.028,P＜0.001).Compared with the group with SF levels＞2.78 ng/L,the group with SF levels of 1.44-2.78 ng/L had a better efficacy of platelet transfusion(P=0.001).After adjusting for age and the history of red blood cell transfusion,the transfusion efficacy of the group with SF levels＜1.44 ng/L was better than that of the groups with SF levels of 1.44-2.78 ng/L and＞2.78 ng/L(P=0.021,P＜0.001);Compared with the group with SF levels＞2.78 ng/L,the group with SF levels of 1.44-2.78 ng/L had a better efficacy of platelet transfusion(P=0.001).Both univariate and multivariate linear regression models showed that SF levels were negatively correlated with the efficacy of platelet transfusion(P＜0.001).Conclusion:There is a negative correlation between SF levels and the efficacy of platelet transfusion in patients with malignant hematological diseases.Detection of SF levels may provide guidance for predicting the efficacy of platelet transfusion.

Objective:This study aimed to explore neurobiomarkers for schizophrenia relapse by comparing brain functional activity between first-diagnosed drug-na?ve schizophrenia (FDS) patients and relapsed schizophrenia (RS) patients.Methods:In this cross-sectional study, a total of 85 RS patients, 75 FDS patients, and 82 controls were recruited from the outpatient and inpatient departments of the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between September 2018 and June 2020. All participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging scans. The fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) was calculated to assess individual′s brain activity. The severity of psychiatric symptoms among patients with schizophrenia was evaluated using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Voxel-based analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with post-hoc two-sample t-tests was used to compare fALFF values among groups, and partial correlation analysis was employed to examine relationships between aberrant fALFF values and psychiatric symptoms. Results:The RS group demonstrated significantly higher negative symptom scores (21.5±9.1) compared to the FDS group (18.4±8.3; t=-2.28, P<0.05). Relative to the control group, the FDS group showed increased fALFF values in the cerebellum vermis 4/5 and the right putamen( t=4.45, 4.55, GRF-corrected, voxel-level P<0.001, cluster-level P<0.05), while fALFF values were decreased in the right precentral gyrus/postcentral gyrus, bilateral precuneus, and right paracentral lobule ( t=-4.77--4.20, GRF-corrected, voxel-level P<0.001, cluster-level P<0.05). The RS group exhibited increased fALFF values in the left cerebellum 9/10, bilateral cerebellum 6/8/Crus Ⅰ, right inferior temporal gyrus, right middle temporal gyrus, right inferior frontal gyrus (orbital part), and right putamen( t=4.78-5.44, GRF-corrected, voxel-level P<0.001, cluster-level P<0.05), while decreased fALFF values were observed in the bilateral calcarine/cuneus, left superior medial frontal gyrus, right precuneus/cuneus, bilateral precuneus, and right precentral gyrus/postcentral gyrus ( t=-4.97--4.38, GRF-corrected, voxel-level P<0.001, cluster-level P<0.05). Compared with the FDS group, the RS group showed increased fALFF values in the right cerebellum Crus Ⅰ (GRF-corrected, t=3.83, voxel-level P<0.001, cluster-level P<0.05). In the FDS group, correlation analysis revealed that fALFF values in the bilateral precuneus were negatively correlated with negative symptom scores, general psychopathology scores, and the PANSS total score ( r=-0.32, -0.26, -0.26,all P<0.05), while no such correlation was found in the RS group. Conclusions:RS patients exhibit more severe negative symptoms and more diffuse brain functional abnormalities compared to FDS patients, particularly affecting the default mode network and cerebellar regions. Functional alterations in the right cerebellum Crus Ⅰ and bilateral precuneus may serve as potential neuroimaging markers for identifying relapse in schizophrenia.

Testicular histology based on testicular biopsy is an important factor for determining appropriate testicular sperm extraction surgery and predicting sperm retrieval outcomes in patients with azoospermia. Therefore, we developed a deep learning (DL) model to establish the associations between testicular grayscale ultrasound images and testicular histology. We retrospectively included two-dimensional testicular grayscale ultrasound from patients with azoospermia (353 men with 4357 images between July 2017 and December 2021 in The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China) to develop a DL model. We obtained testicular histology during conventional testicular sperm extraction. Our DL model was trained based on ultrasound images or fusion data (ultrasound images fused with the corresponding testicular volume) to distinguish spermatozoa presence in pathology (SPP) and spermatozoa absence in pathology (SAP) and to classify maturation arrest (MA) and Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS) in patients with SAP. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were used to analyze model performance. DL based on images achieved an AUC of 0.922 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.908-0.935), a sensitivity of 80.9%, a specificity of 84.6%, and an accuracy of 83.5% in predicting SPP (including normal spermatogenesis and hypospermatogenesis) and SAP (including MA and SCOS). In the identification of SCOS and MA, DL on fusion data yielded better diagnostic performance with an AUC of 0.979 (95% CI: 0.969-0.989), a sensitivity of 89.7%, a specificity of 97.1%, and an accuracy of 92.1%. Our study provides a noninvasive method to predict testicular histology for patients with azoospermia, which would avoid unnecessary testicular biopsy.
Humans ; Male ; Azoospermia/diagnostic imaging* ; Deep Learning ; Testis/pathology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult ; Ultrasonography/methods* ; Sperm Retrieval ; Sertoli Cell-Only Syndrome/diagnostic imaging*