Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global public health threat. The World Health Organization (WHO) 2020–2024 global TB reports provide a comprehensive overview of the TB situation from 2019 to 2023. In 2023, TB re-emerged as the world's leading infectious killer, with an estimated 10.8 million new cases. While the growth in the incidence rate slowed, the number of deaths decreased to 1.25 million. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted TB control efforts in 2020–2021. As control measures are gradually restored, a positive trend in TB control is emerging. However, significant regional disparities in incidence persist, with eight high-burden countries, including India and China, accounting for over two-thirds of the global total. In 2023, global treatment coverage for drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) was 44.00% with a treatment success rate of 68.00%; yet, with 400 000 new drug-resistant cases, the control situation remains severe. China has achieved remarkable progress in TB control: new cases fell to 741 000 in 2023 (an incidence of 52 per 100 000); mortality decreased significantly; its share of the global DR-TB burden dropped from 14.00% to 7.30%; and the TB/HIV co-infection rate declined from 1.68% in 2019 to 0.66% in 2023, outperforming the global average. Globally, control measures continue to be optimized: treatment coverage increased from 70.00% in 2019 to 75.00% in 2023, the number of people receiving preventive therapy grew to 4.7 million, and rapid diagnostic coverage reached 48.00%. In China, the number of patients treated recovered to 565 000 in 2023, and rapid diagnostic coverage rose to 74.00%. Although technological innovations have enhanced the efficiency of prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and management, achieving the 2030 End TB Strategy goals will require strengthening TB management, building primary healthcare capacity, and targeting interventions for high-risk populations, while balancing resource allocation with technological innovation to address the challenges of a heterogeneous global epidemic.

Several types of arthritis share the common feature that the generation of inflammatory mediators leads to joint cartilage degradation. However, the shared mechanism is largely unknown. H2BK120ub1 was reportedly involved in various inflammatory diseases but its role in the shared mechanism in inflammatory joint conditions remains elusive. The present study demonstrated that levels of cartilage degradation, H2BK120ub1, and its regulator WW domain-containing adapter protein with coiled-coil (WAC) were increased in cartilage in human rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) patients as well as in experimental RA and OA mice. By regulating H2BK120ub1 and H3K27me3, WAC regulated the secretion of inflammatory and cartilage-degrading factors. WAC influenced the level of H3K27me3 by regulating nuclear entry of the H3K27 demethylase KDM6B, and acted as a key factor of the crosstalk between H2BK120ub1 and H3K27me3. The cartilage-specific knockout of WAC demonstrated the ability to alleviate cartilage degradation in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) and collagenase-induced osteoarthritis (CIOA) mice. Through molecular docking and dynamic simulation, doxercalciferol was found to inhibit WAC and the development of cartilage degradation in the CIA and CIOA models. Our study demonstrated that WAC is a key factor of cartilage degradation in arthritis, and targeting WAC by doxercalciferol could be a viable therapeutic strategy for treating cartilage destruction in several types of arthritis.

Anxiety disorder is a major symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with a comorbidity rate of ~40%. However, the neural mechanisms of the emergence of anxiety in ASD remain unclear. In our study, we found that hyperactivity of basolateral amygdala (BLA) pyramidal neurons (PNs) in Shank3 InsG3680 knock-in (InsG3680^+/+) mice is involved in the development of anxiety. Electrophysiological results also showed increased excitatory input and decreased inhibitory input in BLA PNs. Chemogenetic inhibition of the excitability of PNs in the BLA rescued the anxiety phenotype of InsG3680^+/+ mice. Further study found that the diminished control of the BLA by medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and optogenetic activation of the mPFC-BLA pathway also had a rescue effect, which increased the feedforward inhibition of the BLA. Taken together, our results suggest that hyperactivity of the BLA and alteration of the mPFC-BLA circuitry are involved in anxiety in InsG3680^+/+ mice.
Animals ; Prefrontal Cortex/metabolism* ; Basolateral Nuclear Complex/metabolism* ; Mice ; Anxiety/metabolism* ; Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics* ; Male ; Gene Knock-In Techniques ; Pyramidal Cells/physiology* ; Mice, Transgenic ; Neural Pathways/physiopathology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Microfilament Proteins

Acute lateral ankle sprain (ALAS) is one of the most common sport injuries, with high incidence, recurrence and disability rates. Currently, exercise rehabilitation-based non-surgical treatment is the primary management approach for ALAS. However, there remain improper practices such as excessive immobilization or uncontrolled activity, which contribute to recurrent sprains and chronic ankle instability, significantly impairing patients′ athletic function and quality of life. To standardize the non-surgical management of ALAS, improve the cure rates, and reduce the recurrence and disability rates, Chinese Sports Rehabilitation Medicine Training Project of Chinese Medical Association, Foot and Ankle Basics and Orthopedics Group, Orthopedic Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association, and Sports Medicine Branch of Jiangsu Medical Association organized relevant experts to formulate Expert consensus on non-surgical treatment for acute lateral ankle sprain ( version 2025), following the principles of scientific vigor, practicality, and innovation. Thirteen recommendations were proposed for standardized treatment protocols across different healing phases, aiming to provide references for standard management of ALAS and improve the therapeutic outcomes.

To examine the evolution of surgical techniques and trends in overall inpatient burden for pediatric adenoidectomy in Beijing tertiary hospitals from 2013 to 2022. A retrospective observational study was conducted using the regional health information platform of Beijing. Data from children aged ≤14 years who underwent adenoidectomy between 2013 and 2022 were extracted, including total hospitalization cost, length of stay(LOS), surgical material cost, surgical fee, operative technique, perioperative antimicrobial drugs cost, coagulation factor cost, and blood transfusion cost. The Mann-Kendall trend test was used to assess temporal changes in total hospitalization expenses and the structure of cost components. The results showed that over the 10-year period from 2013 to 2022, a total of 25 989 children underwent adenoidectomy in tertiary hospitals. The proportion of children aged ≤6 years increased from 59.83% to 76.11%, showing a significant upward trend ( Z=2.15, P=0.032). Only one case required surgical hemostasis due to postoperative bleeding. During the ten-year period, the median hospitalization cost for adenoidectomy in tertiary hospitals was ￥12 425.82 (￥11 307.43, ￥14 955.42).Overall hospitalization cost demonstrated a fluctuating downward pattern, decreasing from ￥15 229.73 in 2013 to ￥13 927.52 in 2022, this declining trend was not statistically significant( Z=-0.54, P=0.592). In contrast, the surgical costs showed an upward trend over the decade increasing from ￥1 856.22 in 2013 to ￥3 726.45 in 2022, which was statistically significant ( Z=3.22, P=0.001), while the cost of surgical materials showed no significant increase ( Z=1.79, P=0.074).Concurrently, the average LOS decreased remarkably from 10.56 days in 2013 to 3.26 days in 2022 ( Z=-3.94, P<0.001). The cost of perioperative antimicrobial drugs decreased ( Z=-3.94, P<0.001), while the cost of coagulation factors and blood transfusion remained unchanged ( Z=0.54, P=0.592; Z=0.56, P=0.578). Comparison between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022 showed a significant increase in the use of coblation from 28.9% to 42.5% ( χ2=638.7, P<0.001).Furthermore, in the coblation group, total hospitalization cost decreased by 27.73%, surgical cost increased by 94.98%, surgical material cost decreased by 10.33%, LOS shortened by 56.24%, and antimicrobial drug cost increased by 43.03%. In contrast, the non-coblation group showed a 23.94% increase in total hospitalization cost, a 57.08% increase in surgical procedure cost, a 33.88% increase in material cost, and a 30.14% reduction in LOS and a 26.0% decrease in antimicrobial drugs cost. In conclusion,from 2013 to 2022, total hospitalization cost for pediatric adenoidectomy in Beijing tertiary hospitals remained stable. Compared to non-coblation techniques, coblation was associated with a shorter LOS, lower total costs, a higher proportion of surgical fees, and a decreased proportion of material costs, without a significant increase in overall healthcare costs.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and toxicity of blinatumomab in the first-line and second-line treatment of pediatric B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL).Methods:A multi-center retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze clinical data from 323 pediatric B-ALL patients treated with blinatumomab across 14 hospitals in China from May 2021 to July 2023. Patients were divided into four groups based on the treatment phase and disease status when blinatumomab was used: relapsed/refractory group, post-consolidation minimal residual disease (MRD)-positive group, early MRD-positive group, and MRD-negative group. Blinatumomab for the relapsed/refractory group was considered as second-line treatment, while the other 3 groups as first-line treatment. The MRD negativity rate after treatment, the survival rates and the incidence of severe adverse events were compared across these groups. Patients who received blinatumomab for more than 7 days were included in the efficacy analysis. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and Log-Rank test was used to compare the survival rates among groups.Results:Among the 323 patients, 191 (59.1%) were male, with the age of 6.2 (3.9, 10.5) years. There were 117 patients in the relapsed/refractory group, 62 cases in the post-consolidation MRD-positive group, 43 cases in the early MRD-positive group, and 101 cases in the MRD negative group. In the relapsed/refractory group, the complete remission rate and MRD negativity rate after one course of blinatumomab were 71.4% (35/49) and 81.5% (75/92) for the 49 children without complete remission and the 92 children with flow cytometry-positive MRD, respectively. In the post-consolidation MRD-positive group, the MRD negativity rates after one course of blinatumomab were 100.0% (27/27), 12/16 and 9/19 for patients with MRD positivity detected by flow cytometry, polymerase chain reaction and next-generation sequencing, respectively. In the early MRD-positive group, the MRD negativity rates were 96.7% (29/30) and 9/9 for flow cytometry and next-generation sequencing, respectively. The 2-year overall survival rate and event-free survival rate for the 319 children evaluable for efficacy were (90.6±1.7)% and (87.6±1.9)%, respectively, with the relapsed/refractory group showing significantly lower overall survival rates and event-free survival rate compared to the other groups ( χ2=21.40, 26.21,both P<0.001). Grade 3 or higher adverse events occurred in 128 cases (39.6%), with hematological toxicity observed in 101 cases, while cytokine release syndrome (CRS), infection, and neurotoxicity occurred in 11, 26 and 8 cases, respectively. In addition, there were statistically significant differences in the grade 3 or higher CRS among the four groups ( χ2=8.03, P<0.05). Conclusion:Blinatumomab can clear MRD more effectively and achieve superior survival outcomes when used as first-line treatment for pediatric B-ALL, with less CRS.

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.

Castleman’s disease(CD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder that is classified based on the affected sites and pathological features. The pathogenesis of CD remains not fully understood and may be associated with viral infections, genetic abnormalities, and immunological factors. Clinically, CD is categorized into two types based on lymph node involvement: Unicentric Castleman Disease(UCD) and Multicentric Castleman Disease(MCD). Treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy. This article summarizes recent advancements in the understanding of the pathogenesis, clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment of CD, aiming to provide assistance for future clinical work.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the non-genetic risk factors for severe cutaneous adverse reactions （SCARs） related to antiepileptic drugs （AEDs） in HLA-B*15：02 negative patients， and provide a basis for clinical precision medication. METHODS A retrospective case-control design was used to include patients who underwent HLA-B*15：02 testing at our hospital from January 2022 to December 2024. Patients were divided into SCARs group （15 cases who were HLA-B*15：02 negative and diagnosed with SCARs） and control group （38 cases who were HLA-B*15：02 negative and used AEDs）. Risk factors were evaluated using univariate analysis and a multivariable Firth penalty likelihood logistic regression model （Firth regression）， and Benjamin-Hochberg false discovery rate （FDR） and Firth regression were used for correction， and sensitivity analysis was used to quantify the impact of potential biases in carbamazepine exposure rates in the control group on the results. RESULTS Univariate analysis showed that age≥50 years， use of carbamazepine， and combination use of antibiotics/antiviral drugs were risk factors for developing AEDs- related SCARs （OR＝18.15， 7.54， 13.46， 95%CI of 4.13-79.84， 1.89-30.08， 1.36-133.18， all P＜0.05）， while taking lamotrigine was a protective factor [OR＝0.10， 95%CI of 0.02-0.39， P＜0.05]. After FDR correction， the above factors still maintained statistical significance （P＜0.05）. The results of multivariate analysis showed that age≥50 years [adjusted OR＝16.27， 95%CI of 3.98-66.55， P＜0.001] and taking carbamazepine [adjusted OR＝7.11， 95%CI of 1.82-27.85， P＝0.005] were independent risk factors for the occurrence of SCARs-related AEDs. The results of sensitivity analysis showed that the adjusted risk OR range for taking carbamazepine was between 14.2 and 28.4. CONCLUSIONS Age≥50 years and use of carbamazepine are independent non- genetic risk factors for the development of SCARs-related AEDs in HLA-B*15：02 negative patients. It is recommended that elderly patients should prioritize the use of AEDs other than carbamazepine.