Objective To investigate the causal relationship between gut microbiota and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Methods Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) data of gut microbiota and IPF were obtained from MiBioGen and IEU OpenGWAS, respectively. Instrumental variables were screened by means of significance, linkage disequilibrium, weak instrumental variable screening, and removal of confounding factors (genetics, smoking, host characteristics). Inverse variance weighted (IVW) was used as the main Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis method, and the weighted median, simple mode, MR-Egger, and weighted mode were used to perform MR to reveal the causal effect of gut microbiota and IPF. The Cochrane's Q, leave-one-out, MR-Egger-intercept, and Mendelian randomization pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO) and Steiger tests were used to analyze the heterogeneity, horizontal pleiotropy, outliers, and directionality, respectively. Results IVW analysis results showed that Actinobacteria [OR=1.773, 95%CI (1.323, 2.377), P<0.001], Erysipelatoclostridium [OR=2.077, 95%CI (1.107, 3.896), P=0.023], and Streptococcus [OR=1.35, 95%CI (1.100, 1.657), P=0.004] could increase the risk of IPF. Bifidobacterium [OR=0.668, 95%CI (0.620, 0.720), P<0.001], Ruminococcus [OR=0.434, 95%CI (0.222, 0.848), P=0.015], and Tyzzerella [OR=0.479, 95%CI (0.304, 0.755), P=0.001] could reduce the risk of IPF. No significant heterogeneity, horizontal pleiotropy, outliers, and reverse causality were found. Conclusion Actinobacteria, Erysipelatoclostridium and Streptococcus may increase the risk of IPF, while Bifidobacterium, Ruminococcus and Tyzzerella may reduce the risk of IPF. Regulation of the above gut microbiota may become a new direction in the study of the pathogenesis of IPF.

ObjectiveTo investigate the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib combined with sintilimab versus atezolizumab combined with bevacizumab in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma （uHCC）， aims to provide real-world evidence for clinical personalized treatment. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for 78 patients with uHCC who were admitted to Beijing Ditan Hospital， Capital Medical University， from January 1， 2023， to May 31， 2025， and according to the treatment modality， they were divided into lenvatinib+sintilimab group （L+S group with 49 patients） and atezolizumab+bevacizumab group （A+T group with 29 patients）. The primary endpoints were progression-free survival （PFS） and overall survival （OS）， and the secondary endpoints included objective response rate （ORR）， disease control rate （DCR）， and the incidence rate of adverse events. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups， and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups； the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis， and the log-rank test was used for comparison between groups. ResultsThe 78 patients had a median PFS of 9 months and a median OS of 15 months. The median PFS was 11 months in the L+S group and 7 months in the A+T group， with no significant difference between the two groups （χ²=0.247， P=0.619）； the median OS was 19 months in the L+S group and 12 months in the A+T group， with a significant difference between the two groups （χ²=6.565， P=0.010）. There were no significant differences between the two groups in complete remission， partial remission， stable disease， disease progression， DCR， and ORR （all P>0.05）. The L+S group had a significantly higher incidence rate of adverse events than the A+T group （95.9% vs 75.9%， P=0.007）， and there was a significant difference in the incidence rate of grade ≥3 adverse events between the L+S group and the A+T group （65.3% vs 34.5%， P=0.008）. ConclusionCompared with atezolizumab combined with bevacizumab， lenvatinib combined with sintilimab can improve the OS of patients with uHCC， while atezolizumab combined with bevacizumab has a better safety profile.

Objective: To investigate the current status of personnel structure and service development of blood transfusion departments/blood banks in medical institutions across China, and to provide evidence for discipline construction. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted among 3 117 medical institutions in 31 provinces via the Chinese Medical Doctor Association-Blood Transfusion Physician Branch. Data on department naming, staff composition, professional titles, background, and services were analyzed descriptively. Results: Overall, 71.9% of departments were named "Blood Transfusion Department", while 26.4% were still "Laboratory/Blood Bank". Technicians accounted for 86%, physicians only 9%, and nurses 3%. The average number of physicians per tertiary hospital was 0.92, compared to 0.12 in secondary hospitals, with marked regional disparities. Among physicians, 44.5% had a laboratory background and 43.9% clinical background; 3.3% of physicians switched to technician due to promotion barriers. Basic serological tests (ABO/RhD:99.4%; antibody screening:96.2%) were widely available, but advanced tests (antibody identification:18.7%; platelet antibody: 18.2%) remained insufficient. Overall, 70.5% of departments offered therapeutic procedures, mainly autotransfusion (24.5%) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) collection (20.4%); plasma exchange was only 15.9%, and 29.5% performed no therapeutic services. Conclusion: Transfusion departments in China are still in the early stage of transitioning from traditional medical technology departments to clinical disciplines. The development of the discipline is constrained by administrative disciplinary positioning, talent construction and internal service capacity. Meanwhile, emerging services including transfusion consultations and specialized outpatient clinics have gained initial momentum.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanisms through which Si Junzitang （SJZD） ameliorates Alzheimer's disease （AD） induced by scopolamine （SCOP） in mice and the PC12 cell model induced by H₂O₂ based on the Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 （Keap1）/nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 （Nrf2）/heme oxygenase-1 （HO-1） signaling pathway. MethodsIn the animal experiments， an AD model was established in mice by intraperitoneal injection of SCOP （3 mg·kg^-1）. Morris water maze and open field tests （OFT） were conducted to assess learning and memory abilities. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and Nissl staining were performed to observe pathological changes in neurons. Immunofluorescence was used to detect amyloid β-protein_1-42 （Aβ_1-42） expression， and immunohistochemistry was employed to detect phosphorylated （p）-Tau expression. Transmission electron microscopy （TEM） was employed to observe ultrastructural changes in hippocampal neurons and synapses. Biochemical methods were used to measure the levels of acetylcholine （ACh）， acetylcholinesterase （AChE）， superoxide dismutase （SOD）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， catalase （CAT）， and lactate dehydrogenase （LDH）. Real-time PCR and Western blot were employed to measure the mRNA and protein levels of molecules in the Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 pathway in the hippocampus. In the cell experiments， a PC12 cell model of oxidative damage model was established with H₂O₂. Cell count kit-8 （CCK-8） assays and flow cytometry were adopted to measure cell viability and apoptosis rates， and Western blot was employed to quantify the expression levels of proteins in the Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. ResultsThe animal experiments showed that compared with the model group， the SJZD and donepezil groups showed shortened escape latency （P<0.01）， increased time in the target quadrant and platform crossings， and increased movement distance and duration in the central area of the open field （P<0.05， P<0.01）. HE and Nissl staining showed more organized neurons and increased Nissl bodies in the drug intervention groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the Aβ_1-42 and p-Tau expression levels were downregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. TEM revealed reduced ultrastructural damage in hippocampal neurons and synapses in the drug intervention groups. In addition， the drug intervention groups showed declined levels of MDA， LDH， and AChE （P<0.05， P<0.01）， elevated levels of SOD， CAT， and ACh （P<0.05， P<0.01）， reduced Keap1 expression and increased Nrf2， HO-1， and NQO1 expression in the hippocampus （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The cell experiments showed that compared with the model group， the SJZD-containing serum increased the cell viability （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and decreased total apoptosis rates （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The drug intervention groups showed upregulated protein levels of Nrf2 and HO-1 and downregulated protein level of Keap1 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionSJZD demonstrates protective effects against SCOP-induced AD in mice and H₂O₂-induced damage in PC12 cells through antioxidant mechanisms mediated by the Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the correlation between variants in the start codon of the α-globin gene and phenotypes of thalassemia, so as to provide a basis for the diagnosis and prevention of α-thalassemia. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 7 patients diagnosed by Yangjiang People's Hospital and Guangzhou Hybribio Co. Ltd., from June 2019 to October 2022. Routine blood tests and hemoglobin electrophoresis were carried out. Potential variants were identified through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with Reverse dot blotting (RDB), Gap-PCR, and Sanger sequencing. This study has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of People's Hospital of Yangjiang (Ethics No: 20240001). RESULTS: For the 7 patients, results of blood routine test of one case was unknown, and that of another was normal. The remaining 5 cases had presented with microcytic hypochromic anemia. The results of hemoglobin electrophoresis showed that one case had normal Hb A and slightly lower Hb A2, whilst another had significantly decreased Hb A and Hb A2, in addition with the appearance of a Hb H band. The content of Hb Bart's in four neonates was ≥ 0.4%. The remaining one case had no result. Genetic testing has identified 4 rare start codon mutations, namely HBA2: c.2delT, HBA2: c.1A>G, HBA2: c.1A>T, and HBA1: c.2T>C. Among these, Patient 1 had harbored compound heterozygous variants of HBA2: c.427T>C (Hb CS) and HBA2: c.2delT. Patient 4 had harbored compound heterozygous variants of HBA2: c.1A>G and Southeast Asian type deletion. CONCLUSION Heterozygotes with HBA start codon variants usually present as silent or mild thalassemia, and the symptoms of anemia may deteriorate when combined with other α-thalassemia variant. The HBA2: c.1A>T start codon variant was unreported previously in China. The detection of start codon variants has helped to clarify the causes of anemia, genetic counseling, and guidance for reproduction.
Humans ; Phenotype ; Codon, Initiator/genetics* ; Female ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; alpha-Globins/genetics* ; alpha-Thalassemia/genetics* ; Hemoglobin A/genetics* ; Adult ; Mutation

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical features and genetic mutation sites of 28 patients with Congenital fibrinogen disorders (CFDs). METHODS: A total of 28 unrelated CFDs patients admitted to Wenzhou People's Hospital from June 2018 to April 2023 were enrolled into this research. A total of 2.7 mL of peripheral blood was collected from each patient for coagulation function tests, which included thrombin time (TT), fibrinogen activity (Fg:C), fibrinogen antigen (Fg:Ag), and gene detection. The Sanger sequencing method was employed to verify variations in the fibrinogen (Fg) protein-coding gene across 28 patients. Bioinformatics analyses, including harmfulness analysis, conservation analysis across different species, and spatial simulation predictions of variant proteins, were conducted byPolyPhen-2, PROVEAN, SnapGene, and Pymol softwares on the variant sites of these patients. Pathogenicity ratings for the detected variant sites were performed in accordance with the Standards and Guidelines for the Interpretation of Sequence variants by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) (hereafter referred to as the ACMG Guidelines). This study received approval from the Ethics Committee of Wenzhou People's Hospital (Approval No. KY-2023-269), and informed consent was obtained from all participants before enrollment. RESULTS: The clinical and genetic characteristics of 28 patients with CFDs in this study were as follows. CLINICAL DATA: Among the 28 patients, 2 cases were diagnosed with type I CFDs, while 26 cases were diagnosed with type II CFDs. And 50.0% (14/28) of the patients exhibited no clinical manifestations, while 28.6% (8/28) presented with bleeding manifestations, and 7.1% (2/28) exhibited thrombus manifestations, 3.6% (1/28) experienced both bleeding and thrombosis. Among female patients, 13.0% (3/23) exhibited a history of habitual abortion. All patients demonstrated TT and a significant decrease in Fg:C. Sanger sequencing revealed a total of 10 types of heterozygous variations in the FGA, FGB, and FGG genes across 28 patients, distributed among 9 loci. The variation at the γ c.902G>A/c.901C>T accounted for the highest proportion (35.7%, 10/28), followed by the Bβ c.569 A>G (28.6%, 8/28). Biological informatics analysis: the Aα c.180+1G>T mutation was predicted to be highly deleterious. And the Aα c.104G>A, Bβ c.425T>G, Bβ c.586C>T, and γ c.902G>A/c.901C>T variations were also predicted to be harmful. Conservation analysis indicates that the 9 variant sites were highly conserved among homo sapiens, musculus, ovis aries, scrofa, and rattus. Spatial conformation analysis revealed that some variations lead to an increase or decrease in the number of hydrogen bonds. ACMG guideline rating analysis: Among the ten variations in the Fg protein-coding genes FGA, FGB, and FGG identified in 28 patients, 9 variations (Aα c.104G>A, Aα c.180+1G>T, Bβ c.425T>G, Bβ c.569A>G, Bβ c.586C>T, Bβ c.643G>A, γ c.901C>T, γ c.902G>A, γ c.1001A>C) were classified as pathogenic, while one variation (γ c.908C>G) was classified as likely pathogenic. CONCLUSION In this study, the majority of CFDs patients are diagnosed with type II CFDs, with 50% presenting clinical symptoms predominantly manifesting as bleeding, thrombosis, and recurrent miscarriage. The mutation hotspots are mainly located in exon 2 of FGA, exon 4 of FGB, and exon 8 of FGG.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Afibrinogenemia/congenital* ; Fibrinogen/metabolism* ; Mutation ; Genotype ; Adult ; Child ; Adolescent ; Child, Preschool ; Infant

Strengthening the construction of platforms,talents,and disciplines is a crucial strategy to enhance the core competitiveness and promote the high-quality development of national regional medical centers.It outlines the theoretical framework and implementation path for building the"Platform-Talent(Team)-Discipline"develop-ment system during the establishment of the National Regional Medical Center at Henan Children's Hospital Zheng-zhou Children's Hospital.By creating a collaborative innovation platform integrating medical services,education,and research,implementing talent development programs,optimizing mechanisms for talent recruitment,cultivation,and retention,and advancing discipline development projects,the center has achieved significant progress in its core competencies.This exploration provides valuable insights and references for the development of national regional medical centers and the high-quality growth of public hospitals.

Objective:To analyze the correlation between variants in the start codon of the α-globin gene and phenotypes of thalassemia, so as to provide a basis for the diagnosis and prevention of α-thalassemia.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on 7 patients diagnosed by Yangjiang People′s Hospital and Guangzhou Hybribio Co. Ltd., from June 2019 to October 2022. Routine blood tests and hemoglobin electrophoresis were carried out. Potential variants were identified through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with Reverse dot blotting (RDB), Gap-PCR, and Sanger sequencing. This study has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of People′s Hospital of Yangjiang (Ethics No: 20240001).Results:For the 7 patients, results of blood routine test of one case was unknown, and that of another was normal. The remaining 5 cases had presented with microcytic hypochromic anemia. The results of hemoglobin electrophoresis showed that one case had normal Hb A and slightly lower Hb A 2, whilst another had significantly decreased Hb A and Hb A 2, in addition with the appearance of a Hb H band. The content of Hb Bart′s in four neonates was ≥0.4%. The remaining one case had no result. Genetic testing has identified 4 rare start codon mutations, namely HBA2: c. 2delT, HBA2: c. 1A>G, HBA2: c. 1A>T, and HBA1: c. 2T>C. Among these, Patient 1 had harbored compound heterozygous variants of HBA2: c. 427T>C (Hb CS) and HBA2: c. 2delT. Patient 4 had harbored compound heterozygous variants of HBA2: c. 1A>G and Southeast Asian type deletion. Conclusion:Heterozygotes with HBA start codon variants usually present as silent or mild thalassemia, and the symptoms of anemia may deteriorate when combined with other α-thalassemia variant. The HBA2: c. 1A>T start codon variant was unreported previously in China. The detection of start codon variants has helped to clarify the causes of anemia, genetic counseling, and guidance for reproduction.

Objective:To explore the clinical features and genetic mutation sites of 28 patients with Congenital fibrinogen disorders (CFDs).Methods:A total of 28 unrelated CFDs patients admitted to Wenzhou People′s Hospital from June 2018 to April 2023 were enrolled into this research. A total of 2.7 mL of peripheral blood was collected from each patient for coagulation function tests, which included thrombin time (TT), fibrinogen activity (Fg: C), fibrinogen antigen (Fg: Ag), and gene detection. The Sanger sequencing method was employed to verify variations in the fibrinogen (Fg) protein-coding gene across 28 patients. Bioinformatics analyses, including harmfulness analysis, conservation analysis across different species, and spatial simulation predictions of variant proteins, were conducted by PolyPhen-2, PROVEAN, SnapGene, and Pymol softwares on the variant sites of these patients. Pathogenicity ratings for the detected variant sites were performed in accordance with the Standards and Guidelines for the Interpretation of Sequence variants by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) (hereafter referred to as the ACMG Guidelines). This study received approval from the Ethics Committee of Wenzhou People′s Hospital (Approval No. KY-2023-269), and informed consent was obtained from all participants before enrollment.Results:The clinical and genetic characteristics of 28 patients with CFDs in this study were as follows. ①Clinical data: Among the 28 patients, 2 cases were diagnosed with type I CFDs, while 26 cases were diagnosed with type II CFDs. And 50.0% (14/28) of the patients exhibited no clinical manifestations, while 28.6% (8/28) presented with bleeding manifestations, and 7.1% (2/28) exhibited thrombus manifestations, 3.6% (1/28) experienced both bleeding and thrombosis. Among female patients, 13.0% (3/23) exhibited a history of habitual abortion. All patients demonstrated TT and a significant decrease in Fg: C. ②Sanger sequencing revealed a total of 10 types of heterozygous variations in the FGA, FGB, and FGG genes across 28 patients, distributed among 9 loci. The variation at the γ c. 902G>A/c.901C>T accounted for the highest proportion (35.7%, 10/28), followed by the Bβ c. 569 A>G (28.6%, 8/28). ③Biological informatics analysis: the Aα c. 180+ 1G>T mutation was predicted to be highly deleterious. And the Aα c. 104G>A, Bβ c. 425T>G, Bβ c. 586C>T, and γ c. 902G>A/c.901C>T variations were also predicted to be harmful. Conservation analysis indicates that the 9 variant sites were highly conserved among homo sapiens, musculus, ovis aries, scrofa, and rattus. Spatial conformation analysis revealed that some variations lead to an increase or decrease in the number of hydrogen bonds. ④ACMG guideline rating analysis: Among the ten variations in the Fg protein-coding genes FGA, FGB, and FGG identified in 28 patients, 9 variations (Aα c. 104G>A, Aα c. 180+ 1G>T, Bβ c. 425T>G, Bβ c.569A>G, Bβ c. 586C>T, Bβ c. 643G>A, γ c. 901C>T, γ c. 902G>A, γ c. 1001A>C) were classified as pathogenic, while one variation (γ c. 908C>G) was classified as likely pathogenic. Conclusion:In this study, the majority of CFDs patients are diagnosed with type II CFDs, with 50% presenting clinical symptoms predominantly manifesting as bleeding, thrombosis, and recurrent miscarriage. The mutation hotspots are mainly located in exon 2 of FGA, exon 4 of FGB, and exon 8 of FGG.

Objective:To evaluate the preservation efficacy of 7 non-inactivating virus preservation solutions.Methods:Equal amounts of H1N1 virus were added to 7 commercially available non-inactivating virus preservation solutions, and the samples were stored at -20 ℃, 4 ℃, 25 ℃ and 37 ℃ for 1 hour, 6 hours, 1 day, 3 days, and 5 days. The viral nucleic acid in each simulated sample under different storage conditions was measured using real-time quantitative PCR. The hemagglutination (HA) titer was determined through viral isolation culture and hemagglutination assay, comparing the differences in viral growth activity across different storage solutions and conditions.Results:Except for solution E, the other solutions effectively protected viral nucleic acid at the 4 storage temperatures. In terms of viral activity, solutions A, B, C, and D effectively maintained viral viability. A and B showing the best performance, E and F showed poorer performance, and G performed the worst.Conclusions:Most non-inactivating virus preservation solutions effectively protect viral nucleic acid, but there are significant differences in their ability to maintain viral viability. To ensure optimal virus preservation, it is recommended that medical institutions evaluate the effectiveness of preservation solutions before use.