With the continuous advancement and innovation in medical equipment technology, the transition between high-flow oxygen therapy, non-invasive ventilation, and invasive ventilation can be easily achieved by adjusting the ventilation mode of ventilators. During the weaning phase for tracheotomized patients, it is necessary to disconnect the ventilator circuit, change the ventilator mode, and gradually extend the weaning time to achieve complete ventilator liberation. During the weaning process, due to patients' excessive dependence on the ventilator, there may be situations where respiratory endpoints and Y-connectors of the ventilator are reconnected for invasive ventilation. However, during the weaning process, the Y-connector and expiratory end connectors are exposed to the air, which cannot ensure the tightness of the ventilator circuit, easily increasing the probability of ventilator circuit contamination and subsequently the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). To overcome these issues, the research team of department of critical care medicine of Zhongda Hospital Southeast University has designed a ventilator circuit interface protective device for weaning and has obtained a National Utility Model Patent of China (ZL 2023 2 1453385.8). The main body of the protective device is a Y-connector plug, consisting of multiple components, including a sealing piece, a protective cover, a sealing plug, an interface 1 (connects with the patient's tracheal tube), an interface 2 (connects with the respiratory branch of the ventilator), and an interface 3 (connects with the expiratory branch of the ventilator), featuring a unique design and easy operation. During the patient's weaning training process, the interface 1 and interface 2 is disconnected from the patient's tracheal tube and respiratory branch, respectively. The interface 1 is plugged with a stopper, and the interface 2 is covered with a protective cover to ensure the tightness of the expiratory branch and Y-connector of the ventilator. During the period when the patient is using the ventilator, the protective cover and plug are removed, and connecting them together ensures the tightness of the device itself, reducing the incidence of VAP caused by ventilator circuit contamination, avoiding nosocomial infections, and shortening the prolonged use of invasive ventilation, increased complication rate, extended hospital stay, and increased medical cost associated with weaning.
Humans ; Ventilator Weaning/methods* ; Equipment Design ; Ventilators, Mechanical ; Respiration, Artificial/instrumentation* ; Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated/prevention & control*

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a key continuous extracorporeal life support technology that can partially or completely replace a patient's cardiopulmonary function, thereby winning valuable time for the diagnosis and treatment of the primary disease. With the widespread application of ECMO, the need for transport has increased. However, during transfers, the standard heater unit is often large and inconvenient to carry, while alternative warming measures tend to be ineffective. This frequently leads to complications such as hypothermia or the inability to maintain body temperature, which can seriously affect the patient's prognosis. In response to this challenge, the medical and nursing staff of the critical care medicine department at Zhongda Hospital Affiliated to Southeast University jointly designed an insulation device for ECMO transport pipelines. The device was successfully granted a National Utility Model Patent of China (patent number: ZL 2021 2 0653569.3). It primarily consists of key components such as a heating pad, velcro straps, a cover layer, a backing layer, an electric heating layer, and a wiring plug. Its advantages include portability, the ability to effectively wrap around and warm the ECMO circuit during transit, and a reduction in the incidence of hypothermia-related complications. Furthermore, its transparent material design allows for real-time monitoring of the ECMO system's status, making it both economical and practical.
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation/instrumentation* ; Humans ; Equipment Design

Patients requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) often need concurrent continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). At present, there are various connection methods between ECMO and CRRT circuits, among which in-series integration is the most common. However, ECMO blood flow and catheter type, pressure changes at the pre-pump, post-pump pre-oxygenator, and post-oxygenator segments frequently result in circuit pressures that exceed the alarm threshold of the device. Excessive negative or positive pressures may compromise blood withdrawal and return within the CRRT circuit, leading to frequent system alarms, interruptions in therapy, filter occlusion, and an increased risk of thrombus formation. To address this issue, the critical care nursing team of Zhongda Hospital Affiliated to Southeast University, developed a novel pressure-regulating clamp for CRRT vascular access in ECMO patient, which has been granted a National Utility Model Patent of China (patent number: ZL 2021 2 1496610.7). The device comprises opposing left and right clamp arms joined at the top by a flexible plastic bridge, with dual internal compression surfaces designed to fit CRRT tubing of various calibers. A locking mechanism and serrated strip at the base enable precise adjustment of the compression distance, thereby modulating the tubing's cross-sectional area. This configuration allows real-time regulation of blood flow and stabilization of pressures at blood withdrawal and return sites within the CRRT circuit. By reducing pressure-related alarms and extending filter life, the device may enhance the safety and efficiency of CRRT delivery during ECMO. It is user-friendly, cost-effective, and well-suited for broad clinical implementation, with the potential to alleviate the overall treatment burden on patients and their families.
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation/instrumentation* ; Humans ; Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy/instrumentation* ; Equipment Design ; Pressure

ObjectiveTo investigate the application of the novel inflammatory factor adsorption column CA280 combined with low-dose plasma exchange （LPE） in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure （ACLF）. MethodsA prospective cohort study was designed， and a total of 93 ACLF patients who were admitted to The Ninth Hospital of Nanchang from June 2023 to January 2025 were enrolled and randomly divided into DPMAS+LPE group with 50 patients and CA280+LPE group with 43 patients. In addition to comprehensive medical treatment， the patients in the DPMAS+LPE group received DPMAS and LPE treatment， and those in the CA280+LPE group received CA280 and LPE treatment. The two groups were observed in terms of routine blood test results， liver function parameters， renal function markers， electrolytes， coagulation function parameters， cytokines， adverse events， and 28-day prognosis before surgery （baseline）， during surgery （DPMAS or CA280）， and after surgery （after sequential LPE treatment）. The paired t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data before and after treatment within each group， and the independent-samples t test was used for comparison between groups； the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data before and after treatment within each group， and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison between groups. The chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups， and the Spearman test was used for correlation analysis. ResultsAfter CA280 treatment， the ACLF patients had significant reductions in the levels of cytokines （IL-6， IL-8， IL-10， TNF-α， and IFN-γ）， liver function parameters （ALT， AST， ALP， TBil， DBil， Alb， and glutathione reductase）， and the renal function marker urea nitrogen （all P<0.05）， and in terms of coagulation function parameters， there were significant increases in prothrombin time， activated partial thromboplastin time （APTT）， thrombin time， and international normalized ratio （INR） and significant reductions in prothrombin activity （PTA） and fibrinogen （FIB） （all P<0.05）. Compared with the DPMAS+LPE group， the CA280+LPE group showed better improvements in the serum cytokines IL-8 （Z=-2.63， P=0.009）， IL-10 （Z=-3.94， P<0.001）， and TNF-α （Z=-1.53， P=0.023）， and the two artificial liver support systems had a similar effect in improving liver function （ALT， AST， GGT， GR， TBil， and DBil） （all P >0.05）， but the CA280+LPE group showed a significantly greater reduction in Alb （Z=-2.08， P=0.037）. CA280+LPE was more effective in reducing uric acid （Z=-2.97， P=0.003）. Compared with DPMAS+LPE， CA280+LPE treatment resulted in a significant reduction in INR （Z=-4.01， P<0.001）， a significant increase in APTT （Z=-2.53， P=0.011）， and significant greater increases in PTA （Z=-6.28， P<0.001） and FIB （Z=-3.93， P<0.001）. There were no significant differences in the incidence rates of adverse reactions and the rate of improvement at discharge between the two groups （all P>0.05）. The Spearman correlation analysis showed that IL-6 was significantly correlated with WBC （r=0.22， P=0.042）， TBil （r=0.29， P=0.005）， and FIB （r=-0.33， P=0.003）； IL-8 was positively correlated with APTT （r=0.37， P<0.001） and INR （r=0.25， P=0.013）； TNF-α was significantly correlated with WBC （r=0.40， P<0.001） and TBil （r=0.34， P<0.001）. ConclusionCompared with DPMAS， CA280 combined with LPE can effectively clear proinflammatory cytokines and improve liver function in ACLF patients， but it has a certain impact on Alb and coagulation function. This regimen provides a new option for the individualized treatment of ACLF and can improve the short-term prognosis of patients， but further studies are needed to verify its long-term efficacy.

Objective To observe the effects of probiotics and lactulose synergistic action on gastroin-testinal motility,mucosal function and disease progression in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)nephropathy constipation.Methods A total of 108 elderly patients with T2DM nephropathy consti-pation admitted and treated in this hospital from May 2021 to March 2023 were selected as the study subjects and divided into the observation group,control group 1 and control group 2 by the random number table meth-od,36 cases in each group.The control group 1 was treated with bifidobacterium tetrad tablet,the control group 2 adopted the lactulose treatment,and the observation group was treated with bifidobacterium tetrad tablet combined with lactulose.The clinical efficacy,constipation symptoms before treatment and in 1,4 weeks after treatment,gastrointestinal motility,serum cerebrointestinal peptide[substance P(SP),nitric oxide(NO),vasoactive intestinal peptide(VIP)],intestinal mucosal barrier function[D-lactic acid(DLC),diamine oxidase(DAO),lipopolysaccharide(LPS)],renal function[creatinine(Cr),urea nitrogen(BUN),estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR)]and Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)/nuclear factor κB(NF-κB)mRNA ex-pression were compared between the groups.Results After 1-,4-week treatment,the total effective rate,bari-um discharge rate at different time points in the observation group were higher than those in the control group 1 and control group 2,and the scores of rectal,abdominal and fecal traits in the observation group were lower than those in the control group 1 and control group 2(P＜0.05),but there was no statistically significant difference between the control group 1 and control group 2(P＞0.05).The serum NO and VIP levels in the observation group were lower than those in the control group 1 and control group 2(P＜0.05),the SP level was higher than that in the control group 1 and control group 2(P＜0.05).After 4-week treatment,the levels of serum DLC,DAO and LPS in the observation group were lower than those in the control group 1 and con-trol group 2(P＜0.05);the Cr and BUN levels,TLR mRNA expression and NF-κB mRNA expression in the observation group and control group 1 were decreased compared with before treatment(P＜0.05),the eGFR level was increased compared with before treatment(P＜0.05),but the above indexes had no statistically sig-nificant difference between these two groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion Probiotics and lactulose in the treat-ment of elderly patients with T2DM nephropathy constipation could play a synergistic role,alleviate the con-stipation symptom,promote the gastrointestinal motility and restore the intestinal mucosal barrier function,which may be reach the anti-inflammation and anti-apoptosis goal by inhibiting TLR4/NF-κB,so as to inhibit the further development of diabetic nephropathy.

Cancer toxin is a specific pathogenesis leading to the heterogeneity of breast cancer.The nature and virulence of the cancer toxin determine the differences in the heterogeneity of breast cancer,which can dynamically evolve over time and space,resulting in varying invasion abilities and characteristics of the tumor.Cancer cells in the primary lesion possess"toxicity"that targets specific organs for metastasis,and cancer toxins can influence the metastatic propensity of different types of breast cancer.Therefore,breast cancer treatment strategies based on the theory of cancer toxins emphasize the continuous eradication of the cancer toxin,focusing on differentiating its strength and nature,protecting unaffected areas first,identifying the state based on symptoms,and targeting accordingly to combat resistance arising from tumor heterogeneity.This article aims to provide a new theoretical basis for the treatment strategies of different types of breast cancer.

Spinal cord injury is a serious disabling disease and its pathological and physiological processes mainly consist of primary and secondary injury. Primary injury is mainly caused by instantaneous mechanical injury while secondary injury is chiefly triggered by long-term inflammatory cascade reactions. With myelin sheath damaged in primary mechanical injury and secondary inflammatory injury, there was a large amount of cholesterol-rich myelin debris in the damaged area, which is mainly swallowed by bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). Owing to the limited capacity for processing cholesterol and insufficient efflux pump function of BMDMs, a large number of intracellular lipid droplets composed of neutral fat will be formed, as a result of which BMDMs show a"foamlike"shape and develop into foam cells. Foam cells further aggravate the local inflammation of the injury, prolong the inflammation and promote the formation of local scars, thus hindering nerve regeneration and recovery of sensory and motor functions. Currently, there has been no comparatively complete summary concerning the formation, mechanism of action, intervention of foam cells in spinal cord injury. To this end, the authors reviewed the research progress on the influence and regulation of foam cells on the pathological process of spinal cord injury, hoping to provide new ideas for the related basic research and clinical treatment of spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury is one of the most serious neurological disorders. Revascularization after spinal cord injury can provide nutritional support to maintain the homeostasis of the neuronal networks and facilitate the recovery of neurological function. Promoting angiogenesis is a key repair strategy for spinal cord injury. However, since the ability of blood vessels to repair themselves is limited, external interventions are often needed to promote angiogenesis after spinal cord injury, among which medications and physical therapy are common ways, but their therapeutic effects are very limited. Stem cell therapy is an important way to promote the repair of the injured vessels in the spinal cord, with multiple sources of cells such as neural stem cell (NSC) and mesenchymal stem cell (MSC). The stem cell paracrine cytokines and extracellular vesicles (EVs) are often used to promote angiogenesis in the injured spinal cord. In addition, stem cells are capable of multiple differentiation and can effectively differentiate into endothelial cells, thus promoting angiogenesis. Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of the pro-angiogenetic effects of the stem cells after spinal cord injury. For this purpose, the authors reviewed the researches in the pro-angiogenetic pathways of the stem cells and the pro-angiogenetic effects of stem cell therapy after spinal cord injury, aimed at providing references for relevant basic research on the pro-angiogenetic effects of stem cells after spinal cord injury and its clinical treatment.

Spinal cord injury is a severe central nervous system injury that may result in partial or complete loss of sensory and motor function. Its treatment methods include laminotomy decompression, high-dose intravenous injection of methylprednisolone, etc., but their efficacy is not satisfactory. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are promising in treating spinal cord injury due to their plasticity, low immunogenicity, strong paracrine ability and multi-directional differentiation ability, but problems still exist such as low survival rate, low directional migration ability and unpredictable cell differentiation after transplantation. The strategies for preconditioning MSCs in vitro to enhance their efficacy through gene overexpression, stimulation by physicochemical factors, three-dimensional culture, and cell pre-differentiation have been applied in several studies upon repair of spinal cord injury, but there is no complete summary at present. The authors reviewed these preconditioning strategies for MSCs and the related research progress in spinal cord injury repair so as to provide a reference for the basic research and clinical treatment.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical value of CD4 + T lymphocyte subsets such as helper Th2 in patients with recurrent uveitis (BU) in Beh?et′s disease (BD). Methods:The clinical data of 153 hospitalized patients diagnosed with Beh?et′s disease from January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2023 in the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. The subsets of CD4 + T lymphocytes were measured, including helper T cells (Th cells) such as Th1, Th2, Th17 and regulatory T cells (Treg cells), biochemical lipid indexes (TC, TG, etc.), the frequency of oral ulcers in the past 1 year, the frequency of genital ulcers in the past 1 year, and drug use before admission;According to whether there was ocular involvement and uveitis, 153 cases of BD were divided into Beh?et non-uveitis group (non-BU group) and Beh?et uveitis group (BU group). The above indexes and independent correlation factors of recurrent BU were compared between BU group and non-BU group;The above indexes and independent correlation factors of recurrent BU were compared between BU group and non-BU group. The levels of cytokines and ICBD total score, the correlation between ICBD total score and various cytokines, and the diagnostic performance of Th2 cells were compared between BU group and non-BU group.The statistical methods were Mann-Whitney U test, independent sample t test, Chi-square test, multiple logistic regression analysis, Pearson correlation analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. Results:①The levels of Th1, Th2, Th17 cells, TC and TG in BU group were higher than those in non-BU group [133.87 (93.38, 229.87)/μl vs. 102.51(64.25, 149.23)/μl] and [9.43 (5.84, 14.13)/μl vs. 6.78(4.23, 9.44)/μl], [15.53 (9.36, 25.27)/μl vs. 9.83(5.46, 14.76)/μl], [4.21 (3.89, 4.90) mmol/L vs. 3.89(3.37, 4.34)mmol/L)], [1.43(1.00, 2.21)mmol/L vs. 0.96(0.69, 1.38)mmol/L], The differences were statistically significant ( Z=-3.24, Z=-3.05, Z=-3.94, Z=-2.25, Z=-3.47; all P<0.05); There was no statistical significance in Chi-square test between the two groups ( χ2=5.69, P>0.05).②The levels of IL-2, IL-10 and total ICBD score in BU group were higher than those in non-BU group, with statistical significance ( Z=-2.12, Z=-2.29, t=-6.48; all P<0.05). ③ The results of multiple logistic regression analysis showed that Th2 was an independent correlation factor for BU [ OR value (95% CI) was 1.143(1.007, 1.298), P=0.039]. The total score of BU patients was correlated with Th2 and Th17 cells. ROC analysis showed that the sensitivity of Th2 in diagnosing BU was 68.8%, the specificity was 49.5% and the area under the curve (95% CI) was 0.697 (0.585, 0.809) (P=0.001). Conclusion:CD4 + T lymphocyte subsets such as the absolute number of Th2 cells are related to BU, which is an important indicator to observe the severity of disease progression in BU patients, and has certain clinical value in evaluating the recurrence of BU in BD patients.