Background Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important pathogen for both human bloodstream infections and mastitis in cows. However, little attention has been paid to the cross-host transmission of MRSA from cows to high-risk groups in China. Objective To determine the MRSA colonization rates among dairy cows and dairy farm workers in Xinjiang, identify the antibiotic resistance profiles and molecular characteristics of the isolates, and provide scientific evidence for the formulation of targeted infection control strategies. Method A cross-sectional survey combined with laboratory pathogen analysis was conducted. From June to August 2024, large-scale dairy farms in Xinjiang region were selected as study sites. Nasal swabs (n=96) and skin swabs (n=39) were collected from workers, and bovine nasal swab samples (n=109) were collected simultaneously. All samples were subjected to MRSA isolation, cultivation, and identification, followed by antibiotic susceptibility testing to characterize resistance phenotypes. Staphylococcus aureus protein A (Spa) typing was performed to determine strain genotypes and elucidate MRSA colonization rates and molecular epidemiological patterns. Results A total of 35 MRSA strains was successfully isolated from 244 samples. The MRSA colonization rates among dairy farm workers and dairy cows were 20.83% (20/96) and 12.84% (14/109), respectively, with an overall isolation rate of 14.34% (35/244). Among the workers, the nasal colonization rate was 16.67% (16/96), and the skin colonization rate was 12.82% (5/39). One worker exhibited MRSA colonization at multiple body sites. All MRSA strains were resistant to cefoxitin (100%, 35/35). The resistance rates to erythromycin and clindamycin were 42.86% (15/35) and 34.29% (12/35), respectively. Thirteen strains showed a multidrug-resistant phenotype, whereas all strains were susceptible to vancomycin. The MRSA isolates exhibited high genetic diversity, with 13 Spa types identified, among which t441 was the most prevalent (8 strains). Both t441 and t034 types were detected in samples from both the dairy cows and their handlers. These two Spa types also carried and stably inherited specific resistance combinations, including erythromycin–clindamycin–cefoxitin and ciprofloxacin–erythromycin–clindamycin–gentamicin–cefoxitin–tetracycline, and a statistically significant association was also observed between the two resistance profiles and the bacterial types (P < 0.001). In addition, one novel Spa type strain was identified. Conclusion MRSA colonization rates among dairy cows and dairy farm workers in Xinjiang are relatively high, with evidence of multi-site colonization. The isolates exhibit high levels of multidrug resistance and genetic diversity, indicating a potential risk of cross-host transmission.

Background Under intensive dairy farming conditions, Enterococcus spp. can be transmitted between animals, farm workers, and the environment via multiple vectors such as feces, soil, water, air, and farming equipment, posing a potential threat to public health. Objective To elucidate the prevalence, distribution, and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) and Enterococcus faecium (E. faecium) among farm workers, dairy cattle, and the farm environment in Xinjiang, and to assess the risk of their cross-host transmission. Methods From May 2024 to January 2025, a total of 317 samples were collected from 11 large-scale dairy farms in Xinjiang, China, including feces from farm workers (n=130) and dairy cattle (n=154), and environmental samples (n=33). E. faecalis and E. faecium were isolated and identified, followed by antimicrobial susceptibility testing and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) to analyze their molecular characteristics. Results A total of 183 Enterococcus isolates were obtained (66 E. faecalis and 117 E. faecium isolated). The isolation rates of both species showed statistically significant differences among the three sources (χ²=29.21, P=0.003). Antimicrobial resistance analysis revealed that E. faecalis generally exhibited higher resistance rates across multiple antibiotic classes than E. faecium. High resistance to rifampicin was observed across all sources (50.00%–81.25%), with statistical variation among origins (χ²=8.03, P=0.024). Multidrug-resistant strains accounted for 69.10% of the isolates. Multidrug resistance patterns in E. faecium varied significantly by source (χ²=27.19, P=0.014), and one isolate displayed resistance to eight antibiotic classes. MLST indicated high genetic diversity; E. faecalis was dominated by ST472 and ST227 of which the distrubution was significantly different among sources, while E. faecium primarily clustered into clonal complexes CC94 (centered on ST94) and CC17 (centered on ST22). Conclusion Resistant Enterococcus strains exhibit cross-transmission among farm workers, animals, and the environment. Under the "One Health" framework, standardized farming protocols and prudent antimicrobial use are essential to disrupt the transmission chain of resistant clones and mitigate the spread of antimicrobial resistance at its source.

Background Under intensive dairy farming conditions, Enterococcus spp. can be transmitted between animals, farm workers, and the environment via multiple vectors such as feces, soil, water, air, and farming equipment, posing a potential threat to public health. Objective To elucidate the prevalence, distribution, and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) and Enterococcus faecium (E. faecium) among farm workers, dairy cattle, and the farm environment in Xinjiang, and to assess the risk of their cross-host transmission. Methods From May 2024 to January 2025, a total of 317 samples were collected from 11 large-scale dairy farms in Xinjiang, China, including feces from farm workers (n=130) and dairy cattle (n=154), and environmental samples (n=33). E. faecalis and E. faecium were isolated and identified, followed by antimicrobial susceptibility testing and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) to analyze their molecular characteristics. Results A total of 183 Enterococcus isolates were obtained (66 E. faecalis and 117 E. faecium isolated). The isolation rates of both species showed statistically significant differences among the three sources (χ²=29.21, P=0.003). Antimicrobial resistance analysis revealed that E. faecalis generally exhibited higher resistance rates across multiple antibiotic classes than E. faecium. High resistance to rifampicin was observed across all sources (50.00%–81.25%), with statistical variation among origins (χ²=8.03, P=0.024). Multidrug-resistant strains accounted for 69.10% of the isolates. Multidrug resistance patterns in E. faecium varied significantly by source (χ²=27.19, P=0.014), and one isolate displayed resistance to eight antibiotic classes. MLST indicated high genetic diversity; E. faecalis was dominated by ST472 and ST227 of which the distrubution was significantly different among sources, while E. faecium primarily clustered into clonal complexes CC94 (centered on ST94) and CC17 (centered on ST22). Conclusion Resistant Enterococcus strains exhibit cross-transmission among farm workers, animals, and the environment. Under the "One Health" framework, standardized farming protocols and prudent antimicrobial use are essential to disrupt the transmission chain of resistant clones and mitigate the spread of antimicrobial resistance at its source.

Artificial liver support therapy for liver failure is often complicated by thrombocytopenia， which increases the risk of bleeding. This article systematically elaborates on the pathophysiological role of platelets in liver disease， and systematically analyzes the differential effect of various artificial liver support modalities on platelets， with a focus on key factors such as biocompatibility and anticoagulation strategies. This article also summarizes the clinical management approaches including individualized platelet transfusion and the application of thrombopoietic agents and discusses the value of platelet count as a predictive indicator for treatment safety and efficacy， in order to provide a basis for precise clinical intervention.

AIM:To investigate the dynamic changes in ocular surface function after eyelid malignant tumor resection combined with Hughes flap reconstruction.

METHODS:A prospective self-controlled study was conducted. Patients who underwent eyelid malignant tumor resection combined with Hughes tarsoconjunctival flap reconstruction(all tumors occured in the lower eyelid)at Shanxi Eye Hospital from January 2021 to December 2023 were enrolled. The contralateral healthy eye served as control. Ocular surface examinations were performed preoperatively and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 mo postoperatively, including ocular surface disease index(OSDI), tear meniscus height(TMH), non-invasive average tear film break-up time(NiaBUT), tear film lipid layer grading, upper and lower eyelid meibomian gland dropout grading, corneal fluorescein staining, and eye redness index.

RESULTS:A total of 36 patients were enrolled. Two patients were lost to follow-up because they did not complete the scheduled follow-up period, leaving 34 patients with complete data for analysis. The cohort comprised 10 men(29%)and 24 women(71%), with a mean age of 70.08±10.92 y(range 33-81 y). Histopathological diagnoses included basal cell carcinoma(BCC)in 22 eyes(65%), sebaceous gland carcinoma(SGC)in 10 eyes(29%), and squamous cell carcinoma(SCC)in 2 eyes(6%). Tumor size ranged from 4 to 30 mm(mean 12.64±0.31 mm). According to the AJCC staging system, 14 eyes(41%), 18 eyes(53%), and 2 eyes(6%)were classified as T1b, T2b, and T3b, respectively. Preoperatively, OSDI scores were higher in surgical eyes than in contralateral healthy eyes(28.74±13.72 vs 17.47±3.02, P<0.05). OSDI scores in surgical eyes further increased at 6, 9, and 12 mo postoperatively, peaking at 9 mo(all P<0.05), whereas no significant postoperative changes were observed in contralateral healthy eyes. Compared with contralateral healthy eyes, TMH in surgical eyes increased significantly at 3 mo postoperatively and remained elevated thereafter despite a slight decline(all P<0.05). NiaBUT in surgical eyes was shorter than the preoperative value from 3 mo postoperatively onward and was lower than that in contralateral healthy eyes(all P<0.05). Eye redness index in surgical eyes were consistently higher than those in contralateral healthy eyes(all P<0.001). Tear film lipid layer grade and meibomian gland dropout grades in both the upper and lower eyelids were significantly worsened postoperatively compared with baseline(all P<0.001). Corneal fluorescein staining grades were higher in surgical eyes than in contralateral healthy eyes preoperatively(P<0.001)and were higher at 3, 6, 9, and 12 mo postoperatively than at baseline(all P<0.001).

CONCLUSION: After lower eyelid malignant tumor resection combined with Hughes flap reconstruction, evaporative dry eye is the predominant phenotype. Meibomian gland dropout in both upper and lower eyelids appears irreversible within 12 mo postoperatively, and corneal epithelial damage and ocular surface inflammation persist over time.

Objective:To develop a nomogram model for predicting the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in patients with mechanical ventilation (MV) and to validate the stability of the prediction performance of the model.Methods:The patients with MV admitted to the Department of Critical Care Medicine of General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University from January 2019 to December 2022 were retrospectively selected according to the order of admission. The patients with MV were divided into the non-VAP group and the VAP group according to whether VAP occurred. The clinical data of the two groups, including general information, disease, medication, condition, and operation-related indicators were collected as candidate predictors of the model for comparison. Multivariate logistic stepwise forward regression analysis was used to screen the predictors that finally entered the model, and a nomogram model was constructed. The model discrimination was evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), the diagnostic test results of the model at the predicted threshold were calculated, the Hosmer-Lemeshow test was used to evaluate the model fit, and the Bootstrap resampling was used 1 000 times for internal validation, and model calibration and clinical applicability were evaluated by calibration curve and decision analysis curve, respectively.Results:A total of 1 250 patients with MV were included, including 1 102 patients in the non-VAP group and 148 patients in the VAP group, and the prevalence of VAP was 11.8%. The detection of multidrug-resistant organisms, chronic kidney disease, brain injury, oxygenation index, the place of tracheal intubation, reintubation, use of bronchoscopy, use of antibiotics, and MV duration were model predictors of VAP. The AUC of the nomogram model was 0.917 (95% CI: 0.895-0.939), the maximum Youden index of 0.697 corresponded to a prediction threshold of 0.096. The model accuracy, sensitivity and specificity were 0.836, 0.865, and 0.832, respectively. The positive predictive value and the negative predictive value were 0.409 and 0.979, respectively. The Hosmer- Lemeshow test indicated that the model fit well ( P=0.938). The results of the internal validation of the model showed that the predicted risk of the calibration curve was generally consistent with the actual risk, and the decision threshold probability of the decision analysis curve ranged from 2% to 90%. Conclusions:The nomogram model developed in this study is simple, convenient and has relatively stable prediction performance, which can be externally validated to evaluate the extrapolation of the model, and provide a basis for individualized clinical prediction of the risk of VAP in patients with MV.

Objective: To explore the association between mammalian sterile 20-like kinase 2(MST2) gene polymorphism and haplotype and the risk of colorectal cancer, rectal cancer, and colon cancer in the Han population in Baotou area by case-control association study. Methods: A total of 390 patients with colorectal cancer diagnosed by pathology and 413 normal physical examination pop-ulation were collected, and 2 mL of peripheral blood was taken for subsequent gene genotyping. Single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) of MST2 gene were screened according to the genetic polymorphism data of Chinese Han population provided by the NCBI-Hapmap database. Gene genotyping was performed by Taqman method. Logistic regression was used to calculate the association between each SNP and the risk of colorectal cancer, colon cancer, and rectal cancer under codominant, dominant, overdominant, and recessive genetic models. Results: Five SNPs of MST2 gene were screened, namely rs11783149, rs10955176, rs7827435, rs4075986, rs3019295. Among them, SNP rs4075986 was associated with the risk of colorectal cancer. Compared with the rs4075986 GG+AA genotype, carrying the AG genotype [OR(95%CI)=2.473(1.844-3.316) could increase the risk of colorectal cancer. Compared with the rs4075986 GG genotype, carrying the AG+AA genotype [OR(95%CI)=2.475(1.844-3.323) could increase the risk of colorectal cancer. SNP rs4075986 and rs3019295 were associated with the risk of rectal cancer. Compared with the rs4075986 GG+AA genotype, carrying the AG genotype [OR(95%CI)=3.411(2.387-4.874)] could increase the risk of rectal cancer. Compared with the rs3019295 GG+AA genotype, carrying the AG genotype [OR(95%CI)=0.706(0.501-0.996)] could reduce the risk of rectal cancer. SNP rs11783149 and rs4075986 were associated with the risk of colon cancer. Compared with the rs11783149 CC genotype, carrying the TT [OR(95%CI)=10.883(1.186-99.862)] and CT [OR(95%CI)=1.665(1.036-2.675)] genotype could increase the risk of colon cancer, respectively. Compared with the rs4075986 GG genotype, the AG+AA genotype [OR(95%CI)=1.824(1.262-2.638)] could increase the risk of colon cancer. Conclusion MST2 gene SNP rs3019295 AG genotype may be protective factor for rectal cancer. SNP rs11783149 CT and TT genotypes maybe risk factors for colon cancer. SNP rs4075986 AG and AG+AA genotypes may be a common risk factors for colorectal cancer, rectal cancer and colon cancer.

Bacterial infection is a major threat to global public health,and can cause serious diseases such as bacterial skin infection and foodborne diseases.It is essential to develop a new method to rapidly di-agnose clinical multiple bacterial infections and monitor food microbial contamination in production sites in real-time.In this work,we developed a 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid gold nanoparticles(4-MPBA-AuNPs)-functionalized hydrogel microneedle(MPBA-H-MN)for bacteria detection in skin inter-stitial fluid.MPBA-H-MN could conveniently capture and enrich a variety of bacteria within 5 min.Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy(SERS)detection was then performed and combined with ma-chine learning technology to distinguish and identify a variety of bacteria.Overall,the capture efficiency of this method exceeded 50％.In the concentration range of 1 × 10 7 to 1 × 10 10 colony-forming units/mL(CFU/mL),the corresponding SERS intensity showed a certain linear relationship with the bacterial concentration.Using random forest(RF)-based machine learning,bacteria were effectively distinguished with an accuracy of 97.87％.In addition,the harmless disposal of used MNs by photothermal ablation was convenient,environmentally friendly,and inexpensive.This technique provided a potential method for rapid and real-time diagnosis of multiple clinical bacterial infections and for monitoring microbial contamination of food in production sites.

Objective:To evaluate the effect and causality of serum metabolites on the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC), so as to provide reference for nutritional programs for patients with UC.Methods:Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed to estimate the causal relationship between serum metabolites and UC. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of 1 400 metabolites were performed, with the metabolites as exposure and UC as outcome. Inverse-variance weighted (IVW) was used to calculate causal estimates. Four other MR methods with different modeling assumptions including MR-Egger, weighted median, weighted mode, and simple mode were used as additional analyses to improve the stability of the results. The results were validated through heterogeneity and pleiotropy tests. Finally, the possible causal metabolites were analyzed by metabolic pathway analysis.Results:MR analysis revealed that 85 metabolites had a possible causal relationship with UC. Among them, phosphatidylglycerol 1,2-dipalmitoyl-gpc (DPPC) ( P=2.75×10 -6) and isovaleryl carnitine (C5) ( P=1.84×10 -5) were significant risk factors for UC. Metabolic pathway analysis identified 5 metabolic pathways that might be affected by these metabolites (all P<0.05), among which the porphyrin ( P=0.004) and pyrimidine metabolic pathways ( P=0.008) had higher confidence in impacting UC. Conclusions:There are causal relationships between some serum metabolites (in particular 1,2-dipalmitoyl-GPC and isovalerylcarnitine) and the risk of UC. The porphyrin and pyrimidine metabolic pathways may impact the pathogenesis of UC.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the distribution and drug resistance of pathogens isolated from the elderly population with infections in Baotou,Inner Mongolia.METHODS The clinical data were collected from 9268 elder-ly patients with infections(with no less than 60 years of age)who were treated in Baotou Medical College of Cen-ter Clinical Medical School and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical College from 2017 to 2021 and were retrospectively analyzed.The 9268 samples were cultured for isolation of pathogens,the isolated pathogens were identified,and the drug susceptibility testing was performed.RESULTS Totally 9268 strains of pathogens were isolated,53.11％of which were gram-negative bacteria,28.94％were gram-positive bacteria,and 17.95％were fungi.Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were the major species of gram-negative bacteria;Entero-cocci and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus were dominant among the gram-positive bacteria;Candida albicans was the predominant species of fungi.There were certain differences in the pathogens isolated from the elderly pa-tients with infection between different sexes,among the different seasons and age groups.With respect to drug re-sistance,the gram-positive bacteria maintained highly sensitive to vancomycin and teicoplanin,while the drug re-sistance rates to ampicillin and penicillin were relatively high.The drug resistance rates of the gram-negative bacte-ria to carbapenems were relatively low,but the drug resistance rates to ampicillin and cefazolin were high.CONCLUSIONS The gram-negative bacteria are dominant among the pathogens isolated from the elderly population with infections in Baotou City,Inner Mongolia;the distribution of pathogens is affected by the sex,age and sea-son.There is serious problem with the drug resistance of pathogens,the strains are highly resistant to the com-monly used antibiotics such as ampicillin and penicillin.It is necessary for the hospital to reasonably use antibiotics according to the epidemiological characteristics and drug resistance trends of the pathogens and optimize the strate-gies for clinical diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases.