Objective:To analyze the epidemiological features of pediatric sepsis in the Kashgar region and investigate factors associated with its prognosis, thereby providing evidence for implementing regional public health prevention and control policies.Methods:A single-center, retrospective observational study was conducted on the clinical data of pediatric sepsis patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of The First People′s Hospital of Kashgar between January 2022 and December 2023. For the assessment of clinical outcomes, this study utilized a composite endpoint comprising "length of hospital stay and survival status", classifying patients into two groups: Group A (survived with hospital stay <28 days) and Group B (hospital stay ≥28 days or in-hospital mortality). Univariate and binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors associated with prognosis.Results:This study included a total of 79 pediatric patients with sepsis, with an age range of 1 month to 14 years and a median age of 8 months. Males accounted for 62.0% (49 males, 30 females). The rates of comorbid septic shock, sepsis-associated encephalopathy, and acute kidney injury were 73.4% (58/79), 24.1% (19/79), and 16.5% (13/79), respectively. The primary site of infection was the gastrointestinal tract, accounting for 34.2% (27/79), followed by the respiratory tract at 30.4% (24/79). Pathogens were detected in 59.5% (47/79) of the patients, with Staphylococcus aureus identified in 11 cases, Acinetobacter baumannii and Escherichia coli in 6 cases each, Klebsiella pneumoniae in 5 cases, and Candida albicans in 3 cases. The mechanical ventilation rate was 59.5% (47/79). The total hospital length of stay ranged from 1 to 55 days, with a median of 14 days, while the ICU length of stay ranged from 1 to 29 days, with a median of 6 days. In-hospital mortality occurred in 15 cases (19.0%). Group A comprised 56 patients (70.9%), and Group B comprised 23 patients (29.1%). Univariate analysis revealed that Group A had significantly higher mean arterial pressure (MAP), pediatric critical illness score (PCIS), and Glasgow coma scale (GCS) (all P<0.05), and significantly lower pediatric risk of mortality Ⅲ (PRISM Ⅲ), pediatric logistic organ dysfunction-2 (PELOD-2), lactate levels, pediatric multiple organ dysfunction score (P-MODS), pediatric sequential organ failure assessment (pSOFA), septic shock rate, and mechanical ventilation rate compared to Group B (all P<0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis identified a high PELOD-2 score ( OR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.16-1.64, P<0.001) as an independent risk factor for poor prognosis, while a high GCS ( OR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.74-0.88, P<0.001) served as a protective factor against poor prognosis. The combination of PELOD2 and GCS demonstrated good predictive ability for in-hospital outcomes in pediatric sepsis patients, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.82 (95% CI: 0.72-0.92). Conclusion:In children with sepsis in the Kashgar region, gastrointestinal tract infection represents the most common source of infection. Elevated PELOD-2 scores and reduced GCS are both indicative of a poorer prognosis, and a combined model integrating these two scoring systems may serve as a valuable tool for prognostic assessment.

Radiotherapy is main method in treating cervical cancer,and the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence(AI)technique is providing entirely new solutions for radiotherapy for cervical cancer.The AI means that is represented by deep learning is deeply integrating into the whole process of diagnosis,treatment and management for cervical cancer,which can promote intelligent and precise development of radiotherapy workflows.Currently,the applied cores of AI in radiotherapy for cervical cancer include image registration,target delineation,optimization of radiotherapy planning and risk assessment,which can significantly enhance efficiency and precision of treatment.But,AI is facing some challenges in clinical applications include data quality,and algorithm's robustness and interpretability at the same time.Depended on the above analyses,this paper systematically reviewed the frontier applications and progress in practice of AI in radiotherapy for cervical cancer,which especially analyzed technical advantages and limitations of AI in key link,and explored its development path and coping strategy in clinical promotion and standard application in future.It is purpose to provide theoretical references for clinical practice of precise and accurate radiotherapy for cervical cancer.

Objective To analyze the mechanism of action of Sini Jia Renshen decoction in the treatment of myocardial infarction complicated with heart failure based on network pharmacology.Methods Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform was used to search the active ingredients of Sini Jia Renshen decoction.The target of Sini Jia Renshen decoction was obtained by using String and UniProt database.Targets related to myocardial infarction complicated with heart failure were searched through GeneCards database,OMIM database,etc.Obtain the intersection of the target of the active ingredient and the disease-related target.Gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis of intersection targets were carried out.Results There were 112 active ingredients of Sini Jia Renshen decoction,233 active ingredients and 4980 associated targets of myocardial infarction complicated with heart failure.The intersection targets of drugs and diseases were 188.Quercetin,β-sitosterol,isorhamnetin and naringenin were the core active ingredients of Sini Jia Renshen decoction treatment of myocardial infarction complicated with heart failure.The pathway enrichment analysis showed that it was mainly involved in lipid and atherosclerosis,advanced glycation end product(AGE)/AGE receptor,vascular endothelium activated by shear stress,interleukin-17 and other signaling pathways.Conclusion The treatment of myocardial infarction complicated with heart failure by Sini Jia Renshen decoction has the characteristics of multi-components,multi-targets and multi-pathways.It may play a role in myocardial infarction complicated with heart failure through lipid and atherosclerosis pathways and so on.

Objective:To develop a simple and effective subretinal injection pipeline system to enhance the accuracy and precision of subretinal injection volume control.Methods:A retrospective case series study. From May to October 2023, 18 patients (18 eyes) with submacular hemorrhage (SMH) who continuously received modified subretinal injection treatment in Department of Ophthalmology of Peking Union Medical College Hospital were included in the study. Among them, there were 10 males and 8 females. The mean age was (60.00±7.41) years. The primary causes included polypoid choroidal vasculopathy (14 cases), retinal macroaneurysm (2 cases), traumatic retinopathy (1 case), and Valsalva retinopathy (1 case). Hemorrhage affected 14 eyes of the fovea centralis. All affected eyes underwent standard three-channel 25G vitrectomy via the flat part of the ciliary body combined with modified subretinal injection of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator. The improved injection system consisted of a 1 ml syringe, a Q-Syte TM connector, a 41G subretinal microinjection needle, a converter and a viscoelastic substance control pipeline. The drug preparation time for subretinal injection (i.e., the time consumed by the system connection step), the injection time, whether bubbles occur during the injection process, and the perioperative complications were recorded and analyzed. Results:The preparation time prior to drug injection ranged from 230 to 335 seconds, while the injection completion time varied between 43 and 75 seconds. Both times decreased progressively as operator proficiency improved. Among the treated eyes, five received a target injection dose of 0.05 ml and thirteen received 0.10 ml, with all eyes achieving the preset dose accurately. No subretinal bubbles were observed during the injection procedure. Additionally, no intraoperative complications such as retinal hemorrhage or tear secondary to mechanical trauma at the injection site were recorded. Postoperatively, one eye developed anterior chamber hemorrhage, which resolved following intraocular pressure-lowering treatment. No other postoperative complications, including hemorrhage, rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, or infection, were observed in the remaining eyes.Conclusion:The retinal drug injection system developed in this study has a simple structure, safe and stable operation, can achieve precise drug injection, and effectively avoid the formation of bubbles.

The detection of minimal residual lesions represented by circulating tumor DNA can detect residual cancer lesions that cannot be displayed by traditional imaging in advance. The positive status and dynamic changes are closely related to the prognosis evaluation of various solid tumors, the effectiveness of neoadjuvant therapy, the prediction of postoperative recurrence risk, and the precise implementation of adjuvant therapy. This article summarizes the advantages and challenges faced by the application of circulating tumor DNA testing in individualized multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment of esophageal cancer, in order to better carry out precise diagnosis and treatment of esophageal cancer under the guidance of minimal residual lesion detection.

Objective:The association between air pollutants and the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) remains controversial. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between five air pollutants—PM 2.5, PM 2.5–10, PM 10, NO 2, and NO?—and the risk of SCD. Methods:We analyzed data from 460 862 participants in the UK Biobank cohort, all enrolled between 2006 and 2010, with no baseline SCD. Follow-up continued until the study endpoint. Annual average concentrations of the five pollutants were assessed. Associations between pollutants and SCD were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards models, followed by Mendelian randomization (MR) to assess causality.Results:Over a mean follow-up of 12.4 years, 2 662 SCD cases were recorded. After adjusting for confounders, no significant associations were found between air pollutants and SCD risk: PM 2.5 ( HR 1.03, 95% CI 0.99–1.07, P = 0.14), PM 2.5–10 ( HR 1.04, 95% CI 1.00–1.08, P = 0.08), PM 10 ( HR 1.01, 95% CI 0.99–1.03, P = 0.26), NO? ( HR 1.00, 95% CI 0.99–1.00, P = 0.26), and NO x ( HR 1.00, 95% CI 1.00–1.01, P = 0.19). MR analysis further supported the absence of causal relationships: PM 2.5 ( β = -0.149, P = 0.90), PM 2.5–10 ( β = 0.387, P = 0.62), PM 10 ( β = -0.994, P = 0.62), NO? ( β = –0.005, P = 0.99), and NO 2 ( β = –0.827, P = 0.25). Conclusions:This study found no evidence linking PM 2.5, PM 2.5–10, PM 10, NO?, or NO 2 to an increased risk of SCD. Mendelian randomization confirmed the lack of causal associations between these pollutants and SCD.

Objective:Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) secondary to acute gastrointestinal bleeding (AGIB) is a common severe condition in emergency department. Currently, there is a lack of sufficient data regarding the use of emergency endoscopy in patients suffering from acute gastrointestinal bleeding (AGIB) complicated with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The objective of this study is to examine the present status, effectiveness, and safety of emergency endoscopy in such patients, and to determine the factors that influence clinicians' decision-making regarding the use of emergency endoscopy.Methods:Clinical data of AGIB patients complicated with AMI who were admitted to the emergency department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2020 to June 2023 were respectively collected. Based on their survival status at discharge, patients were categorized into survival and non-survival groups. Additionally, according to whether emergency endoscopy was performed, patients were further classified into the emergency endoscopy group and the conventional treatment groupStabilized inverse probability of treatment weighting (SIPTW) and logistic regression analysis were used to explore the correlation between emergency endoscopy and prognosis. A paired wilcoxon test was used to analyze whether emergency endoscopy could worsen myocardial injury. A multiple logistic regression model was used to explore the factors influencing clinicians to make emergency endoscopic decisions.Results:A total of 106 patients with AMI secondary to AGIB were included, and 22 patients underwent emergency endoscopy. After weighing, logistic regression analysis showed that emergency endoscopy was a protective factor for patients' survival after discharge ( OR = 0.808, 95% CI: 0.6755-0.967, P = 0.022). In the emergency endoscopy group, there was no significant change in hypersensitive troponin T before and after emergency endoscopy [ 61.1 (35.4, 164.1) ng/L vs 69.8 (60.1, 159.5) ng/L, P = 0.078]. Previous history of coronary heart disease ( OR = 0.098, 95% CI: 0.015-0.381, P = 0.003) was an independent negative factor for emergency endoscopic decision-making. Glasgow Blatchford Score (GBS) on admission ( OR = 1.217, 95% CI: 1.019-1.482, P = 0.038) was an independent positive factor for emergency endoscopic decision-making. Conclusions:Emergency endoscopy is safe and effective in patients with AMI secondary to AGIB. GBS score and previous history of coronary heart disease were the main factors affecting emergency endoscopic decision-making.

Objective:To summarize the experience and effect of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA).Methods:The data of 70 patients with AMI-IHCA-ECPR in extracorporeal life support center of the first affiliated hospital of Nanjing medical university from January 2017 to December 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were grouped by Survival/death at 90 days, with/without combined intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP). Age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index, initial rhythm, Gensini score, ECPR initial blood gas pH and lactate value, no-flow time, time from cardiac arrest to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) initiation (CA-Pump On time), ECMO treatment time, 90-day survival rate were analyzed.Results:Among the 70 patients with AMI-IHCA-ECPR, 22 (31.4%) patients survived at 90 days, of whom 19 (86.4%) patients had good neurological outcomes. About 50% of AMI-IHCA-ECPR patients had severe multi-vessel coronary artery lesions, and there was no significant difference in survival outcomes among different vascular lesions. In the IABP group, the success rate of ECMO withdrawal was low, the duration of ECMO treatment was long, and the combination of IABP did not reduce the mortality. Compared with the death group, the 90-day survival group had a lower Gensini score, a higher ECPR initial blood gas pH and a lower lactic acid value.Conclusions:AMI-IHCA-ECPR combined with IABP did not show significant survival benefits, and about 50% of patients had severe lesions of multiple coronary arteries. It is difficult to evaluate the prognosis based on a single offender vessel. It is recommended to evaluate the outcome of patients by quantification of the severity of coronary artery lesions by Gensini score.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the role of a neural pathway from oxytocin (OXT) neurons in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN) to γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons (GABAergic neurons) in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC) in regulating pain sensitization in a mouse model of chronic migraine and to explore the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: A chronic migraine mouse model was established by intraperitoneal injection of nitroglycerin (NTG, 1 mg/mL, 10 mg/kg) on days 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. The study consisted of four parts: PartⅠ: 24 male wild-type C57BL/6J mice were divided into four groups (n=6 in each), receiving single or repeated injection of NTG or saline, respectively. Immunofluorescence was used to detect c-Fos and OXT expression in the PVN. Part Ⅱ: 6 male OXT-Cre transgenic C57BL/6J mice were used for anterograde monosynaptic tracing combined with RNAscope and immunofluorescence to identify neural projections from PVN OXT neurons to TNC GABAergic neurons. Part Ⅲ: 30 male OXT-Cre transgenic C57BL/6J mice were bilaterally injected Cre-dependent chemogenetic activation virus into the PVN. These mice were randomly divided into five groups, with six mice in each group. Mice in the clozapine N-oxide (CNO) group and the control group were intra-peritoneally injected with 0.1 mg/mL of CNO solution (1 mg/kg) and the same volume of isotonic normal saline, respectively. 3 hours after the injection, the brain tissues were harvest and c-Fos immunofluorescence staining was performed to verify the efficiency of chemogenetic activation virus. Mice in the model control group and the CNO activated model group were subjected to chronic migraine modeling, with bilateral TNC injection of isotonic normal saline and CNO, respectively, on day 10. The mice in the negative control group were bilaterally intra-TNC injected with isotonic normal saline. After 30 minutes, the Von-Frey filament and acetone tests were used to assess the mechanical pain threshold and cold pain response time in the periorbital region of the mice in these three groups. Part Ⅳ: 24 male OXT-Cre transgenic C57BL/6J mice were bilaterally injected with the Cre-dependent chemogenetic activation virus into the PVN. These mice were randomly divided into four groups, with six mice in each group. Mice in the model control group, the CNO activated model group and the atosiban group were subjected to chronic migraine modeling. On day 10, mice in the negative control group and the model control group were intraperitoneally injected with isotonic normal saline, while mice in the CNO activated model group and the atosiban group were intraperitoneally injected with CNO. After 15 minutes, mice in the atosiban group were bilaterally intra-TNC injected with atosiban, while mice in other three groups were bilaterally intra-TNC injected with isotonic normal saline containing 1% dimethyl sulfoxide. After 15 minutes, the Von-Frey filament and acetone tests were used to assess the mechanical pain threshold and cold pain response time in the periorbital region of the mice. The GABA content in the bilateral TNC was detected by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). RESULTS: Mice with chronic migraine models exhibited reduced periorbital mechanical pain thresholds and increased periorbital cold pain reaction time, accompanied by an increase in both the number of c-Fos⁺ neurons and the percentage of c-Fos⁺ OXT neurons in the PVN (all P<0.05). The anterograde tracing virus and RNAscope combined with immunofluorescence staining showed that PVN OXT neurons projected to TNC GABAergic neurons. Immuno-fluorescence staining demonstrated that compared with the control group, the percentage of c-Fos⁺ OXT neurons in the PVN of CNO group increased (P<0.05). In bilateral intra-TNC drug administration experiments, compared with the model control group, the periorbital mechanical pain threshold increased, and the periorbital cold pain reaction time decreased in the CNO activated model group (both P<0.05). In intraperitoneal drug administration experiments, compared with the CNO activate model group, the periorbital mechanical pain threshold decreased, and the periorbital cold pain reaction time increased in the atosiban group (both P<0.05). HPLC analysis showed that, compared with the negative control group, the model control group and the atosiban group, GABA level of TNC in the CNO activated model group increased (all P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS PVN OXT neurons exert a descending facilitatory effect on GABAergic neurons in the TNC via OXT release, thereby ameliorating pain sensitization in chronic migraine.
Animals ; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus/physiopathology* ; Male ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Migraine Disorders/physiopathology* ; Mice ; GABAergic Neurons/physiology* ; Oxytocin/physiology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Neurons/physiology* ; Mice, Transgenic ; Neural Pathways ; Chronic Disease