Objective To investigate the changes in eosinophil counts and the activation of microglial cells in the brain tissues of mice at different stages of Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection, and to examine the role of microglia in regulating the progression of angiostrongyliasis and unravel the possible molecular mechanisms. Methods Fifty BALB/c mice were randomly divided into the control group and the 7-d, 14-d, 21-day and 25-d infection groups, of 10 mice in each group. All mice in infection groups were infected with 30 stage III A. cantonensis larvae by gavage, and animals in the control group was given an equal amount of physiological saline. Five mice were collected from each of infection groups on days 7, 14, 21 d and 25 d post-infection, and 5 mice were collected from the control group on the day of oral gavage. The general and focal functional impairment was scored using the Clark scoring method to assess the degree of mouse neurological impairment. Five mice from each of infection groups were sacrificed on days 7, 14, 21 d and 25 d post-infection, and 5 mice from the control group were sacrificed on the day of oral gavage. Mouse brain tissues were sampled, and the pathological changes of brain tissues were dynamically observed using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. Immunofluorescence staining with eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) and ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba1) was used to assess the degree of eosinophil infiltration and the counts of microglial cells in mouse brain tissues in each group, and the morphological parameters of microglial cells (skeleton analysis and fractal analysis) were quantified by using Image J software to determine the morphological changes of microglial cells. In addition, the expression of M1 microglia markers Fcγ receptor III (Fcgr3), Fcγ receptor IIb (Fcgr2b) and CD86 antigen (Cd86), M2 microglia markers Arginase 1 (Arg1), macrophage mannose receptor C-type 1 (Mrc1), chitinase-like 3 (Chil3), and phagocytosis genes myeloid cell triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (Trem2), CD68 antigen (Cd68), and apolipoprotein E (Apoe) was quantified using real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) assay in the mouse cerebral cortex of mice post-infection. Results A large number of A. cantonensis larvae were seen on the mouse meninges surface post-infection, and many neuronal nuclei were crumpled and deeply stained, with a large number of bleeding points in the meninges. The median Clark scores of mouse general functional impairment were 0 (interquartile range, 0), 0 (interquartile range, 0.5), 6 (interquartile range, 1.0), 14 (interquartile range, 8.5) points and 20 (interquartile range, 9.0) points in the control group and the 7-d, 14-d, 21-d and 25-d groups, respectively (H = 22.45, P < 0.01), and the median Clark scores of mouse focal functional impairment were 0 (interquartile range, 0), 2 (interquartile range, 2.5), 7 (interquartile range, 3.0), 18 (interquartile range, 5.0) points and 25 (interquartile range, 6.5) points in the control group and the 7-d, 14-d, 21-d and 25-d groups, respectively (H = 22.72, P < 0.01). The mean scores of mice general and focal functional impairment were all higher in the infection groups than in the control group (all P values < 0.05). Immunofluorescence staining showed a significant difference in the eosinophil counts in mouse brain tissues among the five groups (F = 40.05, P < 0.000 1), and the eosinophil counts were significantly higher in mouse brain tissues in the 14-d (3.08 ± 0.78) and 21-d infection groups (5.97 ± 1.37) than in the control group (1.00 ± 0.28) (both P values < 0.05). Semi-quantitative analysis of microglia immunofluorescence showed a significant difference in the counts of microglial cells among the five groups (F = 17.66, P < 0.000 1), and higher Iba1 levels were detected in mouse brain tissues in 14-d (5.75 ± 1.28), 21-d (6.23 ± 1.89) and 25-d infection groups (3.70 ± 1.30) than in the control group (1.00 ± 0.30) (all P values < 0.05). Skeleton and fractal analyses showed that the branch length [(162.04 ± 34.10) μm vs. (395.37 ± 64.11) μm; t = 5.566, P < 0.05] and fractal dimension of microglial cells (1.30 ± 0.01 vs. 1.41 ± 0.03; t = 5.266, P < 0.05) were reduced in mouse brain tissues in the 21-d infection group relative to the control group. In addition, there were significant differences among the 5 groups in terms of M1 and M2 microglia markers Fcgr3 (F = 48.34, P < 0.05), Fcgr2b (F = 55.46, P < 0.05), Cd86 (F = 24.44, P < 0.05), Arg1 (F = 31.18, P < 0.05), Mrc1 (F = 15.42, P < 0.05) and Chil3 (F = 24.41, P < 0.05), as well as phagocytosis markers Trem2 (F = 21.19, P < 0.05), Cd68 (F = 43.95, P < 0.05) and Apoe (F = 7.12, P < 0.05) in mice brain tissues. Conclusions A. cantonensis infections may induce severe pathological injuries in mouse brain tissues that are characterized by massive eosinophil infiltration and persistent activation of microglia cells, thereby resulting in progressive deterioration of neurological functions.

Palliative care is recognized as an effective measure to improve the quality of life for patients with end-stage diseases， and the significance and role of such patients participating in clinical trials to conquer major diseases has also become a broad consensus. However， due to the special physical， psychological， and social conditions of terminal trial participants， the ethical problems encountered in the trial process are more serious and complex. Drawing on ethical practice experience， these seemingly common phenomena and issues were deeply analyzed. Combined with the palliative care philosophy for end-stage patients， this paper proposed a series of improvement suggestions throughout the entire life cycle of clinical trials， hoping to promote the quality improvement of clinical research in which end-stage patients participate as subjects， while effectively protecting the safety and rights of the subjects and ensuring they receive appropriate palliative care during their participation in clinical trials or clinical-related scientific research.

Objective To evaluate the results of anorectal dynamics in patients with severe rec-tocele.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 38 patients defini-tively diagnosed with severe rectocele at the pelvic floor center of the anorectal department of Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2020 to January 2023.All patients underwent anorectal manometry,and the results of anorectal dynamics were analyzed.Results A total of 15 pa-tients(39.47％)had elevated anal resting pressure(ARP),20(52.63％)had normal ARP,and 3(7.89％)had decreased ARP.Five patients(13.16％)had elevated maximum anal sphincter pressure(MASP),9(23.68％)had normal MASP,and 24(63.16％)had decreased MASP.Nor-mal defecation relaxation reflex was observed in 15 patients(39.47％),and abnormal defecation re-laxation reflex was observed in 23 patients(60.53％).Ten patients(26.32％)had normal rectal defecation pressure,and 28(73.68％)had decreased rectal defecation pressure.Eleven patients(28.95％)had elevated rectal initial sensory threshold(RIST),27(71.05％)had normal RIST.Fifteen patients(39.47％)had elevated rectal defecation sensory threshold,21(55.26％)had normal rectal defecation sensory threshold,and 2(5.26％)had decreased rectal defecation sensory threshold.Three patients(7.89％)had elevated rectal maximum tolerable volume,26(68.42％)had normal rectal maximum tolerable volume,and 9(23.68％)had decreased rectal maximum tolerable vol-ume.ARP was moderately positively correlated with the chronic constipation severity(CSS)score(P=0.007,r=0.429),and abnormal defecation relaxation reflex was moderately negatively correla-ted with the CSS score(P=0.019,r=-0.329).In 3 patients(7.89％),both ARP and MASP were decreased,and both ARP and MASP were elevated in 5 patients(13.16％).Conclusion Pre-operative anorectal dynamics analysis is necessary for patients with severe rectocele to formulate a reasonable individualized surgical plan and postoperative rehabilitation program.

Objective To understand the feelings and experiences of nurses in family medical team in the process of implementing contracted services,in order to provide a reference for effectively exerting the function of nursing in contracted services,and promoting and optimizing the contracted services in China.Methods Using phenomenological research methods,14 team nurses from 3 community health service centers in Beijing were interviewed with semi-structured interviews.The content analysis method was used to analyze the data.Results 3 themes were extracted in the nurses'experiences and feelings during the implementation of the contracted services,personal growth and benefit,and the need to optimize the work.3 sub-themes were extracted in work experiences and feelings,namely sense of optimization of nursing philosophy,sense of changing focus of nursing,improvement of nurse and patient bond.4 sub-themes were extracted in personal growth and benefits,namely increasing job responsibility and accomplishment,forming a sense of teamwork,greater understanding and respecting for patients.5 sub-themes were extracted in the optimization of contracted service needs,namely clarifying the position of team nurses,improving the bidirectional referrals,improving the contracted team management and assessment mechanisms,strengthening the support of the policy on home care,and providing opportunities for continuing education and training.Conclusion In practicing contracted services,team nurses have gained recognition of their profession and continuous self-growth.The government should continue to improve the support of contracting-related policies to meet the needs of team nurses'career development,optimize contracted services,and attract more nurses into the practice of contracted services.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus,a common metabolic disease,has become a global public health challenge due to its high morbidity and disability.With the rise of mobile healthcare,the advancement of emer-ging technologies such as artificial intelligence,and the popularization of the concept of personalized health,the field of smart wearable devices is growing rapidly.Wearable devices are categorized into two types:medical and fitness wearable devices,which have been applied in the monitoring and regulation of blood glucose and the mod-ulation of healthy lifestyles of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.This article summarizes the research progress in the application of wearable devices in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the past 8 years,with a view to promoting the application of wearable devices and realizing the whole life-cycle health management of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of diffusion kurtosis imaging(DKI)histograms in predicting isocitrate dehydrogenase(IDH)mutations and grade in gliomas.Methods Sixty-four patients with pathologically confirmed gliomas with IDH gene phenotype results were included,all of whom underwent DKI,and mean kurtosis(MK)and mean diffusivity(MD)maps were generated.The whole tumor was outlined on the MK and MD maps in all slices,and histograms of the full tumor volume MK and MD were calculated.The histogram parameters between IDH mutant and wild type gliomas,and the MK and MD histogram parameters between high grade glioma(HGG,grade 3-4)and low grade glioma(LGG,grade 2)were compared.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to assess the predictive efficacy in determining IDH gene phenotype and grade of gliomas in statistically different parameters.Results Of the 64 gliomas,39 were IDH mutant and 25 were IDH wild type.The MKmax and MK90th in IDH mutant gliomas were lower than that in IDH wild type,while the MDmin,MD10th and MD30th were greater than that in IDH wild type.The area under the curve(AUC)of MKmax was 0.883 in differentiation of the IDH mutant and the IDH wild type,and when the MKmax was greater than 0.745,its sensitivity and specificity in predicting IDH mutations were 81.8％and 82.4％,respectively.There were 28 cases of LGG and 36 cases of HGG;the MKmax,MK70th,and MK90th of HGG were greater than that of LGG,while the MDmin and MD10th were lower than that of LGG,in which the MD10th had an AUC of 0.886 in differentiation of HGG and LGG,when MD10th was greater than 1.075 × 10-3 mm2/s,its sensitivity and specificity in predicting HGG were 85.7％and 86.1％,respectively.Conclusion The MKmax in the DKI histogram has the highest predictive efficacy in the IDH phenotype,while the MD10th has the best diagnostic value for glioma grade.

Objective:To assess respondents' understanding of the items in the Neck Dissection Impairment Index (NDII) through cognitive interviews and to revise the items accordingly.Methods:Totally 30 postoperative neck dissection patients returning for follow-up at Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University from November 2023 to February 2024, were selected by purposive sampling for two rounds of cognitive interviews. Based on the interview results, the Chinese version of the NDII was revised.Results:The Chinese version of the NDII included ten items. The first round of interviews identified issues such as "incomplete expression, abstract language, and written form, " leading to revisions of five items. The second round of interviews showed that all respondents understood the revised items, and no new suggestions for modification were made.Conclusions:Cognitive interviews can improve respondents' comprehension of the Chinese version of the NDII, identify cognitive biases caused by cultural differences and improper linguistic expressions during the translation process, and enhance the understanding and acceptance of the scale's content among the target population.

Abstract: Objective　To report a case of suppurative knee arthritis caused by Pasteurella multocida and review relevant literature to improve the awareness of the clinical physicians regarding this bacterium and provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment. Methods　A case of right knee suppurative arthritis caused by Pasteurella multocida was retrospectively reported and relevant literatures were reviewed in this article. Results　The infected person was a 76-year-old female patient with a 5-year history of intermittent pain in his right knee and suffered from joint swelling, aggravation pain, and limited flexion and extension activities after intraarticular injection of sodium hyaluronate. After admission and completing all necessary tests, the patient was later confirmed to have been infected with Pasteurella multocida. The patient's right knee was promptly examined and cleared under arthroscopic surgery, synovium and meniscus were excised, a drainage tube was inserted, and continuous joint cavity irrigation was performed after the surgery, and then ceftriaxone was injected and amoxicillin/clavulanate potassium was taken orally for anti-infection and the patient's condition improved significantly after 26 days. Conclusions　Pasteurella multocida infection cases are relatively rare, but the consequences in high-risk groups are relatively serious. Therefore, awareness of Pasteurella multocida and infection caused by it should be improved and high-risk groups should try to avoid contact with infectious sources as well as strengthen the management of pets so as to avoid infection.

BACKGROUND: Glutamine synthetase (GS) and arginase 1 (Arg1) are widely used pathological markers that discriminate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma; however, their clinical significance in HCC remains unclear. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 431 HCC patients: 251 received hepatectomy alone, and the other 180 received sorafenib as adjuvant treatment after hepatectomy. Expression of GS and Arg1 in tumor specimens was evaluated using immunostaining. mRNA sequencing and immunostaining to detect progenitor markers (cytokeratin 19 [CK19] and epithelial cell adhesion molecule [EpCAM]) and mutant TP53 were also conducted. RESULTS: Up to 72.4% (312/431) of HCC tumors were GS positive (GS+). Of the patients receiving hepatectomy alone, GS negative (GS-) patients had significantly better overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) than GS+ patients; negative expression of Arg1, which is exclusively expressed in GS- hepatocytes in the healthy liver, had a negative effect on prognosis. Of the patients with a high risk of recurrence who received additional sorafenib treatment, GS- patients tended to have better RFS than GS+ patients, regardless of the expression status of Arg1. GS+ HCC tumors exhibit many features of the established proliferation molecular stratification subtype, including poor differentiation, high alpha-fetoprotein levels, increased progenitor tumor cells, TP53 mutation, and upregulation of multiple tumor-related signaling pathways. CONCLUSIONS GS- HCC patients have a better prognosis and are more likely to benefit from sorafenib treatment after hepatectomy. Immunostaining of GS may provide a simple and applicable approach for HCC molecular stratification to predict prognosis and guide targeted therapy.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/metabolism* ; Sorafenib/therapeutic use* ; Liver Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase/metabolism* ; Hepatectomy ; Retrospective Studies ; Prognosis ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/surgery*

BACKGROUND: China bears the biggest atrial fibrillation (AF) burden in the world. However, little is known about the incidence and predictors of AF. This study aimed to investigate the current incidence of AF and its electrocardiographic (ECG) predictors in general community individuals aged over 60 years in China. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study, recruiting subjects who were aged over 60 years and underwent annual health checkups from April to July 2015 in four community health centers in Songjiang District, Shanghai, China. The subjects were then followed up from 2015 to 2019 annually. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, and the resting 12-lead ECG were collected. Kaplan-Meier curve was used for showing the trends in AF incidence and calculating the predictors of AF. Associations of ECG abnormalities and AF incidence were examined using Cox proportional hazard models. RESULTS: This study recruited 18,738 subjects, and 351 (1.87%) developed AF. The overall incidence rate of AF was 5.2/1000 person-years during an observation period of 67,704 person-years. Multivariable Cox regression analysis indicated age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.07; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06-1.09; P < 0.001), male (HR, 1.30; 95% CI: 1.05-1.62; P = 0.018), a history of hypertension (HR, 1.55; 95% CI: 1.23-1.95; P < 0.001), a history of cardiac diseases (HR, 3.23; 95% CI: 2.34-4.45; P < 0.001), atrial premature complex (APC) (HR, 2.82; 95% CI: 2.17-3.68; P < 0.001), atrial flutter (HR, 18.68; 95% CI: 7.37-47.31; P < 0.001), junctional premature complex (JPC) (HR, 3.57; 95% CI: 1.59-8.02; P = 0.002), junctional rhythm (HR, 18.24; 95% CI: 5.83-57.07; P < 0.001), ventricular premature complex (VPC) (HR, 1.76; 95% CI: 1.13-2.75, P = 0.012), short PR interval (HR, 5.49; 95% CI: 1.36-22.19; P = 0.017), right atrial enlargement (HR, 6.22; 95% CI: 1.54-25.14; P = 0.010), and pacing rhythm (HR, 3.99; 95% CI: 1.57-10.14; P = 0.004) were independently associated with the incidence of AF. CONCLUSIONS The present incidence of AF was 5.2/1000 person-years in the studied population aged over 60 years in China. Among various ECG abnormalities, only APC, atrial flutter, JPC, junctional rhythm, short PR interval, VPC, right atrial enlargement, and pacing rhythm were independently associated with AF incidence.
Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Atrial Fibrillation/epidemiology* ; Prospective Studies ; Incidence ; Atrial Flutter/complications* ; Risk Factors ; China/epidemiology* ; Electrocardiography