Objective: To analyze the trend of the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in Yecheng County of Xinjiang from 2011 to 2022 and the influence of age, period and birth cohort effect on the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis, so as to provide a new theoretical reference for the prevention and control of local pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods : Based on the registration data of new pulmonary tuberculosis cases in Yecheng County, Xinjiang from 2011 to 2022, the connection point regression model was used to calculate the crude incidence rate, age-standardized incidence rate, annual percentage change(APC), and average annual percentage change(AAPC) to describe the epidemic trend of pulmonary tuberculosis. The age-period-cohort model was used to explore the influence of age, period and birth cohort effect on the trend of pulmonary tuberculosis incidence. Results : From 2011 to 2022, a total of 17 057 new cases of pulmonary tuberculosis were registered in Yecheng County, Xinjiang. The crude incidence and standardized incidence were 416.07/100 000 and 496.01/100 000, respectively. The incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis increased first and then decreased during the 12 years, with an upward trend from 2011 to 2018. The APC values of the standardized incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in the total population, males and females were 24.42%(95%CI: 11.55-38.78), 27.24%(95%CI: 12.35-44.10) and 21.79%(95%CI: 9.81-35.09), respectively. From 2018 to 2022, there was a downward trend. The APC values of the standardized incidence of tuberculosis in the total population, males and females were-38.51%(95%CI:-53.27--19.09),-38.18%(95%CI:-54.59--15.85) and-38.73%(95%CI:-52.96--20.19), respectively. With the increase of age, the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis showed a trend of rising first and then fluctuating steadily. The risk of the population increased first and then decreased over time, and the later the birth, the lower the risk of the cohort. Conclusion The incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in Yecheng County of Xinjiang showed a trend of increasing first and then decreasing in the past 12 years, and gradually increased with age. The earlier the birth, the higher the risk of the disease. Men and the elderly are the key targets of tuberculosis prevention and control in Yecheng County, Xinjiang. It is recommended to strengthen the screening of key populations.

Objective : To explore the feasibility of machine learning methods in the discrimination of tuberculosis patients. Methods : The data of 15 observation indicators of 860 patients were obtained from a tertiary hospital. Through in-depth mining and analysis of the data, support vector machine, random forest and neural network model methods were used to discriminate the diseases of patients. Results : The accuracies of the TB suspected patient discrimination models based on support vector machine, random forest and neural network were 90%, 91% and 88%, respectively. Conclusion All three machine learning methods can be used for discriminative analysis of suspected tuberculosis patients. In comparison, random forest performs better in discriminating patients with tuberculosis from those with pneumonia.

Objective To analyze the incidence characteristics and trends in pulmonary tuberculosis in the Hotan prefecture,before and after the epidemic,and to provide a reference basis for the formulation and evaluation of tu-berculosis prevention and control measures in the Hotan prefecture.Methods The Hotan prefecture's pulmonary tuberculosis incidence data was collected between 2015 and 2021.Joinpoint regression(JPR)model and Interrupt-ed Time Series(ITS)model were established to explore the incidence trend of pulmonary tuberculosis,as well as the impact of COVID-19 prevention and control measures in Xinjiang on the incidence trend in Hotan,respectively.Furthermore,an analysis of variations in incidence among different age and gender subgroups was carried out.Re-sults The results of the JPR model showed that from 2015 to 2021,the reported incidence rate of pulmonary tuber-culosis in the Hotan prefecture initially increased and then decreased,with a turning point appearing in December 2018.The incidence rate in males was slightly higher than that in females,and the turning point and incidence trend were consistent with the overall trend.Among all age subgroups,those≥60 age group had the highest inci-dence rate,with the trend also showing an initial increase followed by a decrease.A turning point in the incidence rate for the under 18 age group appeared in June 2021,yet the trend was not statistically significant(P>0.05).The turning points in the 19-59 age group and in those aged≥60 were consistent with the overall trend.The re-sults of the ITS model showed that the incidence rate of pulmonary tuberculosis in the Hotan prefecture significantly decreased since January 2020,dropping from 319.28 per 100 000 in 2019 to 155.88 per 100 000 in 2021,a de-crease of 51.16%year-on-year,with a monthly average reduction of 0.049 per 100 000.Conclusion In 2018,Xinjiang province integrated tuberculosis screening into the universal health checkup for the entire population,which led to the identification of numerous cases of tuberculosis.In the Hotan prefecture,the reported incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis peaked in December 2018 and then started to decline.Under the impact of COVID-19 isola-tion measures in Xinjiang,the reported incidence rate showed a notable decrease starting in January 2020.Reitera-ting preventive measures and remaining watchful for the possible appearance of latent tuberculosis patients is crucial as the pandemic fades.

BACKGROUND:Early identification of patients requiring ventilator support will be beneficial for the outcomes of botulism.The present study aimed to establish a new scoring system to predict mechanical ventilation(MV)for botulism patients. METHODS:A single-center retrospective study was conducted to identify risk factors associated with MV in botulism patients from 2007 to 2022.Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to screen out risk factors for constructing a prognostic scoring system.The area under the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was calculated. RESULTS:A total of 153 patients with botulism(66 males and 87 females,with an average age of 43 years)were included.Of these,49 patients(32.0%)required MV,including 21(13.7%)with invasive ventilation and 28(18.3%)with non-invasive ventilation.Multivariate analysis revealed that botulinum toxin type,pneumonia,incubation period,degree of hypoxia,and severity of muscle involvement were independent risk factors for MV.These risk factors were incorporated into a multivariate logistic regression analysis to establish a prognostic scoring system.Each risk factor was scored by allocating a weight based on its regression coefficient and rounded to whole numbers for practical utilization([botulinum toxin type A:1],[pneumonia:2],[incubation period≤1 day:2],[hypoxia<90%:2],[severity of muscle involvement:grade II,3;grade III,7;grade IV,11]).The scoring system achieved an area under the ROC curve of 0.82(95%CI 0.75-0.89,P<0.001).At the optimal threshold of 9,the scoring system achieved a sensitivity of 83.7%and a specificity of 70.2%. CONCLUSION:Our study identified botulinum toxin type,pneumonia,incubation period,degree of hypoxia,and severity of muscle involvement as independent risk factors for MV in botulism patients.A score≥9 in our scoring system is associated with a higher likelihood of requiring MV in botulism patients.This scoring system needs to be validated externally before it can be applied in clinical settings.

Objective: To analyze the spatio-temporal distribution characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis incidence in Xinjiang, and to provide reference for the prevention and control of pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods: The reported incidence numbers of tuberculosis and population data from various counties, cities(prefectures), and districts in Xinjiang from 2010 to 2022 were collected. Based on spatial-temporal scan statistics, standard deviational ellipse analysis, and centroid migration models, the clustering and migration trends of tuberculosis incidence were evaluated. Utilizing Kriging interpolation techniques, an interpolation analysis of the 2022 incidence rate was conducted on an annual scale, with the reported incidence rate in 2018 serving as a temporal control, to identify hotspots of the spatio-temporal distribution. ArcGIS software was employed to visualize the continuous spatial trends of incidence rate changes. Results: The annual reported incidence rate of tuberculosis in Xinjiang from 2010 to 2022 varied year by year, with fluctuations and increases prior to 2018, peaking in 2018, and then declining annually thereafter. The spatial distribution of the incidence rate exhibited a trend of initial clustering followed by diffusion, with the centroid of incidence shifting towards the northeast, yet the epicenter of the epidemic remained in Aksu Prefecture. The results of spatiotemporal scan statistics analysis revealed that the three-level aggregated areas of the epidemic encompassed a total of 41 prefectures, counties, and cities, with the tuberculosis incidence risk in the primary and secondary aggregated areas being significantly higher than that in other regions(P<0.01). The Kriging interpolation prediction map suggested that the four prefectures in southern Xinjiang continued to be high-risk regions for tuberculosis(incidence rate>300/100 000). The overall incidence rate in the northern region was relatively low, with the lowest rate observed in Urumqi, radiating outwards. Conclusion The incidence rate of tuberculosis in Xinjiang shows an upward trend before 2018, followed by a year-on-year decrease. The centroid of the incidence rate shifts towards the northeast. From 2010 to 2022, the tuberculosis epidemic in Xinjiang exhibits a notable spatiotemporal clustering, particularly prominent in the southwestern region, where the four prefectures constitute high-risk areas for tuberculosis. The prevention and control efforts of tuberculosis in Xinjiang should prioritize the regions with high tuberculosis incidence, intensifying prevention and control measures as well as policy support.

Objective To explore whether or not the glioma U251 stem cell regulates its resistance to TMZ by the FOXO3a/β-catenin pathway.Methods The U251 stem cells were divided into the TMZ group(100 μmol/IL TMZ treated cells)and the control group.The Western blot and real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR(qRT-PCR)were used to detect the expression levels of FOXO3a,β-catenin,Nestin,CD133 and Sox2 under the TMZ action in the two groups.The stem cell pelletization experiment was used to verify the resistance of U251 stem cell on TMZ.Recombinant viral vectors pHY-FOXO3a,pHY-β-catenin-KD and PHy-β-Catenin-KD were constructed by embedding FOXO3a/β-catenin interference sequences into lentivirus pHY-LV-KD1.1 expression vector and transfected into U251 stem cells.The change of stem cell clone pellets number was measured under TMZ action.The effects of knockdown FOXO3a and β-catenin on the characteris-tics and drug resistance of U251 stem cells were observed.Results The Western blot and qRT-PCR results showed that compared with the control group,the expression levels of FOXO3a,β-catenin,Nestin,CD133 and Sox2 protein in the TMZ group were increased,the Nestin,CD133,Sox2 mRNA expression levels were in-creased(P＜0.05).The clone formation experiment results showed that the majority of survival cells on 5 d after TMZ treatment were the stem cells,indicating that the U251 stem cells could better tolerate TMZ.Knoc-king down FOXO3a and β-catenin could reduce the U251 stem cell populations number,indicating that its re-sistance to TMZ was weakened.Conclusion The FOXO3a/β-catenin pathway could regulates the characteris-tics of U251 stem cell and TMZ resistance.

Objective To use the auto-regressive moving average(ARMA)model and long short term memory(LSTM)depth neural network to predict the incidence trend of pulmonary tuberculosis in Jiashi County.Methods The legal infectious disease report data in this area from January 2014 to June 2023 were collected to construct the data set,in which the onset data of pulmonary tuberculosis from January 2014 to De-cember 2021 were used to the model construction and the data from January 2022 to June 2023 were used to the model verification.The Eviews7.2 and MATLAB2023a softwares were used to construct the ARMA mode and LSTM neural network.The monthly onset number of pulmonary tuberculosis from 2022 to 2023 was pre-dicted.Results The root-mean-square error(RMSE)of the optimal ARMA model and LSTM neural network verification from January 2014 to June 2023 was 26.494 and 12.713 respectively,suggesting that the fitting effect of LSTM neural network was better than that of ARMA model.The predictive results by adopting the LSTM neural network was basically consistent with the actual onset situation.Conclusion The LSTM neural network has good fitting and predicting effect for the onset trend in Jiashi County,which could provide the theoretical reference for predicting the onset number of pulmonary tuberculosis in the future in this area.

Objective:To explore a better measurement mode of shear wave elastography (SWE) in the skin of lymphedema limbs, and to test its diagnostic efficacy in lymphedema.Methods:Between 1st and 10th August, 2023, 22 healthy volunteers were recruited in the Department of Medical Ultrasonics, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Ulrasound, the First Afiliaed Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University to measure the Young's modulus (E-value) of limb skin by SWE using a gel pad (GP group) and the thick-layer coupling gel (CG group) respectively. Then between 15th August and 28th September, 2023, 11 patients with 13 lower limb lymphedema, who were treated in the Department of Microsurgery, Orhopaedic Trauma and Hand Surgery, the First Affiliaed Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, were consecutively enrolled to find out the E-value of skin in oedematous limbs. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was constructed and the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy were calculated to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency. SPSS 26.0, R studio and GraphPad Prism 8 software were used for statistical analysis. Paired sample non-parametric test (Wilcoxon signed rank test) was used to compare the difference in E-value between the 2 groups. P<0.01 was considered statistically significant. Spearman correlation test was used to analyse the correlation of E-value values between the GP group and CG group. Results:Overall, it was found from the healthy volunteers that E-value of skin in distal limbs were higher than that in proximal limbs, especially in lower extremities. E-value of all scanned location in GP group were found higher than those of CG group with statistically significant difference ( P<0.01), and the values of interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) showed a good repeatability. The 11 patients with lymphedema in 13 lower extremities were examined with the thick-layer coupling gel. The skin E-value in calf of patients with lymphedema were significantly higher than that of the healthy volunteers ( P<0.01), except the skin of thighs ( P>0.01). A lymphedema was diagnosed while either a skin E-value was 27.6 kPa calculated by Youden index or with the thickness of skin was 2.3 mm. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy in the diagnosis of a lymphedema were found at 92.3%, 100%, 100%, 95.7% and 97.1%, respectively. The area under curve (AUC) of ROC was 0.962. The correlation coefficients (R) of E-value in arm, forearm, thigh and lower leg in the GP group and CP group were 0.665, 0.882, 0.850 and 0.815, respectively, which were all significantly correlated. Conclusion:Application of thick layer coupler in ultrasound skin SWE is highly feasible, and the combination of ultrasound skin SWE and skin thickness has higher diagnostic efficiency in the diagnosis of lower extremities lymphedema. It allows more accurate ultrasonic image technical support for early monitoring and diagnosis of lymphedema, microsurgical treatment and a quantitatively perioperative evaluation.

Objective To establish the drug use evaluation(DUE)criteria for aspirin enteric-coated tablets and provide a reference for the rationally clinical application of aspirin enteric-coated tablets.Methods DUE criteria for aspirin enteric-coated tablets were established from three aspects of indications,medications and medication results with reference to drug instructions of aspirin enteric-coated tablets,related guidelines,expert consensus and literature,and through Delphi method.A retrospective analysis was conducted to evaluate the medical records of patients who took aspirin enteric-coated tablets from January 2021 to June 2022 in Fuqing Hospital affiliated to Fujian Medical University.Results A total of 1 071 medical records were included.683 cases fully met the DUE criteria,with a rational rate of 63.77％.Irrational drug use mainly included inappropriate indications(6.26％),off-label drug use without approval(28.48％),contraindications(1.03％),inappropriate usage and dosage(1.68％),drug interactions with potential clinical significance(0.65％)and other inappropriate drug use(2.71％).Conclusion The established DUE standard for aspirin enteric-coated tablets has strong scientific practicability and feasibility.The irrational rate of aspirin enteric-coated tablets in this hospital is high.Corresponding intervention measures should be formulated to ensure the safety of clinical medication.

Objective:To analyze the monitoring data of Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) in Gansu Province and learn about the long-term trend of KBD incidence.Methods:The X-ray detection rate of children with KBD in Gansu Province from 1990 to 2021 was collected through Gansu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Joinpoint regression model was used to analyze the trend of X-ray detection rate of KBD in children. The annual percent change (APC) and average annual percent change (AAPC) were used to analyze the trend of the observed indicators. In addition, a polynomial regression model was constructed to fit the change of X-ray detection rate of children with KBD over time.Results:From 1990 to 2021, a total of 126 726 children were examined for KBD by X-ray in Gansu Province, with 3 011 positive cases, X-ray detection rate of KBD in children was 0 in 2019 - 2021. Joinpoint regression model analysis showed that the X-ray detection rate of children with KBD in Gansu Province from 1990 to 2018 showed a decreasing trend (AAPC = - 14.40%, P = 0.001). The APC of 1990 - 1998, 2002 - 2008 and 2008 - 2012 was - 17.75%, - 21.89% and - 49.89%, respectively, showing a decreasing trend ( P < 0.05). The APC of 2012 - 2018 was 6.15%, but the trend change was not statistically significant ( P = 0.475). The curve fitting of X-ray detection rate of KBD in children in Gansu Province over time was carried out, and the quadric polynomial equation was y = 0.000 314 5 x4 - 0.021 37 x3 + 0.487 1 x2 - 4.635 x + 22.08. Conclusions:The condition of KBD in children of Gansu Province has been effectively controlled. The X-ray detection rate has remained at a relatively low level since 2012, and it has reached a state of elimination since 2019.