ObjectiveTo explore the potential mechanism of Xianglian Huazhuo prescription （XLHZ） in treating chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG） by regulating cell cycle and inhibiting proliferation， using bioinformatics technology and animal experiments. MethodsDifferential expressed genes （DEGs） related to CAG were screened using GEO database and GEO2R tool. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis （WGCNA） was employed to search for hub genes of CAG. These hub genes were intersected with cell cycle proliferation based on GeneCards database. Eenrichment analysis of the intersecting genes was performed to obtain signaling pathways and biological processes related to CAG. Protein protein interaction （PPI） analysis of genes was conducted using the Protein Interaction Platform （STRING） database to search the super hub gene （hub 2.0）， and animal experiments were conducted for further validation. Fourteen of 70 male Wistar rats were randomly selected as the normal group， and the remaining 56 rats were prepared by the combined modeling method of "starvation disorder+N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine （MNNG） + sodium salicylate". The successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into the model group， XLHZ-H， XLHZ-M， and XLHZ-L groups （36， 18， 9 g·kg^-1， respectively）， and Morodan group （1.4 g·kg^-1）. Each group was given corresponding intervention for 60 days. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of gastric mucosa in rats. The ultrastructure of gastric mucosal tissue cells was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The relative expression levels of TGF-β₁， Smad2 and Smad3 proteins， S/G₂/M phase marker geminin and proliferation marker MCM2 were detected by Western blot in gastric mucosal tissue， and Spearman correlation analysis was performed. ResultsA total of 15 hub 2.0 genes were identified， including TGF-β₁， suggesting the involvement of the TGF-β₁ signaling pathway in the CAG pathogenesis. Compared with the normal group， the expressions of TGF-β₁， Smad2， geminin and MCM2 proteins in the gastric mucosa tissue of the model group were increased （P<0.05）， and the expression of Smad3 protein was decreased （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the expressions of TGF-β₁ and geminin in the gastric mucosa were decreased in the drug groups （P<0.05）. The XLHZ-M group， XLHZ-H group and Morodan group had significantly decreased protein expression of Smad2 and MCM2 （P<0.05）. The protein expression of Smad3 was significantly increased in XLHZ-M， XLHZ-H， and Morodan groups （P<0.05）. Spearman correlation analysis showed that Smad3 was negatively correlated with other indicators， and positively correlated with other indicators （P<0.01）. ConclusionXLHZ may inhibit TGF-β₁/Smads signaling pathway， regulate cell cycle， and inhibit proliferation in the treatment of CAG.

ObjectiveTo explore the potential mechanism of Xianglian Huazhuo prescription （XLHZ） in treating chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG） by regulating cell cycle and inhibiting proliferation， using bioinformatics technology and animal experiments. MethodsDifferential expressed genes （DEGs） related to CAG were screened using GEO database and GEO2R tool. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis （WGCNA） was employed to search for hub genes of CAG. These hub genes were intersected with cell cycle proliferation based on GeneCards database. Eenrichment analysis of the intersecting genes was performed to obtain signaling pathways and biological processes related to CAG. Protein protein interaction （PPI） analysis of genes was conducted using the Protein Interaction Platform （STRING） database to search the super hub gene （hub 2.0）， and animal experiments were conducted for further validation. Fourteen of 70 male Wistar rats were randomly selected as the normal group， and the remaining 56 rats were prepared by the combined modeling method of "starvation disorder+N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine （MNNG） + sodium salicylate". The successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into the model group， XLHZ-H， XLHZ-M， and XLHZ-L groups （36， 18， 9 g·kg^-1， respectively）， and Morodan group （1.4 g·kg^-1）. Each group was given corresponding intervention for 60 days. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of gastric mucosa in rats. The ultrastructure of gastric mucosal tissue cells was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The relative expression levels of TGF-β₁， Smad2 and Smad3 proteins， S/G₂/M phase marker geminin and proliferation marker MCM2 were detected by Western blot in gastric mucosal tissue， and Spearman correlation analysis was performed. ResultsA total of 15 hub 2.0 genes were identified， including TGF-β₁， suggesting the involvement of the TGF-β₁ signaling pathway in the CAG pathogenesis. Compared with the normal group， the expressions of TGF-β₁， Smad2， geminin and MCM2 proteins in the gastric mucosa tissue of the model group were increased （P<0.05）， and the expression of Smad3 protein was decreased （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the expressions of TGF-β₁ and geminin in the gastric mucosa were decreased in the drug groups （P<0.05）. The XLHZ-M group， XLHZ-H group and Morodan group had significantly decreased protein expression of Smad2 and MCM2 （P<0.05）. The protein expression of Smad3 was significantly increased in XLHZ-M， XLHZ-H， and Morodan groups （P<0.05）. Spearman correlation analysis showed that Smad3 was negatively correlated with other indicators， and positively correlated with other indicators （P<0.01）. ConclusionXLHZ may inhibit TGF-β₁/Smads signaling pathway， regulate cell cycle， and inhibit proliferation in the treatment of CAG.

Objective To explore an artificial intelligence (AI)-based method for automated hand hygiene monitoring and to compare the effectiveness of three algorithms (UniFormerV2, TDN, C3D) in recognizing hand hygiene steps in surgical settings, thereby aiding hospital infection control. Methods From April to October 2024, we non-invasively collected 641 video recordings of healthcare staff performing hand hygiene at four-bay scrub sinks in two tertiary hospitals using overhead HD cameras. The dataset was annotated by five trained experts for model training and validation. Results Following training on 385 samples, internal validation (n=119) showed the C3D model achieved 81% accuracy, 87% recall, and an 83% F1-score. The TDN model achieved 93%, 91%, and 92% for the same metrics. The UniFormerV2 model outperformed both, with an accuracy, recall, and F1-score of 93%—an improvement of over 10 percentage points compared to traditional CNNs (TDN, C3D). It also achieved an 84% accuracy in external validation, demonstrating strong generalization. Conclusion The UniFormerV2 model is more accurate than CNN-based models for hand hygiene step recognition and shows robust performance in external validation. It presents a viable tool for healthcare facilities to enhance hand hygiene management, ultimately improving medical quality and patient safety.

AIM: To analyze changes in the anterior chamber angle structure in patients with implantable collamer lens with central-port(ICL V4c)implantation, and to investigate their associations with preoperative anterior segment anatomical parameters.METHODS: Retrospective case study. Patients with myopia or myopia combined with astigmatism who underwent ICL V4c implantation in the Refractive Surgery Center of the Department of Ophthalmology, the 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University between July 2024 and November 2024 were recruited. Preoperative and postoperative uncorrected visual acuity, best-corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, anterior chamber angle(ACA), white-to-white distance(WTW), anterior chamber depth(ACD), angle to angle distance(ATA), horizontal sulcus-to-sulcus distance(HSTS), vertical sulcus-to-sulcus distance(VSTS),crystalline lens rise(CLR), pupil diameter(PD), iris thickness at 750 μm from the scleral spur(IT750),maximal iris thickness(ITM), iris curvature(I-Curv), and iris cross-sectional area(I-Area), angle opening distance(AOD750), thetrabecular-iris angle(TIA750)and the trabecular-iris space area(TISA750)in the temporal, nasal, superior, and inferior directions,as well as the vault at various postoperative time points were measured.RESULTS: The study involved 40 patients(79 eyes)with myopia or myopia combined with astigmatism who underwent ICL V4c implantation(10 males and 30 females)with the mean age of 24.73±3.79 y. Compared with preoperative measurements, at 1 mo postoperatively, the AOD750, TIA750, and TISA750 parameters at the four angles(temporal, nasal, superior, and inferior)all showed a significant reduction(P<0.01). Statistically significant differences in vault were observed at postoperative 1d(0.49±0.1), postoperative 1 wk(0.43±0.14), and postoperative 1 mo(0.41±0.14)(all P<0.001). Correlation analysis indicated that the postoperative state of the anterior chamber angle was jointly influenced by anterior chamber parameters(ACD, ATA, HSTS、VSTS), iris morphology(I-Area, IT750), pupil size(PD), and surgical factors(ICL size, early vault), and that the combination of influencing factors varied across different orientations. Regression analysis showed that ACD was positively correlated with all postoperative anterior chamber angle parameters(P<0.05). IT750 exhibited negative correlations with the temporal and inferior angles(P<0.05). I-Area was positively correlated with temporal AOD750 and TISA750(P<0.05), and PD had negative correlations with temporal TIA750 and nasal AOD750(P<0.05).CONCLUSION: Postoperative anterior chamber angle narrowing is a common phenomenon after ICL V4c implantation. The degree of change exhibits a significant correlation with multiple preoperative anterior segment anatomical parameters. Preoperative comprehensive assessment of ACD, PD, and IT750 may facilitate the evaluation of the risk of postoperative angle changes and the enhancement of surgical safety.

Hepatic encephalopathy is a difficult and critical disease with rapid progression and limited treatment methods in the field of liver disease， and it is urgently needed to make breakthroughs in its pathogenesis. Selection of appropriate prevention and treatment strategies is of great importance in delaying disease progression and reducing the incidence and mortality rates. This article reviews the theory of “turbid toxin pathogenesis” and related prevention and treatment strategies for hepatic encephalopathy in traditional Chinese medicine/Zhuang medicine， proposes a new theory of “turbid toxin pathogenesis”， analyzes the scientific connotations of “turbid”， “toxin”， and the theory of “turbid toxin pathogenesis”， and constructs the “four-step” prevention and treatment strategies for hepatic encephalopathy， thereby establishing the new clinical prevention and treatment regimen for hepatic encephalopathy represented by “four prescriptions and two techniques” and clarifying the effect mechanism and biological basis of core prescriptions and techniques in the prevention and treatment of hepatic encephalopathy， in order to provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of hepatic encephalopathy.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical features of patients with necrotizing soft tissue infection (NSTI) and the related factors for sepsis, so as to provide a basis for early intervention and improvement of patients' prognosis. METHODS: A retrospective case series study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of NSTI patients admitted to the department of burns and wound repair surgery of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital from October 2021 to December 2024. Demographic information, underlying diseases, infection characteristics, laboratory test results and etiological findings at admission, treatment status, occurrence of complications (including sepsis) and prognosis were collected. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were used to identify the associated factors for sepsis in NSTI patients. Receiver operator characteristic curves (ROC curves) were plotted to evaluate the predictive value of individual and combined factors for sepsis. RESULTS: A total of 159 NSTI patients were enrolled, mainly middle-aged and elderly males. Most patients had comorbidities, including diabetes mellitus (110 cases, 69.2%) and hypertension (67 cases, 42.1%). The main infection site was the lower extremities (104 cases, 65.4%). Common symptoms included redness (96 cases, 60.4%), swelling (129 cases, 81.1%), local heat (60 cases, 37.7%), pain (100 cases, 62.9%), and skin ulceration or necrosis (9 cases, 5.7%). Imaging findings included soft tissue swelling (66 cases, 57.9%), gas accumulation (41 cases, 36.0%), and abnormal signal/density shadows (50 cases, 43.9%). Staphylococcus aureus was the main pathogenic bacterium [12.0% (31/259)], and drug-resistant Escherichia coli had the highest detection rate among drug-resistant bacteria [35.1% (13/37)]. Regarding debridement and repair, most patients (80 cases, 50.3%) underwent debridement ≥ 72 hours after admission, while only 10.1% (16 cases) received debridement within 6 hours. Most patients underwent multiple debridements, with 2 times of debridements being the most common (68 cases, 42.8%), and the maximum times of debridements reached 6. The largest number of patients received secondary suture (44 cases, 27.7%). In terms of complications, sepsis was the most common (66 cases, 41.51%), followed by acute kidney injury, respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation, and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), while disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) was the least common. During the follow-up period, 9 patients (5.66%) were readmitted within 90 days, and 11 patients died, with a mortality rate of 6.92%. Univariate analysis showed that diabetes, coronary heart disease, gout, body temperature, heart rate, C-reactive protein, platelet count, total bilirubin, albumin, creatinine, out-of-hospital treatment, and out-of-hospital use of antimicrobial agents were significantly associated with sepsis in NSTI patients (all P < 0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that coronary heart disease [odds ratio (OR) = 30.085, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 2.105-956.935], C-reactive protein (OR = 1.026, 95%CI was 1.009-1.054), and total bilirubin (OR = 1.436, 95%CI was 1.188-1.948) were independent associated factors for sepsis in NSTI patients (all P < 0.05). ROC curve analysis revealed that the combination of the three predictors yielded the highest AUC for predicting sepsis in NSTI patients compared to any individual predictor [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.799 (95%CI was 0.721-0.878)]. CONCLUSIONS The clinical features of NSTI patients show certain regularity. Coronary heart disease, C-reactive protein, and total bilirubin are independent associated factors for sepsis in NSTI patients.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Sepsis ; Soft Tissue Infections/microbiology* ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Adult ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors ; Necrosis ; Logistic Models ; Fasciitis, Necrotizing

Research into the molecular biology of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has facilitated the identification of therapeutic targets and the development of corresponding molecularly targeted drugs. The advent of the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax (VEN) concludes 50 years of stagnant clinical progress in AML and ushered in a new era of targeted therapy for this disease. Treatment regimens based on VEN had been applied to older patients and individuals unsuitable for intensive chemotherapy initially, but extensive studies on intensive and non-intensive clinical regimens incorporating VEN have confirmed its potential applicability to a broader patient demographic. This article systematically reviews the mechanism of action, resistance mechanisms, and optimization strategies of VEN in the context of AML.

Background and Aims:Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma(ICC)is a highly malignant liver tumor,with an increasing incidence worldwide,particularly in Asia.Although radical surgical resection is currently the only potentially curative treatment,the high recurrence rate and low postoperative overall survival(OS)rate of ICC remain major clinical challenges.Adjuvant therapy(AT)and neoadjuvant therapy(NAT)are important strategies to reduce postoperative recurrence and prolong OS.Several studies have shown certain efficacy of these treatments.However,the specific efficacy and safety of combined NAT and AT in ICC treatment require further validation.This study was conducted to evaluate the value of combining NAT and AT in improving the therapeutic outcomes of ICC patients through a multicenter retrospective analysis,so as to provide scientific evidence for optimizing treatment strategies.Methods:The clinicopathologic data of 576 patients with ICC who underwent radical resection and were pathologically confirmed from 13 hospitals in China between December 2011 and December 2017 were retrospectively collected.Patients were grouped based on their treatment modality:NAT+AT group,AT group,and non-NAT/AT group.The three patient groups were matched pairwise in a 1∶1 ratio using propensity score matching(PSM)to balance baseline data.The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze OS and disease-free survival(DFS),and subgroup analyses were conducted according to the 8th edition of the AJCC TNM staging system.Results:A total of 395 ICC patients were included in the final analysis,with 42 patients(10.6%)in the NAT+AT group,62 patients(15.7%)in the AT group,and 291 patients(73.7%)in the non-NAT/AT group.Before PSM,significant differences were observed between groups in terms of CA19-9,liver function Child-Pugh classification,intraoperative blood loss,surgical margin,differentiation grade,vascular invasion,ECOG score,and lymph node dissection ratio(all P<0.05).After PSM,there were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the groups(all P>0.05).After matching,the median OS and DFS in the NAT+AT group were significantly better than in the AT and non-NAT/AT groups(both P<0.05),while there were no significant differences in OS and DFS between the AT and non-NAT/AT groups(both P>0.05).Subgroup analysis showed that in TNM stage I patients,DFS in the NAT+AT group was significantly better than in the non-NAT/AT group(P<0.05),but OS was not significantly different(P>0.05).In TNM stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ patients,both OS and DFS in the NAT+AT and AT groups were significantly better than in the non-NAT/AT group(both P<0.05),and DFS in the NAT+AT group was significantly better than in the AT group in TNM stage Ⅲ patients(P<0.05).Conclusion:NAT combined with AT provides better survival benefits for patients with locally advanced ICC,but its benefit for early-stage ICC patients is limited.However,the retrospective design and sample size limitations of this study may affect the stability of the results,and future large-sample,multicenter,prospective studies are needed for further validation.

Objective:To develop a deep learning-based system for real-time recognition and classification of portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG) and evaluate its ability to assist junior endoscopists.Methods:A total of 2 848 gastroscopy images from 832 patients with liver cirrhosis were selected from Digestive Endoscopy Center databases of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan Hospital of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, and the Second Hospital of Jingzhou from January 2015 to October 2023. This system referred to 3 endoscopic features of Baveno Ⅱ scoring system. Three models were developed respectively for gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE), mosaic-like pattern (MLP), and red marks (RM). The specific classification references were as follows: (1) GAVE model: 0 no, 1 yes; (2) MLP model: 0 no, 1 mild, 2 severe; (3) RM model: 0 no, 1 isolated, 2 fused. The classification results for endoscopic characteristics of PHG of 3 endoscopy experts were taken as the gold standard. The yolov8-m model was used for training. The training dataset, validation dataset, and test dataset were allocated at a ratio of 8∶1∶1. The test dataset was used to evaluate the performance of models and their auxiliary effects on endoscopists. The accuracy, recall, precision, specificity and Kappa coefficient were calculated. Results:The accuracy, recall, specificity of GAVE model were 96.0% (48/50), 87.5% (7/8) and 97.6% (41/42). There was no significant difference between its accuracy and the gold standard ( χ2=316.226, P=1.000). The precision of GAVE1 and GAVE0 were 87.5% (7/8) and 97.6% (41/42) respectively. The accuracy of MLP model was 84.1% (132/157), and there was no significant difference compared with the gold standard ( χ2=3.286, P=0.193). The precision and recall of MLP2 were 88.2% (15/17) and 75.0% (15/20). The precision and recall of MLP1 were 77.9% (60/77) and 88.2% (60/68). The precision and recall of MLP0 were 90.5% (57/63) and 82.6% (57/69). The accuracy of RM model was 87.9% (123/140), and there was no significant difference compared with the gold standard ( χ2=2.891, P=0.409). The precision and recall of RM2 were 94.7% (18/19) and 78.3% (18/23). The precision and recall of RM1 were 72.2% (26/36) and 81.3% (26/32). The precision and recall of RM0 were 92.9% (79/85) and 92.9% (79/85). The mean accuracy of the three junior endoscopists, with and without the assistance of the GAVE model, MLP model, and RM model, respectively increased from 95.3% to 99.3%, from 83.9% to 91.9%, and from 81.9% to 83.1%. The overall consistency analysis of the 3 junior endoscopists with the gold standard indicated that the consistency of the GAVE model before and after assistance was extremely strong (both an overall Kappa of 1.000); the consistency before assistance of the MLP model was moderate (with an overall Kappa of 0.601), which increased to extremely strong after assistance (with an overall Kappa of 0.964); and the consistency of the RM model before and after assistance was also relatively strong (with an overall Kappa of 0.792 before and 0.798 after). Conclusion:The deep learning system accurately identifies and classifies PHG features and significantly enhances diagnostic performance of junior endoscopists.

Objective To investigate the effect of PTGS2 knockdown on tumor-associated macrophage(TAM)M2 polarization in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC).Methods Adenovirus-mediated knockdown of PTGS2 was performed in primary NPC cells.A co-culture system of primary NPC cells and TAMs and a mixed three-dimensional(3D)co-culture of primary NPC cells,TAMs,and human CD8+T cells were established in vitro.The control,Adv-PTGS2 shRNA,and Adv-shRNA NT groups were subjected to in vitro and in vivo experiments.In the co-culture system of primary NPC cells and TAMs,IL-12,IL-10,and TGF-βlevels in the culture superna-tants were determined using the ELISA.MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression levels in primary NPC were determined using Western blotting.In the mixed culture system of the three types of cells,cell viability was measured using the CCK-8 method.IFN-γand GZMBmRNA levels were determined using qPCR.The three types of cell-mixed cultures were injected subcutaneously into xenografts,and tumor growth was monitored for 21 d.Results Compared with control group,IL-12 levels increased and IL-10 and TGF-βlevels decreased in the culture supernatant of Adv-PTGS2 shRNA cells(P<0.05).MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression levels in primary NPC decreased(P<0.05).Com-pared with the control group,CD8+T cell proliferation ability and relative IFN-γand GZMBmRNA expression levels increased(P<0.05 for both experiments)in the Adv-PTGS2 shRNA cells.Compared with the control group,the Adv-PTGS2 shRNA group showed slower tumor growth(P<0.05)and lower tumor mass(P<0.05)in in vivo xenografts.Conclusion PTGS2knockdown inhibited TAM M2 pola-rization,regulated the immune-hot state in the tumor microenvironment,and inhibited NPC growth.