This study was aimed at establishing a method of ultra-fast quantitative PCR for Brucella detection.We used an exogenous recombinant plasmid as the internal reference and targeted the T4SS secretion system,an important Brucella viru-lence factor,to design specific primers and probes.The sensitivity,specificity,and repeatability of this method were evaluated,and a standard curve was constructed.The coincidence rate of detection findings with this method versus quantitative PCR was determined.This method markedly decreased the detection time to only 10 minutes.The standard curve demonstrated a good linear relationship(Y=-3.410 7x+38.357,R2=0.998 5)with a low minimum detection limit of 10 copies/μL.The method exhibited good specificity and did not specifically amplify several common clinical bacteria other than Brucella.The de-tection of three concentrations of positive plasmids yielded coefficients of variation(CVs)of 0.20％to 0.91％,thus demonstra-ting the method's excellent repeatability.Furthermore,140 clinical samples were analyzed concurrently with the fluorescence PCR method,which yielded a 100％compliance rate and consistent results.Our findings indicated that the Brucella ultra-fast quantitative PCR was ultrafast;had high sensitivity,high specificity,and good specificity;and can be used for the clinical de-tection of Brucella and emergency investigation of epidemics.Therefore,this method is valuable for the early diagnosis of Bru-cella.

With the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence(GAI)technologies,their widespread application in academic research and writing is continuously expanding the boundaries of sci-entific inquiry.However,this trend has also raised a series of ethical and regulatory challenges,inclu-ding issues related to authorship,content authenticity,citation accuracy,and accountability.In light of the growing involvement of AI in generating academic content,establishing an open,controllable,and trustworthy ethical governance framework has become a key task for safeguarding research integrity and maintaining trust within the academic community.This expert consensus outlines ethical requirements across key stages of AI-assisted academic writing-including topic selection,data management,citation practices,and authorship attribution.It aims to clarify the boundaries and ethical obligations surrounding AI use in academic writing,ensuring that technological tools enhance efficiency without compromising in-tegrity.The goal is to provide guidance and institutional support for building a responsible and sustainable research ecosystem.

PURPOSE: The rate of complications among patients undergoing surgery has increased due to infection with SARS-CoV-2 and other variants of concern. However, Omicron has shown decreased pathogenicity, raising questions about the risk of postoperative complications among patients who are infected with this variant. This study aimed to investigate complications and related factors among patients with recent Omicron infection prior to undergoing orthopedic surgery. METHODS: A historical control study was conducted. Data were collected from all patients who underwent surgery during 2 distinct periods: (1) between Dec 12, 2022 and Jan 31, 2023 (COVID-19 positive group), (2) between Dec 12, 2021 and Jan 31, 2022 (COVID-19 negative control group). The patients were at least 18 years old. Patients who received conservative treatment after admission or had high-risk diseases or special circumstances (use of anticoagulants before surgery) were excluded from the study. The study outcomes were the total complication rate and related factors. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify related factors, and odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to assess the impact of COVID-19 infection on complications. RESULTS: In the analysis, a total of 847 patients who underwent surgery were included, with 275 of these patients testing positive for COVID-19 and 572 testing negative. The COVID-19-positive group had a significantly higher rate of total complications (11.27%) than the control group (4.90%, p < 0.001). After adjusting for relevant factors, the OR was 3.08 (95% CI: 1.45-6.53). Patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 at 3-4 weeks (OR = 0.20 (95% CI: 0.06-0.59), p = 0.005), 5-6 weeks (OR = 0.16 (95% CI: 0.04-0.59), p = 0.010), or ≥7 weeks (OR = 0.26 (95% CI: 0.06-1.02), p = 0.069) prior to surgery had a lower risk of complications than those who were diagnosed at 0-2 weeks prior to surgery. Seven factors (age, indications for surgery, time of operation, time of COVID-19 diagnosis prior to surgery, C-reactive protein levels, alanine transaminase levels, and aspartate aminotransferase levels) were found to be associated with complications; thus, these factors were used to create a nomogram. CONCLUSION Omicron continues to be a significant factor in the incidence of postoperative complications among patients undergoing orthopedic surgery. By identifying the factors associated with these complications, we can determine the optimal surgical timing, provide more accurate prognostic information, and offer appropriate consultation for orthopedic surgery patients who have been infected with Omicron.
Humans ; COVID-19/complications* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications/epidemiology* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Orthopedic Procedures/adverse effects* ; Aged ; Nomograms ; Adult ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

Osteoarthritis (OA) causes chronic pain that significantly impairs quality of life, with current treatments often proving insufficient and accompanied by adverse effects. Recent research has identified the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and its resident macrophages as crucial mediators of chronic OA pain through neuroinflammation driven by macrophage polarization. We present a novel injectable thermo-sensitive hydrogel system, KAF@PLEL, designed to deliver an anti-inflammatory peptide (KAF) specifically to the DRG. This biodegradable hydrogel enables sustained KAF release, promoting the reprogramming of DRG macrophages from pro-inflammatory to anti-inflammatory phenotypes. Through comprehensive in vitro and in vivo studies, we evaluated the hydrogel's biocompatibility, effects on macrophage polarization, and therapeutic efficacy in chronic OA pain management. The system demonstrated significant capabilities in preserving macrophage mitochondrial function, suppressing neuroinflammation, alleviating chronic OA pain, reducing cartilage degradation, and improving motor function in OA rat models. The sustained-release properties of KAF@PLEL enabled prolonged therapeutic effects while minimizing systemic exposure and side effects. These findings suggest that KAF@PLEL represents a promising therapeutic approach for improving outcomes in OA patients through targeted, sustained treatment.

In the field of substance detection,ion dissociation techniques have become crucial for enhancing qualitative accuracy.By applying external energy to induce dissociation of ions in the substance being analyzed,the internal structural information can be obtained,thereby improving qualitative capabilities.Current research on ion dissociation techniques primarily focuses on tandem mass spectrometry,which typically requires a vacuum environment.However,research on ambient ion dissociation techniques is less developed,with some progress made in the field of tandem ion mobility spectrometry.Recently,the development of field-induced dissociation(FID)in this area has enabled ambient dissociation of various explosive and volatile alcohol ions.Nevertheless,the limitation imposed by the maximum breakdown field of air restricts the energy of the electric field,making it challenging to dissociate ions with high energy requirements,such as those of drugs.To address this issue,in this work,an ambient heat-induced dissociation(HID)technique based on high temperatures was proposed,in which an ambient ion heat-induced dissociation unit was developed and integrated into a home-made ion trap mass spectrometer.Experiments were conducted on four representative drug samples,e.g.methamphetamine,heroin,cocaine,and ketamine.The parent ions mass spectra,low vacuum collision-induced dissociation(CID)mass spectra and ambient HID mass spectra for each sample were obtained.By analyzing and comparing the fragmentation products from ambient and low vacuum dissociation,the feasibility of the ambient HID technique was verified.This technique provided a method for ion dissociation in single mass analyzers without tandem mass spectrometry capability and offered a new research direction for the future development of tandem ion mobility spectrometry.

Aerosol-assisted plasma amplification laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS)was employed for phosphorus detection in water.To address the multivariate coupling effects in LIBS and nebulization sampling system,an orthogonal experiment was employed to systematically optimize the key experimental parameters.Using the orthogonal experimental design,the parametric effects of laser energy(output voltage),signal acquisition delay,liquid velocity,and gas velocity on the signal to background ratio(SBR)of P I 213.618 nm were evaluated,and the optimal conditions were achieved,including laser energy of 86 mJ,delay time of 3 μs,gas velocity of 1.05 mL/min,and liquid velocity of 60 μL/min,which were in agreement with the control-variable optimization results.Moreover,the SBR response trends at P I 213.618 nm with all experimental parameters was strong in consistency with control-variable optimization results,which demonstrated the validity of the orthogonal array experimental design.This study established an efficient and accurate parameter optimization methodology for complex LIBS systems,significantly advancing the application of LIBS in environmental monitoring.

With the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence(GAI)technologies,their widespread application in academic research and writing is continuously expanding the boundaries of sci-entific inquiry.However,this trend has also raised a series of ethical and regulatory challenges,inclu-ding issues related to authorship,content authenticity,citation accuracy,and accountability.In light of the growing involvement of AI in generating academic content,establishing an open,controllable,and trustworthy ethical governance framework has become a key task for safeguarding research integrity and maintaining trust within the academic community.This expert consensus outlines ethical requirements across key stages of AI-assisted academic writing-including topic selection,data management,citation practices,and authorship attribution.It aims to clarify the boundaries and ethical obligations surrounding AI use in academic writing,ensuring that technological tools enhance efficiency without compromising in-tegrity.The goal is to provide guidance and institutional support for building a responsible and sustainable research ecosystem.

This study was aimed at establishing a method of ultra-fast quantitative PCR for Brucella detection.We used an exogenous recombinant plasmid as the internal reference and targeted the T4SS secretion system,an important Brucella viru-lence factor,to design specific primers and probes.The sensitivity,specificity,and repeatability of this method were evaluated,and a standard curve was constructed.The coincidence rate of detection findings with this method versus quantitative PCR was determined.This method markedly decreased the detection time to only 10 minutes.The standard curve demonstrated a good linear relationship(Y=-3.410 7x+38.357,R2=0.998 5)with a low minimum detection limit of 10 copies/μL.The method exhibited good specificity and did not specifically amplify several common clinical bacteria other than Brucella.The de-tection of three concentrations of positive plasmids yielded coefficients of variation(CVs)of 0.20％to 0.91％,thus demonstra-ting the method's excellent repeatability.Furthermore,140 clinical samples were analyzed concurrently with the fluorescence PCR method,which yielded a 100％compliance rate and consistent results.Our findings indicated that the Brucella ultra-fast quantitative PCR was ultrafast;had high sensitivity,high specificity,and good specificity;and can be used for the clinical de-tection of Brucella and emergency investigation of epidemics.Therefore,this method is valuable for the early diagnosis of Bru-cella.

Objective To investigate the risk factors for bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD)in twin preterm infants with a gestational age of<34 weeks,and to provide a basis for early identification of BPD in twin preterm infants in clinical practice.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the twin preterm infants with a gestational age of<34 weeks who were admitted to 22 hospitals nationwide from January 2018 to December 2020.According to their conditions,they were divided into group A(both twins had BPD),group B(only one twin had BPD),and group C(neither twin had BPD).The risk factors for BPD in twin preterm infants were analyzed.Further analysis was conducted on group B to investigate the postnatal risk factors for BPD within twins.Results A total of 904 pairs of twins with a gestational age of<34 weeks were included in this study.The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with group C,birth weight discordance of>25%between the twins was an independent risk factor for BPD in one of the twins(OR=3.370,95%CI:1.500-7.568,P<0.05),and high gestational age at birth was a protective factor against BPD(P<0.05).The conditional logistic regression analysis of group B showed that small-for-gestational-age(SGA)birth was an independent risk factor for BPD in individual twins(OR=5.017,95%CI:1.040-24.190,P<0.05).Conclusions The development of BPD in twin preterm infants is associated with gestational age,birth weight discordance between the twins,and SGA birth.

Objective To investigate the influence of different delivery techniques,treatment sites and dose-volume algorithms on the results of three-dimensional dosimetric verification for intensity-modulated radiation therapy(IMRT)plans and the importance of individualized quality assurance(QA)evaluation standard for radiotherapy plans.Methods Totally 350 tumor patients receiving radiotherapy at some hospital from January 2017 to February 2022 had their three-dimensional dosimetric verification results of IMRT plans selected retrospectively and underwent data collection with COMPASS system,and then were grouped in terms of delivery technique(fixed-beam IMRT and volumetric modulated arc therapy),treatment site(neck,chest and abdomen)and dose-volume algorithm(anisotropic analytical algorithm and collapsed cone convolution algorithm).All the groups were compared based on the 3％/2 mm criterion with regard to the Gamma pass rate of 10％prescription dose area(GP10％),Gamma pass rate(GP50％)and mean Gamma index(μGI5o％)of 50％prescription dose area,dose of 95％target volume(D95％)and its mean dose(Dmean),parotid gland mean dose(Dmean),dose of 1％spinal cord volume(D1％),dose of 1％brain stem volume(D1％)of head and neck radiotherapy plan,heart and lung mean dose(Dmean)and dose of 1％spinal cord volume(D1％)of chest radiotherapy plan and bladder,rectum and femur mean dose of abdomen radiotherapy plan(Dmean).SPSS 26.0 software was used for statistical analysis.Results For different delivery techniques,significant differences were found in all the QA results except GP50％of abdomen radiotherapy plan(P＜0.05).For different treatment sites,the differences were statistically significant between the QA results of head and neck radiotherapy plan and abdomen plan and between those of chest radio-therapy plan and abdomen radiotherapy plan(P＜0.05),while were not significant between the QA results of head and neck radiotherapy plan and chest radiotherapy plan(P＞0.05).For different dose-volume algorithms,the QA results had significant differences except D5％of abdomen radiotherapy planning target volume and Dmean and D1％of chest radiotherapy PTV(P＜0.05).Conclusion Dosimetric verification results vary depending on the delivery technique,treatment site and dose-volume algorithm.Statistical process control recommended by AAPM TG-218 report may be involved in to establish individualized QA standard for radiotherapy plans in case universal action limits are not appropriate.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(11):54-59]