Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive bacterium with strong pathogenicity. With the widespread use of antibiotics， its multi-drug resistance has gradually increased. Among them， methicillin-resistant S. aureus （MRSA） is one of the main pathogens of hospital and community infections. Antimicrobial peptides are short-chain peptides with good antibacterial effects and low drug resistance， which have been widely studied in recent years. This study summarizes the mechanism of action of antimicrobial peptides and related study on antimicrobial peptides against MRSA from different sources. It is found that the mechanisms of action of antimicrobial peptides include targeting bacterial cell membranes， bacterial cells， and bacterial cell walls， etc. Besides isolating antimicrobial peptides with anti-MRSA activity from animals， plants， and microorganisms， antimicrobial peptides can also be obtained through synthetic methods. Among them， GHa-derived peptides from animal sources， Ib-AMP4 from plant sources， Ph-SA from microbial sources， the synthetic peptide LLKLLLKLL-NH2， and so on， due to their effective antibacterial activity， rapid bactericidal speed， and low toxicity， are promising candidates for anti-MRSA drugs.

As a traditional nutritional and healthy cash crop in China, tea has certain significance in promoting human health and preventing and controlling chronic diseases. Studies have shown that the nutritional health effect of tea is due to its rich functional components, mainly including tea polyphenols, tea pigments, tea polysaccharides, theanine, alkaloids and other bioactive substances. At present, researchers from the academic circles have continuously carried out animal and human experiments on the health effects of various functional components of tea, which has accumulated abundant research data and materials. Based on this, this article reviews the literature on the nutritional and health effects of the main functional components of tea, and adopts the method of evidence-based research to screen and extract relevant data for qualitative and quantitative meta-analysis. Subsequently, the nutritional health effects of the five functional components of tea, namely tea polyphenols, tea pigments, tea polysaccharides, theanine, and alkaloids, are summarized and outlined. Studies have shown that tea polyphenols, tea pigments, tea polysaccharides, theanine and alkaloids have different health effects and are expected to play their unique roles in promoting human health and preventing and controlling diseases.

Objective To investigate the species of ticks in Suizhou City, Hubei Province, so as to provide insights into management of ticks and tick-borne diseases. Methods During the period between May 2023 and June 2024, livestock breeding farms and vegetation neighboring the place of residence of confirmed and suspected patients with tick-borne disease were selected as sampling points in rural areas from Yindian Township, Gaocheng Township, Wanhe Township, Wushan Township, Xiaolin Township, Xihe Township, Hedian Township and Beijiao Street in Suizhou City, Hubei Province, where confirmed and suspected cases with tick-borne diseases had been reported. The parasitic ticks on the body surface of free-range livestock were captured with tweezers in livestock breeding farms, and free ticks on the vegetation surface were captured with the flagging method. Morphological identification of tick samples was performed under a microscope, and the gender and developmental stage of ticks were determined. One engorged adult tick, 2 to 3 blood-feeding but non-engorged adult ticks, 10 to 15 unfed female ticks, 15 to 20 unfed male ticks, and 30 to 40 tick nymphs or larvae were assigned into a group, respectively. Genomic DNA was extracted from tick samples in each group, and mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene was amplified. Sequence analysis was performed with the DNASTAR software, and phylogenetic analysis was performed using the software MEGA 7.0. In addition, the phylogenetic tree was generated using the maximum likelihood method based on the Kimura 2 parameter model. Results A total of 2 438 ticks were captured from Suizhou City, Hubei Province during the period between May 2023 and June 2024, including 595 free ticks and 1 483 parasitic ticks. Three developmental stages of ticks were captured, including larvae, nymphs, and adults, and 75.18% (1 899/2 438) of captured ticks were adult, in which 79.04% (1 501/1 899) were female. Morphological and molecular biological assays identified one family, three genera and four species of captured ticks, including 2 425 Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks (99.47%) and one H. flava tick (0.04%) of the genus Haemaphysalis, 11 Rhipicephalus microplus ticks (0.45%) of the genus Rhipicephalus, and one Ixodes sinensis tick (0.04%) of the genus Ixodes in the family Ixodidae. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the H. longicornis sequence (SZ49) in this study was clustered with sequences from Yunnan Province (GenBank accession number: MH024510.1), Hebei Province (GenBank accession number: MK450606.1) and Henan Province (GenBank accession number: MZ230645.1) into a clade, and the H. flava sequence (SZ19) in this study was clustered with sequences from Japan (GenBank accession number: MW064044.1), South Korea (GenBank accession number: ON629585.1), and Jiangsu Province (GenBank accession number: PP494741.1) and Hebei Province of China (GenBank accession number: MH520685.1) into a clade, while the R. microplus sequence (SZ8) in this study was clustered with the sequences from India (GenBank accession number: MK621328.1), and Henan Province (GenBank accession number: MT555307.1) and Guizhou Province of China (GenBank accession number: PP446801.1) into a clade. The sequence of I. sinensis (SZ23) in this study had 99.51% homology with that (GenBank accession number: OM368265.1) of ticks sampled from Wuhan City, Hubei Province. Conclusion There are four tick species of H. longicornis, H. flava, R. microplus and I. sinensis in Suizhou City, Hubei Province, and H. longicornis is the dominant species. H. flava is firstly recorded in Suizhou City.

BACKGROUND: Preclinical studies have indicated that Angong Niuhuang Pills (ANP) reduce cerebral infarct and edema volumes. This study aimed to investigate whether ANP safely reduces cerebral infarct and edema volumes in patients with moderate to severe acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial included patients with acute ischemic stroke with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores ranging from 10 to 20 in 17 centers in China between April 2021 and July 2022. Patients were allocated within 36 h after onset via block randomization to receive ANP or placebo (3 g/day for 5 days). The primary outcomes were changes in cerebral infarct and edema volumes after 14 days of treatment. The primary safety outcome was severe adverse events (SAEs) for 90 days. RESULTS: There were 57 and 60 patients finally included in the ANP and placebo groups, respectively for modified intention-to-treat analysis. The median age was 66.0 years, and the median NIHSS score at baseline was 12.0. The changes in cerebral infarct volume at day 14 were 0.3 mL and 0.4 mL in the ANP and placebo groups, respectively (median difference: -7.1 mL; interquartile range [IQR]: -18.3 to 2.3 mL, P = 0.30). The changes in cerebral edema volume of the ANP and placebo groups on day 14 were 11.4 mL and 4.0 mL, respectively ( median difference: 3.0 mL, IQR: -1.3 to 9.9 mL, P = 0.15). The rates of SAE within 90 days were similar in the ANP (3/57, 5%) and placebo (7/60, 12%) groups ( P = 0.36). Changes in serum mercury and arsenic concentrations were comparable. In patients with large artery atherosclerosis, ANP reduced the cerebral infarct volume at 14 days (median difference: -12.3 mL; IQR: -27.7 to -0.3 mL, P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: ANP showed a similar safety profile to placebo and non-significant tendency to reduce cerebral infarct volume in patients with moderate-to-severe stroke. Further studies are warranted to assess the efficacy of ANP in reducing cerebral infarcts and improving clinical prognosis. TRAIL REGISTRATION Clinicaltrials.gov , No. NCT04475328.
Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Ischemic Stroke/drug therapy* ; Pilot Projects ; Stroke/drug therapy* ; Treatment Outcome

ObjectiveTo analyze the impact of diabetes-related deaths on the probability of premature mortality and life expectancy in Minhang District of Shanghai from 2004 to 2023, and to provide reference data for the optimization of targeted prevention and control strategies. MethodsAll death cases involving diabetes among the registered residents of Minhang District from 2004 to 2023 were collected. The probability of premature mortality and life expectancy was computed using the abridged life table method. The average annual percent change (AAPC) was calculated with Joinpoint 4.9.0.0. The Arriaga decomposition method was employed for statistical analyses of the influence of cause-specific and age-specific mortality related to diabetes on life expectancy. ResultsThe total number of diabetes-related mortality, crude mortality, and standardized mortality for both males and females in Minhang District from 2004 to 2023 exhibited an increasing trend (P<0.001). The primary causes of death among diabetes-related cases were cardiovascular disease (37.68%), diabetes mellitus (31.95%), and malignant tumor (17.80%). From 2004 to 2023, probability of premature mortality to diabetes-related diseases demonstrated a rising trend (P<0.001), contrasting with the declining trend observed in the overall population (P=0.001). Males showed a significant upward trajectory (P<0.001), while females displayed a stable pattern. Among the diseases exerting considerable influence, cardiovascular disease and malignant tumor revealed a marked increase over time (P<0.001), whereas diabetes mellitus maintained a stable trend; both factors negatively impacted the reduction in probability of premature mortality. From 2004 to 2023, diabetes-related mortality reduced life expectancy among residents by an average of 1.22 years (-49.89%), indicating a negative impact; the reduction was 1.41 years in males and 0.90 years in females. The age groups exhibiting greater negative contributions differed by genders, namely males aged 50‒54 years and females aged 70‒74 years. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and malignant tumor contributed significantly to this decline (-0.46 years, -0.42 years, -0.20 years, respectively), with male experiencing higher negative contributions than females. ConclusionIn Minhang District, the rising mortality associated with diabetes-related diseases negatively impact both the reduction of the probability of premature mortality and the increase in life expectancy. This trend is primarily attributed to the rapid escalation of mortality and younger age demographic of male residents, which warrants significant attention. It is recommended that, based on the enhancement of case management, efforts should be directed towards the targeted prevention and control of risk factors and high-risk populations.

ObjectiveTo explore the understanding degree of medical students, researchers, and medical statistics teachers on P value in statistics and its related factors, so as to provide references for the improvement of medical statistics teaching. MethodsConvenience sampling method was used to distribute 175 questionnaires through the online platform questionnaire star (Wenjuanxing). Based on case study, the questionnaire was designed with 6 true-or-false questions about P values. Accuracy rate of understanding on P value by medical students, researchers and professional teachers was evaluated through questionnaire survey. Descriptive analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to explore the related factors affecting the understanding of P value. ResultsA total of 170 questionnaires were collected, with 50 from the medical students, 98 from the researchers, and 22 from the professional teachers, respectively. The results indicated that the professional teachers had the highest accuracy rate (89.5%), whereas the medical students had a relatively low accuracy rate (31.6%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that individuals with a doctoral degree, compared to those with a bachelor’s degree or below, had a higher accuracy rate (OR=2.10, 95%CI: 1.18‒3.76, P=0.012). Additionally, researchers who had received training in medical statistics (OR=4.20, 95%CI: 2.23‒7.93, P<0.001) or medical research design courses (OR=2.40, 95%CI:1.33‒4.33, P=0.004) exhibited higher accuracy rates. ConclusionMedical students and researchers generally have misunderstandings about P values. It is recommended to improve the understanding about P values, such as strengthening medical statistics teaching at the academic education levels, setting up medical research design courses, increasing student-led discussions, and intensifying continuing education and science popularization activities.

BACKGROUND: LY01005 (Goserelin acetate sustained-release microsphere injection) is a modified gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist injected monthly. This phase III trial study aimed to evaluated the efficacy and safety of LY01005 in Chinese patients with prostate cancer. METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled, open-label, non-inferiority trial across 49 sites in China. This study included 290 patients with prostate cancer who received either LY01005 or goserelin implants every 28 days for three injections. The primary efficacy endpoints were the percentage of patients with testosterone suppression ≤50 ng/dL at day 29 and the cumulative probability of testosterone ≤50 ng/dL from day 29 to 85. Non-inferiority was prespecified at a margin of -10%. Secondary endpoints included significant castration (≤20 ng/dL), testosterone surge within 72 h following repeated dosing, and changes in luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and prostate specific antigen levels. RESULTS: On day 29, in the LY01005 and goserelin implant groups, testosterone concentrations fell below medical-castration levels in 99.3% (142/143) and 100% (140/140) of patients, respectively, with a difference of -0.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], -3.9% to 2.0%) between the two groups. The cumulative probabilities of maintaining castration from days 29 to 85 were 99.3% and 97.8%, respectively, with a between-group difference of 1.5% (95% CI, -1.3% to 4.4%). Both results met the criterion for non-inferiority. Secondary endpoints were similar between groups. Both treatments were well-tolerated. LY01005 was associated with fewer injection-site reactions than the goserelin implant (0% vs . 1.4% [2/145]). CONCLUSION: LY01005 is as effective as goserelin implants in reducing testosterone to castration levels, with a similar safety profile. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04563936.
Humans ; Male ; Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal/therapeutic use* ; East Asian People ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone/agonists* ; Goserelin/therapeutic use* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatic Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Testosterone

BACKGROUND: Progressive lipid loss of adipose tissue is a major feature of cancer-associated cachexia. In addition to systemic immune/inflammatory effects in response to tumor progression, tumor-secreted cachectic ligands also play essential roles in tumor-induced lipid loss. However, the mechanisms of tumor-adipose tissue interaction in lipid homeostasis are not fully understood. METHODS: The yki -gut tumors were induced in fruit flies. Lipid metabolic assays were performed to investigate the lipolysis level of different types of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) treated cells. Immunoblotting was used to display phenotypes of tumor cells and adipocytes. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis was carried out to examine the gene expression levels such as Acc1 , Acly , and Fasn et al . RESULTS: In this study, it was revealed that tumor-derived IGFBP-3 was an important ligand directly causing lipid loss in matured adipocytes. IGFBP-3, which is highly expressed in cachectic tumor cells, antagonized insulin/IGF-like signaling (IIS) and impaired the balance between lipolysis and lipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Conditioned medium from cachectic tumor cells, such as Capan-1 and C26 cells, contained excessive IGFBP-3 that potently induced lipolysis in adipocytes. Notably, neutralization of IGFBP-3 by neutralizing antibody in the conditioned medium of cachectic tumor cells significantly alleviated the lipolytic effect and restored lipid storage in adipocytes. Furthermore, cachectic tumor cells were resistant to IGFBP-3 inhibition of IIS, ensuring their escape from IGFBP-3-associated growth suppression. Finally, cachectic tumor-derived ImpL2, the IGFBP-3 homolog, also impaired lipid homeostasis of host cells in an established cancer-cachexia model in Drosophila . Most importantly, IGFBP-3 was highly expressed in cancer tissues in pancreatic and colorectal cancer patients, especially higher in the sera of cachectic cancer patients than non-cachexia cancer patients. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrates that tumor-derived IGFBP-3 plays a critical role in cachexia-associated lipid loss and could be a biomarker for diagnosis of cachexia in cancer patients.
Humans ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3/metabolism* ; Culture Media, Conditioned/pharmacology* ; Cachexia/pathology* ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms ; Somatomedins/metabolism* ; Insulins/metabolism* ; Lipids

Objective:To investigate the relationship between parathyroid hormone（PTH） level and permanent hypoparathyroidism（PHPP） on the first day after radical papillary thyroidectomy, and its predictive value. Methods:A total of 80 patients with papillary thyroid cancer who underwent total thyroid resection and central lymph node dissection were collected and analyzed from January 2021 to January 2022. According to whether PHPP occurred after surgery, the patients were divided into hypoparathyroidism group and normal parathyroid function group, and univariate and binary logistics regression were used to analyze the correlation between PTH and serum calcium levels and PHPP on the first day after surgery in two groups. The dynamic changes of PTH at different time points after operation were analyzed. The area under the receiver operating characteristic was used to evaluate the predictive power of PTH on the development of PHPP after surgery. Results:Among the 80 patients with papillary thyroid cancer, 10 cases developed PHPP, with an incidence rate of 12.5%. Binary logistics regression analysis showed that PTH on the first postoperative day（OR=14.534, 95%CI: 2.377-88.858, P=0.004） was an independent predictive risk factor for postoperative PHPP. Taking PTH=8.75 ng/L on the first postoperative day as the cut-off value, the AUC of the area under the curve was 0.874（95%CI: 0.790-0.958, P<0.001）, the sensitivity was 71.4%, the specificity was 100%, and the Yoden index was 0.714. Conclusion:PTH level on the first day after total thyroid papillary carcinoma surgery is closely related to PHPP, and is an independent predictor of PHPP.
Humans ; Calcium ; Hypoparathyroidism/surgery* ; Parathyroid Glands ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Postoperative Complications/surgery* ; Thyroid Cancer, Papillary/surgery* ; Thyroid Neoplasms/complications* ; Thyroidectomy

Objective:To evaluate the accuracy and practicability of hepatocellular carcinoma prediction score (PAGE-B) and modified hepatocellular carcinoma prediction score (mPAGE-B) in predicting the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated liver cirrhosis and received nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) treatment.Methods:From June 2009 to December 2014, at Department of Hepatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, the clinical data of 707 patients with HBV-associated liver cirrhosis and received NA treatment were retrospectively collected, and the patients were followed up. The risk factors of development of hepatocellular carcinoma were analyzed. PAGE-B (including platelet count, age, gender), mPAGE-B (including platelet count, age, gender and albumin), Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score and aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) were compared in area under receiver operator characteristic curve (AUROC) for predicting the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma within 5 years. Risk stratification analysis was carried out for mPAGE-B and PAGE-B. Multivariate Cox regression analysis, receiver operator characteristic curve, Mann-Whitney U test and Kaplan-Meier method were used for statistical analysis. Results:The age of 707 patients was (46.7±12.2) years old, including 567 males (80.2%) and 140 females (19.8%). The positive rate of hepatitis B e antigen was 56.4% (399/707). The scores of PAGE-B, mPAGE-B, CTP and APRI were 15.90±4.24, 12.39±3.58, 6.88±2.15 and 1.80 (0.85, 3.79), respectively. The overall follow up time was (38.14±20.97) months and the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma was 8.1% (57/707). The results of multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that advanced age, low platelet count and quantitative reduction of HBV DNA were independent risk factors of development of hepatocellular carcinoma (Wald=20.44, 5.64 and 9.25; HR(95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.056(1.031 to 1.081), 0.994(0.989 to 0.999) and 0.769(0.649 to 0.911); P<0.001, =0.018 and 0.002). The AUROCs (95% CI) of PAGE-B, mPAGE-B, CTP score and APRI for predicting the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma within 5 years were 0.708 (0.639 to 0.778), 0.724 (0.657 to 0.778), 0.576 (0.500 to 0.652) and 0.516 (0.443 to 0.589), respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in AUROCs for predicting the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma within 5 years between mPAGE-B and PAGE-B, between APRI and CTP score (both P>0.05). The AUROC for predicting the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma within 5 years of CTP score was less than those of PAGE-B and mPAGE-B, and the differences were statistically significant ( Z=3.00 and 3.79; P=0.003, <0.001). The AUROC for predicting the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma within 5 years of APRI was less than those of PAGE-B and mPAGE-B, and the differences were statistically significant ( Z=4.75 and 5.46, both P<0.001). There were 51 cases (7.2%), 394 cases (55.7%) and 262 cases (37.1%) in the low-risk (<10) group, medium-risk (10 to 17) group and high-risk (>17) group as assessed by PAGE-B. The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma was 0(0/51), 4.8% (19/394) and 14.5% (38/262), respectively the annual average incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma was 0, 1.6% and 5.5%, respectively, the 5-year cumulative incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma was 0, 7.3% and 31.3%, respectively. The 5-year cumulative incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma of high-risk group was higher than those of medium-risk group and low-risk group (log-rank test=19.27, P<0.001). There were 97 cases (13.7%), 246 cases (34.8%) and 364 cases (51.5%) in the low-risk group (<9), medium-risk group (9 to 12) and high-risk group (>12) as assessed by mPAGE-B. The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma was 2.1% (2/97), 3.7% (9/246) and 12.6%(46/364), the annual average incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma was 0.6%, 1.1% and 4.7%, respectively, the 5-year cumulative incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma was 2.4%, 5.1% and 26.7%, respectively. The 5-year cumulative incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma of high-risk group was higher than those of medium-risk group and low-risk group (log-rank test value=18.64, P<0.001). Conclusions:Both PAGE-B and mPAGE-B can predict the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma within 5 years in patients with HBV-associated liver cirrhosis treated with antiviral therapy, identify liver cirrhotic patients at high risk of development of hepatocellular carcinoma and guide clinicans to use more efficient screening strategies.