Objective　To analyze the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors for clinical cure in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infected patients with pegylated interferon-α-2b (PEG-IFN-α-2b) based therapy. Methods　This is a retrospective study. Chronic HBV infected patients receiving PEG-IFN-α-2b therapy were enrolled in Yuncheng Central Hospital affiliated to Shanxi Medical University between August 2020 and November 2023. Treatment-naïve patients received PEG-IFN-α-2b monotherapy, while nucleoside (acid) analogs (NAs)-experienced patients received PEG-IFN-α-2b add-on therapy. The study endpoint was hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) negative in accompany with HBV DNA below the detection limit (course of treatment < 48 weeks) or treatment for 48 weeks. The general characteristics, virological variables, blood routine test, and liver function of patients were collected at baseline and study endpoint. Student’s t test or Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison. The prognostic factors of clinical cure were examined using univariate and multivariate stepwise logistic regression models. Results　A total of 61 chronic HBV infected patients were enrolled, including 39 males and 22 females. The age were (39.13±7.53) years. Twenty-one cases were treatment-naïve, while 40 patients were NAs-experienced. Nineteen cases were positive for HBV DNA at baseline. The baseline HBsAg levels were 211.30(50.93, 2 110.00) IU/mL. Thirty-four patients achieved clinical cure at the study endpoint with 25.50 weeks of median course of PEG-IFN-α-2b treatment. Twenty-seven patients did not achieve clinical cure at the study endpoint, and the course of treatment was 48 weeks. Clinical cure group had significant lower baseline HBsAg level when compared with non-clinical cure group [78.66(19.54, 204.60) IU/mL vs 2 078.00(442.20, 4 237.00) IU/mL, P<0.001]. At the study endpoint, the white blood cell, platelet, red blood cell, hemoglobin levels were lower than those in baseline (P<0.05), while alanine aminotransferase and asparatate aminotransferase levels were higher than those in baseline (P<0.05). There were no remarkable differences in blood routine tests or liver function between clinical cure and non-clinical cure group at either baseline or study endpoint (P>0.05). Baseline low HBsAg level was a predictor for clinical cure in patients receiving PEG-IFN-α-2b therapy (OR=0.998, 95%CI: 0.998-0.999). No severe adverse events were happened during therapy. Conclusion　PEG-IFN-α-2b-based therapy was well-tolerant, and could achieve high rate of clinical cure in chronic HBV-infected patients who had low baseline HBsAg level.

Objective To evaluate the effect of bundle intervention on reducing catheter-associated urinary tract in-fection(CAUTI).Methods Hospitalized patients with urinary catheterization in a tertiary first-class hospital were subjected to targeted monitoring of a baseline survey from January to December 2022(pre-intervention).The main causes were found out,and bundle intervention measures were developed and implemented through plan-do-check-act(PDCA)tools from January to March 2023(intervention period).The data from April to December 2023(post-intervention)were collected,difference in catheter use rate and incidence of CAUTI before and after intervention were compared.Results The implementation rate of correctly hanging urine collection bags after intervention was 97.00％,the implementation rate of timely emptying urine collection bags was 91.72％,awareness rate of hand hy-giene among patient's family members was 79.13％,implementation rate of urinary catheter clamping during trans-portation was 74.79％,and daily evaluation implementation rate was 87.68％,which were higher than the pre-in-tervention rates of 85.63％,80.47％,62.75％,60.00％,and 79.93％,respectively.The incidence of CAUTI de-creased from 1.23‰ before intervention to 0.57‰ after intervention,the use rate of urinary catheter decreased from 5.53％before intervention to 5.37％after intervention.Differences of the above indicators were all statistically sig-nificant(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Through targeted monitoring on CAUTI and PDCA quality tools,the weak links in healthcare-associated infection control are identified,more targeted prevention and control measures are for-mulated,the implementation of bundle intervention measures can reduce the incidence of CAUTI.

Objective:To evaluate the accuracy and safety profile of a novel cuboid orientation-guided frontal horn ventriculostomy technique in patients with large hemispheric infarction (LHI).Methods:It was conducted a retrospective cohort study of 48 consecutive LHI patients who underwent the innovative ventriculostomy procedure between time period. Primary outcomes included procedural accuracy (success rates, catheter positioning) and safety indicators (complication rates).Results:All the punctured ventricles were small or of normal size. The success rate of puncture was 100%, the success rate of one-time puncture was 87% (42/48), and the average number of puncture was 1.13 times per case. The ratio of well-positioned tube heads was 87.5% (42/48). The actual angle of the inward deviation of the puncture ranged from -2o to 5o, with an average of 0o±0.3o. The depth of puncture was 7.0-8.0 cm ( 7.3±0.3) cm. The incidence of bleeding around the puncture path was 1.3% (2/48 ) and no massive bleeding occurred. At the 6-month follow-up, one case (2.94%) among the 34 survivors had epilepsy.Conclusions:The cuboid orientation-guided frontal horn ventriculostomy technique demonstrates exceptional procedural accuracy and an excellent safety profile in LHI patients, with high first-pass success rates (87.5%) and minimal complications (4.2% minor hemorrhage). These findings support its clinical adoption for this patient population.

Objective:To explore the clinical features and risk factors for pediatric severe Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (SMPP) complicated with pulmonary embolism. Methods:SMPP patients admitted to Department of Pediatrics, Jiaxing First Hospital and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Shanghai Children′s Hospital from December 2019 to December 2023 were included in this retrospective case-control study.According to whether they were complicated with pulmonary embolism, SMPP patients were divided into a pulmonary embolism group and a non-pulmonary embolism group.Clinical characteristics of the two groups, including general data, laboratory examination and imaging data were compared and analyzed.The t-test and Mann-Whitney rank-sum test were used to compare the measurement data, and the χ2 test was used to compare the count data.The risk factors of SMPP patients developing pulmonary embolism were analyzed by the univariate method. Results:There were 10 out of 62 SMPP children developing pulmonary embolism, showing an incidence of 16.13%.In the pulmonary embolism group, there were 5 boys and 5 girls, with a median age of 7.50 (5.75, 9.25) years.There were 52 children in the non-pulmonary embolism group, including 29 boys and 23 girls, with a median age of 6.50(5.00, 8.00)years.The hospitalization time, body temperature, total white blood cell count, neutrophil count, C-reactive protein levels, lactate dehydrogenase levels, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, D-dimer (D-D) levels, fibrinogen degradation product levels, pleural effusion and atelectasis rates in the pulmonary embolism group were significantly higher than those in the non-pulmonary embolism group (all P<0.05). Fibrinogen levels in the pulmonary embolism group were significantly lower than those in the non-pulmonary embolism group ( P<0.05). Univariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the D-D level was a risk factor for SMPP patient developing pulmonary embolism.The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that the D-D level had the largest area under the curve for predicting pulmonary embolism of 0.990(95% CI: 0.972-1.000, P<0.001), with a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 92%, and a cut-off value of 4.63 mg/L. Conclusions:SMPP children complicated with pulmonary embolism are prone to high inflammation and impaired coagulation function.The increase of D-D levels is a risk factor for the development of pulmonary embolism in SMPP.

Objective To evaluate the effect of bundle intervention on reducing catheter-associated urinary tract in-fection(CAUTI).Methods Hospitalized patients with urinary catheterization in a tertiary first-class hospital were subjected to targeted monitoring of a baseline survey from January to December 2022(pre-intervention).The main causes were found out,and bundle intervention measures were developed and implemented through plan-do-check-act(PDCA)tools from January to March 2023(intervention period).The data from April to December 2023(post-intervention)were collected,difference in catheter use rate and incidence of CAUTI before and after intervention were compared.Results The implementation rate of correctly hanging urine collection bags after intervention was 97.00％,the implementation rate of timely emptying urine collection bags was 91.72％,awareness rate of hand hy-giene among patient's family members was 79.13％,implementation rate of urinary catheter clamping during trans-portation was 74.79％,and daily evaluation implementation rate was 87.68％,which were higher than the pre-in-tervention rates of 85.63％,80.47％,62.75％,60.00％,and 79.93％,respectively.The incidence of CAUTI de-creased from 1.23‰ before intervention to 0.57‰ after intervention,the use rate of urinary catheter decreased from 5.53％before intervention to 5.37％after intervention.Differences of the above indicators were all statistically sig-nificant(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Through targeted monitoring on CAUTI and PDCA quality tools,the weak links in healthcare-associated infection control are identified,more targeted prevention and control measures are for-mulated,the implementation of bundle intervention measures can reduce the incidence of CAUTI.

Objective:To explore the clinical features and risk factors for pediatric severe Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (SMPP) complicated with pulmonary embolism. Methods:SMPP patients admitted to Department of Pediatrics, Jiaxing First Hospital and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Shanghai Children′s Hospital from December 2019 to December 2023 were included in this retrospective case-control study.According to whether they were complicated with pulmonary embolism, SMPP patients were divided into a pulmonary embolism group and a non-pulmonary embolism group.Clinical characteristics of the two groups, including general data, laboratory examination and imaging data were compared and analyzed.The t-test and Mann-Whitney rank-sum test were used to compare the measurement data, and the χ2 test was used to compare the count data.The risk factors of SMPP patients developing pulmonary embolism were analyzed by the univariate method. Results:There were 10 out of 62 SMPP children developing pulmonary embolism, showing an incidence of 16.13%.In the pulmonary embolism group, there were 5 boys and 5 girls, with a median age of 7.50 (5.75, 9.25) years.There were 52 children in the non-pulmonary embolism group, including 29 boys and 23 girls, with a median age of 6.50(5.00, 8.00)years.The hospitalization time, body temperature, total white blood cell count, neutrophil count, C-reactive protein levels, lactate dehydrogenase levels, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, D-dimer (D-D) levels, fibrinogen degradation product levels, pleural effusion and atelectasis rates in the pulmonary embolism group were significantly higher than those in the non-pulmonary embolism group (all P<0.05). Fibrinogen levels in the pulmonary embolism group were significantly lower than those in the non-pulmonary embolism group ( P<0.05). Univariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the D-D level was a risk factor for SMPP patient developing pulmonary embolism.The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that the D-D level had the largest area under the curve for predicting pulmonary embolism of 0.990(95% CI: 0.972-1.000, P<0.001), with a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 92%, and a cut-off value of 4.63 mg/L. Conclusions:SMPP children complicated with pulmonary embolism are prone to high inflammation and impaired coagulation function.The increase of D-D levels is a risk factor for the development of pulmonary embolism in SMPP.

Gut microecology is a complex ecosystem composed of gut microbiota and the host environment. It is a crucial factor for maintaining the host's health because it is closely related to various physiological functions, such as digestion, metabolism and immunity. Therefore, studying the gut microecology is essential for understanding the pathogenesis, prevention and treatment of disease. Recently, with the rapid advancement of molecular biology and bioinformatics technologies, significant progress has been made in the research of the gut microecology. In this review, the important technologies and strategies currently applied in gut microecology research are summarized for reference.

Patients with brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) generally have a poor prognosis. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have significantly improved the prognosis of patients with sensitizing mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene. Combining TKIs with other treatments such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and anti-angiogenic therapy can improve survival of patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC brain metastases. However, more in-depth clinical studies are needed to determine the best combination strategies and to identify which patient groups will benefit the most from these approaches.

Objective:To explore the effect and safety of stereotactic aspiration of necrotic brain tissue for the patients≥61 years with malignant middle cerebral artery infarction (MMI).Methods:A total of 102 MMI patients aged≥61 years were enrolled retrospectively. All patients were subject to conservative medical treatment alone or in addition to stereotactic aspiration of necrotic brain tissue 24-72 hours after symptom onset. Perioperative outcomes and 6-month follow-up outcomes were observed and evaluated.Results:Baseline data characteristics were well balanced between the conservative treat group and aspiration group, except for the prevalence of hypertension. The incidence of early cerebral herniation (9.1% vs. 48.3%, χ2=17.843, P<0.001) and death (13.6% vs. 60.3%, χ2=22.707, P<0.001)in the aspiration group was significantly lower than that in the conservative group, and there was no significant difference in the incidence of cerebral hemorrhage ( P=0.726) and intracranial infection ( P=0.186) between the groups. At 6-month follow-up, compared with the conservative treatment group, the aspiration group had a higher proportion of favorable outcome (mRS 0-3) (38.6% vs. 3.4%, χ2 =20.438, P<0.001) and survival without severe disability (mRS 0-4) (68.2% vs. 22.4%, χ2=21.492, P<0.001). Comparison of clinical characteristics of favorable outcome (mRS 0-3) group and unfavorable (mRS 4-6) group showed that the proportion of patients treated with aspiration was significantly higher than that treated with medical therapy alone (89.5% vs. 10.5%, P<0.001). Multivariate logisitic regression used to adjust the confound factors such as atrial fibrillation, diabetes and smoking, the GCS and the NIHSS score of 24 hours after onset, etc, revealed that the treatment with aspiration was an independent association factor for the ratio of 6-month favorable outcome for the elderly patients with MMI ( OR=126.704, 95% CI: 7.236-2218.610, P<0.001). Conclusions:The stereotactic aspiration of necrotic brain tissue are effective and safe for the elderly patients with MMI.

Gut microecology is a complex ecosystem composed of gut microbiota and the host environment. It is a crucial factor for maintaining the host's health because it is closely related to various physiological functions, such as digestion, metabolism and immunity. Therefore, studying the gut microecology is essential for understanding the pathogenesis, prevention and treatment of disease. Recently, with the rapid advancement of molecular biology and bioinformatics technologies, significant progress has been made in the research of the gut microecology. In this review, the important technologies and strategies currently applied in gut microecology research are summarized for reference.