Objective:To develop and validate a clinical warning model for severe pediatric community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) using electronic health records.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted, analyzing clinical data of 15 750 children hospitalized for CAP at Wuhan Children′s Hospital between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2023. Patient data were randomly split into training and testing sets at a 7∶3 ratio. Six supervised machine learning models were constructed in the training set, optimized using five-fold cross-validation, and evaluated in the testing set. Model performance was assessed using ROC-AUC, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, calibration curves, and clinical decision curve analysis at optimal thresholds. The best-performing model was selected, and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) were used to interpret feature importance. A program interface was developed based on the model results, enabling integration into clinical decision support systems for automated early warning.Results:A total of 15 750 participants, ranging in age from 28 days to 18 years, were included in the study. The median age was 2 years [interquartile range (IQR): 0-4 years], with 9 555 males (60.67%) and 6 195 females (39.33%). Among them, 2 211 (14.04%) developed severe pneumonia. In the prediction models, XGB outperformed other models with an ROC-AUC of 0.884 (95% CI: 0.870-0.898), sensitivity (0.803, 95% CI: 0.772-0.832), specificity (0.828, 95% CI: 0.816-0.839). Calibration analysis showed strong agreement between predicted and observed risks (Brier score: 0.081, 95% CI: 0.075-0.086). The analysis based on the SHAP method revealed that respiratory rate, heart rate, T-lymphocyte subsets, and red blood cell volume distribution width-SD are predictive factors for severe progression of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children. Conclusion:An interpretable machine learning model was developed for the early detection and personalized treatment planning of severe CAP in children, providing valuable support to clinicians.

By reviewing modern research and integrating clinical practice， this paper elucidates the correlation between the traditional Chinese medicine theory of pathological accumulation from collateral obstruction and gap junction intercellular communication （GJIC）， as well as its theoretical connotation and clinical application in tumor prevention and treatment. Physiologically， gap junction and collateral channels share similarities in structural distribution， substance exchange and information transmission. Pathologically， metabolic coupling mediated by dysfunctional gap junction resembles collaterals stagnation， forming the basis of tumor pathogenesis. The establishment of heterotypic gap junction parallels collateral hyperactivity， contributing to tumor metastasis. The post-translational modifications （PTMs） disorder of connexins is similar to the deficiency of collaterals， serving as a driver of tumor progression. Clinically， tumor treatment should follow the pathomechanism of collateral obstruction leading to pathological accumulation. In the early stage， detoxifying and unblocking collaterals can restore intercellular communication and inhibit tumorigenesis； in the progressive stage， calming hyperactivity and suppressing aberrant collateral pathways can prevent metastasis by interrupting heterotypic gap junction formation； and in the terminal stage， supporting vital qi and modulating PTMs of connexins can help delay tumor progression.

Objective To understand the current situation of healthcare-associated infection(HAI)in China,pro-vide data support and decision-making basis for formulating scientific and effective strategies for HAI prevention and control.Methods A nationwide cross-sectional survey on HAI was conducted among various types and levels of medical institutions in China according to a unified protocol of bedside surveys and case investigations.Results In 2024,a total of 5 736 medical institutions and 2 751 765 patients were surveyed.Among them,34 889 HAI cases were identified,with a prevalence rate of 1.27％.The number of HAI episodes was 38 032,and case prevalence rate was 1.38％.The prevalence rate of HAI in medical institutions in different regions of China ranged from 0.66％to 2.35％.Among medical institutions of different scales,those with a bed capacity of ≥900 had the high-est incidence of HAI,reaching 1.65％.The most common infection site was the lower respiratory tract(44.66％),followed by the urinary tract(12.94％),surgical site(9.32％),upper respiratory tract(7.02％),and bloodstream infection(5.78％).The top 3 departments with the highest HAI rates were the general intensive care unit(10.02％),department of neurosurgery(5.51％),and department(group)of hematology(5.34％).A total of 23 238 strains of HAI pathogens were detected,with 10 714 strains(46.10％)from lower respiratory tract speci-mens.The top 5 detected strains were Klebsiella pneumoniae(14.76％),Pseudomonas aeruginosa(13.33％),Escherichia coli(12.79％),Acinetobacter baumannii(9.23％),and Staphylococcus aureus(7.88％).231 944 pa-tients underwent class Ⅰ incision surgery were monitored,with 1 647 cases experienced surgical site infection,and the prevalence rate of surgical site infection was 0.71％.The number of patients who should undergo pathogen de-tection(patients receiving therapeutic and therapeutic combined prophylactic antimicrobial agents)was 715 179,while the actual number was 480 492,with a pathogen detection rate of 67.18％.425 225 patients received patho-genic detection before treatment,with a detection rate of 59.46％.Conclusion The overall HAI prevalence in Chi-na is lower,showing disparities among medical institutions of different regions and scales.Therefore,precise imple-mentation of measures is necessary for HAI prevention and control,with a focus on high-risk institutions and high-risk departments,key areas,and critical procedures.All levels of medical institutions should continuously reduce the incidence of HAI by strengthening monitoring,standardizing the use of antimicrobial agents,and reinforcing basic HAI prevention and control measures.

Objective To explore the effect of curcumin(CUR)on oxidative damage of keratinocytes induced by ultraviolet B(UVB)irradiation through Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)/nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB)/nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 3(NLRP3)signaling pathway.Methods Human keratinocytes of HaCaT were cultured normally in vitro,and the keratinocyte oxidative damage model was established by the irradiation of 57 mJ/cm2 UVB.The cells with normal culture were as the control group,the cells treated after modeling were as the UVB group,the cells treated with 5 μmol/L CUR after modeling were as the CUR group,the cells treated with 100 μg/L TLR4 inhibitor of TAK-242 after modeling were as the TAK-242 group,and the cells treated with 5 μmol/L CUR and 100 nmol/L TLR4 activator of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)were as the CUR+LPS group.qRT-PCR was applied to detect the relative expression levels of TLR4,NF-κB,and NLRP3 mRNAs of cells in each group.CCK-8 was applied to detect the cell proliferation in each group.The relative content of reactive oxygen species(ROS),the viabilities of superoxide dismutase(SOD)and catalase(CAT),and the concentrations of glutathione(MDA)and glutathione(GSH)of cells in each group were detected by fluorescence assay according to the kit instruction.ELISA kit was used to detect the expression of inflammatory factors of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and interleukin-1β(IL-1β)of cells in each group.Flow cytometry was applied to detect the cell apoptosis in each group.Western blot was applied to detect the expression of proliferation related protein of proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA),apoptosis related proteins[B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2)and Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax)],and TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway related proteins(TLR4,NF-κB and NLRP3)of cells in each group.Results Compared with the Control group,the cell survival rate,the expression levels of PCNA and Bcl-2 proteins,the viabilities of SOD and CAT,and the GSH concentration in the UVB group decreased,while the apoptosis rate,the level of Bax protein,the relative content of ROS,the concentration of MDA,the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β,and the mRNA and protein levels of TLR4,NF-κB and NLRP3 increased(P<0.05).Compared with the UVB group,the cell survival rate,the expression levels of PCNA and Bcl-2 proteins,the viabilities of SOD and CAT,and the GSH concentration in the TAK-242 group and CUR group increased,while the apoptosis rate,the level of Bax protein,the relative content of ROS,the concentration of MDA,the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β,and the mRNA and protein levels of TLR4,NF-κB and NLRP3 decreased(P<0.05).Compared with the CUR group,the cell survival rate,the expression levels of PCNA and Bcl-2 proteins,the viabilities of SOD and CAT,and the GSH concentration in the CUR+LPS group decreased,while the apoptosis rate,the level of Bax protein,the relative content of ROS,the concentration of MDA,the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β,and the mRNA and protein levels of TLR4,NF-κB and NLRP3 increased(P<0.05).Conclusion CUR can increase the antioxidant stress level of keratinocytes,alleviate inflammatory response,promote cell proliferation,and improve cell damage caused by UVB irradiation,which may be related to the inhibition of TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway.

Objective:To investigate the effects of smoking cessation on lung function improvement in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the related mechanisms.Methods:A case-control study was conducted involving 184 patients with COPD admitted to the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at Lishui Central Hospital from January 2022 to May 2023. Based on smoking behavior following 6-month smoking cessation intervention, the patients were categorized into three groups: 56 patients who continued to smoke (control group), 63 patients who completely quit smoking (observation group), and the remaining 65 patients who were partial quitters. Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV 1), and peak expiratory flow rate were monitored before and after the intervention in both the control and observation groups. Additionally, serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor alpha, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase were measured. Western blotting was performed to detect the protein levels of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), serine/threonine kinase (Akt), Forkhead box protein O1 (FoxO1), IL-6, IL-1β, NF-κB, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, and heme oxygenase-1 in peripheral blood cells. FoxO1 chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing was performed to analyze FoxO1-bound chromatin. Results:After smoking cessation intervention, the FEV 1, FVC, FEV 1/FVC ratio, and peak expiratory flow rate in the observation group were (1.29 ± 0.32) L, (1.96 ± 0.36) L, (71.81 ± 8.57)%, and (2.58 ± 0.72) L/s, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the control group [(1.10 ± 0.37) L, (1.72 ± 0.34) L, (63.17 ± 8.82)%, (2.20 ± 0.71) L/s, t = -3.00, -3.73, -5.42, -2.89, all P < 0.01]. The serum levels of IL-6, NF-κB, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor alpha in the observation group were (21.67 ± 3.25) ng/L, (19.58 ± 4.02) ng/L, (24.30 ± 4.03) ng/L, and (270.14 ± 32.49) ng/L, respectively, which were significantly lower than those in the control group [(39.18 ± 4.34) ng/L, (35.48 ± 4.17) ng/L, (34.42 ± 4.05) ng/L, (445.04 ± 39.12) ng/L, t = 25.08, 21.16, 13.64, 26.63, all P < 0.001]. Additionally, the serum malondialdehyde level in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group ( t = 29.08, P < 0.001). In contrast, the levels of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group ( t = -9.21, -9.59, both P < 0.001). The phosphorylation levels of PI3K, Akt, and FoxO1 in peripheral blood cells were significantly lower in the observation group compared with the control group ( t = 6.64, 9.35, 7.12, all P < 0.001). FoxO1 bound to genes involved in inflammation and oxidative stress signaling pathways. The levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 and heme oxygenase-1 in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group ( t = -4.97, -10.49, both P < 0.05). Conclusions:Smoking cessation intervention can inhibit PI3K/Akt phosphorylation in patients with COPD, and then activate FoxO1, exert anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, and inhibit the deterioration of lung function in patients with COPD who smoke.

Objective:To develop and validate a clinical warning model for severe pediatric community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) using electronic health records.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted, analyzing clinical data of 15 750 children hospitalized for CAP at Wuhan Children′s Hospital between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2023. Patient data were randomly split into training and testing sets at a 7∶3 ratio. Six supervised machine learning models were constructed in the training set, optimized using five-fold cross-validation, and evaluated in the testing set. Model performance was assessed using ROC-AUC, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, calibration curves, and clinical decision curve analysis at optimal thresholds. The best-performing model was selected, and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) were used to interpret feature importance. A program interface was developed based on the model results, enabling integration into clinical decision support systems for automated early warning.Results:A total of 15 750 participants, ranging in age from 28 days to 18 years, were included in the study. The median age was 2 years [interquartile range (IQR): 0-4 years], with 9 555 males (60.67%) and 6 195 females (39.33%). Among them, 2 211 (14.04%) developed severe pneumonia. In the prediction models, XGB outperformed other models with an ROC-AUC of 0.884 (95% CI: 0.870-0.898), sensitivity (0.803, 95% CI: 0.772-0.832), specificity (0.828, 95% CI: 0.816-0.839). Calibration analysis showed strong agreement between predicted and observed risks (Brier score: 0.081, 95% CI: 0.075-0.086). The analysis based on the SHAP method revealed that respiratory rate, heart rate, T-lymphocyte subsets, and red blood cell volume distribution width-SD are predictive factors for severe progression of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children. Conclusion:An interpretable machine learning model was developed for the early detection and personalized treatment planning of severe CAP in children, providing valuable support to clinicians.

Objective To understand the current situation of healthcare-associated infection(HAI)in China,pro-vide data support and decision-making basis for formulating scientific and effective strategies for HAI prevention and control.Methods A nationwide cross-sectional survey on HAI was conducted among various types and levels of medical institutions in China according to a unified protocol of bedside surveys and case investigations.Results In 2024,a total of 5 736 medical institutions and 2 751 765 patients were surveyed.Among them,34 889 HAI cases were identified,with a prevalence rate of 1.27％.The number of HAI episodes was 38 032,and case prevalence rate was 1.38％.The prevalence rate of HAI in medical institutions in different regions of China ranged from 0.66％to 2.35％.Among medical institutions of different scales,those with a bed capacity of ≥900 had the high-est incidence of HAI,reaching 1.65％.The most common infection site was the lower respiratory tract(44.66％),followed by the urinary tract(12.94％),surgical site(9.32％),upper respiratory tract(7.02％),and bloodstream infection(5.78％).The top 3 departments with the highest HAI rates were the general intensive care unit(10.02％),department of neurosurgery(5.51％),and department(group)of hematology(5.34％).A total of 23 238 strains of HAI pathogens were detected,with 10 714 strains(46.10％)from lower respiratory tract speci-mens.The top 5 detected strains were Klebsiella pneumoniae(14.76％),Pseudomonas aeruginosa(13.33％),Escherichia coli(12.79％),Acinetobacter baumannii(9.23％),and Staphylococcus aureus(7.88％).231 944 pa-tients underwent class Ⅰ incision surgery were monitored,with 1 647 cases experienced surgical site infection,and the prevalence rate of surgical site infection was 0.71％.The number of patients who should undergo pathogen de-tection(patients receiving therapeutic and therapeutic combined prophylactic antimicrobial agents)was 715 179,while the actual number was 480 492,with a pathogen detection rate of 67.18％.425 225 patients received patho-genic detection before treatment,with a detection rate of 59.46％.Conclusion The overall HAI prevalence in Chi-na is lower,showing disparities among medical institutions of different regions and scales.Therefore,precise imple-mentation of measures is necessary for HAI prevention and control,with a focus on high-risk institutions and high-risk departments,key areas,and critical procedures.All levels of medical institutions should continuously reduce the incidence of HAI by strengthening monitoring,standardizing the use of antimicrobial agents,and reinforcing basic HAI prevention and control measures.

Objective To explore the effect of curcumin(CUR)on oxidative damage of keratinocytes induced by ultraviolet B(UVB)irradiation through Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)/nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB)/nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 3(NLRP3)signaling pathway.Methods Human keratinocytes of HaCaT were cultured normally in vitro,and the keratinocyte oxidative damage model was established by the irradiation of 57 mJ/cm2 UVB.The cells with normal culture were as the control group,the cells treated after modeling were as the UVB group,the cells treated with 5 μmol/L CUR after modeling were as the CUR group,the cells treated with 100 μg/L TLR4 inhibitor of TAK-242 after modeling were as the TAK-242 group,and the cells treated with 5 μmol/L CUR and 100 nmol/L TLR4 activator of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)were as the CUR+LPS group.qRT-PCR was applied to detect the relative expression levels of TLR4,NF-κB,and NLRP3 mRNAs of cells in each group.CCK-8 was applied to detect the cell proliferation in each group.The relative content of reactive oxygen species(ROS),the viabilities of superoxide dismutase(SOD)and catalase(CAT),and the concentrations of glutathione(MDA)and glutathione(GSH)of cells in each group were detected by fluorescence assay according to the kit instruction.ELISA kit was used to detect the expression of inflammatory factors of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and interleukin-1β(IL-1β)of cells in each group.Flow cytometry was applied to detect the cell apoptosis in each group.Western blot was applied to detect the expression of proliferation related protein of proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA),apoptosis related proteins[B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2)and Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax)],and TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway related proteins(TLR4,NF-κB and NLRP3)of cells in each group.Results Compared with the Control group,the cell survival rate,the expression levels of PCNA and Bcl-2 proteins,the viabilities of SOD and CAT,and the GSH concentration in the UVB group decreased,while the apoptosis rate,the level of Bax protein,the relative content of ROS,the concentration of MDA,the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β,and the mRNA and protein levels of TLR4,NF-κB and NLRP3 increased(P<0.05).Compared with the UVB group,the cell survival rate,the expression levels of PCNA and Bcl-2 proteins,the viabilities of SOD and CAT,and the GSH concentration in the TAK-242 group and CUR group increased,while the apoptosis rate,the level of Bax protein,the relative content of ROS,the concentration of MDA,the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β,and the mRNA and protein levels of TLR4,NF-κB and NLRP3 decreased(P<0.05).Compared with the CUR group,the cell survival rate,the expression levels of PCNA and Bcl-2 proteins,the viabilities of SOD and CAT,and the GSH concentration in the CUR+LPS group decreased,while the apoptosis rate,the level of Bax protein,the relative content of ROS,the concentration of MDA,the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β,and the mRNA and protein levels of TLR4,NF-κB and NLRP3 increased(P<0.05).Conclusion CUR can increase the antioxidant stress level of keratinocytes,alleviate inflammatory response,promote cell proliferation,and improve cell damage caused by UVB irradiation,which may be related to the inhibition of TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway.

Objective:To investigate the effects of smoking cessation on lung function improvement in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the related mechanisms.Methods:A case-control study was conducted involving 184 patients with COPD admitted to the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at Lishui Central Hospital from January 2022 to May 2023. Based on smoking behavior following 6-month smoking cessation intervention, the patients were categorized into three groups: 56 patients who continued to smoke (control group), 63 patients who completely quit smoking (observation group), and the remaining 65 patients who were partial quitters. Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV 1), and peak expiratory flow rate were monitored before and after the intervention in both the control and observation groups. Additionally, serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor alpha, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase were measured. Western blotting was performed to detect the protein levels of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), serine/threonine kinase (Akt), Forkhead box protein O1 (FoxO1), IL-6, IL-1β, NF-κB, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, and heme oxygenase-1 in peripheral blood cells. FoxO1 chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing was performed to analyze FoxO1-bound chromatin. Results:After smoking cessation intervention, the FEV 1, FVC, FEV 1/FVC ratio, and peak expiratory flow rate in the observation group were (1.29 ± 0.32) L, (1.96 ± 0.36) L, (71.81 ± 8.57)%, and (2.58 ± 0.72) L/s, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the control group [(1.10 ± 0.37) L, (1.72 ± 0.34) L, (63.17 ± 8.82)%, (2.20 ± 0.71) L/s, t = -3.00, -3.73, -5.42, -2.89, all P < 0.01]. The serum levels of IL-6, NF-κB, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor alpha in the observation group were (21.67 ± 3.25) ng/L, (19.58 ± 4.02) ng/L, (24.30 ± 4.03) ng/L, and (270.14 ± 32.49) ng/L, respectively, which were significantly lower than those in the control group [(39.18 ± 4.34) ng/L, (35.48 ± 4.17) ng/L, (34.42 ± 4.05) ng/L, (445.04 ± 39.12) ng/L, t = 25.08, 21.16, 13.64, 26.63, all P < 0.001]. Additionally, the serum malondialdehyde level in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group ( t = 29.08, P < 0.001). In contrast, the levels of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group ( t = -9.21, -9.59, both P < 0.001). The phosphorylation levels of PI3K, Akt, and FoxO1 in peripheral blood cells were significantly lower in the observation group compared with the control group ( t = 6.64, 9.35, 7.12, all P < 0.001). FoxO1 bound to genes involved in inflammation and oxidative stress signaling pathways. The levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 and heme oxygenase-1 in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group ( t = -4.97, -10.49, both P < 0.05). Conclusions:Smoking cessation intervention can inhibit PI3K/Akt phosphorylation in patients with COPD, and then activate FoxO1, exert anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, and inhibit the deterioration of lung function in patients with COPD who smoke.