Objective: To explore glymphatic impairment in pediatric refractory epilepsy (RE) using multi-parameter magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), assess its relationship with white-matter (WM) abnormalities and clinical indicators, and preliminarily evaluate the performance of multi-parameter MRI in discriminating RE from drug-sensitive epilepsy (DSE). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively included 70 patients with DSE (mean age, 9.7 ± 3.5 years; male:female, 37:33) and 26 patients with RE (9.0 ± 2.9 years; male:female, 12:14). The diffusion tensor imaging analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) index as well as fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), and nodal efficiency values were measured and compared between patients with RE and DSE. With sex and age as covariables, differences in the FA and MD values were analyzed using tract-based spatial statistics, and nodal efficiency was analyzed using a linear model. Pearson’s partial correlation was analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the discrimination performance of the MRI-based machine-learning models through five-fold cross-validation. Results: In the RE group, FA decreased and MD increased in comparison with the corresponding values in the DSE group, and these differences mainly involved the callosum, right and left corona radiata, inferior and superior longitudinal fasciculus, and posterior thalamic radiation (threshold-free cluster enhancement, P < 0.05). The RE group also showed reduced nodal efficiency, which mainly involved the limbic system, default mode network, and visual network (false discovery rate, P < 0.05), and significantly lower DTI-ALPS index (F = 2.0, P = 0.049). The DTI-ALPS index was positively correlated with FA (0.25 ≤ r ≤ 0.32) and nodal efficiency (0.22 ≤ r ≤ 0.37), and was negatively correlated with the MD (-0.24 ≤ r≤ -0.34) and seizure frequency (r = -0.47). A machine-learning model combining DTI-ALPS, FA, MD, and nodal efficiency achieved a cross-validated ROC curve area of 0.83 (sensitivity, 78.2%; specificity, 84.8%). Conclusion Pediatric patients with RE showed impaired glymphatic function in comparison with patients with DSE, which was correlated with WM abnormalities and seizure frequency. Multi-parameter MRI may be feasible for distinguishing RE from DSE.

Forensic medicine has been designated as a first-level discipline,presenting new opportunities and challenges for the development of forensic medicine.Since the 1980s,the establishment of foren-sic medicine discipline and the cultivation of high-level forensic talents have become hot topics in the development of forensic medicine in China.Since the 13th Five-Year Plan,the forensic team of Shanxi Medical University has been aiming at the forefront,proposing the development goals of"Five First-class"and the discipline development path"Six Major Achievements".It has selected benchmark disci-plines,identified gaps in disciplinary development,unified thoughts,formulated completion timelines,concentrated superior resources,assigned tasks to individuals,and created an"Organized Fill-in-the-Blank Format"forensic medicine discipline construction model with the characteristics of the new era.The construction model of forensic medicine has achieved good results in the goals,discipline frame-work,scientific research,talent cultivation,discipline team and platform construction,forming a rela-tively complete discipline construction and management system,and accumulating valuable experience for the construction of first-level discipline and high-level talent cultivation of forensic medicine.

Aim To investigate the anti-Zika virus(ZIKV)mechanism of diterpenoid compound 9 from Euphorbia helioscopia in vitro.Methods The cytotox-icity of compound 9 was evaluated using the CCK-8 as-say.A ZIKV-infected Vero cell model was established,and the antiviral activity was assessed through RT-qPCR,plaque assay,Western blot,and immunofluores-cence.Furthermore,the mechanism of action was elu-cidated using multi-cell line validation,nanoparticle tracking analysis,cellular thermal shift assay,and mo-lecular docking.Results In Vero cells,compound 9 exhibited an EC50 of(3.95±0.15)μmol·L-1 and a CC50 of(272.12±8.56)μmol·L-1,demonstrating significantly higher antiviral efficacy than the positive control drug ribavirin(RBV).Its virus inactivation effect was time-dependent and could significantly re-duce viral load and plaque formation.Studies revealed that compound 9 altered the physicochemical properties of ZIKV particles,including reducing surface charge and increasing particle size distribution.Additionally,it significantly enhanced the thermal stability of the prM protein.Molecular docking analysis indicated that compound 9 formed a high-affinity interaction with the prM protein(binding energy:-38.52 kJ·mol-1)and stabilized its structure through hydrophobic interac-tions.Conclusion Compound 9 exerts in vitro anti-ZIKV activity by directly inactivating the virus,disrup-ting viral particle integrity,and targeting the prM pro-tein.

Objective To investigate the expression of arginase Ⅱ(ArgⅡ)in kidney tissue of rats with diabetic nephropathy(DN)and its significance in the development of DN.Methods A total of 10 male SD rats were randomly divided into the control group and the model group,with 5 rats in each group.An rat model of DN was developed by feeding with high-sugar and high-fat diet combined with intra-peritoneal injection of low-dose streptozotocin(45 mg/kg),and they were sacrificed after 11 weeks of continued feeding.The body weight,and biochemical indexes of blood and urine of rats were determined.The right kidney was weighed and histopathological examination was performed.The pathological changes of kidney tissues and protein expression of ArgⅡ and CD68+were observed,and the immunofluores-cence double staining was used to observe the distribution and expression of ArgⅡand a marker of renal macrophage activation CD68+;the protein expression of ArgⅡ,NF-κB,TNF-α and IL-6 in kidney tissues was determined by Western blot.Results Compared with the control group,the ratio of kidney weight to body weight,24-hour urine volume,24-hour urine protein,fasting blood glucose,urea nitrogen and insulin level in the model group were significantly increased(P<0.05).The renal histopathology showed that the mesangial cells of the renal glomerular were necrotic with vascular dilatation,and the renal tubular epithelial cells were steatosis and congestion.Compared with the control group,the protein expression of ArgⅡ,CD68+,NF-κB,TNF-α and IL-6 in the kidney tissues of the model group were significantly increased(P<0.05).Immunofluorescence double staining demonstrated the co-expression of ArgⅡ and CD68+in renal tissue,and the fluorescence intensities of both ArgⅡ and CD68+in the model group were significantly stronger than those in the control group(P<0.01).Conclusion The expression of ArgⅡ is increased in DN,which may be participated in the occurrence of inflammatory lesions in DN.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill (STDP) in treating stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome by exercise duration and metabolic equivalents. METHODS: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial enrolled stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome from 22 hospitals. They were randomized 1:1 to STDP (35 mg/pill, 6 pills per day) or placebo for 56 days. The primary outcome was the exercise duration and metabolic equivalents (METs) assessed by the standard Bruce exercise treadmill test after 56 days of treatment. The secondary outcomes included the total angina symptom score, Chinese medicine (CM) symptom scores, Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) scores, changes in ST-T on electrocardiogram and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: This trial enrolled 309 patients, including 155 and 154 in the STDP and placebo groups, respectively. STDP significantly prolonged exercise duration with an increase of 51.0 s, compared to a decrease of 12.0 s with placebo (change rate: -11.1% vs. 3.2%, P<0.01). The increase in METs was significantly greater in the STDP group than in the placebo group (change: -0.4 vs. 0.0, change rate: -5.0% vs. 0.0%, P<0.01). The improvement of total angina symptom scores (25.0% vs. 0.0%), CM symptom scores (38.7% vs. 11.8%), reduction of nitroglycerin consumption (100.0% vs. 11.3%), and all domains of SAQ, were significantly greater with STDP than placebo (all P<0.01). The changes in Q-T intervals at 28 and 56 days from baseline were similar between the two groups (both P>0.05). Twenty-five participants (16.3%) with STDP and 16 (10.5%) with placebo experienced AEs (P=0.131), with no serious AEs observed. CONCLUSION STDP could improve exercise tolerance in patients with stable angina and phlegm-heat and blood stasis syndrome, with a favorable safety profile. (Registration No. ChiCTR-IPR-15006020).
Humans ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Angina, Stable/physiopathology* ; Aged ; Syndrome ; Treatment Outcome ; Placebos ; Tablets

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Objective: To explore glymphatic impairment in pediatric refractory epilepsy (RE) using multi-parameter magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), assess its relationship with white-matter (WM) abnormalities and clinical indicators, and preliminarily evaluate the performance of multi-parameter MRI in discriminating RE from drug-sensitive epilepsy (DSE). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively included 70 patients with DSE (mean age, 9.7 ± 3.5 years; male:female, 37:33) and 26 patients with RE (9.0 ± 2.9 years; male:female, 12:14). The diffusion tensor imaging analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) index as well as fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), and nodal efficiency values were measured and compared between patients with RE and DSE. With sex and age as covariables, differences in the FA and MD values were analyzed using tract-based spatial statistics, and nodal efficiency was analyzed using a linear model. Pearson’s partial correlation was analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the discrimination performance of the MRI-based machine-learning models through five-fold cross-validation. Results: In the RE group, FA decreased and MD increased in comparison with the corresponding values in the DSE group, and these differences mainly involved the callosum, right and left corona radiata, inferior and superior longitudinal fasciculus, and posterior thalamic radiation (threshold-free cluster enhancement, P < 0.05). The RE group also showed reduced nodal efficiency, which mainly involved the limbic system, default mode network, and visual network (false discovery rate, P < 0.05), and significantly lower DTI-ALPS index (F = 2.0, P = 0.049). The DTI-ALPS index was positively correlated with FA (0.25 ≤ r ≤ 0.32) and nodal efficiency (0.22 ≤ r ≤ 0.37), and was negatively correlated with the MD (-0.24 ≤ r≤ -0.34) and seizure frequency (r = -0.47). A machine-learning model combining DTI-ALPS, FA, MD, and nodal efficiency achieved a cross-validated ROC curve area of 0.83 (sensitivity, 78.2%; specificity, 84.8%). Conclusion Pediatric patients with RE showed impaired glymphatic function in comparison with patients with DSE, which was correlated with WM abnormalities and seizure frequency. Multi-parameter MRI may be feasible for distinguishing RE from DSE.

Objective To explore the relationship between insulin resistance and idiopathic central precocious puberty(ICPP)in girls and the diagnostic value of insulin resistance.Methods Clinical data of 245 girls aged 4 to 7.5 years with low luteinizing hormone(LH)levels(0.2-0.83 IU/L),normal body weight(body mass index standard deviation score between-2 and+2),and early breast development who visited the Department of Pediatric Endocrinology,Henan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital from January 2022 to March 2025 were retrospectively analyzed.According to the Expert Consensus on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Central Precocious Puberty(2022),patients were assigned to an ICPP group(n=123)or a control group(n=122).Correlations between the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR)and selected indices were assessed.Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between HOMA-IR and ICPP,and the diagnostic performance of various indices for ICPP was evaluated.Results HOMA-IR was higher in the ICPP group than in the control group(P<0.001)and was positively correlated with LH peak(rs=0.467,P<0.05)and the LH peak/FSH peak ratio(rs=0.444,P<0.05).The multivariable logistic regression model including age,BMI,and basal LH showed that HOMA-IR was closely associated with ICPP(OR=2.756,95%CI:1.940-3.913).Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the areas under the curve for basal LH,HOMA-IR,and their combination in diagnosing ICPP were 0.735,0.735,and 0.805,respectively(P<0.05),and the combined model had a greater area under the curve than either basal LH or HOMA-IR alone(both P<0.05).Conclusions HOMA-IR is closely associated with ICPP in girls with low LH and normal body weight,and combining HOMA-IR with basal LH improves early identification and diagnostic efficiency in this population.

Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics and trends of postoperative pneumonia(POP)in tertiary general hospitals in Jiangsu Province,and provide theoretical basis for carrying out targeted pre-vention and control measures.Methods Surgery patients from 22 tertiary general hospitals in 12 cities in north,central,and south of Jiangsu Province from January 1,2022 to December 31,2023 were chosen as studied subjects,occurrence of POP was analyzed and compared.Results A total of 848 274 surgical procedures were performed in 22 hospitals,and 3 606 cases of POP occurred,with an incidence of 0.43％.The incidence in 2023 was 0.37％,which was lower than that in 2022(0.49％),with statistically significant difference(P＜0.001).The top three de-partments with high incidence of POP were neurosurgery(6.71％),cardiothoracic surgery(2.91％),and general surgery(0.77％).Among hospitals of different grades,the incidence of POP in tertiary first-class hospitals was 0.44％,which was higher than that in other tertiary hospitals(0.37％).There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of POP between municipal and district/county hospitals(P＞0.05).The incidence of POP in hospitals with a bed:infection control full-time staff ratio＜200∶1 was lower than that in hospitals with the ratio ≥200∶1(0.39％vs 0.47％,P＜0.001),while the incidence of POP in hospitals with a proportion ≥30％of full-time staff being doctors was higher than that in hospitals with a proportion＜30％(0.45％vs 0.36％,P＜0.001).The incidence of POP in male patients was higher than that in female patients(0.62％vs 0.26％,P＜0.001).The incidence of POP in elderly patients aged≥65 was higher than that in patients aged＜65(0.73％vs 0.26％,P＜0.001).A total of 2 667 strains of infectious pathogens were detected,with the top three being Acine-tobacter baumannii,Klebsiella pneumoniae,and Pseudomonas aeruginosa,accounting for 28.95％,22.72％,and 15.45％,respectively.The detection rates of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii(CRAB),carba-penem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae(CRKP),and carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa(CRPA)were 60.75％,21.45％,and 32.28％,respectively.The detection rate of CRKP decreased in 2023 compared with 2022,with statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).Conclusion The overall incidence of POP in tertiary general hos-pitals in Jiangsu Province is relatively low,but there are significant differences among different hospitals.There-fore,perioperative prevention and control measures should be carried out based on the epidemiological characteristics of patients.