This study investigated the role of the nuclear factor of activated T cells c3 (NFATc3) in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) during aortic aneurysm and dissection (AAD) progression and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Cytoplasmic and nuclear NFATc3 levels were elevated in human and mouse AAD. VSMC-NFATc3 deletion reduced thoracic AAD (TAAD) and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) progression in mice, contrary to VSMC-NFATc3 overexpression. VSMC-NFATc3 deletion reduced extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation and maintained the VSMC contractile phenotype. Nuclear NFATc3 targeted and transcriptionally upregulated matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) and MMP2, promoting ECM degradation and AAD development. NFATc3 promoted VSMC phenotypic switching by binding to eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2) and inhibiting its phosphorylation in the VSMC cytoplasm. Restoring eEF2 reversed the beneficial effects in VSMC-specific NFATc3-knockout mice. Cabamiquine-targets eEF2 and inhibits protein synthesis-inhibited AAD development and progression in VSMC-NFATc3-overexpressing mice. VSMC-NFATc3 promoted VSMC switch and ECM degradation while exacerbating AAD development, making it a novel potential therapeutic target for preventing and treating AAD.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is intricately linked to the most severe clinical manifestations of brain damage. It encompasses dynamic pathological mechanisms, including hemodynamic disorders, excitotoxic injury, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, and neuronal death. This review provides a comprehensive analysis and summary of biomaterial-based tissue engineering scaffolds and nano-drug delivery systems. As an example of functionalized biomaterials, nano-drug delivery systems alter the pharmacokinetic properties of drugs. They provide multiple targeting strategies relying on factors such as morphology and scale, magnetic fields, pH, photosensitivity, and enzymes to facilitate the transport of therapeutics across the blood-brain barrier and to promote selective accumulation at the injury site. Furthermore, therapeutic agents can be incorporated into bioscaffolds to interact with the biochemical and biophysical environment of the brain. Bioscaffolds can mimic the extracellular matrix environment, regulate cellular interactions, and increase the effectiveness of local treatments following surgical interventions. Additionally, stem cell-based and exosome-dominated extracellular vesicle carriers exhibit high bioreactivity and low immunogenicity and can be used to design therapeutic agents with high bioactivity. This review also examines the utilization of endogenous bioactive materials in the treatment of TBI.

Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia are two types of parasites that can cause intestinal infections in humans. Patients can be transmitted through the ingestion of food and drinking water contaminated with cysts, and present symptoms such as abdominal pain and diarrhea after infection. If Entamoeba histolytica infection is not actively and effectively treated, patients may also present with clinical manifestations such as purulent and bloody stools and colonic ulcers. This study reports a diarrhea case with concurrent infection of Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia. During the diagnostic process, the parasites were rapidly detected using the direct saline smear method. Subsequently, iodine staining and iron hematoxylin staining techniques were employed to meticulously observe the internal structures and morphological features of the parasites under a microscope, enabling successful identification of the parasite species. The diagnostic process in this case suggests that laboratory personnel should further enhance their ability to recognize the morphological characteristics of cysts and trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia, providing an effective basis for the clinical differential diagnosis between Entamoeba histolytica infection and ulcerative colitis.

Objective: To analyze serological and molecular characteristics of asymptomatic HBV infection in HBV surface antigen positive (HBsAg+) blood donors from Dalian. Methods: The prevalence of HBsAg was analyzed among blood donors in Dalian between 2013 and 2022. Randomly selected HBsAg+ blood samples were subjected to HBV serological testing, HBV viral DNA quantification, and HBV genotyping. Results: Over this ten-year period, the prevalence of HBsAg decreased from 1.25% to 0.50% among blood donors in Dalian. Donors who tested positive for HBsAg prior to donation using a rapid test (RT) accounted for 92.5% of all HBsAg+ donors identified. A total of 240 confirmed HBsAg+ blood donors were randomly selected, including 125 donors with positive results and 115 with negative results in the pre-donation rapid test. HBsAg+ donors were mainly males (71.2%), with a median age of 42, and 97.5% of them being first-time donors. Based on HBV serological profiles, three stages of infection were identified: early infection (2.9%), suspected acute hepatitis (0.8%), and chronic infection (96.3%). The dominant HBV genotypes were C (68.9%) and B (28.4%). Among chronic HBV infection individuals, donors infected with HBV genotype B were older than those infected with genotype C (median age: 45y vs 38.5y, P<0.05). Additionally, they showed significantly lower HBsAg levels with a narrower distribution range than those infected with genotype C [median: 23.2 IU/mL (range: <0.05-7 910 IU/mL) vs 968 IU/mL (range: <0.05-3.4×10 ), P<0.05]. However, no significant difference was observed in the HBV DNA loads between these two genotypes (P>0.05). Conclusion: Between 2013 and 2022, the prevalence of HBsAg among blood donors in Dalian showed a year-over-year decline. Chronic infection was predominant among HBsAg+ first-time blood donors. The characteristics of chronic infection in blood donors differed significantly depending on the viral genotype, manifesting as differences in age of infected individuals and HBsAg level distribution.

Objective:To construct a prediction model for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in mechanically ventilated preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and to test its clinical effect.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 740 preterm infants admitted to the NICU for mechanical ventilation from July 2018 to June 2023 were retrospectively selected as the study subjects, and were divided into the modeling set (518 cases) and the validation set (222 cases) according to the ratio of 7∶3 using the computer-generated random number method. The modeling set was divided into the VAP group (181 cases) and the non-VAP group (337 cases) according to whether VAP occured, and 21 clinical characteristics were analyzed, using single factor difference analysis to screen predictive factors, the independent risk factors of VAP in mechanically ventilated preterm infants were determined by multivariate Logistic regression analysis, and the nomogram model was made by R software. Then, the nomogram model was tested by validating the data of the validation set. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test, calibration curve and clinical decision curve were used to evaluate the efficacy and practical value of the model.Results:There were 88 males and 93 females in the VAP group, with 156 cases of gestational age<34 weeks and 25 cases of gestational age≥34 weeks. There were 155 males and 182 females in the non-VAP group, with 196 cases of gestational age<34 weeks and 141 cases of gestational age≥34 weeks. Birth weight ( OR=0.114, 95% CI 0.044-0.268, P<0.05) and oral care of breast milk ( OR=0.124, 95% CI 0.0.057-0.249, P<0.05) were protective factors for VAP in mechanically ventilated preterm infants, and Apgar score at 5 min after birth ( OR=2.895, 95% CI 1.318-6.419, P<0.05), serum prealbumin at 72 h of mechanical ventilation ( OR=4.837, 95% CI 2.643-9.063, P<0.05), gastric contents reflux ( OR=6.754, 95% CI 3.156-15.240, P<0.05), and time of mechanical ventilation ( OR=7.784, 95% CI 3.491-18.160, P<0.05) were independent risk factors for VAP in mechanically ventilated preterm infants. The area under the curve (AUC) of the ROC curve of the modeling set was 0.929 (95% CI 0.907-0.950, P<0.01), and the validation set (AUC) was 0.917 (95% CI 0.882-0.952, P<0.01), the model has good discrimination. The C indices of the modeling set and the validation set were 0.93 and 0.92 respectively by sampling 500 times by the Bootstrap method, indicating that the model had good consistency, and the decision curve suggested that the prediction model was far from the extreme curve and the net return value was high, indicating that the nomogram prediction model constructed this time had high prediction value. Conclusions:Birth weight, Apgar score at 5 min after birth, time of mechanical ventilation, oral care of breast milk, serum prealbumin at 72 h of mechanical ventilation, and gastric contents reflux are independent influencing factors for VAP in mechanically ventilated preterm infants. The nomogram prediction model constructed can provide a visual and simple evaluation tool for early identification of high-risk children and reducing the occurrence of VAP.

Objective To explore the relationship between the triglyceride-glucose(TyG)index,residual cholesterol(RC)and dia-betic nephropathy(T2DM).Methods A total of 410 patients with T2DM were consecutively selected from the Endocrinology Depart-ment of Jiangsu Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital from March 2022 to March 2023.The patients were stratified into three groups based on their morning urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio(UACR):269 patients were in simple diabetes mellitus(SDM)group,80 in early diabetic nephropathy(EDN)group and 61 in clinical diabetic nephropathy(CDN)group.Comparative an-alyses were conducted on the three groups in terms of gender,age,past medical history,body mass index(BMI),systolic blood pres-sure(SBP),diastolic blood pressure(DBP),fasting blood glucose(FBG),Urea,creatinine(Cr),urinary albumin(UA)total cholesterol(TC),triglycerides(TG),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C).Additionally,TyG index and RC were calculated.Spearman analysis was employed to evaluate the correlation between UACR and these various parameters.Binary Logistic regression was utilized to identify independent risk factors for diabetic nephropathy(DN).The diagnostic performances of Urea,Cr,TyG index and RC for type 2 diabetic nephropathy were assessed using receiver operating charac-teristic(ROC)curve analyses.Results Compared with SDM group,diabetes duration,SBP,Urea,UA,TG,TC,TyG index and RC showed significant increases in EDN group with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05),and diabetes duration,SBP,DBP,Urea,Cr,UA,TG,TC,LDL-C,TyG index and RC in CDN group also exhibited significant increases,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).Spearman rank correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between RC and UACR(r=0.278,P＜0.001),a positive correlation between TyG index and UACR(r=0.239,P＜0.001)and a positive correlation between RC and TyG in-dex(r=0.562,P＜0.001).Binary logistic regression analysis showed that diabetes duration,SBP,Urea,Cr,TyG index(OR=2.815,95％CI:1.481-5.349,P=0.002),and RC(OR=2.179,95％CI:1.038-4.574,P=0.04)were independent risk factors for DN.The area under the ROC curve(AUCROC)for RC predicting DN occurrence was 0.670(95％CI:0.616-0.725),while the AUCROC for the TyG index was 0.620(95％CI:0.564-0.676).Conclusion TyG index and RC were significantly correlated with the development of DN in the patients with T2DM,which may early facilitate clinical identification and management for the patients in the risk ofr diabetic kidney disease.

Pathogenesis and treatment methods of qi-ying fen transformation in warm diseases are explored.It is believed that warm diseases are caused by yang pathogenic factors and are most likely to damage the organs and body fluids.Body fluids,as important components of human body's healthy qi,are usually present in the lungs as lung fluids,in the stomach as stomach fluids,in the intes-tines as intestinal fluids,and in blood vessels as nutrient yin.During the transformation from qi fen syndrome to ying fen syndrome,vis-ceral parenchymal damage acts as its important pathological mechanism and fluid depletion in blood vessels is an important reason for exacerbating qi-ying fen transformation.Excessive fire-toxicity,as an initial factor,promotes qi-ying fen transformation.Fluid deple-tion is the pathological basis for exacerbating qi-ying fen transformation.Clearing heat and protecting fluids,with sweet-flavored and cold-natured drugs to generate fluids,salty-flavored and cold-natured drugs to clear heat,and combination of sweet-flavored and bit-ter-flavored drugs,is an inevitable treatment method for preventing and treating qi-ying fen transformation in warm diseases,and it al-so has important clinical guidance value for internal miscellaneous diseases and acute severe cases.

Objective To study the distribution and trend of HIV-1 drug resistance mutation in Dalian blood donors be-tween 2011 and 2020.Methods The protease-reverse transcriptase(PR-RT)region was sequenced in Dalian blood donors tested HIV-1 positive between 2011 and 2020.Drug resistance mutation(DRM)rate and level of resistance to selected drugs were analyzed by the Stanford HIV Drug Resistance Database.Results DRM were detected in 17.2%(30/174)of samples,while transmitted drug resistance(TDR)was5.7%(10/174).Between2011 and2020,DRM and TDR rates in-creased significantly in 2019 and reached their highest levels in 2020(44.4%and 22.2%,respectively).DRM carriage was associated with people with college degree or above and with local residents(P<0.05).NNRTI DRMs were the most fre-quently detected(12.6%,22/174),followed by PIs(5.7%,10/174),with V179D/E/T and M46I being the main DRMs detected.Only one HIV-1strain(0.57%,1/174)carried a NRTI DRM(L74I).The overall rate of predicted high level re-sistance to antiretroviral drugs was 6.9%(12/174),with the highest proportion of NNRTI resistance(83.3%,10/12).Two samples were classified as highly resistant to EFV and NVP,accounting for 1.1%(2/174).CRF55_01B strains showed a significantly higher DRM rate than strains of other HIV-1 genotypes(P<0.05).Conclusion Between 2011 and 2020,the rate of HIV-1 DRMs in blood donors in Dalian showed a significant upward trend,particularly in 2019-2020,with NNRTI resistance being the most common.The combination of DRMs detection before and after implementation of ART un-der the latest national ART treatment plan would improve the effectiveness of HIV-1 prevention and control locally.

OBJECTIVE To observe the efficacy of cetrorelix combined with aspirin in preventing early-onset ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome （OHSS）. METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data from 38 early-onset OHSS patients， who received treatment in our hospital from January 1st to July 1st， 2022. These patients were divided into intervention group （19 cases） and control group （19 cases） according to the therapy regimen. On the first day after oocyte retrieval surgery， the control group was given aspirin enteric-coated tablets 100 mg orally until menstruation began. The intervention group was given cetrorelix for injection 0.25 mg subcutaneously， for consecutive 3 days+aspirin enteric-coated tablets （same usage and dosage as the control group）. The first luteal phase， the degree of OHSS， and the ovarian volume， ascites volume， serum estradiol （E2）， white blood cell count （WBC）， hematocrit （HCT）， neutrophil ratio （NEUT%）， D-dimer （DD）， prothrombin time （PT）， fibrinogen （Fib） after oocyte retrieval surgery were observed and measured in 2 groups. RESULTS The first luteal phase was significantly shorter， and the proportions of median and severe OHSS cases were significantly lower in the intervention group compared to the control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. After oocyte retrieval surgery， the intervention group showed significantly lower ovarian volume， ascites volume， serum E2， WBC， NEUT%， HCT， DD and Fib compared to the control group， but PT of intervention group was signiticantly higher than that of control group （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Cetrorelix combined with aspirin is more effective in preventing early-onset OHSS than aspirin alone.

Sensory dysfunction is a common clinical problem for children with cerebral palsy.Proprioception plays a key role in maintaining postural adjustment and balance coordination, so proprioceptive assessment is of great significance for further rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy.At present, proprioception assessment is mainly used in adults such as stroke and joint injury, but there is still a lack of research in children, especially in children with cerebral palsy.Therefore, this paper aims to review the evaluation of proprioception of children with cerebral palsy at home and abroad.