Objective To analyze the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of scrub typhus in Liuyang People's Hospital Hunan Province for better diagnosis,treatment,prevention and control of scrub typhus.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 159 confirmed cases of scrub typhus.The demographic data of patients,clinical manifestations of scrub typhus,laboratory tests,and chest CT findings,complications,treatment,and outcomes were analyzed.Results The 159 patients with scrub typhus included 142 males and 17 females.The average age of patients was(53.8±11.9)(18-82)years old.The peak incidence of scrub typhus was in the period from July to September(87.42％).The common clinical manifestations included fever(97.48％),headache(41.51％),and fatigue(23.90％).The most common signs were eschar(92.45％)on the lower limbs(25.16％),scrotum(15.72％),and buttocks(11.32％).Laboratory test results upon admission showed decreased platelet count(64.15％),elevated creatinine(38.36％),elevated AST(90.57％),ALT(80.50％),and LDH(90.57％).Pulmonary imaging study revealed pulmonary inflammation(22.64％),pleural effusion(13.21％),and pericardial effusion(6.29％).The common complications included liver impairment(69.81％)and decreased platelet count(50.94％),as well as other complications such as renal dysfunction,myocardial injury,sepsis,respiratory failure,and disseminated intravascular coagulation(DIC).Doxycycline-based therapies resulted in cure rate of 98.11％(156/159).Three patients died due to severe complications.Conclusions The peak incidence of scrub typhus was in the period from July to September in Hunan Province.Eschar is a key feature for clinical diagnosis.Scrub typhus can affect multiple organ systems,leading to various systemic complications.The cure rate is high with doxycycline treatment,but some patients may die from severe complications due to delayed medical treatment.

Objective To analyze the monitoring of healthcare-associated infection(HAI)in the intensive care unit(ICU)over the past 12 years based on Joinpoint regression model,and evaluate the trend changes and relevant fac-tors of HAI incidence.Methods ICU patients in a tertiary first-class hospital from January 2012 to December 2023 were selected and performed prospective monitoring.Trend changes of HAI incidence and the correlation with con-sumption of hand hygiene products as well as HAI management measures were analyzed.Results From 2012 to 2023,6 929 ICU patients were included in the monitoring,543 patients had 655 episodes of HAI,with incidence and case incidence of HAI being 7.84％ and 9.45％,respectively.The average severity of the disease was 3.62,and the adjusted HAI incidence was 2.17％.The daily incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia(VAP),cathe-ter-associated urinary tract infection(CAUTI),and central line-associated bloodstream infection(CLABSI)were 6.19‰,3.45‰,and 1.23‰,respectively.The consumption of hand hygiene products was 122.98 mL/bed-day.The compliance rate and correct rate of hand hygiene were 90.63％and 90.46％,respectively.From 2012 to 2023,incidence of HAI(51.29％vs 4.39％),case incidence of HAI(72.41％vs 4.94％),the adjusted incidence of HAI(15.98％vs 1.04％),daily incidence of VAP(22.50‰ vs 4.33‰),daily incidence of CAUTI(14.23‰ vs 1.64‰),and daily incidence of CLABSI(10.60‰ vs 0.20‰)all decreased significantly(all P＜0.05).Both con-sumption of hand hygiene products(75.16 mL/bed-day vs 147.35 mL/bed-day)and correct rate of hand hygiene(85.00％vs 90.28％)increased significantly(both P＜0.05).A total of 1 946 pathogens were detected,with an increase in the proportion of Staphylococcus aureus(1.30％ vs 9.57％)and a decrease in the proportion of fungi(11.04％vs 1.74％).The daily consumption of hand hygiene products negatively correlated with the incidence of HAI,the case incidence of HAI,as well as the daily incidence of CAUTI and CLABSI(all P＜0.05).Incorpora-ting HAI real-time monitoring system and HAI management into performance assessment could decrease HAI-rela-ted incidence(P＜0.05).Conclusion HAI-related incidence presents a downward trend.Scientific and comprehen-sive HAI prevention and control management measures such as healthcare workers'hand hygiene management,on-line HAI real-time monitoring system,and incorporating HAI management into performance assessment can de-crease HAI-related incidence and promote the improvement of medical quality.

Objective To analyze the monitoring of healthcare-associated infection(HAI)in the intensive care unit(ICU)over the past 12 years based on Joinpoint regression model,and evaluate the trend changes and relevant fac-tors of HAI incidence.Methods ICU patients in a tertiary first-class hospital from January 2012 to December 2023 were selected and performed prospective monitoring.Trend changes of HAI incidence and the correlation with con-sumption of hand hygiene products as well as HAI management measures were analyzed.Results From 2012 to 2023,6 929 ICU patients were included in the monitoring,543 patients had 655 episodes of HAI,with incidence and case incidence of HAI being 7.84％ and 9.45％,respectively.The average severity of the disease was 3.62,and the adjusted HAI incidence was 2.17％.The daily incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia(VAP),cathe-ter-associated urinary tract infection(CAUTI),and central line-associated bloodstream infection(CLABSI)were 6.19‰,3.45‰,and 1.23‰,respectively.The consumption of hand hygiene products was 122.98 mL/bed-day.The compliance rate and correct rate of hand hygiene were 90.63％and 90.46％,respectively.From 2012 to 2023,incidence of HAI(51.29％vs 4.39％),case incidence of HAI(72.41％vs 4.94％),the adjusted incidence of HAI(15.98％vs 1.04％),daily incidence of VAP(22.50‰ vs 4.33‰),daily incidence of CAUTI(14.23‰ vs 1.64‰),and daily incidence of CLABSI(10.60‰ vs 0.20‰)all decreased significantly(all P＜0.05).Both con-sumption of hand hygiene products(75.16 mL/bed-day vs 147.35 mL/bed-day)and correct rate of hand hygiene(85.00％vs 90.28％)increased significantly(both P＜0.05).A total of 1 946 pathogens were detected,with an increase in the proportion of Staphylococcus aureus(1.30％ vs 9.57％)and a decrease in the proportion of fungi(11.04％vs 1.74％).The daily consumption of hand hygiene products negatively correlated with the incidence of HAI,the case incidence of HAI,as well as the daily incidence of CAUTI and CLABSI(all P＜0.05).Incorpora-ting HAI real-time monitoring system and HAI management into performance assessment could decrease HAI-rela-ted incidence(P＜0.05).Conclusion HAI-related incidence presents a downward trend.Scientific and comprehen-sive HAI prevention and control management measures such as healthcare workers'hand hygiene management,on-line HAI real-time monitoring system,and incorporating HAI management into performance assessment can de-crease HAI-related incidence and promote the improvement of medical quality.

Objective To analyze the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of scrub typhus in Liuyang People's Hospital Hunan Province for better diagnosis,treatment,prevention and control of scrub typhus.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 159 confirmed cases of scrub typhus.The demographic data of patients,clinical manifestations of scrub typhus,laboratory tests,and chest CT findings,complications,treatment,and outcomes were analyzed.Results The 159 patients with scrub typhus included 142 males and 17 females.The average age of patients was(53.8±11.9)(18-82)years old.The peak incidence of scrub typhus was in the period from July to September(87.42％).The common clinical manifestations included fever(97.48％),headache(41.51％),and fatigue(23.90％).The most common signs were eschar(92.45％)on the lower limbs(25.16％),scrotum(15.72％),and buttocks(11.32％).Laboratory test results upon admission showed decreased platelet count(64.15％),elevated creatinine(38.36％),elevated AST(90.57％),ALT(80.50％),and LDH(90.57％).Pulmonary imaging study revealed pulmonary inflammation(22.64％),pleural effusion(13.21％),and pericardial effusion(6.29％).The common complications included liver impairment(69.81％)and decreased platelet count(50.94％),as well as other complications such as renal dysfunction,myocardial injury,sepsis,respiratory failure,and disseminated intravascular coagulation(DIC).Doxycycline-based therapies resulted in cure rate of 98.11％(156/159).Three patients died due to severe complications.Conclusions The peak incidence of scrub typhus was in the period from July to September in Hunan Province.Eschar is a key feature for clinical diagnosis.Scrub typhus can affect multiple organ systems,leading to various systemic complications.The cure rate is high with doxycycline treatment,but some patients may die from severe complications due to delayed medical treatment.

Breast cancer is the worldwide most common malignant tumor in women,and early diagnosis and treatment is the key to improve prognosis.Conventional screening imaging techniques,such as mammography and ultrasonography,have only limited diagnostic efficacy for micro breast cancer.Combining diffuse optical tomography(DOT)and ultrasonography for assessing blood vessel distribution and metabolic level inside the breast lesions,optical tomography image ultrasonography system(OPTIMUS)has unique advantages for diagnosing micro breast cancer with diameter≤1.0 cm.The research progresses of OPTIMUS for diagnosing micro breast cancer were reviewed in this article.

High intensity focused ultrasound(HIFU)can non-invasively and safely focus sound waves on target region to ablate tumors.Using acoustic sensitizer combined with ultrasound to ablate tumors,Sonodynamic therapy(SDT)can ablate tumors at deep region with high precision.The progresses of HIFU combined with SDT for treating tumors were reviewed in this article.

Objective:To detect the expression of angiogenic factor (AGGF1) with G-patch and FHA domain 1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to investigate its relationship with HCC angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis and its clinical significance.Methods:A total of 90 primary HCC patients were selected from the Huangshi Central Hospital and Hubei Province Cancer Hospital from January 2019 to September 2020. Clinicopathological data of all patients were collected. The expression of AGGF1 and CD34 in cancer tissues of 90 HCC patients was detected by immunohistochemistry, and microvascular density (MVD) was calculated. The patients were followed up for three years. The relationship between AGGF1 and serum angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) content, MVD, clinicopathological parameters and postoperative prognosis was analyzed.Results:The positive rate, relative expression level and MVD value of AGGF1 in HCC tissues were significantly higher than those in adjacent tissues (all P<0.05). The relative expression of AGGF1 in cancer tissues was positively correlated with the MVD value ( r=0.716). Serum Ang-2 content and MVD in AGGF1-positive patients were significantly higher than those in AgGF1-negative patients (all P<0.01). AGGF1 expression in HCC tissues was significantly correlated with tumor differentiation, tumor size, (China Liver Cancer (CNLC) staging, lymph node metastasis, vascular invasion, and postoperative recurrence and metastasis (all P<0.01). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the 2- and 3-year survival rates of patients with high AGGF1 expression were significantly lower than those of patients with low AGGF1 expression (all P<0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that CNLC stage, lymph node metastasis, vascular invasion, AGGF1 expression, postoperative recurrence and metastasis were the influencing factors for postoperative survival of HCC patients (all P<0.05). Conclusions:The high expression of AGGF1 can promote the angiogenesis of HCC, and is significantly correlated with invasion and metastasis and poor prognosis, which can be a potential evaluation indicator of HCC clinical prognosis.

Objective:To study the clinical characteristics of neonatal sepsis caused by raoultella ornithinolytica.Methods:From January 2010 to December 2020, clinical data of seven cases of neonates with raoultella ornithinolytica sepsis in the Department of Neonatology of our hospital were analyzed. Literature published from the establishment of the databases to December 31, 2020 were searched and reviewed on this topic. The databases included PubMed, Web of Science, Embase database, Wanfang Database, CNKI, National Science and Technology Library and Chinese Science Paper Online.Results:Among the 7 cases admitted to our hospital, 6 male and 1 female, 6 premature and 1 full-term small-for-gestational-age (SGA), 6 patients presented with lethargy, 5 patients had fever and 3 showed dyspnea. 4 patients had necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), 1 congenital intestinal malrotation, 1 congenital jejunal atresia, 1 intestinal adhesion and stricture. 4 patients had history of surgery. Leucocytosis was found in 3 cases and leukopenia in 1 case. Thrombocytopenia and increased inflammatory indicators were found in all cases. All 7 patients recovered and were discharged. 4 articles on 4 newborn cases (3 males, 1 female including two premature infants) were found for literature review. 3 cases had skin flushing, 3 cases showed dyspnea, 2 cases had fever and 1 case presented with lethargy. 1 case received surgery for congenital heart disease. Leucocytosis was found in 2 cases, leukopenia in 1 case, thrombocytopenia in 2 cases and elevated inflammatory indicators in 3 cases. 1 patient died due to septic shock and the other three recovered and were discharged.Conclusions:Raoultella ornithinolytica neonatal sepsis may occur in infants with intestinal comorbidities, history of invasive procedures, premature birth or full-term SGA and congenital malformations. Most anti-infective therapies are effective. However, if the patient had septic shock, the prognosis is poor.

Objective:To study the protective effect of polygalasaponin F (PGSF) on isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial ischemia (MI) injury in neonatal rats and its possible mechanism.Methods:Fifty newborn Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into control group, model group, low, medium and high dose PGSF groups (5, 10, 50 mg/kg), with 10 rats in each group. The rats in the control group were treated with normal saline; Myocardial ischemia (MI) model was established in model group by subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol (ISO, 85 mg/kg, once a day); The MI model was established in rats of low, medium and high dose PGSF group after intraperitoneal injection of 5, 10 and 50 mg/kg PGSF for 7 days. The cardiac function of rats in each group was evaluated by echocardiography; pathological changes of myocardial tissue of rats in each group were observed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining; The serum activities of troponin I (cTnI), creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), myoglobin (Mb) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) of rats in each group were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and active oxygen species (ROS) in myocardial tissue were detected ; the expression of nuclear proliferation antigen (Ki67) and caspase-3 protein in myocardial tissue was detected by immunohistochemical staining; The expression of protein kinase B (AKT) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) protein in myocardium was detected by Western blot.Results:In the model group, the myocardial structure was disordered, the cells were congested and swollen, and there were a lot of inflammatory cells infiltrating and large necrotic foci. The left ventricular wall thickness (LVWT), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), fractional shortening (FS), heart rate (HR) and expression of Ki67 positive protein in the model group were lower than those in the control group (all P<0.05), while the left ventricular end systolic volume (LVESV), activities of cTnI, CK-MB, Mb, LDH in serum, content of ROS and MDA in myocardial tissue and caspase-3 positive protein in the model group were higher than those in the control group (all P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the degree of myocardial pathological changes in neonatal rats of the low, medium and high dose PGSF groups gradually decreased. Compared with model group, the LVWT, LVEF, FS, HR and expression of Ki67 positive protein increased in low, medium and high dose PGSF groups (all P<0.05), while the LVESV, activities of cTnI, CK-MB, Mb and LDH in serum, content of ROS and MDA in myocardial tissue and the expression of caspase-3 positive protein decreased (all P<0.05); Western blot results showed that the relative expression of phosphorylated(p)-AKT/AKT, p-Nrf2/Nrf2 protein in myocardium of model group was lower than that of control group (all P<0.05); The relative expression of p-AKT/AKT, p-Nrf2/Nrf2 protein in myocardium of low, medium and high dose PGSF groups were higher than that in the model group (all P<0.05). Conclusions:PGSF has protective effect on MI injury in neonatal rats, and its mechanism may be related to anti-apoptosis and anti-oxidative stress.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between microRNA-497 (miR-497) expression and invasion and metastasis and prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC).Methods:The expression of miR-497 in 93 CRC patients (CRC group), 30 colorectal adenoma polyps (colorectal adenomatous polyp group) and 30 healthy patients (normal control group)were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR); meanwhile, the content of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was detected by chemiluminescence; After 3 years follow-up, the expression of miR-497 was measured again; the correlation between the expression of miR-497 and the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of CRC was analyzed.Results:The expression of miR-497 in CRC group was significantly lower than that at the end of postoperative treatment, adenomatous polyps group and normal control group ( P<0.01), and the content of CEA in CRC group was significantly higher than that at the end of postoperative treatment, adenomatous polyps group and normal control group ( P<0.01); At the end of postoperative treatment, the expression of serum miR-497 in CRC group was lower than that in normal control group ( P<0.05), and the content of serum CEA was higher than that in normal control group ( P<0.05). The diagnosis positive rate of serum miR497 expression in CRC group was significantly higher than that of serum CEA ( P<0.01), and they showed no correlation ( r=0.232, P>0.05). The pre-and post-operative serum miR-497 expression levels in the recurred and metastasis group were significantly lower than those in the no postoperative recurrence and metastasis group ( P<0.01). The preoperative expression of miR-497 was related to the differentiation degree of CRC, tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and survival period ( P<0.01), but not with the age, sex, tumor size and location of the patients ( P>0.05). Cox multivariate analysis showed that tumor differentiation, TNM stage, preoperative miR-497 expression, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis were all independent risk factors influencing prognosis of CRC patients ( P<0.05); The survival rate of 1, 2, 3 years in the miR-497 low expression group was lower than that in the miR-497 high expression group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The preoperative low serum miR-497 expression levels are closely relative with invasion and metastasis and poor prognosis of CRC, and can be a prognostic indicator of CRC. The reduced postoperative serum miR-497 expression levels may be a predictor of the postoperative recurrence and metastasis of CRC.