Rheumatoid arthritis （RA） is a common autoimmune disease characterised clinically by symmetrical joint pain， swelling， and stiffness. Long-term chronic synovial inflammation can lead to severe joint damage and even disability， thereby affecting quality of life for patients. Current clinical treatment of RA emphasises an integrated approach combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine， with traditional Chinese medicine offering certain advantages in reducing disease activity of RA， preventing relapses， and other aspects. Modern clinical evidence confirms that Guizhi Shaoyao Zhimutang （GSZT） is effective in improving symptoms such as immune metabolism， joint stiffness， and joint pain in RA patients. Pharmacological studies have revealed that GSZT primarily contains components such as cinnamaldehyde， total glucosides of paeony， total alkaloids of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata， glycyrrhetinic acid， zingiberone， isoimperatorin， ephedra polysaccharides， and cedrol. It improves RA symptoms via multiple mechanisms and targets， including enhancing immune responses， exerting anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects， regulating relevant signalling pathways， inhibiting cell apoptosis， and suppressing bone destruction. This paper reviewed the syndrome patterns and pharmacological basis of GSZT in the treatment of RA， as well as its clinical applications and related mechanisms， thereby providing a theoretical basis and reference for the further development and utilisation of GSZT in the treatment of RA.

Rheumatoid arthritis （RA） is a common autoimmune disease characterised clinically by symmetrical joint pain， swelling， and stiffness. Long-term chronic synovial inflammation can lead to severe joint damage and even disability， thereby affecting quality of life for patients. Current clinical treatment of RA emphasises an integrated approach combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine， with traditional Chinese medicine offering certain advantages in reducing disease activity of RA， preventing relapses， and other aspects. Modern clinical evidence confirms that Guizhi Shaoyao Zhimutang （GSZT） is effective in improving symptoms such as immune metabolism， joint stiffness， and joint pain in RA patients. Pharmacological studies have revealed that GSZT primarily contains components such as cinnamaldehyde， total glucosides of paeony， total alkaloids of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata， glycyrrhetinic acid， zingiberone， isoimperatorin， ephedra polysaccharides， and cedrol. It improves RA symptoms via multiple mechanisms and targets， including enhancing immune responses， exerting anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects， regulating relevant signalling pathways， inhibiting cell apoptosis， and suppressing bone destruction. This paper reviewed the syndrome patterns and pharmacological basis of GSZT in the treatment of RA， as well as its clinical applications and related mechanisms， thereby providing a theoretical basis and reference for the further development and utilisation of GSZT in the treatment of RA.

OBJECTIVE: Recombination events are common and serve as the primary driving force of diverse human adenovirus (HAdV), particularly in children with acute respiratory tract infections (ARIs). Therefore, continual monitoring of these events is essential for effective viral surveillance and control. METHODS: Respiratory specimens were collected from children with ARIs between January 2022 and December 2023. The penton base, hexon, and fiber genes were amplified from HAdV-positive specimens and sequenced to determine the virus type. In cases with inconsistent typing results, genes were cloned into the pGEM-T vector to detect recombination events. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) was performed to characterize the recombinant HAdV genomes. RESULTS: Among 6,771 specimens, 277 (4.09%, 277/6,771) were positvie for HAdV, of which 157 (56.68%, 157/277) were successfully typed, with HAdV-B3 being the dominant type (91.08%, 143/157), and 14 (5.05%, 14/277) exhibited inconsistent typing results, six of which belonged to species B. The penton base genes of these six specimens were classified as HAdV-B7, whereas their hexon and fiber genes were classified as HAdV-B3, resulting in a recombinant genotype designated P7H3F3, which closely resembled HAdV-B114. Additionally, a partial gene encoding L1 52/55 kD was identified, which originated from HAdV-B16. CONCLUSION A novel recombinant, P7H3F3, was identified, containing sequences derived from HAdV-B3 and HAdV-B7, which is similar to HAdV-B114, along with additional sequences from HAdV-B16.
Humans ; Adenoviruses, Human/isolation & purification* ; Respiratory Tract Infections/epidemiology* ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Recombination, Genetic ; Male ; Beijing/epidemiology* ; Infant ; Female ; Phylogeny ; Adenovirus Infections, Human/epidemiology* ; Acute Disease ; Genome, Viral

Objective A new occipital bone removal technology was applied to improve the success rate of brain removal.Methods The skull was sawed based on the traditional brain removal technology,and part of the occipital bone was removed downward centered in external occipital protuberance to the foramen magnum,then exposed the telencephalon,cerebellum and posterior medulla oblongata.After that,removed the tentorium cerebelli and cut down the medulla oblongata and the related cranial nerves at the skull base,then removed the brain tissues.Results The removed brain tissues had structurally intact telencephalon,cerebellum and brain stem,clear vessels in the cerebral sulci,and relatively intact optic chiasm,olfactory tracts and vertebro-basilar arteries.Conclusion Brain removal through a fenestration on the external occipital protuberance can effectively preserve the integrity of brain specimens,and improve the success rate of brain removal,which is of great significance for central nervous system teaching and improvement of human brain tissue repositories.

Objective:To explore the clinical value of multi-parameter combined monitoring in guiding low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) therapy for intensive care unit (ICU) patients.Methods:A retrospective case-control study was conducted. A total of 381 patients who received LMWH therapy with anti-Ⅹa activity monitoring in the ICU of West China Hospital, Sichuan University between January 31st, 2022, and November 30th, 2023, were enrolled in this study. The cohort comprised 264 males and 117 females, with the age of 58 (48, 71) years old. Clinical data and relevant laboratory parameters were collected, including anti-Ⅹa activity, antithrombin activity (AT), thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), plasmin-antiplasmin complex (PIC), conventional coagulation parameters such as activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), and indicators of hepatic/renal impairment such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and creatinine( CREA). Patients were stratified into three groups based on thrombotic event: thrombosis-controlled, progressive thrombosis, and bleeding group. Single-factor and adjusted multifactorial Logistic regression analysis were used to identify independent predictors of anti-xa activity levels.Results:Among 381 patients, thrombosis was controlled in 213 (55.9%) patients, progressed in 81 (21.3%) patients , and bleeding events occurred in 87 (22.8%) patients. The patients whose anti-Ⅹa activity levels lay entirely within the target range(0.2-0.4 IU/ml): Only 35 (16.4%) cases in the thrombosis-controlled group, 16 (19.7%) cases in the progressive thrombosis group, and 16 (18.4%) in the bleeding group. No significant differences in anti-Ⅹ a levels activity among the three groups ( H=1.678, P=0.432). Both single-factor and adjusted multifactorial Logistic regression identified low AT activity as an independent risk factor for failure to achieve target anti-Ⅹ a activity levels (AT nadir, OR=1.031,95% CI 1.016-1.046, P<0.05). Compared with the progressive thrombosis and bleedinggroup, the thrombosis-controlled group exhibited significantly higher proportion of TAT values below the cut-off value ( H=8.519, P=0.014), and a higher proportion of TAT/PIC ratios below the cut-off ( H=15.56, P<0.001). Patients with bleeding demonstrated significantly lower AT activity ( H=14.968, P=0.001), prolonged APTT ( H=6.815, P=0.033), higher ALT ( H=13.774, P=0.001), and higher CREA ( H=14.068, P=0.001) compared with the thrombosis-controlled or progressive thrombosis group. Conclusion:Laboratory monitoring is required for low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) therapy in ICU patients. While anti-Ⅹa activity reflects the anticoagulant effect of LMWH, the utility of anti-Ⅹ a activity for predicting thrombotic or hemorrhagic risks in LMWH treated ICU patients is limited. Reductions in TAT levels and TAT/PIC ratios are associated with a lower risk of thrombotic progression. Furthermore, abnormalities in conventional coagulation tests and standard hepatic/renal function parameters occur more frequently in patients experiencing hemorrhagic events.

Objective:To investigate the drug resistance gene characteristics, plasmid characteristics and genome tracing of Shigella sonnei causing a bacillary dysentery outbreak in Shandong Province. Methods:Sixty-five Shigella sonnei strains isolated from a 2021 outbreak in a county of Shandong Province were analyzed using antimicrobial susceptibility testing, whole genome sequencing (WGS), characterization of resistance and virulence genes, plasmid profiling, core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST), and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis. Results:All isolates had the same resistance phenotype and genotypes and were multidrug-resistant ESBL-producing Shigella sonnei, carrying important virulence genes. Plasmid analysis revealed a conserved genetic arrangement, pil( M/ N/ O2/ P)-tra( F/ H/ J/ K/ N/ O/ P/ Q)-IS Ecp1- blaCTX-M-14-Tn 903- yub( J/ I/ F/ G/ E/ D), and shared across strains from diverse regions and bacterial species. The cgMLST and SNP analyses demonstrated concordant clustering, with all 65 outbreak-related strains forming a single cluster alongside human-derived strains from Guangxi. Conclusion:The ESBL-producing Shigella sonnei responsible for the outbreak shares a homologous relationship with Guangxi human-derived strains, and the detected resistance plasmids and virulence genes underscore the need to strengthen drug resistance surveillance and genome tracing.

This study investigated the infection status,drug resistance,and molecular characteristics of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli(STEC)in domestic goats in Chengkou county,Chongqing.In August 2023,283 fecal samples were collected from households in Chengkou county.After enrichment with EC broth and inoculation onto selective media,samples that tested positive for stx1/stx2 were selected for further isolation.The positive strains were investigated with antimicrobial susceptibility testing and whole genome sequencing.According to the whole genomic sequences,the stx subtypes,serotypes,multi-locus sequence types,virulence genes,drug resistance genes,and phylogenetic relationships of the STEC strains were analyzed.Forty-six strains of STEC were isolated from 283 goat fecal samples,thus resulting in a detection rate of 16.25%.The 46 STEC strains were categorized into 12 O∶H serotypes,among which O76∶H19 and O8∶H7 predominated,each represented by 9 strains.Five STEC strains were identified as serotype O157∶H7.The 46 STEC strains were categorized into 11 sequence types(STs),among which ST675 and ST196 predominated,each represented by nine strains,accounting for a 19.57%proportion.The strains were categorized into 7 stx subtypes,among which stx1c(26/46,56.52%),followed by stx2k(9/46,19.57%)predominated.All nine Stx2k-STEC strains were identified as serotype O8∶H7 and sequence type ST196.In antimicrobial susceptibility testing,2 STEC strains were resistant to ampicillin,one strain was resistant to ampicillin/sulbactam,one strain was resistant to cefazolin,and one strain was resistant to cefoxitin.Nine Stx2k-STEC strains were found to carry the beta-lactam resistance gene blaEC-18.Antimicrobial sensitivity tests revealed that the nine Stx2k-STEC strains were sensitive to all 15 tested antibiotics.Moreover,phylogenetic analysis indicated that the 9 Stx2k-STEC strains were remarkably similar but showed high genetic diversity with respect to that of the Stx2k-STEC strains isolated from other regions in China.Goatsare an important animal reservoir for STEC in theChengkou district of Chongqing,and novel sequence type Stx2k-STEC strains distinct from those found in other regions of China were identified in this region.

The aim of this study was to identify the Salmonella strains isolated from an outbreak of foodborne illness in a seafood buffet restaurant and analyze their pathogenic characteristics.Epidemiological data,fecal samples from patients and chefs,and food/environmental samples from the restaurant were analyzed.Research methods included bacterial culture,serotyping,quadruple fluo-rescence PCR identification,whole-genome sequencing and antibiotic susceptibility testing.The results showed that 4 S.Java strains(serotype 1,4,12∶b∶1,2;ST42)were isolated from two outbreak cases and two sporadic cases.All isolates exhibited similar genomic features,harboring 9 virulence islands and 98 virulence genes.Antimicrobial resistance profiling revealed streptomycin monoresis-tance,mediated by aac(6′)-Iy and aac(6′)-Iaa genes.In conclusion,this event was the first reported outbreak of foodborne illness caused by S.Java in China,indicating that S.Java may be prevalent in the surveyed district.The catering industry should optimize food handling and processing procedures and enhance the surveillance of high risk pathogens.Meanwhile,further studies should ad-dress differential diagnosis and pathogenic mechanism differences between S.Java and S.paratyphi B,which will facilitate evidence-based monitoring in China.