Tuberculosis remains a significant global public health threat.Early diagnosis and effective treatment are crucial to combat this disease.Yet,traditional diagnostic methods for tuberculosis face limitations due to their low sensitivity,extended detection periods,and dependence on sputum samples.Molecular diagnostic techniques,while offering higher sensitivity,still primarily rely on sputum samples,thereby impeding significant advancements in tuberculosis diagnosis.In clinical settings,there exists a pressing demand for diagnostic approaches that are not solely reliant on sputum samples.In recent years,extracellular vesicles(EVs),as emerging biomarkers,have demonstrated substantial potential in various diseases,including tumors and infectious diseases.A multitude of studies indicate that EVs also exhibit potential in the field of tuberculosis.This review provides an in-depth analysis of the biological characteristics of EVs and their role in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis.It systematically summarizes the progress and significance of EV-based biomarkers in tuberculosis diagnosis,treatment monitoring,and disease mechanism exploration,while addressing the challenges and future prospects in this field.The aim is to offer valuable insights and up-to-date research findings to researchers and clinicians engaged in tuberculosis-related studies.

Objective:To compare the consistency and efficacy of ultrasound and CT in the preoperative diagnosis of cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with thyroid cancer, and to explore the clinical value of the combined application of multimodal imaging.Methods:The 119 thyroid cancer patients underwent surgical treatment from January to September 2023 in Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Dalian University were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent ultrasound and CT examinations before operation. The results of postoperative histopathology examination were taken as the gold standard, the efficacy of ultrasound and CT in preoperative diagnosis of cervical lymph node metastasis was compared.Results:A total of 1 721 cervical lymph nodes were detected in 119 patients with thyroid cancer, among which 1 378 lymph nodes were benign, and 343 lymph nodes were malignant, the rate of malignant lymph nodes was 19.93% (343/1 721). Among them, the proportion of malignant lymph nodes in area Ⅵ was the highest, 22.58% (245/1 085), followed by area Ⅲ, 21.26% (37/174). The sensitivity of CT in diagnosing cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with thyroid cancer was significantly higher than that of ultrasound diagnosis: 58.46% (38/65) vs. 38.46% (25/65), the specificity was significantly lower than that of ultrasound diagnosis: 85.19% (46/54) vs. 96.30% (52/54), and there were statistical differences ( P<0.01 and <0.05); there was no statistical difference in accuracy between CT and ultrasound ( P>0.05). Conclusions:In the preoperative diagnosis of cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with thyroid cancer by ultrasound and CT, ultrasound examination has no radiation risk, while CT examination has a higher diagnostic efficiency.

Tuberculosis remains a significant global public health threat.Early diagnosis and effective treatment are crucial to combat this disease.Yet,traditional diagnostic methods for tuberculosis face limitations due to their low sensitivity,extended detection periods,and dependence on sputum samples.Molecular diagnostic techniques,while offering higher sensitivity,still primarily rely on sputum samples,thereby impeding significant advancements in tuberculosis diagnosis.In clinical settings,there exists a pressing demand for diagnostic approaches that are not solely reliant on sputum samples.In recent years,extracellular vesicles(EVs),as emerging biomarkers,have demonstrated substantial potential in various diseases,including tumors and infectious diseases.A multitude of studies indicate that EVs also exhibit potential in the field of tuberculosis.This review provides an in-depth analysis of the biological characteristics of EVs and their role in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis.It systematically summarizes the progress and significance of EV-based biomarkers in tuberculosis diagnosis,treatment monitoring,and disease mechanism exploration,while addressing the challenges and future prospects in this field.The aim is to offer valuable insights and up-to-date research findings to researchers and clinicians engaged in tuberculosis-related studies.

Objective:To compare the consistency and efficacy of ultrasound and CT in the preoperative diagnosis of cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with thyroid cancer, and to explore the clinical value of the combined application of multimodal imaging.Methods:The 119 thyroid cancer patients underwent surgical treatment from January to September 2023 in Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Dalian University were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent ultrasound and CT examinations before operation. The results of postoperative histopathology examination were taken as the gold standard, the efficacy of ultrasound and CT in preoperative diagnosis of cervical lymph node metastasis was compared.Results:A total of 1 721 cervical lymph nodes were detected in 119 patients with thyroid cancer, among which 1 378 lymph nodes were benign, and 343 lymph nodes were malignant, the rate of malignant lymph nodes was 19.93% (343/1 721). Among them, the proportion of malignant lymph nodes in area Ⅵ was the highest, 22.58% (245/1 085), followed by area Ⅲ, 21.26% (37/174). The sensitivity of CT in diagnosing cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with thyroid cancer was significantly higher than that of ultrasound diagnosis: 58.46% (38/65) vs. 38.46% (25/65), the specificity was significantly lower than that of ultrasound diagnosis: 85.19% (46/54) vs. 96.30% (52/54), and there were statistical differences ( P<0.01 and <0.05); there was no statistical difference in accuracy between CT and ultrasound ( P>0.05). Conclusions:In the preoperative diagnosis of cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with thyroid cancer by ultrasound and CT, ultrasound examination has no radiation risk, while CT examination has a higher diagnostic efficiency.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect and mechanism of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Cinnamomi Cortex in regulating the intestinal function in the rat model of slow transit constipation （STC） due to yang deficiency via the vasoactive intestinal peptide （VIP）/cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide （cAMP）/protein kinase A （PKA）/aquaporin （AQP） pathway. MethodSD rats were randomized into 6 groups （n=6）， including a control group， a model group， high-， medium-， and low-dose Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Cinnamomi Cortex groups， and a prucalopride group. Other groups except the control group were treated with loperamide hydrochloride combined with ice water by gavage for the modeling of STC due to yang deficiency. The number of fecal pellets， time to the first black stool defecation， fecal water content， intestinal propulsion rate， and score of fecal properties were recorded in each group. At the end of the treatment， the colon was stained with hematoxylin-eosin （HE） to reveal the histopathological changes and Alcian blue/periodic acid-Schiff （AB-PAS） to reveal the secretion of colonic mucus. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was employed to measure the level of VIP in the serum. The mRNA level of AQP in the colon was measured by polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to observe the expression of AQPs in the colon and kidney tissues. Western blot was performed to determine the protein levels of cAMP， PKA， and VIP in the colon tissue. ResultCompared with the control group, the model group had longer time to the first black stool defecation, reduced fecal pellets and water content, reduced Bristol Stool Form Scale score and intestinal propulsion rate, and constipation aggravated（P<0.01）. Moreover, increased the intestinal lesions, reduced the mucus secretion, reduce the serum VIP level, up-regulated the expression levels of AQP1 in the colon and kidney tissues, inhibited the expression of AQP3 and AQP9（P<0.01）., and down-regulated the protein levels of cAMP, PKA, and VIP in the colon tissue. Compared with the model group， the high-dose Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Cinnamomi Cortex group had shortened time to the first black stool defecation， increased fecal pellets and water content， increased Bristol Stool Form Scale score and intestinal propulsion rate， and alleviated constipation symptoms. Moreover， high-dose Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Cinnamomi Cortex reduced the intestinal lesions， increased the mucus secretion， elevated the serum VIP level（P<0.01）.， down-regulated the expression levels of AQP1 in the colon and kidney tissues， promoted the expression of AQP3 and AQP9（P<0.05，P<0.01）， and up-regulated the protein levels of cAMP， PKA， and VIP in the colon tissue. The medium- and low-dose groups had weaker effect than the high-dose group（P<0.01）. ConclusionHigh-dose Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata-Cinnamomi Cortex can improve the intestinal motility and balance the intestinal water and fluid metabolism by up-regulating the VIP/cAMP/PKA/AQP pathway， thereby mitigating the constipation symptoms in the rat model of slow transit constipation due to yang deficiency.

Objective:To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of childhood infectious diseases in a single center in Beijing City from 2007 to 2021, and to provide scientific basis for the management of infectious diseases in hospitals.Methods:The clinical data of outpatients or inpatients aged<18 years old with infectious diseases recorded in the Nationwide Health Information-based Disease Control and Prevention Information System of Beijing Children′s Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2021 were collected. Descriptive epidemiological methods were used to analyze the types of infectious diseases, population distribution, time distribution characteristics, as well as the etiological characteristics of major infectious diseases.Results:There were 219 260 cases reported, accounting for 5.73‰(219 260/38 295 800) of the total number of hospital cases, with two peaks of 25 469 and 22 928 cases in 2010 and 2019, respectively. The main category of infectious diseases was class C, accounting for 77.51%(169 947/219 260). According to the classification of transmission routes, fecal-oral transmission infectious diseases were the most common, with 144 712 cases (66.00%), followed by air and droplet transmission infectious diseases with 73 946 cases (33.73%), showing an increasing trend by year. The top five diseases in terms of incidence were hand, foot and mouth disease (114 864 cases), influenza (28 703 cases), varicella (22 190 cases), other infectious diarrheal diseases (21 040 cases) and scarlet fever (11 500 cases). Among the 219 260 children, there were 131 546 males and 87 714 females, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.5 to 1. Children aged≤6 years old comprised the majority, with a total of 189 593 cases (86.47%). The peak period of infectious diseases reporting was from May to July. Hand, foot and mouth disease was mainly caused by Coxsackie virus A16(35.02%(1 258/3 592)), while Coxsackie virus A6 had been increasing rapidly since 2017. The main pathogen of influenza was influenza A virus (62.18%(7 400/11 900)), while other infectious diarrhea was mainly caused by rotavirus (87.55%(4 283/4 892)).Conclusions:There is an intermittent outbreak in the incidence of childhood infectious diseases, and air and droplet transmission infectious diseases have shown an upward trend in recent years. Hand, foot and mouth disease, influenza, varicella, other infectious diarrheal diseases and scarlet fever are the main infectious diseases affecting children. Different diseases have the characteristics of age and onset season. The prevention and control of infectious diseases should be updated gradually according to the epidemic trend. Proper protection should be taken during peak seasons and for key populations.

Objective:To produce 161Tb from enriched 160Gd 2O 3 isotope-enriched target material and realize domestic production of the novel medical isotope 161Tb. Methods:The 160Gd 2O 3 isotope-enriched target material was irradiated with neutrons by the China Mianyang Research Reactor (CMRR). The no-carrier-added 161Tb product was obtained after the processes of target broken, sample dissolution, separation and purification with lanthanide (LN) resin and solution replacement with diglycolamide (DGA) column. Various key indicators such as γ spectral purity, metal impurity content, specific activity, radiochemical purity, and radioactive concentration were used to conduct the quality inspection and the control of 161Tb products. Results:161TbCl 3 of 33.4 GBq was obtained in a single time with the radioactive concentration of 16.8 GBq/ml, nuclear purity more than 99.9%, and radiochemical purity of 99.2%. Metal impurity content was met the established standards, with the specific activity of 6.02×10 17 Bq/mol. The radiochemical purities of 161Tb labeling with 1, 4, 7, 10-tetraazacyclododecane-1, 4, 7, 10-tetraacetic acid- D-Phe1-Tyr3-Thr8-octreotide (DOTATATE) after 0 and 72 h were 100% and 95.8% respectively. Conclusion:The preparation of no-carrier-added 161Tb by using LN resin has the advantages of high separation performance and high sample loading, which has great significance in the field of medical isotope preparation and lays a good nuclide guarantee for the research and development of domestic 161Tb-labeled drugs.

Objective:To analyze the application value of sakubatril valsartan in the treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF) based on cardiopulmonary test system.Methods:One hundred and thirty-five CHF patients admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical Collegefrom January 2019 to August 2020 were divided into the observation group (67 cases) and the control group (68cases) by random number table method. Both groups were treated with bisoprolol. The observation group was treated with the combination of sakubatril valsartan, and the control group was treated with the combination of benapril. The efficacy and cardiac function indicators of the two groups were compared. The cardiopulmonary exercise test system was used to measure the patient′s maximum exercise time (Tmax), maximum exercise Watt (Wmax), peak volume oxygen (Peak VO 2) and volume of anaerobic threshold oxygen (VO 2AT), and the incidence of adverse reactions were calculated. Results:The total effective rate in the observation group was higher than that in the control group: 92.54% (62/67) vs. 77.94%(53/68), the difference was statistically significant ( χ2 = 5.70, P<0.05). After the treatment, the levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and soluble ST2 (sST2) in the observation group were lower than those in the control group: (2 000.47 ± 517.85) ng/L vs. (2 777.39 ± 812.49) ng/L, (0.33 ± 0.10) μg/L vs. (0.37 ± 0.09) μg/L, and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was higher than that in the control group: (8.12 ± 6.44)% vs. (41.93 ± 6.73)%, the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). After the treatment, the left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDd), left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVEDs), left ventricular mass index (LVMI), left atrial volume index (LAVI) in the observation group were lower than those in the control group: (55.47 ± 6.93) mm vs. (62.00 ± 7.18) mm, (37.14 ± 6.36) mm vs. (41.35 ± 6.43) mm, (136.76 ± 7.13) mg/m 2 vs. (140.98 ± 7.47) mg/m 2, (28.23 ± 2.59) ml/m 2 vs. (31.98 ± 2.17) ml/m 2; the Tmax, Wmax, PeakVO 2 and VO 2AT in the observation group were higher than those in the control group: (619.08 ± 65.36) s vs. (58.70 ± 52.44) s, (142.96 ± 16.05) W vs. (124.19 ± 13.38) W, (20.00 ± 5.74) ml/(min·kg) vs. (18.13 ± 3.58) ml/(min·kg), (13.89 ± 3.69) ml/(min·kg) vs. (11.23 ± 2.36) ml/(min·kg), the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). However, there was no statistically significant in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Sakubatril valsartan in the treatment of CHF can not only optimize the efficacy and improve cardiac function, but also benefit cardiac exercise rehabilitation of patients, and not increase the safety risk.

Objective To explore the value of conventional and functional MRI image parameter in preoperative grade of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (pNET).Methods Data of 35 cases of pNET were retrospectively analyzed,including tumor size,intensity of T1WI's and T2WI's signal,enhancement feature,and apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC)value.All kinds of tumors were classified into G1 to G3 according to WHO's classification in 2010.Results There were 40 pNETs (mean size(4.2±2.9)cm) among the 35 patients (20 male,and 15 female).By WHO's tumor grading,the number of patients from G1 to G3 was 18(45％),12(30％),and 10(25 ％),respectively.A higher grade was associated with larger tumor size (P＜0.05).Intensity of T1WI and T2WI signal has no significance for predicting tumor grade.Enhancement feature had statistical significance on tumor's grade (P＜0.05).ADC value decreased with the increase of tumor's grade,(2.23±0.80) × 10-3,(1.80±0.73) × 10-3,(0.92±0.24) ×10-3 mm2/s respectively for tumors from grade G1 to G3.Conclusion Enhancement features of MRI image and ADC value are conducive to preoperative grading of pNET.

Objectives To investigate the occipital cortex metabolite alterations in repetitive and severe neonatal hypoglycemia rats treated with sodium pyruvate and to reveal the protective role of sodium pyruvate using high resolution 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.Methods Thirty-six 2-dayold Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into hypoglycemia group and pyruvate group with 18 rats in each group.Rats in both groups received intraperitoneal injections of insulin (40 U/kg body weight) at 2,4 and 6 days of age to induce severe hypoglycemia (blood glucose value ≤ 1.4 mmol/L).In the hypoglycemia group,2.5 hours after insulin injection,intraperitoneal injection of 50％ glucose (2 ml/kg) was administered to terminate hypoglycemia,while in the pyruvate group,50％ glucose (2 ml/kg) and sodium pyruvate solution 2.5 ml/kg (500 mg/kg) were injected.Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling assay was used to observe the status of injured neurons in six neonatal rats,and metabolite changes in occipital cortex of the other 12 rats were detected by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.The difference between the two groups was compared by independent-samples t test.Results Neonatal rats of both groups reached severe hypoglycemia level 2.5 hours after insulin injection.Compared with hypoglycemia group,pyruvate group had fewer injured neurons (45±5 vs 113 ± 12,t=0.782,P=0.013) and lower injured index in the occipital cortex (0.15 ± 0.03 vs 0.36 ± 0.06,t=l.143,P=0.020).Pyruvate group showed significant decreases in the concentration of taurine [(13.31 ± 2.06) vs (18.44 ± 3.86) mol/kg,t=8.231],glutamine[(1.50 ± 0.24) vs (2.02 ± 0.40) mol/kg,t=3.137],glutamate[(7.04 ± 0.95) vs (9.40 ± 1.73) mol/kg,t=6.449],aspartate[(1.51 ± 0.28) vs (2.15 ± 0.58) mol/kg,t=2.561] and creatine [(6.37±0.99) vs (8.46± 1.77) mol/kg,t =4.226] in the occipital cortex (all P'＜0.017).Conclusions Simultaneous use of glucose and sodium pyruvate to terminate hypoglycemia in repetitive and severe neonatal hypoglycemia rats can effectively alleviate severe hypoglycemia-induced occipital lobe damage via regulating excitatory amino acid neurotransmitters,energy metabolism and other metabolic pathways.