Objective:To analyze differences in the expression of routine laboratory parameters and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination indicators between patients with non-neurosyphilis (syphilis without nervous system involvement) and those with neurosyphilis, to screen for key predictive factors, and to construct a predictive model for neurosyphilis.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data from patients with syphilis at the Fifth People's Hospital of Suzhou from 2019 to 2024. Patients with neurosyphilis and non-neurosyphilis who were hospitalized from November 2019 to June 2022 were included in the model cohort, and those hospitalized from January 2024 to October 2024 were included in the validation cohort. The patients' basic information and laboratory test indicators (including routine blood tests, CSF biochemical analysis, and syphilitic antibody tests) were collected. Statistical analysis was performed using the GraphPad software. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the binary logistic regression method were used to analyze the predictive performance of key indicators in patients from the model cohort with SPSS software, and a predictive model for neurosyphilis was constructed. The performance of the neurosyphilis predictive model for neurosyphilis was validated based on relevant indicators from the validation cohort.Results:The model cohort included 99 patients with non-neurosyphilis (including 49 males and 50 females), and they were aged between 19 and 85 years, with an average age of 47 years; 69 patients with neurosyphilis were also included in the model cohort, including 58 males and 11 females, and they were aged between 26 and 73 years, with an average age of 51 years. The neurosyphilis group showed a significant increase in the median levels of CSF adenosine deaminase (1 U/L) and microprotein (711 mg/L), white blood cell counts (0.009 × 10?/L), as well as in the proportion of positive Pandy tests (35/69, 50.7%) compared with the non-neurosyphilis group (0 U/L, 309 mg/L, 0.002 × 10?/L, 2 /99 [2.0%], respectively, all P < 0.001). Based on the ROC curve analysis, the CSF microprotein and white blood cell count had relatively high discriminative ability (area under the ROC curve [AUC] > 0.85), while adenosine deaminase and the Pandy test showed moderate discriminative ability (0.7 < AUC < 0.85). According to the above four indicators, the logistic regression analysis showed that CSF microprotein combined with CSF white blood cell counts could construct the best predictive model for neurosyphilis, with a prediction accuracy rate of 0.980, a sensitivity of 98.5%, and a specificity of 89.9%. The prediction formula was logit (p) = -9.926 + 0.015 × microprotein + 362.33 × CSF white blood cell count, with a cutoff value of ≥ -0.867. The validation cohort enrolled 72 patients with non-neurosyphilis and 51 with neurosyphilis, and there were significant differences in CSF microprotein levels and white blood cell counts between the two groups (both P < 0.001). In the validation cohort, the predictive model demonstrated an accuracy of 86.2%, with a sensitivity of 83.6% and a specificity of 91.1% for predicting neurosyphilis. Conclusion:The predictive model for neurosyphilis constructed by combining CSF microprotein and CSF white blood cell count may contribute to the early differential diagnosis of neurosyphilis.

Objective:To optimize the laboratory methods for isolation, culture, and preservation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae ( N. gonorrhoeae) . Methods:Five quality control bacterial strains ( N. gonorrhoeae strain 1, N. gonorrhoeae strain 2, Neisseria mucosa strain 3, Enterococcus faecalis strain 4, and mixed bacterial strain 5) were separately cultured using a self-made gonococcal selective medium and 7 commercialized gonococcal selective media (gonococcal isolation plates, gonococcal T-M selective medium, gonococcal chocolate agar plates, gonococcal selective medium, modified Thayer-Martin [MTM] agar plates, disposable gonococcus [GC] agar medium, and gonococcal agar plates), and their cultivation performance was evaluated. Sixteen strains of N. gonorrhoeae were cultured both inside and outside a candle jar to screen for CO 2-dependent strains. The preservation performance of 4 self-made gonococcal preservation solutions, including calf serum with 10% dimethyl sulfoxide, calf serum with 10% glycerol, brain-heart infusion broth with 20% glycerol, and trypticase soy broth with 30% glycerol, was evaluated. The survival of N. gonorrhoeae in freeze-dried and non-freeze-dried states was observed. Results:The growth performance of the 5 quality control strains varied across different commercialized gonococcal culture media. Concretely, N. gonorrhoeae strain 1 formed large and numerous colonies on both the self-made culture medium and MTM agar plates, which outperformed the other 6 culture media; the growth performance of N. gonorrhoeae strain 2 on the 7 commercialized culture media was inferior to that on the self-made culture medium; all 7 commercialized culture media had inhibitory effects on the growth of Neisseria mucosa strain 3, among which the self-made culture medium, gonococcal chocolate agar plates, MTM agar plates, disposable GC agar medium, and gonococcal agar plates could completely inhibit its growth; the gonococcal T-M selective medium could completely inhibit the growth of Enterococcus faecalis strain 4; mixed bacterial strain 5 showed better separation performance on the self-made culture medium, gonococcal isolation plates, gonococcal T-M selective medium, gonococcal chocolate agar plates, MTM agar plates, and disposable GC agar medium. Under CO 2-enriched conditions, all 16 strains of N. gonorrhoeae exhibited good growth performance; however, the growth of 11 strains was markedly inhibited without CO 2. No significant differences were observed in the preservation performance of the 4 preservation solutions at -70°C, and confluent colonies could be observed in all preservation solutions after 12 months of strain preservation; at -20 ℃, the trypticase soy broth with 30% glycerol showed the best preservation performance, with a few viable strains remaining after 6 months, while the calf serum with 10% dimethyl sulfoxide performed worst, with partial strains remaining viable after 2 weeks. Non-freeze-dried N. gonorrhoeae survived for varying duration at different temperatures (4 ℃, -18 ℃, -29 ℃, -70 ℃, and liquid nitrogen) ; no N. gonorrhoeae strains survived by day 4 when stored at 4°C; freeze-dried N. gonorrhoeae remained viable with the presence of confluent colonies for 6 months at 4 ℃. Conclusion:The self-made gonococcal selective medium demonstrated superior cultivation and isolation performance compared to commercialized gonococcal selective media; a small amount of CO 2 could promote the growth of N. gonorrhoeae; ultralow temperature and freeze-drying preservation could increase the survival time of N. gonorrhoeae, with freeze-drying at 4 ℃ being the most cost-effective long-term preservation method.

Objective:To analyze differences in the expression of routine laboratory parameters and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination indicators between patients with non-neurosyphilis (syphilis without nervous system involvement) and those with neurosyphilis, to screen for key predictive factors, and to construct a predictive model for neurosyphilis.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data from patients with syphilis at the Fifth People's Hospital of Suzhou from 2019 to 2024. Patients with neurosyphilis and non-neurosyphilis who were hospitalized from November 2019 to June 2022 were included in the model cohort, and those hospitalized from January 2024 to October 2024 were included in the validation cohort. The patients' basic information and laboratory test indicators (including routine blood tests, CSF biochemical analysis, and syphilitic antibody tests) were collected. Statistical analysis was performed using the GraphPad software. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the binary logistic regression method were used to analyze the predictive performance of key indicators in patients from the model cohort with SPSS software, and a predictive model for neurosyphilis was constructed. The performance of the neurosyphilis predictive model for neurosyphilis was validated based on relevant indicators from the validation cohort.Results:The model cohort included 99 patients with non-neurosyphilis (including 49 males and 50 females), and they were aged between 19 and 85 years, with an average age of 47 years; 69 patients with neurosyphilis were also included in the model cohort, including 58 males and 11 females, and they were aged between 26 and 73 years, with an average age of 51 years. The neurosyphilis group showed a significant increase in the median levels of CSF adenosine deaminase (1 U/L) and microprotein (711 mg/L), white blood cell counts (0.009 × 10?/L), as well as in the proportion of positive Pandy tests (35/69, 50.7%) compared with the non-neurosyphilis group (0 U/L, 309 mg/L, 0.002 × 10?/L, 2 /99 [2.0%], respectively, all P < 0.001). Based on the ROC curve analysis, the CSF microprotein and white blood cell count had relatively high discriminative ability (area under the ROC curve [AUC] > 0.85), while adenosine deaminase and the Pandy test showed moderate discriminative ability (0.7 < AUC < 0.85). According to the above four indicators, the logistic regression analysis showed that CSF microprotein combined with CSF white blood cell counts could construct the best predictive model for neurosyphilis, with a prediction accuracy rate of 0.980, a sensitivity of 98.5%, and a specificity of 89.9%. The prediction formula was logit (p) = -9.926 + 0.015 × microprotein + 362.33 × CSF white blood cell count, with a cutoff value of ≥ -0.867. The validation cohort enrolled 72 patients with non-neurosyphilis and 51 with neurosyphilis, and there were significant differences in CSF microprotein levels and white blood cell counts between the two groups (both P < 0.001). In the validation cohort, the predictive model demonstrated an accuracy of 86.2%, with a sensitivity of 83.6% and a specificity of 91.1% for predicting neurosyphilis. Conclusion:The predictive model for neurosyphilis constructed by combining CSF microprotein and CSF white blood cell count may contribute to the early differential diagnosis of neurosyphilis.

Objective:To optimize the laboratory methods for isolation, culture, and preservation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae ( N. gonorrhoeae) . Methods:Five quality control bacterial strains ( N. gonorrhoeae strain 1, N. gonorrhoeae strain 2, Neisseria mucosa strain 3, Enterococcus faecalis strain 4, and mixed bacterial strain 5) were separately cultured using a self-made gonococcal selective medium and 7 commercialized gonococcal selective media (gonococcal isolation plates, gonococcal T-M selective medium, gonococcal chocolate agar plates, gonococcal selective medium, modified Thayer-Martin [MTM] agar plates, disposable gonococcus [GC] agar medium, and gonococcal agar plates), and their cultivation performance was evaluated. Sixteen strains of N. gonorrhoeae were cultured both inside and outside a candle jar to screen for CO 2-dependent strains. The preservation performance of 4 self-made gonococcal preservation solutions, including calf serum with 10% dimethyl sulfoxide, calf serum with 10% glycerol, brain-heart infusion broth with 20% glycerol, and trypticase soy broth with 30% glycerol, was evaluated. The survival of N. gonorrhoeae in freeze-dried and non-freeze-dried states was observed. Results:The growth performance of the 5 quality control strains varied across different commercialized gonococcal culture media. Concretely, N. gonorrhoeae strain 1 formed large and numerous colonies on both the self-made culture medium and MTM agar plates, which outperformed the other 6 culture media; the growth performance of N. gonorrhoeae strain 2 on the 7 commercialized culture media was inferior to that on the self-made culture medium; all 7 commercialized culture media had inhibitory effects on the growth of Neisseria mucosa strain 3, among which the self-made culture medium, gonococcal chocolate agar plates, MTM agar plates, disposable GC agar medium, and gonococcal agar plates could completely inhibit its growth; the gonococcal T-M selective medium could completely inhibit the growth of Enterococcus faecalis strain 4; mixed bacterial strain 5 showed better separation performance on the self-made culture medium, gonococcal isolation plates, gonococcal T-M selective medium, gonococcal chocolate agar plates, MTM agar plates, and disposable GC agar medium. Under CO 2-enriched conditions, all 16 strains of N. gonorrhoeae exhibited good growth performance; however, the growth of 11 strains was markedly inhibited without CO 2. No significant differences were observed in the preservation performance of the 4 preservation solutions at -70°C, and confluent colonies could be observed in all preservation solutions after 12 months of strain preservation; at -20 ℃, the trypticase soy broth with 30% glycerol showed the best preservation performance, with a few viable strains remaining after 6 months, while the calf serum with 10% dimethyl sulfoxide performed worst, with partial strains remaining viable after 2 weeks. Non-freeze-dried N. gonorrhoeae survived for varying duration at different temperatures (4 ℃, -18 ℃, -29 ℃, -70 ℃, and liquid nitrogen) ; no N. gonorrhoeae strains survived by day 4 when stored at 4°C; freeze-dried N. gonorrhoeae remained viable with the presence of confluent colonies for 6 months at 4 ℃. Conclusion:The self-made gonococcal selective medium demonstrated superior cultivation and isolation performance compared to commercialized gonococcal selective media; a small amount of CO 2 could promote the growth of N. gonorrhoeae; ultralow temperature and freeze-drying preservation could increase the survival time of N. gonorrhoeae, with freeze-drying at 4 ℃ being the most cost-effective long-term preservation method.

Chronic skin diseases have complex pathogeneses and prolonged courses, and have long adverse impacts on the physical and mental health, as well as the normal life of patients. It is necessary to develop evidence-based strategies and measures for effective prevention and control of chronic skin diseases. However, related studies are limited in China. This article proposes a population medicine research plan for health promotion and equity, and disease prevention, diagnosis, control, treatment, and rehabilitation to establish a collaborative platform for strengthening research on the prevention and treatment of chronic skin diseases in China.

Objective:To assess the susceptibility of gonococcal clinical isolates to gentamicin in Guangxi region, China, and to analyze the correlation between the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of gentamicin and MICs of 7 other antibiotics.Methods:From December 2020 to December 2021, 584 gonococcal clinical isolates were collected from 37 medical institutions in 14 prefecture-level cities in Guangxi region. The susceptibility of gonococcal clinical isolates to ceftriaxone, cefixime, azithromycin, spectinomycin, penicillin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin and gentamicin was determined by using an agar dilution method. The MIC values of antibiotics were logarithmically transformed with base 2, and Spearman correlation analysis was carried out to evaluate the correlation between the MIC of gentamicin and MICs of the other 7 antibiotics.Results:The MIC of gentamicin ranged from 1 to 16 mg/L, and the MIC50 and MIC90 values were 4 and 8 mg/L, respectively; 361 strains (61.8%) were fully sensitive to gentamicin with the MIC ≤ 4 mg/L, 223 strains (38.2%) moderately sensitive with the MIC ranging from 8 to 16 mg/L, and no gentamicin-resistant strains were found. The number of strains resistant to azithromycin, penicillin, tetracycline and ciprofloxacin was 136 (23.3%), 415 (71.1%), 339 (58.0%) and 574 (98.3%) respectively, the number of lowly sensitive strains to ceftriaxone and cefixime was 17 (2.9%) and 6 (1.0%) respectively, and no spectinomycin-resistant strains were found. Spearman correlation analysis showed that the MIC of gentamicin was weakly correlated with the MICs of azithromycin, spectinomycin, penicillin, tetracycline, and ciprofloxacin (all P < 0.05), but was uncorrelated with the MICs of ceftriaxone and cefixime (both P > 0.05) . Conclusion:All gonococcal clinical isolates tested in this study showed a certain degree of susceptibility to gentamicin, and cross-resistance between gentamicin and other antibiotics was less likely to occur.

Antimicrobial resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae has become a big challenge in the control and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. Recently, a ceftriaxone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain FC428 has spread across the world including China, which has worsened the antimicrobial resistance problem. This strain is highly resistant to ceftriaxone due to a novel mosaic penA gene. In order to better understand the characteristics of FC428 and control its further spread, this review summarizes its origin, spread, main molecular characteristics, resistance mechanisms, detection methods, and strategies for clinical treatment and antimicrobial resistance surveillance.

Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease caused by monkeypox virus, and human cases infected with the virus have been reported in more than 100 countries. To respond to the potential of case importation and consequent spread of the infection in the country, it is urgent for China to strengthen its comprehensive surveillance efforts consisting of case detection through country-entering check, symptom screening, and investigation among priority populations, and to implement comprehensive strategies to control the source of infection, interrupt the transmission and protect the people at risk.

Monkeypox is a zoonotic viral disease caused by monkeypox virus infection. Monkeypox has become a public health emergency of international concern, since it first spread widely in many regions outside Africa in 2022. Accurate and effective detection methods are particularly important for the diagnosis and screening of monkeypox virus infection. This review summarizes laboratory testing techniques for monkeypox virus in recent years, and compares principles and detection performance of microscopy, culture, nucleic acid testing and immunological methods.

Objective:To analyze the prognostic factors of breast cancer patients with isolated chest wall recurrence (ICWR) after mastectomy, and investigate the optimal treatment.Methods:A total of 201 breast cancer patients with ICWR after mastectomy who were treated in Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the Fifth Medical Center Chinese PLA General Hospital from October 1998 to April 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The median follow-up was 92.8 months and survival data were obtained.Results:Among 201 patients with ICWR, 103 patients developed subsequent locoregional recurrence (sLRR) and 5-year cumulative sLRR rate was 49.1%; 134 patients developed distant metastasis (DM) and 5-year DM rate was 64.4%; 103 patients died, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 17.4 months and the 5-year PFS rate was 23.2%; the median overall survival (OS) was 62.5 months and the 5-year OS rate was 52.1%. Multivariate analysis showed that the recurrence interval ( HR=2.17, 95% CI: 1.26-3.73) and the locoregional treatment ( HR=1.59, 95% CI: 1.05-2.40) were the independent prognostic factors for sLRR. The initial HER2 status ( HR=1.60, 95% CI: 1.03-2.48) was the independent prognostic factor for DM. The recurrence interval ( HR=1.99, 95% CI: 1.30-3.04), the locoregional treatment ( HR=1.99, 95% CI: 1.43-2.76) and the treatment modalities after recurrence ( HR=1.70, 95% CI: 1.18-2.46) were the independent prognostic factors for PFS. The initial HER2 status ( HR=1.69, 95% CI: 1.02-2.81), the recurrence interval ( HR=1.85, 95% CI: 1.15-2.98) and the treatment modalities after recurrence ( HR=2.48, 95% CI: 1.56-3.96) were the independent prognostic factors for OS. Conclusions:Breast cancer patients after ICWR have an optimistic OS until now, but the risk of sLRR and DM is high. Comprehensive treatment modalities including surgery, radiotherapy and systemic therapy improve the outcome of breast cancer patients with ICWR after mastectomy.