Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of single-stranded non-coding RNAs that form circular conformations through non-canonical splicing or reverse splicing events. Recently, aberrant expression of circRNA has been observed in several cancers. An increasing number of studies suggested that circRNA is involved in tumor suppression or tumor promotion to varying degrees through diverse molecular mechanisms, highlighting its key role in the occurrence and development of tumors. In this review, we systematically summarize the latest research progress on the function and molecular mechanism of circRNA in malignant tumors of the digestive system. circRNA is expected to be further explored as a target molecule in the treatment of digestive system cancers in the future.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of children with severe human metapneumovirus (HMPV) infection and identify the risk factors associated with critical illness.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted, enrolling 157 hospitalized children with severe HMPV infection, who tested positive for HMPV nucleic acid via PCR-capillary electrophoresis fragment analysis of nasopharyngeal secretions at Shanghai Children′s Hospital from January 2021 to December 2023.Clinical features, co-infections, treatment, and outcomes were collected. Based on the diagnostic criteria for severe HMPV infection, the patients were categorized into a critical illness group and a non-critical illness group. Intergroup comparisons were performed using the χ2 test or the Mann-Whitney U test. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was employed to identify risk factors for critical HMPV infection and to establish a predictive model.The performance of the model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and calibration curves. Results:Among the 157 cases of severe HMPV infection, there were 67 males and 90 females, with an onset age of 39.0 (20.0, 55.5) months. Single-pathogen infection was observed in 125 cases (79.6%), while mixed infections accounted for 32 cases (20.4%).Severe pneumonia was diagnosed in 136 cases (86.6%).The predominant manifestations of severe HMPV infection included fever 152 cases (96.8%), cough 151 cases (96.2%), and wheezing 94 cases (59.9%).Sixty-eight patients (43.3%) required non-invasive respiratory support, 58 cases (36.9%) were admitted to the intensive care unit, and 22 cases (14.0%) underwent mechanical ventilation. Of the total, 149 cases (94.9%) were discharged with improvement, 8 cases (5.1%) were discharged against medical advice, and there were no fatal cases. The cohort was further stratified into a critical illness group 31 cases and a non-critical illness group 126 cases. Compared to the non-critical illness group, the critical illness group exhibited significantly higher rates of respiratory distress, lethargy, and intercostal retractions, along with a higher proportion of underlying comorbidities, and elevated levels of C-reactive protein and procalcitonin (all P<0.05).Conversely, albumin and hemoglobin levels were significantly lower in the critical illness group (both P<0.05). ROC curve analysis revealed that the optimal cutoff value for the duration of fever in predicting severe HMPV infection was 4.5 days.The multivariate binary Logistic regression analysis revealed that prolonged fever duration (>4.5 days) ( OR=28.00, 95% CI 5.09-153.93, P<0.001), anorexia ( OR=11.72, 95% CI 1.26-108.75, P=0.030), and immune dysfunction ( OR=36.71, 95% CI 1.55-867.31, P=0.026) were independent risk factors for severe HMPV infection. A predictive model for critical illness was constructed based on these independent risk factors. ROC curve analysis demonstrated excellent discriminative ability, with an area under the curve of 0.96 (95% CI 0.92-1.00, P<0.001). The optimal predictive probability threshold was 0.17, yielding a sensitivity of 0.93 and specificity of 0.92. The calibration curve closely approximated the ideal curve, indicating good model calibration ( P=0.157). Conclusions:Severe HMPV infection is predominantly observed as a single infection and is prone to progress to severe pneumonia, with fever, cough, and wheezing as the main clinical manifestations. A subset of cases progresses to critical illness, though the overall prognosis is favorable. Prolonged fever duration (>4.5 days), anorexia, and immune dysfunction were independent risk factors for critical illness.The risk prediction model constructed for pediatric critical HMPV infection demonstrated robust discriminative ability with excellent calibration.

Objective:To investigate the differences in protein profile expression in serum samples from children with corona virus disease 2019（COVID-19）related encephalopathy and to explore the underlying mechanisms.Methods:From December 1,2022 to January 31,2023,28 children with COVID-19 who were admitted to the Department of Pediatric Intensive Medicine at Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University were collected,including 21 patients with encephalopathy(COVID-19 with encephalopathy group) and seven patients without encephalopathy(COVID-19 without encephalopathy group).Three children from each group were selected for serum proteomic analysis using tandem mass spectrometry labeling proteomics technology.Proteins were considered significantly different if the fold change was >1.2 or <0.8，with P<0.05.Bioinformatics analysis，including Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Pathway Enrichment were performed on differentially expressed proteins.Protein-protein interaction networks were analyzed using the STRING database.Selected proteins were further validated by enzyme-linked immunosorbert assay. Results:A total of 41 differentially expressed proteins were identified between the two groups.Among these，14 proteins were upregulated and 27 proteins were downregulated in COVID-19 patients with encephalopathy compared to those without encephalopathy.Bioinformatics analysis revealed that these proteins were primarily enriched in critical signaling pathways，including complement and coagulation regulation，neutrophil degranulation and activation，and platelet degranulation.Enzyme-linked immunosorbert assay validation confirmed significant differences in key coagulation-regulating proteins(von willebrand factor upregulated，serpin family F member 2 downregulated in COVID-19 patients with encephalopatly）between the two groups.Conclusion:Coagulation dysfunction may play a role in the development of COVID-19 associated encephalopathy in children，providing valuable insights for future research.

Objective To investigate the correlation between serum insulin like growth factor 1 receptor(IGF1R)and epidermal growth factor-like domain-containing protein 7(EGFL7)levels and the condition and pregnancy outcome of patients with preeclampsia(PE).Methods A total of 120 PE patients admitted to the hospital from January 2021 to January 2024(PE group)and 60 healthy pregnant women during the same peri-od(control group)were selected.The PE patients were divided into severe PE group(68 cases)and mild PE group(52 cases)according to their conditions,and divided into poor group(62 cases)and good group(68 ca-ses)according to the pregnancy outcome.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect serum IGF1R,EGFL7 levels.Using the pregnancy outcome of PE patients as the dependent variable,multivariate un-conditional Logistic regression was used to determine the influencing factors of their pregnancy outcomes,and receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of serum IGF1R and EGFL7 levels.Results Compared with the control group,serum IGF1R levels were reduced and EGFL7 levels were increased in the PE group(t=-16.908,16.234,P＜0.001).Serum IGF1R levels were decreased and EGFL7 levels were increased in the severe PE group compared with the mild PE group(t=-5.317,5.305,P＜0.001).The incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes in PE patients was 51.67％(62/120).The independent risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes in patients with PE were severe PE(OR=3.906,95％CI:1.305-11.689),elevated 24-h urinary protein(OR=2.030,95％CI:1.290-3.194),elevated EGFL7(OR=1.116,95％CI:1.040-1.198),and the independent protective factor was elevated IGF1R(OR=0.908,95％CI:0.865-0.954,P＜0.05).The area under the curve for serum IGF1R and EGFL7 levels alone and in com-bination to predict adverse pregnancy outcomes in PE patients was 0.791(95％CI:0.707-0.860),0.784(95％CI:0.700-0.854),and 0.866(95％CI:0.781-0.911),and serum IGF1R and EGFL7 levels were grea-ter jointly(Z=2.456,2.244,P＜0.05).Conclusion Decreased serum IGF1R levels and increased EGFL7 levels are associated with exacerbation and adverse pregnancy outcomes in patients with PE,and the combina-tion of serum IGF1R and EGFL7 levels is of high value in predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes in patients with PE.

Objective:The purpose of this study was to develop a dynamic prediction model for patients with gastric signet ring cell cancer (GSRCC)following laparoscopic radical gastrectomy in order to improve the precision and usefulness of prognoses prediction for overall survival and disease-free survival.Methods:From 2011 to 2018, 914 National Cancer Center patients participated in the study. To find independent prognostic indicators and create a prognostic nomogram model, univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed. Calibration curves, receiver operating characteristic curves, and consistency indices were used to assess the model's performance. To make clinical application more convenient, two web-based prediction tools were created.Results:A training set of 639 cases and a validation set of 275 instances were randomly selected from among the patients. Important predictive variables such as age, tumor size, location, pN and pT staging, and postoperative chemotherapy were all incorporated in the model (all P<0.05). The model's consistency index and area under the receiver operating characteristic curves were both higher than 0.7, and the calibration curves demonstrated a good fit between the expected and actual values, indicating high accuracy and consistency in postoperative survival prediction for patients with gastric signet ring cell carcinoma. Conclusion:We successfully developed two dynamic prediction models in this study, which improved its clinical practicability using web-based tools and is anticipated to be crucial to clinical practice going forward.

Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics and trends of postoperative pneumonia(POP)in tertiary general hospitals in Jiangsu Province,and provide theoretical basis for carrying out targeted pre-vention and control measures.Methods Surgery patients from 22 tertiary general hospitals in 12 cities in north,central,and south of Jiangsu Province from January 1,2022 to December 31,2023 were chosen as studied subjects,occurrence of POP was analyzed and compared.Results A total of 848 274 surgical procedures were performed in 22 hospitals,and 3 606 cases of POP occurred,with an incidence of 0.43％.The incidence in 2023 was 0.37％,which was lower than that in 2022(0.49％),with statistically significant difference(P＜0.001).The top three de-partments with high incidence of POP were neurosurgery(6.71％),cardiothoracic surgery(2.91％),and general surgery(0.77％).Among hospitals of different grades,the incidence of POP in tertiary first-class hospitals was 0.44％,which was higher than that in other tertiary hospitals(0.37％).There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of POP between municipal and district/county hospitals(P＞0.05).The incidence of POP in hospitals with a bed:infection control full-time staff ratio＜200∶1 was lower than that in hospitals with the ratio ≥200∶1(0.39％vs 0.47％,P＜0.001),while the incidence of POP in hospitals with a proportion ≥30％of full-time staff being doctors was higher than that in hospitals with a proportion＜30％(0.45％vs 0.36％,P＜0.001).The incidence of POP in male patients was higher than that in female patients(0.62％vs 0.26％,P＜0.001).The incidence of POP in elderly patients aged≥65 was higher than that in patients aged＜65(0.73％vs 0.26％,P＜0.001).A total of 2 667 strains of infectious pathogens were detected,with the top three being Acine-tobacter baumannii,Klebsiella pneumoniae,and Pseudomonas aeruginosa,accounting for 28.95％,22.72％,and 15.45％,respectively.The detection rates of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii(CRAB),carba-penem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae(CRKP),and carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa(CRPA)were 60.75％,21.45％,and 32.28％,respectively.The detection rate of CRKP decreased in 2023 compared with 2022,with statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).Conclusion The overall incidence of POP in tertiary general hos-pitals in Jiangsu Province is relatively low,but there are significant differences among different hospitals.There-fore,perioperative prevention and control measures should be carried out based on the epidemiological characteristics of patients.

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance(AMR)of bacteria leads to a decrease or even failure in the effectiveness of antimicrobial treatment,poses a huge challenge to clinical anti-infective treatment,and seriously threatens human life.Therefore,coping with AMR of bacteria has become a major challenge and research hot spot in the field of global public health.Due to the wide sources and diverse biological activities,natural compounds play an important role in the practice of"reduction of antimicrobial agents,replacement for antimicrobial agents,and free of antimicrobial agents"in the breeding industry.In recent years,studies have discovered that a variety of natural compounds can serve as enhancer for antimicrobial agents,and the combined use of natural compounds with antimi-crobial agents can restore the antimicrobial sensitivity of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and enhance antimicrobial effects.This indicates that natural compounds have the potential to serve as new strategies in coping with AMR of bacteria.This paper reviews the synergistic antibacterial mechanism of natural compounds combined with antimicro-bial agents based on the main resistance mechanisms of bacteria,and looks forward to their application prospects and challenges,in the hope of providing new ideas and strategies for coping with the crisis of bacteria AMR.

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance(AMR)of bacteria leads to a decrease or even failure in the effectiveness of antimicrobial treatment,poses a huge challenge to clinical anti-infective treatment,and seriously threatens human life.Therefore,coping with AMR of bacteria has become a major challenge and research hot spot in the field of global public health.Due to the wide sources and diverse biological activities,natural compounds play an important role in the practice of"reduction of antimicrobial agents,replacement for antimicrobial agents,and free of antimicrobial agents"in the breeding industry.In recent years,studies have discovered that a variety of natural compounds can serve as enhancer for antimicrobial agents,and the combined use of natural compounds with antimi-crobial agents can restore the antimicrobial sensitivity of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and enhance antimicrobial effects.This indicates that natural compounds have the potential to serve as new strategies in coping with AMR of bacteria.This paper reviews the synergistic antibacterial mechanism of natural compounds combined with antimicro-bial agents based on the main resistance mechanisms of bacteria,and looks forward to their application prospects and challenges,in the hope of providing new ideas and strategies for coping with the crisis of bacteria AMR.

Objective:To analyze the distribution and epidemiological characteristics of non-bacterial pathogens in hospitalized children with acute respiratory infections at a tertiary pediatric hospital in Shanghai during 2023.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on 10 591 children with acute respiratory tract infections who were hospitalized in Shanghai Children's Hospital from January to December 2023. A multiplex PCR combined with capillary electrophoresis platform was used to detect 11 common non-bacterial respiratory pathogens（including viruses and atypical pathogens）. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS 29.0 software. Qualitative data were presented as numbers and percentages，and the Chi-square test was employed to make comparisons between groups，aiming to analyze the differences in the distribution of different pathogens according to gender，age group，and season. Additionally，based on the severity of the disease，patients were calssified into a severe pneumonia group and a non-severe pneumonia group to further explore the characteristics of the pathogen spectrum of severe pneumonia.Results:The total detection rate of pathogens was 54.39%（5 760/10 591），and the proportion of mixed infections was 12.76%（735/5 760）. The dominant pathogens and their proportions were as follows： Mycoplasma pneumoniae（19.20%，2 034/10 591），human rhinovirus（12.16%，1 288/10 591），influenza A virus（8.31%，880/10 591），and respiratory syncytial virus（8.14%，862/10 591）. Epidemiological characteristics showed that：（1）In terms of age： Mycoplasma pneumoniae was more common in older children（29.55%，901/3 049，in the school-age group，χ 2 = 653.67， P<0.001）. Influenza A virus had a high incidence in the adolescent group（11.34%，45/397，χ 2=48.69， P<0.001）. Respiratory syncytial virus was most susceptible in the infant group（20.94%，280/1 337，χ 2=739.92， P<0.001）. Human rhinovirus showed the characteristic of general susceptibility across all ages.（2）Monthly and seasonal distribution： Mycoplasma pneumoniae had a seasonal epidemic in summer and autumn（it began to rise in May and peaked in October at 34.22%，439/1 283）；influenza A virus had a bimodal distribution in spring and winter（the peak was 37.15% in March，315/848）；respiratory syncytial virus had a dominant epidemic in spring and summer（the detection rate was 21.24% in May，206/970），and human rhinovirus was prevalent throughout the year.（3）Clinical correlation：The detection rate of pathogens in the severe pneumonia group was significantly higher than that in the non-severe group：84.19%（426/506） vs 2.89%（5 334/10 085），χ 2=56.23， P<0.001. Conclusions:In 2023，the pathogen spectrum of hospitalized children with acute respiratory infections in the Shanghai area exhibits an epidemic pattern dominated by Mycoplasma pneumoniae，and its transmission dynamics are significantly age-dependent. This study delineates the pathogen-host-environment tripartite interactions，establishing an evidence-based foundation for formulating precision diagnostic-therapeutic algorithms and seasonal nosocomial infection prevention frameworks.

Objective:To analyze the distribution and epidemiological characteristics of non-bacterial pathogens in hospitalized children with acute respiratory infections at a tertiary pediatric hospital in Shanghai during 2023.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on 10 591 children with acute respiratory tract infections who were hospitalized in Shanghai Children's Hospital from January to December 2023. A multiplex PCR combined with capillary electrophoresis platform was used to detect 11 common non-bacterial respiratory pathogens（including viruses and atypical pathogens）. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS 29.0 software. Qualitative data were presented as numbers and percentages，and the Chi-square test was employed to make comparisons between groups，aiming to analyze the differences in the distribution of different pathogens according to gender，age group，and season. Additionally，based on the severity of the disease，patients were calssified into a severe pneumonia group and a non-severe pneumonia group to further explore the characteristics of the pathogen spectrum of severe pneumonia.Results:The total detection rate of pathogens was 54.39%（5 760/10 591），and the proportion of mixed infections was 12.76%（735/5 760）. The dominant pathogens and their proportions were as follows： Mycoplasma pneumoniae（19.20%，2 034/10 591），human rhinovirus（12.16%，1 288/10 591），influenza A virus（8.31%，880/10 591），and respiratory syncytial virus（8.14%，862/10 591）. Epidemiological characteristics showed that：（1）In terms of age： Mycoplasma pneumoniae was more common in older children（29.55%，901/3 049，in the school-age group，χ 2 = 653.67， P<0.001）. Influenza A virus had a high incidence in the adolescent group（11.34%，45/397，χ 2=48.69， P<0.001）. Respiratory syncytial virus was most susceptible in the infant group（20.94%，280/1 337，χ 2=739.92， P<0.001）. Human rhinovirus showed the characteristic of general susceptibility across all ages.（2）Monthly and seasonal distribution： Mycoplasma pneumoniae had a seasonal epidemic in summer and autumn（it began to rise in May and peaked in October at 34.22%，439/1 283）；influenza A virus had a bimodal distribution in spring and winter（the peak was 37.15% in March，315/848）；respiratory syncytial virus had a dominant epidemic in spring and summer（the detection rate was 21.24% in May，206/970），and human rhinovirus was prevalent throughout the year.（3）Clinical correlation：The detection rate of pathogens in the severe pneumonia group was significantly higher than that in the non-severe group：84.19%（426/506） vs 2.89%（5 334/10 085），χ 2=56.23， P<0.001. Conclusions:In 2023，the pathogen spectrum of hospitalized children with acute respiratory infections in the Shanghai area exhibits an epidemic pattern dominated by Mycoplasma pneumoniae，and its transmission dynamics are significantly age-dependent. This study delineates the pathogen-host-environment tripartite interactions，establishing an evidence-based foundation for formulating precision diagnostic-therapeutic algorithms and seasonal nosocomial infection prevention frameworks.