AIM: To explore the effect of dihydroquercetin on visual function in mice with form deprivation myopia based on the NOD-like receptor thermoprotein domain-related protein 3(NLRP3)inflammasome pathway.METHODS: The C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into control group and form deprivation myopia model group, and the form deprivation myopia model group was constructed by covering the right eye with a translucent eye patch. After successful modeling, the mice in the model group of form deprivation myopia were randomly divided into model group, low-, medium- and high-dose dihydroquercetin groups, and high-dose dihydroquercetin + NLRP3 agonist group. The diopter and axial length of mice in each group were detected. The kit was used to detect the levels of superoxide dismutase(SOD)and malondialdehyde(MDA)in retinal tissue. RT-qPCR was used to detect the mRNA expressions of NLRP3, apoptosis-associated spot-like protein(ASC), Caspase-1, IL-1β and IL-18 in retinal tissues. Western blot was used to detect the expression of NLRP3, ASC, cleaved Caspase-1, IL-1β and IL-18 proteins in retinal tissues. TUNEL staining was used to detect apoptosis in retinal tissue.RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the diopter of the mice in the model group decreased, and axial length increased, and the SOD decreased whereas MDA, NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1, IL-1β, IL-18 increased, and the rate of apoptosis in retinal tissue increased(all P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the diopter of mice in the low-, medium- and high-dose dihydroquercetin groups increased, axial length shortened, the SOD increased, whereas MDA, NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1, IL-1β, IL-18 decreased, and the rate of apoptosis in retinal tissue decreased(all P<0.05). Compared with the high-dose dihydroquercetin group, the high-dose dihydroquercetin+NLRP3 agonist group had reduced diopter, increased axial length, decreased SOD levels, elevated MDA, NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1, IL-1β, and IL-18 levels, as well as increased apoptosis rate in retinal tissue(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION: Dihydroquercetin can improve visual function in mice with form deprivation myopia by inhibiting pyroptosis and oxidative stress responses, which may be related to the suppression of NLRP3 inflammasome. NLRP3 agonists can partially mitigate the effects of high-dose dihydroquercetin on form deprivation myopia in mice.

Hepatic alveolar echinococcosis is a highly invasive zoonotic parasitic disease with poor prognosis. Surgical intervention serves as the pivotal approach to achieve radical cure and improve the prognosis of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis patients. In recent years, with the popularization of the concept of precision surgery and the development of the multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment model, the surgical treatment strategies for hepatic alveolar echinococcosis have been continuously enriched, and the selection of surgical procedures has become increasingly diversified. Although key surgical techniques such as radical hepatectomy, autologous liver transplantation and allogeneic liver transplantation have achieved remarkable progress in clinical application, many insurmountable challenges still remain. Therefore, by sorting out the latest evidence-based advances in the field of surgical treatment for hepatic alveolar echinococcosis, this article focuses on discussing the application status and bottlenecks of radical hepatectomy, autologous liver transplantation and allogeneic liver transplantation in hepatic alveolar echinococcosis, aiming to provide a reference for the clinical treatment of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis.

ObjectiveBased on functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we investigated the brain activity characteristics of gross motor tasks in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and motor dysfunctions (MDs) to provide a theoretical basis for further understanding the mechanism of MDs in children with ASD and designing targeted intervention programs from a central perspective. MethodsAccording to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 48 children with ASD accompanied by MDs were recruited into the ASD group and 40 children with typically developing (TD) into the TD group. The fNIRS device was used to collect the information of blood oxygen changes in the cortical motor-related brain regions during single-handed bag throwing and tiptoe walking, and the differences in brain activation and functional connectivity between the two groups of children were analyzed from the perspective of brain activation and functional connectivity. ResultsCompared to the TD group, in the object manipulative motor task (one-handed bag throwing), the ASD group showed significantly reduced activation in both left sensorimotor cortex (SMC) and right secondary visual cortex (V2) (P<0.05), whereas the right pre-motor and supplementary motor cortex (PMC&SMA) had significantly higher activation (P<0.01) and showed bilateral brain region activity; in terms of brain functional integration, there was a significant decrease in the strength of brain functional connectivity (P<0.05) and was mainly associated with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and V2. In the body stability motor task (tiptoe walking), the ASD group had significantly higher activation in motor-related brain regions such as the DLPFC, SMC, and PMC&SMA (P<0.05) and showed bilateral brain region activity; in terms of brain functional integration, the ASD group had lower strength of brain functional connectivity (P<0.05) and was mainly associated with PMC&SMA and V2. ConclusionChildren with ASD exhibit abnormal brain functional activity characteristics specific to different gross motor tasks in object manipulative and body stability, reflecting insufficient or excessive compensatory activation of local brain regions and impaired cross-regions integration, which may be a potential reason for the poorer gross motor performance of children with ASD, and meanwhile provides data support for further unraveling the mechanisms underlying the occurrence of MDs in the context of ASD and designing targeted intervention programs from a central perspective.

With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence technology, chatbots have shown great potential in the healthcare sector. From personalized health advice to chronic disease management and psychological support, chatbots have demonstrated significant advantages in improving the efficiency and quality of healthcare services. As the scope of their applications expands, the relationship between technological complexity and practical application scenarios has become increasingly intertwined, necessitating a more comprehensive evaluation of both aspects. This paper, from the perspective of he althcare applications, systematically reviews the technological pathways and development of chatbots in the medical field, providing an in-depth analysis of their performance across various medical scenarios. It thoroughly examines the advantages and limitations of chatbots, aiming to offer theoretical support for future research and propose feasible recommendations for the broader adoption of chatbot technologies in healthcare.

Objective To investigate the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profiles of common pathogens isolated from cerebrospinal fluid(CSF)in CHINET program from 2015 to 2021.Methods The bacterial strains isolated from CSF were identified in accordance with clinical microbiology practice standards.Antimicrobial susceptibility test was conducted using Kirby-Bauer method and automated systems per the unified CHINET protocol.Results A total of 14 014 bacterial strains were isolated from CSF samples from 2015 to 2021,including the strains isolated from inpatients(95.3％)and from outpatient and emergency care patients(4.7％).Overall,19.6％of the isolates were from children and 80.4％were from adults.Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria accounted for 68.0％and 32.0％,respectively.Coagulase negative Staphylococcus accounted for 73.0％of the total Gram-positive bacterial isolates.The prevalence of MRSA was 38.2％in children and 45.6％in adults.The prevalence of MRCNS was 67.6％in adults and 69.5％in children.A small number of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium(2.2％)and linezolid-resistant Enterococcus faecalis(3.1％)were isolated from adult patients.The resistance rates of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae to ceftriaxone were 52.2％and 76.4％in children,70.5％and 63.5％in adults.The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant E.coli and K.pneumoniae(CRKP)was 1.3％and 47.7％in children,6.4％and 47.9％in adults.The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii(CRAB)and Pseudomonas aeruginosa(CRPA)was 74.0％and 37.1％in children,81.7％and 39.9％in adults.Conclusions The data derived from antimicrobial resistance surveillance are crucial for clinicians to make evidence-based decisions regarding antibiotic therapy.Attention should be paid to the Gram-negative bacteria,especially CRKP and CRAB in central nervous system(CNS)infections.Ongoing antimicrobial resistance surveillance is helpful for optimizing antibiotic use in CNS infections.

Objective To investigate the antimicrobial resistance of clinical isolates from elderly patients(≥65 years)in major medical institutions across China.Methods Bacterial strains were isolated from elderly patients in 52 hospitals participating in the CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program during the period from 2015 to 2021.Antimicrobial susceptibility test was carried out by disk diffusion method and automated systems according to the same CHINET protocol.The data were interpreted in accordance with the breakpoints recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)in 2021.Results A total of 514 715 nonduplicate clinical isolates were collected from elderly patients in 52 hospitals from January 1,2015 to December 31,2021.The number of isolates accounted for 34.3％of the total number of clinical isolates from all patients.Overall,21.8％of the 514 715 strains were gram-positive bacteria,and 78.2％were gram-negative bacteria.Majority(90.9％)of the strains were isolated from inpatients.About 42.9％of the strains were isolated from respiratory specimens,and 22.9％were isolated from urine.More than half(60.7％)of the strains were isolated from male patients,and 39.3％isolated from females.About 51.1％of the strains were isolated from patients aged 65-＜75 years.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains(MRSA)was 38.8％in 32 190 strains of Staphylococcus aureus.No vancomycin-or linezolid-resistant strains were found.The resistance rate of E.faecalis to most antibiotics was significantly lower than that of Enterococcus faecium,but a few vancomycin-resistant strains(0.2％,1.5％)and linezolid-resistant strains(3.4％,0.3％)were found in E.faecalis and E.faecium.The prevalence of penicillin-susceptible S.pneumoniae(PSSP),penicillin-intermediate S.pneumoniae(PISP),and penicillin-resistant S.pneumoniae(PRSP)was 94.3％,4.0％,and 1.7％in nonmeningitis S.pneumoniae isolates.The resistance rates of Klebsiella spp.(Klebsiella pneumoniae 93.2％)to imipenem and meropenem were 20.9％and 22.3％,respectively.Other Enterobacterales species were highly sensitive to carbapenem antibiotics.Only 1.7％-7.8％of other Enterobacterales strains were resistant to carbapenems.The resistance rates of Acinetobacter spp.(Acinetobacter baumannii 90.6％)to imipenem and meropenem were 68.4％and 70.6％respectively,while 28.5％and 24.3％of P.aeruginosa strains were resistant to imipenem and meropenem,respectively.Conclusions The number of clinical isolates from elderly patients is increasing year by year,especially in the 65-＜75 age group.Respiratory tract isolates were more prevalent in male elderly patients,and urinary tract isolates were more prevalent in female elderly patients.Klebsiella isolates were increasingly resistant to multiple antimicrobial agents,especially carbapenems.Antimicrobial resistance surveillance is helpful for accurate empirical antimicrobial therapy in elderly patients.

Objective To explore the feasibility and corresponding implementation methods of constructing a sample resource bank based on individual-level data of completed clinical trials and using it to construct external controls for drug/device clinical trials.Methods Taking the pre-marketing clinical trial of transcatheter active valve replacement(TAVR)for the treatment of aortic valve stenosis as an example,the individual-level databases of multiple trials were standardized to form a sample bank.The original data of any trial in the sample bank were selected as the experimental group,and the remaining samples were selected as the control group.The potential confounding was handled by using the propensity score matching and stratification methods to clarify the process of constructing external controls based on the sample bank of individual-level data of clinical trials.Results This study included individual-level data of single-group trials of 4 TAVR devices,with a total of 569 subjects(59.2%male).The number of subjects in Trials 1 to 4 was 120,120,163,and 166,respectively.Propensity score matching enabled the matching of 113,117,125,and 147 subjects with comparable or similar characteristics from individual-level data from other trials,respectively,demonstrating a high matching success rate.The PS score distribution plot after stratification showed that the proportions of subjects in the experimental and control groups in strata 1 to 5 in scheme 1 were 4/103,11/103,22/92,32/87,and 51/64,respectively.For all constructed external controlled trials,a certain number of control samples with similar baseline characteristics to the experimental groups were distributed within each propensity score stratum.The results of the simulation test also reflected the potential differences between different devices in the 12-month all-cause mortality rate.Conclusions The sample bank constructed with individual-level data from clinical trials,as a high-quality data source,can serve as a source of external control for single-arm trials in the same field,and as a useful supplement to the external control scenario of real-world evidence to support drug and device development.At the same time,targeted research on research methods and bias control measures in related fields is also needed.

Purpose To investigate the consistency and reliability of immunohistochemistry(IHC)staining and polymerase chain reaction-capillary electrophoresis(PCR-CE)in the detection of microsatellite instability.Methods The clinical data of 735 patients with solid tumors who underwent biopsy or surgical resection were collected,and the microsatellite status of tissue samples was detected by IHC and PCR-CE.Results Among the 344 cases of colorectal cancer(CRC),IHC results showed that 290 cases(84.3％)had proficient mismatch repair(pMMR),and 54 cases(15.7％)had deficient mismatch repair(dMMR).The results of PCR-CE showed that 53 patients(15.4％)had high microsatellite instability(MSI-H),and 291 patients(84.6％)had microsatellite stable(MSS).The consistency analysis of IHC and PCR-CE results showed that the Kappa value was 0.923(P＜0.001).Among the 168 cases of en-dometrial cancer(EC),IHC results showed that 42 cases(25.0％)had dMMR and 126 cases(75.0％)had pMMR;The results of PCR-CE showed that 39 cases(23.2％)had MSI-H and 129 cases(76.8％)had MSS.The consisten-cy analysis of the two methods showed that the Kappa value was 0.854(P＜0.001).Among the 165 cases of gastric cancer,IHC results showed that 22(13.3％)had dMMR and 143(86.7％)had pMMR;The results of PCR-CE showed that 22 cases(13.3％)had MSI-H and 143 cases(86.7％)had MSS/low microsatellite instability(MSI-L).The consistency analysis of IHC and PCR-CE results showed that the Kappa value was 0.843(P＜0.001).Among the 58 cases of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma(HNSCC),IHC results showed that 3 cases(5.2％)had dMMR and 55 cases(94.8％)had pMMR;The results of PCR-CE showed that 3 cases(5.2％)had MSI-H and 55 cases(94.8％)had MSS.The consistency analysis of the two methods showed that the Kappa value was 1.000(P＜0.001).Conclusion IHC and PCR-CE have high consistency and reliability in detecting MSI status in patients with CRC,EC,gastric cancer and HNSCC,and their combined application is helpful to improve the accuracy of MSI detec-tion in patients with solid tumors.

Objective To investigate the radiological features of intracranial white epidermoid cysts(WECs).Methods A retro-spective analysis was conducted on the CT and MRI findings of 7 patients pathologically confirmed with WECs.All patients under-went plain CT and MRI scans,and six patients underwent enhanced MRI scans.Results All cases were solitary lesions,located in the right middle cranial fossa(2 cases),suprasellar area(2 cases),left cerebellopontine angle(1 case),right cerebellar vermis(1 case),and cerebellomedullary cistern(1 case),respectively.The lesions appeared oval or irregular in shape with clear boundaries and no perile-sional edema.The CT scans predominantly showed high density in 7 cases,with calcification in 1 case.On T1WI,7 cases exhibited high signal with mixed signals in some areas;6 cases showed primarily low signal on T2WI and fluid attenuated inversion recovery(FLAIR),with 1 case predominantly showed high signal;all 7 cases demonstrated low signal on diffusion weighted imaging(DWI).The margins of 1 lesion appeared"curly",and another exhibited a"swirl"pattern.5 cases had no enhancement,while 1 case had mild marginal enhancement.Conclusion Intracranial WECs has certain imaging characteristics.When a cystic lesion shows high density on CT,predominantly high signal on T1WI,and mostly no enhancement,considering the possibility of WECs.

Objective:Given the insufficiency of current clinical biomarkers for early diagnosis of esophageal adenocarcinoma(EAC),this study developed a panel of serum protein biomarker assays using liquid-phase chip technology and preliminarily validated the detection capabilities of these markers for EAC.Methods:Collected serum samples from 48 patients with EAC and 33 age-matched healthy controls(HC).The levels of squamous cell carcinoma antigen(SCCA),human cytokeratin 19 fragment(Cyfra21-1),hepatocyte growth factor(HGF)and IL-8 in serum were analyzed by liquid chip technology.The diagnostic efficacy of a single indicator and a combination of four indicators were evaluated by receiver operation characteristic(ROC)curve.Results:The detection ranges of SCCA,Cyfra21-1,HGF and IL-8 were 0.24～1 000 ng/ml,45.72～100 000 pg/ml,21.95～16 000 pg/ml,and 0.61～10 000 pg/ml,respectively.The liquid chip technology shows a strong correlation with clinical chemiluminescence immunoassay(r=0.949 4,P<0.000 1)and ELISA technology(r=0.955 1,P<0.000 1).Compared to the HC group,serum levels of SCCA and HGF were signifi-cantly elevated in the EAC group(P<0.01),IL-8 was significantly decreased(P<0.05),while Cyfra21-1 shows no significant difference(P>0.05).In the early EAC group,serum HGF was significantly higher than in the HC group(P<0.01).ROC curve analysis shows that among individual markers,HGF exhibits the best diagnostic efficacy for early EAC with an area under the curve(AUC)of 0.761,while the AUC for the combination of the four biomarkers was 0.857,both superior to the clinical biomarkers SCCA(AUC=0.604)and Cyfra21-1(AUC=0.515).Conclusion:Liquid chip technology is used to jointly detect SCCA,Cyfra21-1,HGF,and IL-8 in human serum.In the early diagnosis of EAC,the diagnostic efficacy of the combined use of these four biomarkers is superior to that of the commonly used clinical tumor markers SCCA and Cyfra21-1.This advantage stems from the high throughput and high sensitivity characteristics of liquid-phase chip technology.Consequently,this combined detection method holds significant clinical application and is expected to provide a more accurate and reliable tool for the early diagnosis of EAC.