Objective To investigate the prevalence of thyroid nodules in the physical examination population in Mianyang region and analyze its association with metabolic syndrome. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 9 978 individuals who underwent health examinations at our hospital from January 2024 to May 2025. Thyroid examinations were performed using color Doppler ultrasound to analyze the prevalence of thyroid nodules in this population. Clinical data of all subjects were collected, and logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the association between metabolic syndrome and the risk of thyroid nodule development. Results The prevalence of thyroid nodules in the physical examination population of Mianyang region was 17.98% (1 794/9 978). The logistic regression results showed that after adjusting for gender, age, BMI, occupation, consumption of non-iodized salt, staying up late, daily sleep duration, anxiety, and depression, metabolic syndrome (OR=6.593, 95% CI: 3.961-10.975) was associated with thyroid nodules (P<0.05). Conclusion The prevalence of thyroid nodules among the physical examination population in the Mianyang area is 17.98%, and metabolic syndrome remains associated with the risk of thyroid nodules after effectively controlling for confounding factors.

Objective: To explore the association between the HLA antibody positivity rate in female blood donors and pregnancy history, number of pregnancies, interval from the last pregnancy to blood donation, and age, to identify associated variables using a univariate generalized additive model (GAM), and to further analyze the predictive role of characteristic variables for HLA antibody positivity using a random forest model. Methods: HLA antibody detection was performed on 391 female blood donors using the Luminex immunomagnetic bead method. The correlation between pregnancy-related factors and HLA antibodies was analyzed using the Chi-square test. Based on R software, a univariate GAM was first constructed to analyze the association types between characteristic variables and the HLA antibody positivity rate, followed by the construction of a random forest model to evaluate the predictive value of the variables. Results: Among the 391 female blood donors without a transfusion history, the overall HLA antibody positivity rate was 26.34%. The positivity rate in donors with a pregnancy history was significantly higher than that in those without (30.09% vs 9.72%, P<0.05), and HLA antibody positivity rate increased linearly with the number of pregnancies (P<0.05). In the univariate GAM, age and number of deliveries exhibited a non-linear association with the HLA antibody positivity rate (the positivity rate increased sharply between 25-35 years of age and stabilized after 3 deliveries). Besides, the interval from the last pregnancy to blood donation showed a linear association with the HLA antibody positivity rate, and the positivity rate decreased as the interval prolonged (P<0.05). In the random forest model, age (mean decrease gini=29.26) and interval from the last pregnancy to blood donation (mean decrease gini=22.02) were core predictive variables: age was more conducive to identifying positive samples, while the interval from the last pregnancy to blood donation was more helpful for excluding negative samples. The number of deliveries (mean decrease accuracy=16.98) made a significant contribution to predicting positive samples, whereas the number of abortions had no impact. The model had an AUC of 0.583 (95% CI: 0.593 8-0.770 2), indicating a certain predictive value. Conclusion: The associated variables identified by the univariate GAM model, including age, interval from the last pregnancy to blood donation, and number of deliveries, provide a basis for key variables in the random forest model. All three variables have predictive value for HLA antibody positivity, which can provide evidence-based support for personalized transfusion management and stratified screening of female blood donors in this region.

In March 2024, three male and two female specimens of the genus Lispe were intercepted on cargo ships inbound for Wan Zai Port under Gongbei Customs. Based on morphological characteristics and molecular analysis, the specimens were identified as Lispe pumila. In this study, we describe the morphological features, diagnostic characteristics, and geographical distribution of L. pumila, with the aim of providing a reference for the identification of this species when intercepted at ports.

Background and aims The mechanism of cholestatic liver injury (CLI) is unclear, and effective therapies are lacking. While peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) agonists show potential hepatoprotective effect and pyroptosis is implicated in hepatocellular damage, how PPARα activation mitigates lithocholic acid (LCA)-induced pyroptosis remains unknown. Methods The hepatoprotective effect of PPARα agonists was evaluated in a mouse model of intrahepatic cholestasis induced by LCA. Liver injury was assessed via serum biochemistry, hematoxylin and eosin and TUNEL staining, and electron microscopy. Pyroptosis pathways were analyzed using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and co-immunoprecipitation. Results Combined morphological, histopathological, and biochemical analyses confirmed that PPARα activation protects against CLI. Compared with LCA treatment alone, PPARα activation significantly attenuated the elevation of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), the increased TUNEL-positive cells, and the formation of hepatocyte membrane pores. Mechanistically, PPARα activation suppressed both NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis and apoptosis protease-activating factor-1 (APAF-1)/CASPASE-3/GSDME-mediated pyroptosis. Furthermore, PPARα agonist pretreatment inhibited activation of the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) signaling pathways. Conclusions PPARα protects against LCA-induced CLI by inhibiting both NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis associated with NF-κB and APAF-1/CASPASE-3/GSDME-mediated pyroptosis associated with the FOXO1 signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE To observe the effect of early warning mechanisms based on nosocomial infection surveil-lance system on precise prevention and control of spread of multidrug-resistant organisms(MDROs)infections in intensive care unit of neurosurgery department.METHODS The dynamic monitoring was performed in the ICU of neurosurgery department of a three-A general hospital by using real-time surveillance system of nosocomial infec-tion from Jan.2023 to Dec.2023.The warning information was sent to the doctor' station immediately once the MDROs infections were detected,the detection of drug-resistant bacteria was carried out for the relevant personnel and their surroundings,and the precise prevention and control measures were implemented.The impact on the iso-lation rate of MDROs,isolation rate of MDROs from the relevant personnel and surroundings,incidence of noso-comial MDROs infections and incidence of surgical site infection was observed after the measures were taken.RESULTS The carrying rate of MDROs was decreased from 21.80％to 5.74％among the relevant personnel after the precise prevention and control measures were taken(P＜0.05),which was improved remarkably among the doctors(decreasing from 21.43％to 6.07％),nurses(decreasing from 23.68％to 3.98％),nursing workers(decreasing from 25.15％to 8.65％),and cleaning staff(decreasing from 25.49％to 5.05％)(P＜0.001).The isolation rate of MDROs was decreased from 20.77％to 7.12％among the surroundings(P＜0.05),which was decreased most remarkably among head cushions(decreasing from 32.28％to 12.13％),bed rails(decreasing from 16.70％to 3.27％),ventilator panels(decreasing from 23.00％to 6.95％)and bedside floors(decreasing from 31.99％to 9.96％)(P＜0.001).The incidence of nosocomial MDROs infections declined from 3.84％to 1.71％(P＜0.05),with incidence of incision infections decreasing from 4.00％to 1.45％(P＜0.05),the inci-dence of intracranial infections decreasing from 2.38％to 0.56％(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION The detection of drug-resistant bacteria is carried out immediately and precisely for the patients with MDROs infection,relevant personnel and their surroundings by using the real-time surveillance system of nosocomial infection,which achieve remarkable effect on prevention of transmission of MDROs and reduction of incidence of hospital-associated infec-tions and surgical site infections.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the immunoprotection effect of a novel inactivated whole cell vaccine against Acinetobacter baumannii based on ultrasonic microbubble physical damage technique(IWC)and explore its poten-tial of clinical transformation.METHODS Totally 48 C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to divide into three groups and receive the nasal inoculation of corresponding preparations,the IWC group and the paraformalde-hyde inactivated vaccine group were inoculated with 20 μl of 1× 107 CFU vaccine,the control group was treated with 20 μl phosphate buffered salt solution.The infection models were established 7 days after intraperitoneal in-jection of a lethal dose of A.baumannii.The 7-day mortality rates of the mice were statistically analyzed after tox-in attack.The counts of colonized bacterial colonies on lung and spleen tissues were determined by plate count method after toxin attack for 24 hours.The levels of inflammatory factors interleukin(IL)-6,tumor necro-sis factor α(TNF-α)and IL-1β in the lung tissues were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA),and the pathological damage was observed.RESULTS The survival rate of the IWC group was higher than that of the control group,and the counts of colonized bacterial colonies on lung and spleen tissues were less in the IWC group than those in the control group(P＜0.05).As compared the paraformaldehyde inactivated vaccine group,the survival rate of the IWC group increased by 10.00％,and the counts of colonized bacterial colonies on the lung tissues were slightly less in the IWC group than those in the paraformaldehyde inactivated vaccine group(P＜0.05),and the counts of colonized bacterial colonies on spleens were basically the same.The levels of lung tis-sue inflammatory factors of the IWC group were lower than those of the other two groups(P＜0.05).The patho-logical damage was alleviated,and the IWC group was superior to the control group in the integrity of alveolar structure.CONCLUSIONS IWC can maintain the immunogenicity of pathogens through physical damage technique,effectively activate the immune response of the hose,and reduce the bacterial load and inflammatory injury,show-ing better immunoprotection effect than the traditional chemical inactivation method.The study has provided ex-perimental bases for development of novel,specific,safe and highly efficient vaccine as well as new ideas and strategies for clinical prevention and treatment of A.baumannii infection.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the toxicity and safety of novel Mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion strain protein derivatives,referred to as B/R strain active proteins.In cellular experiments,RAW264.7 cells were treated with each vaccine preparation,and apoptosis rates were measured.In subsequent animal experiments,C57BL/6 mice were immunized via subcutaneous injection,and their survival and body weight changes were monitored and recorded at 2,4,8,12,and 16 weeks.The lungs and spleens were harvested to calculate organ coefficients,and pathological examinations were conducted.At the eighth week of immunization,the mice were infected with high concentrations of BCG,and pathological changes in the lungs and spleens were observed 4 weeks post-infection.The apoptosis rate at 6 hours was significantly higher in the experimental group than the PBS group(P<0.05).At 12 and 24 hours,the apoptosis rate in the experimental group remained higher than that in the PBS group,although this difference was not statistically significant.After immunization,mice in all four groups exhibited normal growth patterns,as indicated by stable body weight changes.At 4 and 12 weeks post-immunization,the lung coefficients in the protein group were significantly higher than those in the PBS group at the same time points.Additionally,the lung coefficients in the BCG group were significantly elevated across all time periods(P<0.05).The spleen coefficients in the protein and BCG groups were significantly higher than those in the PBS group at 2,4,8,12,and 16 weeks,whereas the ICD B/R group showed higher spleen coefficients than the PBS group only at week 8(P<0.05).Pathological examination revealed normal lung and spleen tissues in the PBS group.However,during the 2-8 weeks immunization period,lung and spleen tissues in all experimental groups exhibited varying degrees of damage,which gradually diminished by 12-16 weeks.Notably,no tuberculosis nodules were observed in any experimental group.After infection with high concentrations of BCG,no overt pathological changes were observed on the surfaces of the lungs and spleens in any group.Microscopic examination revealed less severe pathological changes in the lungs and spleens of mice in the experimental groups than the PBS group.Furthermore,no statistically significant differences were observed between the protein group and the BCG group.Our findings suggested that the B/R strain active proteins'toxicity and safety profiles were comparable to those of BCG,and showed immunoprotective effects.This study provides an experimental foundation for the development of a novel tuberculosis vaccine.

Objective:To construct patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients, to explore the effect of immune reconstitution timing on the PDX modeling and immune microenvironment in humanized immune system mice (huHSC-NCG-hIL15), and to provide a reliable animal model for research on the mechanisms of head and neck squamous carcinoma and for studies on immune therapy drug interventions.Methods:This study enrolled 28 HNSCC patients (25 laryngeal carcinomas, 3 hypopharyngeal carcinomas). PDX models were established in Balb/c nude (nu) mice, NSG mice, and humanized immune system-reconstituted huHSC-NCG-hIL15 mice. Fresh HNSCC samples were transplanted into Balb/c nu and NSG mice to generate PDX models, with subsequent analysis of success-associated factors. One successfully established PDX tumor was subsequently implanted into humanized immune system-reconstituted huHSC-NCG-hIL15 mice. Tumor transplantation was performed at distinct immune reconstruction timepoints (2 vs. 7 weeks post-reconstitution), and tumor growth patterns were monitored. Flow cytometry and multiplex immunohistochemical staining were utilized to characterize immunological profiles in peripheral lymphoid organs and tumor microenvironments. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was employed to assess histomorphological concordance between primary patient tumors and PDX model tissues. Results:HNSCC PDX models were successfully established. NSG mice exhibited a higher and more stable tumor take rate compared to Balb/c nu mice (pilot study: 4/10 vs. 3/10 cases; mean take rate 60%-80% vs. 20%-60 %). The PDX success rate in NSG mice was 46.4% (13/28). In the huHSC-NCG-hIL15 mice model with immune reconstitution at 7 weeks, tumors grew significantly faster, and the PDX modeling process was shorter (617 mm3 at day 70 in 7-week cohort vs.280 mm3 in 2-week cohort). Flow cytometry analysis of the immune microenvironment showed that at 7 weeks of immune reconstitution, the proportions of B cells in the spleen and tumor tissues(2-week vs. 7-week: spleen 16.2% vs. 61.7%, tumor 26.0% vs. 38.8%) and myeloid cells in the spleen (2-week vs. 7-week: spleen 47.2% vs. 88.1 %) were significantly higher, while mice at 2 weeks post-reconstitution showed a higher proportion of T cells (2-week vs. 7-week: spleen 13.2% vs. 9.3%, tumor 4.8% vs. 2.5%). HE results demonstrated that the tumor tissues in PDX models maintained a high degree of morphological similarity to the primary tumors in both NSG and huHSC-NCG-hIL15 mouse models. Conclusion:The HNSCC PDX modeling protocol demonstrates operational feasibility and high reproducibility, establishing this model as a robust platform for mechanistic and immunotherapeutic studies.

The biological activity of chitinase in degrading chitin has garnered extensive attention,particularly for its potential applications in biological control.This study utilized four spore-form-ing Bacillus strains isolated from Dermacentor nuttalli ticks collected in the Hulunbuir region.Traditional bacterial culture methods were employed for isolation and identification,followed by 16S rRNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the purified cultures.chitin-hydrolyzing strains were screened using colloidal chitin plates,and specific chitinase genes were detected via PCR.Fer-mentation was conducted at 37.0 ℃ for 4 d,and the supernatants were subjected to enzyme activity analysis using the DNS method.Four Gram-positive Bacillus strains were successfully isolated from tick tissue samples,they were identified as B.proteolyticus,B.paramycoides,B.thuringien-sis,and B.cereus,and renamed IMH/B-1,IMH/P-1,IMH/T-1,and IMH/C-1,respectively.PCR a-nalysis detected chitinase genes in B.proteolyticus and B.thuringiensis,while B.cereus and B.pa-ramycoides lacked these genes.However,three strains B.proteolyticus,B.thuringiensis,and B.ce-reus demonstrated significant(P＜0.01)chitin degradation activity on colloidal chitin.Enzyme ac-tivity assays revealed that chitinase activity ranged from 1.292 to 2.032 U/mL,with B.proteolytic-us exhibiting the highest activity 2.032 U/mL,followed by B.cereus 1.496 U/mL and B.thuring-iensis 1.324 U/mL.This study provides a foundation for further research and application of chiti-nase-producing Bacillus strains.

Pruritus is one of the serious side effects in patients receiving opioid analgesia in clinic.A lot of studies have eluci-dated the analgesic mechanisms of opioids,but the mechanism of opioid-induced pruritus is still unclear,and the relationship between pruritus and analgesia is ambiguous.In the recent stud-ies,after activation of μ,κ and δ opioid receptors,opioids transmit itch information by interacting with the gastrin-releasing peptide receptor(GRPR)directly or indirectly.Neuropeptides such as neuromedin B(NMB),neuropeptide Y(NPY),B-type natriuretic peptide(BNP)and other receptors transient receptor potential vanilloids 1 receptor(TRPV1R),N-methyl-D-aspar-tate receptor(NMDAR)and 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT)re-ceptor also play important roles in morphine-induced itching.In addition,the prevention and treatment of opioid-induced pruritus are still one of the difficulties and hot spots of perioperative mor-phine analgesia.Therefore,it is important to clarify the specific occurrence mechanism of pruritus to find new research ideas for the prevention and treatment of opioid-induced pruritus.