Objective To investigate the biological functions of the ERG3 gene in Candida albicans and its potential value in antifungal therapy. Methods The ERG3 null mutant was constructed by the CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, microbroth dilution method, hyphal induction and mouse systemic infection models were carried out to evaluate sterol metabolism, drug susceptibility, hyphal formation ability and pathogenicity in C. albicans. Results The disruption of the ERG3 gene led to disordered sterol metabolism in C. albicans with a significant increased level of episterol, 14α-methylfecosterol and ergosta-7,22-dienol. The ERG3 null mutant exhibited significantly reduced susceptibility to antifungal azole and polyene drugs, which suggested that ERG3 involve in regulating drug resistance. Although the disruption of ERG3 inhibited hyphal growth and biofilm formation, it did not significantly alter the pathogenicity of the strain in a mouse model of systemic fungal infection. Conclusion The ERG3 gene was a key regulator in the ergosterol synthesis pathway in C. albicans. Its deletion induced multi-drug resistance by reshaping sterol metabolism, while pathogenicity maintenance depended on compensatory mechanisms. This study provided critical insights for developing antifungal drugs targeting sterol metabolism and overcoming drug resistance.

Objective To understand the changing trend of Internet outpatient visits in public hospitals,and provide support for the development planning of Internet hospitals.Methods Using the data of Internet outpatient visits in a public hos-pital from January 2021 to June 2023,the ARIMA model and GM(1,1)model were constructed respectively.The mean absolute error(MAE)and root mean square error(RMSE)were used to evaluate the fitting effect,and the Internet outpatient visits from July to December 2023 were predicted based on the dominance model.Results ARIMA(1,2,1)model and GM(1,1)model were used to predict the number of return visits of Internet outpatient service.The average absolute errors were 369.86 and 978.84,and the root-mean-square errors were 479.49 and 1444.83,respectively.The ARIMA(0,1,0)model and GM(1,1)model were used to predict the number of Internet outpatient consultations.The average absolute errors were 297.23 and 369.62,and the root-mean-square errors were 413.61 and 496.30,respectively,indicating that the ARIMA model has a good prediction effect.The forecast results show that the predicted value of Internet outpatient visits in December 2023 is 14,831 cases,and the predicted value of consultation visits is 7461 cases.Conclusion The number of Internet outpatient visits in a public hospital will continue to rise from 2021 to 2023.Therefore,hospitals should fully realize the importance of Internet medical services,take ac-tive measures to continuously optimize the medical service model,and provide patients with high-quality,efficient and convenient Internet medical services.

Objective To investigate the changing trend of the current situation of Internet-based oncology outpatient treatment and provide support for the development and management of Internet hospitals.Methods The ARIMA and GM(1,1)models were constructed based on the Internet-based outpatient data of a cancer hospital from January 2021 to June 2023,and the fitting effect was evaluated by mean absolute error(MAE)and root mean square error(RMSE).Based on the model,the pro-portion of Internet-based outpatient visits and the offline outpatient visits were predicted from July to December 2023.Results ARIMA(1,1,2)and GM(1,1)models were used to predict the proportion of Internet-based outpatient visits.The average abso-lute errors were 2.06%and 2.41%,and the root-mean-square errors were 3.01%and 3.17%,respectively.The ARIMA(0,1,1)and GM(1,1)models were used to predict the proportion of Internet-based outpatient visits to the offline outpatient visits,with the rate of the average absolute errors of 0.58%and 1.08%,respectively,and the rate of the root mean square errors 0.75%and 1.31%,respectively.The figures indicated that the ARIMA model had a better prediction effect.The forecast results showed that the predicted value of Internet outpatient service in December 2023 was 90.35%,and the predicted value of Internet-based outpatient service accounted for 16.46%of the offline outpatient service.Conclusion In 2021-2023,the proportion of Inter-net-based outpatient visits in the cancer hospital showed a steady trend,and the proportion of Internet outpatient visits in the off-line outpatient visits showed a rising trend.Therefore,hospitals need to establish a continuous monitoring mechanism,constantly adjust management strategies and measures to meet the needs of patients and continue to promote the high-quality development of Internet-based medical services.

Objective:To analyze the association of CD19+CD24hiCD27+regulatory B cells(Bregs)with ankylosing spondylitis(AS).Methods:Eighty patients with AS in Ganzhou People's Hospital from January 2019 to December 2021 were enrolled as observa-tion group,meantime,another 60 healthy individuals were set as control group.Observation group was further divided into subgroups according to clinical stages and disease activity,advanced stage,ankylosis stage,active stage and non-active stage.Percentage of CD19+CD24hiCD27+Bregs in CD19+cells in peripheral blood of observation group and control group,and observation group patients with different stages were detected and compared,thereafter,relationship between percentage of CD19+CD24hiCD27+Bregs and clini-cal characteristics of AS patients were discussed,such as course of disease,duration of morning stiffness,the Bath Ankylosing Spon-dylitis Disease Activity Index(BASDAI),IL-10,erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR),C-reactive protein(CRP)and X-ray classifi-cation of sacroiliitis.Results:Percentage of CD19+CD24hiCD27+Bregs in peripheral blood in observation group was higher than that in control group.Percentage of CD19+CD24hiCD27+Bregs in CD19+cells in AS patients at ankylosis stage was higher than that in patients at advanced stage,and percentage of CD19+CD24hiCD27+Bregs in peripheral blood of patients with bony ankylosis stage was higher than that in patients with fibrous ankylosis stage.Percentage of CD19+CD24hiCD27+Breg in CD19+B cells in active AS patients was sig-nificantly higher than that of patients with stable AS(P<0.05).Serum IL-10 level in observation group was lower than that in control group,while ESR and CRP levels were higher than those in control group,with statistical significance(P<0.05).Percentage of CD19+CD24hiCD27+Breg in CD19+B cells in peripheral blood of AS patients was positively correlated with BASDAI score and serum IL-10 level,while negatively correlated with ESR and CRP levels,and had no correlation with morning stiffness time and X-ray classi-fication of sacroiliitis.Conclusion:Percentage of CD19+CD24hiCD27+Bregs in peripheral blood is reduced in AS patients,moreover,percentage is closely related to disease stage,activity and laboratory indicators IL-10,ESR and CRP,which may be involved in the occurrence and development of AS.

Objective:To elucidate the quasispecies variation of 3′ half-length genome in HIV-1 CRF103_01B-infected patients in Beijing using single genome amplification (SGA).Methods:This study enrolled six CRF103_01B-infected patients who were diagnosed during a drug resistance monitoring for newly diagnosed cases or newly treated cases with antiviral therapy in Beijing from 2017 to 2020. RNA was extracted from their plasma samples, and 3′ end of cDNA was diluted by serial dilution method after reverse transcription. Nested PCR was used to amplify the 3′ half-length genome sequences of HIV-1 quasispecies. MEGA 11 was used to construct Neighbor-Joining (NJ) tree and calculate the intrahost genetic distance. Genetic variation in HIV-1 quasispecies was visualized by online Highlighter tool. BootScan analysis was performed using Simplot 3.5 software to analyze inter-quasispecies recombination. Virus tropism was predicted by online Geno2pheno tool.Results:Among the six CRF103_01B-infected patients, five were men who have sex with men. A total of 144 3′ half-length genome SGA sequences (19-36 sequences/case) were obtained. The NJ tree based on the 3′ half-length genome of HIV-1 quasispecies revealed different degrees of genetic diversity. The HIV-1 quasispecies in BL4748-00 case of acute infection has the least variation with the intrahost distance of 0.002±0.000, showing genetic homogeneity. The quasispecies sequences from BL4981-00, BL3150-00 and BL3558-00 cases formed at least three subclusters, respectively, with different evolutionary directions, and their intrahost distance ranked from 0.031±0.004 to 0.016±0.002 (BL3150-00>BL3558-00>BL4981-00). The quasispecies sequences from the couple BL3022-00 (female) and BL3023-00 clustered into a large monophyletic cluster (bootstrap value=100%), and the intrahost distance of the latter (0.025±0.003) was higher than that of the former (0.019±0.002). Inter-quasispecies recombination was observed in BL3558-00 case. The quasispecies from the six patients were CCR5-tropic viruses.Conclusions:The diversity of quasispecies variation in CRF103_01B-infected patients is related to disease progress. Genetic homogeneity is observed in acute HIV infection, while multiple evolutionary directions are detected in chronic infection. Co-infection or superinfection cases are not found, but there are recombination events among quasispecies in some cases.

OBJECTIVE To establish HPLC fingerprint of Portulaca oleracea， establish quantitative analysis of multi- components by single-marker （QAMS） method for the content determination of caffeic acid， ferulic acid， genistin and quercetin， and provide reference for quality control of the medicine. METHODS The determination was performed on Eclipse XDB-C18 column with mobile phase consisted of methanol-0.2% phosphoric acid solution （gradient elution） at the flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The column temperature was 25 °C， and detection wavelength was set at 360 nm. The sample size was 10 μL. HPLC fingerprint of P. oleracea was established according to the above chromatographic conditions. Cluster analysis （CA） and principal component analysis （PCA） were performed for 15 batches of specimens. Using caffeic acid as internal standard， relative correction factors of other three components were calculated by QAMS， and then the component content was calculated on the basis of relative correction factors， which was compared with the external standard method. RESULTS HPLC fingerprints of 15 batches of P. oleracea were calibrated with a total of 17 common peaks， and 4 components （caffeic acid， ferulic acid， genistin， quercetin） were identified； the similarities of 15 batches of samples were greater than 0.890. The results of CA showed that S1-S10 were clustered into one category， and S11-S15 were clustered into one category. The results of PCA revealed that the accumulative contribution rate of the two main components was 92.502%， and the classification results were basically consistent with CA. The linear range of caffeic acid， ferulic acid， genistin and quercetin were 0.003 1-0.157 1， 0.003 6-0.181 7， 0.008 5-0.425 6，0.000 4-0.021 8 mg/mL （R2≥0.999 7）； the results of precision， repeatability， stability （24 h） and recovery tests all complied with the requirements of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The relative correction factors of ferulic acid， genistin and quercetin calculated by QAMS were 1.534， 5.302 and 0.174； there was no significant difference in the contents of components measured between this method and the external standard method. CONCLUSIONS The established HPLC fingerprint combined with QAMS can be used for the quality control of multiple index components in P. oleracea. The origin has a certain influence on the quality of P. oleracea， and the quality of P. oleracea produced in Sichuan is better than that produced in Anhui and Hebei.

The formation of learning and memory is regulated by synaptic plasticity in hippocampal neurons. Here we explored how gestational exposure to dexamethasone, a synthetic glucocorticoid commonly used in clinical practice, has lasting effects on offspring's learning and memory. Adult offspring rats of prenatal dexamethasone exposure (PDE) displayed significant impairments in novelty recognition and spatial learning memory, with some phenotypes maintained transgenerationally. PDE impaired synaptic transmission of hippocampal excitatory neurons in offspring of F1 to F3 generations, and abnormalities of neurotransmitters and receptors would impair synaptic plasticity and lead to impaired learning and memory, but these changes failed to carry over to offspring of F5 and F7 generations. Mechanistically, altered hippocampal miR-133a-3p-SIRT1-CDK5-NR2B signaling axis in PDE multigeneration caused inhibition of excitatory synaptic transmission, which might be related to oocyte-specific high expression and transmission of miR-133a-3p. Together, PDE affects hippocampal excitatory synaptic transmission, with lasting consequences across generations, and CDK5 in offspring's peripheral blood might be used as an early-warning marker for fetal-originated learning and memory impairment.

Objective To assess the prognostic value of KRAS mutation in patients with advanced primary liver cancer treated with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). Methods Ninety-seven patients with advanced primary liver cancer who received TACE treatment in The Third People's hospital from April 2017 to May 2020 were included. The mutation status of KRAS was detected, and its relationship with the prognosis of TACE was investigated. The t -test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier survival curve and compared using Log-rank test. Cox regression analysis was performed to identify the prognostic factors. Results Among 97 patients with advanced liver cancer, KRAS mutations were detected in 34 patients (35.05%), including 21 patients with codon 12 mutation (61.76%) and 13 patients with codon 13 mutation (38.24%). KRAS mutation was associated with liver cirrhosis, intrahepatic metastasis and the number of tumors ( χ 2 =0.035, 3.965, and 6.593, all P < 0.05). Survival analysis showed that the progression free survival and overall survival were significantly longer in KRAS wild-type patients than in KRAS mutant patients ( χ 2 =4.465 and 4.280, all P < 0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that KRAS mutation, intrahepatic metastasis, number of tumors and BCLC stage were important factors affecting the overall survival and prognosis of patients (all P < 0.05). Conclusion KRAS mutation is common in patients with advanced primary liver cancer and is closely associated with a poor prognosis after TACE. It may become a potential indicator of clinical prognosis.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of the dual therapy of dolutegravir (DTG) plus lamivudine (3TC) as a switch simplified strategy in treatment-experienced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients.Methods:Treatment-experienced HIV/AIDS patients who switched to a dual therapy containing DTG (50 mg, once daily) plus 3TC (300 mg, once daily) were included in Beijing You′an Hospital, Capital Medical University from September 2016 to May 2019. HIV RNA, CD4 + T lymphocyte count, blood lipid indexes, renal function indexes were collected when patients changed the treatment regimen (baseline) and after 48 weeks of treatment. Efficacy (HIV RNA<50 copies/mL) and safety of the dual therapy were analyzed. Statistical comparisons were performed using the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test. Results:The reasons for 33 patients switching the treatment regimen were virologic failure (four cases, 12.1%), simplification of regimen (11 cases, 33.3%), and drug toxicity (18 cases, 54.5%). The patients were treated with anti-retroviral therapy (ART) for 2.13 (1.05, 4.23) years before regimens switching. Twenty-nine (87.9%) patients were virologically suppressed at baseline, and four (12.1%) patients were virological failure. After switching to DTG plus 3TC, all 33 patients showed HIV RNA<50 copies/mL after 48 weeks of treatment. The baseline CD4 + T lymphocyte count was 543 (363, 595)/μL. After switching the treatment regimens for 48 weeks, CD4 + T lymphocyte count was significantly increased to 625 (455, 651)/μL, and the difference was statistically significant ( Z=3.14, P=0.002). Compared with baseline, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol was increased after 48 weeks of treatment (2.35(1.80, 3.08) mmol/L vs 3.12(2.74, 3.87) mmol/L), while triglyceride (2.21(1.27, 4.37) mmol/L vs 1.61(1.20, 2.22) mmol/L), the ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (5.02 (4.13, 6.40) vs 4.70 (3.55, 5.35)) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (106.4(78.2, 118.2) mL/(min·1.73 m 2) vs 88.6 (75.7, 107.9) mL/(min·1.73 m 2)) were decreased. The differences were all statistically significant ( Z=4.89, 2.37, 2.09 and 2.83, respectively, all P<0.050). No patient discontinued due to adverse events. Conclusions:The use of dual therapy containing DTG and 3TC is effective and well-tolerated in treatment-experienced HIV/AIDS patients under any prior ART without significant adverse events.

Objective:To evaluate the value of synthetic MRI combined with DWI in the diagnosis of benign and malignant breast lesions.Methods:The data of 184 consecutive patients with suspected breast lesions in Yunnan Cancer Hospital from July to September 2019 were prospectively analyzed. All patients were randomly assigned to training group ( n=110) and validation group ( n=74), and underwent conventional MRI and synthetic MRI respectively before and after contrast injection. At the maximum slice of the lesion, the ROI was drawn along the edge and recorded as "tumor". In the solid area with the most obvious tumor enhancement, the second ROI was drawn and recorded as "local". At the same time, ADC values (ADC local and ADC tumor) and relaxation time values (T local and T tumor) were measured. T and T + represented the relaxation time value of the ROI pre-and post-contrast scanning. ΔT% represented the relative change rate in T value between pre-and post-contrast scanning.The rank sum test was used to test the quantitative parameters of benign and malignant breast lesions in the training group and the validation group, and the variables with P<0.05 were included in the binary logistic regression analysis to screen the independent variables and establish the prediction model. The area under ROC curve was used to evaluate the discrimination of parameters and models. The clinical applicability of model was analyzed by decision curve analysis (DCA). Results:In the training group, univariate analysis showed that there were significant differences in T 1tumor, T 1+tumor, ΔT 1% tumor, T 2local, T 2+local, T 2tumor and T 2+tumor, ADC local, ADC tumor between benign and malignant breast lesions ( P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that T 1+tumor, ΔT 1% tumor, T 2tumor, ADC local, ADC tumor were independent variables in the diagnosis of breast cancer. The relaxation time model (model A: T 1+tumor, ΔT 1% tumor, T 2tumor) and ADC model (model B: ADC local, ADC tumor) established by combining the above variables had the same diagnostic efficiency (AUC=0.905, 0.914, Z=-1.874, P=0.062), and the multi-parameter combination model (model C: T 1+tumor, ΔT 1% tumor, T 2tumor, ADC local, ADC tumor) had the highest diagnostic efficiency (AUC=0.965). DCA analysis showed that when the threshold probability ranges between 21%-99% (training cohort) and 15%-99% (validation cohort), the net benefit of model C was better than model A and B. Conclusion:The multi-parameter combined prediction model established based on the relaxation time value and ADC can identify breast cancer efficiently and can be used as an auxiliary diagnostic tool.