AIM:To investigate the mechanism through which esculetin induces ferroptosis of mouse breast cancer 4T1 cells.METHODS:Molecular docking of esculetin with p53,solute carrier family 7 member 11(SLC7A11)and glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4)proteins was performed,and Kaplan-Meier curves and time-dependent receiver oper-ating characteristic curves were drawn.The 4T1 cells were divided into 6 groups,namely the control(CON),1/2 IC50,IC50,2 IC50,erastin,and capecitabine groups.The appropriate drug concentration for treating 4T1 cells was screened by CCK-8 assay.The invasion and migration abilities of 4T1 cells following esculetin treatment at the selected drug concentra-tion were analyzed by scratch test and Transwell assay.Mitochondrial morphological change were examined by electron mi-croscopy.The levels of ferroptotic cell death were then quantified by Fe2+,reactive oxygen species(ROS),malondialde-hyde(MDA),glutathione(GSH),and GPX4 assays.Western blot was performed to evaluate the protein levels of p53,SLC7A11,GPX4 and acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4(ACSL4).RESULTS:Compared with CON group,the esculetin 1/2 IC50,IC50 and 2 IC50 groups showed smaller size,increased membrane density,and decreased ridge of mitochodria,as well as decreased levels of GSH and GPX4,reduced cell invasion and migration abilities,and de-creased levels of SLC7A11 and GPX4 proteins(P＜0.05).Furthermore,these groups exhibited increased levels of Fe2+,ROS,and MDA,as well as elevated p53 and ACSL4 protein abundance(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION:Esculetin pro-motes ferroptosis of 4T1 cells through a mechanism involving the p53/SLC7A11/GPX4 regulatory axis.

Objective To investigate the current status of routine practice and perspective of anesthesiologists regarding ventilation strategies during cardiac surgery, and to analyze whether there is a gap between the clinical application and theoretical understanding of lung-protective ventilation (LPV) strategies. Methods We conducted a multi-institutional cross-sectional survey of anesthesiologists working at high-volume (>1000 cardiac procedures each year) Chinese hospitals. The electronic questionnaire was designed and distributed from September 2021 to February 2022. Results A total of 323 replies were collected and 297 (92.0%) replies were valid. Among the respondents, 84.8% (252/297) performed the combination of low tidal volume (VT), positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and alveolar recruitment maneuver (ARM) during non-CPB period. The vast majority of respondents (90.6%, 269/297) ventilated patients with the VT of 6-8 mL/kg. 92.3% (274/297) of respondents applied PEEP, among those 57.9% (172/297) set a PEEP level <5 cm H2O. Most of the respondents (67.3%, 200/297) performed intraoperative ARM, and manual ARM was used by 86.2% (256/297) of anesthesiologists. During CPB, 89.9% (267/297) of respondents withdrew mechanical ventilation, and 29.6% (88/297) performed ARM. Conclusion This national survey in China showed that the majority of anesthesiologists adopted LPV strategy with the combination of low VT, PEEP and ARM during cardiac surgery. Except VT, the intraoperative ventilator settings varied widely from one anesthesiologist to another. Meanwhile, there is a gap between the clinical practice and theoretical understanding of LPV.

Objective To explore the effect of Rhubarb ultrasonic electrical conduction target penetration therapy on the gastrointestinal function of sepsis patients.Methods A total of 88 cases of inpatient sepsis patients diagnosed and treated at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine from October 2021 to June 2023 were selected as the participants and the patients were divided into the treatment group and the control group by a simple random method.Both groups were given routine treatments such as anti-infection,fluid resuscitation,nutritional support,blood sugar management,and prevention of stress ulcers,while the treatment group was treated with ultrasonic conductance target penetration Rhubarb therapy at Shenque point and Zhongwan point on the basis of the control group.The main observational indexes were the number of bowel sounds in the two groups before treatment and after 3 days,and 7 days of treatment.The secondary observational indexes were gastric retention,serum C-reactive protein(CRP),procalcitonin(PCT),acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ(APACHE Ⅱ),the first defecation time,time to mechanical ventilation,length of stay in the intensive care unit(ICU),hospitalization cost,and 28 days readmission rate of the two groups.The gastric retention was evaluated and recorded every 4 hours before treatment and 3 days and 7 days after treatment,CRP and APACHE Ⅱ score were evaluated before treatment and 7 days after treatment,the 28-day readmission was followed up by telephone.Results A total of 44 cases in the treatment group and 43 cases in the control group completed the intervention.The difference between the bowel sounds and the amount of gastric retention of the two groups was not statistically significant before treatment,with the prolongation of time,the bowel sounds of the two groups gradually increased and the amount of gastric retention gradually decreased,and the number of bowel sounds in the treatment group increased significantly compared to the control group 3 days and 7 days after treatment[beats/minute:4.49(4.23,4.74)vs.3.07(2.80,3.33)3rd day of and 4.79(4.49,5.10)vs.3.36(3.06,3.66)on the 7th day of treatment,both P<0.01],and the amount of gastric retention was significantly reduced compared with the control group[mL:20.93(9.22,32.64)vs.53.52(41.16,65.88)for 3rd day of and 3.72(0.17,7.28)vs.31.59(24.87,38.31)on the 7th day of treatment,both P<0.01].The first defecation time was significantly shorter in the treatment group than in the control group(hours:25.67±9.99 vs.33.64±11.30,P<0.01).After 7 days treatment,the CRP,PCT,and APACHE Ⅱ score were significantly reduced in the treatment group compared to those in the control group[CRP(mg/L):45.97(35.68,56.26)vs.77.30(57.20,97.38),PCT(μg/L):0.94(0.56,1.31)vs.2.73(1.36,4.09),APACHE Ⅱ score:24.11±7.01 vs.28.06±9.25,all P<0.05],the mechanical ventilation time and ICU length of stay were significantly shortened[mechanical ventilation time(hours):107.05±70.76 vs.168.83±136.62,ICU stay time(days):7.58±3.72 vs.9.70±5.15,both P<0.05],the hospitalization cost and 28-day readmission rate were significantly reduced[hospitalization cost(yuan):80337.89±36483.72 vs.109100.24±87080.84,28-day readmission rate:9.1％(4/44)vs.27.9％(12/43),both P<0.05].Conclusion Rhubarb ultrasonic conductive target penetration therapy is a safe,simple,and effective characteristic therapy of external Chinese medicine that can provide a new basis for the protection of gastrointestinal function in patients with sepsis.

Objective To investigate the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profiles of the common pathogens isolated from urine from 2015 to 2021 in the CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program.Methods The bacterial strains were isolated from urine and identified routinely in 51 hospitals across China in the CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program from 2015 to 2021.Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by Kirby-Bauer method,automatic microbiological analysis system and E-test according to the unified protocol.Results A total of 261 893 nonduplicate strains were isolated from urine specimen from 2015 to 2021,of which gram-positive bacteria accounted for 23.8％(62 219/261 893),and gram-negative bacteria 76.2％(199 674/261 893).The most common species were E.coli(46.7％),E.faecium(10.4％),K.pneumoniae(9.8％),E.faecalis(8.7％),P.mirabilis(3.5％),P.aeruginosa(3.4％),SS.agalactiae(2.6％),and E.cloacae(2.1％).The strains were more frequently isolated from inpatients versus outpatients and emergency patients,from females versus males,and from adults versus children.The prevalence of ESBLs-producing strains in E.coli,K.pneumoniae and P.mirabilis was 53.2％,52.8％and 37.0％,respectively.The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant strains in E.coli,K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa and A.baumannii was 1.7％,18.5％,16.4％,and 40.3％,respectively.Lower than 10％of the E.faecalis isolates were resistant to ampicillin,nitrofurantoin,linezolid,vancomycin,teicoplanin and fosfomycin.More than 90％of the E.faecium isolates were ressitant to ampicillin,levofloxacin and erythromycin.The percentage of strains resistant to vancomycin,linezolid or teicoplanin was＜2％.The E.coli,K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa and A.baumannii strains isolated from ICU inpatients showed significantly higher resistance rates than the corresponding strains isolated from outpatients and non-ICU inpatients.Conclusions E.coli,Enterococcus and K.pneumoniae are the most common pathogens in urinary tract infection.The bacterial species and antimicrobial resistance of urinary isolates vary with different populations.More attention should be paid to antimicrobial resistance surveillance and reduce the irrational use of antimicrobial agents.

Objective To understand the distribution and changing resistance profiles of clinical isolates of Enterococcus in hospitals across China from 2015 to 2021.Methods Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted for the clinical isolates of Enterococcus according to the unified protocol of CHINET program by automated systems,Kirby-Bauer method,or E-test strip.The results were interpreted according to the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)breakpoints in 2021.WHONET 5.6 software was used for statistical analysis.Results A total of 124 565 strains of Enterococcus were isolated during the 7-year period,mainly including Enterococcus faecalis(50.7％)and Enterococcus faecalis(41.5％).The strains were mainly isolated from urinary tract specimens(46.9％±2.6％),and primarily from the patients in the department of internal medicine,surgery and ICU.E.faecium and E.faecalis strains showed low level resistance rate to vancomycin,teicoplanin and linezolid(≤3.6％).The prevalence of vancomycin-resistant E.faecalis and E.faecium was 0.1％and 1.3％,respectively.The prevalence of linezolid-resistant E.faecalis increased from 0.7％in 2015 to 3.4％in 2021,while the prevalence of linezolid-resistant E.faecium was 0.3％.Conclusions The clinical isolates of Enterococcus were still highly susceptible to vancomycin,teicoplanin,and linezolid,evidenced by a low resistance rate.However,the prevalence of linezolid-resistant E.faecalis was increasing during the 7-year period.It is necessary to strengthen antimicrobial resistance surveillance to effectively identify the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and curb the spread of resistant pathogens.

Objective To examine the changing antimicrobial resistance profile of Enterobacter spp.isolates in 53 hospitals across China from 2015 t0 2021.Methods The clinical isolates of Enterobacter spp.were collected from 53 hospitals across China during 2015-2021 and tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using Kirby-Bauer method or automated testing systems according to the CHINET unified protocol.The results were interpreted according to the breakpoints issued by the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)in 2021(M100 31st edition)and analyzed with WHONET 5.6 software.Results A total of 37 966 Enterobacter strains were isolated from 2015 to 2021.The proportion of Enterobacter isolates among all clinical isolates showed a fluctuating trend over the 7-year period,overall 2.5％in all clinical isolates amd 5.7％in Enterobacterale strains.The most frequently isolated Enterobacter species was Enterobacter cloacae,accounting for 93.7％(35 571/37 966).The strains were mainly isolated from respiratory specimens(44.4±4.6)％,followed by secretions/pus(16.4±2.3)％and urine(16.0±0.9)％.The strains from respiratory samples decreased slightly,while those from sterile body fluids increased over the 7-year period.The Enterobacter strains were mainly isolated from inpatients(92.9％),and only(7.1±0.8)％of the strains were isolated from outpatients and emergency patients.The patients in surgical wards contributed the highest number of isolates(24.4±2.9)％compared to the inpatients in any other departement.Overall,≤ 7.9％of the E.cloacae strains were resistant to amikacin,tigecycline,polymyxin B,imipenem or meropenem,while ≤5.6％of the Enterobacter asburiae strains were resistant to these antimicrobial agents.E.asburiae showed higher resistance rate to polymyxin B than E.cloacae(19.7％vs 3.9％).Overall,≤8.1％of the Enterobacter gergoviae strains were resistant to tigecycline,amikacin,meropenem,or imipenem,while 10.5％of these strains were resistant to polycolistin B.The overall prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacter was 10.0％over the 7-year period,but showing an upward trend.The resistance profiles of Enterobacter isolates varied with the department from which they were isolated and whether the patient is an adult or a child.The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant E.cloacae was the highest in the E.cloacae isolates from ICU patients.Conclusions The results of the CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program indicate that the proportion of Enterobacter strains in all clinical isolates fluctuates slightly over the 7-year period from 2015 to 2021.The Enterobacter strains showed increasing resistance to multiple antimicrobial drugs,especially carbapenems over the 7-year period.

Objective To understand the changing distribution and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Proteus,Morganella and Providencia in hospitals across China from January 1,2015 to December 31,2021 in the CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program.Methods Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out following the unified CHINET protocol.The results were interpreted in accordance with the breakpoints in the 2021 Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)M100(31 st Edition).Results A total of 32 433 Enterobacterales strains were isolated during the 7-year period,including 24 160 strains of Proteus,6 704 strains of Morganella,and 1 569 strains of Providencia.The overall number of these Enterobacterales isolates increased significantly over the 7-year period.The top 3 specimen source of these strains were urine,lower respiratory tract specimens,and wound secretions.Proteus,Morganella,and Providencia isolates showed lower resistance rates to amikacin,meropenem,cefoxitin,cefepime,cefoperazone-sulbactam,and piperacillin-tazobactam.For most of the antibiotics tested,less than 10％of the Proteus and Morganella strains were resistant,while less than 20％of the Providencia strains were resistant.The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales(CRE)was 1.4％in Proteus isolates,1.9％in Morganella isolates,and 15.6％in Providencia isolates.Conclusions The overall number of clinical isolates of Proteus,Morganella and Providencia increased significantly in the 7-year period from 2015 to 2021.The prevalence of CRE strains also increased.More attention should be paid to antimicrobial resistance surveillance and rational antibiotic use so as to prevent the emergence and increase of antimicrobial resistance.

Objective To understand the changing distribution and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Klebsiella strains in 52 hospitals across China in the CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program from 2015 to 2021.Methods Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out according to the unified CHINET protocol.The susceptibility results were interpreted according to the breakpoints in the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)M100 document.Results A total of 241,549 nonduplicate Klebsiella strains were isolated from 2015 to 2021,including Klebsiella pneumoniae(88.0％),Klebsiella aerogenes(5.8％),Klebsiella oxytoca(5.7％),and other Klebsiella species(0.6％).Klebsiella strains were mainly isolated from respiratory tract(48.49±5.32)％.Internal medicine(22.79±3.28)％,surgery(17.98±3.10)％,and ICU(14.03±1.39)％were the top 3 departments where Klebsiella strains were most frequently isolated.K.pneumoniae isolates showed higher resistance rate to most antimicrobial agents compared to other Klebsiella species.Klebsiella isolates maintained low resistance rates to tigecycline and polymyxin B.ESBLs-producing K.pneumoniae and K.oxytoca strains showed higher resistance rates to all the antimicrobial agents tested compared to the corresponding ESBLs-nonproducing strains.The K.pneumoniae and carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae(CRKP)strains isolated from ICU patients demonstrated higher resistance rates to majority of the antimicrobial agents tested than the strains isolated from non-ICU patients.The CRKP strains isolated from adult patients had higher resistance rates to most of the antimicrobial agents tested than the corresponding CRKP strains isolated from paediatric patients.Conclusions The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant strains in Klebsiella isolates increased greatly from 2015 to 2021.However,the Klebsiella isolates remained highly susceptible to tigecycline and polymyxin B.Antimicrobial resistance surveillance should still be strengthened for Klebsiella strains.

Objective To investigate the changing distribution and antibiotic resistance profiles of clinical isolates of Staphylococcus in hospitals across China from 2015 to 2021.Methods Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted for the clinical isolates of Staphylococcus according to the unified protocol of CHINET(China Antimicrobial Surveillance Network)using disk diffusion method and commercial automated systems.The CHINET antimicrobial resistance surveillance data from 2015 to 2021 were interpreted according to the 2021 CLSI breakpoints and analyzed using WHONET 5.6.Results During the period from 2015 to 2021,a total of 204,771 nonduplicate strains of Staphylococcus were isolated,including 136,731(66.8％)strains of Staphylococcus aureus and 68,040(33.2％)strains of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus(CNS).The proportions of S.aureus isolates and CNS isolates did not show significant change.S.aureus strains were mainly isolated from respiratory specimens(38.9±5.1)％,wound,pus and secretions(33.6±4.2)％,and blood(11.9±1.5)％.The CNS strains were predominantly isolated from blood(73.6±4.2)％,cerebrospinal fluid(12.1±2.5)％,and pleural effusion and ascites(8.4±2.1)％.S.aureus strains were mainly isolated from the patients in ICU(17.0±7.3)％,outpatient and emergency(11.6±1.7)％,and department of surgery(11.2±0.9)％,whereas CNS strains were primarily isolated from the patients in ICU(32.2±9.7)％,outpatient and emergency(12.8±4.7)％,and department of internal medicine(11.2±1.9)％.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains was 32.9％in S.aureus(MRSA)and 74.1％in CNS(MRCNS).Over the 7-year period,the prevalence of MRSA decreased from 42.1％to 29.2％,and the prevalence of MRCNS decreased from 82.1％to 68.2％.MRSA showed higher resistance rates to all the antimicrobial agents tested except trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole than methicillin-susceptible S.aureus(MSSA).Over the 7-year period,MRSA strains showed decreasing resistance rates to gentamicin,rifampicin,and levofloxacin,MRCNS showed decreasing resistance rates to gentamicin,erythromycin,rifampicin,and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole,but increasing resistance rate to levofloxacin.No vancomycin-resistant strains were detected.The prevalence of linezolid-resistant MRCNS increased from 0.2％to 2.3％over the 7-year period.Conclusions Staphylococcus remains the major pathogen among gram-positive bacteria.MRSA and MRCNS were still the principal antibiotic-resistant gram-positive bacteria.No S.aureus isolates were found resistant to vancomycin or linezolid,but linezolid-resistant strains have been detected in MRCNS isolates,which is an issue of concern.

Objective:To investigate the incidence and prothrombotic risk factors of postoperative venous thromboembolism(VTE) in Cushing′s disease and to further develop an assessment model to identify those at high risk of postoperative VTE events.Methods:A retrospective study was performed in 82 patients who were admitted to Huashan Hospital, Fudan University during January 2019 and January 2020 and diagnosed with Cushing′s disease. These patients underwent the evaluation about their clinical, hormonal, and coagulation parameters, as well as ultrasonography and pulmonary angio-CT when necessary. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO) regression analysis was used to screen independent risk factors, and a nomogram model for postsurgical VTE risk assessment in Cushing′s disease was initially established, and Bootstrap method was used for internal verification. Finally, the predictive model was evaluated for calibration and clinical applicability in the study cohort.Results:Nineteen patients(23.17%) developed VTE events, with 14 cases occurring after endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery. Compared to patients without VTE, those in the VTE group were older( P<0.001), had longer postoperative bed rest, higher rates of current infection, higher HbA 1C levels, and more severe glucose tolerance impairment(all P<0.05). Through LASSO regression analysis, two independent risk factors for postoperative VTE were identified: Age and current infection. Then a VTE risk assessment nomogram model was established to predict the patients at high risk of VTE. In the nomogram model for VTE risk assessment, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.868(95% CI 0.787-0.949), with the calibration curve closely aligning with the ideal diagonal line and the clinical decision curve exceeding the two extreme curves. Conclusions:Advanced perioperative assessment needs to be taken to screen those with high VTE risks in patients diagnosed with Cushing′s disease. Additionally, during the perioperative period, patients with Cushing′s disease should undergo mandatory physical activity or prophylactic anticoagulant therapy.