Objective: To investigate the efficacy, safety, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) medication patterns of rituximab (RTX) combined with TCM on treating children with steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome (SDNS). Methods: One hundred and forty-three children with SDNS who visited the Pediatric Nephrology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine from January 2018 to December 2022 were enrolled. A cohort study design was adopted, with " RTX treatment" as the exposure factor. Children who met this exposure factor were assigned to the RTX cohort (RTX, glucocorticoid, immunosuppressive agent, combined with traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation treatment), whereas those who did not were assigned to the basic treatment cohort (glucocorticoid, immunosuppressive agent, combined with traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation treatment ), and followed up for 6 months. The frequency of urinary protein recurrences, urinary protein remission duration, proportion and duration of steroid reduction and cessation, cumulative usage of steroids, proportion of recurrence, recurrence amount of steroid used, efficacy of TCM syndrome, and laboratory and safety indicators after treatment, and height and CD19+ B cell count before and after treatment were compared between the two cohorts. The medication patterns of TCM in the two cohorts were analyzed using frequency statistics, association rule analysis, and systematic clustering analysis. Results: Compared with the basic treatment cohort, the RTX cohort showed a decrease in the frequency of urinary protein recurrence, extended sustained remission of urinary protein, an increase in the proportion of steroid reduction and cessation, a shorter duration of steroid reduction and cessation, a decrease in cumulative steroid dosage, a lower recurrence rate, a decrease in CD19+ B cell count, and a decrease in 24-h urinary total protein quantification and the level of cholesterol (P<0.05). No significant difference in the recurrence amount of steroid used, height, TCM syndrome efficacy, albumin, aspartate transaminase, blood urea nitrogen, platelet count, and safety indicators between the two cohorts. Children with SDNS were mostly characterized by qi and yin deficiency syndrome, followed by spleen and kidney yang deficiency syndrome. A total of 175 TCMs were included, including 28 high-frequency drugs such as Huangqi, Fuling, Gancao, Baizhu, Dangshen, and Jiuyurou. The primary use of medication is to nourish the qi and spleen, nourish the kidney, and warm yang. The analysis of association rules yielded eight binary associations and ten three-phase associations, with Huangqi, Baizhu, Fuling, and Dangshen, being the most closely related. Cluster analysis identified four TCM combinations, primarily focusing on tonifying kidney and replenishing essence, benefiting qi and nourishing yin, and removing blood stasis. Conclusion RTX combined with TCM syndrome differentiation treatment can reduce the recurrence frequency of SDNS, prolong the remission period, reduce the glucocorticoid dosage, and have no marked effect on height growth. No apparent adverse reactions were observed. TCM should focus on nourishing qi and yin while removing blood stasis.

Bacterial biofilms gave rise to persistent infections and multi-organ failure, thereby posing a serious threat to human health. Biofilms were formed by cross-linking of hydrophobic extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), such as proteins, polysaccharides, and eDNA, which were synthesized by bacteria themselves after adhesion and colonization on biological surfaces. They had the characteristics of dense structure, high adhesiveness and low drug permeability, and had been found in many human organs or tissues, such as the brain, heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and skeleton. By releasing pro-inflammatory bacterial metabolites including endotoxins, exotoxins and interleukin, biofilms stimulated the body’s immune system to secrete inflammatory factors. These factors triggered local inflammation and chronic infections. Those were the key reason for the failure of traditional clinical drug therapy for infectious diseases.In order to cope with the increasingly severe drug-resistant infections, it was urgent to develop new therapeutic strategies for bacterial-biofilm eradication and anti-bacterial infections. Based on the nanoscale structure and biocompatible activity, nanobiomaterials had the advantages of specific targeting, intelligent delivery, high drug loading and low toxicity, which could realize efficient intervention and precise treatment of drug-resistant bacterial biofilms. This paper highlighted multiple strategies of biofilms eradication based on nanobiomaterials. For example, nanobiomaterials combined with EPS degrading enzymes could be used for targeted hydrolysis of bacterial biofilms, and effectively increased the drug enrichment within biofilms. By loading quorum sensing inhibitors, nanotechnology was also an effective strategy for eradicating bacterial biofilms and recovering the infectious symptoms. Nanobiomaterials could intervene the bacterial metabolism and break the bacterial survival homeostasis by blocking the uptake of nutrients. Moreover, energy-driven micro-nano robotics had shown excellent performance in active delivery and biofilm eradication. Micro-nano robots could penetrate physiological barriers by exogenous or endogenous driving modes such as by biological or chemical methods, ultrasound, and magnetic field, and deliver drugs to the infection sites accurately. Achieving this using conventional drugs was difficult. Overall, the paper described the biological properties and drug-resistant molecular mechanisms of bacterial biofilms, and highlighted therapeutic strategies from different perspectives by nanobiomaterials, such as dispersing bacterial mature biofilms, blocking quorum sensing, inhibiting bacterial metabolism, and energy driving penetration. In addition, we presented the key challenges still faced by nanobiomaterials in combating bacterial biofilm infections. Firstly, the dense structure of EPS caused biofilms spatial heterogeneity and metabolic heterogeneity, which created exacting requirements for the design, construction and preparation process of nanobiomaterials. Secondly, biofilm disruption carried the risk of spread and infection the pathogenic bacteria, which might lead to other infections. Finally, we emphasized the role of nanobiomaterials in the development trends and translational prospects in biofilm treatment.

Objective:Operational efficiency and influencing factors of China's basic medical insurance system from 2020 to 2021 is conducted to provide reference for improving the operational efficiency and optimizing the input-output relationship.Methods:The super-efficiency SBM model based on unexpected output and the Malmquist index are used to measure the static and dynamic efficiency of resident medical insurance in 31 provinces in China,and Tobit regression analysis is employed to analyze the influencing factors.Results:The overall operational efficiency of resident medical insurance still needs improvement.The operational efficiency of resident medical insurance in the central and western regions is lower than that in the eastern region,and the gap is significant.Different levels and regions have differentiated main constraints on the operational efficiency of resident medical insurance.In terms of dynamic efficiency,the total factor productivity of resident medical insurance operation shows an increasing trend,mainly due to technological progress.In terms of influencing factors,the degree of aging,the level of medical expenses and the level of medical insurance supervision have a significant impact on the operational efficiency.Suggestions:Efforts should be made to bridge regional disparities,promote the equitable development of medical insurance,reasonably control the level of medical expenses,strengthen the supervision of medical insurance funds,and implement active aging policies.

As an important concept in Chinese medicine theory， "qi sinking" is the inheritance and extension of the thought core of sinking of qi in whole body. This article explored the concept of sinking of pectoral qi， center qi， and kidney qi in the theory of qi sinking， and believed that sinking of pectoral qi， stagnation and sinking of center qi， deficiency and sinking of kidney qi were the core pathogenesis of postoperative injury in malignant tumours. Anchored to the method of reinforcing healthy qi and lifting the sunken， this article recommended to identify pattern and treat by guiding supplement and lifting the sunken. For lung gold impairment， heart yang depletion， and pectoral qi sinking， the treatment is to warm and supplement heart and lung， lift pectoral qi， and restore the respiratory function by modified Shengxian Decoction （升陷汤） plus Guizhi Decoction （桂枝汤）； for spleen depletion and pathways blockage， liver failing to act freely， and center qi stagnation and sinking， the treatment is to warm and supplement center qi， raise yang and lift the sunken， and restore the digestive function by modified Buzhong Yiqi Decoction （补中益气汤）； for source exhausted and essence deficiency， liver qi hiding， and kidney qi deficiency to inward invasion， the treatment is to nourish the kidney and astringe the liver， consolidate the original qi and lift qi， improve the pelvic floor dysfunction， and protect the kidney function by modified Liuwei Dihuang Pill （六味地黄丸） plus Shengma Chaihu Decoction （升麻柴胡汤）. Modification need base on different disease patterns and stages， and new ideas for postoperative traditional Chinese medicine treatment and rehabilitation of malignant tumours were provided.

ObjectiveAngle-closure glaucoma (ACG) is one of the major eye-blinding diseases. To diagnose ACG, it is crucial to examine the anterior chamber angle. Current diagnostic tools include slit lamp gonioscopy, water gonioscopy, ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM), and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). Slit lamp and water gonioscopy allow convenient observation of the anterior chamber angle, but pose risks of invasive operation and eye infections. UBM can accurately measure the structure of the anterior chamber angle. However, it is complex to operate and unsuitable for patients, who have undergone trauma or ocular surgery. Although AS-OCT provides detailed images, it is costly. The aim of this study is to explore a non-invasive, non-destructive optical reflection tomography (ORT) technique. This technique can achieve low-cost three-dimensional imaging and full-field anterior chamber angle measurement of the porcine eye. MethodsThe experiment involved assembling an optical reflection tomography system, which included a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) camera, a telecentric system, a stepper motor, and a white light source, achieving a spatial resolution of approximately 8.5 μm. The process required positioning the porcine eye at the center of the field of the imaging system and rotating it around its central axis using a stepper motor. Reflection projection images were captured at each angle with an exposure time of 1.0 ms and an interval of 2°. The collected reflection-projection data were processed using a filtered reflection tomography algorithm, generating a series of two-dimensional slice data. These slices essentially represented cross-sectional views of the three-dimensional structural image, and were reconstructed into a complete three-dimensional structural image. Based on the reconstructed three-dimensional structural image of the porcine eye, the anterior chamber angles at different positions were measured, and a distribution map of these angles was drawn. Simultaneously, the ORT measurements were compared with the standard results obtained from optical coherence tomography (OCT) to assess the accuracy of ORT measurements. ResultsIn this study, we successfully obtained the reflection projection data of a porcine eye using ORT technology, reconstructed its three-dimensional structural image, and measured the anterior chamber angle, generating the corresponding distribution map. To better distinguish the different structural parts of porcine eye, the three-dimensional structural image was marked with blue, green, and yellow dashed lines from the outer to the inner layers. The area between the blue and green dashed lines corresponded to the sclera. The area between the green and yellow dashed lines corresponded to the iris. The area inside the yellow dashed line corresponded to the pupil. The three-dimensional structural image clearly revealed the key anatomical features of the porcine eye. It was able to measure the anterior chamber angle at different positions. Additionally, the anterior chamber angle measurements of the porcine eye using ORT were compared with the measurements obtained using a TEL320C1 type OCT system, showing an average deviation of 0.51° and a mean square error MSE of 0.317. ConclusionORT is a non-invasive, non-destructive, low-cost, and high-resolution imaging technique capable of achieving three-dimensional structural imaging and full-field anterior chamber angle measurement of a porcine eye. This technology offers a new perspective for the diagnosis of angle-closure glaucoma and is significant for the screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of eye diseases, potentially benefiting clinics and small hospitals in remote areas in the future.

Objective To investigate the effect of Colchicine on the prognosis of acute myocardial infarction(MI)in rats.Methods A total of 40male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4groups:Sham operation group,MI+BLS(blank solvent)group,MI+Colchicine treatment group(MI+col/i.g),and MI+Colchicine intramyocardial injection(MI+col/i.m)group,with 10 rats in each group.We euthanized the rats 28days after modeling,recorded the rats'body weight and death,collected echocardiography,detec-ted the levels of serum inflammatory factors,liver and kidney functions by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA),stained the cardiac tissue samples by Masson,and analyzed the degree of myocardial fibrosis under Optical microscope.Results The survival rate within 28days after MI was not significantly improved by Colchicine.Compared with the model group,both Colchicine intragastric adminis-tration and intramyocardial injection could significantly reduce the serum inflammatory factors(P＜0.05),inhibit the myocardial fibrosis,and improve the cardiac function of the rats after MI(P＜0.001).The liver and kidney functions were not damaged in the Colchicine and intramyocardial injection groups,and the intramyocardial injection group could effectively alleviate the weight loss induced by systemic ad-ministration(P＜0.001).Conclusion Colchicine is safe and feasible in the treatment of MI in rats,it can significantly improve the car-diac function of rats after MI,and intramyocardial injection can effectively and significantly increase the tolerance of colchicine.

AIM To establish a quantitative analysis of multi-components by single-marker(QAMS)method for the simultaneous content determination of gastrodin,parishin E,syringin,parishin B,parishin C,ferulic acid,parishin A,buddleoside,harpagoside and cinnamic acid in Tianma Toufengling Capsules.METHODS The analysis was performed on a 30℃thermostatic GL Science InertsilTM ODS-3 column(150 mm×4.6 mm,5 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of acetonitrile-0.1%phosphoric acid flowing at 1.0 mL/min in a gradient elution manner,and the detection wavelengths were set at 220,280 nm.Syringin was used as an internal standard to calculate the relative correction factors of the other nine constituents,after which the content determination was made.RESULTS Ten constituents showed good linear relationships within their own ranges(r≥0.999 7),whose average recoveries were 98.53%-102.22%with the RSDs of 1.26%-2.68%.The result obtained by QAMS approximated those obtained by external standard method.CONCLUSION This accurate and specific method can be used for the quality control of Tianma Toufengling Capsules.

AIM To explore the effect of Heidihuang Pills on renal fibrosis in a rat model of chronic renal failure(CRF)and its mechanism.METHODS Wistar rats were randomly divided into the blank group for normal feeding and the model group for the establishment of CRF rat models by 5/6 nephrectomy.Subsequently,the successfully established rat models were randomly divided into the model group,the Heidihuang Pills group(10.43 g/kg),and the Heidihuang Pills+IGF-1R blocker(JB1)group for a regimen of 7-day subcutaneous injection of 18 μg/kg JB1 followed by gavage of 10.43 g/kg Heidihuang Pills.Eight weeks after the administration,the rats had their serum levels of Scr and BUN detected;their pathological changes of renal tissue observed by HE and Masson staining;their renal protein expressions of TGF-β,HIF-1α and α-SMA detected by immunohistochemistry;their renal protein expressions of IGF-1R and TGF-β detected by Western blot;and their renal mRNA expressions of IGF-1R and TGF-β detected by RT-qPCR.RESULTS Compared with the blank group,the model group displayed increased serum levels of Scr and BUN(P＜0.05);increased,degree of renal fibrosis,and renal fibrosis area(P＜0.05);increased renal expressions of TGF-β,HIF-1α,α-SMA proteins and TGF-β mRNA(P＜0.05);and decreased expressions of IGF-1R mRNA and protein(P＜0.05).Compared with the model group,the Heidihuang Pills group displayed decreased serum Scr and BUN levels(P＜0.05);decreased inflammatory cells in renal interstitium and the fibrosis degree(P＜0.05);decreased renal expressions of TGF-β,HIF-1α,α-SMA proteins and TGF-β mRNA(P＜0.05);and increased expressions of IGF-1R mRNA and protein(P＜0.05).However,the administration of JB1 could weaken the improvement effect of Heidihuang Pills on renal fibrosis in CRF rats(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION Heidihuang Pills can inhibit the renal fibrosis in CRF rats,and the inhibition process is related to up-regulated IGF-1 expression and promoted combination of IGF-1 and IGF-1R.

Objective To understand the infection status of patients with maintenance hemodialysis(MHD)in Guizhou Province,and provide basis for the prevention and control of hemodialysis-related infection.Methods MHD patients in hemodialysis centers of 124 secondary and or higher grade medical institutions in Guizhou Province from July to December 2022 were surveyed.Survey content included the general conditions of patients,hemodialysis-related conditions,infection of pathogens of blood-borne diseases,and other infection-related conditions.Results A total of 15 114 MHD patients were surveyed,with age mainly ranging from 36 to＜60 years old(55.83％).Hemodialysis history ranged mainly from 1 year to＜5 years(59.37％),and the frequency of hemodi-alysis was mainly 3 times per week(73.91％).Autologous arteriovenous fistula(AVF)was the major vascular access for dialysis,with a total of 12 948 cases(85.77％).The main primary disease was chronic renal failure(99.89％).The infection rates of hepatitis B virus(HBV),hepatitis C virus(HCV),human immunodeficiency vi-rus(HIV),and Treponema pallidum in MHD patients were 5.29％,0.64％,0.24％,and 1.70％,respectively.HBV infection rates among MHD patients of different ages,different numbers of dialysis hospitals,and dialysis in-stitutions of different scales showed statistically significant differences(all P＜0.05).HCV infection rates among MHD patients of different ages,with different dialysis times and from institutions of different scales were signifi-cantly different(all P＜0.05).TP infection rates among MHD patients of different ages and different numbers of dialysis hospitals were all significantly different(all P＜0.05).Infection rates of HBV and HCV in MHD patients aged from 36 to 60 years old(not included)were relatively higher(6.10％and 0.84％,respectively).Patients with dialysis time ≥10 years had a higher HCV infection rate(1.64％).Infection rates of HCV,HIV,and TP in pa-tients dialyzed in medical institutions with ≥90 dialysis beds were relatively higher(0.74％,0.28％,and 1.94％,respectively).Medical institutions with＜30 dialysis beds had the highest HBV infection rate(18.64％).There were 9 cases(0.06％)of vascular puncture infection,12 cases(0.08％)of bloodstream infection,7 cases(0.05％)of vascular access-related bloodstream infection,and 30 cases(0.20％)of pulmonary infection.Vascular access-re-lated bloodstream infection rate and pulmonary infection rate among MHD patients with different types of vascular access showed statistically significant difference(all P＜0.05).Vascular access-related bloodstream infection rate(0.37％)and pulmonary infection rate(1.10％)of patients with non-cuffed catheters vascular access were higher than those of other types.Conclusion MHD patients in Guizhou Province are mainly middle-aged and young peo-ple,with more males than females.The dialysis frequency is mostly 3 times per week,and AVF is the major vascu-lar access.MHD patients are prone to complications such as infections of HBV,HCV,HIV,and TP,as well as bloodstream infection and pulmonary infection.

Objective To explore the efficacy of T-cell spot test of tuberculosis infection(T-SPOT.TB)in the differential diagnosis of spinal tuberculosis(STB),and optimize diagnostic efficacy through the optimal cut-off value of receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Methods Clinical data of patients with spinal infection in a hospi-tal from January 2010 to May 2019 were collected,including preoperative T-SPOT.TB test results,white blood cell count,C-reactive protein,erythrocyte sedimentation rate,procalcitonin,and tuberculosis antibodies,etal.Clinical diagnosis was conducted based on diagnostic criteria.The sensitivity and specificity of T-SPOT.TB in preoperative diagnosis of STB and other spinal infection was analyzed,and the diagnostic efficacy of the optimized T-SPOT.TB indicators was evaluated.Results A total of 132 patients were included in this study,out of whom 78 patients(59.09％)were diagnosed with STB,and 54(40.91％)were diagnosed with non-tuberculosis(non-TB)spinal in-fection.The sensitivity and specificity of T-SPOT.TB in differential diagnosis of STB were 67.68％and 66.67％,respectively.Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with non-TB spinal infection,the OR va-lue of T-SPOT.TB test in diagnosing STB was 4.188(95％CI:1.847-9.974,P＜0.001).The optimized T-SPOT.TB evaluation index through ROC curve to determine the optimal cut-off values of ESAT-6,CFP-10,and CFP-10+ESAT-6 for differential diagnosis of STB and non-TB spinal infection were 12.5,19.5,and 36,respec-tively,and area under curve(AUC)values were 0.765 6,0.741 5,and 0.778 6,respectively,all with good diag-nostic efficacy.CFP-10+ESAT-6 had the highest AUC.CFP-10+ESAT-6 specific spot count had higher efficacy in the diagnosis of STB,with a diagnostic accuracy of 75.56％,higher than 67.42％of pre-optimized T-SPOT.TB.Conclusion T-SPOT.TB test has high diagnostic efficacy in differentiating STB from non-TB spinal infection.Posi-tivity in T-SPOT.TB test,especially with spot count of CFP-10+ESAT-6 over 36,indicates a higher likelihood of STB.