Objective To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy for surgical treatments among patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis in Gansu Province from 2006 to 2023, so as to provide insights into optimization of the diagnosis and treatment strategies against hepatic cystic echinococcosis. Methods The demographic and clinical data of all echinococcosis cases included in central government fiscal transfer payment program for echinococcosis control and undergoing surgical treatments in Gansu Province from 2006 to 2023 were captured. Hepatic cystic echinococcosis patients with complete medical records and follow-up data were included in the study, and patients’ characteristics, including hospital where patients received diagnosis and treatment, methods of case identification, year of surgery, classification of lesions, number of lesions, size of lesions, course of disease, surgical methods, and post-surgical follow-up data. The cure and recurrence of hepatic cystic echinococcosis were evaluated according to the Guidelines for Management of Echinococcosis Patients in the Central Government Fiscal Transfer Payment Program, and the cure and recurrent rates were calculated. Results Data were collected from 1 686 surgical patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 1 222 hepatic cystic echinococcosis patients undergoing surgical treatments were included during the period from 2006 to 2022, including 1 166 cured patients (95.42%) and 88 patients with postsurgical recurrence (7.20%), and the cure rate of surgical treatments appeared a tendency towards a rise among patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis from 2008 to 2022 (χ²_trend = 19.39, P < 0.05). The cure rates of hepatic cystic echinococcosis were 100% (177/177), 94.81% (128/135) and 94.62% (861/910) among patients detected through regular physical examinations, screened by the central government fiscal transfer payment program for echinococcosis control, and those who passively sought healthcare services, respectively (χ² = 9.95, P < 0.05). The cure rates of hepatic cystic echinococcosis were 95.96% (1 046/1 090) among patients with a disease course of 2 years and less and 90.90% (120/132) among patients with a disease course of over 2 years (χ² = 6.87, P < 0.05), and there were significant differences in the cure rates among patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis in terms of number of lesions (χ² = 24.44, P < 0.05) and surgical methods (P < 0.05). The cure rate of hepatic cystic echinococcosis patients was significantly higher following initiation of the central government fiscal transfer payment program for echinococcosis control (96.06%, 1 096/1 141) than before the program (86.42%, 70/81) (χ² = 16.06, P < 0.05), and the cure rate of hepatic cystic echinococcosis patients was significantly higher in designated hospitals (96.48%, 741/768) than in non-designated hospitals (93.37%, 366/392) (χ² = 5.78, P < 0.05). The median follow-up period was 4 (interquartile range, 7) years among 1 222 hepatic cystic echinococcosis patients undergoing surgical treatments. The recurrent rate of hepatic cystic echinococcosis appeared a tendency towards a decline from 2008 to 2022 (χ²_trend = 36.86, P < 0.05), with a reduction from 23.08% (9/39) in 2008 to 1.85% (1/54) in 2021, and the post-surgical recurrence rate of hepatic cystic echinococcosis was lower following initiation of the central government fiscal transfer payment program for echinococcosis control (5.87%, 67 / 1 141) than before the program (25.93%, 21/81) (χ² = 45.51, P < 0.05). In addition, the post-surgical recurrence rate of hepatic cystic echinococcosis was higher in non-designated hospitals (10.46%, 41/392) than in designated hospitals (5.60%, 43/768) (χ² = 9.12, P < 0.05), and there was a significant difference in the post-surgical recurrence rate among patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis in terms of surgical methods (P < 0.05), with the highest recurrence rate (11.54%) seen among patients undergoing percutaneous fine-needle aspiration of cyst fluids-based surgical procedures (P < 0.05). Conclusion Since the initiation of the central government fiscal transfer payment program for echinococcosis control in Gansu Province in 2006, an increase in the surgical cure rate and a reduction in the recurrence of hepatic cystic echinococcosis had been found among patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis, indicating a high overall therapeutic efficacy.

Objective To investigate the suitable habitats of Phlebotomus chinensis in Gansu Province, so as provide insights into effective management of mountain-type zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (MT-ZVL). Methods The geographical coordinates of locations where MT-ZVL cases were reported were retrieved in Gansu Province from 2015 to 2023, and data pertaining to 26 environmental variables were captured, including 19 climatic variables (annual mean temperature, mean diurnal range, isothermality, temperature seasonality, maximum temperature of the warmest month, minimum temperature of the coldest month, temperature annual range, mean temperature of the wettest quarter, mean temperature of the driest quarter, mean temperature of the warmest quarter, mean temperature of the coldest quarter, annual precipitation, precipitation of the wettest month, precipitation of the driest month, precipitation seasonality, precipitation of the wettest quarter, precipitation of the driest quarter, precipitation of the warmest quarter, and precipitation of the coldest quarter), five geographical variables (elevation, annual normalized difference vegetation index, vegetation type, landform type and land use type), and two population and economic variables (population distribution and gross domestic product). Twelve species distribution models were built using the biomod2 package in R project, including surface range envelope (SRE) model, generalized linear model (GLM), generalized additive model (GAM), multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) model, generalized boosted model (GBM), classification tree analysis (CTA) model, flexible discriminant analysis (FDA) model, maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model, optimized maximum entropy (MAXNET) model, artificial neural network (ANN) model, random forest (RF) model, and extreme gradient boosting (XGBOOST) model. The performance of 12 models was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), true skill statistics (TSS), and Kappa coefficient, and single models with high performance was selected to build the optimal ensemble models. Factors affecting the survival of Ph. chinensis were identified based on climatic, geographical, population and economic variables. In addition, the suitable distribution areas of Ph. chinensis were predicted in Gansu Province under shared socioeconomic pathway 126 (SSP126), SSP370 and SSP585 scenarios based on climatic data during the period from 1991 to 2020, from 2041 to 2060 (2050s), and from 2081 to 2100 (2090s) . Results A total of 11 species distribution models were successfully built for prediction of potential distribution areas of Ph. chinensis in Gansu Province, and the RF model had the highest predictive accuracy (AUC = 0.998). The ensemble model built based on the RF model, XGBOOST model, GLM, and MARS model had an increased predictive accuracy (AUC = 0.999) relative to single models. Among the 26 environmental factors, precipitation of the wettest quarter (12.00%), maximum temperature of the warmest month (11.58%), and annual normalized difference vegetation index (11.29%) had the greatest contributions to suitable habitats distribution of Ph. sinensis. Under the climatic conditions from 1991 to 2020, the potential suitable habitat area for Ph. chinensis in Gansu Province was approximately 5.80 × 10⁴ km², of which the highly suitable area was 1.42 × 10⁴ km², and primarily concentrated in the southernmost region of Gansu Province. By the 2050s, the unsuitable and lowly suitable areas for Ph. chinensis in Gansu Province had decreased by varying degrees compared to that of 1991 to 2020 period, while the moderately and highly suitable areas exhibited expansion and migration. By the 2090s, under the SSP126 scenario, the suitable habitat area for Ph. chinensis increased significantly, and under the SSP585 scenario, the highly suitable areas transformed into extremely suitable areas, also showing substantial growth. Future global warming is conducive to the survival and reproduction of Ph. chinensis. From the 2050s to the 2090s, the highly suitable areas for Ph. chinensis in Gansu Province will be projected to expand northward. Under the SSP126 scenario, the suitable habitat area for Ph. chinensis in Gansu Province is expected to increase by 194.75% and 204.79% in the 2050s and 2090s, respectively, compared to that of the 1991 to 2020 period. Under the SSP370 scenario, the moderately and highly suitable areas will be projected to increase by 164.40% and 209.03% in the 2050s and 2090s, respectively, while under the SSP585 scenario, they are expected to increase by 195.98% and 211.66%, respectively. Conclusions The distribution of potential suitable habitats of Ph. sinensis gradually shifts with climatic changes. Intensified surveillance and management of Ph. sinensis is recommended in central and eastern parts of Gansu Province to support early warning of MT-ZVL.

Objective To investigate the spatiotemporal clustering characteristics of the reported incidence of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in Gansu Province from 1993 to 2023, so as to provide insights into the containment of VL and prevention of VL recurrence. Methods County (district)-level epidemical data of VL in Gansu Province from 1993 to 2023 were collected, and the geographical information database of reported VL incidence in Gansu Province was created according to the county-level administrative code and electronic maps in Gansu Province. In addition, the spatial autocorrelation analysis and hot spot analysis of the reported VL incidence were performed in Gansu Province using the software ArcGIS 10.8. Results A total of 2 597 VL cases were reported in Gansu Province from 1993 to 2023, with an annual average incidence rate of 3.036/10⁵. Spatial autocorrelation analysis showed spatial clustering of the reported VL incidence in Gansu Province (Moran’s I = 0.605, Z = 5.240, P < 0.001), appearing high-high clustering features (Getis-Ord G = 0.080, Z = 4.137, P < 0.001), and high-high clustering of the reported incidence of VL was identified in Diebu County, Tanchang County, Zhouqu County and Wenxian County. Hot spot analysis showed hot-spot areas of the reported VL incidence in Tanchang County, Zhouqu County, Wudu District and Wenxian County along the Bailong River basins and cold-spot areas in Qin’an County and Gangu County. Conclusions There was spatial clustering and hot spots of the reported VL incidence in Gansu Province from 1993 to 2023. Intensified surveillance and control is required to prevent the spread of VL.

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of visceral leishmaniasis in Gansu Province from 2017 to 2023, so as to provide insights into formulation of the visceral leishmaniasis control strategy in the province. Methods All epidemiological features of confirmed and clinically diagnosed cases of visceral leishmaniasis reported in Gansu Province from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2023 were retrieved from the Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System, and the epidemiological characteristics of visceral leishmaniasis cases were analyzed descriptively. Results A total of 280 visceral leishmaniasis cases were reported in 39 counties (cities and districts) of Gansu Province from 2017 to 2023, including 258 local cases reported in 21 endemic counties (districts) and 22 imported cases reported in 18 non-endemic areas. Of the 280 cases, there were 262 cases with mountain type zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (MT-ZVL), 12 cases with desert-type zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (DT-ZVL), and 6 cases with unknown type. Re-emerging MT-ZVL occurred in Maiji District, Qinzhou District, Lixian County, Kangxian County, Zhenyuan County, Qin’an County and Yongjing County, and re-emerging DT-ZVL occurred in Dunhuang City, while emerging DT-ZVL occurred in Yumen City. The five counties (districts) reporting the highest number of visceral leishmaniasis cases included Wudu District, Wenxian County, Tanchang County, Zhouqu County and Diebu County, and a total of 220 cases were reported in these five counties, accounting for 78.57% of all visceral leishmaniasis cases in the province. Visceral leishmaniasis cases were reported each month throughout the year, with the peak in July. All reported visceral leishmaniasis cases had ages of 6 months to 81 years, including 50.71% (142/280) under 15 years of age, 49.29% (138/280) at ages of 15 years and older, and of all cases under 15 years of age, children at ages of 0 to 3 years were the most commonly affected (27.14%, 76/280). Among 280 visceral leishmaniasis cases, there were 173 males and 107 females with a male to female ratio of 1.62∶1, and farmer was the most common occupation (40.36%), followed by diaspora children (37.86%). Conclusions The prevalence of visceral leishmaniasis appeared an overall tendency towards a decline in Gansu Province from 2017 to 2023; however, there are still multiple challenges for visceral leishmaniasis control in the province. Reinforced dog monitoring and management, intensified human health education and improved capability building among professionals are recommended to manage the rebounding and spread of visceral leishmaniasis.

OBJECTIVE To construct the simulated traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy based on virtual simulation technology， and assist in the development of the new mode of traditional Chinese medicine dispensing education training. METHODS The field research and questionnaire surveys were conducted to identify the needs of Chinese medicine students and practitioners for the content and presentation of knowledge on the construction of simulated traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy. Taking the laws and regulations on the construction of traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy and the related teaching materials and literature on traditional Chinese medicine preparation as the knowledge source， the virtual simulation technology was applied to build a simulated traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy so as to achieve the functions of browsing the traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy， learning the knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine preparation and practical skills training. A multi-site simulated traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy evaluation scale study was conducted based on platform operational testing. RESULTS A simulated traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy was constructed， consisting of four core modules： video teaching， animation video， simulated pharmacy， and simulated experience. The overall score of evaluation scale was 93.31， with all entries scoring above 80； the ones with evaluation scales above 90 accounted for 92.31% （60/65）. CONCLUSIONS Simulated traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy based on virtual simulation technology meets the learning needs of users and enhances the teaching effect of traditional Chinese medicine dispensing technology training.

This paper investigates the current situation of fallout sample collection and preparation as well as radioactivity measurement methods in the Environmental Radiation Monitoring Network in China, analyzes the radioactivity levels of fallout nationwide in recent years, summarizes the problems in fallout measurement, and puts forward suggestions for improving fallout monitoring.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the common causes of tumor-related death, and it has high morbidity and mortality rates in China. Recent studies have shown that platelets are closely associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Literature review shows that platelets not only participate in hemostasis, but also act on liver cells and tumor microenvironment, promote the formation of new blood vessels, and participate in the development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma as a cell mediator through immune response and other pathways. In addition, platelets and their derivatives can be used as potential therapeutic targets for hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, antiplatelet therapy is expected to become a new adjuvant strategy for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, which has important clinical significance.

Objective:To investigate the changes of monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (M-MDSC) in children with acute Kawasaki disease (KD) and its roles in the immunological pathogenesis of KD.Methods:A total of 38 children with acute KD were enrolled in the present study and 32 age-matched healthy children were selected as control group. The proportions of HLA-DR -CD11b + CD33 + CD15 -CD14 + M-MDSC and CD4 + CD25 + CD127 - regulatory T cells (Treg) in peripheral blood, concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and expression of arginase-1 (Arg-1), CD39, CD73, CD40, CD40L and CCR5 at protein levels were detected by flow cytometry. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to evaluate the transcription levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in M-MDSC and the transcription levels of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated antigen 4 (CTLA4) and lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG3) in Treg. Concentrations of NO, CCL3, CCL4, CCL5, IL-10 and TGF-β in the supernatants of cell culture were measured by ELISA. Results:(1) The proportion of HLA-DR -CD11b + CD33 + CD15 -CD14 + M-MDSC, the concentration of intracellular ROS and the expression of iNOS, CD39 and CD73 in M-MDSC decreased significantly in patients with acute KD as compared with those in the control group ( P<0.05), and the concentrations of NO, IL-10 and TGF-β in culture supernatant of M-MDSC were lower than those in the control group upon lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation for 48 h ( P<0.05). All of the aforementioned indexes restored to some extent after intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy ( P<0.05). No statistical differences were found in Arg-1 expression between healthy controls and patients with KD before or after IVIG therapy ( P<0.05). (2) CD40 expression on M-MDSC was significantly lower in the acute KD group than in the control group ( P<0.05). The concentrations of CCL3, CCL4 and CCL5 in the culture supernatants of M-MDSC were lower in the acute KD group than in the control group after LPS stimulation ( P<0.05). With IVIG treatment, all of the indexes were up-regulated significantly ( P<0.05), although CD40 expression was still lower in the acute KD group than in the control group ( P<0.05). (3) The proportion of CD4 + CD25 + CD127 -Treg and the expression of CTLA4, LAG3, CD40L and CCR5 reduced significantly in patients with acute KD as compared those in healthy controls ( P<0.05), and all increased remarkably after IVIG therapy ( P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between the proportions of M-MDSC and Treg in patients with acute KD ( r=0.58, P<0.05). Conclusions:Insufficiency and impaired function of M-MDSC might be a major cause of immune dysfunction in patients with acute KD.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between miR-141-3p and transforming growth factorβ2 (TGF-β2), and its effects on the malignant biological behaviors of human prostate cancer cell line C4-2B. Methods:After the transfection of miR-141-3p mimic, the mRNAexpression of miR-141-3p and TGF-β2 in C4-2B cells was detected by qRT-PCR. Bioinformatics method validated the relationship between miR-141-3p and TGF-β2. miR-141-3p mimic alone or with TGF-β2 over-expression vector was transfected into C42B cells, and then Western blotting was used to detect the expression of TGF-β2 protein in C4-2B cells, Hochest33258 staining was used to detect cell apoptosis, and Transwell assay was used to detect the invasion ability of cells in each group. Results:After the transfection of C4-2B cells with miR-141-3p mimic, the level of miR-141-3p increased significantly, and the level of TGF-β2 mRNA decreased significantly (all P<0.01). The activity of luciferase was significantly reduced after the co-transfection with miR-141-3p mimic and wild type report plasmid (P<0.01); However, the activity of luciferase was not obviously changed after co-transfection with miR141-3p mimic and mutant type report plasmid (P>0.05).After co-transfection with miR-141-3p mimic and pc-TGF-β2, the proliferation of C4-2B cells decreased significantly, the number of apoptotic cells increased significantly, and the cell invasion ability decreased significantly (all P<0.01). Conclusion: miR-141-3p inhibits the proliferation and invasion of human prostate cancer C4-2B cells and induces cell apoptosis by targeting TGF-β2.

Objective To investigate the correlation between tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and the development of high risk human papilloma virus (hr-HPV)-related cervical cancer. Methods A total of 112 cases of cervical tissue were collected, including 16 normal cervical tissues, 55 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) tissues and 41 squamous cervical cancer (SCC) tissues. The expression of CD163+ macrophages in the cervical tissues was detected by immunohistochemical method, and the results were analyzed in relation with the clinical data of the patients. Results Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the cell density of CD163+macrophages increased progressively with the increase in the tissue malignancy, in the order of normal cervical tissue, CIN I, CIN II-III, and SCC. Correlation analysis revealed a positive relationship between CD163 + macrophage density and tissue malignancy (P=0.000). The density of CD163 + macrophages was significantly upregulated in HR-HPV-positive SCC tissue (P<0.05). CD163+ macrophages were positively correlated with cervical lymph node metastasis (P=0.005) and FIGO stage (P=0.004) of SCC. Conclusion The expression of CD163+macrophages is positively correlated with malignant transformation of cervical tissues, and hr-HPV infection is significantly correlated with CD163 expression level in the macrophages. CD163+ macrophages can be used as predictors of the occurrence and progression of cervical cancer caused by hr-HPV infection.