Objective:To investigate the application value of metagenomic next-genera-tion sequencing (mNGS) in pathogenic diagnosis of suspected infected severe acute pancreatitis (SAP).Methods:The prospective study was conducted. The clinical data of 25 patients with suspected infected SAP who were admitted to the Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from May to September 2023 were collected. Upper limb venous blood samples of all the patients were collected for both of mNGS and routine pathogen microbial culture. Observation indicators: (1) grouping situations of the enrolled patients; (2) comparison of the diagnostic efficiency of mNGS and routine pathogen microbial culture; (3) results of peripheral blood pathogen microbial testing and peri-pancreatic effusion microbial culture; (4) testing time and cost. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was conducted using the independent sample t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M( Q1, Q3). Count data were expressed as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test. Results:(1) Grouping situations of the enrolled patients. A total of 25 patients were selected for eligibility. There were 18 males and 7 females, aged 48(40,59)years. The duration of hospital stay of 25 patients was 30(20,50)days. The etiologies of 25 patients included 14 cases of hyperlipidemic pancreatitis, 8 cases of biliary pancreatitis, 1 case of alcohol-induced acute pancreatitis, and 2 cases of pancreatitis caused by other causes. Of the 25 patients, there were 17 cases with infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) including 7 cases of death, and 8 cases with sterile pancreatic necrosis including no death. (2) Comparison of the diagnostic efficiency of mNGS and routine pathogen microbial culture. The positive rates of mNGS and routine pathogen microbial culture in diagnosis of suspected infected SAP were 72.0%(18/25) and 32.0%(8/25), respectively, showing a significant difference between them ( χ2=8.01, P<0.05). The sensitivity and negative predic-tive value of mNGS and routine pathogen microbial culture in diagnosis of IPN were 94.1%(16/17), 35.3%(6/17) and 85.7%(6/7), 35.3%(6/17), showing significant differences between them ( χ2=12.88, 5.04, P<0.05). The specificity and positive predictive value of mNGS and routine pathogen microbial culture in diagnosis of IPN were 75.0%(6/8), 75.0%(6/8) and 88.9%(16/18), 75.0%(6/8), showing no significant difference between them ( χ2=0, 0.82, P>0.05). (3) Results of peripheral blood pathogen microbial testing and peripancreatic effusion microbial culture. Of the 17 patients with IPN, 36 strains of pathogenic bacteria were detected by mNGS, and 6 strains were detected by routine pathogen microbial culture. There were 16 of 17 patients with IPN showing positive mNGS pathogenic testing, of which 13 cases were consistent with the pathogenic testing results of peri-pancreatic effusion microbial culture, showing a consistency rate of 76.5%(13/17). There were 6 pati-ents with IPN showing positive routine pathogen microbial culture, with a consistency rate of 35.3%(6/17) to peripancreatic effusion microbial culture. (4) Testing time and cost. Testing time of mNGS and routine pathogen microbial culture were (43±17)hours and (111±36)hours, showing a signifi-cant difference between them ( t=9.31, P<0.05). Testing cost of mNGS was (2 267±0)yuan/case, accoun-ting for 1.7% of the hospitalization expenses of (133 759±120 744)yuan/case. Testing cost of routine pathogen microbial culture was (240±0)yuan/case, accounting of 0.2% of the hospitalization expenses. Conclusion:mNGS has important value for early pathogenic diagnosis of suspected infected SAP, and has a high timeliness.

Background and Aims:Accurate early pathogen diagnosis is a breakthrough for improving the prognosis of infectious pancreatic necrosis(IPN)patients.However,there is currently a lack of efficient methods for early identification of IPN in clinical settings.This study was performed to assess the application value of next-generation sequencing technology based on metagenomic capture(MetaCAP)in the pathogen diagnosis of IPN. Methods:A prospective study was conducted on 29 patients suspected of having acute necrotizing pancreatitis at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University between January and July 2024.Blood samples were tested using MetaCAP and conventional pathogen culture.The results of peritoneal fluid pathogen culture were used as the gold standard to compare the diagnostic efficacy of the two methods. Results:Due to three cases lacking peritoneal fluid culture results,a total of 26 cases were included in the final analysis.The overall mortality rate was 23.1％(6/26).During hospitalization,9 cases(34.6％)were diagnosed with IPN.The sensitivity and negative predictive value of MetaCAP for diagnosing IPN were significantly higher than those of conventional pathogen culture(77.8％vs.11.1％,P=0.031;86.7％vs.65.2％,P=0.032),while the differences in specificity(76.5％vs.88.2％,P=0.689)and positive predictive value(63.6％vs.33.3％,P=0.347)between the two methods were not statistically significant.The average detection time for MetaCAP was 33(20-49)h,while microbial culture took 125(45-142)h,with a significant difference(P＜0.001).The average cost for blood MetaCAP testing was 2 500 yuan per case,but it accounted for only 1.19％of the average hospitalization cost. Conclusion:MetaCAP has significant value in the early pathogen diagnosis of IPN,with a shorter detection time,good testing efficacy,and health-economic value,demonstrating a promising clinical application prospect.

Objective:To systematically evaluate the prevalence of malnutrition in elderly patients with diabetes.Methods:A total of eight databases, namely PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), and VIP Database, were systematically searched for cross-sectional studies on malnutrition in elderly diabetic patients published from the inception of the databases to September 13, 2023. Two researchers independently conducted literature screening, data extraction, and quality assessment. Data analysis was performed using Stata 16.0 software.Results:A total of 22 studies were included, involving 6 349 elderly diabetic patients. Results of the meta-analysis showed that the overall prevalence of malnutrition in elderly patients with diabetes was 32.3% (95% CI: 0.21 to 0.43), and the prevalence of at-risk of malnutrition was 49.0% (95% CI: 0.31 to 0.67). Subgroup analysis showed that the prevalence of malnutrition in elderly diabetic patients with chronic complications (56.8%) was significantly higher than those without chronic complications (21.9%). Inpatients also showed a higher prevalence compared with outpatients and community (44.4%, 29.0%, and 18.5%, respectively). The prevalence of malnutrition as per mini-nutritional assessment scale was higher than that as per mini-nutritional assessment short-form scale (35.8% vs. 23.3%, P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of malnutrition in elderly diabetic patients of different genders ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The prevalence of malnutrition and at-risk of malnutrition in elderly diabetic patients is high. In clinical practice, we should not only strengthen the early diagnosis of malnutrition in patients, but also emphasize the screening of malnutrition risk, implement timely corresponding interventions, and promote patient education on nutrition and health, to improve the prognosis and quality of life in elderly diabetes patients.

ObjectiveTo analyze the migrating components absorbed into blood of the aqueous extract of Euphorbia helioscopia， and to explore the pharmacodynamic material basis of the aqueous extract of E. helioscopia against chronic obstructive pulmonary disease（COPD）. MethodUltra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS） was used to detecte the migrating components absorbed into blood of rats after intragastric administration of aqueous extract of E. helioscopia. An Agilent RRHD SB-C₁₈ column（3 mm×100 mm， 1.8 μm） was used with 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution（A）-acetonitrile（B） as the mobile phase for gradient elution（0-15 min， 5%-30%B； 15-20 min， 30%-50%B； 20-30 min， 50%-95%B； 30-35 min， 95%-5%B）， and the detection wavelength of 190-800 nm， column temperature of 40 ℃， flow rate of 0.3 mL∙min^-1 and injection volume of 4 μL. The electrospray ionization（ESI） was used in positive and negative ion modes， and the detection range was m/z 50-1 250. Network pharmacology was used to screen out the key components and the key targets of COPD through the interaction analysis. Metascape database was used to predict the molecular function， biological process， cellular composition and signal pathways mainly involved in the anti-COPD effect of E. helioscopia. Molecular docking technique was used to determine the affinity of key targets with key components. ResultA total of 29 migrating components absorbed into blood of rats were identified after intragastric administration of aqueous extract of E. helioscopia， 9 of which were prototype components and 20 were metabolites. Network pharmacological analysis showed that luteolin， quercetin， apigenin， naringenin and helioscopinolide C were the key components of E. helioscopia against COPD， and vascular endothelial growth factor A（VEGFA）， albumin（ALB）， protein kinase B1（Akt1）， tumor necrosis factor（TNF） and interleukin-6（IL-6） were the key targets. Molecular docking results showed that one diterpene lactone（helioscopinolide C） and three flavonoids（naringenin， luteolin， apigenin） in the migrating components absorbed into blood all had strong binding activity to the key targets of E. helioscopia against COPD. ConclusionNaringenin， helioscopinolide C， luteolin and apigenin may be the main anti-COPD active substances of E. helioscopia.

Objective:To investigate the expression and prognostic significance of epithelial cell transforming sequence 2 (ECT2) in invasive breast cancer.Methods:The clinical data of 165 cases of invasive breast cancer treated in the 909th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force from January 2018 to June 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, the tumor tissues and corresponding normal tissues adjacent to the cancer were collected. The tumor tissues of breast cancer and adjacent normal tissues were stained with ECT2 immunohistochemistry. The relationship between the expression of ECT2 protein in different tissues and pathological and clinical data was analyzed. Multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the factors affecting the high expression of ECT2 protein. Kaplan-Meier method was used to compare the total survival time of breast cancer patients with high expression of ECT2 and low expression of ECT2 by Kmplot online survival analysis of public databases.Results:The expression of ECT2 in breast cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent normal tissues: 57.58% (95/165) vs. 12.73% (21/165) ( χ2 = 76.19, P<0.01). The patients with high expression of ECT2 had worse histopathological grade: grade G 1 30.53% (29/95) vs. 57.14% (40/70), grade G 2 40.00% (38/95) vs. 28.57% (20/70), grade G 3 29.47% (28/95) vs. 14.20% (10/40), higher lymph node metastasis: 71.58% (68/95) vs. 7.14% (5/70), worse TNM stage: stage Ⅰ 15.79% (15/95) vs. 34.29% (24/70), stage Ⅱ 27.37% (26/95) vs. 27.14% (19/70), stage Ⅲ 41.05% (39/95) vs. 28.57% (20/70), stage Ⅳ 15.79% (15/95) vs. 10.00% (7/70), higher proportion of menopause: 60.00% (57/95) vs. 44.29% (31/70) and higher Ki-67 proliferation index: 74.74% (71/95) vs. 58.57% (41/70) ( P<0.05). Lymph node metastasis ( OR = 2.764, P = 0.038), histopathological grade G 3( OR = 1.942, P = 0.010), TNM stage Ⅳ ( OR = 2.586, P<0.001), Ki-67 proliferation index greater than 14% ( OR = 1.376, P = 0.006) were the influencing factors of high expression of ECT2 protein in breast cancer patients. The overall survival of ECT2 patients with high expression of breast cancer was even worse ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The expression of ECT2 protein is increased in invasive breast cancer. The prognosis of breast cancer patients with high expression of ECT2 is even worse. ECT2 may be a potential molecular target for breast cancer treatment.

Eucommiae Folium(EF),a traditional Chinese medicine,has been used to treat secondary hypertension,including renal hypertension and salt-sensitive hypertension,as well as hypertension caused by thoracic aortic endothelial dysfunction,a high-fat diet,and oxidized low-density lipoprotein.The antihyperten-sive components of EF are divided into four categories:flavonoids,iridoids,lignans,and phenyl-propanoids,such as chlorogenic acid,geniposide acid and pinoresinol diglucoside.EF regulates the occurrence and development of hypertension by regulating biological processes,such as inhibiting inflammation,regulating the nitric oxide synthase pathway,reducing oxidative stress levels,regulating endothelial vasoactive factors,and lowering blood pressure.However,its molecular antihypertensive mechanisms are still unclear and require further investigation.In this review,by consulting the relevant literature on the antihypertensive effects of EF and using network pharmacology,we summarized the active ingredients and pharmacological mechanisms of EF in the treatment of hypertension to clarify how EF is associated with secondary hypertension,the related components,and underlying mechanisms.The results of the network pharmacology analysis indicated that EF treats hypertension through a multi-component,multi-target and multi-pathway mechanism.In particular,we discussed the role of EF tar-gets in the treatment of hypertension,including epithelial sodium channel,heat shock protein70,rho-associated protein kinase 1,catalase,and superoxide dismutase.The relevant signal transduction path-ways,the ras homolog family member A(RhoA)/Rho-associated protein kinase(ROCK)and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate(NADPH)oxidase/eNOS/NO/Ca2+pathways,are also discussed.

Objective To analysis the clinical pathway management efficiency under different DRG groups, for a basis for further optimizing clinical pathway management. Methods The retrospective analysis method was used to compare the average length of stay, sub-average costs, and drug proportions of patients with different DRGs in the same clinical pathway. Shapiro-Wilk was used to detect the normality of the samples, t test was used to analyze measurement data conformed to the normal distribution, non-parametric test was used to analyze the abnormal distribution data, and enumeration data was detected by using chi-square test. Results For patients with a clinical pathway of bronchial pneumonia, patients with severe complications and concomitant symptoms had no significant difference in mean hospitalization and sub-costs, regardless of whether they completed or entered the clinical pathway ( P >0.05). For the other two DRG patients, the difference between the average length of stay, sub-average costs, and the proportion of medications for patients who completed the clinical pathway and withdrew from or did not complete the clinical pathway was significant(P<0.05). In the severe surgical group, the length of stay and average cost for patients who completed the clinical pathway were lower than those who exited or did not enter the clinical pathway(P<0.05). Conclusions Patients with different severity of DRGs should be cautious when they are enrolled in the clinical pathway.

Objective To analyze the differences in hospitalization days and costs of patients with acute cholecystitis in different departments or diagnosis related groups ( DRGs ), and provide scientific references for clinical medical management. Methods All the medical record homepages of the patients with acute cholecystitis were selected from a tertiary hospital from January 2017 to December 2017. The hospital analysis system of DRGs was used to calculate the classification results of DRGs. The Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to analyze the differences in hospital stays and costs between different DRGs or departments. Results The average length of stay was the shortest and the hospitalization cost in the department of hepatobiliary surgery was lower than other departments among patients with surgery and non-surgical(all P<0.05); The average length of stay at the department of hepatobiliary surgery was lower than the same other DRGs groups, namely the department of digestive medicine and gastrointestinal surgery(all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the cost of " acute biliary tract disease with complications" between the various departments(P>0.05). The average cost in the department of hepatobiliary surgery was the lowest, and the average cost of gastrointestinal surgery was the highest in two DRGs of " acute biliary disease without complications and concomitant symptoms" and " laparoscopic cholecystectomy without common bile duct exploration" ( all P < 0.05 ). Conclusions Department of hepatobiliary surgery was better than other departments in the treatment of acute cholecystitis. Medical institutions should follow the principle of special treatment to reduce interdisciplinary patients and improve the professional competitiveness of the department.

Objective To investigate the correlation between neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and disease activity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE),and the changes of NLR in different organ involvement of SLE patients.Methods A total of 155 SLE patients and 135 healthy controls from the Rheumatology Department of Xiangya Hospital were enrolled in this study from 2010 to 2018.Patients with SLE were divided into lupus nephritis group (LN group) and non-lupus nephritis group (non-LN group),serositis group and non-serositis group,according to whether they had kidney involvement or serositis.According to the SLE disease activity index 2000(SLEDAI-2000),the patients were divided into mild to moderate disease activity group (SLEDAI score ＜ 15) and severe disease activity group (SLEDAI score≥ 15).The NLR values of the above groups were compared.Spearman's correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between NLR and SLE patients' laboratory indexes.Multiple linear regression model was used to analyze the relationship between NLR and SLE disease activity.Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to evaluate the value of NLR in SLE diagnosis and activity assessment.Results (1)The NLR value of SLE patients was significantly higher than that of healthy control group,and the difference was statistically significant (P ＜ 0.01).(2)The NLR value of SLE patients in the LN group was higher than that in the non-LN group,and the NLR value of SLE patients with serositis was higher than that in the group without serositis,with statistically significant differences (both P ＜ 0.05).(3)The NLR value of SLE patients in the severe disease activity group was higher than that in the mild and moderate disease activity group,and the difference was statistically significant (P ＜ 0.01).(4)NLR of SLE patients was positively correlated with CRP (rs=0.188,P=0.019),SLEDAI score (rs=0.264,P=0.001),and negatively correlated with total serum protein (rs=-0.250,P=0.002) and serum albumin (rs=-0.329,P ＜ 0.001),respectively.(5) Multiple linear regression showed that NLR was independently associated with SLE disease activity (B=0.351,95％CI 0.012-0.690,t=2.047,P=0.042).(6) According to ROC curve,the optimal cut-off value of NLR for SLE diagnosis was 2.17 (sensitivity 60.0％,specificity 83.1％,AUC=0.744),and the best cut-off value for predicting the activity of severe disease activity in SLE patients was 3.28 (sensitivity 58.5％,specificity 78.1％,AUC=0.700).Conclusion NLR is closely related to renal involvement,serositis and disease activity in SLE patients,which indicates that NLR,as a new inflammatory indicator,is of great significance for the assessment of SLE disease activity and organ involvement.

Objective To explore the immune mechanism in the systemic lupus erythematosus MRL/lpr mice at different months of age, and to provide the basis for research of its pathogenesis. Methods 3-,4-,5- and 6-month old female MRL/lpr mice, and wild type C57 female mice were used in this study, 10 mice per each group. Their organ coefficients were determined. ELISA was performed to detect the serum levels of double stranded DNA(ds-DNA) antibody. The interleukins IL-2,IL-4,IL-17 and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)in spleen tissue were detected. Flow cytometry was used to assess the content of spleen lymphocyte CD3 cells and CD4/CD8 cell ratio. Results Compared with the 3-month old wild-type C57 mice,the spleen coefficient,the blood concentration of ds-DNA antibody,IL-2 and TNF-α in the 3- to 6-month old MRL/lpr mice were significantly increased(P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the concentrations of interleukin IL-4(P> 0.05). The blood concentration of IL-17 in the 5- and 6-month old MRL/lpr mice was significantly lower(P < 0.05 or P < 0.01)than that in the 3-month old MRL/lpr mice. The rest indexes of MRL/lpr mice showed no obvious changes or significant difference in the mice at different ages. Compared with the 3-month old C57 mice,the spleen CD3 lymphocyte concentration in the MRL/lpr mice was significantly decreased(P< 0.01). With the increasing age, the CD3 lymphocyte concentration and D4 +/CD8 +cell ratio in the MRL/lpr mice were decreased, however, showing a non-significant difference(P ﹥0.05). Conclusions The data obtained in this study indicate that 3-month old lupus MRL/lpr mice have already immune injury,increasing with the increase of age of the mice.