Objective To investigate the combined effect of berberine （BBR） and fluconazole （FLC） on FLC-tolerant Candida albicans in vitro. Methods The sensitivity of 8 strains of Candida albicans to FLC was assessed by determining their minimal inhibitory concentration （MIC） using broth microdilution method. FLC-tolerant strains were screened from FLC-sensitive strains by disk diffusion assay. The effect of BBR combined with FLC on FLC-tolerant Candida albicans was investigated by disk diffusion assay. Results All eight strains of Candida albicans exhibited sensitivity to FLC, with minimal inhibitory concentration （MIC₅₀） values below 0.5 μg/ml. Strains Y0109, 9821, 7879, 7654, and 9296 displayed colony growth in the inhibition zone after 48 h of constant temperature incubation, indicating FLC tolerance. When strains Y0109 and 9821 were subjected to a combination of BBR and FLC, the number of colonies within the inhibition zone decreased progressively with the increase of BBR concentration following a 48 h constant temperature culture. The inhibition zone became clear with the increasing of BBR concentration and increased with the increase of FLC loading, which showed a dose-dependent relationship. Conclusion The BBR combined with FLC demonstrated efficacy against FLC-tolerant strains.

Objective To observe the regulating effect and mechanism of Yichang Sanjie Granules on intestinal flora and immune function in mice with colon cancer.Methods Sixty mice were randomly divided into six groups,i.e.,the normal group,the model group,the low-,medium-and high-dose groups of Yichang Sanjie Granules,and the overexpression of melanoma absent gene 2(AIM2)plasmid(pcDNA-AIM2)intervention group,with 10 mice in each group.Colorectal cancer model was prepared by oxidized azomethine(AOM)/dextran sulfate sodium(DSS)induction method in all groups except normal group.After drug administration,the survival curves of mice in each group were plotted and the tumor volume was calculated;serum levels of immunoglobulin(Ig)G,IgM,interleukin(IL)-1β and IL-18 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA);peripheral blood levels of CD3+,CD4+,CD8+ T cells were detected by flow cytometry;the splenic index was determined;Hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining was used to observe the pathological changes in colon tissues;16S-rDNA intestinal flora sequencing was used to detect the α-diversity of intestinal flora and the structure of intestinal flora communities;and protein immunoblotting(Wetsern Blot)was used to detect the protein expressions of AIM2,apoptosis-associated speckled-like protein containing a CARD(ASC),and cystatinase-1(caspase-1)in colon tissues.Results Compared with the normal group,the survival rate,serum levels of IgG and IgM,peripheral blood levels of CD3+ and CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ ratio,protein expression levels of colon tissue AIM2,ASC and caspase-1 in the model group were significantly decreased,and the tumor volume,serum levels of IL-1β and IL-18,peripheral blood level of CD8+,and splenic index were significantly increased(all P＜0.05),and the HE staining results showed the characteristic manifestations of colon cancer;compared with the model group,the survival rate,serum levels of IgG and IgM,peripheral blood levels of CD3+ and CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ ratio,protein expression levels of colon tissue AIM2,ASC and caspase-1 in the low-,medium-and high-dose groups of Yichang Sanjie Granules and the pcDNA-AIM2 group were significantly increased,and the tumor volume,serum levels of IL-1β and IL-18,level of peripheral blood CD8+,and splenic index were significantly decreased(all P＜0.05),and the HE staining results showed the manifestations of colon cancer were improved.Compared with the normal group,the Observed index,Chao1 index,Shannon index,the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes,Proteobacteria,Muribaculaceae,Lachnospiraceae-NK4A136group,and Ruminiclostridium in the model group were significantly decreased,while the relative abundance of Firmicutes,Actinobacteria,Patescibateria,Lactobacillus,Odoribacter,Alistipes,Ruminococcaceae-uncultured and Bacteroides was increased in the model group(P＜0.05);compared with the model group,the Observed index,Chao1 index,Shannon index,the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes,Proteobacteria,Muribaculaceae,Lachnospiraceae-NK4A136group and Ruminiclostridium were significantly increased,and the relative abundance of Firmicutes,Actinobacteria,Patescibateria,Lactobacillus,Odoribacter,Alistipes,Ruminococcaceae-uncultured and Bacteroides was decreased in the low-,medium-and high-dose groups of Yichang Sanjie Granules and the pcDNA-AIM2 group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Yichang Sanjie Granules can increase autoimmunity and improve intestinal flora structure in mice with colon cancer,and its mechanism is related to the activation of AIM2 inflammatory vesicles.

Objective To analyze the medication rules of Professor HUANG Feng for the treatment of low back pain using data mining methods.Methods The information of prescriptions for the effective cases of outpatients with low back pain treated by Professor HUANG Feng were collected and screened.Microsoft Excel 2019 was used to analyze the frequency of medication and the distribution of properties,flavors and meridian tropism of the drugs in the included prescription.IBM SPSS Modeler 18.0 was used for association rule analysis,and IBM Statistics 26.0 was used for cluster analysis.Results A total of 239 prescriptions and 75 Chinese medicines were included.There were 23 high-frequency Chinese medicines with the medication frequency being or over 20 times,and the top 10 Chinese medicines were Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,vinegar-processed Corydalis Rhizoma,Cibotii Rhizoma,Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma,Zanthoxyli Radix,salt-processed Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix,Rehmanniae Radix,Dipsaci Radix,Coicis Semen,and Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma.The medicines were mainly warm in nature,and were sweet,bitter and pungent in flavor.Most of the drugs had the meridian tropism of liver,stomach and spleen meridians.Among the drug combinations obtained from association rule analysis with the top 20 highest support,vinegar-processed Corydalis Rhizoma,Cibotii Rhizoma,Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma and Zanthoxyli Radix were the core drugs.Cluster analysis yielded 6 clustering combinations.Conclusion For the treatment of low back pain,Professor HUANG Feng follows the principle of"treatment adapting to the climate,individuality,and environment"and"treating the root cause of the disease",usually adopts the drugs for activating blood,moving qi and relieving pain,nourishing the liver and kidney,and also uses the medicines for replenishing qi and strengthening the spleen.The ideas of HUANG Feng for the treatment of low back pain can be used as a reference for the clinical treatment.

Objective To understand the respiratory protection competency of staff in hospitals.Methods Staff from six hospitals of different levels and characteristics in Beijing were selected,including doctors,nurses,medical technicians,and servicers,to conduct knowledge assessment on respiratory protection competency.According to exposure risks of respiratory infectious diseases,based on actual cases and daily work scenarios,content of respira-tory protection competency assessment was designed from three aspects:identification of respiratory infectious di-seases,transmission routes and corresponding protection requirements,as well as correct selection and use of masks.The assessment included 6,6,and 8 knowledge points respectively,with 20 knowledge points in total,all of which were choice questions.For multiple-choice questions,full marks,partial marks,and no mark were given respective-ly if all options were correct,partial options were correct and without incorrect options,and partial options were correct but with incorrect options.Difficulty and discrimination analyses on question of each knowledge point was conducted based on classical test theory.Results The respiratory protection competency knowledge assessment for 326 staff members at different risk levels in 6 hospitals showed that concerning the 20 knowledge points,more than 60％participants got full marks for 6 points,while the proportion of full marks for other questions was relatively low.Less than 10％participants got full marks for the following 5 knowledge points:types of airborne diseases,types of droplet-borne diseases,conventional measures for the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infec-tion with respiratory infectious diseases,indications for wearing respirators,and indications for wearing medical protective masks.Among the 20 knowledge questions,5,1,and 14 questions were relatively easy,medium,and difficult,respectively;6,1,4,and 9 questions were with discrimination levels of ≥0.4,0.30-0.39,0.20-0.29,and ≤0.19,respectively.Conclusion There is still much room for hospital staff to improve their respiratory protection competency,especially in the recognition of diseases with different transmission routes and the indications for wearing different types of masks.

Objective To explore preemptive analgesic effect of preoperative intramural tramadol injection in percutaneous kyphoplasty(PKP)of vertebrae following local anesthesia.Methods From August 2019 to June 2021,118 patients with thora-co lumbar osteoporotic fractures were treated and divided into observation group and control group,with 59 patients in each gruop.In observation group,there were 26 males and 33 females,aged from 57 to 80 years old with an average of(67.69±4.75)years old;14 patients on T11,12 patients on T12,18 patients on L1,15 patients on L2;tramadol with 100 mg was injected intramuscularly half an hour before surgery in observation group.In control group,there were 24 males and 35 females,aged from 55 to 77 years old with an average of(68.00±4.43)years old;19 patients on T11,11 patients on T12,17patients on L1,12 patients on L2;the same amount of normal saline was injected intramuscularly in control group.Observation indicators included operation time,intraoperative bleeding,visual analogue scale(VAS)evaluation and recording of preoperative(T0),intraoper-ative puncture(T1),and working cannula placement(T2)between two groups of patients,at the time of balloon dilation(T3),when the bone cement was injected into the vertebral body(T4),2 hours after the operation(T5),and the pain degree at the time of discharge(T6);adverse reactions such as dizziness,nausea and vomiting were observed and recorded;the record the patient's acceptance of repeat PKP surgery.Results All patients were successfully completed PKP via bilateral pedicle ap-proach,and no intravenous sedative and analgesic drugs were used during the operation.There was no significant difference in preoperative general data and VAS(T0)between two groups(P＞0.05).There was no significant difference in operation time and intraoperative blood loss between the two groups(P＞0.05).VAS of T1,T2,T3,T4 and T5 in observation group were all lower than those in control group(P＜0.05),and there was no significant difference in T6 VAS(P＞0.05).T6 VAS between two groups were significantly lower than those of T0,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).There was no signifi-cant difference in incidence of total adverse reactions between two groups(P＞0.05).There was a statistically significant differ-ence in the acceptance of repeat PKP surgery(P＜0.05).Conclusion Half an hour before operation,intramuscular injection of tramadol has a clear preemptive analgesic effect for PKP of single-segment thoracolumbar osteoporotic fracture vertebral body under local anesthesia,which could increase the comfort of patients during operation and 2 hours after operation,and improve patients satisfaction with surgery.

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion(Mis-TLIF)technique combined with preoperative position reduction in the treatment of spondylolisthesis and summarize its advan-tages.Methods Between July 2016 and July 2022,60 patients with lumbar isthmic spondylolisthesis were retrospectively ana-lyzed,including 26 males and 34 females,with an average age of(51.32±4.24)years old ranging from 35 to 72 years old.They were divided into observation group and control group according to the operation methods.There were 30 patients in the obser-vation group,including 12 males and 18 females;the age ranged from 35 to 71 years old with an average of(51.80±6.38)years old,the course of disease ranged from 12 to 60 months with an average of(24.17±1.98)months;there were 18 cases of L4 spondylolisthesis and 12 cases of L5 spondylolisthesis;according to Meyerding classification,there were 20 cases of grade Ⅰspondylolisthesis and 10 cases of grade Ⅱ.The observation group was treated with preoperative postural reduction combined with intraoperative reduction assisted minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar fusion via Quadrant channel(Mis-TLIF).There were 30 patients in the control group,including 14 males and 16 females,with an average of(50.00±4.24)years old ranging from 36 to 72 years old;the course of disease ranged from 12 to 60 months with an average of(23.70±1.53)months;there were 16 cases of L4 spondylolisthesis and 14 cases of L5 spondylolisthesis;according to Meyerding classification,there were 19 cases of grade Ⅰ spondylolisthesis and 11 cases of grade Ⅱ.The control group was treated with open transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion(Open-TLIF).The differences of operation time,intraoperative and postoperative blood loss,hospital stay,radiation exposure time and complications between the two groups were analyzed.Visual analogue scale(VAS),Oswestry disability index(ODI)and Japanese Orthopaedic Association(JOA)score were used to evaluate the clinical effect.X-ray and CT were followed up to evaluate the interbody fusion.Results All patients were followed up for 12 months.There was no signifi-cant difference in operation time,VAS of low back pain,slip angle and slip rate between two groups(P＞0.05).The intraoperative and postoperative blood loss in the observation group(165.50±15.56)ml and(59.17±10.59)ml were less than those in the con-trol group(259.33±35.32)ml and(165.33±29.56)ml(P＜0.05).The length of hospital stay in the observation group(3.53±0.68)days was less than that in the control group(5.20±0.41)days(P＜0.05).The intervertebral space height,slip angle,slip rate,ODI,VAS and JOA scores were significantly improved in the two groups at the final follow-up(P＜0.05).There were signifi-cant differences in ODI[(9.93±1.11)％vs(10.93±1.11)％]and JOA[(26.07±1.01)points vs(25.43±1.25)points]between the observation group and the control group at the final follow-up(P＜0.05).Conclusion In the treatment of spondylolisthesis,preoperative position reduction combined with intraoperative reduction assisted Mis-Tlif technique has advantages of less trau-ma,less bleeding and shorter hospitalization period than traditional open surgery.It is a safe and effective technique.

Objective:To investigate the value of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), pediatric sequential organ failure assessment (pSOFA) and pediatric critical illness score (PCIS) in predicting mortality of pediatric sepsis in pediatric intensive care units (PICU) from Southwest China.Methods:This was a prospective multicenter observational study. A total of 447 children with sepsis admitted to 12 PICU in Southwest China from April 2022 to March 2023 were enrolled. Based on the prognosis, the patients were divided into survival group and non-survival group. The physiological parameters of SIRS, pSOFA and PCIS were recorded and scored within 24 h after PICU admission. The general clinical data and some laboratory results were recorded. The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to compare the predictive value of SIRS, pSOFA and PCIS in mortality of pediatric sepsis.Results:Amongst 447 children with sepsis, 260 patients were male and 187 patients were female, aged 2.5 (0.8, 7.0) years, 405 patients were in the survival group and 42 patients were in the non-survival group. 418 patients (93.5%) met the criteria of SIRS, and 440 patients (98.4%) met the criteria of pSOFA≥2. There was no significant difference in the number of items meeting the SIRS criteria between the survival group and the non-survival group (3(2, 4) vs. 3(3, 4) points, Z=1.30, P=0.192). The pSOFA score of the non-survival group was significantly higher than that of the survival group (9(6, 12) vs. 4(3, 7) points, Z=6.56, P<0.001), and the PCIS score was significantly lower than that of the survival group (72(68, 81) vs. 82(76, 88) points, Z=5.90, P<0.001). The predictive value of pSOFA (AUC=0.82) and PCIS (AUC=0.78) for sepsis mortality was significantly higher than that of SIRS (AUC=0.56) ( Z=6.59, 4.23, both P<0.001). There was no significant difference between pSOFA and PCIS ( Z=1.35, P=0.176). Platelet count, procalcitonin, lactic acid, albumin, creatinine, total bilirubin, activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time and international normalized ratio were all able to predict mortality of sepsis to a certain degree (AUC=0.64, 0.68, 0.80, 0.64, 0.68, 0.60, 0.77, 0.75, 0.76, all P<0.05). Conclusion:Compared with SIRS, both pSOFA and PCIS had better predictive value in the mortality of pediatric sepsis in PICU.

Pulmonary hypertension(PH)is a rare and life-threatening disease.Over past two decades,rapid ad-vancements in treatment techniques have significantly improved the prognosis of two major subgroups of PH entities:pulmonary arterial hypertension(PAH)and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension(CTEPH).Given the underlying pathological feature of in situ thrombosis of small arteries,anti-coagulation was previously considered to be a supportive therapy for PAH to improve prognosis.However,due to a lack of robust evidence,it is not recommended by the current guidelines.In contrast,lifelong anticoagulation is recommended for CTEPH patients to prevent thrombus recurrence and in situ thrombosis,based on the thromboembolic etiology.Furthermore,with the advent of direct oral anticoagulants,there are now more options for anti-coagulation therapy in PH.Nevertheless,due to the complexity of PH etiology and the heterogeneity of treatment approaches,anti-coagulation management remains challenging.This article reviews and evaluates the current status and safety issue of anti-coagulation therapy for PH patients,providing guidance and insights for clinical practice and research in this field.

Objective:To investigate the application effect of 3D printed fetal heart model based on ultrasound data combined with case-based learning (CBL) in prenatal ultrasound teaching of complex heart malformations in standardized residency training of ultrasound medicine.Methods:A total of 60 students majoring in ultrasound imaging who received standardized residency training in Ultrasonography Center of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, from September 2020 to August 2022 were enrolled as subjects and divided into experimental group and control group, with 30 students in each group. The students in the experimental group received teaching with 3D printed fetal heart model and CBL teaching, and those in the control group received teaching with hand-painted heart diagram and CBL teaching. The two groups were compared in terms of the score of theoretical examination, the degree of satisfaction with teaching, and the self-rated score of the understanding of each disease before and after teaching, and the correlation of the increase in score with case complexity was also analyzed. MedCalc software was used to perform the t-test and the linear regression analysis. Results:The experimental group had a significantly higher score of theoretical examination than the control group [(85.70±8.70) vs. (71.40±9.50)]. The questionnaire survey showed that the experimental group had better feedbacks than the control group in the aspects such as the degree of satisfaction with teaching ( P<0.05). After the implementation of this teaching model, compared with the control group, the experimental group had significantly higher self-rated scores of the understanding of case 2, case 3, case 4, and case 5 ( P<0.05). The increase in score after teaching was positively correlated with the complexity score of abnormal cases ( R2=0.90, P=0.010; R2=0.94, P=0.010), and the experimental group tended to have a greater regression coefficient. Conclusions:The reasonable application of 3D printed fetal heart model combined with CBL teaching in fetal heart teaching in standardized residency training of ultrasound medicine can help the students to understand and enhance the knowledge of cardiac anatomy, improve the learning experience of fetal echocardiography, and deepen the understanding and awareness of complex congenital heart disease.

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of pneumococcal meningitis(PM),and drug sensitivity of Streptococcus pneumoniae(SP)isolates in Chinese children.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical information,laboratory data,and microbiological data of 160 hospitalized children under 15 years old with PM from January 2019 to December 2020 in 33 tertiary hospitals across the country.Results Among the 160 children with PM,there were 103 males and 57 females.The age ranged from 15 days to 15 years,with 109 cases(68.1% )aged 3 months to under 3 years.SP strains were isolated from 95 cases(59.4% )in cerebrospinal fluid cultures and from 57 cases(35.6% )in blood cultures.The positive rates of SP detection by cerebrospinal fluid metagenomic next-generation sequencing and cerebrospinal fluid SP antigen testing were 40% (35/87)and 27% (21/78),respectively.Fifty-five cases(34.4% )had one or more risk factors for purulent meningitis,113 cases(70.6% )had one or more extra-cranial infectious foci,and 18 cases(11.3% )had underlying diseases.The most common clinical symptoms were fever(147 cases,91.9% ),followed by lethargy(98 cases,61.3% )and vomiting(61 cases,38.1% ).Sixty-nine cases(43.1% )experienced intracranial complications during hospitalization,with subdural effusion and/or empyema being the most common complication[43 cases(26.9% )],followed by hydrocephalus in 24 cases(15.0% ),brain abscess in 23 cases(14.4% ),and cerebral hemorrhage in 8 cases(5.0% ).Subdural effusion and/or empyema and hydrocephalus mainly occurred in children under 1 year old,with rates of 91% (39/43)and 83% (20/24),respectively.SP strains exhibited complete sensitivity to vancomycin(100% ,75/75),linezolid(100% ,56/56),and meropenem(100% ,6/6).High sensitivity rates were also observed for levofloxacin(81% ,22/27),moxifloxacin(82% ,14/17),rifampicin(96% ,25/26),and chloramphenicol(91% ,21/23).However,low sensitivity rates were found for penicillin(16% ,11/68)and clindamycin(6% ,1/17),and SP strains were completely resistant to erythromycin(100% ,31/31).The rates of discharge with cure and improvement were 22.5% (36/160)and 66.2% (106/160),respectively,while 18 cases(11.3% )had adverse outcomes.Conclusions Pediatric PM is more common in children aged 3 months to under 3 years.Intracranial complications are more frequently observed in children under 1 year old.Fever is the most common clinical manifestation of PM,and subdural effusion/emphysema and hydrocephalus are the most frequent complications.Non-culture detection methods for cerebrospinal fluid can improve pathogen detection rates.Adverse outcomes can be noted in more than 10% of PM cases.SP strains are high sensitivity to vancomycin,linezolid,meropenem,levofloxacin,moxifloxacin,rifampicin,and chloramphenicol.[Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics,2024,26(2):131-138]