Rapid and accurate diagnostic technologies are crucial for early detection and diagnosis of diseases. Electrowetting-on-dielectric digital microfluidics, with its high-precision detection and high-throughput screening capabilities, significantly enhances the accuracy and efficiency in early disease diagnosis and personalized treatment, enabling swift disease detection and widespread screening. This article provides a comprehensive review of the working principles and fabrication processes of digital microfluidic chips based on electrowetting on dielectric method. It details the latest research progress in the areas of nucleic acids, proteins, and cells, organizes the commercialization of digital microfluidics technology, and finally discusses the current challenges and future directions of digital microfluidic chips.

[Objective]Depression is a common mental illness with a profound impact on physical health.Depression has been associated with a higher risk of bacterial infection;however,whether this relationship is causal and how depression affects infection remains unclear.Therefore,we aimed to investigate the effects of depressive phenotype in infected mice by constructing a chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS)model.[Methods]Mice were induced with CUMS for 4 weeks.The depressive phenotype was evaluated using behavioral tests.Subsequently,the mice were intraperitoneally injected with Klebsiella pneumoniae to establish bacterial infection.Serum and abdominal tissues were collected 48 h after infection.Hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining was used to observe the pathological changes in the tissues,and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to measure the levels of inflammatory factors.In addition,the fecal samples collected before infection were analyzed for 16S rDNA gene of gut microbiota,and the expression levels of NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway in colon tissues of uninfected mice were detected.[Results]Behavioral tests showed that compared with the control mice,CUMS mice had significantly lower body weight(P<0.0001,t=5.426),lower sucrose preference rate(P<0.001,t=4.937),increased swimming stationary time(P<0.001,t=16.37),and decreased time spent in the central area of the open field(P<0.01,t=3.575).Survival analysis showed that compared with the control mice,the survival rate of CUMS mice significantly decreased after infection(P<0.05).Additionally,histochemical staining showed that tissue damage in the liver(P<0.05,t=4.025),kidney(P<0.05,t=2.828),and mesentery(P<0.01,t=5.367)significantly increased.Furthermore,ELISA results showed that the levels of the inflammatory cytokines IL-6(P<0.01,t=3.365),IL-1β(P<0.01,t=4.061),TNF-α(P<0.01,t=4.460)and LPS(P<0.0001,t=27.24)were elevated.The difference was statistically significant.According to 16S rDNA sequencing,CUMS-induced changes in the intestinal bacterial community structure of mice,making them significantly different from the control mice.Compared with the control mice,the expression levels of NF-κB(P<0.01,t=6.825)and NLRP3(P<0.001,t=9.561)were upregulated in CUMS mice.[Conclusion]The CUMS model was successfully constructed and CUMS mice developed more severe bacterial infection.Gut microbiota was dysregulated and the expression of NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway was up-regulated in CUMS mice,which was related to the susceptibility to bacterial infection.

Rapid and accurate diagnostic technologies are crucial for early detection and diagnosis of diseases. Electrowetting-on-dielectric digital microfluidics, with its high-precision detection and high-throughput screening capabilities, significantly enhances the accuracy and efficiency in early disease diagnosis and personalized treatment, enabling swift disease detection and widespread screening. This article provides a comprehensive review of the working principles and fabrication processes of digital microfluidic chips based on electrowetting on dielectric method. It details the latest research progress in the areas of nucleic acids, proteins, and cells, organizes the commercialization of digital microfluidics technology, and finally discusses the current challenges and future directions of digital microfluidic chips.

Objective:To observe the physiological effect of bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) ventilation among stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.Methods:This was a small sample size, exploratory, interventional study. A total of 10 outpatients with stable COPD were included from Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine of Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University between January 2018 and December 2018. The BiPAP mode of noninvasive mechanical ventilation was adopted. The inspiratory positive airway pressure was gradually increased from 10 cmH 2O (1 cmH 2O=0.098 kPa) to 24 cmH 2O, and each time by 2 cmH 2O. The expiratory positive airway pressure remained unchanged at 4 cmH 2O. Baseline and test data were collected before and during the ventilation for comparison, including total respiratory cycle time (T tot), inspiratory time (T i), inspiratory time (T e), inspiratory tidal volume (V Ti); mouth pressure (P mo), esophageal pressure (P eso), transdiaphragmatic pressure (P di), esophageal pressure time product (PTP es), diaphragm pressure time product (PTP di), root mean square of electromyography of diaphragm (RMS), V e/RMS, inspiratory capacity (IC), the change in end-expiratory lung volume (ΔEELV) and dynamic PEEPi (PEEPi dyn). Results:All the 10 patients completed the trial. Compared to calm breathing, V Ti, V e, P mo, IC, ΔEELV score and V e/RMS increased significantly with increasing pressure levels (all P<0.05); T e only increased significantly at 20-22 cmH 2O pressure levels compared to calm breathing ( P<0.05). P di, PTP es, PTP di, RMS and RMS/RMS max decreased significantly with increasing levels (all P<0.05). PTP es and PTP di converged to 0 and no longer showed significant changes after the 18 cmH 2O pressure level. RMS and RMS/RMS max flattened out at pressure level greater than 16 cmH 2O. T i/T tot only significantly decreased at the 20 cmH 2O pressure level compared to calm breathing. PEEPi dyn showed a tendency to decrease and then increase with increasing pressure levels. Conclusion:BiPAP ventilation, at appropriate pressure levels, significantly relieves pulmonary ventilation disorders and reduces the load of respiratory muscle in patients with stable COPD.

Objective:To investigate the distribution and epidemic characteristics of respiratory pathogens in children before and after COVID-19 epidemic in Lanzhou.Methods:Two hundred and eighty-six children hospitalized with acute upper respiratory tract infection in Central Hospital of Gansu Province and Gansu Maternal and Child Health Hospital from October to November of 2020 and October to November of 2021 were selected respectively as the research objects, and a retrospective analysis was made.IgM antibodies of nine pathogens, including influenza virus A(IVA), influenza virus B(IVB), parainfluenza virus(PIV), adenovirus(ADV), mycoplasma pneumoniae(MP), chlamydia pneumoniae(CP), respiratory syncytial virus(RSV), echovirus(ECHO)and coxsackie virus B(CVB), were detected, and the basic information and epidemic characteristics were statistically analyzed.Results:The total positive rates of IgM antibodies of nine pathogens before and after the epidemic in COVID-19 were 31.8%(91/286)and 5.9%(17/286)respectively, after the epidemic, the detection rates dropped significantly, and there was significant difference among them( χ2= 62.505, P<0.05); After the epidemic, the detection rates of ADV, MP and CVB were all lower than those before the epidemic, and there were significant differences among these groups( χ2= 39.281, 12.167, 10.155, all P<0.05). The positive detection rates in the age group of 1 month ~1 year, ~3 years, ~6 years and>6 years before the outbreak were 37.4%(37/99), 38.3%(36/94), 16.7%(12/72)and 28.6%(6/21)respectively, and there were significant differences among these groups( χ2=34.055, P<0.05); Among them, the detection rates of MP in the age group 1 month ~1 year, ~3 years, ~6 years and>6 years were 16.2%(6/37), 25.0%(9/36), 16.7%(2/12)and 100%(6/6)respectively, and there were significant differences among these groups( χ2=10.289, P<0.05); CVB was not detected in>6 years group, the positive detection rates of CVB were 16.2%(6/37), 22.2%(8/36)and 25.0%(3/12)in the age group of 1 month ~1 year, ~3 years, ~6 years respectively, and there were significant differences among these groups( χ2= 27.742, P< 0.05). After the epidemic, the positive detection rates of the patients in the age group of 1 month ~1 year, ~3 years, ~6 years and>6 years were 5.9%(4/68), 4.0%(3/75), 5.7%(6/106)and 10.8%(4/37), with no statistical significance( χ2=2.235, P>0.05); Among them, the positive rates of IVB were 25.0%(1/4), 33.3%(1/3)and 66.7%(4/6)in the age group of 1 month ~1 year, ~3 years, ~6 years respectively, and in the age group>6 years was not detected, and there were significant differences among these groups( χ2= 96.022, P< 0.05). The detection rates of mixed infection of pathogens before and after the epidemic were 5.6%(16/286)and 0.3%(1/286)respectively, with no statistical significance( χ2= 2.314, P>0.05). Conclusion:The distribution of common pathogens of acute upper respiratory tract infection among children in Lanzhou was different before and after COVID-19 epidemic.

Objective:To investigate the clinical effect on ultrasound-guided vascular access-interventional therapy of hemodialysis in day surgery mode.Methods:Hemodialysis patients with vascular access dysfunction who underwent ultrasound-guided interventional therapy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from September 1, 2018 to October 31, 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic and clinical data were collected by electronic medical record system and telephone follow-up. Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the patency rate of vascular access.Results:A total of 421 cases of ultrasound-guided vascular access intervention were performed in 269 patients. The technical success rates of stenosis, chronic occlusion and acute occlusion lesion were 98.8%, 90.6% and 86.4%, respectively, and 406 cases (96.4%) of 246 patients were clinically successful. The postoperative brachial artery blood flow was 821(627, 1 029) ml/min, which was significantly higher than 309(202, 453) ml/min before the operation ( Z=-13.547, P<0.001). No serious complications occurred during and after the operation. At 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after operation, the primary patency rate was 74%, 59%, 48% and 45%, respectively, the assisted primary patency rate was 94%, 91%, 88% and 82%, and the secondary patency rate was 96%, 93%, 91% and 86%. Compared with the conventional inpatient surgery mode, the total cost of the day surgery mode was significantly reduced [12 067(10 051, 13 198) yuan vs 14 986(12 411, 20 643) yuan, Z=-13.185, P<0.001], and the hospital stay was significantly shortened [5.1(3.5, 6.9) h vs 73.4(31.6, 146.6) h, Z=-13.348, P<0.001]. Conclusion:It is safe and effective to perform interventional therapy for vascular access malfunction under ultrasound in day surgery mode, which can save cost and time of hospitalization, and can be carried out in hospitals with relevant conditions.

Betacoronavirus ; Coronavirus Infections ; Humans ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; Single-Cell Analysis

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) and arbidol in treating patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the real world.Methods:The clinical data of 178 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 admitted to Guangzhou Eighth People′s Hospital from January 20 to February 10, 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. According to patient′s antiviral treatment regimens, 178 patients were divided into 4 groups including LPV/r group (59 patients), arbidol group (36 patients), LPV/r plus arbidol combination group (25 patients) and the supportive care group without any antiviral treatment (58 patients). The primary end point was the negative conversion time of nucleic acid of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) by pharyngeal swab.Results:The baseline parameters of 4 groups before treatment was comparable. The negative conversion time of viral nucleic acid was (10.20±3.49), (10.11±4.68), (10.86±4.74), (8.44±3.51) days in LPV/r group, arbidol group, combination group, and supportive care group respectively ( F=2.556, P=0.058). There was also no significant difference in negative conversion rate of 2019-nCoV nucleic acid, the improvement of clinical symptoms, and the improvement of pulmonary infections by CT scan ( P>0.05). However, a statistically significant difference was found in the changing rates from mild/moderate to severe/critical type at day 7 (χ 2=9.311, P=0.017), which were 24%(6/25) in combination group, 16.7%(6/36) in arbidol group, 5.4%(3/56) in LPV/r group and 5.2%(3/58) in supportive care group. Moreover, the incidence of adverse reactions in three antiviral groups was significantly higher than that in supportive care group (χ 2=14.875, P=0.002). Conclusions:Antiviral treatment including LPV/r or arbidol or combination does not shorten the negative conversion time of 2019-nCoV nucleic acid nor improve clinical symptoms. Moreover, these antiviral drugs cause more adverse reactions which should be paid careful attention during the treatment.

Objective To investigate effects of preoperative application of parecoxib on postoperative analgesia and coagulation function in neurosurgical patients.Methods A total of 90 patients (38 males and 52 females,ASA physical status Ⅰ or Ⅱ) undergoing crainotomy were randomly divided into two groups(n=45): parecoxib group (group P) and control group (group C).At 30 min before operation,group P received intravenous injection of parecoxib 40 mg (5 ml),group C intravenous injection of saline 5 ml.Postoperative patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) was performed in all patients.PCIA formula of sufentanil 2 μg/kg+tropisetron 0.2 mg/kg,were diluted with normal saline to 120 ml.The visual analogue scale (VAS),the total and effective PCIA pump compressions,Ramsay sedation scale of 2,4,16,24,48 h after operation were recorded.Coagulation function was measured before and 2 h,48 h after parecoxib administration.Meanwhile,adverse reactions were recorded.Results Comparion of VAS between the two groups was made within 48 h after surgery,the total and effective PCIA pump compressions,were much more in group C than in group P (P<0.05).Ramsay sedation scale of group C was higher than that in group P at 2 h after operation.There were no significant differences in coagulation function.And the percentage of patients′ adverse effects in group P was lower than that in group C (P<0.05).Conclusion Parecoxib,as an analgesic,can enhance analgesic effect of sufentanil PCIA.Not only does it reduce the amount of sufentanil and incidence of adverse reactions,but also it has no significant effect on blood coagulation function.

Objective To investigate gene polymorphisms of drug targets and mutations associated with drug resistance in Pneumocystis jiroveci (P.jiroveci) isolates.Methods Among 148 samples isolated from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)infected patients with pneumonia in Guangdong,mitochondrid larg subunit rRNA (mtLSUrRNA) gene was amplified from 51 samples.Dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS),dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and Cytochrome b (CYB) genes of P.jiroveci were detected by gene sequencing,and compared with the reference sequences in GenBank to evaluate gene polymorphisms.Results P.jirovecii DHPS,DHFR and CYB genes were all successfully amplified from 51 samples.For DHPS gene,48 (94.1％) were wild-type and 3 (5.9％) had gene mutation associated with drug resistance.For DHFR gene,30 were wild-type,and 21 had a synonymous mutation at position 312,and 1 nonsynonymous mutation at position 188.There were no mutations associated with drug resistance.For CYB gene,polymorphisms of were detected at 5 sites,4 of which were synonymous mutations,1 was non-synonymous mutation.No mutation associated with drug resistance was found.Based on the gene polymorphism of CYB6,the strains can be classified into 6 genotypes,and 2 were first detected,including 25 CYB1,13 CYB2,2 CYB5,4 CYB8,as well as newly detected 4 CYB10 and 3 CYB11 strains.Conclusions The mutations associated with drug resistance in P.jiroveci isolates in Guangdong remain uncommon.CYB gene shows gene polymorphisms and can be selected as one of targeted genes for multilocus sequence typing.