Therapeutic apheresis (TA) is currently used for both hematological and non-hematological diseases. Due to its reliable efficacy, good safety, and simple operation, TA has been widely used in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of patients with refractory and severe diseases. From the operator's perspective, the successful completion of treatment largely depends on the appropriate vascular access. This review summarizes the background, development trends, types, advantages and disadvantages of vascular access during the TA process to guide clinical operation practice.

Objective To compare the benefits and drawbacks of primary patch expansion versus pericardial tube right ventricular-pulmonary artery connection in patients diagnosed with pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect (PA/VSD). Methods A retrospective study was conducted on patients diagnosed with PA/VSD who underwent primary right ventricular-pulmonary artery connection surgery at our center between 2010 and 2020. Patients were categorized into two groups based on the type of right ventricular-pulmonary artery connection: a pericardial tube group and a patch expansion group. Clinical data and imaging findings were compared between the two groups. Results A total of 51 patients were included in the study, comprising 31 males and 20 females, with a median age of 12.57 (4.57, 49.67) months. The pericardial tube group included 19 patients with a median age of 17.17 (7.33, 49.67) months, while the patch expansion group consisted of 32 patients with a median age of 8.58 (3.57, 52.72) months. In both groups, the diameter of pulmonary artery, McGoon index, and Nakata index significantly increased after treatment (P<0.001). However, the pericardial tube group exhibited a longer extracorporeal circulation time (P<0.001). The reoperation rate was notably high, with 74.51% of patients requiring further surgical intervention, including 26 (81.25%) patients in the patch expansion group and 12 (63.16%) patients in the pericardial tube group. No statistical differences were observed in long-term cure rates or mortality between the two groups (P＞0.005). Conclusion In patients with PA/VSD, both patch expansion and pericardial tube right ventricular-pulmonary artery connection serve as effective initial palliative treatment strategies that promote pulmonary vessel development and provide a favorable foundation for subsequent radical operations. However, compared to the pericardial tube approach, the patch expansion technique is simpler to perform and preserves some intrinsic potential for pulmonary artery development, making it the preferred procedure.

Blood resource shortages, characterized by regional imbalance, seasonal fluctuations, and expiration-related wastage, pose a critical challenge to China's public health system. Cryopreserved red blood cell (RBC) technology, with its ultra-long preservation period, transfusion efficacy, and safety, offers a strategic pathway to alleviate chronic blood shortages and optimize resource allocation. This article systematically reviews the technological evolution of RBC cryopreservation, clarifies its core advantages, and identifies bottlenecks and improvement strategies in large-scale application. The establishment of a regularized cryopreserved RBC bank holds multidimensional strategic value; however, its practical implementation requires resolving challenges such as thawing timeliness, standardization gaps, and insufficient grassroots equipment. Future advancements should prioritize glycerol-free washing-free cryopreservation technologies, post-thaw extended preservation additive formulations, and intelligent thawing equipment to overcome throughput and spatiotemporal constraints, thereby providing robust technical support for building a regularized cryopreserved RBC bank and enhancing the efficiency of China's blood security framework.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most common and severe dementias, severely affecting the physical and mental health and quality of life of patients and imposing a heavy burden on society. Recently, transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) has shown great potential for improving cognitive function in AD. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) are the two main forms of tES. The present review mainly summarizes the neuromolecular mechanisms of tDCS and tACS for the improvement of AD. Both techniques show similarities in exerting neuroprotective effects, improving cerebral blood flow to alleviate cerebrovascular dysfunction, affecting the state and function of astrocytes, affecting the levels of amyloid β‑protein (Aβ) and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) proteins, and affecting neuroplasticity. Specifically, tDCS improves neuronal status, inhibits neuronal apoptosis, improves cholinergic neurons and reduces oxidative stress, etc., and further exerts neuroprotective effects, but tACS mainly maintains the normal function of cholinergic neurons to exert the effects. For the alleviation of cerebrovascular dysfunction, tDCS has particular advantages in optimizing the neural vascular unit and improving the blood-brain barrier. For astrocytes, tDCS attenuates inflammatory responses by inhibiting their activation. In contrast, the effect of tACS on the activation state of microglial cells is still controversial for enhancement in AD mice and inhibition in patients. For Aβ levels, the effects of tDCS in AD patients are also inconclusive, but in AD rodents, tDCS may regulate molecular pathways related to Aβ production and degradation, thereby removing Aβ. In addition, tACS reduces p-tau levels in AD patients, but tDCS shows a trend toward reduction. In short, the effect of tES on Aβ and p-tau needs further investigation. Regarding neuroplasticity, tDCS improves cortical and synaptic plasticity, but tACS improves only synaptic plasticity. However, both techniques do not affect the molecular level associated with plasticity. On the other hand, this review has summarized some interesting findings of tES in non-AD rodents that may be relevant to the pathological mechanisms of AD. For neuroprotection, tDCS can promote neurogenesis, GABAergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission, modulate neuroprotection-related signaling pathways, reduce oxidative stress, and protect hippocampal neurons. In addition, tDCS inhibits conversion of microglia to the M1 phenotype and promotes conversion to the M2 phenotype, thereby reducing neuroinflammation. Importantly, tDCS induces changes in molecular indices associated with synaptic plasticity. These findings in non-AD rodents provide a reference for understanding the potential effect and possible mechanism of tES in AD and for exploring new approaches to treat other diseases with similar pathological features. In addition, tES has shown some effects in AD rodents, such as tACS improving plasticity, that have not been studied in non-AD rodents. These effects suggest the particular complexity of the pathological mechanisms of AD, which should be considered when applying the results of tES studies in non-AD rodents to AD rodents. In conclusion, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the neuromolecular mechanisms of tES in AD research and highlights its promise as a non-invasive brain stimulation technique in the treatment of AD. Furthermore, tES will play an indispensable role in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders and in the study of brain function.

Objective To systematically evaluate the radiation impact of radioactive sources used in online elemental analyzers in cement enterprises on the surrounding environment, and to provide a scientific basis for radiation monitoring and safety management at the application sites of this type of radioactive sources. Methods A statistical analysis was conducted on 15 cement enterprises in Guangxi Province using online elemental analyzers with ²⁵²Cf as the radioactive source. On-site investigation of radiation safety management and on-site monitoring of radiation environment were performed, followed by an evaluation based on the collected data. Results Although the gamma radiation ambient dose equivalent rate and neutron ambient dose equivalent rate increased around the sites using online elemental analyzers with ²⁵²Cf as the radioactive source, they all met the requirements of the Radiological Health Protection Requirements for Instruments with Sealed Sources (GBZ 125—2009). Conclusion Under the current usage and management conditions, the application of this type of radioactive sources has controllable radiation impact on the surrounding environment, and will not pose a threat to public health and environmental safety. However, continuous strengthening of radiation safety management measures and regular radiation monitoring work are still needed to ensure the safe use of radioactive sources, further reducing potential radiation risks and providing strong guarantees for the safe application of radioactive sources in online elemental analyzers in cement enterprises.

Objective: To explore the potential category patterns of risk prevention and control behaviors of HIV infection among young students who have sex with men (MSM) and their impact on HIV infection and late detection, aiming to optimize intervention strategies. Methods: From September 2017 to December 2024, a total of 1 637 MSM young students in Tianjin were recruited through both online and offline channels. Latent class analysis was applied to classify 11 HIV risk prevention and control behaviors [condom use during the most recent anal sex in the past 6 months, consistent condom use, use of water based lubricants, abstinence from recreational drugs, regular on site professional testing, fixed sexual partners, partner testing, awareness of partner s HIV testing results, testing before sexual activity, nucleic acid testing, and use of pre exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) or post exposure prophylaxis (PEP)]. Multivariate Logistic regression analyzed associations between demographic characteristics/intervention services factors and latent classes. Differences in HIV infection and late detection across behavior patterns were compared. Results: HIV risk prevention and control behaviors among MSM students were classified into three latent classes:condom dependent group (38.42%), low prevention group (27.73%), and comprehensive prevention group (33.85%). Students who received condom promotion/testing services were more likely to belong to the comprehensive prevention group ( OR =5.58), while those who received peer education were less likely to the comprehensive prevention group ( OR =0.43) (both P <0.01). Among the MSM student population, the HIV infection rate was 4.83%, with 2.26% of cases detected late. The HIV infection rate (1.45%) and late detection proportion (0.82%) in the comprehensive prevention group were lower than those in the low prevention group (7.89% and 3.83%, respectively) ( χ 2=16.20, 7.31, both P <0.01). Conclusions HIV risk prevention and control behaviors among MSM young students exhibit significant heterogeneity. Comprehensive prevention strategies can effectively reduce HIV infection and late detection risks. It is necessary to optimize peer education content and improve the accessibility of diversified prevention measures such as PrEP/PEP to enhance HIV prevention and control.

Objective: To explore the clinical characteristics of transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease (TA-GVHD) in Chinese population, and to provide reference for effective prevention. Methods: Chinese and English medical databases were searched, and literature was screened based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data on patient information, clinical manifestations, outcomes and related risk factors from the selected studies were summarized and systematically analyzed. Results: A total of 17 studies were included in this study, involving 55 non-duplicated patients [14 males (14/55, 25.45%) and 41 females (41/55, 74.55%)], with a mean age of 51.72±18.34 years, (range: 2 months to 82 years). Among these cases, 2 had congenital immune deficiency (2/55, 3.64%), 16 had malignant hematological diseases (16/55, 29.09%), 4 had a history of surgery or trauma (4/55, 7.27%), 2 received non-surgical treatment (2/55, 3.64%), 31 were critically ill patients (31/55, 56.36%). Whole blood was transfused in 3 cases (3/55, 5.45%), erythrocyte in 9 (9/55, 16.36%), plasma in 2 (2/55, 3.64%), platelets in 7(7/55, 12.73%), human fibrinogen in 1 (1/55, 1.82%), and granulocytes in 2 (2/55, 3.64%). Two or more types of blood components were transfused in 16 cases (16/55, 29.09%). The main clinical signs and symptoms included fever (23/55, 41.82%), rash (22/55, 40.00%), diarrhea (14/55, 25.45%), abnormal liver function (18/55, 32.73%), bone marrow suppression and pancytopenia (22/55, 40.00%). The survival rate of 55 patients was 43.64% (24/55), and the mortality was 56.36% (31/55). Logistic regression analysis suggested that gender, misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis were major risk factors for mortality in TA-GVHD patients. Conclusion: The lack of specific indications for TA-GVHD often causes clinical misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis, and current treatments have limited efficacy. Therefore, it is of great significance to standardize clinical diagnosis criteria and improve prevention techniques to reduce the risk and mortality rate of TA-GVHD.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine and metabolic disorder affecting a substantial proportion of women of reproductive age. It is frequently associated with ovulatory dysfunction, infertility, and an increased risk of chronic metabolic diseases. A hallmark pathological feature of PCOS is the arrest of follicular development, closely linked to impaired intercellular communication between the oocyte and surrounding granulosa cells. Transzonal projections (TZPs) are specialized cytoplasmic extensions derived from granulosa cells that penetrate the zona pellucida to establish direct contact with the oocyte. These structures serve as essential conduits for the transfer of metabolites, signaling molecules (e.g., cAMP, cGMP), and regulatory factors (e.g., microRNAs, growth differentiation factors), thereby maintaining meiotic arrest, facilitating metabolic cooperation, and supporting gene expression regulation in the oocyte. The proper formation and maintenance of TZPs depend on the cytoskeletal integrity of granulosa cells and the regulated expression of key connexins, particularly CX37 and CX43. Recent studies have revealed that in PCOS, TZPs exhibit significant structural and functional abnormalities. Contributing factors—such as hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and dysregulation of critical signaling pathways (including PI3K/Akt, Wnt/β‑catenin, and MAPK/ERK)—collectively impair TZP integrity and reduce their formation. This disruption in granulosa-oocyte communication compromises oocyte quality and contributes to follicular arrest and anovulation. This review provides a comprehensive overview of TZP biology, including their formation mechanisms, molecular composition, and stage-specific dynamics during folliculogenesis. We highlight the pathological alterations in TZPs observed in PCOS and elucidate how endocrine and metabolic disturbances—particularly androgen excess and hyperinsulinemia—downregulate CX43 expression and impair gap junction function, thereby exacerbating ovarian microenvironmental dysfunction. Furthermore, we explore emerging therapeutic strategies aimed at preserving or restoring TZP integrity. Anti-androgen therapies (e.g., spironolactone, flutamide), insulin sensitizers (e.g., metformin), and GLP-1 receptor agonists (e.g., liraglutide) have shown potential in modulating connexin expression and enhancing granulosa-oocyte communication. In addition, agents such as melatonin, AMPK activators, and GDF9/BMP15 analogs may promote TZP formation and improve oocyte competence. Advanced technologies, including ovarian organoid models and CRISPR-based gene editing, offer promising platforms for studying TZP regulation and developing targeted interventions. In summary, TZPs are indispensable for maintaining follicular homeostasis, and their disruption plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of PCOS-related folliculogenesis failure. Targeting TZP integrity represents a promising therapeutic avenue in PCOS management and warrants further mechanistic and translational investigation.

Sonogenetics is an emerging synthetic biology technique that uses sound waves to activate mechanosensitive ion channel proteins on the cell surface to regulate cell behavior and function.Due to the widespread presence of mechanically sensitive ion channel systems in cells and the advantages of non-invasion,strong penetrability,high safety and high accuracy of sonogenetics technology,it has great development potential in basic biomedical research and clinical applications,especially in neuronal regulation,tumor mechanism research,sonodynamic therapy and hearing impairment.This review discusses the basic principles of sonogenetics,the development status of sonogenetics and its application in the prevention and treatment of noise-induced hearing loss,summarizes and analyzes the current challenges and future development direction,thus providing a reference for further research and development of sonogenetics in the field of military medicine.

Objective:This study aims to investigate the inner experiences of cancer patients when confronting financial toxicity through a Meta-analytical approach. The goal is to provide evidence-based insights and theoretical references for clinical healthcare professionals to fully understand the feelings and experiences associated with financial toxicity in cancer patients, thereby laying a foundation for targeted interventional measures.Methods:A computerized search was conducted across databases including CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, CNKI, WanFang, VIP, Sinomed and other databases, collecting qualitative studies related to the inner experience of financial toxicity among cancer patients, up until April 12, 2023. Quality appraisal of the included literature was carried out according to JBI′s standards for qualitative research, and results were synthesized using Meta-aggregation methods.Results:Twenty-three studies were included, from which 82 specific outcomes were extracted. These were categorized into 11 new thematic groups and ultimately synthesized into four integrated findings: the impact of objective costs, subjective burden, and unreasonable expectations; diverse cognitive attitudes and management coping strategies; multiple pressures and challenges on patients and their families; and the articulation of needs and perceptions of beneficial growth.Conclusions:Healthcare professionals should pay attention to the financial toxicity issues that patients face at the initial stage of cancer diagnosis. Timely communication about economic issues between patients and healthcare providers is essential to help patients have a preliminary understanding of the impending financial toxicity at the onset of the disease. A comprehensive intervention that emphasizes different aspects of objective and subjective financial toxicity, coupled with multi-dimensional mitigation strategies, can promote active coping in patients, enhance familial emotional and financial support to overcome challenges together, and prioritize patients′ needs and expectations to guide them towards reinforcing positive experiences and minimizing the impact of financial toxicity.