Choice of medical treatment for renal colic: A survey of Chinese urologists / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the status quo of recognition and management of renal colic among urological surgeons in China.@*METHODS@#From November 2021 to March 2022, 725 urological surgeons in China were surveyed in the form of a questionnaire, including their province, hospital grade, professional title, the number of patients with renal colic treated per week, the preferred drugs and the cognition of the disease. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Peking University People's Hospital, and all respondents completed informed consent online.@*RESULTS@#During November 2021 and March 2022, urological surgeons across China were surveyed in the form of a questionnaire, and the reliability and validity of the questionnaire were verified before the study was carried out. In the study, 720 valid questionnaires were collected (accounting for 99.31% of the total number), in which 42.4% of the doctors' preferred drugs were non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and 40.0% of the doctors' preferred antispasmodic drugs. Opioids were the first choice of 11.0% of the physicians and other treatments were preferred by 6.6% of physicians. In addition, 61.1% of the doctors thought that the mechanism of renal colic was elevated prostaglandin, 32.2% thought it was ureteral spasm, 5.0% thought it was calculi irritation, and 1.7% thought the mechanism was unclear. The doctor of the cognition of the generation mechanism of renal colic pain had a significant influence on the preferred treatment option (χ2=54.399, P < 0.001) that the "elevated prostaglandins" doctor more often preferred NSAIDs than the doctor who thought cramps and ureter stones caused renal colic (51.6% vs. 28.0%, χ2=34.356, P < 0.001;51.6% vs. 19.4%, χ2=13.759, P < 0.001). In addition, hospital class, physician title, and the number of weekly consultations by physicians influenced the choice of medications for renal colic (P < 0.05), tertiary hospitals, middle and senior professional titles and weekly patients with renal colic > 8 cases generally preferred NSAIDs.@*CONCLUSION@#There are deficiencies in the cognition and drug treatment of renal colic among urological surgeons in China. The choice of the preferred drug was related to the doctor's cognition of the disease, the grade of the hospital, the doctor's professional title and the weekly treatment volume.

Effects of delayed ureteral stents removal during the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of life and psychological status of postoperative patients with urinary calculi / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the impacts of delayed ureteral stent removal on the quality of life (QoL) and mental health of urinary calculi postoperative patients due to the corona virus disease 2019(COVID-19) pandemic.@*METHODS@#The demographic and clinical data of patients with ureteral stent placement after urinary endoscopic lithotripsy and returned to Peking University People's Hospital for stent removal from December 2019 to June 2020 were collected. Ureteral stent symptoms questionnaire (USSQ) score and the outcome 20-item self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self-rating depression scale (SDS) were collected to estimate the QoL and mental status. The USSQ consisted of 44 questions in 6 domains (including urinary symptom, physical pain, general health, work performance, sexual function, and ureteral stent related infection). For most questions in each domain, its score was a five-point Likert-type scale from 1 to 5, and a small proportion of questions was quantified by 1 to 4 or 1 to 7 scale. SAS and SDS both contained 20 questions used to assess a patient's level of anxiety and depression. Its scoring for each item was on a four-point Likert-type scale from 1 to 4. A total score (ranging from 20 to 80) was the main statistical indicator. The level of clinical anxiety and depression was quantified by using standard scores (total score multiplied by 1.25 to produce integers). And the multi-group structural equation model was constructed by analysis of moment structure (AMOS) analysis.@*RESULTS@#Overall, 71 patients were enrolled for analysis. It was found that the median duration of ureteral stent time differed significantly between the control and delayed groups for 32 (30, 33) d and 94.5 (88, 103) d, respectively. The delayed group resulted in higher scores in the USSQ multidimensional, which included urinary symptoms, general health, work performance and ureteral stent related infections. Anxiety and depression were also significantly serious in the delayed group than in the control group. A longer indwelling time of a ureteral stent could exacerbate the effects of urinary symptoms and physical pain on work performance (P=0.029 < 0.05). Among them, the patients with severe urinary symptoms leading to poor work performance were most significantly affected by prolonged ureteral stent duration time (CR=2.619>1.96).@*CONCLUSION@#Patients with delayed ureteral stent removal due to the COVID-19 had resulted in worse QoL and mental status. Stents related symptoms are more severe in patients with higher anxiety and depression degree during COVID-19. To improve the QoL and mental health of patients after urinary calculi surgery during COVID-19, it is still not recommended to prolong the stent duration time or corresponding intervention measures should be taken.

Study on the antipyretic mechanism of large pushing Tianheshui for young rabbits with endotoxin-induced fever / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective:To observe the effect of large pushing Tianheshui manipulation intervention on the body temperature of young rabbits with endotoxin-induced fever and discuss its antipyretic mechanism.Methods:Thirty-two young rabbits meeting the standards were selected from 40 ordinary young male New Zealand rabbits after being adapted for 7 d,and randomly divided into a normal group,a model group,a large pushing Tianheshui group,and an ibuprofen group according to the random number table method,with 8 rabbits in each group.Rabbits in the model group,the large pushing Tianheshui group,and the ibuprofen group were subjected to preparing the endotoxin-induced fever model by intravenous lipopolysaccharide from the marginal ear vein.Rabbits in the large pushing Tianheshui group received Tuina(Chinese therapeutic massage)manipulation intervention 1.5 h and 2.5 h after modeling,respectively.Rabbits in the ibuprofen group were intragastrically given ibuprofen suspension 1.5 h after modeling.The dynamic changes in body temperature were observed for the young rabbits after fever modeling.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine the content changes in positive mediators of hypothalamic body temperature,including prostaglandin(PG)E2 and cyclic adenosine monophosphate(cAMP),as well as negative mediators of hypothalamic body temperature,including arginine vasopressin(AVP)and α-melanocyte stimulating hormone(α-MSH).Results:The body temperature of the young rabbits in the model group was significantly higher than that in the normal group at 0.5-4.0 h,5.0 h,and 5.5 h after modeling(P＜0.01),showing two obvious fever peaks in the model group at 1.5 h and 3.0 h after modeling,respectively,with the highest peak at 1.5 h.Compared with the model group,body temperatures of the large pushing Tianheshui group and the ibuprofen group decreased significantly after 0.5 h of intervention(P＜0.05).Compared with the normal group,the contents of PGE2 and cAMP were significantly increased(P＜0.05),and the contents of AVP and α-MSH were significantly decreased(P＜0.01)in the hypothalamus of the model group.Compared with the model group,the contents of PGE2 and cAMP were significantly decreased(P＜0.01),and the levels of AVP and α-MSH were significantly increased(P＜0.01)in the hypothalamus in the large pushing Tianheshui group and the ibuprofen group.There were no significant differences in the PGE2,cAMP,AVP,and α-MSH contents in the hypothalamus between the ibuprofen group and the large pushing Tianheshui group(P＞0.05).Conclusion:Large pushing Tianheshui manipulation has a significant antipyretic effect on endotoxin-induced fever in young rabbits.The mechanism may be related to inhibiting the positive regulators(PGE2 and cAMP)and promoting the negative regulators(AVP and α-MSH)of hypothalamic control of body temperature.

Clinical and imaging features of population receiving opportunistic screening for lung cancer and in convalescent stage of COVID-19 / 中华健康管理学杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical and imaging features of population receiving opportunistic screening for lung cancer and in convalescent stage of COVID-19.Methods:Cross-sectional study and analysis was performed on the patients who underwent chest low-dose CT examination for cancer prevention in Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from December 28, 2022 to January 19, 2023. All the patients completed the COVID-19 questionnaire. A total of 334 questionnaires were sent out, all of which were recovered, and 321 valid questionnaires were collected, among them, 293 questionnaires were included in the analysis. Statistical analysis was conducted according to the questionnaire information, clinical symptoms and chest CT imaging results. The potential influencing factors of COVID-19 infection were explored, and the imaging characteristics of COVID-19 infection and early stage of lung cancer were compared.Results:A total of 293 patients underwent lung cancer screening during the convalescent stage of COVID-19 infection. A total of 231 (78.8%) cases had cough and 228 (77.8%) cases had fever. 214 (73.0%) cases still had clinical symptoms within 2 weeks after nucleic acid or antigen test showing negative, especially for cough in 171 (58.4%) cases, fatigue in 79 (25.3%) cases and sputum in 73 (24.9%) cases. There were 54 (18.4%) cases with positive chest CT changes. The main imaging findings showed that there were 46 cases with new patchy shadows, 25 cases with linear opacities, 10 cases with ground-glass opacities, 10 cases with nodular like shadows and 2 cases with consolidation, and most lesions were in the subpleural area of both lungs. Univariate analysis showed that positive CT findings were correlated with the time from positive detection of COVID-19 to screening ( P=0.026), age ( P<0.001) and underlying diseases ( P=0.006). Multivariate analysis showed that age≥65 years old ( OR=6.425, 95% CI: 2.688-15.358; P<0.001) and underlying diseases ( OR=2.292, 95% CI: 1.120-4.691; P=0.023) were risk factors for pulmonary imaging changes of COVID-19 infection. For lung cancer opportunistic screening, 36 (12.3%) cases showed ground-glass opacities in bilateral or unilateral lung lobes, among which 4 cases were suspected to be atypical adenomatous hyperplasia and 2 cases s were suspected to be early stage of lung cancer. Conclusions:Abnormal clinical symptoms and chest CT findings are still observed in the patients during the convalescent stage of COVID-19 infection. Age≥65 years, underlying diseases were the high-risk factors for the changes in chest CT imaging after COVID-19 infection. Attention should be paid to the differential diagnosis of chest CT findings between changes in the convalescent stage of COVID-19 and early stage of lung cancer.

Value of extrahepatic bile duct and main pancreatic duct segment patterns on MRCP to differentiate the periampullary carcinoma / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the value of the extrahepatic bile duct and main pancreatic duct segment patterns on magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) for differentiating the periampullary carcinoma (PAC).Methods:The clinicopathologic data of 125 patients with PAC who were admitted to Wuxi No.2 People’s Hospital from June 2013 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, including 72 males and 53 females, aged (64.9±8.6) years. According to its anatomy, the extrahepatic bile duct (B) was divided into suprapancreatic and intrapancreatic (including ampullary) segments, and the main pancreatic duct (P) was divided into tail-body and head segments. MRCP patterns: i. the extrahepatic bile duct or main pancreatic duct visible without dilatation, ii. cutoff of the distal extrahepatic bile duct or main pancreatic duct with upstream dilatation, iii. cutoff of the intrapancreatic or head segment with upstream dilatation and remnant intrapancreatic or head segments invisible, iv. cutoff of the intrapancreatic or head segment with upstream dilatation and nondilated remnant intrapancreatic or head segments, were represented as 0, 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Segment patterns of B1/P0+ B1/P1, B0/P2+ B0/P3+ B2/P2+ B2/P3+ B3/P3, B3/P0, and B0/P0+ B2/P0 on MRCP were compared in PAC patients.Results:Of the 125 patients, there were 57 (45.6%) with pancreatic head carcinoma, 36 (28.8%) with ampullary carcinoma, 20 (16.0%) with distal cholangiocarcinoma, and 12 (9.6%) with periampullary duodenal carcinoma. Segment patterns of B0/P2+ B0/P3+ B2/P2+ B2/P3+ B3/P3 were found in 52 patients with pancreatic head carcinoma (91.2%, 52/57), with a significant difference between PAC (χ 2=110.66, P<0.001). Segment patterns of B1/P0+ B1/P1were found in 36 patients with ampullary carcinoma (100.0%, 36/36), fallowed by 11 (91.7%, 11/12) with periampullary duodenal carcinoma, with a significant difference between PAC (χ 2=129.95, P<0.001). Segment pattern of B3/P0 presented in 16 patients with distal cholangiocarcinoma (80.0%, 16/20), with a significant difference between PAC (χ 2=62.45, P<0.001). The segment patterns of B0/P0+ B2/P0 were only seen in 3 of 57(5.3%) patients with pancreatic head carcinoma. Conclusion:On MRCP, cutoff of the head segment with upstream dilatation and remnant head segment invisible or nondilated indicates the pancreatic head carcinoma. Cutoff of the intrapancreatic segment with upstream dilatation, remnant intrapancreatic segment visible, and main pancreatic duct nondilated, indicates the distal cholangiocarcinoma. And cutoff of the distal extrahepatic segment with upstream dilatation and main pancreatic duct dilatation or not, indicates the ampullary or periampullary duodenal carcinoma.

Exploration and thinking of online teaching of medical microbiology experiment / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Medical microbiology experiment is faced with many problems in online teaching. This study adopts the teaching mode of online live broadcast + operation video + virtual experiment, and make up the operation gap to some extent through operation video and virtual experiment. The mode of assessment is subjective thinking question (closely following the operation process) + experiment design + literature review (focusing on the key technology or new technology of clinical assessment that cannot be carried out due to the limitation of conditions in traditional experiments, such as mass spectrometry, fluorescence quantitative PCR, and G-test), and it is helpful to understand students' mastery of teaching objectives, and the ability of comprehensive application and innovative thinking. The student questionnaire shows that most students hold a positive attitude towards the online experimental teaching mode, and the quality of students' homework shows that most students have a good learning effect.

Application value of CT and MRI radiomics based on machine-learning method in diagnosing pancreatic cancer / 中华胰腺病杂志

Objective:To investigate the application value of CT and MRI imageomics based on machine learning method in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.Methods:The clinical data of 62 patients with surgically resected and pathologically confirmed pancreatic cancer, who underwent enhanced CT scan, MRI plain or enhanced scan in Shanghai General Hospital between January 2014 and December 2021 were collected. According to the chronological order of surgery, 49 patients from January 2014 to December 2020 were enrolled in the training set and 13 patients from January 2021 to December 2021 were enrolled in the validation set. 3D-slicer 4.8.1 software was used to draw the region of interest in each layer of CT and MRI images for cancerous and paracancerous tissue segment. Image features were extracted by Python and the optimal feature set from the training set data was obtained by using Lasso regression model. The machine learning decision tree model was constructed. The receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC) curve was drawn, and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated to evaluate the value of these three kinds of imageomics models in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.Results:The 1 767 CT features and 1 674 MRI features were obtained from enhanced CT scan, MRI plain scan and enhanced MRI scan, respectively. For the differential diagnosis model of cancerous tissue and paracancerous tissue, the enhanced CT scan data model obtained the optimal feature set involving 6 features, the MRI plain scan model obtained the optimal feature set involving 16 features, and the enhanced MRI scan model obtained the optimal feature set involving 15 features. The diagnostic model based on enhanced CT scan had an AUC of 0.98 in the training set and 1 in the verification group. The AUC of the MRI plain scan and enhanced MRI scan models in both the training set and the validation set was 1. The specificity and sensitivity of machine learning decision tree model based on the three kinds of imageomics models in the diagnosis of cancerous tissue and paracancerous tissue were 100%. For the differential diagnosis model of splenic artery wrapping, the enhanced CT scan model didn′t obtain the optimal features and had no diagnostic efficacy. The MRI plain scan model and enhanced MRI scan model obtained the optimal feature set involving 5 and 4 features, respectively. The AUC of the MRI plain scan model in the training set and the validation set were 0.862 and 0.750, respectively, with diagnostic sensitivity of 93.8% and 50.0%, and specificity of 78.6% and 100%, respectively. The AUC of the enhanced MRI scan model in the training set and the validation set were 0.950 and 0.861, respectively, with diagnostic sensitivity of 90.0% and 93.6%, and specificity of 100% and 78.6%, respectively.Conclusions:Based on the radiomics of CT enhanced, MRI plain scan and enhanced MRI scan, the machine learning diagnostic model has an accuracy of more than 90% in differentiating pancreatic cancer from paracancerous tissue. For the differentiation of splenic artery wrapping in pancreatic cancer, the diagnostic model based on enhanced MRI scan haS the best diagnostic efficiency.

Existence and morphology features of the myodural bridge in JapaLura Splendida / 解剖学报

Objective The dense fibrous connective tissue that connects sub-occipital muscles which consist of the rectus capitis posterior minor muscle (RCPmi), rectus capitis posterior major muscle (RCPma), obliquus capitis inferior muscle (OCI) and nuchal ligament (NL) to the spinal dura mater (SDM), is described as the myodural bridge (MDB) in humans. The MDB is perceived as an essential anatomical structure and has been a subject of interest for clinicians. Studies have revealed that MDB may be related to the dynamic circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and a chronic cervicogenic headache. To date, the MDB is identified as a universal, existing structure in mammals and it exists in other vertebrates as well, such as Gallus domesticus and Rock pigeons in Avifauna, Siamese crocodile and Trachemys scripta elegans in Reptile. The current study is to further analyze different structures features of the MDB in sundry classes and provide the anatomical basis for functional studies. The JapaLura Splendida is the most common species in Lacertiformes, Reptilia. So we chose it as the experimental object to supply the morphological study of the MDB in Reptilia. Methods The study was based on gross anatomical dissection, thick sheet section, histological staining to observe the structural characteristics of the post-occipital area of twenty JapaLura Splendidas and the existence of the MDB. Results The deep post-occipital muscles were composed of the rectus capitis dorsal muscle (RCD) and the obliquus capital posterior (OCP) muscle. The RCD was merged by the rectus capitis dorsal major muscle (RCDma), the rectus capitis dorsal minor muscle (RCDmi) and the obliquus capitis anterior muscle (OCA). In the atlanto-occipital space, the dense fibrous bundles were found to originate from the ventral aspect of the RCD and run ventral, closely inserting into the SDM. In the atlanto-axial space, the dense fibrous bundles were found to originate from the ventral aspect of the OCP and run ventral, closely contacted with the SDM. These dense fibrous bundles were the collagen type I fibers with strong double refraction. Conclusion The result of this study indicates that the MDB is located between the post-occipital muscles and the SDM in JapaLura Splendida. The MDB of Japalura splendida may be related to the activities of the head and neck, and exert a physiological function similar to the MDB in humans.

Advances in in vitro induction of hepatocyte-like cells and the application of small-molecule compounds in inducing hepatocyte-like cells / 临床肝胆病杂志

The induction of hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) in vitro is one of the effective ways to obtain a large number of useful hepatocyte, and these HLCs can be used in disease modeling, drug design, and toxicological evaluation. At present, the induction of HLCs in vitro is mainly achieved by introducing exogenous transcription factors, cytokines or small-molecule compounds. Since small-molecule compounds have the advantages of structural diversity, controllable time and dose, and convenient and safe operation, scientists are devoted to screening out the small-molecule compounds to replace exogenous transcription factors and cytokines, and such compounds have a promising application prospect in the field of regenerative medicine. This article reviews the studies on the in vitro induction of HLCs from pluripotent stem cells and other adult stem cells and summarizes the application of small-molecule compounds in the in vitro induction of HLCs, in order to provide ideas and references for the in vitro induction of HLCs.

Insights into the biosynthesis of septacidin l-heptosamine moiety unveils a VOC family sugar epimerase

l-Heptopyranoses are important components of bacterial polysaccharides and biological active secondary metabolites like septacidin (SEP), which represents a group of nucleoside antibiotics with antitumor, antifungal, and pain-relief activities. However, little is known about the formation mechanisms of those l-heptose moieties. In this study, we deciphered the biosynthetic pathway of the l,l-gluco-heptosamine moiety in SEPs by functional characterizing four genes and proposed that SepI initiates the process by oxidizing the 4'-hydroxyl of l-glycero-α-d-manno-heptose moiety of SEP-328 ( 2) to a keto group. Subsequently, SepJ (C5 epimerase) and SepA (C3 epimerase) shape the 4'-keto-l-heptopyranose moiety by sequential epimerization reactions. At the last step, an aminotransferase SepG installs the 4'-amino group of the l,l-gluco-heptosamine moiety to generate SEP-327 ( 3). An interesting phenomenon is that the SEP intermediates with 4'-keto-l-heptopyranose moieties exist as special bicyclic sugars with hemiacetal-hemiketal structures. Notably, l-pyranose is usually converted from d-pyranose by bifunctional C3/C5 epimerase. SepA is an unprecedented monofunctional l-pyranose C3 epimerase. Further in silico and experimental studies revealed that it represents an overlooked metal dependent-sugar epimerase family bearing vicinal oxygen chelate (VOC) architecture.

Development of Surgical Robots in Recent Years / 中国医疗器械杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the development of surgical robots at home and abroad in recent years.@*METHODS@#Through a large number of literature review and analysis, the qualification approval and technical function characteristics of domestic and foreign surgical robots from January 2019 to July 2022 were analyzed.@*RESULTS@#The related situations of 39 surgical robots were analyzed and reported, and the shortcomings and future development direction of the current surgical robots were summarized.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The development of surgical robots in China is now in a rapid development stage. At present, surgical robots generally have the disadvantages of high cost, lack of tactile feedback (force feedback), large size, large space occupation and difficult to move. In the future, it will develop towards intelligent, miniaturized, remote, open and low-cost.

Analysis of the characteristics of retracted scientific papers in the field of global liver diseases published by Chinese scholars / 中华肝脏病杂志

Objective: To analyze the characteristics of scientific papers in the field of global liver diseases published by Chinese scholars that were retracted for diverse reasons from the Retraction Watch database, so as to provide a reference to publishing-related papers. Methods: The Retraction Watch database was retrieved for retracted papers in the field of global liver disease published by Chinese scholars from March 1, 2008 to January 28, 2021. The regional distribution, source journals, reasons for retraction, publication and retraction times, and others were analyzed. Results: A total of 101 retracted papers that were distributed across 21 provinces/cities were retrieved. Zhejiang area (n = 17) had the most retracted papers, followed by Shanghai (n = 14), and Beijing (n = 11). The vast majority were research papers (n = 95). The journal PLoS One had the highest number of retracted papers. In terms of time distribution, 2019 (n = 36) had the most retracted papers. 23 papers, accounting for 8.3% of all retractions, were retracted owing to journal or publisher concerns. Liver cancer (34%), liver transplantation (16%), hepatitis (14%), and others were the main areas of retracted papers. Conclusion: Chinese scholars have a large number of retracted articles in the field of global liver diseases. A journal or publisher chooses to retract a manuscript after investigating and discovering more flawed problems, which, however, require further support, revision, and supervision from the editorial and academic circles.

A comparison of current guidelines for the management of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma worldwide / 中华外科杂志

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is the second most common human liver malignancy and its incidence rate has been gradually increasing worldwide over the past decades. Surgical resection (R0 resection) is the preferred potentially curative treatment for ICC patients. However, due to its conceal clinical features and high invasiveness, most patients have lost the opportunity for surgical resection at the time of diagnosis. In recent years, with the rapid development of targeted therapy and immunotherapy, which is represented by immune checkpoint inhibitors, clinicians are expected to provide more effective treatment options for patients with mid-stage or advanced ICC. At present, there are still controversial opinions on different guidelines regarding preoperative biliary drainage, the extent of hepatectomy, the definition of R0 resection, the width of the resection margin, lymph node dissection, postoperative recurrence, adjuvant therapy, etc. In this review, 12 guidelines or expert consensus published worldwide from 2012 to 2022 (including 4 Chinese guidelines, 4 European guidelines, 2 American guidelines and 2 Japanese guidelines) were retrieved. Focusing on sorting and comparing the current views on clinical management of ICC in different guidelines, this review aims to provide reference information for ICC clinical management and decision-making.

Status and challenges of neoadjuvant immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华外科杂志

With the development of modern liver surgical techniques and the progress of perioperative management,the survival rate after resection of hepatocellular carcinoma has been greatly improved,but the high recurrence and metastasis rate still limits the long-term survival after surgery. Preoperative neoadjuvant therapy has been confirmed to significantly reduce the postoperative recurrence rate and prolong survival in other types of cancer,but there has been a lack of effective systemic therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma for a long time,so the efficacy and regimen of neoadjuvant therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma are still controversial. PD-1/PD-L1 monoclonal antibody combined with anti-angiogenic targeted drugs has become a first-line regimen in systemic therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. This regimen has definite efficacy and high safety,bringing hope for neoadjuvant therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma. Recently,three clinical trials of neoadjuvant immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma have been published internationally,which preliminarily suggest the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma and lay a solid foundation for carrying out larger sample clinical studies in the future.

The performance of digital chest radiographs in the detection and diagnosis of pulmonary nodules and the consistency among readers / 中华肿瘤杂志

Objective: To investigate the detection and diagnostic efficacy of chest radiographs for ≤30 mm pulmonary nodules and the factors affecting them, and to compare the level of consistency among readers. Methods: A total of 43 patients with asymptomatic pulmonary nodules who consulted in Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from 2012 to 2014 and had chest CT and X-ray chest radiographs during the same period were retrospectively selected, and one nodule ≤30 mm was visible on chest CT images in the whole group (total 43 nodules in the whole group). One senior radiologist with more than 20 years of experience in imaging diagnosis reviewed CT images and recording the size, morphology, location, and density of nodules was selected retrospectively. Six radiologists with different levels of experience (2 residents, 2 attending physicians and 2 associate chief physicians independently reviewed the chest images and recorded the time of review, nodule detection, and diagnostic opinion. The CT imaging characteristics of detected and undetected nodules on X images were compared, and the factors affecting the detection of nodules on X-ray images were analyzed. Detection sensitivity and diagnosis accuracy rate of 6 radiologists were calculated, and the level of consistency among them was compared to analyze the influence of radiologists' seniority and reading time on the diagnosis results. Results: The number of nodules detected by all 6 radiologists was 17, with a sensitivity of detection of 39.5%(17/43). The number of nodules detected by ≥5, ≥4, ≥3, ≥2, and ≥1 physicians was 20, 21, 23, 25, and 28 nodules, respectively, with detection sensitivities of 46.5%, 48.8%, 53.5%, 58.1%, and 65.1%, respectively. Reasons for false-negative result of detection on X-ray images included the size, location, density, and morphology of the nodule. The sensitivity of detecting ≤30 mm, ≤20 mm, ≤15 mm, and ≤10 mm nodules was 46.5%-58.1%, 45.9%-54.1%, 36.0%-44.0%, and 36.4% for the 6 radiologists, respectively; the diagnosis accuracy rate was 19.0%-85.0%, 16.7%-6.5%, 18.2%-80.0%, and 0%-75.0%, respectively. The consistency of nodule detection among 6 doctors was good (Kappa value: 0.629-0.907) and the consistency of diagnostic results among them was moderate or poor (Kappa value: 0.350-0.653). The higher the radiologist's seniority, the shorter the time required to read the images. The reading time and the seniority of the radiologists had no significant influence on the detection and diagnosis results (P>0.05). Conclusions: The ability of radiographs to detect lung nodules ≤30 mm is limited, and the ability to determine the nature of the nodules is not sufficient, and the increase in reading time and seniority of the radiologists will not improve the diagnostic accuracy. X-ray film exam alone is not suitable for lung cancer diagnosis.

Efficiency and safety analysis of Plerixafor combined with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor on autologous hematopoietic stem cell mobilization in lymphoma / 中华血液学杂志

Objective: To evaluate the advantages and safety of Plerixafor in combination with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in autologous hematopoietic stem cell mobilization of lymphoma. Methods: Lymphoma patients who received autologous hematopoietic stem cell mobilization with Plerixafor in combination with G-CSF or G-CSF alone were obtained. The clinical data, the success rate of stem cell collection, hematopoietic reconstitution, and treatment-related adverse reactions between the two groups were evaluated retrospectively. Results: A total of 184 lymphoma patients were included in this analysis, including 115 cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (62.5%) , 16 cases of classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (8.7%) , 11 cases of follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (6.0%) , 10 cases of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (5.4%) , 6 cases of mantle cell lymphoma (3.3%) , and 6 cases of anaplastic large cell lymphoma (3.3%) , 6 cases of NK/T-cell lymphoma (3.3%) , 4 cases of Burkitt's lymphoma (2.2%) , 8 cases of other types of B-cell lymphoma (4.3%) , and 2 cases of other types of T-cell lymphoma (1.1%) ; 31 patients had received radiotherapy (16.8%) . The patients in the two groups were recruited with Plerixafor in combination with G-CSF or G-CSF alone. The baseline clinical characteristics of the two groups were basically similar. The patients in the Plerixafor in combination with the G-CSF mobilization group were older, and the number of recurrences and third-line chemotherapy was higher. 100 patients were mobilized with G-CSF alone. The success rate of the collection was 74.0% for one day and 89.0% for two days. 84 patients in the group of Plerixafor combined with G-CSF were recruited successfully with 85.7% for one day and 97.6% for two days. The success rate of mobilization in the group of Plerixafor combined with G-CSF was substantially higher than that in the group of G-CSF alone (P=0.023) . The median number of CD34(+) cells obtained in the mobilization group of Plerixafor combined with G-CSF was 3.9×10(6)/kg. The median number of CD34(+) cells obtained in the G-CSF Mobilization group alone was 3.2×10(6)/kg. The number of CD34(+) cells collected by Plerixafor combined with G-CSF was considerably higher than that in G-CSF alone (P=0.001) . The prevalent adverse reactions in the group of Plerixafor combined with G-CSF were grade 1-2 gastrointestinal reactions (31.2%) and local skin redness (2.4%) . Conclusion: The success rate of autologous hematopoietic stem cell mobilization in lymphoma patients treated with Plerixafor combined with G-CSF is significantly high. The success rate of collection and the absolute count of CD34(+) stem cells were substantially higher than those in the group treated with G-CSF alone. Even in older patients, second-line collection, recurrence, or multiple chemotherapies, the combined mobilization method also has a high success rate of mobilization.

Effect of Zhenwu Decoction on electrical remodeling of cardiomyocytes in heart failure via I_(to)/Kv channels / 中国中药杂志

This study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanism of Zhenwu Decoction in the treatment of heart failure by regulating electrical remodeling through the transient outward potassium current(I_(to))/voltage-gated potassium(Kv) channels. Five normal SD rats were intragastrically administered with Zhenwu Decoction granules to prepare drug-containing serum, and another seven normal SD rats received an equal amount of distilled water to prepare blank serum. H9c2 cardiomyocytes underwent conventional passage and were treated with angiotensin Ⅱ(AngⅡ) for 24 h. Subsequently, 2%, 4%, and 8% drug-containing serum, simvastatin(SIM), and BaCl_2 were used to interfere in H9c2 cardiomyocytes for 24 h. The cells were divided into a control group [N, 10% blank serum + 90% high-glucose DMEM(DMEM-H)], a model group(M, AngⅡ + 10% blank serum + 90% DMEM-H), a low-dose Zhenwu Decoction-containing serum group(Z1, AngⅡ + 2% drug-containing serum of Zhenwu Decoction + 8% blank serum + 90% DMEM-H), a medium-dose Zhenwu Decoction-containing serum group(Z2, AngⅡ + 4% drug-containing serum of Zhenwu Decoc-tion + 6% blank serum + 90% DMEM-H), a high-dose Zhenwu Decoction-containing serum group(Z3, AngⅡ + 8% drug-containing serum of Zhenwu Decoction + 2% blank serum + 90% DMEM-H), an inducer group(YD, AngⅡ + SIM + 10% blank serum + 90% DMEM-H), and an inhibitor group(YZ, AngⅡ + BaCl_2 + 10% blank serum + 90% DMEM-H). The content of ANP in cell extracts of each group was detected by ELISA. The relative mRNA expression levels of ANP, Kv1.4, Kv4.2, Kv4.3, DPP6, and KChIP2 were detected by real-time quantitative PCR. The protein expression of Kv1.4, Kv4.2, Kv4.3, DPP6, and KChIP2 was detected by Western blot. I_(to) was detected by the whole cell patch-clamp technique. The results showed that Zhenwu Decoction at low, medium, and high doses could effectively reduce the surface area of cardiomyocytes. Compared with the M group, the Z1, Z2, Z3, and YD groups showed decreased ANP content and mRNA level, increased protein and mRNA expression of Kv4.2, Kv4.3, DPP6, and KChIP2, and decreased protein and mRNA expression of Kv1.4, and the aforementioned changes were the most notable in the Z3 group. Compared with the N group, the Z1, Z2, and Z3 groups showed significantly increased peak current and current density of I_(to). The results indicate that Zhenwu Decoction can regulate myocardial remodeling and electrical remodeling by improving the expression trend of Kv1.4, Kv4.2, Kv4.3, KChIP2, and DPP6 proteins and inducing I_(to) to regulate Kv channels, which may be one of the mechanisms of Zhenwu Decoction in treating heart failure and related arrhythmias.

Heterozygous CARD9 mutation favors the development of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Previous research demonstrated that a homozygous mutation of g.136372044G>A (S12N) in caspase recruitment domain family member 9 ( CARD9 ) is critical for producing Aspergillus fumigatus -induced ( Af -induced) T helper 2 (T H 2)-mediated responses in allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). However, it remains unclear whether the CARD9S12N mutation, especially the heterozygous occurrence, predisposes the host to ABPA.@*METHODS@#A total of 61 ABPA patients and 264 controls (including 156 healthy controls and 108 asthma patients) were recruited for sequencing the CARD9 locus to clarify whether patients with this heterozygous single-nucleotide polymorphisms are predisposed to the development of ABPA. A series of in vivo and in vitro experiments, such as quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, flow cytometry, and RNA isolation and quantification, were used to illuminate the involved mechanism of the disease.@*RESULTS@#The presence of the p.S12N mutation was associated with a significant risk of ABPA in ABPA patients when compared with healthy controls and asthma patients, regardless of Aspergillus sensitivity. Relative to healthy controls without relevant allergies, the mutation of p.S12N was associated with a significant risk of ABPA (OR: 2.69 and 4.17 for GA and AA genotypes, P = 0.003 and 0.029, respectively). Compared with patients with asthma, ABPA patients had a significantly higher heterozygous mutation (GA genotype), indicating that p.S12N might be a significant ABPA-susceptibility locus ( aspergillus sensitized asthma: OR: 3.02, P = 0.009; aspergillus unsensitized asthma: OR: 2.94, P = 0.005). The mutant allele was preferentially expressed in ABPA patients with heterozygous CARD9S12N , which contributes to its functional alterations to facilitate Af -induced T H 2-mediated ABPA development. In terms of mechanism, Card9 wild-type ( Card9WT ) expression levels decreased significantly due to Af -induced decay of its messenger RNA compared to the heterozygous Card9S12N . In addition, ABPA patients with heterozygous CARD9S12N had increased Af -induced interleukin-5 production.@*CONCLUSION@#Our study provides the genetic evidence showing that the heterozygous mutation of CARD9S12N , followed by allele expression imbalance of CARD9S12N , facilitates the development of ABPA.

Perioperative management and operative treatment of malignant tumor of anal canal merging severe abdominal protuberance / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective: To report the perioperative management and robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery results of one case with malignant tumor of anal canal combined with severe abdominal distention. Methods: A 66-year-old male suffer from adenocarcinoma of anal canal (T3N0M0) with megacolon, megabladder and scoliosis. The extreme distention of the colon and bladder result in severe abdominal distention. The left diaphragm moved up markedly and the heart was moved to the right side of the thoracic cavity. Moreover, there was also anal stenosis with incomplete intestinal obstruction. Preoperative preparation: fluid diet, intravenous nutrition and repeated enema to void feces and gas in the large intestine 1 week before operation. Foley catheter was placed three days before surgery and irrigated with saline. After relief of abdominal distention, robotic-assisted abdominoperineal resection+ subtotal colectomy+colostomy was performed. Results: Water intake within 6 hours post-operatively; ambulance on Day 1; anal passage of gas on Day 2; semi-fluid diet on Day 3; safely discharged on Day 6. Conclusion: Robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery is safe and feasible for patients with malignant tumor of anal canal combined with severe abdominal distention after appropriate and effective preoperative preparation to relieve abdominal distention.

Metal artifact reduction and clinical verification in oral and maxillofacial region based on deep learning / 中华口腔医学杂志

Objective: To construct a kind of neural network for eliminating the metal artifacts in CT images by training the generative adversarial networks (GAN) model, so as to provide reference for clinical practice. Methods: The CT data of patients treated in the Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University from January 2017 to June 2022 were collected. A total of 1 000 cases of artifact-free CT data and 620 cases of metal artifact CT data were obtained, including 5 types of metal restorative materials, namely, fillings, crowns, titanium plates and screws, orthodontic brackets and metal foreign bodies. Four hundred metal artifact CT data and 1 000 artifact-free CT data were utilized for simulation synthesis, and 1 000 pairs of simulated artifacts and metal images and simulated metal images (200 pairs of each type) were constructed. Under the condition that the data of the five metal artifacts were equal, the entire data set was randomly (computer random) divided into a training set (800 pairs) and a test set (200 pairs). The former was used to train the GAN model, and the latter was used to evaluate the performance of the GAN model. The test set was evaluated quantitatively and the quantitative indexes were root-mean-square error (RMSE) and structural similarity index measure (SSIM). The trained GAN model was employed to eliminate the metal artifacts from the CT data of the remaining 220 clinical cases of metal artifact CT data, and the elimination results were evaluated by two senior attending doctors using the modified LiKert scale. Results: The RMSE values for artifact elimination of fillings, crowns, titanium plates and screws, orthodontic brackets and metal foreign bodies in test set were 0.018±0.004, 0.023±0.007, 0.015±0.003, 0.019±0.004, 0.024±0.008, respectively (F=1.29, P=0.274). The SSIM values were 0.963±0.023, 0.961±0.023, 0.965±0.013, 0.958±0.022, 0.957±0.026, respectively (F=2.22, P=0.069). The intra-group correlation coefficient of 2 evaluators was 0.972. For 220 clinical cases, the overall score of the modified LiKert scale was (3.73±1.13), indicating a satisfactory performance. The scores of modified LiKert scale for fillings, crowns, titanium plates and screws, orthodontic brackets and metal foreign bodies were (3.68±1.13), (3.67±1.16), (3.97±1.03), (3.83±1.14), (3.33±1.12), respectively (F=1.44, P=0.145). Conclusions: The metal artifact reduction GAN model constructed in this study can effectively remove the interference of metal artifacts and improve the image quality.