Validation of Artificial Intelligence-based Bowel Preparation Assessment in Screening Colonoscopy.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Accurate bowel preparation assessment is essential for determining colonoscopy screening intervals. Patients with suboptimal bowel preparation are at a high risk of missing >5mm adenomas, and should undergo an early repeat colonoscopy. In this study, we employed artificial intelligence (AI) to evaluate bowel preparation and validated the ability of the system in accurately identifying patients who are at high risk of missing >5mm adenoma due to inadequate bowel preparation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective, single-center, observational study was conducted at the Eighth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University from October 8, 2021, to November 9, 2022. Eligible patients underwent screening colonoscopy were consecutively enrolled. The AI assessed bowel preparation using e-Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS) while endoscopists evaluated using BBPS. If both BBPS and e-BBPS deemed preparation adequate, the patient immediately underwent a second colonoscopy, otherwise the patient underwent bowel re-cleansing before the second colonoscopy. RESULTS: Among the 393 patients, 72 ＞5mm adenomas were detected, while 27 ＞5mm adenomas were missed. In unqualified-AI patients, the >5mm AMR was significantly higher than in qualified-AI patients (35.71% vs 13.19%, p=0.0056, OR 0.2734, 95% CI 0.1139, 0.6565), as were the AMR (50.89% vs 20.79%, p<0.001, OR 0.2532, 95% CI 0.1583, 0.4052) and >5mm PMR (35.82% vs 19.48%, p=0.0152, OR 0.4335, 95% CI 0.2288, 0.8213). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed that patients classified as inadequate by AI showed unacceptable >5mm AMR, provided key evidence for implementing AI in guiding the bowel re-cleansing, potentially standardizing the future colonoscopy screening; ClincialTrials.gov, NCT05145712.

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Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive neuromuscular disorder. With the emergence of disease-modifying therapies, the prognosis of SMA has significantly improved, drawing increased attention to the importance of home rehabilitation and nursing management. Long-term, standardized home rehabilitation and nursing can delay the progression of SMA, enhance the psychological well-being, and improve the quality of life of both patients and caregivers. This article provides an overview of the goals of home rehabilitation, basic functional training methods, respiratory management, and nutritional management for SMA patients, as well as psychological health issues, emphasizing the significance of obtaining appropriate home rehabilitation and support during the care process.

Multi-step validation of a Post-Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography Pancreatitis prediction system integrating multi-modal data: A multi-center study.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: The impact of various categories of information on the prediction of Post Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography Pancreatitis (PEP) remains uncertain. We aimed to comprehensively investigate the risk factors associated with PEP by constructing and validating a model incorporating multi-modal data through multiple steps. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 1,916 cases underwent ERCP were retrospectively collected from multiple centers for model construction. Through literature research, 49 electronic health record (EHR) features and one image feature related to PEP were identified. The EHR features were categorized into baseline, diagnosis, technique, and prevent strategies, covering pre-ERCP, intra-ERCP, and peri-ERCP phases. We first incrementally constructed models 1-4 incorporating these four feature categories, then added the image feature into models 1-4 and developed models 5-8. All models underwent testing and comparison using both internal and external test sets. Once the optimal model was selected, we conducted comparison among multiple machine learning algorithms. RESULTS: Compared with model 2 incorporating baseline and diagnosis features, adding technique and prevent strategies (model 4) greatly improved the sensitivity (63.89% vs 83.33%, p<0.05) and specificity (75.00% vs 85.92%, p<0.001). Similar tendency was observed in internal and external tests. In model 4, the top three features ranked by weight were previous pancreatitis, NSAIDS, and difficult cannulation. The image-based feature has the highest weight in model 5-8. Lastly, model 8 employed Random Forest algorithm showed the best performance. CONCLUSIONS: We firstly developed a multi-modal prediction model for identifying PEP with clinical-acceptable performance. The image and technique features are crucial for PEP prediction.

Extracellular vesicles derived from Lactobacillus johnsonii promote gut barrier homeostasis by enhancing M2 macrophage polarization.

INTRODUCTION: Diarrheic disease is a common intestinal health problem worldwide, causing great suffering to humans and animals. Precise manipulation strategies based on probiotics to combat diarrheic diseases have not been fully developed. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which probiotics manipulate macrophage against diarrheic disease. METHODS: Metagenome reveals gut microbiome profiles of healthy and diarrheic piglets. Fecal microbial transplantation (FMT) was employed to explore the causal relationship between gut microbes and diarrhea. The protective role of probiotics and their derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) was investigated in ETEC K88-infected mice. Macrophage depletion was performed to assess the role of macrophages in EVs against diarrhea. Execution of in vitro cell co-culture and transcriptome analyses elucidated the molecular mechanisms by which EVs modulate the macrophage and intestinal epithelial barrier. RESULTS: Escherichia coli was enriched in weaned diarrheic piglets, while Lactobacillus johnsonii (L. john) showed a negative correlation with Escherichia coli. The transmission of diarrheic illness symptoms was achieved by transferring fecal microbiota, but not metabolites, from diarrheic pigs to germ-free (GF) mice. L. john's intervention prevented the transmission of disease phenotypes from diarrheic piglets to GF mice. L. john also reduces the gut inflammation induced by ETEC K88. The EVs secreted by L. john demonstrated enhanced efficacy in mitigating the adverse impacts induced by ETEC K88 through the modulation of macrophage phenotype. In vitro experiments have revealed that EVs activate M2 macrophages in a manner that shuts down ERK, thereby inhibiting NLRP3 activation in intestinal epithelial cells. CONCLUSION: Our results reveal that intestinal microbiota drives the onset of diarrheic disease and that probiotic-derived EVs ameliorate diarrheic disease symptoms by modulating macrophage phenotypes. These findings can enhance the advancement of innovative therapeutic approaches for diarrheic conditions based on probiotic-derived EVs.

WSA-MP-Net: Weak-signal-attention and multi-scale perception network for microvascular extraction in optical-resolution photoacoustic microcopy.

The unique advantage of optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (OR-PAM) is its ability to achieve high-resolution microvascular imaging without exogenous agents. This ability has excellent potential in the study of tissue microcirculation. However, tracing and monitoring microvascular morphology and hemodynamics in tissues is challenging because the segmentation of microvascular in OR-PAM images is complex due to the high density, structure complexity, and low contrast of vascular structures. Various microvasculature extraction techniques have been developed over the years but have many limitations: they cannot consider both thick and thin blood vessel segmentation simultaneously, they cannot address incompleteness and discontinuity in microvasculature, there is a lack of open-access datasets for DL-based algorithms. We have developed a novel segmentation approach to extract vascularity in OR-PAM images using a deep learning network incorporating a weak signal attention mechanism and multi-scale perception (WSA-MP-Net) model. The proposed WSA network focuses on weak and tiny vessels, while the MP module extracts features from different vessel sizes. In addition, Hessian-matrix enhancement is incorporated into the pre-and post-processing of the input and output data of the network to enhance vessel continuity. We constructed normal vessel (NV-ORPAM, 660 data pairs) and tumor vessel (TV-ORPAM, 1168 data pairs) datasets to verify the performance of the proposed method. We developed a semi-automatic annotation algorithm to obtain the ground truth for our network optimization. We applied our optimized model successfully to monitor glioma angiogenesis in mouse brains, thus demonstrating the feasibility and excellent generalization ability of our model. Compared to previous works, our proposed WSA-MP-Net extracts a significant number of microvascular while maintaining vessel continuity and signal fidelity. In quantitative analysis, the indicator values of our method improved by about 1.3% to 25.9%. We believe our proposed approach provides a promising way to extract a complete and continuous microvascular network of OR-PAM and enables its use in many microvascular-related biological studies and medical diagnoses.

Identification of multiple plasma lipids as diagnostic biomarkers of hypercholesterolemia and the underlying mechanisms based on pseudo-targeted lipidomics.

RATIONALE: Hypercholesterolemia is an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and death. This study performed pseudo-targeted lipidomics to identify differentially expressed plasma lipids in hypercholesterolemia, to provide a scientific basis for the diagnosis and pathogenesis of hypercholesterolemia. METHODS: Pseudo-targeted lipidomic analyses of plasma lipids from 20 patients with hypercholesterolemia and 20 normal control subjects were performed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Differentially expressed lipids were identified by principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to identify differentially expressed lipids with high diagnostic value. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway database was used to identify enriched metabolic pathways. RESULTS: We identified 13 differentially expressed lipids in hypercholesterolemia using variable importance of projection > 1 and p < 0.05 as threshold parameters. The levels of eight sphingomyelins and cholesterol sulfate were higher and those of three triacylglycerols and lysophosphatidylcholine were reduced in hypercholesterolemia. Seven differentially expressed plasma lipids showed high diagnostic value for hypercholesterolemia. Functional enrichment analyses showed that pathways related to necroptosis, sphingolipid signaling, sphingolipid metabolism, and steroid hormone biosynthesis were enriched. CONCLUSIONS: This pseudo-targeted lipidomics study demonstrated that multiple sphingomyelins and cholesterol sulfate were differentially expressed in the plasma of patients with hypercholesterolemia. We also identified seven plasma lipids, including six sphingomyelins and cholesterol sulfate, with high diagnostic value.

Identification of key biomarkers for predicting CAD progression in inflammatory bowel disease via machine-learning and bioinformatics strategies.

The study aimed to identify the biomarkers for predicting coronary atherosclerotic lesions progression in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Related transcriptome datasets were seized from Gene Expression Omnibus database. IBD-related modules were identified via Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis. The 'Limma' was applied to screen differentially expressed genes between stable coronary artery disease (CAD) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Subsequently, we employed protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and three machine-learning strategies to further screen for candidate hub genes. Application of the receiver operating characteristics curve to quantitatively evaluate candidates to determine key diagnostic biomarkers, followed by a nomogram construction. Ultimately, we performed immune landscape analysis, single-gene GSEA and prediction of target-drugs. 3227 IBD-related module genes and 570 DEGs accounting for AMI were recognized. Intersection yielded 85 shared genes and mostly enriched in immune and inflammatory pathways. After filtering through PPI network and multi-machine learning algorithms, five candidate genes generated. Upon validation, CTSD, CEBPD, CYP27A1 were identified as key diagnostic biomarkers with a superior sensitivity and specificity (AUC > 0.8). Furthermore, all three genes were negatively correlated with CD4+ T cells and positively correlated with neutrophils. Single-gene GSEA highlighted the importance of pathogen invasion, metabolism, immune and inflammation responses during the pathogenesis of AMI. Ten target-drugs were predicted. The discovery of three peripheral blood biomarkers capable of predicting the risk of CAD proceeding into AMI in IBD patients. These identified biomarkers were negatively correlated with CD4+ T cells and positively correlated with neutrophils, indicating a latent therapeutic target.

Current understanding of children's head shape and its impact on health: a cross-sectional study among pediatric medical staff in China.

Background: Head shape problems are common in infancy and early childhood, and thus their early identification and management can benefit the health of children. This study aimed to investigate pediatric healthcare professionals' existing knowledge of children's head shape abnormalities and their associated effects in China, providing guidelines for future clinical interventions, training, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Methods: We conducted a survey among pediatric medical staff, encompassing various age groups, genders, hospitals, and professional levels. The electronic questionnaire queried respondents' basic information, knowledge pertaining to head shape issues, diagnosis and treatment approaches, and the clinical development status of head shape problems. All surveys and data collection were conducted anonymously. Results: A total of 214 valid questionnaires were collected. Differences in the level of understanding among medical staff regarding head shape issues were observed. Medical staff in tertiary care facilities showed the highest proficiency in diagnosing and treating positional plagiocephaly and cranial asymmetry (P<0.05), while those in primary care facilities exhibited the lowest competency in diagnosing head shape abnormalities (P<0.05). Most medical staff had a partial understanding of specific aspects of head shape issues, such as identifying high-risk individuals (n=144, 67.29%), making diagnoses (n=176, 82.24%), and understanding the consequences (n=151, 70.56%), with no significant differences across medical facilities of various levels. Additionally, 99.07% (n=212) of the medical staff believed that head shape measurements should be included as a routine component of pediatric physical examinations, and 75.23% (n=161) incorporate head shape assessment as part of their routine physical examination. Furthermore, 91.12% (n=195) of the medical staff received consultations on children's head shape issues, with a higher prevalence in secondary and tertiary care facilities. Finally, 93.97% (n=201) of the participants expressed the need for further education and knowledge on pediatric head shape, with no significant differences across medical facilities of various levels. Conclusions: There is a limited understanding among medical personnel in China regarding children's head shape issues. Therefore, it is imperative to enhance training and educational initiatives for medical staff in China, with the goal of enhancing their awareness and knowledge regarding children's head shape problems.

Second Near-Infrared Macrophage-Biomimetic Nanoprobes for Photoacoustic Imaging of Neuroinflammation.

Neuroinflammation is a significant pathological event involving the neurodegenerative process associated with many neurological disorders. Diagnosis and treatment of neuroinflammation in its early stage are essential for the prevention and management of neurological diseases. Herein, we designed macrophage membrane-coated photoacoustic (PA) probes (MSINPs), with targeting specificities based on naturally existing target-ligand interactions for the early diagnosis of neuroinflammation. The second near-infrared dye, IR1061, was doped into silica as the core and was encapsulated with a macrophage membrane. In vitro as well as in vivo, the MSINPs could target inflammatory cells via the inflammation chemotactic effect. PA imaging was used to trace the MSINPs in a neuroinflammation mouse model and showed a great targeted effect of MSINPs in the prefrontal cortex. Therefore, the biomimetic nanoprobe prepared in this study offers a new strategy for PA molecular imaging of neuroinflammation, which can enhance our understanding of the evolution of neuroinflammation in specific brain regions.

Silencing p75NTR regulates osteogenic differentiation and angiogenesis of BMSCs to enhance bone healing in fractured rats.

BACKGROUND: Fractures heal through a process that involves angiogenesis and osteogenesis but may also lead to non-union or delayed healing. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have been reported to play a pivotal role in bone formation and vascular regeneration and the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) as being an important regulator of osteogenesis. Herein, we aim to determine the potential mediation of BMSCs by p75NTR in bone healing. METHODS: Rat BMSCs were identified by flow cytometry (FCM) to detect cell cycle and surface markers. Then transfection of si/oe-p75NTR was performed in BMSCs, followed by Alizarin red staining to detect osteogenic differentiation of cells, immunofluorescence double staining was performed to detect the expression of p75NTR and sortilin, co-immunoprecipitation (CO-IP) was conducted to analyze the interaction between p75NTR and sortilin, and EdU staining and cell scratch assay to assess the proliferation and migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The expression of HIF-1α, VEGF, and apoptosis-related proteins were also detected. In addition, a rat fracture healing model was constructed, and BMSCs-si-p75NTR were injected, following which the fracture condition was observed using micro-CT imaging, and the expression of platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (CD31) was assessed. RESULTS: The results showed that BMSCs were successfully isolated, p75NTR inhibited apoptosis and the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs, while si-p75NTR led to a decrease in sortilin expression in BMSCs, increased proliferation and migration in HUVECs, and upregulation of HIF-1α and VEGF expression. In addition, an interaction was observed between p75NTR and sortilin. The knockdown of p75NTR was found to reduce the severity of fracture in rats and increase the expression of CD31 and osteogenesis-related proteins. CONCLUSION: Silencing p75NTR effectively modulates BMSCs to promote osteogenic differentiation and angiogenesis, offering a novel perspective for improving fracture healing.

Association between cardiometabolic index and depression: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2014.

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence suggests a common pathophysiological basis for metabolic disorders and mental diseases. Despite the existence of reports suggesting a strong connection between dyslipidemia and depression, a comprehensive and reliable indicator to identify depression is still lacking. Cardiometabolic index (CMI) is an integrated index calculated from three vital metabolic indicators, including triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) and waist height ratio (WHtR). OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the association between CMI and depression. METHODS: Cross-sectional data of participants with complete information of CMI, depression, and other covariates were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Weighted student's t-test and Chi-square test were used to identify the differences between two groups. Weighted multivariate logistic regression model, restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression analysis, subgroup analysis and interaction tests were conducted to explore the association between CMI and depression. Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis and area under the curve (AUC) were also utilized to evaluate the performance of CMI in identifying depression. RESULTS: A positive correlation between CMI and depression was observed in 3794 participants included in the study, which was further confirmed to be non-linear via RCS regression analysis, with two significant inflection points being identified, including 0.9522 and 1.58. In the crude or adjusted models, individuals with a CMI level ≥ 0.9522 exhibited remarkably increased risk for developing depression. CMI got an AUC of 0.748 in identifying depression. Subgroup analyses and interaction tests indicate that the association between CMI and depression remained consistent across different subgroups and was not modified by other covariates except drinking. Those who are current drinkers and with a high CMI are more susceptible to suffer depression. CONCLUSIONS: An elevated CMI is linked to increased risk for depression. Addressing dyslipidemia and improving lipid levels may potentially lower the risk for depression.

The target sign: a significant CT sign for predicting small-bowel ischemia and necrosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between changes in the thickness and density of diseased small-bowel wall and small-bowel ischemia and necrosis (SBN) on CT imaging when small-bowel obstruction (SBO) occurs. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 186 patients with SBO in our hospital from March 2020 to June 2023. The patients were divided into simple SBO (control group) and SBN (case group) groups. We used logistic regression analysis, the chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test to analyze the correlation between the changes in the thickness and density of the diseased intestinal wall and the SBN. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to calculate the accuracy of the multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Of the 186 patients with SBO, 98 (52.7%) had simple SBO, 88 (47.3%) had SBN, and the rate of SBN was 47.3% (88/186). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that six CT findings were significantly correlated with SBN (p < 0.05), namely, thickening of the diseased intestinal wall with the target sign (OR = 21.615), thinning of the diseased intestinal wall (OR = 48.106), increase in the diseased intestinal wall density (OR = 13.696), mesenteric effusion (OR = 21.635), decrease in the diseased intestinal wall enhancement on enhanced scanning (OR = 41.662), and increase in the diseased intestinal wall enhancement on enhanced scanning (OR = 15.488). The AUC of the multivariate analysis reached 0.987 (95% CI 0.974-0.999). Specifically, the target sign was easily recognizable on CT images and was a significant CT finding for predicting SBN. CONCLUSION: We identified 6 CT findings that were significantly associated with SBN, and may be helpful for clinical treatment.

Quantitative analysis of pyrolysis characteristics and chemical components of tobacco materials based on machine learning.

To investigate the quantitative relationship between the pyrolysis characteristics and chemical components of tobacco materials, various machine learning methods were used to establish a quantitative analysis model of tobacco. The model relates the thermal weight loss rate to 19 chemical components, and identifies the characteristic temperature intervals of the pyrolysis process that significantly relate to the chemical components. The results showed that: 1) Among various machine learning methods, partial least squares (PLS), support vector regression (SVR) and Gaussian process regression (GPR) demonstrated superior regression performance on thermogravimetric data and chemical components. 2) The PLS model showed the best performance on fitting and prediction effects, and has good generalization ability to predict the 19 chemical components. For most components, the determination coefficients R 2 are above 0.85. While the performance of SVR and GPR models was comparable, the R 2 for most chemical components were below 0.75. 3) The significant temperature intervals for various chemical components were different, and most of the affected temperature intervals were within 130°C-400°C. The results can provide a reference for the materials selection of cigarette and reveal the possible interactions of various chemical components of tobacco materials in the pyrolysis process.

Pars plana vitrectomy for retinal detachment using perfluoro-n-octane as intraoperative tamponade: a multicenter, randomized, non-inferiority trial.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of perfluoro-n-octane (PFO) for ophthalmic surgery versus F-Octane as an intraoperative tamponade in pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) in management of retinal detachment. METHODS: This multicenter, prospective, randomized, double-masked, parallel-controlled, non-inferiority trial was conducted in three ophthalmology clinical centers in China. Patients with retinal detachment, who were eligible for PPV were consecutively enrolled. Participants were assigned to PFO for ophthalmic surgery or F-Octane for intraocular tamponade in a 1:1 ratio. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement, and dilated fundus examination were performed preoperatively and at 1, 7±1, 28±3d postoperatively. The primary outcome was complete retinal reattachment rate at postoperative day one. The non-inferiority margin was set at 9.8%. The secondary outcomes included intraoperative retinal reattachment rate, and mean changes in IOP and BCVA from baseline to 1, 7±1, 28±3d postoperatively, respectively. Safety analyses were presented for all randomly assigned participates in this study. RESULTS: Totally 124 eligible patients completed the study between Mar. 14, 2016 and Jun. 7, 2017. Sixty of them were randomly assigned to the PFO for ophthalmic surgery group, and 64 were assigned to the F-Octane group. Baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups. Both groups achieved 100% retinal reattachment at postoperative day one (difference 0, 95%CI: -6.21% to 5.75%, P=1). The pre-defined noninferiority criterion was met. No significant difference was observed in intraoperative retinal reattachment rate (difference 1.77%, P=0.61), mean changes in IOP (difference 0.36, -0.09, 2.22 mm Hg at 1, 7±1, 28±3d postoperatively, with all P>0.05) and BCVA (difference 0.04, -0.02, 0.06 logMAR at 1, 7±1, 28±3d postoperatively, all P>0.05) between the two groups. No apparent adverse events related to the utilization of PFO were reported. CONCLUSION: In patients with retinal detachment undergoing PPV, PFO for ophthalmic surgery is non-inferior to F-Octane as an intraocular tamponade, and both are safe and well-tolerated.

Efficacy and Safety of Biosimilar QL1207 vs. the Reference Aflibercept for Patients with Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Randomized Phase 3 Trial.

INTRODUCTION: This trial aimed to compare the efficacy and safety between biosimilar QL1207 and the reference aflibercept for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). METHODS: This randomized, double-blind, phase 3 trial was conducted at 35 centers in China. Patients aged ≥ 50 years old with untreated subfoveal choroidal neovascularization secondary to nAMD and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) letter score of 73-34 were eligible. Patients were randomly assigned to receive intravitreous injections of QL1207 or aflibercept 2 mg (0.05 ml) in the study eye every 4 weeks for the first 3 months, followed by 2 mg every 8 weeks until week 48, stratified by baseline BCVA ≥ or < 45 letters. The primary endpoint was BCVA change from baseline at week 12. The equivalence margin was ± 5 letters. The safety, immunogenicity, pharmacokinetics (PK), and plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) concentration were also evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 366 patients were enrolled (QL1207 group, n = 185; aflibercept group, n = 181) from Aug 2019 to Jan 2022 with comparable baseline characteristics. The least-squares mean difference in BCVA changes was - 1.1 letters (95% confidence interval - 3.0 to 0.7; P = 0.2275) between the two groups, within the equivalence margin. The incidences of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAE; QL1207: 71.4% [132/185] vs. aflibercept: 71.8% [130/181]) and serious TEAE (QL1207: 14.1% [26] vs. aflibercept: 12.7% [23]) appeared comparable between treatment groups, and no new safety signal was found. Anti-drug antibody, PK profiles, and VEGF concentration were similar between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: QL1207 has equivalent efficacy to aflibercept for nAMD with similar safety profiles. It could be used as an alternative anti-VEGF agent for clinical practice. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05345236 (retrospectively registered on April 25, 2022); National Medical Products Administration of China: CTR20190937 (May 20, 2019).

Clinical and genetic characterization of a Chinese family with pontocerebellar hypoplasia type 7.

We report compound heterozygous variants in TOE1 in siblings of Chinese origin who presented with dyskinesia and intellectual disabilities. Our report provides further information regarding the etiology and pathogenesis of pontocerebellar hypoplasia type 7 syndrome (PCH7). Clinical manifestations were obtained, and genomic DNA was collected from family members. Whole-exome and Sanger sequencing were performed to identify associated genetic variants. Bioinformatics analysis was conducted to identify and characterize the pathogenicity of the heterozygous variants. Following long-term rehabilitation, both siblings showed minimal improvement, and their condition tended to progress. Whole-exome sequencing revealed two unreported heterozygous variants, NM_025077: c.C553T (p.R185W) and NM_025077: c.G562T (p.V188L), in the TOE1 gene mapped to 1p34.1. Sanger sequencing confirmed that the two variants in the proband and her brother were inherited from their parents. The NM_025077: c.C553T (p.R185W) variant was inherited from the father, and the NM_025077: c.G562T (p.V188L) variant was inherited from the mother. Although the two variants in the TOE1 gene have not been reported previously, they were associated with PCH7 based on integrated analysis. Thus, our report contributes to our knowledge regarding the etiology and phenotype of PCH 7.

Effect of artificial intelligence on novice-performed colonoscopy: a multicenter randomized controlled tandem study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The efficacy and safety of colonoscopy performed by artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted novices remain unknown. The aim of this study was to compare the lesion detection capability of novices, AI-assisted novices, and experts. METHODS: This multicenter, randomized, noninferiority tandem study was conducted across 3 hospitals in China from May 1, 2022, to November 11, 2022. Eligible patients were randomized into 1 of 3 groups: the CN group (control novice group, withdrawal performed by a novice independently), the AN group (AI-assisted novice group, withdrawal performed by a novice with AI assistance), or the CE group (control expert group, withdrawal performed by an expert independently). Participants underwent a repeat colonoscopy conducted by an AI-assisted expert to evaluate the lesion miss rate and ensure lesion detection. The primary outcome was the adenoma miss rate (AMR). RESULTS: A total of 685 eligible patients were analyzed: 229 in the CN group, 227 in the AN group, and 229 in the CE group. Both AMR and polyp miss rate were lower in the AN group than in the CN group (18.82% vs 43.69% [P < .001] and 21.23% vs 35.38% [P < .001], respectively). The noninferiority margin was met between the AN and CE groups of both AMR and polyp miss rate (18.82% vs 26.97% [P = .202] and 21.23% vs 24.10% [P < .249]). CONCLUSIONS: AI-assisted colonoscopy lowered the AMR of novices, making them noninferior to experts. The withdrawal technique of new endoscopists can be enhanced by AI-assisted colonoscopy. (Clinical trial registration number: NCT05323279.).

The burden of epilepsy in the People's Republic of China from 1990 to 2019: epidemiological trends and comparison with the global burden of epilepsy.

Background: Epilepsy is associated with a significant global burden of disease, affecting over 50 million people worldwide. The specific aim of this study is to compare the burden of epilepsy in the People's Republic of China (PRC) with the global burden, and to analyze the epidemiological trends of epilepsy, the relationship between the burden of epilepsy and social demographic index (SDI), and the relative contributions of epidemiological factors. Methods: This is a retrospective population-based study, data were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study in 2019. We employed Joinpoint software and the age-period-cohort (APC) model to analyze epilepsy's epidemiological trends. Health inequality analysis was conducted to investigate the impact of SDI on epilepsy burden. Decomposition analysis was performed to examine the relative contributions of age, population, and epidemiological changes to epilepsy. Results: Between 1990 and 2019, the incidence rate in the PRC increased by 45%, significantly surpassing the global incidence of epilepsy. However, Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY) decreased notably, and the proportion of Years of Life Lost (YLL) decreased from 62.73 to 39.03%. Concerning incidence, the period Rate Ratio (RR) in the PRC initially increased and then decreased, while the cohort RR in the PRC and globally exhibited a consistent upward trend. In terms of mortality, period RR and cohort RR in the PRC displayed a gradual decrease, with mortality starting higher but eventually falling below the global mortality. The net drifts of incidence were greater than 0, whereas the net drifts of mortality were less than 0, both were lower in the PRC than at the global level. Decomposition analysis indicated that the changes of incidence and mortality in the PRC were mainly attributed to epidemiological changes. Additionally, global disparities in epilepsy decreased, with the burden concentrating in low SDI countries. Conclusion: The incidence of epilepsy in the PRC rose during the 30-year study period, while epilepsy mortality decreased. The improved survival rate in the PRC is predominantly attributable to epidemiological changes. The burden of epilepsy in the PRC predominantly affects males, children, and the elderly, Chinese government should focus on specific populations.

Safety and efficacy of intravitreal injection of conbercept for the treatment of patients with choroidal neovascularization secondary to pathological myopia: Results from the SHINY study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravitreal injections of 0.5 mg conbercept in patients with choroidal neovascularization secondary to pathological myopia (pmCNV). METHODS: The 177 pmCNV patients were randomly assigned in a 3:1 ratio to receive conbercept or sham injection, respectively. The conbercept group receive conbercept intravitreal injections administered on a pro re nata (PRN) basis after 3 monthly loading doses. The sham group received three consecutive monthly sham injections and then one conbercept injection followed by PRN conbercept intravitreal injections. RESULTS: At month 3, the mean BCVA for the two groups were improved by 12.0 letters (conbercept group, from 54.05 letters to 66.05 letters) and 0.6 letters (sham group, from 49.77 letters to 50.33 letters), respectively (p < 0.001). The mean central retinal thickness (CRT) at month 3 in the two groups decreased 62.0 µm (conbercept group, from 348.90 µm to 286.18 µm) and 4.4 µm (sham group, from 347.86 µm to 343.47 µm) (p < 0.001). At month 9, the mean BCVA improved by 13.3 letters in the conbercept group and 11.3 letters in the sham group. The mean CRT decreased 73.6 µm in the conbercept group and 55.9 µm in the sham group (p < 0.001). The most common ocular adverse events were associated with intravitreal injections, such as conjunctival haemorrhage and increased intraocular pressure. CONCLUSION: Intravitreal injections of 0.5 mg conbercept provided improvement in visual and anatomical outcomes in pmCNV patients with low rates of ocular and nonocular safety events.

miR-146a-5p Alleviates Radiation-Induced Liver Fibrosis by Regulating PTPRA-SRC Signaling in Mice.

Patients with hepatobiliary tumors who accept radiotherapy are at risk for radiation-induced liver fibrosis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of radiation-induced liver damage and possess potential as novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets. However, the role of miR-146a-5p in radiation-induced liver fibrosis is less well understood. The current study was designed to evaluate the role of miR-146a-5p in radiation-induced liver fibrosis in mice and to investigate the possible mechanisms involved in miR-146a-5p-mediated effects. The experiments were performed on Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice which received fractionated radiation (30 Gy in 5 fractions) to the liver. The results show radiation could induce histopathological changes, liver dysfunction and fibrosis accompanied with decreased miR-146a-5p expression. miR-146a-5p agomir treatment resulted in recovery of liver function and reduced the amount of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen 1, protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type A (PTPRA) and phosphorylated SRC in the livers of irradiated mice. Therefore, our study reveals that miR-146a-5p inhibits the progression of hepatic fibrosis after radiation treatment. And the beneficial role of miR-146a-5p may be relevant to PTPRA-SRC signaling pathway.