Objective To compare the dosimetric and radiobiological differences of helical tomotherapy (HT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) in craniospinal irradiation. Methods The CT images of 15 patients who received craniospinal irradiation in our hospital were selected. The target volumes and organs at risk (OARs) were contoured, and HT and VMAT plans were designed. The dosimetric parameters of the two plans were compared. A Matlab program based on equivalent uniform dose was developed to calculate the normal tissue complication probability (NTCP). The NTCP values of the two plans were compared. Results The homogeneity index of the target volume in the HT group was better than that in the VMAT group, with values of 0.06 ± 0.01 and 0.08 ± 0.24, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.03). However, there was no significant difference in the conformity index of the target volume (P>0.05). There were significant differences in key indicators (D_mean, V₅, D_max) of the lungs, liver, lens, and eyeballs between the two groups (P<0.05). Regarding OARs, the NTCP values of the lens, optic chiasm, lungs, and liver in the HT and VMAT groups were as follows: 0.04 ± 0.03 vs. 0.1 ± 0.06 in the left lens, 0.04 ± 0.06 vs. 0.1 ± 0.07 in the right lens, 0.16 (0.14-0.17) vs. 0.21 (0.18-0.24) in the optic chiasm, 3.89 × 10⁻⁴ (2.45 × 10⁻⁴-7.3 × 10⁻⁴) vs. 8.95 × 10⁻⁴ (5.19 × 10⁻⁴-1.75 × 10⁻³) in the lungs, and 3.45 × 10⁻⁸ (6.0 × 10⁻⁹-1.036 × 10⁻⁷) vs. 9.54 × 10⁻⁸ (1.70 × 10⁻⁸-2.056 × 10⁻⁷) in the liver; the HT group was superior to the VMAT group, and all differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The NTCP values of the heart in the two groups were 1.35 × 10⁻⁸ (6.34 × 10⁻⁹-2.06 × 10⁻⁹) vs. 5.06 × 10⁻⁹ (2.29 × 10⁻⁹-7.9 × 10⁻⁹), significantly lower in the VMAT group than in the HT group (P<0.05). Conclusion HT has high homogeneity and consistency. The two plans have their own advantages in OAR protection. For OARs with no significant differences in physical dosimetry, NTCP results can be used as a reference. Therefore, comparing the dosimetric parameters and OAR NTCP of HT and VMAT plans can help select the optimal clinical treatment strategy.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effectiveness of single three-dimensional (3D)-printed microporous titanium prostheses and flap combined prostheses implantation in the treatment of large segmental infectious bone defects in limbs. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 76 patients with large segmental infectious bone defects in limbs who were treated between January 2019 and February 2024 and met the selection criteria. Among them, 51 were male and 25 were female, with an age of (47.7±9.4) years. Of the 76 patients, 51 had no soft tissue defects (single prostheses group), while 25 had associated soft tissue defects (flap combined group). The single prostheses group included 28 cases of tibial bone defects, 11 cases of femoral defects, 5 cases of humeral defects, 4 cases of radial bone defects, and 3 cases of metacarpal, or carpal bone defects, with bone defect length ranging from 3.5 to 28.0 cm. The flap combined group included 3 cases of extensive dorsum of foot soft tissue defects combined with large segmental metatarsal bone defects, 19 cases of lower leg soft tissue defects combined with large segmental tibial bone defects, and 3 cases of hand and forearm soft tissue defects combined with metacarpal, carpal, or radial bone defects, with bone defect length ranging from 3.8 to 32.0 cm and soft tissue defect areas ranging from 8 cm×5 cm to 33 cm×10 cm. In the first stage, vancomycin-loaded bone cement was used to control infection, and flap repair was performed in the flap combined group. In the second stage, 3D-printed microporous titanium prostheses were implanted. Postoperative assessments were performed to evaluate infection control and bone integration, and pain release was evaluated using the visual analogue scale (VAS) score. RESULTS: All patients were followed up postoperatively, with an average follow-up time of (35.2±13.4) months. In the 61 lower limb injury patients, the time of standing, walk with crutches, and fully bear weight were (2.2±0.6), (3.9±1.1), and (5.4±1.1) months, respectively. The VAS score at 1 year postoperatively was significantly lower than preoperative one ( t=-10.678, P<0.001). At 1 year postoperatively, 69 patients (90.8%) showed no complication such as infection, fracture, prosthesis displacement, or breakage, and X-ray films indicated good integration at the prosthesis-bone interface. According to the Paley scoring system for the healing of infectious bone defects, the results were excellent in 37 cases, good in 29 cases, fair in 3 cases, and poor in 7 cases. In the single prostheses group, during the follow-up, there was 1 case each of femoral prostheses fracture, femoral infection, and tibial infection, with a treatment success rate of 94.1% (48/51). In lower limb injury patients, the time of fully bear weight was (5.0±1.0) months. In the flap combined group, during the follow-up, 1 case of tibial fixation prostheses screw fracture occurred, along with 2 cases of recurrent foot infection in diabetic patients and 1 case of tibial infection. The treatment success rate was 84.0% (21/25). The time of fully bear weight in lower limb injury patients was (5.8±1.2) months. The overall infection eradication rate for all patients was 93.4% (71/76). CONCLUSION The use of 3D-printed microporous titanium prostheses, either alone or in combination with flaps, for the treatment of large segmental infectious bone defects in the limbs results in good effectiveness with a low incidence of complications. It is a feasible strategy for the reconstruction of infectious bone defects.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Titanium ; Retrospective Studies ; Surgical Flaps ; Adult ; Prosthesis Implantation/methods* ; Plastic Surgery Procedures/methods* ; Treatment Outcome ; Prostheses and Implants ; Bone Diseases, Infectious/surgery* ; Extremities/surgery* ; Prosthesis Design

OBJECTIVE To investigate the stability of 5-fluorouracil （5-FU） in human blood and to establish a standardized clinical sampling and delivery procedure for therapeutic drug monitoring （TDM） of 5-FU. METHODS The EDTA-anticoagulated whole blood was used as the matrix to prepare stability assessment samples of 5-FU at both low （200 ng/mL） and high （5 000 ng/mL） concentrations （with groups without stabilizer and with 1% volume ratio of stabilizer）. The stability assessment samples were placed under room temperature （[ 25±2） ℃] and refrigerated （2-8 ℃） conditions， with sampling at 0， 0.5， 1， 2， 4， 7， and 24 h. After vortexing and centrifugation， the upper plasma layer was collected； proteins were precipitated using methanol， and the concentration of 5-FU in plasma was determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Based on the whole blood stability results， clinical sampling and delivery procedures were established. RESULTS The concentration of 5-FU in blank whole blood samples without stabilizers was significantly lower than that in samples with stabilizers （P＜0.05）. However， varying volumes （10， 25， 50 μL） of stabilizers had no significant effect on the measured concentrations of 5-FU in stability assessment samples with low and high concentrations （P＞0.05）. Without the addition of a stabilizer， low- and high-concentration 5-FU whole blood samples remained stable at room temperature for 0.5 h and 1 h， respectively， and under refrigeration for 2 h and 7 h， respectively. After the addition of a 1% stabilizer， the whole blood samples remained stable for up to 24 h under both room temperature and refrigerated conditions. Based on these findings， the following procedure was established： after collection， whole blood samples could be temporarily stored at room temperature （≤0.5 h） or at 4　℃ （≤2 h）， and transported at 2-8　℃. Upon delivery to the laboratory， a 1% volume ratio of stabilizer must be added immediately， followed by centrifugation within 24 h. The resulting plasma should be stored at －20 ℃ . CONCLUSIONS 5-FU in whole blood exhibits poor stability at room temperature. Refrigeration at 2-8　℃ slightly improves stability ， but degradation still occurs rapidly. Adding a stabilizer at a 1% volume ratio significantly prolongs the refrigerated storage time. The established sampling and transport procedure for 5-FU TDM innovatively introduces the stabilizer addition step at the laboratory sample reception stage （rather than immediately after blood draw）. This approach ensures analytical quality while offering greater adaptability to real-world clinical sampling conditions， significantly improving practical feasibility.

Loss-of-function variants in CSDE1 have been strongly linked to neuropsychiatric disorders, yet the precise role of CSDE1 in neurogenesis remains elusive. In this study, we demonstrate that knockout of Csde1 during cortical development in mice results in impaired neural progenitor proliferation, leading to abnormal cortical lamination and embryonic lethality. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that Csde1 upregulates the transcription of genes involved in the cell cycle network. Applying a dual thymidine-labelling approach, we further revealed prolonged cell cycle durations of neuronal progenitors in Csde1-knockout mice, with a notable extension of the G1 phase. Intersection with CLIP-seq data demonstrated that Csde1 binds to the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of mRNA transcripts encoding cell cycle genes. Particularly, we uncovered that Csde1 directly binds to the 3' UTR of mRNA transcripts encoding Cdk6, a pivotal gene in regulating the transition from the G1 to S phases of the cell cycle, thereby maintaining its stability. Collectively, this study elucidates Csde1 as a novel regulator of Cdk6, sheds new light on its critical roles in orchestrating brain development, and underscores how mutations in Csde1 may contribute to the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders.
Animals ; Neurogenesis/genetics* ; Cell Cycle/genetics* ; Mice, Knockout ; Mice ; Neural Stem Cells/metabolism* ; DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism* ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 6/genetics* ; Cell Proliferation ; 3' Untranslated Regions ; Cerebral Cortex/embryology* ; RNA-Binding Proteins ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

Objective To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of artesunate(AS)on polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS)in mice and explore the potential mechanism primarily.Methods Twenty-five female C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into Control group,model group(PCOS group),low-and high-dose AS groups(AS15 and AS30 groups)and metformin group(Met group).In addition to the Control group,the mouse model of PCOS was established by subcutaneous injection of dehydroepiandrosterone(DHEA,60 mg/kg)following by a high-fat diet for 21 d.After modeling,AS of 15 and 30 mg/kg was intraperitoneally injected into the mice of the AS 15 and AS30 groups,respectively,and 200 mg/kg Met was given to those of the Met group by gavage,once per day,for 6 weeks.ELISA was used to detect serum testosterone(T),fasting insulin(FINS),luteinizing hormone(LH)and follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH),and the LH/FSH ratio was calculated.The levels of fasting blood glucose(FBG),triglyceride(TG)and total cholesterol(TC)were detected by automatic biochemical analyzer,and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR)was calculated.The estrous cycle was observed,and HE staining was performed for pathological changes in the ovary and uterus.Immunofluorescence assay was employed to measure the expression of p-eIF2α,ATF4 and CHOP in the ovarian tissue.After steroidogenic human granulosa-like tumor cell line KGN were exposed to 100 μmol/L DHEA to simulate the hyperandrogen environment of PCOS,and then treated with 5 and 10 μg/mL AS for 24 h,the protein levels of endoplasmic reticulum stress signaling pathway was detected by Western blotting.Results Compared with the Control group,the PCOS mice had disturbed estrous cycle,polycystic changes in the ovaries,and significantly increased serum T level and LH/FSH ratio(P＜0.05),and obviously elevated HOMA-IR,TC and TG levels in terms of metabolism(P＜0.01).The expression levels of p-eIF2α,ATF4 and CHOP were notably up-regulated in the ovarian granulosa cells of PCOS mice and KGN cells after DHEA exposure(P＜0.05).Additionally,AS treatment attenuated the pathological changes of ovary and uterine expression,decreased the serum T level and the LH/FSH ratio(P＜0.05),and reduced HOMA-IR,TC and TG levels(P＜0.05)when compared with the PCOS mice.Moreover,the expression levels of p-eIF2α,ATF4 and CHOP were significantly down-regulated after AS treatment in both ovarian granulosa cells of PCOS mice and KGN cells(P＜0.05).Conclusion AS significantly improves glycolipid metabolic disorder and reproductive dysfunction in PCOS mice,which may be associated with its suppressing endoplasmic reticulum stress by inhibiting the PERK/eIF2α/ATF4/CHOP pathway.

Objective To compare the diagnostic values of different detection methods for respir-atory pathogens in children with acute respiratory infections.Methods A total of 862 children with a-cute respiratory infections were enrolled,and their throat swab samples were tested for seven common respiratory pathogens by the dual amplification method and a self-built nucleic acid detection system.For samples with inconsistent results between the two methods,nested polymerase chain reaction(PCR)was performed for verification.Results The positive detection rate of the dual amplification method was 57.75％,which was significantly higher than 30.14％of the self-built nucleic acid detec-tion system,and the detection rate of mixed infections was 10.14％,which was also significantly high-er than 1.97％of the self-built nucleic acid detection system(P＜0.05).The sensitivity of the dual amplification method was 91.63％,which was significantly higher than 72.61％of the self-built nu-cleic acid detection system,and the specificity was 92.31％,which was also significantly higher than 75.62％of the self-built nucleic acid detection system(P＜0.05).Conclusion The dual amplifica-tion method can simultaneously detect the ribonucleic acid of seven respiratory pathogens with high sensitivity and specificity,demonstrating significant clinical application value.

Objective:To explore the clinical effectiveness of a self-designed robot reduction system for femoral intertrochanteric fractures.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the 57 patients with intertrochanteric fracture who had been treated at Department of Orthopedics, The Fourth Affiliated Central Hospital of Tianjin Medical University from June 2022 to February 2023. The patients were divided into a robot group (using the self-designed robot reduction system to assist intramedullary nailing) and a traction bed group (using a traction bed to assist intramedullary nailing) based on their fracture reduction method. The robot group: 31 patients, 11 males and 20 females, with an age of (78.7±9.3) years; 16 left and 15 right sides; 17 cases of type 31-A1, 12 cases of type 31-A2 and 2 cases of type 31-A3 by the AO/OTA classification. The traction bed group: 26 patients, 12 males and 14 females, with an age of (78.7±7.7) years; 13 left and 13 right sides; 16 cases of type 31-A1, 9 cases of type 31-A2 and 1 cases of type 31-A3 by the AO/OTA classification. The 2 groups were compared in terms of reduction and operation time, intraoperative blood loss, fluoroscopy frequency, reduction quality, and VAS and Harris score at preoperation, 1 week and 6 months postoperation.Results:The 2 groups were comparable due to insignificant differences in their preoperative general data ( P>0.05). The robot group was significantly better than the traction bed group in reduction time [(4.4±2.2) min versus (9.4±3.2) min], operation time [(29.0±13.5) min versus (49.3±13.3) min], intraoperative blood loss [(76.5±30.5) mL versus (115.0±38.4) mL], fluoroscopy frequency [(10.2±2.6) times versus (14.8±3.2) times], and good/excellent rate of reduction [80.6% (25/31) versus 50.0% (13/26)] ( P<0.05). All patients were followed up for (6.8±0.3) months. Respectively, the VAS scores at preoperation and 6 months postoperation was (6.2±1.3) and (2.4±0.8) points for the robot group, and (6.3±1.3) and (2.7±0.8) points for the traction bed group, showing no statistically significant differences between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). However, the VAS score was (3.3±1.2) points for the robotic group and (4.8±1.5) points for the traction bed group at 1 week postoperation, showing a statistically significant difference between the 2 groups ( P<0.001). Respectively, the Harris scores at preoperation and 6 months postoperation were (35.3±3.0) and (88.7±3.4) points for the robot group, and (35.6±2.9) and (87.2±3.5) points for the traction bed group, showing no statistically significant differences between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). However, the Harris score was (57.3±3.7) points for the robotic group and (46.7±2.8) points for the traction bed group at 1 week postoperation, showing a statistically significant difference between the 2 groups ( P<0.05). The patient satisfaction rates in the robot and traction bed groups were 96.8% (30/31) and 92.3% (24/26), respectively, showing no statistically significant difference ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Our self-designed robot reduction for femoral intertrochanteric fractures can effectively shorten reduction and operation time, reduce bleeding and fluoroscopy frequency, and enhance anatomical reduction.

OBJECTIVE To systematically review the pharmacoeconomic evaluation literature about proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 （PCSK9） inhibitors for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in patients with hypercholesterolemia， and to provide a reference for clinical treatment， health decision-making and future follow-up research. METHODS Retrieved from English and Chinese databases such as PubMed and CNKI， the pharmacoeconomic literature about PCSK9 inhibitors （evolocumab and alirocumab） for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in patients with hypercholesterolemia was collected from the establishment of the database to October 8， 2023. The quality of the included literature was assessed with Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards 2022 （CHEERS 2022） scale. The descriptive analysis was performed for basic information， model structure， related parameters， sensitivity analysis and the results of included studies. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS A total of 29 literature were included， with overall good quality. The evaluation mainly adopted the Markov model from the healthcare system， payer and societal perspective. The effectiveness and utility data mainly came from the previous studies； the direct cost was mainly considered with a discount rate of 1.5%-5.0% per year， while the willingness-to-pay threshold was often set at 1-3 times the gross domestic product per capita. Most health output indicators were measured in life years and quality-adjusted life years. The sensitivity analysis of most studies demonstrated the robustness and the main influential factor was the drug cost. Most Chinese studies showed that PCSK9 inhibitor was not cost-effective for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in patients with acute coronary syndrome， myocardial infarction and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. It was cost-effective to use PCSK9 inhibitors for the prevention of cardiovascular disease only in specific groups， such as patients with triple vessel disease， patients with newly diagnosed acute coronary syndrome and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol≥100 mg/dL. Future research should refer to the CHEERS 2022 scale to improve the design， and strive to select large-scale， high-quality data to enhance the quality of reports and the transparency of health decisions， so as to more accurately assess the cost-effectiveness of PCSK9 inhibitors.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with inflammatory bowel disea-ses(IBD)in pre-pregnancy,pregancy and loctation.Methods:The clinical data of pregnancy compli-cated with IBD in Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Peking University Third Hospital and deli-very from September 2011 to June 2022 were collected.The clinical characteristics of the patients were analyzed retrospectively.According to the state of diseases during pre-pregnancy,pregnancy and lactation,the patients were divided into active and remission group,and the two groups were compared interms of pre-pregnancy counseling,nutritional status,pregnancy and delivery complications,gestational week,mode of delivery,and neonatal outcome.Results:A total of 33 pregnant women with IBD were included in this study,of which 7 delivered a second child,for a total of 40 deliveries,with 36 natural pregnan-cies(90.0％)and 4 assisted reproductions(10.0％).Among the 40 cases,21 cases(52.5％)were sustained in remission in pre-pregnancy,pregnancy and lactation,and 19 cases(47.5％)in disease ac-tivity,of which 8 cases(42.1％)were due to self-withdrawal of drugs or failure to take medicine regu-larly.Compared with the activity group,the disease remission group had a higher rate of pre-pregnancy counseling(57.1％vs.15.8％,P=0.010),and higher levels of hemoglobin[(112.67±8.53)g/L vs.(102.84±5.23)g/L,P＜0.001],serum total protein[(66.58±6.34)g/L vs.(60.83±6.25)g/L,P=0.006],serum albumin[36.4(35.1,38.3)g/L vs.34.3(31.1,35.6)g/L,P=0.006],se-rum calcium[(2.25±0.10)μmol/L vs.(2.13±0.15)μmol/L,P=0.004],but a lower incidence of gestational hypertensive disorders(0 vs.31.6％,P=0.007).In 40 deliveries,there were 27 cases of vaginal delivery(67.5％),13 cases of cesarean section(32.5％).The analysis of neonatal outcomes showed 38 full-term deliveries and 2 preterm deliveries;1 case of macrosomia,1 case of small-for-gesta-tional-age,1 case of low birth weight and 3 cases of birth defects.There were 10 newborns admitted to neonatal intensive care unit,including 4 cases of neonatal infections and 2 cases of neonatal jaundice.Conclusion:Pre-pregnancy counseling and evaluation of IBD patients are very important,and good preg-nancy outcomes can be obtained through careful management during pregnancy in the most of the pa-tients.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors （TKIs） represent a class of small-molecule targeted drugs that improve the survival time of patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumor （GIST）. Imatinib， sunitinib， regorafenib， ripretinib， and avapritinib are commonly used TKIs in the clinical treatment of various types of GIST. This article provides a comprehensive review of the pharmacokinetics and therapeutic drug monitoring （TDM） of these five drugs， finding that there is significant individual variability in the pharmacokinetics of these drugs. Among them， the absorption of imatinib， regorafenib， and avapritinib are influenced by food intake. Imatinib should be taken with meals and 200 mL of water， regorafenib is taken with a low-fat meal， while avapritinib is taken on an empty stomach. TKIs are mainly metabolized by cytochrome P450 3A4 （CYP3A4）， and when used in combination with CYP3A4 inducers or inhibitors， drug exposure levels will significantly change； apart from metabolic enzymes， the exposure levels of TKIs are also influenced by interactions with the transporter proteins P-glycoprotein and breast cancer resistance protein. Currently， research on TDM for TKIs is still in the exploratory stage， with a substantial amount of literature reporting the effective concentrations of imatinib， sunitinib and regorafenib. However， the precise relationship between exposure levels and efficacy/ toxicity needs further exploration. Currently， there is a lack of research on the correlation between exposure levels and efficacy/ toxicity of ripretinib and avapritinib. It is recommended to implement TDM in patients taking these drugs and explore their therapeutic window in combination with pharmacokinetic models. The commonly used methods for clinical TDM of TKIs include immunoassay， chromatography， and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy， providing a technical basis for clarifying the therapeutic window of TKIs.