POEMS syndrome is a rare condition associated with plasma cell disorders， and it often involves multiple systems and has diverse clinical manifestations. This article reports two cases of POEMS syndrome with hepatosplenomegaly as the initial manifestation. During the course of the disease， the patients presented with lower limb weakness， hepatosplenomegaly， lymph node enlargement， ascites， hypothyroidism， positive M protein， and skin hyperpigmentation， and ¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT imaging revealed bone lesions mainly characterized by osteolytic changes and plasma cell tumors. There was an increase in the serum level of vascular endothelial growth factor. The patients were finally diagnosed with POEMS syndrome， and the symptoms were relieved after immunomodulatory treatment.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) is a multifunctional protein involved in diverse cellular functions, notably DNA damage repair. Pharmacological inhibition of PARP1 has therapeutic benefits for various pathologies. Despite the increased use of PARP inhibitors, challenges persist in achieving PARP1 selectivity and effective blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration. The development of a PARP1-specific positron emission tomography (PET) radioligand is crucial for understanding disease biology and performing target occupancy studies, which may aid in the development of PARP1-specific inhibitors. In this study, we leverage the recently identified PARP1 inhibitor, AZD9574, to introduce the design and development of its ¹⁸F-isotopologue ([¹⁸F]AZD9574). Our comprehensive approach, encompassing pharmacological, cellular, autoradiographic, and in vivo PET imaging evaluations in non-human primates, demonstrates the capacity of [¹⁸F]AZD9574 to specifically bind to PARP1 and to successfully penetrate the BBB. These findings position [¹⁸F]AZD9574 as a viable molecular imaging tool, poised to facilitate the exploration of pathophysiological changes in PARP1 tissue abundance across various diseases.

BACKGROUND: Double-stranded RNA-specific adenosine deaminase 1 (ADAR1) binds to double-stranded RNA and catalyzes the deamination of adenosine (A) to inosine (I). The functional mechanism of ADAR1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains incompletely understood. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic significance of ADAR1 in NSCLC and to elucidate its potential role in regulating tumor cell proliferation and migration. METHODS: Data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and cBioPortal were analyzed to assess the correlation between high ADAR1 expression and clinicopathological features as well as prognosis in lung cancer. We performed Western blot (WB), cell proliferation assays, Transwell invasion/migration assays, and nude mouse xenograft modeling to examine the phenotypic changes and molecular mechanisms induced by ADAR1 knockdown. Furthermore, the ADAR1 p150 overexpression model was utilized to validate the proposed mechanism. RESULTS: ADAR1 expression was significantly elevated in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) tissues compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues (LUAD: P=3.70×10-15, LUSC: P=0.016). High ADAR1 expression was associated with poor prognosis (LUAD: P=2.03×10-2, LUSC: P=2.81×10-2) and distant metastasis (P=0.003). Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) indicated that elevated ADAR1 was associated with mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) pathway activation, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression, and cell adhesion. ADAR1 and MMP-9 levels showed a strongly positive correlation (P=6.45×10-34) in 10 lung cancer cell lines, highest in H1581. Knockdown of ADAR1 in H1581 cells induced a rounded cellular morphology with reduced pseudopodia. Concomitantly, it suppressed cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and in vivo tumorigenesis. It also suppressed ERK phosphorylation and downregulated cellular Finkel-Biskis-Jinkins murine osteosarcoma viral oncogene homolog (c-FOS), MMP-9, N-cadherin, and Vimentin. Conversely, ADAR1 p150 overexpression in PC9 cells enhanced ERK phosphorylation and increased c-FOS and MMP-9 expression. CONCLUSIONS High ADAR1 expression is closely associated with poor prognosis and distant metastasis in NSCLC patients. Mechanistically, ADAR1 may promote proliferation, invasion, migration, and tumorigenesis in lung cancer cells via the ERK/c-FOS/MMP-9 axis.
Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/physiopathology* ; Adenosine Deaminase/genetics* ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9/genetics* ; Cell Proliferation ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/physiopathology* ; Cell Movement ; Animals ; Mice ; RNA-Binding Proteins/genetics* ; Female ; Male ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos/genetics* ; Middle Aged ; MAP Kinase Signaling System ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Mice, Nude ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/genetics*

BACKGROUND: The choice of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) vs . total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in the surgical treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) remains controversial. This study aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to compare the clinical results of UKA and TKA for treating unicompartmental KOA. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched for articles published up to January 2, 2023. The literature was rigorously screened to include only RCTs comparing UKA and TKA for unicompartmental KOA. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to calculate the mean difference (MD), relative risk (RR), and 95% confidence interval (CI) according to the Cochrane standards. RESULTS: Thirteen publications involving 683 UKAs and 683 TKAs were analyzed. Except for one study with a follow-up period of 15 years, all outcome measures reported were within 5 years of follow-up. Meta-analysis showed better knee recovery (MD: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.01-1.45; P  <0.001), greater knee function (MD: 1.78; 95% CI: 0.34-3.22; P  = 0.020), less pain (MD: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.43-1.06; P  <0.001), and better health status (MD: 3.75; 95% CI: 0.81-6.69; P  = 0.010) after UKA than TKA. However, considering the minimal clinically important difference values for these variables, the findings were not clinically relevant. Moreover, UKA patients had fewer complications (RR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.45-0.78; P  <0.001) and shorter hospital stays (MD: -0.89; 95% CI: -1.57 to -0.22; P  = 0.009) than did TKA patients. There were no statistically significant differences in terms of postoperative range of movement, revision, failure, operation time, and patient satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS In terms of clinical efficacy, there was no obvious advantage of UKA over TKA in the surgical treatment of knee OA when considering the minimal clinically important difference. The main advantage of UKA over TKA is that it leads to fewer complications and a shorter length of hospital stay. It is ideal to perform prospective studies with longer follow-up periods to fully evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of the two procedures in the future.
Humans ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee/methods* ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/surgery* ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To evaluate the frailty status and risk factors among hospitalized elderly patients after percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI),and to provide a reference for improving and delaying their frailty.Methods From March to August 2024,using convenience sampling,patients aged over 75 years who underwent PCI in a tertiary cardiovascular disease specialist hospital in Beijing were selected as the survey participants.Patient-related informations were collected through a self-designed general information questionnaire.The Fried Phenotype Frailty Scale,the Katz Activities of Daily Living,Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living(IADL)scale,the Charlson Comorbidity Index,the Morse Fall Scale,the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form(MNA-SF),and the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale(GDS-15)were evaluated postoperatively until discharge.Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with frailty among patients after PCI.Results A total of 278 patients were included.The incidence of frailty after PCI was 52.16％.Based on Fried Phenotype scores,patients were divided into a non-frail group and a frail group.Univariate analysis showed statistically significant differences between the 2 groups in terms of age,gender,hemoglobin,NT-ProBNP,LVEF,IADL scores,living alone status,nutrition status,falls risk,and depression level(P＜0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age,Lawton IADL scores,falls risk,nutrition status,depression level were factors influencing frailty,with odds ratios of 1.167,0.575,1.597,0.399,and 3.610,respectively(P＜0.05).Conclusion The incidence of frailty is high among patients aged over 75 years after PCI,and there are multiple risk factors affecting their frailty status.Clinical healthcare providers should prioritize long-term management of these patients and implement comprehensive interventions with the consideration of their physiological,psychological,and social conditions.

Objective:To explore the effects and safety of Qigong Pills in IVF-ET outcome of PCOS infertility patients with phlegm-dampness type.Methods:A randomized controlled trial study was carried out. In the Reproductive and Genetic Medicine Center of Dalian Women and Children Medical Center (Group) from January 2021 to December 2023, 60 patients with sputum and damp-induced PCOS infertility assisted by in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) were enrolled and randomly divided into 2 groups by block randomization method, with 30 cases in each group. Patients in both groups took ethinylestradiol cyproterone tablets orally on the 2nd to 5th day of the 1st menstrual cycle before IVF-ET cycle, and received down-regulation treatment on the 18th to 20th day of menstruation. After confirming that the down-regulation standard was reached, Qigong Pills was added to the treatment group, and placebo was taken orally until the trigger day. Two groups of patients underwent transvaginal ultrasound-guided ovarian aspiration after injection of chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) for 24-36 h. The total amount of Gn, the days of Gn, the endometrial thickness of HCG, the number of eggs obtained, the rate of diprokaryotic (2PN) fertilization, the number of transferable embryos, the number of high-quality embryos, the rate of high-quality embryos, the incidence of OHSS and the clinical pregnancy rate were compared between the two groups.Results:Among the 60 patients, 28 cases in the final treatment group and 27 cases in the control group were included in the outcome index evaluation. During controlled hyperstimulation (COH), the total Gn [2 025 (1 575, 2 325) U vs. 2 700 (2 025, 3 150) U, Z=-3.67] and the number of Gn days of the treatment group [10 (8,11) d vs. 11 (9,13) d, Z=-2.31] were lower than those in control group ( P<0.001 or P<0.05). There was no statistical significance in endometrial thickness between 2 groups on HCG day ( P>0.05); the number of high-quality embryos [3 (3, 4) vs. 2 (2, 3), Z=0.11] and the rate of high-quality embryos [46.28% (87/188) vs. 35.19% (57/162), Z=4.42] in the treatment group were higher than those in the control group ( P<0.05). There was no statistical significance in the number of eggs obtained, the fertilization rate of 2PN and the number of transferable embryos between the two groups ( P>0.05). The incidence of OHSS was 3.6% (1/28) in the treatment group and 11.1% (3/27) in the control group, without statistical significance ( P=0.352). The clinical pregnancy rate was 53.6% (15/28) in the treatment group and 37.0% (10/27) in the control group, without statistical significance ( P=0.218). There was no significant difference in the safety indexes of liver and kidney function between 2 groups ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Qigong Pills combined with IVF-ET can effectively reduce the total amount of Gn and the number of days of treatment in PCOS infertility patients with phlegm-dampness type, increase the number and rate of high-quality embryos, and improve the outcome of IVF-ET, and it is safe and effective.

Objective:To analyze the safety and short-term efficacy of thoracic radiotherapy combined with anlotinib in the treatment of inoperable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods:A prospective study was conducted on patients with unresectable locally advanced NSCLC who were intolerant to concurrent chemoradiotherapy and treated at the Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, from October 2020 to September 2023. Anlotinib was administered orally concurrently with radiotherapy (days 1-14, 21 days per cycle, for 3 cycles). Adverse effects and short-term tumor recurrence were observed from the beginning of radiotherapy to the 3-month post-radiotherapy. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates from the date of initial treatment (induction therapy), and intergroup comparisons were performed using the log-rank test.Results:The median age was 62 years (range:42-76 years), with a male predominance ( n=36, 88%) of the included 41 patients. The incidence of grade 3-4 acute hematologic adverse events was 20% (8 cases); the incidence of grade 3 hemoptysis was 2% (1 case), with no grade 4 hemoptysis; the incidence of grade 3-4 radiation pneumonitis was 10% (4 cases). No grade 5 adverse events were observed in the entire cohort. With a median follow-up of 19.7 months (range: 7.1-50.1 months), 19 patients (46%) experienced recurrence, including 4 patients (10%) with local recurrence, 6 patients (15%) with regional lymph node recurrence, and 11 patients (27%) with distant metastases. The 1-year PFS rate was 78.3%. 8 patients (20%) died, including 3 patients died from COVID-19 infection during the follow-up period, 1 patient who died from hypostatic pneumonia due to prolonged bed rest after cerebral infarction, and 4 patients died from tumor-related causes. The 1-year OS rate was 78.0%. Conclusions:Thoracic radiotherapy combined with anlotinib demonstrates good safety, manageable adverse events, and favorable short-term efficacy in NSCNC patients intolerant to concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has emerged as a pivotal tool in the detection and characterization of infectious pathogens in clinical settings, and it has been applied to donor assessment. This case report describes the effective application of mNGS in preventing the transplantation of organs from a donor infected with the rabies virus, who presented with myocarditis. The rapid and accurate identification of the rabies virus through mNGS potentially averted the risk of transmission to organ recipients.

Objective To predict the lymphovascular invasion(LVI)status of breast cancer patients based on digital breast tomo-synthesis(DBT)intratumoral and peritumoral radiomics nomogram.Methods A total of 192 breast cancer patients from 2 institu-tions were retrospectively selected,in which institution 1 was used for train(n=113)and test(n=49),while institution 2 was used for external validation(n=30).Radiomics features were extracted and selected based on intratumoral and peritumoral 1 mm regions from DBT images.Different machine learning algorithms were used to construct intratumoral,peritumoral,and combined intratumoral and peritumoral models,respectively.Patient clinical data were analyzed by both univariate and multivariate logistic regression analy-ses to identify independent risk factors for the clinical imaging model.The performance of the models was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.The radiomics features with the optimal diagnostic performance and the selected clinical imaging features were combined to construct a comprehensive clinical-radiomics model,and a nomogram was drawn.Results The combined intratumoral and peritumoral model was the optimal radiomics model.Maximum tumor diameter[odds ratio(OR)=1.486,P=0.014],suspicious malignant calcifications(OR=2.898,P=0.015),and axillary lymph node(ALN)metastasis(OR=3.615,P<0.001)were independent risk factors for LVI positive.Furthermore,the area under the curve(AUC)of the comprehensive clinical-radiomics model in the training set,test set and external valida-tion set was 0.889,0.916,and 0.862,respectively,which was higher than those of the combined intratumoral and peritumoral model(0.858,0.849,0.844)and the clinical imaging model(0.743,0.759,0.732).Conclusion The predictive nomogram,derived from both radiomics and clinical imaging features,is relatively accurate in identifying future LVI occurrence in breast cancer,demonstra-ting its potential as an assistive tool for clinicians to devise individualized treatment regimes.