Primary liver cancer is a common malignant tumor in China. The current main treatment methods include surgical resection, liver transplantation, interventional therapy, radiofrequency ablation, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. Yttrium-90 microsphere selective internal radiation therapy (⁹⁰Y-SIRT) represents a critical treatment option for converting unresectable intermediate to advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. This report details a case of a patient with a giant hepatocellular carcinoma in the right lobe treated with ⁹⁰Y resin microsphere at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. Post-treatment, the tumor showed significant necrosis and reduction in size, with a marked decrease in alpha fetoprotein (AFP) levels and notable improvement in clinical symptoms. The case highlights the substantial efficacy of ⁹⁰Y-SIRT in controlling tumor progression and enhancing patient quality of life.

Background::Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and diameter, stiffness, and wave reflections, are independent and important clinical biomarkers and risk predictors for cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of the present study was to establish nationwide reference values of carotid properties for healthy Chinese adults and to explore potential clinical determinants.Methods::A total of 3053 healthy Han Chinese adults (1922 women) aged 18-79 years were enrolled at 28 collaborating tertiary centers throughout China between April 2021 and July 2022. The real-time tracking of common carotid artery walls was achieved by the radio frequency (RF) ultrasound system. The IMT, diameter, compliance coefficient, β stiffness, local pulse wave velocity (PWV), local systolic blood pressure, augmented pressure (AP), and augmentation index (AIx) were then automatically measured and reported. Data were stratified by age groups and sex. The relationships between age and carotid property parameters were analyzed by Jonckheere-Terpstra test and simple linear regressions. The major clinical determinants of carotid properties were identified by Pearson’s correlation, multiple linear regression, and analyses of covariance.Results::All the parameters of carotid properties demonstrated significantly age-related trajectories. Women showed thinner IMT, smaller carotid diameter, larger AP, and AIx than men. The β stiffness and PWV were significantly higher in men than women before forties, but the differences reversed after that. The increase rate of carotid IMT (5.5 μm/year in women and 5.8 μm/year in men) and diameter (0.03 mm/year in both men and women) were similar between men and women. For the stiffness and wave reflections, women showed significantly larger age-related variations than men as demonstrated by steeper regression slopes (all P for age by sex interaction <0.05). The blood pressures, body mass index (BMI), and triglyceride levels were identified as major clinical determinants of carotid properties with adjustment of age and sex. Conclusions::The age- and sex-specific reference values of carotid properties measured by RF ultrasound for healthy Chinese adults were established. The blood pressures, BMI, and triglyceride levels should be considered for clinical application of corresponding reference values.

Objective To investigate the effect of ophiopogonin B(OP-B)on tumor growth in gastric tumor-bearing rats and its underlying mechanism.Methods Sixty-six SPF SD rats(half male and female,6 weeks old,180～200 g)were randomly divided into model group,low-,medium-and high-dose OP-B groups,and activator group,with 10 rats in each group.The gastric tumor-bearing model was established by orthotopic transplantation of Walker-256 tumor tissue.The rats in the 3 doses groups were given 17.5,35 and 70 mg/kg OP-B,respectively,by gavage and intraperitoneal injection of the same amount of normal saline,and the rats in the activator group were intragastrically administered with 70 mg/kg OP-B and intraperitoneally injected with 1 mg/kg Rho A/ROCK1 signaling pathway activator,lysophosphatidic acid(LPA).The weight and volume of transplanted tumor were recorded to calculate the tumor inhibitory rate.The morphology of tumor tissue was observed with HE staining.The apoptosis of tumor cells were detected by TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling(TUNEL)staining.The expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen 67(Ki-67)and cleavage cysteine aspartic acid proteolytic enzyme-3(Cleaved Caspase-3)in tumor tissues were detected by immunohistochemical staining.RT-qPCR and Western blotting were utilized to measure the expression of Ras homologous gene family member A(Rho A)and Rho-associated coiled-coil forming protein kinasel(ROCK1)at mRNA and protein levels.Results Compared with the model group,the tumor weight and volume,mRNA and protein levels of Ki-67,Rho A and ROCK1 were significantly decreased,and the tumor inhibitory rate,tumor cell apoptotic rate and Cleaved Caspase-3 protein level were obviously increased in the low-,medium-and high-dose OP-B groups(P＜0.05).The activator group had heavier tumor weight and larger volume,increased mRNA and protein expression levels of Ki-67,Rho A and ROCK1,and lower tumor inhibitory rate and apoptotic rate and reduced Cleaved Caspase-3 expression when compared with the high-dose OP-B group(P＜0.05).Conclusion OP-B may suppress the tumor growth of gastric tumor-bearing rats by inhibiting the activation of Rho A/ROCK1 signaling pathway.

Objective To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of roxadustat and darbepoetin alfa on treating renal anemia in dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease(DD-CKD)patients,thus providing health economics reference for treatment of renal anemia.Methods A Markov model simulating the development and treatment of anemia in DD-CKD patients in a lifetime horizon(20 years)was constructed.Total costs of roxadustat and darbepoetin alfa injection were estimated from the perspective of Chinese healthcare system,with health outcomes converted into quality-adjusted life year(QALY).The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio(ICER)was used to describe the results.The willingness-to-pay(WTP)threshold was set at 257 094 yuan,which was three times China's gross domestic product(GDP)per capita in 2023.Sensitivity analyses were performed to test the uncertainties of the results.Results The total treatment costs of roxadustat and darbepoetin alfa injection were 111 902.41 yuan and 52 927.92 yuan respectively,corresponding to QALY values of 4.76 and 4.74 life-years.The incremental cost-effectiveness(ICER)was 2 654 912.45 yuan/QALY,which exceeded 3 times GDP per capita.Therefore,compared with darbepoetin alfa injection,roxadustat has no cost-effectiveness for patients with DD-CKD.Conclusion In the context of current economic development in China,darbepoetin alfa injection is more cost-effective than roxadustatin for treating anemia in DD-CKD patients.

Objective: : The spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) remains a significant cause of mortality and morbidity throughout the world. The purpose of this retrospective study is to develop multiple models for predicting ICH outcomes using machine learning (ML). Methods: : Between January 2014 and October 2021, we included ICH patients identified by computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging and treated with surgery. At the 6-month check-up, outcomes were assessed using the modified Rankin Scale. In this study, four ML models, including Support Vector Machine (SVM), Decision Tree C5.0, Artificial Neural Network, Logistic Regression were used to build ICH prediction models. In order to evaluate the reliability and the ML models, we calculated the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), specificity, sensitivity, accuracy, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR). Results: : We identified 71 patients who had favorable outcomes and 156 who had unfavorable outcomes. The results showed that the SVM model achieved the best comprehensive prediction efficiency. For the SVM model, the AUC, accuracy, specificity, sensitivity, PLR, NLR, and DOR were 0.91, 0.92, 0.92, 0.93, 11.63, 0.076, and 153.03, respectively. For the SVM model, we found the importance value of time to operating room (TOR) was higher significantly than other variables. Conclusion : The analysis of clinical reliability showed that the SVM model achieved the best comprehensive prediction efficiency and the importance value of TOR was higher significantly than other variables.

BACKGROUND: We have recently developed a new Coronary Artery Tree description and Lesion EvaluaTion (CatLet) angiographic scoring system. Our preliminary studies have demonstrated its superiority over the the Synergy between percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score with respect to outcome predictions for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients. The current study hypothesized that the residual CatLet (rCatLet) score predicts clinical outcomes for AMI patients and that a combination with the three clinical variables (CVs)-age, creatinine, and ejection fraction, will enhance its predicting values. METHODS: The rCatLet score was calculated retrospectively in 308 consecutively enrolled patients with AMI. Primary endpoint, major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events (MACCE) including all-cause mortality, non-fatal AMI, transient ischemic attack/stroke, and ischemia-driven repeat revascularization, was stratified according to rCatLet score tertiles: rCatLet_low ≤3, rCatLet_mid 4-11, and rCatLet_top ≥12, respectively. Cross-validation confirmed a reasonably good agreement between the observed and predicted risks. RESULTS: Of 308 patients analyzed, the rates of MACCE, all-cause death, and cardiac death were 20.8%, 18.2%, and 15.3%, respectively. Kaplan-Meier curves for all endpoints showed increasing outcome events with the increasing tertiles of the rCatLet score, with P values <0.001 on trend test. For MACCE, all-cause death, and cardiac death, the area under the curves (AUCs) of the rCatLet score were 0.70 (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 0.63-0.78), 0.69 (95% CI: 0.61-0.77), and 0.71 (95% CI: 0.63-0.79), respectively; the AUCs of the CVs-adjusted rCatLet score models were 0.83 (95% CI: 0.78-0.89), 0.87 (95% CI: 0.82-0.92), and 0.89 (95% CI: 0.84-0.94), respectively. The performance of CVs-adjusted rCatLet score was significantly better than the stand-alone rCatLet score in terms of outcome predictions. CONCLUSION: The rCatLet score has a predicting value for clinical outcomes for AMI patients and the incorporation of the three CVs into the rCatLet score will enhance its predicting ability. TRIAL REGISTRATION http://www.chictr.org.cn , ChiCTR-POC-17013536.
Humans ; Coronary Artery Disease/complications* ; Death ; Myocardial Infarction/etiology* ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors ; Treatment Outcome

Objective:To explore health utility value, evaluate health-related quality-of-life(QOL)of pediatric liver transplantation(LT)recipients and examine its influencing factors to provide rationales for related health economic evaluations.Methods:This cross-sectional QOL was conducted through a questionnaire in pediatric LT recipients aged 5-17 years.The interviewees undergoing initial LT from June 2013 to September 2021 were reviewed regularly.Those children and their parents unwilling to participate or failing to understand the contents of questionnaire were excluded.The questionnaire was designed on the basis of Child Health Utility 9D Instrument(CHU9D)and answered online by one of primary caregiver.Chinese score system of CHU9D was employed for converting the responses into health utility values and the influencing factors were analyzed.Univariate analysis was performed by nonparametric tests and multivariate analysis by multiple linear regression model. P<0.05 was deemed as statistically significant. Results:A total of 140 valid questionnaires were obtained.Mean age of pediatric LT recipients was(7.95±2.74)years and mean postoperative time(4.90±2.17)years.Among them, 19 cases had experienced acute rejection and 101(72.1%)cases were living-related LT recipients.CHU9D scale indicated that average health utility value was(0.85±0.14)points.Univariate analysis revealed that age( P=0.008), education level( P<0.001)and primary disease( P=0.010)influenced the postoperative level of QOL.Multivariate analysis indicated that QOL was correlated with education level(behind schedule: 95% CI: -0.146, -0.034, P=0.002; leave of absence: 95% CI: -0.251, -0.068, P=0.001). Conclusions:Health utility of pediatric LT recipients is high with an excellent QOL.Poor QOL is associated with absence from school or dropping out of school.

Objective:To study the status of iodized salt consumption, iodine nutrition and thyroid nodules among adults in Wuhan City, so as to provide a basis for continuing implement the salt iodization policy in Wuhan City.Methods:From 2019 to 2021, a multi-stage cluster random sampling method was used in 13 districts of Wuhan City. Two communities or townships were selected from each district, and 100 permanent residents over 16 years old were selected from each community or township. Household salt samples and individual random urine samples were collected. Physical examination, salt iodine test, urinary iodine test and thyroid ultrasound examination were performed.Results:A total of 2 578 permanent residents over 16 years old in Wuhan City were surveyed, with an iodized salt coverage rate of 92.09% (2 374/2 578) and a qualified iodized salt consumption rate of 86.11% (2 220/2 578). The median adult urinary iodine was 185.32 μg/L. The detection rate of thyroid nodules was 35.49% (915/2 578). The detection rate of thyroid nodules was significantly lower in males than in females (χ 2 = 62.43, P < 0.001), with a trend of increasing with age (χ 2trend = 91.83, P < 0.001), with a lower detection rate in central urban areas than in remote urban areas (χ 2 = 23.17, P < 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences in the iodine content of edible salt, iodized salt coverage rate, qualified iodized salt consumption rate, and urinary iodine content between adults with and without thyroid nodule, as well as between the single nodule group and the multiple nodule group ( P > 0.05). According to Spearman correlation analysis, there was no correlation between the detection rate of thyroid nodules and the iodine content in edible salt and urine ( r = - 0.012, 0.017, P > 0.05). Conclusions:After the salt industry reform, the qualified iodized salt consumption rate among adults in Wuhan City has slightly decreased, and the iodine nutritional status is at an appropriate level. The prevalence of thyroid nodules is relatively high, and increases with age, which is higher in females than in males. Iodine nutrition and iodized salt consumption are not found to be associated with thyroid nodules.

As a ligand-dependent transcription factor,retinoid-associated orphan receptor γt(RORyt)that controls T helper(Th)17 cell differentiation and interleukin(IL)-17 expression plays a critical role in the pro-gression of several inflammatory and autoimmune conditions.An emerging novel approach to the therapy of these diseases thus involves controlling the transcriptional capacity of RORyt to decrease Th17 cell development and IL-17 production.Several RORyt inhibitors including both antagonists and inverse agonists have been discovered to regulate the transcriptional activity of RORyt by binding to orthosteric-or allosteric-binding sites in the ligand-binding domain.Some of small-molecule inhibitors have entered clinical evaluations.Therefore,in current review,the role of RORyt in Th17 regulation and Th17-related inflammatory and autoimmune diseases was highlighted.Notably,the recently developed RORyt inhibitors were summarized,with an emphasis on their optimization from lead compounds,ef-ficacy,toxicity,mechanisms of action,and clinical trials.The limitations of current development in this area were also discussed to facilitate future research.

Objective:To study the prevalence and epidemiological characteristics of adult thyroid nodules in Wuhan City, and to analyze the influencing factors of thyroid nodules, so as to provide basis for prevention and treatment of adult thyroid nodules in Wuhan City.Methods:From 2019 to 2021, two communities or towns were selected from each of the 13 districts in Wuhan City using multi-stage cluster random sampling method. One hundred permanent residents over the age of 16 were selected from each community or town according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria (age and sex ratio balanced), for questionnaire survey, physical examination, urinary iodine test and thyroid ultrasound examination. The influencing factors of thyroid nodules was analyzed using logistic regession and Spearman correlation.Results:A total of 2 578 adults were investigated, including 1 168 men and 1 410 women. The age was (41.79 ± 13.01) years. The prevalence of thyroid nodules was 35.49% (915/2 578). The prevalence of single nodules was 19.16% (494/2 578), which was higher than that of multiple nodules [16.33% (421/2 578), χ 2 = 2 577.00, P < 0.001]. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that female ( OR = 2.033, 95% CI: 1.631 - 2.535), older ( OR = 1.404, 95% CI: 1.290 - 1.528), history of thyroid disease ( OR = 1.351, 95% CI: 1.211 - 1.506) and diabetes ( OR = 1.449, 95% CI: 1.083 - 1.938) were independent risk factors for adult thyroid nodules ( P < 0.05). The median urinary iodine of residents in Wuhan City was 185.32 μg/L, at an appropriate level of iodine nutrition, there was no correlation between urinary iodine and thyroid nodules ( r = 0.02, P = 0.391). Conclusions:The prevalence of thyroid nodules of adults in Wuhan City is high. Women, older, a history of thyroid diseases and diabetes are all risk factors for thyroid nodules. No correlation is found between urinary iodine level and thyroid nodules.