Objective:To investigate the clinical application value of a novel filter's retraction hook capture technique of pull-assisted method for the endovascular retrieval of conical inferior vena cava (IVC) filters whose hook attached to the wall.Methods:From January 2020 to December 2024, patients with conical filters whose hook attached to the wall admitted at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital were enrolled consecutively.Results:A total of 46 patients underwent filter retrieval using filter's retraction hook capture technique of pull-assisted method. Among these patients, 39 cases (84.8%) were successful in filter retrieval, with the penetration distance of cranial anchor vertex of 3.3(2.5, 4.4) mm, and 13 (33.3%) filters were deformed. The other 7 cases were unsuccessful, with a penetration distance of cranial anchor vertex of 5.0 (4.3, 5.0) mm, and 6 (85.7%) filters were deformed. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups ( P<0.05). One case (2.2%) had IVC injury, one case (2.2%) experienced filter fracture, and no symptomatic pulmonary embolism occurred. Logistic regression analysis showed that filter deformation was an independent dangerous factor for filter's retraction. Conclusions:Filter's retraction hook capture technique of pull-assisted method is effective in removing conical filters whose hook attached to the wall, with no symptomatic PE occurring. This method can be considered as a new adjuvant technique for filter retrieval.

Objective To design a phased array ultrasonic focusing control system based on sinusoidal signal excitation in order to avoid the introduction of high-frequency interference components into the ultrasonic transducer and improve the electronic focusing performance of phased array ultrasound.Methods The system designed mainly used the high-speed field programmable gate array(FPGA)chip combined with the high-speed digital to analog converter(DAC)to realize synchronous output and control of multi-channel sinusoidal signals.There were 8 sinusoidal excitation emission modules based on FPGA and DAC and one sinusoidal ultrasonic excitation control module based on ZYNQ MPSoC involved in the hardware part of the system,in which the emission modules generated multi-channel sinusoidal excitations and timing control of sinusoidal signals within the module and the control module was responsible for controlling the triggering timing between each sinusoidal excitation transmitter module.The system developed had its software designed with MATLAB App Designer to improve the human-computer interaction experience.Performance verification was carried out for the system by testing the output waveform,inter-channel delay error and focused sound field of each channel.Results The system developed achieved generation and timing control of 64-channel sinusoidal ultrasound excitations,with the output channel main frequency being 0.5 MHz,amplitude within 0 and±12.5 V and the inter-channel delay errors not higher than 26.0 ns;a focused sound field with a focal spot diameter of 4.2 mm(-3 dB)at a depth of 50 mm was obtained when the system was applied to driving a 64-array phased-array transducer.Conclusion The system designed is capable of realizing ultrasonic electron focusing under sinusoidal excitation,which helps to improve the focusing resolution of non-invasive and precise deep brain stimulation techniques relying on the accuracy of ultrasonic focusing such as transcranial magneto-acoustic stimulation(TMAS)and transcranial ultrasonic stimulation(TUS).[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(5):14-20]

Objective To investigate the incidence and economic burden of healthcare-associated infection(HAI)in patients after liver transplant.Methods Basic clinical information,infection status,and related medical expenses of liver transplant patients in the department of hepatobiliary surgery in a tertiary first-class hospital from November 2012 to December 2023 were investigated retrospectively.A case-control study design was employed,with post-li-ver transplant patients who developed HAI as the infection group and those without HAI during the same period as the control group.The 1∶1 propensity score matching(PSM)method was adopted(caliper value was set at 0.05,employing sampling without replacement).Length of hospital stay and hospitalization expenses between patients in the infection group and the control group were compared using Wilcoxon rank-sum test,and the economic burden due to HAI was calculated.Results A total of 336 liver transplant patients were included in study,out of which 48 had HAI,with an incidence of 14.29％.44 pairs were successfully matched by PSM.After matching,the median hospitalization expense for patients in the infection group was 334 473.73 Yuan,while that of the control group was 285 824.82 Yuan,with a statistically significant difference(Z=-3.430,P＜0.05).The direct economic burden of HAI in liver transplant patients was 48 648.91 Yuan.After matching,the median length of hospital stay in the in-fection group(37.0 days)was 12.5 days longer than that in the control group(24.5 days),with statistically sig-nificnat difference(Z=-3.630,P＜0.001).Conclusion HAI after liver transplant increases patients' hospitaliza-tion expense and prolongs their hospital stay,thus brings huge economic burdens to the patients.

Objective:To investigate the clinical effect of ultrasound bone knife bone window technique combined with viscous bone in mandibular cysts and its impact on postoperative bone defect repair.Methods:60 patients with mandibular cysts who visited our hospital from January 2024 to June 2024 were selected as the study subjects,they were randomly divided into control group(30 cases)and experimental group(30 cases).The control group underwent traditional scraping surgery(without the use of bone defect repair materials).The experimental group used ultrasound bone knife bone window technology combined with adhesive bone treatment.The surgical time,postoperative visual pain simulation(VAS)score,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative swelling degree,and incidence of postoperative complications between the two groups were observed and compared.Bone defect repair was evaluated by cone beam computed tomography(CBCT)at 3 and 6 months postoperatively.Results:There was no significant difference in surgical time,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative swelling degree,and incidence of postoperative complications between the two groups(P＞0.05).The VAS scores of both groups at 3 and 7 d postoperative were lower than those at 1 d postoperative(P＜0.05),and the VAS score at 7 d postoperative was lower than that 3 d postoperative(P＜0.05).The VAS scores in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group at 1,3 and 7 d postoperative(P＜0.05).The HU values and bone repair area ratio in the experimental group at 3 and 6 months postoperative were significantly higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05),and the HU values and bone repair area ratio in the control group and experimental group at 6 months postoperative were significantly increased compared to those at 3 months postoperative(P＜0.05).Conclusion:The combination of ultrasound bone knife bone window technology and adhesive bone treatment for mandibular cysts can significantly reduce postoperative pain,accelerate bone defect repair,and improve bone density and repair quality.Compared with traditional scraping surgery,the use of sticky bone has significant advantages in postoperative bone regeneration and does not significantly increase the risk of complications,making it of high clinical application value.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy, safety and treatment persistence of upadacitinib in Crohn's disease (CD) patients.Methods:The single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted. The patients with moderate-to-severe active CD initiating upadacitinib therapy from November 2023 to November 2024 in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital were collected through searching the electronic medical records and paper-based patient databases. The primary outcome was the clinical remission rate at week 12. Secondary outcomes included the clinical response rate at week 12; clinical response and remission rates at weeks 4, 24 and 48; biomarker (fecal calprotectin or C-reactive protein) remission rates at all time points; as well as endoscopic remission and response rates, treatment persistence and safety evaluation.Results:A total of 44 CD patients were included, comprising 24 males (54.5%) and 20 females (45.5%). The median age was 33 (25, 40) years. The baseline Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI) score was 260.5 (225.9, 550.0) points. Patients had previously received a median of 2 (1, 2) biologic treatments. All 44 patients completed the 12-week induction therapy. With a median follow-up of 30.00 (16.25, 46.25) weeks, the clinical remission rate was 50.0% (22/44) at week 12. The clinical remission rate, clinical response rate, and biomarker remission rate were 52.3% (23/44), 88.6% (39/44) and 72.7% (32/44) respectively at week 4, and the clinical response rate and biomarker remission rate were 88.6% (39/44) and 77.2% (34/44) respectively at week 12. The clinical remission rates, clinical response rates and biomarker remission rates evolved to 43.3% (13/30), 86.7% (26/30) and 80.0% (24/30) at week 24, and further to 44.4% (4/9), 77.8% (7/9) and 77.8% (7/9) at week 48. During the follow-up period, 13 CD patients completing endoscopic evaluation, endoscopic remission and response rates were 30.8% and 23.1% respectively. CD-related surgery rate was 4.5% (2/44). Safety analysis demonstrated that the overall adverse events rate was 56.8% (25/44) including 7 patients with serious adverse events. A total of 8 patients discontinued treatment, among which 3 were due to primary loss of response, 1 due to secondary loss of response, 2 due to drug-related adverse events alone, and 2 due to concurrent primary loss of response and adverse events. The Kaplan-Meier curve for treatment persistence showed that among 39 CD patients who achieved clinical response at week 12, the continued treatment rates were 90.3% at week 12 and 85.3% at week 24 of follow-up. Two patients (5.6%) received dose escalation of upadacitinib, both of whom achieved clinical remission.Conclusion:Real-world research data demonstrate that upadacitinib exhibits significant clinical efficacy and a favorable safety profile in the treatment of moderate-to-severe active CD patients with prior biologic exposure, and no new unexpected adverse events are identified.

Objective:To investigate the radioactivity levels and variation trends of 90Sr in drinking water and food around the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant in operation. Methods:From 2012 to 2022, the source, factory, and tap water was collected within 30 km around the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant during the wet and dry seasons (i.e., May and October, respectively) each year to determine the 90Sr concentration in water. According to the dietary habits of local residents, four kinds of food, including rice, cabbage, mullet, and crucian carp, were collected to determine and analyze the 90Sr radioactivity concentration in food using the bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid extraction chromatographic method. Results:From 2012 to 2022, the 90Sr radioactivity concentrations in the source, factory, and tap water around the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant ranged from 3.73 to 11.89 mBq/L, 2.95 to 9.83 mBq/L, and 3.12 to 8.70 mBq/L, respectively, showing nonsignificant fluctuations over the years. The 90Sr radioactivity concentrations in rice, cabbage, mullet, and crucian carp ranged from 0.02 to 0.46 Bq/kg (dry weight), 0.26 to 1.07 Bq/kg (fresh weight), 0.38 to 1.05 Bq/kg (fresh weight), and 0.08 to 1.32 Bq/kg (fresh weight), respectively, all below the national standard limits. Conclusions:From 2012 to 2022, the 90Sr radioactivity levels in drinking water and food around the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant were at the background level and remained stable.

Objective To conduct an analysis on objective data of tongue manifestations and complexions among college students with yang deficiency constitution and balanced constitution,thus to explore the correlation between yang deficiency constitution and the objective data of tongue manifestations and complexions among college students.Methods From August 2023 to January 2024,data collection was carried out in 325 cases of yang deficiency constitution(yang deficiency group)and 175 cases of balanced constitution(balanced group)from college students of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine,Central South University,Hunan Normal University,Hunan University and Changsha University of Science and Technology in Hunan Province.YM-MA-Ⅰ digital detection system for tongue manifestations and complexions of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)was utilized for data collection and image analysis,and the differences in the Lab parameters of tongue color,tongue shape,tongue coating color,complexions,and lip color were compared between yang deficiency group and balanced group.Of the Lab parameters,letter"L"stands for luminance,which expresses the luminance from absolute black to absolute white,and takes the value of 0-100;letter"a"and letter"b"stand for two color channels,letter"a"represents the color from dark green to grey then to bright pink,and takes a value from-128 to 127,and letter"b"represents the color from bright blue to grey then to yellow,and also takes a value from-128 to 127.Results(1)The analysis of tongue manifestations showed that in comparison with the balanced group,enlarged tongue(72.62％),tooth-marked tongue(83.69％),and greasy coating(59.38％)were frequently seen in the yang deficiency group,and the differences were all statistically significant(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).(2)The analysis of complexions showed that in comparison with the balanced group,lusterless complexion(79.08％)and pale lip(42.15％)were frequently seen in the yang deficiency group,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.01).(3)The yang deficiency group had higher L value of tongue color,L value of tongue coating color,L value of complexions,and L and b values of lip color than the balanced group,and the differences were all statistically significant(P＜0.05),indicating that the tongue color,complexions,and lip color of the yang deficiency group were all pale.Conclusion The objective data and image analysis of tongue manifestations and complexions can accurately identify the population of yang deficiency constitution from college students,and the results will provide approaches and references for the identification of other TCM constitutions from the population.

Objective To specifically extract and analyze nascent proteins synthesized by bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs)after transplantation into ischemic hearts using a technique employing mutant methionyl-tRNA synthetase(MetRSL247G)for nascent protein labeling,in order to explore the potential mechanisms of action in BMSCs post-transplantation.Methods Point mutation at position 274 of the MetRS gene in BMSCs was induced via lentiviral infection to enable azidonorleucine(ANL)-mediated labeling of nascent proteins in BMSCs.The labeling efficiency was verified by means of fluorescent non-canonical amino-acid tagging(FUNCAT).Thirty healthy female C57BL/6J mice(8-10 weeks old)were divided into control and experimental groups,with 15 mice in each group.The acute myocardial infarction model was constructed by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery in experimental group,while control mice underwent only thoracotomy without coronary ligation.After modeling,both groups received intramyocardial injections of MetRSL247G-modified BMSCs(MetRSL247G-BMSCs)at 3 different sites in the peri-infarct ischemic region.Mice were intraperitoneally injected with ANL every 6 hours for 4 times on postoperative days 0,2,and 6(n=5 for each time point)respectively,euthanized 24 h after the last injection,and cardiac tissues were isolated.The newly synthesized and labeled proteins produced by BMSCs after transplantation into the myocardium of experimental and control groups were collected,using an enrichment technique for ANL-tagged proteins and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS)analysis.Gene ontology(GO)analysis,Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway analysis,protein-protein interaction(PPI)analysis,and heatmap visualization analysis were performed to identify differentially expressed proteins at the 3 time points and screen key pathways and genes.Results Under fluorescence microscopy,the MetRSL247G lentivirus-infected BMSCs were observed to be labelled with mCherry signals,confirming the successful construction of the MetRSL247G-BMSCs cell line.Green fluorescent signals were detected only in nascent proteins in culture medium containing both MetRSL247G-BMSCs and ANL,validating the sensitivity and specificity of the labeling method.GO analysis revealed that differentially expressed proteins were primarily involved in basic cellular biological processes such as extracellular exosome formation,extracellular matrix organization,and focal adhesion.KEGG and PPI analyses indicated that the differential proteins were mainly involved in complement and coagulation cascade pathway,actin cytoskeleton regulation pathway,and apoptosis pathway.Heatmap analysis showed significantly upregulated expression of anti-apoptosis and cell adhesion-related factors in experimental group on day 1(P＜0.05),upregulated anti-apoptotic factors,pro-apoptotic factors,and cell adhesion-related factors on day 3(P＜0.05),and upregulated anti-apoptotic factors,cell differentiation-related factors,and cell adhesion-related factors on day 7(P＜0.05)compared with control group.Expression of apoptosis-inducing factor 1 was significantly downregulated on days 1 and 7(P＜0.05).On day 3,most differentially expressed proteins,including anti-apoptosis factors(Protein S100-A11,Clusterin,Gelsolin),pro-apoptosis factor(Cathepsin B),cell differentiation-related factor(Transgelin-2),and cell adhesion-related factors(Cofilin-1,Periostin,Fibronectin)were significantly upregulated(P＜0.05).Conclusions The MetRSL247G mutation enables BMSCs to incorporate ANL and synthesize labeled proteins,confirming the feasibility of this nascent protein labeling technique.Nascent proteins of BMSCs in ischemic myocardium primarily contribute to extracellular exosome secretion and extracellular matrix organization.BMSCs may adapt to and respond to ischemic and hypoxic environments by influencing complement and coagulation cascades,activating inflammatory factors,regulating actin cytoskeleton structure,and modulating apoptosis,thereby maintaining the survival of BMSCs.

Objective To identify the enhancer landscape marked by histone H3K27ac modifications in diffuse-type gastric cancer(DGC)tissues,and to elucidate the epigenetic remodeling mechanisms by which active enhancers regulate cachexia-related genes.Methods Gastric mucosal tissue samples were collected from Department of Gastroenterology of Army Medical Center of PLA during January 2022 to March 2023,including 10 normal gastric mucosa tissues(Normal group),10 DGC tissues diagnosed with cachexia(DGC group),and 10 organoids derived from DGC tissues(Organoid group).Using H3K27ac chromatin targeting cleavage and tagmentation(CUT&Tag)technology,genomic modification regions were captured to screen specific active enhancers and their potential target genes in DGC tissues.CRISPR-dCas9 gene editing technology was used to intervene with the enhancers,and the expression of target genes was detected with Western blotting and qRT-PCR.Sixteen female SPF-grade BALB/c Nude mice(6～8 weeks old,weighing 18～21 g)were utilized to establish an orthotopic xenograft tumor model using the human diffuse-type gastric cancer cell line MKN45.Cachexia-related phenotypes were evaluated in 3 groups:normal group(n=4),silencing group(n=6),and control group(n=6).Results Significant differential enhancer regions were identified between DGC and normal gastric mucosa tissues.DGC tissues exhibited a marked increase in enhancer abundance(P<0.05)and signal intensity when compared with the normal counterparts.Integrated analysis of transcriptome data revealed that some of these active enhancers up-regulated the expression of GDF15,a cachexia-associated target gene in DGC.Targeted silencing of the active enhancer of GDF15 using CRISPR/dCas9-KRAB plasmid technology resulted in a significant reduction in GDF15 expression at both mRNA levels(P<0.05)and protein.Results from orthotopic transplantation experiments of DGC demonstrated that silencing of active enhancers alleviated the cachexia phenotype in nude mice(P<0.05).Conclusion DGC exhibits enhancer remodeling,which regulates the expression of the cachexia-associated gene GDF15,and thereby contributes to the pathogenesis and progression of cancer cachexia.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and potential mechanism of sulfasalazine (SASP) therapy for intrahepatic cholestasis.Methods:Forty SD rats were randomly divided into a normal group (carboxymethylcellulose sodium 0.5%), a model group (carboxymethylcellulose sodium 0.5%), a SASP group (sulfasalazine 150 mg/kg), and an ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA 100 mg/kg) group, with ten rats in each group. The cholestatic liver injury model was induced using α-naphthylisothiocyanate. Blood samples were collected to detect liver biochemistry and cholestasis indexes. Rat liver tissue was collected for hematoxylin-eosin staining and Mason staining. Liver tissue was analyzed using transcriptome sequencing, real-time reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting and flow cytometry. Simultaneously, the level of inflammatory factors, total cholesterol, and total bile acids were measured in liver tissue. A t-test or a nonparametric test was selected based on the distribution and variance characteristics of the data. Results:The serum levels of alanine aminotransferase [(386.88±155.77) U/L], aspartate aminotransferase [(593.13±251.44) U/L], alkaline phosphatase [(561.25±167.54) U/L], total bilirubin [(38.00±29.75) mol/L] and total bile acids [(191.31±91.48) mol/L] were significantly lower in the SASP than the model groups [(778.75±313.59) U/L, (1 159.38±274.62) U/L, (801.25±161.28) U/L, (86.63±27.83) mol/L, (432.63±151.54) mol/L, P<0.05]. Liver histopathology showed that the inflammatory cells in the manifold area, the bile duct proliferation and dilation, and the collagen deposition in the manifold area were significantly improved under the pathological state of cholestasis in the SASP group. The results of transcriptome sequencing demonstrated that SASP activated the peroxisome proliferator actived receptor α (PPAR α) and inhibited Th17 cell differentiation. The PPARα mRNA level in the liver tissue of rats was significantly increased in the SASP group compared with that in the model group [(0.41±0.28) vs. (0.16±0.04), P<0.05], and the expression of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase was decreased compared with that in the model group [(3.09±1.16) vs. (8.19±2.19), P<0.05], which was also verified at the protein level. The concentrations of total cholesterol [(0.31±0.34) mmol/g] and total bile acids [(2.58±0.99) μmol/g] were lower than the model group [(0.83±0.62) mmol/g and (4.07±0.91) μmol/g] ( P<0.05), and at the same time it was accompanied by lower levels of inflammatory factors ( P<0.05). SASP treatment decreased the expression of retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γt gene ( P<0.05) and the proportion of Th17 ( P<0.05). Conclusion:SASP can improve cholestatic liver injury, and its mechanism is related to the activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α and the inhibition of Th17 cell differentiation.