Objective To establish a stable,reliable,and clinically relevant porcine model of endotoxin-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS).Methods Ten 8-month-old male Bama minipigs were deeply sedated,followed by invasive mechanical ventilation and electrocardiographic monitoring.Lipopolysaccharide(LPS)was intravenously pumped at 600 μg/(kg·h)for 3 hours,then maintained at 15 μg/(kg·h)thereafter.Dynamic monitoring was performed at five time points after LPS injection(LPS 0,1,3,5,and 8 h),including arterial blood gas analysis and chest computed tomography(CT)scans.Pathological examination of lung tissues obtained via bronchoscopic biopsy(HE staining and transmission electron microscopy)was conducted.These indicators were comprehensively used to evaluate the success of the animal model.Results At 5 hours after LPS administration,8 minipigs developed symptoms such as skin cyanosis,elevated body temperature,and respiratory distress.The oxygenation index decreased to<300 mmHg.Chest CT scans showed diffuse pulmonary infiltrates.Histopathology revealed alveolar edema and hyaline membrane formation.Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated disruption of pulmonary blood-air barrier,depletion of lamellar bodies in type Ⅱ pneumocytes,inflammatory cell infiltration,and exudation of plasma proteins and fibrin.Compared with LPS 0 h,at LPS 8 h,the oxygenation index and arterial blood pH were significantly decreased(P<0.001),while blood lactic acid and serum potassium were significantly increased(P<0.05);serum calcium and base excess were significantly decreased(P<0.05),and the lung injury score based on HE-stained lung sections was significantly increased(P<0.01).Conclusion The porcine ARDS model established by continuous LPS injection can dynamically simulate the pathophysiological characteristics and typical pathological manifestations of clinical septic ARDS,making it an effective tool to study the pathogenesis,prevention,and treatment strategies of septic ARDS.

Objective:To investigate the value of biparametric-MRI (bpMRI) based peritumoral radiomics for preoperative prediction of extraprostatic extension (EPE) in prostate cancer (PCa).Methods:In this cross-sectional study, consecutive bpMRI of patients undergoing prostatectomy for PCa were retrospectively collected from the First Medical Center (center 1) and the Third Medical Center (center 2) of Chinese PLA General Hospital. A total of 274 patients were finally enrolled. Patients at center 1 from January 2020 to December 2022 were randomly divided into a training set (149 cases) and an internal validation set (63 cases) by stratified random sampling. Patients at center 2 from January 2023 to March 2024 were assigned to the external test set (62 cases). Patients were categorized into EPE-positive group and EPE-negative group according to pathological assessment postoperatively. In the training set, there were 49 cases in EPE-positive group and 100 cases in EPE-negative group. In the internal validation set, there were 26 cases in EPE-positive group and 37 cases in EPE-negative group. In the external test set, there were 22 cases in EPE-positive group and 40 cases in EPE-negative group. Axial T 2WI and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) images were manually annotated to obtain index lesion regions of interest (ROIs), with the peritumoral ROIs subsequently delineated by semi-automatic segmentation technique. Radiomics features were extracted from intra-tumoral, peri-tumoral, and intra-tumoral plus peri-tumoral ROIs. The training set data was employed to select and optimize features to build the radiomics models. The logistic regression analysis was used to develop radiomics, clinical, and integrated models. The predictive performance was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) in the external test set, and compared by the DeLong test. The sensitivity and specificity were compared by the exact McNemar test. Results:In the external test set, the peri-tumoral radiomics model based on bpMRI showed the highest performance in evaluating EPE, with an AUC of 0.739 (95% CI 0.611-0.842), which was identified as the optimal radiomics model. EPE grade ( OR=6.151, 95% CI 3.371-11.226, P<0.001) was incorporated into the clinical model, with an AUC of 0.780 (95% CI 0.657-0.875) in the external test set. The integrated model had an AUC of 0.817 (95% CI 0.698-0.904) in the external test set. There was no statistically significant difference in comparisons of AUCs among the three models (all P>0.05). The sensitivity of the integrated model (68.2%) showed no significant difference from those of the clinical model and the optimal radiomics model (77.3% and 86.4%, respectively; P=0.500 and P=0.289). However, the specificity of the integrated model (85.0%) was significantly higher than those of the clinical model (67.5%, P=0.016) and the optimal radiomics model (50.0%, P<0.001). Conclusion:A bpMRI-based peritumoral radiomics integrating clinical model demonstrates high performance for preoperative prediction of EPE in PCa.

Objective:To investigate the value of biparametric-MRI (bpMRI) based peritumoral radiomics for preoperative prediction of extraprostatic extension (EPE) in prostate cancer (PCa).Methods:In this cross-sectional study, consecutive bpMRI of patients undergoing prostatectomy for PCa were retrospectively collected from the First Medical Center (center 1) and the Third Medical Center (center 2) of Chinese PLA General Hospital. A total of 274 patients were finally enrolled. Patients at center 1 from January 2020 to December 2022 were randomly divided into a training set (149 cases) and an internal validation set (63 cases) by stratified random sampling. Patients at center 2 from January 2023 to March 2024 were assigned to the external test set (62 cases). Patients were categorized into EPE-positive group and EPE-negative group according to pathological assessment postoperatively. In the training set, there were 49 cases in EPE-positive group and 100 cases in EPE-negative group. In the internal validation set, there were 26 cases in EPE-positive group and 37 cases in EPE-negative group. In the external test set, there were 22 cases in EPE-positive group and 40 cases in EPE-negative group. Axial T 2WI and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) images were manually annotated to obtain index lesion regions of interest (ROIs), with the peritumoral ROIs subsequently delineated by semi-automatic segmentation technique. Radiomics features were extracted from intra-tumoral, peri-tumoral, and intra-tumoral plus peri-tumoral ROIs. The training set data was employed to select and optimize features to build the radiomics models. The logistic regression analysis was used to develop radiomics, clinical, and integrated models. The predictive performance was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) in the external test set, and compared by the DeLong test. The sensitivity and specificity were compared by the exact McNemar test. Results:In the external test set, the peri-tumoral radiomics model based on bpMRI showed the highest performance in evaluating EPE, with an AUC of 0.739 (95% CI 0.611-0.842), which was identified as the optimal radiomics model. EPE grade ( OR=6.151, 95% CI 3.371-11.226, P<0.001) was incorporated into the clinical model, with an AUC of 0.780 (95% CI 0.657-0.875) in the external test set. The integrated model had an AUC of 0.817 (95% CI 0.698-0.904) in the external test set. There was no statistically significant difference in comparisons of AUCs among the three models (all P>0.05). The sensitivity of the integrated model (68.2%) showed no significant difference from those of the clinical model and the optimal radiomics model (77.3% and 86.4%, respectively; P=0.500 and P=0.289). However, the specificity of the integrated model (85.0%) was significantly higher than those of the clinical model (67.5%, P=0.016) and the optimal radiomics model (50.0%, P<0.001). Conclusion:A bpMRI-based peritumoral radiomics integrating clinical model demonstrates high performance for preoperative prediction of EPE in PCa.

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of serological indicators and evaluate the diagnostic value of a new established combined serological model on identifying the minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) in patients with compensated cirrhosis.Methods:This prospective multicenter study enrolled 263 compensated cirrhotic patients from 23 hospitals in 15 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities of China between October 2021 and August 2022. Clinical data and laboratory test results were collected, and the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score was calculated. Ammonia level was corrected to the upper limit of normal (AMM-ULN) by the baseline blood ammonia measurements/upper limit of the normal reference value. MHE was diagnosed by combined abnormal number connection test-A and abnormal digit symbol test as suggested by Guidelines on the management of hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhosis. The patients were randomly divided (7∶3) into training set ( n=185) and validation set ( n=78) based on caret package of R language. Logistic regression was used to establish a combined model of MHE diagnosis. The diagnostic performance was evaluated by the area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curve, Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration curve. The internal verification was carried out by the Bootstrap method ( n=200). AUC comparisons were achieved using the Delong test. Results:In the training set, prevalence of MHE was 37.8% (70/185). There were statistically significant differences in AMM-ULN, albumin, platelet, alkaline phosphatase, international normalized ratio, MELD score and education between non-MHE group and MHE group (all P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that AMM-ULN [odds ratio ( OR)=1.78, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 1.05-3.14, P=0.038] and MELD score ( OR=1.11, 95% CI 1.04-1.20, P=0.002) were independent risk factors for MHE, and the AUC for predicting MHE were 0.663, 0.625, respectively. Compared with the use of blood AMM-ULN and MELD score alone, the AUC of the combined model of AMM-ULN, MELD score and education exhibited better predictive performance in determining the presence of MHE was 0.755, the specificity and sensitivity was 85.2% and 55.7%, respectively. Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration curve showed that the model had good calibration ( P=0.733). The AUC for internal validation of the combined model for diagnosing MHE was 0.752. In the validation set, the AUC of the combined model for diagnosing MHE was 0.794, and Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed good calibration ( P=0.841). Conclusion:Use of the combined model including AMM-ULN, MELD score and education could improve the predictive efficiency of MHE among patients with compensated cirrhosis.

Objective:To compare the differences in the prevalence of mild micro-hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) among patients with cirrhosis by using the psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES) and the Stroop smartphone application (Encephal App) test.Methods:This prospective, multi-center, real-world study was initiated by the National Clinical Medical Research Center for Infectious Diseases and the Portal Hypertension Alliance and registered with International ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05140837). 354 cases of cirrhosis were enrolled in 19 hospitals across the country. PHES (including digital connection tests A and B, digital symbol tests, trajectory drawing tests, and serial management tests) and the Stroop test were conducted in all of them. PHES was differentiated using standard diagnostic criteria established by the two studies in China and South Korea. The Stroop test was evaluated based on the criteria of the research and development team. The impact of different diagnostic standards or methods on the incidence of MHE in patients with cirrhosis was analyzed. Data between groups were differentiated using the t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and χ2 test. A kappa test was used to compare the consistency between groups. Results:After PHES, the prevalence of MHE among 354 cases of cirrhosis was 78.53% and 15.25%, respectively, based on Chinese research standards and Korean research normal value standards. However, the prevalence of MHE was 56.78% based on the Stroop test, and the differences in pairwise comparisons among the three groups were statistically significant (kappa = -0.064, P < 0.001). Stratified analysis revealed that the MHE prevalence in three groups of patients with Child-Pugh classes A, B, and C was 74.14%, 83.33%, and 88.24%, respectively, according to the normal value standards of Chinese researchers, while the MHE prevalence rates in three groups of patients with Child-Pugh classes A, B, and C were 8.29%, 23.53%, and 38.24%, respectively, according to the normal value standards of Korean researchers. Furthermore, the prevalence rates of MHE in the three groups of patients with Child-Pugh grades A, B, and C were 52.68%, 58.82%, and 73.53%, respectively, according to the Stroop test standard. However, among the results of each diagnostic standard, the prevalence of MHE showed an increasing trend with an increasing Child-Pugh grade. Further comparison demonstrated that the scores obtained by the number connection test A and the number symbol test were consistent according to the normal value standards of the two studies in China and South Korea ( Z = -0.982, -1.702; P = 0.326, 0.089), while the other three sub-tests had significant differences ( P < 0.001). Conclusion:The prevalence rate of MHE in the cirrhotic population is high, but the prevalence of MHE obtained by using different diagnostic criteria or methods varies greatly. Therefore, in line with the current changes in demographics and disease spectrum, it is necessary to enroll a larger sample size of a healthy population as a control. Moreover, the establishment of more reliable diagnostic scoring criteria will serve as a basis for obtaining accurate MHE incidence and formulating diagnosis and treatment strategies in cirrhotic populations.

Objective:To correlate serum levels of neuron specific enolase (NSE) and inflammatory factors with recovery of neurological function in patients with severe traumatic brain injury.Methods:Ninety-six patients with severe traumatic brain injury who received treatment from January 2018 to January 2020 in Taizhou Hospital were included in this study. These patients were divided into a mild-to-moderate group ( n = 51) and a severe group ( n = 45). Additional 60 healthy controls who concurrently received health examination were included in the healthy control group. Serum NSE level was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level by immunoturbidimetry, serum procalcitonin (PCT) level by chemiluminescent assay, and serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. All patients were followed up for 3 months. Recovery of neurological function was evaluated by modified Rankin Scale. Results:Serum NSE level was (50.42 ± 13.25) μg/L and (36.79 ± 10.28) μg/L in the severe and mild-to-moderate groups, respectively, which was significantly higher than that in the healthy control group [(6.13 ± 1.78) μg/L, t = 25.641, 22.688, both P < 0.05). Serum NSE level in the severe group was significantly higher than that in the mild-to- moderate group ( t = 5.576, P < 0.05). Serum CRP, PCT, IL-6 and TNF-α levels were (78.95 ± 15.46) mg/L, (3.46 ± 0.75) μg/L, (432.15 ± 78.29) μg/L and (36.57 ± 8.98) μg/L] respectively in the severe group, (34.65 ± 7.48) mg/L, (1.68 ± 0.51) μg/L, (285.41 ± 36.75) μg/L and (17.54 ± 5.26) μg/L] respectively in the mild-to-moderate group and (3.25 ± 0.86) mg/L, (0.08 ± 0.02) μg/L, (73.52 ± 13.89) μg/L and (1.64 ± 0.50) μg/L, respectively in the healthy control group. Serum CRP, PCT, IL-6 and TNF-α levels in the severe and mild-to-moderate groups were significantly higher than those in the healthy control group ( t = 37.890, 34.922, 34.870, 30.099, 32.284, 24.315, 40.980, 23.312, all P < 0.05). Serum levels of these indicators in the severe group were significantly higher than those in the mild-to-moderate group ( t = 17.493, 13.414, 11.500, 12.451, all P < 0.05). In the severe group, neurological function recovered well in 34 patients and poorly in 17 patients. Serum NSE level in patients with poor neurological function recovery was significantly higher than that in patients with good recovery [(68.93 ± 14.25) μg/L vs. (34.61 ± 12.36) μg/L, t = 8.457, P < 0.05). Serum CRP [(113.24 ± 27.39) mg/L], PCT [(4.57 ± 0.87) μg/L], IL-6 [(598.90 ± 43.52) μg/L] and TNF-α [(58.78 ± 12.13) μg/L] levels in patients with poor recovery were significantly higher than those in patients with good recovery [(32.19 ± 6.90) mg/L, (2.23 ± 0.65) μg/L, (261.39 ± 26.56) μg/L and (14.53 ± 4.26) μg/L, t = 11.956, 9.788, 29.280 and 14.537, all P < 0.05). Serum NSE, CRP, PCT, IL-6 and TNF-α were positively correlated with poor prognosis ( r = 0.849, 0.743, 0.795, 0.683, 0.701, all P < 0.05). Conclusion:In patients with severe traumatic brain injury, serum NSE, CRP, PCT, IL-6 and TNF-α levels increase, which are positively correlated with poor prognosis.

Betacoronavirus ; China ; epidemiology ; Coronavirus Infections ; prevention & control ; Disease Outbreaks ; Emergencies ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Internet ; Pandemics ; prevention & control ; Pneumonia, Viral ; prevention & control

Objective To investigate the diagnosis,treatment and outcomes of femoral vein compression by the synovial cyst of the hip joint.Methods A retrospective study was performed on 13 patients with femoral vein compression from the hip joint synovial cyst between March 2010 and June 2017.Results All the patients received Doppler ultrasound exam.Five (38％) patients received CT.Eight (61.6％) patients received MRI.Surgeries were performed and successful in 12 cases,the synovial cysts were completely removed.All postoperative pathologic results were confirmed as synovial cyst.The median follow-up time was 24 months without recurrence.One patient treated by percutaneous needle aspiration suffered from early cyst recurrence one month after the procedure.Conclusions Surgical excision is the preferred treatment method,postoperative symptoms improve significantly without cyst recurrence.

OBJECTIVETo explore the relationship between electrocardiographic (ECG) and genetic mutations of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and early ECG changes in HCM patients.

METHODSClinical, 12-lead ECG and echocardiographic examination as well as genetic examinations were made in a three-generation Chinses HCM pedigree with 8 family members (4 males). The clinical characterization and ECG parameters were analyzed and their relationship with genotypes in the family was explored.

RESULTSFour missense mutations (MYH7-H1717Q, MYLK2-K324E, KCNQ1-R190W, TMEM70-I147T) were detected in this pedigree. The proband carried all 4 mutations and 5 members carried 2 mutations. Corrected QTc interval of KCNQ1-H1717Q carriers was significantly prolonged and was consistent with the ECG characterization of long QT syndrome. MYLK2-K324E and KCNQ1-R190W carriers presented with Q wave and(or) depressed ST segment, as well as flatted or reversed T waves in leads from anterolateral and inferior ventricular walls. ECG results showed ST segment depression, flat and inverted T wave in the gene mutation carriers with normal echocardiographic examination results. ECG and echocardiographic results were normal in TMEM70-I147T mutation carrier.

CONCLUSIONSThe combined mutations of the genes associated with cardiac ion channels and HCM are linked with the ECG phenotype changes in this HCM pedigree. The variations in ECG parameters due to the genetic mutation appear earlier than the echocardiography and clinical manifestations. Variation in ECG may become one of the indexes for early diagnostic screening and disease progression of the HCM gene mutation carriers.

Brugada Syndrome ; Cardiac Conduction System Disease ; Cardiac Myosins ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Exons ; Genetic Testing ; Genotype ; Humans ; KCNQ1 Potassium Channel ; Long QT Syndrome ; Mutation ; Mutation, Missense ; Myosin Heavy Chains ; Myosin-Light-Chain Kinase ; Pedigree ; Phenotype

Objective To discuss the prevention and management method for chylous fistula after neck lymph node dissec‐tion .Methods Totally 1 793 cases of neck lymph node dissection in this department from January 2005 to September 2014 were retrospectively analyzed .The clinical data in the cases of chylous fistula occurred after operation were summarized .Results Twenty one cases of chylous fistula occurred ,accounting for 1 .17% ,in which 13 cases were cured by the local compressed bandaging and continuous negative pressure drainage;5 cases adopted the conventional method for 2-3 d ,but under the ineffective condition ,then they were treated by combining with somatostatin pumping (somatostatin 6 mg+0 .9% normal saline 48 mL ,2 mL/h ,lasting for 24 h ,for successive 2-3 d) and finally cured;3 cases were cured after reoperation .Conclusion Prevention is the best treatment for chylous fistulas ,local compression bandage plus continuous negative pressure drainage is the main method for treatment of chylous fistulas after neck dissection .The combined therapy with somatostatin can increase the close rate of chylous fistulas;for the patients with long persistent time ,large drainage volume and invalid conservative therapy should adopt the remedial measure of operation .