The roles of Indian hedgehog (Ihh) signaling pathway in the proliferation and apoptosis of precartilaginous stem cells (PSCs) were investigated.PSCs,labeled with fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR-3),were isolated from neonatal rats by immanomagnetic separation.After identifi-cation with FGFR-3 and Col Ⅱ,the cells were incubated with different concentrations of cyclopamine (cyclo),the specific inhibitor of lhh signaling pathway.The morphologic changes of the cells were observed under the inverted phase contrast microscope.The mRNA expression levels of Ibh,para-thyroid hormonerelated peptide (PTHrP),protein Patched (Ptch),Bcl-2 and p21 were detected by RT-PCR.The protein expression levels of Ihh and Ptch were measured by Western blot.MTT assay was used to examine the effects of cyclo on proliferation of PSCs.Apoptosis rate of PSCs was exam-ined by Annexin V/PI assay of flow cytometric analyses.After PSCs were incubated with cyclo,ob-vious morphologic changes were observed as compared with the control group.The mRNA expres-sion levels of PTHrP,Ptch and Bcl-2 were decreased to varying degrees in a cyclo dose-dependent manner.However,the expression levels of lhh and p21 mRNA were increased.The protein expres-sion of Ptch and Ihh had the same change as the mRNA expression.Meanwhile,cyclo could obvi-ously inhibit the proliferation and promote the apoptosis of PSCs.The results indicated that Ihh sig-naling pathway plays an important role in regulating the proliferation and apoptosis of PSCs,which is probably mediated by Bcl-2 and p21.

Objective:To study the feasibility of domestic flow diverter(TFD) for the treatment of unruptured internal carotid artery small- and medium-sized wide-neck aneurysms.Methods:This is a retrospective case series study.The study retrospectively evaluated consecutive 54 patients with unruptured intracranial small- and medium-sized wide-neck aneurysms treated with TFD in the Department of Cerebrovascular Disease,the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University between October 2019 and January 2024. There were 11 males and 43 females, and the age of patients was (54.9±9.6) years (range:36 to 74 years). There were 63 aneurysms in 54 patients,6 of which were tandem multiple small aneurysms. One case had saccular aneurysms of bilateral internal carotid artery. The maximum diameter of aneurysm was (4.1±0.8) mm (range: 1.5 to 10.0 mm).The ratio of the maximum diameter of the aneurysm to the neck width diameter was 1.3±0.4 (range:0.4 to 2.4). The surgical and follow-up data were collected. The aneurysm embolization rate at the immediate operation and follow-up,and the complications were analyzed. The degree of aneurysm embolization was evaluated using the O′Kelly-Marotta (OKM) grading system,with OKM grade D as complete occlusion and grade C and above (C1,C2,C3 and D) as successful occlusion. Clinical outcomes of all patients were evaluated by modified Rankin scale(mRS).Results:For 63 aneurysms, 48 aneurysms were treated with TFD alone,and 15 aneurysms were treated with a combination of TFD and coiling. The immediate postoperative successful occlusion rate was 14.3% (9/63) and the complete occlusion rate was 3.2% (2/63). Follow-up results were obtained for all of the patients. The follow-up time ( M(IQR)) was 124 (182) days (range: 85 to 754 days). The time to aneurysm successful occlusion was 140.5 (151.5) days (range: 85 to 308 days). At final follow-up,the successful aneurysm occlusion rate was 68.3% (43/63) and the complete occlusion rate was 58.7% (37/63). The complete occlusion rate of the TFD group was 50.0% (24/48) and the TFD+coiling group was 13/15. All patients had no aneurysm rupture,ischemic complications and no recurrence of the aneurysm needed to retreatment during the intraoperative and follow-up period. A total of 3 mild haemorrhagic complications which were related to dual-antiplatelet agents. Twelve patients had asymptomatic mild-moderate stent stenosis. TFD covered 66 branch vessels totally. Only 6 branches were affected by the time of the last follow-up and none of the patients had relevant ischaemic symptoms. All of 54 patients were evaluated as mRS score<2 points at the last follow-up. Conclusion:Using TFD to treat internal carotid artery unruptured small and medium-sized wide-neck aneurysms can simplify the surgical procedure with low complication rate, which is a clinically optional treatment approach.

Objective:To study the feasibility of domestic flow diverter(TFD) for the treatment of unruptured internal carotid artery small- and medium-sized wide-neck aneurysms.Methods:This is a retrospective case series study.The study retrospectively evaluated consecutive 54 patients with unruptured intracranial small- and medium-sized wide-neck aneurysms treated with TFD in the Department of Cerebrovascular Disease,the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University between October 2019 and January 2024. There were 11 males and 43 females, and the age of patients was (54.9±9.6) years (range:36 to 74 years). There were 63 aneurysms in 54 patients,6 of which were tandem multiple small aneurysms. One case had saccular aneurysms of bilateral internal carotid artery. The maximum diameter of aneurysm was (4.1±0.8) mm (range: 1.5 to 10.0 mm).The ratio of the maximum diameter of the aneurysm to the neck width diameter was 1.3±0.4 (range:0.4 to 2.4). The surgical and follow-up data were collected. The aneurysm embolization rate at the immediate operation and follow-up,and the complications were analyzed. The degree of aneurysm embolization was evaluated using the O′Kelly-Marotta (OKM) grading system,with OKM grade D as complete occlusion and grade C and above (C1,C2,C3 and D) as successful occlusion. Clinical outcomes of all patients were evaluated by modified Rankin scale(mRS).Results:For 63 aneurysms, 48 aneurysms were treated with TFD alone,and 15 aneurysms were treated with a combination of TFD and coiling. The immediate postoperative successful occlusion rate was 14.3% (9/63) and the complete occlusion rate was 3.2% (2/63). Follow-up results were obtained for all of the patients. The follow-up time ( M(IQR)) was 124 (182) days (range: 85 to 754 days). The time to aneurysm successful occlusion was 140.5 (151.5) days (range: 85 to 308 days). At final follow-up,the successful aneurysm occlusion rate was 68.3% (43/63) and the complete occlusion rate was 58.7% (37/63). The complete occlusion rate of the TFD group was 50.0% (24/48) and the TFD+coiling group was 13/15. All patients had no aneurysm rupture,ischemic complications and no recurrence of the aneurysm needed to retreatment during the intraoperative and follow-up period. A total of 3 mild haemorrhagic complications which were related to dual-antiplatelet agents. Twelve patients had asymptomatic mild-moderate stent stenosis. TFD covered 66 branch vessels totally. Only 6 branches were affected by the time of the last follow-up and none of the patients had relevant ischaemic symptoms. All of 54 patients were evaluated as mRS score<2 points at the last follow-up. Conclusion:Using TFD to treat internal carotid artery unruptured small and medium-sized wide-neck aneurysms can simplify the surgical procedure with low complication rate, which is a clinically optional treatment approach.

Objective To compare different treatment methods for patients with gastric calculi and provide data support for clinical treatment.Methods A total of 197 patients diagnosed with gastric calculi by gastroscopy at the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University and Cardio-Cerebrovascular Disease Hospital of General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University from July 2013 to January 2024 were enrolled.The study collected general information and other data of the patients,and divided them into groups based on the selected treatment method using a real-world research approach.The subjects were divided into four groups:drug conservative treatment group,endoscopic homemade snare treatment group,disposable snare treatment group,and stone fragmentation treatment group.Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance.Results Gastric calculi were more common in men,with an average age of(55.45±14.21).85.3%of the patients had a history of eating persimmon,86.3%had ulcers,and 65.9%were located in the gastric angle.The self-made snare group had the lowest treatment cost,while the stone fragmentation group had the highest.There was no significant difference in the remission time of clinical symptoms among the three endoscopic treatment methods.The self-made snare had the highest patient satisfaction,but the drug combined with carbonated beverage group had the longest remission time of clinical symptoms and the lowest patient satisfaction.The frequency and duration of endoscopic treatment of dark green gastric stones were significantly higher than those of mottled and golden yellow gastric stones.Conclusion When treating patients with gastric stones,it is important to consider the size and color of the stone,as well as the patient's preferences.Patients should be fully informed about their condition and the advantages of different treatments.For patients with larger stones(about 5 cm),endoscopic snare treatment is recommended as the first choice.

Objective:To evaluate artificial intelligence constructed by deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) for the site identification in upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.Methods:A total of 21 310 images of esophagogastroduodenoscopy from the Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2019 to June 2021 were collected. A total of 19 191 images of them were used to construct site identification model, and the remaining 2 119 images were used for verification. The performance differences of two models constructed by DCCN in the identification of 30 sites of the upper digestive tract were compared. One model was the traditional ResNetV2 model constructed by Inception-ResNetV2 (ResNetV2), the other was a hybrid neural network RESENet model constructed by Inception-ResNetV2 and Squeeze-Excitation Networks (RESENet). The main indices were the accuracy, the sensitivity, the specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV).Results:The accuracy, the sensitivity, the specificity, PPV and NPV of ResNetV2 model in the identification of 30 sites of the upper digestive tract were 94.62%-99.10%, 30.61%-100.00%, 96.07%-99.56%, 42.26%-86.44% and 97.13%-99.75%, respectively. The corresponding values of RESENet model were 98.08%-99.95%, 92.86%-100.00%, 98.51%-100.00%, 74.51%-100.00% and 98.85%-100.00%, respectively. The mean accuracy, mean sensitivity, mean specificity, mean PPV and mean NPV of ResNetV2 model were 97.60%, 75.58%, 98.75%, 63.44% and 98.76%, respectively. The corresponding values of RESENet model were 99.34% ( P<0.001), 99.57% ( P<0.001), 99.66% ( P<0.001), 90.20% ( P<0.001) and 99.66% ( P<0.001). Conclusion:Compared with the traditional ResNetV2 model, the artificial intelligence-assisted site identification model constructed by RESENNet, a hybrid neural network, shows significantly improved performance. This model can be used to monitor the integrity of the esophagogastroduodenoscopic procedures and is expected to become an important assistant for standardizing and improving quality of the procedures, as well as an significant tool for quality control of esophagogastroduodenoscopy.