Radiopharmaceuticals play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases， malignant tumors， central nervous system diseases， and other diseases. Under the urgent need for clinical diagnosis and treatment as well as medical development， the clinical research of radiopharmaceuticals has become a hotspot in international research. By analyzing the current situation of clinical research on radiopharmaceuticals in Europe， America， and China， the ethical issues of clinical research on radiopharmaceuticals were elaborated from four aspects， including lack of relevant laws and regulations， a higher risk of radiopharmaceuticals， dilemmas in ethical review， and insufficient radiation protection. Response principles and measures were proposed from four aspects， including improving regulations and policies， enhancing radiological protection for all parties involved in the research， strengthening ethical review， and reinforcing the training of relevant personnel， to enhance the quality and level of clinical research on radiopharmaceuticals.

Objective To analyze the clinical efficacy of valve surgeries for infective endocarditis and the affecting factors, and compare the early- and long-term postoperative outcomes of different surgery approaches. Methods The patients with infective endocarditis who underwent valve replacement/valvuloplasty in our hospital from 2010 to 2022 were retrospectively collected. The clinical data of the patients were analyzed. Results A total of 343 patients were enrolled, including 197 patients with mechanical valve replacement, 62 patients with bioprosthetic valve replacement, and 84 patients with valvuloplasty. There were 238 males and 105 females with an average age of (44.2±14.8) years. Single-valve endocarditis was present in 200 (58.3%) patients, and multivalve involvement was present in 143 (41.7%) patients. Sixty (17.5%) patients had suffered thrombosis before surgery, including cerebral embolisms in 32 patients. The mean follow-up time was (60.6±43.8) months. Early mortality within one month after the surgery occurred in 17 (5.0%) patients, while later mortality occurred in 19 (5.5%) patients. Eight (2.3%) patients underwent postoperative dialysis, 13 (3.8%) patients suffered postoperative stroke, 6 patients underwent reoperation, and 3 patients suffered recurrence of infective endocarditis. Smoking (P=0.002), preoperative embolisms (P=0.001), duration of surgery (P=0.001), and postoperative dialysis (P=0.001) were risk factors for early mortality, and left ventricular ejection fraction ≥60% (P=0.022) was protective factor for early mortality. New York Heart Association classification Ⅲ-Ⅳ (P=0.010) and ≥3 valve procedures (P=0.028) were risk factors for late mortality. The rate of composite endpoint events was significantly lower in the valvuloplasty group than that in the valve replacement group. Conclusion For patients with infective endocarditis, smoking and preoperative embolisms are associated with high postoperative mortality, multiple-valve surgery is associated with a poorer prognosis, and valvuloplasty has advantages over valve replacement and should be attempted in the surgical management of patients with infective endocarditis.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of single-balloon and double-balloon enteroscopy in diagnosing pediatric small bowel diseases and assess the diagnostic efficacy of computed tomography enterography (CTE) for small bowel diseases using enteroscopy as the reference standard. METHODS: Clinical data from 576 children who underwent enteroscopy at Hunan Children's Hospital between January 2017 and December 2023 were retrospectively collected. The children were categorized based on enteroscopy type into the single-balloon enteroscopy (SBE) group (n=457) and double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) group (n=119), and the clinical data were compared between the two groups. The sensitivity and specificity of CTE for diagnosing small bowel diseases were evaluated using enteroscopy results as the standard. RESULTS: Among the 576 children, small bowel lesions were detected by enteroscopy in 274 children (47.6%).There was no significant difference in lesion detection rates or complication rates between the SBE and DBE groups (P>0.05), but the DBE group had deeper insertion, longer procedure time, and higher complete small bowel examination rate (P<0.05). The complication rate during enteroscopy was 4.3% (25/576), with 18 cases (3.1%) of mild complications and 7 cases (1.2%) of severe complications, which improved with symptomatic treatment, surgical, or endoscopic intervention. Among the 412 children who underwent CTE, the sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing small bowel diseases were 44.4% and 71.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS SBE and DBE have similar diagnostic efficacy for pediatric small bowel diseases, but DBE is preferred for suspected deep small bowel lesions and comprehensive small bowel examination. Enteroscopy in children demonstrates relatively good overall safety. CTE demonstrates relatively low sensitivity but comparatively high specificity for diagnosing small bowel diseases.
Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Double-Balloon Enteroscopy/statistics & numerical data* ; Single-Balloon Enteroscopy/statistics & numerical data* ; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Child ; Operative Time ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/statistics & numerical data* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Intestine, Small/surgery* ; Intestinal Diseases/surgery*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate lymph node metastasis (LNM) in the prostatic anterior fat pad (PAFP) of PCa patients after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP), and analyze the clinicopathological features and prognosis of LNM in the PAFP. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological data on 1 003 cases of PCa treated by RARP in the Department of Urology of PLA General Hospital from January 2017 to December 2022. All the patients underwent routine removal of the PAFP during RARP and pathological examination, with the results of all the specimens examined and reported by pathologists. Based on the presence and locations of LNM, we grouped the patients for statistical analysis, compared the clinicopathological features between different groups using the Student's t, Mann-Whitney U and Chi-square tests, and conducted survival analyses using the Kaplan-Meier and Log-rank methods and survival curves generated by Rstudio. RESULTS: Lymph nodes were detected in 77 (7.7%) of the 1 003 PAFP samples, and LNM in 11 (14.3%) of the 77 cases, with a positive rate of 1.1% (11/1 003). Of the 11 positive cases, 9 were found in the upgraded pathological N stage, and the other 2 complicated by pelvic LNM. The patients with postoperative pathological stage≥T3 constituted a significantly higher proportion in the PAFP LNM than in the non-PAFP LNM group (81.8% ［9/11］ vs 36.2% ［359/992］, P = 0.005), and so did the cases with Gleason score ≥8 (87.5% ［7/8］ vs 35.5% ［279/786］, P = 0.009). No statistically significant differences were observed in the clinicopathological features and biochemical recurrence-free survival between the patients with PAFP LNM only and those with pelvic LNM only. CONCLUSION The PAFP is a potential route to LNM, and patients with LNM in the PAFP are characterized by poor pathological features. There is no statistically significant difference in biochemical recurrence-free survival between the patients with PAFP LNM only and those with pelvic LNM only. Routine removal of the PAFP and independent pathological examination of the specimen during RARP is of great clinical significance.
Humans ; Male ; Prostatectomy/methods* ; Robotic Surgical Procedures ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Retrospective Studies ; Prognosis ; Prostatic Neoplasms/pathology* ; Adipose Tissue/pathology* ; Prostate/pathology* ; Lymph Nodes/pathology* ; Middle Aged ; Aged

Empathy is crucial for communication and survival for individuals. Whether empathy in pain contagion shows sex differences and its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we report that pain contagion can occur in stranger female rats, but not in stranger males. Blocking oxytocin receptors in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) suppressed pain contagion in female strangers, while oxytocin administration induced pain contagion in male strangers. In vitro, corticosterone reduces neuronal activation by oxytocin. During male stranger interactions, higher corticosterone decreased oxytocin receptor-positive neuronal activity in the ACC, suppressing pain contagion. These findings highlight the role of oxytocin in pain contagion and suggest that sex differences in empathy may be determined by the balance of oxytocin and corticosterone in the ACC. This study suggests an approach for the treatment of certain mental disorders associated with abnormal empathy, such as autism and depression.
Animals ; Oxytocin/pharmacology* ; Gyrus Cinguli/drug effects* ; Male ; Female ; Corticosterone/pharmacology* ; Empathy/drug effects* ; Sex Characteristics ; Receptors, Oxytocin/antagonists & inhibitors* ; Pain/psychology* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Neurons/metabolism*

Objective To explore the prognostic impact and clinical application value of therapeutic plasma exchange(TPE)intervention timing and liver injury periodization in patients with exertional heat stroke(EHS).Methods Data of 127 EHS patients from the First Medical Center of the General Hospital of the People′s Liberation Army from January 2011 to December 2023 were collected,then divided into the death group and the survival group based on therapeutic outcomes and into 5 stages according to the dynamic changes of ALT,AST,TBIL and DBIL.According to propensity score matching analysis,11 patients in the survival group and 12 patients in the death group were included in the statistical analysis,and 20 of them were treated with TPE.The changes in indicators and clinical outcomes before and after TPE were observed,in order to evaluate the impact of intervention timing on prognosis.Results Among the 23 patients,14 had no liver injury or could progress to the repair phase,resulting in 3 deaths(with the mortality rate of 21.43%),while 9 patients failed to pro-gress to the repair phase,resulting in 9 deaths(with the mortality rate of 100%),with significant differences(P＜0.05).The mortality rate of the first TPE intervention before the third stage of liver injury was 23.08%(3/13),while that of interven-tion after reaching or exceeding the third stage was 85.71%(6/7),and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion TPE should be executed actively in EHS patients combined with liver injury before the third phase to lock its pathological and physiological processes,thereby improving prognosis and reducing mortality.

BACKGROUND:A large number of studies have confirmed that tissue engineering scaffolds can almost completely repair osteochondral defects.However,when osteochondral defects are complicated with infection,even after thorough debridement in the early stage,the repair effect of simple osteochondral tissue engineering scaffolds is often unsatisfactory. OBJECTIVE:To prepare fibroin/chitosan/nano-hydroxyapatite scaffold loaded with vancomycin hydrochloride sustained release microspheres,and to investigate the repair effect on infected osteochondral defect in distal femur of rabbit. METHODS:(1)Vancomycin hydrochloride sustained release microspheres were prepared by emulsified solvent evaporation method.The sustained-release microspheres of different weights(7.5,10,and 12.5 mg)were mixed with fibroin protein-chitosan nanohydroxyapatite solution,and the scaffolds of fibroin protein/chitosan/nano-hydroxyapatite were prepared by chemical crosslinking method.The porosity,water absorption and expansion rate,hot water loss rate of the scaffolds,and drug sustained-release in vitro were characterized.(2)Forty-five New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into blank group,control group,and experimental group,with 15 rabbits in each group.The osteochondral defect and infection model of the distal femur of the right hind limb was established in both groups.The blank group was not treated,and the control group was implanted with fibroin protein-chitosan-nano-hydroxyapatite scaffold.Vancomycin hydrochloride sustained-release microspheres(10 mg)of fibroin/chitosan/nano-hydroxyapatite scaffold were implanted in the defect of the experimental group.The levels of C-reactive protein and leukocytes in blood samples were detected 1 week after operation.At 4,8 and 12 weeks after operation,the tissue of the operative area was taken for gross observation and pathological observation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)With the increase of sustained-release microspheres content,the porosity of scaffolds decreased,and there was significant difference among groups(P＜0.05).There were no significant differences in the pore size,water absorption expansion rate and hot water loss rate among the three groups(P＞0.05).Vancomycin hydrochloride was released sustainably in vitro for more than 30 days in all three groups of scaffolds.(2)The levels of C-reactive protein and leukocytes in blood samples of the experimental group were lower than those of the blank group and control group(P＜0.05).The repair of gross cartilage in the experimental group was significantly better than that in the blank group and the control group.Hematoxylin-eosin,Masson,Alcian blue and type Ⅱ collagen immunohistochemical stainings showed that the osteochondral repair effect of the experimental group was significantly better than that of the blank group and the control group at each time point.(3)The results showed that fibroin/chitosan/nano-hydroxyapatite scaffolds loaded with vancomycin hydrochloride sustained-release microspheres could effectively promote the repair of open osteochondral defects.

Objective:To establish a scoring system for preoperative prediction of the malignant potential of gastric stromal tumors based on gastroscopic and endoscopic ultrasound features, along with validation.Methods:A total of 286 patients who were treated in Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2023 and diagnosed as having gastric stromal tumors by postoperative pathology were enrolled in the modeling group. According to National Institutes of Health classification system, 227 very-low/low-risk patients were classified into the low malignant potential (LMP) group, and the 59 intermediate/high-risk patients into the high malignant potential (HMP) group. LASSO regression analysis was performed to identify predictive factors for HMP gastric stromal tumors, and a nomogram prediction model was developed. Internal validation using the Bootstrap method was performed on the modeling group, and external validation was performed on data from 85 patients who were treated and diagnosed as having gastric stromal tumors by postoperative pathology in Taizhou People's Hospital from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2023. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration curves, and decision curve analyses were employed in both the modeling and external validation groups.Results:Tumor size (coef=0.755), tumor shape (coef=0.015), tumor location (coef=0.008), growth pattern (coef=-0.026), cystic change (coef=0.685), and surface unceration change (coef=-0.545) were the independent predictive factors for HMP gastric stromal tumors. The nomogram-based prediction model constructed using these factors achieved an area under the ROC curve of 0.959 (95% CI: 0.898-0.903) in the modeling group and 0.959 (95% CI: 0.857-1.000) in the external validation group. The model demonstrated good accuracy (0.917) and a Kappa value of 0.737 in internal validation. Calibration curve and decision curve analyses indicated strong calibration and high net benefit in both the modeling and the external validation groups. Conclusion:Tumor size, tumor shape, tumor location, growth pattern, cystic change, and surface ulceration change are independent predictive factors for HMP gastric stromal tumors. The nomogram model developed based on these factors offers effective and convenient visualization for clinicians to predict the malignant potential of gastric stromal tumors preoperatively.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of hypomethylating agents (HMA) in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) .Methods:A total of 409 MDS patients from 45 hospitals in Zhejiang province who received at least four consecutive cycles of HMA monotherapy as initial therapy were enrolled to evaluate the efficacy and safety of HMA. Mann-Whitney U or Chi-square tests were used to compare the differences in the clinical data. Logistic regression and Cox regression were used to analyze the factors affecting efficacy and survival. Kaplan-Meier was used for survival analysis. Results:Patients received HMA treatment for a median of 6 cycles (range, 4-25 cycles) . The complete remission (CR) rate was 33.98% and the overall response rate (ORR) was 77.02%. Multivariate analysis revealed that complex karyotype ( P=0.02, OR=0.39, 95% CI 0.18-0.84) was an independent favorable factor for CR rate. TP53 mutation ( P=0.02, OR=0.22, 95% CI 0.06-0.77) was a predictive factor for a higher ORR. The median OS for the HMA-treated patients was 25.67 (95% CI 21.14-30.19) months. HMA response ( P=0.036, HR=0.47, 95% CI 0.23-0.95) was an independent favorable prognostic factor, whereas complex karyotype ( P=0.024, HR=2.14, 95% CI 1.10-4.15) , leukemia transformation ( P<0.001, HR=2.839, 95% CI 1.64-4.92) , and TP53 mutation ( P=0.012, HR=2.19, 95% CI 1.19-4.07) were independent adverse prognostic factors. There was no significant difference in efficacy and survival between the reduced and standard doses of HMA. The CR rate and ORR of MDS patients treated with decitabine and azacitidine were not significantly different. The median OS of patients treated with decitabine was longer compared with that of patients treated with azacitidine (29.53 months vs 20.17 months, P=0.007) . The incidence of bone marrow suppression and pneumonia in the decitabine group was higher compared with that in the azacitidine group. Conclusion:Continuous and regular use of appropriate doses of hypomethylating agents may benefit MDS patients to the greatest extent if it is tolerated.

Purpose To elucidate the clinicopathological characteristics of primary malignant giant cell tumor of bone(PMGCTB)with mainly osteosarcoma-like morphology.Meth-ods Clinicopathologic features of 7 cases of PMGCTB were ret-rospectively analyzed.Results Among 7 patients with PMGCTB,there were 4 females and 3 males,aged between 9 and 66 years(mean age 39.5 years,median age 35 years).The distal femur emerged as the most frequent site to be involved(3/6).The main clinical manifestations included pain and swelling at the original site of the tumor.Radiological findings indicated osteolytic lesions,often combined with sclerotic areas;most ca-ses showed cortical bone destruction and soft tissue masses(5/7).Histologically,the majority of tumors exhibited typical mor-phological features of osteosarcoma with a few or without osteo-clast-like multinucleated giant cells.Positive immunoreaction with H3F3A G34W was confirmed in 6 cases and with H3F3A G34V in 1 case.SATB2 and p63 were positive in all cases,p53 was proved to be wild type,the Ki67 proliferation index ranged approximately from 10％to 50％.H3F3A p.G34W mutation was detected in 6 cases and only 1 case harboring H3F3A p.G34V mutation.Conclusion PMGCTB is exceedingly rare and difficult for accurate diagnosis,especially for those with atypical morphological features.A comprehensive analysis involving ra-diological,immunophenotypic,and molecular detection is neces-sary to rule out other high-grade sarcomas.