Objective To investigate the safety of totally thoracoscopic mitral valve reoperation with hypothermia-induced ventricular fibrillation arrest in elderly patients.Methods Clinical data of 108 elderly patients undergoing redo mitral valve surgery in our department from January 2008 to October 2024 were retrospectively collected,and according to surgical approach,they were di-vided into a totally thoracoscopic group(totally thoracoscopy with hypothermia-induced ventricu-lar fibrillation arrest,46 cases)and a median sternotomy group(cardiac arrest after median ster-notomy,62 cases).Their perioperative data were compared between the two groups.Results There were no statistical differences in baseline data between the two groups(P＞0.05).When compared with the median sternotomy group,the totally endoscopic group had significantly longer cardiopulmonary bypass time and higher mitral valvuloplasty rate and postoperative LVEF value,but obviously reduced lowest intraoperative temperature,lower blood transfusion rate,less vol-ume of suspended red blood cells transfused,decreased troponin T level 1 d postoperatively,shor-ter duration of mechanical ventilation and lengths of ICU stay and postoperative hospital stay,and less postoperative drainage volume(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).But there were no statistical differences between the two groups in terms of postoperative stroke(6.52％vs 3.23％,P=0.420)or in-hospital death(6.52％vs 6.45％,P=0.988).Conclusions Totally thoracoscopy with hypothermi-a-induced ventricular fibrillation arrest is safe and reliable for the elderly patients who need to receive mitral valve reoperation.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between serum growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) and the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN), and further explore the relationship of GDF15 with the cardiac and renal prognosis of IgAN patients.Methods:It was a single-center retrospective cohort study. From January 2018 to December 2022, the relevant data were collected from patients who were diagnosed with primary IgAN at the Department of Nephrology, Beijing Anzhen Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University, and regularly followed up for at least 1 year. Serum samples were collected at admission and the baseline level of serum GDF15 was measured. Based on the median GDF15 level, IgAN patients were categorized into high-level GDF15 group and low-level GDF15 group, and their clinicopathological characteristics were compared. A multiple linear regression model was then constructed to identify independent factors associated with serum GDF15 level based on these comparisons. Subsequently, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to investigate the association between serum GDF15 level and the cardiorenal prognosis of IgAN patients.Results:A total of 104 IgAN patients were included in this study. The serum GDF15 level in these IgAN patients was 825.60 (556.84, 1 428.15) ng/L. Serum GDF15 level was positively correlated with 24 h urinary protein ( r=0.405, P<0.001), negatively correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)( r=-0.606, P<0.001). The serum levels of GDF15 in patients with tubular atrophy or interstitial fibrosis (overall comparison among T0, T1, and T2, H=21.866, P<0.001), crescentic lesions (overall comparison among C0, C1, and C2, H=13.787, P=0.001), or intrarenal arteriolar lesions (overall comparison among none, mild, and moderate-to-severe, H=9.856, P=0.007) were significantly different. Compared with IgAN patients without tubular atrophy or interstitial fibrosis, those with Oxford classification T1 ( Z=-17.326, P=0.042) or T2 ( Z=-42.933, P<0.001) had higher serum GDF15 levels. Compared with IgAN patients without crescentic lesions, those with Oxford classification C2 had higher serum GDF15 levels ( Z=-45.929, P=0.001). Compared with IgAN patients without intrarenal arteriolar lesions, those with moderate-to-severe arteriolar sclerosis had higher serum GDF15 levels ( Z=-26.686, P=0.005). The median GDF15 was used as the cut-off value to divide IgAN patients into a high-level GDF15 group (≥825.60 ng/L, n=52) and a low-level GDF15 group (<825.60 ng/L, n=52). Compared to low-level GDF15 group, IgAN patients in high-level GDF15 group presented with a higher proportion of diabetes mellitus ( χ 2=9.420, P=0.002) and cardiovascular disease ( χ 2=7.792, P=0.005), a higher level of systolic blood pressure ( Z=-2.266, P=0.023), body mass index ( Z=-2.183, P=0.031), 24 h urinary protein ( Z=-3.485, P<0.001), blood total cholesterol ( Z=-2.002, P=0.045) and left ventricular mass index ( Z=-2.649, P=0.008), and a lower level of blood albumin ( Z=-3.053, P=0.002) and eGFR ( Z=6.480, P<0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that serum GDF15 level was independently associated with systolic blood pressure (regression coefficient B=29.453, 95% CI 14.139–44.767, P<0.001), blood albumin ( B=-81.412, 95% CI -113.084–-49.740, P<0.001) and eGFR ( B=-9.797, 95% CI -17.554–-2.040, P=0.014). Moreover, IgAN patients in high-level GDF15 group exhibited significantly poorer cardiac and renal prognosis compared to low-level GDF15 group ( χ 2=9.955, P=0.002). Conclusion:High serum GDF15 level correlates with disease severity in IgAN, and high serum GDF15 level may suggest a poorer cardiorenal prognosis in IgAN patients.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of the degree of neuromuscular blockade on the intraoperative surgical conditions and postoperative recovery quality in patients undergoing lumbar interbody fusion.Methods:In this randomized controlled trial, 100 patients of either sex, aged 18-79 yr, with a body mass index of 18.5-35.0 kg/m 2, of American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification < Ⅳ, scheduled for elective lumbar interbody fusion at the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from August to October 2024, were allocated into 2 groups ( n=50 each) using stratified randomization based on the number of lumbar segments: deep neuromuscular blockade group (group D) and moderate neuromuscular blockade group (group M). The intraoperative post-tetanic count was maintained at 1 or 2 in group D, and the intraoperative train-of-four was maintained at 1 or 2 in group M. The scores for surgical conditions, duration of operation, blood loss, length of incision, occurrence of severe hypoxemia after extubation, requirement for rescue analgesia in post-anesthesia care unit, 15-item Quality of Recovery scale score and length of stay were recorded. Results:Compared with group M, the scores for surgical conditions were significantly increased, the rate of rescue analgesia in post-anesthesia care unit was decreased, 15-item Quality of Recovery scale scores were increased at 3 days after surgery ( P<0.05), and no significant changes were found in the duration of operation, blood loss, length of incision, incidence of severe hypoxemia after extubation and length of hospital stay in group D ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Compared with moderate neuromuscular blockade, deep neuromuscular blockade can provide better surgical conditions and improve the quality of early postoperative recovery for patients undergoing lumbar interbody fusion.

Objective:To apply artificial intelligence（AI）in classifying ovarian tumors on ultrasound images，and compare the diagnostic results of several sonographers with varying seniority levels.Methods:A total of 645 patients diagnosed with adnexal masses via gynecological ultrasound examination at Qilu Hospital of Shandong University from January 2021 to December 2024 were enrolled. Three deep learning architectures，i.e.，Alexnet，Densenet121，and Resnet50 were developed and used to internally test the classification effectiveness of ovarian tumors，while the optimal model was selected for external testing. Two junior sonographers and two senior sonographers were recruited to independently diagnose ovarian tumors in the external test dataset. Subsequently，the benign and malignant results of the model's predictions were disclosed to each sonographer，and their revised diagnoses on the same external test data in combination with the best AI model were recorded.Results:The optimal model achieved an accuracy of 0.941，sensitivity of 0.936，and specificity of 0.944 on the internal test dataset，and maintained robust performance on the external test dataset with accuracy of 0.891，sensitivity of 0.880，and specificity of 0.907. Compared to junior sonographers，the optimal model demonstrated significantly higher sensitivity in discriminating benign from malignant ovarian tumors（0.880 vs. 0.723，0.602；all P<0.05）. No statistically significant difference was observed in diagnostic accuracy between the optimal model and senior sonographer 1（ P=0.05）. With assistance from the optimal model，junior sonographers achieved significant improvements in both sensitivity and specificity（sensitivity：0.723 vs. 0.843，0.602 vs. 0.819；specificity：0.778 vs. 0.833，0.685 vs. 0.741；all P<0.05）. Conclusions:The optimal model achieves comparable performance to that of senior sonographers in ovarian tumor classification. With model assistance，the diagnostic performance of junior sonographers is significantly improved.

Objective:To analyze the effect of nucleotide sequence variants in the 5′ untranslated region (5′UTR) of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) cagA on mRNA secondary structure, as well as its regulatory role in cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA) protein expression and bacterial virulence. Methods:The upstream nucleotide sequence of cagA was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from 37 Hp strains, and the PCR products were sequenced. MEGA 5.0 software and RNAfold prediction software were used to analyze the nucleotide sequence variants of cagA 5′UTR and the changes in mRNA secondary structure of this region, respectively. Western blot was used to detect the expression level of CagA protein in Hp strains, and the regulatory effect of cagA 5′UTR variants on the difference in CagA protein expression was analyzed. An Hp-infected AGS cell model was established to evaluate bacterial adhesion rate; quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to analyze the mRNA transcription levels of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α); enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the secretion levels of IL-8 and TNF-α proteins. Results:Nucleotide sequence alignment of cagA 5′UTR from 37 Hp strains showed that sequence differences were mainly concentrated in the -53motif, -10motif, + 34motif, and + 86motif regions. mRNA secondary structure prediction analysis revealed three types based on the StemB stem-loop structure: type Ⅰ (no StemB stem-loop), type ⅡA (StemB stem-loop with 3-4 base partial pairing), and type ⅡB (StemB stem-loop with 5 base full pairing). Western blot analysis showed that the CagA protein expression level was the highest in type Ⅰ Hp strains (1.72±0.29) and the lowest in type ⅡB strains (0.81±0.26), with a statistically significant difference between the two types ( P=0.030). The adhesion rate of type Ⅰ Hp strains to AGS cells was (52.90±11.17)%, which was higher than that of type Ⅱ strains [(21.27±6.16)%]. qPCR results showed that the mRNA transcription levels of IL-8 and TNF-α in AGS cells induced by type Ⅰ Hp strains were higher than those induced by type Ⅱ strains (140.23±24.47 vs 76.16±8.76, P=0.069; 55.20±9.04 vs 21.26±6.16, P=0.036). ELISA analysis further indicated that the secretion levels of IL-8 and TNF-α proteins in AGS cells induced by type Ⅰ Hp strains were also higher than those induced by type Ⅱ strains [(344.66±62.62)pg/ml vs (302.13±66.27)pg/ml, P=0.665; (131.04±4.94)pg/ml vs (79.17±11.32)pg/ml, P=0.014]. Conclusions:The cagA 5′UTR region of Hp strains exhibits significant nucleotide sequence variants. Hp strains with no StemB stem-loop (type Ⅰ) in the mRNA secondary structure show significantly increased CagA protein expression and higher bacterial pathogenic potential.

Objective To construct a radiomics model to improve the discriminatory ability of 18 F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT for focal prostate cancer.Methods We retrospectively collected data from 74 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer by biopsy at The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University between July 2020 and April 2024.These patients had focal radionuclide accumulation observed on 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT,with the median age of 71 years.Among them,42 patients had a Gleason score＜8 and 32 patients had a Gleason score ≥8.An external validation set was randomly selected based on the timing of examination,while the remaining patients were randomly divided into training and test sets at a 7∶3 ratio.Region of interest(ROI)were semi-automatically drawn on registered images,manually adjusted,and symmetrically shifted to contralateral non-tumor tissue.We made variance and correlation analyses to choose features,and built models with Logistic regression and compared the results with those of visual evaluation.Receiver operating characteristics(ROC)curves were drawn to compare model performance,and subgroup analysis was performed to identify optimal features for distinguishing tumor tissue,based on Gleason score,serum total prostate specific antigen(tPSA)levels,and lesion location.Results A total of eight features were selected.The area under the curve(AUC)for visual evaluation,testing set,and external validation set were 0.858,0.933,and 0.891,respectively.The sensitivity was 0.757,0.800 and 0.917;the specificity was 0.960,0.800 and 0.792,respectively.Subgroup analysis showed that the radiomic features 10percentile and skewness had a high value in tumor differentiation.In tumor tissues,the 10percentile values were higher than in non-tumor tissues across all groups(P-values were 0.012,0.002,＜0.001,＜0.001,＜0.001,and＜0.001).When tPSA≤10 ng/mL and Gleason score ≥8,there was no statistically significant difference in skewness between tumor and non-tumor tissues(P=0.08).When tPSA ≥20 ng/mL,the skewness of non-tumor tissue was slightly higher than that of tumor tissue,but the difference was not statistically significant(P-values were 0.285 and 0.791).When the tumor was located in the posterior part of the prostate(left posterior and right posterior),the skewness was significantly higher in tumor tissue than in non-tumor tissue(P-values＜0.001 for both).Conclusion The radiomics model had better sensitivity and accuracy than visual evaluation in distinguishing focal prostate cancer tumors from non-tumor tissues,but visual evaluation had higher specificity.Skewness and 10percentile had a high value in differential diagnosis.

Objective:To investigate the different clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN) accompanied by IgA deposition diagnosed by renal biopsy.Methods:The study was a retrospective cohort study. Clinical and pathological data of patients diagnosed with DN through renal biopsy in Beijing Anzhen Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University from January 1, 2010 to March 31, 2023 were retrospectively collected. The clinical and pathological characteristics and prognosis of DN patients with IgA deposition and DN control group patients without IgA deposition were compared. Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the intensity of galactose-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1) staining in renal tissue of DN patients with DN IgA deposition, and grouping was performed according to whether the staining intensity was≥2+. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the serum level of Gd-IgA1 in patients. A 50% decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from baseline or progression to end-stage renal disease within 5 years was defined as a renal endpoint event, and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Log-rank test were used to compare the difference in cumulative incidence of renal endpoint events between two groups of patients.Results:A total of 101 DN patients were enrolled in this study, including 68 males (67.3%) and 33 females (32.7%), with age of (52.2±10.3) years and a median follow-up time of 13.5(4.8, 26.3) months. There were 44 patients with IgA deposition (43.6%) and 57 patients without IgA deposition (56.4%). Compared with DN control group, Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that DN patients with IgA deposition had a higher cumulative incidence of renal endpoint within 5 years ( χ2=6.473, P=0.011). The proportion of positive glomerular Gd-IgA1 (KM55) staining in the DN patients with IgA deposition was 54.5% (24/44), and immunofluorescence examination showed consistent distribution of Gd-IgA1 and IgA in the glomerular mesangial and capillary regions. The serum level of Gd-IgA1 in the glomerular Gd-IgA1 positive patients was significantly higher than that in those negative patients [(6 296.4± 1 535.4) μg/L vs. (4 057.4±1 082.0) μg/L, t=-3.037, P=0.010]. In DN patients with IgA deposition, the age of the subgroup with endpoint events was younger [(42.8±6.9) years vs. (53.3±9.4) years, t=-3.440, P=0.002], the duration of proteinuria was shorter [6.0(1.0, 22.0) months vs. 12.0(10.0, 36.0) months, Z=-2.150, P=0.032], and the proportion of patients with glomerular Gd-IgA1 staining intensity ≥2+ was higher [Fisher'exact test, 30.8%(4/13) vs. 0(0/20), P=0.017]. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that patients with glomerular Gd-IgA1 staining intensity≥2+ had a significantly higher cumulative incidence of renal endpoint events ( χ2=4.846, P=0.028). Conclusion:DN patients with glomerular IgA deposition and Gd-IgA1 positivity may be associated with worse prognosis.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of the degree of neuromuscular blockade on the intraoperative surgical conditions and postoperative recovery quality in patients undergoing lumbar interbody fusion.Methods:In this randomized controlled trial, 100 patients of either sex, aged 18-79 yr, with a body mass index of 18.5-35.0 kg/m 2, of American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification < Ⅳ, scheduled for elective lumbar interbody fusion at the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from August to October 2024, were allocated into 2 groups ( n=50 each) using stratified randomization based on the number of lumbar segments: deep neuromuscular blockade group (group D) and moderate neuromuscular blockade group (group M). The intraoperative post-tetanic count was maintained at 1 or 2 in group D, and the intraoperative train-of-four was maintained at 1 or 2 in group M. The scores for surgical conditions, duration of operation, blood loss, length of incision, occurrence of severe hypoxemia after extubation, requirement for rescue analgesia in post-anesthesia care unit, 15-item Quality of Recovery scale score and length of stay were recorded. Results:Compared with group M, the scores for surgical conditions were significantly increased, the rate of rescue analgesia in post-anesthesia care unit was decreased, 15-item Quality of Recovery scale scores were increased at 3 days after surgery ( P<0.05), and no significant changes were found in the duration of operation, blood loss, length of incision, incidence of severe hypoxemia after extubation and length of hospital stay in group D ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Compared with moderate neuromuscular blockade, deep neuromuscular blockade can provide better surgical conditions and improve the quality of early postoperative recovery for patients undergoing lumbar interbody fusion.

Objective To construct a radiomics model to improve the discriminatory ability of 18 F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT for focal prostate cancer.Methods We retrospectively collected data from 74 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer by biopsy at The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University between July 2020 and April 2024.These patients had focal radionuclide accumulation observed on 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT,with the median age of 71 years.Among them,42 patients had a Gleason score＜8 and 32 patients had a Gleason score ≥8.An external validation set was randomly selected based on the timing of examination,while the remaining patients were randomly divided into training and test sets at a 7∶3 ratio.Region of interest(ROI)were semi-automatically drawn on registered images,manually adjusted,and symmetrically shifted to contralateral non-tumor tissue.We made variance and correlation analyses to choose features,and built models with Logistic regression and compared the results with those of visual evaluation.Receiver operating characteristics(ROC)curves were drawn to compare model performance,and subgroup analysis was performed to identify optimal features for distinguishing tumor tissue,based on Gleason score,serum total prostate specific antigen(tPSA)levels,and lesion location.Results A total of eight features were selected.The area under the curve(AUC)for visual evaluation,testing set,and external validation set were 0.858,0.933,and 0.891,respectively.The sensitivity was 0.757,0.800 and 0.917;the specificity was 0.960,0.800 and 0.792,respectively.Subgroup analysis showed that the radiomic features 10percentile and skewness had a high value in tumor differentiation.In tumor tissues,the 10percentile values were higher than in non-tumor tissues across all groups(P-values were 0.012,0.002,＜0.001,＜0.001,＜0.001,and＜0.001).When tPSA≤10 ng/mL and Gleason score ≥8,there was no statistically significant difference in skewness between tumor and non-tumor tissues(P=0.08).When tPSA ≥20 ng/mL,the skewness of non-tumor tissue was slightly higher than that of tumor tissue,but the difference was not statistically significant(P-values were 0.285 and 0.791).When the tumor was located in the posterior part of the prostate(left posterior and right posterior),the skewness was significantly higher in tumor tissue than in non-tumor tissue(P-values＜0.001 for both).Conclusion The radiomics model had better sensitivity and accuracy than visual evaluation in distinguishing focal prostate cancer tumors from non-tumor tissues,but visual evaluation had higher specificity.Skewness and 10percentile had a high value in differential diagnosis.