Objective To construct and validate a predictive model based on preoperative inflammatory biomarkers,and to evaluate its ability in predicting the prognosis of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)after receiving transcatheter arterial chemoembolization(TACE).Methods A total of 544 patients with HCC,who received TACE as the initial treatment at six medical institutions between January 2007 and December 2020,were retrospectively collected.The patients were divided into training cohort(n=376)and validation cohort(n=168).LASSO algorithm and Cox regression analysis were used to screen out the independent influencing factors and to make modelling.The model was validated based on the discrimination,calibration and clinical applicability,and the Kaplan-Meier risk stratification curves were plotted to determine the prognostic differences between groups.The likelihood ratio chi-square value,R2 value,akaike information criterion(AIC)value,C-index and AUROC value of the model were calculated to determine its accuracy and efficiency.Results The training cohort and validation cohort had 376 participants and 168 participants respectively.Multivariate analysis indicated that BCLC,tumor size,number of tumor lesions,neutrophil and prognostic nutritional index(PNI)were the independent influencing factors for postoperative overall survival(OS),with all P being＜0.05;the BCLC grade,tumor size,number of tumor lesions,NLR,PNI and PS score were the independent influencing factors for progression-free survival(PFS),with all P being＜0.05.The C-indexes of the OS and PFS models were 0.735(95％ CI=0.708-0.762)and 0.736(95％ CI=0.711-0.761)respectively,and the external validation was 0.721(95％ CI=0.680-0.762)and 0.693(95％ CI=0.656-0.730)respectively.Ideal discrimination ability of the nomogram was exhibited in time-dependent C-index,time-dependent ROC,and time-dependent AUC.The calibration curves significantly coincided with the ideal standard lines,indicating that the model had high stability and low over-fitting level.Decision curve analysis revealed that there was a wider range of threshold probabilities and it could augment net benefits.The Kaplan-Meier curves for risk stratification indicated that the prognosis of patients varied dramatically between risk categories(P＜0.000 1).The Kaplan-Meier curves for risk stratification indicated that the prognosis of patients varied dramatically among different risk groups(P＜0.000 1).The likelihood ratio chi-square value,R2 value,AIC value,C-index and AUROC value of the model were better than those of other models commonly used in clinical practice.Conclusion The newly-developed prognostic nomogram based on preoperative inflammatory indicators has excellent accuracy as well as excellent prediction effect in predicting the prognosis of patients with unresectable HCC after receiving TACE,therefore,it can be used as an effective tool for guiding individualized treatment and for predicting prognosis.(J Intervent Radiol,2024,33:245-258)

Objective To establish a prognostic nomogram based on preoperative serum prealbumin levels for predicting overall survival(OS)in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)treated with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization(TACE).Methods A total of 1 041 patients with unresectable HCC,who received TACE treatment at five medical centers in Suzhou city of China between January 2007 and December 2018,were divided into a training cohort(n=768)and a validation cohort(n=273).Cox regression analysis was used to analyzed the independent factors affecting one-,2-,and 3-year OS,based on which the nomogram was constructed,and validation of the nomogram was conducted in an internal test sequence.The performance of the nomogram was evaluated by concordance index(C-index),area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC),calibration curve,and judgment curve analysis(DCA).Results COX regression analysis showed that AFP,BCLC,HBV,intrahepatic vascular invasion,number of tumors,PALB,PS,and tumor size were the independent risk factors affecting OS in patients with unresectable HCC treated with TACE.The C-index in the nomogram was 0.739(95％CI:0.719-0.759)for the training cohort and 0.715(95％CI:0.678-0.752)for the verification cohort.The AUCs of one-,2-,and 3-year OS in the training cohort were 0.877,0.794,and 0.799 respectively,which in the verification cohort were 0.840,0.741,and 0.671 respectively.The AUC-ROC values of the nomogram were higher than those of other traditional scoring systems,indicating that the nomogram had a good discriminatory power.The calibration curves demonstrated that a strong agreement existed between the predicted values of the nomogram and the actual observed values,and the DCA showed that the nomogram had high potential clinical utilization.The nomogram risk score revealed that the survival rate of patients in the low-risk group was significantly higher than that of patients in the high-risk group.Conclusion The nomogram based on preoperative serum prealbumin levels has excellent ability in predicting the prognosis of patients with unresectable HCC treated with TACE.

Evaluating the consistency of herb injectable formulations could improve their product quality and clinical safety, particularly concerning the composition and content levels of trace ingredients. Panax notoginseng Saponins Injection (PNSI), widely used in China for treating acute cardiovascular diseases, contains low-abundance (10%-25%) and trace saponins in addition to its five main constituents (notoginsenoside R₁, ginsenoside Rg₁, ginsenoside Re, ginsenoside Rb₁, and ginsenoside Rd). This study aimed to establish a robust analytical method and assess the variability in trace saponin levels within PNSI from different vendors and formulation types. To achieve this, a liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method employing multiple ions monitoring (MIM) was developed. A "post-column valve switching" strategy was implemented to eliminate highly abundant peaks (NR₁, Rg₁, and Re) at 26 min. A total of 51 saponins in PNSI were quantified or relatively quantified using 18 saponin standards, with digoxin as the internal standard. This study evaluated 119 batches of PNSI from seven vendors, revealing significant variability in trace saponin levels among different vendors and formulation types. These findings highlight the importance of consistent content in low-abundance and trace saponins to ensure product control and clinical safety. Standardization of these ingredients is crucial for maintaining the quality and effectiveness of PNSI in treating acute cardiovascular diseases.
Ginsenosides ; Saponins ; Chemometrics ; Panax notoginseng ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry