BACKGROUND:Traditional surgery for lumbar disc herniation involves extensive excision of tissue surrounding the nerve for decompression and removal of protruding lumbar intervertebral discs,which poses various risks and complications such as nerve damage causing paralysis,lumbar instability,herniation recurrence,intervertebral space infection,and adjacent vertebral diseases. OBJECTIVE:To propose the symmetrically adduction of lumbar decompression induced resorption of herniated nucleus pulpous technique for lumbar spine symmetrically decompression,showing the induced resorption of herniated nucleus pulpous phenomenon and early clinical efficacy,and then analyze its decompression mechanism. METHODS:214 patients with lumbar disc herniation at Department of Orthopedics,First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from March 2021 to May 2023 were enrolled in this study.Among them,81 patients received conservative treatment as the control group,and 133 patients received symmetrically adduction of lumbar decompression induced resorption of herniated nucleus pulpous treatment as the trial group.Before surgery,immediately after surgery(7-14 days),and early after surgery(over 1 year),MRI images were used to measure the volume changes of lumbar disc herniation.CT images were used to measure the posterior displacement distance of the lumbar spinous process ligament complex,as well as the width and height of the lateral recess.Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores were used to evaluate the patient's neurological function recovery. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Control group:81 patients with lumbar disc herniation were treated conservatively,with a total of 171 herniated lumbar discs.The average follow-up time was(22.7±23.1)months.The first and second MRI measurements of 171 herniated lumbar discs showed herniated lumbar disc volumes of(551.6±257.9)mm3 and(792.2±330.4)mm3,respectively,with an average volume increase rate of(53.2±44.4)%,showing statistically significant differences(P<0.001).Out of 171 herniated lumbar discs,4 experienced natural shrinkage,with an absorption ratio of 2.3%(4/171)and an absorption rate of(24.5±9.9)%.(2)Trial group:133 patients with lumbar disc herniation had a total of 285 herniated lumbar discs.(1)Immediately after surgery:All patients were followed up immediately after surgery.229 out of 285 herniated lumbar discs experienced retraction,with an absorption ratio of 80.3%(229/285)and an average absorption rate of(21.5±20.9)%,with significant and complete absorption accounting for 6.5%.There were a total of 70 herniated lumbar discs in the upper lumbar spine,with an absorption ratio of 85.7%(60/70),an average absorption rate of(23.1±19.5)%,and a maximum absorption rate of 86.6%.There were 215 herniated lumbar discs in the lower lumbar spine,with an absorption ratio of 78.6%(169/215),an average absorption rate of(21.0±21.3)%,and a maximum absorption rate of 83.2%.Significant and complete absorption of the upper and lower lumbar vertebrae accounted for 5.7%and 6.5%,respectively,with no statistically significant difference(P>0.05).The average distance of posterior displacement of the spinous process ligament complex immediately after surgery was(5.2±2.8)mm.There were no significant differences in the width and height of the left and right lateral recess before and immediately after surgery(P>0.05).The Japanese Orthopaedic Association score immediately after surgery increased from(10.1±3.4)before surgery to(17.0±4.8),and the immediate effective rate after surgery reached 95.6%.(2)Early postoperative period:Among them,46 patients completed the early postoperative follow-up.There were 101 herniated lumbar discs,with an absorption ratio of 94%(95/101)and an average absorption rate of(36.9±23.7)%.Significant and complete absorption accounted for 30.6%,with a maximum absorption rate of 100%.Out of 101 herniated lumbar discs,3 remained unchanged in volume,with a volume invariance rate of 2.97%(3/101).Out of 101 herniated lumbar discs,3 had an increased volume of herniated lumbar discs,with an increase ratio of 2.97%(3/101)and an increase rate of(18.5±18.4)%.The Japanese Orthopaedic Association score increased from preoperative(9.3±5.1)to(23.5±4.0),with an excellent and good rate of 93.4%.(3)The early postoperative lumbar disc herniation absorption ratios of the control group and trial group were 2.3%and 85.9%,respectively,with statistically significant differences(P<0.001).(4)Complications:There were two cases of incision exudation and delayed healing in the trial group.After conservative treatment such as dressing change,no nerve injury or death occurred in the incision healing,and no cases underwent a second surgery.(5)It is concluded that symmetrically adduction of lumbar decompression induced resorption of herniated nucleus pulpous is a new method for treating lumbar disc herniation that can avoid extensive excision of the"ring"nerve and achieve satisfactory early clinical efficacy.It does not damage the lumbar facet joints or alter the basic anatomical structure of the lateral recess,fully preserves the herniated lumbar discs,and can induce significant or even complete induced resorption of herniated nucleus pulpous.Symmetrically adduction of lumbar decompression induced resorption of herniated nucleus pulpous provides a new basis and method for the clinical treatment of lumbar disc herniation.

Objective To construct the evaluation index system of DRG implementation effect from the interests of medical insurance,hospitals and patients,and provide evaluation tools for medical insurance departments to grasp the actual operation effect of DRG.Methods The evaluation index system is constructed initially through literature re-view,and then Delphi method is used to conduct two rounds of expert consultation.According to the concentration degree and coordination degree of expert opinions,the index system is selected and modified,and the final evalua-tion index system is constructed.Results The positive coefficients of experts in the two rounds of expert consultation were 73%and 82%respectively,and the average authority coefficient of experts was 0.78.In the second round of consultation,the Kendell's W coefficients of the importance,data availability and sensitivity of the evaluation index were 0.517,0.437 and 0.472 respectively(P＜0.001).Finally,the evaluation index system of DRG implementation effect includes 3 first-level indicators,9 second-level indicators and 29 third-level indicators.Conclusion The evalua-tion index system of DRG implementation effect has high enthusiasm of experts,good authority,coordination and concentration of experts,which can be used to evaluate the sustainability of medical insurance fund,the service out-put of medical institutions and the rights and interests of patients in DRG pilot areas.

Objective : To explore the correlation between uteroglobulin-related protein 1(UGRP1) and primary hypothyroidism. Methods : Ninety-six patients with primary hypothyroidism were selected, including 66 patients with positive thyroid peroxidase antibodies(TPOAb) or anti-thyroglobulin antibodies(ATG) as the antibody-positive group, 30 patients with negative thyroid autoantibodies as the antibody-negative group, and 96 healthy people as the control group. The general clinical data, thyroid-related indicators and serum UGRP1 levels were compared among these three groups. Human thyroid normal cells(NTHY-ORI 3-1) were transfected with plasmids in vitro, thus establishing the control group as well as the UGRP1 group. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to detect and compare the T4 level in the cell culture supernatant. Results : The differences in thyroid stimulating hormone(TSH), TPOAb and ATG among the three groups were statistically significant(P<0.05). The serum UGRP1 levels in the antibody-positive(303.97±156.00) pg/ml and antibody-negative groups(352.13±188. 37) pg/ml were higher than those in the control group( 237. 54 ± 137. 20) pg/ml,and the differences between the groups were statistically significant( P = 0. 005). Meanwhile,there was no statistically significant difference between the antibody-positive and antibody-negative groups. Multi-factor Logistic regression analysis showed that UGRP1 was the risk factor for the occurrence of primary hypothyroidism( OR = 1. 004,95% CI: 1. 001-1. 007,P =0. 007). The difference between the control group and UGRP1 group in T4 concentration secreted by human thyroid normal cells was not statistically significant. Conclusion Serum UGRP1 levels increase in patients with primary hypothyroidism,and the high expression of UGRP1 may have no direct relation to the function of thyroid cells secreting T4.

Objective To compare the gut fungal composition between gout patients and healthy individuals through high-throughput sequencing of ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer 1(ITS1).Methods Gout patients and healthy volunteers who visited our hospital from January 2023 to December 2024 were enrolled in this study.Then based on established medical guidelines,the gout patients were categorized into 3 groups:Group H(asymptomatic hyperuricemia,n=14),Group G(acute gouty arthritis,n=14),and Group I(intercritical period of gouty arthritis,n=15),and the healthy individuals were assigned into Group N(n=9).Fecal samples were collected from all the participants to undergo ITS1 sequencing analysis.The differences in diversity and composition of gut mycobiome,and FunGuild-derived fungal functions and nutritional status were compared among the 4 groups,and the correlation between the gut mycobiome and clinical indicators was analyzed.Results There were no significant differences in baseline features such as gender,age,glomerular filtration rate(GFR),and levels of serum creatinine(SCr)and serum urea among Group N and other gout groups,but obvious differences were observed in body mass index(BMI),erythrocyte sedimentation rate,and levels of C-reactive protein(CRP),serum uric acid(SUA),and IL-1β and IL-6(P<0.05).In terms of gut fungal diversity,ITS1 analysis showed there were no statistical differences in α-diversity or the principal coordinate analysis(PCoA)of β-diversity among the groups.However,as gout progressed,significant changes were observed in β-diversity indices,indicating a shift in the gut fungal community composition with disease advancement(P<0.05).The phyla Ascomycota,Basidiomycota,and Mucoromycotina were the dominant fungal phyla in all groups.Compared with the other 3 gout groups,the abundance of Pichia was significantly increased in Group N(P<0.05),that of Saccharomyces was in Group H(P<0.05),and that of Starmerella was in Group G(P<0.05).Correlation analysis between the gut mycobiome and clinical indices indicated that the relative abundance of Starmerella was significantly positively correlated with IL-1β(P<0.01)and IL-6(P<0.05).The relative abundance of Pichia was significantly positively correlated with IL-1β and IL-6 levels(P<0.05),and negatively correlated with serum urea level(P<0.05),and the relative abundance of Saccharomyces was negatively correlated with IL-1β and IL-6 levels(P<0.05).Conclusion There exist significant alterations in both the diversity and composition of gut fungi among patients with gout at various stages.Notably,the fluctuations in the relative abundance of Starmerella,Pichia and Saccharomyces appear to correlate with key clinical indicators.

Hand degloving injury represents one of the most severe forms of hand trauma, characterised by challenging treatment and a complex prognostic outcome. It is crucial to effectively utilise the degloved tissues in emergency or primary repair of a hand degloving injury. This consensus provides a comprehensive review of the existing literature on definition, classification, emergency assessment, debridement, judgment of skin viability, in situ repair of the degloved skin, and adjunctive treatment for degloving injury of hand. Based on conclusion of both domestic and international experiences, this expert consensus on the classification of hand degloving injury and the emergency repair with the avulsed skin is established, aiming to provide a guidance to surgeons on standardised treatment strategy and improve the management of hand degloving injury.

Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological and genetic characteristics of monomorphic epitheliotropic intestinal T-cell lymphoma (MEITL).Methods:The forty-two MEITL cases diagnosed in the Department of Pathology, Ruijin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China from 2016 to 2022 was retrospectively analyzed. Clinical data were collected, and follow-up was performed. Morphological characteristics were observed. Immunohistochemistry, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in situ hybridization, clonal rearrangement analysis of T-cell receptor (TCR) genes, and targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) were performed.Results:Among the 42 patients (male/female ratio of 2.8∶1.0), the age range was 32-77 years with a median age of 59.5 (52.0-65.0) years. Grossly, the tumors were presented as ulcerative or exophytic lesions, with a maximum diameter of 2-18 cm. There were 34 cases with a single lesion and 8 cases with more than 1 lesion. The tumor cells in all 42 cases were relatively monotonous in histology and small or medium in size. They had round or oval nuclei, moderately pale or clear cytoplasm, evenly distributed nuclear chromatin, inconspicuous nucleoli, and frequent mitotic figures. In one of the cases, there were moderately large cells, vacuolated nuclei, and clear nucleoli. Lymphoepithelial lesions were observed in 36 (85.7%) of the 42 cases, tumor necrosis in 4 (9.5%) cases, scattered eosinophils and/or plasma cell infiltration in the background in 9 (21.4%) cases, and a "starry sky" phenomenon in 1 (2.4%) case. The tumor cells in all cases exhibited high expression of CD3, CD2, CD7, CD8, CD56, TIA1, Granzyme B, and Perforin, while some also expressed CD4 (5/41, 12.2%), CD5 (3/41, 7.3%), CD20 (4/41, 11.9%), CD79α (2/37, 5.4%), and CD30 (1/34, 2.9%). The Ki-67 proliferation index ranged from 40% to 90%. EBER in situ hybridization tests were negative in all cases. TCR gene clonal rearrangement was detected in 96.4% (27/28) of the tested cases. Targeted NGS revealed commonly mutated genes including SETD2, STAT5B, JAK3, TP53, and CREBBP. The primary treatment was chemotherapy, with 2 cases undergoing autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Follow-up information was obtained for 29 cases, with a follow-up period of 1-73 months. The mortality was 93.1% (27/29).Conclusions:MEITL is a rare and highly aggressive peripheral T-cell lymphoma. Its clinical manifestations are diverse, and diagnosis primarily relies on a comprehensive assessment of pathological morphology, immunohistochemical profiles, and EBV infection status, supplemented by genetic testing if necessary. At present, there is no effective treatment, and its overall prognosis is poor.

BACKGROUND:Induced resorption of herniated nucleus pulpous is a minimally invasive,non-invasive and innovative method for the treatment of cervical/lumbar intervertebral disc herniation.After induced resorption of herniated nucleus pulpous,the research about whether cervical/lumbar intervertebral disc can maintain the original biomechanical strength has not been reported.OBJECTIVE:To measure the height of adjacent vertebral centroid of cervical/lumbar intervertebral disc before and after induced resorption of herniated nucleus pulpous operation to analyze the changes of the biomechanical strength of the intervertebral disc after reclining and to provide a new basis for induced resorption of herniated nucleus pulpous treatment of cervical and lumbar intervertebral disc herniation.METHODS:A retrospective analysis was performed on 140 patients with cervical/lumbar intervertebral disc herniation who received induced resorption of herniated nucleus pulpous surgery in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2013 to January 2023.Related software was used to measure the height of adjacent vertebral centroid of cervical/lumbar intervertebral disc of patients at each follow-up time point before and after induced resorption of herniated nucleus pulpous surgery in Magnetic Resonance Imaging image data under Artificial Intelligence-assisted calibration.Unoperated T1/T2 and T12/L1 segments were taken respectively as controls.Those with preoperative height of adjacent vertebral centroid less than 8％of the corresponding T1/T2 or T12/L1 control segment were in the"height reduction group"(hereafter referred to as group A)and the rest were in the"height unchanged group"(hereafter referred to as group B).The difference of height of adjacent vertebral centroid before and after operation between the group A and the group B was statistically analyzed.Simultaneously,the correlation between the volume of cervical and lumbar herniated discs and the changes of height of adjacent vertebral centroid was analyzed according to the result measured by artificial intelligence.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The study maintained a total of 140 patients,including 60 cases of cervical disc herniation and 80 cases of lumbar disc herniation.The postoperative follow-up period was 7 days to 12 months.(2)A total of 281 discs were measured in the cervical vertebra group,including 60 intervertebral discs in the control group.The mean value of height of adjacent vertebral centroid before and at the last postoperative follow-up was about 20.46 mm and 20.17 mm,respectively,with no statistical difference(P＞0.05).There were 162 cervical discs in group A.The average height of adjacent vertebral centroid before and after operation was 16.65 mm and 15.92 mm,respectively,with no statistically significant difference(P＞0.05).The mean cervical disc herniation volume before and after surgery was 510.28 mm3 and 364.76 mm3,respectively,which was not significantly correlated with height of adjacent vertebral centroid change(P＞0.05).There were 64 discs in the group B,with average of 20.15 mm before operation and 19.09 mm at the last follow-up,and there was no significant difference(P＞0.05).The mean volume of cervical disc herniation before and after surgery was 515.32 mm3 and 361.98 mm3,respectively,and there was no significant correlation with the change of height of adjacent vertebral centroid(P＞0.05).(3)A total of 258 discs were measured in the lumbar spine group,of which 80 intervertebral discs in the control group,the average height of adjacent vertebral centroid was 33.03 mm before operation and 32.40 mm at the last follow-up,and there was no significant difference.There were 59 discs in the group A,and the average height of adjacent vertebral centroid before and after operation was 30.08 mm and 31.67 mm,respectively,with no statistically significant difference.The mean volume of lumbar disc herniation before and after operation was 690.51 mm3 and 496.58 mm3,respectively,and there was no significant correlation with the change of height of adjacent vertebral centroid(P＞0.05).There were 119 discs in the group B,with an average height of adjacent vertebral centroid of 35.91 mm before surgery and 34.12 mm at the last follow-up.The mean volume of lumbar disc herniation before and after operation was 698.70 mm3 and 535.99 mm3,respectively,and there was no significant correlation with the change of height of adjacent vertebral centroid.(4)It is concluded that patients with cervical/lumbar intervertebral disc herniation can maintain the same intervertebral height level after induced resorption of herniated nucleus pulpous regardless of whether the intervertebral height has decreased before operation.It can be inferred that the resorption of the herniated disc does not affect its biomechanical strength.It suggests that induced resorption of herniated nucleus pulpous surgery should be performed before the intervertebral height of the degenerate segment has decreased.The induced resorption of herniated nucleus pulpous is more valuable to maintain the biomechanical strength of the resorptive disc.

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic value of MRI findings in differentiating between tophus and giant cell tumors of the tendon sheath (GCTTS) in the knee.Methods:The study was a case-control study. The clinical and MRI data of patients diagnosed with knee tophus or GCTTS was retrospectively analyzed at the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from September 2018 to September 2024. The study included 23 cases of tophus and 22 cases of GCTTS. MRI sequences, including T 1WI, fat-suppressed T 2WI, and proton density weighted imaging, were evaluated. Parameters including lesion signal intensity and homogeneity, margin, maximum diameter, location (inside or outside the synovial cavity), ligament/tendon involvement, ligament/tendon parenchymal changes, adjacent bone erosion, bone marrow edema, synovial hyperplasia, joint effusion, and periarticular soft tissue swelling were recorded. Independent sample t-tests, χ2 tests, or Fisher exact tests were used to compare MRI findings between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify independent predictive factors. Results:Significant differences in terms of maximum diameter, location (inside or outside the synovial cavity), ligament/tendon involvement, ligament/tendon parenchymal changes, adjacent bone erosion, bone marrow edema, and periarticular soft tissue swelling between the two groups were found (all P<0.05). No significant differences for other parameters were observed (all P>0.05). Lesion location and ligament/tendon parenchymal involvement demonstrated the highest sensitivity and specificity for distinguishing the two diseases. The sensitivity and specificity values for lesion location were 0.78 and 0.95. The sensitivity and specificity values for ligament/tendon involvement were 0.78 and 1.00. Multivariate logistic regression identified lesion location (inside or outside the synovial cavity) as an independent predictor for differentiating tophus from GCTTS ( OR=31.48, 95% CI 1.58-625.69, P=0.024). Conclusion:The location of the lesion (inside or outside the synovial cavity) and involvement of ligament/tendon parenchyma are critical factors in differentiating knee tophus from GCTTS. Additionally, lesion location serves as an independent predictor for distinguishing between the two conditions.

Allergic rhinitis (AR), a globally prevalent immune-mediated inflammatory condition, is still an incurable disease. In the present study, we have validated the impact of the Kelch-like ECH associated protein 1 (Keap1)-related oxidative stress and inflammatory response in clinical AR patient peripheral blood and nasal swab samples, emphasizing the biological relevance of Keap1 and AR. Targeting Keap1 -nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) related anti-oxidative stress may be effective for AR intervention. Drawing inspiration from the Keap1 homodimerization and the E3 ligase characteristics, we herein present a design of novel bivalent molecules for chemical knockdown of Keap1. For the first time, we characterized ternary complexes of Keap1 dimer and one molecule of bivalent compounds. The best bivalent molecule 8 encompasses robust capacity to degrade Keap1 as a homoPROTAC^KEAP1. It efficaciously suppresses inflammatory cytokines in extensively different cells, including human nasal epithelial cells. Moreover, in an AR mouse model, we confirmed that the chemical degradation induced by homoPROTAC^KEAP1 led to therapeutic benefits in managing AR symptoms, oxidative stress and inflammation. In summary, our findings underscore the efficacy of targeting the Keap1 system through the homoPROTAC-ing technology as an innovative and promising treatment strategy for the incurable allergic disorders.

The ability to localize sound sources rapidly allows human beings to efficiently understand the surrounding environment. Previous studies have suggested that there is an auditory "where" pathway in the cortex for processing sound locations. The neural activation in regions along this pathway encodes sound locations by opponent hemifield coding, in which each unilateral region is activated by sounds coming from the contralateral hemifield. However, it is still unclear how these regions interact with each other to form a unified representation of the auditory space. In the present study, we investigated whether functional connectivity in the auditory "where" pathway encoded sound locations during passive listening. Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while passively listening to sounds from five distinct horizontal locations (-90°, -45°, 0°, 45°, 90°). We were able to decode sound locations from the functional connectivity patterns of the "where" pathway. Furthermore, we found that such neural representation of sound locations was primarily based on the coding of sound lateralization angles to the frontal midline. In addition, whole-brain analysis indicated that functional connectivity between occipital regions and the primary auditory cortex also encoded sound locations by lateralization angles. Overall, our results reveal a lateralization-angle-based representation of sound locations encoded by functional connectivity patterns, which could add on the activation-based opponent hemifield coding to provide a more precise representation of the auditory space.
Humans ; Sound Localization/physiology* ; Male ; Female ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Young Adult ; Functional Laterality/physiology* ; Adult ; Brain Mapping ; Auditory Cortex/physiology* ; Acoustic Stimulation ; Auditory Pathways/physiology* ; Brain/physiology*