BACKGROUND:Radiotherapy significantly improves survival rates in patients with various malignant tumors.However,with prolonged post-treatment survival,many patients face the risk of radiation-related cardiac toxicity.This is especially true after chest radiotherapy,where the risk of radiation-induced heart disease significantly increases,becoming one of the most severe complications affecting prognosis survival.OBJECTIVE:To identify diagnostic markers of endothelial cellular senescence in radiation-induced heart disease through systematic transcriptomic analysis.METHODS:Firstly,genes associated with cellular senescence were screened from the CellAge database and intersected with the transcriptomic training dataset of a mouse model of radiation-induced heart disease to identify differentially expressed senescence-related genes.Secondly,weighted gene co-expression network analysis and machine learning were used to identify key hub genes that play critical roles in radiation-induced heart disease.The expression of these genes was validated using a dataset of radiation-induced endothelial injury.Additionally,the quanTlseq method was employed to assess the immune infiltration status related to radiation-induced heart disease.The expression levels of key genes and their association with survival in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients receiving chest radiotherapy were explored through the analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas database.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Systematic transcriptomic analysis identified CCND1 as the core gene of endothelial cellular senescence in radiation-induced heart disease,and this finding was validated in the mouse model of radiation-induced heart disease.(2)The diagnostic model constructed from these data indicated that CCND1 had high specificity and sensitivity for diagnosing radiation-induced heart disease.(3)Immune infiltration analysis revealed significant immune response dysregulation in the mouse model of radiation-induced heart disease,and CCND1 was closely related to various immune cells.(4)Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that CCND1 was associated with poorer disease-specific survival in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients receiving chest radiotherapy.This study systematically uncovers,for the first time,the pivotal role of CCND1 in endothelial cell senescence associated with radiation-induced heart disease.CCND1,a gene integral to cell cycle regulation,can induce cellular senescence when abnormally expressed.Furthermore,the findings highlight its potential as an early diagnostic marker.

BACKGROUND:Radiotherapy significantly improves survival rates in patients with various malignant tumors.However,with prolonged post-treatment survival,many patients face the risk of radiation-related cardiac toxicity.This is especially true after chest radiotherapy,where the risk of radiation-induced heart disease significantly increases,becoming one of the most severe complications affecting prognosis survival.OBJECTIVE:To identify diagnostic markers of endothelial cellular senescence in radiation-induced heart disease through systematic transcriptomic analysis.METHODS:Firstly,genes associated with cellular senescence were screened from the CellAge database and intersected with the transcriptomic training dataset of a mouse model of radiation-induced heart disease to identify differentially expressed senescence-related genes.Secondly,weighted gene co-expression network analysis and machine learning were used to identify key hub genes that play critical roles in radiation-induced heart disease.The expression of these genes was validated using a dataset of radiation-induced endothelial injury.Additionally,the quanTlseq method was employed to assess the immune infiltration status related to radiation-induced heart disease.The expression levels of key genes and their association with survival in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients receiving chest radiotherapy were explored through the analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas database.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Systematic transcriptomic analysis identified CCND1 as the core gene of endothelial cellular senescence in radiation-induced heart disease,and this finding was validated in the mouse model of radiation-induced heart disease.(2)The diagnostic model constructed from these data indicated that CCND1 had high specificity and sensitivity for diagnosing radiation-induced heart disease.(3)Immune infiltration analysis revealed significant immune response dysregulation in the mouse model of radiation-induced heart disease,and CCND1 was closely related to various immune cells.(4)Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that CCND1 was associated with poorer disease-specific survival in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients receiving chest radiotherapy.This study systematically uncovers,for the first time,the pivotal role of CCND1 in endothelial cell senescence associated with radiation-induced heart disease.CCND1,a gene integral to cell cycle regulation,can induce cellular senescence when abnormally expressed.Furthermore,the findings highlight its potential as an early diagnostic marker.

Objective To investigate whether the PI3K/AKT/Cdkn1a/GPX4 signaling axis participates in the pathogenesis of radiation-induced heart disease (RIHD) through the ferroptosis pathway. Methods An RIHD mouse model was established by irradiating C57BL/6J mice with 20 Gy X-rays. Transcriptomic sequencing, the FerrDb ferroptosis-related gene set, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis were used to identify hub genes associated with ferroptosis in RIHD. KEGG enrichment analysis was employed to determine key signaling pathways. An AC16 cardiomyocyte model of RIHD was constructed, and the optimal modeling conditions were determined using CCK-8 assays and flow cytometry. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and Western blotting were applied to validate the expression changes of key genes and pathways in cardiomyocytes. Results Compared with the control group, myocardial tissues from irradiated mice exhibited typical RIHD pathological alterations, including structural disorganization and degeneration. Bioinformatics analysis identified Cdkn1a and Ddit4 as potential hub genes, with the PI3K/AKT pathway as the key signaling pathway. The optimal conditions for establishing the RIHD cell model were determined to be 10 Gy irradiation and 48 hours of incubation. Cellular experiments confirmed that, compared with the control group (0 Gy), irradiated cardiomyocytes (10 Gy) showed significantly elevated CDKN1A expression (P < 0.01), inhibited phosphorylation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway (P < 0.05), downregulated GPX4 expression (P < 0.05), and induction of ferroptosis. Conclusion This study preliminarily clarifies the potential role of the PI3K/AKT/Cdkn1a/GPX4 signaling axis in regulating ferroptosis in RIHD cardiomyocytes, providing new therapeutic targets and strategies for the prevention and treatment of RIHD.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and outcomes of type 2 autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) and compare with type 1 AIP.Methods:Clinical data of the patients diagnosed with type 2 AIP by the International Consensus on diagnostic criteria of AIP at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2001 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, and type 1 AIP patients diagnosed in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 1985 to December 2016 were collected as controls. The clinical symptoms, treatments and follow-ups were analyzed.Results:A total of 25 patients with type 2 AIP were included, of which 16 cases (64.0%) were pathologically confirmed cases (13 cases by endoscopic ultrasound puncture, 2 cases by surgery, and 1 case by interventional puncture), and 9 cases (36.0%) were suspected. The average age of onset was 40 years old. Most patients ( n=23, 92.0%) had abdominal pain along with emaciation to a various degree. Among them, 3 cases primarily presented as acute pancreatitis. Two cases were diagnosed after surgery for pancreatic masses. Eighteen cases were complicated with inflammatory bowel disease, including 16 cases with ulcerative colitis, one case with Crohn's disease, and one case with indeterminate colitis. All patients had typical imaging manifestations, including 13 cases (52.0%) with diffuse pancreatic enlargement, 12 cases (48.0%) with focal or multifocal pancreatic lesions, and 5 cases (20.0%) with simultaneous focal pancreatic masses and diffuse enlargement. All patients had normal serum IgG4 levels, anti-neutropil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) positivity rate was 35.3% (6/17), and anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) positivity rate was 29.2% (7/24). Two surgical patients recovered well after surgery, and the other patients all achieved clinical and imaging relief after hormone therapy, and no recurrence was seen during follow-up. Compared with type 1 AIP, type 2 AIP had younger onset age, main manifestation as abdominal pain without jaundice, rare involvement with extra-pancreatic organs, the lesions mainly located in the intestine and normal IgG4 level with statistically significant differences. The recurrence rate of type 2 AIP was lower than that of type 1 AIP (0 vs 16%). Conclusions:Type 2 AIP has different clinical characteristics from type 1 AIP. Due to the lack of specific serum markers, the diagnosis is more difficult. It responds well to glucocorticoids and has a low recurrence rate.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors for textbook outcomes (TO) of intra-hepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) after hepatectomy.Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 155 ICC patients who underwent hepatectomy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from September 2014 to August 2019 were collected. There were 90 males and 65 females, aged 60(range, 26?82)years. Observation indicators: (1) treatment situations; (2) TO situations; (3) analysis of risk factors for postoperative TO. Follow-up was conducted using outpatient examination and telephone interview to detect postoperative sur-vival of patients up to October 2020. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the independent samples t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range), and comparison between groups was analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were described as absolute numbers, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the chi-square test, Yates' calibration chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate survival rates and draw survival curves. The Log-rank test was used for survival analysis. The univariate analysis was conducted using the corresponding statistical methods based on data type. The Logistic regression model was used for multivariate analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used for evaluating the diagnostic value of indicators (the optimal cut-off value). Results:(1) Treatment situations. Of the 155 patients, 46 cases underwent minor hepatectomy and 109 cases underwent major hepatectomy. Twenty-one of the 155 patients underwent combined bile duct reconstruction. Ninety-five of the 155 patients underwent lymph node dissection, including 41 cases with positive lymph node by postoperative histopathological examinations. The operation time and volume of intraoperative blood loss of the 155 patients were 250.0(range, 95.0?720.0)minutes and 300.0(range, 50.0?15 000.0)mL, respectively. The optimal cut-off values of the operation time and volume of intraoperative blood loss for TO calculated by ROC curve were 247.5 minutes and 325.0 mL, respectively. Of the 155 patients, 44 cases received intraoperative blood transfusion and 10 cases received postoperative blood transfusion (5 cases with intraoperative and postoperative blood transfusion). Seventy-four of the 155 patients had postoperative complications, including 39 cases with mild complications and 35 cases with serious complications. The total duration of hospital stay of the 155 patients was 19 (range, 8?77)days. (2) TO situations. Of the 155 patients, 150 cases achieved R 0 resection, 120 cases had no major postoperative complications, 106 cases had no perioperative blood transfusion, 79 cases had no prolonged duration of hospital stay, 152 cases had no death within postoperative 30 days and 150 cases had no readmission within 30 days after discharge. Of the 155 patients, 56 cases achieved postoperative TO, while 99 patients did not achieve TO. (3) Analysis of risk factors for postoperative TO. Results of univariate analysis showed that preoperative biliary drainage, preoperative Child-Pugh grading of liver function, preoperative asymp-tomatic leukocytosis, preoperative total bilirubin, preoperative alkaline phosphatase, preoperative CA19-9, preoperative CA125, operation time, volume of intraoperative blood loss, tumor diameter, pathological T staging and pathological N staging were related factors for preoperative TO of ICC patients undergoing hepatectomy ( χ2=4.31, 4.31, 4.38, 4.80, Z=?4.15, χ2=10.74, 15.44, 16.59, 27.53, 6.53, 6.77, 9.26, P<0.05). Bile duct reconstruction was also a related factor for postoperative TO of ICC patients ( P<0.05). Results of multivariate analysis showed that preoperative biliary drainage, preoperative asymptomatic leukocytosis, preoperative CA19-9 >35 U/mL, preoperative CA125 >35 U/mL and volume of intraoperative blood loss >325.0 mL were independent risk factors for postoperative TO of ICC patients undergoing hepatectomy ( odds ratio=74.77, 11.73, 2.40,4.86, 6.42, 95% confidence intervals as 1.80?113.39, 1.19?115.54, 1.04?5.53, 1.78?13.26, 2.41?17.11, P<0.05). Conclusions:Preoperative biliary drainage, preoperative asymptomatic leukocytosis, preoperative CA19-9 >35 U/mL, preoperative CA125 >35 U/mL and volume of intraoperative blood loss >325.0 mL are independent risk factors for postoperative TO of ICC patients undergoing hepatectomy.

Objective:To investigate the role of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in differentiating between autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) and pancreatic cancer (PC).Methods:Data of 133 patients with AIP and 113 patients with PC who underwent EUS because of obstructive jaundice at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2013 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed in the study, and were randomly divided into either a derivation sample or a validation sample using 1∶1 allocation according to the random number. In the derivation sample, 10 EUS characteristics were used to construct a prediction model to distinguish between AIP and PC, in which predictors were identified by multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis and predictive efficacy was evaluated by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis. The predictive efficacy was assessed in the validation sample. In view of the subjectivity in the judgment of diffuse/focal hypoechogenicity, 2 prediction models were designed in order to avoid bias.Results:By multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis, diffuse hypoechogenicity ( OR=591.0, 95% CI: 98.8->999.9, P<0.001) and vessel involvement ( OR=11.9, 95% CI: 1.4-260.2, P=0.023) were identified as statistically significant predictors for distinguishing AIP from PC. EUS characteristics excluding diffuse/focal hypoechogenicity were stepped by logistic regression, which showed that hyperechoic foci/strands ( OR=177.3, 95% CI: 18.7->999.9, P<0.001), pancreatic duct dilation ( OR=60.5, 95% CI: 6.2->999.9, P=0.004), bile duct wall thickening ( OR=35.4, 95% CI: 3.7->999.9, P=0.009), lymphadenopathy ( OR=16.8, 95% CI: 1.7-475.2, P=0.038) and vessel involvement ( OR=22.7, 95% CI: 2.0-725.7, P=0.028) were statistically significant predictors to distinguish the two diseases. Both prediction models were built in the derivation sample, with area under the ROC curve of 0.995 and 0.979 respectively. In the validation sample, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of both prediction models were all >90% by using the optimal cutoff value. Even for discrimination between focal AIP and PC, sensitivity and accuracy of both models were >90%, and specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were all >85%. Conclusion:The 2 prediction models have good differential predictive value, and EUS is a useful tool to differentiate between AIP and PC.

Background/Aims: The incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is rising in Asia recently. The study aimed to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the current status of drug therapy and monitoring for IBD in Asia. Methods: A questionnaire investigation on drug therapy and monitoring for IBD was conducted right before the 6th Annual Meeting of Asian Organization for Crohn’s & Colitis. Questionnaires were provided to Asian physicians to fill out via emails between March and May 2018. Results: In total, responses of 166 physicians from 129 medical centers were included for analysis. Among the surveyed regions, the most average number of IBD specialist gastroenterologists and nurses was 4.8 per center in Taiwan and 2.5 per center in Mainland China, respectively. 5-Aminosalicylic acid/sulfasalazine (99.4%) was the most preferred first-line choice for mild-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC), meanwhile corticosteroid (83.7%) was widely applied for severe UC. The first-line medication for Crohn’s disease (CD) markedly varied as corticosteroid (68.1%) was the most favored in Mainland China, Japan, and South Korea, followed by infliximab (52.4%) and azathioprine (47.0%). Step-up strategy was preferred in mild-moderate UC (96.4%), while 51.8% of the physicians selected top-down treatment for CD. Only 25.9% and 17.5% of the physicians could test blood concentration of infliximab and antibody to infliximab in their hospitals, respectively. Conclusions The current status of drug therapy and monitoring for IBD in Asia possesses commonalities as well as differences. Asian recommendations, IBD specialist teams and practice of therapeutic drug monitoring are required to improve IBD management in Asia.

The clinical application of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has significantly improved the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. With the widespread applica-tion of ICIs in HCC, the management of immune-related adverse events (irAE) gained more and more attention. However, the complicated disease characteristics and various combination therapies in HCC throw out challenges to irAE management. Therefore, the editorial board of the 'Chinese expert consensus on the management of immune-related adverse events of hepatocellular carcinoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (2021 edition)' organizes multidisciplinary experts to discuss and formulate this consensus. The consensus focuses on issues related to HCC irAE manage-ment, and puts forward suggestions, in order to improve standardized and safety clinical medication, so as to maximize the benefits of immunotherapy for patients.

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of narrow band imaging (NBI) international colorectal endoscopic (NICE) classification in distinguishing neoplastic from non-neoplastic colorectal polyps during routine clinical practice. Methods A total of 224 lesions detected by white light colonoscopy by non-expert endoscopists were collected in this retrospective study. Each lesion was assessed by NBI and classified by NICE classification. The results were compared with pathological findings from endoscopic or surgical resected specimen. Results Among these 224 polyps, there were 59 of type 1, 159 of type 2 and 6 of type 3 according to NICE classification. There were 58 non-tumorous and 166 tumorous polyps according to pathological diagnosis. The total diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of NICE classification for colorectal tumor were 91. 6%, 77. 6%, 92. 1%,76. 3%and 87. 9%, respectively.Diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy in big (＞10 mm in diameter), small (＞5-10 mm in diameter) and mini (≤5 mm in diameter) polyp groups were 100. 0%, 97. 0% and 80. 9%, as well as 95. 7%, 87. 8%, and 83. 3%, respectively. Diagnostic accuracy showed a decreasing tendency on polyp size, without significant difference between the three groups ( P＝0. 694). Conclusion NICE classification with non-magnified NBI is effective in distinguishing neoplastic and non-neoplastic colorectal polyps by non-expert endoscopists and is potentially worth popularizing for routine clinical practice.

Objective To investigate the risk factors of pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectomy.Methods The retrospective case-control study was conducted.The clinicopathological data of 310 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University between January 2011 and December 2015 were collected.Observation indicators:(1) follow-up situations;(2) risk factors analysis of pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectorny.Follow-up using outpatient examination and telephone interview was performed to detect occurrence of pancreatic fistula and pancreatic fistula-induced rehospitalization or death up to June 2016.The univariate and multivariate analyses were respectively done using the chi-square test and logistic regression model.Results (1) Follow-up situations:310 patients were followed up for 6-60 months,with a median time of 31 months.During the follow-up,65 patients were complicated with pancreatic fistula,including 59 in grade B and 6 in grade C.Twenty-four patients received conservative treatment,and 41 received B ultrasound-guided catheter drainage.Of 65 patients,63 were improved and then discharged form hospital;2 in grade C of pancreatic fistula died of pancreatic fistula-related complications.(2) Risk factors analysis of pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectomy:univariate analysis showed that combined hypertension,cases with pancreaticoduodenectomy,operation time and pancreaticojejunostomy method were related factors affecting pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectomy (x2 =5.986,13.006,9.025,21.561,P＜0.05).The multivariate analysis showed that combined hypertension,operation time ＞ 6 hours and end-to-end telescopic pancreaticojejunostomy or biuding pancreaticojejunostomy were independent risk factors affecting pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectomy (Odds ratio =2.465,1.880,2.719,6.190,95％ confidence interval:1.253-4.850,1.025-3.448,1.254-5.894,2.309-16.592,P＜0.05).Conclusion The combined hypertension,operation time ＞ 6 hours and end-to-end telescopic pancreaticojejunostomy or binding pancreaticojejunostomy are independent risk factors affecting pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectomy.