AIM:To investigate the application value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)time parameters in the classification diagnosis of choroidal space-occupying lesions.METHODS: Patients with choroidal space-occupying lesions who underwent CEUS at Xi'an People's Hospital(Xi'an Fourth Hospital)between June 2020 and January 2024 were enrolled. According to the final clinical diagnosis and pathological findings, the patients were divided into a benign group(choroidal hemangioma), a malignant group(choroidal melanoma), and a hemorrhage group(subchoroidal hemorrhage). CEUS characteristics and contrast parameters, including rise time(RT), time to peak(TP), and washout time(WT), as well as the incidence of adverse reactions, were analyzed to evaluate the diagnostic value of CEUS.RESULTS:A total of 120 patients(120 eyes)with choroidal space-occupying lesions were included, with 40 patients(40 eyes)in each group. The patients in the benign group were aged 45-70(mean age 57.5±12.4 )y, including 19 males and 21 females; those in the malignant group were aged 43-72(mean age 56.9±13.1 )y, including 23 males and 17 females; and those in the hemorrhage group were aged 40-61(mean age 54.4±9.7 )y, including 22 males and 18 females. The benign group predominantly exhibited homogeneous hyperenhancement with a “fast-in, slow-out”perfusion pattern, whereas the malignant group mainly showed heterogeneous hyperenhancement with a “fast-in, fast-out”perfusion pattern. No obvious enhancement was observed in the hemorrhage group, exhibiting a “no-in, no-out” perfusion pattern. Significant differences were found among the three groups in CEUS characteristics and quantitative parameters, whereas no significant difference was observed in the incidence of adverse reactions.CONCLUSION: CEUS can significantly improve the diagnostic accuracy of choroidal space-occupying lesions and may serve as a useful reference for clinical decision-making, with a favorable safety profile.

Objective To investigate the predictive value of quantitative parameters of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in evaluating kidneys from donation after brain death (DBD) for the occurrence of delayed graft function (DGF) in recipients. Methods The clinical data of 134 DBD donors and 202 corresponding kidneys and recipients were retrospective analyzed. The recipients were divided into DGF group (n=39) and non-DGF group (n=163) according to the renal function after kidney transplantation. Conventional ultrasound, CEUS parameters, and clinical data were compared between the two groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the optimal cut-off values for predicting DGF using CEUS parameters, clinical parameters, and their combination, based on the highest Youden index. The predictive ability of different parameters for DGF was evaluated. Results There were statistically significant differences in cortical peak intensity (PIc), medullary peak intensity (PIm), donor albumin (ALB), serum creatinine (Scr) after admission, and the Na⁺ concentration of recipients between the two groups (all P<0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) for predicting DGF using the combination of CEUS parameters PIc and PIm was 0.711, with an optimal cut-off value of 0.193 and a Youden index of 0.382. The AUC for predicting DGF using the combination of CEUS parameters PIc, PIm and clinical parameters was 0.808, with an optimal cut-off value of 0.191 and a Youden index of 0.517. The sensitivity and specificity were 0.769 and 0.613 for the former, and 0.769 and 0.748 for the latter, respectively. The AUC for predicting DGF using CEUS parameters PIc and PIm combined with clinical parameters was significantly higher than that using CEUS parameters PIc and PIm (P<0.05). Conclusions The CEUS quantitative parameters PIc and PIm have good predictive value in assessing kidneys from DBD donors for DGF in recipients, and the diagnostic efficacy is better when combined with clinical parameters.

Clostridioides difficile infection(CDI)is the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea and has be-come a major challenge in the global public health field.In recent years,it has been found that nutrients and gut mi-crobes play key roles in regulating growth,metabolic activity,and virulence expression of Clostridioides difficile.However,current research focuses on the independent effects of a single nutrient or gut microbe,systematic under-standing on the interactions between them is still lacking.This paper reviews the specific effect of different nutrients on Clostridioides difficile,explores how other gut microbes inhibit the growth of Clostridioides difficile by com-peting or metabolizing nutrients.In addition,this paper also discusses the application of emerging technologies in CDI research and their potentiality in clinical intervention strategies.Future research needs to integrate multi-omics data and artificial intelligence analysis,deeply analyze the complex interactive network of nutrient-microbe-host,and provide new ideas for precise prevention and treatment of CDI.

Objective:To investigate the prognostic impact of perineural invasion in patients with stageⅢ colon cancer and to clarify its guidance value for the duration of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.Methods:This study employed a retrospective cohort study method. It analyzed 426 patients with stageⅢ colon cancer who underwent radical surgery at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center and Longyan First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, between April 2008 and June 2020. Inclusion criteria: patients received at least 3 months of adjuvant CapeOX therapy post-surgery, had complete pathological data, and were followed up for at least 12 months after the last chemotherapy. Among these patients, 231 were male, the median age was 59 (50~67) years, and 263 tumors were located in the right-sided colon. Postoperative pathology indicated that 107 cases (25.12%) had neural invasion, and 131 patients (30.75%) had vascular tumor thrombus. All patients received at least 4 cycles of postoperative CapeOX adjuvant chemotherapy, with 193 patients receiving 8 cycles and 233 patients receiving 4 to 7 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy. The study analyzed the impact of neural invasion status and the duration of adjuvant chemotherapy on disease-free survival (DFS). Furthermore, within subgroups stratified by different risk levels (referencing the criteria proposed by the IDEA study: high risk: T4, N2 or T4N2; low risk: T3N1) and different neural invasion statuses, the impact of the duration of adjuvant chemotherapy on prognosis was analyzed.Results:The median follow-up time for the entire cohort was 94.00 months (55.27-128.80 months). Multivariate Cox analysis indicated that pathological T stage T4 (HR = 2.457, 95%CI: 1.499-4.029, P<0.001) and postoperative pathological confirmation of perineural invasion (HR = 2.465, 95% CI: 1.519-4.000, P<0.001) were independent adverse prognostic factors for 5-year DFS. In the perineural invasion-positive group, the 5-year DFS for patients who received 8 cycles of postoperative adjuvant CapeOX chemotherapy was 86.90%, compared to 58.22% for those who received 4-7 cycles, with statistically significant differences (both P<0.05). In the perineural invasion-negative group, the 5-year DFS for patients who received 8 cycles was 88.66%, compared to 90.99% for those who received 4-7 cycles, with no statistically significant differences ( P=0.929). Among IDEA high-risk patients with perineural invasion, the 5-year DFS was 91.81% for those who received 8 cycles versus 50.66% for those who received 4-7 cycles, showing a statistically significant difference ( P=0.003). In IDEA high-risk patients without perineural invasion, the 5-year DFS for those who received 8 cycles was 82.28% compared to 87.32% for those who received 4-7 cycles, with no statistically significant difference ( P=0.806). In the IDEA low-risk patients, no differences were observed in the 5-year DFS between patients receiving 8 cycles and those receiving 4-7 cycles of adjuvant CapeOX chemotherapy in both perineural invasion-positive and negative subgroups (both P>0.05). Conclusion:Perineural invasion serves as a significant prognostic factor for 5-year DFS in stage Ⅲ colon cancer patients who have undergone radical surgery and postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. It can also be considered an important reference factor in deciding the duration of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.

The European Society for Medical Oncology Asia Congress 2024 was held in Singapore from December 6 to 8,2024.The conference unveiled several groundbreaking studies in the field of hepatobiliary and pancreatic tumors,covering clinical applications related to neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies,translational treatments,later-line therapies,and tumor biomarkers.These studies provide new insights into the clinical diagnosis and treatment of hepatobiliary and pancreatic malignancies and drive the development of related fields.This article focuses on the key topics in hepatobiliary and pancreatic malignancies presented at the conference,aiming to interpret the latest advances in the field and explore the hot issues and future directions for development in this area.

Objective To systematically evaluate the risk prediction models for neonatal early-onset sepsis(EOS),aiming to provide reference for the construction and optimization of models,as well as for clinical selection of appro-priate prediction models.Methods PubMed,Web of Science,Embase,Cochrane Library,China National Know-ledge Infrastructure(CNKI),Wanfang Data,China Biology Medicine disc(CBM),and VIP databases were re-trieved,and studies relevant to neonatal EOS risk prediction models were collected.The retrieval period was from the inception of the database to January 18,2025.Two researchers independently screened literatures,extracted da-ta,and evaluated the quality of the included literatures using PROBAST tool.Any disagreements were resolved through consultation with a third reviewer.Results A total of 14 literatures were included in analysis,containing 19 risk prediction models.The area under receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve(AUC)of the included model ranged 0.71-0.999.The number of prediction factors ranged 3-21.Common prediction factors included young gestational age,low birth weight,1-minute Apgar score,abnormal neonatal temperature,prolonged prema-ture rupture of membranes,amniotic fluid turbidity,maternal Group B streptococcal infection,maternal chorioam-nionitis,as well as elevated levels of procalcitonin and C-reactive protein in neonates.The risk of model overall bias was high,mainly due to insufficient number of outcome variable events in the analysis field,improper processing of missing data,screening of prediction factors based on univariate analysis,lacking model performance evaluation,and overfitting of model.Conclusion The neonatal EOS risk prediction model is still at the development stage.Al-though the current prediction models have better overall predictive performance,the overall quality needs to be im-proved.Future modeling can follow the PROBAST and TRIPOD specifications to reduce bias risk,explore the com-bination of multiple modeling methods,and focus on strengthening external validation and localized application to enhance the clinical applicability and promotion value of the model.

Objective To explore the effect of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1(TRPV1)protein on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis(EAE)progression and its underlying mechanism.Methods Thirty-six C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the control,model,and model+TRPV1 inhibitor groups,with 12 mice in each group.The EAE model was established through subcutaneous injection of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein(MOG)35-55 mixed with a tuberculosis bacillus emulsion,combined with an intraperitoneal injection of pertussis toxin.Mice in the model+TRPV 1 inhibitor group were administered a daily intraperitoneal injection of TRPV1 inhibi-tor capsazepine solution at a dose of 30 mg/kg for 35 d.EAE symptoms were observed and assessed.On day 35,the mice were sacrificed,and spinal cord tissues were collected.Luxol fast blue staining was used to evaluate demyelination in the spinal cord,and flow cytometry was performed to analyze CD4+T cell differentiation in the spinal cord.Western blotting was performed to detect TRPV 1 and inflammatory response signaling protein expressions.Results Compared with the control group,mice in the model group showed increased neurological function scores and significant demyelination in the spinal cord.The flow cytometry results showed an increased proportion of CD4 T cells differentiating into Th1 and Th 17 cells in the model group.Compared with the model group,mice in the model+TRPV 1 inhibitor group exhibited decreased neurological function scores,reduced inflammatory cytokine infiltration and demyelination in the spinal cord,and a decreased proportion of CD4+T cells differentiating into Thl and Th 17 cells.TRPV 1 protein expression in the model+TRPV 1 inhibitor group was significantly inhibited,whereas p-NF-κB,caspase-1,and NLRP3 protein expressions were reduced.Conclusion TRPV 1 plays a significant role in EAE progression.TRPV 1 inhibition can inhibit the differentiation of Th1 and Th 17 cells and reduce demyelination in spinal cord tissues.

Objective To investigate the relationship between serum trimethylamine oxide(TMAO),neurofilament light chain protein(NfL),peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α(PGC-1α)expression levels and short-term prognosis in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage(aSAH)patients.Method A total of 125 aSAH patients(aSAH group)and 125 healthy volunteers in the same period(control group)who were admitted in heji hospital affiliated to Changzhi Medical College from March 2020 to June 2023 were selected.The serum expression levels of TMAO,NfL and PGC-1α were compared between control group and aSAH group.The aSAH patients were followed up for 6 months after discharge.Their prognosis were evaluated using Glasgow Outcome Scale(GOS)and they were further divided into good prognosis and poor prognosis groups according to the GOS results.The serum expression levels of TMAO,NfL and PGC-1α were compared between the two groups.The poor prognosis influencing factors were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression analysis,the serum TMAO,NfL and PGC-1α value in predicting poor prognosis were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Result The expression levels of serum TMAO and PGC-1 α in the aSAH group were(2.63±0.36)μmol/L and(0.51±0.13)ng/mL,respectively,which were lower than those in the control group(3.18±0.57)μmol/L and(0.81±0.16)ng/mL(P<0.05).The expression level of serum NfL was significantly higher in the aSAH group(64.48±14.35 pg/mL)than in the control group(28.36±8.82 pg/mL)(P<0.05).Compared with the good prognosis group whose serum levels of TMAO and PGC-1 α were(2.80±0.80)μmol/L and(0.58±0.16)ng/mL,respectively,the poor prognosis group had significantly lower serum TMAO[(2.29±0.63)μmol/L]and PGC-1 α[(0.36±0.12)ng/mL](P<0.05).In contrast,poor prognosis group had a significantly higher level of NfL(76.70±15.61)pg/mL compared to good prognosis group(58.52±10.52)pg/mL(P<0.05).The proportion of patients with hypertension,patients with diabetes,patients with large or giant aneurysms,patients with Hunt Hess grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ,patients with onset to hospital time>12 h,and the level of C-reactive protein(CRP)were higher in the poor prognosis group than in the good prognosis group(P<0.05).Hunt Hess grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ,elevated serum CRP and NfL were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in aSAH patients(P<0.05),while elevated TMAO and PGC-1 α were protective factors(P<0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of serum TMAO,NfL,PGC-1 α,and their combined prediction of poor prognosis in aSAH patients were 0.726,0.830,0.862,and 0.956,respectively.The AUC of the combined detection was greater than that of each indicator detected separately.Conclusion Serum TMAO and PGC-1α are lowly expressed in aSAH patients,and serum NfL is highly expressed,which are related to the occurrence of short-term poor prognosis,the combined detection of the three indicators has a high predictive value for short-term poor prognosis in aSAH patients.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of crisaborole ointment 2% versus pimecrolimus cream 1% in the treatment of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in children aged 2 years or older.Methods:A multicenter, randomized, open-label, controlled clinical trial was conducted. A total of 120 pediatric patients aged 2 - 17 years with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis were enrolled from departments of dermatology of 8 hospitals in China between March 2022 and February 2023. The participants were randomly assigned in a 1∶1 ratio to the crisaborole group and the pimecrolimus group, and received the treatment with crisaborole ointment 2% and pimecrolimus cream 1% respectively, twice a day for 4 weeks. Visits were scheduled at baseline/on day 1, as well as on days 8, 15, and 29. The primary efficacy outcome was the percentage of patients achieving the Investigator's Static Global Assessment (ISGA) success (defined as clear [0] or almost clear [1] on the ISGA scale, combined with ≥ 2‐grade improvement from baseline) on day 29. The secondary efficacy outcomes included changes in the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) total scores from baseline to day 29, percentages of patients achieving ISGA improvement (defined as clear [0] or almost clear [1] on the ISGA scale), as well as changes in the Peak Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) scores, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) /Infants' Dermatology Life Quality Index (IDLQI) /Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) scores, and in the Dermatitis Family Impact (DFI) scores. Drug safety was evaluated according to the incidence of adverse events. Categorical data were compared using the chi-square test. Since measurement data did not follow a normal distribution, the rank sum test was used for comparisons of measurement data between groups.Results:A total of 106 children with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis were included in the per-protocol analysis set, with 52 in the crisaborole group (26 males and 26 females) and 54 in the pimecrolimus group (27 males and 27 females). There were no significant differences in age, disease duration, ISGA and EASI scores at baseline between the two groups (all P > 0.05). On day 29, 22 patients (42.31%) in the crisaborole group and 25 (46.30%) in the pimecrolimus group achieved ISGA success, with no significant difference between the two groups ( χ2 = 0.17, P = 0.68) ; 35 patients (67.31%) in the crisaborole group and 45 (83.33%) in the pimecrolimus group achieved ISGA improvement, also with no significant difference between the two groups ( χ2 = 3.68, P = 0.06) ; additionally, there were no significant differences in the EASI, pruritus NRS, DLQI/IDLQI/CDLQI, or DFI scores between the two groups (all P > 0.05). Adverse reactions to the two topical agents were mainly local reactions such as mild to moderate pain, itching, or worsening of itching, and no obvious systemic adverse reactions occurred. The incidence of drug-related adverse reactions was 46.15% (24 cases) in the crisaborole group and 37.04% (20 cases) in the pimecrolimus group, with no significant difference between the two groups ( χ2 = 0.91, P = 0.34) . Conclusion:The efficacy of crisaborole ointment 2% was comparable to that of pimecrolimus cream 1% in the treatment of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in children aged ≥ 2 years, and it yielded early and rapid improvement in the quality of life of patients and their families, with good safety and tolerability profiles.

Objective:To systematically review the prediction models for extubation failure in critically ill patients undergoing mechanical ventilation, providing a reference for healthcare professionals in selecting appropriate models to identify high-risk populations.Methods:Literature on the construction of prediction models for extubation failure risk in critically ill patients undergoing mechanical ventilation was retrieved from China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library. The search was limited from database inception to February 2024. Two researchers independently screened the literature and extracted data, using bias risk assessment tools to evaluate the bias risk and applicability of the prediction models.Results:A total of nine studies were included, with the most common predictive factors being mechanical ventilation duration, Glasgow Coma Scale score, cough reflex strength, age, and 24-hour input/output volume. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the models ranged from 0.689 to 0.926, indicating good predictive performance. However, the risk of bias was high, mainly due to small sample sizes, the selection of predictive factors based on univariate analysis, and lack of proper internal validation.Conclusions:Existing prediction models show good predictive performance, but they carry high bias risk. Future studies should improve research design, adhere to model development and reporting guidelines, and develop well-performing, user-friendly prediction models to more accurately identify high-risk populations for extubation failure.