BACKGROUND: The available evidence regarding the benefits of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on patients receiving dialysis with coronary artery disease (CAD) is limited and inconsistent. This study aimed to evaluate the association between PCI and clinical outcomes as compared with medical therapy alone in patients undergoing dialysis with CAD in China. METHODS: This multicenter, retrospective study was conducted in 30 tertiary medical centers across 12 provinces in China from January 2015 to June 2021 to include patients on dialysis with CAD. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as a composite of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and non-fatal stroke. Secondary outcomes included all-cause death, the individual components of MACE, and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium criteria types 2, 3, or 5 bleeding. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the association between PCI and outcomes. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) and propensity score matching (PSM) were performed to account for potential between-group differences. RESULTS: Of the 1146 patients on dialysis with significant CAD, 821 (71.6%) underwent PCI. After a median follow-up of 23.0 months, PCI was associated with a 43.0% significantly lower risk for MACE (33.9% [ n  = 278] vs . 43.7% [ n  = 142]; adjusted hazards ratio 0.57, 95% confidence interval 0.45-0.71), along with a slightly increased risk for bleeding outcomes that did not reach statistical significance (11.1% vs . 8.3%; adjusted hazards ratio 1.31, 95% confidence interval, 0.82-2.11). Furthermore, PCI was associated with a significant reduction in all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities. Subgroup analysis did not modify the association of PCI with patient outcomes. These primary findings were consistent across IPTW, PSM, and competing risk analyses. CONCLUSION This study indicated that PCI in patients on dialysis with CAD was significantly associated with lower MACE and mortality when comparing with those with medical therapy alone, albeit with a slightly increased risk for bleeding events that did not reach statistical significance.
Humans ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Coronary Artery Disease/drug therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Renal Dialysis/methods* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; China ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Treatment Outcome

Pristimerin, which is one of the compounds present in Celastraceae and Hippocrateaceae, has antitumor effects. However, its mechanism of action in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the efficacy and mechanism of pristimerin on ESCC in vitro and in vivo. The inhibitory effect of pristimerin on cell growth was assessed using trypan blue exclusion and colony formation assays. Cell apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry. Gene and protein expressions were analyzed through quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was employed to identify significantly differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Cell transfection and RNA interference assays were utilized to examine the role of key proteins in pristimerin?s effect. Xenograft models were established to evaluate the antitumor efficiency of pristimerin in vivo. Pristimerin inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in ESCC cells. Upregulation of Noxa was crucial for pristimerin-induced apoptosis. Pristimerin activated the Forkhead box O3a (FoxO3a) signaling pathway and triggered FoxO3a recruitment to the Noxa promoter, leading to Noxa transcription. Blocking FoxO3a reversed pristimerin-induced Noxa upregulation and cell apoptosis. Pristimerin treatment suppressed xenograft tumors in nude mice, but these effects were largely negated in Noxa-KO tumors. Furthermore, the chemosensitization effects of pristimerin in vitro and in vivo were mediated by Noxa. This study demonstrates that pristimerin exerts an antitumor effect on ESCC by inducing AKT/FoxO3a-mediated Noxa upregulation. These findings suggest that pristimerin may serve as a potent anticancer agent for ESCC treatment.
Forkhead Box Protein O3/genetics* ; Humans ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma/physiopathology* ; Esophageal Neoplasms/physiopathology* ; Pentacyclic Triterpenes ; Animals ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/genetics* ; Mice ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Mice, Nude ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Triterpenes/pharmacology* ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Male ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects*

Objective:To explore the feasibility and application value of an automated method for generation of surgical records for resection of benign soft tissue tumor based on dense video descriptions.Methods:The Transformer deep learning model was used to establish an automated surgical record generation system to analyze the surgical videos of 30 patients with benign soft tissue tumor who had been admitted to Department of Orthopedics, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University from September 2021 to August 2023. The patient data were randomly divided into training sets, validation sets, and test sets in a ratio of 8∶1∶1. In the test sets, 7 evaluation indexes, BLEU-1, BLEU-2, BLEU-3, BLEU-4, Meteor, Rouge, and CIDEr, were used to evaluate the text quality of surgical records generated by the model. The text of surgical records was compared with the classical algorithm, dense video captioning with paralled decoding (PDVC) in the field of video-intensive description.Results:The automated surgical record generation system running in the test sets showed the following: BLEU-1, BLEU-2, BLEU-3, BLEU-4, Rouge, Meteor, and CIDEr were 16.80, 15.23, 13.01, 11.68, 16.01, 12.67 and 62.30, respectively. The operation of the classical algorithm PDVC showed the following: BLEU-1, BLEU-2, BLEU-3, BLEU-4, Rouge, Meteor, and CIDEr were 15.63, 14.17, 11.90, 10.45, 12.97, 11.99 and 53.64, respectively. The automated surgical record generation system resulted in significant improvements compared with PDVC in all evaluation indexes. The BLEU-4, Rouge, Meteor, and CIDEr were improved by 1.23, 3.04, 0.68 and 8.66, respectively, demonstrating that the system proposed can better capture the key data in the video to help generate more effective text records.Conclusion:As the automated surgical record generation system shows good performance in generating surgical records for resection of benign soft tissue tumor based on intensive video descriptions, it can be applied in clinical practice.

Prompt gamma rays are a kind of secondary radiation produced in particle therapy, and prompt gamma information largely reflects the incidence of particles. Consequently, use of prompt gamma information to verify the range of particles is a promising verification method. In this article, the concept of prompt gamma ray in vivo range verification and the advantages of prompt gamma verification over existing methods were introduced. Secondly, the progress in developing a method for range verification using prompt gamma in recent years was reviewed, and the advantages and disadvantages of three methods including prompt gamma imaging (PGI), prompt gamma timing (PGT) and prompt gamma spectroscopy (PGS) were discussed. Finally, these three methods were summarized, and the development trend of prompt gamma rays for in vivo range monitoring was prospected.

Background::Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has potential risks for both clinically worsening pulmonary hypertension (PH) and increasing mortality. However, the data regarding the protective role of vaccination in this population are still lacking. This study aimed to assess the safety of approved vaccination for patients with PH.Methods::In this national prospective cohort study, patients diagnosed with PH (World Health Organization [WHO] groups 1 and 4) were enrolled from October 2021 to April 2022. The primary outcome was the composite of PH-related major adverse events. We used an inverse probability weighting (IPW) approach to control for possible confounding factors in the baseline characteristics of patients.Results::In total, 706 patients with PH participated in this study (mean age, 40.3 years; mean duration after diagnosis of PH, 8.2 years). All patients received standardized treatment for PH in accordance with guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of PH in China. Among them, 278 patients did not receive vaccination, whereas 428 patients completed the vaccination series. None of the participants were infected with COVID-19 during our study period. Overall, 398 patients received inactivated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine, whereas 30 received recombinant protein subunit vaccine. After adjusting for baseline covariates using the IPW approach, the odds of any adverse events due to PH in the vaccinated group did not statistically significantly increase (27/428 [6.3%] vs. 24/278 [8.6%], odds ratio = 0.72, P = 0.302). Approximately half of the vaccinated patients reported at least one post-vaccination side effects, most of which were mild, including pain at the injection site (159/428, 37.1%), fever (11/428, 2.6%), and fatigue (26/428, 6.1%). Conclusions::COVID-19 vaccination did not significantly augment the PH-related major adverse events for patients with WHO groups 1 and 4 PH, although there were some tolerable side effects. A large-scale randomized controlled trial is warranted to confirm this finding. The final approval of the COVID-19 vaccination for patients with PH as a public health strategy is promising.

Background Improper settings of outdoor smoking points in public places may increase the risk of secondhand smoke exposure among the population. Conducting research on air pollution in and around smoking spots and related influencing factors can provide valuable insights for optimizing the setting of outdoor smoking points. Objective To investigate the influence of the number of smokers at outdoor smoking points and the distance on the diffusion characteristics of surrounding air pollutants, in order to optimize the setting of outdoor smoking points. Methods Surrounding the exhibition halls in the China International Import Expo (CIIE), two outdoor smoking points were randomly selected, one on the first floor (ground level) and the other on the second floor (16 m above ground), respectively. At 0, 3, 6, and 9 m from the smoking points in the same direction, validated portable air pollutant monitors were used to measure the real-time fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations for consecutive 5 d during the exhibition, as well as the environmental meteorological factors at 0 m with weather meters including wind speed, wind direction, and air pressure. An open outdoor atmospheric background sampling point was selected on each of the two floors to carry out parallel sampling. Simultaneously, the number of smokers at each smoking point were double recorded per minute. The relationships between the number of smokers, distance from the smoking points, and ambient PM_2.5 and CO₂ concentrations were evaluated by generalized additive regression models for time-series data after adjustment of confounders such as temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed. Results The median numbers of smokers at smoking points on the first and second floors were 6 [interquartile range (IQR): 3, 9] and 9 (IQR: 6, 13), respectively. Windless (wind speed <0.6 m·s⁻¹) occupied most of the time (85.9%) at both locations. The average concentration of ambient PM_2.5 at the smoking points (0 m) [mean ± standard deviation, (106±114) μg·m⁻³] was 4.2 times higher than that of the atmospheric background [(25±7) μg·m⁻³], the PM_2.5 concentration showed a gradient decline with the increase of distance from the smoking points, and the average PM_2.5 concentration at 9 m points [(35±22) μg·m⁻³] was close to the background level (1.4 times higher). The maximum concentration of CO₂ [(628±23) μmol·mol⁻¹] was observed at 0 m, and its average value was 1.3 times higher than that of the atmospheric background [(481±40) μmol·mol⁻¹], and there was no gradient decrease in CO₂ concentration with increasing distance at 0, 3, 6, and 9 m points. The regression analyses showed that, taking smoking point as the reference, every 3 m increase in distance was associated with a decrease of ambient PM_2.5 by 24.6 [95% confidence interval (95%CI): 23.5, 25.8] μg·m⁻³ (23.2%) and CO₂ by 54.1 (95%CI: 53.1, 55.1) μmol·mol⁻¹ (8.6%). Every one extra smoker at the smoking point was associated with an average increase of PM_2.5 and CO₂ by 2.0 (95%CI: 1.7, 2.8) μg·m⁻³ and 1.0 (95%CI: 0.7，1.2) μmol·mol⁻¹, respectively. The sensitivity analysis indicated that, under windless conditions, the concentrations of PM_2.5 and CO₂ at the smoking points were even higher but the decreasing and dispersion characteristics remained consistent. Conclusion Outdoor smoking points could significantly increase the PM_2.5 concentrations in the surrounding air and the risks of secondhand smoke exposure, despite of the noticeable decreasing trend with increasing distance. Considering the inevitable poor dispersion conditions such as windless and light wind, outdoor smoking points are recommended to be set at least 9 m or farther away from non-smoking areas.

OBJECTIVE To establish the project approval evaluation system for traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） preparations in medical institutions guided by new drug conversion， to improve the success rate of approval for TCM preparations in medical institutions and lay the foundation for the later drug conversion. METHODS Research and development team used the literature research method and brainstorming method to list and organize relevant elements of project evaluation and determine the initial indicator system. Experts were consulted using the Delphi method to confirm the evaluation index. The weights were calculated based on the proportion of importance scores for each indicator and assigned specific scores to each item. The indicator system was used to evaluate 31 TCM preparations applied for filing by various departments of our hospital from April to July 2023. RESULTS After two rounds of 17 experts’ consultation， the final TCM preparation system included five primary indicators， i.e. theoretical basis， clinical research foundation， pharmaceutical foundation， prescription， and clinical value， as well as 17 secondary indicators including prescription source， traditional Chinese medicine theory， clinical positioning and so on. Human experience was considered as the item which would be rejected as one vote. Based on the above indicator system， our hospital further improved the filing and project approval process for TCM preparations in medical institutions. Among the 31 TCM preparations applied for filing by various departments from April to July 2023， 8 TCM preparations with a score ≥65 were selected for development. CONCLUSIONS The evaluation system is objective， comprehensive， and highly operable. It is suitable for the selection of TCM preparations in medical institutions before research and development.

Background::Atopic dermatitis (AD) affects approximately 10% of adults worldwide. CM310 is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-4 receptor alpha that blocks interleukin-4 and interleukin-13 signaling. This trial aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CM310 in Chinese adults with moderate-to-severe AD.Methods::This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2b trial was conducted in 21 medical institutions in China from February to November 2021. Totally 120 eligible patients were enrolled and randomized (1:1:1) to receive subcutaneous injections of 300 mg CM310, 150 mg CM310, or placebo every 2 weeks for 16 weeks, followed by an 8-week follow-up period. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients achieving ≥75% improvement in the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI-75) score from baseline at week 16. Safety and pharmacodynamics were also studied.Results::At week 16, the proportion of EASI-75 responders from baseline was significantly higher in the CM310 groups (70% [28/40] for high-dose and 65% [26/40] for low-dose) than that in the placebo group (20%[8/40]). The differences in EASI-75 response rate were 50% (high vs. placebo, 95% CI 31%–69%) and 45% (low vs. placebo, 95% CI 26%–64%), with both P values <0.0001. CM310 at both doses also significantly improved the EASI score, Investigator’s Global Assessment score, daily peak pruritus Numerical Rating Scale, AD-affected body surface area, and Dermatology Life Quality Index compared with placebo. CM310 treatment reduced levels of thymus and activation-regulated chemokine, total immunoglobulin E, lactate dehydrogenase, and blood eosinophils. The incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) was similar among all three groups, with the most common TEAEs reported being upper respiratory tract infection, atopic dermatitis, hyperlipidemia, and hyperuricemia. No severe adverse events were deemed to be attributed to CM310. Conclusion::CM310 at 150 mg and 300 mg every 2 weeks demonstrated significant efficacy and was well-tolerated in adults with moderate-to-severe AD.Trial Registration::ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04805411.

Objective:To investigate the effect of laboratory indicators on hair loss in patients with female pattern hair loss (FPHL).Methods:Patients with FPHL who visited the Outpatient Clinic of the Department of Medical Aesthetics in Hangzhou First People’s Hospital from November 2022 to November 2023 were selected as the study group, and healthy women who matched the age of the study group in the physical examination center during the same period were selected as the control group. The general information of the patient was recorded, and was also tested by trichoscopy to rule out other patterns of alopecia. Representative indicators including testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate(DHEA-S), thyroid-stimulating hormone, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and serum ferritin were selected from laboratory tests for further analysis. Otherwise, the proportion of deficiency in vitamin D(<20 ng/ml) was calculated based on 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels (number of deficiency cases/total number of cases in each group×100%). Count data were presented as samples (percentages), and chi-square test was used for comparison between groups. Normally distributed continuous data were presented with Mean±SD, independent samples t-test was used for comparison between groups, M( Q1, Q3) was used for non-normally distributed continuous data, and Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for comparison between groups. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of FPHL. P<0.05 was statistically significant. Results:A total of 37 patients were selected in both groups. The mean age was (28.8±1.3) years in the study group and (29.6±0.9) years in the control group ( t=0.49, P=0.625). The body mass index was (22.8±0.4) kg/m 2 in the study group, and (23.5±0.3) kg/m 2 in the control group ( t=1.26, P=0.211). The testosterone level was 0.58 (0.49, 0.79) nmol/L in the study group, and 0.54 (0.50, 0.78) nmol/L in the control group( Z=1.42, P=0.157). The level of DHEA-S was 6.21 (5.18, 9.60) μmol/L in the study group, and 6.20 (5.20, 9.34) μmol/L in the control group ( Z=2.75, P=0.006). The level of thyroid-stimulating hormone was 2.56 (1.55, 3.66) mU/L in the study group and 1.49 (1.05, 2.65) mU/L in the control group ( Z=2.51, P=0.012). The level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D was 15.44 (11.80, 21.20) ng/ml in the study group, and the level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D was 20.32 (12.07, 21.20) ng/ml in the control group ( Z=2.30, P=0.021), and the proportion of 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency in the study group was 64.9% (24/37), which was higher than that in the control group [40.5% (15/37)] ( χ2=4.39, P=0.036). The serum ferritin level was 64.44 (39.47, 133.45) μg/L in the study group and 67.75 (52.63, 143.83) μg/L in the control group ( Z=0.70, P=0.484). The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of FPHL was increased by the high level of DHEA-S and thyroid-stimulating hormone, and the low level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Abnormal level of DHEA-S, thyroid-stimulating hormone, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D may be risk factors for FPHL.

Objective:To analyze the factors influencing the theoretical score of graduation examination of standardized residency training in a class-A tertiary general hospital in Shanghai from 2018 to 2021, and establish prediction models, and to provide a reference for further improving the quality of residency training.Methods:We collected the data of 556 residents who participated in the residency training graduation examination at the hospital from 2018 to 2021. Binary regression and logistic regression analyses were used to determine the association of residents' basic information, their routine assessment results at the bases, and the base performance assessment score (indicating the bases' training quality) with theoretical graduation examination results; and prediction models for the theoretical graduation examination score were established, using binary regression and logistic regression methods to construct model datasets. SPSS 26.0 was used for statistical analysis.Results:From 2018 to 2021, a total of 556 people participated in the residency training graduation examination at the hospital. The first-time pass rate of the first station theoretical examination station was 97.48% (542/556). Trainees graduating from double first-class schools had the highest first-time pass rate of 98.09% (359/366); doctoral students had the highest first-time pass rate of 98.59% (140/142); and residents of the two-year training program had the highest first-time pass rate of 98.34% (297/302). According to the binary regression analysis of categorical variables such as residents' basic information, the base level was associated with whether residents passed the theoretical examination ( P<0.05). According to the logistic regression analysis of residents' routine assessment scores and the base performance assessment score, the annual theoretical assessment score, the first-time theoretical score of the national medical licensing examination, the annual professional performance test score, and the base performance assessment score were key factors affecting the theoretical graduation examination score ( P<0.05). In the regression analysis associated with the theoretical graduation examination score, the annual professional performance test score showed the highest regression coefficient and the highest variance inflation factor, indicating strong multicollinearity. Therefore, the annual professional performance test score was important in predicting the theoretical score of the graduation examination. Conclusions:This study used binary regression and logistic regression models to analyze the possible factors affecting the theoretical graduation examination score and the degree of association, and also established two prediction models of the theoretical graduation examination score to predict trainees at risk. Through implementing the concept of hierarchical progression, adding personalized tutoring, realizing information management for residency training, and providing intelligent early intervention, the pass rate of residency training graduation examination is expected to be further improved, ultimately achieving the purpose of improving the quality of residency training.