BACKGROUND:Previous literature reported that the fusion cage moved more than 2 mm from its original position,which means that the fusion cage moved backward.At present,clinical observation has found that the factors leading to the displacement of the fusion cage are complex,and the relationship between these factors and the cage retropulsion is not clear. OBJECTIVE:To explore the risk factors related to cage retropulsion after lumbar interbody fusion. METHODS:Retrospective analysis was conducted in 200 patients who underwent transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion surgery with a polyetheretherketone interbody fusion from February 2020 to February 2022.According to the distance from the posterior edge of the vertebral fusion cage to the posterior edge of the vertebral body after the operation(the second day after the removal of the drainage tube)and 1,3,6 and 12 months after the operation,patients were divided into cage retropulsion group(≥2 mm)and cage non-retropulsion group(<2 mm).The factors that may affect cage retropulsion,such as age,gender,body mass index,bone mineral density,operation time,bleeding,endplate injury,preoperative and postoperative interbody height,cage implantation depth,cage size,and segmental anterior convexity angle,were analyzed by univariate and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Posterior displacement of the fusion cage occurred in 15 cases(15/200).The differences in basic information such as age and body mass index between the two groups were not statistically significant.(2)The results of the univariate analysis were that gap height difference,time to wear a brace,segmental anterior convexity angle difference,bone mineral density,and age were related to posterior migration of the cage.(3)The results of logistic regression analysis were that cage size,endplate injury condition,and depth of cage implantation were risk factors for cage retropulsion.(4)These findings suggest that cage retropulsion after lumbar interbody fusion is caused by multiple factors,including segmental anterior convexity angle difference,bone mineral density,cage size,endplate damage,time to wear a brace,and depth of cage implantation.

Objective:To investigate the clinical application value of commonly used preoperative indicators of sarcopenia in predicting postoperative pneumonia in patients aged 70 years and above with esophageal cancer.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 398 elderly patients(≥70 years old)with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent thoracic laparoscopic radical resection of esophageal cancer in our hospital from January 2020 to December 2021.The study aimed to investigate the correlation between clinical pathological indicators and commonly used measurement indicators of sarcopenia and postoperative pneumonia.Statistical analysis was performed to analyze the data.Results:The study found that the proportion of postoperative pneumonia in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients aged 70 years and above was 27.9%(111 out of 398). The pneumonia group had significantly lower preoperative BMI and peak expiratory flow(PEF)measurements compared to the non-pneumonia group, with statistically significant differences( t=2.799, 2.674, both P<0.05). Logistic multivariate analysis revealed that low PEF, low psoas major muscle index(PMI), and low psoas muscle density(PMD)were the primary risk factors for postoperative pneumonia in esophageal cancer patients aged 70 years and above(Wald χ2 values were 7.577, 6.091, 6.845, all P<0.05). The risk of postoperative pneumonia in esophageal cancer patients aged 70 years and above with low PEF, low PMI, and low PMD was found to be 1.969 times higher(95% CI: 1.215-3.185, P=0.006), 1.912 times higher(95% CI: 1.143-3.205, P=0.014), and 1.832 times higher(95% CI: 1.164-2.882, P=0.009)respectively, compared to patients with high PEF, high PMI, and high PMD. Conclusions:Low PEF, low PMI, and low PMD are significant risk factors for postoperative pneumonia in esophageal cancer patients aged 70 years and older.Preoperative PEF, PMI, and PMD, which are commonly utilized measurement indicators for sarcopenia, can be utilized as early screening indicators for postoperative pneumonia.

Diabetes mellitus(DM)stands as a chronic metabolic ailment predominantly characterized by elevated blood glucose lev-els,stemming from either a resistance to insulin or aberrations in insulin secretion.The ensuing persistent hyperglycemia,a direct con-sequence of pancreatic β-cell devastation,acts as a catalyst for a myriad of complications,inclusive of extensive neuropathies.The dis-ease has substantial prevalence and mortality rates,underscoring the gravity of its impact on public health.Dental pulp stem cells(DPSCs)are readily obtainable,and they exhibit a profound capacity for self-renewal,multi-lineage differentiation,and vigorous pro-liferation.Remarkably,DPSCs can differentiate into pancreatic β-cells,subsequently participate in insulin secretion and play a pivotal role in immune modulation.This has achieved notable advancements in the therapeutic domain,particularly in the treatment of chronic diseases.Furthermore,DPSCs harbor the potential to mitigate symptoms in patients afflicted with type 1 diabetes.They navigate this therapeutic pathway through mechanisms that involve suppressing autoimmunity,modulating inflammatory responses,and counteracting oxidative stress.This article meticulously reviews the biological characteristics inherent to DPSCs and explores their multifaceted thera-peutic potential in addressing DM and its associated complications.Through this endeavor,the article aims to contribute to the refine-ment and enhancement of DM management strategies.

Glucose monitoring is an important part of medical care in diabetes mellitus, which not only helps assess glycemic control and treatment safety, but also assists with treatment adjustment. With the development of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), the use of CGM has increased rapidly. With the wealth of glucose data produced by CGM, new metrics are greatly needed to optimally evaluate glucose status and guide the treatment. One of the parameters that CGM provides, time in range (TIR), has been recognized as a key metric by the international consensus. Before the adoption of TIR in clinical practice, several issues including the minimum length of CGM use, the setting of the target range, and individualized TIR goals are summarized. Additionally, we discussed the mounting evidence supporting the association between TIR and diabetes-related outcomes. As a novel glucose metric, it is of interest to compare TIR with other conventional glucose markers such as glycated hemoglobin A1c. It is anticipated that the use of TIR may provide further information on the quality of glucose control and lead to improved diabetes management.

Anxiety disorders,dopaminergic neurons and ventral tegmental area(VTA)are related closely.VTA dopaminergic neurons play an important role in the regulation of anxiety.Numerous research results in animals indicated that the VTA dopaminergic neurons,involving in multiple neural pathways,respectively regulate anxiety-like behavior in physiological or pathological condition.Dopamine,the main neurotransmitters in VTA regulates anxiety through dopamine D1 and D2 receptors.In addition,the VTA glutamate,GABA and acetylcholine also play directly or indirectly roles in regulating anxiety.The clinical imaging research showed that the integrity of dopaminergic VTA structural of anxiety disorder group is lower than healthy control.Current researches of VTA dopamine neurons involving in the regulation of anxiety-like behavior is developing at a high speed and deserving further exploration,which will further elucidate the pathogenesis and provide new ideas for prevention and treatment of anxiety disorders.

Proteins and peptides have become a significant therapeutic modality for various diseases because of their high potency and specificity. However, the inherent properties of these drugs, such as large molecular weight, poor stability, and conformational flexibility, make them difficult to be formulated and delivered. Injection is the primary route for clinical administration of protein and peptide drugs, which usually leads to poor patient's compliance. As a portable, minimally invasive device, microneedles (MNs) can overcome the skin barrier and generate reversible microchannels for effective macromolecule permeation. In this review, we highlighted the recent advances in MNs-mediated transdermal delivery of protein and peptide drugs. Emphasis was given to the latest development in representative MNs design and fabrication. We also summarize the current application status of MNs-mediated transdermal protein and peptide delivery, especially in the field of infectious disease, diabetes, cancer, and other disease therapy. Finally, the current status of clinical translation and a perspective on future development are also provided.

Objective:To investigate the relationship of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) with serum thyroglobulin.Methods:Data of 539 patients with papillary thyroid nodule (≤1cm) in Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery of the Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University and the Department of Oncology Surgery of Suzhou Municipal Hospital for thyroidectomy were retrospectively analyzed. All of the nodules were classified as TI-RADS 4b with ultrasound. According to the postoperative pathological results, patients were divided into PTMC group (experiment group) and benign tumor group (control group) . The PTMC patients were also divided into lymph node metastasis group (experiment group) and no lymph node metastasis group (control group) based on the cervical lymph node metastasis. Then we analyzed the relationship between thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) , thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) , thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) and thyroglobulin (Tg) with PTMC and lymph node metastasis by SPSS.Results:Age, TSH, Tg and TgAb were independent risk factors for PTMC, B: -0.020, 0.192, 0.026, 0.008, 95% CI: 0.962-0.998, 1.045-1.404, 1.015-1.038, 1.003-1.014, both P<0.05. The relations between PTMC and TSH, Tg and TgAb were positive, while age was in negative correlation with PTMC. Meanwhile, age and thyroglobulin (Tg) were also independent risk factors for lymph node metastasis in PTMC patients, B: -0.025, 0.014, 95% CI: 0.957-0.994, 1.008-1.021, both P<0.05. Age was negatively correlated with lymph node metastasis and Tg was positively correlated with lymph node metastasis. Tg level higher than 26.520 ng/ml indicated that the nodule was PTMC (sensitivity: 0.560, specificity: 0.719) , and Tg level higher than 36.695 ng/ml predicted lymph node metastasis in PTMC patients (sensitivity: 0.532, specificity: 0.788) . Conclusion:Tg is a sensitive serum index for identifying PTMC from benign thyroid nodule, and it is also related to lymph node metastasis in PTMC patients.

Objective To explore the value of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) histogram analysis for differential diagnosis of prostate cancer and noncancerous foci and the correlation between histogram parameters and Gleason score. Methods Twenty?one patients were retrospectively enrolled in Beijing Hospital from May 2017 to May 2018. All subjects underwent Philips 3.0 T MR scanning. The pathologies were confirmed by in?bore MR?guided biopsy. Finally, 31 lesions were collected (two lesions each from 10 patients), including 15 prostate cancer and 16 noncancerous foci (benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostatitis). ROI was drawn manually by two experienced radiologists. All the lesions were measured mean apparent diffusion coefficient (Dapp), mean apparent kurtosis coefficient (Kapp) and their histogram parameters, the averages of two measurements were used to be calculated. The values of these parameters in cancer and noncancerous foci were compared using independent?samples t test. The Spearman test was used to evaluate the correlation of these parameters and Gleason scores of prostate cancer. Results Mean Dapp, 10th Dapp, 25th Dapp, 50th Dapp, 75th Dapp, 90th Dapp, minimum Dapp, maximum Dapp, mean Kapp, 50th Kapp, 75th Kapp, 90th Kapp, maximum Kapp between prostate cancer and noncancerous foci were statistically significant (P<0.05). 90th Kapp (r=0.630, P<0.05) and maximum Kapp (r=0.565, P<0.05) increased with the Gleason scores increasing. Conclusion Histogram analysis of DKI model is valuable for diagnosing and assessing aggressiveness of prostate cancer.

Objective: To explore the value of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) histogram analysis for differential diagnosis of prostate cancer and noncancerous foci and the correlation between histogram parameters and Gleason score. Methods: Twenty-one patients were retrospectively enrolled in Beijing Hospital from May 2017 to May 2018. All subjects underwent Philips 3.0 T MR scanning. The pathologies were confirmed by in-bore MR-guided biopsy. Finally, 31 lesions were collected (two lesions each from 10 patients), including 15 prostate cancer and 16 noncancerous foci (benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostatitis). ROI was drawn manually by two experienced radiologists. All the lesions were measured mean apparent diffusion coefficient (D_app), mean apparent kurtosis coefficient (K_app) and their histogram parameters, the averages of two measurements were used to be calculated. The values of these parameters in cancer and noncancerous foci were compared using independent-samples t test. The Spearman test was used to evaluate the correlation of these parameters and Gleason scores of prostate cancer. Results: Mean D_app, 10th D_app, 25th D_app, 50th D_app, 75th D_app, 90th D_app, minimum D_app, maximum D_app, mean K_app, 50th K_app, 75th K_app, 90th K_app, maximum K_app between prostate cancer and noncancerous foci were statistically significant (P<0.05). 90th K_app (r=0.630, P<0.05) and maximum K_app (r=0.565, P<0.05) increased with the Gleason scores increasing. Conclusion Histogram analysis of DKI model is valuable for diagnosing and assessing aggressiveness of prostate cancer.

Objective: To investigate the value of zTE ASL MRA in the follow-up of interventional treatment of intracranial aneurysm at 1.5 T, using DSA as gold standard. Methods: Patients with intracranial aneurysms who underwent coil embolization with or without stent were enrolled in this study. Both TOF MRA and zTE ASL MRA were performed on a 1.5T whole body scanner (MR360, GE, USA) equipped with an 8 channel head coil, and DSA was performed within one week of the MR examinations. Aneurysmal remnant and intra-stent opacity were analyzed. SE, PE, PPV, NPV of two MRA modalities in aneurysm recanalization detection were calculated. Kappa coefficient was used to determine the inter-reader and intra-reader reproducibility. Paired t test was used to test the visibility of in-stent lumen on two kinds of MRA. Results: A total of 24 patients (27 aneurysms) were included in this study, 23 aneurysms were treated with stent assisted embolization, four coil embolization. Thirteen cases of aneurysm remnant were detected by DSA, 15 by zTE ASL and 11 by TOF MRA. zTE ASL MRA had a relatively higher SE (100%) and NPV(100%) as compared with TOF MRA. The Kappa value in identification of aneurysm remnant was 0.85 between zTE MRA and DSA and 0.70 between TOF MRA and DSA, respectively. The inter-reader reproducibility was good (Kappa 0.70), while the intra-reader reproducibility was excellent(Kappa 0.85). There was statistical significance in the scoring results of the in-stent lumen visibility. Conclusion zTE ASL MRA proved to be a better imaging modality as compared to TOF MRA to evaluate the endovascular treatment effectiveness of intracranial aneurysms, especially for assessing the aneurysmal recurrence and in-stent lumen visibility.