BACKGROUND:Peripheral nerve axon rupture seriously affects patients' physical function and mental health.Microsurgery,nerve autograft,nerve allograft,fibrin glue and catheter technology are the main treatments for peripheral nerve injury,each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages,but the overall treatment effect is not satisfactory.Despite the clinical success of Schwann cells in promoting axonal regeneration,there are still many challenges in the treatment with Schwann cells,such as slow expansion of Schwann cells,immune rejection,and low survival rate of transplanted cells.OBJECTIVE:To summarize the role and mechanism of Schwann cells in promoting the regeneration of peripheral nerve axons,and the difficulties and challenges of Schwann cells in the process of nerve regeneration treatment.METHODS:PubMed,Medline,WanFang,VIP,and CNKI were searched by computer using the search terms of"Schwann cells,synaptic Schwann cell,macrophage,peripheral nerve axon rupture,Wallerian degeneration,Peripheral nerve axon regeneration,Central nervous system repair"in English and Chinese.Literature related to Schwann cell proliferation and differentiation,promotion of peripheral nerve regeneration,and clinical applications was retrieved from database inception to October 2024,and a total of 95 articles were finally included for review.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Schwann cells interact with macrophages,T cells and other cells,to initiate the regeneration process through signaling pathways,including Krox20/C-Jun,NRG-1/ErbB,Notch,MAPK,and PI3K/Akt/mTOR,synthesize and release nerve growth factors,and thus promote regeneration of the peripheral nervous system.Schwann cells have been experimentally demonstrated to have great potential in peripheral nerve repair and are expected to become the key target of therapeutic intervention.However,there are still problems such as difficulties in cell harvest and culture,as well as the occurrence of other diseases during the treatment process.

BACKGROUND:Peripheral nerve axon rupture seriously affects patients' physical function and mental health.Microsurgery,nerve autograft,nerve allograft,fibrin glue and catheter technology are the main treatments for peripheral nerve injury,each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages,but the overall treatment effect is not satisfactory.Despite the clinical success of Schwann cells in promoting axonal regeneration,there are still many challenges in the treatment with Schwann cells,such as slow expansion of Schwann cells,immune rejection,and low survival rate of transplanted cells.OBJECTIVE:To summarize the role and mechanism of Schwann cells in promoting the regeneration of peripheral nerve axons,and the difficulties and challenges of Schwann cells in the process of nerve regeneration treatment.METHODS:PubMed,Medline,WanFang,VIP,and CNKI were searched by computer using the search terms of"Schwann cells,synaptic Schwann cell,macrophage,peripheral nerve axon rupture,Wallerian degeneration,Peripheral nerve axon regeneration,Central nervous system repair"in English and Chinese.Literature related to Schwann cell proliferation and differentiation,promotion of peripheral nerve regeneration,and clinical applications was retrieved from database inception to October 2024,and a total of 95 articles were finally included for review.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Schwann cells interact with macrophages,T cells and other cells,to initiate the regeneration process through signaling pathways,including Krox20/C-Jun,NRG-1/ErbB,Notch,MAPK,and PI3K/Akt/mTOR,synthesize and release nerve growth factors,and thus promote regeneration of the peripheral nervous system.Schwann cells have been experimentally demonstrated to have great potential in peripheral nerve repair and are expected to become the key target of therapeutic intervention.However,there are still problems such as difficulties in cell harvest and culture,as well as the occurrence of other diseases during the treatment process.

Purpose: Combinations of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and chemotherapy have become the standard first-line treatment for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2)-negative advanced gastric cancer. However, primary resistance remains a challenge, with no effective biomarkers available for its prediction. This retrospective study explores the relationship between the baseline inflammatory burden index (IBI) and primary resistance in such context. Materials and Methods: We analyzed 62 patients with HER-2-negative advanced gastric cancer who received ICIs and chemotherapy as their first-line treatment. The IBI was calculated as follows: C-reactive protein (mg/L) × neutrophil count (10 3 /mm 3 )/lymphocyte count (10 3 /mm 3 ). Based on disease progression within 6 months, patients were categorized into the primary resistant or the control group. We compared baseline characteristics and IBI scores between the groups and assessed the predictive value of the IBI using the receiver operating characteristic curve. Both univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors influencing primary resistance. Results: Nineteen patients were included in the primary resistance group, and forty-three patients were included in the control group. The IBI was significantly higher in the resistant group compared to the control group (P<0.01). The area under the curve for the IBI was 0.82, indicating a strong predictive value. Multivariate analysis identified the IBI as an independent predictor of primary resistance (P=0.014). Conclusions The baseline IBI holds promise as a predictor of primary resistance to combined ICIs and chemotherapy in patients with HER-2-negative advanced gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by radical surgery has been a common practice for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer, but the response rate varies among patients. This study aimed to develop a ResNet-Vision Transformer based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-endoscopy fusion model to precisely predict treatment response and provide personalized treatment. METHODS: In this multicenter study, 366 eligible patients who had undergone neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by radical surgery at eight Chinese tertiary hospitals between January 2017 and June 2024 were recruited, with 2928 pretreatment colonic endoscopic images and 366 pelvic MRI images. An MRI-endoscopy fusion model was constructed based on the ResNet backbone and Transformer network using pretreatment MRI and endoscopic images. Treatment response was defined as good response or non-good response based on the tumor regression grade. The Delong test and the Hanley-McNeil test were utilized to compare prediction performance among different models and different subgroups, respectively. The predictive performance of the MRI-endoscopy fusion model was comprehensively validated in the test sets and was further compared to that of the single-modal MRI model and single-modal endoscopy model. RESULTS: The MRI-endoscopy fusion model demonstrated favorable prediction performance. In the internal validation set, the area under the curve (AUC) and accuracy were 0.852 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.744-0.940) and 0.737 (95% CI: 0.712-0.844), respectively. Moreover, the AUC and accuracy reached 0.769 (95% CI: 0.678-0.861) and 0.729 (95% CI: 0.628-0.821), respectively, in the external test set. In addition, the MRI-endoscopy fusion model outperformed the single-modal MRI model (AUC: 0.692 [95% CI: 0.609-0.783], accuracy: 0.659 [95% CI: 0.565-0.775]) and the single-modal endoscopy model (AUC: 0.720 [95% CI: 0.617-0.823], accuracy: 0.713 [95% CI: 0.612-0.809]) in the external test set. CONCLUSION The MRI-endoscopy fusion model based on ResNet-Vision Transformer achieved favorable performance in predicting treatment response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and holds tremendous potential for enabling personalized treatment regimens for locally advanced rectal cancer patients.
Humans ; Rectal Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Neoadjuvant Therapy/methods* ; Aged ; Adult ; Chemoradiotherapy/methods* ; Endoscopy/methods* ; Treatment Outcome

Purpose: Combinations of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and chemotherapy have become the standard first-line treatment for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2)-negative advanced gastric cancer. However, primary resistance remains a challenge, with no effective biomarkers available for its prediction. This retrospective study explores the relationship between the baseline inflammatory burden index (IBI) and primary resistance in such context. Materials and Methods: We analyzed 62 patients with HER-2-negative advanced gastric cancer who received ICIs and chemotherapy as their first-line treatment. The IBI was calculated as follows: C-reactive protein (mg/L) × neutrophil count (10 3 /mm 3 )/lymphocyte count (10 3 /mm 3 ). Based on disease progression within 6 months, patients were categorized into the primary resistant or the control group. We compared baseline characteristics and IBI scores between the groups and assessed the predictive value of the IBI using the receiver operating characteristic curve. Both univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors influencing primary resistance. Results: Nineteen patients were included in the primary resistance group, and forty-three patients were included in the control group. The IBI was significantly higher in the resistant group compared to the control group (P<0.01). The area under the curve for the IBI was 0.82, indicating a strong predictive value. Multivariate analysis identified the IBI as an independent predictor of primary resistance (P=0.014). Conclusions The baseline IBI holds promise as a predictor of primary resistance to combined ICIs and chemotherapy in patients with HER-2-negative advanced gastric cancer.

Purpose: Combinations of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and chemotherapy have become the standard first-line treatment for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2)-negative advanced gastric cancer. However, primary resistance remains a challenge, with no effective biomarkers available for its prediction. This retrospective study explores the relationship between the baseline inflammatory burden index (IBI) and primary resistance in such context. Materials and Methods: We analyzed 62 patients with HER-2-negative advanced gastric cancer who received ICIs and chemotherapy as their first-line treatment. The IBI was calculated as follows: C-reactive protein (mg/L) × neutrophil count (10 3 /mm 3 )/lymphocyte count (10 3 /mm 3 ). Based on disease progression within 6 months, patients were categorized into the primary resistant or the control group. We compared baseline characteristics and IBI scores between the groups and assessed the predictive value of the IBI using the receiver operating characteristic curve. Both univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors influencing primary resistance. Results: Nineteen patients were included in the primary resistance group, and forty-three patients were included in the control group. The IBI was significantly higher in the resistant group compared to the control group (P<0.01). The area under the curve for the IBI was 0.82, indicating a strong predictive value. Multivariate analysis identified the IBI as an independent predictor of primary resistance (P=0.014). Conclusions The baseline IBI holds promise as a predictor of primary resistance to combined ICIs and chemotherapy in patients with HER-2-negative advanced gastric cancer.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of minimally invasive percutaneous internal fixation with double screws for delayed union or nonunion of scaphoid fracture.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the 12 patients with delayed union or nonunion of scaphoid fracture who had been treated at Department of Hand and Foot Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University from March 2021 to December 2023. They were 11 males and 1 female, with an age of (29.9±13.8) years and an interval from injury to surgery of (5.1±2.6) months. They were all treated by minimally invasive percutaneous internal fixation with 2 hollow compression screws. The visual analogue scale (VAS), grip strength (percentage of the affected side to the healthy side), wrist range of motion, modified Mayo wrist score and other data were recorded and compared between pre-surgery and the last follow-up. The incidence of complications was recorded.Results:Follow-up for all patients lasted for (20.8±8.9) months. All patients achieved bony union after (10.1±3.2) weeks with no complications like infection. No post-surgery imaging revealed screw misplacement or penetration. At the last follow-up, the VAS pain score was 0 (0, 1) point, the wrist grip strength 100.6%±7.2%, the wrist flexion 88.3°±2.5°, the wrist dorsiflexion 88.5°±2.2°, and the modified Mayo wrist score (98.3±2.5) points, all significantly better than the pre-surgery values [4 (4, 5) points, 69.1%±16.0%, 61.3°±13.5°, 64.7°±9.1°, and (61.7±10.1) points] (all P < 0.05). Conclusion:In the treatment of delayed union or nonunion of scaphoid fracture, minimally invasive percutaneous internal fixation with double screws shows advantages of minimal invasion, quick fracture healing, fine functional recovery, and no need of bone grafting.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between serum vitamin A(VA)and mar-bling grade and the effect of different levels of serum VA on slaughter performance and fatty acid composition and related gene expression in the longissimus dorsi muscle of Woking black cattle and Angus cattle.Thirty Woking black cattle and seventeen Angus cattle aged 30 months were ran-domly selected and analyzed for the linear relationship between serum VA and marbling grade af-ter slaughter.The cattle were divided into three groups:the low VA group,medium VA group and high VA group,ranked in order of VA value in both Woking black cattle and Angus cattle.Statisti-cal analysis of the effects of different types and levels of VA on marbling grade,slaughter performance,fatty acid composition,and the effects of different levels of VA on the expression of genes related to intramuscular fat deposition and other genes in Woking black cattle or Angus cat-tle were also analyzed.The results showed that the marbling grade of Woking black cattle increased numerically with increasing serum VA at slaughter(P=0.203),whereas Angus cattle showed a numerical decrease(P=0.139).Analyses of subsequent subgroups showed that Woking black cat-tle had significantly higher marbling grade and oleic acid,monounsaturated/saturated fatty acids ratio in the longissimus dorsi muscle compared to Angus cattle(P＜0.05).As serum VA levels in-creased,DHA was significantly higher and n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio significantly lower in the longis-simus dorsi muscle of Woking black cattle(P＜0.05).Whereas VA was elevated in Angus cattle,a significant decrease in DHA and a significant increase in n-6/n-3 fatty acids(P＜0.05)were found.Furthermore,a notable up-or down-regulation(P＜0.05)of LPL,FABP4,PPARγ,C APZA2 and Villin 2 was observed in Woking black or Angus cattle,respectively,as VA levels increased.Based on these results,it was suggested that Woking black cattle require an appropriate increase in dieta-ry VA during the late fattening stage,which was found to produce a higher marbling grade and a higher percentage of beneficial fatty acids for human health when serum VA reached 80.7 IU/dL.Whereas Angus cattle still need to be restricted in ration VA content in the late fattening stage,when serum VA is elevated to 73.6 IU/dL,they produce beef that not only has a lower marbling grade but also has a corresponding reduction in fatty acids beneficial to human health.

Objective To investigate the susceptibility of Cryptococcus neoformans strains to antifungal drugs and examine the relevant clinical manifestations and laboratory test results in a tertiary hospital in Shanghai during the period from 2019 to 2023.Methods The isolates were identified by MALDI-TOF and biochemical identification cards.The minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC)values of 5-fluorocytosine,amphotericin B,fluconazole,voriconazole,and itraconazole against C.neoformans strains were measured using broth microdilution method.The corresponding clinical data were reviewed and compared.Results Majority(78.7％)of the 75 strains of C.neoformans were isolated from cerebrospinal fluid(CSF).The prevalence of wild type(WT)strains was the lowest(36.0％)for itraconazole and the highest(94.7％)for voriconazole.Cryptococcus capsular antigen test was positive in 62 strains.The results of Cryptococcus capsular antigen test was consistent with fungal culture in 96.9％of the cases.Conclusions Most of the C.neoformans strains were isolated from CSF.The prevalence of non-WT C.neoformans strains was the highest for itraconazole.The prevalence of WT C.neoformans strains was the highest for voriconazole.