Congenital blood group chimerism refers to the coexistence of two or more distinct blood types within an individual, resulting from the presence of hematopoietic cell populations with different genotypes. Consequently, red blood cells in such individuals may express different blood group antigens. Based on the timing and mechanism of formation, blood group chimerism can be classified as either congenital or acquired. Although congenital blood group chimerism is rare and involves complex mechanisms, it holds significant implications in transfusion medicine, transplantation, and obstetrics. This article reviews the formation mechanisms, detection methods, and clinical significance of congenital blood group chimerism in transfusion medicine. Particular emphasis is placed on the principles, advantages, and limitations of various detection techniques. Furthermore, the potential applications of these technologies in clinical diagnosis are discussed, providing a technical foundation for the development of precise transfusion strategies.

Objective To propose a lung artery segmentation method that integrates shape and position prior knowledge, aiming to solve the issues of inaccurate segmentation caused by the high similarity and small size differences between the lung arteries and surrounding tissues in CT images. Methods Based on the three-dimensional U-Net network architecture and relying on the PARSE 2022 database image data, shape and position prior knowledge was introduced to design feature extraction and fusion strategies to enhance the ability of lung artery segmentation. The data of the patients were divided into three groups: a training set, a validation set, and a test set. The performance metrics for evaluating the model included Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC), sensitivity, accuracy, and Hausdorff distance (HD95). Results The study included lung artery imaging data from 203 patients, including 100 patients in the training set, 30 patients in the validation set, and 73 patients in the test set. Through the backbone network, a rough segmentation of the lung arteries was performed to obtain a complete vascular structure; the branch network integrating shape and position information was used to extract features of small pulmonary arteries, reducing interference from the pulmonary artery trunk and left and right pulmonary arteries. Experimental results showed that the segmentation model based on shape and position prior knowledge had a higher DSC (82.81%±3.20% vs. 80.47%±3.17% vs. 80.36%±3.43%), sensitivity (85.30%±8.04% vs. 80.95%±6.89% vs. 82.82%±7.29%), and accuracy (81.63%±7.53% vs. 81.19%±8.35% vs. 79.36%±8.98%) compared to traditional three-dimensional U-Net and V-Net methods. HD95 could reach (9.52±4.29) mm, which was 6.05 mm shorter than traditional methods, showing excellent performance in segmentation boundaries. Conclusion The lung artery segmentation method based on shape and position prior knowledge can achieve precise segmentation of lung artery vessels and has potential application value in tasks such as bronchoscopy or percutaneous puncture surgery navigation.

OBJECTIVE:The optimal non-surgical therapy for chronic ankle instability remains unclear due to the continuous introduction of novel treatment methods despite the availability of several non-surgical options for improving foot and ankle function and dynamic balance in chronic ankle instability patients.This study aims to investigate the most effective non-surgical therapy options to improve foot and ankle function and dynamic balance for patients with chronic ankle instability using a network meta-analysis. METHODS:Using"CAI,exercise,and randomized controlled trial"as search terms,a literature search of PubMed,Embase,Cochrane Library,and Web of Science databases was conducted through a computer network to collect information from the databases from their inception to March 2024 on non-surgical therapies for the treatment of chronic ankle instability randomized controlled trials on foot and ankle function or dynamic balance in patients.EndNote software was utilized for literature management.RevMan 5.4 software and Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool were used to evaluate the risk of bias of the included literature.Paired meta-analysis and network meta-analysis of the outcomes such as the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure in daily living subscale score,Foot and Ankle Ability Measure in sports activities subscale score,Star Excursion Balance Test-Anterior score,Star Excursion Balance Test-Posteromedial score,Star Excursion Balance Test-Posterolateral score and Cumberland ankle instability tool score were performed using the network commands of Stata 14.0 software.The strength of evidence rating of the outcome metrics was evaluated according to the GRADE Level of Evidence and Strength of Recommendation Grading Criteria. RESULTS:Of the 22 randomized controlled trials that met the inclusion criteria,1 study was rated as low risk,8 studies were rated as medium risk,and 13 studies were rated as high risk,enrolling a total of 952 patients and 25 treatments.(1)Network meta-analysis showed that compared with the control group,Isokinetic Strength Training,Balance Training,Balance+Stroboscopic Glasses Training,Strength Training,Joint Mobilizations Training,CrossFit Training,CrossFit Training+Self-Mobilization,Wobble Board Training,National Academy of Sport Medicine corrective exercise program,Trigger Point Dry Needling,and Neuromuscular Training had different significant enhancement effects on improving foot and ankle function and dynamic balance in patients with chronic ankle instability(P<0.05).(2)Cumulative probability ranking results showed that the three treatments with the highest ranked Cumberland ankle instability tool score were Joint Mobilizations Training(88.6%)>Visual Feedback Balance Training(83.1%)>CrossFit Training+Self-Mobilization(74.8%);the three treatments with the highest ranked Star Excursion Balance Test-Anterior score were Joint Mobilizations Training(88.4%)>Isokinetic Strength Training(86.9%)>National Academy of Sport Medicine corrective exercise program(65.0%);the three treatments with the highest ranked Star Excursion Balance Test-Posteromedial score were Balance+Stroboscopic Glasses Training(87.4%)>Neuromuscular Training(74.6%)>Strength Training(68.9%);the three treatments with the highest ranked Star Excursion Balance Test-Posterolateral score were CrossFit Training+Self-Mobilization(74.6%)>Balance+Stroboscopic Glasses Training(70.0%)>Neuromuscular Training(63.7%);the three treatments with the highest ranked Foot and Ankle Ability Measure in daily living subscale score were National Academy of Sport Medicine corrective exercise program(91.9%)>Balance+Stroboscopic Glasses Training(85.6%)>Wobble Board Training(82.2%);the three treatments with the highest ranked Foot and Ankle Ability Measure in sports activities subscale score were Balance+Stroboscopic Glasses Training(93.5%)>Balance Training(86.7%)>National Academy of Sport Medicine corrective exercise program(86.4%). CONCLUSION:Non-surgical therapies can significantly improve foot and ankle function and dynamic balance in patients with chronic ankle instability.National Academy of Sport Medicine corrective exercise program had the best efficacy in improving foot and ankle daily activity function in chronic ankle instability patients;Balance+Stroboscopic Glasses Training had the best efficacy in improving foot and ankle sports function and posterior medial dynamic balance;Joint Mobilizations Training had the best efficacy in improving anterolateral dynamic balance and ankle instability condition;and CrossFit Training+Self-Mobilization had the best efficacy in improving posterior lateral dynamic balance.The strength of evidence for each outcome was low,influenced by the risk of methodological bias and risk of publication bias of the included studies.Therefore,the above conclusions need to be validated by more high-quality pilot studies.

Objective:To assess the viability of reducing radiation dose, contrast media volume, injection flow rate and contrast medium concentration (quadruple low-dose protocol) by utilizing virtual monoenergetic images (VMI) in photon-counting detector CT (PCD-CT) for aortic CT angiography (CTA), while maintaining image quality in comparison to images obtained from energy-integrating detector CT (EID-CT).Methods:From April 2024 to June 2024, a total of 40 participants who underwent aortic CTA on PCD-CT were prospectively enrolled in the experimental group (PCD-CT group), while 40 patients with similar baseline characteristics who had previously undergone aortic CTA using EID-CT were retrospectively selected for the conventional group (EID-CT group). The EID-CT group used a tube voltage of 90 kVp, a contrast media volume of 60 ml of contrast, an injection flow rate of 3 ml/s, and a contrast concentration of 350 mgI/ml; the PCD-CT group used the QuantumPlus mode, with a tube voltage of 140 kVp, a total amount of iodine in the contrast media of 140 mgI/kg, and an injection flow rate=contrast media volume/(delay time+scan time), and a contrast media concentration of 320 mgI/ml. VMIs in PCD-CT group were reconstructed in 5-keV intervals ranging from 45 to 65 keV. The effective radiation dose and contrast injection protocols were recorded and compared between two groups. Objective image quality assessment was performed for each group. CT attenuation, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were measured at five anatomical locations (ascending aorta, aortic arch, descending aorta, abdominal aorta, and right common iliac artery), and image noise was recorded. Subjective image quality was independently evaluated by two readers using a 5-point Likert scale in a blinded manner. Based on data normality, the one-way ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis test was used for image quality assessment, with Bonferroni-corrected post-hoc analysis for multiple comparisons.Results:There were no significant differences in the baseline characteristics between two groups (all P0.05). The PCD-CT group demonstrated significantly lower effective radiation dose [(3.88±0.65) mSv vs. (5.97±1.15)mSv], contrast media volume [(29.25±4.56) ml vs. 60 ml], and injection rate [(2.65±0.42) ml/s vs. 3 ml/s] than the EID-CT group, with reductions of 35%, 51%, and 12%, respectively (all P0.001). For objective image quality, except for the ascending aortic CT attenuation, the CT attenuation, SNR, and CNR of other vessels in the 55 keV PCD-CT group were comparable to those in the EID-CT group. Additionally, the difference in image noise between these two groups was not statistically significant ( P0.05). Concerning subjective image quality, at 55 keV, the PCD-CT group had similar image noise scores and vessel attenuation scores (both P0.05) and better visualization of renal artery branching ( P=0.001) compared to the EID-CT group. Conclusion:In comparison to EID-CT, the use of a 55 keV image in PCD-CT for aortic CTA has demonstrated reductions in radiation dose, contrast media volume, injection flow rate and contrast medium concentration, while maintaining image quality.

Objective:To evaluate the feasibility of head and neck vascular imaging using photon-counting detector computed tomography (PCD-CT) combined with a “quadruple lows” protocol—characterized by low contrast media volume, low iodine concentration, low injection rate, and low radiation dose—and to compare the image quality with that obtained by energy-integrating detector CT (EID-CT).Methods:A total of 105 patients with suspected cerebrovascular disease were prospectively enrolled at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between April and June 2024. Patients were randomly assigned to three groups ( n=35). Group A underwent conventional head and neck CTA using EID-CT. Group B underwent PCD-CT with a protocol involving ultra-low contrast media volume, low iodine concentration, and low injection rate. Group C underwent PCD-CT with the full “quadruple low” protocol. Objective image quality parameters—including CT attenuation, image noise (standard deviation, SD), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR)—were measured at the ascending aorta, common carotid artery, internal carotid artery, vertebral artery, basilar artery, posterior cerebral artery, and middle cerebral artery. Two radiologists independently rated subjective image quality using a 5-point Likert scale. Differences among groups were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results:Compared to Group A [contrast volume: (42.78±6.64)ml], contrast agent volume was significantly reduced in Groups B and C[ (26.26±4.45) ml and (26.54±3.83)ml, respectively], demonstrating reductions of 39% and 38% (both P<0.01). The iodine concentration was 320 mg/ml in Groups B and C, lower than 350 mg/ml in Group A (8.5%). The injection rate was also reduced in Groups B and C [(3.39±0.61) and (3.55±0.51)ml/s, respectively] compared to Group A [(4.28±0.66) ml/s], with reductions of 21% and 17% (both P<0.01). The effective dose (ED) was similar between Groups A and B [(1.40±0.15) vs. (1.40±0.19)mSv, P>0.05], while Group C demonstrated a significantly lower ED [(0.99±0.09) mSv], with a reduction of 30% compared to Group A and 29% compared to Group B (both P<0.01).In terms of objective image quality, significant differences in image noise (SD) were observed among the three groups at the vertebral artery, internal carotid artery, posterior cerebral artery, and middle cerebral artery (all P<0.05). Groups B and C showed significantly lower SD compared to Group A ( P<0.05), with no significant difference between B and C ( P>0.05). SNR was significantly higher in Groups B and C than in Group A at multiple vascular segments (all P<0.05). CNR differed only at the internal carotid artery, where Groups B and C demonstrated superior performance compared to Group A ( P<0.05).Subjective image quality scores showed no significant difference between Groups A and C ( P>0.05), while Group B had significantly higher scores than both A and C ( P<0.05). All images were deemed diagnostically acceptable. Conclusion:Compared with conventional EID-CT, PCD-CT combined with a “quadruple lows” protocol enables substantial reductions in contrast media and radiation dose while further improving image quality in head and neck CTA.

Objective:To preliminarily assess the biocompatibility and durability of the TruDelta TM transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) system. Method:Six adult sheep were divided into 3 groups based on the duration of follow-up: 30 days ( n=1), 90 days ( n=3) and 180 days ( n=2). The TruDelta TM TMVR system was implanted through a transapical approach under transesophageal echocardiographic guidance. The operability of the TMVR system was evaluated using an instrument performance evaluation scale (consisting of 39 items), with scores ranging from 1 (worst) to 10 (best) assigned by the operator. Echocardiography was conducted preoperatively, immediately after surgery, and at 30, 90, and 180 days post-implantation. At the last follow-up time point, the intervention mitral valve membrane and major organs were dissected for observation. The artificial valves were taken for hematoxylin eosin (HE) staining and observed under a scanning electron microscope. Result:All six procedures were successfully completed using 29S size TruDelta TM TMVR device. At the final follow-up, echocardiogram demonstrated good valve function without obvious paravalvular leakage, with a transvalvular gradient of (7.8±3.2) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) and a mitral valve orifice area of (1.8±0.2) cm 2. Autopsy findings revealed no structural valve failure and almost complete endothelialization (>75%) with 90 to 180 days. Both HE staining and scanning electron microscopy confirmed optimal endothelialization of the valve stent. Conclusion:The preclinical animal study indicates that the TruDelta TM device exhibits favorable biocompatibility and durability.

Objective To propose a classification model based on a pseudo-bag strategy and feature adjustment for whole slide imaging in pathology.Methods A pseudo-bag generator was constructed to divide a parent bag into 3 pseudo-bags for increasing the number of training bags.Then,a pseudo-bag learning method based on Nystr?m-based algorithm for approximating self-attention and a selective feature fusion method were employed to process the pseudo-bags.Specifically,the pseudo-bag learning method based on Nystr?m-based algorithm for approximating self-attention reduced computational complexity through an improved multi-head self-attention mechanism while deeply extracting instance features to obtain pseudo-bag classification predictions,thereby enhancing pseudo-bag classification accuracy;and the selective feature fusion method refined pseudo-bag features by filtering and extracting relevant instances.Finally,the model adjusted bag features by extracting confounding factors to avoid interference from irrelevant information and further improve classification accuracy.Results The proposed model was evaluated on two datasets(CAMELYON-16 and TCGA-NSCLC)and compared with 10 other methods,and the results demonstrated that the proposed model achieved the best performance.The proposed method reached an accuracy of 0.943 on the CAMELYON-16 dataset and 0.906 on the TCGA-NSCLC dataset.Conclusion The proposed model can significantly improve the accuracy of whole-slide pathological image classification by effectively mitigating the overfitting and avoiding interference from irrelevant information.

Objectives:This study aims to investigate the incidence,characteristics and clinical outcomes of vagal response(VR)during pulmonary vein isolation(PVI).Methods:A total of 702 patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation(AF)who received the first PVI radiofrequency ablation in Central China Fuwai Hospital from January 2022 to December 2023 were consecutively enrolled.PVI was initiated from right superior pulmonary vein(RSPV),followed by other pulmonary veins(PVs).The VR was defined as atrioventricular block(AVB),asystole or a 50%increase in the RR interval.Results:Among 702 patients with AF,380 patients(54.1%)were paroxysmal AF and 322 patients(45.9%)were persistent AF.77 patients(11.0%)developed 81 VR episodes,which were more common in paroxysmal group than in persistent AF group(19.5%vs.0.9%,P<0.001).VR manifestations included 51 sinus arrest(63.0%),26 sinus bradycardia(32.1%),and 4 atrioventricular block(AVB,4.9%).Most VR episodes were observed in the left superior ganglionated plexi(67[82.7%]).Paroxysmal AF(OR=18.667,95%CI:6.638-52.491,P<0.001),body mass index(BMI)≥28.0 kg/m2(OR=2.361,95%CI:1.376-4.051,P=0.002)and left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)≥62.0%(OR=1.964,95%CI:1.119-3.447,P=0.019)were independent risk factors of VR.During a mean of(13.0±7.1)months follow up,among paroxysmal AF patients,6 patients(8.1%)with VR and 33 patients(10.8%)without VR experienced AF recurrence(P=0.496).Kaplan-Meier curves estimated that the AF-free survival rate was similar between VR group and non-VR group among paroxysmal AF patients(log-rank P=0.735).Conclusions:The most common sites of VR when initiating PVI from right RSPV occur in left superior ganglionated plexi.Paroxysmal AF,BMI≥28.0 kg/m2 and LVEF≥62.0%are independent risk factors of VR.VR does not affect AF-free survival.

Objective:To discuss the changes of adenosine deaminase 2(ADA2)activity in the serum of the systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)patients,and to clarify its clinical value in the diagnosis and disease assessment of the SLE patients.Methods:According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria,69 SLE patients(SLE group)and 69 healthy controls(control group)were enrolled as study subjects.The disease activity of SLE patients was evaluated by SLE Disease Activity Index(SLEDAI).The ADA2 activity in the serum of the subjects in both groups was detected.The patients were further divided into subgroups based on the presence or absence of the following clinical symptoms:arthritis,myositis,hematuria,proteinuria,pyuria,alopecia,new rash,mucosal ulcer,pleuritis,hypocomplementemia,elevated anti-double-stranded DNA(anti-dsDNA)antibody,thrombocytopenia,and leukopenia.The differences in serum ADA2 activity between joint symptomatic group and joint asymptomatic group were analyzed.The diagnostic efficacy of serum ADA2 activity was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis.The correlation between ADA2 activity and disease activity in the SLE patients was analyzed by Spearman correlation analysis.Results:Compared with control group,the ADA2 activity in the serum of the patients in SLE group was significantly increased(P<0.01).The ROC analysis results showed that when the cut-off value of ADA2 activity was set at 8.5 U·L-1,the diagnostic performance was optimal,with an area under the curve(AUC)of 0.879(95%CI:0.817-0.940),the specificity was 89.86%,and the sensitivity was 75.36%.The serum ADA2 activity was positively correlated with disease activity in the SLE patients(r=0.32,P=0.007).The subgroup analysis of clinical symptoms results showed that the serum ADA2 activity in the SLE patients with symptoms was significantly higher than that in the SLE patients without symptoms(P<0.01).No significant differences were observed in serum ADA2 activity between the SLE patients with and without myositis,hematuria,proteinuria,pyuria,alopecia,new rash,mucosal ulcer,pleuritis,hypocomplementemia,elevated anti-dsDNA antibody,thrombocytopenia,or leukopenia(P>0.05).Conclusion:The serum ADA2 activity is increased in the SLE patients and can serve as a diagnostic marker for SLE.Serum ADA2 activity is positively correlated with disease activity and is associated with arthritis in the SLE patients,suggesting its potential as an indicator for disease assessment and monitoring.

Poly(lactic-co-glycolide)(PLGA)is a key excipient in long-acting sustained-release preparations,and its degradation properties directly affect the drug release behavior.In this study,PLGA microspheres were prepared by microfluidic techniques,and the morphology changes of the microspheres were observed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM).In alkaline environment,due to the accelerated hydrolysis of ester bonds,the surface of the microspheres was rapidly dissolved and eroded,and the degradation rate was significantly higher than that in acidic environment.High temperature accelerated the degradation of PLGA microspheres.Under neutral and alkaline conditions,the microspheres showed aggregation and adhesion.Under acidic conditions,the microspheres gradually decomposed into irregular fragments.The high ionic strength further promoted the surface corrosion of the microspheres,especially under extreme pH conditions.Simultaneously,PLGA microspheres encapsulating coumarin were prepared to simulate the microsphere formulation.The release rate of coumarin after degradation of the microspheres under different conditions was observed by measuring the absorbance with ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry.The results were consistent with those of the blank microspheres.This study revealed that the degradation of PLGA microspheres was significantly pH-dependent,temperature sensitive and ion strength responsive.These findings not only helped to understand and optimize the long-term stability and controlled release performance of drug-carrying microspheres,but also provided a theoretical basis for further improvement of PLGA-based drug carrier design.