AIM: To detect the distribution and expression of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)in radiation retinopathy(RR)through fluorescence targeted imaging.METHODS:Covalent binding of fluorescein FITC with VEGF antibody ranibizumab to prepare targeted fluorescent imaging probe ranibizumab-FITC. SD rats were randomly divided into three groups based on the principle of weight balance: a normal control group(Con group), a low-dose radiation group(10 Gy group), and a high-dose radiation group(30 Gy group). Medical linear accelerators and lead blocks were used to locally irradiate the rat eyeballs for modeling. Western blot and qRT-PCR were used to detect the expression levels of VEGF-A in each group and to screen for appropriate modeling dose. The inverted fluorescence microscope and the confocal microscope were used to observe the distribution of VEGF and imaging probes in the retinas of control and RR model group rats, and to verify the effectiveness of targeted probes.RESULTS:The expression level of VEGF-A in the retina of rats in the high-dose radiation group(30 Gy group)was higher than that in the normal control group(Con group). In early RR, VEGF expression was observed to be associated with microaneurysms and abnormal microvessels in the retina. VEGF accumulation was observed at the site of capillary wall damage. When retinal capillary endothelial damage occurred, targeted probes gathered on the outer surface of the vessel wall.CONCLUSION:The expression level of VEGF in the retina of RR model rats is elevated, and fluorescent targeted molecular imaging probes can detect the spatial distribution of VEGF at the microvascular lesions in the retina of RR rats.

OBJECTIVE:Disorders in iron metabolism increase the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.Hepcidin play an important role in maintaining iron homeostasis in the body,but its level increases with increased inflammation.Changes in hepcidin and iron homeostasis and the extent of their association with inflammation in people with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus are unknown.Meta-analysis was used to evaluate the effect of inflammation on serum hepcidin and iron metabolism related parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.METHODS:CNKI,PubMed,Web of Science and EBSCOhost databases were searched by computer to collect observational studies related to inflammatory index and hepcidin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.The search time was from September 1,2000 to September 30,2024.Three researchers independently screened the literature,extracted data and evaluated the quality of the included literature.Meta-analysis was performed by Review Manager 5.3,Stata 17.0 and GraphPad Prism 8.0.2 software.RESULTS:A total of 15 articles(17 studies)involving 3 159 participants,including 1 357 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus,were included.Meta-analysis results showed that compared with the control group,patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus had higher levels of serum hepcidin[standardized mean difference(SMD)=0.35,95％confidence interval(CI)(0.05,0.65),P＜0.05],serum ferritin(SMD=0.49,95％CI(0.21,0.78),P＜0.01)and serum transferrin(SMD=0.19,95％CI(0.00,0.37),P＜0.05).Subgroup analysis results indicated that inflammation had a significant effect on serum hepcidin(SMD=0.76,95％CI(0.17,1.34),P＜0.05)and serum ferritin(SMD=0.77,95％CI(0.06,1.47),P＜0.05)in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.CONCLUSION:Hepcidin concentration is positively correlated with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Inflammation is one of the risk factors of type 2 diabetes mellitus.Early prevention of inflammation has certain significance in preventing iron metabolism disorder in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE:Disorders in iron metabolism increase the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.Hepcidin play an important role in maintaining iron homeostasis in the body,but its level increases with increased inflammation.Changes in hepcidin and iron homeostasis and the extent of their association with inflammation in people with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus are unknown.Meta-analysis was used to evaluate the effect of inflammation on serum hepcidin and iron metabolism related parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.METHODS:CNKI,PubMed,Web of Science and EBSCOhost databases were searched by computer to collect observational studies related to inflammatory index and hepcidin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.The search time was from September 1,2000 to September 30,2024.Three researchers independently screened the literature,extracted data and evaluated the quality of the included literature.Meta-analysis was performed by Review Manager 5.3,Stata 17.0 and GraphPad Prism 8.0.2 software.RESULTS:A total of 15 articles(17 studies)involving 3 159 participants,including 1 357 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus,were included.Meta-analysis results showed that compared with the control group,patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus had higher levels of serum hepcidin[standardized mean difference(SMD)=0.35,95％confidence interval(CI)(0.05,0.65),P＜0.05],serum ferritin(SMD=0.49,95％CI(0.21,0.78),P＜0.01)and serum transferrin(SMD=0.19,95％CI(0.00,0.37),P＜0.05).Subgroup analysis results indicated that inflammation had a significant effect on serum hepcidin(SMD=0.76,95％CI(0.17,1.34),P＜0.05)and serum ferritin(SMD=0.77,95％CI(0.06,1.47),P＜0.05)in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.CONCLUSION:Hepcidin concentration is positively correlated with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Inflammation is one of the risk factors of type 2 diabetes mellitus.Early prevention of inflammation has certain significance in preventing iron metabolism disorder in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of thyroid nodules in the physical examination population in Mianyang region and analyze its association with metabolic syndrome. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 9 978 individuals who underwent health examinations at our hospital from January 2024 to May 2025. Thyroid examinations were performed using color Doppler ultrasound to analyze the prevalence of thyroid nodules in this population. Clinical data of all subjects were collected, and logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the association between metabolic syndrome and the risk of thyroid nodule development. Results The prevalence of thyroid nodules in the physical examination population of Mianyang region was 17.98% (1 794/9 978). The logistic regression results showed that after adjusting for gender, age, BMI, occupation, consumption of non-iodized salt, staying up late, daily sleep duration, anxiety, and depression, metabolic syndrome (OR=6.593, 95% CI: 3.961-10.975) was associated with thyroid nodules (P<0.05). Conclusion The prevalence of thyroid nodules among the physical examination population in the Mianyang area is 17.98%, and metabolic syndrome remains associated with the risk of thyroid nodules after effectively controlling for confounding factors.

OBJECTIVE To construct a dual-verification system integrating image pre-screening and Raman spectroscopy for inpatient pharmacy unit-dose dispensing in response to the issue of recognition blind spots for drugs of “same appearance but different spectrum” by drug inspection machines. METHODS An image feature and Raman spectroscopy database， covering 296 oral medications， were established. Spectral matching was performed using a cosine similarity algorithm （decision threshold 0.95）. A dual-verification system of “image pre-screening and Raman spectroscopy confirmation” was designed， and a self-controlled before-and-after study was conducted across 5 clinical wards. RESULTS The system achieved a mean recognition accuracy of 99.2% for all medications in the database， with 100% accurate identification of representative “same-appearance but different-spectrum” drugs. The average verification time per-unit in the experimental group （image recognition+Raman spectroscopy confirmation and verification） was reduced by 31.5%-43.3%， compared with the control group （image recognition+manual visual comparison with actual objects）（ P ＜0.001）. Nurses’ satisfaction scores in the dimensions of operational convenience， identification efficiency， verification confidence， and psychological stress relief in the experimental group were all significantly superior to those of the control group （ P ＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS The dual-verification system of “image pre-screening and Raman spectroscopy confirmation” effectively overcomes the technical limitations of conventional machine vision. It enhances work efficiency and staff satisfaction while ensuring medication safety.

Background: and Purpose Limited evidence exists on the effectiveness of endovascular treatment (EVT) for acute posterior circulation tandem lesion (PCTL). This study aimed to explore the role of extracranial vertebral artery (VA) stenting in patients with PCTL stroke undergoing EVT. Methods: Individual patient data were pooled from the BASILAR (EVT for Acute Basilar Artery Occlusion Study) and PERSIST (Posterior Circulation Ischemic Stroke) registries. Patients with PCTLs who underwent EVT were included in the present cohort and divided into the stenting and nonstenting groups based on the placement of extracranial VA stents. The primary efficacy outcome was the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores at 90 days and 1 year. Safety outcomes included 24-hour symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) and all-cause mortality at 90 days and 1 year post-surgery. Results: A combined dataset of 1,320 patients with posterior circulation artery occlusion, including 263 (19.9%) with tandem lesions, of whom 217 (median age, 65 years; 82.9% male) met the inclusion criteria for the analysis. The stenting group had 84 (38.7%) patients, while the non-stenting group had 133 (61.3%). After adjustment for the potential confounders, extracranial VA stenting was associated with favorable shifts in mRS scores at both 90 days (adjusted common odds ratio [OR], 2.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23–4.28; P<0.01) and 1 year (adjusted OR [aOR], 2.04; 95% CI [1.05–3.97]; P=0.04), along with lower rate of mortality at both 90 days (aOR, 0.45; 95% CI [0.21–0.93]; P=0.01) and 1 year (aOR, 0.36; 95% CI [0.16–0.79]; P=0.01), with no significant difference in sICH incidence (aOR, 0.35; 95% CI [0.06–1.98]; P=0.24). Conclusion Extracranial VA stenting during EVT may improve functional outcomes and reduce mortality in patients with PCTL strokes.

Objective:To develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-based automatic scoring model for magnetic resonance imaging-detected extramural vascular invasion (AI-mrEMVI) and evaluate its performance and prognostic value in patients with rectal cancer.Methods:In this multicenter retrospective cohort study, a total of 2 501 rectal cancer patients from seven centers between November 2012 and December 2020 were included and divided into completely independent training ( n=1 830) and validation ( n=671) cohorts. A nnUNet-based AI-mrEMVI scoring model was constructed. Manual mrEMVI scores assigned by two radiologists served as the reference standard for accessing the accuracy of the AI-mrEMVI scoring. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox regression were used to evaluate the prognostic stratification ability of the AI-mrEMVI scores. The concordance index (C-index) was calculated to evaluate prognostic performance. Results:In the validation cohort, the manual mrEMVI scores were 0-2 in 425 patients (63.3%), 3 in 89 (13.4%), and 4 in 157 (23.4%). The AI-mrEMVI model identified 0-2 in 375 patients (55.9%), 3 in 95 (14.2%), and 4 in 201 (30.0%), with an overall accuracy of 81.1% (544/671, 95% CI 77.9%-84.0%). The 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates for patients with AI-mrEMVI scores of 0-2, 3, and 4 were 85.2%, 70.0%, and 58.2%, respectively, and the 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 87.2%, 81.6%, and 62.6%, respectively (DFS: χ2=48.74, P<0.001; OS: χ2=30.04, P<0.001). Multivariable Cox regression showed that for DFS, AI-mrEMVI scores of 3 and 4 were associated with hazard ratios ( HR) of 1.75 (95% CI 1.11-2.77, P=0.016) and 2.65 (95% CI 1.86-3.78, P<0.001), respectively. For OS, an AI-mrEMVI score of 4 was associated with an HR of 2.56 (95% CI 1.62-4.03, P<0.001). The C-index values of the AI-mrEMVI scoring model for predicting DFS and OS were 0.647 (95% CI 0.608-0.686) and 0.650 (95% CI 0.598-0.702), respectively. Conclusion:The proposed AI-mrEMVI automatic scoring model demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy and performed favorably in predicting DFS and OS prognostic risk in patients with rectal cancer.

Objective:To evaluate the transjejunal choledochoscopy via a marked and fixed jejunal loop in the management of anastomotic complications after choledochojejunostomy.Methods:Clinical data of 17 patients undergoing choledochoscopy exploration and treatment via a subcutaneous jejunal loop at Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2014 to August 2023 were retrospectively analyzed, including 5 males and 12 females, with a median age of 57 years (24-69 years). All patients had a jejunal loop marked and fixed subcutaneous during previouse Roux-en-Y choledochojejunostomy or biliary anastomotic reconstruction surgery. Choledochoscopy was performed via the pre-fixed loop to manage biliary strictures and stones. Baseline and perioperative date including gender, age, primary disease, jejunal loop puncture and catheterization, choledochoscopy exploration and operative time and frequency, and postoperative complications (bleeding, bile leakage, infection, etc.) were recorded.Results:The primary diseases of the 17 patients included nine cases of congenital choledochal cysts, three cases of common bile duct stones, three cases of common bile duct strictures, one case of intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile duct stones, and one case of gallbladder cancer. Eight patients had their jejunal loop drainage tubes removed or only had subcutaneous marking and fixation without T-tube placement. A total of 12 attempts were made to puncture and catheterize via the jejunal loop under X-ray guidance, with 11 successful punctures. Choledochoscopy exploration or operation was performed 67 times via the jejunal loop in 17 patients, all successfully reaching the biliary-enteric anastomosis. Intrahepatic cholangiolithiasis were found during 28 choledochoscopy explorations via the jejunal loop, with stones directly removed using a stone basket in 25 cases and electrohydraulic lithotripsy in three cases. Biliary-enteric anastomotic or intrahepatic bile duct strictures were found in 34 choledochoscopy explorations via the jejunal loop, with 22 cases undergoing balloon dilation. Among them, 14 cases had biliary strictures combined with stones, and the stones were removed after balloon dilation of the strictures. Other choledochoscopy explorations showed no abnormalities. The operative time of 67 choledochoscopy explorations via the jejunal loop was (67±42) min, with no intraoperative complications. Two cases had postoperative drainage tube displacement and dislocation, which were repositioned through the sinus tract immediately, and no complications such as bleeding, bile leakage, or infection occurred.Conclusion:Pre-fixation of the jejunal loop during choledochojejunostomy offers a minimally invasive access for postoperative choledochoscopy that could directly reach the biliary-enteric anastomosis, and effectively manage the long-term biliary-enteric anastomotic complications, including biliary strictures and cholangiolithiasis.

Objective:To study the effect of preoperative pancreatic duct stent placement in enucleation (EN) of pancreatic tumor adjacent to the main pancreatic duct (MPD).Methods:Clinical data of 56 patients with benign or borderline pancreatic tumor adjacent to the MPD undergoing EN in the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery of the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2022 to September 2024 were retrospectively analyzed, including 25 males and 31 females, aged (32.0±5.5) years. Among the patients, 35 (62.5%) were solid pseudopapillary neoplasm, 15 (26.8%) were neuroendocrine tumor, and 6 (10.7%) were serous cystic tumor. According to whether the pancreatic duct stent was placed through encoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography preoperatively, patients were divided into the stent group ( n=20, observation group) and no-stent group ( n=36, control group). The operation time, intraoperative pancreatic duct injury, tumor enucleation time and blood loss, grade B/C pancreatic fistula and postoperative hospital stay were compared between the two groups. Results:All patients underwent EN successfully. The operation time in the observation group was shorter than that in the control group [150.0 (143.5, 159.0) vs 158.0 (150.0, 180.0) min, Z=-2.08, P=0.031], and the rate of intraoperative MPD injury in the observation group was lower than that in the control group [10.0% (2/20) vs 38.9% (14/36), χ2=5.26, P=0.022]. The tumor enucleation time and blood loss were comparable between the two groups (both P>0.05). The rate of postoperative grade B/C pancreatic fistula in the observation group was lower than that in the control group [15.0% (3/20) vs 41.7% (15/36), χ2=4.19, P=0.041], and the postoperative hospital stay was also shorter in the observation group [(7.9±1.6) vs (9.3±2.1) d, t=-2.57, P=0.014]. Conclusion:Under the premise of matured endoscopic operation, preoperative pancreatic duct stent placement through ERCP in the EN of pancreatic tumor adjacent to the MPD can protect the MPD during operation, reduce the occurrence of postoperative grade B/C pancreatic fistula, and shorten the postoperative hospital stay.

Primary liver cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related mortality, and exploring effective cure methods for liver cancer has become a major challenge. Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent pattern of cell death caused by the accumulation of lipid peroxides. The main mechanisms of ferroptosis include iron metabolism disorders, imbalance of the antioxidant system, and accumulation of lipid peroxides. Inducing ferroptosis of hepatoma cells is regarded as a potential therapeutic strategy for liver cancer. This article aims to outline the key regulatory signaling pathways of ferroptosis in the occurrence and development of liver cancer, and to deeply analyze the potential application prospects of the ferroptosis mechanism in the field of liver cancer treatment.