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 investigate the diagnostic value of endoscopic ultrasonography(EUS)and contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasonography(CE-EUS)with sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles for injection in upper gastrointestinal submucosal tumors(SMT).Methods The subjects of this study were 82 upper gastrointestinal SMT patients from January 2021 to August 2023.All of them underwent EUS and CE-EUS using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agents.Features of EUS images of upper gastrointestinal benign SMT and gastrointestinal stromal tumor(GIST),and CE-EUS images using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agents were analyzed.EUS,CE-EUS using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agents,and combination of the two were compared in upper gastrointestinal benign SMT and GIST diagnosis based on surgical pathological findings as the golden standard.Results 82 cases of upper gastrointestinal SMT were confirmed by imaging examination and surgical results to have tumors located in the upper,middle,lower segments esophagus,cardia,fundus,body,antrum of stomach,and duodenal bulb,accounting for 7.32%,10.98%,10.98%,4.88%,29.27%,26.83%,6.10%,and 3.66%respectively.According to pathological results,there were 51 cases of upper gastrointestinal benign SMT,accounting for 62.20%and 31 cases of GIST,accounting for 37.80%.Among them,SMT in the upper gastrointestinal tract was mainly located in the esophagus and stomach,with leiomyoma being the most common.GIST was mainly located in the stomach and was more common in the fundus and body of the stomach.The proportion of benign SMT group with uniform echo,smooth surface mucosa,and regular edges was significantly higher than that of GIST group(P＜0.05).GIST group had much higher proportion in doppler rich blood flow signals and origination from the muscularis propria than benign SMT group did(P＜0.05).There was no difference between the two groups in terms of proportion of echo properties(P＞0.05).The proportion of homogeneous enhancement in the benign SMT group was significantly higher than that in the GIST group(P＜0.05).The proportion of arterial phase hyperenhancement,venous phase diffuse enhancement,and irregular blood vessels in the GIST group was significantly higher than that in the benign SMT group(P＜0.05).The sensitivity,specificity,and accuracy of EUS in distinguishing GIST and benign SMT were 64.52%,74.51%,and 70.73%respectively,those of the CE-EUS using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agent were 90.32%,88.24%,and 89.02%respectively,and those of EUS+CE-EUS using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agent were 100.00%,90.20%,and 93.90%respectively.Conclusion EUS and CE-EUS with sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agents has high diagnostic value for upper gastrointestinal benign SMT and GIST.

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 investigate the diagnostic value of endoscopic ultrasonography(EUS)and contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasonography(CE-EUS)with sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles for injection in upper gastrointestinal submucosal tumors(SMT).Methods The subjects of this study were 82 upper gastrointestinal SMT patients from January 2021 to August 2023.All of them underwent EUS and CE-EUS using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agents.Features of EUS images of upper gastrointestinal benign SMT and gastrointestinal stromal tumor(GIST),and CE-EUS images using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agents were analyzed.EUS,CE-EUS using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agents,and combination of the two were compared in upper gastrointestinal benign SMT and GIST diagnosis based on surgical pathological findings as the golden standard.Results 82 cases of upper gastrointestinal SMT were confirmed by imaging examination and surgical results to have tumors located in the upper,middle,lower segments esophagus,cardia,fundus,body,antrum of stomach,and duodenal bulb,accounting for 7.32%,10.98%,10.98%,4.88%,29.27%,26.83%,6.10%,and 3.66%respectively.According to pathological results,there were 51 cases of upper gastrointestinal benign SMT,accounting for 62.20%and 31 cases of GIST,accounting for 37.80%.Among them,SMT in the upper gastrointestinal tract was mainly located in the esophagus and stomach,with leiomyoma being the most common.GIST was mainly located in the stomach and was more common in the fundus and body of the stomach.The proportion of benign SMT group with uniform echo,smooth surface mucosa,and regular edges was significantly higher than that of GIST group(P＜0.05).GIST group had much higher proportion in doppler rich blood flow signals and origination from the muscularis propria than benign SMT group did(P＜0.05).There was no difference between the two groups in terms of proportion of echo properties(P＞0.05).The proportion of homogeneous enhancement in the benign SMT group was significantly higher than that in the GIST group(P＜0.05).The proportion of arterial phase hyperenhancement,venous phase diffuse enhancement,and irregular blood vessels in the GIST group was significantly higher than that in the benign SMT group(P＜0.05).The sensitivity,specificity,and accuracy of EUS in distinguishing GIST and benign SMT were 64.52%,74.51%,and 70.73%respectively,those of the CE-EUS using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agent were 90.32%,88.24%,and 89.02%respectively,and those of EUS+CE-EUS using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agent were 100.00%,90.20%,and 93.90%respectively.Conclusion EUS and CE-EUS with sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles as contrast agents has high diagnostic value for upper gastrointestinal benign SMT and GIST.

Objective:To explore the mediating effect of coping style on disease perception and pre-hospital delayed behavioral intention in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. From February to July 2023, convenience sampling was used to select 205 patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University as the study subject. The survey was conducted using the General Information Questionnaire, Stroke Pre-Hospital Delay Behavior Intention, Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, and Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire.Results:205 questionnaires were filled out, 195 valid questionnaires, and the validity rate of the questionnaire was 95.1%. The Stroke Pre-Hospital Delay Behavior Intention score of patients with acute ischemic stroke was (63.61±16.12). Pre-hospital delayed behavioral intention in patients with acute ischemic stroke was positively correlated with disease perception and negative coping ( r=0.360, 0.266; P<0.01), and negatively correlated with positive coping ( r=-0.279, P<0.01). The mediating effects of positive and negative coping on disease perception and pre-hospital delayed behavioral intention in ischemic stroke patients were 0.111 and 0.097, respectively, accounting for 26.89% and 23.49% of the total effect. Conclusions:There is a partial mediating effect of coping strategies between disease perception and pre-hospital delayed behavioral intention in ischemic stroke patients. In the process of stroke management, medical and nursing staff can reduce pre-hospital delayed behavioral intentions by improving disease cognition and coping style.

OBJECTIVE To explore the surgical approach and method for treating giant sternal goiter through the neck. METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 31 patients with massive retrosternal goiter admitted to the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at Southeast University Affiliated Zhongda Hospital from January 2016 to December 2022. RESULTS All patients underwent complete tumor resection through a low neck neck incision,with an average surgical time of 131.64 minutes and an average blood loss of 80 ml. Surgical methods:Total thyroidectomy in 18 cases,left lobe and isthmus resection in 9 cases,and right lobe and isthmus resection in 4 cases. Two cases were transferred to the intensive care unit for transition after surgery,and the remaining 29 cases were all returned to the general ward;No deaths have occurred;Postoperative pathology:The postoperative pathological types were nodular goiter in 21 cases,papillary thyroid carcinoma in 4 cases,follicular thyroid tumors in 2 cases,follicular thyroid carcinoma in 2 cases,large B-cell lymphoma in 1 case,and thyroid borderline tumor in 1 case. Follow up for 6 months to 3 years,with no recurrence cases. CONCLUSION The surgical treatment of huge thyroid nodules behind the sternum through the cervical approach requires thorough preoperative evaluation,understanding of surgical indications,and the use of a low neck incision. During the operation,the main blood vessels supplying the thyroid gland are gradually ligated,separated,and the huge thyroid nodules are pulled out from behind the sternum,successfully and completely removed from the neck,avoiding open chest surgery,reducing the occurrence of related complications,and shortening the patient's course of illness.

OBJECTIVE To explore the clinical characteristics,diagnosis and treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism(PHPT),and to improve the diagnosis and treatment ability of this disease.METHODS The clinical data of 27 patients with PHPT admitted to Southeast University Affiliated Zhongda Hospital from January 2016 to June 2023 were retrospectively analyzed,and the clinical characteristics,preoperative diagnosis,surgical treatment and postoperative follow-up were summarized.RESULTS All patients had elevated serum calcium and parathyroid hormone before operation,and were diagnosed before operation.All patients underwent parathyroidectomy with low neck incision,19 underwent unilateral parathyroidectomy and 8 underwent bilateral parathyroidectomy.PTH was rapidly detected 10 min after resection of the diseased gland,all 27 cases terminated surgery after PTH decreased by more than 50%.All patients experienced no postoperative complications such as hoarseness and coughing due to diet.There were 20 cases diagnosed pathologically as parathyroid adenoma and 7 cases diagnosed as parathyroid hyperplasia after operation.After operation,15 patients had short-term hypocalcemia,the hypocalcemia patients were treated with calcitriol and calcium for 2-4 weeks and their blood calcium returned to normal.and one patient was slightly higher than normal value,the hypercalcemia returned to normal about one week after operation.The remaining patients had normal serum calcium after operation.The parathyroid hormone returned to normal in 27 patients within 6 months.All patients were followed up for 6 months to 6 years,and no one recurred.CONCLUSION Parathyroidectomy is the best treatment for PHPT.Preoperative imaging location and intraoperative PTH measurement are helpful to narrow the exploration range,shorten the operation time and reduce the complications.

The signaling pathways involved in acupuncture intervention in post-stroke depression (PSD) mainly include cAMP signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, NF-κB signaling pathway, CREB signaling pathway, and CaMK signaling pathway. A variety of regulatory networks are formed between these signaling pathways, which play a key role in reducing inflammation, inhibiting apoptosis, improving neuroplasticity, promoting angiogenesis, and protecting neurons.

Objective:To identify the characteristics of the bone marrow immune microenvironment associated with long-term survival in multiple myeloma (MM) patients.Methods:In the follow-up cohort of patients with newly diagnosed MM and who received “novel agent induction therapy and subsequent autologous stem cell transplantation and immunomodulator maintenance therapy” in the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, a cross-sectional study was carried out between August 2019 and May 2020. Using NanoString technology, the RNA expression of 770 bone marrow immune-related markers was compared between 16 patients who had progression-free survival ≥5 years and 5 patients with progressive disease. Among the 16 patients who achieved long-term survival, 9 achieved persistent minimal residual disease (MRD) negative while the other 7 had persistent positive MRD. The functional scores of each kind of immune cells were calculated based on the expression level of characteristic genes, so as to indirectly obtained the proportion of each immune cell subset. The Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal Wallis test were used for statistical analysis. Results:The proportion of neutrophils was significantly higher in long-surviving MM patients than in patients with progressive disease [functional scores, 13.61 (13.33, 14.25) vs. 12.93 (12.58, 13.38); Z=2.31, P=0.021]. Among long-surviving patients, those who were MRD-positive had a significantly greater number of mast cells compared with those who were MRD-negative [functional scores, 7.09 (6.49, 8.57) vs. 6.03 (5.18, 6.69); H=2.18, P=0.029]. Compared with patients with progressive disease, four genes (CTSG, IFIT2, S100B, and CHIT1) were significantly downregulated and six (C4B, TNFRSF17, CD70, IRF4, C2, and GAGE1) were upregulated in long-surviving patients. Among long-surviving patients, only gene CMA1 was significantly upgraded, 10 genes (ISG15, OAS3, MX1, IFIT2, DDX58, SIGLEC1, CXCL10, IL1RN, SERPING and TNFSF10) were significantly downregulated in the MRD-positive group compared with that in the MRD-negative group, the first 5 of which are related to the interferon response pathway. Conclusions:The increased neutrophil and mast cell numbers may be related to long-term survival in MM. Interferon signaling activation may be a key bone marrow immune profiling feature for MRD-negative, long-surviving patients with MM.

To analyze the correlation of ADH4 exon rs1126671 and ADH7 exon rs971074 polymorphisms with risky drinking behaviors and alcoholic liver disease. The patients with alcoholic liver disease diagnosed in the Gastroenterology Department of the People′s Hospital of Hechi from November 2021 to June 2022, including 52 cases of alcoholic liver disease with positive risky drinking behaviors, 103 cases of non-alcoholic liver disease with positive risky drinking behaviors of the same gender and age, and 105 healthy subjects with no risky drinking behaviors as control groups were retrospectively analyzed. The serum total protein and albumin are detected by immunoturbidimetry and globulin is calculated by the difference method; the serum total bilirubin and direct bilirubin are detected by the nitrite oxidation method and indirect bilirubin is calculated by the difference method; alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and γ-glutamyl transferase are detected by the substrate method. The results revealed that all 52 patients with alcoholic liver disease were male. The non-parametric independent sample Kruskal-Wallis test was adopted to analyze the baseline of twelve liver functions among the alcoholic liver disease group, the risky drinking behavior group and the healthy control group, and it was found there was statistical significance in ten major liver function indicators in the difference comparison among the three groups like serum total protein (g/L) 65.0 (60.1, 71.4), 73.4 (70.3, 76.3), 72.4 (69.2, 76.2) ( H=37.130, P<0.001); albumin (g/L) 36.1 (28.6, 42.9), 47.2 (45.0, 49.2), 47.5 (45.9, 49.5) ( H=14.503, P=0.001); direct bilirubin (μmol/L) 10.1 (35.6, 34.0.1), 3.8 (3.1, 5.45), 4.2 (2.9, 6.0) ( H=26.608, P<0.001); alkaline phosphatase (U/L) 106.0 (71.0, 164.0), 68.0 (57.5, 82.0), 70.0 (59.0, 87.0) ( H=27.904, P<0.001); albumin to globulin 1.34 (0.91, 1.88), 1.82 (1.65, 2.00), 1.89 (1.68, 2.07) ( H=11.047, P=0.004); direct bilirubin to indirect bilirubin 0.91 (0.69, 1.91), 0.41 (0.35, 0.54), 0.42 (0.34, 0.54) ( H=19.478, P<0.001); serum total bilirubin (μmol/L) 23.9 (13.7, 51.0), 13.8 (10.2, 17.9), 13.0 (10.1, 17.4) ( H=18.375, P<0.001); aspartate aminotransferase (U/L) 74.0 (39.0, 122.0), 22.0 (19.0, 28.0), 23.0 (19.0, 30.0) ( H=76.365, P<0.001); alanine aminotransferase (U/L) 37.0 (25.0, 55.0), 23.0 (17.0, 30.0), 24.0 (17.0, 33.8) ( H=57.041, P<0.001); γ-glutamyl transferase (U/L) 135.0 (45.0, 364.0), 33.0 (23.5, 49.5), 32.0 (19.0, 49.0) ( H=82.558, P<0.001); however, there were no statistical significance in the pairwise comparisons between risky drinking and healthy groups. The two loci of ADH4 and ADH7 were in genetic linkage equilibrium. In the three groups of samples, the ADH4 gene rs1126671 locus was comprised primarily of the CC homozygous genotype, and there was no TT genotype. The ADH7 gene rs971074 genotype had statistical difference in the comparison of the three groups ( χ2=9.370, P<0.05). Compared with the CC genotype, the CT genotype had no statistical difference in the pairwise comparison between the risky drinking behavior group and alcoholic liver disease group, and the healthy group and alcoholic liver disease group. There was a statistical difference in that between the healthy group and the risky drinking behavior group ( χ2=6.372, P=0.012). The analysis display of mode of inheritance between RD group and HA group was statistically significant in the difference of the superdominance inheritance mode ( OR=2.92, 95% CI:1.22-6.98; P=0.012), the dominant inheritance mode ( OR=2.90, 95% CI:1.26-6.64; P=0.008), the co-dominant inheritance mode ( OR=2.96, 95% CI:1.24-7.08; P=0.032) and the additive mode ( OR=2.46, 95% CI:1.16-5.22; P=0.013). In general, the CT genotype of ADH7 gene rs971074 is a risk factor for positive risky drinking behavior, and the ADH family may still increase the susceptibility of people with a potential alcoholic liver disease protection background through the correlation between ADH7 and risky drinking behavior.