The endoscopic thyroidectomy by gasless unilateral axillary approach (GUA) represents a significant advancement in the field of endoscopic thyroid surgery, offering notable aesthetic and clinical therapeutic benefits. This paper reviewed the current clinical application, core technological innovations, quality control systems, and future developmental directions of GUA. Research indicated that GUA achieved surgical outcomes comparable to traditional open surgery in the treatment of benign thyroid tumors and thyroid cancer, while substantially enhancing cosmetic results and patient satisfaction. By optimizing the surgical approach design, enhancing cavity construction equipment, and standardizing the operational process, GUA markedly reduced the incidence of postoperative complications, preserved the anterior cervical functional area, and improved patients' postoperative quality of life. Furthermore, multidisciplinary collaboration and thorough pre-operative evaluation were fundamental to surgical success, while intraoperative quality control measures and a comprehensive postoperative follow-up system ensured the safety and efficacy of the procedure. In the future, the integration of robotic technology and advancements in single-site devices are anticipated to enhance the role of GUA in endoscopic thyroid surgery, thereby offering patients more minimally invasive and aesthetically favorable treatment options.

Objective:To analyze the changes of serum metabolites in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) by non-targeted metabolomics method.Methods:Serum samples and clinical data of 15 AP patients hospitalized in the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University from August to September 2024 were collected and included in the AP group, including 9 males and 6 females, aged (55.4±15.3) years. The serum and clinical data of 25 patients with colon polyps in the same hospital during the same period of time were collected, including 15 males and 10 females, aged (61.2±11.5) years, and were included in the control group. Serum metabolomic detection was performed using the ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem Fourier transform mass spectrometer. The modeling method was orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis, and principal component analysis was performed on the data matrix to screen the differential metabolites in serum of AP patients. The Kyoto Encyclopedia database of Genes and Genomes was used to annotate differential metabolites, and the pathway of differential metabolite enrichment was analyzed by software.Results:The principal component analysis showed that the contribution ratio of the first principal component was 15.1%, the proportion of the second principal component was 10.8%, and the total proportion of the two was 25.9%. In principal component analysis, two groups of samples can be clearly distinguished and show obvious clustering characteristics. According to the analysis of OPLS-DA model, there were significant differences in serum metabolic profiles between AP group and control group. There were 683 differentially expressed metabolites between the two groups, with 367 differentially expressed metabolites up-regulated compared with the control group and 316 differentially expressed metabolites down-regulated compared with the control group. It is mainly Phosphatidic Acid (Lte4/8: 0) (+ 218%), Omeprazole Sulphone (-38%), and 2-(Propylthio) Nicotinic Acid (2-propyl thionicotinic acid) (-58%), Gein (salicyricetin) (-47%) and so on. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that the differential metabolites in AP patients were mainly concentrated in citric acid cycle, arginine biosynthesis and glycerophospholipid metabolism pathways.Conclusion:Serum metabolites in AP patients change significantly, including citric acid cycle, arginine biosynthesis, glycerophospholipid metabolism.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the role of nucleolar pre-rRNA processing protein NIP7 (NIP7) in maintaining the malignant phenotype of anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) and its molecular mechanisms. METHODS: NIP7 expression in ATC tissues and its gene knock-out effects in ATC cells were analyzed using gene expression microarray (GSE33630), proteome database (IPX0008941000) and the Dependency Map database, respectively. Expression and localization of NIP7 in normal thyroid cells, papillary thyroid cancer cells, and ATC cells were detected by Western blotting. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) was transfected into ATC cells, and the knockdown efficiency of NIP7 was detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting. Cell proliferation was assessed by CCK-8 assay, colony formation was evaluated by colony formation assay, and tumor growth was assessed by xenograft tumor model in nude mice. SUnSET (surface sensing of translation) assay combined with co-immunoprecipitation were employed to evaluate the effect of NIP7 silencing on ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 C (UBE2C) translation. Finally, gene set enrichment analysis was used to identify shared pathways of NIP7 and UBE2C, which were validated by qRT-PCR. RESULTS: Compared with normal tissues and papillary thyroid cancer, NIP7 was significantly upregulated in ATC tissues, and had a gene knock-out fitness effect on different ATC cell lines. The relative protein levels of NIP7 in ATC cells were significantly higher than those in normal thyroid follicular cells, and the protein was mainly expressed in the nucleus. NIP7 silencing significantly inhibited cell proliferation and reduced colony formation. Xenograft tumor model showed that NIP7 knockdown significantly slowed down the growth of ATC xenograft, and the tumor volume and weight were significantly lower than those in the control group (all P<0.05). NIP7 silencing downregulated the protein level of UBE2C, but did not affect the expression of UBE2C mRNA. Compared to the control group, UBE2C silencing significantly inhibited ATC cells proliferation (P<0.01) and colony formation (P<0.05). UBE2C overexpression reversed the proliferation-inhibitory effect induced by NIP7 silencing (P<0.01). Gene set enrichment analysis indicated that NIP7 and UBE2C were both involved in DNA replication. NIP7 or UBE2C silencing could significantly downregulate the expression levels of DNA polymerase epsilon, catalytic subunit 2 and replication factor C4 in DNA replication pathway. CONCLUSIONS NIP7 promotes ATC tumor growth by upregulating UBE2C to mediate DNA replication.
Humans ; Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzymes/genetics* ; Thyroid Neoplasms/genetics* ; Thyroid Carcinoma, Anaplastic/genetics* ; Animals ; Mice, Nude ; Mice ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Up-Regulation ; RNA, Small Interfering/genetics* ; Nuclear Proteins/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic

Objective To investigate whether there is a synergistic pathogenic effect between triglyceride glucose index(TyG)and C-reactive protein(CRP)on new-onset nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)by observing the influence of combinations of TyG and CRP at different levels,and to provide a basis for identifying the high-risk population of NAFLD.Methods A total of 31 935 employees in Kailuan Group who participated in physical examination in 2006-2007 were enrolled as the observation cohort,and they had no history of drinking,fatty liver disease,cardiovascular disease,or malignant tumor and did not take antidiabetic or lipid-lowering drugs.According to the median of TyG and CRP at baseline,the subjects were divided into TyG<8.42 and CRP<0.60 mg/L group,TyG<8.42 and CRP≥0.60 mg/L group,TyG≥8.42 and CRP<0.60 mg/L group,and TyG≥8.42 and CRP≥0.60 mg/L group.A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups,and an analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data with skewed distribution between groups after logarithmic transformation;the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups.The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the cumulative incidence rate of NAFLD in different combinations of CRP and TyG levels,and the multivariate Cox regression model was used to investigate the influence of different combinations of TyG and CRP on the incidence rate of NAFLD.Results After a mean follow-up time of 7.59 years,a total of 16 592 employees developed NAFLD.The cumulative incidence rate of NAFLD in the TyG<8.42 and CRP<0.60 mg/L group,TyG<8.42 and CRP≥0.60 mg/L group,TyG≥8.42 and CRP<0.60 mg/L group,and TyG≥8.42 and CRP≥0.60 mg/L group were 59.5%,67.1%,73.8%,and 80.8%,respectively(P<0.001).After adjustment for confounding factors,compared with the TyG<8.42 and CRP<0.60 mg/L group,the TyG≥8.42 and CRP≥0.60 mg/L group had the highest risk of developing NAFLD(hazard ratio[HR]=1.54,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.47-1.61),followed by the TyG≥8.42 and CRP<0.60 mg/L group(HR=1.43,95%CI:1.36-1.49)and the TyG<8.42 and CRP≥0.60 mg/L group(HR=1.17,95%CI:1.12-1.22).Conclusion With elevated TyG and CRP levels,the cumulative incidence of NAFLD increased,and rising levels of these markers significantly augmented the risk of NAFLD development.

Objective To observe the value of artificial intelligence iterative reconstruction(AIIR)for low-dose chest CT images of infants with congenital heart disease.Methods Totally 262 infants with congenital heart disease who would undergo chest CT scanning were prospectively enrolled and randomly divided into low-dose group(n=142)and conventional dose group(n=120).Chest CT scanning with tube voltage of 80 kVp and tube current of 10 mAs was performed in low-dose group,and hybrid iterative reconstruction(HIR,group A)and AIIR(group B)were used to reconstruct images,respectively.In conventional dose group,chest CT scanning with tube voltage of 80 kVp and tube current of 100 mAs was performed,and HIR was used to reconstruct images(group C).Then subjective and objective evaluation on image quality were performed,the results were compared among 3 groups,and the value of AIIR was analyzed.Results Significant differences of image quality and clarity of displaying structures were found among 3 groups(all P＜0.001).Among them,except for the clarity of interlobar fissure,no significant difference of subjective scores was found between low-dose AIIR images and conventional dose HIR images(all corrected P＞0.05),while subjective scores of low-dose HIR images were all lower than those of low-dose AIIR images and conventional dose HIR images(all corrected P＜0.05).Significant differences of standard deviation(SD),signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)and contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)were found among 3 groups(all P＜0.001)and between each 2 groups(all corrected P＜0.05).The effective dose of low-dose group and conventional dose group was 0.09(0.08,0.10)and 0.85(0.75,1.03)mSv,respectively,and the former was lower than the latter(Z=-13.942,P＜0.001).Conclusion Using AIIR could obtain low-dose chest CT images of infants with quality comparable to conventional chest CT images.

Objective To investigate whether there is a synergistic pathogenic effect between triglyceride glucose index(TyG)and C-reactive protein(CRP)on new-onset nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)by observing the influence of combinations of TyG and CRP at different levels,and to provide a basis for identifying the high-risk population of NAFLD.Methods A total of 31 935 employees in Kailuan Group who participated in physical examination in 2006-2007 were enrolled as the observation cohort,and they had no history of drinking,fatty liver disease,cardiovascular disease,or malignant tumor and did not take antidiabetic or lipid-lowering drugs.According to the median of TyG and CRP at baseline,the subjects were divided into TyG<8.42 and CRP<0.60 mg/L group,TyG<8.42 and CRP≥0.60 mg/L group,TyG≥8.42 and CRP<0.60 mg/L group,and TyG≥8.42 and CRP≥0.60 mg/L group.A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups,and an analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data with skewed distribution between groups after logarithmic transformation;the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups.The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the cumulative incidence rate of NAFLD in different combinations of CRP and TyG levels,and the multivariate Cox regression model was used to investigate the influence of different combinations of TyG and CRP on the incidence rate of NAFLD.Results After a mean follow-up time of 7.59 years,a total of 16 592 employees developed NAFLD.The cumulative incidence rate of NAFLD in the TyG<8.42 and CRP<0.60 mg/L group,TyG<8.42 and CRP≥0.60 mg/L group,TyG≥8.42 and CRP<0.60 mg/L group,and TyG≥8.42 and CRP≥0.60 mg/L group were 59.5%,67.1%,73.8%,and 80.8%,respectively(P<0.001).After adjustment for confounding factors,compared with the TyG<8.42 and CRP<0.60 mg/L group,the TyG≥8.42 and CRP≥0.60 mg/L group had the highest risk of developing NAFLD(hazard ratio[HR]=1.54,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.47-1.61),followed by the TyG≥8.42 and CRP<0.60 mg/L group(HR=1.43,95%CI:1.36-1.49)and the TyG<8.42 and CRP≥0.60 mg/L group(HR=1.17,95%CI:1.12-1.22).Conclusion With elevated TyG and CRP levels,the cumulative incidence of NAFLD increased,and rising levels of these markers significantly augmented the risk of NAFLD development.

Objective To observe the value of artificial intelligence iterative reconstruction(AIIR)for low-dose chest CT images of infants with congenital heart disease.Methods Totally 262 infants with congenital heart disease who would undergo chest CT scanning were prospectively enrolled and randomly divided into low-dose group(n=142)and conventional dose group(n=120).Chest CT scanning with tube voltage of 80 kVp and tube current of 10 mAs was performed in low-dose group,and hybrid iterative reconstruction(HIR,group A)and AIIR(group B)were used to reconstruct images,respectively.In conventional dose group,chest CT scanning with tube voltage of 80 kVp and tube current of 100 mAs was performed,and HIR was used to reconstruct images(group C).Then subjective and objective evaluation on image quality were performed,the results were compared among 3 groups,and the value of AIIR was analyzed.Results Significant differences of image quality and clarity of displaying structures were found among 3 groups(all P＜0.001).Among them,except for the clarity of interlobar fissure,no significant difference of subjective scores was found between low-dose AIIR images and conventional dose HIR images(all corrected P＞0.05),while subjective scores of low-dose HIR images were all lower than those of low-dose AIIR images and conventional dose HIR images(all corrected P＜0.05).Significant differences of standard deviation(SD),signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)and contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)were found among 3 groups(all P＜0.001)and between each 2 groups(all corrected P＜0.05).The effective dose of low-dose group and conventional dose group was 0.09(0.08,0.10)and 0.85(0.75,1.03)mSv,respectively,and the former was lower than the latter(Z=-13.942,P＜0.001).Conclusion Using AIIR could obtain low-dose chest CT images of infants with quality comparable to conventional chest CT images.

Objective:To analyze the changes of serum metabolites in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) by non-targeted metabolomics method.Methods:Serum samples and clinical data of 15 AP patients hospitalized in the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University from August to September 2024 were collected and included in the AP group, including 9 males and 6 females, aged (55.4±15.3) years. The serum and clinical data of 25 patients with colon polyps in the same hospital during the same period of time were collected, including 15 males and 10 females, aged (61.2±11.5) years, and were included in the control group. Serum metabolomic detection was performed using the ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem Fourier transform mass spectrometer. The modeling method was orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis, and principal component analysis was performed on the data matrix to screen the differential metabolites in serum of AP patients. The Kyoto Encyclopedia database of Genes and Genomes was used to annotate differential metabolites, and the pathway of differential metabolite enrichment was analyzed by software.Results:The principal component analysis showed that the contribution ratio of the first principal component was 15.1%, the proportion of the second principal component was 10.8%, and the total proportion of the two was 25.9%. In principal component analysis, two groups of samples can be clearly distinguished and show obvious clustering characteristics. According to the analysis of OPLS-DA model, there were significant differences in serum metabolic profiles between AP group and control group. There were 683 differentially expressed metabolites between the two groups, with 367 differentially expressed metabolites up-regulated compared with the control group and 316 differentially expressed metabolites down-regulated compared with the control group. It is mainly Phosphatidic Acid (Lte4/8: 0) (+ 218%), Omeprazole Sulphone (-38%), and 2-(Propylthio) Nicotinic Acid (2-propyl thionicotinic acid) (-58%), Gein (salicyricetin) (-47%) and so on. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that the differential metabolites in AP patients were mainly concentrated in citric acid cycle, arginine biosynthesis and glycerophospholipid metabolism pathways.Conclusion:Serum metabolites in AP patients change significantly, including citric acid cycle, arginine biosynthesis, glycerophospholipid metabolism.

Objective:To investigate the clinical value of prospective ECG-gated high-pitch protocol scanning of third generation DSCT in the diagnosis of pediatric congenital heart disease (CHD).Methods:A total of 243 children with confirmed CHD who were expected to undergo surgical treatment were prospectively collected and randomly divided evenly into 3 groups, with first group for prospective ECG-gated high-pitch scanning in third generation DSCT (Flash 3rd), second group for prospective ECG-gated high-pitch scanning in second generation DSCT (Flash 2nd) and third group for prospective sequential scanning in third generation DSCT (Sequence 3rd). The SD value and SNR of aortic root and pulmonary artery of each child were recorded. The 5-point system is adopted with subjective scoring. Based on the result of operation, the diagnosis accuracy in 3 groups was analyzed. Results:The E values in Flash 3rd, Flash 2nd and Sequence 3rd group were 0.24 (0.19, 0.27), 0.11 (0.10, 0.14) and 0.44 (0.39, 0.48) mSv ( H=207.04, P<0.05), respectively. Subjective scores of group Flash 3rd and Sequence 3rd were significantly higher than that of group Flash 2nd [4 (4, 4) vs. 4(3, 4) vs. 3(3, 3), H=124.05, P<0.05] and no difference between these two groups. SD value of aortic root and pulmonary artery of group Flash 3rd and Sequence 3rd were significantly lower than that of group Flash 2nd( H= -40.27-33.38, P<0.05). SNR of aortic root and pulmonary artery of group Flash 3rd was significantly higher than that of group Flash 2nd and Sequence 3rd ( H=-0.90-51.42, P<0.05). Diagnosis accuracy of intracardiac malformation for group Flash 2nd was significantly lower than that of Flash 3rd and Sequence 3rd (77.7%, 90.9%, 88.9%, K=9.36, P<0.05), and there was no significant difference between the latter two groups. There was no difference in diagnosis accuracy of extracardiac malformation among 3 groups (88.6%, 94.8%, 92.2%, K=3.11, P=0.21). Conclusions:The prospective ECG-gated high-pitch scanning in third generation DSCT can take into account radiation dose and image quality, which has important clinical value in the diagnosis of CHD.

Objective To enhance the standardization of surgical operations,shorten the learning curve,and reduce surgical complications by summarizing common errors and proposing solutions for beginners during pre-study of cavity construction in non-inflatable axillary approach laparoscopic thyroid surgery.Methods A retrospective analysis was made on 210 patients who underwent noninflatable axillary approach luminal thyroid surgery at the Department of Head and Neck Surgery,Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital,between January 2022 and June 2023.Among them,150 patients were luminalized by the practitioners in the practice group,while 60 patients were luminalized by the practitioners in the skilled group.The occurrence of nine common errors during cavity construction,such as supraclavicular nerve injury and scapulohumeral muscle injury,was assessed and compared between the two groups.Results There was no statistically significant difference in age,gender,tumor diameter,tumor location or pathology type between the two groups(P＞0.05).The staff in the practice group had a significant difference in supraclavicular cutaneous nerve injury(19.33％vs.3.33％),scapulohumeral muscle injury or disarticulation(16.00％vs.0),anterior cervical band of free excess(24.00％vs.3.33％),pectoralis major muscle and supraclavicular fascia injury(16.00％vs.5.00％),external jugular vein and genuine branch injury(8.00％vs.0),excessive freeing of the sternoclavicular joint(7.33％vs.0),and incorrect entry of the sternocleidomastoid muscle gap(8.67％vs.0)were significantly higher in incidence than the employees in the skilled group(P＜0.05).There was no statistically significant difference between employees in the practice group and those in the skilled group in terms of injury to the internal jugular vein and its geniculate branches(4.00％vs.0),and incorrect entry of the anterior cervical strap muscles into the hierarchy(2.00％vs.0)(P＞0.05).Conclusion The incidence of damage to the surrounding tissue was significantly higher in the novice group than in the expert group during endoscopic thyroid surgery for space construction.A solid anatomical foundation and proficient endoscopic surgical technique serve as fundamental prerequisites for achieving a successful space system construction.By summarizing common challenges and providing corresponding solutions encountered during endoscopic thyroid surgery,this study further enhances and refines the learning system for total endoscopic thyroid procedures.