BACKGROUND: Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) are major adverse events in neurosurgical patients. This study aimed to develop and validate machine learning models predicting PPCs after neurosurgery. METHODS: PPCs were defined according to the European Perioperative Clinical Outcome standards as occurring within 7 postoperative days. Data of cases meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria were extracted from the anesthesia information management system to create three datasets: The development (data of Huashan Hospital, Fudan University from 2018 to 2020), temporal validation (data of Huashan Hospital, Fudan University in 2021) and external validation (data of other three hospitals in 2023) datasets. Machine learning models of six algorithms were trained using either 35 retrievable and plausible features or the 11 features selected by Lasso regression. Temporal validation was conducted for all models and the 11-feature models were also externally validated. Independent risk factors were identified and feature importance in top models was analyzed. RESULTS: PPCs occurred in 712 of 7533 (9.5%), 258 of 2824 (9.1%), and 207 of 2300 (9.0%) patients in the development, temporal validation and external validation datasets, respectively. During cross-validation training, all models except Bayes demonstrated good discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.840. In temporal validation of full-feature models, deep neural network (DNN) performed the best with an AUC of 0.835 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.805-0.858) and a Brier score of 0.069, followed by Logistic regression (LR), random forest and XGBoost. The 11-feature models performed comparable to full-feature models with very close but statistically significantly lower AUCs, with the top models of DNN and LR in temporal and external validations. An 11-feature nomogram was drawn based on the LR algorithm and it outperformed the minimally modified Assess respiratory RIsk in Surgical patients in CATalonia (ARISCAT) and Laparoscopic Surgery Video Educational Guidelines (LAS VEGAS) scores with a higher AUC (LR: 0.824, ARISCAT: 0.672, LAS: 0.663). Independent risk factors based on multivariate LR mostly overlapped with Lasso-selected features, but lacked consistency with the important features using the Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) method of the LR model. CONCLUSIONS: The developed models, especially the DNN model and the nomogram, had good discrimination and calibration, and could be used for predicting PPCs in neurosurgical patients. The establishment of machine learning models and the ascertainment of risk factors might assist clinical decision support for improving surgical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ChiCTR 2100047474; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=128279 .
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Algorithms ; Lung Diseases/etiology* ; Machine Learning ; Neurosurgical Procedures/adverse effects* ; Postoperative Complications/diagnosis* ; Risk Factors ; ROC Curve

Objective To explore the impacts of compensatory function of the anterior communicating artery(ACoA)on the measurement of blood flow velocity and the degree of stenosis of the non-operative carotid artery in patients with bilateral carotid atherosclerotic stenosis.Methods A total of 161 patients with carotid artery stenosis and the ACoA patency,who underwent unilateral carotid endarterectomy(CEA)from January 2019 to January 2021,were enrolled into this study.Examination was performed using transcranial color-coded Doppler(TCCD)and(or)transcranial Doppler ultrasound(TCD)and confirmed by DSA and(or)CT angiography(CTA).According to whether the ACoA compensation was complete,all patients were divided into complete ACoA group(69 cases)and incomplete ACoA group(92 cases).The peak systolic velocity(PSV)and end-diastolic velocity(EDV)measured by the carotid ultrasound were compared between the complete ACoA group and the incomplete ACoA group before and after CEA.In addition,the results of stenosis degree of non-operative carotid artery evaluated by the ultrasound and DSA or CTA were analysed for the consistency.Results There was no significant difference in age,gender and risk factors for cerebrovascular disease between the two groups(all P＞0.05).Within 1 week after CEA,the PSV([107±35]cm/s,[122±40]cm/s)and EDV([37±12]cm/s,[47±16]cm/s)of the nonoperative carotid artery decreased significantly when compared with those before CEA in both complete and incomplete ACoA patent groups(PSV[177±58]cm/s,[163±54]cm/s and EDV[64±21]cm/s,[76±25]cm/s,all P＜0.01).In the complete ACoA group,the stenosis degrees of non-operative carotid arteries assessed by the CDU were inconsistent with that assessed by the DSA or CTA(Kappa=0.074).Of the 58 patients with mild stenosis assessed by DSA or CTA,55(94.8％)were overestimated as moderate stenosis,and 2(3.4％)were overestimated as severe stenosis.Of the 9 patients with moderate stenosis assessed by DSA or CTA,8 had ultrasound overestimation to severe stenosis.In the incomplete ACoA group,it was highly consistent with that assessed by the DSA or CTA(Kappa=0.920).Of 70 patients with mild stenosis assessed by DSA or CTA,2 cases(2.9％)were overestimated as moderate stenosis by ultrasound.Of the 9 patients with moderate stenosis assessed by DSA or CTA,1 was overestimated by ultrasound to be severe stenosis.Conclusion Non-operative carotid artery PSV and EDV were significantly higher in patients with bilateral carotid artery stenosis with patency and complete compensatory function of ACoA,leading to overestimation the degree of carotid artery stenosis.

This study aimed to investigate the incidence and risk factors for female sexual dysfunction (FSD) in urban and rural China. A prospective cohort study was conducted from February 2014 to January 2016, with follow-up from June to December 2018. Women aged ≽20 years were recruited from urban and rural areas in six provinces of China using a multistage, stratified, cluster sampling method. Sexual function was assessed using the Female Sexual Function Index questionnaire. A total of 16 827 women without sexual dysfunction at baseline participated in this study, 9489 of them (urban, 5321; rural, 4168) who had complete information from baseline to follow-up were included in the final analysis. The rate of follow-up was 68.81%, and the median follow-up time was 4.13 years. The 4-year incidence of FSD was 43.07%, with an incidence density of 12.02 per 100 person-years. In particular, the 4-year incidence and incidence density of FSD were 41.03% and 11.88 per 100 person-years in the urban group and 45.68% and 12.17 per 100 person-years in the rural group. Among women with sexual dysfunction, difficulties in sexual desire, satisfaction, and arousal were the main symptoms. In urban women, the risk factors for FSD included age ≽45 years (adjusted relative risk 1.69, 95% confidence interval 1.57-1.81), hypertension (1.31, 1.14-1.49), previous delivery (1.26, 1.13-1.41), post-menopausal status (1.20, 1.10-1.32), pelvic inflammatory disease (1.13, 1.05-1.21), and multiparity (1.11, 1.03-1.19). In the rural group, the risk factors significantly associated with FSD were age ≽45 years (1.50, 1.40-1.61), previous delivery (1.39, 1.17-1.65), hypertension (1.18, 1.06-1.30), multiparity (1.16, 1.07-1.27), and post-menopausal status (1.15, 1.07-1.23). FSD is a hidden epidemic condition in China, and the development of prevention strategies should consider the distinct risk factors present in rural and urban areas.
Humans ; Female ; China/epidemiology* ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Adult ; Incidence ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Middle Aged ; Urban Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological/epidemiology* ; Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological/epidemiology* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult

In order to further strengthen the training and management of clinical teachers, broaden the career development channels of clinical teachers, and truly stimulate their teaching enthusiasm and initiative, this study further classifies clinical teachers according to the principle of the Snell model, focuses on the training of educational clinicians, and explores the training mechanism of teaching talents in line with the actual development needs of hospitals affiliated to universities from the aspects of selection, training, incentive, and assessment. The results of practice show that related practices have a good effect, and the mean number of teaching achievements was 1.98 for the 56 educational physicians, which was 3.9 times that for non-educational physicians. The per capita teaching achievements of educational physicians tended to increase every year compared with those of non-educational physicians. The training path for educational physicians provides useful experience for the construction of clinical teaching team and the high-quality development of education and teaching, and at the same time, it is necessary to further strengthen the dynamic adjustment of talent echelon, the improvement of operating mechanism, and the introduction of new technology.

Humans ; COVID-19 Vaccines/therapeutic use* ; COVID-19/prevention & control* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; China ; Antibodies, Viral

Ferroptosis is a new form of regulated cell death discovered in recent years, which is iron-dependent cell death characterized by peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acid phospholipids. Recent studies have shown that radiotherapy can induce ferroptosis in cancer cells via ionizing radiation. Targeting ferroptosis plays a synergistic role in tumor suppression with radiation, which not only further deepens the connotation of radiobiology, but also provides a new perspective for tumor radiosensitization. This review systematically summarizes the occurrence and defense of ferroptosis, focusing on the key role of ferroptosis in the radiobiological effects of tumor cells and the potential application of ferroptosis in radiosensitization.

Objective:To investigate the value of 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging signs and metabolic parameters in predicting tumor spread through air spaces (STAS) of stage Ⅰ lung adenocarcinoma. Methods:From January 2019 to December 2021, clinical, imaging and metabolic parameters of 381 patients (126 males, 255 females, age (61.2±9.2) years) with stage Ⅰ lung adenocarcinoma were retrospectively analyzed in the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University. According to the postoperative pathological results, patients were divided into STAS positive group and STAS negative group. According to the operation time, patients were divided into training set ( n=254) and verification set ( n=127). χ2 test or Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the differences of different parameters between patients with STAS positive and negative, and binary logistic regression analysis was used to select the predictors of STAS status. The prediction model was established, and ROC curve was used to evaluate the predictive efficacy. Results:There were 49(19.3%, 49/254) patients with STAS positive and 205(80.7%, 205/254) patients with STAS negative in the training set, while those were 35(27.6%, 35/127) and 92(72.4%, 92/127) in the verification set. In the training set, the differences of age ( z=-2.30, P=0.021), type of lesions ( χ2=6.81, P=0.009), spiculation ( χ2=12.64, P<0.001), bronchus truncation ( χ2=6.98, P=0.008), ground glass ribbon sign ( χ2=26.93, P<0.001) and SUV max ( z=-4.62, P<0.001) between the two groups were statistically significant. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (odds ratio ( OR)=1.048, 95% CI: 1.004-1.094, P=0.032), ground glass ribbon sign ( OR=3.857, 95% CI: 1.693-8.788, P=0.001) and SUV max ( OR=1.133, 95% CI: 1.001-1.282, P=0.049) were independent predictors of STAS status in stage Ⅰ lung adenocarcinoma patients. The logistic regression model was P=1/(1+ e - x), x=-5.292+ 0.480×age (year)+ 1.493×ground glass ribbon sign+ 0.170×SUV max. The AUCs of the model in the training set and verification set were 0.770 and 0.801, with the sensitivity of 81.6%(40/49) and 82.9%(29/35), and the specificity of 69.8%(143/205) and 65.2%(60/92), respectively. Conclusion:Age, ground glass ribbon sign and SUV max have good predictive effects on the occurrence of STAS in stage Ⅰ lung adenocarcinoma.

The p21 activated kinase 4 (PAK4) is serine/threonine protein kinase that is critical for cancer progression. Guided by X-ray crystallography and structure-based optimization, we report a novel subseries of C-3-substituted 6-ethynyl-1H-indole derivatives that display high potential and specificity towards group II PAKs. Among these inhibitors, compound 55 exhibited excellent inhibitory activity and kinase selectivity, displayed superior anti-migratory and anti-invasive properties against the lung cancer cell line A549 and the melanoma cell line B16. Compound 55 exhibited potent in vivo antitumor metastatic efficacy, with over 80% and 90% inhibition of lung metastasis in A549 or B16-BL6 lung metastasis models, respectively. Further mechanistic studies demonstrated that compound 55 mitigated TGF-β1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).

Objective:To investigate the relationship between HIV-infected men who have sex with men and their sexual partners in Zhejiang province.Methods:A cross-sectional survey was conducted to recruit newly confirmed HIV/AIDS among MSM from 2015 to 2017, including sexual partner identification and molecular epidemiological study. Plasma was collected to extract RNA, and the pol gene of HIV-1 was amplified by RT-PCR/nested PCR. Phylogenetic tree and molecular transmission cluster were analyzed to identify the transmission relationship between sexual partners. Results:A total of 937 HIV/AIDS among MSM were recruited to promote HIV testing for their sexual partners, and 173 positive sexual partners were identified. 50.8% (61/120) of the gene sequences were clustered among the positive sex partners. Seven pairs of clustered sex partners combined with the results of recent infection preliminarily determined the transmission direction. In the clusters, there were statistical differences between the partners who were diagnosed in the same year ( OR=12.190, 95% CI: 1.563-95.054) or with current residence in the different districts ( OR=17.054, 95% CI: 1.742-166.982). Conclusions:Combined with a molecular transmission network, HIV test for the sexual partners of HIV/AIDS among MSM can improve the accurate tracking of cases and preliminarily determine the direction of transmission, according to the results of recent infection. It is suggested that after HIV is confirmed for HIV/AIDS among MSM, HIV tests should be carried out as soon as possible for their sexual partners, including a cross-regional sexual partner tracking test, which is helpful to improve the tracing procedure.

Objective:To compare the performance of four commercial kits for anti-HIV confirmatory assay and to provide a reference for clinical application.Methods:Two western blot (WB) kits and two recombinant immunoblot assay/line immune assay kits were used to detect 185 samples in parallel, McNermar test was used to analyze the consistency between the testing results and HIV infection status. Compared to the testing result of the most used MP company’s WB kit, the odds ratio ( OR) was calculated. Results:The consistency of the testing results with the status of HIV infection by the four kits was 83.24%-92.43%, and the Kappa value was 0.558-0.831.The OR value of IMT company’s WB kit obtained from 57 HIV-uninfected samples was 0.932(95% CI: 0.446-1.946, P=0.851), and the OR values of WT company’s recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA) and MK company’s line immune assay (LIA) were 2.348(95% CI: 1.069-5.158, P=0.034) and 23.064 (95% CI: 5.125-103.789, P<0.001), respectively. The OR value of LIA obtained from 128 HIV-infected samples was 0.153 (95% CI: 0.034-0.700, P=0.016). LIA showed fewest reactions by testing 95 HIV positive screening samples, which was significantly different from any other kit ( P< 0.05). There was no significant difference among the other three kits. In the case of non-specific reactions, the numbers of bands were all ≤4, and the proportion of light-colored bands accounted for 52.1% (37/71). The main bands were gp160(81.3%), p24(71.9%), and p17(28.1%). Conclusions:There was no significant difference between the two WB kits. The RIBA/LIA detection kits could reduce the generation of indeterminate result, but the LIA kit has the risk of false negative for weakly reactive samples.