Background::Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has emerged as the leading cause of death from prostate cancer (PCa) in recent decades, bringing a great disease burden worldwide. Men with preexisting CVD have an increased risk for major adverse cardiovascular events when treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). The present study aimed to explore the prevalence and risk evaluation of CVD among people with newly diagnosed PCa in China.Methods::Clinical data of newly diagnosed PCa patients were retrospectively collected from 34 centers in China from 2010 to 2022 through convenience sampling. CVD was defined as myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, heart failure, stroke, ischemic heart disease, and others. CVD risk was estimated by calculating Framingham risk scores (FRS). Patients were accordingly divided into low-, medium-, and high-risk groups. χ2 or Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical variables. Results::A total of 4253 patients were enrolled in the present study. A total of 27.0% (1147/4253) of patients had comorbid PCa and CVD, and 7.2% (307/4253) had two or more CVDs. The enrolled population was distributed in six regions of China, and approximately 71.0% (3019/4253) of patients lived in urban areas. With imaging and pathological evaluation, most PCa patients were diagnosed at an advanced stage, with 20.5% (871/4253) locally progressing and 20.5% (871/4253) showing metastasis. Most of them initiated prostatectomy (46.6%, 1983/4253) or regimens involving ADT therapy (45.7%, 1944/4253) for prostate cancer. In the present PCa cohort, 43.1% (1832/4253) of patients had hypertension, and half of them had poorly controlled blood pressure. With FRS stratification, as expected, a higher risk of CVD was related to aging and metabolic disturbance. However, we also found that patients with treatment involving ADT presented an originally higher risk of CVD than those without ADT. This was in accordance with clinical practice, i.e., aged patients or patients at advanced oncological stages were inclined to accept systematic integrative therapy instead of surgery. Among patients who underwent medical castration, only 4.0% (45/1118) received gonadotropin releasing hormone antagonists, in stark contrast to the grim situation of CVD prevalence and risk.Conclusions::PCa patients in China are diagnosed at an advanced stage. A heavy CVD burden was present at the initiation of treatment. Patients who accepted ADT-related therapy showed an original higher risk of CVD, but the awareness of cardiovascular protection was far from sufficient.

Objective:To investigate the biological effects of acute high-dose radon exposure on mice.Methods:BALB/c male mice aged 6 to 8 weeks were exposed once in an HD-3 ecological radon chamber with an average radon concentration of 7 × 10 5 Bq/m 3 for 10 h. Mice were weighed, their lung tissues and blood samples were collected at 1, 2 and 3 months after exposure. Control groups were set up at the three time points with four mice in each group. For these mice, the lung tissue pathology was observed using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining method, routine blood tests were conducted using a hematology analyzer and the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the serum and lung tissues were measured using corresponding assay kits. Results:The HE staining result revealed that compared to the control groups, the experimental groups exhibited thickening of alveolar walls and increased infiltration of granulocyte, whose degrees, however, reduced over time and displayed no significant difference at 3 months after exposure. There was no significant difference in body weight or blood routine between the experimental and control groups. The detection result revealed decreased SOD levels in the lung tissues at 2 months after exposure, which were (11.34 ± 1.03) U/mgprot and (9.75 ± 0.71) U/mgprot, respectively for the control and experimental groups ( t = 2.54, P < 0.05). The MDA levels in lung tissue increased at 1 month after exposure, which were(2.30 ± 0.24) and (2.77 ± 0.29) nmol/mgprot, respectively for the control and experimental groups ( t = 2.49, P < 0.05). At 3 months after exposure, the SOD and MDA levels differed insignificantly between the control and experimental groups ( P > 0.05). Conclusions:After acute high-dose radon exposure, the mice suffered damage to the lung tissue, with changes in their oxidative stress indicators being detected. However, these effects gradually diminished at 3 months after exposure. Additionally, acute high-dose radon exposure did not give rise to significant changes in the body weight or routine blood result of the mice.

BACKGROUND: In China, lung cancer remains the cancer with the highest incidence and mortality rate. Among early-stage lung adenocarcinomas (LUAD), the micropapillary (MPP) component is prevalent and typically exhibits high aggressiveness, significantly correlating with early metastasis, lymphatic infiltration, and reduced five-year survival rates. Therefore, the study is to explore the similarities and differences between MPP and non-micropapillary (non-MPP) components in malignant pulmonary nodules characterized by GGOs in early-stage LUAD, identify unique mutational features of the MPP component and analyze the relationship between the ZNF469 gene, a member of the zinc-finger protein family, and the prognosis of early-stage LUAD, as well as its correlation with immune infiltration. METHODS: A total of 31 malignant pulmonary nodules of LUAD were collected and dissected into paired MPP and non-MPP components using microdissection. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed on the components of early-stage malignant pulmonary nodules. Mutational signatures analysis was conducted using R packages such as maftools, Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (NMF), and Sigminer to unveil the genomic mutational characteristics unique to MPP components in invasive LUAD compared to other tumor tissues. Furthermore, we explored the expression of the ZNF469 gene in LUAD using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to investigate its potential association with the prognosis. We also investigated gene interaction networks and signaling pathways related to ZNF469 in LUAD using the GeneMANIA database and conducted Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis. Lastly, we analyzed the correlation between ZNF469 gene expression and levels of immune cell infiltration in LUAD using the TIMER and TISIDB databases. RESULTS: MPP components exhibited a higher number of genomic variations, particularly the 13th COSMIC (Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer) mutational signature characterized by the activity of the cytidine deaminase APOBEC family, which was unique to MPP components compared to non-MPP components in tumor tissues. This suggests the potential involvement of APOBEC in the progression of MPP components in early-stage LUAD. Additionally, MPP samples with high similarity to APOBEC signature displayed a higher tumor mutational burden (TMB), indicating that these patients may be more likely to benefit from immunotherapy. The expression of ZNF469 was significantly upregulated in LUAD compared to normal tissue, and was associated with poor prognosis in LUAD patients (P<0.05). Gene interaction network analysis and GO/KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that COL6A1, COL1A1, COL1A2, TGFB2, MMP2, COL8A2 and C2CD4C interacted with ZNF469 and were mainly involved in encoding collagen proteins and participating in the constitution of extracellular matrix. ZNF469 expression was positively correlated with immune cell infiltration in LUAD (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The study has unveiled distinctive mutational signatures in the MPP components of early-stage invasive LUAD in the Asian population. Furthermore, we have identified that the elevated expression of mutated ZNF469 impacts the prognosis and immune infiltration in LUAD, suggesting its potential as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in LUAD.
Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/genetics* ; Adenocarcinoma of Lung/genetics* ; China ; Prognosis ; Transcription Factors

Objective:To investigate whether the image quality of total-body PET/CT (TB PET/CT) with 1 min acquisition can meet the clinical diagnostic requirements.Methods:From May 2019 to September 2021, a total of 90 malignant tumor patients (60 males, 30 females, age 31-86 years) with primary lesions confirmed by pathological diagnosis in Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University were respectively analyzed. All patients underwent conventional PET/CT (C PET/CT) scan with conventional clinical acquisition and TB PET/CT scan with 1 min acquisition after injecting 18F-FDG in random order. Paired t test or Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to analyze the image quality of these two scans. Results:SUV max of primary lesions in TB PET/CT group was significantly higher than that in C PET/CT group (15.9(7.9, 24.6) vs 12.5(5.8, 16.6); z=8.14, P<0.001), so were signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the blood pool, liver, muscles (9.3±3.0, 11.4(9.5, 14.2), 8.3(7.3, 10.1) vs 6.2±1.7, 9.4(7.7, 11.8), 6.0(4.9, 7.1)), tumor-to-blood pool ratio (TBR) (9.3(4.3, 14.8) vs 8.5(4.3, 11.1)), tumor-to-liver ratio (TLR) (6.7(3.0, 10.4) vs 6.1(2.9, 7.7)), tumor-to-muscle ratio (TMR) (23.2(11.5, 38.0) vs 18.3(9.6, 26.6); t=9.36, z values: 4.44-7.40, all P<0.001). Conclusion:The image quality of TB PET/CT scan with 1 min acquisition can meet the diagnostic requirements, and is better than the C PET/CT image quality with conventional clinical acquisition.

Objective:To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of hepatitis C screening in general population in China, and find the age group in which hepatitis C screening can achieve the best cost-effectiveness.Methods:A decision-Markov model was constructed by using software TreeAge pro 2019 to simulate the outcomes of hepatitis C disease pregression of 100 000 persons aged 20-59 years. The cost-effectiveness of the strategies were evaluated from societal perspectives by using incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) and net monetary benefit (NMB). One-way sensitivity analysis and probability sensitivity analysis were used to evaluate the uncertainty of parameters and model.Results:Hepatitis C screening was cost-effective in people aged 20- 59 years and the cost effectiveness was best in age group 40-49 years. Compared with non-screening strategy of hepatitis C in people aged 20-59 years, the incremental cost was 161.24 yuan, the incremental utility was 0.003 6 quality adjusted life years (QALYs)/per person, ICER was 45 197.26 yuan/QALY, ICER was less than the willing payment threshold. The ICER and NMB in all age groups were 42 055.06-53 249.43 yuan/QALY and 96.52-169.86 yuan/per person. Hepatitis C screening in people aged 40-49 years had the best cost-effectiveness. The results of one-way sensitivity analysis showed that the discount rate, anti-HCV detection cost, anti-HCV infection rate and the cost of direct antiviral agents were the main factors influencing economic evaluation. The results of the probability sensitivity analysis indicated that the model analysis was stable.Conclusions:Implementing hepatitis C screening based on medical institutions is cost-effective in people aged 20- 59 years, especially in those aged 40-49 years. Implementing the HCV screening strategy of be willing to test as far as possible in general population can reduce hepatitis C disease burden in China.

Objective:To monitor the liver oxygen saturation (rStO 2-liv) and the intestinal oxygen saturation (rStO 2-abd) in very low birth weight infants (VLBW) using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and explore the difference between the two indicators and their clinical significance. Methods:This prospective study included newborns with a birth weight of less than 1 500 g at the Nanjing Women and Children′s Healthcare Hospital, from October 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023.On the 7 th day after birth, Gutcheck NEC scores were evaluated, followed by continuous NIRS measurement for 8 hours.Clinical data and NIRS measurements were collected and comparatively analyzed.The differences between groups were compared by two independent samples t-test and One-Way ANOVA. The diagnostic value of NIRS was analyzed using receiver operating haracteristic curves. Results:A total of 42 VLBW infants were enrolled in this study.There was no statistically significant difference between rStO 2-liv and rStO 2-abd ( P=0.117).According to the Gutcheck NEC score, there were 7 patients in the low-risk group, 29 in the medium-risk group, and 6 in the high-risk group.No statistically significant difference was observed in rStO 2-liv among the different risk groups ( F=2.145, P=0.131).The rStO 2-abd decreased significantly with increasing risk ( F=5.127, P=0.011).The Bland-Altman plot indicated no consistency between rStO 2-liv and rStO 2-abd ( P=0.024).The receiver operator characteristic curve showed that the area under the curve (AUC) for rStO 2-abd diagnosing the high-risk Gutcheck NEC score was 0.800, with a cutoff value of 41.41%, sensitivity of 85.70%, and specificity of 48.60%. Conclusions:Simultaneous measurement of rStO 2-liv and rStO 2-abd using NIRS is safe and feasible in VLBW infants, but the two measures can not be substituted for each other.Low rStO 2-abd (<41.41%) indicates a higher risk of necrotizing enterocolitis in infants.

Atrial fibrillation(AF)is the most prevalent sustained cardiac arrhythmia among humans,with its incidence increasing significantly with age.Despite the high frequency of AF in clinical practice,its etiology and management remain elusive.To develop effective treatment strategies,it is imperative to comprehend the underlying mechanisms of AF;therefore,the establishment of animal models of AF is vital to explore its pathogenesis.While spontaneous AF is rare in most animal species,several large animal models,particularly those of pigs,dogs,and horses,have proven as invaluable in recent years in advancing our knowledge of AF pathogenesis and developing novel therapeutic options.This review aims to provide a comprehensive discussion of various animal models of AF,with an emphasis on the unique features of each model and its utility in AF research and treatment.The data summarized in this review provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of AF and can be used to evaluate the efficacy and safety of novel therapeutic interventions.

Genicular nerve block is usually used for the treatment of chronic pain of knee osteoar-thritis,which can effectively relieve knee pain and preservemotor function.With the rapid development of ultrasound technology,ultrasound-guided genicular nerve block can improve the accuracy of nerve block and reduce block-related complications.This article reviews the research progress of ultrasound-guided genicular nerve block in three aspects:anatomy,operation methods and clinical application.

Primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (PPLELC) is a distinct type of lung cancer with histological profiles similar to nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The development is associated with EBV and plasma EBV DNA has predictive value in the progression and prognosis of PPLELC. PPLELC is different from some other types of lung cancer in that it has a low mutation rate of the classical lung cancer driver genes and targeted therapy is ineffective for it. Chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy may be the best first-line treatment option for patients with advanced PPLELC.

Objective:To evaluate a wound diagnosis and treatment mode with integrated medical care in the repair of chronic infectious wounds plus bone exposure at lower extremities.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted of the 64 patients with chronic infectious wound plus bone exposure at the lower 1/3 of the leg who had been admitted to Department of Orthopedics Trauma and Microsurgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from January 2019 to December 2021. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the wound diagnosis and treatment mode. In the observation group of 31 patients subjected to the wound diagnosis and treatment mode with integrated medical care led by specialist nurses, there were 24 males and 7 females with an age of (53.6±12.4) years, the wound was located at the tibial side in 15 cases and at the fibular side in 16 cases, the wound areas averaged [28.27 (23.56, 37.70) cm 2], and the time from injury to treatment was (27.3±4.1) d. Evaluation of the patient's condition, wound diagnosis and formulation of treatment protocols were performed jointly by a doctor-nurse team after the patients were admitted, and continuous diagnosis and treatment of the wounds were carried out mainly by specialist nurses during the doctors' follow-up. In the control group of 33 patients subjected to the conventional wound diagnosis and treatment mode led by doctors, there were 25 males and 8 females with an age of (51.3±14.3) years, the wound was located at the tibial side in 17 cases and at the fibular side in 16 cases, the wound areas averaged [27.49 (17.84, 40.45) cm 2], and the time from injury to treatment was (27.6±4.0) d. The 2 groups were compared in the wound healing rate, wound recurrence rate, hospitalization time and patients' satisfaction. Results:There was no significant difference in the preoperative general data between the 2 groups, showing comparability ( P>0.05). The observation group achieved a significantly higher wound healing rate within 1 month after treatment [83.87% (26/31)] than the control group [60.61% (20/33)], a significantly lower wound recurrence rate within 6 months after treatment [0% (0/31)] than the control group [18.18% (6/33)], significantly shorter hospitalization time [18.0 (15.1, 20.9) d] than the control group [26.8 (18.4, 40.1) d], and significantly higher patients' satisfaction [50 (50, 50) points] than the control group [50 (42, 50) points] (all P<0.05). Conclusion:In the repair of chronic infectious wounds plus bone exposure at lower extremities, the wound diagnosis and treatment mode with integrated medical care led by specialist nurses may result in a higher wound healing rate, a lower wound recurrence rate, a shorter hospital stay and higher patients' satisfaction than the conventional wound diagnosis and treatment mode led by doctors.