1.Quantitative Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer MRI for Diagnosing Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy Activity: A Prospective Feasibility Study
YunMeng WANG ; WeiYi ZHOU ; YuanYuan CUI ; JianKun DAI ; YuXin CHENG ; QingQing WEN ; TianYi XING ; HongBiao SUN ; Song JIANG ; MeiLing XU ; ZhenHuan WANG ; Yan SONG ; Tuo LI ; Yi XIAO
Korean Journal of Radiology 2026;27(2):161-173
Objective:
This prospective study evaluated the feasibility of chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI for assessing disease activity in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO).
Materials and Methods:
A total of 88 patients with active TAO, 76 with inactive TAO, and 30 healthy controls were enrolled. CEST MRI-derived magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) and MTR asymmetry (MTRasym) at 1 ppm, 2 ppm, and 3.5 ppm were calculated. Clinical data, MTR, and MTRasym values for the extraocular muscles (one representative muscle per eye, yielding two measurements per participant) were compared among the groups. Spearman’s correlation was used to examine associations between imaging parameters and the clinical activity score (CAS) in patients with TAO. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent associations between imaging parameters and disease activity in patients with TAO (active vs. inactive). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic performance for discriminating active from inactive TAO.
Results:
Patients with active TAO showed lower MTR values (P < 0.001) and higher MTRasym (1 ppm), MTRasym (2 ppm), and MTRasym (3.5 ppm) (all P < 0.001) compared with those with inactive TAO. MTR was negatively correlated with CAS (r = -0.402; P < 0.001), while MTRasym (1 ppm), MTRasym (2 ppm), and MTRasym (3.5 ppm) were positively correlated with CAS (r = 0.369, 0.350, and 0.349, respectively;all P < 0.001). MTR and MTRasym (1 ppm) were independently associated with TAO activity. The areas under the ROC curve (AUCs) for MTR and MTRasym (1 ppm) in discriminating active from inactive TAO were 0.772 and 0.730, respectively. Combining MTR with MTRasym (1 ppm) significantly improved diagnostic performance compared with either parameter alone, achieving an AUC of 0.805 (P = 0.029 and 0.001).
Conclusion
MTR and MTRasym (1 ppm) were independently associated with TAO activity. Their combination further enhanced diagnostic performance in distinguishing active from inactive TAO, suggesting their potential as quantitative imaging biomarkers to guide treatment in patients with TAO.
2.Associations between Metabolic Syndrome Indicators and Colon Polyps: A Mendelian Randomization Study
Dongya CHEN ; Hong XU ; Zhaolin ZHANG ; Fang CHEN ; Qingqing LU ; Feng PAN
Endocrinology and Metabolism 2026;41(2):256-266
Background:
While observational studies have suggested a potential link between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and an increased risk of colon polyps, the causal nature of this association remains uncertain. This study used a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to evaluate the relationship between MetS and colon polyps.
Methods:
A two-sample MR analysis was performed using data on MetS, its indicators, and colon polyps obtained from publicly available genome-wide association studies in the Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU) and MAGIC databases. Outliers were removed using Mendelian Randomization Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier (MR-PRESSO), followed by MR calculations and false discovery rate (FDR) correction. The primary analysis was conducted with the inverse variance-weighted (IVW) method.
Results:
The IVW results indicated no association between hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or diabetes and the risk of colon polyps. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (P=0.005), 2-hour glucose (P=0.004), glycated hemoglobin A1c (P=0.004), and the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids (P<0.001) were negatively associated with colon polyps. Conversely, body mass index (BMI) (P<0.001), body fat percentage (P=0.002), waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI (P=0.001), total cholesterol (TC) (P=0.002), triglycerides (TG) (P<0.001), and both omega-3 (P<0.001) and omega-6 fatty acid levels (P=0.02) were positively associated with colon polyps. The relationships between these metabolic indicators and colon polyps remained significant after FDR correction.
Conclusion
Obesity-related traits, TC, and TG may increase the risk of colon polyps, while HDL-C may have a protective effect.
3.The value of the monocyte to lymphocyte ratio in predicting the prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis complicated with esophageal and gastric varices
Wei CHEN ; Yu LI ; Ying CHEN ; Qingqing FANG ; Xiaojuan LI ; Xinxin XU ; Rui LI
Journal of Chinese Physician 2025;27(4):497-501
Objective:To explore the application value of the new inflammatory index in predicting the prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis complicated with esophageal and gastric varices.Methods:This study was a single-center cross-sectional study. Patients who were hospitalized in the Department of Gastroenterology of Minhang Hospital, Fudan University due to liver cirrhosis combined with esophageal and gastric varices from January 2019 to February 2024 were included. All patients were diagnosed clearly based on clinical data, laboratory tests and imaging examination results. According to the results of the first fasting blood routine test after the patient′s admission, the monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune inflammation index (SII) were calculated. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to screen the independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis complicated with esophagogastric varices. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the optimal cutoff value of MLR on survival. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to compare the survival differences between patients with MLR>0.33 and those with MLR≤0.33.Results:A total of 177 patients were included, among which 155 were in the survival group and 22 were in the death group. The results of multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that MLR was an independent risk factor for the prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis complicated with esophageal and gastric varices [ HR=5.16(95% CI: 1.39-19.15), P=0.014]. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis results showed that the survival rate of patients in the MLR>0.33 group was significantly lower than that in the MLR≤0.33 group (80.90% vs 94.32%, P=0.012). Stratified analysis showed that in patients who did not receive endoscopic intervention, MLR was closely related to prognosis. Conclusions:MLR can be used as an independent risk factor for the prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis complicated with esophageal and gastric varices, which is helpful for clinicians to conduct risk assessment and thereby formulate personalized treatment strategies.
4.Status and influencing factors of feeding intolerance in patients with enteral nutrition after lung transplantation
Lihua CHEN ; Yao HUANG ; Qingqing SHENG ; Yufeng TAN ; Shuqin ZHANG ; Xiaoqun HUANG ; Mengmeng XU
Chinese Journal of Nursing 2025;60(7):849-855
Objective To investigate the status of feeding intolerance in patients with enteral nutrition after lung transplantation and analyze its influencing factors,to provide a reference for formulating a reasonable enteral nutrition plan and improving patients'nutritional status.Methods Convenient sampling method was used to retrospectively collect the clinical data of 115 patients who received enteral nutrition support after lung transplantation and were hospitalized in the ICU of a tertiary hospital in Guangdong Province from August 2022 to November 2023.According to the occurrence of feeding intolerance during ICU hospitalization,the patients were divided into a feeding tolerance group and a feeding intolerance group.Univariate and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the influencing factors of feeding intolerance patients with enteral nutrition after lung transplantation.Results Within 7 days of initiating enteral nutrition,a total of 63 patients developed feeding intolerance,with an incidence of 54.78%.Among them,the incidence of feeding intolerance was relatively high within 1 to 3 days after initiating enteral feeding.The clinical manifestations of feeding intolerance were diarrhea,bloating,gastric retention,vomiting/regurgitation,among which the diarrhea was the highest incidence(87.30%).Logi-stic regression analysis showed that intraoperative net balance volume(OR=0.999),intraoperative blood transfusion(OR=1.001)volume and diabetes history(OR=0.170)were independent influencing factors for feeding intolerance in patients with enteral nutrition after lung transplantation(P<0.05).Conclusion There was a high incidence of feed-ing intolerance in patients with enteral nutrition after lung transplantation.Patients undergoing lung transplantation who have a high net intraoperative fluid balance,receive a low volume of intraoperative blood transfusions,and have a history of diabetes are at a lower risk of developing feeding intolerance when receiving postoperative enteral nutrition.When starting enteral nutrition,medical staff should dynamically evaluate the risk factors of feeding intolerance,screen high-risk patients as early as possible,and formulate reasonable enteral nutrition programs to improve the nutritional status of patients and promote their rehabilitation.
5.Characteristics of first-time callers with suicidal ideation to psychological assistance hotline in Henan Province
Kunya LIU ; Xiaoniu LI ; Qingqing ZHANG ; Lei ZHANG ; Huiping CHENG ; Shiyun WANG ; Yunsheng HOU ; Ying XU ; Ruiling ZHANG
Chinese Mental Health Journal 2025;39(5):398-404
Objective:To examine the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of first-time callers with suicidal ideation and risk factors related to suicidal ideation in a psychological assistance hotline in Henan Province.Methods:The computerised counselling operating system of the Henan Provincial Psychological Assis-tance Hotline was used to extract data from 31 401 callers who called the hotline between January 2020 and October 2023.A circular distribution and kernel density analysis were employed to investigate the spatial and temporal distri-bution of first-time callers with suicidal ideation.Binary logistic regression analysis was employed to investigate the risk factors for suicidal ideation.Results:A total of 5 494 first-time callers were included in the study,of whom 1 697(30.9%)reported suicidal ideation in the previous two weeks.The temporal distribution of suicidal ideation calls indicated a peak between 12:36 and 01:08.The weekly distribution further revealed that the majority of calls occurred on Fridays.In terms of spatial distribution,the primary hotspots for callers with suicidal ideation were clus-tered around Zhengzhou and Xinxiang.Meanwhile,the secondary hotspots exhibited a dispersed distribution across multiple centers within the province.Logistic regression analysis revealed that being under 20 years old(OR=11.85),being unemployed(OR=1.78),having psychological issues(OR=5.03),experiencing family relation-ship problems(OR=3.67),and facing economic hardships(OR=7.08)were risk factors for suicidal ideation.Conclusion:The time distribution of calls from individuals with suicidal ideation to the psychological as-sistance hotline in Henan Province exhibits a centralized trend,while the spatial distribution of calls demonstrates an imbalance.When receiving initial calls from individuals with suicidal ideation,particular attention should be paid to those aged 20 years old or younger,those who are unemployed,and those experiencing psychiatric,psychological,familial,and economic difficulties.
6.The value of the monocyte to lymphocyte ratio in predicting the prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis complicated with esophageal and gastric varices
Wei CHEN ; Yu LI ; Ying CHEN ; Qingqing FANG ; Xiaojuan LI ; Xinxin XU ; Rui LI
Journal of Chinese Physician 2025;27(4):497-501
Objective:To explore the application value of the new inflammatory index in predicting the prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis complicated with esophageal and gastric varices.Methods:This study was a single-center cross-sectional study. Patients who were hospitalized in the Department of Gastroenterology of Minhang Hospital, Fudan University due to liver cirrhosis combined with esophageal and gastric varices from January 2019 to February 2024 were included. All patients were diagnosed clearly based on clinical data, laboratory tests and imaging examination results. According to the results of the first fasting blood routine test after the patient′s admission, the monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune inflammation index (SII) were calculated. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to screen the independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis complicated with esophagogastric varices. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the optimal cutoff value of MLR on survival. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to compare the survival differences between patients with MLR>0.33 and those with MLR≤0.33.Results:A total of 177 patients were included, among which 155 were in the survival group and 22 were in the death group. The results of multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that MLR was an independent risk factor for the prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis complicated with esophageal and gastric varices [ HR=5.16(95% CI: 1.39-19.15), P=0.014]. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis results showed that the survival rate of patients in the MLR>0.33 group was significantly lower than that in the MLR≤0.33 group (80.90% vs 94.32%, P=0.012). Stratified analysis showed that in patients who did not receive endoscopic intervention, MLR was closely related to prognosis. Conclusions:MLR can be used as an independent risk factor for the prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis complicated with esophageal and gastric varices, which is helpful for clinicians to conduct risk assessment and thereby formulate personalized treatment strategies.
7.The mechanism by which oxidative stress in bovine fatty liver activates the NLRP3 inflammasome to induce hepatocyte pyroptosis
Jie XU ; Kangfeng JIANG ; Yuan HU ; Kui WANG ; Yiyi ZHAO ; Yan TIAN ; Xinyuan ZHANG ; Binghai PAN ; Qingqing ZHOU ; Xiaobing LI
Chinese Journal of Veterinary Science 2025;45(11):2481-2489
Fatty liver is common disease of nutritional metabolism in the perinatal period,character-ized by elevated levels of NEFA in the blood and disorders of lipid metabolism.High concentra-tions of NEFA damage mitochondria and promote the release of reactive oxygen species(ROS).At the same time,lipid peroxidation occurs in lipid accumulation in hepatocytes,producing free radi-cals such as ROS,which leads to oxidative stress in the liver.When the level of intracellular ROS increases,thioredoxin-interacting protein(TXNIP)activates nucleotide-binding oligomerization structure-like protein 3(NLRP3)inflammasomes,and oxidative stress can regulate pyroptosis,but it is unclear whether reactive oxygen species(ROS)produced by oxidative stress in hepatocytes can mediate pyroptosis and induce liver injury in dairy cows through the TXNIP/NLRP3 pathway.In this study,liver tissue samples from healthy dairy cows and fatty liver cows were collected,and NEFA was used to construct a fatty liver cell model,and triglyceride(TG)content and oxidative stress related indicators were detected by kit.Western blot was used to detect the activation of NL-RP3 inflammasomes,the inflammatory pathway of NF-κB and the expression levels of pyroptosis-related proteins.Fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect the relative expression level of inflammatory factor mRNA.The results showed that compared with the healthy(control)group,the TG content of fatty liver tissue and fatty liver cells was significantly increased(P<0.05),the activities of SOD and GSH-Px were significantly decreased(P<0.05),and the protein expression levels of TXNIP,NLRP3,GSDMD-N and Caspase-1 were significantly up-regulated(P<0.05).The results of the antioxidant model of fatty hepatocytes using NEFA and antioxidants(NAC)showed that compared with the fatty hepatocyte model,the content of ROS in hepatocytes was sig-nificantly reduced,and oxidative stress,NLRP3 inflammasome activation and pyroptosis were alle-viated.In summary,this study found that when fatty liver disease occurs in dairy cows,ROS pro-duced by oxidative stress in the liver can mediate pyroptosis through the TXNIP/NLRP3 path-way,which can lead to liver injury in fatty liver cows.
8.The mechanism by which oxidative stress in bovine fatty liver activates the NLRP3 inflammasome to induce hepatocyte pyroptosis
Jie XU ; Kangfeng JIANG ; Yuan HU ; Kui WANG ; Yiyi ZHAO ; Yan TIAN ; Xinyuan ZHANG ; Binghai PAN ; Qingqing ZHOU ; Xiaobing LI
Chinese Journal of Veterinary Science 2025;45(11):2481-2489
Fatty liver is common disease of nutritional metabolism in the perinatal period,character-ized by elevated levels of NEFA in the blood and disorders of lipid metabolism.High concentra-tions of NEFA damage mitochondria and promote the release of reactive oxygen species(ROS).At the same time,lipid peroxidation occurs in lipid accumulation in hepatocytes,producing free radi-cals such as ROS,which leads to oxidative stress in the liver.When the level of intracellular ROS increases,thioredoxin-interacting protein(TXNIP)activates nucleotide-binding oligomerization structure-like protein 3(NLRP3)inflammasomes,and oxidative stress can regulate pyroptosis,but it is unclear whether reactive oxygen species(ROS)produced by oxidative stress in hepatocytes can mediate pyroptosis and induce liver injury in dairy cows through the TXNIP/NLRP3 pathway.In this study,liver tissue samples from healthy dairy cows and fatty liver cows were collected,and NEFA was used to construct a fatty liver cell model,and triglyceride(TG)content and oxidative stress related indicators were detected by kit.Western blot was used to detect the activation of NL-RP3 inflammasomes,the inflammatory pathway of NF-κB and the expression levels of pyroptosis-related proteins.Fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect the relative expression level of inflammatory factor mRNA.The results showed that compared with the healthy(control)group,the TG content of fatty liver tissue and fatty liver cells was significantly increased(P<0.05),the activities of SOD and GSH-Px were significantly decreased(P<0.05),and the protein expression levels of TXNIP,NLRP3,GSDMD-N and Caspase-1 were significantly up-regulated(P<0.05).The results of the antioxidant model of fatty hepatocytes using NEFA and antioxidants(NAC)showed that compared with the fatty hepatocyte model,the content of ROS in hepatocytes was sig-nificantly reduced,and oxidative stress,NLRP3 inflammasome activation and pyroptosis were alle-viated.In summary,this study found that when fatty liver disease occurs in dairy cows,ROS pro-duced by oxidative stress in the liver can mediate pyroptosis through the TXNIP/NLRP3 path-way,which can lead to liver injury in fatty liver cows.
9.Application of ultrasound-guided injection of carbon nanoparticle in cervical lymph node dissection for thyroid cancer reoperation
Yue ZHOU ; Gang WANG ; Fang YU ; Hao XU ; Zhenyu CHENG ; Ziyi FAN ; Xianjiao CAO ; Zhonghui LI ; Qingqing HE
Chinese Journal of Endocrine Surgery 2025;19(1):30-34
Objective:To investigate the efficacy of preoperative ultrasound-guided injection of carbon nanoparticle suspension in cervical lymph node dissection for thyroid cancer reoperation.Methods:Ninety-four patients undergoing reoperation for thyroid cancer admitted by the same physician team of the Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery of the Ninety-sixty Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from Jan. 2019 to Sep. 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the different scope of the initial surgery, they were divided into the re-specification clearance group, the regional lymph node clearance group, and the metastatic lymph node dissection group, and the groups were subdivided into the carbon nanoparticle group and the control group according to whether they were injected with carbon nanoparticle before the surgery or not. The t-test, χ2-test, and non-parametric test were used to compare the age, gender, surgical method, duration of surgery, total number of lymph nodes detected, and positive lymph node detection rate between the nano-charcoal group and the control group in the three groups. Results:There was no statistically significant difference between the three groups in terms of age, gender, surgical methods, or the total number of lymph nodes detected (all P>0.05) , and the difference between the surgical time of the carbon nanoparticle group in the re-regulation clearance group and the control group was not statistically significant ( P>0.05) ; the surgical time of the carbon nanoparticle group was shorter than that of the control group in both the regional lymph node clearance and the metastatic lymph node dissection groups, and the difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05) ; the positive detection rate of lymph nodes in the carbon nanoparticle group was higher than that in the control group among the three groups, and the difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05) . Conclusion:In the operation of cervical lymph node dissection for papillary thyroid cancer, preoperative ultrasound-guided injection of carbon nanoparticle can accurately localize the lymph nodes, increase the positive detection rate of lymph nodes, reduce the difficulty of surgical operation, and shorten the operation time.
10.Application of transoral robotic thyroidectomy in overweight patients
Sijuan CHEN ; Xianjiao CAO ; Gaoyuan XU ; Dayong ZHUANG ; Qingqing HE ; Xiaolei LI
Chinese Journal of Endocrine Surgery 2025;19(1):45-50
Objective:To investigate the application of transoral robotic thyroidectomy (TORT) in overweight patients.Methods:Clinical data of 109 thyroid tumor patients who underwent TORT at 960th Hospital of People’s Liberation Army from May. 2020 to Aug. 2023 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. After excluding 10 patients who underwent prophylactic lateral neck dissection, a total of 99 patients were included in this study. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, which define people with BMI:25-29.9 kg/m 2 as overweight, we divided the 99 patients into normal weight group (n=69) and overweight group (n=30) . To make the baseline data consistent between the two groups and ensure comparability, 20 matched pairs were generated using a 1∶1 propensity score matching (PSM) method, considering four clinicopathologic factors: age, gender, diameter of tumor and operation scope. In the normal-weight group, there were 18 females and 2 males, aged (32.82±9.51) years (range: 17-53 years) , and there exhibited 18 females and 2 males in the overweight group, aged (35.14±10.63) years (range: 18-55 years) . Results:All patients successfully underwent the operation without conversions to open surgery. After matching, both groups had 2 cases of thyroid adenoma and 18 cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma ( P=1) , with no statistically significant difference in the surgical scope between the two groups ( P=0.376) . There was no statistically significant difference in the mean tumor diameter between the normal-weight group and the overweight group (5.38±1.79 mm vs. 5.61±3.32 mm, P=0.575) . All malignant tumor cases in both groups were classified as T1 stage, and there was no statistically significant difference in N stage ( P=0.186) . All patients with malignant tumors underwent central lymph node dissection, there was no significant difference in the number of central lymph nodes dissected ( P=0.623) and metastatic lymph nodes ( P=0.109) between the two groups. There were no statistically significant differences in operative duration (217.53±62.83 min vs. 220.67±73.73 min, P=0.808) , median postoperative hospital stay [6 (6,7.75) days vs. 6 (6,7) days, P=0.682], or 24-hour drainage volume (78.52±30.49 mL vs. 68.23±29.11 mL, P=0.180) between the normal-weight group and the overweight group. There was no permanent hypoparathyroidism, postoperative hemorrhage, lymphatic fistula, mental nerve injury, postoperative infection in both groups. In both groups, there occurred one case of transient hypoparathyroidism. As for other complications, 1 case of temporary recurrent laryngeal nerve injury and oral tearing occurred in the overweight group, while the normal-weight group had 1 case of skin scald. Conclusions:Among patients who underwent TORT, the overweight group exhibited comparable surgical outcomes and postoperative complications to those in the normal-weight group. TORT is a safe and feasible surgical option for overweight patients, which provides more surgical options for this patient population.

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