ObjectiveTo investigate the ability of clinically isolated， Helicobacter pylori （H. pylori）-specific gene polymerase chain reaction （PCR）-positive gastric， vaginal， and fecal Candida to release H. pylori. MethodsResuscitate 4 strains of H. pylori -specific 16S rDNA and ureA gene PCR-positive Candida strains isolated in laboratory from clinical sources， including 1 strain of gastric Candida， 1 strain of fecal Candida， 2 strains of vaginal Candida and the standard Candida albicans strain ATCC10231 （Ca10231）. The presence of H. pylori-specific ureA in the 5 strains of Candida isolates was confirmed by PCR. The aforementioned strains of Candida and H.pylori were inoculated into urea medium and cultured in a constant temperature incubator at 37 ℃. The color change of the medium was observed daily. A change in the medium's color from yellow to red indicated the presence of urease activity. Then， the five strains of Candida and H. pylori were co-incubated with the magnetic beads coated with H. pylori antibodies respectively. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） was employed to observe the presence of bacilli adsorbed on the surface of the magnetic beads. PCR was used to detect the presence of H.pylori-specific 16S rDNA and ureA genes on magnetic beads. ResultsThe PCR analysis of the ureA gene in the four Candida isolates was positive， whereas the Ca10231 strain tested negative. Upon culturing the four Candida isolates on urea medium， the medium color changed from yellow to red which was determined to be urease positive， while the medium containing Ca10231 remained unchanged， which was urease negative. SEM revealed that bacilli could be observed on the surface of magnetic beads co-incubated with the 4 strains of Candida of clinical origin and H.pylori isolate. Specifically， PCR testing of the magnetic beads co-incubated with one vaginal Candida， one gastric Candida and H.pylori isolate showed positive results for the 16S rDNA and ureA genes of H. pylori； however， the PCR tests for the two genes were negative for the magnetic beads co-incubated with the other two Candida isolate. ConclusionThis study demonstrates that H. pylori-specific genes Candida can release H. pylori.

Objective:To investigate the effects of lezumab adjuvant therapy on the degree of retinal vasculopathy and immune response in the treatment of macular central diabetic retinopathy (DR).Methods:From July 2022 to December 2023, 120 patients with DR in macular central who received treatment in the Xi′an People′s Hospital (Xi′an Fourth Hospital) were retrospectively selected and divided into two groups according to the treatment methods: the observation group (60 cases, lezumab combined with sitagliptin), and the control group (60 cases, sitagliptin). Patients′glucose metabolism, visual acuity, degree of retinopathy, inflammation [tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-10 (IL-10)] and angiogenesis related factors [serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), midkine (MK), 5′-nucleotidase (CD73)] were evaluated, and the curative efficacy of the two groups was compared. The security of the two schemes was compared.Results:Compared with the control group, the serum concentrations of MK, CD73, TNF-α and VEGF were lower in the observation group after treatment: (1.44 ± 0.06) ng/L vs. (1.67 ± 0.11) ng/L, (1.10 ± 0.27) ng/L vs. (1.31 ± 0.26) ng/L, (11.62 ± 0.89) ng/L vs. (15.96 ± 4.42) ng/L, (84.07 ± 27.07) ng/L vs. (100.72 ± 16.05) ng/L, while the concentration of IL-10 was higher: (65.65 ± 8.68) ng/L vs. (60.02 ± 5.07) ng/L, with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in fasting blood glucose (FBG) and 2 h postprandial blood glucose between two groups before and after treatment ( P>0.05). After treatment, the macular thickness and visual field gray value in the observation group were lower than those in the control group: (302.81 ± 77.08) μm vs. (336.44 ± 10.35) μm, (1.55 ± 0.43)% vs. (2.09 ± 0.51)% ( P<0.05). After 3 months of treatment, the visual acuity in the observation group was higher than that in the control group: 0.493 ± 0.103 vs. 0.439 ± 0.084 ( P<0.05). No serious adverse reactions occurred in both groups. Conclusions:Lezumab assisted sitagliptin has a significant effect in the treatment of DR, which can reduce the degree of lesions, improve vision, and reduce the levels of inflammation and angiogenesis related factors.

Objective:To evaluate alterations in dopaminergic neurons, cortical metabolism, and functional connectivity networks in patients with early-onset Parkinson′s disease (EOPD) using multimodal neuroimaging.Methods:In this prospective cross-sectional study, 26 patients with EOPD and 16 healthy controls (HC group) were recruited from the PLA General Hospital between April and November 2023. All participants underwent integrated 11C-β-CFT PET/MR, 18F-FDG PET/CT brain imaging and resting-state functional MRI. Clinical assessments were conducted using the Unified Parkinson′s Disease Rating Scale and Hoehn-Yahr staging. Cognitive status was evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Standardized uptake value ratios for both 11C-β-CFT and 18F-FDG PET images were calculated using cerebellar gray matter as the reference region. Voxel-wise two-sample t-tests were performed to identify regions with significant group differences in tracer uptake. Seed regions showing altered 11C-β-CFT or 18F-FDG uptake were used to compute seed-based functional connectivity (FC) with all other brain voxels, and group differences in FC were assessed. Correlations between imaging metrics and clinical scales were evaluated using Pearson or Spearman analyses as appropriate. Results:Compared with HC group, EOPD group showed significantly reduced 11C-β-CFT uptake in the bilateral putamen, globus pallidus, and left temporal pole ( P<0.05), and decreased 18F-FDG uptake in the right superior frontal gyrus and anterior cingulate cortex ( P<0.05). Relative to HC group, EOPD group exhibited markedly lower FC between the right putamen and the left gyrus rectus as well as the right parahippocampal gyrus; the right superior frontal gyrus and the left gyrus rectus; the anterior cingulate cortex and the olfactory area of the frontal lobe, the left gyrus rectus, and the right superior parietal gyrus; the left temporal pole and the left orbitofrontal cortex as well as the left olfactory area ( P<0.05). Correlation analyses revealed no statistically significant associations between altered FC values and clinical scale scores in the EOPD group. Conclusions:Patients with EOPD demonstrate impaired nigrostriatal dopaminergic function, regional cortical hypometabolism, and aberrant functional connectivity across multiple brain networks.

Objective:To evaluate alterations in dopaminergic neurons, cortical metabolism, and functional connectivity networks in patients with early-onset Parkinson′s disease (EOPD) using multimodal neuroimaging.Methods:In this prospective cross-sectional study, 26 patients with EOPD and 16 healthy controls (HC group) were recruited from the PLA General Hospital between April and November 2023. All participants underwent integrated 11C-β-CFT PET/MR, 18F-FDG PET/CT brain imaging and resting-state functional MRI. Clinical assessments were conducted using the Unified Parkinson′s Disease Rating Scale and Hoehn-Yahr staging. Cognitive status was evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Standardized uptake value ratios for both 11C-β-CFT and 18F-FDG PET images were calculated using cerebellar gray matter as the reference region. Voxel-wise two-sample t-tests were performed to identify regions with significant group differences in tracer uptake. Seed regions showing altered 11C-β-CFT or 18F-FDG uptake were used to compute seed-based functional connectivity (FC) with all other brain voxels, and group differences in FC were assessed. Correlations between imaging metrics and clinical scales were evaluated using Pearson or Spearman analyses as appropriate. Results:Compared with HC group, EOPD group showed significantly reduced 11C-β-CFT uptake in the bilateral putamen, globus pallidus, and left temporal pole ( P<0.05), and decreased 18F-FDG uptake in the right superior frontal gyrus and anterior cingulate cortex ( P<0.05). Relative to HC group, EOPD group exhibited markedly lower FC between the right putamen and the left gyrus rectus as well as the right parahippocampal gyrus; the right superior frontal gyrus and the left gyrus rectus; the anterior cingulate cortex and the olfactory area of the frontal lobe, the left gyrus rectus, and the right superior parietal gyrus; the left temporal pole and the left orbitofrontal cortex as well as the left olfactory area ( P<0.05). Correlation analyses revealed no statistically significant associations between altered FC values and clinical scale scores in the EOPD group. Conclusions:Patients with EOPD demonstrate impaired nigrostriatal dopaminergic function, regional cortical hypometabolism, and aberrant functional connectivity across multiple brain networks.

Objective:To analyze the differentially diagnostic ability of metabolic parameters of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography/computed tomography(18F-FDG PET/CT)in thymic epithelial tumors(TETs)of different histological types.Methods:A total of 72 patients who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT examination and were confirmed as TETs before treatment at the Department of Nuclear Medicine of the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital between January 2013 to May 2022 were analyzed.The patients were divided into thymic tumor with low risk group(9 cases),thymic tumor with high risk group(15 cases)and thymic cancer group(9 cases)according to histological type.The clinical data of patients were recorded,and the patients were staged according to pathological Masaoka-Koga staging of thymic tumor surgery.The maximum standardized uptake value(SUVmax),average standardized uptake value(SUVmean),metabolic tumor volume(MTV),total lesion glycolysis(TLG)and standardized uptake value ratio(SUVR)of the lesions were recorded respectively.The differences of metabolic parameters of various group were compared.The area under curve(AUC)value of receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the diagnostic efficacy of 18F-FDG PET/CT in TETs of different histological types.Results:The results of analyzing each metabolic parameter of three groups indicated that the SUVmax,SUVmean and SUVR values of thymic tumor with high risk group and thymic cancer group were significantly higher than them of thymic tumor with low risk group,and the differences were significant(F=10.315,8.336,11.593,P<0.05),respectively.SUVR has the highest diagnostic efficacy in the differential diagnosis for thymic tumor and thymic cancer(AUC:0.864,sensitivity:83.3%,specificity:75.0%),and for thymic tumor with high-risk and thymic cancer(AUC:0.832,sensitivity:56.3%,specificity:100.0%).In addition,SUVR has the highest diagnostic efficacy for thymic tumor with high-risk and thymic tumor with low-risk(AUC:0.748,sensitivity:80.0%,specificity:66.7%).Conclusion:The metabolic parameters of 18F-FDG PET/CT have a certain of differential and diagnostic value in identifying TETs of different histological types.

Objective:To investigate the effects of lezumab adjuvant therapy on the degree of retinal vasculopathy and immune response in the treatment of macular central diabetic retinopathy (DR).Methods:From July 2022 to December 2023, 120 patients with DR in macular central who received treatment in the Xi′an People′s Hospital (Xi′an Fourth Hospital) were retrospectively selected and divided into two groups according to the treatment methods: the observation group (60 cases, lezumab combined with sitagliptin), and the control group (60 cases, sitagliptin). Patients′glucose metabolism, visual acuity, degree of retinopathy, inflammation [tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-10 (IL-10)] and angiogenesis related factors [serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), midkine (MK), 5′-nucleotidase (CD73)] were evaluated, and the curative efficacy of the two groups was compared. The security of the two schemes was compared.Results:Compared with the control group, the serum concentrations of MK, CD73, TNF-α and VEGF were lower in the observation group after treatment: (1.44 ± 0.06) ng/L vs. (1.67 ± 0.11) ng/L, (1.10 ± 0.27) ng/L vs. (1.31 ± 0.26) ng/L, (11.62 ± 0.89) ng/L vs. (15.96 ± 4.42) ng/L, (84.07 ± 27.07) ng/L vs. (100.72 ± 16.05) ng/L, while the concentration of IL-10 was higher: (65.65 ± 8.68) ng/L vs. (60.02 ± 5.07) ng/L, with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in fasting blood glucose (FBG) and 2 h postprandial blood glucose between two groups before and after treatment ( P>0.05). After treatment, the macular thickness and visual field gray value in the observation group were lower than those in the control group: (302.81 ± 77.08) μm vs. (336.44 ± 10.35) μm, (1.55 ± 0.43)% vs. (2.09 ± 0.51)% ( P<0.05). After 3 months of treatment, the visual acuity in the observation group was higher than that in the control group: 0.493 ± 0.103 vs. 0.439 ± 0.084 ( P<0.05). No serious adverse reactions occurred in both groups. Conclusions:Lezumab assisted sitagliptin has a significant effect in the treatment of DR, which can reduce the degree of lesions, improve vision, and reduce the levels of inflammation and angiogenesis related factors.

Objective:To observe the efficacy and safety of micro-focusing ultrasound (MFU) combined with dye pulsed light (DPL) in the treatment of facial skin aging.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted in 133 patients treated for facial skin aging at Zhiyan Medical Beauty Clinic, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, and Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from May to September 2023. There were 46 males and 87 females, aged 24-45 (34.5±3.7) years. Patients were divided into two groups based on the treatment they received: combined treatment group: 55 cases, treated with MFU combined with DPL; control group: 77 cases, treated with MFU only. After the completion of treatment in all patients, three clinical physicians evaluated the pre-treatment and immediate post-treatment photos for efficacy, including improvement, deterioration, and ineffectiveness. The pain degree scores and skin reaction scores were compared between the two groups. The occurrence of adverse reactions was recorded.Results:After treatment, the improvement rate of all patients was 100 % (133/133). The pain score of the combined treatment group was 0.10 (0.05, 0.20) points, and that of the control group was 0.75 (0.60, 0.90) points. The difference was statistically significant between the two groups ( Z=-6.66, P<0.001). The skin reaction score of the combined treatment group was 0.40 (0.20, 0.60) points, and that of the control group was 1.20 (0.90, 1.50) points. The difference was statistically significant between the two groups ( Z=-5.18, P<0.001). There were no treatment site wounds and other serious adverse reactions during the treatment of all patients. Conclusion:MFU combined with DPL is effective in the treatment of facial skin aging without serious adverse reactions.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) in the treatment of malignant tongue base tumors.Methods:A multicenter study was conducted to collect and analyze the clinical data of patients with malignant tongue base tumors who underwent TORS at five otolaryngology-head and neck surgery centers in China, including Eye Ear Nose and Throat Hospital of Fudan University, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Tongji Hospital of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, and the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University between January 2017 and January 2023. Among the patients, 38 were males and 11 were females, with a mean age of 59.0±8.8 years. Baseline characteristics, complications, and follow-up data were compared between groups. Independent sample t-tests or Mann-Whitney U tests was used for comparisons of continuous variables; chi-square tests or Fisher′s exact tests was applied for categorical variables. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method to calculate overall survival and disease-free survival, and differences between groups were compared using the log-rank test. Results:Among the 49 patients, 41 (83.7%) were diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), with a p16 positive rate of 51.2% (21/41). There were no statistically significant differences between the p16-positive group ( n=21) and the p16-negative group ( n=20) in age, sex, or postoperative bleeding (all P>0.05). However, there was a significant difference in TNM stage between the two groups ( χ2=14.556, P=0.020), with the p16-positive group predominantly in stage I (66.7%) and the p16-negative group primarily in stages Ⅲ and Ⅳ (40.0% and 30.0%, respectively). The postoperative tracheotomy rate was 30.6% (15/49), and the incidence of postoperative bleeding was 6.1% (3/49). The 1-year and 3-year overall survival rates were 98.0% and 92.5%, respectively, while, the 1-year and 3-year disease-free survival rates were 89.2% and 84.9%, respectively. No significant differences were observed between the p16-positive and p16-negative groups in 3-year overall survival (100% vs. 83.8%, χ2=1.093, P=0.518) or 3-year disease-free survival (68.2% vs. 88.9%, χ2=2.161, P=0.382). Conclusion:TORS for malignant tongue base tumors demonstrates high clinical safety and favorable oncological outcomes.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and feasibility of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for resection of tumors in the parapharyngeal spaces.Methods:The clinical data of 57 patients who underwent TORS for parapharyngeal space tumors from September 2018 to February 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. These patients were treated at five medical institutions: The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center. The patients were 28 males and 29 females, aged 17-77 years (median age, 47 years). The pathological types, locations, and sizes of the tumors, operation time, intraoperative bleeding volumes, postoperative hospital stays, and postoperative complications were evaluated. The data were analyzed using SPSS 27.0 software.Results:Postoperative pathological examination revealed 11 types of benign tumors. Among 57 cases, 27 cases had their tumors in the prestyloid spaces, predominantly with pleomorphic adenoma ( n=17), and 30 cases in the retrostyloid spaces, predominantly with schwannoma ( n=22). The tumor volumes ranged from 0.6 to 130.1 cm3, the intraoperative bleeding volumes ranged from 5 to 1 000 ml, the operation time ranged from 20 to 390 min, and the postoperative hospital stays ranged from 2 to 25 days. The total costs for individual cases were 36 000-100 000 yuan, with the highest cost in the case suffering from cerebrovascular accident. Four patients(7.0%) had tracheotomy and 36(63.2%) had nasogastric tube placement. Among the 57 patients, 5 had postoperative cavity effusion, 2 had wound dehiscence, 2 had cerebrovascular accidents, 1 had Horner syndrome, and 2 had other complications. The patients were followed up for 1-67 months, with only 1 patient with intracranial and extracranial communication relapsed. Conclusion:TORS is a safe and feasible approach for treating parapharyngeal space tumors, offering advantages such as minimal invasiveness, reduced blood loss, and faster recovery. It is suitable for parapharyngeal space tumors of various pathological types and locations. The postoperative complications are manageable, with favorable long-term follow-up results and low recurrence rates.

Objective:To analyze the differentially diagnostic ability of metabolic parameters of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography/computed tomography(18F-FDG PET/CT)in thymic epithelial tumors(TETs)of different histological types.Methods:A total of 72 patients who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT examination and were confirmed as TETs before treatment at the Department of Nuclear Medicine of the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital between January 2013 to May 2022 were analyzed.The patients were divided into thymic tumor with low risk group(9 cases),thymic tumor with high risk group(15 cases)and thymic cancer group(9 cases)according to histological type.The clinical data of patients were recorded,and the patients were staged according to pathological Masaoka-Koga staging of thymic tumor surgery.The maximum standardized uptake value(SUVmax),average standardized uptake value(SUVmean),metabolic tumor volume(MTV),total lesion glycolysis(TLG)and standardized uptake value ratio(SUVR)of the lesions were recorded respectively.The differences of metabolic parameters of various group were compared.The area under curve(AUC)value of receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the diagnostic efficacy of 18F-FDG PET/CT in TETs of different histological types.Results:The results of analyzing each metabolic parameter of three groups indicated that the SUVmax,SUVmean and SUVR values of thymic tumor with high risk group and thymic cancer group were significantly higher than them of thymic tumor with low risk group,and the differences were significant(F=10.315,8.336,11.593,P<0.05),respectively.SUVR has the highest diagnostic efficacy in the differential diagnosis for thymic tumor and thymic cancer(AUC:0.864,sensitivity:83.3%,specificity:75.0%),and for thymic tumor with high-risk and thymic cancer(AUC:0.832,sensitivity:56.3%,specificity:100.0%).In addition,SUVR has the highest diagnostic efficacy for thymic tumor with high-risk and thymic tumor with low-risk(AUC:0.748,sensitivity:80.0%,specificity:66.7%).Conclusion:The metabolic parameters of 18F-FDG PET/CT have a certain of differential and diagnostic value in identifying TETs of different histological types.