Objective To explore the efficacy of bilateral facial muscle training combined with visual electromyography biofeedback on facial nerve function recovery in patients with idiopathic facial nerve palsy. Methods Patients with idiopathic facial nerve palsy admitted to Shanghai Fifth People’s Hospital, Fudan University from July 2022 to July 2024 were selected and randomly divided into a control group and an intervention group. The control group received conventional physical factor therapy, while the intervention group received bilateral facial muscle training combined with visual electromyography biofeedback therapy based on the control group’s regimen. After 20 treatment sessions, the total effective rate, the House-Brackmann (H-B) facial nerve grading system, the Sunnybrook Facial Grading System (SFGS) score, and the average value ratio of maximal amplitudes of bilateral frontalis and zygomaticus muscles were compared between the two groups. Results A total of 90 patients were included, 45 in each group. After 20 treatment sessions, the total effective rate was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (84.4% vs 75.6%, P＝0.003). Compared with the control group, the intervention group demonstrated a significantly lower H-B grade (P＝0.003) and a higher SFGS score (P＝0.001). The average value ratios of maximal amplitudes of the affected versus healthy side frontalis (P＝0.013) and zygomatic (P＝0.022) muscles were higher in the intervention group than in the control group. Conclusions Bilateral facial muscle training combined with visual electromyography biofeedback is an effective approach for treating idiopathic facial nerve palsy, effectively promoting the recovery of facial nerve function, and improving facial symmetry and facial muscle function.

Purpose To investigate the features of conventional and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging in renal epithelioid angiomyolipoma (EAML). Materials and Methods We retrospectively analyzed the conventional ultrasound and CEUS images of the 30 patients with renal EAML who were confirmed by pathology in the General Hospital of the PLA from November 2010 to October 2022. The location,size,classfication,echo,boundary,shape,growth pattern and whether color Doppler ultrasound detects blood flow signals were observed by conventional ultrasound. CEUS was used to analyze the wash-in pattern,enhancement direction,peak enhancement intensity,the uniformity after enhancement,wash-out pattern and pseudocapsule sign,respectively. Results A total of 30 patients (n=30 lesions) were enrolled. The maximal diameter of the lesions varied from 1.4 to 12.6 cm. 17 cases occurred in the right kidney and 13 cases in the left kidney. On grayscale ultrasound,28 cases showed solid type,2 were cystic solid;18 cases demonstrated hypoechoic,10 were hyperechoic;the solid component in the cystic solid lesion was isoechoic in 1 case and hyperechoic in 1 case;24 cases displayed well-defined and 19 cases appeared regular shape;22 cases were presented exophytic growth. Color Doppler ultrasound detected blood flow in 24 cases. Of all 30 patients with EAML,CEUS was performed in 13 cases,6 lesions with simultaneous wash-in;10 cases with centripetal enhancement;9 cases with hyper-enhancement;10 cases with homogeneous enhancement;5 lesions with simultaneous wash-out;9 cases with pseudocapsule sign. Conclusion The ultrasonographic appearance of EAML has a tendency to be hypoechoic with exophytic growth and clear boundary on conventional ultrasound images,and centripetal enhancement,homogeneous hyperenhancement and presence of pseudocapsule on CEUS images. All these findings are contributed to the diagnosis of EAML.

Objective:Differences between randomized controlled trial (RCT) results and real world study (RWS) results may not represent a true efficacy-effectiveness gap because efficacy-effectiveness gap estimates may be biased when RWS and RCT differ significantly in study design or when there is bias in RWS result estimation. Secondly, when there is an efficacy- effectiveness gap, it should not treat every patient the same way but assess the real-world factors influencing the intervention's effectiveness and identify the subgroup likely to achieve the desired effect.Methods:Six databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Data, and VIP) were searched up to 31 st December 2022 with detailed search strategies. A scoping review method was used to integrate and qualitatively describe the included literature inductively. Results:Ten articles were included to discuss how to use the RCT research protocol as a template to develop the corresponding RWS research protocol. Moreover, based on correctly estimating the efficacy-effectiveness gap, evaluate the intervention effect in the patient subgroup to confirm the subgroup that can achieve the expected benefit-risk ratio to bridge the efficacy-effectiveness gap.Conclusion:Using real-world data to simulate key features of randomized controlled clinical trial study design can improve the authenticity and effectiveness of study results and bridge the efficacy-effectiveness gap.

Objective:Randomized controlled trials (RCT) usually have strict implementation criteria. The included subjects' characteristics of the conditions for the intervention implementation are quite different from the actual clinical environment, resulting in discrepancies between the risk-benefit of interventions in actual clinical use and the risk-benefit shown in RCT. Therefore, some methods are needed to enhance the extrapolation of RCT results to evaluate the real effects of drugs in real people and clinical practice settings.Methods:Six databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Data, and VIP) were searched up to 31 st December 2022 with detailed search strategies. A scoping review method was used to integrate and qualitatively describe the included literature inductively. Results:A total of 12 articles were included. Three methods in the included literature focused on: ①improving the design of traditional RCT to increase population representation; ②combining RCT Data with real-world data (RWD) for analysis;③calibrating RCT results according to real-world patient characteristics.Conclusions:Improving the design of RCT to enhance the population representation can improve the extrapolation of the results of RCT. Combining RCT data with RWD can give full play to the advantages of data from different sources; the results of the RCT were calibrated against real-world population characteristics so that the effects of interventions in real-world patient populations can be predicted.

The ezrin,radixin,moesin(ERM)protein family plays a pivotal role in cell morphology,migration,and signal transduction.Ezrin,as a prominent member of this family,is highly involved in these processes.Ezrin phosphorylation is particularly crucial,by regulating the interaction between ezrin and the actin cytoskeleton.This interaction is a key mediator of cytotoxicity in host cells infected with Helicobacter pylori,significantly impacting cell morphology.In this review,we comprehensively summarize the multifaceted role of ezrin protein in H.pylori-induced nodular gastritis.We consider the relationships between ezrin's structure,function,signaling pathways,and phosphorylation in the context of nodular gastritis.Moreover,this review highlights the role of ezrin protein as a potential therapeutic target,offering novel insights for the prevention and treatment of nodular gastritis.

Objective To analyze the differences in serum amino acid levels between preeclampsia(PE)and normal pregnant women in Urumqi,and to explore the correlation between amino acids with statistically significant differences and PE severity,as well as their diagnostic value for PE patients.Methods A total of 49 normal pregnant women who visited Urumqi Maternal and Child Health Hospital from June 2021 to June 2023 were selected as the control group and 55 PE pregnant women were selected as the PE group,and the PE group was further divided into mild PE group(25 cases)and severe PE group(30 cases).Liquid chromatogra-phy-tandem mass spectrometry technology was used to determine the levels of 25 metabolites in pregnant women's serum.Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between the amino acid lev-els and PE severity.Logistic regression was used to correct for potential confounding factors,and receiver op-erating characteristic curve was used to analyze the diagnostic efficacy of amino acids with significant differ-ences in PE.Results There were statistically significant differences in the body mass index(BMI)and deliv-ery method between the PE group and the control group(P＜0.05).The serum levels of histidine,threonine,glutamine,ethanolamine,methylhistidine,and canine uric acid in the PE group were higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05).The serum levels of threonine,glutamine,methylhistidine,and canine uric acid in the severe PE group were higher than those in the mild PE group and control group(P＜0.05).The serum ethanolamine levels in the mild group and severe PE group were higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05).The serum histidine levels in the severe PE group were higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05).Correlation analysis showed that serum glutamine,ethanolamine,methylhistidine,and canine uric acid were positively correlated with the severity of PE(P＜0.05).After adjusting for BMI,there were still statisti-cally significant differences in the levels of threonine,glutamine,and methylhistidine between the PE group and the control group(P＜0.05).The area under the curve of the combined detection of serum threonine,glu-tamine,and methylhistidine for diagnosing PE was 0.734.Conclusion There is a certain correlation between serum levels of threonine,glutamine,and methylhistidine and the severity of PE,and the combined detection has high diagnostic value for patients with PE.

Purpose To investigate the features of conventional and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging in renal epithelioid angiomyolipoma (EAML). Materials and Methods We retrospectively analyzed the conventional ultrasound and CEUS images of the 30 patients with renal EAML who were confirmed by pathology in the General Hospital of the PLA from November 2010 to October 2022. The location,size,classfication,echo,boundary,shape,growth pattern and whether color Doppler ultrasound detects blood flow signals were observed by conventional ultrasound. CEUS was used to analyze the wash-in pattern,enhancement direction,peak enhancement intensity,the uniformity after enhancement,wash-out pattern and pseudocapsule sign,respectively. Results A total of 30 patients (n=30 lesions) were enrolled. The maximal diameter of the lesions varied from 1.4 to 12.6 cm. 17 cases occurred in the right kidney and 13 cases in the left kidney. On grayscale ultrasound,28 cases showed solid type,2 were cystic solid;18 cases demonstrated hypoechoic,10 were hyperechoic;the solid component in the cystic solid lesion was isoechoic in 1 case and hyperechoic in 1 case;24 cases displayed well-defined and 19 cases appeared regular shape;22 cases were presented exophytic growth. Color Doppler ultrasound detected blood flow in 24 cases. Of all 30 patients with EAML,CEUS was performed in 13 cases,6 lesions with simultaneous wash-in;10 cases with centripetal enhancement;9 cases with hyper-enhancement;10 cases with homogeneous enhancement;5 lesions with simultaneous wash-out;9 cases with pseudocapsule sign. Conclusion The ultrasonographic appearance of EAML has a tendency to be hypoechoic with exophytic growth and clear boundary on conventional ultrasound images,and centripetal enhancement,homogeneous hyperenhancement and presence of pseudocapsule on CEUS images. All these findings are contributed to the diagnosis of EAML.

BACKGROUND: Thymic carcinomas (TCs) and thymic neuroendocrine neoplasms (TNENs) are two aggressive subtypes of thymic malignancy. Traditional therapy for advanced TCs and TNENs has limited outcome. New genomic profiling of TCs and TNENs might provide insights that contribute to the development of new treatment approaches. METHODS: We used gene panel sequencing technologies to investigate the genetic aberrations of 32 TC patients and 15 TNEN patients who underwent surgery at Shanghai Chest Hospital between 2015 and 2017. Patient samples were sequenced using a 324-gene platform with licensed technologies. In this study, we focused on clinically relevant genomic alterations (CRGAs), which are previously proven to be pathogenic alterations, to identify the pathology-specific mutational patterns, prognostic signatures of TCs and TNENs. RESULTS: The mutational profiles between TCs and TNENs were diverse. The genetic alterations that ranked highest in TCs were in CDKN2A, TP53, ASXL1, CDKN2B, PIK3C2G, PTCH1, and ROS1 , while those in TNENs were in MEN1, MLL2, APC, RB1 , and TSC2 . Prognostic analysis showed that mutations of ROS1, CDKN2A, CDKN2B, BRAF, and BAP1 were significantly associated with worse outcomes in TC patients, and that mutation of ERBB2 indicated shortened disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in TNEN patients. Further investigation found that the prognosis-related genes were focused on signal pathways of cell cycle control, chromatin remodeling/DNA methylation, phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK)/RAS/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling. CONCLUSION We profiled the mutational features of 47 Chinese patients with thymic malignancy of diverse pathologic phenotypes to uncover the integrated genomic landscape of these rare tumors, and identified the pathology-specific mutational patterns, prognostic signatures, and potential therapeutic targets for TCs and TNENs.
Humans ; Thymoma ; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/genetics* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins/genetics* ; China ; Thymus Neoplasms/pathology* ; Prognosis ; Neuroendocrine Tumors/pathology* ; Mutation/genetics*

Objective:To investigate the status of regional citrate anticoagulation (RCA) in continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in emergency department.Methods:Participants of a national emergency conference from August 1st to August 4th in 2019 from hospitals of different levels in different regions were interviewed by online questionnaire to collect data about the current status and limitations of the application of RCA in emergency CRRT by convenient sampling.Results:Totally 407 questionnaires were collected through internet, and the completeness of the answers was as high as 100%. Twenty-three responses with logic errors were excluded, and 384 questionnaires were finally retrieved, with an effective rate of 94.35%. Representatives from 29 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government participated in the questionnaire survey, and the hospitals in which they worked were mainly class Ⅲ grade A [70.31% (270/384)]. The survey showed that 61.46% (236/384) of the emergency departments could carry out CRRT independently. There were less than 10 CRRT cases per month in most emergency departments [52.87% (166/314)]. In the emergency departments where CRRT were carried out, heparin was a widely used and well-applied anticoagulant [82.17% (258/314)], and 199 emergency departments (63.38%) were proficient in RCA. In clinical practice, heparin [49.68% (156/314)] was preferred to RCA [25.80% (81/314)] and low molecular weight heparin [23.56% (74/384)]. In the emergency departments where RCA could be used skillfully, 4% sodium citrate was the main regional anticoagulant [68.34% (136/199)]. Anticoagulation protocol came from different sources, most of which were from nephrology or dialysis center (29.65%). Most departments could adjust the ionized calcium before the filter to the target safety level [0.9-1.2 mmol/L, 88.94% (177/199)], and adjust the ionized calcium after the filter to the target ideal anticoagulation level [0.2-0.4 mmol/L, 93.47% (186/199)] within 4 hours. The common complications that emergency physicians concerned were accumulation of citrate [58.29% (116/199)], metabolic alkalosis [54.77% (109/199)] and metabolic acidosis [37.19% (74/199)]. In 281 emergency departments that could not use RCA, there were kinds of factors that limited the use of citrate, such as higher cost than heparin (31.67%), unskilled personnel (21.00%), limited source of citrate (17.08%), concerns of complications (11.74%). At present, the substitution fluids used in clinical practice were mainly the commercial products (45.54%). In most cases, emergency CRRT filters had a life span of 12-23 hours (39.49%).Conclusions:The use of RCA in domestic emergency CRRT is low. Compared with the international peers, we are still lacking of adequate understanding of RCA. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an anticoagulation protocol of RCA for emergency departments in China, and promote training of CRRT.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of nano-cerium oxide on the early development of zebrafish embryos. METHODS: The well-developed zebrafish embryos were randomly divided into the control group and the 50, 100, 200, 400 and 800 mg/L dose groups, with 40 embryos in each group. The dose groups were treated with nano-cerium oxide at the corresponding mass concentration for 5 days. The control group received no treatment. The death and malformation of embryos were observed. The heart rate of zebrafish embryos was recorded using confocol microscope. The protein expression of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3(LC3) and cleaved Caspase-3 and were observed by Western blot technology. RESULTS: The death and embryonic malformation rate of zebrafish embryos increased with the increase of doses, showing statistical significance(P<0.01). The heart rate of the 800 mg/L dose group was decreased compared with the control group [(77±8) vs(93±4) beats/min, P<0.01]. There was no statistical significant difference in LC3-Ⅱ protein expression in each groups(P>0.05). The cleaved Caspase-3 protein expression increased in all dose groups compared with the control group(P<0.05). The cleaved Caspase-3 protein expression in the 200 mg/L dose group was higher than that in the 50 mg/L dose group(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The nano-cerium oxide may induce cell apoptosis, causing toxic effect in early development of zebrafish embryos.