Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics of persistent HBeAg positivity in patients with chronic hepatitis B treated with nucleos(t)ide analogues.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed according to different data types. An independent sample t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, or Fisher's exact probability method were used. Chronic hepatitis B patients followed up for four years were collected from the follow-up case database of the Department of Infectious Diseases of Zhongshan Third Hospital from January 2009 to December 2018 and were divided into two groups, A and B, with 87 and 145 cases respectively, according to the duration of HBeAg-negativity≤ 3 and persistent positivity >3 years. Statistical analysis was conducted on the age, gender, family history, baseline, follow-up visit duration, liver function, and other data among the two patient groups.Results:There were no statistically significant differences in gender, age, family history of liver cirrhosis, family history of liver cancer, liver cirrhosis condition before treatment, fatty liver disease combined condition before treatment, baseline HBsAg, anti-HBc, alanine aminotransferase, albumin, or total bilirubin between the two groups of patients ( P ?>?0.05). HBV DNA and HBeAg were significantly higher in group B than those in group A at baseline, with P≤0.001. Aspartate aminotransferase and γ-glutamyl transferase were significantly higher in group A than those in group B at baseline. The proportion of family history of hepatitis B was significantly higher in group B (69.0%) than that in group A (50.6%) among the two groups of patients, and the difference was statistically significant ( P ?=?0.005). The proportion of mothers with hepatitis B was significantly higher in group B (25.5%) than in group A (11.5%), P ?=?0.010. During the treatment process, the HBV DNA quantification was significantly higher in group B than that in group A at 0.5 and 1 years (P≤0.002). The proportion of HBV DNA <100IU/ml was also significantly different at six months and one year (χ 2=30.327, P ??0.05). Conclusion:HBeAg-positive patients with chronic hepatitis B have persistent HBeAg positivity when treated with long-term nucleos(t)ide analogues. Accordingly, a greater proportion of this kind of patient family and mothers have a remarkable history of hepatitis B and a reduced HBV DNA relapse rate in the early stages (within a year or less).

Objective To develop a rapid and accurate Monte Carlo program(simplified code for dosimetry of carbon ions,SPEEDO)for carbon ion therapy.Methods For electromagnetic process,type Ⅱ condensed history simulation scheme and continuous slowing down approximation were used to simulate energy straggling,range straggling,multiple scattering,and ionization processes.For nuclear interaction,5 types of target nuclei were considered,including hydrogen,carbon,nitrogen,oxygen,and calcium.The produced secondary charged particles followed the same condensed history framework.The study simulated the transport of carbon ions in 4 materials(water,soft tissues,lung,and bone),and the calculated doses were validated against TOPAS(a Monte Carlo simulation software for radiotherapy physics),followed by a comparison with dose measurements in a water phantom from the HIMM-WW(a medical heavy-ion accelerator facility in Wuwei).Results SPEEDO's simulation results showed good consistency with TOPAS.For each material,in the voxel region where the physical dose was greater than 10％of the maximum dose point,the relative maximum dose error of both was less than 2％.At treatment energy of 400 MeV/u,SPEEDO's computation time was significantly less than that of TOPAS(13.8 min vs 105.0 min).SPEEDO's calculation results also showed good agreement with HIMM-WW measurements in terms of lateral dose distribution and integrated dose depth curve.Conclusion SPEEDO program can accurately and rapidly perform Monte Carlo dose calculations for carbon-ion therapy.

Objective:To assess the effect of Bolus materials(a material has the same effect with tissue)on dose distribution of electron beam radiotherapy on chest wall after surgery for breast cancer.Methods:Radiotherapy model of chest wall after modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer was constructed in this study.Based on the 6 MeV electron beam phase space file(PSF),which came from the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA)official website,and the Geant4 Monte Carlo software package,the research calculated the dose distributions of the electron beam radiotherapy of 5 kinds of different materials included water,polystyrene,polylactic acid,glycerol and silica-gel in Bolus materials,and compared the differences of the dose distributions between chest wall and lung tissue.Results:The Bolus materials have a relatively minor effect on the depth of maximum dose(dmax)of electron beams on the chest wall.The dmax maximum difference that was caused by Bolus with 10mm thickness only was 2mm.The Bolus materials with 10mm thickness have a notable effect on dose distribution,particularly in the posterior edge of the chest wall and shallow lung tissue.The order of Bolus materials corresponding to the dose in the posterior edge of the chest wall,from large to small,was polystyrene,water,polylactic acid,silica-gel and glycerol.For Bolus materials with 5 mm thickness and 10 mm thickness,the dose differences were approximate 8%and 15%,respectively.In shallow lung tissue,the corresponding Bolus materials with doses from large to small were water,polystyrene,polylactic acid,silica-gel and glycerol.For Bolus materials with 5 mm thickness and 10 mm thickness,the maximum dose differences were approximate 50%and 70%,respectively.Conclusion:The effect of Bolus materials has larger effect on the dose distribution of electron beam radiotherapy on the chest wall.The reasonable selection of Bolus materials is contributed to ensure the dose of target region,and minimize dose deposition of lung tissue.

Pulmonary nodular lesions include benign and malignant pulmonary nodules. Lung adenocarcinoma is the most common type of malignant pulmonary nodules. Lung adenocarcinoma includes precursor gland lesions minimally invasive adenocarcinoma, invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma and invasive non mucinous adenocarcinoma. The surgical methods and prognosis vary depending on the pathological subtypes. At present, it is proposed that the proportion of micropapillary, solid components in tumor alveolar dissemination and subtypes directly affect surgical methods and prognosis. Therefore, this article proposes that wedge lung resection can be performed for precursor glandular lesions. Subpulmonary lobectomy can be performed for minimally invasive adenocarcinoma. Invasive adenocarcinoma requires lobectomy and lymph node dissection. Even if patients with stage Ia lung adenocarcinoma who contain solid components in tumor alveolar dissemination , micropapillary, and pleural invasion components are recommended for postoperative adjuvant treatment.

Objective:To evaluate the value of the ratio of tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion to pulmonary artery systolic pressure (TAPSE/PASP) in evaluating right ventricular function of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).Methods:A total of 74 patients with HCM and HFpEF and 22 healthy individuals who visited the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2021 to January 2023 were included in this study. The HCM patients with HFpEF were divided into three groups based on the tertiles of the TAPSE/PASP (low group: <0.280 0 mm/mmHg; middle group: 0.280 0-0.476 2 mm/mmHg; high group: >0.476 2 mm/mmHg). Conventional echocardiographic parameters were collected, and two-dimensional speckle tracking technology was used to obtain right ventricular strain parameters. The differences in parameters among the groups were compared, and the correlations between TAPSE/PASP and clinical parameters and right ventricular function parameters were analyzed.Results:The results of difference analysis showed that there were significant differences in 6-minute walking test, New York Heart Association grade (NYHA grade), incidence of atrial fibrillation, left atrial area (LAA), left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS), TAPSE, PASP, right ventricular fractional area change (RVFAC), right ventricular global longitudinal strain (RVGLS), right ventricular free wall strain (RVFWST) and cardiac magnetic resonance right ventricular ejection fraction (CMR-RVEF) among the three groups. The results of correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis showed that the TAPSE/PASP was positively correlated with 6-minute walking distance, RVFAC, tricuspid annulus peak systolic velocity (RV s′), and CMR-RVEF ( r=0.449, 0.284, 0.358, 0.577; all P<0.05). It was negatively correlated with N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), NYHA grade, LAA, mitral early diastolic peak velocity / mitral annulus early diastolic peak velocity (LV E/e′), LVGLS, RVGLS, RVFWST and tricuspid early diastolic peak velocity / tricuspid annulus early diastolic peak velocity (RV E/e′) (r/ rs=-0.336, -0.349, -0.468, -0.452, -0.444, -0.339, -0.405, -0.320; all P<0.05). The LAA and CMR-RVEF correlated independently with TAPSE/PASP(all P<0.05). Conclusions:The TAPSE/PASP can provide an early, simple, rapid, and convenient evaluation of right ventricular function in patients with HCM and HFpEF, so as to guide clinical treatment and monitoring disease progression.

Objective:To search for valuable laboratory indexes of early diagnosis of anastomotic leakage after anterior resection for rectal carcinoma.Methods:From Sep 2017 to Jan 2019, 128 patients with colorectal cancer underwent anterior rectal resection at the Department of Colorectal & Anal Surgery, the 940 Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force.Results:Anastomotic leakage occurred in 16 of 128 patients (12.5%). Definite diagnosis of anastomotic leakage was made on between 2nd and 9th day, postopera tively averagign (6.13±2.00) days. Tumor location was a risk factor for anastomotic leakage with the incidence significantly lower when the distance from the lower edge of the tumor to the anal margin >7 cm than when the distance ≤7 cm ( χ 2=6.022, P=0.014). The percentage of increase in peripheral blood leukocytes, neutrophils, serum interleukin-6, C-reactive protein and procalcitonin in patients 3-5 days after surgery significantly related to the occurrence of anastomotic leakage (all P<0.05). The area under the working characteristic curve of the subjects with the percentage of C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, interleukin-6, leukocytes and neutrophils from the 3rd to the 5th day after operation was greater than 0.5. Conclusion:C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, interleukin-6, leukocyte and neutrophil percentage are risk factors predicting anastomotic leakage after anterior resection of rectal cancer.

Objective:To investigate the effect of different ischemic preconditioning (IPC) modes on ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury of skeletal muscle in rats.Methods:Forty male SD rats were selected to construct the model of IR injury of skeletal muscle by clamping one side of the femoral artery. In the IPC mode, the right femoral artery was clipped for 10 minutes, and reperfusion ensued for 10 minutes after the release of artery clamp. Such preconditioning procedure was repeated 3 times. The rats were divided into conventional IR group, IPC immediate group, IPC24-hour group, IPC48-hour group and sham operation group according to the random number table method, with 8 rats in each group.In conventional IR group, the right femoral artery was clipped for 3 hours and then the artery clamp was released to allow reperfusion for 3 hours. In IPC immediate group, the same treatment as conventional IR group was performed immediately after preconditioning. In IPC24-hour group, the rats received skin suturing after preconditioning and then fed in a cage for 24 hours before the same treatment as conventional IR group. In IPC48-hour group, the rats received skin suturing after preconditioning and then fed in a cage for 48 hours before the same treatment as conventional IR group. In sham operation group, the right femoral artery was bluntly separated but not clipped. At the end of reperfusion, the tibialis anterior muscle tissue, gastrocnemius muscle tissue and serum were collected. The ratio of wet weight to dry weight (W/D) of the tibialis anterior muscle tissue was calculated to evaluate tissue edema. After HE staining, histopathological changes of gastrocnemius muscle were observed and the injury severity of gastrocnemius tissue was scored. Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined by ELISA. Expressions of hypoxia receptor (EGLN1) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in the gastrocnemius tissue were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR).Results:The degree of tissue edema was reduced under different IPC modes when compared with conventional IR group (all P<0.01). The W/D in conventional IR group, IPC immediate group, IPC24-hour group and IPC48-hour group were 6.05±0.19, 5.70±0.12, 5.25±0.13 and 5.50±0.08, higher than 3.80±0.08 in sham operation group (all P<0.01). IPC24-hour group had the least degree of edema when compared with IPC immediate group and IPC48-hour group ( P<0.05 or 0.01). The muscle fibers in sham operation group were neatly arranged with clear structure, and the muscle fibers in other groups showed different degrees of injury and inflammatory infiltration. The total scores for tissue injury severity in IPC immediate group, IPC24-hour group and IPC48-hour group were (8.15±0.15)points, (6.15±0.38)points and (6.90±0.19)points, lower than (9.60±0.50)points in conventional IR group and higher than (0.16±0.16)points in sham operation group (all P<0.01). The total scores for tissue injury severity in IPC24-hour group and IPC48-hour group were not significantly different ( P>0.05), but both decreased when compared with IPC immediate group ( P<0.05 or 0.01). ELISA showed that the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and MDA under different IPC modes were higher than those in sham operation group (all P<0.01), and the order from high to low was conventional IR group, IPC immediate group, IPC48-hour group, IPC24-hour group and sham operation group. Levels of IL-1β, TNF-α and MDA in IPC24-hour group were decreased when compared with IPC immediate group and IPC48-hour group (all P<0.05). qRT-PCR showed that the expression of EGLN1 mRNA from high to low was conventional IR group, IPC48-hour group, sham operation group, IPC immediate group and IPC24-hour group and that the expression of EGLN1 mRNA in IPC24-hour group decreased when compared with conventional IR group, IPC immediate group and IPC48-hour group (all P<0.01). The expression of HIF-1α mRNA increased under different IPC modes when compared with sham operation group (all P<0.01), and the order from high to low was IPC24-hour group, IPC immediate group, IPC48-hour group, conventional IR group and sham operation group. The expression of HIF-1α mRNA in IPC24-hour group increased when compared with conventional IR group, IPC immediate group and IPC48-hour group ( P<0.05 or 0.01), but there was no significant difference between IPC immediate group and IPC48-hour group ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Different ischemic preconditioning modes can reduce IR injury of skeletal muscle in rats by reducing tissue edema, inflammatory symptoms and oxidative stress response, among which reperfusion 24 hours after IPC has the best effect on IR injury. EGLN1 and HIF-1α may be involved in IPC to alleviate IR injury of skeletal muscle in rats.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of posterolateral approach combined with anteromedial approach in the treatment of trimalleolus fracture.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed of the 20 patients who had been admitted to The Second Department of Orthopedics, The First People's Hospital of Tianshui for trimalleolus fractures from January 2016 to August 2020. They were 16 men and 4 women, aged from 20 to 70 years (average, 49.6 years). The lateral malleolus, posterior malleolus and medial malleolus were treated with reduction and internal fixation using the posterolateral approach combined with the anteromedial approach. Postoperative complications were observed, and the foot function was assessed using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score and pain visual analog scale (VAS).Results:In this cohort, the operation time ranged from 85 to 115 minutes, averaging 88.4 minutes and the intraoperative blood loss from 50 to 600 mL, averaging 120 mL. All patients were followed up for 12 to 20 months (mean, 14.5 months). The fracture healing time ranged from 3.2 to 5.4 months, averaging 3.8 months. Follow-ups observed no such complications as infection or necrosis of surgical incision, failure of internal fixation, nonunion, or malunion. The AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score at 12 months after operation (87.8±6.4) was significantly higher than that before operation (32.3±4.9) ( t=29.454, P<0.001); as for VAS, one case scored 0, 13 cases 1 to 3 points and 6 cases 4 points. Conclusion:In the treatment of trimalleolus fracture, a combination of posterolateral approach and anteromedial approach can lead to definitely positive efficacy because of a significant reduction in operation time, intraoperative bleeding and postoperative complications.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical value of 18F-FDG PET/CT findings in patients with T1-2 lung adenocarcinoma spread through air spaces (STAS). Methods:From June 2018 to June 2020, a total of 80 patients (36 males, 44 females; age: 19-84 (59.9±11.8) years) with surgically and pathologically confirmed T1-2 lung adenocarcinomas in Jiangmen Central Hospital were enrolled retrospectively. All patients underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT examination preoperatively and were divided into STAS positive and negative groups according to the histopathological diagnosis. Independent-sample t test, Mann-Whitney U test, χ2 test and Fisher exact test were used to analyze differences of gender, age, tumor biomarker, SUV max, SUV mean, features showed on high resolution CT (HRCT; including diameter, lesion location, morphology, density, lobulated sharp, spiculated sign, vacuole sign, air bronchgram sign, pleural traction and para-emphysema), and pathologic findings (micropapillary pattern, lymphvascular inversion, pleural inversion and lymph node metastasis) between the two groups, and then multivariate logistic regression was performed. The ROC curve was employed to evaluate the predictive value of parameters for STAS of T1-2 lung adenocarcinomas. Results:Among the 80 patients with T1-2 lung adenocarcinomas, 12 (15.0%) were STAS positive and 68 (85.0%) were STAS negative. Significant differences were shown in SUV max, SUV mean, micropapillary pattern, lymphvascular inversion and lymph node metastasis between the two groups ( z values: -2.60, -2.17; χ2 values: 29.56, 9.28, 17.40, P<0.001 or P<0.05). SUV max (odds ratio ( OR): 1.348 (95% CI: 1.071-1.695), P=0.011), micropapillary pattern ( OR=47.444 (95% CI: 4.592-490.214), P=0.001) and lymph node metastasis ( OR=8.201 (95% CI: 1.129-59.576), P=0.038) were independent risk factors for STAS positive in multivariation logistic regression analysis. The optimum cut-off value for SUV max was 3.85 in the ROC analysis with the AUC of 0.737 (95% CI: 0.614-0.859), the sensitivity of 11/12, the specificity of 55.9%(38/68) and the accuracy of 61.2%(49/80). The AUC of the SUV max combined with micropapillary pattern and lymph node metastasis was 0.945 (95% CI: 0.892-0.999) with the sensitivity of 11/12, the specificity of 88.2%(60/68) and the accuracy of 88.7%(71/80). Conclusions:The PET/CT characteristics may be useful in differentiating STAS status among patients with T1-2 lung adenocarcinoma. SUV max >3.85, pathological papillary pattern and lymph node metastasis are independent risk factors to predict STAS.

Antiviral therapy can reduce the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic hepatitis B. As for the first-line antiviral drugs, more studies have shown that tenofovir disoproxil fumarate may be better than entecavir in reducing the risk of HCC, especially among Asian patients; a limited number of studies have shown that tenofovir alafenamide fumarate may be better than tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in reducing the risk of HCC; interferon has a better effect than nucleos(t)ide analogues alone in reducing the risk of HCC. Among the currently available drugs, interferon combined with nucleos(t)ide analogues may be the best choice to reduce the risk of HCC in patients at a high risk of HCC. The level of evidence-based medicine is weak for comparing the effect of different drugs in reducing the risk of HCC, and randomized controlled trials are needed for further clarification. In practice, it is necessary to weigh the risk of HCC, drug tolerance and economic affordability based on the patient's basic conditions and actual situations, so as to develop individualized anti-viral strategies.