Objective:To construct curved microgrooves with gradient surface roughness on polycaprolactone (PCL) members by regulating alkali etching time and to investigate the synergistic effect of surface roughness and curved microgrooves on the in vitro osteogenic differentiation of mouse pre-osteoblasts (MC3T3-E1), aiming to determine the optimal PCL surface modification strategy. Methods:Soft lithography and melt-casting techniques were used to fabricate PCL membranes with regularly arranged curved microgrooves (CMP). Alkali etching was performed for 24, 48, and 72 h. Groups: smooth PCL (control), CMP (curved microgrooves only), CMP-24 h, CMP-48 h, CMP-72 h (CMP etched for 24, 48, 72 h, respectively). Surface physicochemical properties were characterized: surface morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), surface roughness was measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM), and surface hydrophilicity was evaluated by contact angle measurement. MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured in vitro. Cell adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation were assessed using cell counting (CCK-8), immunofluorescence staining, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Alizarin red staining with quantification. The mRNA expression levels of osteogenesis-related genes [ALP, collagen type Ⅰ (COL-1), Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX-2), osteocalcin (OCN), osteopontin (OPN)] were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Results:Curved microgrooves were successfully fabricated on PCL membranes. Alkali treatment improved surface hydrophilicity and increased roughness. The CMP-72 h group exhibited the best hydrophilicity (contact angle: 33.2°±5.5°), with significant differences compared to all other groups (all P<0.05). The CMP-72 h group showed the highest roughness [(59.966±4.729) nm], which was significantly different from all other groups (all P<0.05). CCK-8 results on day 5 showed that both curved microgrooves and roughness promoted cell proliferation: CMP-24 h (0.292±0.003) and CMP-72 h (0.383±0.004) were significantly higher than those in the smooth group (0.270±0.005) (all P<0.05). Immunofluorescence staining revealed that curved microgrooves induced significant contact guidance of cells; this effect weakened with increasing etching time. ALP and Alizarin red staining indicated the deepest osteogenic staining in the CMP-48 h group. Both ALP activity (0.013 021±0.000 032) and Alizarin red quantification (0.290±0.003) were highest in the CMP-48 h group, significantly different from all other groups (all P<0.05). RUNX-2 expression in CMP-24 h and CMP-48 h groups (1.845±0.087 and 1.837±0.027, respectively) was significantly higher than in other groups (all P<0.05), with no significant difference between these two groups ( P>0.05). CMP-48 h group exhibited the highest mRNA expression of all osteogenic genes tested, specifically ALP (2.194±0.028), COL-1 (1.983±0.024), OCN (7.644±0.156), and OPN (2.648±0.031), all significantly greater than other groups (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Both curved microgrooves and surface roughness modification enhance the in vitro osteogenic differentiation of cells on PCL membranes. Among the tested strategies, alkali etching of curved microgrooves for 48 hours (CMP-48h) provided the optimal enhancement of osteogenic capability for MC3T3-E1 cells and represented a promising surface modification strategy for future PCL membranes.

Purpose To identify hepatocellular carcinoma that responds to repetitive transcatheter arterial chemoembolization(TACE)based on CT radiomics.Materials and Methods A total of 96 patients diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from February 2018 to May 2024 were randomly divided into a training group(n=67)and internal validation group(n=29)at a ratio of 7∶3.All patients received three or more TACE treatments.Radiomics features were extracted from lipiodol of the target-lesions by semi-automatic segmentation on the axial CT image after TACE within 24 hours.The radiomics model were constructed by five features for differentiating non-response group from response group.Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and decision curve were performed to evaluate the performance of the model.Results Child-Pugh classification(OR=2.737,P<0.05),BCLC stage(OR=2.907,P<0.05),multifocal tumors(OR=4.505,P<0.01)and alpha-fetoprotein(OR=1.002,P<0.01)were independent risk factors for predicting tumor response after TACE.The area under the curve of the non-contrast CT based model and the arterial-enhanced CT based model were 0.813 and 0.831 in the experimental group;0.748 and 0.788 in the validation group,respectively.Both of the two models showed good prediction performance.Conclusion The radiomics model based on CT imaging features after first TACE is effectively for differentiating non-response group from response group,lipiodol retention patterns from the target lesion can be the imaging biomarkers for TACE response prediction.

Objective:To construct curved microgrooves with gradient surface roughness on polycaprolactone (PCL) members by regulating alkali etching time and to investigate the synergistic effect of surface roughness and curved microgrooves on the in vitro osteogenic differentiation of mouse pre-osteoblasts (MC3T3-E1), aiming to determine the optimal PCL surface modification strategy. Methods:Soft lithography and melt-casting techniques were used to fabricate PCL membranes with regularly arranged curved microgrooves (CMP). Alkali etching was performed for 24, 48, and 72 h. Groups: smooth PCL (control), CMP (curved microgrooves only), CMP-24 h, CMP-48 h, CMP-72 h (CMP etched for 24, 48, 72 h, respectively). Surface physicochemical properties were characterized: surface morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), surface roughness was measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM), and surface hydrophilicity was evaluated by contact angle measurement. MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured in vitro. Cell adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation were assessed using cell counting (CCK-8), immunofluorescence staining, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Alizarin red staining with quantification. The mRNA expression levels of osteogenesis-related genes [ALP, collagen type Ⅰ (COL-1), Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX-2), osteocalcin (OCN), osteopontin (OPN)] were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Results:Curved microgrooves were successfully fabricated on PCL membranes. Alkali treatment improved surface hydrophilicity and increased roughness. The CMP-72 h group exhibited the best hydrophilicity (contact angle: 33.2°±5.5°), with significant differences compared to all other groups (all P<0.05). The CMP-72 h group showed the highest roughness [(59.966±4.729) nm], which was significantly different from all other groups (all P<0.05). CCK-8 results on day 5 showed that both curved microgrooves and roughness promoted cell proliferation: CMP-24 h (0.292±0.003) and CMP-72 h (0.383±0.004) were significantly higher than those in the smooth group (0.270±0.005) (all P<0.05). Immunofluorescence staining revealed that curved microgrooves induced significant contact guidance of cells; this effect weakened with increasing etching time. ALP and Alizarin red staining indicated the deepest osteogenic staining in the CMP-48 h group. Both ALP activity (0.013 021±0.000 032) and Alizarin red quantification (0.290±0.003) were highest in the CMP-48 h group, significantly different from all other groups (all P<0.05). RUNX-2 expression in CMP-24 h and CMP-48 h groups (1.845±0.087 and 1.837±0.027, respectively) was significantly higher than in other groups (all P<0.05), with no significant difference between these two groups ( P>0.05). CMP-48 h group exhibited the highest mRNA expression of all osteogenic genes tested, specifically ALP (2.194±0.028), COL-1 (1.983±0.024), OCN (7.644±0.156), and OPN (2.648±0.031), all significantly greater than other groups (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Both curved microgrooves and surface roughness modification enhance the in vitro osteogenic differentiation of cells on PCL membranes. Among the tested strategies, alkali etching of curved microgrooves for 48 hours (CMP-48h) provided the optimal enhancement of osteogenic capability for MC3T3-E1 cells and represented a promising surface modification strategy for future PCL membranes.

Purpose To identify hepatocellular carcinoma that responds to repetitive transcatheter arterial chemoembolization(TACE)based on CT radiomics.Materials and Methods A total of 96 patients diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from February 2018 to May 2024 were randomly divided into a training group(n=67)and internal validation group(n=29)at a ratio of 7∶3.All patients received three or more TACE treatments.Radiomics features were extracted from lipiodol of the target-lesions by semi-automatic segmentation on the axial CT image after TACE within 24 hours.The radiomics model were constructed by five features for differentiating non-response group from response group.Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and decision curve were performed to evaluate the performance of the model.Results Child-Pugh classification(OR=2.737,P<0.05),BCLC stage(OR=2.907,P<0.05),multifocal tumors(OR=4.505,P<0.01)and alpha-fetoprotein(OR=1.002,P<0.01)were independent risk factors for predicting tumor response after TACE.The area under the curve of the non-contrast CT based model and the arterial-enhanced CT based model were 0.813 and 0.831 in the experimental group;0.748 and 0.788 in the validation group,respectively.Both of the two models showed good prediction performance.Conclusion The radiomics model based on CT imaging features after first TACE is effectively for differentiating non-response group from response group,lipiodol retention patterns from the target lesion can be the imaging biomarkers for TACE response prediction.

Objective:To establish auto verification rules for the routine coagulation assays,and to provide reference for clinical laboratories to improve the quality and efficiency of results verification.Methods:A total of 24,510 specimens of sodium citrate anticoagulation routine coagulation test from the laboratory departments of eight hospitals including the First Medical Center,Chinese PLA General Hospital during January to March 2020 were collected and randomly divided into a rule establishment group and a rule verification group,with 6,670 specimens in the rule establishment group,including 2,056 Delta checks,and 17,840 specimens in the rule validation group,including 3,210 Delta checks.The activities of prothrombin time(PT),activated partial thromboplastin time(APTT),fibrinogen(Fib),thrombin time(TT),D-dimer(DD)and/or antithrombin(AT)were detected by Stago STA R Max automatic coagulation analyzer and supporting reagents.Taking the manual verification results as the standard,the auto verification and manual false negative rate(invalid verification),false positive rate(invalid interception),pass rate,positive coincidence rate,negative coincidence rate,verification consistency rate and specimen turnaround time(TAT)of the two groups were calculated.Results:The auto verification rules and the application process were preliminarily established,including internal quality control,alarm information,auto verification scope,critical value and deviation value inspection.In the rule establishment group,the single item pass rate was 82.6%-92.4%,and the overall pass rate was 73.8%.The consistency rate between auto verification and manual verification was 98.2%,and the positive coincidence rate and negative coincidence rate were 24.4%and 73.8%,respectively.In the rule verification group,the single item pass rate was 86.4%-91.5%,and the overall review pass rate was 71.5%.By simulating the application of auto verification rules,the average TAT of two hospitals among the eight hospitals was shortened by 1.5 hours and 2.1 hours,respectively.Conclusion:The application of auto verification rules can reduce workload of manual verification,and significantly shorten the TAT,and improve the report efficiency of the laboratory.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of hospitalized premenopausal patients with hyperuricemia.Methods:The medical records of premenopausal women with hyperuricemia (serum uric acid ≥360 μmol/L during hospitalization) admitted in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2013 to 2018 were reviewed and the clinical data were analyzed.Results:A total of 2 099 patients were enrolled. Only 14.01% (294 cases) of the patients were concerned about hyperuricemia by physicians. Autoimmune diseases (32.11%, 674 cases), nephrotic disease (19.29%, 405 cases) and endocrine system diseases (9.72%, 204 cases) are the main reasons for hospitalization, while 6.34%(133 cases) of patients were in gestation. In terms of the etiology, renal diseases (49.35%, 1 035 cases), specific drug use (49.26%, 1 034 cases) were the main causes of secondary hyperuricemia in premenopausal women, followed by metabolic diseases (10.62%, 233 cases). There was no significant difference in serum uric acid level among premenopausal women of different ages ( H=4.47, P=0.107), but the etiology of hyperuricemia among patients of different ages had significant differences. The proportion of hyperuricemia in patients with cancer and metabolic syndrome,secondary to use of diuretics and anti-tuberculosis drugs had differences among different age groups ( χ2=90.96,52.89,19.26 and 6.41, P<0.05). Conclusion:Hyperuricemia is not uncommon in premenopausal women. There are many secondary factors leading to hyperuricemia in premenopausal women, among which drugs and renal lesions are the main causes. In addition, the secondary factors in women with hyperuricemia has differences among different age groups.

Background: ASF was first reported in Kenya in 1910 in 1921. In China, ASF spread to 31 provinces including Henan and Jiangsu within six months after it was first reported on August 3, 2018. The epidemic almost affected the whole China, causing direct economic losses of tens of billions of yuan. Cause great loss to our pig industry. As ELISA is cheap and easy to operate, OIE regards it as the preferred serological method for ASF detection. P54 protein has good antigenicity and is an ideal antigen for detection. Objective: To identify a conservative site in the African swine fever virus (ASFV) p54 protein and perform a Cloth-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detecting the ASFV antibody in order to reduce risks posed by using the live virus in diagnostic assays.Method: We used bioinformatics methods to predict the antigen epitope of the ASFV p54 protein in combination with the antigenic index and artificially synthesized the predicted antigen epitope peptides. Using ASFV-positive serum and specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), we performed indirect ELISA and blocking ELISA to verify the immunological properties of the predicted epitope polypeptide. Results: The results of our prediction revealed that the possible antigen epitope regions were A23–29, A36–45, A72–94, A114–120, A124–130, and A137–150. The indirect ELISA showed that the peptides A23–29, A36–45, A72–94, A114–120, and A137–150 have good antigenicity.Moreover, the A36–45 polypeptide can react specifically with the mAb secreted by hybridoma cells, and its binding site contains a minimum number of essential amino acids in the sequence 37DIQFINPY44. Conclusions Our study confirmed a conservative antigenic site in the ASFV p54 protein and its amino acid sequence. A competitive ELISA method for detecting ASFV antibodies was established based on recombinant p54 and matching mAb. Moreover, testing the protein sequence alignment verified that the method can theoretically detect antibodies produced by pigs affected by nearly all ASFVs worldwide.

Objective:The investigation and research on the application status of Hepatic Venous Pressure Gradient (HVPG) is very important to understand the real situation and future development of this technology in China.Methods:This study comprehensively investigated the basic situation of HVPG technology in China, including hospital distribution, hospital level, annual number of cases, catheters used, average cost, indications and existing problems.Results:According to the survey, there were 70 hospitals in China carrying out HVPG technology in 2021, distributed in 28 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central Government). A total of 4 398 cases of HVPG were performed in all the surveyed hospitals in 2021, of which 2 291 cases (52.1%) were tested by HVPG alone. The average cost of HVPG detection was (5 617.2±2 079.4) yuan. 96.3% of the teams completed HVPG detection with balloon method, and most of the teams used thrombectomy balloon catheter (80.3%).Conclusion:Through this investigation, the status of domestic clinical application of HVPG has been clarified, and it has been confirmed that many domestic medical institutions have mastered this technology, but it still needs to continue to promote and popularize HVPG technology in the future.

Objective:To investigate the nutritional status of elderly inpatients in China, and to assess its relationship with clinical outcomes.Methods:A prospective, multicenter, parallel investigation was organized and conducted by the Chinese Medical Association's Group of Geriatric Nutrition Support.Patients aged ≥65 years from 30 major hospitals of 14 cities in China were evaluated by the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002(NRS2002)and the Mini-Nutritional Assessment-Short Form(MNA-SF), in order to understand the nutritional status and nutritional risk of elderly inpatients in China.The indicators of clinical outcomes were summarized, and the correlation between nutritional status and clinical outcomes was analyzed.Results:A total of 10 184 elderly patients who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in this study, aged 65-112(74.81±7.01)years, with a body mass index(BMI)of 17.80-35.50(23.32±3.83)kg/m 2.Grip strength of the dominant hand was(16.95±18.42)kg, upper arm circumference was(25.68±3.70)cm, and calf circumference was(32.07±3.89)cm.BMI, grip strength, upper arm circumference and calf circumference decreased significantly with age( F=13.74, 97.47, 28.31 and 88.68, all P<0.001). NRS2002 was conducted on 10 182 patients.Of them, 10.14%(895/10 182)suffered malnutrition(BMI≤18.5 kg/m 2), and 46.42%(4 726/10 182)were at nutritional risk(NRS2002 score≥3). Nutrition deficiency and nutritional risk showed upward trends with age( F=43.41 and 177.05, both P<0.001). A total of 9 755 patients(95.79%, 9 755/10 182)completed the MNA-SF.Of them, 14.67%(1 431/9 755)had malnutrition, 35.04%(3 418/9 755)were at risk of malnutrition, and 50.29%(4 906/9 755)had normal nutritional status.The incidence of malnutrition and the risk of malnutrition significantly increased with age( F=172.79, 12.10 and 152.42, all P<0.05). Nutritional risk(NRS2002 score≥3)was related to age, BMI, mortality, infectious complications, length of hospital stay and total hospital cost(all P<0.05). Conclusions:The incidence of malnutrition and the risk of malnutrition are high in elderly inpatients in China.Nutritional risk is an influencing factor for adverse clinical outcomes.

Objective To investigate the distribution of age at onset and its influence on clinical characteristics in synovitis,acne,pustulosis,hyperostosis,and osteitis (SAPHO) syndrome.Methods We recruited 164 patients with SAPHO syndrome who presented to Peking Union Medical College Hospital from Jan 2004 to Mar 2015.All the patients were assessed for medical history,laboratory tests and imaging presentations.The distribution of age at onset was analyzed using Shapiro-Wilknormality test and Kolmogorov-Smimov test for mixed normal distribution.The influence of age at onset on clinical features was analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test and x2 test.Results A double-peak mixed normal distribution of age at onset of skin lesions was found in female patients with SAPHO syndrome,with means and standard deviations of (30±6) years (early-onset) and (51 ±7) years (late-onset) for each mixed normal distribution.The cut-off point was determined to be 42 years old.Nonetheless,a typical single-peak normal distribution of age at onset of skin lesions was observed in male patients.A significantly higher frequency of thoracic region pain [14/36 (38.9％) vs 6/70 (8.6％),x2=14.28,P＜0.01,spinal lesions revealed by bone scintigraphy [23/35 (65.7％) vs 23/66(34.8％),x2=8.79,P=0.003],and peripheral skeletal lesions revealed by bone scintigraphy [17/35 (48.6％) vs 17/66(25.8％),x2=5.33,P=0.021] were found in late-onset female patients compared with early-onset ones.Moreover,female patients with late onset had significantly higher hs-CRP level [(12±12) mg/L vs (9±11) mg/L;U=911.5,P=-0.042)],pain VAS (4.8±1.8 vs 4.0±2.1;U=948,P=0.036),and BASFI (3.0±2.2 vs 1.8±2.0;U=822.5,P=0.003) at baseline than those with early onset.Conclusion Female patients with SAPHO syndrome have a double-peak distribution of age at onset of skin lesions.Female patients with early and late onset of skin lesions exhibit distinct clinical characteristics.