This article reports a diagnostically and therapeutically challenging case of small intestinal marginal zone lymphoma. The patient presented with recurrent abdominal pain as the chief complaint, and imaging revealed multifocal small bowel wall thickening with high uptake, multisegmental luminal stenosis, and proximal dilation. Initial diagnostic workup, including gastroscopy, colonoscopy, and enteroscopy with biopsy, failed to establish a definitive diagnosis. Empirical anti-tuberculosis therapy was ineffective. A repeat enteroscopic biopsy performed over eight months after symptom onset eventually confirmed the diagnosis of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) extranodal marginal zone lymphoma. Despite three different chemotherapy regimens, the patient's intestinal obstruction symptoms persisted, with imaging still showing multifocal bowel wall thickening and hypermetabolic activity. A critical diagnostic dilemma arose regarding whether the PET/CT-positive lesions represented residual lymphoma or fibrotic scarring, whether further chemotherapy adjustments were warranted, and whether surgical resection was necessary. Multidisciplinary discussion concluded that imaging had limited discriminatory value in this scenario and that surgical intervention should be pursued if feasible. The patient successfully underwent partial small bowel resection, with postoperative pathology confirming no residual lymphoma but significant fibrotic changes. The patient has since resumed a normal diet, with body weight nearly restored to pre-illness levels. This case highlights that fibrotic transformation is a common sequela of treated marginal zone lymphoma and that PET/CT may misleadingly suggest residual disease, potentially leading to unnecessary chemotherapy. Timely surgical intervention is crucial in such scenarios.

Objective:To compare and discuss the mid-to-long-term outcomes of mitral valve repair (MVP) versus biological mitral valve replacement (bMVR) in patients aged 60 years and above with rheumatic mitral valve disease.Methods:This is a retrospective cohort study. A total of 765 patients aged 60 years and older, diagnosed with rheumatic mitral valve disease and who underwent MVP or bMVR at Beijing Anzhen Hospital from January 2010 to January 2023, were retrospectively included. Among them, 186 were male and 579 were female, with an age of (66.1±4.5) years (range: 60 to 82 years). Patients were divided into two groups based on the surgical method: the mitral valve repair group (MVP group, n=256) and the bioprosthetic mitral valve replacement group (bMVR group, n=509). A 1∶1 propensity score matching was performed using a caliper value of 0.2 based on preoperative data. Paired sample t-tests, χ2 tests, or Fisher′s exact tests were used for intergroup comparisons. Kaplan-Meier method was employed to plot survival curves and valve-related reoperation rate curves for both groups before and after matching, and Log-rank tests were used to compare the mid-to long-term survival rates and valve-related reoperation rates between the two groups. Results:A total of 765 patients who completed follow-up were ultimately included, with a follow-up period ( M(IQR)) of 5.1(5.0) years (range: 1.0 to 12.9 years). After matching, each group consisted of 256 patients. The incidence of early postoperative atrial fibrillation (39.1% vs. 49.2%, χ2=4.95, P=0.026) and early mortality rates (2.0% vs. 6.2%, χ2=4.97, P=0.026) were lower in the MVP group. Unadjusted Kaplan-Meier analysis showed significantly higher 5-year and 10-year survival rates for the MVP group (92.54% vs. 83.02%, 86.22% vs. 70.19%, Log-rank: P=0.001). After adjustment with propensity scores, the Kaplan-Meier analysis still indicated higher 5-year and 10-year survival rates in the MVP group compared to the bMVR group (92.54% vs. 85.89%, 86.22% vs. 74.83%, Log-rank: P=0.024). There were no significant differences in the rates of valve-related reoperation between the two groups before and after matching (5-year and 10-year reoperation rates pre-matching: 1.75% vs. 0.57%, 5.39% vs. 7.54%, Log-rank: P=0.207; post-matching: 1.75% vs. 0, 5.39% vs. 9.27%, Log-rank: P=0.157). Conclusion:For patients aged 60 years and above with rheumatic mitral valve disease, mitral valve repair offers better mid-to-long-term survival compared to biological valve replacement.

Epigenomic imbalance drives abnormal transcriptional processes,promoting the onset and progression of cancer.Although defective gene regulation generally affects carcinogenesis and tumor suppression networks,tumor immunogenicity and immune cells involved in antitumor responses may also be affected by epigenomic changes,which may have significant implications for the development and application of epigenetic therapy,cancer immunotherapy,and their combinations.Herein,we focus on the impact of epigenetic regulation on tumor immune cell function and the role of key abnormal epigenetic processes,DNA methylation,histone post-translational modification,and chromatin structure in tumor immunogenicity,and introduce these epigenetic research methods.We emphasize the value of small-molecule inhibitors of epigenetic modulators in enhancing antitumor immune responses and discuss the challenges of developing treatment plans that combine epigenetic therapy and immuno-therapy through the complex interaction between cancer epigenetics and cancer immunology.

Objective:To compare and discuss the mid-to-long-term outcomes of mitral valve repair (MVP) versus biological mitral valve replacement (bMVR) in patients aged 60 years and above with rheumatic mitral valve disease.Methods:This is a retrospective cohort study. A total of 765 patients aged 60 years and older, diagnosed with rheumatic mitral valve disease and who underwent MVP or bMVR at Beijing Anzhen Hospital from January 2010 to January 2023, were retrospectively included. Among them, 186 were male and 579 were female, with an age of (66.1±4.5) years (range: 60 to 82 years). Patients were divided into two groups based on the surgical method: the mitral valve repair group (MVP group, n=256) and the bioprosthetic mitral valve replacement group (bMVR group, n=509). A 1∶1 propensity score matching was performed using a caliper value of 0.2 based on preoperative data. Paired sample t-tests, χ2 tests, or Fisher′s exact tests were used for intergroup comparisons. Kaplan-Meier method was employed to plot survival curves and valve-related reoperation rate curves for both groups before and after matching, and Log-rank tests were used to compare the mid-to long-term survival rates and valve-related reoperation rates between the two groups. Results:A total of 765 patients who completed follow-up were ultimately included, with a follow-up period ( M(IQR)) of 5.1(5.0) years (range: 1.0 to 12.9 years). After matching, each group consisted of 256 patients. The incidence of early postoperative atrial fibrillation (39.1% vs. 49.2%, χ2=4.95, P=0.026) and early mortality rates (2.0% vs. 6.2%, χ2=4.97, P=0.026) were lower in the MVP group. Unadjusted Kaplan-Meier analysis showed significantly higher 5-year and 10-year survival rates for the MVP group (92.54% vs. 83.02%, 86.22% vs. 70.19%, Log-rank: P=0.001). After adjustment with propensity scores, the Kaplan-Meier analysis still indicated higher 5-year and 10-year survival rates in the MVP group compared to the bMVR group (92.54% vs. 85.89%, 86.22% vs. 74.83%, Log-rank: P=0.024). There were no significant differences in the rates of valve-related reoperation between the two groups before and after matching (5-year and 10-year reoperation rates pre-matching: 1.75% vs. 0.57%, 5.39% vs. 7.54%, Log-rank: P=0.207; post-matching: 1.75% vs. 0, 5.39% vs. 9.27%, Log-rank: P=0.157). Conclusion:For patients aged 60 years and above with rheumatic mitral valve disease, mitral valve repair offers better mid-to-long-term survival compared to biological valve replacement.

Background Salidroside (SAL) has a protective effect on multiple organ systems. Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) in the atmosphere may lead to disruptions in gut microbiota and impact intestinal health. The regulatory effect of SAL on the gut microbiota of mice exposed to PM_2.5 requires further investigation. Objective To evaluate gut microbiota disruption in mice after being exposed to PM_2.5 and the potential effect of SAL. Methods Forty male C57BL/6 mice, aged 6 to 8 weeks, were randomly divided into four groups: a control group, an SAL group, a PM_2.5 group, and an SAL+PM_2.5 group, each containing 10 mice. In the SAL group and the SAL+PM_2.5 group, the mice were administered SAL (60 mg·kg⁻¹) by gavage, while in the control group and the PM_2.5 group, sterile saline (10 mL·kg⁻¹) was administered by gavage. In the PM_2.5 group and the SAL+PM_2.5 group, PM_2.5 suspension (8 mg·kg⁻¹) was intratracheally instilled, and in the control group and SAL group, sterile saline (1.5 mL·kg⁻¹) was intratracheally administered. Each experiment cycle spanned 2 d, with a total of 10 cycles conducted over 20 d. Histopathological changes in the ileum tissue of the mice were observed after HE staining. Colon contents were collected for gut microbiota sequencing and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) measurements. Results The PM_2.5 group showed infiltration of inflammatory cells in the ileum tissue, while the SAL+PM_2.5 group exhibited only a small amount of inflammatory cell infiltration. Compared to the control group, the PM_2.5 group showed decreased Shannon index (P<0.05) and increased Simpson index (P<0.05), indicating that the diversity of gut microbiota in this group was decreased; the SAL+PM_2.5 group showed increased Shannon index compared to the PM_2.5 group (P<0.05) and decreased Simpson index (P<0.05), indicating that the diversity of gut microbiota in mice intervened with SAL was increased. The principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) revealed a significant separation between the PM_2.5 group and the control group, while the separation trend was less evident among the control group, the SAL group, and the SAL+PM_2.5 group. The unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic means (UPGMA) clustering tree results showed that the control group and the SAL group clustered together first, followed by clustering with the SAL+PM_2.5 group, and finally, the three groups clustered with the PM_2.5 group. The PCoA and UPGMA clustering results indicated that the uniformity and similarity of the microbiota in the PM_2.5 group were significantly decreased. Compared to the control group, the PM_2.5 group showed decreased abundance of phylum Bacteroidetes and Candidatus_Saccharimonas (P<0.05) and increased abundance of phylum Proteobacteria, genus Escherichia, genus Bacteroides, genus Prevotella, genus Enterococcus, and genus Proteus (P<0.05). Compared to the PM_2.5 group, the SAL+PM_2.5 group showed decreased abundance of phylum Proteobacteria, phylum Actinobacteria, genus Prevotella, and genus Proteus (P<0.05), and increased abundance of Candidatus_Saccharimonas (P<0.05). The PM_2.5 group showed reduced levels of propionic acid, valeric acid, and hexanoic acid compared to the control group (P<0.05), while the SAL+PM_2.5 group showed increased levels of propionic acid, isobutyric acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, and hexanoic acid compared to the PM_2.5 group (P<0.05). Conclusion Exposure to PM_2.5 can cause pathological alterations, microbial dysbiosis, and disturbing production of SCFAs in intestinal tissue in mice. However, SAL can provide a certain degree of protective effect against these changes.

Objective:To explore the application and clinical efficacy of functional neural navigation multimodal image fusion technology combined with intraoperative fluorescein sodium in the surgery of lung cancer brain metastases.Methods:Forty patients with lung cancer and brain metastasis admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region People's Hospital from January 2020 to January 2024 were collected as the observation group. Another 40 patients with lung cancer brain metastases who underwent microscopic resection at Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region People's Hospital from January 2016 to December 2019 were selected as the control group. All patients received head CT examination, head MRI examination, MRI enhanced sequence and MRA, MRV and DWI sequence scanning before operation. Functional neural navigation system was used to perform preoperative multi-modal image fusion to realize three-dimensional display of tumor lesions, and display the position relationship between tumor and functional areas, conduction bundles and large blood vessels, so as to make preoperative navigation plan. After conducting a fluorescein sodium allergy test on the patient before surgery, a small dose of fluorescein sodium (2 mg/kg) was intravenously injected during the operation. During the operation, neuro navigation was combined with fluorescein sodium to perform tumor resection by displaying the boundary between tumor tissue and normal brain tissue under a Pentero 900 Zeiss microscope 560 fluorescence mode. Both groups collected tumor tissue samples for pathological classification and immunohistochemical analysis, comparing and analyzing differences in tumor resection degree, postoperative occurrence of new neurological dysfunction, postoperative muscle strength improvement, changes in KPS scores before and after surgery, and the occurrence of complications. The metric data that conforms to normal distribution is represented by xˉ± s, and the comparison of means between two groups is conducted using independent sample t-test. Calculate the percentage based on the count data, and compare the inter group rates using the χ2 test. P<0.05 indicates statistical significance of the difference. Results:Compared with the control group, the total tumor resection rate of observation group (75.0% (30/40) ) and KPS score of 3 months after surgery (82.5% (33/40)) were better than those of the control group (52.5% (21/40) and 60% (24/40)), and the differences were statistically significant ( χ2 value was 4.94 and 4.38, P values were 0.026 and 0.036). The rate of postoperative new neurological dysfunction in the observation group (22.5% (9/40)) was lower than that in the control group (45.0% (18/40)), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( χ2=4.53, P=0.033). The length of hospital stay ((21.48±3.23) days), operation time ((216.65±56.76) points) and complication rate (37.5% (15/40)) in observation group were lower than those in control group ((22.43±2.34) days, (225.62±37.68) points, 45.0% (18/40)). However, the difference was not statistically significant ( t/ χ2 values were 1.51, 0.83, and 0.46, respectively; P values were 0.136, 0.408, and 0.496, respectively). The 12-month survival rate of observation group (67.5%(27/45) respectively was significantly higher than that of control group (40.0%(16/40) respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=6.08, P=0.014). Conclusion:Functional neural navigation multimodal image fusion technology combined with intraoperative fluorescein sodium can accurately locate the tumor and determine the boundary relationship between the tumor and normal brain tissue during lung cancer brain metastasis surgery, improve tumor resection rate, enhance patient quality of life, and ultimately improve patient prognosis without increasing the risk of related complications.

OBJECTIVES: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common subtype of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and developing personalized treatment strategies is crucial for improving patient prognosis. This study aims to develop and validate a preoperative computer tomography (CT) radiomics-based predictive model to estimate Ki-67 expression in ccRCC patients, thereby assisting in clinical treatment decisions and prognosis prediction. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 214 ccRCC patients who underwent surgical treatment at Gansu Provincial Hospital between January 2018 and November 2023. Patients were classified into high Ki-67 expression (n=123) and low Ki-67 expression (n=91) groups based on postoperative immunohistochemical staining results. The dataset was randomly divided in a 7꞉3 ratio into a training set (n=149) and a validation set (n=65). Preoperative contrast-enhanced urinary CT images and clinical data were collected. After preprocessing, 5 mm arterial-phase CT images were manually segmented layer by layer to delineate the region of interest (ROI) using ITK-SNAP 3.8 software. Radiomic features were then extracted using the FeAture Explorer (FAE) package. Dimensionality reduction and feature selection were performed using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm, yielding the optimal feature set. Three classification models were constructed using logistic regression (LR), multilayer perceptron (MLP), and support vector machine (SVM). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, area under the curve (AUC), decision curve analysis (DCA), and calibration curves were used for model evaluation. RESULTS: A total of 107 radiomic features were extracted from 5 mm arterial-phase CT images, and twenty-one features significantly associated with Ki-67 expression were selected using the LASSO algorithm. Predictive models were developed using LR, MLP, and SVM classifiers. In the training and validation sets, the AUC values for each model were 0.904 (95% CI 0.852 to 0.956) and 0.818 (95% CI 0.710 to 0.926) for the LR model, 0.859 (95% CI 0.794 to 0.923) and 0.823 (95% CI 0.716 to 0.929) for the MLP model, and 0.917 (95% CI 0.865 to 0.969) and 0.857 (95% CI 0.760 to 0.953) for the SVM model. DCA demonstrated that all models had good clinical net benefit, while calibration curves indicated high accuracy of the predictions, supporting the robustness and reliability of the models. CONCLUSIONS A CT radiomics-based model for predicting Ki-67 expression in ccRCC was successfully developed. This model provides valuable guidance for treatment planning and prognostic assessment in ccRCC patients.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell/surgery* ; Kidney Neoplasms/surgery* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods* ; Ki-67 Antigen/metabolism* ; Retrospective Studies ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Prognosis ; Adult ; Preoperative Period ; Radiomics

Objective:To compare the safety and clinical efficacy of endoscopic and surgical treatment of patients with delayed iatrogenic bile duct injury (DBDI) with severity (SG) grade 1 to 2.Methods:The clinical data of 129 patients with SG grade 1 to 2 DBDI who received endoscopic or surgical treatment in the First Hospital of Lanzhou University from November 2007 to November 2021 were retrospectively collected. There were 46 males and 83 females,aged ( M(IQR)) 54(22)years(range: 21 to 82 years). The baseline data of the two groups were matched 1∶1 by propensity score matching(caliper value was 0.2). Independent sample t test,rank sum test, χ2 test or Fisher exact probability test were used to analyze the data of the two matched groups. Results:There were 48 patients in each of the endoscopic treatment and surgical groups after matching,and there was no difference in general information between the two groups(both P>0.05). The bile duct injury-repair interval and intraoperative anesthesia complications were not statistically significant between the two groups after matching(all P>0.05). Compared with the surgical group, patients in the endoscopic treatment group had significantly shorter operative time(50 (30) minutes vs. 185 (100) minutes, Z=7.675, P<0.01) and postoperative hospital stay(5 (5) days vs. 12 (7) days, Z=5.848, P<0.01).For safety,there was no statistical difference in the incidence of immediate postoperative complications between the two groups with Clavien-Dindo classification of surgical complications<Ⅲ;the incidence of serious postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo classification of surgical complications≥Ⅲ) was significantly higher in the surgical group than in the endoscopic treatment group( P=0.012). The incidence of long-term postoperative complications was not statistically different between the two groups(28.1% vs. 20.7%, P=0.562). In terms of efficacy,the postoperative liver function indexes of patients in both groups improved significantly compared with the preoperative period and returned to normal or near normal levels; the postoperative infection indexes of both groups showed an increasing trend,but were within the normal range. Of the 96 patients in both groups,61 obtained follow-up,and the follow-up time was (89.4±48.0)months(range: 3 to 165 months),and there was no statistical difference between the two groups( P=0.079). The probability of excellent long-term follow-up (78.1% vs. 86.2%) was not statistically different between the two groups( P=0.412).In patients with Strasberg-Bismuth type E1,the probability of excellent long-term follow-up was higher in the endoscopic treatment group compared with the surgical group(13/14 vs. 2/5, P=0.037). Conclusions:For DBDI patients with SG grade 1 to 2 and bile duct continuity,endoscopy can be used as the first deterministic treatment. The advantages of endoscopic therapy compared to surgery are the lower incidence of postoperative serious complications,and the shorter duration of surgery and postoperative hospital stay.

Objective:To analyze the ultrasound characteristics of small bowel volvulus among adults and to investigate the value of ultrasound in the diagnosis of small bowel volvulus.Methods:Totally 34 adults with small bowel volvulus confirmed by clinical diagnosis or surgery and who underwent ultrasound examination at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from August 2017 to October 2022 were enrolled, including 19 males and 15 females, aged (55.0±21.8) years (range: 19 to 94 years). The clinical characteristics, CT images and ultrasound images of the patients were retrospectively reviewed, and the ultra, sound features of small bowel volvulus and its diagnostic efficacy were analyzed.Results:Abdominal pain was the typical clinical symptom of all patients. Other symptoms included 21 cases of abdominal distension, 19 cases of nausea and vomiting, and 13 cases of cessation of passage of stool or flatus. Eight patients had signs of peritonitis and 22 patients had abnormal bowel sounds. Twenty patients had a history of abdominal surgery. Twenty-seven patients underwent surgery for intestinal obstruction, and the remaining 7 patients improved after conservative treatment. All cases were evaluated by ultrasound, 11 cases showed a “whirl sign” and were diagnosed as small bowel volvulus, the diagnostic accuracy rate was 32.4% (11/34), ultrasound simultaneously diagnosed intestinal obstruction in 21 cases, 17 cases of abdominal effusion, 4 cases of intestinal wall thickening, 2 cases of abdominal mass, 1 case of intussusception, 1 case of right sided inguinal hernia. CT and ultrasound had a consistent positive discovery in 88.2% (30/34) of all the patients.Conclusion:Ultrasound is valuable in the diagnosis of small bowel volvulus and the evaluation of complications.

Objective To explore the efficacy and prognostic independent factors of modified island flap(OIF)and urethroplasty(tip)in the treatment of hypospadias in children.Methods The 164 children with hypospadias analyzed retrospectively were treated from February,2013 to February,2021.They were divided into two groups according to the operation method.82 patients in tip group were treated with tip and 82 patients in OIF group were treated with OIF.The treatment effects of the two groups were compared.Then they were divided into two groups according to the cure condition,namely,the good prognosis group(cured by operation,151 case)and the poor prognosis group(not cured by operation,13 case).Independent factors affecting the prognosis of children were analyzed by binary logistic regression.Results The cure rate of OIF group was 96.34％,which was higher than that of the tip group(87.8％),and the incidence of postoperative complications in OIF group was 7.32％,which was lower than that of the tip group(23.17％,P＜0.05).The operation time in tip group(95.95±12.35)min,which was shorter than that of the OIF group(P＜0.05).At the same time,the binary logistic regression analysis showed that the degree of hypospadias and the classification of barcat were the prognostic factors of children with hypospadias.The degree of penis bending,the width of penis head and the method of operation were suspicious factors.Conclusion OIF and tip have good effects in the treatment of hypospadias in children.OIF has a higher success rate,tip has a shorter operation time and fewer postoperative complications.However,the independent factors affecting the prognosis of children are preoperative hypospadias classification and barcat classification.This operation method is not an independent factor affecting the prognosis.