Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that occurs in the glandular epithelium of the breast, and it is one of the most common tumors that seriously affect the physical and mental health of women. With the aggravation of population aging, the incidence of breast cancer in the elderly has increased year by year in recent years. Elderly patients with breast cancer often have a variety of underlying diseases, and their prognosis is usually related to many factors such as cancer staging, cancer classification, treatment status and health status, with a significant difference in survival rate among patients. Due to the unique clinical and pathological characteristics of elderly patients with breast cancer compared to young and middle-aged patients, there are many studies on the treatment of elderly breast cancer patients in the past, and there are few reviews on the influencing factors of prognosis in elderly patients. This paper reviews the research progress of influencing factors of prognosis in elderly patients with breast cancer from the aspects of clinicopathological factors, treatment options and prognosis factors, in order to provide a reference for clinical determination of treatment options for elderly patients with breast cancer in the future.

ObjectiveTo investigate whether visceral fat area （VFA） is an independent risk factor for significant liver fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD） based on clinical data， and to establish an effective diagnostic model. MethodsA total of 222 NAFLD patients who attended Department of Hepatology， Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine， from January 2021 to April 2025 were enrolled， and according to liver stiffness measurement （≥8 kPa or not）， they were divided into significant fibrosis group and non-significant fibrosis group. Propensity score matching （PSM） was performed at a ratio of 1∶1 to balance the baseline data between the two groups. The independent-samples t test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups； the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. A Spearman correlation analysis was used to determine the correlation of VFA and other indicators with significant liver fibrosis； univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify whether VFA was an independent risk factor for significant liver fibrosis in NAFLD patients， and the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve was plotted to assess the predictive performance of related indicators. ResultsA total of 45 patients with significant liver fibrosis and 177 patients without significant liver fibrosis were enrolled， and after PSM， 90 patients （45 pairs） were finally included in analysis. Compared with the non-significant fibrosis group， the significant fibrosis group had significantly higher levels of body mass index （BMI）， fasting blood glucose （FBG）， glycated hemoglobin （HbA1c）， uric acid （UA）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase （GGT）， controlled attenuation parameter （CAP）， and VFA， as well as a significantly higher proportion of patients with visceral fat obesity or three or more metabolic risk factors （all P<0.05）. VFA， BMI， AST， and HbA1c were strongly correlated with significant liver fibrosis （all r>0.5， all P <0.05）， and ALT， GGT， UA， FBG， and CAP were significantly positively correlated with significant liver fibrosis （r=0.3　—　0.5， all P<0.05）. VFA （odds ratio ［OR］=1.040， 95% confidence interval ［CI］： 1.018　—　1.062， P<0.05）， FBG （OR=2.372， 95%CI： 1.199　—　4.691， P<0.05）， and AST （OR=1.032， 95%CI： 1.003　—　1.058， P<0.05） were independent risk factors for significant liver fibrosis in NAFLD patients. The new diagnostic model based on VFA， FBG， and AST （with an area under the ROC curve ［AUC］ of 0.907） had a significantly better performance than aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index （AUC=0.834）， fibrosis-4 （AUC=0.660）， triglyceride-glucose index （AUC=0.656）， and NAFLD fibrosis score （AUC=0.768） in predicting significant liver fibrosis in NAFLD patients （all P<0.05）. ConclusionVFA is an independent risk factor for significant liver fibrosis in NAFLD patients， and the noninvasive diagnostic model based on VFA， FBG， and AST can effectively predict the onset of significant liver fibrosis in NAFLD patients.

Objective:To investigate predictive value of dynamic electrocardiogram heart rate variability(HRV)combined with three-dimensional spot tracking echocardiography(3D-STE)for postoperatively major adverse cardiovascular events(MACE)in patients with coronary heart disease(CHD).Methods:The clinical data of 80 CHD patients,who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)treatment at Beijing Rehabilitation Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University from January 2022 to December 2023,were retrospectively collected.All patients underwent dynamic electrocardiogram HRV and 3D-STE examination before surgery,and 1-year follow-up.The condition of occurring MACE during the follow-up period was analyzed as statistical method,and the patients were divided into occurrence group(21 cases)and non-occurrence group(59 cases).The relevant parameters of dynamic electrocardiogram HRV and 3D-STE examination of occurring MACE of CHD patients between two groups were compared,and the predictive value of dynamic electrocardiogram HRV combined with 3D-STE examination for postoperative MACE of CHD patients was analyzed.Results:In 80 CHD patients,21 cases occurred postoperative MACE,with an incidence rate of 26.25%.The standard deviation of the average NN intervals(SDANN)(65.26±9.65)ms of 5-minute sinus,the standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals index(SDNN Index)(40.15±6.36)ms of 5-minute in continuous 24 hours,the root mean square of successive differences(r-MSSD)(36.86±4.55)ms between the normal adjacent cardiac cycles,the left atrial emptying fraction(LAEF)(40.25±4.53)%,and the left atrial storage phase strain(LASr)(15.24±3.62)%in CHD patients with MACE were lower than those without MACE[(87.45±10.22)ms,(52.45±7.85)ms,(46.54±6.25)ms,(48.54±6.33)ms,(19.99±4.55)%],and the left atrial pre-contraction volume(LAVp)(42.51±3.65)ml was higher than that(35.18±2.99)mL in patients without MACE,with statistically significant differences(t=8.666,6.457,6.499,9.093,5.510,4.317,P<0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that SDANN,SDNN Index,r-MSSD,LAVp,LAEF,LASr were correlations with the occurrence of postoperative MACE in CHD patients(OR=0.756,0.772,0.694,2.481,0.721,0.739,P<0.05).The receiver operating characteristics(ROC)curves indicated that the area under curve(AUC)values of SDANN,SDNN Index,r-MSSD,LAVp,LAEF and LASr were all greater than 0.70 in predicting postoperative MACE in CHD patients,which indicated all of them had predictive value,and the predictive value of the combined detection was higher.Conclusion:Dynamic electrocardiogram HRV and 3D-STE parameters have a certain predictive value for the occurrence of postoperative MACE in CHD patients,and the predictive value of the combined detection for the them are higher.Therefore,dynamic electrocardiogram HRV and 3D-STE parameters can be used as one of the important reference schemes of assessing postoperative MACE of patients.

Objective:To explore the association between the metabolic score for insulin resistance (METS-IR) and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), and to compare the diagnostic ability of METS-IR with the fatty liver index (FLI) and hepatic steatosis index (HSI) for MAFLD.Methods:This cross-sectional study enrolled 551 individuals participating in community health screenings in Suzhou between September and November 2022. Data collected included basic demographics, clinical indicators, and iLivTouch? (FibroTouch FT5000, Wuxi Hisky Medical Technologies, China) transient elastography results. Participants were categorized into non-MAFLD ( n=218) and MAFLD ( n=333) groups based on an ultrasound attenuation parameter (UAP) cutoff of 244 dB/m measured by iLivTouch. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analyses were employed to assess the relationship between METS-IR and MAFLD. The diagnostic value of METS-IR was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. DeLong′s test was used to compare the diagnostic performance of the different indices. Results:Among the 551 participants, the prevalence of MAFLD diagnosed by transient elastography was 60.4% (333/552). Compared to the non-MAFLD group, the MAFLD group had significantly higher levels of BMI, SBP, DBP, HbA1c, FPG, 2hPG, TC, TG, LDL-C, ALT, AST, GGT, SUA, liver stiffness measurement (LSM), METS-IR, FLI, and HSI, while HDL-C levels were lower (all P<0.05). The MAFLD group also had a higher prevalence of males, overweight/obesity, smoking, hypertension, pre-diabetes, dyslipidemia, hyperuricemia, metabolic syndrome, and antihypertensive medication use (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for gender, age, smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, hyperuricemia, ALT, AST, and GGT, demonstrated that METS-IR, FLI, and HSI remained significantly associated with an increased risk of MAFLD ( OR=1.148, 1.042, 1.270, respectively; all P<0.001). The areas under the ROC curve for METS-IR, FLI, and HSI in diagnosing MAFLD were 0.733 (95% CI: 0.691-0.774), 0.727 (95% CI: 0.685-0.770), and 0.677 (95% CI: 0.632-0.722), respectively. The sensitivities were 57.40%, 62.20%, and 48.30%; specificities were 78.00%, 72.90%, and 78.40%; and optimal cutoff values were 38.526, 35.225, and 35.386, respectively. DeLong′s test indicated no significant difference in diagnostic performance between METS-IR and FLI ( P=0.722). However, both METS-IR and FLI demonstrated significantly better diagnostic performance than HSI ( P=0.008 and P=0.018, respectively). Conclusion:METS-IR is significantly associated with MAFLD and effectively identifies MAFLD in community settings. Its diagnostic performance is comparable to FLI and superior to HSI.

Objective:To prepare a nano-barium titanate@gold Schottky junction (nano-BaTiO 3@Au) coating and investigate its effects on the adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs), aiming to explore a titanium surface modification strategy with superior osteogenic activity. Methods:Pure titanium specimens served as the control group (Ti group). Titanium dioxide coatings were prepared on their surfaces via anodic oxidation. Nano-barium titanate (nBTO group) was further synthesized using the hydrothermal method. Gold nanoparticles were grown in situ on the nano-BaTiO 3 via high-temperature reduction of chloroauric acid using sodium citrate, yielding the nano-barium titanate@gold Schottky junction coating (nBTO@Au group). Surface morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Elemental composition was analyzed using X-ray energy dispersive spectrum (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Crystal structure was analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. Hydrophilicity was assessed via water contact angle measurement. Specimens were co-cultured with BMSCs to evaluate biocompatibility and osteogenic properties. Cell proliferation on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 was assessed using the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Cytotoxicity towards BMSCs was assessed using live/dead cell staining. Cell morphology and adhesion were observed using cytoskeleton staining. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression in BMSCs after 7 days was quantified using an ALP activity assay and ALP staining. Extracellular matrix mineralization after 7 days was evaluated using alizarin red staining and quantification assay. Each experiment was performed using three specimens per group. Results:Scanning electron microscopy revealed that gold nanoparticles with the diameter of(14.838±0.718) nm, uniform in size and homogeneously distributed, were successfully grown in situ on the surface of the nBTO coating. EDS and XPS confirmed the presence of Ba, Ti, O, and Au elements in the nBTO@Au composite coating. XRD and Raman spectroscopy analysis indicated that the nanostructured barium titanate (nBTO) coating was synthesized via a hydrothermal method.Water contact angle measurements showed that the contact angle was 66.8°± 0.45° for the control group, 22.55°±0.42° for the nBTO group, and 26.78°±1.15° for the nBTO@Au group, indicating good hydrophilicity of both nBTO and nBTO@Au coatings. On day 1 and day 3 of culture, the cell proliferation in the nBTO group was significantly lower than that in the control group ( P<0.05). In contrast, no significant differences were observed between the nBTO@Au group and either the control group or the nBTO group (all P>0.05). By day 5, the cell proliferation of nBTO@Au groups was significantly lower than that of the control group ( P<0.05), and the cell proliferation of nBTO group was significantly lower than that of the control group and that of the nBTO@Au group ( P<0.05). By day 7, there were no statistically significant differences in cell proliferation among all experimental groups ( F=1.62, P>0.05).Live/dead cell staining demonstrated that the cell survival rate exceeded 90% in all groups, with normal morphology and few dead cells, indicating good biocompatibility of the nBTO@Au coating. Compared to the control group, both nBTO and nBTO@Au groups promoted cell adhesion and spreading, although no significant difference in cell morphology was noted between the two modified groups. ALP staining revealed a larger stained area and deeper coloration in the nBTO@Au group. Quantitative results showed that ALP activity in the nBTO@Au group was significantly higher than that in both the nBTO and control groups ( P<0.05), and the nBTO group also exhibited significantly higher activity than the control group( P<0.05). Alizarin red staining indicated the deepest coloration in the nBTO@Au group, followed by the nBTO group, and the lightest in the control group. Quantitative analysis further confirmed that the amount of calcium nodule deposition in the nBTO@Au group was significantly greater than that in the other two groups ( P<0.05), and the nBTO group also showed significantly more deposition than the control group( P<0.05). Conclusions:This study successfully prepared an nBTO@Au coating possessing good biocompatibility and enhanced osteogenic properties.

OBJECTIVE To provide a reference for pharmaceutical care in patients with ulcerative colitis （UC） and ankylosing spondylitis （AS） who developed pustular psoriasis induced by infliximab. METHODS Clinical pharmacists participated in the pharmaceutical care process of a patient with UC and AS who developed pustular psoriasis after using infliximab. The clinical pharmacists determined， using Naranjo’s Scale， that the correlation between the patient’s pustular psoriasis and infliximab was “likely”. Regarding the patient’s development of pustular psoriasis after using infliximab， the clinical pharmacists recommended discontinuing infliximab and switching to Upadacitinib extended-release tablets. For the patient’s skin allergic reaction after using upadacitinib， the clinical pharmacists advised continuing the use of upadacitinib and closely monitoring any potential adverse reactions during the treatment period. RESULTS The clinicians adopted the clinical pharmacists’ recommendation. Following the treatment， the patient’s symptoms were significantly alleviated， and the patient was discharged with medication. The follow-up after discharge showed that the treatment was effective and well-tolerated. CONCLUSIONS The clinical pharmacists analyzed the causal relationship between infliximab and pustular psoriasis. Through pharmaceutical care measures such as dynamic monitoring of skin lesions， evaluation of treatment responses， and optimization of drug regimens， they assisted the physicians in formulating an individualized medication plan， ensuring the safety and efficacy of the patient’s medication use.

Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is an inherited disease caused by a deficiency of the enzyme arylsulfatase A (ARSA). Lentivirus-modified autologous hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy (HSCGT) has recently been approved for clinical use in pre and early symptomatic children with MLD to increase ARSA activity. Unfortunately, this advanced therapy is not available for most patients with MLD who have progressed to more advanced symptomatic stages at diagnosis. Patients with late-onset juvenile MLD typically present with a slower neurological progression of symptoms and represent a significant burden to the economy and healthcare system, whereas those with early onset infantile MLD die within a few years of symptom onset. We conducted a pilot study to determine the safety and benefit of HSCGT in patients with postsymptomatic juvenile MLD and report preliminary results. The safety profile of HSCGT was favorable in this long-term follow-up over 9 years. The most common adverse events (AEs) within 2 months of HSCGT were related to busulfan conditioning, and all AEs resolved. No HSCGT-related AEs and no evidence of distorted hematopoietic differentiation during long-term follow-up for up to 9.6 years. Importantly, to date, patients have maintained remarkably improved ARSA activity with a stable disease state, including increased Functional Independence Measure (FIM) score and decreased magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lesion score. This long-term follow-up pilot study suggests that HSCGT is safe and provides clinical benefit to patients with postsymptomatic juvenile MLD.
Humans ; Leukodystrophy, Metachromatic/genetics* ; Pilot Projects ; Genetic Therapy/methods* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Male ; Follow-Up Studies ; Female ; Lentivirus/genetics* ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Cerebroside-Sulfatase/metabolism* ; Adolescent

Objectives:To evaluate the effect of extended single prone positioning ventilation on survival and weaning rate of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients supported by VV-ECMO.Methods:ARDS patients supported by VV-ECMO admitted to Jinhua Central Hospital, the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine and the First Hospital of Jiaxing from September 2014 to May 2025 were retrospectively enrolled into the study. The clinical data, ECMO and ventilator related parameters and outcomes of the patients were collected. The patients were divided into the extended prone positioning group and prone positioning group according to whether the duration of prone position ventilation was greater than 24 h. The clinical data of the two groups were compared to explore the effects on 30-day survival in-hospital survival and ECMO withdraw rate of these patients. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between the duration of single prone position ventilation and the success of ECMO weaning, 30-day survival and hospital survival.Results:Total of 163 ARDS patients supported by VV-ECMO receiving prone positioning ventilation were included in study, 64 in extended prone positioning group and 72 in prone positioning group. The 30-day survival (54.7% vs. 52.8%) in-hospital survival (51.6% vs. 48.6%) and ECMO withdraw rate (57.8% vs. 61.1%) between the two groups were not statistically different ( P>0.05) as well as the duration of ECMO support [12(10,15)d vs. 11(10,13)d] the duration of ventilation [16(13,18)d vs. 16(12,18)d] the duration of ICU stay [26(15,32)d vs. 26(19,29)d] and the duration of hospital stay [32(15,42)d vs. 34(28,35)d]. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the duration of each prone position ventilation was not associated with successful weaning ( OR=0.979, 95% CI:0.952-1.006), 30-day survival ( OR=1.015, 95% CI: 0.975-1.056) and hospital survival ( OR=1.014, 95% CI: 0.974-1.055) even after adjusting for the severity of illness, age, and type of pneumonia. Conclusions:For ARDS patients supported by VV-ECMO, extended single prone positioning ventilation for more than 24 hours neither increase 30-day survival in-hospital survival and successful ECMO weaning rate, nor shorten ECMO support duration.

ObjectiveTo investigate the value of different noninvasive diagnostic models in the diagnosis of esophageal and gastric varices since there is a high risk of esophageal and gastric varices in patients with compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis and significant portal hypertension， and to provide a basis for the early diagnosis of esophageal and gastric varices. MethodsA total of 108 patients with significant portal hypertension due to compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis who attended Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from November 2017 to November 2023 were enrolled， and according to the presence or absence of esophageal and gastric varices under gastroscopy， they were divided into esophageal and gastric varices group （GOV group） and non-esophageal and gastric varices group （NGOV group）. Related data were collected， including age， sex， imaging findings， and laboratory markers. The chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups； the least significant difference t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups， and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups. The receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve was plotted to evaluate the diagnostic value of five scoring models， i.e.， fibrosis-4 （FIB-4）， LOK index， LPRI， aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index （APRI）， and aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio （AAR）. The binary logistic regression method was used to establish a combined model， and the area under the ROC curve （AUC） was compared between the combined model and each scoring model used alone. The Delong test was used to compare the AUC value between any two noninvasive diagnostic models. ResultsThere were 55 patients in the GOV group and 53 patients in the NGOV group. Compared with the NGOV group， the GOV group had a significantly higher age （52.64±1.44 years vs 47.96±1.68 years， t=0.453， P<0.05） and significantly lower levels of alanine aminotransferase ［42.00 （24.00 — 17.00） U/L vs 82.00 （46.00 — 271.00） U/L， Z=-3.065， P<0.05］， aspartate aminotransferase ［44.00 （32.00 — 96.00） U/L vs 62.00 （42.50 — 154.50） U/L，Z=-2.351， P<0.05］， and platelet count ［100.00 （69.00 — 120.00）×10⁹/L vs 119.00 （108.50 — 140.50）×10⁹/L， Z=-3.667， P<0.05］. The ROC curve analysis showed that FIB-4， LOK index， LPRI， and AAR used alone had an accuracy of 0.667， 0.681， 0.730， and 0.639， respectively， in the diagnosis of esophageal and gastric varices （all P<0.05）， and the positive diagnostic rates of GOV were 69.97%， 65.28%， 67.33%， and 58.86%， respectively， with no significant differences in AUC values （all P>0.05）， while APRI used alone had no diagnostic value （P>0.05）. A combined model （LAF） was established based on the binary logistic regression analysis and had an AUC of 0.805 and a positive diagnostic rate of GOV of 75.80%， with a significantly higher AUC than FIB-4， LOK index， LPRI， and AAR used alone （Z=-2.773，-2.479，-2.206， and-2.672， all P<0.05）. ConclusionFIB-4， LOK index， LPRI， and AAR have a similar diagnostic value for esophageal and gastric varices in patients with compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis and significant portal hypertension， and APRI alone has no diagnostic value. The combined model LAF had the best diagnostic efficacy， which provides a certain reference for clinical promotion and application.

Background Air pollution exposure has a significant impact on maternal and child health. However, the research on the association between ambient ozone (O₃) exposure during pregnancy and the risk of premature birth in newborns is limited, and the conclusions are inconsistent. Objective To investigate the association of ambient O₃ exposure during pregnancy with the risk of preterm birth in Guangdong Province. Methods Data of pregnant women in Guangzhou from 2013 to 2019 and Foshan from 2018 to 2023 were collected, and O₃ concentrations during different trimesters were assessed according to maternal residential addresses. Bilinear interpolation was used to evaluate the concentrations of air pollution. A cohort study design was adopted in our study. Restricted cubic spline curves were used to evaluate the exposure-response relationship between O₃ exposure and preterm birth risk and explore potential exposure threshold of O₃. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association of O₃ exposure with preterm birth. Results A total of 702 924 pregnant women were included in this study, of whom 43 051 (6.12%) were preterm. The average O₃ exposure concentrations of pregnant women during the first, second, third, and whole trimesters were 95.51, 97.51, 100.60, and 97.87 μg·m⁻³, respectively. We observed J-shaped associations between O₃ exposure and preterm birth risk during the second, third, and whole trimesters of pregnancy using restricted cubic spline curves. This study found that there were threshold concentrations between O₃ exposure and preterm birth risk during different gestational periods, and the threshold concentrations in the first, second, third, and whole trimesters were 112.32, 99.83, 111.74, and 112.46 μg·m⁻³, respectively. During the second, third, and whole trimesters of pregnancy, after adjusting for maternal age, baby sex, pre-pregnancy body mass index, mode of delivery, baby birth weight, gestational diabetes, and gestational hypertension, the odds ratios (OR) of preterm birth were 1.02 (95%CI: 1.01, 1.04), 1.02 (95%CI: 1.00, 1.03), and 1.17 (95%CI: 1.13, 1.21) for each 10 μg·m⁻³ increase in O₃ concentration above the O₃ threshold. No significant association was found between O₃ exposure and the risk of preterm birth during the first trimester. Conclusion There is a nonlinear association between the risk of preterm birth and O₃ exposure during pregnancy, and higher concentrations of O₃ exposure during pregnancy are associated with the risk of preterm birth. Above the O₃ threshold concentration during pregnancy, especially during the second, third, and whole trimesters, the risk of preterm birth elevates with the increase of O₃ exposure concentrations.