Objective:To explore the expression of T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing molecule 3 (Tim-3), mitotic arrest deficient 2-like protein 1 (MAD2L1), and microRNA-203a-3p (miR-203a-3p) in colorectal cancer tissues and their relationship with prognosis.Methods:The clinicopathological data of 113 patients with colorectal cancer who underwent radical surgery in Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from Jan. 2021 to Dec. 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Both cancer tissues and adjacent tissues were collected postoperatively for the detection of Tim-3, MAD2L1, and miR-203a-3p. Patients were followed up for 3 years, and their prognosis was recorded and divided into a survival group (84 cases) and a death group (29 cases). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to investigate the factors influencing the prognosis of colorectal cancer patients. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to analyze the prognostic significance of Tim-3, MAD2L1, and miR-203a-3p expression.Results:The high expression rates of Tim-3 and MAD2L1 in colorectal cancer group were higher than those in adjacent tissues ( P < 0.05), while the expression of miR-203a-3p was lower than that in adjacent tissues ( P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that the 3-year survival rate of patients with high expression of Tim-3 and MAD2L1 was lower than that of patients with low expression ( P < 0.05), while the 3-year survival rate of patients with high expression of miR-203a-3p was higher than that of patients with low expression of miR-203a-3p ( P < 0.05). Cox regression analysis showed that TNM stage III-IV, low differentiation of tissue grade, lymph node metastasis, high expression of Tim-3 and MAD2L1, and low expression of miR-203a-3p were risk factors for poor prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer ( P < 0.05) . Conclusions:Tim-3 and MAD2L1 are highly expressed in colorectal cancer tissues, while miR-203a-3p is lowly expressed. The above indicators are closely related to the poor prognosis of patients, and are expected to become potential biomarkers for prognosis evaluation of colorectal cancer patients.

Objective To evaluate the predictive value of a nomogram model developed by integrating clinical and ultrasound multiparameters for HER-2-positive breast cancer.Methods This study retrospectively enrolled 343 patients with pathologically confirmed breast cancer from three medical centers and randomly divided them into training and validation cohorts.Univariate analysis,LASSO regression,and multivariate logistic regres-sion were conducted on the training set to identify independent prognostic factors and construct a nomogram model.Bootstrap resampling with 1000 iterations was performed to evaluate the model's robustness.Model calibration was assessed using calibration curves and the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were generated to evaluate model discrimination,and the area under the curve(AUC)along with other performance metrics were calculated.Decision curve analysis was employed to assess the clinical utility of the model,and the validation cohort was used for external validation.Results Univariate,LASSO,and multivariate regression analyses demonstrated that age,TTP(time to peak),and the presence of a filling defect sign were independent predictors of HER-2-positive breast cancer(all P<0.05).Based on these independent predictors,a nomogram model was constructed.Bootstrap validation with 1,000 resamples indicated that the model's predictive performance was stable.The Hosmer-Lemeshow test confirmed satisfactory model calibration,while the calibration curve illustrated accurate prediction probabilities.The area under the curve(AUC)for the training set was 0.863(95%CI:0.806～0.920),and for the validation set,it was 0.846(95%CI:0.764～0.929),indicating strong discriminative and generalization capabilities.Additionally,the clinical decision curve analysis demonstrated favor-able clinical utility.Conclusion A nomogram model integrating clinical and multimodal ultrasound parameters demonstrates potential utility in predicting HER-2-positive breast cancer.

Objective:To explore the expression of T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing molecule 3 (Tim-3), mitotic arrest deficient 2-like protein 1 (MAD2L1), and microRNA-203a-3p (miR-203a-3p) in colorectal cancer tissues and their relationship with prognosis.Methods:The clinicopathological data of 113 patients with colorectal cancer who underwent radical surgery in Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from Jan. 2021 to Dec. 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Both cancer tissues and adjacent tissues were collected postoperatively for the detection of Tim-3, MAD2L1, and miR-203a-3p. Patients were followed up for 3 years, and their prognosis was recorded and divided into a survival group (84 cases) and a death group (29 cases). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to investigate the factors influencing the prognosis of colorectal cancer patients. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to analyze the prognostic significance of Tim-3, MAD2L1, and miR-203a-3p expression.Results:The high expression rates of Tim-3 and MAD2L1 in colorectal cancer group were higher than those in adjacent tissues ( P < 0.05), while the expression of miR-203a-3p was lower than that in adjacent tissues ( P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that the 3-year survival rate of patients with high expression of Tim-3 and MAD2L1 was lower than that of patients with low expression ( P < 0.05), while the 3-year survival rate of patients with high expression of miR-203a-3p was higher than that of patients with low expression of miR-203a-3p ( P < 0.05). Cox regression analysis showed that TNM stage III-IV, low differentiation of tissue grade, lymph node metastasis, high expression of Tim-3 and MAD2L1, and low expression of miR-203a-3p were risk factors for poor prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer ( P < 0.05) . Conclusions:Tim-3 and MAD2L1 are highly expressed in colorectal cancer tissues, while miR-203a-3p is lowly expressed. The above indicators are closely related to the poor prognosis of patients, and are expected to become potential biomarkers for prognosis evaluation of colorectal cancer patients.

Objective To evaluate the predictive value of a nomogram model developed by integrating clinical and ultrasound multiparameters for HER-2-positive breast cancer.Methods This study retrospectively enrolled 343 patients with pathologically confirmed breast cancer from three medical centers and randomly divided them into training and validation cohorts.Univariate analysis,LASSO regression,and multivariate logistic regres-sion were conducted on the training set to identify independent prognostic factors and construct a nomogram model.Bootstrap resampling with 1000 iterations was performed to evaluate the model's robustness.Model calibration was assessed using calibration curves and the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were generated to evaluate model discrimination,and the area under the curve(AUC)along with other performance metrics were calculated.Decision curve analysis was employed to assess the clinical utility of the model,and the validation cohort was used for external validation.Results Univariate,LASSO,and multivariate regression analyses demonstrated that age,TTP(time to peak),and the presence of a filling defect sign were independent predictors of HER-2-positive breast cancer(all P<0.05).Based on these independent predictors,a nomogram model was constructed.Bootstrap validation with 1,000 resamples indicated that the model's predictive performance was stable.The Hosmer-Lemeshow test confirmed satisfactory model calibration,while the calibration curve illustrated accurate prediction probabilities.The area under the curve(AUC)for the training set was 0.863(95%CI:0.806～0.920),and for the validation set,it was 0.846(95%CI:0.764～0.929),indicating strong discriminative and generalization capabilities.Additionally,the clinical decision curve analysis demonstrated favor-able clinical utility.Conclusion A nomogram model integrating clinical and multimodal ultrasound parameters demonstrates potential utility in predicting HER-2-positive breast cancer.

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) as a new type of thermoplastic engineering plastic, has good biological activity, elastic modulus close to human cortical bone and radiation permeability, and has been widely used in medical field. This study aims to explore the safety and clinical efficacy of using 3D printing personalized PEEK materials to repaire scapular bone defects after bone tumor resection. A total of 6 patients who underwent the implantation of 3D printed PEEK scapular prosthesis from January 2020 to December 2021 in Yunnan Cancer Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. There were 3 males and 3 females, with age ranged from 14 to 52 years. There were 1 case of synovial sarcoma, 1 of Ewing's sarcoma, and 4 of chondrosarcoma. PEEK prosthesis was designed and fabricated based on CT data before surgery. Tumor resection and prosthesis replacement were performed under the premise of ensuring safe surgical boundaries, including 2 cases of total scapular prosthesis replacement and 4 cases of partial scapular prosthesis replacement. The operation time was 90-170 min, and the intraoperative blood loss was 100-400 ml. All 6 patients received satisfactory follow-up, with a tumor progression free survival time of 16-28 months. No tumor recurrence or metastasis was observed, and all patients survived tumor free. At last follow-up, the Constant-Murley shoulder joint score was a minimum of 62 points and a maximum of 68 points. The Japanese Orthopaedic Association's shoulder joint score was 63 points minimum and 78 points maximum. Computer-aided design 3D printing PEEK material prosthesis has certain advantages in the treatment of scapular tumor limb salvage. It has light weight, well adapted, relatively simple installation, good histocompatibility, and can obtain a better appearance and function of the shoulder joint after operation. It can become one of the options for limb salvage treatment of scapular tumor.

Objective:To identify the clinical and pathological characteristics of adrenocortical carcinoma(ACC) with hypercortisolism and analyze the prognostic factors.Methods:Clinical data of ACC patients between January 2003 and December 2022 from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital were collected retrospectively. Clinical and pathological characteristics were compared between ACC patients with hypercortisolism and nonfunctional ACCs. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analyses and Cox regression models were performed to analyze prognostic factors for ACC patients.Results:In 61 cases of ACC patients, the average age was (49.33±16.32) years. After a median follow-up of 77 months(95% CI 47.49-106.51 months), median overall survival and progression-free survival were 50 months(95% CI 20.44-79.56 months) and 29 months(95% CI 22.87-35.13 months), respectively. Among 36 patients with complete endocrinologic evaluations, 19(52.77%) were diagnosed with hypercortisolism. Compared with nonfunctional ACC, patients with hypercortisolism had more hypokalemia(42.11% vs 6.25%, P=0.022), capsular invasion(68.42% vs 25.00%, P=0.018), and distant metastases(73.68% vs 25.00%, P=0.007). Median overall survival and progression-free survival were significantly shorter than nonfunctional ACC(overall survival: 39 months vs 67 months, P=0.009; progression-free survival: 30 months vs 51 months, P=0.040) as well. Multivariate Cox regression analyses indicated that Ki67 index( HR=1.078, P=0.024) was an independent risk factor for overall survival. Hypercortisolism( HR=71.112, P=0.006), Ki67 index( HR=1.345, P=0.003), adjuvant therapy( HR=176.652, P=0.012), and operation( HR=0.020, P=0.003), were associated with disease progression. Conclusion:ACC accompanied by hypercortisolism is more prone to invasion and distant metastasis, resulting in shorter survival. Hypercortisolism is an independent prognostic factor for ACC patients.

Objective:To explore the pathological characteristics of adrenal masses based on various tumor diameter and unenhanced computed tomography(CT) attenuation value, and evaluate the value of the two parameters in the assessment of the benign and malignant nature of adrenal masses.Methods:The data of 1 367 patients who underwent adrenalectomy in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from January 2017 to October 2022 were retrospectively collected. The adrenal masses were divided into four groups according to tumor diameter and unenhanced CT attenuation value, and the clinical and histopathological characteristics of the four groups were compared respectively. Logistic regression was used to analyze the correlation between tumor diameter, non-contrast CT attenuation value and malignant adrenal masses, and receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve was used to assess the diagnostic value of both in benign and malignant adrenal masses.Results:The proportion of adrenocortical carcinoma and other malignant tumors increased with the rise of tumor diameter or unenhanced CT attenuation value. After adjusting for age and gender, tumor diameter( OR=1.624, 95% CI 1.464-1.803, P<0.001) and unenhanced CT attenuation value( OR=1.108, 95% CI 1.079-1.138, P<0.001) were predictors of malignant adrenal masses. The tumor diameter and unenhanced CT attenuation value in diagnosing malignant adrenal masses had area under the ROC curve(AUC) of 0.838 and 0.892, respectively. With the optimal cut-off values of >3.4 cm and >30 HU, the sensitivity was 75.5% and 83.7%, and the specificity was 80.5% and 84.4%, respectively. The combination of tumor diameter >3.4 cm and unenhanced CT attenuation value >20 HU had an AUC of 0.927, with a sensitivity of 71.4% and a specificity of 90.1% in diagnosing malignant adrenal masses. Conclusions:Tumor diameter and unenhanced CT attenuation value has important significance in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant adrenal masses. A combination of tumor diameter (>3.4 cm) and unenhanced CT attenuation value (>20 HU) demonstrates best diagnostic efficiency. Clinical application of this combined index can effectively diagnose malignant adrenal masses while avoiding unnecessary investigations or surgery.

Objective:To explore the value of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) stimulation in adrenal vein sampling (AVS) with its effect on the sampling success rate and lateralization determination.Methods:The clinical data of 54 patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) who underwent AVS in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from July 2018 to June 2020 were collected retrospectively. Blood samples from bilateral adrenal veins were collected simultaneously at baseline and after ACTH stimulation. The selectivity index (SI), lateralization index (LI), and relative aldosterone secretion index (RASI) were examined.Results:The concentration of serum cortisol level in left and right adrenal vein and peripheral vein increased significantly after ACTH stimulation ( P<0.001). SI of left adrenal vein increased from 18.00 (2.29, 20.29) to 34.76 (12.10, 46.86) , and the SI of right adrenal vein increased from 26.61(5.24, 31.85) to 28.40 (27.65, 56.05, P<0.001). The bilateral vein sampling success rate increased from 80%(43/54) to 93%(50/54). LI decreased from 2.85(1.78, 6.20) at baseline to 2.45(1.40, 6.10) after ACTH stimulation without significant difference( P>0.05). Eleven patients who identified unilateral secretion at baseline demonstrated bilateral after ACTH stimulation, and the RASI of these patients decreased from 0.50 (0.38, 1.25 ) to 0.37 (0.22, 0.84, P=0.019). Conclusion:ACTH stimulation significantly increased SI and the AVS success rate in patients with PA: ACTH stimulation decreased the relative aldosterone secretion in the dominant side of some patients with aldosterone producing adenoma, thus reduced the proportion of identified unilateral PA.

OBJECTIVE：To optim ize the ultrafiltration technology of enzymatic hydrolysate from Eucommia ulmoides peel. METHODS：The single factor test was adopted to investigate the effects of molecular weight of ultrafiltration membrane ，liquid temperature，operating pressure ，operating frequency ，membrane filtration time ，liquid concentration and pH on transfer rates of aucubin，geniposide and chlorogenic acid as well as solid removal rate in enzymatic hydrolysate from E. ulmoides peel. Setting the molecular cut off of fixed ultrafiltration membrane of 100 000，liquid concentration of 7 g/L，and pH value of 7，the ultrafiltration technology was optimized by Box-Behnken design response-surface methodology and validated with liquid temperature ，operating pressure，operating frequency and membrane passing time as factors ，using comprehensive scores calculated from transfer rates of aucubin，geniposide and chlorogenic acid as well as solid removal rate as indexes. RESULTS ：The optimal ultrafiltration technology of enzymatic hydrolysate from E. ulmoides peel was as follows as liquid temperature of 35 ℃，operating pressure of 0.5 MPa，operating frequency of 35 Hz and membrane passing time of 42 min. Results of validation tests showed that the comprehensive scores of the transfer rates of aucubin ，geniposide and chlorogenic acid as well as solid removal rate in enzymatic hydrolysate from E. ulmoides peel was 78.06％（RSD＝1.43％，n＝3），and its relative error with the predicted value （77.18％） was 1.14％. CONCLUSIONS ：The optimized ultrafiltration technology is stable and reliable ，and can be used for the ultrafiltration purification of enzymatic hydrolysate from E. ulmoides peel.

Background: Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection is related to the occurrence of many upper digestive tract diseases, and the eradication rate has been decreasing year by year. Aims: To investigate the risk factors affecting initial eradication rate of Hp infection. Methods: Clinical data of 428 patients with Hp infection were retrospectively analyzed. Four regimens (14-day esomeprazole 20 mg + amoxicillin 750 mg, qid; 10-day esomeprazole 20 mg + amoxicillin 750 mg, qid; 14-day esomeprazole 20 mg + amoxicillin 1 000 mg, tid; 14-day esomeprazole 20 mg + bismuth 220 mg + amoxicillin 1 000 mg + clarithromycin 500 mg, bid) were given, and effect of antibiotic resistance on Hp eradication was analyzed, the relevant risk factors affecting the eradication rate of Hp were investigated. Results: The eradication rate of ITT analysis was 86.4%, PP analysis was 87.6%. The eradication rates of 4 regimens for ITT analysis were 90.8%, 79.8%, 82.7%, 91.9%, respectively, and were 90.8%, 81.2%, 85.1%, 92.7% for PP analysis, respectively. The antibiotic resistance rate was 30.3%, 97.4% and 36.8% for clarithromycin, metronidazole and levofloxacin, respectively. The recurrence rate of 116 patients was 4.3% after one year of eradication. Smoking, poor compliance, CYP2C19 gene polymorphism were risk factors for eradication rate of Hp (P<0.05). Conclusions: Smoking, poor compliance and ultra-rapid metabolizers, extensive metabolizers of CYP2C19 gene polymorphism can reduce Hp eradication rate. In clinical practice, patient education should be strengthened to urge patients to quit smoking. The quality of follow-up should be improved and proton pump inhibitor that has less impact on CYP2C19 gene polymorphism should be used, thereby increase the Hp eradication rate.