Objective:To explore the value of combining gut microbiota and clinical features for preoperative microvascular invasion (MVI) prediction in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:Clinical data and fecal samples were collected from 71 HCC patients who underwent curative resection at Ningbo Second Hospital between Jan 2023 and Aug 2024. Among them, 41 patients were assigned to the training set and 30 to the validation set. Gut microbiota composition was analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing. Redundancy analysis (RDA) was used to evaluate the influence of clinical features on the microbiota. Differences in alpha and beta diversity between the MVI-negative and MVI-positive groups were assessed. Differential genera were identified using the Wilcoxon test and LEfSe analysis. A random forest model and Logistic regression were employed to screen key differential genera, followed by ROC analysis. Genera with high ROC values were further validated in the validation set.Results:RDA indicated that MVI was a key factor influencing gut microbiota composition. The random forest model (AUC=0.925), combined with Logistic regression analysis, identified four genera: Acidovorax ( OR=0.618), Tissierella ( OR=1.293), Chitinophaga ( OR=4.596), and Virgisporangium ( OR=0.960), as well as two clinical features: tumor diameter ( OR=0.668) and liver cirrhosis ( OR=14.011), as independent risk factors. ROC analysis showed that in the training set, the combination of Chitinophaga (AUC=0.71) and tumor diameter (AUC=0.75) had the best diagnostic performance (AUC=0.87). In the validation set, the combination of Virgisporangium (AUC=0.80) and tumor diameter (AUC=0.79) yielded the highest diagnostic performance (AUC=0.87). Conclusions:A genomics-based model combining gut microbiota and clinical features shows promising predictive value for noninvasive preoperative assessment of MVI status in HCC patients.

Objective To explore the relationship and predictive value between serum neurofilament light chain protein(NfL),endothelial cell specific molecule-1(Endocan),B cell activating factor(BAFF)and epi-lepsy secondary to acute cerebral infarction(ACI).Methods From June 2020 to June 2023,135 patients with secondary epilepsy due to ACI admitted to the hospital were included in the epilepsy group,and 90 ACI pa-tients without secondary epilepsy admitted during the same period were included in the non-epilepsy group.The general data of the two groups and the levels of serum NfL,Endocan and BAFF were determined and compared.Multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the related influencing factors of epilepsy sec-ondary to ACI.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the predictive value of serum NfL,Endocan and BAFF for epilepsy secondary to ACI.Results Compared with non-epilepsy group,the age,the proportion of infarction lesions involving cortex,the proportion of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NISSH)score≥15 points,the proportion of infarct volume＞10 cm3,the proportion of family history of epilepsy,and serum NfL,Endocan and BAFF were significantly increased in epileptic group(P＜0.05).Among patients with infarction lesions involving cortex and NISSH score ≥15 points,the expression levels of serum NfL,Endocan,and BAFF were significantly higher in those with epilepsy than in those without epilepsy(P＜0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that infarction involving the cortex,NISSH score ≥15 points,elevated serum NfL,Endocan and BAFF were risk factors for secondary epilepsy in ACI(P＜0.05).The results of ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve and specificity of the combined prediction of serum NfL,Endocan,and BAFF for secondary epilepsy in ACI were superior to those of individual detection or the combined detection of the two(P＜0.05).Conclusion The high expression of serum NfL,Endocan and BAFF are risk factors for secondary epilepsy in ACI.The combined detection of the three has a high predictive value for secondary epilepsy in ACI.

The intestinal microecology is closely related to the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The intestinal microbiota and its metabolites can regulate the tumor immune microenvironment through the "gut-liver axis", promoting cancer progression. Therefore, the intestinal microbiome is gradually demonstrating the potential as a biomarker for early diagnosis of HCC and prediction of the efficacy of immunotherapy. Targeted intervention on the intestinal microecology (such as probiotics, fecal microbiota transplantation, dietary regulation, etc.) may enhance the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and is becoming a promising combination therapy strategy. In the future, HCC treatment will rely on multi-omics integration, artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis, and synthetic biology tools to promote the translation of precise gut flora intervention strategies from basic research to the clinic. This article summarized the latest research progress of intestinal microecology in HCC, explored its potential value and development direction for precision diagnosis and treatment of HCC, and provided a theoretical basis for the clinical application of related intervention strategies.

To address the problem of data silos in dental specialties caused by equipment heterogeneity, this study developed an Intelligent Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled dental chair platform (hereinafter referred to as the intelligent platform) based on the concept of medical-engineering integration. The platform adopts a three-tier chair-domain interconnection architecture: the bottom tier integrates multi-source sensors and standardized interfaces for automated data acquisition and linkage with hospital information systems; the middle tier provides clinic-level management and remote teaching collaboration; and the top tier employs a blockchain-based secure cloud database for resource allocation and data management. Clinical validation at The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Nanjing Medical University demonstrated that, compared with a control group from the same period in 2023, the trial group achieved a 38.0% increase in average daily patient visits (80.6±6.8 vs. 58.4±5.2, t=15.16, P<0.001), a 24.6% reduction in average treatment time [(36.1±6.3) min vs. (47.9±8.5) min, t=7.72, P<0.001], a 39.2% reduction in waiting time [23.3 (16.5, 30.1) min vs. 38.3 (28.3, 48.3) min, U=32.00, P<0.001], a 30.4% reduction in equipment idle rate [8.7% (5.1%, 12.3%) vs. 12.5% (7.4%, 17.6%), U=251.00, P=0.003], and an increase in patient satisfaction from 88.2% (1 519/1 723) to 94.3% (2 186/2 318) ( t=7.26, P<0.001). User research confirmed that the functions most favored by clinicians and patients were "dental chair parameter updating and clinical data integration" [74.7% (80/107)] and "chairside display of diagnostic images" [76.8% (119/155)], respectively. Looking forward, the intelligent platform has the potential to integrate artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis and 5G-enabled multicenter collaboration to further expand its clinical applications and accelerate the digital transformation of dental healthcare.

To address the problem of data silos in dental specialties caused by equipment heterogeneity, this study developed an Intelligent Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled dental chair platform (hereinafter referred to as the intelligent platform) based on the concept of medical-engineering integration. The platform adopts a three-tier chair-domain interconnection architecture: the bottom tier integrates multi-source sensors and standardized interfaces for automated data acquisition and linkage with hospital information systems; the middle tier provides clinic-level management and remote teaching collaboration; and the top tier employs a blockchain-based secure cloud database for resource allocation and data management. Clinical validation at The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Nanjing Medical University demonstrated that, compared with a control group from the same period in 2023, the trial group achieved a 38.0% increase in average daily patient visits (80.6±6.8 vs. 58.4±5.2, t=15.16, P<0.001), a 24.6% reduction in average treatment time [(36.1±6.3) min vs. (47.9±8.5) min, t=7.72, P<0.001], a 39.2% reduction in waiting time [23.3 (16.5, 30.1) min vs. 38.3 (28.3, 48.3) min, U=32.00, P<0.001], a 30.4% reduction in equipment idle rate [8.7% (5.1%, 12.3%) vs. 12.5% (7.4%, 17.6%), U=251.00, P=0.003], and an increase in patient satisfaction from 88.2% (1 519/1 723) to 94.3% (2 186/2 318) ( t=7.26, P<0.001). User research confirmed that the functions most favored by clinicians and patients were "dental chair parameter updating and clinical data integration" [74.7% (80/107)] and "chairside display of diagnostic images" [76.8% (119/155)], respectively. Looking forward, the intelligent platform has the potential to integrate artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis and 5G-enabled multicenter collaboration to further expand its clinical applications and accelerate the digital transformation of dental healthcare.

Objective:To explore the value of combining gut microbiota and clinical features for preoperative microvascular invasion (MVI) prediction in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:Clinical data and fecal samples were collected from 71 HCC patients who underwent curative resection at Ningbo Second Hospital between Jan 2023 and Aug 2024. Among them, 41 patients were assigned to the training set and 30 to the validation set. Gut microbiota composition was analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing. Redundancy analysis (RDA) was used to evaluate the influence of clinical features on the microbiota. Differences in alpha and beta diversity between the MVI-negative and MVI-positive groups were assessed. Differential genera were identified using the Wilcoxon test and LEfSe analysis. A random forest model and Logistic regression were employed to screen key differential genera, followed by ROC analysis. Genera with high ROC values were further validated in the validation set.Results:RDA indicated that MVI was a key factor influencing gut microbiota composition. The random forest model (AUC=0.925), combined with Logistic regression analysis, identified four genera: Acidovorax ( OR=0.618), Tissierella ( OR=1.293), Chitinophaga ( OR=4.596), and Virgisporangium ( OR=0.960), as well as two clinical features: tumor diameter ( OR=0.668) and liver cirrhosis ( OR=14.011), as independent risk factors. ROC analysis showed that in the training set, the combination of Chitinophaga (AUC=0.71) and tumor diameter (AUC=0.75) had the best diagnostic performance (AUC=0.87). In the validation set, the combination of Virgisporangium (AUC=0.80) and tumor diameter (AUC=0.79) yielded the highest diagnostic performance (AUC=0.87). Conclusions:A genomics-based model combining gut microbiota and clinical features shows promising predictive value for noninvasive preoperative assessment of MVI status in HCC patients.

Objective:To investigate the influences and mechanism of extracellular vesicles from dermal papilla cells (DPC-EVs) of mice on human hypertrophic scar fibroblasts (HSFs).Methods:The study was an experimental research. The primary dermal papilla cells (DPCs) of whiskers were extracted from 10 6-week-old male C57BL/6J mice and identified successfully. The DPC-EVs were extracted from the 3 rd to 5 th passage DPCs by ultracentrifugation, and the morphology was observed through transmission electron microscope and the particle diameter was detected by nanoparticle tracking analyzer ( n=3) at 24 h after culture. The 3 rd passage of HSFs were divided into DPC-EV group and phosphate buffer solution (PBS) group, which were cultured with DPC-EVs and PBS, respectively. The cell scratch test was performed and cell migration rate at 24 h after scratching was calculated ( n=5). The cell proliferation levels at 0 (after 12 h of starvation treatment and before adding DPC-EVs or PBS), 24, 48, 72, and 96 h after culture were detected by using cell counting kit 8 ( n=4). The protein expressions of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and collagen typeⅠ (ColⅠ) in cells at 24 h after culture were detected by immunofluorescence method and Western blotting, and the protein expression of Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) in cells at 24 h after culture was detected by Western blotting. After the 3 rd passage of HSFs were cultured with DPC-EVs for 24 h, the cells were divided into blank control group, KLF4 knockdown group, and KLF4 overexpression group according to the random number table. The cells in blank control group were only routinely cultured for 48 h. The cells in KLF4 knockdown group and KLF4 overexpression group were incubated with KLF4 knockdown virus for 24 h, then the cells in KLF4 knockdown group were routinely cultured for 24 h while the cells in KLF4 overexpression group were incubated with KLF4 overexpression virus for 24 h. The protein expressions of KLF4, α-SMA, and ColⅠ in cells were detected by Western blotting at 48 h after culture. Results:At 24 h after culture, the extracted DPC-EVs showed vesicular structure with an average particle diameter of 108.8 nm. At 24 h after scratching, the migration rate of HSFs in PBS group was (54±10)%, which was significantly higher than (29±8)% in DPC-EV group ( t=4.37, P<0.05). At 48, 72, and 96 h after culture, the proliferation levels of HSFs in DPC-EV group were significantly lower than those in PBS group (with t values of 4.06, 5.76, and 6.41, respectively, P<0.05). At 24 h after culture, the protein expressions of α-SMA and ColⅠ of HSFs in DPC-EV group were significantly lower than those in PBS group, while the protein expression of KLF4 was significantly higher than that in PBS group. At 48 h after culture, compared with those in blank control group, the protein expression of KLF4 of HSFs in KLF4 knockdown group was down-regulated, while the protein expressions of α-SMA and ColⅠ were both up-regulated; compared with those in KLF4 knockdown group, the protein expression of KLF4 of HSFs in KLF4 overexpression group was up-regulated, while the protein expressions of ColⅠ and α-SMA were down-regulated. Conclusions:The DPC-EVs of mice can inhibit the proliferation and migration of human HSFs and significantly inhibit the expressions of fibrosis markers α-SMA and ColⅠ in human HSFs by activating KLF4.

Objective To investigate the current situation of achievement transformation in tertiary medical hospitals in Shanghai and propose countermeasures for the existing problems to enhance the effectiveness of achievement transformation.Methods A questionnaire survey was done on the transformation and management of scientific research achievements in 47 terti-ary hospitals in Shanghai.Meanwhile,interviews were carried out among the managers and researchers from these hospitals.Re-sults In the past three years,the rate of transformation achievements in the hospitals was only 2.8%.In the achievement trans-formation existed such problems as weak awareness of scientific researchers,low patent quality,lack of full-time managers,and inflexible management mode.It was also believed that there is a need to improve main responsibilities,achievement management,system establishment,personnel training,resource sharing,department coordination and other related aspects.Conclusion The rate of achievement transformation in tertiary medical institutions in Shanghai is at a lower level.There are numerous problems and difficulties in the transformation.Therefore,urgent efficient countermeasures are needed to promote the transformation of a-chievement.

Objective:To investigate the safety and efficacy of balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) for residual pulmonary hypertension (PH) of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension(CTEPH) after pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA).Methods:Patients diagnosed as PH after PEA in China-Japan Friendship Hospital from Oct 2016 to Jun 2022 were included. The indication for BPA was decided on the basis of a consensus of the multi-disciplinary team for all patients with CTEPH. Before treatment, the patient′s exercise tolerance and pulmonary artery flow parameters were evaluated. A comparative analysis of various parameters before BPA treatment and at the last BPA was conducted. 6-min walk distance (6MWD) was analyzed using the paired Wilcoxon test; N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), mixed venous oxygen saturation, mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP), cardiac index (CI) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) were compared using the paired-samples t-test. WHO functional class was compared using McNemar′s test. Results:Twenty patients with a total of 130 vessels underwent 46 sessions of BPA treatment. The postoperative 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) [447 (415, 485) m] showed a significant improvement compared to the preoperative baseline [389 (335, 470) m] ( Z=6.52, P<0.05), Postoperative mixed venous oxygen saturation (72.0%±1.9%) showed a significant improvement compared to the preoperative levels (64.0%±2.7%) ( t=2.14, P<0.05).Postoperatively, plasma NT-proBNP [(351.9±129.9) pg/ml], mPAP [(24.2±1.9) mmHg], and PVR [(3.0±1.4) WU] significantly decreased compared to preoperative levels [(982.5±426.2) pg/ml, (33±2.1) mmHg, (8.0±1.6) WU)] ( t=3.38, 1.22, 2.10, P<0.05 for all). Postoperatively, there was a significant improvement in WHO functional class (Ⅰ，Ⅱ，Ⅲ，Ⅳ: 14, 4, 2, 0 cases) compared to preoperative status (Ⅰ，Ⅱ，Ⅲ，Ⅳ: 0, 13, 5, 2 cases) ( χ2=20.17, P<0.05). Four cases of pulmonary artery dissection and one episode of hemoptysis occurred postoperatively, with no other complications reported. Conclusions:BPA can significantly improve exercise tolerance and hemodynamic parameters for residual PH after PEA. BPA is a relatively safe and effective treatment for residual PH after PEA.