Objective: To evaluate the performance of 5T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in visualizing dental pulp and periodontal ligament (PDL) tissues in vivo in the young adult population, thereby providing a basis for the application of high-field MRI technology in clinical oral examinations. Methods: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the hospital. A total of 15 healthy volunteers (413 permanent teeth altogether) were recruited and underwent full-mouth 5T MRI scans. Among them, six volunteers (168 permanent teeth) also received both 3T MRI and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans. Two dental specialists independently evaluated the imaging quality of the dental pulp and PDL on the images using a 5-point Likert scale and recorded the number of detectable root canals for each tooth. Inter-rater agreement was assessed using weighted kappa statistics and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Non-parametric tests were employed to compare differences in imaging performance among different tissue structures, tooth positions, and imaging modalities. Results: 5T MRI can achieve in vivo imaging for most dental pulp tissues and partial periodontal membrane structures. There was a high level of agreement between the two raters in their imaging scores for the dental pulp and PDL (dental pulp κ = 0.934, PDL κ = 0.737). The imaging scores for dental pulp were significantly higher than those for PDL (P < 0.001), and the scores for molar dental pulp were lower than those for premolars and anterior teeth. In the multimodal comparison involving six volunteers, the raters showed good consistency in scoring dental pulp and PDL imaging across 5T MRI, 3T MRI, and CBCT, as well as in root canal counts (5T MRI for dental pulp κ = 0.971, 3T MRI for dental pulp κ = 0.933, CBCT for dental pulp κ = 0.964; 5T MRI for PDL κ = 0.625, 3T MRI for PDL κ = 0.667, CBCT for PDL κ = 0.571; ICC for root canal counts all ≥ 0.990). The imaging scores for dental pulp and PDL using 5T MRI were significantly higher than those using 3T MRI (dental pulp: P < 0.001; PDL: P = 0.022), but there was no statistically significant difference in the detection rate of the number of root canals between the two (P > 0.05). Although the imaging scores for dental pulp and PDL as well as the detection rate of the number of root canals with 5T MRI were inferior to those with CBCT (dental pulp: P < 0.001; PDL: P = 0.02; number of root canals: P < 0.05), 5T MRI can truly achieve "direct imaging" of these two soft tissues. Conclusion 5T MRI enables effective in vivo direct imaging of dental pulp and PDL tissues in the young adult population, indicating its potential clinical application value in the diagnosis and treatment of pulp and periodontal diseases.

The continuous emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants as well as other potential future coronavirus has challenged the effectiveness of current COVID-19 vaccines. Therefore, there remains a need for alternative antivirals that target processes less susceptible to mutations, such as the formation of six-helix bundle (6-HB) during the viral fusion step of host cell entry. In this study, a novel high-throughput screening (HTS) assay employing a yeast-two-hybrid (Y2H) system was established to identify inhibitors of HR1/HR2 interaction. The compound IMB-9C, which achieved single-digit micromolar inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 and its Omicron variants with low cytotoxicity, was selected. IMB-9C effectively blocks the HR1/HR2 interaction in vitro and inhibits SARS-CoV-2-S-mediated cell-cell fusion. It binds to both HR1 and HR2 through non-covalent interaction and influences the secondary structure of HR1/HR2 complex. In addition, virtual docking and site-mutagenesis results suggest that amino acid residues A930, I931, K933, T941, and L945 are critical for IMB-9C binding to HR1. Collectively, in this study, we have developed a novel screening method for HR1/HR2 interaction inhibitors and identified IMB-9C as a potential antiviral small molecule against COVID-19 and its variants.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), as a metabolic disease, has shown a constant upward trend in prevalence among the people in recent years. In addition to changing lifestyles and conventional drug treatment, bariatric surgery, represented by Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery and sleeve gastrectomy, has gradually become one of the treatment options for NAFLD. However, the mechanism of bariatric surgery in treating NAFLD remains to be studied. The "multiple-hit theory", which has gradually been recognized in recent years, believes that NAFLD is formed by the combined effect of multiple mechanisms such as insulin resistance, bile acid metabolism pathway, and intestinal flora. Based on relevant literatures and clinical practices, the authors explore the relevant mechanisms of bariatric surgery for direct or indirect treatment of NAFLD.

Objective:To report the long-term outcomes of Chinese rectal cancer patients after adopting a Watch and Wait (W&W) strategy following neoadjuvant therapy (NAT).Methods:This multicenter, cross-sectional study was based on real-world data. The study cohort comprised rectal cancer patients who had achieved complete or near complete clinical responses (cCRs, near-cCRs) after NAT and were thereafter managed by a W&W approach, as well as a few patients who had achieved good responses after NAT and had then undergone local excision for confirmation of pathological complete response. All participants had been followed up for ≥2 years. Patients with distant metastases at baseline or who opted for observation while living with the tumor were excluded. Data of eligible patients were retrospectively collected from the Chinese Wait-and-Watch Data Collaboration Group database. These included baseline characteristics, type of NAT, pre-treatment imaging results, evaluation of post-NAT efficacy, salvage measures, and treatment outcomes. We herein report the long-term outcomes of Chinese rectal cancer patients after NAT and W&W and the differences between the cCR and near-cCR groups.Results:Clinical data of 318 rectal cancer patients who had undergone W&W for over 2 years and been followed up were collected from eight medical centers (Peking University Cancer Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Shanghai Changhai Hospital, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Liaoning Cancer Hospital, the First Hospital of Jilin University, and Yunnan Cancer Hospital.) The participants comprised 221 men (69.4%) and 107 women (30.6%) of median age 60 (26-86) years. The median distance between tumor and anal verge was 3.4 (0-10.4) cm. Of these patients, 291 and 27 had achieved cCR or near-cCR, respectively, after NAT. The median duration of follow-up was 48.4 (10.2-110.3) months. The 5-year cumulative overall survival rate was 92.4% (95%CI: 86.8%-95.7%), 5-year cumulative disease-specific survival (CSS) rate 96.6% (95%CI: 92.2%-98.5%), 5-year cumulative organ-preserving disease-free survival rate 86.6% (95%CI: 81.0%-90.7%), and 5-year organ preservation rate 85.3% (95%CI: 80.3%-89.1%). The overall 5-year local recurrence and distant metastasis rates were 18.5% (95%CI: 14.9%-20.8%) and 8.2% (95%CI: 5.4%-12.5%), respectively. Most local recurrences (82.1%, 46/56) occurred within 2 years, and 91.0% (51/56) occurred within 3 years, the median time to recurrence being 11.7 (2.5-66.6) months. Most (91.1%, 51/56) local recurrences occurred within the intestinal lumen. Distant metastases developed in 23 patients; 60.9% (14/23) occurred within 2 years and 73.9% (17/23) within 3 years, the median time to distant metastasis being 21.9 (2.6-90.3) months. Common sites included lung (15/23, 65.2%), liver (6/23, 26.1%), and bone (7/23, 30.4%) The metastases involved single organs in 17 patients and multiple organs in six. There were no significant differences in overall, cumulative disease-specific, or organ-preserving disease-free survival or rate of metastases between the two groups (all P>0.05). The 5-year local recurrence rate was higher in the near-cCR than in the cCR group (41.6% vs. 16.4%, P<0.01), with a lower organ preservation rate (69.2% vs. 88.0%, P<0.001). The success rates of salvage after local recurrence and distant metastasis were 82.1% (46/56) and 13.0% (3/23), respectively. Conclusion:Rectal cancer patients who achieve cCR or near-cCR after NAT and undergo W&W have favorable oncological outcomes and a high rate of organ preservation. Local recurrence and distant metastasis during W&W follow certain patterns, with a relatively high salvage rate for local recurrence. Our findings highlight the importance of close follow-up and timely intervention during the W&W process.

Objective:To report the long-term outcomes of Chinese rectal cancer patients after adopting a Watch and Wait (W&W) strategy following neoadjuvant therapy (NAT).Methods:This multicenter, cross-sectional study was based on real-world data. The study cohort comprised rectal cancer patients who had achieved complete or near complete clinical responses (cCRs, near-cCRs) after NAT and were thereafter managed by a W&W approach, as well as a few patients who had achieved good responses after NAT and had then undergone local excision for confirmation of pathological complete response. All participants had been followed up for ≥2 years. Patients with distant metastases at baseline or who opted for observation while living with the tumor were excluded. Data of eligible patients were retrospectively collected from the Chinese Wait-and-Watch Data Collaboration Group database. These included baseline characteristics, type of NAT, pre-treatment imaging results, evaluation of post-NAT efficacy, salvage measures, and treatment outcomes. We herein report the long-term outcomes of Chinese rectal cancer patients after NAT and W&W and the differences between the cCR and near-cCR groups.Results:Clinical data of 318 rectal cancer patients who had undergone W&W for over 2 years and been followed up were collected from eight medical centers (Peking University Cancer Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Shanghai Changhai Hospital, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Liaoning Cancer Hospital, the First Hospital of Jilin University, and Yunnan Cancer Hospital.) The participants comprised 221 men (69.4%) and 107 women (30.6%) of median age 60 (26-86) years. The median distance between tumor and anal verge was 3.4 (0-10.4) cm. Of these patients, 291 and 27 had achieved cCR or near-cCR, respectively, after NAT. The median duration of follow-up was 48.4 (10.2-110.3) months. The 5-year cumulative overall survival rate was 92.4% (95%CI: 86.8%-95.7%), 5-year cumulative disease-specific survival (CSS) rate 96.6% (95%CI: 92.2%-98.5%), 5-year cumulative organ-preserving disease-free survival rate 86.6% (95%CI: 81.0%-90.7%), and 5-year organ preservation rate 85.3% (95%CI: 80.3%-89.1%). The overall 5-year local recurrence and distant metastasis rates were 18.5% (95%CI: 14.9%-20.8%) and 8.2% (95%CI: 5.4%-12.5%), respectively. Most local recurrences (82.1%, 46/56) occurred within 2 years, and 91.0% (51/56) occurred within 3 years, the median time to recurrence being 11.7 (2.5-66.6) months. Most (91.1%, 51/56) local recurrences occurred within the intestinal lumen. Distant metastases developed in 23 patients; 60.9% (14/23) occurred within 2 years and 73.9% (17/23) within 3 years, the median time to distant metastasis being 21.9 (2.6-90.3) months. Common sites included lung (15/23, 65.2%), liver (6/23, 26.1%), and bone (7/23, 30.4%) The metastases involved single organs in 17 patients and multiple organs in six. There were no significant differences in overall, cumulative disease-specific, or organ-preserving disease-free survival or rate of metastases between the two groups (all P>0.05). The 5-year local recurrence rate was higher in the near-cCR than in the cCR group (41.6% vs. 16.4%, P<0.01), with a lower organ preservation rate (69.2% vs. 88.0%, P<0.001). The success rates of salvage after local recurrence and distant metastasis were 82.1% (46/56) and 13.0% (3/23), respectively. Conclusion:Rectal cancer patients who achieve cCR or near-cCR after NAT and undergo W&W have favorable oncological outcomes and a high rate of organ preservation. Local recurrence and distant metastasis during W&W follow certain patterns, with a relatively high salvage rate for local recurrence. Our findings highlight the importance of close follow-up and timely intervention during the W&W process.

BACKGROUND: Management of gastric leak after sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is challenging due to its unpredictable outcomes. We aimed to summarize the characteristics of SG leaks and analyze interventions and corresponding outcomes in a real-world setting. METHODS: To retrospectively review of 15,721 SG procedures from 2010 to 2020 based on a national registry. A cumulative sum analysis was used to identify a fitting curve of gastric leak rate. The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank tests were performed to calculate and compare the probabilities of relevant outcomes. The logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the predictors of acute leaks. RESULTS: A total of 78 cases of SG leaks were collected with an incidence of 0.5% (78/15,721) from this registry (6 patients who had the primary SG in non-participating centers). After accumulating 260 cases in a bariatric surgery center, the leak rate decreased to a stably low value of under 1.17%. The significant differences presented in sex, waist circumference, and the proportion of hypoproteinemia and type 2 diabetes at baseline between patients with SG leak and the whole registry population ( P = 0.005, = 0.026, <0.001, and = 0.001, respectively). Moreover, 83.1% (59/71) of the leakage was near the esophagogastric junction region. Leakage healed in 64 (88.9%, 64/72) patients. The median healing time of acute and non-acute leaks was 5.93 months and 8.12 months, respectively. Acute leak (38/72, 52.8%) was the predominant type with a cumulative reoperation rate >50%, whereas the cumulative healing probability in the patients who required surgical treatment was significantly lower than those requring non-surgical treatment ( P = 0.013). Precise dissection in the His angle area was independently associated with a lower acute leak rate, whereas preservation ≥2 cm distance from the His angle area was an independent risk factor. CONCLUSIONS Male sex, elevated waist circumference, hypoproteinaemia, and type 2 diabetes are risk factors of gastric leaks after SG. Optimizing surgical techniques, including precise dissection of His angle area and preservation of smaller gastric fundus, should be suggested to prevent acute leaks.
Humans ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/complications* ; Obesity, Morbid ; Anastomotic Leak/epidemiology* ; Gastrectomy/methods* ; Reoperation/methods* ; Registries ; Laparoscopy/methods* ; Treatment Outcome

Objective:To investigate whether the antibacterial copper sulfide (CuS)/graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets composite film can promote angiogenesis and osteogenesis in vitro. Methods:GO and CuS/GO nanosheets were synthesized and mixed into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) hydrogel films. The study was conducted in 4 groups: PVA/CMC/GO, PVA/CMC/CuS/GO, PVA/CMC (only PVA/CMC-based film) and blank control (no material). The PVA/CMC, PVA/CMC/GO and PVA/CMC/CuS/GO films were characterized by electron scanning microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometer. The biocompatibility of different films (PVA/CMC/CuS/GO films with concentrations of CuS/GO nanotablets of 0, 50, 100, 200, 400, and 800 μ g/mL) was evaluated by CCK-8, live/dead cell staining, and hemolysis test. The angiogenesis was evaluated by cell migration and tube forming test in vitro. Alkaline phosphatase and alizarin red staining were used to evaluate osteogenesis in vitro, and the expression of osteogenic genes was measured by immunofluorescence staining and RT-qPCR. In addition, the bacterial plate counting method and bacteriostatic circle method were used to evaluate the antibacterial activity of films. Results:In the PVA/CMC/GO and PVA/CMC/CuS/GO groups, the surface of the PVA/CMC-based film was smooth and flat whereas the nanosheets composite films were irregularly flaky and convex. The biosafety experiments showed that the PVA/CMC-based film composited with GO or CuS/GO nanosheets at the concentration of 100 μg/mL had good biocompatibility. The results of angiogenesis in vitro showed that the migration ratio of HUVEC cells in the PVA/CMC/CuS/GO group was significantly better than those in the PVA/CMC/GO, PVA/CMC and control groups ( P<0.001). In the experiment of tube forming area and length, the PVA/CMC/CuS/GO group was significantly better than the PVA/CMC/GO, PVA/CMC and control groups ( P<0.001). The osteogenic differentiation in vitro displayed that the alkaline phosphatase and alizarin red staining of MC3T3-E1 cells in the PVA/CMC/CuS/GO group were significantly better than those in the PVA/CMC/GO, PVA/CMC and control groups ( P<0.001). In addition, the fluorescence intensity of immunofluorescence staining in alkaline phosphatase and type Ⅰcollagen on MC3T3-E1 cells, and the mRNA expression levels of osteogenic related genes including alkaline phosphatase, bone morphogenetic protein 2, osteocalcin and osteopontin in the PVA/CMC/CuS/GO group were significantly higher than those in the PVA/CMC/GO, PVA/CMC and control groups ( P<0.001). The antibacterial assay showed that the PVA/CMC/CuS/GO group had a significantly greater antibacterial activity and a significantly larger inhibition zone against Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria than the PVA/CMC/GO, PVA/CMC and control groups ( P< 0.001). Conclusions:PVA/CMC films composited with GO or CuS/GO nanosheets demonstrate ideal biocompatibility and antibacterial properties which promote angiogenesis and osteogenic differentiation in vitro. In particular, antibacterial PVA/CMC/CuS/GO composite films with the coupling function of angiogenesis and osteogenesis are expected to provide a new strategy for infectious bone defects.

Objective:To systematically evaluate the effect of bariatric and metabolic surgery on bone metabolism in obese patients.Methods:Search terms for the present meta-analysis included "bariatric surgery, metabolic surgery, sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, bone metabolic indicators, bone mineral density", both in English and corresponding Chinese. PubMed, WOS, Cochrane, CNKI, and VIP databases were searched for longitudinal studies from the establishment of the database to September 20, 2022. The data on bone mineral density and bone metabolic markers in obese patients before and after bariatric surgery were extracted. RevMan5.4 and Stata17.0 software were used for Meta-analysis.Results:A total of 8 clinical studies with 420 patients were included. The results of the meta-analysis showed that compared with the preoperative baseline, lumbar spine bone mineral density ( WMD=0.05, 95% CI: -0.00~0.1), femoral neck bone mineral density( WMD=0.10, 95% CI: 0.05-0.15), hip bone mineral density( WMD=0.14, 95% CI: 0.10-0.17), and serum vitamin D 3 ( WMD=-4.87, 95% CI: -6.34--3.40)were decreased, while parathyroid hormone ( WMD=10.04, 95% CI: 5.32-14.76) was elevated after surgery. Conclusions:Current evidence demonstrates that metabolic and bariatric surgery can lead to decreased bone mineral density and impairs in bone metabolic markers early after surgery. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery cause more adverse effects on bone metabolism than sleeve gastrectomy. The results imply that all patients undergoing metabolic and bariatric surgery should be monitored for bone metabolism and routinely take vitamin D and calcium supplements.

Objective:To analyze the incidence of gallstone formation after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG) by meta-analysis.Methods:English terms for this meta-analysis included "bariatric surgery, gastric bypass, Roux-n-Y gastric bypass, RYGB, sleeve gastrectomy, SG, cholelithiasis, cholecystectomy, gallstone". Researched articles in Pubmed, Medline and Embase databases were searched up to February 2023 and retrieved for further analysis. The quality of each article was evaluated with Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Generated data were analyzed with Revman 5.4.Results:Nine relevant cohort studies were retrieved for this meta-analysis, including a total of 24 255 RYGB patients and 4 500 SG patients. All articles met the requirements after the quality evaluation of NOS. The meta-analysis results showed that the incidence of postoperative gallstones in RYGB group was higher than that in SG group ( P<0.001). In subgroup analysis, by administering ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) for gallstone prevention, the incidence had no difference between the two groups ( P=0.090), while in the study without UDCA, the incidence of gallstones after RYGB was higher than SG ( P=0.005). In the studies with follow-up time no more than 24 months, the incidence of postoperative gallstones in RYGB group was higher than that in SG group ( P=0.050), but there was no statistical difference when following-up beyond 24 months ( P=0.240). Conclusions:Within 2 years after surgery, RYGB patients have more chances to develop gallstones than SG patients. However, beyond 2-year follow-up, there is no difference between the two procedures. Prophylactical utilization of UDCA after RYGB can effectively reduce the incidence of gallstone formation.

Objective:To investigate parents′ proxy-assessment post-operative pain intensity of orthopedic children, and to analyze the relevant influencing factors.Methods:Using the purposive sampling method, 200 children and their parents who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were mainly selected in pediatric orthopedics of Children′s Hospital of Soochow University from August to December in 2020. A general information questionnaire and the Wong-Baker Facial Pain Rating Scale (WBFP) were used to survey.Results:One hundred and ninety-five questionnaires were effectively recovered. Nearly 44.6%(87/195) and 28.7%(56/195), 36.9%(72/195) and 5.1%(10/195), 8.2%(16/195) and 1.0%(2/195) of parents reported (using WBFP Rating Scale) moderate to severe pain intensity of 1 d, 2 d and 3 d after surgery and the Cohen′s Kappa coefficient with child′s self-report which ranged from 0.556 to 0.631 were all higher than child-nurse (Cohen′s Kappa coefficient ranged from 0.318 to 0.406). The results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that using painkillers by children entered in the regression equation, which could explain the variation of 13.5% ( R 2=0.135). Conclusions:The self-report of the children was in good agreement with the assessment of the pain intensity by the parental agent, and the assessment of the pain intensity was affected by the painkillers used by the children. Therefore, medical institutions and personnel should create a supportive environment that values the positive role of parents to promote the management of children′s post-operative pain.