Objective:To construct a prior based on the inherent properties of PET to accurately segment the lesion areas.Methods:A network framework for PET tumor segmentation driven by geodesic priors was proposed (geodesic network for short). Specifically, partial differential equations were constructed to characterize the geodesic distances between different regions in PET images. Tumor marker points identified by CT labeling were used as the initial conditions for the equations. To enhance the contrast between areas of lung or breast tumors and normal tissues, a smooth Heaviside function was utilized to map the geodesic distances. The network framework adopted a dual-branch architecture, using geodesic priors to assist in PET image segmentation.Results:The proposed method achieved a Dice coefficient of 94.92% in lung cancer segmentation and 90.12% in breast cancer segmentation. With the addition of geodesic priors in the Unet, the Dice coefficient for breast cancer increased by 32.37% (from 42.50% to 74.87%).Conclusion:Geodesic priors can significantly improve segmentation outcomes and enhance the generalization capability of the network.

Objective:To construct a prior based on the inherent properties of PET to accurately segment the lesion areas.Methods:A network framework for PET tumor segmentation driven by geodesic priors was proposed (geodesic network for short). Specifically, partial differential equations were constructed to characterize the geodesic distances between different regions in PET images. Tumor marker points identified by CT labeling were used as the initial conditions for the equations. To enhance the contrast between areas of lung or breast tumors and normal tissues, a smooth Heaviside function was utilized to map the geodesic distances. The network framework adopted a dual-branch architecture, using geodesic priors to assist in PET image segmentation.Results:The proposed method achieved a Dice coefficient of 94.92% in lung cancer segmentation and 90.12% in breast cancer segmentation. With the addition of geodesic priors in the Unet, the Dice coefficient for breast cancer increased by 32.37% (from 42.50% to 74.87%).Conclusion:Geodesic priors can significantly improve segmentation outcomes and enhance the generalization capability of the network.

OBJECTIVES: As early as the Apollo 11 mission, astronauts experienced ocular, skin, and upper airway irritation after lunar dust (LD) was brought into the return cabin, drawing attention to its potential biological toxicity. However, the biological effects of LD exposure through the digestive system remain poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of digestive exposure to lunar dust simulant (LDS) on gut microbiota and on the intestine, liver, kidney, lung, and bone in mice. METHODS: Eight-week-old female C57BL/6J mice were used. LDS was used as a substitute for lunar dust, and Shaanxi loess was used as Earth dust (ED). Mice were randomly divided into a phosphate buffered saline (PBS) group, an ED group (500 mg/kg), and a LDS group (500 mg/kg), with assessments at days 7, 14, and 28. Mice were gavaged once every 3 days, with body weight recorded before each gavage. At sacrifice, fecal samples were analyzed by 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing; inflammatory cytokine expression [interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)] in intestinal, liver, and lung tissues was measured by real-time reverse transcription PCR (real-time RT-PCR); hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was performed on lung, liver, and intestinal tissues; Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining was used to assess the integrity of the intestinal mucus barrier, and immunohistochemical staining was performed to evaluate the expression of mucin-2 (MUC2). Serum biochemical tests assessed hepatic and renal function. Femoral bone mass was analyzed by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT); osteoblasts and osteoclasts were assessed by osteocalcin (OCN) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining. Bone marrow immune cell subsets were analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: At day 10, weight gain was slowed in ED and LDS groups. At days 22 and 28, body weight in both ED and LDS groups was significantly lower than controls (both P<0.05). LDS exposure increased microbial species richness and diversity at day 7. Compared with the PBS and ED groups, mice in the LDS group showed increased relative abundance of Deferribacterota, Desulfobacterota, and Campylobacterota, and decreased Firmicutes, with increased Helicobacter typhlonius and reduced Lactobacillus johnsonii and Lactobacillusmurinus. HE and PAS staining of the colon showed that mucosal structural disruption and goblet cell loss were more severe in the LDS group. In addition, immunohistochemistry revealed a significant downregulation of MUC2 expression in this group (P<0.05). No obvious pathological alterations were observed in liver HE staining among the 3 groups, and none of the groups exhibited notable hepatic or renal dysfunction. HE staining of the lungs in the ED and LDS groups showed increased perivascular inflammatory cell infiltration (both P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS LDS exposure via the digestive route induces gut dysbiosis, intestinal barrier disruption, pulmonary inflammation, bone loss, and bone marrow immune imbalance. These findings indicate that LD exposure poses potential health risks during future lunar missions. Targeted restoration of beneficial gut microbiota may represent a promising strategy to mitigate LD-related health hazards.
Animals ; Dust ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Dysbiosis/etiology* ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Moon ; Liver/metabolism* ; Digestive System/microbiology* ; Lung/metabolism* ; Kidney

OBJECTIVES: Due to prolonged exposure to cosmic radiation and meteorite impacts, lunar surface dust forms nanoscale angular particles with strong electrostatic adsorption properties. These dust particles pose potential inhalation risks, yet their pulmonary toxicological mechanisms remain unclear. Given the need for dust exposure protection in future lunar base construction and resource development, this study established an acute exposure model using lunar soil simulant (LSS) and used Earth soil (ES; Loess from Shaanxi, China) as a comparison to investigate lung injury mechanisms. METHODS: C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to 3 groups: Phosphate buffered saline (PBS), LSS, and ES, with 5 to 7 mice per group. Mice in the LSS and ES groups received a single intratracheal instillation to induce acute inhalation exposure. Body weight was monitored for 28 days. Mice were euthanized at days 3, 7, 14, and 28 post-exposure, and peripheral blood, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and lung tissues were collected. Immune cell subsets in BALF were analyzed using flow cytometry. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining assessed lung structure and inflammation; periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining evaluated airway mucus secretion; Masson staining examined collagen deposition. Real-time reverse transcription PCR (real-time RT-PCR) was used to measure the mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) and epithelial barrier genes (Occludin, Cadherin-1, and Zo-1). Lung tissues at day 7 were subjected to transcriptomic sequencing, followed by immune infiltration and pathway enrichment analyses to determine immunoregulatory mechanisms. RESULTS: Body weight in the ES group progressively declined after day 18 (all P<0.05), while the LSS group showed no significant changes compared with the control group. HE staining showed both LSS and ES induced inflammatory cell infiltration around airways and vasculature, which persisted for 28 days but gradually lessened over time. PAS staining revealed marked mucus hypersecretion in the LSS group at day 3, followed by gradual recovery; no significant mucus changes were observed in the ES group. Masson staining indicated no obvious pulmonary fibrosis in either group within 28 days. Real-time RT-PCR demonstrated significant upregulation of IL-1β and TNF-α in both LSS and ES groups, peaking on day 7, accompanied by downregulation of epithelial barrier genes (Occludin, Cadherin-1, and Zo-1)(all P<0.05). Transcriptomic analysis showed that both LSS and ES activated chemokine-related pathways and enriched leukocyte migration and neutrophil recruitment pathways. Further validation revealed upregulation of CXCL2 and MMP12 in the LSS group, whereas CXCL3 and MMP12 were predominantly elevated in the ES group. CONCLUSIONS Both LSS and ES can induce sustained lung injury and neutrophil infiltration in mice, though the underlying molecular mechanisms differ. Compared with ES, exposure to LSS additionally triggers a transient eosinophilic response, suggesting that lunar dust particles possess stronger immunostimulatory potential and higher biological toxicity.
Animals ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Soil ; Lung Injury/etiology* ; Dust ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Moon ; Lung/pathology* ; Inhalation Exposure/adverse effects* ; Male

No research considering the expression of protein post-translational crotonylation in benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), and the correlation between crotonylation and clinical urodynamic testing parameters. 176 BPH samples collected in our hospital were stained with crotonylation pan-antibody, and the correlation between staining scores and urodynamic test parameters were analyzed. The results showed that 14.77% of BPH tissues had high levels, 40.34% had moderate levels, and 44.89% had low levels of crotonylation modification in cytoplasm. 43.75% of BPH tissue cell nuclei were stained positive, of which 12 cases showed high levels, 18 cases had medium levels, and 47 cases had low levels of crotonylation modification. The volume of BPH tissue with high-level cytoplasmic crotonylation modified [(90.15±29.88) ml] was significantly higher than that of medium-level [(52.53±28.68) ml] and low-level [(43.33±19.65) ml] tissues ( P<0.001). Parameters from urodynamics including detrusor pressure and prostate plateau area were significantly higher in the high-level crotonylation group [(63.21±36.25) cmH 2O and (2 011.2±518.7) mm·cmH 2O]than those in the medium- [(45.0±25.4) cmH 2O and (1 319.1±564.4) mm·cmH 2O] and low-level [(37.1±19.5)cmH 2O and (1 496.4±520.1)mm·cmH 2O] groups ( P<0.01). High-level crotonylation modification is related to the proliferation of BPH tissue and the urodynamic performance of patients, which could be involved in the occurrence and development of BPH.

[Objective] To investigate the clinical manifestations and explore the experience of diagnosis and treatment of spontaneous perirenal urine extravasation after urinary tract obstruction so as to improve the understanding of the disease. [Methods] The clinical data of 23 patients with spontaneous perirenal urine extravasation after obstruction treated at our hospital during 2018 and 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, including the primary diseases, clinical manifestations, imaging examination, treatment and prognosis. The key points of diagnosis and treatment were summarized. [Results] Of the 23 patients, there were 15 males and 8 females, with an average age of 43.4 years. These cases were diagnosed by imaging tests such as ultrasound, computed tomography urography (CTU) and CT. Ureteroscopic lithotripsy was performed in 3 patients with ureteral calculi, retrograde ureteral catheterization in 4 patients and percutaneous nephrostomy in 13 patients. Afterwards, a second phase surgery was performed based on the patients' condition. Of the 3 patients with tumor metastasis who underwent retrograde ureteral catheterization, 2 operation were successful, and 1 operation failed and then converted to nephrostomy and drainage under B-ultrasound localization. [Conclusion] CTU should be performed as soon as possible to make a definite diagnosis. Treatment can be achieved with ureteral retrograde catheterization or percutaneous nephrostomy to achieve local decompression, followed by secondary surgery to treat the primary cause of obstruction.

Objective To explore the construction and practice of an intelligent prevention and treatment system for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in grassroots hospitals. Methods Based on relevant guidelines and expert consensuses on VTE prevention and treatment, domestic and foreign literature was reviewed. A research and development team composed of clinical experts in VTE prevention and treatment, medical and nursing quality management experts, and information engineers conducted investigations and research in surrounding grassroots hospitals. Through evidence-based research and surveys, the team identified relevant business needs, user needs, and functional requirements of grassroots hospitals, and finally formulated a detailed design plan. The main program of system was written in Java. The interface obtained data from the hospital's data platform through Webservice and view interfaces. To prevent issues of repeated data extraction when multiple applications perform time tasks to assess the same patient during later server usage and expansion, the XXL-JOB distributed task scheduling platform was adopted to handle VTE assessments by medical staff. Results After the clinical application of the intelligent VTE prevention and treatment system, the bleeding risk assessment rate increased from 26.20% at the initial system launch in January 2023 to 83.04% by the end of 2023. In January 2023, the implementation rates of mechanical prevention, pharmacological prevention, and combined prevention for medium-to-high-risk VTE patients were 21.39%, 16.39%, and 5.26%, respectively, which increased to 51.75%, 25.50%, and 25.65% in December 2023. Conclusion The VTE prevention and treatment software system developed by grassroots hospitals can improve development efficiency, enhance the clinical practicality of the system, reduce the workload of medical staff, promote standardization and normalization in VTE prevention and treatment, strengthen closed-loop management of medical quality for VTE as a single disease, and effectively improve the prevention and treatment capabilities and levels of VTE within hospitals.

Traumatic supraorbital fissure syndrome (TSOFS) is a symptom complex caused by nerve entrapment in the supraorbital fissure after skull base trauma. If the compressed cranial nerve in the supraorbital fissure is not decompressed surgically, ptosis, diplopia and eye movement disorder may exist for a long time and seriously affect the patients′ quality of life. Since its overall incidence is not high, it is not familiarized with the majority of neurosurgeons and some TSOFS may be complicated with skull base vascular injury. If the supraorbital fissure surgery is performed without treatment of vascular injury, it may cause massive hemorrhage, and disability and even life-threatening in severe cases. At present, there is no consensus or guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of TSOFS that can be referred to both domestically and internationally. To improve the understanding of TSOFS among clinical physicians and establish standardized diagnosis and treatment plans, the Skull Base Trauma Group of the Neurorepair Professional Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, Neurotrauma Group of the Neurosurgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, Neurotrauma Group of the Traumatology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, and Editorial Committee of Chinese Journal of Trauma organized relevant experts to formulate Chinese expert consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic supraorbital fissure syndrome ( version 2024) based on evidence of evidence-based medicine and clinical experience of diagnosis and treatment. This consensus puts forward 12 recommendations on the diagnosis, classification, treatment, efficacy evaluation and follow-up of TSOFS, aiming to provide references for neurosurgeons from hospitals of all levels to standardize the diagnosis and treatment of TSOFS.

No research considering the expression of protein post-translational crotonylation in benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), and the correlation between crotonylation and clinical urodynamic testing parameters. 176 BPH samples collected in our hospital were stained with crotonylation pan-antibody, and the correlation between staining scores and urodynamic test parameters were analyzed. The results showed that 14.77% of BPH tissues had high levels, 40.34% had moderate levels, and 44.89% had low levels of crotonylation modification in cytoplasm. 43.75% of BPH tissue cell nuclei were stained positive, of which 12 cases showed high levels, 18 cases had medium levels, and 47 cases had low levels of crotonylation modification. The volume of BPH tissue with high-level cytoplasmic crotonylation modified [(90.15±29.88) ml] was significantly higher than that of medium-level [(52.53±28.68) ml] and low-level [(43.33±19.65) ml] tissues ( P<0.001). Parameters from urodynamics including detrusor pressure and prostate plateau area were significantly higher in the high-level crotonylation group [(63.21±36.25) cmH 2O and (2 011.2±518.7) mm·cmH 2O]than those in the medium- [(45.0±25.4) cmH 2O and (1 319.1±564.4) mm·cmH 2O] and low-level [(37.1±19.5)cmH 2O and (1 496.4±520.1)mm·cmH 2O] groups ( P<0.01). High-level crotonylation modification is related to the proliferation of BPH tissue and the urodynamic performance of patients, which could be involved in the occurrence and development of BPH.

Objective:To explore the strategy of preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic disorders (PGT-M) with variants of uncertain significance (VUS).Methods:Monogenic disorder couples who carried VUS and sought fertility counseling between 2018 and 2020 in Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya were recruited in this study. The pathogenicity of VUS was reanalyzed according to the Standards and Guidelines for the Interpretation of Sequence Variants released by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) and the Bayesian Classification. Those VUSs were reclassified as "pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants (P/LP)", "likely pathogenic VUS", "variants of uncertain significance", or "likely benign VUS". PGT-M was applied to families with VUS upgraded as "P/LP" or "likely pathogenic VUS" under the principle of couples fully voluntary and understanding the risks. We also followed up the developmental status of fetuses and the health condition of the born children.Results:1) A total of 25 variants were detected in 16 families with monogenic disorders, including 1 P, 3 LP, and 21 VUS. After reanalysis, 11 VUS and 7 VUS were upgraded as LP (52.4%) and "likely pathogenic VUS" (33.3%), respectively. Two VUS were still reclassified as "variants of uncertain significance"(9.5%), and 1 VUS was reclassified as "likely benign VUS" (4.8%). 2) PGT-M was implemented for 14 families with monogenic disorders, including 9 families with VUS upgraded as LP, 2 families with one LP/P and one "likely pathogenic VUS", and 3 families with only "likely pathogenic VUS". 3) Twelve healthy babies were born after PGT-M. Following up was done according to the onset age of diseases: 8 offsprings did not show the symptoms as probands, and 4 offsprings had not yet reached the age of onset and need continuous follow-up.Conclusion:It is necessary to actively search for new evidence and reanalyze the pathogenicity of VUS according to ACMG guidelines before PGT-M. Under fully informed consent of the patients, PGT-M can be carried out for VUS reclassified as "P/LP" and "likely pathogenic VUS", to reduce the risk of recurrence.