Objective To compare the differences in dosimetry and treatment efficiency of three radiotherapy plans after left-sided breast-conserving surgery,including modified intensity-modulated radiation therapy(IMRT),cross-field volume-modulated arc therapy(VMAT)or improved VMAT,so as to provide references for clinical practice.Methods Three radiotherapy plans of modified IMRT,cross-field VMAT and improved VMAT were designed for 12 patients after left-sided-breast-conserving surgery.The modified IMRT with five irradiation fields and the improved VMAT with two arcs were modified by not setting cross-fields while determining the start and end angles with the rays passing through the least lung area.The cross-field VMAT had its start and end angles set based on the cross-fields.The doses to the target areas,peripheral organs at risk,heart and its substructures were evaluated,and dose verification was carried out.The three plans were compared in terms of treatment efficiency and gamma pass rate.SPSS 22.0 was used for statistical analysis.Results All the three plans behaved well in dose distribution.In terms of planning gross tumor volume dosimetry dosimetry,the improved VMAT and modified IMRT gained advantages than others in CI and D50,respectively,with the differences being significant(all P<0.05).In terms of planning target volume dosimetry,the modified IMRT had the V107 and D50 lower than those of the others,with the differences being significant(P<0.05).In terms of the protection of peripheral organs at risk,V5 of the left lung,Dmean of the right lung and Dmean of the healthy breast were lower in the modified IMRT plan than in the other 2 plans,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05);V20,V30,V35 and V40 of the left lung were lower in the modified VMAT plan than in the other 2 plans,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).In terms of protection of heart and its substructures,the left ventricle V20,V30 and Dmean of the improved VMAT plan behaved better than those of other 2 plans,and the difference was statistically significant(all P<0.05).In terms of treatment efficiency,the cross-field VMAT plan had the lowest MU while highest treatment efficiency;the improved VMAT plan had the MU higher while the treatment efficiency lower than the cross-field VMAT plan;the modified IMRT plan had the highest MU while the lowest gamma pass rate,and the differences in the MUs and gamma pass rates among the three plans were statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion Under the same standard conditions,the cross-field VMAT and improved VMAT plans show technical advantages.Though the improved VMAT plan has the treatment efficiency lower than the cross-field VMAT,it decreases the possibility of radiocardiac injury in terms of dosimetry and thus can be used for radiotherapy after left-sided breast-conserving surgery.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(4):45-51]

Objective To compare the differences in dosimetry and treatment efficiency of three radiotherapy plans after left-sided breast-conserving surgery,including modified intensity-modulated radiation therapy(IMRT),cross-field volume-modulated arc therapy(VMAT)or improved VMAT,so as to provide references for clinical practice.Methods Three radiotherapy plans of modified IMRT,cross-field VMAT and improved VMAT were designed for 12 patients after left-sided-breast-conserving surgery.The modified IMRT with five irradiation fields and the improved VMAT with two arcs were modified by not setting cross-fields while determining the start and end angles with the rays passing through the least lung area.The cross-field VMAT had its start and end angles set based on the cross-fields.The doses to the target areas,peripheral organs at risk,heart and its substructures were evaluated,and dose verification was carried out.The three plans were compared in terms of treatment efficiency and gamma pass rate.SPSS 22.0 was used for statistical analysis.Results All the three plans behaved well in dose distribution.In terms of planning gross tumor volume dosimetry dosimetry,the improved VMAT and modified IMRT gained advantages than others in CI and D50,respectively,with the differences being significant(all P<0.05).In terms of planning target volume dosimetry,the modified IMRT had the V107 and D50 lower than those of the others,with the differences being significant(P<0.05).In terms of the protection of peripheral organs at risk,V5 of the left lung,Dmean of the right lung and Dmean of the healthy breast were lower in the modified IMRT plan than in the other 2 plans,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05);V20,V30,V35 and V40 of the left lung were lower in the modified VMAT plan than in the other 2 plans,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).In terms of protection of heart and its substructures,the left ventricle V20,V30 and Dmean of the improved VMAT plan behaved better than those of other 2 plans,and the difference was statistically significant(all P<0.05).In terms of treatment efficiency,the cross-field VMAT plan had the lowest MU while highest treatment efficiency;the improved VMAT plan had the MU higher while the treatment efficiency lower than the cross-field VMAT plan;the modified IMRT plan had the highest MU while the lowest gamma pass rate,and the differences in the MUs and gamma pass rates among the three plans were statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion Under the same standard conditions,the cross-field VMAT and improved VMAT plans show technical advantages.Though the improved VMAT plan has the treatment efficiency lower than the cross-field VMAT,it decreases the possibility of radiocardiac injury in terms of dosimetry and thus can be used for radiotherapy after left-sided breast-conserving surgery.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(4):45-51]

Objective:To compare the effects of early orthodontic intervention and conventional sequential periodontal-orthodontic treatment to periodontal health in patients with stage Ⅳ periodontitis.Methods:A total of 30 patients with stage Ⅳ periodontitis, who underwent combined periodontal and orthodontic therapies at the Department of Periodontology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, from January 2018 to August 2024, were included. Patients who underwent early orthodontic intervention were initiated simultaneously or within one month after supragingival scaling and subgingival root planning ( n=15). While patients in control group accomplished supragingival scaling, subgingival root planning, and corresponding periodontal surgeries to achieve inflammation control before starting orthodontic treatment ( n=15). Periodontal parameters, including clinical attachment loss (CAL), probing depth (PD), and bleeding on probing (+) % [BOP (+) %], were measured at baseline, one year after orthodontic treatment, and at the end of combined periodontal-orthodontic therapy respectively. Improvements in periodontal parameters and differences in tooth loss between the two groups were compared. Results:After receiving combined periodontal-orthodontic treatment, the CAL of the early orthodontic intervention group significantly decreased from (4.39±0.90) mm before treatment to (2.41±0.35) mm at the end of treatment ( t=7.92, P<0.001). Similarly, the PD significantly reduced from (4.20±1.04) mm before treatment to (2.20±0.38) mm at the end of treatment ( t=7.01, P<0.001). The BOP(+)% also showed a significant improvement, decreasing from 89.29% (68.00%, 100.00%) before treatment to 13.04% (7.14%, 17.86%) at the end of treatment ( Z=-3.41, P<0.001). There were no statistically significant differences between the early orthodontic intervention group and control group in terms of baseline mean CAL, mean PD, and BOP(+)% ( t=1.30, P=0.205; t=1.28, P=0.212; Z=0.58, P=0.559). Furthermore, the improvements in CAL and PD between the two groups were not significantly different compared to baseline ( Z=-1.10, P=0.272; Z=-0.93, P=0.351). However, the number of missing teeth was significantly lower in the early orthodontic intervention group than in the control group (χ2=3.96, P=0.047). The duration of combined periodontal-orthodontic treatment in the early orthodontic intervention group was [33.13 (23.37, 36.20) months], which was significantly shorter than that in the control group [37.47 (32.33, 50.90) months] ( Z=2.07, P=0.037). Conclusions:Both early orthodontic intervention and conventional periodontal-orthodontic treatment significantly improved CAL, PD, and BOP(+)% in stage Ⅳ periodontitis patients. Early orthodontic intervention contributed to the preservation of natural teeth and shortened the treatment duration of stage Ⅳ periodontitis.

Objective To propose a novel identification algorithm based on ensemble learning for assessing the severity of acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS)to achieve continuous monitoring of the disease severity.Methods Firstly,leve-raging the open-source MIMIC-Ⅳ database,a variety of non-invasive physiological parameters of patients were extracted and subjected to preliminary preprocessing.A multivariate feature selection algorithm was employed to rank these parameters and calculate feature importance scores through weighted computation.Secondly,based on the feature importance scores,a subset search algorithm was utilized to identify the subset of features that could yield optimal performance across four machine learning algorithms:neural networks,logistic regression,AdaBoost and XGBoost.Finally,a soft voting ensemble method was designed using a generalized linear regression model to integrate the results of each single machine learning algorithm,and a multivariate ensemble learning algorithm was proposed by combining the optimal feature subsets.The algorithm proposed when used to identify the severity of ADRS was evaluated with MIMIC-Ⅳ database,and compared with the traditional algorithms.Results The sensitivity,specificity,accuracy and AUC of the algorithm were 87.15％,89.23％,88.34％and 0.923 4,respectively,all of which outperformed those of the traditional algorithms.Conclusion The ARDS severity identification algorithm based on ensemble learning is capable of achieving continuous and real-time monitoring of the severity of ARDS,thereby offering robust support for the early identification and warning of ARDS in patients.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(2):1-9]

Objective:To explore whether changes in the deltoid muscle tone of the affected side before and after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR) are correlated with shoulder joint pain and shoulder joint function.Methods:A total of 55 patients (22 males and 33 females, aged 60.44±9.54 years with a range of 41 to 78 years, BMI 25.86±4.25 kg/m 2 with a range of 18.82 to 42.32 kg/m 2, symptom duration 5.94±7.27 months with a range of 0.3 to 36.0 months) diagnosed with rotator cuff tear and underwent ARCR at the First Affiliated Hospital of Tsinghua University between December 2019 and June 2023 were included. All the patients suffered from unilateral symptom (23 left side and 32 right side), the size of rotator cuff tear was 16.47±5.98 mm (range, 6.92-36.38 mm). Following the operation, postoperative rehabilitation exercises were arranged with a minimum follow-up duration of six months. The muscle tone of the deltoid was measured bilaterally using a muscle tone tester before the operation and at 1, 3, 6 months after operation. The area under curve (AUC) of the pressure-displacement curve was used to reflect the muscle tone, with larger AUC values represent less muscle tone. Visual analogue scale (VAS) and Constant-Murley score were evaluated and recorded at the same time points. Results:At 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively, the VAS scores were all significantly reduced compared to preoperative values, with the Constant-Murley scores and the AUC values of the pressure-displacement of the affected-side deltoid significantly increased ( P<0.05). The postoperative AUC values of the pressure-displacement of the affected side deltoid muscle were significantly lower than those of the contralateral side ( P<0.05). There was no significant correlation between the changes in deltoid muscle pressure-displacement AUC and age, gender, disease duration, or BMI ( P>0.05), while a significant positive correlation was observed between the AUC and the size of the rotator cuff tear ( r=0.369, P=0.006). There was a positive correlation between the change in VAS and the change in deltoid muscle pressure-displacement AUC ( t=0.424, P<0.001), and the unary linear regression equation was: change in VAS=4.314+0.837×(change in deltoid muscle pressure-displacement AUC). There was a positive correlation between the changes in Constant-Murley shoulder score and the changes in deltoid AUC ( t=5.336, P<0.001), and the unary linear regression equation was: change in Constant-Murley score=24.838+6.097×(change in deltoid muscle pressure-displacement AUC). Conclusions:ARCR can reduce the affected side deltoid muscle tone, relieve shoulder pain and improve shoulder joint function. The changes in deltoid muscle tone are positively correlated with the degree of shoulder pain and function.

Objective:To analyze the efficacy of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with partial varus retention in the treatment of moderate knee varus.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of 613 osteoarthritis patients with moderate knee varus who underwent TKA at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2010 to October 2019. According to whether a 2°-3° of knee varus was retained, the patients were divided into the retained varus group and the mechanical alignment group. The retained varus group included 318 cases, with 63 males and 255 females, aged 68.51±6.95 years (range, 46-86 years), and BMI of 26.99±3.66 kg/m 2 (range, 17.40-39.01 kg/m 2). Preoperative Kellgren-Lawrence (K-L) classification of knee osteoarthritis was grade III in 113 cases and grade IV in 205 cases. The mechanical alignment group included 295 cases, with 75 males and 220 females, aged 69.60±7.12 years (range, 52-87 years), and BMI of 26.95±3.94 kg/m 2 (range, 16.60-41.90 kg/m 2). Preoperative K-L classification was grade III in 102 cases and grade IV in 193 cases. Surgical duration, total blood loss, preoperative and postoperative varus angle, lower limb swelling on the fifth postoperative day, and postoperative complications were recorded. Follow-up were arranged at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years postoperatively. At each follow-up point, the visual analogue score (VAS) for knee pain, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score, Forgotten Joint Score (FJS-12), and MOS item short-form health survey (SF-36) were assessed. Results:All 613 patients were successfully followed up, with a follow-up period of 5.25±1.02 years (range, 5.0-6.0 years). There were no statistically significant differences in gender, age, BMI, and K-L classification between the two groups ( P>0.05). The differences in postoperative varus angle, VAS scores, and HSS score were statistically significant from the preoperative values in both groups( P<0.05). The surgical duration of the retained varus group was 77.40±18.55 min, total blood loss was 920.78±407.26 ml, and lower limb swelling on the fifth postoperative day was 1.18±0.51 cm, all of which were lower than those in the mechanical alignment group: 85.31±22.15 min, 1127.14±580.08 ml, 3.22±0.52 cm, respectively, with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05). The VAS scores at postoperative day 5 and 3 months in the retained varus group were 5.08±0.72 and 2.18±1.09, respectively, which were lower than those in the mechanical alignment group: 5.80±0.81, 3.00±1.04, with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in VAS scores at 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years postoperatively between the two groups ( P>0.05). The HSS scores at 3 months and 6 months postoperatively in the retained varus group were 68.57±4.98 and 79.04±3.26, respectively, which were higher than those in the mechanical alignment group: 64.14±3.99, 77.73±4.04, with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in HSS scores at 1 year and 5 years postoperatively between the two groups ( P>0.05). The FJS-12 scores at 3 months and 6 months postoperatively in the retained varus group were 18.06±3.50 and 27.50±1.80, respectively, which were higher than those in the mechanical alignment group: 13.45±2.44, 24.23±1.59, with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in FJS-12 scores at 1 year and 5 years postoperatively between the two groups ( P>0.05). The SF-36 scores at 3 months and 6 months postoperatively in the retained varus group were 40.85±8.07 and 52.15±6.01, respectively, which were higher than those in the mechanical alignment group: 35.87±6.83, 47.28±5.38, with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in SF-36 scores at 1 year and 5 years postoperatively between the two groups ( P>0.05). The incidence of deep vein thrombosis in the lower limbs was 3.8% (12/318) in the retained varus group, which was lower than the 7.8% (23/295) in the mechanical alignment group, with a statistically significant difference ( P<0.05). Conclusion:In osteoarthritis patients with moderate knee varus undergoing TKA, retaining approximately 3° of varus can reduce surgical trauma and total blood loss, shorten surgical duration, alleviate postoperative pain and limb swelling, facilitate functional recovery, and improve patient satisfaction.

Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1(APE 1)is a multifunctional protein that plays important roles in DNA repair and regulation of gene expression.Because APE 1 is overexpressed in various cancers,it can serve as a cancer biomarker for aiding clinical diagnosis,guiding therapy,and monitoring prognosis.On this basis,a label-free fluorescent probe was designed based on the primer exchange reaction(PER)strategy for highly sensitive detection of APE 1 activity.In the absence of APE 1,the structure of catalytic hairpin(HP)was stable and could not form G-quadruplex.Therefore,the background fluorescence of this sensing system was very low due to the dissociation of thioflavin T(ThT).In the presence of APE 1,the apurinic/apyrimidinic(AP)site of HP was cleaved by APE 1 and a short nucleic acid fragment that acted as a primer to initiate PER was generated.After PER reaction,a large number of G-quadruplex were produced,which could specifically bind with ThT and resulted in significant increase of fluorescence signal.The combination of low background design of HP and PER amplification made this biosensor had high sensitivity with a detection limit(3σ)of 0.0008 U/mL.Furthermore,the primer sequence was directly generated by the cleavage of APE 1 without additional addition,which not only increased the specificity of the reaction,but also simplified the experiment procedure.Moreover,the use of label-free fluorescence signal reduced the cost of the experiment,and realized rapid detection of APE 1.Finally,this sensor was used to detect APE 1 in human serum samples with spiked recoveries of 91%-104%,proving great potential in study of biological enzyme.

To effectively carry out community health education and prevention and control of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD),we conducted a questionnaire survey on the awareness of COPD knowledge among residents aged 40 and above in Jiading District of Shanghai by using two-stage sampling method.We included 1 783 permanent residents in 4 districts and collected 1 666 valid questionnaires.The awareness rates of COPD name,pulmonary function test and related knowledge were 15.9%,11.9%and 17.2%,respectively.For the main symptoms of COPD,the awareness rate of sputum was the lowest(65.2%),of shortness of breath and dyspnea was the highest(78.4%).For the risk factors,the awareness rate of severe respiratory tract infection in childhood was the lowest(67.3%),of smoking was the highest(86.8%).Multiple response analysis showed that mobile phones and computers accounted for the highest proportion of acquiring knowledge of COPD(66.7%).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that low educational level,low monthly income,engaged in production and manufacturing,never or less exercise,no use of indoor air improvement measures,no wearing of masks in public places and no vaccination of influenza vaccine per year were associated with lower awareness rate of COPD.The community should improve the way and ability of health science popularization,and carry out health education for key groups.

Objective: To analyze the trends in incidence and mortality of prostate cancer in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, so as to provide insights into the prevention and control of prostate cancer. Methods: Data of the incidence and mortality of prostate cancer in Ningbo City from 2011 to 2023 were collected through Ningbo Chronic Disease Collaborative Management System. The incidence and mortality of prostate cancer were calculated and standardized by the data from the sixth national population census in 2010 and the Segi's world standard population in 1960. The trends in incidence and mortality of prostate cancer were evaluated using average annual percent change (AAPC). Results: A total of 15 411 cases of prostate cancer were reported in Ningbo City from 2011 to 2023, and the crude incidence, Chinese-standardized incidence and world-standardized incidence were 39.62/105, 22.18/105 and 16.49/105, respectively, showing upward trends (AAPC=14.782%, 10.390% and 10.608%, all P<0.05). The Chinese-standardized incidence of prostate cancer was higher in urban areas than in rural areas, and both showed upward trends (25.14/105 vs. 19.44/105; AAPC=9.057% and 14.272%, both P<0.05). The crude incidence of prostate cancer in the groups aged 50-<60 years, 60-<70 years, 70-<80 years and ≥80 years showed upward trends (AAPC=11.657%, 14.031%, 10.734% and 5.300%, all P<0.05). A total of 3 739 deaths were reported, and the crude mortality, Chinese-standardized mortality and world-standardized mortality were 9.66/105, 5.23/105 and 3.71/105, respectively, showing upward trends (AAPC=8.458%, 3.620% and 3.602%, all P<0.05). The Chinese-standardized mortality of prostate cancer was higher in urban areas than in rural areas, and both showed upward trends (5.35/105 vs. 5.13/105; AAPC=3.183% and 3.962%, both P<0.05). The crude mortality of prostate cancer the groups ageds ≥80 years showed an upward trend (AAPC=7.482%, P<0.05). Conclusions From 2011 to 2023, the incidence and mortality of prostate cancer in Ningbo City showed upward trends. Special attention should be paid to urban residents, and prostate cancer screening should be strengthened among males aged 50 years and older.

BACKGROUND:The highest incidence of spinal fracture is in the thoracolumbar segment,and its symptoms are back pain,posterior convexity deformity,activity limitation,or with spinal cord nerve injury causing lower limb pain,numbness,and even paraplegia and other complications.The finite element method is a digital computer modeling technique,which can simulate the physical model and carry out force analysis realistically.OBJECTIVE:To review the application of finite element method in thoracolumbar spine fractures.METHODS:We searched the Chinese and English literature databases PubMed,Web of Science,and CNKI for relevant literature on the application of the finite element analysis method in spinal thoracolumbar fracture published before March 2024.The search terms in Chinese and English were:finite element analysis methods,biomechanical phenomena,stress analysis,thoracolumbar fractures,spinal fractures.Finally,55 papers were included.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The exploration of thoracolumbar fractures caused by different etiologies(osteoporotic,traumatic,and pathological)through the finite element method is conducive to a deeper understanding of the biomechanics of various types of thoracolumbar fractures,and to improve the individualized and fine-tuned treatment of thoracolumbar fractures.(2)The finite element analysis of a single sample or a small number of samples has the chance,and a larger number of samples are required for the future finite element analysis to reduce the chance caused by the sample.(3)The rigid structure of bones alone cannot meet the biomechanical working conditions of the integrity of the physical object,and future finite element models need to incorporate all the structures of the physical object(e.g.,soft tissues,such as muscles and ligaments)as far as possible.(4)The finite element method has been used in more studies on osteoporotic and traumatic thoracolumbar spine fractures,which will need to be more in-depth in the future,and less in the field of pathologic thoracolumbar fractures,which has a wider scope for future research.