OBJECTIVE: To explore the displacement and pressure distribution of American Chiropractic in a model of third lumbar syndrome based on finite element analysis. METHODS: On March 2021, CT and MRI images of a 23-year-old male patient with right third lumbar syndrome were selected. A 3D stl model was established using Mimics and CATIA, and the data was imported into Hypermesh, Abaqus & ANSYS. The elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio of the affected side material were adjusted to establish its finite element model. Based on the comparison of the operating positions and routines of the American Chiropractic and the lumbar spine oblique pull method, but with differences in the focus and direction of force, the experimental group simulated the American Chiropractic with the healthy side (left side) lying position of the model. The upper endplate of L₃ and the lower part below L₃ twisted accordingly with the body position, we applied a vertical forward thrust of 246 N to the plane formed by the L₄, L₅ spinous processes and L₄ upper articular processes;The control group simulates the oblique pull method of the lumbar spine, requiring the model to lie on the healthy side (left side), fix the upper endplate of L₄, and perform a horizontal rotation along the longitudinal axis of L₃ vertebral body. At this time, the contact force in the upward direction is also set to 246 N. Compare the displacement and stress differences between the L₁-L₅ intervertebral bodies, intervertebral discs, articular processes, and transverse process muscles in two intervention models. RESULTS: ① Under safe load conditions, a test force of 246 N was applied to the model, and the maximum vertebral displacement occurred on the right side of the L₃ vertebral body (1.197 mm) after manual intervention in the control group. The vertebral displacement between L₁-L₅ induced by manual intervention in the experimental group was smaller than that of the control group's manual intervention (P<0.05). ② The maximum vertebral body stress occurred on the right side of the L₃ vertebral body after manual intervention in the control group (98.425 MPa). The stress on each vertebral body formed by the experimental group's manual intervention was lower than that of the control group's manual intervention (P<0.05). ③The maximum intervertebral disc stress occurred on the right side of the L_2,3 intervertebral disc (6.282 MPa) after manual intervention in the control group. ④ The maximum joint process stress occurred on the right side of the L₄ upper joint process after manual intervention in the experimental group (1.587 MPa). The joint process stress on the left side below L₁ and the left side above and below L₂ induced by manual intervention in the experimental group was lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). ⑤The maximum stress on the intertransverse process muscle was observed at the right lateral L₃ process end (31.960 MPa) of L_3,4 in the control group after manual intervention. The stress on the L_2,3 and L_4,5 segments of the intertransverse process muscle induced by manual intervention in the experimental group was lower than that of the control group's manual intervention (P<0.05). CONCLUSION The mechanical feedback of the L₁-L₅ vertebral body, the lower left side of the articular process L₁, the upper and lower left side of the articular process L₂, and the L_2,3 and L_4,5 segments of the transverse process muscle in the model indicates that performing American Chiropractic for the treatment of third lumbar transverse process syndrome can accurately hit the target pain point and allow the patient's tissue to form a low stress and low tension state after manual operation, thereby reducing the possibility of tissue damage caused by hypertonia after intervertebral joint movement, making it relatively safe. The application of American Chiropractic will be a new supplement to the traditional treatment plan for third lumbar transverse process syndrome.
Humans ; Finite Element Analysis ; Male ; Lumbar Vertebrae/physiopathology* ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Young Adult ; Manipulation, Chiropractic ; Adult ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical value of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in neonatal disease screening, particularly its advantages when combined with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). METHODS: A prospective study was conducted involving blood samples from 1 999 neonates born at the Shenzhen Guangming District People's Hospital, between May and August 2021. All samples were initially screened using MS/MS and fluorescence immunoassay, followed by NGS to detect high-frequency variation sites in 135 related pathogenic genes. Suspected positive variants were validated using Sanger sequencing or multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification in family studies. RESULTS: No confirmed positive cases were found in the MS/MS analysis of the 1 999 neonates. Genetic screening identified 58 positive cases (2.90%), 732 carriers of pathogenic genes (36.62%), and 1 209 negative cases (60.48%). One case of neonatal intrahepatic cholestasis was diagnosed (0.05%, 1/1 999). Fluorescence immunoassay identified 39 cases of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency (1.95%, 39/1 999), while genetic screening identified 43 cases of G6PD deficiency (2.15%, 43/1 999). The fluorescence immunoassay also detected 6 cases of hyperthyrotropinemia (0.30%, 6/1 999), all of whom carried DUOX2 gene variants. The top ten pathogenic gene carrier rates were G6PD (12.8%), DUOX2 (8.7%), HBB (8.2%), ATP7B (6.6%), GJB2 (5.7%), SLC26A4 (5.6%), PAH (5.6%), ACADSB (4.6%), SLC25A13 (4.2%), and SLC22A5 (4.1%). CONCLUSIONS NGS can serve as an effective complement to MS/MS, significantly improving the detection rate of inherited metabolic disorders in neonates. When combined with family validation, it enables precise diagnosis, particularly demonstrating complementary advantages in screening for monogenic diseases such as G6PD deficiency.
Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing/methods* ; Neonatal Screening/methods* ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Prospective Studies ; Female ; Male ; Infant, Newborn, Diseases/diagnosis* ; Genetic Testing

Objective:To investigate the effect of modified percutaneous closure in the treatment of ventricular septal rupture.Methods:This study is a retrospective cohort study. Forty-four patients with ventricular septal rupture who underwent percutaneous closure at the Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital from December 2017 to October 2023 were included. According to the closure method, patients were divided into the modified group (11 cases) and the traditional group (33 cases). Surgical success was defined as successful placement of the occluder. The operation time, X-ray intake, sheath bending rate, incidence of ventricular fibrillation and pericardial tamponade, and postoperative residual shunt were compared between the two groups.Results:The age of the patients was (75.0±5.7) years, with 20 (45%) males. There were 3 cases of operation failure in the traditional group, while all patients in the modified group were successfully occluded. The procedure time in the modified group was shorter than that in the traditional group (40 (35, 45) min vs. 60 (50, 65)min, P<0.001); X-ray dose intake was lower ((442.43±73.26)mGy vs. (784.45±247.78)mGy, P<0.001). There was no occurrence of sheath bending in the modified group, while the incidence of sheath bending in the traditional surgery group was 46% (15/33), and the difference was statistically significant ( P=0.017). Intraoperative ventricular fibrillation and pericardial tamponade occurred in 7 cases (21%) and 2 cases (6%) in the traditional group respectively, while none occurred in the modified group, but the differences between the groups were not statistically significant (both P>0.05). There was no significant difference in residual shunt between the two groups (3.6 (2.5, 4.3) mm vs. 4.0 (3.5, 4.5) mm, P=0.506). Conclusion:The procedure of modified ventricular septal rupture closure is more simplified, with a lower incidence ofventricular fibrillation and pericardial tamponade.

Background::While type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is considered a putative causal risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD), the intrinsic link underlying T2DM and CAD is not fully understood. We aimed to highlight the importance of integrated care targeting both diseases by investigating the phenotypic and genetic relationships between T2DM and CAD.Methods::We evaluated phenotypic associations using data from the United Kingdom Biobank ( N = 472,050). We investigated genetic relationships by leveraging genomic data conducted in European ancestry for T2DM, with and without adjustment for body mass index (BMI) (T2DM: Ncase/ Ncontrol = 74,124/824,006; T2DM adjusted for BMI [T2DM adjBMI]: Ncase/ Ncontrol = 50,409/523,897) and for CAD ( Ncase/ Ncontrol = 181,522/984,168). We performed additional analyses using genomic data conducted in multiancestry individuals for T2DM ( Ncase/ Ncontrol = 180,834/1,159,055). Results::Observational analysis suggested a bidirectional relationship between T2DM and CAD (T2DM→CAD: hazard ratio [HR] = 2.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.01–2.24; CAD→T2DM: HR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.63–1.81). A positive overall genetic correlation between T2DM and CAD was observed ( rg = 0.39, P = 1.43 × 10 -75), which was largely independent of BMI (T2DM adjBMI–CAD: rg = 0.31, P = 1.20 × 10 –36). This was corroborated by six local signals, among which 9p21.3 showed the strongest genetic correlation. Cross-trait meta-analysis replicated 101 previously reported loci and discovered six novel pleiotropic loci. Mendelian randomization analysis supported a bidirectional causal relationship (T2DM→CAD: odds ratio [OR] = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.11-1.16; CAD→T2DM: OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.07-1.18), which was confirmed in multiancestry individuals (T2DM→CAD: OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.10-1.16; CAD→T2DM: OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.04-1.13). This bidirectional relationship was significantly mediated by systolic blood pressure and intake of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, with mediation proportions of 54.1% (95% CI: 24.9-83.4%) and 90.4% (95% CI: 29.3-151.5%), respectively. Conclusion::Our observational and genetic analyses demonstrated an intrinsic bidirectional relationship between T2DM and CAD and clarified the biological mechanisms underlying this relationship.

Objective:To investigate the causal correlation between depression and stress urinary incontinence(SUI)using Mendelian randomization(MR)analysis.Methods:We searched the FinnGen Consortium database for genome-wide association studies(GWAS)on depression and obtained 23 424 case samples and 192 220 control samples,with the GWAS data on SUI provided by the UK Biobank,including 4 340 case samples and 458 670 control samples.We investigated the correlation between depression and SUI based on the depression data collected from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium(PGC).We employed inverse-variance weighting as the main method for the MR study,and performed sensitivity analysis to verify the accuracy and stability of the findings.Results:Analysis of the data from the UK Biobank and FinnGen Consortium showed that depression was significantly correlated with an increased risk of SUI(P=0.005),but not SUI with the risk of depression(P=0.927).And analysis of the PGC data verified the correlation of depression with the increased risk of SUI(P=0.043).Conclusion:Depression is associated with an increased risk of SUI,while SUI does not increase the risk of depression.

ObjectiveTo study the possible correlation between serum osteoprotegerin （OPG）/soluble receptor activator of the nuclear factor κB ligand （sRANKL） levels and the left ventricular diastolic dysfunction （LADD） in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM）. MethodsTotally 68 T2DM patients and 37 healthy controls were selected. Serum OPG and sRANKL were determined by solid-phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The left ventricular diastolic function of T2DM patients was measured by transthoracic echocardiography， where E/A < 1 were regarded as LVDD. T2DM patients were further divided into two subgroups according to E/A ratio （E/A≥1.0 and E/A<1）. Spearman correlation analysis， logistic regression and ROC curves were used to assess the possible correlation between serum OPG/sRANKL and LADD in T2DM patients. ResultsCompared with the healthy controls， serum OPG level in T2DM patients was higher with statistically significant difference （P <0.01）， while serum sRANKL level was lower without statistically significant difference （P =0.32）. T2DM patients with E/A<1 had significantly higher OPG level and lower sRANKL level than those with E/A≥1（P <0.01） in subgroup analysis. Spearman correlation analysis showed serum OPG level was negatively correlated with E/A ratio， while sRANKL was positively related with E/A ratio. In single factor logistic regression analyses， serum OPG ［OR （95% CI）=1.068 （1.031， 1.106）， P<0.001］ and sRANKL ［OR （95% CI）=0.976 （0.959， 0.992）， P=0.003］ were significant correlation with LVDD in T2DM patients. ROC curve analysis showed that the sensitivity and specificity of combined OPG and sRANKL in diagnosing T2DM patients LADD were 78.13% and 88.3%， respectively （area under the curve： 0.857； 95% CI=（0.768， 0.946）； P<0.001）. ConclusionsThe elevated OPG and decreased sRANKL levels may be associated with LADD in T2DM patients.

ObjectiveTo reveal the differences of the related pathogenicity gene mutations between sebaceous adenocarcinoma （SC） of scalp and sebaceous adenoma （SA） of scalp on whole exome level. MethodsWhole exome sequencing was performed on a SC sample and a SA sample by Illumina Hiseq 2500 platform. Suspicious single nucleotide variation sites were selected for mutation conservation and functional analysis. SciClone was used to track subclone evolution and clonal map information was obtained for each tumor sample. The high-frequency significant gene mutations in the tumor sample were screened by MutSigCV software， and compared with the known driver genes. ResultsTwo driver genes TFDP1 and ACVR1B harboring mutations in scalp SC compared to SA were found. ConclusionsThe finding of mutation in driver genes TFDP1 and ACVR1B should be confirmed in a large cohort， which might reveal the mechanism of scalp SC development and find a therapeutic target for SC.

Objective To investigate the risk factors for early-stage complications among liver transplant recipients, and to establish and validate a risk prediction model for early-stage complications after transplantation. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 234 patients who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation in Department of Liver Transplantation, Tianjin First Central Hospital, from January 2016 to December 2018. According to the presence or absence of Clavien-Dindo grade ≥Ⅲ complications after liver transplantation, the patients were divided into complication group with 97 patients and non-complication group with 137 patients. The two groups were compared in terms of the indices including age, sex, body mass index (BMI), blood type, psoas muscle thickness/height (PMTH), Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, total serum bilirubin, serum creatinine, international normalized ratio of prothrombin time, blood urea nitrogen, hemoglobin, white blood cell count, platelet count, amount of intraoperative red blood cell transfusion, amount of frozen plasma transfusion, blood loss, anhepatic phase, time of operation, donor age, donor BMI, cold ischemia time of donor liver, and warm ischemia time of donor liver. The independent samples t -test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Univariate analysis and the binary logistic regression analysis were used to investigate the risk factors for early-stage complications after liver transplantation, and a risk prediction model for complications after liver transplantation was established based on the method for establishing a scoring system using the logistic model provided by Framingham Research Center. Internal validation of the model was performed by C-index, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve, and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test, and the decision curve was used to evaluate the clinical applicability of the model. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to compare the incidence rate of early-stage complications after liver transplantation between the patients with different risk scores. Results Compared with the non-complication group, the complication group had significantly higher MELD score, proportion of patients with low PMTH, total serum bilirubin, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, CONUT score, amount of intraoperative red blood cell transfusion, and amount of frozen plasma transfusion, as well as a significantly lower level of hemoglobin (all P < 0.1). The multivariate binary logistic regression analysis showed that MELD score (odds ratio [ OR ]=1.104, 95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 1.057-1.154, P < 0.05), PMTH ( OR =2.858, 95% CI : 1.451-5.626, P < 0.05), and CONUT score ( OR =1.481, 95% CI : 1.287-1.703, P < 0.05) were independent risk factors for grade ≥Ⅲ complications in the early stage after liver transplantation. MELD score, PMTH, and CONUT score were included in a predictive model, and this model had the highest score of 24 points, a C-index of 0.828, an area under the ROC curve of 0.812( P < 0.001), a sensitivity of 0.792, and a specificity of 0.751, suggesting that this predictive model had good discriminatory ability. The calibration curve of this model was close to the reference curve, and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test obtained a chi-square value of 8.528( P =0.382), suggesting that this predictive model had a high degree of fitting. The decision curve showed that most patients were able to benefit from the predictive model and achieved a high net benefit rate, suggesting that this predictive model had good clinical applicability. The score of 11 was selected as the cut-off value according to the optimal Youden index of 0.507, and the patients were divided into low-risk (< 8 points) group with 55 patients, moderate-risk (8-10 points) group with 63 patients, high-risk (11-14 points) group with 67 patients, and extremely high-risk (≥15 points) group with 49 patients. These four groups had a 90-day cumulative incidence rate of early-stage postoperative complications of 3.6%, 28.6%, 59.7%, and 75.5%, respectively, and the incidence rate of complications increased with the increase in risk score ( P < 0.001). Conclusion MELD score, PMTH, and CONUT score are independent risk factors for early-stage complications among liver transplant recipients, and the risk prediction model established based on these factors has a high predictive value in high-risk patients.

Objective:To study the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in treatment of T2a and lower stages of gallbladder carcinoma.Methods:A retrospective study was performed on patients who were diagnosed with gallbladder cancer and underwent surgical treatment from January 2016 to January 2021 at Hunan Provincial People's Hospital. These patients were divided into the simple treatment group and the radical treatment group based on the surgical methods used. The simple treatment group consisted of 64 patients who underwent LC for accidental gallbladder cancers. The radical treatment group consisted of 30 patients who underwent laparoscopic radical cholecystectomy (LRC). The baseline characteristic of the two groups of patients were matched in a 1∶1 ratio using propensity score matching. After matching, there were 26 patients in each of the 2 groups. There were 7 males and 19 females in the simple group, with mean ± s. d. age of (60.6±9.6) years. There were 8 males and 18 females, with mean ± s. d. age (60.9±9.1) years in the radical treatment group. Blood loss, operation time, postoperative hospital stay, biliary leakage, acute pulmonary embolism, and incisional infection were compared between the two groups.Results:In the simple group, the operative time was (78.7±62.9) min, intraoperative blood loss was (10.7±11.6) ml and postoperative hospital stay was (4.4±2.6) d. These results were significantly better than those in the radical group with operative time (298.7±101.3) min, intraoperative blood loss (161.9±96.7) ml and postoperative hospital stay (9.9±4.0) d (all P<0.05). There were no significant difference in the postoperative complications and disease free survival rates between the two groups (both P>0.05). Conclusion:LC was safe and effective for treatment of T2a and lower stages of gallbladder cancer, and it could achieve a similar disease-free survival rate as LRC.

Objective To characterize the species of invasive Pomacea snails that were discovered for the first time in Shandong Province. Methods Pomacea snails samples were collected in the field of Jining City, Shandong Province on October 2021 for morphological identification. Pomacea snails were randomly sampled and genomic DNA was extracted from foot muscle tissues of Pomacea snails for multiplex PCR amplification. The PCR amplification product was sequenced. Then, the sequence was aligned and a phylogenetic tree was created using the software MegAlign 7.1.0. In addition, Angiostongylus cantonensis infection was detected in Pomacea snails with the lung microscopy. Results A total of 104 living Pomacea snails were collected, and all were characterized as Pomacea spp. based on morphological features. Of 12 randomly selected adult Pomacea snails, multiplex PCR assay and sequencing identified eleven snails as P. canaliculata and one as P. maculata. No A. cantonensis infection was detected in 104 Pomacea snails. Conclusion This is the first report of invasive Pomacea snails in Shandong Province, where P. canaliculata and P. maculata are found.