The evaluation of blood compatibility of biomaterials is crucial for ensuring the clinical safety of implantable medical devices. To address the limitations of traditional testing methods in real-time monitoring and electrical property analysis, this study developed a portable electrical impedance tomography (EIT) system. The system uses a 16-electrode design, operates within a frequency range of 1 to 500 kHz, achieves a signal to noise ratio (SNR) of 69.54 dB at 50 kHz, and has a data collection speed of 20 frames per second. Experimental results show that the EIT system developed in this study is highly consistent with a microplate reader ( R ²=0.97) in detecting the hemolytic behavior of industrial-grade titanium (TA3) and titanium alloy-titanium 6 aluminum 4 vanadium (TC4) in anticoagulated bovine blood. Additionally, with the support of a multimodal image fusion Gauss-Newton one-step iterative algorithm, the system can accurately locate and monitor in real-time the dynamic changes in blood permeation and coagulation caused by TC4 in vivo. In conclusion, the EIT system developed in this study provides a new and effective method for evaluating the blood compatibility of biomaterials.
Electric Impedance ; Animals ; Tomography/instrumentation* ; Biocompatible Materials ; Materials Testing/instrumentation* ; Cattle ; Titanium ; Alloys ; Prostheses and Implants

Objective:The aims of this study were to compare the clinical effectiveness of an immunosuppressant(sintilimab)combined with different chemotherapy regimens(two-and three-drug regimens)in the neoadjuvant treatment of advanced gastric cancer and to explore the efficacy-associated clinical features.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients with advanced gastric cancer who re-ceived treatment at Lanzhou University Second Hospital between August 2020 and February 2024.Overall,133 patients were included in the study and assigned into groups A(three-drug regimens)and B(two-drug regimens),according to the treatment regimen received.Recent ef-ficacy outcomes,including the pathological complete response rate(pCR),major pathological response rate(MPR),objective response rate(ORR),and disease control rate(DCR),as well as long-term efficacy outcomes,including overall survival(OS)and disease-free survival(DFS),were compared.Subgroup analyses were performed to identify clinical features associated with treatment efficacy.Results:The recent effic-acy outcomes were similar between groups A(two-drug regimen)and B(three-drug regimen),with pCRs of 18.46%and 27.94%,MPRs of 52.31%and 58.82%,ORRs of 76.92%and 76.47%,and DCRs of 87.69%and 95.59%,respectively.However,the three-drug regimen led to significantly improved OS and DFS,compared with the two-drug regimen(P<0.05).Subgroup analysis revealed that male patients and those with gastric antrum cancer,an ECOG score of 0,a T4 stage tumor,and no vascular or nerve invasion benefited more from the three-drug re-gimen.Conclusions:Sintilimab combined with the three-drug chemotherapy regimen demonstrated superior long-term efficacy in the neo-adjuvant treatment of advanced gastric cancer,compared with the combination with the two-drug regimen.Certain clinical features may predict greater benefit from the three-drug regimen.

Acute lateral ankle sprain (ALAS) is one of the most common sport injuries, with high incidence, recurrence and disability rates. Currently, exercise rehabilitation-based non-surgical treatment is the primary management approach for ALAS. However, there remain improper practices such as excessive immobilization or uncontrolled activity, which contribute to recurrent sprains and chronic ankle instability, significantly impairing patients′ athletic function and quality of life. To standardize the non-surgical management of ALAS, improve the cure rates, and reduce the recurrence and disability rates, Chinese Sports Rehabilitation Medicine Training Project of Chinese Medical Association, Foot and Ankle Basics and Orthopedics Group, Orthopedic Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association, and Sports Medicine Branch of Jiangsu Medical Association organized relevant experts to formulate Expert consensus on non-surgical treatment for acute lateral ankle sprain ( version 2025), following the principles of scientific vigor, practicality, and innovation. Thirteen recommendations were proposed for standardized treatment protocols across different healing phases, aiming to provide references for standard management of ALAS and improve the therapeutic outcomes.

Objective:The aims of this study were to compare the clinical effectiveness of an immunosuppressant(sintilimab)combined with different chemotherapy regimens(two-and three-drug regimens)in the neoadjuvant treatment of advanced gastric cancer and to explore the efficacy-associated clinical features.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients with advanced gastric cancer who re-ceived treatment at Lanzhou University Second Hospital between August 2020 and February 2024.Overall,133 patients were included in the study and assigned into groups A(three-drug regimens)and B(two-drug regimens),according to the treatment regimen received.Recent ef-ficacy outcomes,including the pathological complete response rate(pCR),major pathological response rate(MPR),objective response rate(ORR),and disease control rate(DCR),as well as long-term efficacy outcomes,including overall survival(OS)and disease-free survival(DFS),were compared.Subgroup analyses were performed to identify clinical features associated with treatment efficacy.Results:The recent effic-acy outcomes were similar between groups A(two-drug regimen)and B(three-drug regimen),with pCRs of 18.46%and 27.94%,MPRs of 52.31%and 58.82%,ORRs of 76.92%and 76.47%,and DCRs of 87.69%and 95.59%,respectively.However,the three-drug regimen led to significantly improved OS and DFS,compared with the two-drug regimen(P<0.05).Subgroup analysis revealed that male patients and those with gastric antrum cancer,an ECOG score of 0,a T4 stage tumor,and no vascular or nerve invasion benefited more from the three-drug re-gimen.Conclusions:Sintilimab combined with the three-drug chemotherapy regimen demonstrated superior long-term efficacy in the neo-adjuvant treatment of advanced gastric cancer,compared with the combination with the two-drug regimen.Certain clinical features may predict greater benefit from the three-drug regimen.

Acute lateral ankle sprain (ALAS) is one of the most common sport injuries, with high incidence, recurrence and disability rates. Currently, exercise rehabilitation-based non-surgical treatment is the primary management approach for ALAS. However, there remain improper practices such as excessive immobilization or uncontrolled activity, which contribute to recurrent sprains and chronic ankle instability, significantly impairing patients′ athletic function and quality of life. To standardize the non-surgical management of ALAS, improve the cure rates, and reduce the recurrence and disability rates, Chinese Sports Rehabilitation Medicine Training Project of Chinese Medical Association, Foot and Ankle Basics and Orthopedics Group, Orthopedic Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association, and Sports Medicine Branch of Jiangsu Medical Association organized relevant experts to formulate Expert consensus on non-surgical treatment for acute lateral ankle sprain ( version 2025), following the principles of scientific vigor, practicality, and innovation. Thirteen recommendations were proposed for standardized treatment protocols across different healing phases, aiming to provide references for standard management of ALAS and improve the therapeutic outcomes.

Objective:To describe the epidemiological distribution of hemorrhoids in a physical exami-nation population in China,which could provide evidence for precision prevention and early intervention of hemorrhoids.Methods:Chinese subjects over 18 years of age who underwent a physical examination in a nationwide chain of physical examination centers in 2018 were studied in a cross-sectional design,which collected information by a questionnaire and physical examination results from each subject.The epidemiological distribution of hemorrhoids was described using Logistic models.The gender-,age-,and region-detection rates of hemorrhoids were standardized to the Sixth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China(2010).Results:A total of 2 940 295 adult subjects were included in the study,of whom the average age was(41.7±14.0)years,and 52.6％were females.The standardized detection rate of hemorrhoids was higher for females(43.7％)than that for males(17.7％;P＜0.001)in this study.In the females,the age distribution of hemorrhoids was inverted U-shaped,with the highest standardized detection rate of hemorrhoids in the age group of 30-39 years(63.5％).In the males,the standardized detection rate of hemorrhoids increased along with age,with the highest percentage of 17.2％in the age group of 50-59 years,and the standardized detection rate of hemorrhoids in the age group of 60 and above decreased slightly(P＜0.001 for trend test).The participants with hypertension had a higher standardized detection rate of hemorrhoids than those with normal blood pressure in both males and females(P＜0.001).The standardized detection rate of hemorrhoids showed a positive corre-lation with body mass index(P＜0.001 for trend test in males).Conclusion:The detection rate of hemorrhoids varied to gender,age,obesity,and hypertension status,which could help to identify the risk factors and the high-risk sub-groups,and hence to strengthen health education and early detection accordingly,which could eventually reduce the incidence of hemorrhoids and improve the quality of life and health in the Chinese population.This study was conducted in a physical examination population,and the conclusions of this study should be extrapolated with caution.

Objective To assess early clinical safety and efficacy of transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TF-TAVR) for pure aortic regurgitation (PAR). Methods The clinical data of PAR patients who underwent TAVR in Wuhan Asia Heart Hospital and Wuhan Asia General Hospital from January 2018 to October 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into a TF-TAVR group and a transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TA-TAVR) group. The clinical data of the patients were analyzed. Results A total of 54 patients were enrolled, including 34 males and 20 females with an average age of 74.43±6.87 years. The preoperative N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide level was lower [808.50 (143.50, 2 937.00) pg/mL vs. 2 245.00 (486.30, 7 177.50) pg/mL, P=0.015], and the left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (56.00±6.92 mm vs. 63.07±10.23 mm, P=0.005) and sinus junction diameter (32.47±4.41 mm vs. 37.65±8.08 mm, P=0.007) were smaller in the TF-TAVR group. There was no death in the two groups during the hospitalization. Only 1 new death within postoperative 1 month in the TF-TAVR group (cerebral hemorrhage). A total of 2 new deaths in the TF-TAVR group (1 patient of sudden cardiac death and 1 of multiple organ failure), and there was no death in the TA-TAVR group within postoperative 3 months. There was 1 new death in the TA-TAVR group (details unknown), and there was no death in the TF-TAVR group within postoperative 6 months. There was no statistical difference between the two groups in the all-cause mortality and the cumulative survival rate during the follow-up period (P>0.05). The incidence of high atrioventricular block was 36.0% in the TF-TAVR group and 10.3% in the TA-TAVR group (P=0.024). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the perivalvular leakage (≥moderate), valve in valve, a second valve implantation, valve migration, cerebrovascular events, major vascular complications, complete left bundle branch block, new permanent pacemaker implantation or transferring to surgery (P>0.05). However, the incidence rates of complete left bundle branch block and new permanent pacemaker implantation were higher in the TF-TAVR group, accounting for 56.0% and 40.0%, respectively. Conclusion TF-TAVR is a safe and feasible treatment for PAR patients, which is comparable to TA-TAVR in the early postoperative safety and efficacy.

Objective To investigate the CT and MRI findings of different types of small round cell tumor(SRCT)in the nasal cavity and sinuses.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the imaging data and clinical data of 35 SRCT patients confirmed by pathology.Thirty-one SRCT patients underwent CT examination,and 19 SRCT patients underwent MRI examination.Results There were 20 cases of tumors that invaded the nasal cavity and 19 cases involved the sinuses,including 11 cases of the maxillary sinus,7 cases of the ethmoid sinus,2 cases of the sphenoid sinus,and 1 case of the frontal sinus.CT findings of SRCT were all soft tissue masses.Lymphoma was relatively homogeneous with mild bone destruction,and usually involved nasal vestibular skin.Rhabdomyosarcoma(embryonic type)happened at an early age and easily caused bone destruction and metastasis.Melanoma generally occurred in the nasal septum and nasal cavity,which was prone to bleeding.Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma was heterogeneous,with moderate to significant enhancement,bone absorption and destruction were often noticed.The MRI manifestations of SRCT were equal or long signal on T1WI,high signal on T2WI,and significant diffusion limitation on diffusion weighted imaging(DWI)and apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)except for melanoma.On contrast-enhanced images,lymphoma showed mild to moderate enhancement,rhabdomyosarcoma showed typical"grape sign",and small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma showed"sieve"and"map-like"obvious enhancement.Typical melanoma showed a high signal on T1WI and a low signal on T2WI and usually caused bleeding.The MRI findings were related to the presence of melanoma and hemorrhage within the lesion.Conclusion SRCT of the nasal cavity and sinuses have a high degree of malignancy and poor prognosis,CT and MRI have many similar manifestations.Combining clinical data,bone destruction,MRI enhancement,and DWI sequence can effectively distinguish different types of SRCT,as well as squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal cavity and sinuses and adenoid cystic carcinoma.

As a supplement to randomized controlled trials， observational studies can provide evidence for the effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） treatment measures. They can also study influencing factors of diseases， etiology， and prognosis. However， there is a confounding effect due to the lack of randomization， which seriously affects the causal inference between the study factors and the outcome， resulting in confounding bias. Therefore， identifying and controlling confounding factors are key issues to be addressed in TCM observational studies. According to the causal network and the characteristics of TCM theory， confounding factors can be categorized into measured and unmeasured confounding factors. In addition， attention must be paid to identifying confounding factors and intermediate variables， as well as the interaction between confounding factors and study factors. For methods of controlling confounding factors， measured confounding factors can be controlled by stratification， multifactor analysis， propensity scores， and disease risk scores. Unmeasured and unknown confounding factors can be corrected using instrumental variable methods， difference-in-difference methods， and correction for underlying event rate ratios. Correcting and controlling confounding factors can ensure a balance between groups， and confounding bias can be reduced. In addition， methods such as sensitivity analysis and determination of interactions make the control of confounding factors more comprehensive. Due to the unique characteristics of TCM， observational studies of TCM face unique challenges in identifying and controlling confounding factors， including the ever-changing TCM treatment measures received by patients， the often-overlooked confounding effects in the four diagnostic information of TCM， and the lack of objective criteria for TCM evidence-based diagnosis. Some scholars have already conducted innovative explorations to address these issues， providing a methodological basis for conducting higher-quality TCM observational studies， so as to obtain more rigorous real-world evidence of TCM and gradually develop quality evaluation criteria for OS that are consistent with the characteristics of TCM.

Objective To study the differences in dynamic stability characteristics between older and young adults during continuous turning and walking in different directions.Methods Fifteen healthy older adults and 15 healthy young adults were recruited to complete continuous clockwise and counterclockwise figure-of-8 walk.A three-dimensional motion capture system was used to collect kinematic data based on 43 bone markers.The gait and velocity of the center of mass parameters were determined using V3D software.The margins of stability in both the anterior and medial direction at characteristic moments were calculated.Results Compared with clockwise turning,the step width of the inner leg increased and the anterior margin of stability of the inner leg at the toe-off instant decreased during counterclockwise turning in young adults.Meanwhile,there were no significant differences in the above parameters for older adults.Conclusions Both the age and turning direction affected the forward dynamic stability of the inner leg at the toe-off instant.Healthy older adults adopted more cautious strategies to maintain anterior and medial stability during continuous walking.It is recommended that older adults should increase turning training in daily life to improve their medial-lateral control capability and confidence in turning.