Objective To investigate the expansion margins of the planning target volume (PTV) and the planning organ at risk volume (PRV) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients immobilized with Styrofoam and head-neck-shoulder mask. Methods A convenient sample of 33 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients who received radiotherapy at Huanggang Central Hospital from January to October 2024 were selected as the research subjects. All patients underwent cone beam CT scans during the first three treatments and weekly thereafter. After registration and calibration, the setup errors in the X (LAT), Y (LNG), and Z (VRT) directions were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed on the setup errors in each direction to determine differences, and the expansion margins for PTV and PRV were calculated using empirical formulas. Results A total of 229 cone beam CT images were collected. Statistical analysis found that the setup errors (systematic error ± random error) of the patients in the X, Y, and Z directions were 1.05 ± 0.72, 1.30 ± 0.80, and 1.29 ± 0.82 mm, respectively. The expansion margins for PTV in the left-right, superior-inferior, and anterior-posterior directions were 1.40, 1.76, and 1.8 mm, respectively. The expansion margins for PRV in these directions were 0.83, 1.02, and 1.05 mm, respectively. Conclusion For patients immobilized using Styrofoam and head-neck-shoulder mask, it is recommended that the expansion margins for PTV and PRV be set at 2 mm and 1 mm, respectively, in the left-right, superior-inferior, and anterior-posterior directions, and the PRV margin for the spinal cord be set at 3 mm in all directions.

Objective:To investigate the effect of oral administration of vitamin D3 on intestinal barrier function in patients after gastric cancer surgery,and to provide a reference for perioperative nutritional therapy in patients with gastric cancer.Methods:The conve-nience sampling method was used to select 80 patients with gastric cancer who were admitted to Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery in a grade A tertiary hospital in Xiamen,China,from June 2021 to May 2023,and the patients were divided into intervention group and control group using a random number table.The patients in the intervention group were given oral administration of vitamin D3 800 IU/d for 14 consecutive days before surgery.ELISA was used to measure the serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3[25(OH)D3],intestinal barrier indicators(D-lactate,Zonulin),and inflammatory indicators(C-reactive protein,interleukin-6)within 24 hours after admis-sion and on days 1,4,and 7 after surgery,and the changes in these indicators were compared between the two groups.Results:A total of 71 patients were enrolled finally,with 34 in the intervention group and 37 in the control group.On days 1,4,and 7 after surgery,the intervention group had a significantly lower level of D-lactate than the control group(F=3.978,P=0.026;F=9.649,P=0.005;F=4.389,P=0.021).On day 4 after surgery,the intervention group had a significantly lower level of Zonulin than the control group(F=3.198,P=0.035).Conclusion:Oral administration of vitamin D3 before surgery may accelerate the recovery of intestinal barrier function in pa-tients with gastric cancer.

Objective:To explore the dosimetric characteristics of proton and photon radiotherapy in the treatment of breast cancer.Methods:Four female breast cancer patients who needed radiotherapy at Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute from January 2024 to May 2024 were selected as the research subjects. The target area ranges of 4 patients were left-sided breast cancer with lymph node involvement, left-sided breast cancer with lymph node involvement and internal mammary node, right-sided breast cancer with lymph node involvement and internal mammary node and synchronous bilateral breast cancer. Intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans were designed respectively based on the prescribed dose in the target area and the limits of organs at risk (tomotherapy plan for bilateral breasts). The conformity index (CI), homogeneity index (HI), gradient index (GI) and organs at risk doses were evaluated. The dosimetric characteristics of IMPT and photon radiotherapy were compared.Results:Both IMPT and photon radiotherapy plans of the 4 breast cancer cases met the clinical dose requirements. The HI value of IMPT plans (0.10-0.14) was comparable to that of photon radiotherapy plans (0.10-0.12), and the average CI of the photon radiotherapy plans was 0.10 higher than that of the IMPT plans, and the average GI was 0.55 lower than that of the IMPT plans. The D mean of ipsilateral lung and heart of IMPT was lower, especially in the low-dose area (V 0-3), which was significantly lower than the photon radiotherapy plans, D mean of ipsilateral lung was reduced by 12.2%, 6.1%, 16.1% and 34.8%, respectively, D mean of heart was reduced by 47.2%, 57.0%, 72.4% and 83.0%, respectively. The ipsilateral lung V 20 of IMPT was not lower than photon radiotherapy plans (unilateral breast: IMPT was 30.0%-34.0%, IMRT was 29.0%-35.9%) . Conclusions:IMPT significantly reduces the D mean to the ipsilateral lung and heart while ensuring dose coverage of the target in breast cancer, preventing more volume of surrounding normal tissues from being irradiated. However, IMPT does not show much more advantage than photon radiotherapy plans in the ipsilateral lung V 20.

Objective:To investigate the effect of miR-106a on osteoarthritis.Methods:Twenty-four S-D female rats were randomly divided into three groupsaccording to the random number table: the sham operation group, the osteoarthritis (OA) group and the miR-106a mimic group. Eightweeks after operation, all rats were killed and articular cartilage was separated from the medial tibial plateau of each rat. Histopathology was used to observe the morphological changes and denatured quantity of chondrocytes, the level of inflamm-atory cytokines [interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-β 1], the expression of apoptosis receptor p65, DR6 protein and the expression of mir-106a RNA. The mean between groups was compared by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the least significant difference (LSD)- t test was used for the comparison between the two groups. Results:Histopathological staining results showed that the articular surface and synovium of rats in the sham operation group were intact, the chondrocytes were arranged horizontally, and the articular cartilage edge was smooth.In the OA group, the articular cartilage edge was seriously damaged and the arrangement of chondrocytes was disordered.In the miR-106a simulation group, the cartilage structure tended to be normal, occasionally uneven, and the articular cartilage surface was not smooth. Compared with sham operation group, the expression of miR-106a in OA group was significantly decreased ( F=918.02, P<0.01); the expression of inflammatory mediators (IL-1, IL-6, TNF-β) in OA group was also signifi-cantly increased ( F=41 914.86, P<0.01; F=64 85.16, P<0.01; F=8 873.31, P<0.01). The expression levels of DR6 and p65 in OA group were higher ( F=2 319.338, P<0.01; F=1 253.882, P<0.01). Compared with OA group, the levels of inflammatory mediators (IL-1, IL-6, TNF-β) in miR-106a mimetic group were significantly decreased (1.270±0.020, 6.040±0.170, 5.690±0.080), and the expressions of DR6 and p65 were decreased (1.53±0.09, 0.41±0.04). Conclusion:miR-106a can reduce the inflammatory changes and the degeneration of chondrocytes in osteoarthritis rats.

Objective:To observe the feasibility of magnetic resonance (MR)-guided stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for non-small cell lung cancer, and analyze the dosimetric differences in the presence or absence of magnetic field.Methods:Three patients with non-small cell lung cancer were prospectively treated with MR-guided linac (MR linac) for SBRT, and the dose was calculated with or without magnetic field models. The differences of dose distribution with or without magnetic field models were compared. At the same time, the target coverage, plan pass rate and treatment time were described, and the complexity of the conventional accelerator backup plan and the magnetic field model were compared.Results:The treatment time of 3 patients was (36.67±6.11) min, and the average time of online adaptive planning was (14.4±1.7) min, which was basically tolerated by patients. The treatment plan pass rate (3%/3 mm) was 98.9%, the Gamma pass rate (3%/3 mm) of the online plan during treatment was 98.5% and the target coverage was 99.1%, which met the clinical needs. The dose in the low dose area of the lung was slightly lower than that in the case without magnetic field, whereas the dose in ribs and skin was slightly higher than that in the plan without magnetic field. The number of machine unit (MU) for online adaptive plan was slightly higher than that of the reference plan, and the number of MU for the conventional accelerator standby treatment plan was significantly lower than that of the MR linac plan under the same target coverage. The follow-up results showed that there was no adverse reaction, and the short-term efficacy was partially relieved.Conclusions:In the case of considering the influence of magnetic field, the treatment plan meeting the clinical needs can be obtained. It is proven that SBRT radiotherapy for lung cancer guided by magnetic resonance accelerator is feasible, whereas the treatment time and process are complex.

Objective:To investigate the incidence and risk factors of neonatal asphyxia in twin pregnancy.Methods:This study retrospectively recruited 2 035 women with twin pregnancy and their 4 070 twin neonates in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University from January 2010 to December 2018. There were 211 cases suffered from neonatal asphyxia (asphyxia group) and 3 859 did not (non-asphyxia group). The demographic information of the women and their newborns and the incidence of perinatal complications were compared between the two groups by two independent samples t-test and Chi-square test. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of neonatal asphyxia in twin pregnancy. Results:The age of 2 035 women was (31.8±4.4) years old (17-52 years old). The gestational age of the twins at delivery was (35.2±2.2) weeks (25-40 weeks). There were 1 330 (65.4%) premature births, including 997 (49.0%) born at ≥34 weeks. Monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancies accounted for 22.6% (460/2 035). The total incidence of neonatal asphyxia was 5.2% (211/4 070), 5.0% (102/2 035) in the first- and 5.4% (109/2 035) in the second-born twin infants, and the three figures were all decreased with the increase of gestational age ( χ2trend=1 601.965, 549.693 and 1 089.709, all P<0.001) as well as birth weight ( χ2trend=1 273.386, 437.906 and 848.007, all P<0.001). Univariate analysis showed that the asphyxia group had smaller gestational age and lower birth weight [(34.1±2.8) vs (35.3±2.1) weeks, t=6.279; (2 113.3±565.7) vs (2 339.6±478.7) g, t=5.700], but a higher ratio of male infants [58.3% (123/211) vs 48.5% (1 878/3 859), χ2=7.704], vaginal delivery [10.4% (22/211) vs 4.5% (173/3 859), χ2=15.493], monochorionic diamniotic twins [27.5% (58/211) vs 22.3% (862/3 859), χ2=7.714], special complications related to monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancies [8.1% (17/211) vs 2.5% (95/3 859), χ2=23.403] and fetal distress [13.7% (29/211) vs 3.8% (148/3 859), χ2=47.222] than the non-asphyxia group (all P<0.05). After adjusting for the gestational age, birth weight and gender, multivariate logistic regression found that vaginal delivery ( OR=1.748, 95% CI: 1.069-2.861), special complications related to monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancies ( OR=3.200, 95% CI: 2.056-4.982) and fetal distress ( OR=2.017, 95% CI: 1.073-3.791) were the risk factors for asphyxia in twin neonates (all P<0.05). Conclusions:The incidence of neonatal asphyxia is high in twins with small gestational age and low birth weight. Vaginal delivery, fetal distress and special complications related to monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancies are the high-risk factors. Clinicians should be well prepared for resuscitation when encountering neonatal asphyxia.

Objective: To compare the clinical features, ultrasonic imaging manifestations and therapeutic evaluations between elderly onset rheumatoid arthritis (EORA) and EORA with osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: Eighty-eight patients with rheumatoid arthritis were divided into two groups: group EORA (n=36) and group EORA+OA (n=52). The onset age of all patients was 60 years or older. General conditions, joint involvement distribution, ultrasonic manifestations and disease activity scores (DAS28-3) of patients in the two groups were analyzed. The χ² test/Fisher's exact probability test and the Student's t test/Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyze data. Results: There was no significant difference in the proportion of male and female patients and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) between the two groups (P>0.05). The onset age of patients in group EORA+OA [(68±4) years old] was higher than that in group EORA [(65±4) years old], and the difference was statistically significant (t=-3.465, P=0.001). Duration of the disease and body mass index in group EORA+OA were significantly higher respectively than those in group EORA. Joint involvement in the two groups was mainly found in shoulder, wrist, Metacarpophalangeal joint (MCP)2, MCP3, proximal inter-phalangeal joint (PIP)2, PIP3, PIP4, and knee joint (34.7%-86.5%). The percentage of MCP2[36.5%(38/104), 70.8%(51/72); χ²=20.02, P<0.01], MCP3[33.7%(35/104), 59.7%(43/72); χ²=11.72, P=0.001], MCP4[4.8%(5/104), 22.2%(16/72); χ²=12.28, P<0.01], PIP2[69.2%(72/104), 83.3%(60/72); χ²=4.51, P=0.034] and PIP3[53.8%(56/104), 70.8%(51/72); χ²=5.15, P=0.023] in the EORA+OA group was lower while the percentage of MCP1, DIP 2, DIP3, DIP4 and knee joints were higher than that in the EORA group (P<0.05). In group EORA+OA, the synovial thickness of the wrist joints [(4.2±0.5) mm] and knee joints [(7.7±0.8) mm] were significantly thicker than those in group EORA [(3.2±0.9) mm; (6.3±0.8) mm, t=-5.82, P<0.01; t=-7.22, P<0.01]; The proportion (70.0%) of level 2 and 3 of patients' wrist joint synovium pannus blood flow and knee joint synovium pannus in group EORA+OA were increased than group EORA (51.9%; 52.3%), the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (χ²=4.64, P=0.031; χ²=4.43, P=0.035). There was no significant difference in DAS28-3 scores between the two groups before patients received treatment. After 2 weeks and 12 weeks of glucocorticoid treatment, DAS28-3 scores in group EORA [3.62(2.88, 4.03); 2.35(2.26, 2.62) points] were significantly lower than group EORA+OA [5.01(4.68, 5.26); 3.38(2.28, 3.83) points] (Z=-7.766, P<0.01; Z=-3.461, P<0.01). Conclusion Compared with patients of EORA alone, patients of EORA with OA have more obvious joint symptoms, MCP1, DIP and knee joint are susceptible to the co-involvement among them, longer duration of disease, and were prone to synovial hyperplasia and pannus flow formation. The therapeutic effects of glucocorticoid on joint inflammation in patients of EORA alone are superior to those patients of EORA with OA.

Objective To explore the clinical characteristics of pleural effusion associated with peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) in neonates. Method The clinical data of pleural effusion caused by PICCs in two neonates were retrospectively analyzed. Results Both 2 cases were preterm female infants. Case 1 was delivered at 26+5 weeks, with a birth weight of 800 g. Dyspnea aggravated 8 hours after the PICC placement. Bedside chest radiograph indicated a large amount of pleural effusion on the right side. PICC was removed, puncture and drainage were performed, and pleural effusion was cured after 6 days of closed thoracic drainage. Case 2 was delivered at 29+3 weeks with a birth weight of 1240 g. Three days after placement of PICC, dyspnea became worse. Bedside chest radiograph showed bilateral pleural effusion, which was cured after PICC removal, puncture and drainage. According to the routine and biochemical indexes of pleural effusion, combined with the medical history, case 1 was consistent with the diagnosis of chylothorax and case 2 was considered as fluid exudation. Conclusion Neonatal PICC-associated pleural effusion is rare, but the etiology is varied and progress is rapid. Vigilance and active treatment is needed in clinic.

Objective Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, the fibrosis score (i.e., the combined extent of reticulation and honeycombing) is associated with worse survival. The aim of this study was to identify high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) patterns and patient characteristics that could predict poor prognosis in rheumatoid arthritis-related ILD (RA-ILD). Methods We retrospectively analyzed 130 patients with newly diagnosed RA-ILD from 2011 to 2017 at Shanxi People's Hospital. The Pearson correlation analysis was used for the correlation between the fibrosis score and the worse survival of RA-ILD, and Using Cox regression analysis was used to identify the associations with mortality. A value of P less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results During a median follow-up of 65 months, 32/130 (24.6％) patients died. Univariate analysis identified 6 significant poor prognostic factors: lower baseline ％ predicted forced vital capacity [HR=0.97, 95％CI(0.94, 0.99);P=0.008], total interstitial disease score [HR=1.06, 95％CI(1.03, 1.08);P<0.01], reticulation score [HR=1.07, 95％CI (1.04, 1.09); P<0.01], traction bronchiectasis score [HR=2.04, 95％CI (1.21, 3.40);P=0.008], fibrosis score [HR=1.07, 95％CI (1.01, 1.13);P<0.01], and definite UIP pattern [HR=4.18, 95％CI (1.40, 12.51); P=0.010]. Fibrosis score remained to be an independent significant poor prognostic factor of survival on bivariate analysis [HR=8.136, 95％CI (2.87, 28.35); P=0.001]. Patients with a fibrosis score>20％ had high mortality. Conclusion This study has shown that fibrosis score is strongly associated with worse survival in RA-ILD, and patients with fibrosis score>20％ have a 8.136-fold increased risk of mortality.

One of the requirements for increasing the economic profitability on the large-scale production of second-generation ethanol and other bio-chemicals using lignocellulose biomass as raw materials is efficient hexose and pentose utilization. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the traditional ethanol producer, is an attractive chassis cell due to its robustness towards harsh environmental conditions and inherent advantages. But S. cerevisiae cannot utilize pentose. The precision construction of suitable strains for second-generation bio-ethanol production has been taken for more than three decades based on the principle of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. The resulting strains have improved significantly co-fermentation of glucose and xylose. Recently, much attentions have been focused on sugar transport, which is one of the limiting but formerly ignored step for ethanol production from both glucose and xylose, to get the desired state that different sugars could efficiently delivered by their individual specific transporters. In this paper, the progress on sugar transporters of S. cerevisiae was reviewed, and the research status of xylose and/or L-arabinose metabolic engineering in S. cerevisiae were also presented.