Objective To explore the application value of anhydrous ethanol as an alternative to methanol in the preparation of chromosomal specimens from peripheral blood lymphocytes, and to establish a set of quantitative analytical methods for objectively evaluating the effectiveness of specimen preparation. Methods Residual blood samples from routine laboratory slide preparation were used for lymphocyte culture. The standard slide preparation method was employed. The fixative in the control group was methanol and glacial acetic acid (3∶1). Four experimental groups were set up based on the ratio of anhydrous ethanol to glacial acetic acid in the fixative (volume ratios of 3∶1, 5∶1, 7∶1, and 9∶1 for experimental groups 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively). A chromosomal analysis was conducted using an automated chromosome scanning/image analysis system to evaluate the morphology and dispersion of metaphase chromosomes in both control and experimental groups. Comparisons were made between the control and experimental groups regarding the dic + r aberration rate, ace aberration rate, chromosomal aberration rate, chromosome dispersion index, chromosome overlapping ratio, and dispersion index/overlapping ratio. Results Microscopic evaluation revealed that the preparation quality of experimental groups 1 and 2 was comparable to the control group. No statistically significant differences were observed in dic + r aberration rate between each of the experimental groups and the control (P > 0.05). All experimental groups except group 4 showed no significant differences in ace aberration rate and chromosome aberration rate compared with the control group (P > 0.05). Experimental groups 1 and 2 showed no significant differences in chromosome dispersion index, overlapping ratio, and dispersion index/overlapping ratio compared with the control group (P > 0.05). Conclusion A mixture of anhydrous ethanol and glacial acetic acid at a 5∶1 ratio is recommended for use as a fixative in the preparation of chromosomal specimens from peripheral blood lymphocytes. A quantitative index system for assessing the quality of chromosomal specimens was established, enabling objective evaluation of slide preparation effectiveness.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of 3D printing spinal external fixator combined with McKenzie therapy for patients with lumbar dics herniation (LDH). METHODS: Sixty patients with LDH between January 2022 and January 2023 were enrolled. Among them, 30 patients were given McKinsey training. According to different treatment methods, all patients were divided into McKenzie group and McKenzie + 3D printing group, 30 patients in each group. The McKenzie group provided McKenzie therapy. The McKenzie + 3D printing group were treated with 3D printing spinal external fixation brace on the basis of McKenzie therapy. Patients in both groups were between 25 and 60 years of age and had their first illness. In the McKenzie group, there were 19 males and 11 females, with an average age of (48.57±5.86) years old, and the disease duration was (7.03 ±2.39) months. The McKenzie + 3D printing group, there were 21 males and 9 females, with an average age of (48.80±5.92) years old, and the disease duration was(7.30±2.56) months. Pain was evaluated using the visual analogue scale (VAS), and lumbar spine function was assessed using the Oswestry disability index (ODI) and the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score. VAS, ODI and JOA scores were compared between two groups before treatment and at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after treatment. RESULTS: All patients were followed up for 12 months. The VAS for the McKenzie combined with 3D printing group before treatment and at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-treatment were(6.533±0.860), (5.133±1.008), (3.933±0.868), (2.900±0.759), (2.067±0.640), (1.433±0.504), respectively. In the McKenzie group, the corresponding scores were (6.467±0.860), (5.067±1.048), (4.600±0.968), (3.533±1.008), (2.567±0.728), (1.967±0.809), respectively. The ODI of the McKenzie group before treatment and at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-treatment were (41.033±6.810)%, (37.933±6.209)%, (35.467±6.962)%, (27.567±10.081)%, (20.800±7.531)%, (13.533±5.158)%, respectively. For the McKenzie combined with 3D printing group, the corresponding ODI were(38.033±5.605)%, (33.000±6.192)%, (28.767±7.045)%, (22.200±5.517)%, (17.700±4.836)%, (11.900±2.771)%, respectively. The JOA scores of the McKenzie combined with 3D printing group before treatment and at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-treatment were(8.900±2.074), (13.133±2.330), (15.700±3.583), (20.400±3.480), (22.267±3.084), (24.833±2.640), respectively. In the McKenzie group, the corresponding scores were(9.200±2.091), (12.267±2.406), (15.333±3.198), (18.467±2.240), (20.133±2.751), (22.467±2.849), respectively. Before the initiation of treatment, no statistically significant differences were observed in the VAS, ODI, and JOA scores between two groups (P>0.05). At 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-treatment, the VAS in the McKenzie combined with 3D printing group was significantly lower than that in the McKenzie group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The comparison of ODI between two groups at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-treatment revealed statistically significant differences (P<0.05). At 6, 9, and 12 months post-treatment, the JOA score in the McKenzie combined with 3D printing group was significantly higher than that in the McKenzie-only group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSION The combination of 3D printed functional spinal external fixation brace with McKenzie therapy can significantly improve and maintain lumbar function in patients with LDH.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement/surgery* ; External Fixators ; Lumbar Vertebrae/surgery* ; Adult ; Braces ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the expression of soluble factor-related apoptosis ligand (sFasL) in peripheral blood and microRNA-147b (miR-147b) in monocytes in children with sepsis and their value in assessing prognosis. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted on 124 children with sepsis (sepsis group), 60 children with common infections (infection group), and 60 healthy children undergoing physical examinations (healthy control group). The independent risk factors for poor prognosis in children with sepsis were analyzed, and the value of serum sFasL and monocyte miR-147b in predicting poor prognosis in children with sepsis was assessed. RESULTS: The serum level of sFasL and the relative expression of miR-147b in monocytes were highest in the sepsis group, followed by the infection group and the healthy control group (P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the serum level of sFasL and the relative expression of miR-147b in monocytes were closely associated with the poor prognosis of children with sepsis (P<0.05). The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the combination of serum sFasL level and relative expression of miR-147b in monocytes had a larger area under the curve compared to each indicator alone in predicting the prognosis of children with sepsis (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS There are significant increases in the level of sFasL in peripheral blood and the relative expression of miR-147b in monocytes in children with sepsis. The combined use of these two indicators has relatively high clinical value in assessing the prognosis of children with sepsis.
Humans ; Sepsis/diagnosis* ; MicroRNAs/blood* ; Male ; Female ; Monocytes/metabolism* ; Prognosis ; Child, Preschool ; Prospective Studies ; Child ; Infant ; TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand/blood* ; Logistic Models

The pathogenesis of chronic sinusitis is complex, involving a variety of inflammatory cells and inflammatory mediators, and neutrophils play a key role in the pathological process of chronic sinusitis. Understanding the molecular basis of the pathogenesis of CRS is helpful for the precise diagnosis and treatment of chronic sinusitis. This article will systematically review the mechanism of neutrophils in the inflammatory response of the body, their role in the pathogenesis and treatment progress in CRS, and look forward to future research directions.
Humans ; Neutrophils ; Sinusitis/immunology* ; Chronic Disease

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the protective effect of Schistosoma japonicum cystatin (rSj-Cystatin) in a mouse mode of "two-hit" sepsis. METHODS: Sixty male C57BL/6 mice randomized equally into sham-operated group, protein group, "two-hit" modeling group, and protein intervention group. In the former two groups, the mice received an intraperitoneal injection of 100 μL PBS followed by exposure of the cecum and then by intraperitoneal injection of 100 μL PBS or 25 μg rSj-Cystatin 30 min later; In the latter two groups, 100 μL PBS containing LPS (5 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally 24 h before cecal ligation and puncture (CLP), and 100 μL PBS or 25 μg rSj-Cystatin were injected 30 min after CLP. At 12 h after rSj-Cystatin treatment, 6 mice from each group were sacrificed for detection of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, TGF-β, iNOS and Arg-1 in the serum, spleen, liver, lung and kidney tissues using ELISA, for examinations of liver, lung and kidney pathologies with HE staining, and for analysis of CD3⁺CD4⁺CD25⁺Foxp3⁺ T cell percentage in the spleen using flow cytometry. The remaining mice were observed for general condition and 72-h survival. RESULTS: The 72-h survival rates in the 4 groups were 100%, 100%, 0% and 20%, respectively, showing significant differences between the latter two groups. The mouse models of "two-hit" sepsis exhibited obvious tissue pathologies and significant elevations of TNF-α and IL-6 in both the serum and tissue homogenate, which were significantly ameliorated by rSj-Cystatin treatment. Treatment with rSj-Cystatin also increased IL-10 and TGF-β levels and spleen CD3⁺CD4⁺CD25⁺Foxp3⁺ T cell percentage. The septic mouse models also showed increased iNOS levels in all the detected tissues and a decreased Arg-1 level in the kidney, and these changes were obviously improved by rSj-Cystatin treatment. CONCLUSIONS rSj-Cystatin has a protective effect against "two-hit" sepsis in mice by regulating the inflammatory microenvironment.
Animals ; Mice ; Sepsis/drug therapy* ; Male ; Schistosoma japonicum/chemistry* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Cystatins/therapeutic use* ; Interleukin-10/metabolism* ; Interleukin-6/blood* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/blood* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Transforming Growth Factor beta/metabolism*

OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy of toric implantable collamer lens (Toric-ICL) and femtosecond laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (FS-LASIK) for myopia correction in patients with moderate to high myopia complicated with astigmatism. METHODS: We retrospectively collected data from 64 patients (aged 18-42 years) with moderate to high myopia complicated with astigmatism (128 eyes) undergoing either Toric-ICL (28 patients/56 eyes) or FS-LASIK (36 patients/72 eyes) at our department between January, 2019 and December, 2020. The changes of uncorrected distance visual acuity (UCVA), spherical equivalent (SE), mean astigmatism correction index (CI), corneal endothelial cell density (ECD) and intraocular pressure (IOP) following the procedures were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: In FS-LASIK group, all the eyes (72/72) achieved an UCVA≥1.0, similar to the rate in Toric-ICL group (55/56 eyes; P=0.2374). The postoperative SE was also comparable between FS-LASIK and Toric-ICL groups [0.43±0.06 D (range: -1.0 to 1.50 D) vs 0.38±0.05 D (range: -0.75 to 1.00 D); P=0.56]. The mean astigmatism CI was significantly higher in FS-LASIK group than in Toric-ICL group (0.8561 vs 0.7176; P<0.0001), and 88.89% of the eyes in FS-LASIK group and 69.64% in Toric-ICL group had postoperative astigmatism ≤0.50 D. No significant changes were observed in postoperative corneal ECD in FS-LASIK group, whereas ECD decreased significantly after the procedure in Toric-ICL group (P=0.0057). The patients undergoing Toric-ICL exhibited no significant changes of postoperative IOP, but the patients receiving FS-LASIK had significantly reduced IOP after the procedure (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Although the patients included in Toric-ICL group had higher myopia and astigmatism, Toric-ICL still showed better predictability and efficacy for astigmatic correction in Toric-ICL group. Toric-ICL is an effective and safe equivalent of FS-LASIK for correcting moderate myopia but can be more advantageous for correcting high myopia with astigmatism.
Humans ; Astigmatism/complications* ; Myopia/complications* ; Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ/methods* ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult ; Visual Acuity ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; Male ; Lens Implantation, Intraocular/methods* ; Female ; Phakic Intraocular Lenses ; Intraocular Pressure

OBJECTIVE: This study examines utilizes the advantages of machine learning algorithms to discern key determinants in prognosticate postoperative circulatory complications (PCCs) for older patients. METHODS: This secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial involved 1,720 elderly participants in five tertiary hospitals in Beijing, China. Participants aged 60-90 years undergoing major non-cardiac surgery under general anesthesia. The primary outcome metric of the study was the occurrence of PCCs, according to the European Society of Cardiology and the European Society of Anaesthesiology diagnostic criteria. The analysis metrics contained 67 candidate variables, including baseline characteristics, laboratory tests, and scale assessments. RESULTS: Our feature selection process identified key variables that significantly impact patient outcomes, including the duration of ICU stay, surgery, and anesthesia; APACHE-II score; intraoperative average heart rate and blood loss; cumulative opioid use during surgery; patient age; VAS-Move-Median score on the 1st to 3rd day; Charlson comorbidity score; volumes of intraoperative plasma, crystalloid, and colloid fluids; cumulative red blood cell transfusion during surgery; and endotracheal intubation duration. Notably, our Random Forest model demonstrated exceptional performance with an accuracy of 0.9872. CONCLUSION We have developed and validated an algorithm for predicting PCCs in elderly patients by identifying key risk factors.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Cardiovascular Diseases/etiology* ; Machine Learning ; Postoperative Complications/etiology* ; Risk Factors ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Secondary Data Analysis

Subclinical ptosis is a common congenital abnormality of bilateral upper eyelid development; the clinical manifestations are upper eyelid skin covering the upper corneal margin of more than 2 mm, upper eyelid bloat, narrow lid fissure, often accompanied by epicanthus and eyebrow elevation when the eyes are opened. Patients often present with a single eyelid, which can be easily missed and misdiagnosed. The cause of subclinical ptosis is an increase in the afterload of the levator muscle during contraction due to a variety of reasons, such as gravitational, volumetric, and tensile loads; the clinical manifestations and the normalisation of the levator muscle strength are the main basis for diagnosis and identification of true ptosis. Depending on the type of afterload, different surgical treatments are available, such as blepharoplasty, orbicularis oculi myotomy, upper eyelid tissue reduction, fibrous mesh band release, anterior displacement of the levator complex, and shortening of the levator complex.

Objective:To investigate the indications for prenatal diagnosis using copy number variation-sequencing (CNV-seq) and the abnormalities detected by the method.Methods:This retrospective analysis involved 17 994 singleton pregnant women who underwent prenatal CNV-seq at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2019 to December 2022. These cases were divided into five groups based on the following indications for CNV-seq: abnormal fetal ultrasound findings, high-risk results indicated by non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) or Down's syndrome serological screening (Down's screening), adverse pregnancy history, and advanced maternal age. The proportions of cases with the indications for prenatal CNV-seq, the detection rates of abnormalities (numerical abnormalities of chromosomes, pathogenic/likely pathogenic CNV in structural abnormalities) in the five groups, and the distribution of these abnormalities were analyzed. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-square test. Results:Among the 17 994 pregnant women, the women with abnormal fetal ultrasound findings, high-risk NIPT results, high-risk Down's screening results, adverse pregnancy history, and advanced maternal age accounted for 32.65% (5 875/17 994), 11.90% (2 142/17 994), 31.62% (5 690/17 994), 11.70% (2 105/17 994), and 12.13% (2 182/17 994), respectively. The detection rates of abnormalities in the five groups were 10.60% (623/5 875), 34.64% (742/2 142), 4.69% (267/5 690), 2.99% (63/2 105), and 3.67% (80/2 182), respectively. The overall detection rate of abnormalities was 9.86% (1 775/17 994). The cases with numerical abnormalities of chromosomes accounted for 68.79% (1 221/1 775), trisomy 21 was predominant (49.30%, 602/1 221). Chromosomal structural abnormalities were detected in 31.21% (554/1 775) of the cases with abnormalities, with 57.76% (320/554) harboring pathogenic CNVs and 42.24% (234/554) harboring likely pathogenic CNVs. The detection rate of chromosomal numerical abnormalities was higher than that of structural abnormalities in the abnormal fetal ultrasound group, NIPT high-risk group, and advanced maternal age group [6.81% (400/5 875) vs. 3.80% (223/5 875), χ2=53.10; 27.96% (599/2 142) vs. 6.68% (143/2 142), χ2=338.40; 2.43% (53/2 182) vs. 1.24% (27/2 182), χ2=8.61; all P<0.01]. A total of 416 microdeletions and 255 microduplications were detected in the 554 cases. The top three regions with the highest frequencies in microdeletions were Xp22.31 (12.74%, 53/416), 22q11.21 (7.93%, 33/416), and 17q12 (5.77%, 24/416); in microduplications, they were 22q11.21 (14.90%, 38/255), 17q12 (3.53%, 9/255), and 7q11.23 (3.53%, 9/255). Conclusions:Abnormal fetal ultrasound findings accounted for the highest proportion of prenatal diagnostic indications. The overall detection rate of abnormalities by CNV-seq is relatively high, especially in those with high-risk NIPT results as an indication for prenatal diagnosis. Among the chromosomal structural abnormalities detected in this study, the frequencies of Xp22.31 microdeletion and 22q11.21 microduplication are higher.

Objective:To propose a deep learning（DL）-based ultrasound imaging auxiliary tool for automatic segmentation and recognition of the brachial plexus（BP），and to enhance the accuracy and safety of clinical procedures.Methods:It was a multicenter study that collected 773 healthy subjects from Peking University Third Hospital and its branch campuses，the Third Medical Center of the Chinese PLA General Hospital，and Shanghai Eighth People's Hospital between August 2024 and February 2025. Brachial plexus（BP）images in the interscalene groove were captured used high-frequency ultrasound by senior sonographers，a dataset comprising 1 289 standardized images were constructed and the improved model（CHA-TransUNet）was trained. The test set was input into 6 different models（CHA-TransUNet，R50-Unet，TransUnet，SegFormer，SwinUnet，MISSFormer）for segmentation. Segmentation accuracy was evaluated using metrics including the Dice similarity coefficient（DSC），95% Hausdorff distance（HD95）and mean intersection over union（mIoU），and was compared with the segmentation results of 3 ultrasound physicians with varying experience levels（junior physicians and senior physicians）to validate the model's segmentation efficacy.Results:The CHA-TransUNet model established based on a dataset of 1 289 standardized images achieved segmentation results for the BP with a DSC of 90.15%，mIoU of 91.02%，and HD95 of 8.08. Its accuracy was higher than other mainstream models（DSC：90.15% vs. 87.60%，87.77%，81.35%，84.78%，84.55%），significantly better than junior physicians（DSC：90.15% vs. 68.73%， Z=-127.76， P<0.001），and approached the level of senior physician（DSC：90.15% vs. 86.15%， Z=-31.33， P=0.549）. The model demonstrated superior boundary recognition in complex anatomical structures（e.g.，C6/C7 nerve roots）compared to ultrasound physicians（junior and senior）（HD95：8.08 vs. 26.34，17.44，56.80）. Conclusions:This study proposes an analysis model for BP ultrasound images，CHA-TransUNet. This model achieves segmentation and recognition of the BP with relatively complex pathways and structures. The model exhibits high accuracy and stability，outperforming current mainstream network models and junior physicians while approaching the performance level of senior physicians. It assists junior physicians or trainees in more accurately identifying and localizing the BP.