Objective To describe the significance of the pretreatment inflammatory indicators in predicting the prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after undergoing radical radiotherapy. Methods The data of 246 ESCC patients who underwent radical radiotherapy were retrospectively collected. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn to determine the optimal cutoff values for platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII). The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. We conducted univariate and multivariate analyses by using the Cox proportional risk regression model. Software R (version 4.2.0) was used to create the nomogram of prognostic factors. Results The results of the ROC curve analysis showed that the optimal cutoff values of PLR, NLR, and SII were 146.06, 2.67, and 493.97, respectively. The overall response rates were 77.6% and 64.5% in the low and high NLR groups, respectively (P<0.05). The results of the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that the prognosis of patients in the low PLR, NLR, and SII group was better than that of patients in the high PLR, NLR, and SII group (all P<0.05). The results of the multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that gender, treatment modalities, T stage, and NLR were independent factors affecting the overall survival (OS). In addition, T stage and NLR were independent factors affecting the progression-free survival (PFS) (all P<0.05). The nomogram models of OS and PFS prediction were established based on multivariate analysis. The C-index values were 0.703 and 0.668. The calibration curves showed excellent consistency between the predicted and observed OS and PFS. Conclusion The pretreatment values of PLR, NLR, and SII are correlated with the prognosis of patients with ESCC who underwent radical radiotherapy. Moreover, NLR is an independent factor affecting the OS and PFS of ESCC patients. The NLR-based nomogram model has a good predictive ability.

BACKGROUND: The FAVOR (Comparison of Quantitative Flow Ratio Guided and Angiography Guided Percutaneous Intervention in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease) III China trial demonstrated that percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) lesion selection using quantitative flow ratio (QFR) measurement, a novel angiography-based approach for estimating fractional flow reserve, improved two-year clinical outcomes compared with standard angiography guidance. This study aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of QFR-guided PCI from the perspective of the current Chinese healthcare system. METHODS: This study is a pre-specified analysis of the FAVOR III China trial, which included 3825 patients randomized between December 25, 2018, and January 19, 2020, from 26 centers in China. Patients with stable or unstable angina pectoris or those ≥72 hours post-myocardial infarction who had at least one lesion with a diameter stenosis between 50% and 90% in a coronary artery with a ≥2.5 mm reference vessel diameter by visual assessment were randomized to a QFR-guided strategy or an angiography-guided strategy with 1:1 ratio. During the two-year follow-up, data were collected on clinical outcomes, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), estimated costs of index procedure hospitalization, outpatient cardiovascular medication use, and rehospitalization due to major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). The primary analysis calculated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) as the cost per MACCE avoided. An ICER of ¥10,000/MACCE event avoided was considered economically attractive in China. RESULTS: At two years, the QFR-guided group demonstrated a reduced rate of MACCE compared to the angiography-guided group (10.8% vs . 14.7%, P <0.01). Total two-year costs were similar between the groups (¥50,803 ± 21,121 vs . ¥50,685 ± 23,495, P = 0.87). The ICER for the QFR-guided strategy was ¥3055 per MACCE avoided, and the probability of QFR being economically attractive was 64% at a willingness-to-pay threshold of ¥10,000/MACCE avoided. Sensitivity analysis showed that QFR-guided PCI would become cost-saving if the cost of QFR were below ¥3682 (current cost: ¥3800). Cost-utility analysis yielded an ICER of ¥56,163 per QALY gained, with a 53% probability of being cost-effective at a willingness-to-pay threshold of ¥85,000 per QALY gained. CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing PCI, a QFR-guided strategy appears economically attractive compared to angiographic guidance from the perspective of the Chinese healthcare system. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT03656848.
Humans ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Coronary Angiography/methods* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Coronary Artery Disease/surgery* ; Quality-Adjusted Life Years ; Fractional Flow Reserve, Myocardial/physiology*

Constructing an efficient and easy-to-operate multigene expression system is currently a crucial part of plant genetic engineering. In this study, a fragment carrying three independent gene expression cassettes and the expression unit of the gene-silencing suppressor protein(RNA silencing suppressor 19 kDa protein, P19) simultaneously was designed and constructed. This fragment was cloned into the commonly used plant expression vector pCAMBIA300, and the plasmid pC1300-TP2-P19 was obtained. Each gene expression cassette consists of different promoters, fusion tags, and terminators. The target gene can be flexibly inserted into the corresponding site through enzymatic digestion and ligation or recombination and fused with different protein tags, which provides great convenience for subsequent detection. The enhanced green fluorescent protein(eGFP) reporter gene was individually constructed into each expression cassette to verify the feasibility of this vector system. The results of tobacco transient expression and laser-confocal microscopy showed that each expression cassette presented independent and normal expression. Meanwhile, the three key enzyme genes in the betanin synthesis pathway, BvCYP76AD, BvDODA1, and DbDOPA5GT, were constructed into the three expression cassettes. The results of tobacco transient expression phenotype, protein immunoblotting(Western blot), and chemical detection of product demonstrated that the three exogenous genes were highly expressed, and the target compound betanin was successfully produced. The above results indicated that the constructed multigene expression system for plants in this study was efficient and reliable and can achieve the co-transformation of multiple plant genes. It can provide a reliable vector platform for the analysis of plant natural product synthesis pathways, functional verification, and plant metabolic engineering.
Nicotiana/metabolism* ; Genetic Vectors/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Plant Proteins/metabolism* ; Plants, Genetically Modified/metabolism* ; Genetic Engineering/methods* ; Green Fluorescent Proteins/metabolism* ; Gene Expression

PURPOSE: We carried out the study aiming to explore and analyze the risk factors, the distribution of pathogenic bacteria, and their antibiotic-resistance characteristics influencing the occurrence of surgical site infection (SSI), to provide valuable assistance for reducing the incidence of SSI after traumatic fracture surgery. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study enrolling 3978 participants from January 2015 to December 2019 receiving surgical treatment for traumatic fractures was conducted at Tangdu Hospital of Air Force Medical University. Baseline data, demographic characteristics, lifestyles, variables related to surgical treatment, and pathogen culture were harvested and analyzed. Univariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to reveal the independent risk factors of SSI. A bacterial distribution histogram and drug-sensitive heat map were drawn to describe the pathogenic characteristics. RESULTS: Included 3978 patients 138 of them developed SSI with an incidence rate of 3.47% postoperatively. By logistic regression analysis, we found that variables such as gender (males) (odds ratio (OR) = 2.012, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.235 - 3.278, p = 0.005), diabetes mellitus (OR = 5.848, 95% CI: 3.513 - 9.736, p < 0.001), hypoproteinemia (OR = 3.400, 95% CI: 1.280 - 9.031, p = 0.014), underlying disease (OR = 5.398, 95% CI: 2.343 - 12.438, p < 0.001), hormonotherapy (OR = 11.718, 95% CI: 6.269 - 21.903, p < 0.001), open fracture (OR = 29.377, 95% CI: 9.944 - 86.784, p < 0.001), and intraoperative transfusion (OR = 2.664, 95% CI: 1.572 - 4.515, p < 0.001) were independent risk factors for SSI, while, aged over 59 years (OR = 0.132, 95% CI: 0.059 - 0.296, p < 0.001), prophylactic antibiotics use (OR = 0.082, 95% CI: 0.042 - 0.164, p < 0.001) and vacuum sealing drainage use (OR = 0.036, 95% CI: 0.010 - 0.129, p < 0.001) were protective factors. Pathogens results showed that 301 strains of 38 species of bacteria were harvested, among which 178 (59.1%) strains were Gram-positive bacteria, and 123 (40.9%) strains were Gram-negative bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus (108, 60.7%) and Enterobacter cloacae (38, 30.9%) accounted for the largest proportion. The susceptibility of Gram-positive bacteria to Vancomycin and Linezolid was almost 100%. The susceptibility of Gram-negative bacteria to Imipenem, Amikacin, and Meropenem exceeded 73%. CONCLUSION Orthopedic surgeons need to develop appropriate surgical plans based on the risk factors and protective factors associated with postoperative SSI to reduce its occurrence. Meanwhile, it is recommended to strengthen blood glucose control in the early stage of admission and for surgeons to be cautious and scientific when choosing antibiotic therapy in clinical practice.
Humans ; Surgical Wound Infection/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Risk Factors ; Retrospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Fractures, Bone/surgery* ; Aged ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Logistic Models ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use* ; Incidence ; Bacteria/drug effects*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate lymph node metastasis (LNM) in the prostatic anterior fat pad (PAFP) of PCa patients after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP), and analyze the clinicopathological features and prognosis of LNM in the PAFP. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological data on 1 003 cases of PCa treated by RARP in the Department of Urology of PLA General Hospital from January 2017 to December 2022. All the patients underwent routine removal of the PAFP during RARP and pathological examination, with the results of all the specimens examined and reported by pathologists. Based on the presence and locations of LNM, we grouped the patients for statistical analysis, compared the clinicopathological features between different groups using the Student's t, Mann-Whitney U and Chi-square tests, and conducted survival analyses using the Kaplan-Meier and Log-rank methods and survival curves generated by Rstudio. RESULTS: Lymph nodes were detected in 77 (7.7%) of the 1 003 PAFP samples, and LNM in 11 (14.3%) of the 77 cases, with a positive rate of 1.1% (11/1 003). Of the 11 positive cases, 9 were found in the upgraded pathological N stage, and the other 2 complicated by pelvic LNM. The patients with postoperative pathological stage≥T3 constituted a significantly higher proportion in the PAFP LNM than in the non-PAFP LNM group (81.8% ［9/11］ vs 36.2% ［359/992］, P = 0.005), and so did the cases with Gleason score ≥8 (87.5% ［7/8］ vs 35.5% ［279/786］, P = 0.009). No statistically significant differences were observed in the clinicopathological features and biochemical recurrence-free survival between the patients with PAFP LNM only and those with pelvic LNM only. CONCLUSION The PAFP is a potential route to LNM, and patients with LNM in the PAFP are characterized by poor pathological features. There is no statistically significant difference in biochemical recurrence-free survival between the patients with PAFP LNM only and those with pelvic LNM only. Routine removal of the PAFP and independent pathological examination of the specimen during RARP is of great clinical significance.
Humans ; Male ; Prostatectomy/methods* ; Robotic Surgical Procedures ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Retrospective Studies ; Prognosis ; Prostatic Neoplasms/pathology* ; Adipose Tissue/pathology* ; Prostate/pathology* ; Lymph Nodes/pathology* ; Middle Aged ; Aged

The iridoid glycosides from Veronica anagallis-aquatica L. alleviate heart failure by modulating the gut microbiota and influencing the production of two metabolites with potential antihypertrophic effects, HVA and 2OH-VA.Image 1.

Objective To investigate the feasibility and value of a multi-parametric MRI radiomics-based nomogram model for pretreatment predicting the lymphovascular space invasion(LVSI)of endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma(EEA).Methods Preoperative MRI and baseline clinical characteristics of 205 EEA patients were prospectively collected from Oct 2020 to Jan 2022 in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital,Fudan University,and randomly divided into training set(n=123)and validation set(n=82)in a 6∶4 ratio.The whole-tumor region of interest was manually drawn on T2-weighted imaging,diffusion-weighted imaging(apparent diffusion coefficient),and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI,respectively,for radiomics features extraction.In the training set,univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis were used to select independent clinical predictors of LVSI(+)and construct the clinical model.The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)regression and multivariate Logistic regression analysis were used to select optimal radiomics features to form a radiomics signature.A combined nomogram model was established by integrating clinical independent predictors and the radiomics signature,and validated in the validation set.The predicting performance and clinical net benefit were evaluated by using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC)and clinical decision curve analysis,respectively.Results Of the 205 EEA cases,144 cases were LVSI(-)and 61 cases were LVSI(+).Menopausal status,CA125,and CA199 were independent clinical predictors for the LVSI(+),and contributing to a clinical model with AUCs of 0.714(training)and 0.731(validation).From 8 240 extracted radiomics features,five were selected to construct a MRI radiomics signature after de-redundancy and LASSO dimensionality reduction,yielding AUCs of 0.860(training)and 0.759(validation).The combined nomogram model showed AUCs of 0.887(training)and 0.807(validation),outperforming others and achieving maximum clinical benefit in a large range of threshold probability in both training and validation sets.Conclusion The multi-parametric MRI-based nomogram model has the potential for pretreatment predicting the LVSI status of EEA,providing valuable information for clinical management decision-making and improving patient's clinical benefits.

Objective To develop an MRI-based habitat radiomics model for the preoperative prediction of endometrial cancer(EC)molecular subtypes.Methods Patients with pathologically proven EC from two hospitals were included in the training(n=270)and testing(n=70)cohorts.All patients had preoperative MRI and histological and molecular diagnoses.First,the tumor was divided into habitat subregions based on diffusion-weighted imaging(DWI)and contrast-enhanced(CE)images.Subsequently,habitat radiomic features were extracted from different subregions of T1-weighted imaging(T1WI),T2-weighted imaging(T2WI),DWI,and CE images.Three machine learning classifiers,including logistic regression,support vector machines,and random forests,were applied to develop predictive models for p53-abnormal endometrial cancer,with model performance validated.The model demonstrating the best overall predictive performance was selected as the habitat radiomics model.Using the same procedure,a whole-region radiomics model based on T1WI,T2WI,DWI,and CE sequences and a clinical model were constructed.The performance of the models was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curves,and DeLong's test was employed to compare differences between the models.Decision curve analysis was used to assess the clinical benefits of the models'application.Results After feature selection,eight habitat radiomic features were retained to construct the habitat radiomics model,ten features for the whole-region radiomics model,and three clinical features for the clinical model.The habitat radiomics model achieved the highest area under the curve(AUC),with 0.855(0.788-0.922)in the training cohort and 0.769(0.631-0.907)in the testing cohort.DeLong's test showed that the habitat radiomics model outperformed the whole-region radiomics model in the training cohort(P=0.001),but there was no significant difference in the testing cohort(P=0.543).In both cohorts,the habitat radiomics model outperformed the clinical model(P=0.007,training cohort;P=0.038,testing cohort).Decision curve analysis(DCA)demonstrated that this model provided clinical benefit for diagnosis within a threshold probability range of approximately 0.2-0.8.Conclusion The MRI-based habitat radiomics model can accurately predict p53-abnormal EC,outperforming both the whole-region radiomics model and the clinical model,and is useful for the non-invasive molecular subtyping of endometrial cancer before surgery.

Objective To investigate the biocompatibility of new gadolinium-doped hydroxyapatite(Gd-HA)composite scaffolds and to explore their feasibility as cell culture materials and bone tissue engineering scaffolds.Methods The Gd-HA composite scaffolds were chemically synthesized and placed under the electron microscope for observation.The experiment was divided into three groups,the HA group,the Gd-HA group,and the control group.Rabbit adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells(ADSCs)were isolated,cultured and characterized,and the Gd-HA composite scaffold extract was added to the ADSCs in vitro culture system.Cell survival and cytotoxicity were assessed by live-dead cell staining,cell proliferation ability within the scaffolds was assessed by CCK-8 assay,and the scaffolds were assessed by alizarin red staining for cell osteogenic differentiation.The toxic reactions of the scaffold materials were observed by skin irritation test,systemic acute toxicity test and muscle tissue and liver and kidney pathology at the site of intramuscular implantation of the scaffolds.Results The Gd-HA composite scaffold showed irregular void structure under electron microscope.Cell morphology observation showed that ADSCs grew adherently to the wall and were long shuttle-shaped.The positivity rate of CD29 was 96.94％,CD44 was 97.90％,CD45 was 0.10％,and CD34 was 0.46％,which was obtained using flow cytometry.Live-dead cell staining showed that the amount of live cells in the Gd-HA group was significantly better than that in the hydroxyapatite(HA)group after 5 days of co-culture.CCK-8 assay showed no significant difference in cell proliferation within 0-3 days.After 3 days,the Gd-HA group was significantly better than the HA group and the control group(P＜0.05).Calcium nodule deposition after alizarin red staining was significantly better in the Gd-HA group than in the HA and control groups,showing a deeper red color.No skin irritation was observed in gross and skin tissue HE observations after the contact of the extract with the skin.The general condition of the experimental groups was good after the infusion of the extract into the abdominal cavity,and the body mass tended to increase steadily(P＞0.05).HE staining showed that inflammatory reaction at the interface between the material and muscle tissue of the stent intramuscular implantation site in Gd-HA group was significantly higher than that of the control group,and the inflammatory cell infiltration was gradually reduced with the prolongation of implantation time.At the 8th weeks the morphology of the tissue around the material was close to normal muscle tissue,and no pathological changes were observed in the HE staining of liver and kidney at the 12th week.Conclusion Gd-HA composite scaffolds exhibit good biocompatibility and facilitate cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation,and they are expected to serve as good carriers for stem cell transplantation in tissue engineering.

Objective To explore the clinical application value of simple resection in the treatment of pancreatic solid pseudopapillary tumor(SPT).Methods Retrospective analysis of clinical and follow-up data of pancreatic SPT patients who underwent simple pancreatectomy and conventional pancreatectomy from January 2015 to December 2022 in the pancreatic cystic tumor database of Huashan Hospital,Fudan University.A total of 87 patients with pancreatic SPT,including 14 cases underwent simple resection and 73 cases underwent conventional resection,were included.The average age was(36.2±11.7)years old,and females accounting for 87.4％.Results The accuracy of preoperative imaging diagnosis reached 88.5％.Simple resection had a significant advantage over conventional resection in terms of surgical time[(138.3± 56.4)min vs.(241.2±89.2)min,P＜0.05].Simple resection was not inferior to conventional resection in terms of common postoperative complications.Out of 87 cases,only 3 patients in conventional resection group experienced postoperative recurrence and metastasis,and all recurrent patients were still alive.There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative pancreatic endocrine and exocrine dysfunction,and quality of life between simple resection group and conventional resection group.Conclusions Simple resection of pancreatic SPT is reasonable and feasible,but the risks in actual clinical work cannot be ignored.Therefore,selective simple resection of SPT has certain clinical application value.